May

I'm back! You poor unfortunate souls.

I finished my exams yesterday, and suffice to say, it's pretty unbelievable to think that we've reached the end of this academic year already. They say time flies when you're having fun - I'm not sure I'd label spending an absurd number of days revising and writing essays "fun", but each to their own. If anything, I have learned in these last few months that time flies when you have deadlines to meet, and hopefully that's a lesson I'll bear in mind when it comes to writing my dissertation next year!

I'm afraid - once again - I have very little to report, because my life for last month and a half has essentially consisted of Uni work, whinging about Uni work and serving coffee to caffeine-craving students and lecturers. However, I thought it might be nice to announce on here that I'm now free for the summer Uni-wise so should have a lot more time to write, which is quite exciting! The thing I'm most looking forward to is writing what I want to rather than being told what I should be writing, whether this be news-based articles or just ramblings about mad and crazy shenanigans (shenanigans is such a great word) and life in general.

The last few weeks aside from exams, revision and work have been pretty dull, but I did go and see The Vaccines right at the start of the month with my friend Daisy, and it was absolutely mental. We picked the perfect position in front of the guitarist Freddie Cowan, who often comes across as a bit of an idiot but he's so bloody beautiful that it's easy to bypass his personality. Beer (or what I hope was beer) was flying everywhere as you might expect at a gig so Daisy and I were both drenched by the time it was over, but we had such a fantastic night and would love to see them again - if you're into that sort of thing it's definitely recommended.

Before I came back to University there were also plenty of goings-on and dramas happening at home, which is a given considering chaos seems to follow me everywhere. I ended up volunteering at my little brother's Cub Scouts one evening - we went grass sledging, which basically consists you sitting on a sledge and going down this massive slide (why it's called grass sledging when technically there's no grass involved, I do not know). After a good twenty minutes of constant nagging from my brother Luke and his little mates, I was eventually encouraged to give it a go, knowing full well that this could only end in disaster, and I was right. The sledging itself was a lot of fun, but I'd forgotten that there were two breaks that I needed to pull on the sledge and like an idiot, I only pulled one. So when I got to the bottom, I essentially rocketed off like a complete lunatic and ended up landing in an enormous heap of mud, subsequently sending twenty 10 year old boys into total hysterics. To no surprise, Luke had his head in his hands at the thought of his sister once again doing her best to embarrass him, probably wishing that he'd left me at home. The poor kid. I think it's fair to say that I won't be helping out at Cubs anytime in the near future.

To wrap it up, I just want to wish anyone still doing exams or on placement the best of luck - it can't be nice to still be working hard when other people have finished, but you're nearly there, so keep going! Also massive congratulations to my football team Crystal Palace who last night made it to the Championship Play-Off Final and will be playing at Wembley in a couple of weeks time. Woohoo!

Happy May!

Nats. X

April

Just to give anyone that cares a head's up, I'm giving my blog a bit of a temporary break for now until my exams are finished. This makes me quite sad (I'd insert an unhappy face here if Blogger let me use emoticons) but it's a sensible thing to do. Being sensible is not something that comes naturally to me, but I thought I'd give it a try. And hopefully by the time the exam period is over, I will have found something worthwhile and interesting to write about instead of aimlessly babbling like usual.

Today we came back from our holiday at Elveden Center Parcs and had such a fantastic weekend! This time there were only four of us as one of my brothers decided to stay at home, and obviously I was gutted that he had chosen not to come along. But on the plus side, it did mean that this time there was actually enough space to breathe as we crammed into my mother's horrendously small car on Friday morning. Within minutes of arriving at our lodge and in my usual ridiculous fashion, I somehow managed to set off the smoke alarm system, which was blaring for a good five minutes before we worked out how to switch the bloody thing off.

Putting that aside, one of my favourite things about Center Parcs is the tranquility of it - there is so much freedom and very little structure to the days you spend there. We went on bike rides exploring through the forest and looking for wildlife, and spent a lot of time in the swimming pool on the amazing new water ride which was recently built. All in all, we really enjoyed our visit and hope to return there again soon!

