Housing advice

Apologies for my lack of updates! Apparently, semesters in Japan do not organise themselves...

So here is something relatively light, but topical, I feel, to a great many students at this time of year.

When buying a house! What I think it's important to consider, from my first year's experience of choosing somewhere to live, and not doing it very well:

1. Decide if you prefer bills included - so you don't have to feel guilty switching on a light or cooking your dinner, and don't feel a tiny urge to ask guests to pay for having showers - or bills not included, which is slightly more stressful, but will usually be substantially cheaper in the long run.
2. Tumble-drier/airing cupboard - or ANYWHERE to dry clothes, so that there are not constant loads of washing heaped on every radiator and airer available, and you still end up lugging loads of laundry up to your boyfriend's house in an attempt to commandeer his house's tumble-drier
3. Kitchen table - I have no idea how we didn't notice this one when we looked round houses last year, but we didn't. Lesson learned. Kitchen table necessary.
4. Shower which runs off gas, not electricity. Especially if bills are not included, or this one gets pricey.
5. A thermostat away from all other electrical devices. Apparently, this is a thing.
6. Not too much greenery in the back garden - there will be no light in your house, and I mean ever, and it will be freezing cold in July.
7. Selflessness. Yes, you know what you want from a room, of course you want the most convenient storage space, ooh look, that one has the double bed. But it's important to remember that you're about to sign away (at least) a year of your life to living with others, and it wouldn't be the best idea to open hostilities this early. Keep in mind that you can make your room individual without the help of acres of space, and that if you have a tiny room, or the worst shelf, or an infestation of wolves, you can use this to take advantage of your housemates later on.
8. Cleaning rota. This year I've learnt it's important to be honest early on. Where you are on the scale of how clean you want to keep the house, or if noise is going to bother you after (or before) a certain time, how often you're going to have friends round. It helps if everyone's on the same page.

I've genuinely loved moments of living in my first ever 'house' house away from Home, and most of those were due to some particularly delicious house-mates. I have learnt a great deal though, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity of practising how to live in a house with people for a year, before having to go out into the world and living somewhere super long-term.

Good luck to all embarking on New House expeditions.

Yours, homely,

Abby

The Lull

These are thoughts born of three thousand words. Specifically, three thousand words I wrote in the form of an essay critiquing the performance which created the first real spark I've experienced of what I would like to be 'when I grow up'. Some of the sentences in the essay were better than that.

I had a long time to complete the essay, and I spent a long time completing the essay. The stages of research, of library trips, of referencing, of painstakingly removing the excess of approximately fifty words, reminded me or proved to me that I made the right decision in putting three more years of my life in the hands of education. Whether my future turns out to be practical or theoretical, I feel I am gaining a solid foundation of both here.

As I have done before, writing these thoughts before I know the grade I received for the collection of my three thousand little words seems preferable to after. Unbiased and unclouded, I want to remember how I am feeling now, at the completion of The Longest Thing I Have Ever Written, and uninfluenced by the judgement of another.

I go to Japan to study abroad for 4 months in a matter of weeks. With Mr 3,000 out of the way, my schedule is free from work until I venture to libraries on a different continent. It is not free from two plays, one musical, frisbee tournaments, a job and work experience. Yet I have encountered a pleasing lull in university life, felt especially on a sunny Saturday afternoon with nothing in particular to do. I've had time to reflect on how ridiculous the last year and a half has been. Partying, writing, shopping, cooking, reading, socialising, travelling. How terrible it is that the activities which are to most a matter of course at university have the ability to drag you down.

Of the people I know well, I can't think of a single one who hasn't struggled at some point along the way. I remember the talk we went to in our Freshers Week; amusing, innuendo-ridden, and concluding with the overall message that this won't be easy, and no-one will plain-sail through the ocean of books, relationships and Life that stretches out. The most fitting adjective so far, to describe the situation of being almost exactly half-way through a degree, is 'overwhelming'. At times it feels this whole process is to show me just how much I will never know. The points I could have explored further in that essay, if only I'd had the time and space!

