Back To Sunny Seaford Pt 2

So after completing that mammoth blog post a few days ago, I thought of a few other things that deserved a mention, although these won't be in chronological order because well frankly it takes too much time to do that!

Anyway, one notable thing that I guess I should put first since I was told that he wanted a mention haha is meeting my boyfriend's parents after Christmas. Probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments that most people go through is this and I was certainly no exception. I obviously wanted to make a good impression and hoped they'd like me because there's nothing worse than not getting on with your boyfriend's family but all went well and we went out to dinner at Prezzo which was very nice.

What else happened during my time at Uni? Oh yes...clumsy/clutsy Kerrie made a return! I managed to lock myself out of my room numerous times which always seemed to be at the worst moments when I was about to go out or in the middle of cooking dinner but hey ho! Also, I tried to get into the library with my keys for halls which is a new low for even me... I'm not really sure what else, oh yeah I burnt noodles in the microwave because I forgot to put water in with them! I left all my stuff in the shower over the Easter break and one of my flatmates had to keep it in their room for me! Awks. I fell up flights of stairs not only once but twice, left all my money and cards at home on a night out and had to get a taxi back in the pouring rain to get them... woops! I got stuck in a lift on Halloween which techincally wasn't my fault, it was my drunk friends! Oh and I couldn't hear what my friend was saying in Oceana so I leant forward and we headbutted each other in the club haha oh dear. That's all that I can think of and I won't say anymore otherwise, dear reader, it might lead you to believe that I am an idiot which I assure you I am not, I'm just rather clumsy.

Another thing worth mentioning that positions me in a slightly better light is how much my cooking has improved. From burning noodles, pans and literally every food I tried to make at first, I ended up making casseroles, spagetti bolognase, vegetable pastas, chicken dishes and enchaladas which I was very proud of! My mission next term is to make a shepherds pie and a roast dinner so to all those who laughed, teased and called me 'pizza queen' during freshers, I am sure you are a tiny bit proud of how much I've come along since the start where I was scared to even cook chicken!

I'm trying to think if I've taught anybody anything myself at University or whether it's been a massive learning curve for just me. I guess I might have forced my music tastes upon some people for which I'm very sorry since I have admitted I am a music snob! I might have taught my friends a few things about relationships along the way since I seem to be the go to girl for advice (haha!) for which I am honoured by the way :) I like to think I have taught people to be accepting of others since I can be a bit too open and see the good in everyone which isn't always a good thing.

One thing which probably isn't that interesting is that I've watched way too much TV since being at Uni. We have a common room which deserves a mention since it holds a lot of good memories for me and I can say that I will miss it. So I'd watch TV daily there to unwind with one of my friends or take my laptop down and 'work'. Also, they have a pool table, table tennis, air hockey and table football, all of which I suck at unfortunately and have barely improved over the past few months. I reckon half the building took glee in challenging me at one of those games just so they could beat me... not naming any names ;) I was introduced to the comedian Russell Howard in the common room (not in real life but on the TV obvs!) and went to see him in February which was so good. One of my flatmates had a massive TV as well which was great as a few of us would spend the evening in there watching films or a load of rubbish on BBC 3 although we are all very sad to see it shut down! :(

One of the most important things about University though which I kind of touched on in my last post, is the amount I have learnt. Not only in lectures and seminars, where actually I haven't learnt as much as I expected but during my time at halls and being around other people have I learnt how to deal with just about anything and had the best advice from those closest to me. I will not forget anything from this first year and can only hope that my next two years will be just as good and that I will end up where I want to be by the end of it :)

Back To Sunny Seaford...

So I am finally home after a hectic 3 last weeks of Uni before I broke up for summer. It feels weird to say I've finished my first year of University and that I will have my own house next year. It also feels damn good! Getting home was the best feeling in the world and knowing I could just relax and have other people do things such as cooking and cleaning was just bliss.

