While obviously everyone has an entirely different Freshers Week/Fortnight experience, mine I think has been especially unique. There are lots of examples I could cite in order to prove this point: the post-night out snacking on smoked salmon and quail eggs, the fact we've very rarely gone out as a group (or out at all), the fact that we call our common room the Atrium and that our most exciting evenings of Freshers week were dressing two of the boys up in drag and watching Bridget Jones (at the boys request).
But I want to discuss this evening, exactly two weeks after my first night and my only truly drunken Freshers memory - falling spectacularly down the stairs at the SU. I got back from the Literature Societies Pub Quiz (which my team won, by the way, cash prize and everything) and Fi (my neighbour in the house) just got back from a weekend seeing some friends in Leeds. We arrived to the sight of a homemade croquembouche made by two of my other housemates Georgie and Hugo while we'd been out. After devouring that (and sending a hurried Tweet to @BritshBakeOff) we began to discuss the Fact Board.
So the Fact Board needs explaining. On our first night, we christened our common area 'The Atrium' because it sounds more regal and fancy. We began discussing how we'd decorate over the year, including a bust of Hugo and a large house plant on our plinth. Then we decided on a fact board which would display the one major fact we could all agree on: 'Both Kenan and Kel are alive and well'. Afterwards, once we actually put a bit of paper with that fact up, others started appearing. But none rhymed quite as well as the first fact.
When I got back today, I decided to write the facts out nicely and, in doing so, we decided to write them all out like rhymes. For example, 'Roger the Cabin Boy was not a character from Captain Pugwash' became 'Roger the Cabin Boy, oh golly gosh, was not a character in Captain Pugwash'. Then we got cocky and decided to write the last fact out in limerick form. The last fact in itself needs some explanation: the boys bought a poster of a girl on a tennis court with her skirt tucked into her pants so her bum shows. When we discovered how long ago it was shot, we began to wonder if she was dead. And so the fact was added to the board: 'The tennis girl isn't dead but the photographer is.'
Cut to 40 minutes (no exaggeration) of trying to turn that into a limerick. This included frantic Googling to find his name and then reading over five obituaries, texting Dominic to ask for words that rhyme with 'bum' and several drafts, this was the result:
'There was a young lady from Brum,
Who had a fantastical bum,
While holding a racquet
Her squeeze chose to snap it,
To cancer he'd later succumb.'
Then Luke (another housemate, who makes frequent appearances on the same notice-board with a list of his funniest quotes) decided to prove how easy it was to write haikus and then limericks. On this limerick, Luke said 'This could get published, you know.' So here I am, publishing it.
'I loved to play with my lego
I liked to eat lots of Jell-o
I splashed in a puddle
Mum gave me a cuddle
Now I'm grown up [sic]'
We laughed, a lot. More even that at his contributions to the previous poems. So I decided to prove my worth as the English student in the house and contribute an analysis of the poem, drawing on all my knowledge of poetry forms and language.
'Beautiful subversion of the limerick form in order to discuss the hardships of growing up. The last line brings the joyful rhythm to an end, as the narrator's youth is shattered by the harsh reality of adulthood and it's inherent responsibilities.'
It's gone up on the fridge for everyone to see.
Monday 17 October 2011
Thursday 18 August 2011
Results Day
I thought today, of all days, I might actually write a personal blog. It is a year ago today (or tomorrow if you want to be pedantic) that I awaited results and then got them. I guess it's natural to feel reflective: people are talking and Tweeting almost exactly the same things I was last year. At this point in my life, I feel I am especially qualified to talk about the highs and lows of this day. So, with this in mind, I am going to write a message to the two camps of A-Level result holders there will be by the end of the day: the pleased and the disappointed. And yes, the disappointed get a much longer note; my sympathy lies, ultimately, with them.
To the pleased,
Congratulations! When I finally got my place at Warwick in March, I felt relief like I never have in my life. It's overwhelming, to have something which before had been a scary possibility on the horizon you tried not to want too much become your reality. But you'll be fine. You deserve your place and you've earned it. A-Levels are fricking hard, ignore what the papers say. If you've got through them and got to where you want to be, then enjoy it! You can start reading those books from your reading list and buying supplies and spend hours trawling the student union website, without feeling like you're tempting fate.
Well done!
To the disappointed,
Hi. So all the things I am going to say in this message are going to be repeated to you over and over and over: teachers, friends, parents, friends of parents, strangers you meet etc. But I'm going to say it anyway. Because it is all good advice. When people were saying this to me last year, I nodded my head and (while accepting that it was probably all true), it made nothing any better. But now, looking back on it, I'm glad I heard it then. It normalises things, I think, makes you feel better to know those clichés are all true. There's comfort in that and, right now, I know you could do with some of that.
