All 8 entries tagged Life

Christmas is over

I’m back at uni now after a much needed Christmas break. I’m so glad to be back. Term 2 should be at least as good as term 1 but to make sure that this is the case I have set myself the following rules:

• Don’t spread my diseases to everyone else.
• Don’t be afraid to make big decisions.
• Continue to be really involved in Union democracy.
• Continue to be an active member of Warwick Conservatives.

There is also one aim that continues (and probably will forever more) and that is:

• Make a positive difference to someone, somewhere.

So, here’s to a good term 2 and happy new year to anyone who happens to stumble across this blog. I guess I’d better get back to the much hated analysis revision :(

: 06 Jan 2007 20:45 |  Tags: Life Randomness |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Term 1

It’s over but it’s been a good one.

I’ve had such a great time and made loads of friends. I’ve also had many embarrassing moments. This is my short analysis of term 1.

Best thing I’ve done
This is a difficult one. I would probably say getting really involved in Union democracy but there are loads of things I have done that I am so glad I did.

Worst thing I’ve done
That has to be something to do with being ill. I’m going to say that it was giving freshers flu to everyone in week 2.

Most embarrassing thing I’ve done
One of 3 things here. It has to be either when I managed to fall up a ramp in the Union at the freshers’ fair in week 1, when I was at a conference and ended a speech with “I’m really bad at making speeches so I’m going to shut up now”, or when I fell over on the Piazza drunk after Top B (having only recently sung “Things can only get better” – as in the 1997 New Labour election anthem – at the top of my voice even though I’m a Conservative!).

Favourite/least favourite lecture
I started with such hopes but lost the passion after a few weeks so don’t really have a favourite lecture but analysis wins hands down when it comes to my least favourite lecture.

Societies I’m most involved in
Theres a few of these. Conservatives and craft soc are ones I’m most involved in but I will also add debating, international current affairs, Christian focus and speak. Oh, and Union council if I can count that here.

Furthest I’ve been from campus
That would be London for the anti-top-up fees demo in week 4.

Longest amount of time away from campus
I spent all of week 9 away from campus.

Weirdest thing I’ve asked someone
Probably the one about could we have some sort of majority voting system in Union referenda.

Weirdest thing I’ve been asked
Probably when someone asked me if I was lost and looking for the science department.

So that is how I found term 1. I know that there will be much more happening in term 2.

: 14 Dec 2006 17:38 |  Tags: Life Randomness |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Top tips

I’ve now been at uni for more than 6 weeks and have come up with a list of ten things to do and ten things not to do if you want a really good time (and have similar interests to me). I have done all twenty things that I included in the list and I must admit I don’t regret the vast majority of these, though I look back and think “why on earth did I do that?” with most of the things to avoid – hence putting them in that list, I guess.

1. Join as many societies as you have time for. I joined 11.
2. Become really passionate about something. I’ve been opinionated for a while but now I have discovered that I have a passion for politics.
3. Become an active member of a few of your societies. I’m on the exec in Craft society and I can often be found out in the cold on Saturday mornings with the Conservatives.
4. Go to a democratic meeting – either just for fun or as an elected representative. I have not missed one democratic meeting since I arrived, though that is most likely down to my responsibilities as a Union councillor.
5. Go on a protest. I went on the fees demo in week 4.
6. Keep your options open for the future. I really don’t have a clue what I am wanting to do in the future now as I’m nowhere near as passionate as I was about my course and I can’t make a career out of my passion so I have no choice but to keep my options open.
7. Make your voice heard. I went on the fees protest and I am also really involved in Union democracy.
8. Get involved in a cause. The fees protest again.
9. Discover the local area. I’ve been around quite a bit since week 4.
10. Find an interest you didn’t know you had. Joining loads of societies has helped me find loads of interests I never knew I had.