So I thought I might dedicate this post as a look back over my first year at Uni and the memories I have made. I have not only met some incredible people but experienced so many new things that only Uni can bring. I truly cannot wait for the next two years (even if that sounds sappy!) to meet more new people and experience a whole new hoard of things. There are going to be people whom I will sorely miss and really hope we can keep in contact because Uni becomes like your second home and the people there, your second family. So here's to my first year at uni, let's make the next one even better!

It all started a week before uni when I decided to create this blog and write down everything that happened to me throughout my time at University. Although I didn't keep it up regularly I made a number of posts about things I thought were memorable.


The first thing I remember was packing up the car and driving down to Southampton, feeling a bit sick to be honest but really excited at the same time.

So I arrived in Southampton to Chantry Halls where I was to spend the next 8 months and meet a whole lot of new people and just learn to fend for myself which I assured my parents I'd be fine with. It took a while to unpack everything but soon everything was unpacked and my room was all set up.

As you can see the rooms are tiny! However, I moved my bed length ways mid way through the year which gave me more room. I don't remember a lot about the first week to be honest but I remember thinking how nice and sociable everyone was on our corridor which gave me no time to think about missing home. It then came to dinner time and I was faced with the harsh reality of trying to find something easy to cook since I'm ashamed to admit I had never cooked for myself in my life before moving away to uni! Pasta is was and I even had to ask someone how much water to put in the pan and how long for... ah dear! :L

It was also the first night that I went out in the city which was interesting. We had some pre drinks, I had my trusty bottle of wine from my auntie and uncle whilst playing Ring of Fire and then we went to one of my flatmates friend's houses for a house party. It wasn't a particularly good party so we all left after about 20 minutes and went to Bedford Place which is like a plaza full of clubs. We went in Orange Rooms which I remember really enjoying and a few others I think.


Other days during that first week included introducing myself to various people on my corridor. I never seemed to venture much further than that since it was 46 people to a corridor! I made a lot of friends in those first few weeks and we enjoyed going out a lot since it was freshers and we all had the freshers bands. One of the best nights had to be Freshers Ball which was the biggest event (trust me to like that one the most!) at Oceana and had a fairground out the back! I went on one ride which after a few drinks made me want to throw up and went in the silent disco which was a room where everyone had headphones and could listen to the same music while the rest of the room was silent. Brilliant idea!

After two weeks of partying and settling in, reality hit that we were all going to have to actually start lectures! The first weeks consisted of introductory exercises and meeting our course mates which was really nice. We also had a trip to London around the galleries which was good. I still preferred coming back to halls though where there were so many people to talk to and share stories about uni with. I never realised how lucky I was to have such a sociable corridor since some of my course mates hadn't made as many friends. However, it did start to grate on me and the noise was a lot to deal with which made me tired and moody. There was also the fact that I was feeling a bit homesick amongst all the other things I had to deal with, I just wanted to come home :(

My flatmates did their best to cheer me up though. I got shown round town and to the train station which was helpful, I explored round the city and got lost numerous times, went shopping, ate out at Ed's Diner and Nando's and went out clubbing. How could I feel homesick when all that was going on?

Then it got to Halloween and everyone went mental, literally. There was an event which we all bought wristbands for to get us into all the clubs and then there was the dilemma as what to dress up as. In the end I decided on a zombie pirate even though people kept saying I looked like Where's Wallie? -.- That was also the night we all got stuck in a lift for over an hour which was horrible and no one was helping us. It only made it worse that it was Halloween! When we did eventually get out no one was really in a good mood but we went out anyway and it was so busy that we didn't actually get in any of the clubs anyway. The only good thing to come of the night was Mcdonalds and making friends with one of my good friends who I class to be one of my best friends to this day.

It was soon November and I'd been at Uni for 3 months. I couldn't believe how quick it had gone! So much had happened and it was only going to get a lot more interesting. After coming out of a relationship just before I started Uni, I wasn't really looking for anything but one night me and a friend went to a club and some people from our building were there too. We decided to hang around with them to save it just being the two of us and well one of them asked if I'd like a drink, so surprised, I said yes. I knew him from the common room but never thought he was actually interested in me. There is an unwritten rule at Uni not to get with anyone living in your building so I presumed it was just a one night thing but we are still going out to this day so I guess not :)

Shortly after that night we broke up for Christmas which was a relief because it seemed like everyone needed a break. It was good to catch up with family and friends even though I spent a great deal of time stressing over uni work!

