just when i started to question it...

As some of you may know, my latest challenge has been the 12 month research Masters I'm doing in BioPolymers. Even fewer of you may know, that doing this has made me see clearer than ever that research is not for me, and I cannot wait to get out into industry and manufacturing/production (not to say I don't enjoy what I'm doing, I do). Seeing as I am nearing the end of my time at University and it's all getting intense and academically - thesis-y - insane, a small voice has developed in the back of my mind wondering if I might be a touch delusional with a "grass is greener" mentality. When I get into this so called idyllic industry setting, will I be satisfied with a business/science mix, or will I be business business business?

All has been settled.

I spent a few hours on the beach today reading a paper on oxo-degradable plastics. I am already one to choose biopolymers over plastics made from oils any day, but I still thought that oil-derived materials (eg: polyethylene) with additives that make them "biodegradable" were a heap better than those without the additives. WRONG. I won't go into it too much, but basically the overall impact on the environment is pretty much equal between them, and if it isn't equal, the ones with the pro-degradant additives are worse! It's mainly because the most damaging part is the producing and processing plastics from oil, and when you make them degrade faster they can't be reused or recycled, and usually end up not degrading fully because of environmental conditions.

The discovery of this little fact and my response to it has renewed my faith in a careers in polymers, instead of veering off into other manufacturing areas. So I'm really happy - the chemistry stuff still inspires me.

PS: if anyone knows any Summer places/jobs I could go for near Rotoma, let me know, I'm getting desperate! (Edgecumbe, Kawerau, Te Puke, Whakatane, Rotorua)

Hate Spree

Hating on Windows Live Movie Maker, YouTube, and Facebook Photo Uploader. And on the laziness that has made me waaaaaaaaaay behind on Rotary videos, so have had to make 4 films today. Feeeeeel my PAIN!

I am a happy chappy

Yo homies, what up?

I am just relaxing in my house, eating frozen raspberries, doing a bit of research work, and, until recently, was enjoying a nice cup of slim cappuccino mix. That was when I found great big lumps of crap strewn throughout said coffee. I am unimpressed Nestle, totally, utterly, UN-IM-PRESSED.

Pretty busy as of late, I know I always say that but this time it is true - This week I've got 2 Rotary presentations, a trip to a steel works, a short course on gas safety, sign up session for a Welsh language course, hiking club meeting, and on Sunday hopefully a hike from Chepstow to Tintern Abbey, a historical abbey on the border of Wales and England. I'm hoping to fit a game of squash or two in there somewhere as well! I have no more words, here is a photo of me falling into a pile of snow (always amusing) :

Welcome to 2010!

Hello hello hello!

I hope you all had a fantastic Xmas and New Year! I totally did, although it was a lot different from the ones I have in NZ. I missed my friends and family, and I think I can safely say I have experienced my first bout of genuine home sickness :-( Nevertheless, I had a great holiday and ate too much and all that jazz - check out my latest videos on my Rotary blog to see what I was up to and where I went. I would like to say that I visited Stonehenge, and it was amazing. It is such a magical place, and just the feeling I got when I was there was something I will always remember. I would definitely recommend it - it's fairly cheap, at only 6 quid or something like that, and you can walk round at your own pace. Someone had previously told me it was a pile of rocks. It is. But WHY is it there? It's like these massive shaped rocks, all meticulously placed, and it's very old, but no one knows why it was made! Love love love it.
I missed all of you in NZ, I had christmas with 2 other girls which was cosy, but very different from the normal 10-20 odd that are generally hanging round on xmas day for me. I missed New Years in NZ - spending 4-5 days at the beach somewhere, chilling out all day every day on deck chairs, playing soccer or frisbee on the grass or sand, getting sunburnt, swimming, having a bonfire, sleeping in tents, even that gritty feeling you get when you haven't washed your face for a few days because you left your facewash at home! Although I did have a raging night club, and my ears were ringing right through until January 4th so I guess I did have 4-5 days of partying... I guess.
Anyway, I'm right back in it, going to work etc etc boring boring, but am planning a day trip to Cardiff next week and a long weekend to Haverfordwest ASAP - they currently have hazardous driving conditions due to the heavy snow ... HAH!

Christmas Time, Mistletoe and Wine...

Hi Everyone!