While I've been at home, I also visited the Tate Modern in London with my brother. He's studying Photography and needed some bits and pieces for his portfolio, so I offered to go along with him. I'm not usually enthused by art and looking around galleries but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Jack and I split off at the beginning and wandered around on our own, and it was quite peaceful just strolling from gallery to gallery soaking in all the mesmerising textures, shapes and colours. Certainly something to add to your to-do list if you're ever in London for the day.

Time to disappear for now and send a final wish of good luck to all my fellow students in their exams/on their placements. It might seem like a horrible few weeks are ahead of us but they'll go by in a flash. And you never know, we might even find ourselves with some summer weather as a reward at the end of it...

Nats. X

Beat the slog of exams with an alternative guide to revision

Soon to be featured in a copy of Christ Church's student newspaper UNIfied. Have a look at previous editions at http://ccsu.co.uk/UNIfied.

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Sadly, the exam period is upon us and I’m sure most of you will be jumping for joy at the prospect of spending the next few weeks knee deep in mind-maps, flashcards and posters, with your loyal pack of highlighters and a truck load of energy drinks to maintain your sanity.

The revision process will seem like a long, boring and endless slog, but fear not! There are a few ways you can make your dull and drab revision routine a bit more bearable, with these unique and effective methods to vamp up your study sessions.

1. Students are renowned for their big love of daytime television, and shows like The Chase and Pointless have got to be up there with the best of them. So why not host your own game show with your classmates to revise?  You can choose to be in teams or play as individuals, with prizes to be won at the end of each round or at the end of the game. It might also be fun to create some crazy forfeits for any question that is answered incorrectly. Just make sure you don’t spend your entire afternoon writing the theme tune and deciding which suit to wear.

2. Gather your friends together and take it in turns to teach each other your revision notes. Divide the work up so each person has a specific module or area to teach, and then test each other at the end to see how much you've remembered. Upping the stakes is sure to make it more interesting, so throw in a prize, e.g. everyone has to buy the best teacher and/or student a drink or meal.

3. Get creative and make up a song or dance about the topic you are revising. Nobody is expecting Ivor Novello award-winning lyrics – just enough to imprint those facts and figures in your memory. I’m pretty sure this one features in an episode of Hannah Montana, but if it worked for her, it’s certainly worth a shot.

4. Word nerds who enjoy making mnemonics to revise can have a look at www.spacefem.com/mnemonics. Simply type in a word and the website will create a mnemonic for you to remember.

5. YouTube is a brilliantly accessible way to revise, as there are plenty of revision videos online to provide a helping hand, regardless of subject matter. And if you have your own YouTube account, why not create your own and upload it?

6. And if all that hard work has given you an empty stomach, make yourself a cake or some biscuits, and then decorate them with your revision notes. You could pipe scientific formulas on with icing, or write out mathematical equations with chocolate chips. And when you eat them, you've guessed it... you’ll be feeding yourself the knowledge! (Pause for canned laughter). Anyone?...No? Just me then.

"Journalism is literature in a hurry".

If you read my utterly rubbish blog post last Friday, you'll have learned that I've spent 4 days this week doing work experience at a local newspaper.

After my first day, I left wondering if I actually had any chance of coping in such a tough and competitive industry. After my last day, I knew that if I wanted it enough, I would be able to. And there was certainly no doubting that this was something I really, really wanted.

My involvement in my University's newspaper has already offered me a little bit of experience, but writing for a professional newspaper was on a whole other level. As a literature student, I have been trained to write in a style which shows my knowledge, my range of vocabulary and my ability to use a Thesaurus. Writing essays for my teachers at school and my University lecturers in particular has been about not only displaying academic ability, but writing skill. 

To achieve high marks, it's not only about what you've written, but how you've written it. You must show flair and coherency if you want the points you are putting across to seem plausible. And once you have a point to make, you have to expand on it. Squeezing as much as you can out of one tiny literary element has been drummed into my mindset since I was at least 15 years old. 

This style of writing in a newspaper is totally irrelevant. It might as well not exist. Space on a page is precious and cutting down the word count is crucial. There is no room for "flowery" language, waffle or babbling - who is going to care if you use an impressive/complex word or phrase? The editor of the newspaper won't. The reader of the newspaper certainly won't. They just want the facts. They want the information you are supposed to be feeding them, and as a journalist, that's the best you can offer.