The time seemed to go so quick and before I knew it I was back at Uni. It was so nice to see everyone again and get back into the routine of lectures. Although, they do know how to pile on the work like pros! Literally just as we'd given in the first load of work, another lot was piled on :( I was starting to settle in and enjoy myself more though and get closer to my flatmates. Dominos nights and music in the kitchen became a regular occurrence!

Before too long it was my birthday which seemed strange since it was to be the first one I'd had away from home with my family and friends. However, it was just as good and I was spoilt as usual with numerous cards, presents and dinner at Bella Italia with my boyfriend. A couple of my friends from home came down too which was brilliant and we stayed in a hotel.

As you are probably starting to tell, I've many nights out in Southampton and here are a few of my favourite ones..

And that's just a few of the memories I have from Uni so far. I have met so many people and been on so many good nights out that it would take too many blog posts to write about. Not only the nights out have been good though. the 3 weeks before the end of term were great which I have talked about in a previous post but overall, I just can't wait for the next year and it will be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life! :) I love you all...

Last Week of Uni!

That's it, my first year of Uni is officially over! I can't believe how quickly it's gone and now I get to have the longest summer of my life which I can't wait for. I'm going to the Isle of Wight, Reading Festival and Malia, it's going to be one hell of a summer :D

It feels so good to get all my Uni work out of the way as it was beginning to get to the point where it was stressing me out. There was a lot to do and the deadlines just seemed to creep up on me all of a sudden but I made it and I was pleased with the work I'd done. A lot of people still have another week left but It's nice to know that I can just relax now and focus on getting a job for over the summer so I can have some spending money for my holidays.

It was so nice to come back to Uni after the Easter break and although there have been some ups and downs, I have really enjoyed seeing everyone and making the most of Uni life.

Last Monday, we went to Cafe Parfait which I haven't been to since Freshers. Although it was pretty dead to begin with, it turned out to be a really good night and they played some really good music. I also didn't spend too much money for once haha but then again drinks were only £1.50 and they were doing free taxi service. Our taxi driver was watching Made in Chelsea on his phone :L

On Thursday, it was the student lock in which is always fun. We have a big shopping centre so it's always got various things going on every year. Some people from TOWIE were there which didn't interest me but a few of my friends queued for the meet and greet and looked round the clothing range. Captiol radio were also there and my friend won their competition which was a load of free sushi and perfume! We then had dinner in Ed's Diner where I had a massive burger with cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, chips and onion rings. So good! Finally, we hit the shops and I restrained myself by only buying one top in the sale for £7 which was in New Look. They had a DJ and it was actually like a night club in there which was cool.

Then Saturday, I went to Bella Italia with my flatmates for one of their birthdays which was really nice and I even liked the white wine we had even though I'm not a white wine person. After that some of us decided to go to Myth where we all drunk way too much especially after wine earlier but we stayed until closing time which is a sure sign it was a good night!

So that was the first week where it sounded like I spent way too much money and went out a lot. Well maybe I did but this week I really put my head done and spent literally every day working until my deadlines on Tuesday, Wednesday and tommorrow (which I have submitted early).Even though I've finished,  I plan to stay a bit later to apply for a job I've seen and most people haven't finished Uni yet anyway so I can still see my friends.

I can't believe I'm going to be moving out of halls in just under two months! It's crazy. I've got way too much stuff to move so should be interesting...watch this space.

Easter Break

So, as usual it's been a while since I've updated this blog but I felt it was time I informed people of how my uni life is going. I am just coming to the end of my 3 week break for Easter which I spent at home seeing family and friends from my home town which was really nice. My boyfriend also came down for a few days too which was nice.