Results day was, probably, the worst day of my life. I know that is simply proof that my life has been both short and incredibly sheltered but it was. You can spend a whole year telling yourself (and everyone who shrugs off your worries with a 'you'll be fine') that you shouldn't get your hopes up, that there is work still to be done. But it's only human to invest in the future you have come to expect for yourself. And to be upset when you lose it. Now disappointed is a loose term: it may simply mean you've had to go to your second choice over your first, a readjustment in itself. Today, however, for so many it will mean not going at all this year.
So I am going to postulate that not going this year could be a good thing for you. And am going to conveniently avoid to mention the fact the fees are going to triple next year.
Whether you have to retake or not, this year is going to be about work. Another application (either back to university or, heaven forbid, the world of work) seems utterly daunting and is as dull and mindless as you remember. But the disappointment will allow you to truly assess how much you *really* wanted it in the first place. All decisions about A-Levels and UCAS are made so quickly that sometimes, people make mistakes. Better to realise that now than later. The idea now that I was ever going to study History is enough to make me laugh - how could I have ever thought I wasn't an English student? Maybe I'd have been fine studying History (deep down, I know I would have been) but I think I"ll be better than fine with English. But my desire for Warwick has been a constant and if this letdown does nothing but fuel your desire for one course, one place, one subject, then let that fuel you. That determination will get you through the year and, hopefully, get you what you want.
And maybe you never knew how determined you were. I certainly didn't. While I may have no career ambition (at the time of publication), there was never any doubt in my mind that I was going to do everything possible to be going to university this September. But it turns out failure, as perceived by yourself, sucks. It demoralises you and reaffirms every worry you had about yourself in the first place - that you didn't deserve the places that you got, that you don't work hard enough, that everyone makes more sense than you all time, that there's no point. The cliché, however, does stand. Failure's when you learn the most about yourself. I never thought of myself as persistent or able to bounce back from problems or resourceful or responsible. And this year, I've been all those things. I worked hard and I got what I wanted and even, shockingly, held down jobs! It's scary but nothing is better than coming out the other side knowing nothing but your own determination and hard work have got you what you wanted all along. Nothing. And maybe you'll have to change what you want, lower your expectations. But there's nothing like a setback to humble you and I bet you'll have achieved more by the end of the year than you feel like you will right now.
And think about this. A gap year is a good experience. I never wanted one, never expected to have one. I may be terrified about the fact that I have to write English essays again after a YEAR but in many ways it's been great for me. It's given me the time to reflect on my choices, think things through and you will not be disadvantaged, in any subject, to be a year older with an extra year of experiences (especially if one of those is success in the face of adversity). But this year has been great in another way: in the immediate aftermath of results day, I learned the true value of my friends, and an extra year spent with them has been nothing but a joy. And new friends! Man, new friends. They've been awesome too. If all your friends are off, use this as an opportunity to prove to yourself you can make new friends, something you might not have had to do since you were four. (I did not do enough of this at college, possibly my only regret from this year as it means friends is something I'm still stupidly nervous about).
Basically, cry and curl up in a ball and numbly nod along to all this advice. And then work hard and get back to where you want to be. I guarantee you, when you finally get there, you'll appreciate so much more. And, at the end of your impromptu gap year, hopefully you won't be looking back anymore. I know if someone told me I could go back, go to Cambridge but lose this year, I'd say no. That's all you can ask for in life. And to learn that lesson is something you might not be so lucky to learn at your first year of university.
Good luck!
To the pleased,
Congratulations! When I finally got my place at Warwick in March, I felt relief like I never have in my life. It's overwhelming, to have something which before had been a scary possibility on the horizon you tried not to want too much become your reality. But you'll be fine. You deserve your place and you've earned it. A-Levels are fricking hard, ignore what the papers say. If you've got through them and got to where you want to be, then enjoy it! You can start reading those books from your reading list and buying supplies and spend hours trawling the student union website, without feeling like you're tempting fate.
Well done!
To the disappointed,
Hi. So all the things I am going to say in this message are going to be repeated to you over and over and over: teachers, friends, parents, friends of parents, strangers you meet etc. But I'm going to say it anyway. Because it is all good advice. When people were saying this to me last year, I nodded my head and (while accepting that it was probably all true), it made nothing any better. But now, looking back on it, I'm glad I heard it then. It normalises things, I think, makes you feel better to know those clichés are all true. There's comfort in that and, right now, I know you could do with some of that.
