Feeling Overwhelmed

Sorry in advance for a long/sad waffly post.

Right now I'm feeling really overwhelmed with life. I have a piece of coursework due and an exam in 2 weeks time and I can't muster up any motivation to revise or complete the task. Yesterday I sat at the computer from 12pm-1am and didn't manage to get anything useful done.

I am useless with computers and my coursework needs me to map something using software that I have never used and all my requests for help have been ignored. I can't leave it because this entire bit of work is worth 10 whole credits. (If anyone is familiar with arcmap...)

Revision wise I am looking at the powerpoints and thinking "Shit I don't know any of this" before quickly going back over the small amount I do know. (woo to volcanoes)

I knew taking a year out of education would make it harder for me to become a good student, seeing as I was rubbish at school before the break, but I  thought that there would be a bit more support in place (as advertised on open days) to help me get back into education mode, and help me improve my shocking work ethic. When I get back I'm definitely going to talk to my tutor about extra help. I imagine he won't be much help but it's a start.

I am also considering my options outside of university. Do I really want to be here, what else can I do, what do I want to do in the future? At the moment I feel trapped and all I want to do is get out of the country.

Life ey.

Here's a picture of a cute puppy to make me feel better.

Top 5 Television Programmes

Hey Y'all,

Even though I have been away for a large portion of this year and probably missed lots of great telly, some of what I have seen has been incredible!

Number 5 - CSI: NY

The CSI franchise is my favourite thing on TV and the final season was so bittersweet to watch. NY was my favourite of the 3, so seeing it end was tough, but it ended on a high point with some great episodes, and everyone ended up happy!

Number 4 - Homeland

Series 1 and 2 of Homeland contain some of the best acting I have ever seen, and the story left me on the edge of my seat every week. While the first half of this series wasn't as good, the second half made up for it and last nights series finale.... so many tears were shed on my part. I'm looking forward to searie 4 already!

Number 3 - Africa

Nothing can beat a good bit of Attenborough, and BBC natural history unit. I would watch nature docos all day every day if I could. This series focused on different areas of Africa each episode, and showed the diversity of the huge continent, from desert to savannah to the oceans. The elephant scene broke me, as did Attenborough playing with the blind baby rhino. I can't wait for what ever Attenborough has in store for us next year!

Number 2 - Strictly Come Dancing

I loooooooove strictly and have watched it every year since it started! I love all the sparkles and glamour, and also seeing peoples relationships grow with the cast. This year has been super good, with some amazing dances - Abbey's waltz in the final, Susannah's paso doble, and Sophie's Charleston. I have also fallen in love with one of the professionals - Kevin from Grimsby. He is such as sweetie, and when (yes when!) I am on Strictly one day I want him to be my partner.

Number 1 - Top of the Lake

Set in New Zealand, a pregnant 12 year old girl goes missing and no one seems to care, apart from one police officer. It is a very dark program exploring the workings of the remote town it is set in. The story is intense, the characters are strong and the scenery is incredible. Definitely one of the best series I have ever watched.

What's been your favourite telly this year?

 

Top 5 Songs of 2013!

Hey Y'all!

Just thought I'd do a few review posts of 2013, starting off with music.

Number 5 - Thrift Shop, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis



This was THE song of my travels, so it reminds me of partying across Australia and Thailand, and having a fab time.

Number 4 - Rap God, Eminem



I love Eminen, and seeing him at Reading festival was so amazing. Being with my friend Izzy who is his biggest fan was especially amazing as seeing her enjoy it so much made is so special.

Number 3 - All I want, Kodaline




The video for this song made me cry so much, and the song is so beautiful. I'd recommend seeing them live as well if you can, because they are brilliant.

Number 2 - Alive, Chase and Status



End Credits is one of my favourite songs and Alive is up there with it. the lyrics are great and Jacobs Banks' voice is incredible on this track.

Number 1 - Glowing, D.A.