Everyone feels their head slipping under the tirade at some point, and it doesn't even matter if it's not to do with an assignment specifically. The human interaction you're forced into, the cooking you must learn to do, the time you must find to learn words and train and practice, all of this is the experience of being at university, and it's not shameful to have a hard time dealing with any of it. There are so many clichés I could type, but I am loathe to do so. Just try to break out of the isolation you feel, because there is someone else who understands how you feel, and if they don't, they want to keep you company while you feel it. This is new to us all, and we all have moments when we struggle with the onslaught.

Personally, I've been dwelling on the plays I will never have the funds to see, the books time to read, or the places the ability to travel to. A needlessly sad enterprise, as it happens, and I think what I'm learning currently is that the most important factor in my life are indeed those choices we make. As much as I would have liked to, I cannot study ALL the subjects at university, so how much does it mean that Drama and English stole the top spot? As much as I would like to, I cannot learn ALL the things, so think how much emphasis it puts on the knowledge I have gained, and will gain. I have the ability here to decide exactly what the most important things are, and learn about them. Even if that's only my opinion, how incredible. That's why I've just bought a book about the Natural History Museum.

So continue, fast-paced, poorly funded, terrifying degree. All that you're bringing with you I can face, because I choose to.

Yours, head-on,
Abby

How to Procrastinate

Exams coming up, am I right? No? Ah, must just be a 3,000 word essay, no big thing. Not that either? Damn, you lucky thing. But you know what I mean. When you have something to do, something quite important, which what's more will undeniably improve your life by completing it, and you just can't do it.

Well, I am here to aid that process.

No, really. In my view you should treat procrastination like a teenager determined to be a rebel. The more you make it clear that the teenager can drink in moderation in it or it's friend's house, or can have sex as long as it's safe, the less the teenager will do it just to defy you. In the same way, give in to your procrastination, and soon it'll stop pestering you.

So, procrastination tips. Here we go...

1. Keep trying. Be honest with yourself, have you written the title of your essay/centre of the first spider diagram and grown bored? Don't give up straight away, or that teenager will just drink itself to death. Give it a bit of discipline. Try and keep going for a bit longer, please.
2. Realise that you're no longer productive. You're straying again and again onto Youtube/twitter/tumblr/facebook and just not concentrating. I advise you to stop trying. Give in to the whiny brat. Recognise that it is break-time.
3. Have a break. TIME IT. Make it count. Go outside; grab something to eat (You deserve it - you've written a whole title after all); interact (properly, I mean like face-to-face) with someone. Take your mind off your work.
4. Find an outlet. I find that when all hope is lost, running will rekindle it. I'm yawning, I'm losing all faith in the subject I study, I don't think the high I get from the production is worth the work that has to go into these lines. When running, you don't have to look good, your legs will be moving too fast for anyone to see if they're shaved or not (probably...), and it's real me time. Alone with my thoughts, a stitch in my side, determined not to stop no matter the cost. A better motivator to realise that doing my work IS worth it in the end, I have not found.

So, you return, refreshed and ready and raring to go. Rrrr. The procrastination is over for now. Take tea, remind yourself of the world outside the bubble of hell you're inhabiting. Concentrate.

To get the most out of your procrastination time, it is best if you break up sessions by doing some work in between each one. I have tips for those, too! So prepared.

1. When you get back to your laptop, CLOSE THOSE TABS. Yes, even that one, which you NEVER close. Do it, you'll thank me later.
2. Try to get back to work. Time yourself again, work for an hour, and then you can go back to procrastinating! Safe in the knowledge that you have done at least one hour of productive work today.

There we have it. Abigail's Adventures. Promoting healthy procrastination since 2012. I wish you all the very best with the new hobbies you will invent, the hours you will spend social networking, and the miles you will run.

Yours, distractedly,

Abby

Resolving to stay the same

I don't think I like resolutions made in January. Yes, it's a new calendar year, but what in your life is actually changing? For me, not a great deal. If you recall, I made my resolutions at the end of August for the new Academic year which lay ahead of me. I've completed all of them, too. When you're about to start something new, like a job or hobby, or when you're changing situation, such as house or partner or country, I think then is a good time to make changes. You are aware that you're not going to be able to continue the way you lived before, so changes have to be made. When your life is going to continue on exactly as it did in 2012, for what reason are you going to change? Where is the motivation going to come from, if you don't already have it?