I do have some new photos to post, but time is running out before I head to Pewsey in Wiltshire for my Xmas holiday... I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I will get those photos up as early in 2010 as I can!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

This is the Coolest EVER!!

the BEST musical act EVER

Hi Everyone, I have some brilliant advice you should all follow...

GO AND SEE STEELEYE SPAN LIVE

Seriously, I saw them a few days ago, and they are honestly unbelievably fantastic. They are an old school folk band from back in the 60's, and they are somehow still touring - the UK at least. I saw them when I was about 5 and they came to Auckland, but it took me until I was around 20 to figure out they actually make good music. Not good music, amazing music. Google them. You tube them. Then times that by 5,000,000 and that's almost as good as they actually are live.

Wasn't allowed to take photos but I sneaked in a couple - excuse the blurriness...



Definitely a band I will go to see again - let me know if you are in the UK and want to see them!

Just had to remind people of this....

Diagnosed by my Mum...

Since I arrived in Wales 2 months ago, I have had a lot of trouble focusing, working, and sleeping. My mind is going a million miles an hour about this that and the other, and everything in between. At first I thought I was just tired, but things didn't change even when I worked hard at getting enough sleep. I went to the Doctor, who annoyingly told me I was anxious so I couldn't sleep, and tired so I couldn't focus. She prescribed me sleeping tablets, and said if that didn't fix everything then to come back and she would put me on anti-depressants. Even though I wasn't depressed, she was convinced I was anxious about something.

Not impressed - I'm not anxious! I just can't stop thinking! I'm thinking about all these new and exciting things that are happening in my life, and are going to be happening in the future! Then Mum pointed out something really obvious. I am super excited. Overexcited even. As in the hyperactive type child kind. At 23, that's me :D ... I'm currently working with more exercise, healthy diet, check lists, chamomile/peppermint/licorice root sleeping tea, relaxing hot showers, light reading, calming music, and relaxation tracks before bed. 70% of the time it works, the other 30% I am up til 3am tossing and turning. But 70% is an improvement yes?! Still struggling a bit during the day, but hey, lets just hope I grow out of it!

Today, as I was walking along the beach looking at some terrace houses and thinking "Wow! Look! I'm in Wales! Look! Those are British houses! I'm here, in Wales! Look! Wow!" (I'm not kidding, 2 months in and I am still that buzzy about just being here), it occurred to me that I should have seen this coming. I have always been fairly overwhelmed by the fact that human beings even exist, that I am even alive, so of course moving 20,000kms away from home and starting a new life was going to send my thoughts into overdrive. We can clearly conclude I think waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much. If anyone knows how to slow my brain down so it can actually focus on something please let me know! In the mean time, here's a picture I think depicts me fairly well...

Bits and Bobs

You look bored. Here are some photos so you see what exciting things I've been up to on a daily basis...




My really short skirt in Torquay - with one of my fave pair of heels...







My nail colour scheme...



My new business cards...







The new Plant in my room....
Remodeling of my calendar...

One night I went out...

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.

MESSAGE FOR THOSE CRAFTY TYPES

http://www.wardroberefashion.net/

Especially for Nikki....

And also - I booked a one way ticket to London last night... I leave Saturday 12th September.

happy happy happy

Hello everyone!

Oh my Gosh. Relay for life is on again and I went to go register my team, team RamRob, and there's a $200 entry fee! How expensive! This is for a fundraising event. So if anyone wants to walk with me for 20hours in a relay, and put towards the 2 hundy registration fee, THEN fundraise for cancer, let me know.

I don't actually have anything else to blog about. How boring. Life is good though, apart from the unemployment :(

xx

I am here.

I have arrived in the windy capital of the country. And I have been welcomed with a cold, complete with runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and general all around dying. Fantastic.

I am living with some fabu people though - Gareth, Juliet, Nikki, and Hannah. If you don't know who they are by now, I think you should read my blog a little more often. That's what I think.

Now, if anyone would like to find me a job around these parts, let me know. I do love jobs. I am trying to get a part time job as a bar person so I can get a bar managers license and then when I move to the UK I can get a job no sweat. Nooooo sweat.