1. Missing too many lectures that you do not understand the course. Though I did only miss lectures when I had a legitimate reason (such as going to a conference and making a fool of myself by running round the campus all lunchtime trying to find anyone random who would sign my nomination form).
2. Getting lost. This I mainly did in week 1 but I still do not know how to get to my maths supervision so am always late.
3. Giving your diseases to everyone else. I was lied to and therefore thought it would be in my best interests to give everyone freshers’ flu in week 2.
4. Double booking yourself and then leaving the decision as to what event to go to out of your hands. I did this in week 3 and it was a complete disaster as I was more concerned for most of the week where I would be going on the Saturday than I was about my course.
5. Being really impatient. I don’t know how many emails I’ve sent along the lines of “when is such and such happening” or “what happened with such and such” – another issue from week 3.
6. Analysis!!! To be avoided like the plague – I mean, is there even anyone who can understand analysis?
7. Sleep deprivation. I really need to spend more time in bed, I’m just most awake late at night.
8. Getting stressed out by things that, in the great scheme of things, do not really matter. Well it was my fault for double booking myself on Saturday week 3 – note to self: never again!
9. Missing lunch on the grounds that you did not know how to use the internet. Monday week 3 was definitely another day never to be repeated – I’m so in a mess if I stand for council again next year.
10. Criticising the pedantry of pedantic meetings. The whole point of composite is to be pedantic about grammar so there was no point in me criticising that fact yesterday.

Any other suggestions for either list would be more than welcome.

: 14 Nov 2006 21:13 |  Tags: Life Randomness |  Comments (64) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

My passionate hate

Thursdays!

Grrr! I hate them so much. Apart from week 1 (when it was Tuesday – and that is a completely different story about Thursdays that I will not go into), Thursday has always been the most evil day.

Week 2 was just a complete disaster for me. I don’t think that I can really say anything good about any of the days (apart from possibly Wednesday) but Thursday was definitely evil.

Week 3 was just one of those really random weeks. I have mentioned far too many times why I thought that Thursday was evil but, for those who do not know, it was linked with Leamington and any other plans I may have made for that weekend. This would probably be my worst day in the whole term – though there was one really good thing right at the end of that day that I remember – my dad thinking that I would have loads of advance notification of ents (before everyone else) when I told him about Union Council. Errm, no, not quite!

Week 4 was when I realised why I fell asleep in week 3’s examples class and that it most likely had absolutely nothing to do with me stressing about what I was supposed to be doing on the Saturday. This was also when I really began to hate Thursdays with such a passion.

Week 5 was pretty much the same as week 4. Just my most boring lectures (and falling asleep in them).

Week 6 (today) was again like weeks 4 and 5, though I had so much else to do today. I think that differential equations assignments should be a lot less worded – it took me longer to read the question (and I still didn’t understand what it was trying to get at) than to actually do the maths. Much as Tuesday is a busy day for me and I was really glad I went to the conference on Tuesday, I think it would have worked out better for me if I was at the conference today – though I would have missed out on going to any further conferences by not knowing I had to stand again rather than by not being elected. The former is definitely worse! I’d much rather be unpopular than stupid.

This is why I am so passionately against Thursdays right now. If only Thursdays were like any other day, even Mondays.

: 09 Nov 2006 15:35 |  Tags: Lectures Life Randomness |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What goes up must come down

Follow-up to Going for the world record from Warwick life according to Kerri

I’ve had loads of fun with my many commitments. I ended up with 18 different commitments by yesterday but was starting to consider what could go. I hate being kitchen rep, for example. Before this, however, I decided I’d have a crack at going for one further commitment. I failed miserably! I’m not too disappointed by that as I knew that I didn’t stand much of a chance. I just thought I would give it a go as I had nothing to lose.

I heard that commitment number 18 (NUS regional conference rep) only applied to yesterday’s conference – or if it is after midnight, Tuesday’s conference – and not to all regional conferences in the year. I also really enjoyed the conference I went to so wanted to go to the others. I decided in council that this was what I would do (or more correctly, attempt to do) so stood to be a NUS regional conference rep for the rest of the year. I, however, was not elected so will not be going to any more conferences for the time being – though it is highly likely I will at least consider standing again next year.

This means that I am back on 17 commitments. I don’t see this as a bad thing but it is always the better commitments that I end up losing first. Now if only I could figure out how to no longer be the kitchen rep for my flat!

: 09 Nov 2006 00:28 |  Tags: Commitments Life Socials Societies |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Outside the bubble

Last weekend I finally went off campus for the first time since I arrived here. I went to Warwick on Saturday – not to the castle but to a housing estate. I am not one of those really annoying people who is already looking for off campus accomodation that is too far away from campus for convenience anyway, I went with the Tory society campaigning for next year’s local elections (and the rather important issue of saving Warwick hospital). We then went for a pub lunch which was really good. The most annoying thing was that I had to do my analysis assignment when I got back.

