You only get graduation dress-up once!

It must nearly be this modest little blogs first birthday, or potentially belated birthday... I feel like LOTS has happened in the past year, and a vast amount of this never made it to this blog. In fact I think a lot has happened in the month or so since I last blogged. I start to wonder how much time I had on my hand during my placement abroad... Wow

 

I just wanted to get this photo in early.
You only get to play graduation dress up once right?

I have moved (albeit temporarily) to Oxford, started an internship at Oxford University Press, and graduated! All of which have been a great experience (and in the past month!).. 

I am just going to keep this very short and sweet. I just want to make sure I keep this blog ticking along so that I can start blogging properly when I have a bit more time. However, who knows when that will be?! I want to start a cake appreciation blog at some point in the future just in case you were wondering where this blog is heading!

I am really enjoying work, and I am soooo much happier than when I was slogging my way through the final stretch of my degree.  It might be more than just the work keeping me happy, such as living in a beautiful place and meeting all the other lovely interns, but I can't help but think the work suits me as well! I feel like this has been an invaluable experience, although I am now craving a summer holiday in the sunshine big time - probably because it feels like summer is over here already. (Obviously I can't get through this post without mentioning the weather)

Graduation was also such a happy day! And here are a couple of photos because you only get to wear the gown and cap once. Another graduation day is probably the only thing which would be worth doing a Masters for! 

All the family! And me looking much taller than I actually am! 

Luke and I. I don't have many photos on my computer at the moment and in this one I had only just put the hat on so the fringe isn't looking too awful. (Note to anyone still to graduate - grow your fringe out, its so annoying on the day!)

An on a final note I turned the grand age of 22 at the weekend! Thanks to all the people who sent messages, cards, gifts and a special thanks to all my wonderful friends who have come to visit me in Oxford. I had so much fun showing you all around. I have already decided I am going to stay 22 forever... 



Lovely photo down by the river, courtesy of Rimini! 

I really want to stay in Oxford, I am enjoying it a lot at the moment, so watch this space for a more permanent move. Anywhere is more exciting than Southampton or Leighton Buzzard anyway!

How can you not appreciate living
somewhere with so much green space?

Degree = Done!

Its slightly odd writing this from my sofa at home, but I thought it was time to finally get around to blogging something to prove I haven't fully forgotten about it!

So really what I want to say is that it finally happened(ish). MY DEGREE IS FINISHED! Done! No more studying chemistry (at least for the time being)! I hope having 6 exams explains my absence from blogging, and I truly hope never having to repeat that ever again, but as I don't get the results for another couple of weeks I don't want to speak too soon.

Studying really did take over the last couple of months but other exciting things have happened, most notably that I am going to be moving to Oxford for the summer to do an internship at the OUP which I am very excited about! There is still a bit to be sorted out which always taints the excitement of moving to a new place but even so I am fully looking forward to working and doing something totally different. But I am quite aware its going to be a fairly steep learning curve and probably quite tough at times! Also on the off chance that someone might know of a room I can rent for a couple of months in Oxford please let me know - I don't want to be homeless! Plus I'll cook for my new housemates!

I also passed my driving theory test over Easter (whoop!), but unfortunately I haven't had many lessons since due to having so much uni work and time just running out. I promise I will start up again soon when I am settled somewhere. I was actually starting to get vaguely okay but even though it goes against all my independent views on life I would to so happy to let someone else drive me everywhere for the rest of my life. There I said it. I actually have no desire to drive. It's far to stressful, I get all in a flap, and it's probably not a good idea for anyone involved! I am much more relaxed and know what I am doing when it comes to public transport...

There was also organising ChemSoc Summer Ball to pass the time during revision which is always so rewarding once you start to enjoy the evening! However I think I know that event planning isn't quite for me, such hard work and late nights!

Me and Luke*

4th years! 

Everyone kept telling me to have to a drink and relax. So I did!

Since finishing exams it's been nice just having some time off, catching up with friends, eating, drinking, dancing and generally just having a lovely time! So for the time being I am sure I will be keeping you all updated through blogging about what I get up to during the summer. I guess I will also be updating on what I will be doing come September, but right now it still feels like I will be heading back to soton in the near future, although that isn't the case, It still doesn't feel read that I am done with uni, such a scary thing to have to write down.

