Time left of degree: 90 minutes

I have one exam left on Friday, lasting 90 minutes, and then I will have completed all requirements of my first undergraduate degree.  For the first time in my life as far as I can remember, I will not be enrolled at an academic insitution.  I will never have to read a book and take notes again, or cram large amounts of jargon, theoretical models, research studies (and the names/dates of researchers), or 'compare and contrast', 'critically evaluate', or 'discuss' ever again.

And you know what?  I think I'm going to miss it.  Maybe it's the membership that makes you feel like you belong; student at a school or employee at an organisation.  Take both away, and you don't really identify with anywhere.  Totally free.  Gap year and global nomadic life - here I come!  I will graduate on Thursday 25th June, and will join one of the fastest growing job sectors in the UK:  unemployment. 

When you don't know what comes next, it definitely feels like the end.  People talk about chapters in their life ending and a new one beginning.  I think my author has writer's block.  Actually nah, God doesn't get that.  Thank the Lord he knows what I'll be doing in 3 month's time, cuz I sure don't.

Plus, here ends my right to claim student discounts. 

Random recipe generator

The scenario is something like this:

It's the beginning of the Easter holiday long weekend, so all shops, restaurants and cafes are shut, and will be for the next 4 days.  Unfortunately under the pressure of exam revision, one has been forgetting to eat anything other than the digestive biscuits in one's desk drawer for the past 4 days.  Additionally, as a result of not entering the kitchen all week (other than to boil the kettle for coffee) one has not realised how low one's food supplies have been running, and consequently not realised the necessity of doing a massive pre-hibernation trip to Tesco to stock up on supplies.  One is therefore currently in a situation where one is trying to think of what half-decent edible meal one can conjure up with the few remaining foodstuffs in one's storage. 

One has: 

Less than half a tub of margarine
About 40g cheddar cheese
Half a box of Shreddies
Half a clove of garlic
A shrivelling bonsai potato
Unopened packet of linguine pasta
Half jar of Fairtrade freeze-dried instant coffee granules.  Decaf.
About 100g sugar
One cup of Thai fragrant rice
Light soy sauce

If I had the computer literacy to do so, I would create a program that creates menu items for you based on what ingredients you have.  All you'd have to do is type in what ingredients you have and it would come up with a recipe idea.  How awesome would that be.  It could potentially save the lives of thousands.

However, as the above-mentioned recipe-generating program has not yet been created, one would be grateful of any ideas out there.  The severe lack of vegetables/meat is making it tricky.  Good luck.

It almost feels a bit like being Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal' where he is forced to eat crackers with packets of ketchup from the service counter at Burger King.

Happy Easter!

25 Random facts about me

Yes, I was tagged to do this on Facebook, and yes I am filling it out on Xanga.  I refuse to use Facebook as a blog when I already have this one.

1.  I like to write in pencil because of the sound it makes scratching against paper.
2.  I hate long fingernails.  It traps dirt, feels scummy, and is unhygienic.  Plus it makes it hard to type on the keyboard.   
3.  Sometimes at night I go down by the lake on campus and dance in the dark like a crazy person.
4.  I didn't take my dissertation all that seriously until about two weeks before the final deadline.  I deserve to fail.
5.  My nose gets itchy when I'm nervous.
6.  Crying is my first reaction to any emotion that overwhelms me.
7.  I'm homeless.  All my worldly possessions are in my room on campus.  None of it is insured.  Not even my life. 
8.  I love to travel and want to visit every continent before I turn 30. 
9.  I laugh a lot and am easily amused.  It doesn't take much for me to giggle myself into hysterics. 
10.  In Beacon Hill School, I was fined $65 to replace a library book I didn't lose.
11.  My right foot is slightly wider than my left.  And my left eyebrow is slightly higher than my right.  I'm a bit wonky...
12.  If I could be any animal, I would be cat.  They just laze in the sun all day and give people mean looks.  Such inspiring creatures. 
13.  I mistyped "such" in no. 12 above so for a second it read as "sush", and am consequently craving sushi right now.
14.  I was going to type the hash key in no. 13, but can't find it on my keyboard. 
15.  I wish radio stations played more music and less adverts.
16.  As a kid I used to dress up loads.  My favourite dress was orange and it made me feel like a princess.
17.  I'm allergic to cow hair.
18.  I've found the hash key!  # 
19.  Once in HK, I cultivated mould in a half-drunk bottle of grape Qoo.
20.  Whenever my weight goes above 8 stone I freak out and stop eating for days.
21.  Up until the age of 9 I used to run around the flat in my underpants.
22.  I'm pregnant.  Ok not really, just running out of ideas.  Umm....
23.  I frequently talk to myself about anything and everything.
24.  Sometimes I like acting guilty and suspicious just to see what kind of trouble I can get into.
25.  I don't own any plain white socks.

