An adult learning process related rant.

I have been back at Uni for a grand total of 14 days and I have realised that becoming an adult is hard. I know I probably should already know this seeing as 18 is meant to be an adult age but I like to think I have an excuse till the big 21. I am in my LAST year of Uni and I swear I still can't run my own household!

Washing up is literally THE bane of my life. Who's stupid idea was it to have a house with a dishwasher last year and a house without one this year!? I now constantly have a massive pile of washing that I am reluctant to do because I don't want wrinkly fingers and lets face it, I'm lazy :P The people who look blissfully happy doing the washing up on the Fairy liquid adverts are just liars.

Also, bathrooms get dirty real quick. Jade was the master of bathroom cleaning in the old house and now I have fully come to appreciate this. She used to make the toilet water blue as if by magic. I used a face wipe to clean my sink out the other day... skills.

The washing machine is already broken too. I'm not sure what I did to it but I have some really soggy towels still chilling out in there. What kind of house doesn't have a tumble dryer as well? Nearly ran out of underwear the other day and I have used a hairdryer on a top so I can wear it. Student problems!!

source

After months of having nowhere of particular importance to be I have forgotten vital timing skills. Because I am so worried about being late for stuff I have definitely been overstepping the 'early' mark by a few giant leaps. You'd think that after two weeks I'd know how long it takes to walk to Uni... naaaaaaaaah.

Back in June I thought I was becoming some sort of epic cook with my beetroot brownies and my recipe books. Sadly I have reverted back to being less than useless, though this could be because I'm living on a partial diet of hangover food. I have been a master of eating out this week, check it out.. not cooked a single evening meal!

Monday - I had a catch up with Emma and Tom in Slug and Lettuce while we tucked into these giant platters! Felt like a total guy tucking into my bbq ribs.
Tuesday - Made the most of Dominoes 2 for 1 offers for a cosy date night in
Wednesday - Surprisingly didn't eat out but Sam cooked for me. That's even worse isn't it??
Thursday - Chinese take-away eaten in the SU in preparation for comedy night. Proper student style.
Friday - Rounded off the week on a fancy date night in Bella Italia :) yum!!

How ultimately lazy am I!?

& to top it all off.. pretty sure this year on the Primary Ed Course is out to depress me haha obviously I am upbeat as always ;)

Soooooo....

Oh hey there, it's Monday! I totally didn't forget to write a blog ready for Sunday amidst all my Freshers fun and I oooobviously just didn't have a few seconds spare to upload it yesterday :P

So, what the hell have I actually been up to all week? I haven't had any lectures (and don't have any till Thursday, um primary ed?) and I've not had any responsibilities other than turning up to Oxfam on Sunday for my first volunteering shift! Well I went back to York last Saturday and I have been out every single night apart from Thursday.. I partied harder than I did during my actual freshers! On Saturday we had a massive house catch up which consisted of copious amounts of wine and gossip. It was just onwards and upwards from then on!! Sunday night was meant to be a few drinks at the SU but somehow me and Leah ended up out on the start of our week long bender!

Where's Wally?

Tom's Birthday/Army Night (looking veeeeery commando)

Jade's friend's birthday that we tagged along to

The whole week was hilarious and absolutely FULL of drama! We have had laughs, tears, freshers injuries, morning panda eyes, Harry potter condom jokes, boy dramas, awkward moments... the lot. But I wouldn't change it for the world, even if we were a bit cringey!!

Friday - Sam's birthday! 

I had a very Sam-full day on Friday which was lovely. We had a little shop, she taught me how to geocache (which is both nerdy and AWESOME) and we had a girly film/gossip day with Holly and her house mate Lizzie. Lizzie made possibly the best birthday cake I have EVER had :) She used to work at Betty's (a fancy York cafe) so she has picked up a trick or two. I hope Sam had an amazing birthday night out with us all, I know I did <3 I even managed to bag a free drink because of my football knowledge! I guess James was a good boyfriend for some reasons ;) haha! Sam has also introduced me to someone who may or may not have changed my  attitude to guys at Uni... watch this space!

In other news :)

 Sam sent me this yesterday which had me in stitches for a good five minutes!

For those of you who don't know who the tractor boy is, please watch the video below :D I watched in in high school but totally forgot about it until I was working at Project International and everyone kept saying 'CEEERAZAAAY'

Also.. I have been trying to do my hair like this.. but it's not quite long enough to get it so high :'(

Second week of Freshers begins today so tune in next Monday Sunday for more details :D

Welcome to my crib

Moving day is always a mix of excitement and absolute terror. You can't wait to get back to Uni and chill with your homies yet the thought of packing your life into bags and boxes AGAIN just freaks the bejeebers out of you. My Mum managed to wrestle my ever growing pile of crap into the car and we set off to York once more for my third, and final :'( , year at Uni.