Then, on Sunday, I went on the Fees Demo in London. I had to get up rather earlier than I would have otherwise done but it was a good day out. I’m not expecting anything from the government – when have they ever listened to the people (apart from when there is an election next week but I am not going to wait another 3 years to be listened to) – but it was worth going because I had a good time and I do disagree with top-up fees. I also appeared on TV on Sunday lunchtime. If you didn’t see it then you can watch online here.

I’m not going anywhere over the weekend but I will be going to Birmingham on Tuesday next week. That should be quite a good day.

: 01 Nov 2006 16:15 |  Tags: Fees Demo Life Local Area Politics Societies |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Going for the world record

Those of you who know me or have been reading this blog will know that I am in 11 societies – yes, that’s right, I did say eleven! You will also know that I have 3 non-society non-course-related commitments, bringing my total to 14. This is on top of my 19 hours of lectures each week.

I am yet to regret any of it. It is great for my social life that I am in 11 societies – debating society, speak, Conservatives, maths society, physics society, maths and physics society, atomic, volunteers society, Christian focus, craft society, international current affairs. It is great for my CV that I’m in Union Council and the SSLC. I haven’t quite decided where to put being in the equal opportunities working group yet (but then I did only join that one last night at council).

This is not including, however, my 2 further commitments that I do not generally talk about. I am a kitchen rep for my flat (which isn’t particularly exciting but it is a responsibility so will look good on my CV). I am also, as of earlier this evening, equal opps officer for the craft society – they didn’t have enough people on their exec so I thought I would give it a go as I had nothing to lose and I’m sure that too would look good on my CV. Not bad for someone who’s only been at uni for 3 1/2 weeks!

If anyone has more than 16 non-course-related commitments then please post in the comments section. We could get quite an interesting debate going (or I could prove that I have the most number of commitments out of anyone and the world record is mine).

: 25 Oct 2006 22:35 |  Tags: Commitments Life Socials Societies |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I missed out on going to Leamington, so why not go to Nottingham

Since I arrived here 3 weeks ago, I’ve been involved in the most random of experiences.

• First, I was mad. This was when I decided that I needed to join 11 different societies (on top of my 19 hours of lectures each week) in week 1. I further reaffirmed my insanity when I also decided that I could fit in Union Council as yet another commitment.
• Then I became ill with the dreaded freshers’ flu during week 2. This was followed by a mission to spread my illness to as many people as possible during last weekend. I’m only glad that this did not backfire big time!
• Having recovered in time for week 3, I now had other ideas. On Monday, I decided that saving myself from complete and utter humiliation (after having heard a story from last year) was more important than eating lunch. Thankfully, I did remember to eat.
• There was one further moment of madness on Wednesday when I added one more commitment to my already hugely oversized list of commitments and decided to join the SSLC.
• The week of extreme randomness (week 3) was not over yet. On Thursday I was stressing out so much about something that, in the great scheme of things, did not really matter. Although when you were told you would receive an email on Thursday morning, surely the natural reaction is to expect it to arrive somewhat before 6pm!

My randomness continues to this day (and most likely beyond). I nearly ended up going to Nottingham this morning with the Real Ale Society – a society of which I am not a member. They were all gathered around the entrance to Union North just before 9:30am. I thought that they were all councillors waiting for the training meeting. One of them asked me if I was going to Nottingham. He was wearing a Real Ale Society hoodie but I thought that it was perfectly possible for him to be a councillor.

“Errm, no. I’m here for council training.”

The Real Ale Society seemed to want my services for themselves. They told me that they too were waiting for council training and that we were going to Nottingham for the training.

But I was told that we were going to be in Union North – hence me being there at 9:30am on a Saturday morning. I fell for it and nearly ended up going to Nottingham. I don’t think that AJ would have been too happy with me not turning up for training because I’d been roped into going to some social in Nottingham with the Real Ale Society (probably involving a few pints of beer).

Thankfully, the guys from the Real Ale Society informed me that they were only joking. I was free to enter Union North and go to the training day.

The day was actually quite fun. I can go to Leamington some other weekend. I don’t think that I actually missed out, I believe the opposite. I’m actually now quite looking forward to our first council meeting on Tuesday evening. Some interesting motions are up for discussion. And add to that the fact that I really like arguing (though the technical term here is “debating”, or constructive arguing – unless of course I feel so passionately against a motion that I just have to come up with a really good point against it in order to get it rejected for the greater good of everyone because that is destructive).

: 21 Oct 2006 21:24 |  Tags: Life Randomness Socials Societies Union Council |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem