Greetings from a land far far away

Greetings from a land far far away, and by that I mean Oxford. Never thought I’d find a place so full of geeks, and people more antisocial than I am! To be honest, I don’t think I’m liked all that much for being a commoner, but I don’t care. I made it here and that’s all that matters. No one was expecting me to get an interview, but I did. So you posh lar-de-dah cretins, stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Have met some lovely people today though, one guy I started talking to because his mum introduced us, how cute. He’s a northerner, so like me has the whole accent issue, and like me he’s the only person applying from his school, which is also a comprehensive. So Jack is officially in my good books, with our little group of Classicists/Historians who broke away from the clique to spin on spinny chairs and chat about how we got to this stage of applying to Oxford, and our travel stories.

Am now sitting in my drafty room (drafty albeit awesome room) at the lovely old desk in a spinny chair writing this blog post. I actually fancied being social but everyone’s disappeared, and I haven’t really gelled with my corridor neighbours. So tempted to yell at them ‘iz it coz I iz common yea?’ just to see their reactions. Well stuff them, they can have their own little clique, and I shall bugger right off. I’m not that bothered by their childish games. Its more of a testament that I’ve made it this far than it is for them. No one was expecting this of me, so have that!

Found out from the meeting our group had with the history tutors who would be interviewing us over the next few days that there were around 30 of us and only 8 places at this college for next year! I’m praying I’m one of them, this college is amazing. From the minute I got into the taxi at the station in Oxford, I loved the city. From the moment I got out of the taxi, I loved LMH. I just hope that LMH loves me.

First interview is tomorrow at 11:10am, got to be down for breakfast at 7:30 though, register at 8:30, pick up the article I need to read at 9 and analyse for the interview at 9:10 before the actual interview.

Uh oh, kill me now or wish me luck, whichever one you think I’ll need most

xx

NaNoWriMo, Schoolwork, Tests, Uni Offers and Sleep

Sorry for having not posted in a while, have been supremely busy.

Happy Guy Fawkes’ Night/Bonfire Night to all reading this. I’ll be sitting at home annoyed at the noise and sleeping, sheltered from the chilliness and potential rain. I really don’t do well outside when its cold or raining. I use it as an excuse to hole myself up in my room with a good book and some music, wrapped up warm and relaxing. Which in a way makes me love winter 🙂

I had my History Aptitude Test on Wednesday for Oxford. My application is riding on a good score in that. I really do sincerely hope that I’ve done okay in the exam despite having a major headache and the shakes. I think it went reasonably well, and I grasped the use of the sources well. We shall have to wait and see. According to Buzz Lightyear, I shall find out whether I have done well enough to get an interview. I really hope I have, the more I think about it, the more I want to go to Oxford, simply for the academia. It would be heaven to a history geek like me. If I don’t get in, it won’t be the end of the world, but I would really like to get the opportunity to go. I probably wouldn’t fit in there with my fondness for swear words at inopportune moments and my pronunciation of some words which is occasionally comically common. But I think I would love every minute.

Spent the majority of my Friday night last night reading a book about the Nazi’s, because I know how to live right? Thought so, only cool kids do that (in the sarcastic sense) and doing some source work on Weimar Germany, which was fun (I’m lying). Spent my morning writing my history essay on the Cold War, which was freakishly long and a pain in the bum, but not as hard as I thought it was going to be. Hoping for a better grade than a C on that (I got a C last time and almost had a nervous breakdown – C’s are an alien concept to me). Going to spend the rest of my day doing some reading with the music on and doing some more writing for my NaNoWriMo novel.

Quick intro to the concept of NaNoWriMo. Its a writing challenge where you write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days that make up November. Its easier than it sounds, and no there isn’t a prize if you manage it. It exists so that you can write in a hurry without the focus for perfection. You just write, and you don’t edit until December. I did it last year and decided to do it again this year because of how much I enjoyed it and the finished product. Currently, in the 5 days that there have been in November, I’ve written 10,002 words. I plan on writing another 5,000 odd words today and tomorrow, preferably all today. But it all depends on whether I get writers block. Usually happens, and I can never figure how to get it to go.

So here is the synopsis for my story. Predictably, its history based (what else were you expecting from me lol?)

Lady Matilda Beauchamp, Countess of Pembroke is cousin to the King of England, Henry VIII. She returns from France after being sent there for 2 years to lap up the sumptuous lifestyle at the English court that being the cousin of the King provides. After keeping a promise to her cousin of remaining pure and virtuous, she is promised a husband. Placing her whole future in the hands of her dearest cousin was something she did not need to think twice about. His judgement is everything to her. His Majesty declares that no man, whether noble or otherwise, no matter how powerful they are, are permitted to make her his mistress, for her virtue must remain intact. And so the King must find her a husband. As he searches for noble men appropriate for her hand, he notices a blossoming romance between his cousin and closest friend. Will he allow this love to blossom? Or will things have a way of hastening themselves, making the conclusion inevitable, for Matilda’s future and her reputation? To avoid scandal or welcome it is the decision that must be made.7

Oooooooh I wonder. I may post a chapter of it up on here at some point, once I’ve finished it. Perhaps I will post a chapter a day in December until I get to the end of the story.

