I'm not sure I have much to report this week. I finally had a BBQ on the Vale on Wednesday. It didn't go fantastically well because our disposable wasn't great. It rained an hour or two afterwards but we took refuge in Bar One and played some pool. That's always good. On Thursday I scheduled a committee meeting for the Northern Society so we could welcome in our new treasurer and plan for the events meeting in just over a week's time. That went rather well and plenty of new ideas were thrown around. On the 8th we'll meet again and hopefully the grant application will be submitted before the 18th. The Guild tries its best to provide societies with funds that are needed for events to go ahead. They do encourage manual fundraising, though, and don't give out grants without some form of fundraising either from donations, membership or an event.
With so much time on my hands, I'm running out of things to do. I do have some things I want to do - or rather, places I want to visit - but most of those things cost so I have to plan them sparsely.
I've been getting a few emails from people asking questions about life here at Birmingham Uni. Do keep them coming. If there's anything anyone wants to know, I'm happy to give a detailed view. If any popular questions come up, I may include them in here. Feel free to leave comments on the posts, too.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Thursday 20 May 2010
Week 4: Hello, Sun.
Is it only week four?! It feels like end of term already. That is, though, because it's the exam term and exams get done pretty quickly. I had my last and only exam on Wednesday, which was alright in retrospect but awful at the time (and very confusing in terms of the set up - not quite like sixth form). My boyfriend's last exam is next Wednesday so he's slightly hating me for finishing so early and apparently having 'nothing to do' - even though I have a list I need to get through and I haven't had a day yet where I've done nothing or had nothing to do.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not very interesting at all because I spent my entire time (okay so I slacked off a bit but TRIED to spend the entire time...) revising. If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll know I've been looking for work experience within the media. Well, I got an invite from Tim Dagger at the media centre on campus (tucked away under the Aston Webb building) to come in and have a look around and discuss a potential work placement. It all went very well and I'm awaiting information regarding dates and times. In addition to that, I emailed ITV and asked if they had anything for me. I got two separate replies. One was clearly from the secretary, or equivalent, telling me to apply in the normal way via the website. The other was more helpful. I was invited in for a day to see how everything works (which reminds me: update and print off CVs). I could choose this day due to what fits in my schedule so I waited for my exam to be done and the media centre interview to clarify a few things then gave them a date. I suggested either today or tomorrow. They chose tomorrow. At 9.30am. It'll take me about 45 minutes to walk there from my flat (I timed the way back when I went to find the place before). That'll be interesting! I'll report back in next week's post.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly chilling on the Vale. That was looovely! The sun and clear sky was making it be in the mid 20sC. I brought out a blanket and a book and chilled there for ages. I'm now quite nicely tanned and nearly constantly yawny. The Vale is such a nice place to relax when the weather's nice. Anywhere you look, there's a BBQ and people are playing frisbee or cricket or rugby. Apparently it's going to cool down mid-week so this weather must be enjoyed whilst it's still here. It feels more like a holiday camp now because of the amount of people hanging out there and the majority of people actually in bikinis and shorts, carrying towels to rest on. Yesterday I made some sausage rolls (from scratch, people!) and me and the boyf had a picnic of sorts and caught some rays.
It's all good.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not very interesting at all because I spent my entire time (okay so I slacked off a bit but TRIED to spend the entire time...) revising. If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll know I've been looking for work experience within the media. Well, I got an invite from Tim Dagger at the media centre on campus (tucked away under the Aston Webb building) to come in and have a look around and discuss a potential work placement. It all went very well and I'm awaiting information regarding dates and times. In addition to that, I emailed ITV and asked if they had anything for me. I got two separate replies. One was clearly from the secretary, or equivalent, telling me to apply in the normal way via the website. The other was more helpful. I was invited in for a day to see how everything works (which reminds me: update and print off CVs). I could choose this day due to what fits in my schedule so I waited for my exam to be done and the media centre interview to clarify a few things then gave them a date. I suggested either today or tomorrow. They chose tomorrow. At 9.30am. It'll take me about 45 minutes to walk there from my flat (I timed the way back when I went to find the place before). That'll be interesting! I'll report back in next week's post.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly chilling on the Vale. That was looovely! The sun and clear sky was making it be in the mid 20sC. I brought out a blanket and a book and chilled there for ages. I'm now quite nicely tanned and nearly constantly yawny. The Vale is such a nice place to relax when the weather's nice. Anywhere you look, there's a BBQ and people are playing frisbee or cricket or rugby. Apparently it's going to cool down mid-week so this weather must be enjoyed whilst it's still here. It feels more like a holiday camp now because of the amount of people hanging out there and the majority of people actually in bikinis and shorts, carrying towels to rest on. Yesterday I made some sausage rolls (from scratch, people!) and me and the boyf had a picnic of sorts and caught some rays.
It's all good.
Sunday 16 May 2010
Week 3: Keeping Busy
This week I've managed to do something every day which meant I was out of the flat or not in the mood for revising. I don't recommend that but it does mean I have a fair bit to report back on.