For now though, rather than being overwhelmed by the concept of being a grown up, I have to get back to stripping wallpaper from my bedroom walls to try and get the room all decorated by next weekend. This currently feels very ambitious so wish me luck. Having to sleep in my brothers room is no fun!

Finally to end, a few snaps from the last week or so!

Finally got around to doing some baking! The primrose bakery banana loaf was amazing, and the extra mix was great turned into little muffins! 

The quiz team mascot, the cheeky little onion of knowledge!

If you are ever in Southampton go and have a burger at the Rockstone, It was so good, and I can;t believe it took 4 years to finally make it there for dinner, 

* Probably the only nice photo of Luke and I ever!

Productive Procrastinating

So I have been meaning to write a post for a while now. In this I mean I have thought about it more than once after each fun weekend I have had over the last couple of months.*

But then the only time I really sit down and blog is when:
1) I am feeling a bit like I have 100's of things whirling around my mind and writing just something down makes all this clearer.
OR
2) I am putting of doing something I should be doing.

Right here, right now, it is most definitely a mixture of the two. I am putting off doing all the things I know I should be doing. Talk about everything coming around at once. Life really does follow that funny little phrase about two buses turning up at once or none at all. (I do want to point out none of these things are bad but with a graduation date hurtling towards you at about 148 mph it can all feel a little bit daunting).

But what I really want to do is put a few little things about what I have been up to 'recently' down on internet paper form.

There has been lots of catching up with friends in a variety of different locations including Bristol, Brighton (twice) and a holiday to Dublin! I could probably write a whole post about each of these weekends, but this would probably end up being food reviews and I haven't reach that territory on this blog yet.

A Lovely Weekend in Bristol seeing my fave Emma's 

Leighton girls ready for a fun night out in Brighton. Also the night I happened to each a meat pizza before telling my friends I had stopped being a veggie. 

A wonderfully sunny, relaxing, funny few days away in beautiful Dublin with one of my fave girlies. 

We take the odd decent selfie ;) 

 

An England catch up with 2 brilliant chicas! And obviously we had to have afternoon tea.

Plus I have also been home for a week (mainly to see the doggy of course), been to the casino for the first time (I am holding my opinion on this), learnt more Salsa steps, won a pub quiz and spent far too much money on train travel. Gah, one day I will pass this bloody driving test, yet another thing taking up my time at the moment. I am determined to drive (I've started so I'll finish), but as I am sure the people around me are bored to death with my driving stories I'll leave them out for now.**

Right now along with ChemSoc event planning, driving, job searching (yep still on... ish), studying for my final ever uni exams and trying to fit in some gym classes I am not sure how much time I am going to find for blogging in the next couple of months. But then again the boredom of revision will probably lead to procrastination...

On a final note I am genuinely not sure if I am looking forward to graduating. As much as I want to stop studying chemistry writing this little post its made me realise how sweet life at uni really is... Someone slap me if I complain about being a student every again!


* No tapas or test tubes have been involved.
** I haven't run anyone over yet, so success?

Wifi on the Train!

I'm just on the train on the way back for a weekend at home so what better time to write a little blog post for you all. And added bonus I have free wifi!

I wanted to air my observations on the difference between placement and being back in lectures down in Southampton. I don't think while I was away I ever really appreciated not only the cultural change (which was pretty obvious when you are in a different culture) but also the genuine and more generic 'lifestyle' change which I was having to adapt to. 

I'll just sum it up in a few short words, I was only ever busy with work. Back in Southampton I have so much more going on, be it going to gym classes, organising meetings or social events, I always have something I should be preparing for or something fun in the diary for the next couple of days. There are also plans for the weekend, trying to make dates match with friends or, like this weekend, fitting in a weekend at home. I didn't have any of this whilst I was in Barcelona. And in hindsight it might have been more than the culture and language I was getting used to. 

Now don't get me wrong, I meet some pretty amazing people whilst I was away, and I was head down with lab work to keep me occupied, plus exploring a new country. But it wasn't the busy life I have got used to over the last couple of years at uni, the lifestyle I like and have chosen. Anyone who knows me well can appreciate how bad I am at doing nothing, let's just say my morning shower and brisk walk up to campus is enough 'me time' for me.    