It was a looooong day of unpacking and organising and many room related decisions. And that was before I even went and did my ASDA shop or decided what I was going to eat in Yates for my last paid for meal! Lo and behold I managed to get my third Uni room to my liking.

& here it is!!

The Sleeping Zone

My faithful cherry coloured ASDA sheets are being used yet again :) only this time with the addition of my new Urban Outfitters tapestry throw that I got in the sale over the Summer. The usual suspects claimed space on the bedside table; lamp, tissues, candle and the Buddha/lucky gems collection that I take everywhere! Can't face an exam without them. Also... spot the elephants! There are three :P

The Beautifying Zone

Last year I had to whiz around my room on my wheely chair but now I can perch on the end of my bed to look in the mirror. I even have plugs close for my hair dryer, YES! 

Ignore the ridiculously early time I took this picture this morning, I have an inability to sleep after 8am, even on Sundays or when I am stupidly tired from moving in! All my essential toiletries/perfumes/hair stuff and various utensils get to be displayed, the rest is all jammed in the first drawer :) No 'OC' lover can be a Summer Roberts fan without their very own princess sparkles! Hence the my little pony ruining the grown up vibe ;)

The Clothing Zone

How exciting is it that I have a wardrobe this year!! I can hang stuff up :D last year because my room was a loft conversion, the ceilings didn't allow for a wardrobe so I just had loads of drawers instead and I hate folding stuff properly :( I like to have pictures from magazines on my wardrobe for a bit of inspiration when I get dressed; these two have an autumny ethnic kind of vibe that I really like. I saved the three hooks from my first year, I bought them in a pack from poundland and they were really useful for my many coats! This year I decided to hang my favourite scarves and bags on them so I can grab them and go :)

Now the window picture is to just show you the green curtains I had to work with this year. My beddings is cherry red... last year my room was purple... now I have green curtains? AAAAAAH!!! I took some inspiration from Penny's rooms in the Big Bang Theory as she uses lots of clashing colours to create a bright and fun atmosphere. Lovely Undergrad has done a fab blog about how to get the look here.

The Study Zone

How teeny tiny is that desk!?! There are no drawers for me to stash all my books and massive bundle of computer wires! I used to have a set of stationary drawers for all my pens and things too but that is now at the bottom of my wardrobe. The limited space meant I have to keep out the most important things; laptop, webcam for skyping, magazine file of important things and my pencil case. The shelves look slightly less studious though! My part collection of Friends and The OC dvds as well as a small selection from home take the top shelf as well as my necklace holder. Second shelf has my collection of Cosmopolitan magazine :) I used my wages to subscribe this year so it will soon grow! My hand painted pots are so exciting now they are full of brand new sharpies and highlighters.. because all budding teachers need them you know! Finally, a holiday snap of me and Nikki :)

Phew! Even though I have no lectures this week, I can tell it's going to be a busy one. What with learning how to look after myself again and visiting everyone that I haven't seen in months. Oh and there will probably be some drunken antics ;) 

Birmingham Arts Fest

It has become a bit of a tradition that every year I go with my parents and Nikki to the arts festival in Birmingham. We love to spend the afternoon strolling around and taking in the variety of entertainment that is on offer and having lunch out as a treat.

Art on the Rails

This is a unique way to display your work! Each person has a little table and the rails behind them to make a mini showcase of their art. There is loads of interesting stuff if you can afford to be buying prints and paintings to adorn your home with :)

Sculptures and Street performers

While you are busy taking in all the main events, don't forget to keep an eye out for the hidden gems. There are often individuals doing mini performances that shouldn't be missed. The guy in the blue jacket below was following people round and pulling faces behind there head... hilarious for the spectator! There were also some beautiful sculptures made out of gardeny sorts of things.

The Arts Market

 This really is a feast for the eyes and loads of fun for anyone that is into performing arts and likes to be creative. There was pottery, dance classes, theatre groups, performances, live bands, mini art classes for kids and plenty of other stuff to get involved in. My favourite stall was the 'Giant Colouring' where you can order a black and white piece of art and colour it in yourself :) great idea for my future classes to colour in a mural for the wall!

