My Honest University Experience

Hello, there.

If you have been following me for a little while you will know that I was in my final year of a criminology degree. 

I finished my degree a couple of days ago (yippee!). 

DISCLAIMER: I am going to be completely honest here. If you are one of the people I talk about then sorry, but not sorry also. 

A lot of people always ask me what university is really like, and I always find that a lot of people sugar coat things, and make it out like it's all party, happiness, and generally great times.

NEWSFLASH. 

This isn't true.

Sorry if I burst your bubble... 

Overall, university is a great experience. 

If you are thinking of going because you need it for a career then go for it. However, if you are thinking of going to uni to put off getting a job, or think you will "find yourself" (I cringe as I say that, ergh), or if you think it'll be an easy three years....do not go. It's a very expensive way to find out that none of those things happen or are true. 

University is hard. It has been a difficult three years. There is a lot of work, especially in your final year. If you don't work your ass off and commit to it fully then you won't get the grades you want. 

Hell, there will be a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. 

I have gone through some of the hardest times of my life at university. Dealing with being cheated on rather a lot, my mum having cancer, some nightmare situations this year that made me reconsider my entire degree, and some severe homesickness this year. 

I also made the decision to stop drinking back in October because I was starting to get a tad ill after drinking far too much (sorry, mum) over the previous two years. I found that this meant I essentially got left out of things - told you I was being honest - and actually meant that I didn't get on with my house mates any more. To be brutally honest, that has been absolute hell for me. I kept myself prisoner in my room, I was always scared to be in a room with them, and now I am extremely happy to be moving out. These are all things I never thought would happen to me, especially when I was really good friends with them beforehand. But advice I have been given is "you win some and you lose some". 

But it has also been a really great time. I've met (a few) people that I will consider lifelong friends, gained a degree, had amazing opportunities, and been able to develop myself in ways I wouldn't have done without coming here. 

The bad times were unbelievably shit, I won't pretend they weren't. Yet I have way more positive memories of the last three years, particularly more from my first and second year. 

The one thing I think I have learned most from being at university is that you can't please everyone, and you shouldn't try to. People are going to go out of their way to make you feel like shit, believe me it happens a lot. You have to be strong enough to know when to walk away, whether it be from a friendship, relationship, or anything group work-y. 

Oh, a second thing I learned (the hard way) is that you get out what you put in. If you put your everything into an essay then you will get the results. If you do them the night before you will (mostly) not do too great. 

Remember that you are coming to university to gain a degree, not to party your life away. 

I may consider doing a university Q&A sort of thing later on if anyone has any questions. I will be doing a "my degree in pictures" next week, so keep your eye out for that! 

I want to know what advice would you give to someone going to university/starting a new job/making a big life decision? Put your answers in the comments below!

As always, thank you for reading, and I will see you all next time!

PS. sorry for not blogging for a while, dissertations are hard.

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Reasons why summer sucks

Everyone always seems to rave about how "awesome" summer is, and how they "can't wait for it to get here" because it's the "best season of the year". Frankly, I think that's just completely mental. How anyone can look forward to the summer is completely beyond me. Now, before you blast me with a million reasons why I am completely wrong, let me tell you that I have plenty of reasons to hate summer, and that I'm not being a summer Grinch. So this is my reasoning as to why summer simply sucks. 

Butterflies
Those horrible, winged balls of death have to be the worst thing about summer. They just fly around like they own the place, and then seem to take pleasure in dive-bombing my face. That is just not cool. Thank god they seem to go extinct in the winter months.

School holidays
Everything gets overrun by screaming, hyperactive kids. Not to mention teenagers who are too cool for basic manners. Don't get me wrong, we've all been there, but the older I've gotten, the more I find them infuriating. Summer means they're just everywhere.

Wasps
Me and wasps have an awful track record; they sting me, I end up swallowing them, they lead to injuries, bla, bla, bla. Bees are fine because those little things just want to get on with their lives, but wasps are evil little shits. 

Sleepless, stuffy nights
Summer always means that my room transforms immediately from an igloo to a sauna. I need a fan on continuously to prevent my room from melting in to a lump of material. It also means it's pretty damn impossible to sleep, and I like my sleep.

Hay fever
Anyone who doesn't suffer from hay fever will just never understand why we kick up such a fuss. Itchy, red, streaming eyes, persistent coughs, runny noses, and continually sneezing are all signs that you're approaching hell. If you don't suffer from hay fever then you should feel lucky!

Light mornings
On your day off, the bright light pouring through the curtains bang on 5am is so freaking annoying. At least during winter the sun finds some manners and doesn't appear until around 7.30!

Sticky heat
There's just no break from any sort of heat. If it's abroad then chuck all the heat my way, but UK summer heat is just honestly the worst.

