Degree = Done!

Its slightly odd writing this from my sofa at home, but I thought it was time to finally get around to blogging something to prove I haven't fully forgotten about it!

So really what I want to say is that it finally happened(ish). MY DEGREE IS FINISHED! Done! No more studying chemistry (at least for the time being)! I hope having 6 exams explains my absence from blogging, and I truly hope never having to repeat that ever again, but as I don't get the results for another couple of weeks I don't want to speak too soon.

Studying really did take over the last couple of months but other exciting things have happened, most notably that I am going to be moving to Oxford for the summer to do an internship at the OUP which I am very excited about! There is still a bit to be sorted out which always taints the excitement of moving to a new place but even so I am fully looking forward to working and doing something totally different. But I am quite aware its going to be a fairly steep learning curve and probably quite tough at times! Also on the off chance that someone might know of a room I can rent for a couple of months in Oxford please let me know - I don't want to be homeless! Plus I'll cook for my new housemates!

I also passed my driving theory test over Easter (whoop!), but unfortunately I haven't had many lessons since due to having so much uni work and time just running out. I promise I will start up again soon when I am settled somewhere. I was actually starting to get vaguely okay but even though it goes against all my independent views on life I would to so happy to let someone else drive me everywhere for the rest of my life. There I said it. I actually have no desire to drive. It's far to stressful, I get all in a flap, and it's probably not a good idea for anyone involved! I am much more relaxed and know what I am doing when it comes to public transport...

There was also organising ChemSoc Summer Ball to pass the time during revision which is always so rewarding once you start to enjoy the evening! However I think I know that event planning isn't quite for me, such hard work and late nights!

Me and Luke*

4th years! 

Everyone kept telling me to have to a drink and relax. So I did!

Since finishing exams it's been nice just having some time off, catching up with friends, eating, drinking, dancing and generally just having a lovely time! So for the time being I am sure I will be keeping you all updated through blogging about what I get up to during the summer. I guess I will also be updating on what I will be doing come September, but right now it still feels like I will be heading back to soton in the near future, although that isn't the case, It still doesn't feel read that I am done with uni, such a scary thing to have to write down.

For now though, rather than being overwhelmed by the concept of being a grown up, I have to get back to stripping wallpaper from my bedroom walls to try and get the room all decorated by next weekend. This currently feels very ambitious so wish me luck. Having to sleep in my brothers room is no fun!

Finally to end, a few snaps from the last week or so!

Finally got around to doing some baking! The primrose bakery banana loaf was amazing, and the extra mix was great turned into little muffins! 

The quiz team mascot, the cheeky little onion of knowledge!

If you are ever in Southampton go and have a burger at the Rockstone, It was so good, and I can;t believe it took 4 years to finally make it there for dinner, 

* Probably the only nice photo of Luke and I ever!

Productive Procrastinating

So I have been meaning to write a post for a while now. In this I mean I have thought about it more than once after each fun weekend I have had over the last couple of months.*

But then the only time I really sit down and blog is when:
1) I am feeling a bit like I have 100's of things whirling around my mind and writing just something down makes all this clearer.
OR
2) I am putting of doing something I should be doing.

Right here, right now, it is most definitely a mixture of the two. I am putting off doing all the things I know I should be doing. Talk about everything coming around at once. Life really does follow that funny little phrase about two buses turning up at once or none at all. (I do want to point out none of these things are bad but with a graduation date hurtling towards you at about 148 mph it can all feel a little bit daunting).

But what I really want to do is put a few little things about what I have been up to 'recently' down on internet paper form.

There has been lots of catching up with friends in a variety of different locations including Bristol, Brighton (twice) and a holiday to Dublin! I could probably write a whole post about each of these weekends, but this would probably end up being food reviews and I haven't reach that territory on this blog yet.

A Lovely Weekend in Bristol seeing my fave Emma's 

Leighton girls ready for a fun night out in Brighton. Also the night I happened to each a meat pizza before telling my friends I had stopped being a veggie. 

A wonderfully sunny, relaxing, funny few days away in beautiful Dublin with one of my fave girlies. 

We take the odd decent selfie ;) 

 

An England catch up with 2 brilliant chicas! And obviously we had to have afternoon tea.

Plus I have also been home for a week (mainly to see the doggy of course), been to the casino for the first time (I am holding my opinion on this), learnt more Salsa steps, won a pub quiz and spent far too much money on train travel. Gah, one day I will pass this bloody driving test, yet another thing taking up my time at the moment. I am determined to drive (I've started so I'll finish), but as I am sure the people around me are bored to death with my driving stories I'll leave them out for now.**

Right now along with ChemSoc event planning, driving, job searching (yep still on... ish), studying for my final ever uni exams and trying to fit in some gym classes I am not sure how much time I am going to find for blogging in the next couple of months. But then again the boredom of revision will probably lead to procrastination...

On a final note I am genuinely not sure if I am looking forward to graduating. As much as I want to stop studying chemistry writing this little post its made me realise how sweet life at uni really is... Someone slap me if I complain about being a student every again!


* No tapas or test tubes have been involved.
** I haven't run anyone over yet, so success?

A sometimeslightlyoverdramaticandstresssedout chemistry student....

I just had a quick look and I can't believe its been nearly two whole months since I last had time to sit down and write a post. I haven't even to had a chance to half write one which is sitting in drafts. Not that surprising as I've packed up my little life in Spain, written a 10 000 word thesis, presented said thesis, moved into a new house, and celebrated Christmas during this time. Lets just say this feels like the first weekend I have had 'off' in a lonnnnnggggggg time. And lectures for the FINAL SEMESTER of my degree start on Monday 9am so it'll be all go go go go again. No rest in masters year.

Family selfie on Christmas Day. So much food! 

There were times when I thought I would never make it through them 6 months away, and I couldn't in-vision the day in which I would stand up to present in front of my peers. But I did. It has really shown me that with a little bit of 'grit your teeth and bare it' mixed in with being surrounded by brilliant people you can pretty much achieve whatever you set your mind too. (Although I haven't got the results yet so lets wait and see!)

But now back in Southampton, the 'holidays' over, and it's the final push to finish my degree.  Lets just say it feels like my love affair with chemistry is coming to an end, so the only thing motivating me to finish is the idea of graduating. It's funny though, a number of people who know me pretty well would have said I'd be the one doing a Phd a couple of years ago. Even I thought I would probably end up in further research after my degree but I know at the moment I just don't have the motivation for three to four years more of chemistry. But that means one scary thing, getting a J-O-B.

So this really is a what's next for me and what's next for this blog kinda post. Oh the excitement of the unknown. Not knowing where I will be living, not knowing what kind of job I'll be doing, and I 100% don't know what ridiculous stories I will be writing. But one things certain, I am sure there will be plenty of highlights to report along the way, the probability of awkward encounters in my life has increased 10 fold since I have moved back to Southampton.

So maybe this is where this blog is heading, a sometimeslightlyoverdramaticandstresssedout chemist's search for a graduate job. The title of the blog doesn't really fit anymore but 'Online applications and too much wine' just isn't as catchy so I think I'll stick to rambling away on this page for now. Maybe I'll get even more into writing this blog more regularly now I have a bit more unstructured time to fill. I would also be happy to take any advice on how to even start a J-O-B search when you don't have a clue what you want to do. (that unintentionally rhymes, maybe I am going to become a rap star...)