Category: Uncategorized

An evening with Sir Trevor McDonald and the things I learnt

Leave a comment

On Thursday night I was thrilled to attend an evening with Trevor McDonald and his speech was inspirational to say the least. Although he was fairly late (blame London traffic!) it was definitely worth the wait. Instead of boring you with every single thing I did on Thursday I’m just going to give you 5 quotes which I found to be both inspirational and motivating.  I was simply in awe of his life and all he has done in the last 50 years but he made me feel that it was possible to have that kind of life. He didn’t patronise us as students, nor did he lecture us he was simply honest and incredibly charming. I took down five quotes I want to share with you all, quotes I believe will help me throughout university and maybe my entire life. He spoke about those he had met without name dropping, his frankness about disagreeing with president Bush but commenting that he was a most charming man and a true Texan. Equally he spoke of those who are seen as evil such as his interview with Saddam Hussain and mentioning that although his security were brutal the man himself was calm and often isolated, so much so his own workers never saw him. Hearing his story I so badly wished that I could have spoken to him, I couldn’t unfortunately so these quotes will have to do, some of which I hope to live by.

‘Not the received truth but the real truth’ – So basically don’t just accept things, find out the real truth for yourself.

‘Nothing is accomplished without hard work and determination’ – This one really speaks for  itself and I totally relate.

Don’t let people find their limits on your ambition – This one struck a chord with me because people always seem to try and tell you what you’re capable of which leads me to the next quotation…

‘The ones you should never trust, those who say you can’t..you go and show them’–  I’ll let you think about that one yourself.

Get out there. – I intend to live by this one. In relation to uni I would rather get out there and do an internship rather than go and get drunk.

Live, Laugh, Love

Leave a comment

Live Laugh Love_1-600x600 (2)

I do not own this image please click here for its original source

I love that quote and in the past few days I have been able to live it. Since coming home Bekkie and I have been spending so much time together and I already feel like she’s been in my life forever. That sounds cliché but I don’t know how to explain it? We’re so similar but so different it’s odd. For example I’m fiery and can blow up in 2 seconds and Bekkie is calm and considers things, this works in our favour very well if we’re together. I’m in a friendship where we can use our strength to help the other persons weakness. Another thing? The girl makes me laugh until my sides ache. The amount of laughter that was coming out of my room last night anyone would have thought we were incredibly drunk (we weren’t by the way). That’s another thing I never need alcohol to have fun with Bekkie, it doesn’t interest us but we still have a damn good time. If I’m honest I couldn’t have asked for anyone better on my courses. I’m aware I sound like a sap but friendships are very important at university especially because you WILL meet people who put your back up. Through my half field I’m counting about 4 right now, they are also on Bekkie’s list as well as Trish’s (another lovely girl who is currently in all but one of my classes, also another Harry Potter fan).

I should put some tips into this blog seeing as I’m actually writing at as a kind of freshers guide. Although the title is ‘Live,Laugh,Love’ you don’t all the time. In my short 3 weeks here I have seen people nodding off in lectures. The topics can be a bit dry and according to one of my lecturers are supposed to drive you mad ( yeah you try and work out that logic, I still don’t get it)  and sometimes it’s the people. Some people think they’re at university because they are apparently experts and feel that the lecturers (with all their years of experience) cannot simply be right because it doesn’t agree with THEIR standards. I’ve encountered a few of these people, you can’t even call them know it all because they’re often wrong and generally people get irritated. I have heard that this is is common in many different field so watch out! What I’m trying to say ( I think) is that you don’t have to like everyone, in fact there is a possibility you wont. University introduces you to so many different walks of life that your bound to have different opinions. Although Bekkie is my closest friend I have other friends on my course ( Jake, Trish, Rhys, Christie and others) and many friends in other fields (Ali,Charlee,Joe, Conor, Ben, Kym, Jodie, Tom, Jay, Tess, Amy, Jamie, Alexia are just a few). That’s another thing! Don’t spend time with just the people on your course, I think you’re at risk of losing your mind if you do.

So there you go, I’m loving life at the moment and there are some handy hints for any would be freshers! Tomorrow night I’ll be seeing Sir Trevor McDonald at a talk at the uni! Excited is an understatement!