So! Luke is going to turn up at my house tomorrow night, I am quite very excited actually. I haven't seen him in quite a few months, since when he left to live in Australia. It's going to be awesome! And then, when he leaves on Tuesday evening, that's when the job hunting begins. Oh Boy.

xx

Strangers

I love it when people smile at me in the street, or say hello. I've gotten used to it being the norm, so much so that I can be slightly offended if someone averts their eyes to avoid my cheesy grin. It's best in the mornings I think - people are generally out exercising, and they seem to be happier and less stressed. I leave the house to walk to work at 6:25am, so I get a lot of the middle-aged women power walking down the street, or the men going for a run. I always say "hi!" or "Morning!", or, at the very least, look them in the eye and smile. When they smile back, it makes my day. Or at least my morning.

Try it - smiles are contagious.

Career-ize

Hey guys! I am just in Rotorua for the weekend so thought it was about time for an update for all my friendy friends.

I got my final semester marks back - they're okay, but not great. B, B+, B+, and an A. That gives me my BSc though, so I am happy! I am working in Hamilton at Convex Plastics, which is an amazing innovative company that manufactures blown films for plastic bags, packaging, and banners. I am a Lab Tech there, but am involved in a really really exciting project on biodegradable stuff - my specialty :D It is awesome to be asked for my opinion and knowledge on various things, and people are so encouraging of my creativity. I can't wait to get back from the U.K. and get into a job with a company like Convex - forward thinking and innovative. The big boss has even said he is happy for me to use Convex time to work on my own personal engineering invention I want to look into! I am really happy there, and really excited about my career.

In January sometime I will be heading down to Wellington to live with my brother Gareth, his fiancee Juliet, her sister Nikki (of Tales of the Red Headed Devil Child fame), and the Devil Child herself. I am very very excited!! Apparently I get to live in the dining room as the new house they found is only a three bedroom. No worries though, now that I have finished study there will be a noticeable absence of the massive green desk and the huge bookshelf of texts, so my belongings will be able to fit into the small room. Just trying to find a job down there now, so if anyone knows any companies that might want a girl with a degree in materials and process engineering and environmental technology, give me a yell. I am hoping to get something in the environmental side of things, like water treatment or landfill design, just because it is an industry I won't be doing my Masters so it will be good to get a taste of it. Mmmmmm, wastewater.

I have attended several Rotary meetings as part of the Ambassadorial Scholarship I have. My sponsor club in Rotorua (Rotorua Sunrise) is really exciting, I got to do a little introductory speech to them and that was cool. I also went to the Hamilton East club, and the Te Puke club. Everyone has been so so welcoming - I spoke at the Te Puke club and I almost cried when I was thanking them for the scholarship - I am so overwhelmed and happy that I have been given this amazing opportunity, I can't describe how grateful I am towards the Rotary Foundation. All the money I will be getting is from Rotary members, normal people, funding ME! to travel and study! I really hope I make Rotary proud.

So this weekend, I had a garage sale at my house in Hamilton. Jenna came round with a carload of her stuff, and we spent from 6:15am to after lunch sunbathing outside the garage and selling things. Then we sorted out the stuff left over - big ticket items we are going to put on trademe, and all clothes and shoes that didn't sell we boxed and are going to take to Habitat for Humanity. So check out my trademe listings, they will be up in a few days. Then I drove to Rotoma for Johny's birthday. He would have been 23 today. His death is still so raw, I am dealing with it a small bit at a time. I miss him a lot - just knowing I will never get to see his goofy smile again is really hard. Some other day I will tell you things I remember about him, but not right now.

Now - it is time for me to go grocery shopping with my dad. We are going to buy lunch supplies for the week. I get to work at Scion tomorrow, for Convex. I worked at Scion last summer, so will be cool to be back in the lab with all the guys there.

Til next time!!

xx

Back in the Tron

Good Evening each and every one of my avid readers !!

(i am not actually sure how many of you there are, I know of 2 maybe 3...?)

Today, I arrived back in Hamilton after a 3 day weekend in Rotorua, where my parents reside. I am not sure if I normally use this font but it is my weapon of choice for the night. I have survived the last week of term 3!! This now puts me half way through semester B, and at the beginning of 2 weeks holidays. I have SOOO much to do though, but I am just chilling for tonight. Tomorrow I will sort some stuff out (such as buying a toothbrush) and do two assignments, and then on Wednesday I can get ready to go down to Wellington where I will be for a week. That's right, no blogging for a week. Which is not going to be surprising. But I thought I would try for effect there.

