Saturday 30 May 2009

I've been locked inside this house with all my insecurities, and I've been trying to get out and all the while you hold the key...

I am halfway through my final exams ever (hopefully!). I have two more to go, one on Monday, which I am dreading, and one on Friday which I am almost looking forward to. I cannot wait to be free to do the million things I've not been able to do for weeks now! I want to stay up late and get up later, go to the park and play in the sun, take a ridiculous number of photos and eventually edit them and most of all I want to spend every moment of every day with my beloved!

Karen finishes on Monday the lucky so and so. But more importantly she's going puppying tomorrow. I hope that this little guy is a good fit for her and her mum (and Chippa actually!), as I think it would be really really beneficial for Karen to be there at the start of the house-training regime sort of thing. Mostly in preparation for our own little pup but also to help her mum. =P

I am shattered, even though today I have eaten more chocolate and drank some Co-op brand red bull I'm really looking forward to sleeping tonight. Hopefully I can get up nice and early and have a bash at a bit more revision before church tomorrow. I'm going to stop by Karen's for puppy day hugs yay! I shall also take my camera and hopefully get some good wide angle shots of outside the church.

Anyway off to bed for me!

Sunday 24 May 2009

Opinions are immunity to being told you're wrong...

I went to church today and listened to Ben and Rick speak about growing fruit from your relationship with God and that bad things in your life will be pruned away if you ask God for help. I feel like a bit of pruning, particularly in my devotion of time would be very much appreciated!

Tuesday is my first exam (oh to be able to cut that out of my life =P) and I'm nervous yet not too scared, I feel ok and hope that a good question comes up. Doing the external reading of some funky papers has been way more useful than the lecture notes I made. Maybe I'm now getting to grips with reading for my degree, ah well better late than never.

I'm processing a few HDRs (my new favourite photography play thing), I really like the effect although it does make me want a tripod to try out night time shots. This summer I hope to get some really good photos of Chippa, probably in the Lakes as I think I may have to get good at dog shots for the future. =P I'd also like to have a real good go at some landscapes in the Lakes, I may even climb a mountain to pursue such an idea!

I'm really feeling attached to Sheffield at the moment, maybe its because I will be leaving for my MRes. I feel very connected with church and the general atmosphere, I didn't quite anticipate this when applying four years ago. I really hope I can come back here for some if not all of my life...

Thursday 21 May 2009

We control the chaos, at the back of our minds...

Now everything is handed in and revision is in full swing. I have had a nap today which was rather pleasant and went to the gym with Karenstickalaren. I am currently printing out notes, all 28 pages of sex and reproduction.

I'm feeling pretty drained and really can't wait for the year to end, although its scary that it will be over so soon! I found out that I got my first choice accommodation site yesterday so I will be in a good place, near the department and the gym which is cool! I am beginning to get a bit more excited about next year now that I can feel it getting closer. Hopefully I will have a good relax in the summer and not be moving around too much so I'm not overwhelmed by snails next year.

I don't really have anything else to write as all I do is coursework and revise now which isn't fantastic! I could blog about cooperation and conflict or sex and reproduction but I don't think I could actually write much. Doesn't bode well for next week eh?

Monday 18 May 2009

And sometimes I think that I'm not any good at all, and sometimes I wonder why I'm even here at all, but then you assure me...

I am up waiting for an email of my dissertation feedback which I may or may not finally receive today. I'm not impressed at all with the timing. Hopefully I will have to email the correct people and tell them to bin my angry email, also any feedback I eventually do get will say its fine nothings wrong.

The exam and coursework deadline based panic is in full swing at the moment. Exams start a week tomorrow but at least I will be in nice exam halls that are close to uni. Revision is ok and preferable to being sat in front of the computer all day. I can't wait until its all over, only 17 days to go! I hope I don't mess up an exam.