When boredom takes over

Leave a comment

I honestly wish I could blog about something new and interesting every night but I am bored silly! Today I came back form Basingstoke to my lovely flat and I’ve really missed them Ali, I know Ali was so happy to come back too. I also had my first driving lesson in Kingston today and it was a success! I have been told I am a very good driver and should be ready for a test in no time! Thank god for that!! I just want my license and my car and the freedom of it all. Right now all assignments are nearly done and I’m going mad with boredom! Ah student life!

Paramore, Paramore, PARAMORE

Leave a comment

Image

Ali and I at Paramore 2013, Wembley Arena! 

Three years ago a self conscious redhead headed to the O2 Arena to see Paramore for the first time with her lovely boyfriend. They had just released their third album ‘Brand New Eyes’ and I was hooked. I first got into Paramore at the age of 13 (just before I met Ali actually!) and from the first time I listened to ‘Riot’ I was hooked. For some reason Hayley’s lyrics spoke to me and as cheesy as it sounds every album has helped me through various stages of my life. I wasn’t lucky enough to know about them when ‘All We Know’ was released, although I do still relate to those songs. For me ‘Riot’ was something else, here was a girl with beautiful orange hair (I’d always been a fan of gingers) who could kick ass and write great songs and as for the musicians? I couldn’t get those riffs out of my freaking head. I wanted to be in a band and partly that was because of Paramore. It wasn’t until ‘Brand New Eyes’ was released I could see them live, as a present my Mum ended up buying me and Ali tickets, I don’t remember specifics but the night was amazing and it made me love them even more. I came back from that concert with no voice what so ever, this time I thought I’d make the same mistake.

Now I was skeptical about this concert. I had read so many interviews that were Hayley based and seen videos where she was the center of attention, was this the Paramore I knew and loved? No it wasn’t I loved knowing about all five of them and I was worried that since the Farro’s left the show might feel empty. After running for multiple trains (damn busses again!) we finally arrived at Wembley (finally calm after my mum phoned ahead to check we weren’t going to miss them, we got there in plenty of time in the end) got our T-Shirts and waited for Paramore to begin. Before this was a support act called Charli XCX who in my opinion didn’t fit in with what we had paid to see. I began getting excited, all they had to do was put Hayley’s box saying ‘Paramore’ on the stage for the whole arena to start screaming and chanting. I turned into a fan girl. All my worries melted away as soon as they came on to new song ‘Grow Up’, a personal favorite of mine. Ok so the stage looked like there was a little too much room as the three of them ran about and Hayley’s new look was..different. As the show carried on you could see why people had made such a big deal. Hayley spoke with open honesty and you felt like they all cared about you. You could see how much the fans meant to them and how much fun they were having and they didn’t shy away from what had happened. I’m not ashamed to say I cried because this was music that had got me through so much and here was my idol telling us what they really meant. There was nothing lacking in ‘Paramore’ if anything you could feel how much they had grown up and together, especially in the little snippets where they played Ukulele it was damn adorable.

Image

Three of my heroes, they’ve still got it

Image

I will always be a ‘Parawhore’ 

My favorite part of the show? It’s not every night you see Wembley Arena transformed into the night sky by fans who feel like your family. ‘The Only Exception’ was incredible and even Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor were clearly shocked and grateful for the response. The song had meaning for me because I was standing with the man I loved again to the same song and more in love than ever. I couldn’t see Paramore without Ali it’s just become our thing really. We laughed, we danced, we got all sweaty and I don’t know if I can speak for Ali but I got that breath of fresh air in me that made me ready to record. As Hayley said ‘What ever you are going through, you’ll get through it. If we’re standing up here, you can get through whatever it is’ and I believed her, For All That Goes may be over but be damn sure you’ll be hearing about No People Club the new songs are amazing. I hold on to the feeling that music can transform your entire life. So here it is Paramore, I want to say thank you in advance.

Image

Everyone has a book inside them..

Leave a comment

After yesterdays wobble I wondered if today would be as daunting, I am thrilled to say that it wasn’t at all! Today proved to me why I am at university in the first place. I had a 2 hour lecture today and I learnt so much that I think it’s safe to say I don’t care how much I’m paying because of what I am learning. One of my lecturers, Meg, is so incredible. I actually met her last week at the Chancellor’s inauguration but had no idea she would be teaching me. We looked at words and how powerful they can be, we specifically looked at speeches and once again the glory that is Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech was put under scrutiny (in a good way I can assure you). That speech inspired me as much as the lecture, his passion, his hopes makes my skin burst into goose bumps every single time I hear it. There was so much to learn and do today and that was only after one 2 hour lecture! 

