pride

I got my first sociology assignment back from my tutor and I aced it – 93%.

I have been doing the happy dance around the living room and through into the hallway. I must admit that my experience at university severely knocked my academic confidence and my wise decision to easy myself back into to academia via correspondence courses in a few A-levels is paying off. Not only have I ruled out English Lit as a major (I am too much of a narrative junkie to peek behind the curtain) but I am exposing myself to a wide range of subjects that previously I had dismissed. I am champing at the bit to get myself back to school for fall 2005….scared but very excited about what might await me 🙂

As a footnote – this might all change come next week as I will get the results from my summer exams……

free at last

I have taken my last exam and can now watch tv/films, read books and blog without feeling guilty – hurrah! Been a busy old month in London. Despite my primary focus being the 6 eggs ‘n’ ham I did manage to fit in a concert, 3 plays, a trip to Edinburgh, 8 galleries/museums, 4 films (reviews on the way) and the odd night out with my friends….phew be glad to get home to relax.

I have celebrated my new found freedom with a trip to a bookshop and got a whole stack of ‘fun’ reading – wonder how many I will get through on my return flight 🙂

Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patrica Highsmith by Andrew Wilson
The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracey Chevalier

scotland

Been too busy and my little head is all a whirl, last week I sat my first two English exam and then headed off to Edinburgh for a few days respite.

Needless to say I had an awesome time.

Whizzed around a few galleries and had a general mooch about. For so many years this wonderful city has been a glorified transportation node (quite literally as I was born here to) either jumping off a train at Waverly and then catching a bus or a pit stop on a road trip around the relatives. There has been quite a bit of redevelopment esp around my arch nemesis the bus station. I daren’t even add up the number of hours from a bairn upwards that I spent waiting to catch the 62 to Peebles. I digress, Edinburgh is going posh (even posher than the all fur coat and no knicker brigade) and it is building up collection of designers to rival SoHo. It has a glass church at its centre so the good folk can worship at the house of Harvey Nicks. But, far more exciting than the house of couture is the redesigned bus station. It is a stunner and no more freezing to death as the wind whips you 🙂

six feet under

As I was revising for my Language Production exam (creative writing or lying to me and you) I realised that this exam turns you into your own grave digger… Confused…. You are given a piece of prose which is to act as stimulus for your own work and then you have to write a commentary on the what you have written – aarrgghhh.

So far I have sat one exam, two next week and the final three in the second week of June. The first went okay, but I am now panicking that they won’t have been able to read my writing….will take even more care in the next exam. The most I hope to get from this spell of examinations is to pass them. A rather low expectation considering how well I did in the essay I submitted *rosy glow from boasting* but a combination of nerves, dyslexia and poor pen menship throw me in the exam room. I reckon that practice is going to get me over it and so by the time I come to sit my next bunch in January (Economics and Sociology) I will be a bit more of a pro 🙂

NB. I must add that I am not fishing here but trying to subtly let Alex know that this is my warm-up round 🙂

Rabbit, Hare, Bunny

Is it just me or is this year whizzing by?

It’s 1st April already and Easter is a few short weeks away. I have already received chocolate care parcels from my family in the UK and our fridge is starting to look like a corner shop. I am sure that the only reason they pandered to my desire for a Harry Potter Easter egg is because I am so far away and surely 27 isn’t that old……

The cold hard truth is starting to dawn on me that in less than 7 weeks time I will be returning to London to sit my AS exams in English Lit & Lang and Classics. The good news is that I have nearly finished the courses and should be on track to start revision next week. The bad news I was just about to start the final topic on Greek architecture and was horrified by the dryness of the set text….I had Nam geology degree flashbacks! But, I can relax I had ordered the wrong text book – phew the user friendly dummies guide to ruins is now winging it’s way to me 🙂

Let’s hope that Ian and Adam’s row in The Archers doesn’t lead to a rift…..they’re far more interesting than the self build and wedding plot line.

Snowflakes keep falling on my head

A good day all round yesterday – finished off my second unit in English, I can now give Chaucer a rest for a few weeks and can start the units in Greek Art & Architecture and English Modern Prose 🙂 I perfected my recipe for tuna pasta bake. Last night I added sweetcorn, mozzarella and baby toms to the concoction – it was scrummy!

I took a break from all the depressing literature choices I have made in the past few weeks….’Jude the Obscure’ is proving v harrowing and this months book group ‘Flowers for Algeron’ had me reaching for the tissues by the final chapter. So during my break on Sunday I nipped to the book shop and picked up the 3rd instalment of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency – ‘Morality for Beautiful Girls’. It is proving to be a v absorbing read 🙂

I nearly forgot it has just started snowing…..

I try to be good!

In an attempt to get ‘healthy’ this morning I opted for a skinny hazelnut latte instead of the full fat version but this seemed to confuse them and they topped it off with whipped cream and caramel.  I think they were worried I wasn’t getting enough calories!

I am stuck in Chaucer hell at the moment – the final part of my poetry module in my English Lit course has me reading The Miller’s Tale in the original middle English. The only way I can describe it is a dyslexic on acid!!!! So, I ended up procrastinating my day away yesterday and came up with this about my ipod (it’s not v good but at least short):

Shiny, white and fly,
You really caught my eye,
Glistening in the shop,
Just had to break and stop.

Lets hope I am more productive today and don’t start on an ode to TIVO!!!!!!