What do I buy??!

Hellooooooooooooooo Reader’s!! Excited for Christmas? As of writing this I have done absolutely none of my Christmas shopping, which I’m starting to worry about. I keep telling myself it’s because I haven’t had the time, what with the final few weeks of term and all the coursework that entails...but if I’m really honest, it’s because I have NO IDEA what to get. I mean, the pressure! I don’t know what it is about present-buying, but as soon as I try to think of things to get people, my mind does a runner and all I get left with is the part that thinks other people like malteasers as much as I do – which I can assure you, no one does. To be fair to myself, I can think of things they may like, you know, nick-nacks, gizmo’s etc. But they’re not really presents are they. I want to get presents that mean something to those they’re for, that they, or we, have a connection to. I dream big, I know :P Unfortunately, it’s these things that I can just never think of!

So I think it’s time to admit defeat and call in the big guns...I’ll just ask my girlfriend :P

Student Finance!! AAAAHH!! We finally had a breakthrough, only took 3 months! For those of you who aren’t yet attending University, whether that be this one or any other you decide suits you better, this is the biggest most important piece of advice I could possibly give, and I can’t stress it enough. Student Finance is a hassle. Like THE hassle in terms of getting to uni, worse than writing your UCAS application. Obviously this is a generalisation, there are those who will breeze through the process, but in my experience and that of the majority of my peers, it’s a nightmare. Oh! Something you should all have, while I remember, is the (free?) number for them, as otherwise you’ll spend a fortune calling them like I did. So, that number is:

·         01412 433 600

Anyway, as I was saying, please do apply as quickly as you can to Student Finance, the forms are a little confusing and they seem to take ages to look at them, but do stick with it and try to get it sorted and in place for when you start your course, otherwise you might find yourself worrying about having no money, and trust me that’s a massive distraction from your studies.

My First Blog!

So, here it is...Blog number one! Should reaaaaaaaally have done this a while ago but you know how things get on top of you and all that. Anywho’s, here goes. Firstly, I’d like to quickly brag about my group presentation on Monday. I think we did really well, even in adverse conditions – mainly the complete lack of contact with one of the members. I mean, I like group work, don’t get me wrong, it’s thoroughly enjoyable and a good way to get to know people outside of your social groups. However, when one member doesn’t pull their weight it becomes a real issue, especially when they turn up on the day having “done their bit”, which wasn’t the part they were actually supposed to do!! Even more so when that part is pivotal to the understanding of the topic. Thus the mad rush to cover it! At the same time, a solid presentation on the Armenian Genocide is pretty heavy going.

What shocked me the most regarding my presentation is the fact that I had never even heard of it until I started this course. Everyone knows of the Nazi attack on the Jewish population during the Second World War, but as Hitler himself said in 1939, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” The sheer scale of it alone (1-1.5 million killed) should make it one of the most important events in the 20^th century, yet we never even hear a mention of it at school, not even when learning about The Great War that it was a part of.

Secondly, even more coursework?! (You can probably see the theme of this one...) A presentation, an article review and 3 essays all due in within 4 weeks of each other. I understand the need for assessment, and I even relish the chance to prove myself (mostly :P), but really? Too much!!

Ok, rant over for this week.

In other news, it’s my 21^st birthday in less than a month...scary stuff. Trying to sort out a party or gathering of some kind, but finding time in my busy schedule for a real night out is getting harder and harder the more into the year it gets, but do not fear, it shall be done!