This song is relatively new, but it is so different to anything I've heard this year, and the video is incredible. It's been on repeat since I discovered it.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation

In winter my skin becomes very dry, and my current foundations are are not working as well as they did in the summer, so in town yesterday I decided to try something new. I needed something with a bit of moisture, but more coverage than a BB cream, so I decided on the Bourjois healthy mix gel foundation. I picked the lightest shade - 51, light vanilla.

The first thing I noticed was how nice it smelled. It is quite a fruity sweet smell Similar to Rimmel's wake me up, which I had been using up until now. Because of the gel texture it blended really easily, but also gives great coverage of blemishes and uneven skin tone. 

It doesn't stick to dry areas like some foundations I have used (Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse I'm looking at you!) and makes my skin feel hydrated and soft. It describes itself as "radiance boosting" and "anti-fatigue," which I wholly agree with.

Overall I think it will be a great addition to my winter make-up bag

Before application

After - skin looks even and brighter, and feels dewy and smooth.

November favourites

Hello Y'all

Where has time gone? How is it already (almost) December?
This month I have found a few things that I like, and done lots of things that I have enjoyed.

1. http://writtenkitten.net/
I have been writing a lot of essays this month, and procrastinating to the max, so finding this little gem has been key in getting me to actually do some work! Everyone 100 words you get a new picture of a kitten so it is great inspiration for getting your essays done.

2. Primark super cosy tights
I hate wearing trousers (weird I know) So I need warmer tights for winter and these are amazing. Last year I had John Lewis polar fleece lined tights but this year I cant afford £10 a pair so Primark are the next best thing! My one gripe is that at 5'9'' the tights are a bit short so I keep having to pull them up :(

3. Going home
I have never been homesick, even when I was alone on the other side of the world, but going back to uni after a weekend at home was so hard. I miss being able to pop round my best friends and taking her dog for a walk, I miss how big my room is and I miss how small Cambridge is! It sounds strange, but living in a massive city like Birmingham has made me appreciate how easy it is to get around in Cambridge. I only have 2 weeks left of uni before a month at home, so hopefully that should help.

4. The Christmas Market

In Birmingham we have a beautiful German Christmas market, and last night a few friends and I went to enjoy a beer, a half metre sausage and a German man dressed as Santa belting out some classics.I also had a mug of hot apple wine, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm that was bliss in a cup, deffo my favourite Christmas drink. I hate cloves so all mulled things are out and it is nice to find something so I can join in with warm alcohol on a cold winters night.

What have you been enjoying this month?

Student Life

Hey Y'all

So here I am writing this blog post instead of doing one of the 3 essays I have due in in the next two week, as you do. It's one of my biggest problems and I need to try to figure out a way to manage my time effectively.

Uni essays are a big step up from A levels, especially if you've taken a year off like me. Being given a title on a subject you know nothing about and being expected to find ten (or more) peer reviewed sources and them assuming you know how to reference correctly can be very daunting.

I tend to sit at my desk all afternoon, watching Spooks or CSI or some random american trash on Netflix and flicking between Facebook and Twitter. Then I moan to my friends about how little work I have don and how little time I have left to do it. Then they invite me over and I waste the evening away arranging a Secret Santa. I finally get into the swing of things around midnight and stay up until 3 reading scientific journals. Then I wake up the next morning and I've missed my lecture.

THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE.

There needs to be less of this:

And a whole heap more dedication to my work.Even though first year doesn't count I want to instil a work ethic that helps me to get the highest marks possible. After all I am paying £9000 a year.

Lets hope I find light at the end of the tunnel.

20 Things about me

Hey Y'all

Today I thought I'd do a post about myself to let you get to know me a bit better.

1. I study geography at the University of Birmingham.

2. I'm from Cambridge and I absolutely love my home town.

Cambridge at its best on a clear winters day

3. I am the most clumsy person. (Last week I put my finger on a hob to see if it was on. It was.)

4. I am addicted to trashy telly - Dance Moms, Made in Chelsea, Strictly Come Dancing - you name it I'll watch it!

5. I love cooking, and all my flatmates think its weird that I spend ages making my dinner rather than just heating something up in the microwave.