Everything moves outside
As someone who doesn't particularly like the outside, summer is particularly annoying as absolutely everything suddenly becomes an outdoor activity. I am perfectly happy indoors where pollen cannot attack my eyes, and panes of glass separate butterflies from my personal bubble.

People going on holiday
Whilst some of us are in dire need of money and spend every day working to get it, others are off gallivanting on fancy holidays. Just to make matters worse, all their holiday photos get plastered all over social media websites, and I get instantly jealous.

Long days
Although some people find this great, when you're trying to sleep because you have work at 9am, and the sun is yet again pouring through the curtains it kind of sucks. In winter it gets dark at a more acceptable time of 3pm, so when you need to sleep it's possible.

Beds become too hot
I have that weird need to have to be completely covered by my duvet at night - it freaks me out that any part of me would be completely exposed to the scary night monsters. Summer is the worst time for this; I end up facing a huge nightly dilemma. Do I risk being eaten by crazy monsters, or boil to death under my duvet? I still can't decide.

Constant sweat
Everything gets completely uncomfortable; the smallest activity causes your body to imitate Niagara Falls, and everything needs to be peeled off. Yuck.

Melting makeup
Summer just makes me begin to resemble a waxwork left out in the sun. I mean, how exactly am I meant to be appealing to guys looking like that?

Thigh chafing
This is both a product of my not-exactly-thin frame, and summer. But it doesn't happen in the autumn/winter time, so clearly it's all summer's fault.

Bikinis
This definitely relates to the above point, and sucks equally. But also because some people wear bikinis that just aren't pleasant to look at, or queue the appearance of the green eyed monster. Fun, fun.

Hot drinks aren't cool
I am a huge fan of hot drinks, particularly coffee, and I drink multiple cups a day. When it's hotter than the sun outside, this becomes a teeny bit of an issue. Screw you, summer. I need my coffee.

Grass
Hay fever. Grass. Cutting the grass. Urgh.

Bright, sunny days
This is particularly annoying when driving and the sun pummels your eyes through strong sunglasses. I mean, there is absolutely no need for it!

Teenage girls
I must hear "best summer ever" come from groups of teenage girls more than 5 times a day. You say it every year, how can it be the best summer when next year you'll be saying the same thing. Flawless logic.

Steering wheel burns
I have an old car. Old cars don't have air con. I work in a cafe in the middle of a field. This means a lot of sun exposure. This is a little bit of a killer combination. The amount of times I have gone home with burned hands is ridiculous. 

Always being presentable
I hate having to always look good - girls, this means having to have silky smooth legs. Maintaining that is hell. At least in winter your legs are covered by multiple layers of clothing.

Lack of air con
We, as Brits, don't have air con in our houses; we have extreme heating. So when it gets warm we tend to melt a tad. 

Camping
I cannot comprehend what enjoyment someone can get out of sleeping under a sheet of plastic. Especially in summer when it turns into a portable greenhouse. Then there's glamping...what?...

Netflix days are frowned upon
Sitting on the sofa with headphones on, watching an entire season (or two) of a TV series seems to not be the norm in the summer. I am not sure why.

Winter seems an age away
A petition to shorten summer, and lengthen winter pretty please.


So there is why I don't enjoy summer.

What is your favourite season of the year, and why?

What's summer like where you live?

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The price of travel?

ITV2 has recently announced a new TV show in which Tom Daley goes backpacking around the world. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love Tom and it is likely I will end up watching the TV show, but I am a bit peeved about this concept.

What bugs me about it mainly is that these celebrities already have a significant amount of money behind them from previous things they have done, yet they are being paid by TV stations, in this case ITV2, to do something that many people have to save years for.

This is something that has really ruffled my feathers recently because travelling is something that I really want to do after I graduate next year, but after a massive reality check I realised that there is pretty much no way in hell that I will be able to afford to do this until a few years after graduation. Some of you may think that I should be patient and stop complaining, but as someone who will come out of university with debt exceeding £50,000 and a degree that I probably won't be able to start a profession in for many years due to budget cuts in the Ministry of Justice, I want to get as much life experiences under my belt as possible before I have the opportunity to settle in to a full-time job. 

Travelling is something that many people tend to do on a gap year, or normally when they are a little older further on in life. However, due to the shit nature of the industry I want to work in, there is a possibility I can get a job straight from university or I could go back to working in a cafe and have a grueling few years job hunting. Travelling offers life experience and the opportunity to see the world that is otherwise almost impossible to get - and travelling is something of a bit of a passion for me, and I love nothing more than seeing new places.