Although it is coming to an end, it has been a nice, much needed break where I have actually managed to do a lot of my uni work. The last big break I had from uni was at Christmas and all I can remember from that break was constantly stressing about the work I had to do instead of enjoying myself. However, this time I was much more laid back about it all, mostly because I had done a lot of it before we broke up for Easter. We learn a lot from mistakes we make and I tried to be a lot calmer and can do about it all to avoid the stress.

Also, making numerous cups of tea to aid the work process really helped. It's really easy to sit down with a nice cup of tea and work on an essay or feature than it is to just isolate yourself and make yourself do it. Just putting on music in the background makes it a hell of a lot easier to concentrate. I also allow myself Facebook breaks and it lets me ask others about the assignments and let them read what I've written for feedback so in a way social networking can actually benefit your work! Another good thing I have found to help me is to set myself realistic targets. I know this may seem obvious but it gives yourself something to work towards and you can reward yourself with treats afterwards. Whether that be a Facebook break or eating a whole Easter egg like I did ( not recommended!)

So that was the work aspect of things but I also had a really nice Easter break catching up with an old friend from college who's now at one of the top universities in the country. Comparing experiences is always something I like to do with people from other universities to see what their lectures and general lives are like compared to mine. I met one guy who goes to the rival uni to mine which was interesting as each of us claimed our uni was the best! However, we found we each went to the same sorts of places around the city and enjoyed our life there.

A great aspect about coming home was seeing my family again. Although I have been home at weekends many a time, it just isn't the same as three weeks off. It is kind of strange to have to adapt to living with my mum and sister again after being surrounded by students every day but it was nice to come home to the peace and quiet and home cooked dinners! There was also a new addition to the family; Fred. He is an 8 week (now 9 week) old, black Labrador pup who is adorable! He is cross with a collie and is already getting bigger. He has settled in very well and chews everything in sight! He is very playful and it's so cute when he curls up on your lap and falls asleep. I'm going to miss him when I go back to uni.

It was also so good to see my friends from home too. We've had numerous nights out which have been great with the last one being tonight. A few of my friends are at uni so it's good to hear about their experiences and the rest are in full time work. Whenever I come back it's as if nothing has changed which is nice and I hope it will always remain that way. Our meal at Prezzo on Wednesday was definitely a highlight and I am very much looking forward to our holiday together at the end of the summer!


Now, it will be time to pack to go back to Southampton which I am looking forward to. It seems like quite a while since I have seen my flatmates and course mates so we have a lot to catch up on. The student loan is due to come in too which as I'm sure you can tell, I'm excited about too. There will be deadlines to meet but I feel confident that I can meet them as I am on top of my work load for once. I look forward to a busy last two weeks of uni before I break up for summer! :)

Duke Dumont @ Oceana

Last night saw Duke Dumont perform a set at Oceana night club Southampton. As a fan of his two hit singles ' I Got U' and ' Need You 100%', I was quick to purchase tickets and I wasn't disappointed. Although he didn't make an appearance until nearly 2, since I was told he was coming on at 1, it was definitely worth the wait.

The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and the dance floor was packed. Luckily we got quite near the front (even though it doesn't look like it) and were actually able to see the man himself. His set consisted of 'The Giver' , 'Need You 100%', ' I Got U', a remix of 'Bump and Grind' and many more. I didn't stay for all of the set but I got some pictures and videos which you can check out below.

Russell Howard

I've always thought being a comedian is harder than everyone assumes. The ability to stand in front of a huge crowd of people and deliver what you believe to be funny, jokes and anecdotes but also being able to come up with new material and improvise when needed. Well there's a new kind of acting and Russell Howard made it look easy in his show- Wonderbox. 

He looked entirely at ease on the stage as he began talking about Bournemouth (the venue of the show) and making the audience laugh at the weird things people enjoy doing there. I've noticed that comedians like to open by talking about the place they are playing in. It's familiar for the audience and funny to recognise the stereotypes they have been surrounded with their whole life.

Another frequent topic, surprisingly was his mum who Russell talked of fondly but generated a lot of humour. His material was ruder than that of his programme "Russell Howard's Good News" which I guess I was expecting but nevertheless it was still extremely funny and well done.

