Weekend in Oxford anyone?

So when my friend invited me to Oxford for her birthday weekend I could hardly say no. The history, the old buildings, museums and small shops I couldn’t wait. Being a student herself I was also intrigued to see what her accommodation was like compared to my own.

It was hardly surprising that travelling from Lincoln would a) take a long time to get there and b) be expensive. But for her 19^th I could hardly say know.

I arrived at the station and it was beautiful, the decoration and architecture I was excited already. We stopped for coffee in a small café catching up on the gossip we both had to share, which is always a good thing to spend a first meeting. Then I had a tour round Oxford before going back to her accommodation. Little did I know that involved a bus and a 20 minute ride? Me not being used to that in Lincoln, where everything is walking distance I felt like a tourist. It wasn’t till I got to flat I realised why she choose Oxford Brookes as her University.

It didn’t take us long to settle in and be back to our old ways, drinks at her local pub and girly films all night. It was bliss…

Which was rudely interrupted when the fire alarm went off at half 5! Normally back home I would still be up at that time but my god I was not here! So reluctantly I had to get up and walk outside, to find out someone had set it off themselves… bet her flatmates loved one of their first meetings with me, hair slicked back, no make up and in my big fluffy pyjama bottoms! Screams attraction. So we got back into bed… and it happened again! Great so you know the drill outside in five minutes. It’s not what I called a perfect first night! Although it did give me the right time to give her, her presents from me, which she loved and it was the first one she received.

Next morning up bright and early… great, would have been fine if my sleep wasn’t rudely interrupted. Time for breakfast in bed and a tour round Oxford, more coffee and cake in “The Grand Cafe” oldest in England she reassures me. It did include another bus fare… and more time stuck on a bus.

The night ended with drinks and cocktails in a fancy nightclub and a late night. It was good to know they like their after alcohol snacks too so off to McDonalds we went.

Thank god that night sleep I didn’t have to get up for a fire alarm! Next morning and everyone was a little worse for wear full fry up and last night’s Take Me Out was in order before a bus into town and I had to leave… had such a perfect weekend and the city was gorgeous!

Then 4 hours back on a train and arriving in Lincoln… I will certainly be wanting an invitation back to Oxford it was so pretty, such a great weekend!

Connecting girls... Inspiring futures

Thursday 8^th March 2012, International Women’s Day. Well it’s nice to have that one day of the year to truly be celebrated for being women. After all we did fight tooth and nail for the vote. It is nice however to remind the men of this world what we do, although one day every year is far from enough!   

It’s the spokesperson from International Women’s Day (IWD) that said the day should:

Provide a common day for globally recognising and applauding women’s achievements as well as for observing and highlighting gender inequalities and issues.

And so we should, be allowed to celebrate our achievements, I for one am proud to be a woman, its all part of the fight. The need for equality and the strength of the inspiring and life changing women throughout history who really did change who we are and what we stand for…  

ü  Florence Nightingale

ü  Amelia Earhart

ü  Jane Austen  

ü  Emily Davison

ü  Emmeline Pankhurst

ü  Marie Curie

Inspirational women that changed the face of us, our gender equality and social standing but also gave us the opportunity to have the same rights as men, wear the same clothes as men, who allowed us to play and be seem with men and who fought until we were given the same recognition as men.

We have to really ask the question, where would we be without these women in our history?

That’s a life what no women should really bare to think about… it poses the question, what life would we women have today if it wasn’t for the likes Emily Davison? Standing in front of a horse as a strong suffragette who ultimately gave her life for our rights or Emmeline Pankhurst? A woman, who not only inspired but shaped the women of her time, who fought for us to have a vote and a say. We shouldn’t dare think who would have been in parliament if it wasn’t for our half of the vote.  

Yes this post might have been all opinionated from a strong feminist but it is true, where would we be without women in our history. It shouldn’t just take a day like today to recognise the need to respect women; we should all applaud what they have done for us... especially the women of the modern day.

Connecting girls…inspiring futures 

The Monday magazine frenzy!

It’s Monday morning, I was up at for a 9am start, so there was only one thing for it after walking past the Londis…

Its magazine buying time, its bad I know but it’s got to be done! Glamour, Cosmopolitan, OK, Heat, Now, Star… and the best part about it me and the other two girls in my flat split the price and share them all! I guess it helps me going journalism, the magazines being my research.

Well its now my turn for the magazines so at half 3 in the morning I start my small little pile, one a night before bed is always good! I try and convince myself to stick to one, so that I will have a few left by the end of the week! It’s great because even if I do read more than I should, I know its only a matter of days before the next batch come in!

Hmm now to find out more on my celebrity gossip intake… 

One tequila two tequila 3 tequila floor…

It’s not everyday us students can go out and have a good night; you have the other things in life to worry out. If someone walks up to you and says “it’s not that expensive” or “that is so cheap” clearly they haven’t lived as a student. I mean yes there are the student nights out with cheaper drinks… but living on a budget it’s hard to fit in all the little things that we could afford before hand.