My time on work experience also taught me that there is far more to newspaper journalism than being a good writer. Interviewing witnesses and sources for evidence is crucial, and to find out the appropriate information, you must obviously ask the appropriate questions. 

Over the four days, I watched two interviews and sat there totally mesmerised, wishing that I possessed the skills that the two journalists I was shadowing had. They were both so calm and controlled. They knew what they were talking about, they knew the questions they wanted to ask and fitted them chronologically into place, so their interview had structure. There was no stammering, stuttering or fumbling of words. In fact, there was barely any hesitation at all. They both had so much confidence - something I reckon I'll need to get my hands on if I want to get anywhere in this dog-eat-dog industry.

There is also a heck of a lot of team work involved. An article might only have one writer but a journalist would not be anything without their colleagues. The team I was working with really were a team. They pulled together to hit their deadlines and helped each other through any complications along the way, while still keeping their spirits up, cracking jokes and making each other laugh. 

All of the reporters and journalists I have worked with this week taught me so much and have been hugely inspiring. This was my first proper time working in the field I've been aspiring to be in since I was nine years old, so to have this experience as my first push into the industry is fantastic.

Many thanks to all at the Isle of Thanet Gazette/Canterbury Times for a brilliant four days. I know this is the beginning of a long journey ahead for me, but I'll always be glad to look back and remember fondly that this is where it all began.

March

The last month has been, to put it lightly, a bit mental. I have virtually been living in the library for the last 10 days of my life, and it's been as exciting as it sounds. I actually reached a point last week when I wondered what the hell I was doing paying my landlord rent when I've technically spent more time in Augustine House than I have in my own home. However, my assignments for this term are done, dusted, finito - and I can finally relax. Sort of.

It's Easter next weekend, which seems mental that we've reached that part of the year already. There's been a vast array of chocolate eggs on display and filling the shelves of supermarkets pretty much since January - Creme Eggs, Lindt bunnies, Malteser bunnies - apparently now the new thing is Aero Lambs (?!) - a perfect opportunity to eat a colossal amount of chocolate and not feel as bad as you usually would for it.

Next week I'm going on work experience at a local newspaper! I'm absolutely terrified, but it will be brilliant to finally see how the whole dynamic of journalism works, even on a local scale, so hopefully it will go well. I'm also going back to Center Parcs in 3 weeks, and after last year's fun filled adventure it's sure to be just as eventful. Thankfully there will not be any tree-trekking involved this time so I won't be whizzing off in the wrong direction on a zip-wire, much to your disappointment I'm sure - then again, there will naturally be other opportunities for me to make an idiot of myself. Probably involving the children's adventure playground.

And finally just to flatter his already enormous ego, I promised I'd mention my friend Harry Taylor in this post because apparently there isn't enough mention of him on my blog. So hi Harry. Hope this makes you happy.

Happy Easter! Have a good one.

Nats. X

February

There's no easy way to say this, but my recent efforts at blogging have been pretty shambolic. This post has no particular topic other than to say hi, I'm alive and haven't forgotten how to use a computer, so I'll apologise in advance now for being super boring for the next few paragraphs and rambling on like the complete nutter that I unfortunately am.

I'm currently on reading week, in other words half term, and have come home for 9 days to see family, friends and celebrate my little brother's birthday which was last Saturday. It would actually be so lovely to consider this week off as a chance to relax, have a bit of a break and do something more exciting that type frantically on a computer about Jane Eyre and Shakespeare, but sadly that's not the case. The last few days have consisted of me essentially chained to my desk ploughing through assignment after assignment - and the best part is that there's still another year to go. And it will get worse.

But on a lighter note, it is so good to be back with my Mum, Dad and brothers in my weird little hometown. And it has been a fun few days just being able to hang out with them and muck about, do stupid crazy things and make each other laugh. I also had a brilliant day in London yesterday with my best friend - we went exploring all over the place, starting from Victoria, then travelling from Kensington to Westminster and past the London Eye, then to Piccadilly, through the West End, finishing with a delicious dinner in Soho.

