The Best Start to Any Day

This morning, I woke up, showered, dressed, and felt generally not happy to be vertical at 7:30am.

Then, I made this:
I hand-squeezed that myself. And by hand-squeezed I mean all I had was a bread knife and a glass. And my hands of course, but I thought that went without saying. Anyway, it perked me right up immediately, because it tasted so good:

By the time I had finished the glass, I was looking and feeling ready to go to work (note how much nicer my skin looks!):Moral of the story is drink freshly hand-squeezed orange juice and it will make you feel happy straight away because it is yummy, and over time it will make you look better too! (results may vary).

The Truth about Life in Wales...

Hello hello hello...

I suppose it is a good sign that I haven't written a decent post since before I left Wellington... shows I actually have a life. I thought it was only fair to have some sort of news here so when I tell my friends "I could write you a letter, but how about you just go read my blog? It has everything on it." I'm not lying so much as exaggerating the truth. Good.

So! My life in Wales is pretty exciting, if any of you get the chance to go overseas I would take it with both hands. In saying that, I would really recommend making sure you are at the right place in your life when you leave NZ though... I am fortunate enough to have the last 6 and a half years of my life consist of 2 terribly homesick years, 1 party year, 3 emotionally draining years at uni, and 8 months of getting used to the idea I would soon be 20,000 kms away from anyone i knew. So I was ready!

Obviously when I first got to the UK I was jetlagged, so didn't really know up from down (I was going to say left from right, but I get those confused 95% of the time jet lag or no jet lag). I switched into business mode straight away, and was really calm finding my way around heathrow airport. Except the ONE internet cafe they had was broken! I had to call my Papa at 5am NZ time to get him to log in to my email to get a reference code it turned out I didn't even need! Anyway, thanks daddy :D The next day, in Reading, I explored like a good tourist would. I took heaps of photos, because in my jetlagged state I couldn't decide what was good and what wasn't. The first 4 days in Swansea I was with Mair, the Rotary president of my club here. Anything she suggested, I just said yes to. I gave a 30 minute presentation to the club, but luckily it was about myself so I could wing it with the help of the slideshow I made. That weekend I was in the halls, but there was no one around. I went on a trip to the national botanical gardens of wales, not because I desperately wanted to see them, but because it was free and something to do. About this time I was ready to meet people and get into it!

Since then, I have joined the student radio station, the engineering society, been to leicester, mumbles, torquay, llanelli, have gotten books out of both the public library and the university library, been shopping several times, and am hoping to join the volleyball team. It is safe to say I am pretty much into it all over here. My best friends here are a pre-dental from Iowa, America, and an international development/politics from the Netherlands (that's Laura and Elise if you hear me talking about them again). I have met some other really cool people here as well, but not everyone can expect a shout out can they? Yesterday I spoke to my University supervisor, and I'm going to start experiments late next week. On Monday I move into my office in the Engineering department - I share it with 2 others, and our names are on the wall outside the door! I have my own key to that and the labs, as well as after-hours access to the building. Am I grown up or what?!

Rotary is going well too, I have already done 5 of my 10-15 activities for the year - 2 presentations and 3 visits (Scholar conference in Leicester, District conference in Torquay, the Swansea Coastguard with the Group Study Exchange (GSE) team from Adelaide, Australia), plus I have another 4 or so booked. My host counsellor here is amazing - her name is Gwenda and she works way too hard. She is a specialist nurse, and she is absolutely fabulous to have looking out for me. I also have the scholarship co-ordinator for the district, Gareth and his wife Jan, who are just so hospitable and fantastic to have around. Laura is another ambassadorial scholar - next week we are doing a joint presentation and we've decided to speak back and forth as opposed to one after the other - so I'll let you know how NZ stacks up next to America!

For Christmas I don't know what I am going to do yet - Elise is having a Christmas party in Swansea on xmas day, and i've been invited various other places with other people too (Mum and Dad's friends in Haverfordwest, Gwenda's family in Aberystwyth, London with another friend)... Elise and I are quite keen to head to either Ireland or Scotland for a few days over the xmas time, so that might happen too. I'm obviously not loaded with money at the moment, studying in a foreign country is not the lightest on the pocket :-) ... so I must choose my travels carefully! I'm pretty much just trying to meet people from different areas of the UK so I can stay with them! The scholar conference was pretty good for that, and a guy from London is here this weekend visiting Laura and I. Mainly Laura, as I am here typing this. But I will be on the d-floor tonight, I promise! The district conference meant we got to meet Emily, a scholar from Australia studying in Cardiff (capital of Wales for those of you that aren't good at Geography - and if you don't know where Wales is, go see Mr. Fleming). Laura and I are real keen to head over to see her - even though Cardiff is right there we haven't been yet!