So, my friend Ashley D. Easter graciously picked me up from the bus stop this afternoon, which was awesome because it was raining out and I had a heavy bag. I left my toothbrush in Rotorua which is extremely annoying because it means I have to go into town tomorrow and town means spending money. Hmmm... Anyway, gracing Rotorua with my presence also meant attending several parties and a couple of night clubs. Slash Lava's - can you call that a night club? I had a good weekend, and got to spend time with my extended family and some old friends so that was O for Oarsome. Gazzy and Jute brought my 22nd birthday present up from Wellington with them (vase), so when I got home this afternoon I went out into my garden to see what beauty I could bestow upon it... Didn't come up with much, but I still think it looks pretty :

This was the best place in my room to put it. As you can see, it's too crowded already, by I mashed it in there because I love flowers and I love the vase and I want them in my room. Yes. Good. The clock behind is the present G&J got me for my 18th birthday - they have good taste, I just don't have enough room!! One day I will be rich and build a whole house around the gifts they have given me. And I won't fill vases with rosemary and bits of tree.

So pretty much, that was the first photo I've blogged. *pats self on back*

Anyway, that's about it for today. Tu-rah!! xxooxx

Y'all want some news?

Kia Ora!

I am back! I am 22! I am still tired! My birthday was awesome - went out clubbing in wellington and wore this totally rocking top that my mum made, SO 80's! it is terrific. Then I spent the rest of the weekend and Monday in Wellington with Gareth, Juliet, Nikki, Tobin, Hannah, Chris, Stella, and ME! I got to see the wind turbine - so freaken awesome. I am heading down again on 28th August so will get to hang some more.

Unfortunately a friend of mine from high school, Deon Cowdrey, drowned on Saturday night 2nd August. Really gutted about that, and my heart really goes out to my friends that knew him better. He was definately a good guy. It hasn't really sunked in yet, perhaps because they haven't found the body yet. RIP Deon.

Uhh... now. Great news - Yesterday I got a huge scholarship to study overseas in 2010! It is awesome, I was concerned that I wasn't ready to study next year because I am feeling burnt out, but this way is perfect - I will take next year off to work in Melbourne, and then do one years study in the UK - perhaps Wales or Ireland, or England, or even European France!! SO EXCITING!!

So that's my news, good and bad. I am still sick at the moment, stupid cold has had me off uni for most of the week. I'm all blocked up and have a very sore head/eyes etc. BUT now I can focus on the rest of the semester without worrying about next year OR the year after - I WINNED!!

xx

fire ! pretty ! maths ! pretty ! ...?

Today i totally made fire at uni. My leaf-tree drying-then-burning-then-weighing-ash-to-get-calorific-values project is coming to fruition. Today I got to burn the first of 2 sets of tree matter - and oh did i burn them. I lined up all my crucibles in the furnace and got to watch them burn everytime i opened the door to get some out/put some in. The fire was so pretty! it was highly exciting! at first, i was a bit alarmed because i wasn't sure if things were supposed to actually be on fire, and i thought i might burn down the entire large scale lab. But then i realised that when you put dry leaves and wood at 500 degrees celcius, it is pretty obvious that they will catch fire. So once i figured my lecturer and the lab technician knew it would catch fire, and that this was normal, i had a ball! AND i get to do it again next tuesday with the second set! Hurray!!

Now. in other news. Go here. Totally. it is mind boggling. and reminds me why i want to be a philosopher.

http://polymathematics.typepad.com/polymath/2006/06/no_im_sorry_it_.html

even though i don't know how to be a philosopher. can you really get paid to think? i would earn mega-bucks, because i overthink everything.

Zonked. Happy Zonked.

Just got back from Ohope - had a fantastic weekend/Sunday&Monday. Hannah, Roz, Jenna and I just hung out in Jen's bach, played charades, watched movies, sunbathed, and walked on the beach. We spent a good half an hour down at the beach drawing in the sand - our names, animals, and several other things - the Ring of Fire, the Rainbow of Doom, and the Pot of Rage (clearly found at the end of the Rainbow of Doom). We also had a heated debate over what Whale Island should be called - I think Snail Island from the Port Ohope direction and Turtle Island from the Whakatane side. Not Whale Island. Ever.

Walking on the beach today and then sitting in the car for the 2-3 hour drive home, I had time to reflect on a few things. Didn't really come to any conclusions, except that I am Happy. How cool is that?