Results day was, probably, the worst day of my life. I know that is simply proof that my life has been both short and incredibly sheltered but it was. You can spend a whole year telling yourself (and everyone who shrugs off your worries with a 'you'll be fine') that you shouldn't get your hopes up, that there is work still to be done. But it's only human to invest in the future you have come to expect for yourself. And to be upset when you lose it. Now disappointed is a loose term: it may simply mean you've had to go to your second choice over your first, a readjustment in itself. Today, however, for so many it will mean not going at all this year.
So I am going to postulate that not going this year could be a good thing for you. And am going to conveniently avoid to mention the fact the fees are going to triple next year.
Whether you have to retake or not, this year is going to be about work. Another application (either back to university or, heaven forbid, the world of work) seems utterly daunting and is as dull and mindless as you remember. But the disappointment will allow you to truly assess how much you *really* wanted it in the first place. All decisions about A-Levels and UCAS are made so quickly that sometimes, people make mistakes. Better to realise that now than later. The idea now that I was ever going to study History is enough to make me laugh - how could I have ever thought I wasn't an English student? Maybe I'd have been fine studying History (deep down, I know I would have been) but I think I"ll be better than fine with English. But my desire for Warwick has been a constant and if this letdown does nothing but fuel your desire for one course, one place, one subject, then let that fuel you. That determination will get you through the year and, hopefully, get you what you want.
And maybe you never knew how determined you were. I certainly didn't. While I may have no career ambition (at the time of publication), there was never any doubt in my mind that I was going to do everything possible to be going to university this September. But it turns out failure, as perceived by yourself, sucks. It demoralises you and reaffirms every worry you had about yourself in the first place - that you didn't deserve the places that you got, that you don't work hard enough, that everyone makes more sense than you all time, that there's no point. The cliché, however, does stand. Failure's when you learn the most about yourself. I never thought of myself as persistent or able to bounce back from problems or resourceful or responsible. And this year, I've been all those things. I worked hard and I got what I wanted and even, shockingly, held down jobs! It's scary but nothing is better than coming out the other side knowing nothing but your own determination and hard work have got you what you wanted all along. Nothing. And maybe you'll have to change what you want, lower your expectations. But there's nothing like a setback to humble you and I bet you'll have achieved more by the end of the year than you feel like you will right now.
And think about this. A gap year is a good experience. I never wanted one, never expected to have one. I may be terrified about the fact that I have to write English essays again after a YEAR but in many ways it's been great for me. It's given me the time to reflect on my choices, think things through and you will not be disadvantaged, in any subject, to be a year older with an extra year of experiences (especially if one of those is success in the face of adversity). But this year has been great in another way: in the immediate aftermath of results day, I learned the true value of my friends, and an extra year spent with them has been nothing but a joy. And new friends! Man, new friends. They've been awesome too. If all your friends are off, use this as an opportunity to prove to yourself you can make new friends, something you might not have had to do since you were four. (I did not do enough of this at college, possibly my only regret from this year as it means friends is something I'm still stupidly nervous about).
Basically, cry and curl up in a ball and numbly nod along to all this advice. And then work hard and get back to where you want to be. I guarantee you, when you finally get there, you'll appreciate so much more. And, at the end of your impromptu gap year, hopefully you won't be looking back anymore. I know if someone told me I could go back, go to Cambridge but lose this year, I'd say no. That's all you can ask for in life. And to learn that lesson is something you might not be so lucky to learn at your first year of university.
Good luck!
Monday 16 May 2011
I am a terrible human being
So, not that anyone has been checking, but it has been almost 9 months since I updated this blog. 9 months! What the hell?! I mean, it's probably because my life has been so exciting. Take a look.
- I went to Lansdowne College and did a whole Government and Politics A-Level in one term. Then I got an A*. So that was a lot of work.
- I reapplied to university, this time for English Literature. I got into 4 out of 5, after another interview at Warwick, and accepted a place there.
- As The World Turns ended. That was pretty heartbreaking.
- I went to see Kelly Stoltz at the Borderline as well as Jonathan Richman and Johnny Flynn at The Luminaire, my favourite music venue which has now shut down.
- I went to a family wedding in Scotland and learnt some super-cool cèilidh dancing (which, I would like to add, I was much better at that many of the 'truly' Scottish people).
- I gave blood twice, one time which went well and one time which was quite horrible.
- I bought six teefury t-shirts.
- I completed NaNoWriMo and tried (but failed again) to complete ScriptFrenzy.
- I started, and completed, watching The Office (US version) and am now something of an addict. I also watched the first season of Mad Men.