As we were walking down by the Houses of Parliament, I decided it would be a great idea for us to buy a pancake to share from this cute little kiosk. I say "great idea", bearing in mind any idea of mine is rarely close to being achievable, let alone "great". We decided on a nutella and cream pancake but it ended up being served in a polystyrene cup, making it virtually impossible for us to eat with any shred of grace or dignity - the filling was flying everywhere, and in my attempt to get some of this ridiculously located pancake out of the cup with my fork, I ended up pinging half of my portion into Alice's face, which as you can imagine, went down as well as the cold, mushy pancake did at the end of the whole episode. All in all, the day was mad and eventful and the two of us were knackered by the end of it, but we had a lot of fun :)

Also in the news, I managed to further prove my stupidity and severe lack of co-ordination in a spectacular fashion by falling over in the shower last Tuesday and smacking my face on the side of the bath. As a result, I found myself sporting a very attractive black eye which has provided many of my friends and family with yet another opportunity to laugh at me and make incessant jokes, the worst of which came from my Dad, who kept calling me a Pirate - it took me a while to establish that he thought I should be wearing an eye patch. Do you see the madness I have to put up with?

Not a lot else to report from my exciting, fun-filled little life other than to say sorry for boring you to death with this not-so-fantastic piece of writing - in fact, I'd be surprised if you've made it this far into the post without closing the tab/falling asleep/throwing your laptop out of the window in sheer anger that you spent the last two minutes of your life listening to me babble on about a load of nothingness.

I promise that I'll try to write something a bit more interesting very soon...

Happy February!

Nats. X

Seeking out student housing doesn't have to be stressful

Soon to be featured in a copy of Christ Church's student newspaper UNIfied. Have a look at previous editions at http://ccsu.co.uk/UNIfied.

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First year students… listen up!

The time for finding your second year accommodation has been underway for some weeks, and for many of you, it will be the first time you’ve ever had to go through this type of process.

Once you’ve rounded up who you’re living with and started arranging your first house party, (because we’re students and its top priority), your house hunting venture can officially begin.

Firstly, you must think about price. The four bedroom house with a new kitchen, stylish furniture and an enormous garden might make you squeal like a banshee on helium but it’s only any good if you can afford it. Same goes for location – nobody in their right mind would take pleasure in having to wake up hours before their 9am lecture just because their journey into Uni takes so bloody long. Student housing is certainly a-plenty, so all it takes is a little time, effort and research.

When you finally find a place that you and your future housemates like, it’s a great feeling of excitement and relief; the property is reasonably priced, a stone-throw away from campus and has everything you’re looking for in a student house.

But watch out. You might be studying an impressive undergraduate degree, but that won’t stop you being subject to exploitation from landlords who have been in the business long enough to know how to trap you.

1. Book a viewing to see the property for yourself.

This is hugely important. The photos on the internet might look fantastic but you can never guarantee that these pictures are accurate. It is more than likely that you will spot things when looking around the property which you could not see online.

2. Ask the landlord or manager of the property plenty of questions.

Is the house fully furnished? When does the tenancy begin and end? Where is the nearest supermarket? What happens if a housemate leaves University? Will you be expected to pay full or half rent over the summer holidays? It doesn't matter how stupid you think your questions might be – you won’t know unless you ask. Moreover, if the tenants are present at the time of your viewing, make sure you ask them questions too – they might be more honest than the landlord.

3. Check the deposit.

Ask what deposit scheme your landlord is using and check out the website when you get home. Some landlords ask for a large sum of money which will be returned at the end of the tenancy, providing the house has been well kept. Others, however, will require rent in advance.

4. Ask what the rent includes.

Be 100% sure that you know what you are paying for. The rent for some properties will include gas, electric, water and sometimes internet, while others will not. It is extremely important that you check this before signing the tenancy agreement as it can cause problems further down the line.

5. What appliances are included?

Does the house have a kettle, microwave, washing machine, shower, television? Is there a fridge and freezer and how big are they?

6. Study your contract

This is one of the most important steps. Read the contract thoroughly, and if there’s anything you are unsure of, ask Student Support or the Student’s Union to go through it with you. Allocate bedrooms before signing to ensure everyone is happy with the living arrangements. Finally, double check the rent with the landlord, and if you are happy with the property, go ahead and sign!

Just remember that keeping calm through this seemingly stressful process is key. And don't forget you can ask the Student’s Union or Student Support if you are in need of help or advice.

Good luck!