Anyway onto more important stuff. Karen is getting a new puppy, so I now have the perfect excuse to buy MORE camera gear. In other words, I'm really pleased, I can't wait to see her get far too excited about the poor little thing. Hopefully Chippy will be ok with the little cutie too! I hope I get to help name it as well, I think that would be fun although it may make me look like a less eligible son-in-law if my contributions are hilarious (which they no doubt will be!).

I have just got my feedback section. Hallelujah. Shame its Tuesday.

Tuesday 12 May 2009

I want to stay at home for the end of the world, falling asleep when their dropping the bomb...

Its so so near to the end. Everyone can feel it coming but no one is there yet. The cycle of wake, revise, eat, revise, eat, sleep has begun. I can remember feeling like I wanted to escape around this time in year 13. It seems very weird that I could ever think about getting out of here, but I am really looking forward to finishing. I wonder if it would be different if I were doing the level four course instead of being nervous about making friends in a new place next year?

I applied for accommodation yesterday, I went for a large single room in Broadgate Park as my first choice. Sadly my parents weren't prepared to pay just under £6k for a studio room which is a shame although understandable I guess. =P Now I am worried about not getting on with my flat mates as I wasn't asked any personality questions like when I applied for undergrad. I'm looking forward to taking the year and getting ready for a PhD, I really hope I can do what I want. Its going to be tough work wise let alone being away from Karen. Fortunately we should see each other every weekend which will be good.

We are putting off thinking about exams, coursework and dissertation by finalising our holiday arrangements in Morocco. Changing money seems like a pain but we can't do it until we are in Morocco which I guess will be fine. The hotel we are staying in looks cool, even better is that its next to a mega expensive one so we can sneak in and use their pool, tehe. I can't wait to go, its going to be a whole new culture, probably a bit of a shock really! Hopefully we will meet some really great people and have an unforgettable experience. I'm looking forward to taking photos to document our adventures. I will do my best not to get carried away and make the most of seeing things with my own eyes not through a camera lens though.

I'm going to bed now, absolutely shattered and have to be up to have another crack at my BMS revision tomorrow. =S

Sunday 10 May 2009

And I'm racking my brain for a new improved way to let you know your more to me than what I know how to say...

It has been forever since I blogged and a lot has happened in the past few days. I got rejected by Oxford last Saturday meaning I am off to Nottingham next year to do and MRes. I went to meet my supervisor and find out a bit more of what I was going to be doing. I had a really good time, it was a beautiful day and the snails were a lot cooler than Littorina =P. I think I want to work on why snails show handedness or the evolution of chirality which will require a lot of reading this summer! I managed to have a look in the city centre due to a bus stop based mishap, which wasn't a bad thing!

I found out I was got an award for my contribution to the hockey club on Wednesday which was really humbling as I don't really think I did much! I was only enhancing my own portfolio. =P

This week has been coursework and dissertation which are almost finished bar redrafting and final editing. I'm so pleased that the majority of the work is over so I can get down to revision as I'm not feeling too confident about my BMS stuff.

Karen and I have been finalising our trip to Morocco and have booked trains to and from Heathrow and a hotel for when we get back with a giant buffet breakfast which will be AWESOME. I really like breakfast. I'm really excited about going now, I can't wait to experience all these new things with Karen and I hope to take some good photos with my new lens (Sigma 10-20) which is an early birthday present from my parents. I hope the weather is good tomorrow so I can have a play with it. Karen is thinking about getting a new compact camera which is exciting because new toys always are! There is however one tiny snag; there are a million compact cameras to choose between and none of them are perfect.

In other news Jiri Hudler has just scored a very skillful/lucky (delete as appropriate) goal to give the Wings a 2-0 lead against the Ducks in the Western Conference semi finals.

I hope to have my dissertation sorted by this weekend and handed in on Monday and then panic revision can ramp up in earnest. I also want to cook tasty tasty Simon potato's for Karen to follow up the amazing pasta bake I cooked last night!