Carpe Diem

 

I haven’t written a blog for a very long time, I am sorry but I have had lots and lots to do. I have just finished my final year and it has gone so quickly. So much so that this sadly, is my goodbye blog.

When you start university, people in the last year or those who have already graduated tell you about how quickly it will go and how you should enjoy it (a bit like when you are at school). No matter what, you never believe them and are always convinced that they are exaggerated or just ‘being old’.  But I have to say that it couldn’t be truer. It feels like just yesterday that I loaded my Dad’s car to the roof and moved into halls of residence to begin my own little adventure.

My final year has been a challenge but been exciting. I have had the chance to work for some real clients and network with others including national charities, members of parliament and senior staff at leading PR companies. I still do not have my official results but I know from my grades so far that I have a minimum grade of 2:1 or above, so I am very happy and look forward to seeing the proud faces on my parents at graduation next month.

I am leaving the university with a fantastic job offer. I am working in a top PR agency in central London on a three month paid internship. Hopefully I will impress them so much that they have no doubts that they want to keep me on forever! And if they don’t, I will have the necessary experience to get another job far easier afterwards.

I have loved my time at the University of Greenwich, not just my course but more so my job, my opportunities and my experiences. Three years ago I was really unsure whether or not I wanted to go to university and I have never felt happier about a decision in my life. I know that there are a lot of changes coming up to the higher education systems and it is very daunting for potential applicants, but please please consider how much you will get out of university. It will make your grow personally, professionally and academically and nothing in life can give you the same kind of results.

Take care everybody and I wish all the best luck in university and in life. Reach for the stars and grab every opportunity. I will leave you with some clever words from wise people:

 

Hello Blogland!

OK, I need to start by apologising for not writing anything for absolutely ages, but when I fill you in on what’s been happening then you will understand.
So ... I’m in year 3 and myself and my partner decided to move ... for some reason we were having a string of bad luck, so it all fell through and we were left with nowhere to live and couldn’t find anything we could afford in London that was nice enough and near enough to the university. So, we had to move home to Essex. I lived with my Dad for a grand total of a day before we had an argument about me running up a huge phone bill, using up the hot water (basically just trying to make myself at home) and I realised that after not having lived together for over a year, me and my Dad just could not co-habit ... so a new solution was needed. Step in – my mum. She had just bought a second house to rent out and was looking for tenants, so perfectly I now had someone to rent from with a nice family discount:)happy days!

So what is it like commuting? It’s actually not that bad. I don’t enjoy the 5am alarms and having to sit in traffic for miles, but then I would prefer to do that than have to stand on the train in rush hour, I live my own personal space and there is a distinct lack of it (as well as a lack of decent smelling air). On the plus side, I am only in university one day a week now as I have finished some of my modules and all of the others fall on a Monday. So with that and two days of work a week I only have to commute twice a week and gatecrash various friends’ floors on Wednesday nights –it’s kind of fun to live as a nomad once a week.

In other news, year three is really starting to kick in now, lots of courseworks due and the ever-worrying dissertation deadline keeps getting just that bit closer. I am progressing OK with the work but am a little bit behind schedule. I will let you all know soon my proposal and ask you all to take part in a little research for me – as it is all linked to social media, so it seems appropriate to ask.

On the lighter side of life ... A few recommendations for things to do this week:

1) Eat Japanese food – I don’t mean generic sushi sold in supermarkets. I mean, get yourself to a Japanese restaurant and try loads of different types of food. They are great at doing small plates of food so you can sample loads of the menu each time you visit. I recommend gyoza, tempura prawns or vegetables, chicken katsu and spare ribs. For the sushi I really enjoyed broccoli tempura nigiri and avocado maki. If you would rather save a few pennies and just get a main meal then chicken teriyaki is always good or yaki soba noodles. Japanese restaurants close to Greenwich University: Itsu (Greenwich town centre), Wasabi (the o2) and Wagamama’s Greenwich Penninsula, by the o2).

2) Go to the cinema and see a kid’s film – I hadn’t been to the cinema for ages and went last night (2 for 1 on Orange Wednesday) and saw Gnomeo and Juliet. It was really funny and reminded me that we should all take the time out to be a little bit childish sometimes hehe (child-like giggle).

3) Eat your 5 a day – I know it sounds silly and a bit like a Government generated lecture, but I am actually trying to make sure I do it on a daily basis and I am finding that is helping me stay more alert and feel better in general. So give it a go for a week and see how you feel

Take care all of you and I will try and stop being a useless blogger and write more often, but there are many more interesting people blogging out there too, have a look around and happy reading. Bye :)