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[31 Mar 2005|11:56pm] |
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mood |
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 contemplative |
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Am now half-way through the holidays, and have managed to go on two random trips - Durham for a debating competition, and St Andrews to get drunk in my friend's hall - yet get some work done. And tomorrow I go to Spain with my family; initially I was upset that it would interrupt my revision but I've come round to the idea.
Anyway, I'm suddenly in the mood to do a survey, so have stolen one from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) midnightcalling. It's also an experiment to see how many of you still check livejournal (not many I suspect). It's called The Anonymous Friends Game, and what I do is write a few lines on each of my friends, and you're supposed to guess which number you are :)
( here goes )
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| Home :) |
[13 Mar 2005|11:37pm] |
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mood |
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 calm |
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music |
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Dido - No Angel |
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It's so nice to be home. Sitting here on my bed in my own room just makes me feel so content and peaceful.
The journey today was actually quite pleasant - a direct coach from Oxford to Edinburgh, brand new with comfy seats and a toilet on board (and only £9!). Took 9 hours instead of the scheduled 10, which I was also very impressed with.
My last night was a bit anti-climactic as I was all alone on my corridor, and only a few others were left in college. But it was good not to be rushed like last term, and in a way it was nice to see all my closest friends off instead of slipping away during the early hours of the morning.
I need this holiday so badly. Oxford is just so intense, especially when you take on so many commitments and go out most nights, like I do. Not slept past 9:30am all term. Will put an end to that tomorrow morning :)
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[06 Mar 2005|12:36pm] |
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mood |
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 homesick |
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I just phoned my Mum to wish her happy Mother's day, and I suddenly felt really homesick and tearful. The term has flown by but it feels so long since I saw my family, slept in my bed, met up with my old friends.
Things have settled down since Torpids and my schedule has become somewhat less hectic; all I'm left with is an open weekend and a pile of problem sheets.
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[01 Mar 2005|03:32pm] |
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mood |
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sick |
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Helen is ill :( Couldn't face the prospect of 3 lectures in a row this morning followed by tutorial, so stayed in bed and missed the first two (both biophysics, yuck). Feel a bit better now, as have had chocolate and grapes, and bought some yellow roses for my room.
Drinking so much last night was perhaps a bad idea; I'm not hungover, but it has let this cold take hold. It was Torpids dinner, so getting wasted on pennied wine was essential... I resisted clubbing though.
16 hours of practicals over the next three days, on top of lectures. Arg.
I think I'll curl up in bed with a problem sheet. Funfun.
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| Torpids progress |
[25 Feb 2005|07:43pm] |
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mood |
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 bouncy |
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Well. Yesterday's race resulted in much confusion, dispair and official discussion; our bump against Teddy Hall II was originally granted, then withdrawn, then they got a bump against Balliol, then we complained, then eventually it was decided that nobody got a bump.
So today we were fired up and ready to kick some Hall arse: and we fucking did!! Our start was dreadful, in that the crew veered into the bank on the 3rd stroke (nothing to do with my steering may I add) but we had a quick recovery and evaded attack by Keble. We then powered past the bridge and through 'the Gut' and got some overlap just before the Hertford boathouse. As the overlap increased, and the Hall cox didn't concede, I steered our boat straight at the middle of theirs. And we finally got our well deserved bump!!
We then requested that Teddy Hall be fined for a late concession, which they were. And in all the drama, one of my crew gashed his hand badly and ended up with four stitches; and I found out that my vicious steering combined with their coxes' stupid stubborness resulted in one of their rowers being hit in the ribs by one of our blades. Oops. But that's Torpids for you...!
Bloody hell. One more day of this mad racing, then I'll get completely wasted with my crew. Thus why I'm spending tonight in my pyjamas doing organic chemistry :)
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[23 Feb 2005|07:57pm] |
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mood |
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drained |
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Saturday night was the Las Vegas ball at the Union; there was a casino, wedding chapel, jazz band, DJ, doughnuts, marquees full of students in dinner suits and sparkly dresses, and extreme amounts of alcohol. My night involved getting drunk very quickly on said alcohol, dancing like a crazy girl, chatting drunkenly, and finishing the evening by marrying a random 2nd year mathmo who was wearing a kilt.