La Musique

Looking through the Arts fest guide, there was such an assortment of musicians in Birmingham last weekend; definitely something for everyone! From Heavy metal to a full on orchestra :) We were sat in Chamberlain Square enjoying a drink and thought we might as well stay for the next band. I couldn't believe it when my sister recognised the lead singer from school! Check out her band Exodus Calling on Facebook here.

My favourite artist was the indie-folk band we watched in Symphony Hall called 'The Lights'. Check them out in my rubbishy video below or listen to them here.

Olympic Oogling

For those who couldn't drag themselves away from the Paralympics for more than five minutes, there was massive screen to watch in Victoria Square. Everyone was sat by the fountains or in the deck chairs, chilling watching the Paralympics in between checking out the arts fest. If we had stayed until the evening, we could have watched the closing ceremony on the screen with everybody!

If you live close to Birmingham you should definitely go next year!! Just a couple of hours of arty goodness :)

A guide to fresherdom

I know that a lot of people left home and embarked on their University adventures yesterday and that there will be a lot more of you setting off in the next few weeks. York St John freshers starts on Monday 17th September and I am EXCITED to get involved for my third and final time (WAAAAA NO MORE FRESHERS). I had a delve into my photo collection and came up with this fantastical guide to freshers week and beyond; complete with photo evidence of course!

Bond with your house mates whilst wearing yellow sieve things on your head

I think we talked about EVERYTHING during freshers week. I could tell you juicy gossip about them all :P who has the most piercings, who has kissed a girl, boyfriend secrets and much more! But I am bound by the laws of fresher secrecy :)

Go to your Freshers fair

Why would you ever miss out on this??? There are sooo many free things to pick up and loads of vouchers that will last you all year! I think I actually ended up throwing vouchers away in the end. We obviously did three trips round the tent to make the most of the free dominoes pizza ;) It's not just about freebies though; you can have a chat to all the societies and clubs and see if you fancy any!

Join a society and party hard with them

In my first year I was part of dance society. I am not with them any more because I realised I have two left feet and the only thing I could actually do was the fitness class once a week. However I absolutely LOVED nights out with them; they are all really friendly people and these girls can definitely  party hard! 

Learn to make yourself some healthy grub

Now I am totally going to sound like your Mum but looking after yourself is actually really important! Spending weeks living on pot noodles and ready meals will do NOTHING for your body or your complexion or anything so it's better to know how to rustle up some quick stir fry veggies or go all out and make Sunday dinner ;)

On the topic of healthy stuff, make sure you apply for a doctor near where you live. Freshers Flu and STIs are VERY COMMON so make sure you look after yourself and have somewhere to go get checked out if need be!

Then ruin your healthy lifestyle with shots shots shots

because freshers is about getting drunk. Every night.

Go to at least one Carnage

Freshers loooooove carnage haha the second years and third years not so much. Some places don't have them at all but check out the website and see when yours is! They are basically a massive bar crawl with a theme. You have to pay around £8 for your carnage t-shirt and they get you into all the places for free. These t-shirts have a tick sheet on the back of things that you have to complete during the night, just for fun :) On the pyjama night we had to 'swap bottoms four times' and on doctors night 'kiss a naughty nurse'. Obviously this isn't compulsory to have a fab night :D

& consequently make a poor lad try and squeeze into your tiny pyjama bottoms

As explained above. Not pretty though.

Dress up when you can

It's not just on carnage that you get to dress up. There are LOADS of opportunities to make a pleb of yourself and dress up. See the pictures for some of the ridiculous things I have dressed up in.

Drink on the move, this makes more time for partying

It is not ladylike or classy in any which way but if you want to save yourself some time and money then this is how it is. All activities during freshers can be forgiven though, just on the basis that it happened during freshers.

See the sights of your new town/city

Freshers isn't just about getting drunk... well it mostly is. During the afternoons when you have finally woken up and attended some welcome week lectures (sorry to break it to you, but they exist) you should go out and have a look around your new home! How else will you find all the best shops, bars and places to show your folks when they pop up to see you?

Evening Adventures

When a kind second year students chats to you in the SU and tells you he knows a cool bar in town, you and your mates should probably go check it out (DO NOT go alone, what did your Mum tell you about strangers hmm?). You should probably have an escape plan though because when said second year invites himself back to your house and he WON'T leave your kitchen, this turns into an issue.

Go to at least one UV party and ruin a perfectly good white top

because UV parties are AWESOME and it's fun getting ready but unfortunately the paint ruins most things it touches.

and finally...

Try not to end up like this