Refugee

I woke up on Sunday morning at 4am, freezing cold cuz the radiator had switched itself off.  Then after trying to switch the light on, I realised there was a power cut!  We had no heat, no light, no power sockets, no stove, and worst of all - no hot water! 

Stepping out into the corridor, to be honest, felt a bit like the sinking Titanic.  The dark, long, narrow corridor with doors all along either side, the emergency lights flickering and barely giving off any light, the silence making you feel lost and alone.  There was even creaking, except instead of the groaning steel of a ship it was the rotting wood of the floor. 

And as it was a Sunday none of my housemates could report it to Reception, meaning we had to wait until Monday!  We were getting desperate!  Our fridge was starting to smell foul and the freezers were defrosting along with its contents.  I was desperate enough to use the shower on the second floor of the uni library!  Finally, Monday evening, Reception had organised temporary rooms for us to move to.

I now live on the top floor of one of the Cathedral Court houses.  I like it here.  The rooms are at least 50% bigger than Guildford Court and contains more than twice as many power sockets!  The window is huge and boy, what a view!  But the best thing (well, second only to the full length mirror) is the floor, which doesn't creak every time you tiptoe across the room!  I can dance and jump around without sounding like an elephant!  Ah, this feels good.  What's also nice is how the doors (which are of normal width, as opposed to Guildford Ct where they could be mistaken for closet doors!) the doors stay open, meaning we all have our doors wide open, and it feels so friendly and open! 

It's a bit weird having two rooms on campus. 

My computer is playing up.  It crashes whenever I try to open My Pictures.

The Year of 2008

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Cycle on the road, door-to-door milk deliveries at 4am, buy something on Amazon, go to a gig (Delirious?/Tree63!!), give someone a haircut, give myself a haircut, perform in a ballet, receive flowers, have a birthday without cake or candles, gain 7lbs in a day.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My two resolutions were made whilst on placement, so they were to: a) stop procrastinating at work, and b) keep student grades up to date (it was hard cuz it involves chasing up my supervisors each week and they think I’m a pain).  The anti-procrastination lasted about a week, the grading was up and down.  I think I’ll make more for next year; it was fun while it lasted.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

She wasn’t close but she was someone I was friends with a few years back. She’s 15 years old and has a beautiful baby girl.

4.Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately not.

5.What countries did you visit?

Went back to HK for a couple of weeks during the typhoon season (good idea!), and also to Abu Dhabi during summer, which was about to reach its hottest time of year and was something like 50C. 

6.What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

A 2.1 degree in Psychology!!  And a paid job!!   

7.What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

June 12^th – The day I flew out the UK to begin three weeks of family reunion.

September 6^th – The day placement ended!!

8.What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Learning from some very big mistakes. Getting over things from the past.  Surviving placement.

9.What was your biggest failure?

Spending impulses.  Burning bridges.  Letting people down.  Failing to learn from some of those very big mistakes.

10.Did you suffer any illness or injury?

Not really.  By God’s grace I’ve not been kicked in the head by a cow or contracted ringworm or hepatitis.  Other than that, just the usual occasional cold, and did something to my toes dancing en pointe.

11.What was the best thing you bought?

Flight tickets to see my family!!!  And a new laptop to replace my broken one.  Which I lost the battery for just hours after buying it.  And a new pair of pointe shoes.  ‘Hand Built by Robots’ – album by Newton Faulkner.  And a new camera phone.

12.Whose behaviour merited celebration?

The girls and guys at Gilead for the amount of courage the show in wanting to change, and sharing some of their experiences and emotions.  And they’re amazing at supporting each other (at times!).  I’m so proud of them for how far they’ve come since they arrived here!

13.Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Nobody I can think of. 

14.Where did most of your money go?

Clothes…  And the holiday to see family.  And the laptop.  And unfortunately, a few photos from the photoshoot that were £50 each…  And Tesco.

15.What events did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going to see Daddy then going home again for three weeks.  My brothers staying on the farm for a week.  Finishing placement, being back on campus, being a student again.  Possibly taking a two-year round the world trip (that goes via Hawaii and Los Angeles!) and doing temp work in Australia for a year.

16.What song will always remind you of 2008?

 “I kissed a girl” 
“The Boy Does Nothing”
“Be The One” –Ting Tings (one of the songs we performed to at uni)
And anything by Newton Faulkner.