I then slept for 7 hours (which was the most I'd had in several days) and embarked on a 30 hour work marathon; I had 3 problem sheets due in for the next day, none of which I'd started. The only times I weren't working were to row, eat, and sleep for 5 hours, then row again, go to a lecture and a class, do more work, cycle to the department and then collapse in a corner somewhere.
Since Thursday I've rowed every day, including three earlies; but it's all been worth it, as today we bumped Trinity II!! I was so nervous that I'd screw up and let down the whole crew, and when the cox conceeded I couldn't quite believe it. In fact, 5 of the 6 Hertford crews bumped today, which is fucking excellent! *g*
Finally - it's been snowing! Oxford is so pretty, but it's damn cold down the river...
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[18 Feb 2005|08:34am] |
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mood |
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chipper |
] |
It's 8:34am, I've been up for over 2 hours, and all is good. My outing was cancelled when we got to the boat house and encountered the 1st VIII crew, as only one crew per college is allowed on the water in the mornings... but I came back and finished my write-up, which is just as well because otherwise I would have had to do it during my 9am lecture.
Last night was Chemistry Dinner; small talk with tutors and grad students, drinks, nice food, more drinks, banter down the bar, more drinks, out clubbing. It was a really good night, and I managed to get 5 hours sleep!
In other news: my staple diet has become tuna and mozzarella toasties. I have one right now, mmmmmm :)
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[28 Jan 2005|12:12am] |
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mood |
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hyper |
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Four hour nap in the afternoon + three drinks down the bar = very hyper Helen at 12pm. My sleeping pattern is so fucked, but life is more exciting this way :)
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| Yayness |
[25 Jan 2005|06:05pm] |
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mood |
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hyper |
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The past few days have been an intense workfest, to get everything handed in by 5pm yesterday... but now I'm free!! Nothing due in until *next* Monday, woo! This time round, I'll try to get more of it done during the week, but I don't have as much because two of the problems sheets are fortnightly :)
I got 4.5 hours sleep last night, due to early early coxing this morning. And I'm up stupidly early tomorrow too, but am still going to the Union for a Burn's night event tonight! Haggis, whiskey and Scottish dancing, should be fun. We got tickets for the Las Vegas ball in 5th week, yay!! Hannah queued for three hours to get them for the rest of us; I would have done it but had lectures 9-12. It's going to be fantastic; cocktails, food, wedding chapel, casino, singers, dancers, and of course glitzy dresses! *g*
Oh I got my collection (exam) back yesterday - 57%! I always said I'd be really happy with over 50%, since I crammed in the four days leading up to it and didn't learn the course as thoroughly as I usually do. My tutor said that if I hadn't transcribed the wrong strand of DNA in the problem solving question I would have got about 7 more marks, which is a solid 2:1!
I'm going to revise alot harder for the real exams in June, so hopefully I'll do much better. At the moment I'm hoping for a 1st in molecular cell biology and maths, 2:1 in organic chemistry and biological chemistry, and 2:2 in biophysics. I'm not aiming to be a scholar because I'd rather have fun in my 1st year than work ridiculously hard (though if things go well this could change).
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[19 Jan 2005|12:03pm] |
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mood |
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chipper |
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The exam was fine in the end; I answered everything, but my essays were a bit on the short side. I was so shattered on Friday that I went to bed instead of celebrating, but I made up for it on Saturday - due to discovering a passion for cocktails, I got really quite drunk, and it all ended in the JCR playing twiser... *g*
On Sunday night I went to mussed's birthday party, which was fab but I had to leave at 11pm to finish off my tute work. All Sundays for the rest of this term will be hellish, as four out of five of my deadlines are Mondays. This is especially annoying since I'd love to join Hertford's choir but that takes up about 4 hours on Sunday evenings. Yes, I know, if I organised my time better I could do it. But I never actually complete the problems sheets, and I'd feel obliged to work on them up til the last minute to see if I could get any more of it done.