My Le Creuset bread - delish

6. I have had a job since I was 16, and it feels really strange not to be at work every weekend now I'm at uni.

7. My favourite food is cheese. Any sort is fine with me.

8. I used to be super sporty at secondary school, I did swimming, ballet and musical theatre and was in every school team possible, but at sixth form I gave up everything which is one of my biggest regrets.

9. I have girl guiding to thank for my wanderlust. In 2010 it was the centenary of Guiding, so a group of us went to India to celebrate. In 3 weeks we saw so much and I will always have a soft spot for Pune, a city east of Mumbai.

A bangle seller in the markets of Pune

10. I am incredibly excited for the McBusted tour, and I have tickets to see them in Birmingham! 

11. I have a mild obsession with Muji coloured pens. I have all the colours and they write amazingly.

12. I have more than a mild obsession with maps. I thinks its the geographer in me, but I could look at maps, old and new, all day long. 

13. I love photography, but I have so much to learn - hopefully I can get more kit before I go to Indonesia

A little girl at a school I visited in the Punjab

14. One of my new years resolutions was to learn how to be girly. I have always loved dresses and make up, I'm just not very good at wearing them. I think I am learning though, slowly but surley.

15. I love singing but I'll never sing in front of people

16. I'm quite a quiet person, but I'm not shy. I just need to think before I say things.

17. I have worn glasses since I was 3 - and I hated them for so long. Now I can't imagine not wearing them.

18. I did well at school, but hated the school environment. there was always a teacher that I had a problem with, even when I moved up to sixth form. (Looking back it was probably because I was as stubborn as anything.)

19. My favourite drink is strawberry and lime Koppaberg, but now I'm a poor student dark fruits Strongbow will have to do. 

20. I am very ginger.

Thanks for reading, do you have any interesting facts?

Exciting Times!

Hey Y'all!

I've just been confirmed on a trip to Indonesia with Operation Wallacea! I'm super excited as it means that I have the chance to spent 2 weeks as a research assistant in the jungles of Sulawesi, and then 2 weeks researching coral reefs on an island called Hoga.

Indonesia was just one of the locations I could have chosen, OpWall run 9 programmes looking into conservation management and biodiversity across the globe.

I chose the Indonesia camp because of the location - it's located in the Wallacea region (hence the company name) and has lots of unique species, and is one of the least studied forests, so there is a large chance of finding new vertebrate species. 

I am also really looking forward to diving again. I learnt in Thailand so it would be great to brush up my skills in the most biologically diverse coral reefs in the world.

The only downside is the cost! I need to cover flights, dive kit, camera kit and the actual expedition so I'll be doing loads of fundraising over the next 6 months. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated! 

Hello

Hey y'all

I'm Connie, I'm 19 (almost 20...) and currently a student at the University of Birmingham.
2013 has been a pretty exciting year for me, I started the year working full time with some fabulous people, which really helped me boost my self confidence and taught me how to talk to anyone.

I then hopped on a plane to Australia for 6 weeks. It was one of the scariest things I have done, getting on the plane alone, ready to fly to the other side of the world. However I had on of the best times ever and I met so many incredible people.

I also ended up meeting 2 of my friends in Thailand for an amazing month seeing such a different culture and some beautiful places.

 

My travels didn't stop after I arrived home in June. 3 of my friends went to |Greece for a month, and I spontaneously joined them for their final week in Ios and Folegandros, two absolutely stunning islands with completely contrasting atmospheres.

My final adventure was moving to Birmingham at the end of September. I was apprehensive about even going to university and was so close to declining my place and going to South America or back to Oz for a year. However I really love it here, I have some really good friends and my course isn't too hard (yet!).
I hope to be blogging about things I see and do, places I want to visit, pretty much anything and everything!