No5: My Life In Boxes

A fortnight ago I was packing up my university room ready to come home... and I've only just finished unpacking. Don't get me wrong here - I've not been packing and unpacking continuously for the past 2 weeks, but I noticed how much junk I've been hoarding not only in my uni room but also at home.

Bye uni room, it's been a great year!

Firstly, when packing up I uncovered a whole draw full to the top of H&M catalogues! Now, I love H&M but I really don't need to know what was in their 2013 Autumn/Winter line, do I?! I don't even know why I kept them all though to be honest it was probably out of sheer laziness. Shoving something in a drawer takes much less brain power than deciding if you need it, or where to put it if you don't.

What has also surprised me during the whole packing/moving exercise is my ability to fit a whole room full of stuff into my bedroom at home, despite it already looking full (and without being able to throw anything away). I had everything I needed at uni to be able to live comfortably - so in theory should be able to get rid of everything else in my room I left behind. This makes perfect sense, I know it does, but there is still some niggling part in my brain telling me that I MUST keep that ugly orange pencil pot I won 6 years ago - I mean I know I haven't needed it yet but I may at some point in the future, right?

Back to the mad house until September!

My problem is that my entire room is full of stuff like that pencil pot - things that I really don't need, and have no sentimental value or any legitimate reason to keep them yet I am seemingly unable to throw anything away! I am slowly sorting through things and finding new homes for some of my junk, but I seem to be overly attached to a lot of it!

Oh, and if anyone has any uses for an ugly orange pencil pot, let me know! ;)

Claire xx

No4: Growing Up

I'm writing this post 2 weeks after my last first-year university exam. I'm 1/3 of the way through my course which is a thought that terrifies me. So much has changed in this past year, but at the same time I sort of feel no different - and I'm certainly not prepared to accept that I am growing up!

When I was younger, I always thought that I would know what I want to do with my life by the time I went to sixth form (or at least by the time I had to pick what to do afterwards!). Unfortunately not. I still have no idea what I want to do 'in the future' (getting scarily closer) or 'when I grow up' but am just hoping one day I'll wake up and have an epiphany: 'Of course! I've always wanted to be a penguin trainer/tree painter/insert job title here...'. Until then I'm just going to have to blunder around hoping to stumble into something else to do.

Seriously though... I know how that little hippo feels

On the plus side, I have just gained my first ever paid job as a student ambassador (come to my uni, it's great! ;) ) so could theoretically start a proper CV and all that... or just not? 
Seriously though, sometimes I do feel grown up and independent and other times I feel like I'm about 10 and have literally no idea how to look after myself. I feel like this post isn't very coherent as it is literally just a brain splurge but please tell me other people feel this way!

Claire xx

No3: Revision

It's exam season at the moment, which means one thing dreaded by all: revision. It's something that everyone hates, everyone puts off, but everyone has to do. I'm quite possibly the worst person for doing revision - I procrastinate until the very last minute, then just hope for the best going into the exam knowing half (or less) of the syllabus.

Totally my way of working, but not great in the long run! (Picture credit to Chibird)

I don't know how, and I'm sure my luck will run out one day, but this does seem to have worked so far in my exams. I got good grades at GCSE and A level, and now at university I'm hoping that my lucky streak will continue - I have to, as I have an exam in 3 days and have yet to start my revision! I'm not going to put it all down to luck though; I think the small amounts of revision I do are effective as I can visualise and remember the information I need to know at the time and can even remember some things from my GCSE work. (I know this was only 3 years ago, but since I seem to forget things that happened last week this is quite impressive for me!)

Here's my secret for successful (if slightly panicked or last minute) revision: COLOUR! If your notes are written in colours rather than just a block of black ink it is so much easier to remember. I've had instances in exams when I can remember the colour of the thing I need to know, and can then work out the fact based on its colour (I think I'm making it sound so much more complicated than it is, oops!). 

In no way the best image, but I'm hoping you get the idea...

This year I had loads of A3 paper so made a large mind map on each topic, but last year I just made lots of tiny 'cards' and stuck them all over my wardrobe doors as they were the first thing I saw each morning and the last thing I saw at night. I also got my mum to take them all down when I was in my exam as the last thing I wanted to do was read them when removing them and start stressing out about what I could or should have written - they looked pretty impressive when all laid out on my bed!

 

This was only half of them!

Anyway, writing this blog post has turned into another hour and a half of procrastination, so I should probably get back to the dreaded R-word. I didn't expect this post to be so long, but apparently procrastination and last minute revision is my special subject! (Next series of Mastermind anyone?)

Claire xx

No2: Sleep

It's exam time at uni at the moment, and the lack of lectures (as we're spending our entire days 'revising') means one thing and one thing only - a completely messed up sleeping pattern. In fact, it has got so bad recently I may as well be in a different time zone completely!

4 hours behind and with a beach...looks perfect!

I know (well I'm pretty sure that my numbers are right) that you're supposed to have 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night - more or less than that can lead to an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes or heart attacks. I also know that sleep is generally supposed to be at night time, around 11pm to 7am. I only wish my body would understand this as well as my brain does.

Without the set structure of lectures and seminars my body clock had managed to completely reset itself to be roughly 4 hours behind - I'm not getting tired until the early hours of the morning, and find anything before 11am near-on the same as the middle of the night. I've tried going to bed early (well 11pm feels early even if it isn't) and setting an alarm for the morning, but it simply doesn't work. I physically can't force myself to sleep and I can easily sleep through 20+ minutes of my alarm.

When counting sheep I only get to 2...

'Try to count sheep' everyone tells me, but I have a really short attention span - I'll imagine a field of sheep and start counting them as you should. However, then I'll get bored and decide that an estimate of the number of sheep in said field is good enough for the farmer or whoever needs their sheep counting and my mind moves onto the next thing. No matter how many times I try this, it's always the same result: roughly 45 sheep in the field and me still awake. Please tell me I'm not the only one?!

Claire xx

No1: Introduction

Well, here it is - the start of my new blog. The first post, the one that kicks it all off. I don't know how to start things; do I say hi? Do I just start? Should it be long or short and sweet? Ooh sweets, yummy...

So I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Claire and I'm a first year modern history student. Sounds boring I know, but someone has to do it don't they?! (Actually I do love my course though parts of it can be dull...) Anyway, I've been meaning to start a blog for a little while now as I think it's great how someone with a laptop lying in bed (my current position - yes it's nearly midday but if you can't act like a stereotypical student when you are one, what's wrong with you?!) can make something so creative, so open. I love that anyone can read it, no matter where they are in the world and how people can share things so easily. 

Such a productive, creative place...

Of course I know it will be difficult as blogs take a lot of hard work and commitment - and as a self confessed work-and-commitment-phobe it could turn into my worst nightmare but I'm giving it a try. As the title says this will just be a window into my mind, my current thoughts and ramblings so who knows what is to come... 

All in all, welcome to anybody reading this and I hope you stay along for the ride!

Claire xx