The Crazy Rowing Timetable has begun. Today was my first early morning outing; it wasn't too bad. I'm awake now but come mid-afternoon I'll need a nap. Looks like I am indeed coxing for the men's 2nd VIII, which means lots of competitions - should be good fun. Ooh my friend went on a blind date on Tuesday evening, I was so proud of her! She had a good time but said there weren't any sparks. Tis a shame.
So in general I'm feeling pretty happy :) I was quite down last week, but I reckon that was due to the exam, and also generally re-adjusting to being back in Oxford. I still love it though :)
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[13 Jan 2005|09:57pm] |
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mood |
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crazy |
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Since my last post, I've had some coffee and am now quite hyper! I probably wont sleep well tonight as a consequence of all this caffiene which isn't too good (had a mocha this morning and LOADS of chocolate). Sophie and Joe (the other biochemists) are currently drinking vodka and orange and watching Celebrity Big Brother, they are extremely laid back. Which has rubbed off on me, thankfully - I was pretty damn stressed a few hours ago. Some of the girls on my corridor are so worried, they look like they're about to burst into tears. Everybody is so desperate to prove they're good enough to be at Oxford, it's very intense. But without fail we will all be drunk come Saturday night!
Oh yeah, had a rowing meeting and looks like I'll be doing 5 outings a week, again. Funfun!
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[13 Jan 2005|04:49pm] |
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mood |
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drained |
] |
I have my collection (exam) tomorrow. I never seem to be able to concentrate after 3pm. I think I'll go out to buy some comfort food, then try to do some cramming after my rowing meeting. I need 40% to pass; I'd be very hapy with 50%. Not sure how realistic that is though :(
Also, my practicals supervisor emailed this morning to say that the write-up is due in tomorrow, not next Friday as would be the usual protocol. Just what I need...
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| Resolutions |
[02 Jan 2005|08:21pm] |
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mood |
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contemplative |
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1. Make the most of my first year at Oxford
2. Work my arse off for June exams, and pass comfortably
3. Eat more healthily; get back down to 8 stone if possible
4. Swear less
5. Maintain my 100% attendance to lectures, classes and tutorials
6. Have more memorable experiences, take more chances
7. Fall in love (though I have little control over this, so perhaps it's not a proper resolution)
8. Enjoy life
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[01 Jan 2005|03:52pm] |
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mood |
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content |
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It's getting dark outside already, and I feel like I've only just woken up. Somehow I have a feeling that 2005 will fly by, in a flurry of studying, socialising, and procrastination. Which is great, but, to be honest, a little bit scary!
I'm very glad I turned down the stewarding job at the street party; spending time with your friends on Hogmanay is more important than a little bit extra money. It was so good of Greig to host the party in his flat - there was a great atmosphere and we were perfectly located for seeing the fireworks display. I got merrily drunk on wine, pimms, cava, and port (!) but luckily feel absolutely fine today. The only glitch in an otherwise wonderful evening was Kenny - the random who invited himself to the flat from the street just after the fireworks - as he kept on trying to grope all us girls, and just would *not* take a hint.We left at 5am, and the walk home was pleasantly tranquil. And I don't have any regrets about what happened.
I'd say that was the best New Years I've had, and I hope everyone also had a great night!
EDIT: My resolutions from last year:
- Get AAA in my advanced highers Done :)
- Cut back on crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolate I still eat alot of crap, but I have probably improved since last year!
- Generally Work harder To be honest, I'm doing the minimum required to get by at Oxford. So this one hasn't really been kept.
- Pass driving test before I go to uni, either on first or second attempt *laughs* well, I did pass before uni...
- Read more books Erm... *hides in shame*
- Keep room tidier It's about the same standard as before
- Stick to my resolutions Judge for yourselves!
So overall, I didn't do too well. I'll have a think about my resolutions for 2005 and do another edit.
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[29 Dec 2004|03:30pm] |
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mood |
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thoughtful |
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The holidays have flown by - I have just over a week left in Edinburgh. It's scary how fast time passes nowadays. Must be because I'm having lots of fun and keeping busy :) For the first time in weeks I'm spending the entire day doing uni work - it's going well, but I should have done alot more before now.