I don't like setting myself up to fail, and to me it seems that trying to start a hundred things at a random point in your journey through something (in this case, my second year in university), is just that. It's cold, wet and miserable, it's a time of relaxation, so you're going to be fighting against the break your body and mind needs, and you probably don't have enough time to set up a new habit before your life continues after the holidays.

However, my goal here is not actually to crush people's hopes and dreams. Being a holiday, you're probably going to have more time on your hands, and as a seemingly big change is about to occur, that of the changing of the year, it is a natural time to reflect. So when you're thinking about the ways in which you'd like to change your life, make it a bit easier for yourself. Keep your resolutions:

• Achievable and realistic
• Quantifiable If you can't measure your success, you're more likely to become frustrated and give in
• Few Trying to make one new habit or change one thing about yourself is much more likely to succeed than ten
• Within your best interests Chasing someone who's not worth you, caving into advertising or false perceptions of beauty etc seem to be common themes in New Year's Resolutions

Despite everything I've said, I do have ways in which I would like this year to go, and so, though I don't want to call them resolutions, these are the things I will continue to do, and possibly do more of or improve on:

1. Surround myself with people who make me feel good improve my life by being in it. I have some very valuable friends, but I need to learn that some people don't consider my feelings in the way that they - that everyone's - deserve to be considered. I do not need these people around.
2. Have adventures. They are fun.
3. Experiment with *stuff* outside my comfort zone. What a terrible word, but I wanted to leave it open. I want to do new things :)

That's enough! I don't want to complicate my already-busy existence with changes I don't need to make. I need to be safe, happy, and... No, that's it actually. If anything in my life is pulling either of those aspects down, and I can do something about it, it's gonna have to go.

Laci Green has a lot to say on the subject of body confidence, staying healthy (in ways you sometimes forget about) and accepting others. I think people's resolution should be to learn from her more :)

Laci's Tumblr

Laci's Youtube channel

Good luck with everything you wish to achieve.

Yours, happily,

Abby

Knowing

I've never had a set goal in my mind of where my life's going. When I was 5 I wanted to work in a shop because I like lining things up and wanted to make the things go 'beep'. Not a direct quote but it was something along those lines. I do currently work in my University's Student Union shop, which is a lovely job; I get to see my friends and they work around my timetable and it's not far to go. However I wouldn't exactly say that I want to stay as a shop assistant there forever.

As you grow older your ambitions are supposed to grow bigger in some ways, smaller in others. Downsizing in terms of understanding your limitations, for example. It would be difficult, and in some cases impossible for certain children to become astronauts, princesses, or in my case, a mermaid. Achieved as far as possible, I think. But as you understand yourself more, you realise career prospects you would be suited to. Are you caring? Hands-on? Athletic? Political? Your skills and interests line you up to pursue certain paths.

But what if everything interests you? What if, at GCSE level, you could have quite happily taken Geography, History, Japanese, Drama or Music as your extra choices? Psychology wouldn't have been to bad either, had it been offered. And what if, conversely, a great many things frighten you? Death, upset, boredom. It's been so hard for me to align all the parts of myself with a road to walk cycle down.

BUT THEN... University! In the end I just went with something I enjoyed. Something I knew relatively little about, but was anxious to explore and delve into the open and ever-changing world. A subject which seems to fit my personality, my style. A subject which is more academic than many realise, but is at times, hilariously physical. Plenty of extra-curricular to be involved in, too.

Why, drama, of course! Augmented with English to make me seem more smart (so that I could take the term in Japan) I embarked on a whole new subject to see where it would lead. 'Exploration' is probably the best word to describe my course. Of the self, of society, of literature. Of the space you're occupying, of expectations, of everything there is. Mickey-mouse? No. Easy option? No. Tell that to my 3,000 word critical analysis.

