A whole new adventure...

An expression of my thoughts and feelings on my OT journey, both personal and professsional.

Thursday, 12 January 2012

The whole xmas/new year period!!

Now to try and recap everything... apologies if I forget something/someone!

Wednesday 21st December - I had my exam. It went ok I think, I had revised the right information, and had an idea of what to write for each question. When the exams man said we could leave the hall was literally the most exciting moment in a long time - it was officially the start of xmas for me!!! So after a rather brief goodbye to all my OT ladies. I headed home to finish packing. Bus ride to the station and an hour and a half on the train later and I was on the bus to the ferry. An hour and a nice cold pint, and my chocolate polar bear from Katie, and I was finally on the isle of wight. Driven home by my dad, it was an amazing feeling!!
Obviously I was joined by my special child hours after arriving home!!! ♥

Thurs - I had my hair cut, see previous pics. Short!!!!
Headed over to my lovely Boyfriends to have a bit of dinner down the pub and watch a band!

Friday & Saturday - Just a blur of lots of food and many drinks!

Christmas day - Was perfect! So chilled out, it was great. We eat out at a restaurant, great food and great company, could I ask for anymore?

Boxing day - Tom's birthday, we were down the local for something to eat, again a lovely chilled day!

Wednesday - Dinner with my mum and nan. It was yummy!!

Now at some point between then and NYE we went out with my special child and some of Ben's friends, was good even if she threw a hissy fit as there was no fast food places open! ♥

NYE was brill!!! All dressed up, Bugsy malone theme, and Liv joined us. Had a fab night!!!
Shame about the walk of shame the next morning. But was treated the most yummy dinner cooked, of course by my nanny! Beef wellington, mmmm!!!!

I have managed to see everyone I had hoped to. Thank you all I had a fab time!!!
It's just a shame not to have see Kim & Michael (however hope to see them soon!!) and my sister et al. Sooooo weird not seeing my baby niece on christmas day! As it is all about the kids, the only factor that made up for that slightly was seeing bens 3 nephews opening their presents.

Bring on 2012!!!!

xx

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Sunday, 4 December 2011

The best weekend ever!!!

It really was!!!
I spent Thursday night at Casa del Jammin, where we put the Christmas tree up, and decorated it, listening to christmassy songs, and watched Christmas films, and were joined by Kate and Victoria intermittently. Stayed up talking with Jas in bed until the early morning, and crashed there as I didn't want to walk home!
Woke up to the news of the first round of act announcements for the iow festy, and then remembered I was seeing Seth Lakeman that evening - best morning ever!
So we (Katie, Suzanne and I) managed to actually sit through 3 hours of Research methods without running off in excitement! Suzanne drove us to her flat in Moreten-in-marsh, which I absolutely adore!!! Where we had dinner before getting ready to drive to Cheltenham.

Christmas songs and Seth songs in the car...and a little detour, it was fun! I was so excited when we got there, but I was right, most of the audience were middle aged men! haha.
The support act wasn't great - she had a good singing voice but played weird instruments that kinda made groaning noises, which we didn't enjoy.


Seth came on, woah was amazing! All the band are fantastic, especially the double Bass player. There were a few hiccups with the sound system but it was the first night of the tour. He played lots of new material, and revamped a few of the older songs. He played a couple of my favourites, but missed out loads I'd love to hear him play again. He played Kitty Jay (see video above), and it was absolutely bloody amazing! Even though the strings of the bow broke he continued to play, it was awesome! The hour and a half he played seemed to go so quickly, I couldn't believe it when they played the encore. But he then announced he'd be going out to have a chat with the fans and sign Cds.
'Love Seth' My signed Cd.

Got out to the merchandise table, and grabbed a CD, and looked up and there he was smiling away and chatting to the lady in front of me. Think I had a 'moment' with seth. Even though I just stared, mouth open, possibly dribbling. Even when he said 'Hi, how are you?' I was still stood there open mouthed, dribbling. And,then he signed my cd. Amazing! I was totally star stuck it was crazy haha. Katie and Suzanne said they were surprised at how short he was!
My yummy treacle tart. 

Saturday morning we spent on the sofa watching TV and drinking tea, before heading out to nose in all the little shops. We had a lovely day walking around, and got the yummiest pastries from a café. Then got the train back to Oxford.

Today I did a bit more xmas shopping and looked around the market in the Castle, with all the lights and the carol singers it was brilliant!

xx

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Saturday, 27 November 2010

Bit of a rant to be honest...

This weekend I have a lot to finish...then again I have the whole weekend to myself so it should be easy. (I say it should be easy, I'm prone to a fair bit of procrastination...)
I have to finish - and by finish I mean proof read and edit my PinP essay, and finish referencing, and then print that.
Do my week 9 concepts case study stuff and make a start on the case study its self, it not finish it.
Work on my mcq
Revise my A & P (because that is the hardest part, well anatomy is anyway)
Read through my skills stuff, and attempt to practice that.
And then do a bit of reading.
Washing. I NEEED to do some washing.
I'm actually looking forward to having a weekend to myself, it means I can get a lot done, this 'get everything done' attitude is facilitated by jas going home and Kate going out...a lot less distractions (hopefully)!!