First of all, on Tuesday I decided to treat my boyfriend to a Big John's (Selly Oak's answer to halal KFC - with proper chips) after an exam he was dreading. Thankfully, it was a lovely day so we could eat it outside Joe's Bar (at the Guild) and enjoy the sun. Before coming to Uni, I generally didn't even think about take-away food because I always cooked it myself or my Mum would cook. My association with take-aways was (and still is, mostly) grease and fat and horrible stuff. I found Big John's, though, and treat myself to a dinner from there every few weeks. Ah and the milkshakes are gorgeous. Proper value for money!
Wednesday was insanely busy. I had to call for a committee meeting in the morning, for the Northern Society, because we needed to expand our committee and talk about a few more important things. That was really productive and we had a good discussion, coming up with many ideas both for now and for the next academic year. Then I went off to the centre to find a dress worthy of wow-ing my boyfriend as he had asked me out to dinner at Strada at the ICC in Brindley Place. I headed straight to New Look because I love their clothes and their prices are student-friendly. After spending about an hour trying on and deciding, I went up to pay and noticed they were running a limited student discount. Whipping out my NUS card, I slashed a £25 dress down to a £20 dress. Good times! On a different note, I'd reserved some dumbbells from Argos (in the Pallisades, the shopping centre attached to New Street and the Bull Ring) so I headed back to pick them up and go back to Tennis Courts to get ready. That was a silly idea. Dumbbells are heavy! I managed to get them back to my flat without any help but weighed the box - I'd been lugging about 20lbs (I weighed my weekly shop last week and that was about 30lbs altogether, too). Dinner was lovely. Strada is always a very good place to eat. The prices are not too bad and there's usually a discount voucher either online or laying around somewhere in a voucher book (about 10 got shoved through my flat door a while back so that's a lot of discounts right there!). For two main meals and a drink (I stuck with water, boyf had a coke - which is served in a posh bottle), we paid around £12. Well, when I say 'we', I mean 'he'.
Quite a few of the people on my course get involved in the Guild's many performance student groups. I've been to see them in Equus (amazing) and on Thursday I went to see Alice in Wonderland. The design of that piece was absolutely fantastic. The costumes were brilliant, the set was awesome and the use of lighting, especially to show Alice growing and shrinking, was really well thought out. Even if you're not naturally into theatre or performing, you should definitely go and see any of the many productions put on by the various performance groups. Even just to appreciate how much effort they put into them - whilst maintaining a good standard of work in their own degrees. Brilliant.
On Friday it was the End of Year Drama night out at the o2 for Propaganda. I don't really go out a lot but because this was the end of year one, I decided to make an effort and join them. I put the message out that I would provide my flat for the meeting point and we'd all go to Propaganda from there. The night was really fun and more people than I imagined turned up, which did wonders for my social esteem. I was able to let off some steam by dancing the night away to really good indie tunes and eventually getting back to my flat at about 3.30am. I'll definitely be joining the drama people for a night out again soon. It was good to see everyone again after finishing the year and not quite realising we had no more classes together until October.
This weekend has been a nice relaxing one, so far, and the only thing left to do is go to Bar One for a few games of pool and see if anyone turns up for the pub quiz. Due to exams, the quiz has been sparse for the past couple of weeks. They'll probably cancel it soon then restart it back in October. One thing I haven't indulged in is a BBQ on the Vale, which I assume is allowed because disposables are being sold in Cost Cutter and I haven't heard of anyone being told off for it, yet. That must be done before term ends completely.
First of all, on Tuesday I decided to treat my boyfriend to a Big John's (Selly Oak's answer to halal KFC - with proper chips) after an exam he was dreading. Thankfully, it was a lovely day so we could eat it outside Joe's Bar (at the Guild) and enjoy the sun. Before coming to Uni, I generally didn't even think about take-away food because I always cooked it myself or my Mum would cook. My association with take-aways was (and still is, mostly) grease and fat and horrible stuff. I found Big John's, though, and treat myself to a dinner from there every few weeks. Ah and the milkshakes are gorgeous. Proper value for money!
Wednesday was insanely busy. I had to call for a committee meeting in the morning, for the Northern Society, because we needed to expand our committee and talk about a few more important things. That was really productive and we had a good discussion, coming up with many ideas both for now and for the next academic year. Then I went off to the centre to find a dress worthy of wow-ing my boyfriend as he had asked me out to dinner at Strada at the ICC in Brindley Place. I headed straight to New Look because I love their clothes and their prices are student-friendly. After spending about an hour trying on and deciding, I went up to pay and noticed they were running a limited student discount. Whipping out my NUS card, I slashed a £25 dress down to a £20 dress. Good times! On a different note, I'd reserved some dumbbells from Argos (in the Pallisades, the shopping centre attached to New Street and the Bull Ring) so I headed back to pick them up and go back to Tennis Courts to get ready. That was a silly idea. Dumbbells are heavy! I managed to get them back to my flat without any help but weighed the box - I'd been lugging about 20lbs (I weighed my weekly shop last week and that was about 30lbs altogether, too). Dinner was lovely. Strada is always a very good place to eat. The prices are not too bad and there's usually a discount voucher either online or laying around somewhere in a voucher book (about 10 got shoved through my flat door a while back so that's a lot of discounts right there!). For two main meals and a drink (I stuck with water, boyf had a coke - which is served in a posh bottle), we paid around £12. Well, when I say 'we', I mean 'he'.