Don't get me wrong, the program will probably be a good watch and I will watch it to see the places they visit. The trailer for the program shows Tom and his friend experiencing many adrenaline-fueled activities including bungee jumping, skydiving, off-roading, camel riding and many more activities that the average person would have to pay hundreds of pounds for to be able to enjoy. They also get the cultural side of travelling, with something different in each country. The ITV2 website states that it isn't all "VIP packages and hotels" and that they "rough it backpacker style" - what is wrong with that?! I would absolutely love to do that, and definitely wouldn't call it 'roughing it', it's all part of the experience and would be incredible!

The show sees them go to 6 countries over six weeks including Japan, Australia, Thailand, Morocco and New Zealand - which happen to be some of the most expensive places to visit. It costs on average approximately anything around £10,000 to travel similarly to what they have done in this program. It will take me around 5 years to save up to be able to achieve that sort of level of travelling, and I would also like to travel Europe on top of this.

What I don't understand is why ITV2, or any other television company, doesn't pay a normal bunch of friends to go travelling and experience these activities and opportunities. It would be an authentic reaction and probably pretty good viewing on television, and would provide that group with an experience they could probably only dream of. Or even allocate a budget to the group and follow them as they plan, book, and embark on their own journey, without the interference of anyone else. This would definitely be something I would watch, and could turn in to something that inspires many people to go travelling! 

I am definitely volunteering myself and my friends for this if anyone wants to take up my proposition! 

I am expecting a significant amount of backlash from this where people are saying I am ungrateful, or that I should have done a different degree, or not gone to university at all if I want to do all these things. I went to university to better myself as a person - it has significantly changed me for the better, and I went to hopefully get myself a better career in a few years time than just being stuck in waitressing all my life. Travelling is something that has always been on the agenda for me, and I didn't take a gap year because of the sheer fact I knew I wouldn't then go to university and I would regret it for the rest of my life. The opportunity to travel will probably be very small, or I won't get to do it at all, but it is my goal whether it takes me 5 months or 5 years to save for.

So this is my rant over, for any of you wishing to watch Tom Daley Goes Global it starts Thursday April 10 at 9pm on ITV2.

As always thank you for reading, don't forget to follow me on all my social media over on the right, and I will see you next time!

What would you try if you had no fear?

Once again I have become annoyingly and unbelievably philosophical because of a post that I have seen on Tumblr. I will post the original below just to give the owner some credit as this was an image rather than a direct quote. 

Via: http://the-personal-quotes.tumblr.com/

This post, as you can probably guess has sent my mind whirring away. I mean, what would I try if I had no fear? What would you try?

First of all I want to discuss the concept of "fear". I mean technically what is fear? Surely the fear of something is only as big as you allow it to be? So technically you could have no fear or something in general without this idea? I think I am thinking way too much in to this.

So what would I do if I had no fear? Initially I thought about an absolute ton of things that I would want to try, and then I began to think a lot more in to it. So I think I am going to split this in to several sections. Not quite sure how yet, so lets see how this plans out. 


Career/education

If I had no fear I think the first set of choices I would make and things that I would do would relate around my career choices. As you might know if you have read some of my previous posts about having a crisis (which you can read here) then you will know that I am absolutely terrified of the next few years of my life. So that is why I would be tackling this first.

First of all I think I would actually go for the career of my dreams - which would probably be a writer. For some reason I have a crippling fear of even considering this at the moment and I don't know why. I think it's because it has nothing to do with my degree and I just feel that it would be such a difficult career to pursue because of the major setbacks regarding freelance writing etc. Having said that, there are like almost no jobs in the criminal justice system at the moment so I guess that either way I am not going to lose anything.

As much as I love studying criminology, I think if I could try something without being scared of it I would choose to do another degree. I'd love to do a degree in journalism or creative writing or something similar. I think that this is just where my main interest is and I would enjoy it all the time. I do love studying criminology, don't get me wrong, but I am not passionate about it whatsoever. Then again I have said that I don't have a passion in a previous post (which you can read here). I know criminology has opened up some pretty good opportunities for me, including my current work placement with Storybook Dads which I will be writing about soon, but I don't think I want to work in that sector anymore. So definitely doing another degree, or even a postgrad course - money would have to be no object of course!

On a similar note, I would do something about my blog. I am quite scared of altering it in any major way in case it messes up and I couldn't get it back. So I would definitely get over my fear and purchase my domain name and become a proper blogging website. I know a while back I said I would do this if I got over 10, 000 viewers, and I am now nearing 11, 000...but I am terrified of doing it! I literally do not know why. I am just shitting myself about changing it. I also think I would need to employ the help of a web designer to make it all funky and whatnot, but I don't have the money to do that unfortunately. 


Relationships

This would be another area I would definitely do something about if I had no fear. For example, I would tell a certain someone exactly how I feel about them. Which sounds stupid because as a rule I would generally just go up to someone if I like them and let them know.