Living in the halls is pretty lame, but in the mornings I open my curtains and if the sun is shining it is a beautiful view out over the ocean. No kidding - it really is amazing here! I have lots of photos of Stella and me on my walls, need to figure out where I can print some off of all you other people I also miss. I do miss you all, and I miss New Zealand too - I miss the fresian dairy cows, I miss the rangi-ness of NZ, the kiwi party scene. I've been really getting into Katchafire, the Black Seeds, and Fast Crew. I can't wait to go camping here, and see if it is like camping in NZ.

It IS past my bedtime...

I just HAD to blog now... It's 10:04pm and I'm at Uni - been here since 8am this morning...

I mean I did go home in the middle of the day for a few hours but I did work there too! I have written 8 pages for my large assignment so far, I think I might just be able to pull this one off... Actually, I take that back, we're putting it into HYSYS (chemical engineering software) tomorrow and I think that is going to seriously upset me. Fingers crossed that the programme takes a liking to my random clicking and loud grunting...

Today has been another classic hypermode day, which is awesome. If I work like this for the next 6 weeks then I will be Miss I-have-a-degree-Ramson. Good idea! I think I will do that. I may also die of exhaustion, but at least not of wondering.

xx

Hypermode

Hello!!


I have gotten so much done today and it is only 3:30pm! I am currently uploading some photos which I will then post on here for you people to see. I think my blog is going to be way more interesting with photos. Hurray!!

Here is the first one of me and Jutey in Wellington - note the old lame-o gappy fringe I'm sporting... I like how Jute is pretending to be a biscuit-eating pirate.

Now here is me after my hair cut... Apologies for the bad lighting, it was early morning :D Fringe is better, yes?

Finally, here is me working in hyperdrive to get my assignment done - ever wondered how you get so much more done when you are super busy? That came out a bit odd. I mean, when I get stuff done, I really get stuff done.

Alright, I admit it doesn't look very hyper-drivey. Perhaps I will post all my project reports on here, then you'll see my hyperpace. Hmm? Anyone want to learn about Maleic Anhydride or Polylactic Acid? Anyone?

pathetic blog. do not read.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

I JUST WROTE AN ENTIRE BLOG AND FREAKEN DELETED IT! i am going to cry. seriously. i was just up to the part where i say i am having a shit evening. i swore even, that's how bad. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH

but i feel i must update my avid readers. bullet point form?

Monday - 5 lab reports, in, good.

- 2am finish in computer lab working on comp game

Tuesday - 2 am finish in computer lab again

Wedneday - 5am finish in computer lab

Thursday - 3 hours sleep, catch bus to auckland

- see stell in her graduation gown and cap - yay! so proud of her! really made me think about how admirable it is to have a degree. yes you ashley.

- see mark and blake, mark graduating too. blake = loser like me.

- 15 mins sleep. hurray!

- off to stella's grad dinner at thai restaurant

- wine

- bed at midnight

Friday - awaken. catch ride to hamilton

- write report quickly

- give presentation on computer game

- spend 2 hours sorting leaves, bark, and wood from bags of mulched up tree. hurray. i love studying environmental engineering. This involved peeling sticks with a knife. that was pretty cool actually.

Saturday - shopping with alice

- hanging out with nolan

Sunday - tidy room - epic as. ie: desk still not done.

Monday - another day i was determined to make great. walk to school, and stayed, working, until 5pm. Got home, cooked dinner, wine, was great, until depression set in. got real lonely, had a bit of a bitch about everything, realised i was being a dork, and went back to just being lonely. wrote some poems - not really about being lonely, but oh well.

So the evening has turned out poo. I am sick of being single. 3 and a half years is too long. Where are all my boyfriends? where? Apply within.

-

Great Day!

Today went excellently. I got up early and went swimming, then went into Uni and had a hot chocolate with a friend of mine, Jenna. I went into a computer lab class and got another 3rd of my half-semester's work signed off, and then headed to a CAKE meeting. CAKE is something to do with composites - that's what I study, that's what I like. but we also got CAKE.

Then I headed to my lab - this took 3 and a half hours, but it wasn't too bad. Then I went off to find Alice's new house, and took her shopping for her friend's 21st, and then out to dinner. NOW I am home. Phew!

Tomorrow, I am driving back to Rotorua. I am going to be a part of Relay for Life - Fundraising for Cancer by running for 24 hours - the team, not an individual. I am quite excited! First I will hang my washing on the line though, that'll be good.

Right. Time to sort out my awesome enviro engineering crap.

xx