Selfie with Rosie. She still hasn't mastered looking at the camera YET. 

It's got me thinking about where I want to work when I have finished, I need a varied job which lots going on. I want to live somewhere where I can make a life which is busy. Basically I still want to be a little bit hectic sometimes!! I guess that's a start with the job search, it's slow process when you aren't 100% what you want to do or where you want to go. 

I guess now I should fill those of you who are still interested enough to be reading in with what I have been up to in this self-proclaimed busy life of mine (obviously not writing blog posts). Embarrassingly I finally made it to Winchester after three and a half year, and I can't wait to go back to visit in the summer, it's such a lovely little town so close but so different to Southampton. I have also been salsa dancing which was so much fun, and I want to make sure I keep up going regularly, and it's such a transferable hobby - everywhere has a salsa club (forward planning I know)! I have also had nice catch up with a number of friends, and feel quite old as a cheese and wine night now has so much more appeal than a night in jesters (think I'm finally out of the cheese coma!)

A pretty awful, but a photo, none the less, of Winchester Cathedral. 

Found a lovely spot down by the river watching all the ducks. 

Dinner with Rimini. So much food. So much wine. 

And SHOCK HORROR I have FINALLY about five years too late started DRIVING lessons!! I'll keep you all posted on this because let's be honest I'm sure it will throw up some funny stories. And any tips on how to make this process as pain free as possible will be much appreciated!!    

Back in Ann's Tea Room!

Also, slight side note, there is the funniest lady on the train who has just proclaimed because she is Northern she talks to everyone. I want to point out she is the only person (minus the young children) chatting and laughing in the whole packed carriage. Maybe moving to the North would be fun! 

*Update, she's getting slightly annoying now.

A sometimeslightlyoverdramaticandstresssedout chemistry student....

I just had a quick look and I can't believe its been nearly two whole months since I last had time to sit down and write a post. I haven't even to had a chance to half write one which is sitting in drafts. Not that surprising as I've packed up my little life in Spain, written a 10 000 word thesis, presented said thesis, moved into a new house, and celebrated Christmas during this time. Lets just say this feels like the first weekend I have had 'off' in a lonnnnnggggggg time. And lectures for the FINAL SEMESTER of my degree start on Monday 9am so it'll be all go go go go again. No rest in masters year.

Family selfie on Christmas Day. So much food! 

There were times when I thought I would never make it through them 6 months away, and I couldn't in-vision the day in which I would stand up to present in front of my peers. But I did. It has really shown me that with a little bit of 'grit your teeth and bare it' mixed in with being surrounded by brilliant people you can pretty much achieve whatever you set your mind too. (Although I haven't got the results yet so lets wait and see!)

But now back in Southampton, the 'holidays' over, and it's the final push to finish my degree.  Lets just say it feels like my love affair with chemistry is coming to an end, so the only thing motivating me to finish is the idea of graduating. It's funny though, a number of people who know me pretty well would have said I'd be the one doing a Phd a couple of years ago. Even I thought I would probably end up in further research after my degree but I know at the moment I just don't have the motivation for three to four years more of chemistry. But that means one scary thing, getting a J-O-B.

So this really is a what's next for me and what's next for this blog kinda post. Oh the excitement of the unknown. Not knowing where I will be living, not knowing what kind of job I'll be doing, and I 100% don't know what ridiculous stories I will be writing. But one things certain, I am sure there will be plenty of highlights to report along the way, the probability of awkward encounters in my life has increased 10 fold since I have moved back to Southampton.

So maybe this is where this blog is heading, a sometimeslightlyoverdramaticandstresssedout chemist's search for a graduate job. The title of the blog doesn't really fit anymore but 'Online applications and too much wine' just isn't as catchy so I think I'll stick to rambling away on this page for now. Maybe I'll get even more into writing this blog more regularly now I have a bit more unstructured time to fill. I would also be happy to take any advice on how to even start a J-O-B search when you don't have a clue what you want to do. (that unintentionally rhymes, maybe I am going to become a rap star...)