I'd also get the balls to ask Tom Daley on a date! The majority of you are probably now sitting there looking at the screen with a "what the fuck" look on your face because he's all famous and whatnot. He does live near me as I live in Plymouth, and I see him out and about all the time, so he's not a stranger to my life. I speak to him on nights out etc, and I even got a kiss off him (see picture below) so you know...totally in there.

Moving slightly on from that, I think I am quite scared of trying a different type of guy. I have a tendency to go for the same sort of looking guy which usually ends badly, as the recent one has. So I think for once in my life I need to go for a nice guy. 

I am currently at a crossroads in my life where I have just spent the last few months feeling like crap after being treated like complete and utter shit. I did write a massive post about this which ended up being about 2, 500 words but I don't know whether to edit it and publish it or just to leave it sitting on my laptop. Thoughts? So in relation to this, I think I need to stop being so scared of people and scared of putting myself first. It's safe to say I was in complete denial about how someone felt about me which lead to me basically spending the last couple of months in and out of something that has made me feel both worthless and humiliated. So yeah. So I would stop being so scared about putting myself first.

Life choices

Well I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long section. There are so many life choices that I am far too scared to even think about let alone completely contemplate to the point of a major decision. Having said that, I made a few decisions in the last few days (finally) after about a year of wanting to do them. 

I will tell you about the decisions I have made recently after bloody ages of thinking about them. The first regards my plans straight after university. As you may or may not know, I am a major Disney fan, and it has always been my dream to work in Walt Disney World and I finally got the balls to properly look in to it a few weeks ago. I found out that they offer graduate places for a year long placement with them working in different areas of the park. So do you know what? I said fuck it to everything and decided to apply. Obviously I can't apply until next year but I am going to either way! So hopefully I will get accepted in to that. I have also decided to finally start saving to make the big move over to Australia! I know this will take me a long bloody time but it is definitely something that I would love to do and have thought about for a few years now so it's like fuck it, lets do it.

Now, if I had no fear what life choices would I make? Hmmmm, this is a difficult one I think. As a rule I tend to make my life decisions with or without fear. Although I think I would be a bit more bold in my choices.

I think I would try to take on more things. Not in the form of work or anything, but I wouldn't say "no" to certain things. An example of this was about 10 years ago I got the chance to go to Australia and I turned it down because I was scared to go without my parents. Basically I am an idiot.

Adrenaline

This is a bit of a difficult one because I am such an adrenaline junkie and I will do anything to try and scare myself, whether that be watching a scary film or jumping out a plane. So instead I think I will just tell you about the things I want to, and plan to, do!

First of all I want to go skydiving! I don't know why, and I don't know when, but I am going to do it! I have always been curious about what it feels like to jump out a plane just strapped to someone else...the mind boggles.

I also want to go cage diving with great white sharks - something that has been offered to me in Australia when I go! My mind literally went "dksjfklsdgknd" when I found out that I could do this. I mean how awesome would that be? I am soooo excited. My mum won't like it though...

In slight relation to skydiving, I also want to do bungee jumping. Ideally off the Grand Canyon - how freaking awesome would that be?!

On a slightly less adrenaline filled activity is diving/scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I'm glad that I can say that i am going to tick this off my list in a few years. I have seen so many pictures of friends who have done it and I am so excited!

General

In a more general turn of events, I would definitely do something slightly more adventurous with myself I think. Maybe actually follow fashion?! If you ever see me, you will know that I have absolutely zero fashion sense and my mentality is that if it fits then it's fine. Maybe I should conquer this anyway?

I think if I had no fear I would also try to write a full on novel. It's something I have always wanted to do, and have actually begun planning one several times just to get frustrated with its lack of direction and throw it in the bin. At the moment I am considering doing some fictional writing on top of my blog just to see what direction it takes. Maybe publish it chapter by chapter.

But mainly if I had no fear I would pack everything up, chuck it in a backpack and set off to explore the world and just see where I am going. I take major inspiration from several YouTubers (FunForLouis, JacksGap, and Watchbbbtv) who turn these dreams in to actions. I would love the opportunity to do even half the things they do. JacksGap and Watchbbbtv actually did a collaboration (which you can view here and the JacksGap video here) with some amazing footage from Dubai. So as you can imagine I am extremely jealous of this. If anyone wants to take me around the world and let me blog about it that would be fantastic.

Maybe that's what I should do? I should travel the world and blog about all the things I do. Take a leaf from the Big Bad Bucketlist and do some of these things myself? Tempting....I could start off in Plymouth and just go from there...Thoughts?