I won’t lie to you I had another wobble after I got home and tried to work out how I was going to get all my homework done. After all the panic and confusing Bekkie and I were still a little confused so we turned to our intranet. It turns out I had downloaded the wrong file (yup and I go into uni!) so that’s why I couldn’t find the right lecture notes. Brilliant. We’re fine now, we had a laugh any bonded over Harry Potter..as you do. This is only a quick blog tonight just to let you know I’m doing okay and I’m getting there. I’m even thinking of writing a freshers guide when I leave depending on how this blog pans out. I WILL not be writing a cliché about how you have to be friends with everyone. The truth of the matter? You don’t, just don’t cause fights. There are already one or two people here who piss me off every time I see them, I’m fairly aware they know I’m not interested in them, we just stay out of each others way. Simple. 

So keep your eyes peeled in the future for a book on uni life! haha! 

 

Thanks for reading 

Chloe 🙂 

Sleep and the young Fresher (nature special)

Leave a comment

In the wilderness that is university, throughout the day young freshers sleep. At night we see them come alive in a variety of ways socialising, becoming aware of their surroundings and of course the famous mating call (often associated with the alcoholic beverage of their choice. Ok so you know I’m not any kind of a nature specialist here I’m simply commenting on student life, however it has come to my attention that the majority of students just don’t seem to sleep. I think I’m a rarity,there is nothing I love more than my food and my bed (while also being lucky enough to stay a size 8 mwhaha!!)  while everyone else is just going crazy! I have to admit though now freshers is over people are generally starting to calm down a bit, there are still flat parties but it’s relaxed a little bit. As for my nights out? I’m still waiting for a mad night out, if I’m honest though I want to get to know where I am before hand although Wednesday nights seem to be a good night to go out so maybe I’ll try that next week! 

As I said I’m a bit of a rarity but despite this I haven’t been sleeping. It’s hard to get used to a new place as well as listening to the other crazy freshers outside my window all hours of the night. The solution I thought? Go stay at Ali’s and get some sleep after all Kingston Hill seems to be calmer. So after trying and failing with even more buses (damn I hate the buses!) Ali’s friends are pretty chilled out and we all decided to give the pub a miss and instead just sit and talk, the rest of Kingston Hill didn’t seem to get the message. I’m starting to get the feeling that even though I don’t go to them flat parties follow me, I never sleep!  I asked Ali about the amount of noise (honestly it was like trying to sleep in a bar!) and he said he didn’t get it, it was never that bad. Eventually I managed to crash out then woke up about 6 hours later to get the bus, this was strike one. Despite the early start I woke up with a smile and headed off to wait for my new laptop and printer to arrive. When it did the guy pretty much made me trash my neatly and thoroughly organised desk and room which sent me into a whole different wave of panic. I had a new laptop though, I can’t complain about that although my idea for a quick shower and 1 hour nap went out the window, I surely wouldn’t be THAT tired right? Wrong. After almost 2 weeks of interrupted sleep the tiredness reared its ugly head. The problem is when I’m tired I easily slip into a low (as I had the night before), to cut a long story short I doubted myself all afternoon and ended up in tears (which my lecturer is now aware of, nice one Chloe, nice one) at the end of one lecture. The thing is getting used to all this on a few hours sleep is enough to make anyone’s brain hurt let alone someone like me who has a brain running at 100mph at all times. 

I lost all faith in myself today so I have decided that sleep is so important that I don’t care what people think of me. I need to stay healthy so I’m going to go out occasionally but make sure I get a good nights sleep most nights. I need to make sure that I’m okay because otherwise I wont get my degree and that’s what I’m here to do. I want to use this blog also to thank my lovely new friends as well as some old ones. I’ve been having a really tough time time this week and I’ve found freshers hard and a few people have really made all the difference. So I’m using this to say thank you and that I’m okay, well I will be in time. As a lovely man said to me today ‘take every day at a time’. 

10 Ways to Survive Freshers Week!

Leave a comment

1. Say Hi to all your flatmates! 

This really is a must, you’re going to live with these people all year, like it or lump it. I was lucky and got really nice flat mates (even a nice girl on my course!), if you guys arn’t  that alike remember they on’t have to be your best friends you just have to get on.

2. Go to your induction lectures 

I had 3 9am starts down on my timetable which I was DREADING but after attending one the rest of my 9am lectures were cancelled. Also they give you good tips in these as well as important info, we even got our first task in one lecture. On top of that you get to meet your course mates and lecturers, in a way these are even more important than your flat mates these people will see you for 3 years (first impressions count). 

3. Cry when you need it 

So you’re in a new town/city, a new room and you’ve just spent £9000 on fees I think your entitled to a good cry. Almost everyone I have spoken to has had a break down at one point or another, so don’t bottle it up! I always found that after I made my self go and do something so that I wasn’t wallowing.

4. Phone or Go Home when YOU need it 

So if you’re like me you will more than likely get quite homesick, here’s a secret, you’re allowed to phone home! After talking to other people I know that most of us are phoning home most days (every day in my case) and a few people have had to go home for varied reasons. It’s not the best idea to go back every weekend if you can help it because you do need to make friends but I know a few people at my uni who have done freshers and gone home for the weekend. It’s all up to you and how you feel. 

5. Don’t buy everything on the booklist, ask what you NEED. 

Ask any second or third year they will say the same thing only buy the CORE textbooks. I study English and we read a new book a week for one module (as you can guess that is impossible to budget for) but we get the resources online to read which is helpful. Even our lecturers have said that you don’t need to buy absolutely everything, talk to people about what you really need.

6. Don’t feel pressured into going out every night 

I went out drinking twice in freshers week and that was definitely enough. There is a big pressure to go out and be wild every night, coming from some of my friends who did it, it’s boring. The problem with freshers is that absolutely everyone thinks they need to be out every night meaning the clubs and bars are rammed. If, like me, you are not that into the club scene then just do something else until it calms down. go to a few flat parties for an hour or two and show your face then go do something else you don’t need to be wasted to be a good fresher! 

7. Learn who you are

This kind of ties in with what I said above, learn who you are and what you want to do. If you don’t want to do something then say no! It’s all up to you now, try and be comfortable in your own skin (I know how hard this can be trust me).

8. Get to know where you live! 

Take the wrong bus, walk the wrong way all these little mishaps allow you to get to know where you live and where things are! 

9.Don’t spend your Student Loan in the first week

I thought it was obvious but apparently not. I know people who went full out shopping the day the loan came in…let’s see how tasty those shoes are at Christmas…

10. Enjoy yourself! 

It’s stressful and new and scary but once that bit calms down have fun learning about yourself 🙂 

We may be home early and sober but we have had a bloody good time!

Leave a comment

 

Image

 

Beckiie and I ready for the Ball

Compared with how the evening turned out this morning was terrible,  I woke up still tired with a huge tummy ache. Not good. Then I found out that a certain online retailed had charged me for a service I didn’t want and my budget was low as hell after a few phone calls Beckiie and I were finally headed to the freshers fayre again! This time thankfully it was a lot less busy as we got there at an earlier time and I had learnt to lie to people if they wanted to harass you! We wondered around and got 2 lots of popcorn as well as 5 or 6 bags of goodies (we could have gotten more if we thought to sign up with a fake name as some people did, a tip for next year!)  before settling down and giving Ali a call. While we waited we looked through our bags and thought about how the day had been so far and we came to the conclusion that the Christian stands were the most pushy (apart from maths). This didn’t come as much of a shock in general but in comparison with the other religions it was quite shocking. Now Kingston is very diverse and one of the reasons I adore the place there were almost all religions there but Christians trumped them, they tried to talk us into meeting without really explaining about their faith and constantly bugged us unfortunately. I wouldn’t have minded if they were honest but a fair few representatives weren’t and that was a real shame. We visited a lot of stands and had a breather between them. After a while Ali came and as usual he got on with what he wanted to do then made his was away…which meant it was birthday present time for me. A whole afternoon with a certain budget and I could get whatever I liked! Unfortunately we didn’t find much so the conclusion was I would get my present at the Paramore concert next Friday…that was until we found an incredible chocolate shop called Montezuma’s. Ali knows me so well he got me what is called a ‘chocolate library’ combining two of my passions, chocolate and books (ok not real books but it was a good idea). 