Christmas was very pleasant; parents were extremely generous with gifts as always, had a delicious meal, and a relaxing evening. Shame I had to work Boxing day, but we made £5k of sales so I should get alot of commission *g*. I wont work during Easter though - I hope to stay in Oxford an extra week to help with open days, perhaps go with my family to New York or South Africa, then have plenty of time to do some serious studying.
Next term will be hard work, but hopefully I'll be able to continue coxing at a high level, see some debates at the Union and maybe even volunteer with Nightline. Choir and gymnastics will have to wait. And fingers crossed I'll find a nice guy who wants to go out with me :)
Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
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[24 Dec 2004|09:48pm] |
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mood |
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full |
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It doesn't feel like Christmas Eve... normally I'd be too excited to sleep, but I could collapse right now quite easily, and am strangely apathetic. But I'm sure tomorrow will be lovely, I'm not feeling that festive just now because I've been working, and haven't been carolling or doing christmas concerts and suchlike. Ach well.
In other news: I sold my first suit (!) and tried snails. The former was excellent, the latter a bit disgusting. Which is odd as I love mussels, liver, squid and many other equally slimy foodstuffs.
Ooh also, I have wireless internet on my laptop!! Which means I'm all comfy in my bed, and don't have to battle with my brother to get on the computer any more. Technology is so damn convenient, even if it is ruining our environment. Mental note: go to People and Planet meetings next term. And recycle more.
Is it wrong that I enjoy being really busy and sleep deprived? At the start of the holidays, when I slept in really long and lazed around, I felt like crap. But when I go out with friends til stupid hours of the night, get 5 hours sleep, interact with people and do something productive, I feel alive. The only thing I feel bad about is not doing any uni work. I may have a panic about this soon, just to warn you.
Merry Christmas everyone!!
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[19 Dec 2004|12:27pm] |
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mood |
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hopeful |
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Nothing much exciting has happened to me the past week - been working, relaxing, catching up on sleep. But then I've been a bit ill the past few days... which also contributed to my decision not to go to the steward training course today. I just couldn't face getting out of bed, to walk 45 minutes in the cold to Murrayfield then spend 4 hours learning about fire safety and basic first aid. I might phone them up and ask if I can still have the job, but to be honest I don't need the money and it would probably be a crap night.
On a brighter note - everyone is back from uni, yay!! Can't wait to see you all, should be a great couple of weeks ahead *g*
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[13 Dec 2004|07:24pm] |
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mood |
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 okay |
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The Glasgow trip was fun, twas nice to see heypreppy. The meal and concert were lovely, and the subsequent flat party was the most random thing ever - but still enjoyable. Had small-world connections to *so* many of the people there, was quite scary.
Started my new job today at Crombie; mostly dull, but easy money. The stuff there is extortionate - £69.95 for a tie! But I get 1% commission on top of my salary, so it's all good :)
I'm not missing Oxford as much as I was last week, mainly because I've realised that I'll be back there in no time, and I should enjoy my holiday while it lasts. KTs events soon, yay! Ooh I bought the most gorgeous turquoise sparkly cocktail dress from H&M yesterday - for only £20! Ah H&M, the one shop Oxford lacks...
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[09 Dec 2004|02:17pm] |
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mood |
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bored |
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I made 104 calls at the call centre today, and only 3 people were willing to do the 3 minute survey. One of them was clearly senile and had no idea what I was asking her. What a depressing job! Only one more shift, have a fun weekend planned in Glasgow and then it wont be long until everyone gets back :)
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[04 Dec 2004|03:55am] |
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mood |
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sleepy |
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I can't believe term is over already - I'm going to miss Oxford and everyone here so much! But I'm really looking forwards to being back in Edinburgh, seeing people and having a break.
My train leaves in less than three hours, and I still have loads of packing to do. I've never done an all-nighter before so this should be interesting... plus I was already sleep deprived, and still have a bit of alcohol in my system!
It's been a great week, almost as good as freshers' week. But I don't like saying goodbye, for over 5 weeks :(
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