17.Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder?  Happier, I think.  Maybe because I know uni is coming to an end and it’s time to move on again, who knows what lies ahead?  It’s exciting.

ii.thinner or fatter?  Probably about the same?  I think I’m doing a bit more exercise, and skipping meals means I’m eating less.

iii.richer or poorer?  Poorer still!  Skint! 

18.What do you wish you'd done more of?

Physical exercise, focusing on studies, keeping in touch.

19.What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating junk, overspending.  Procrastinating/leaving deadlines to the last minute.  Daydreaming.

20.How will you be spending Christmas?

Spending a week around Christmas with my gran as I’ve not spent a Christmas with her in 15 years!  Then I’ll stay a week or so at Gilead and milk the cows for someone because I’ll probably miss them.  Except numbers 88, 411 and 386 because they are the epitome of all evil kicking cows.  Then come back to campus 2 weeks early to finish my dissertation.

21.Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

Drug and alcohol agencies and clients.  What a social life!  But apart from that it’s my gran, cuz she’s the only relative who lives in the same country as me.

22.Did you fall in love in 2008?

Newton Faulkner.  And my pointe shoes. 

23. Who were the best new people you met?

Any new students joining at Gilead.  Second years and Freshers at uni.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
This series called “Am I Normal?”.  It only last four weeks, but looked at addictions, body image, spirituality and sex.  Fascinating.  And Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor.  Not Big Brother.  Not Eastenders.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

There were people I loathed at some point, but we made up and dealt with it.

26. What was the best book you read?

I re-read ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ because it’s worth re-reading.  I still want to read Captivating and Wild at Heart at some point. 

27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?

Newton Faulkner; it’s taken me a year to find out who he is.  And Kelly Clarkson (possibly also Pink) being my re-discovery.

28. What did you want and get?

To spend Father’s Day with my dad in Abu Dhabi and then fly to HK to see family for a couple of weeks.  For my brothers and mum to stay at GF for a week.  Final year accommodation on campus.  My first choice dissertation option and final year modules.  To get AED qualified.  Ballet performance.  Lots of things.

29. What did you want and not get?

To be perfect.  To be rich.  To be skinny.  To find the laptop battery we accidentally threw away.

30. What were your favourite films of this year?

Juno.  It was one of the few movies I watched this year.

31.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Turned 21, man that’s old!  It was on a Saturday, and on Friday night I was working on duty at the first aid post.  It was meant to be a busy night – foam party!  Ten minutes before midnight the other first aiders attacked me and mummified me in a long ‘happy birthday’ banner, pinned a birthday girl badge to my uniform, and wrote on my arms in permanent marker.  Then after foam party was over they tried to throw me in the foam.  Went home and was in bed by 4am.

Woke up at 11am and it was still my birthday!  Spoke to Granny, Daddy, Mummy and my brothers, then went to meet Tim at Tesco to shop for lunch.  Got back to my halls, and Tim, Chris, Kate and Alissa got busy chopping veg and meat for the best Chinese stir-fry ever.  Then there was chilling in my room until 9pm, lots of laughing.  Yeah, nothing exciting, but it was special.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Being more discerning, intuitive and able to handle difficult people.  I still have the tendency to avoid people who scare me.  Having self-discipline.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Versatile.  I still wear hoodies and jeans, but I can drab down to slouchy trousers and oversized baggy tops, or I can smarten up to more formal stuff.  Depends on the situation and my mood.

34. What kept you sane?

Seeing the funny side, staying calm, asking for help, and occasionally going insane.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least?

After the news of Heath Ledger’s death in February I realised how much I loved him.  I still can’t believe he’s dead.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The attacks in Mumbai, probably.  Funnily enough I didn’t get too involved with the US elections.

37. Whom did you miss?

My family, friends from Guildford, friends at Gilead.  I miss everyone at some point.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
This is impossible!  There is so much to write here!  I guess one of the main ones is not to let mistakes overwhelm me and hold me back.  I’m a ‘once bitten twice shy’ person.

39. What are your plans for 2009?:

To graduate with at least a 2.1!  Learn to drive!  Have a temporary job until I’m ready to work in Aus for 12 months, then jet around the world for another 12 months.  See, this plan takes me through 2010 as well! 

40. Quote a song lyric from 2008 that sums up your year:

“Every time I think I’m growing up I find out that I just slip back, I got it all wrong...I thought by now could have figured it all instead I’m further back” – Ageing Superhero, Newton Faulkner.

Although the whole of “1000 Miles Away” from the 1990s fits me perfectly...which I only found about this year.

Happy New Year!