Which brings me back to the title, and my meandering train of thought. The analysis I have to write is of a performance I and 4 others produced, devised and scripted ourselves, from completely nada. Small inspiration from lectures on clowning and other forms of popular performance and comedians/comedic performances we already knew and love, but essentially, there was no structure to follow. This was shown most strongly by the diversity of the group performances, and the directions we had all taken.

I don't know if I've ever had so much fun creating something before. I don't know that I have created something entirely out of nothing before. I loved it. Pure and simple. We had to think of everything; costume, props, music/soundtrack, characterisation, and all the explorations I mentioned. We did well, mark-wise, although I maintain that it's not so important at this stage. We made them laugh, a much greater achievement in my eyes, because it shows we have something to work with, a slight spark we can flame.

We are tentative about our dreams these days, at this age. We are worried that others will doubt our ability, and will seem arrogant or ignorant or naive. So I shan't say that I know what it is that I want to spend my whole life doing. I am not sure that I will ever know. I seem too flighty, too intent on learning everything about everything to settle, but if I had to pick something and never diverge, it would be this. Devising, understanding, creating, playing.

Your age is just a number, and I think there's so much to be said for ignoring it.

Oh, jelly and squirty cream. That's me covered in jelly and squirty cream.

Yours, playfully,

Abby

The Longest Day: Proof

As promised:

On the disgustingly long drive down. Made better by a pile of stones and half-decent car-companions.

Action-shot. To prove I actually did something.

At the end of the exhausting day -  my team 

All the Fly-hardians combined

As I've technically now written 4 thousand words, I'll just finish off with a list of collateral damages:

1. Muscles aching in calves
2. Ditto thighs, back and front
3. Ditto bum
4. Ditto lower back didn't even know I had muscles in my lower back
5. Ditto washboard abs
6. Purpley-red bruises, covering knees
7. Bruise, right hip
8. Lumpy right elbow As assured by house-mate, can't see it myself
9. Scratches and bruises along left fore-arm, where I catch weird
10. Bruises on right hand, because ditto

Bath should have mostly cured me, will no doubt be ready for the continued onslaught of Ultimate on Wednesday at training.

Bring it.

Yours, aching,

Abby

The Longest Day

1. My apologies for missing a day in one-blog-post-a-day-week, I'll make it up to you all, I promise.
2. The reason for missing a day in one-blog-post-a-day-week will now become apparent

With regards to the title, I find it's usually best to be wary of using superlatives about every-day situations - there are so many long days yet to come, to be sure particularly as we're nearing the Winter Equinox but I feel that on this day, the exaggeration is necessary, and next time I have an inordinately long day, I'll just make up a new superlative or something.

Today was the University Mixed Indoor Ultimate Regionals in Plymouth. Firstly, a disgustingly long way from  uni-town, secondly, a whole tournament crammed into a mere day, when they are always, always spread over a weekend. Twice the games, twice the injury to be absorbed, twice the support for your other team, in one fast-paced, exhausting, long day.

But what a day we made of it. As is the frisbee way, we all still went to the pub in lack of a party on the Saturday night, but managed to turn up reasonably fresh-faced and sober on Sunday morning. And the chaos began. I don't think we ever had more than a 45 minute gap between our seven seven games, and a gap that long was rare. Never long enough to eat, we either spectated and cheered for the first Fly Hard team, or I read and read the most wonderful book I have had the pleasure to read in some time. More on that later. I honestly couldn't tell you how many of the games we won today, although I'm leaning towards three... This is just one of the reasons I love this sport. It is rarely about the end result, and it is not what I will remember from this experience. On-pitch I'm competitive as a, well, a human, but when all is said and done from this tournament I am taking away my improvement as player, the bonding as a team, the ever-growing passion I have for Ultimate, the pride in how well the freshers on your team performed, despite this being their first tournament, and how good it feels to belt out 'Forget You' at the end of a 3 hour car journey when home is in sight.

I can only hope that everyone has a passion that makes them feel this positive. I have a feeling I've expressed a similar sentiment before, and if I have, I'm glad. The butterflies building up before a game, the freedom of transforming said butterflies into running until you can run no more, throwing, catching and falling a lot of falling, in my case. I can't wait to inspect bruises tomorrow. The proud exhaustion of knowing you played as well as you could have, and more, in each game. Practically indescribable, and so I'll sign off.

Pics to come soon.

Yours, exhausted,
Abby

Chill Out

"A memory test - What were you worrying about one year ago today?"

Something I am exceptionally good at, worrying. About? Oh, about money, uni work (2nd year counts?!), my job, being punctual, eating well, the dark, my relationship, the future, audition rejections, my appearance, cleaning the house, keeping everyone happy, performing well at frisbee, my health... the list, as they say, is endless. And see if you can tell how many of those I have absolutely nothing to worry about. That, my situation regarding them is perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing about them.

It's odd, we battle with so many things, and try to better ourselves in so many ways, how is it that so many of the things that keep me awake at night are not problems at all, are even barely the potential to become problems in the future.

"I've been through terrible things in my life... and some of them have actually happened"

I think I've become so used to dealing with stress in my life that if there isn't any - it stresses me out. I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed; I enjoy often telling the story of how I used to get stress nose-bleeds in GCSE chemistry lessons because I couldn't understand a single stupid thing. Isn't the irony beautiful? Something which used to cause me so much discomfort, actually provides me with entertainment a few years on down the line. And I still don't know what a freakin' mole is.

What I'm trying to say, is that everyone needs to chill. I see constant facebook updates worrying about deadlines, and admittedly it is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one, but I think instead of everyone rushing through life in a blind panic, we should all make a pact to stop the hell worrying about it all. If I just review my life, and breathe, and imagine how in a year's time I'll be making people laugh with tales of my present situation, it helps. Of course that's not actually very constructive, so here is some real advice if worrying about everything is a problem for you, too.

1. Write it all down, in order of priority - Not only will you realise you have no way near as much to do as you think, it'll encourage you to do the most important thing first instead of putting it off.
2. Take breaks during work - Especially important, because it's so easily overlooked. If you don't take 15-20 minute breaks every couple of hours you're just going to lose concentration and go round in circles and take twice as long to get anything done.
3. Ask! - Teachers, lecturers, classmates, anyone you know who has some level of expertise in the subject you're struggling with, will probably feel touched that you've come to them for help. So have chats with people when you get stuck.
4. Don't be so hard on yourself - No one in the world is as hard on yourself as you are. Instead of finding fault with everything, work hard at discovering what you like about your body, personality, whatever. Make a list of things you would never change. Add to it all the time. This girl will help you out: Laci Green
5. You can't be friends with everyone - One that's particularly hard for me to take, if you have opinions, some people will disagree with you. As hard as you try, Abigail, you will not be able to get on with them all. Learn to appreciate those closest to you so that the others cease to matter so much.
6. Ignore the advertising - You are beautiful. Yes, you really are. You're just going to have to get used to it. Ignore products telling you to be thinner, younger, smoother, taller, curvier, big-eyed and pouty. They will never leave you alone and you will never feel good enough. Come to terms with how you really look, and it will be hard for people to shake your confidence.
7. Don't let rejection get you down - It can be horrible, putting yourself in a position of vulnerability and being trodden all over, but try not to let it get to you. Stand up, shake it off, and the most important thing here is that you learn from what went wrong. In most cases, it's not because there's anything wrong with you, it's just that you're not what the Director, boy, girl, etc. was looking for. But don't change for them, soon you will be the person someone is looking for.
8. Use. Your. Words. - Directing this one at relationship issues, but applicable in literally any situation. No one (apart from Derren Brown) can read minds. Are there problems? Talk about them, they will be resolved. Is something going well? Talk about it, so it can be repeated. You just want to have a moan? Your partner will probably be glad to know what's going on in your head, and relieved that it's nothing to do with them. I can't stress this one enough, but I'll give it a go. Use Your Words.
9. Take tissues to chemistry lessons

Of course these are all personal to me, both the problems and the solutions, and things you're struggling with may not correlate with mine at all. But I hope that I have encouraged you to try and think a little more positively about everything.

I think that's probably enough for now. I didn't realise just how much I had to say on this subject until I started writing. I might return to this at some point, but I need to stop for a while. I was only exploring this subject to try and stop myself worrying about my first assignment of the year (due in a week), after all.

Chill out, y'all

Abby

Ultimate

I was always so caught up in music and drama clubs in secondary school that I never had time to consider doing anything else. Occasionally I would attempt an extra-curricular activity in a different field, football and netball, for example, but they were hastily swept aside without exception for rehearsals of plays at my tiny local theatre, or music courses with my county wind orchestra.

I'm the one on the far left of the sofa. Yes, really.

It wasn't until I made it to Uni that I had the joy of a fresh extra-curricular slate which I could fill, guilt-free, with whatever I wanted to be doing, and at last, a sport managed to make it into one of the top spots.

Ultimate frisbee is a relatively little-known sport (so little-known that I have to add the word 'frisbee' to my spell-checker dictionary) which is gradually increasing in popularity, especially at universities. It's a team sport whose objective is to pass an ultimate flying disc (copyright prevents actually calling it a frisbee - that would make way too much sense) between players and ultimately... passing it to a player in the end-zone of the pitch. You can't run with the disc, and whenever it is dropped by the attacking team, the other team gain possession.

Because it is not as well-known as football or rugby, the athleticism needed for this sport is often underestimated. Fitness levels must be high, and players need skill in throwing, catching and agility to name but a few. Anyone who thinks ultimate is "not a real sport" because it is new is painfully ignorant, and should be made to play an outdoor tournament in the height of summer without ever subbing off. Yes, it's that hard.

The reason I adored Winchester Ultimate as soon as I joined was the challenge it presented. Most freshers were in the same boat at the first training session - we didn't even know what the rules were, let alone tactics. This meant no one had a head-start and the race was on to see who could improve the fastest. Competing in our first tournament after three week's worth of trainings soon meant I had my priorities straight though. Fly Hard (our team name) may compete against each other at training, but ultimately (can't help it) we are one entity and it's against all other teams I channel my surprisingly high competitive nature at.

The aspect which sets Ultimate apart is Spirit of the Game. As a referee-free sport, the game relies entirely on sportsmanship of the players to run smoothly. Sounds simple enough, and indeed it makes the game truly enjoyable if both teams are courteous and happy to accept the challenge of a fair game. Matches end cheerful and players remain friends - helpful when you seem the same faces at each tournament.

Fly Hard teams 1 & 2, November 2011

This weekend just gone Fly Hard: Winchester Ultimate and I attended the beginners' tournament at Portsmouth. With two experienced teams and a beginners team there could always be boundless support for whichever team was playing, and we have really come together as a society. Of course, that could be more due to the frisbee house party (and copious drinking which naturally accompanies these events) hosted just two days previously... Hopefully the freshers feel like a true part of Fly Hard now. By this point last year, I knew that some of the greatest friends I'd make at Winchester would be from this society, and it's certainly held true. Ultimate isn't something which has completely taken over my life, merely compliments it, and runs happily alongside everything else I am always busy doing. I wouldn't have the commitment to train at frisbee twice a week and talk about it every day in between if I didn't love it, and I wouldn't love it if I didn't have such wonderful people to train with:

Fly Hard 1st Team, October 2012

It's hard to describe how a tournament makes me feel, but I might try and do so. Tired doesn't cover the emotion, because you're not necessarily sleepy. If you've done it right your body is so drained of any energy in any form you just want to sit and sit and watch the final (always so impressive) and root for the underdogs and never ever get up. As team-mate Jamie says, "If you don't come off the pitch and want to throw up, you haven't run hard enough." The pride of knowing you did all you could in all your games, and that your team were almost communicating telepathically by the end, and that your feet hurt so much that you don't think you'll be walking for several days, and that there are layers of bruises on your knees, elbows, hips, this is what I love about tournaments.

I've set a goal to get exercise every day, following my fantastic weekend; I want to see if I can make it even better next time.

Yours, joyously,

Abby

Transition

Huddled in groups of fast-made friends, casting fearful looks at the older students, clutching NUS cards and accommodation keys, the Freshers are self-concious, but present. I'm glad. Freshers Fayre was as enjoyable for me this year as it was last year, scavenging just as much free food, the sunshine, playing with my Dixie band and having first-years clamouring to sign up for Ultimate Frisbee made it a wonderful day. Before this week I was proud that my recruit count for frisbee was already at 1, grace having become a faithful disciple after just two training sessions. I hadn't realised just how much of a precedent this was, until a further 200 students wanted to attend a training session...

A lot of my New Year's Resolutions were to do with worries I had before term was even due to start, and I am pleased to divulge that I have had some measure of success. Resolutions 1, 2, 3 and 4 are very much achieved, and lots of cycling plus a small portion of frisbee ensures resolution 8 is under-way too. My freshers week included both the first BOP! of the year, and pub golf for my frisbee captain's Birthday; I can tick off number 5 also.

With just resolutions 6 and 7 left to achieve, it means that it's time for real-life to resume. Freshers was fun, but I'm settled, I've got used to my house and lazing around in it, I'm ready for lectures to begin. (Possibly because I was lucky enough to have just one 9am a week). Completely new modules have me interested, and I might even have partaken in some course-related reading already... Here's hoping my new-found enthusiasm for work lasts, I'll be updating with new resolutions soon.

Yours, happily,
Abby

Fulfilling resolutions 4 and 5 

Frisbee team pride

The Fox House

It has happened. I am moved in. Why is this for certain now and not three days ago when I arrived? Because, quoting The Incredibles here, I've finally unpacked the last box! I adored my uni accommodation room. It was a good size, only 2 years old, and always seemed so clean. There was a giant pin-board and a full-length mirror and an ensuite, and it was lovely. It does not compare to this. I barely decorated my room last year, it didn't feel enough like my space to go batty with it. This year, all change! This year, my room is MINE. As previously posted, it is gloriously tiny, with no free space making it look big and empty. The walls are covered, and I mean covered, with my posters (Van Gogh Cherry Blossoms, Alex and his Droogs, Plan of the Ghibli Museum, and Flight of the Conchords) photos of all the fabulous people I've met and places I have been in my life, a pin-board overflowing onto the walls with tickets and postcards and letters from my friends, and with all my necklaces hanging from pins. A giant flag with every flag in the world on the ceiling, and Chinese lantern fairy lights and hand-made bunting hanging around. A panda rug covers the only floor space left, and I have a plan for the remaining ceiling space too...

How full my room is should accurately depict just how in love with it I am. My real home will always be in the village where I grew up, but, boy does this place come close. The house-mates are slowly filtering in too, making it seem so much more like home. Just two more of them to move in, and I can't wait until we're all here. The six of us would very often go out as a group together in first year, and for one thing it'll be so much easier logistically when we're all together! The dressing-up box is ready and waiting in the front room for the first BOP!s...

Happy bustling is still going on, so life in Uni Town won't grow static before term starts. Cupboards are being shared out, hot water being understood, and a couple of nights out have happened already. So speaking of which, there's a fridge which needs cleaning of mould...

Yours, hygienically,
Abby

New year, fresh start

More and more mentions are appearing about the new academic year. Everyone knows their results, be it GCSEs, A-Levels, or passing various years of university, and no matter what they were, the waiting is over and the multitudes of students know where they're going next. Everyone who hasn't had Glandular Fever, that is. *Grumble grumble* *Changes wrist bracelet is on*

In my experience, it is impossible not to make some sort of resolution when you start a new school year or even a new institute of education altogether. After all, is there anyone out there who failed to make the first page of every new exercise book exquisitely neat? (I always made an annual promise to faithfully underline everything in a different colour every day. This usually stopped long before I had run out of colours with which to do so).

There is something highly treasured in being offered a fresh start. Officially this offering is January 1st, and I'm sure many people do evaluate their life on this day. However I've always found students choose their own times to do so. At the end of the summer term, when you can review your year, and at the beginning of September, when the dazzling summer holiday obscures any sour memories from view, was always when I looked over certain aspects of my life.