To finish on a slightly logical note, I don't think life could exist without fear. As much as it may seem nice for someone to think that having no fear would mean that they could do anything, fear tends to motivate people and define people's limits on things. So without fear how would we know our limits? How would we get the motivation to tackle certain tasks? Surely life would be very slightly boring without fear. Fear provides adrenaline and although we could take part in adrenaline fueled tasks, we would not get that natural sense of it.

So I ask you guys: what would you do if you had no fear? Comment below with your answers.

As always thank you for reading. If you liked this post then be sure to become a member by clicking "Join This Site" to be told when I write more!

Toodle-oo!

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Inappropriate life rant part three | growing up edition

So this week I turned 20 (hold the applause) and was happily informed by my housemate that I should expect a quarter life crisis. To be perfectly honest I just laughed this off and thought that it was one of those stupid phenomenons that you hear about. Then the other day it sort of hit me. I am 20. 20 years old. I am not a teenager anymore. My age begins with a 2. In 10 years I will be 30. Holy shit. 

A million and one questions started shooting through my head: am I going to go grey now? What am I doing with my life? What have I done in my life so far? What is the meaning of life? Where will I be in 5 years? How will I get the money for everything I want to do? Will I ever find someone who will ever marry me?

Don't laugh at me. I am genuinely having a panic about everything, literally everything. I genuinely spent an entire day panicking about the fact all I have done in the last 20 years is be in education. So naturally I thought that it would be a fantastic idea to share my panic with you guys to make me feel better about life, and that maybe I am not alone in this little quarter life crisis. I am not sure why this has been placed under an "inappropriate rant" title, but I think that it is fitting. Maybe. It probably isn't. I hope you're still reading. 

As you have probably guessed, I am panicking about the fact I am not 20. I had to change my Twitter bio to say "20" and writing that "2" genuinely almost made me have a panic attack. It probably didn't help that my Grandma was telling me that she got married when she was 18...I am like holy shit, and I am just sat here drinking 10 bottles of wine a week in a desperate bid to forget everything else (it works). I mean I have been alive for 20 years...twenty years and what have I done? Sail through the first few stages of education, then spend most of the rest of the last year drunk beyond belief or studying for exams. So thrilling. Although I am trying to think positive and think that my degree will benefit me in the next few years, and might hopefully help me get a better job. If there are jobs anywhere. 

This leads me nicely on to the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with my life. I have been studying criminology for over a year now, and I do enjoy it, but I am starting to think that I really don't know if I want to work in the criminal justice system anymore. I don't even know why I decided on criminology to be honest. If I am blunt with you guys, I really wanted to do law but I didn't think I would get the grades to do it. Turns out I got way better grades than what I thought so I could have done it...oops. Then I started this blog...fucked up everything, that did! I forgot how much I absolutely love writing. I did English Literature as an A Level and hated it (partly due to one shitty teacher) which really put me off writing/reading for a while - despite my mother telling me that I should have done English Language instead (she was right). Gah. I have been looking at postgraduate degrees...the only problem is that you only get a loan for your tuition, and I can't afford to stay down here. I literally have no idea what to do.

I also know that I want to do some travelling, or that sort of thing. Recently I have been looking at work placements in Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida. I was considering taking a gap year before university to do something like that, but then thought that I probably wouldn't go to university in the first place if I did that. So I have been looking at it online recently for something to do for a year when I graduate. There are loads of different things that you can do in Walt Disney World and Universal studios, and I would love to work on the rides and whatnot. But I don't know whether I would even qualify. Have any of you guys worked there before? If you have then do tell me below what it's like. 

I am dying to go abroad for a few years when I graduate either way. I have family and friends over in Australia and would love to travel over there. I'd love to move there one day, too, so would be awesome to try and find a nice place to settle. I know that there are a group of Australian's who read my posts, so where do you guys think a good place for me to settle, get a good job, and find a nice man would be?! Heeeeeelp. Also, where are the best places to travel to? Comment your answers below - would love some help.

I have come to the conclusion that I am going to die alone. To make matters worse, I am allergic to cats so I can't become a crazy cat lady. Sad news. So I am going to become the crazy pug lady. I really want a pug. Like really badly. They're so cute!

The worst thing about becoming 20 means I feel like I now have to justify so many things. For your pure entertainment, I give you a list of the things I feel I need to justify:

Buying Bob The Builder pasta shapes

Going to Walt Disney World

Still watching the Disney Channel and Nick Jr

Loving Phineas and Ferb beyond belief

Buying stuffed toys

Enjoying going in play parks

Thinking that some kids rides are better than bigger rides

Going to Toys R Us

Still loving the films you did as a kid

So I still do all those things...but I do buy more things like Dora The Explorer pasta shapes. Don't judge me.

I'm also panicking about the fact I am going to go grey soon...

The best bit in all this? I already have arthritis....I shit you not. I have it in my ankle. 

Fuck.

I am going to stop ranting...this is a bit long isn't it?

Please comment if you are feeling like this, I don't want to be alone!

As always, thank you for reading, and I will see you next time!

Toodle-oo!

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Things uni has taught me

So it occurred to me the other day whilst I was sat on the sofa when I probably should have been doing something, that I learned a lot at university last year. I mean, not just educationally related to my course, but also life lessons and other random bits and bobs. 

For any of you who haven't been to university, or aren't old enough yet, then take note. I guarantee you that these little life lessons will become very valuable to you in the future!

#1 - Drinking on a Monday night is perfectly acceptable
Not only is it acceptable, but it is actively encouraged!

#2 - All night library sessions will become second nature
Always a great way to finish that essay due in the morning.

#3 - 40% is the new 80%
I shit you not, if I get anything over 40% I am one happy bunny.

#4 - You can drink in celebration or commiseration 
Passed your exams? Drink! Failed your exams? Drink!

#5 - Missing a lecture is acceptable as long as your best friend does too
I mean, if you miss out then they should too, right?

#6 - You can make any meal with baked beans
They go with everything....literally everything.

#7 - Getting hammered on a tenner is acceptable
Who needs expensive drinks anyway?

#8 - Cheese makes everything taste better
Or you can just eat cheese. Either way.

#9 - Fancy dress is not just for kids
I guarantee you will see at least one group of fancy dress per night out.

#10 - Spending multiple days on the sofa is OK
This is something I actively encourage to be fair.

#11 - Going out in a onesie is encouraged
Uni essentials: ridiculous onesie.

#12 - Flirting with someone to get a free drink is OK
This may or may not be the best tactic to get a free drink.

#13 - Kitchen roll is multi-purpose
Clean the kitchen, clean your room, wear it, sell it, anything.

#14 - Kitchen essentials will sprout legs
The sooner you can accept that your cutlery will grow legs and run away, the better.

#15 - 9am lectures are a myth...right?
What's 9am?

#16 - New procrastination methods will be learned
From watching an entire series of new TV, to tidying the house.

#17 - There is always that one housemate...
There will always be one that you won't get on with all the time.

#18 - Freshers Flu is a given
You will get it. It is unavoidable.

#19 - If you even ask if you should go out, you will always go out
As soon as you question it, you know it will happen. It takes like 5 seconds to decide.

#20 - Drinking to cure a hangover works
I shit you not, this is the best cure.

#21 - First year counts as nout
Get 40% and drink the year away.

#22 - Although actively discouraged, Wikipedia is good background info
Your lecturers will hate it, everyone else will love it.

#23 - Always have a back-up deck of cards
You will lose some to alcohol poisoning.

#24 - Having money is a thing of the past
Watch your money walk out your bank account.

#25 - Food several days past the sell by date is still edible
If it isn't moudly, it is fine.

#26 - Anything can be made in to a drinking game
Films, TV shows, people...you will learn.

#27 - Mixing strong drinks is a spectacularly bad idea
Yet we all still do it every time.

#28 - Wine is a great pre-drink
Gets you hammered in half the time!

#29 - Cheap alcohol will become your best friend
Just get used to it.

#30 - Having breakfast at 1am is acceptable
Don't question it, just do it.

#31 - Learning how to sleep on demand should be on your CV
This is something I am very proud of.

#32 - At least one trip to A&E a year is average
Drunken injuries....

#33 - "I'm never drinking again" is a common phrase you will use several times a week
Even though you know that you will be drinking again...probably the same day.


So as you can see I have learned a hell of a lot...

Just remember if you are going to drink a lot, at least get 40% to pass your year! Remember: work hard, party harder. 

As always thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post and want to hear more from me then click "Join This Site" to be notified of when I post!

Speak to you next time!

Toodles!

Please drink responsibly.

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Life advice part two

A few months ago I shared with you a few snippets of things that I thought were good advice for any struggling teenager at the moment. Since then, a lot has happened, and I have had to endure a really bad few days. I was feeling extremely shit about myself, blaming myself for something that has happened although it wasn't my fault, and I haven't eaten properly in a few days. It hasn't properly hit me until now, and I'm genuinely having a bit of a breakdown here! 

I then decided to do something I have never done before, and that was to reach out to my mother. For anyone who knows me, you will know that this is a big deal for me as I never reach out to anyone, especially my mother. This forms part one of my life advice for you. I have not been one to reach out to anyone, ever. I do not take advice, and I do not listen to people even when I know they are right. After this incident, which I will not mention simply due to the fact that I am still angry over it, I think I am starting to learn my lesson. I actually have opened up to people and admitted that I should have listened. So this is piece one of advice for you. Do not be afraid to open up to people. If, like me, you have a problem opening up for whatever reason, then work on it. It has taken me 20 years, but I think I am finally starting to make a change to how I am. Especially with my mum. I very much doubt whether my mum would agree with the fact I think I have changed, but I do see it in myself in little things. But that is just matter of opinion.

My mum sent me a link to a YouTube video (which you can view here) which issued some extremely good advice. The video itself was taken from an article written in 1997 by Mary Schmich (you can view it here). I think this really offered something that reached out to me - which is again saying something because I am absolutely shit at admitting that I need help. So I am going to base my advice on this article as I don't think I could have given anything better. If this helps me, then I am damn sure it will help you. 

Disclaimer: anything written in italics after this notice is of quote of the author (Mary Schmich) and not of the author of this article. Thus, anything other than this is of opinion of the author. 

The first part of her article says this: 

"“Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. In 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t quite grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine”

"Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly."

This I think applies to a lot of teenage girls, and girls around my age. I think that a lot of girls these days have the mentality that they need to look perfect and airbrushed. I have come to accept the fact that absolutely no one is perfect. I mean NO ONE. You may think all these models are perfect or whatever, but you look behind the Photoshop and the airbrushing and the makeup, and they are just normal people like you and I. My advice to you based on this is not to get caught up in all the media attention on this ideology of "perfection" because that only exists in a fantasy world. Go enjoy a million Nandos, go snack on a fucking doughnut. Who cares?! I would much rather be happy enjoying a meal than eating fucking rabbit food. Would you not? Life is far too short to try and iron out every single imperfection. 

“Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum”

For any of you who has the ultimate joy of knowing me, you will know that this is a very weird piece of advice for me to be giving you. To be honest, this is a hypocritical thing for me to even be saying, but hey ho (in case you're wondering, I am the biggest worrier about the rest of my life). That statement is so accurately true that it is kind of scary. Worrying about things that you don't even know will, or will not, happen is probably the most pointless thing you can do in life. There is no point in worrying about something that is above and beyond your control. I should probably start listening to my own advice, shouldn't I?

"Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours."

This is probably the most valuable piece of advice I took from this entire thing. Having recently had my heart completely fucked about with, it really hit me. I wish I had been given this advice sooner. It would have saved me a lot of pain and heartbreak, I tell you that. Now, ladies, listen to this advice. No matter how much you may think someone means to you, or you to them, as soon as they fuck up once, get out. I do not mean this in a harsh way at all, but once something is broken it cannot be fixed. You may think you can stitch everything back together, but after a while cracks begin to show. If someone is fucking you about then they don't care about you as much as they say. Remember: you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

"Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone."

Just so everything isn't so fucking heavy. Drink milk. Lots of it.

"Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future."

If you take away anything from this amazingly long ramble, then take away this. Your parents are not going to be there forever. Seriously make the most of them whilst they're there. I have friends who no longer have both parents, and it really makes you think. I know when you're a teenager you say you "hate" your parents and that you wish your friends parents were yours, bla bla bla. I am just coming out of that phase now and I am starting to see what a fucking idiot I used to be. I never treated my parents the way they deserved to be, especially my mum, and that is something I will regret until the day I die. However, I can now begin to make amends. If you are a reading this thinking it is all a load of shit, then I bet that you're a teenager. Take it from me, I was the world's worst teenager, and I am telling you. You definitely appreciate them more when you move out and have to be independent. So listen.

"Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young."

This is something I wholeheartedly stand by, and I will for a very long time. Out of everyone who I have been friends with throughout secondary school, I have had one friend who has been there for almost 20 years now (hi, Laura, if you read this) and I probably owe a lot to her. But then you have the friends who you might not have known for many years, such as my university friends, who you feel like you've known a lifetime. Then you also have the school friends who stick by you no matter what, too. I am lucky enough to have a few extremely close friends, you know who you are, which has been proved to me recently. But just always make the effort with people. 

"Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it."

This is the advice I am going to leave you with - advice on advice. Not many people these days are willing to give out advice, so seriously listen when people take the time to do so. At the time it may seem like they're just being a pain in the ass, or they have taken a particular dislike to someone, but 99% of the time they're going to be right. They only have your best interests at heart, you know.

As always, thank you for reading and I will speak to you next time!

Toodle-oo!

Also want to do a quick special mention to the people who have put up with my tears and tantrums over the last few days: Vikki, Josh, James, Daisy and Milky who have been the main people the last few days and have even managed to cheer me up. Also to my mum who has put up with me for 20 years and not killed me yet. So much love for them. So this post is dedicated to you guys. 

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Passions vs interests

Hello there, buddies.

The other day I watched a clip about an economist (whose name escapes me) and he was talking about the differences between interests and passions in relation to failure and success. This clip really got my mind buzzing and I turned to my friend saying that I really need to blog about this sort of thing. So...here it is.