He interacted with the audience well, although not on the level of another favourite of mine; Michael McIntyre who can involve the audience in every gag and laughs with them at his jokes (not as arrogant as it sounds.)

Russell Howard delivered a brilliant 1hr 45 minute set which focused on friends, family and a boy in hospital. It was refreshing to see him do something so different to his TV show and is a must for his fans or just those who enjoy comedy like me and didn't know much about him. Your cheeks will hurt from constant laughter.

New Experiences

So this week I thought I'd write about new things I'd tried since being at Uni after talking about never having seen Russell Howard's programme in my previous post. I guess that just got me thinking and inspired me to write this one.

There has been lots in the way of food that I have tried since coming to Uni such as fajitas which had never really appealed to me before as I thought they'd be too spicy and I don't like spicy food. We had a Mexican night one night where everyone chipped in a bit of money and one of my flatmates cooked everyone fajitas. I couldn't believe what I was missing out on. They are so nice and flavoured but not overly spicy. I would definitely have them again so maybe I'll try making them this time. Someone also cooked me enchilada's which I had never had before. I'm not sure why I hadn't tasted these either but I think I'd filed them under the same category as fajitas and thought they'd be too spicy for me. I liked the enchiladas too but I think I preferred the fajitas.

Another thing I tried was pasties which were cooked for me yet again. I think these had to be my favourite of all. My friend who made them is from Cornwall but said they weren't quite like traditional Cornish pasties the way she made them. Having been to Cornwall before, I've no idea why I haven't tried them but I've always been a bit afraid of trying new things.

I've also been introduced to a lot of new TV and films (not good when you have assignment deadlines looming.) Russell Howard was one who I've never seen before and his stuff is quite funny. It is something just a bit different to what other comedians do as he picks out funny stories from the news. Can't wait to see him next month! I'd also never seen Fresh Prince of Bel Air (I know, where have I been? What have I been doing with my life?)

Uni is a place for trying new things and so far I think I've done pretty well (food wise anyway).

Happy Thoughts

I'm not exactly the most optimistic person in the world but I was thinking (like you do) that I've got a lot to look forward to in the next month or so. I put down the start of a deposit for a house the other day with a couple of my friends and the rest is being finalised this week. It means I need to watch my money though and start budgeting a bit better because I seem to have spent quite a lot recently.

That was exciting though, knowing we've secured a house. It's only a small 3 bedroom property but we all loved it as soon as we looked round; it's so cosy. I managed to volunteer for the smallest bedroom as well which at least is bigger than the bedrooms in halls and has a double bed! I've never had a double bed in my life. It's in a nice area as well near the shops and a few of the clubs but it is further away from the Uni which means getting up earlier if it's an early start. It's not too expensive either, probably about what I'm paying now to live in halls and the bills are an extra £12 on top for as much heating and electric as we want as long as we don't use an excessive amount.

I've got my Birthday to look forward to as well which isn't far off (11th February just in case anyone was wondering :D.) I'm not particularly excited about it though since they just aren't the same when you get older. Also it will be at Uni for the first time instead of home which will be strange but good hopefully. A couple of my friends from home are coming up to stay in a hotel for the weekend though and we are going out for my birthday so that will be cool.

Then about a week later I'm going to see Russell Howard! I'd never really watched his stand up show before Uni and then a friend introduced me to it and it's pretty funny so we booked tickets to see him. Really looking forward to that actually, I've never seen a comedian live before. Next post will be about new things I have done/ learnt at Uni so far as the Russell Howard thing reminded me of it. Watch this space!

First Week Back

It's the first week back and it feels like I never left. I seemed to come back with twice the amount I left with somehow which was not fun to unpack at all. It was nice to be back to catch up with everyone again and I think most people were ready to come back as the general answer to Good Christmas? was "Meh". Also being back at home guarantees no Uni work gets done. There are way too many distractions and it's Christmas break which lecturers don't seem to understand as I had 4 assignments to do, 3 of which were due in the first week.