The end of my first year and beginning of my second year at university, I've found, is no different in terms of my evaluation. There are many things I have decided I would like to achieve this term, and here are but a choice few:

1. Actually get back into university. (Minor irritation of illness. Exams finally taken. Results on 10th Sept)
2. Make my room mine. As previously posted, my room is gorgeous and I have been collecting for its decoration since mid-May.
3. Move in! I'm going to be living with some wonderful people this year and I can't wait to be in the Fox House with them and sorting out all our grown-up troubles together.
4. Get my hair back. It now seems odd that I first dyed my hair a few short months ago, it feels like I've been doing it forever. This is how the addiction starts, no doubt. But if it's not blue it just doesn't feel right, so this will be rectified.
5. Have a wicked Fresher's Week. I'll be helping to try and successfully recruit for Ultimate Frisbee and Jazz, and I'm looking forward to meeting all the people. Also this year I'll know what's going on and should be able to make the most of Fresher's, as I won't be trying to orientate myself at the same time.
6. Get a First in something.
7. To achieve 6. I must do the reading before every lecture, do the work for every lecture, and type up the notes after every lecture. Without fail.
8. Continue to be mildly sporty. Living further away from uni I intend to healthfully cycle to lectures and what-not, and with frisbee proper starting again in a few short weeks, I could not be more excited.

I'm sure that's enough to getting along with. Most of these are fairly short-term, and doubtless I will be making more once uni life really gets going again. Updates will follow with how everything's progressing, and any further resolutions!

Yours, Resolutely

Abby

Complaining Bracelet

I love syntax ambiguities. But alas, the Complaining Bracelet is not a Harry Potter-esque gadget which vocalises all my complaints for me, it is an attempt to improve my personality.

The idea is that the wearer of the bracelet must change the wrist it is worn on every time they complain about something. After 21 days of wearing the bracelet on the same wrist, they can take it off. But every time the wrist is changed, the Day Count starts from zero again. The aim is 21 days in a row because supposedly this is how long it takes to break a habit, so if you can go 3 weeks without complaining, you can carry on like this forever! I guess if you complain again after you take the bracelet off you have to do the whole thing again...

I heard about the idea of the Complaining Bracelet a while back, and decided to start it now for a number of reasons. The greatest of these is to do with returning to Winchester Uni, something I am so excited about it cannot be contained in a blog post (although I am certain I will try this later). There was one ridiculous thing I repetitively had negative thoughts about, and this was my new room in my new house. There are a great many things I love about this room, even in its bare and empty state. It has masses of storage space, it is wonderfully light due to windows in two of the walls, it has a sloping ceiling, there is a shelf running continuously across two walls, just below ceiling level, there is a handy windowsill right above the bed, and a large flat roof directly under said window, which opens very wide...

And yet for some reason I was bothered by its tiny size. Now I have always adored small rooms, so at first this was difficult for me to understand. My home room in Kent is also teeny, but I love it. It's so much easier to cram a room full of clutter from your childhood and bright colours and souvenirs and cover the walls in postcards and drawings you did when you were younger when your room is small. No, 'tasteful decor' is not a phrase which ever comes anywhere near somewhere I am inhabiting.

If I'm completely honest, which I hope you will appreciate is difficult to do in a domain as public as a blog, my discontent lay in the comparison between mine and my housemates rooms. Of the six of us, four of them have a double bed, and the bedrooms are at least twice the size of mine, and in most cases more. You see?! STOP THAT, Abigail. This is why I need a Complaining Bracelet. My problem is jealousy, it's nothing to do with actually wanting a bigger room. What I need is a halt to all the negativity, so I can let the positive stuff out. (Anyway, think how many glow-in-the-dark stars you'd need for a giant ceiling).

In reality, I am itching to get into that room and start making it my own, and my big Sis (Starting uni this year! Bless ;D) my mother and I are making that all-important trip to our nearest IKEA this evening, for reasonably priced kitchenware, and MEATBALLS AND CHIPS. If you've never eaten at an IKEA, you must. And soon.

Yours, more positively,
Abby