Now I think that there is a clear distinction between something you are interested in, and something that you are passionate about. However, the person who was speaking in that clip said that you cannot be successful by pursuing something you are simply interested in, yet not passionate about. This is something I think I am going to chat about today.

It was also said that you have to be successful to have a 'great' career. Now I say to you, what makes a 'great' career? I think that anything that provides a stable income and something you enjoy doing is a great career. I don't know what your opinions on this would be, so please do tell me in the comments below. The idea of a great career is clearly subjective, and most likely is going to change depending on the outlook of a person and what they enjoy. Also, the status of a career is going to change whether it is viewed as good or great. For example, my dad is a firefighter, a career that many people see as great. From someone who has an inside view, I would say that this would be 'good' career based on the theory provided by the economist. This is because he risks his life on a daily basis, doesn't have a high income, and is most likely something that my dad is not 100% passionate about (although others would disagree). However, someone who has an outside view would view this as a 'great' career because of this heroic stigma attached to it.They are often sensationalized as people who saves lives - which of course they do - but what people always tend to forget is that they put the lives of others before their own...and thy get paid pennies to do it. People idolise the likes of football players (who get paid over 30 times more what my dad gets in a year) who just run around on a field for a while chasing a white ball and over-exaggerating any contact they get. These types of people are passionate about what they do, yes, but they only made a career out of things by luck - nothing to do with being passionate. I would label my dad's career as 'good' because of the sheer fear that comes along with it - would you think that it is great wondering whether your dad is OK after tackling a blazing fire? 

The thing is, it was said that something you are only interested in basically means you are doomed for failure? Do I agree with this? No, I do not. As someone who doesn't have a passion, this basic theory means that I am doomed to fail in life. Now this is just ridiculous. I have very high aspirations for myself, but in something I am only interested in. Does this mean that I will just spend the rest of my life failing at anything I go for? I think not. 

I think it is irrelevant as to whether you are interested in something, or passionate about it, whether you succeed in it. If you are driven enough, know the right people, or have the right attitude then you will succeed. Interest and passion play no role in that.

I would say I am only interested in the subject that I am studying at university, yet I am hoping to have a career in the subject. I also have got relevant experience in it, and a once in a lifetime opportunity in this area without being passionate about it. Do you think I am going to fail simply because I am only interested in it?

The economist is suggested that no external factors play a role in whether you succeed or fail in life, and that it is driven simply by the desire fabricated by a severe interest in a certain thing. Take my blog for example. I wouldn't quite describe my blog as my passion as I find it quite easy to stop blogging for a while and turn my attention to other things; the same can be said about my degree. Someone who is passionate about something can only focus their main attention on that one given subject, without being able to voluntarily cease their involvement in it. 

Would a passion mean that I am more likely to succeed in life? I do take two opposing views on this...First of all, it might help me along my way because of the extent of drive it would enforce in me. I would be likely to continue to pursue what I am doing out of pure interest and the desire to succeed because of how I felt about the said subject. But on the other hand, I feel that I don't need to be passionate about about it to get to that level of success. I can see the opinion of the economist, yes, but what I do not understand is why it is viewed that passion overrules interest. Surely you have to be interested in something for it to become a passion? Whether this interest is furthered to become a passion is down to the perceptions of the person involved. Just because they don't develop that strong attachment to it that develops in to a passion, doesn't mean they cannot be successful in that field. 

I think that passions are a good thing to have, yes. But I think it's rare that you can find something to be that attached to. Some people have passions and go far in life, and some even become famous, but some people just aren't that lucky. For example, me! I am never going to be famous or crazy successful because I am just not that lucky - but that is a post for another time!

I think I need to draw this all together now; I seem to have rabbited on a bit too much, sorry! Long story short, I don't think people should be made to feel bad for the fact that they don't have something they are passionate about. If it were that people weren't successful because of the fact they haven't got a passion for something, then 90% of the world would be unemployed. I think it's more valuable to have multiple interests than to have one single passion so you can keep your options open and have several different talents. People who focus on more than one thing are probably more valuable in the long run. I don't know, that is just my opinion. Maybe I am biased because I don't have a particular passion? I don't know.

Anyway, enough from me.

I want to know your opinion. In the comments below, tell me what you think about the whole "passions vs interests" thing.  If you have a passion I want to know why you have one and how it came about. If you don't have one, then I want to know the things you are interested in, why you're interested in them, etc. Basically, what draws you to the thinks you love?

If you enjoyed this post then do please click "Join This Site". I'd love to know whether you liked this style of post compared to my usual rant-y things.

As always, thank you for reading!

Talk to you soon, lovelies. 

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