I need to do a bit of food shopping, only for the basics, because I have everything else, and only 2 and a bit weeks left, which is soooooooo scary, and I have to eat all my stuff in the freezer. (I'm pretty sure we have to defrost our freezer over xmas?!?!)
Last few bits of xmas shopping need to be done. Already got my wrapping paper etc.
Want to get it all done and sorted before I go home.
So on Dec 1st we are going to have a 'Christmas evening', consisting of: mulled wine, mince pies, xmas songs, wrapping presents, getting into the xmas spirit, if you catch my drift.
I also need printer paper. That is a definite!!!!
And a coat. Might try and find tx maxx for a coat.
After all this, the only thing I should need to spend is on my tickets home for xmas, unless someone drives up and gets me.

I got my uniform trousers the other day, it really brought home the fact that my placement is soon…
I can’t wait. I love my course. And I love the profession, I can’t wait to just get stuck in!!!
I feel so studenty with my little room, and my desk, and books, lots and lots of books!
Those trousers along with my polo top….mmmm I look dead sexy. Might even post a pic!

I am really enjoying every aspect of my course and uni it’s self, but I feel that what you get told about it, is very idealist, and not in detail enough.
I definitely think that schools should teach financial planning, budgeting, nutrition, basic cooking skills, organizing, filing of paper work, etc. I haven't struggled with any of this as I was pretty much doing all of that before heading to uni, however I am aware of people that have come straight from living at home, who've had no responsibilities and struggled with all of this!
Oh! AND people should be taught etiquette and common courtesy, compromising skills and how to be respectful of other people whilst living communally. Because clearly some people don't have any notion of this what so ever.
When I started uni I carefully worked out a budget per week, on a spreadsheet. This included the dates of all payments both in and out of my account. I have stuck to this, and stayed under my budget religiously. However, due to the way I'm funded, I go overdrawn twice before I stop paying rent. After which I amass a fair amount :/
The system clearly doesn't work. I really didn't want to go into my overdraft (I know, I know, I must be the only student not living on their's!!) But as it's interest free, I don't really mind, as long as it's only to cover the necessities.

I feel lucky because I chose a career. I chose the degree (not that I had a choice in said degree as such), and I'm working towards a career orientated goal.
Whereas I know people who've come to university with no idea of what they want to do, and have gone to uni because it's what's 'expected' of them, and I don't believe that's a good reason to go. Nor is going for the sake of going, as it means you don't have to get a job. It's a waste of money, and resources; and if and when the personal finally decides on something they want to do, if it requires a degree or training, they have to go through all the financial stuff again.
I really think that there should be more support in schools, more helpful careers advisers, as personally, mine was sodding useless, and didn't even know what it was I wanted to do!! Saying that a member of the 6th form staff didn't either, yet still told me my degree would be worth nothing (so a recognised qualification, eligibility to register with a professional body, and being qualified to practice in a profession that is evidence based is worth nothing?!?! I beg to differ you pompous idiot who can't keep a consistent story on what university he went to, and thinks that pushing the ranking tables is the best way to make an informed decision about a university. It's not,you elitist idiot!)

I am so glad I came to university, I have already learnt so many things, things I wouldn't have learnt, or had the chance to experience had I not done this.
You meet people and become friends with people you never would have at school. To the small narrow minded, those that strive to stay within their 'Clique', that doesn't happen at university!! You become so much less ignorant to the beliefs and practices of other people.
You learn, or hone so many skills, life skills, and skills that are transferable to many different situations.

I know that I could never do what I want to do, or get to where I want to be in life without going to university. Simple as that. I could do a job that was....similar...but not the same. I would have to do more, have more responsibility, work harder, for less gratification, less satisfaction, less appreciation and less money. Although the money is no motivation for me choosing this career path, it certainly facilitates a more comfortable life in every respect.
I hope by the time I reach 25 to have started a career path that will keep progressing, that I have paid off a fair amount of my debt, and that I am in a position to start thinking of things like saving for a deposit on a house. Because at the end of the day, it's going to be hard.
I like the idea of working in the nhs for the security, the benefits, the fact that the job I'd be doing will always be needed.  I read somewhere that whilst planning for the future you should save the same % of your earnings a year (after tax) as your age in years. E.g. At 25 you should save 25% of you earnings towards things such as a retirement fund.

I guess this all sounds a bit boring and middle aged, but that's what I am.
I'm a planner, a list writer, a forward, future thinker. And I can't wait to be middle aged.
I'm already watching grand designs, and midsommer murders. I like ironing, I have become almost obsessed about cleanliness and washing up. I use a spreadsheet to manage my finances. I am boring!!!

I can now see what people mean when they say 'university is the making of you', and I certainly hope it will be for me!

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Monday, 11 October 2010

I have had a lovely week, think I've finally got all of my work until xmas, and it's a fair bit!!
Started my xmas shopping, and got 2 peoples presents already!! :D
Got the nicest book, it's old, and smells like a proper book should. Plus is makes me feel like a doctor!! Thank you for the copy of Greys ♥

I think I have eaten more calories this weekend, than I have the entire time I've been here; pizza and beer, subway, roast and indian and wine!!! Looked round the city, saw museums, and everything, made me feel like Harry Potter!!





Pretty huh?? And isn't Ben's photography skills just brilliant!?



Thank you Ben, lovely weekend. Love u! ♥ ♥

Got lots to do this week, cheese and wine evening tomorrow, woop!!! Jas is back.
Lots of work, and a weekend of reading, work and catching up on tele online!!!

I am super sleepy, so might even have an early night!!!

xx

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