So tonight was an exception, us girls in the flat got all dressed up, put on the make up and heels and walked out of ours rooms for good night out. It wasn’t until I reached the kitchen that I realised the night out had to start with a night in…

The music was playing and the drinking began, it’s a night for any student to go out and “let your hair down”. The little things in life that once I probably took for granted no longer mattered, and it also didn’t matter than I hadn’t got any food in and needed to pay off the debt I already have. Going out meant that we didn’t have to think about all them things. I guess you change your tune when you can forget being a student.

Well that was the beginning off the night and it carried on that way until we went home… past the McDonalds with a Big Mac and fries and then home to the flat. More talking but no more drinking…

Its just another list...

I love making lists. And this shouldn’t come to much of a surprise because most girls/women whatever we call ourselves make lists. Its weather we actually make the lists, keep the lists and then cross off anything on the lists that’s my issue. Yes I always try to be organised, I try to have my life in order and I try to make everything as simple as possible. Notice the word try in there a lot? Well that’s because it never really happens… whenever I am asked to describe myself I always try and say organised, I mean I am at times! It’s just when it comes to completing my lists that’s what I find difficult. I mean its just right now that I am staring at page after page of unfinished lists. And the amount of smalls bits of paper with half written lists on all around my room you would find quite obsessive…

ð       Food shopping

ð       Print off assignment

ð       Fill in diary

ð       Tidy up

ð       Read books

ð       Return books to library

ð        FINISH EVERYTHING ON A LIST!!!! …

And the list continues. I mean it’s not even like they are that long, maybe I like the idea of an unfinished list? Its like my life is never complete and I always have something to do? Haven’t really looked at it like that before?

Life is after all about achieving things and I guess I like the idea that I have never quite achieved everything yet. Even if that does mean I haven’t printed out photos from a night out, or tidied the flat up.

I have and probably always will be know as the organised one, organised in life yes, I make the plans I arrange the meetings, I book the holidays but never can I quite finish and tick or cross out whatever I prefer on that day the whole of one list … oh well…

Time for me to make another one… im sure there is enough to put on a scrap on paper… 

life is too short....

Life’s too short for second guessing, it’s too short to assume a right or wrong and it’s certainly too short to play things by the books…

Being a student I know full well that not everything goes the way you plan, I will work tomorrow, I will be more organised, and I won’t go out drinking night after night. Being up so late got me really thinking it’s not about making your life as perfect as can be, its about doing things you wont regret… or maybe you will but that’s not till morning!

Life is there to be grabbed, taken on the chin and really played around with. This all comes after a horrific story I heard in the news today, how losing someone in your life could be the most traffic thing. Life is too short it’s not about everything being done to the right detail and it certainly isn’t about making mistakes.

It’s about holding hands with your future and knowing full well that life is a mystery… its there to be juggled with and its there to be confused… 

Movie night in anyone?

It looks like its time for another post, like I said the first few days I am going to want to keep spilling out my thoughts all the time. So after introducing myself you understand my constant late nights, what can I say, this is what it’s like being a student.

Now most of the time I have a reason to be up late, which more times than most is because im just not tired, mainly because I haven’t seen sunlight all day. But this evening I have a perfectly good reason to be up, for most students Friday night means going out to Superbull (nightclub) but no, not for my flat. We just have to listen to them going out and coming back in again… no we decided tonight we would stay in and catch a couple of films. Most of the time staying in for us means we are up later than if we go out don’t ask me how, it just does. With popcorn in hand and chocolate at the ready you can understand why the boys decide to stay in too. What can I say us girls know how to bribe. We would have had more popcorn and more reason to stay in if we didn’t put the microwave or full power and end up with black and burnt popcorn, so much for being a domestic goddess. The films of choice tonight were Taken followed by Just Go With It. To make us feel like we were properly in a cinema all the lights were turned out and the curtains closed, of course the screen wasn’t as big and you don’t get handed blankets and pillows in the cinema! It doesn’t matter how scary a film actually is, you still need that girly chic flick after, just so I know I won’t be Taken in the middle of the night!

Yes a, light hearted comedy is always something you need before going to sleep. Granted I have already seen the film before but I always jump at the same parts, im not exactly the greatest lover of scary films (I know most wouldn’t even find Taken scary) … I guess Liam Neeson has that affect on me scared without even trying. I heard the other day that there are plans for a second Taken? If you ask me that’s going too far, I mean who can get Taken twice? That girl must be pretty naïve.

Well like I said we ended the night with Just Go With It, I needed a bit of humour before going to bed. It’s a good job we watched it all together because apparently you can hear my laugh from the other end of the flat! Now that’s just embarrassing. Just as we thought it was late enough to go to sleep considering none of us had to be up in the morning, you get the noise of the everyone returning from their nights out makes you laugh really when your not one of them, it surprises me how often you get the same songs being beautifully sung at the top of people voices, “I had the time of my life” cliché of course but I guess if the night was that good you might as well sing it.

Well that’s if for another post, well I say post its more like little rants and an online diary I guess if you like that sort of thing its alright. Tomorrow I will prepare myself for the usual Saturday night routine… and no its not going out I am a student after all, no that will be a night in filled with usual Saturday night television I cant wait!