For a while now my UCAS has been sent off, and have started to get offers back. I’ve got one from UWE (University of the West of England in Bristol) of 320 points, which is the equivalent of ABB, and Brunel, who have offered me BBB. I’m incredibly happy to have received offers from them. I am waiting on 3 more offers, one from Oxford (which if I do get one, I probably won’t get until January), Bristol and Kent. Fingers crossed, am really holding out for Oxford and Kent, they’re my favourites :)7

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. I’ll be doing a lot of sleeping, have been put on new drugs for my hypermobile achy joints, which predictably aren’t working but are giving me drowsy sleepy side effects. That made driving yesterday fun….

xx

Auschwitz 2011

Its been impending for a while, and on Tuesday I finally got the chance to go on the trip with the Holocaust Educational Trust to Auschwitz for the day.

It was a severely long day, with me getting up at 2:30am and returning just before midnight. Made me extremely sleepy, and I had sixth form the next day. I seriously thought I was going to keel over with the assault on my body. I was even more exhausted physically due to the sheer amount of walking we had to do. Because of my hypermobility, the exertion was magnified, but I pushed my way through it. My motivation was that my pain was nothing compared to the pain of the victims.

But I think the sleep deprivation enhanced the experience for me and made me that bit more vulnerable. In a way it was good as I could take in what I had seen. But on the downside, after visiting the first camp and seeing some of the artefacts and a gas chamber, I felt like my brain shut down. What I’ve seen still hasn’t sunk in now, in a way I think my brain is denying it. According to our group leader, that is to be expected. In a way I am quite scared of my reaction when things do kick in and it occurs to me the ordeal I went through psychologically that day. But that is nothing compared to what the poor people of the Holocaust suffered.

It taught me that even more so it is important not to hold any prejudice. There is no black, white, Christian, Jew or Muslim. There are just people, human beings. Even those we consider to be ‘evil’ are simply human beings.

Back To School Again

Almost feels like an outbreak of the Beatle’s Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (sorry if the song lyrics escape you and/or you have no idea what I’m talking about). But yes, today has been an odd sort of day.

Being my first day back at sixth form, I was kind of excited to see everyone again and catch up but kind of apprehensive about the workload and impending doom of UCAS, exams and becoming a severe workaholic to the point of my short life coming to an end.

Managed to annoy my form tutor, get annoyed at my form tutor and have a decent conversation with a teacher I was convinced I hated but actually I now have a lot of respect for for being the only teacher who will give me a straight answer to a question. Seriously, spent almost the entirety of my day weighing up the pros and cons of applying to Oxford. I was told not to bother, but apparently my AS results makes it slightly different. I wanted to know whether it was worth applying, did I stand a chance? All I got was ‘its your choice/decision’. I cannot respond to that, I need to know if its worth it, and it seems only Mr Taylor could give me an answer that wasn’t ‘you decide’. So with his help, I have. Whether I get there or not, at least I won’t live in regret wondering what if I did get in (and I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Cleland’s assessment of that from today lol).

Useless sort of day really, only had one lesson, which was history, and two frees. Had to wait around for Keely because she had lessons when I had frees. Ah well, can’t go home without my designated driver. Jesus Christ I need to hurry up and pass my test before I die or get too old to get behind the wheel. Slight dramatisation, but I really do suck an incredible amount.

I also wish that  people would learn manners and learn not to get angry at people who have done nothing wrong. Just something to consider (Most people who have spoken to me today will realise who this is aimed at)

xx

Results Day, Summer 2011

Well today I was expecting to go supremely badly but it was actually awesome. I have got a lot of stick from my relatives today for using the word awesome, apparently its too American. Allegedly I am becoming more American in my vocab, specially when calling Hilary Clinton a ‘dude’. I seriously need to rethink my life.

Anyway, I digress. Results Day.

Was at my friend’s last night drinking our lives away and trying to forget we were panicking about results. It worked, I think I only got 3 hours sleep and felt truly crappy when I woke up. I had a bad feeling about the day I’ve got to admit, but in a way I was buzzing. I couldn’t keep still and I had the urge to jump around and be hyper, even before I got my results. But I still had a sinking feeling. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about getting my results, I just wanted it to be over quickly.

I almost fainted when I saw the grades, and the smile wouldn’t get off my face. It’s still here now, beaming wide even though I’m slightly hungover and exhausted. I should really sleep, but for some reason I don’t want to. So I shall stay awake until I can’t any longer. I give myself until 10pm max, then I’ll be dead in my bed, snoozing.

History – A

Sociology – A

Media – A

English Language – A

General Studies – A

Woohoo 😀 Not only did it make my day/week to see the results be the results I was looking for/hoping for, but it brought some happiness to my nan, who’s had a rough week. On Tuesday she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but hearing how well I’ve done has made her really chuffed. I’m glad something has put a smile on her face during such a tough time. I love her to bits and know she’ll fight this shitty disease with all she’s got, because she’s made of tough stuff.

This week has been one of quite a few changes. Mum and her boyfriend have called it quits, my nan’s cancer diagnosis and my attempt to get out of the house more and see people whilst having time to be a loner/hermit. I believe that balancing is becoming easier. Rock on life 😀

xx