- I got a Tumblr in order to waste time when I should have been revising for exams.
- Some family came down to London (aunt, second cousin, Scottish people etc.) and I got to hang out with them and do awesome touristy stuff.
- I went to a party and was really boring but made some awesome friends called Geek Corner. And, despite IT NOT BEING A RUSE AND NO ONE NEEDING TO LEAVE THE ROOM, there is this guy...
- I had Christmas at home.
- I went to see The Room three times.
- I turned 19.
- I went to St. Ives for a long weekend - soaked in the awesome, had the best meal of my life, had the whole guest house to myself and so preceded to do a lot of loud dancing late at night.
- Tried and failed to be a part of a collaborative vlogging project.
- Got many jobs, mostly looking after other people's children but sometimes looking after handbags as well.
- Voted Yes to AV (after much, much deliberation).
- Lost most of my friends to all four corners of the globe.
When I put it like that, see, you might be mistaken for thinking the reason I have been so bad at updating my blog is because I've been so busy. The real reason is... I don't know what the real reason is. I don't think it's the busy thing - since exams have ended especially there have been plenty of days where I've done less than nothing and could easily have written this exact blog post.
And also don't think it is because I haven't had enough things to blog about. I could have blogged about my brief foray into private education or the last ATWT or the decision to make Maxxie a girl in the American Skins or why I can consistently win NaNoWriMo but not ScriptFrenzy. I even drafted some of these, left them to ferment on my desktop for days but to no avail.
Maybe the answer, weak though it may be, is that you just forget. It's just as easy to get out of the rhythm of blogging as it originally was to get into it. Or maybe, much like meeting up with a friend you haven't seen for years, you quickly get to the stage where there's too much to catch up on. But I tried, and at least now maybe I'll remember about this blog.
And, if not, at least you know where my Tumblr is now. :P
- I went to Lansdowne College and did a whole Government and Politics A-Level in one term. Then I got an A*. So that was a lot of work.
- I reapplied to university, this time for English Literature. I got into 4 out of 5, after another interview at Warwick, and accepted a place there.
- As The World Turns ended. That was pretty heartbreaking.
- I went to see Kelly Stoltz at the Borderline as well as Jonathan Richman and Johnny Flynn at The Luminaire, my favourite music venue which has now shut down.
- I went to a family wedding in Scotland and learnt some super-cool cèilidh dancing (which, I would like to add, I was much better at that many of the 'truly' Scottish people).
- I gave blood twice, one time which went well and one time which was quite horrible.
- I bought six teefury t-shirts.
- I completed NaNoWriMo and tried (but failed again) to complete ScriptFrenzy.
- I started, and completed, watching The Office (US version) and am now something of an addict. I also watched the first season of Mad Men.
- I got a Tumblr in order to waste time when I should have been revising for exams.
- Some family came down to London (aunt, second cousin, Scottish people etc.) and I got to hang out with them and do awesome touristy stuff.
- I went to a party and was really boring but made some awesome friends called Geek Corner. And, despite IT NOT BEING A RUSE AND NO ONE NEEDING TO LEAVE THE ROOM, there is this guy...
- I had Christmas at home.
- I went to see The Room three times.
- I turned 19.
- I went to St. Ives for a long weekend - soaked in the awesome, had the best meal of my life, had the whole guest house to myself and so preceded to do a lot of loud dancing late at night.
- Tried and failed to be a part of a collaborative vlogging project.
- Got many jobs, mostly looking after other people's children but sometimes looking after handbags as well.
- Voted Yes to AV (after much, much deliberation).
- Lost most of my friends to all four corners of the globe.
When I put it like that, see, you might be mistaken for thinking the reason I have been so bad at updating my blog is because I've been so busy. The real reason is... I don't know what the real reason is. I don't think it's the busy thing - since exams have ended especially there have been plenty of days where I've done less than nothing and could easily have written this exact blog post.
And also don't think it is because I haven't had enough things to blog about. I could have blogged about my brief foray into private education or the last ATWT or the decision to make Maxxie a girl in the American Skins or why I can consistently win NaNoWriMo but not ScriptFrenzy. I even drafted some of these, left them to ferment on my desktop for days but to no avail.
Maybe the answer, weak though it may be, is that you just forget. It's just as easy to get out of the rhythm of blogging as it originally was to get into it. Or maybe, much like meeting up with a friend you haven't seen for years, you quickly get to the stage where there's too much to catch up on. But I tried, and at least now maybe I'll remember about this blog.
And, if not, at least you know where my Tumblr is now. :P
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