Image

My Chocolate Library! Yum Yum! 

After surviving freshers it was time to head home for the ball and so we waited for the bus, then we waited again…then we waited some more. It got there eventually. When we got back I started feeling tired and low and after a long cry down the phone to Ali and my Mum I started to feel better and got ready for the ball. I really didn’t know if I wanted to do a night out but I’d already paid for the ticket so I agreed.  Although we weren’t drinking much and it wasn’t our kind of music we had an amazing time (Ali didn’t come but myself, Beckiie, Joe and Conor had a laugh). We ended up in the Student Union for most of the night before attempting to catch the bus home (which in the end was cancelled so we had to get a cab). It just proved my point that you don’t have to get wasted to have a good night. Don’t get me wrong I like a few drinks sometimes but being wasted is horrible and after the last time I really don’t want to be there again plus it is SO much cheaper (especially if you are a lightweight 😉 ) 

Image

Beckiie, Me, Joe and Conor (behind) 

 

So that’s it for the day and a pretty successful one at that. I am SO looking forward to sleeping over the weekend! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

Chloe 🙂 

Ups and Downs

Leave a comment

Image

 

How I entertain myself and Ali on my bus journeys (that’s my tongue not my bottom lip)

 

Today the inevitable happened, tired, full of cold and stressed out I finally hit a low. I know it’s been coming it’s like a storm you can feel coming and I was silly enough to have thought it had gone away. I had a dip the other night with Ali but I put that down to drinking too much (never.again.) today was different. I was up and ready (after my hot water wasn’t working, that was strike one), today was freshers fair! I’d heard so much about it and honestly, it didn’t live up to the hype. Many of my other freshers have said the same thing too many people in one small place. I couldn’t breath and I could hardly move at all which made me feel awful as well as some slightly pushy 2nd and 3rd years being around. I signed up for a few of the societies that I really wanted to Music, Rock and Journalism, I’m planning to pop back early tomorrow to try and see if there is anything else I want to join in with. The thing is I don’t want to sign up for to much and regret it later so I’m just sticking with my 3 and may spend some time with the student’s union. With all the chaos I just felt lost and alone and needed to cry. I panicked and I felt like I wanted to go home (perfectly normal freshers feelings) then started to go on a low. As with many other times I tried to relax and ended up falling asleep during a visit to Ali’s this afternoon and I woke up feeling much better.

After a low I try and think about it and work out why but do you know what? Sometimes there isn’t a reason, it’s just part of a really crappy illness that I have. No one knows if I’ll get rid of it for good, it could go away for years and come back but I try not to think about that. The anxiety is the same thing but in my heart I think I’ll always be a little bit anxious. I am accepting it and I want to leave university after changing people’s perceptions on mental health issues that we’re not all ‘nutters’. Unfortunately due to my low mood I couldn’t face the disability meeting which really upset me  because normally I try and work around it and I do but I suppose I have to accept that a lot is changing and moving. Things will be worse at the moment and I hoping I can move on but I do hate it and I can’t always be positive, it’s just the way things are. I did get around it though with a trip to Kingston Hill, a nice shower, some home cooked food (thanks for the frozen meals mum!) and a lovely night in with Becky. Overall tonight has been a good end to a particularly rough day. Here’s hoping tomorrow is ok! 

Do I look like a Kingston Uni student to you?

Leave a comment

Today was my first day in Kingston and I have officially enrolled as a university student. As I write this I have an ID card in my bag and I’m wearing a lovely red Kingston hoodie (for the great price of only £20, ok so that is sarcasm right there). Luckily Ali and I had the same appointment slot so I didn’t have to go on my own, all the girls had theirs much earlier in the day so I took the opportunity to stroll around the absolutely packed Bentalls Centre. Oh that’s another thing I’ve learnt not to go into town on a Saturday unless I have too it was so packed I ended up eating lunch sat on the floor…

The enrolment itself was fine we had to explore rooms and spoke to different people from the university. I also met a lady who told me about a potential job for the uni as well as inviting me to go to something for the Chancellor, I gave her my email and I suppose we’ll see what happens. Apart from that today was quite normal I suppose I’m just getting used to being here and trying to get ready for a big week ahead. Oh God what have I let myself in for!