I'll try my best not to make this a blog where I rant about Uni work, can't promise anything though. It's all just about done now and handed in until the next load is piled on. I've literally spent most of the week doing that since my timetable hasn't started properly and I've barely been at Uni. It will be the same next week really except we get some feedback on assignments (agh!) not sure how well I've done at all.

There was a welcome back party on Monday night at one of the clubs which was pretty good considering it was at the small club down the road which normally isn't very good. We managed to sneak into VIP too which really isn't that exciting since it's just somewhere to sit but there we go. It was packed and literally our whole floor went out which was cool but the queue for drinks was so long that I seemed to spent a lot of the night there. Also one of the bar guys was new and didn't know what he was doing. Not the best idea to put him on for their busiest night of students.

Made a last minute decision to go out on Wednesday which was also quite a good night except the fact I forgot my bank card, ID and student card. So I had to re order a taxi and luckily one of my friends came back with me while I legged it back upstairs and the taxi waited outside. Lesson learnt for this week: you won't be able to get in a club without them so don't be a clutz and have to pay extra for a taxi to go back and get them! It's just embarrassing.

The week ended with a flat party that I was going to join in with but I was so tired in the end that I just went to see my boyfriend. It was a crazy party, so many people turned up they could barely fit in the corridor. Came back this morning to a guy passed out in the corridor, sick in the kitchen sink and empty cans all over the floor.That wasn't the worst of it. 

Good week overall, next week it is my mission to get a job. 

Realistic Resolutions

Every year we all make New Years resolutions (well most people) and break them within the first few weeks. In an article I read online, only 8% of people achieve their New Years resolutions. So where does that leave the rest of us? The other 92% who vow to make changes in our lives; to create a 'new me'? We aren't failures we just have to set goals that are more realistic which is why I will never achieve to be more organised because it's too vague. That and the fact I think I need to accept I'm just not an organised sort of person. However, this year I am only making one resolution which is to update this blog every week to two weeks which isn't too vague but doesn't put me under so much pressure to have something to write. How hard can it be?

I was looking at an article on New Years resolutions for students and found myself agreeing with most of them. Number one was to go to lectures and seminars. Now this one doesn't apply to me so much as I've always had pretty good attendance and want to do well but I will admit that there have been a few mornings (especially as it's been getting colder and I'm not a morning person) that I haven't wanted to get out of bed. Most of the time I have been able to drag myself to Uni but other times the thought of sitting in a stuffy lecture room with the boring lecturer who drones on whilst we all try to make sense of it all, isn't worth waking up for. 

Number 2 was to pick your nights out. Also a valid point which doesn't apply during freshers where I went out almost every night.It seems fun at the time but a bit of a killer when you can barely keep your eyes open through the 2 hour seminar where the overly bright power point seems like a method of torture on your poor eyes. I have managed to start saying no to nights out though which saves money and hangovers. Win, win.

Number 3 was limit the shows you watch. I don't think I was too bad on this but getting into Misfits and Breaking Bad was definitely not a good idea with deadlines coming up. Luckily I don't have the luxury of a TV in my room which helps with motivation. I personally don't think I'd be able to be a guy and have the distraction of an x box. The main distraction for me though has got to be Facebook. If I could just not be tempted to look at it while doing my work, I'd get a lot more done. Maybe I do need to make more than one resolution. 

Number 4 was about saving energy which I don't have to worry about since I'm in student residences but I will next year when I move into a house. I'll just keep it in mind as a handy tip so I don't have to live in the dark and the cold.

Number 5 was to do the housework. I'm not too bad on this except for letting my room get so disorganised that I can't find anything but that's my own space and I normally get sick of it so end up cleaning eventually. Our kitchen was pretty messy last term so hopefully we can keep it cleaner this term, it just takes everybody to do their bit, but what do you expect? It's a student flat.

So that's it and I'm back at Uni on Monday. These three weeks at home have been good, catching up with family and friends, stressing over work (not so good) and welcoming in the New Year at the dingy, little club in my home town which makes me appreciate how good the clubs are back at Uni. Here's to a great 2014!