Quite a few of the people on my course get involved in the Guild's many performance student groups. I've been to see them in Equus (amazing) and on Thursday I went to see Alice in Wonderland. The design of that piece was absolutely fantastic. The costumes were brilliant, the set was awesome and the use of lighting, especially to show Alice growing and shrinking, was really well thought out. Even if you're not naturally into theatre or performing, you should definitely go and see any of the many productions put on by the various performance groups. Even just to appreciate how much effort they put into them - whilst maintaining a good standard of work in their own degrees. Brilliant.
On Friday it was the End of Year Drama night out at the o2 for Propaganda. I don't really go out a lot but because this was the end of year one, I decided to make an effort and join them. I put the message out that I would provide my flat for the meeting point and we'd all go to Propaganda from there. The night was really fun and more people than I imagined turned up, which did wonders for my social esteem. I was able to let off some steam by dancing the night away to really good indie tunes and eventually getting back to my flat at about 3.30am. I'll definitely be joining the drama people for a night out again soon. It was good to see everyone again after finishing the year and not quite realising we had no more classes together until October.
This weekend has been a nice relaxing one, so far, and the only thing left to do is go to Bar One for a few games of pool and see if anyone turns up for the pub quiz. Due to exams, the quiz has been sparse for the past couple of weeks. They'll probably cancel it soon then restart it back in October. One thing I haven't indulged in is a BBQ on the Vale, which I assume is allowed because disposables are being sold in Cost Cutter and I haven't heard of anyone being told off for it, yet. That must be done before term ends completely.
Saturday 8 May 2010
Week 2: Trying to see it from a different perspective
First of all, I don't think I'll bother commenting on the election fiasco. The rest of the world's media has done that brilliantly and precisely (even though I still don't think my vote helped things particularly).
This week's post will be a very honest, open view on student life from the perspective of someone who doesn't go out every week or even every three weeks. I prefer a quieter night in. Last week I mentioned meeting up with friends and going for a drink at Bar One, the bar on the Vale. That was definitely what I would call is 'my territory'. Personally, I see massive clubs like Gatecrasher and so on (see, I haven't even got a wealth of experience there to mention a few more) to be places I'd go to for occasions. Perhaps that sounded a little bitter but there's a reason for this. I've mentioned in previous posts about the atmosphere in university halls. You have to be prepared for interrupted sleep on nights that are frequent to begin with then they die down and happen only twice a week then they creep up again and so on.
I have to be blunt: I don't necessarily feel a part of the community of Tennis Court. I haven't met many people yet who don't have the, shall we say, typical student mentality of work vs play. I'm working on that. I am, though, counting down the days (two months!) until I'm in my second year house and I know I won't have to worry about the kitchen being an utter disgrace. My flat failed our recent flat inspection twice. It was spotless after the second inspection because the boys realised what they were living in. When I was the last one to leave, at Easter, I'd tidied the kitchen up nicely so I'd have something nice and fresh to come back to. I then polished it up a bit when I returned. Then it got messy. It stayed messy for two weeks. This morning I decided that just wasn't acceptable any more and I cleaned up. Luckily, the boys appreciate when this happens and I buttered them up even more with some freshly baked cupcakes so hopefully the kitchen will stay at least in an acceptable state.
In a small aside - I'm loving Doctor Who right now. Apart from the episode that was on tonight. That was slightly naff. Not quite as genius as Steven Moffat's weeping angels. Watching Confidential (which is arguably my favourite of the two parts - main then behind the scenes) I began to see how the true story linked in with the writer's idea. It kind of made sense. I'm not a history buff, though, so it took a few facts and a history lesson from one of the residents for me to understand a snippet. It's a good series, though. Ok maybe that wasn't such a small aside. And I could discuss the matter further.
Adding to my waiting game, I'm also looking forward to transforming my crowded room into a whole house. The person I'm living with - my boyfriend - may not be staying with me over summer because he'd like to spend some time at home so I'll have the house to myself for however long I stay there for (I'm thinking of getting work experience here while I have a few months spare). That means I can really move in and organise my stuff. I can buy a book shelf and make a mini library corner and a desk to put my old PC on and a little exercise corner next to the TV and a work corner in my room with all my folders. Ooh, exciting! And a shoe corner. Can't forget the shoes.
The Northern Society have been on hiatus to figure a few things out and we're back to the drawing board. Hopefully there will be more interesting news to come, with that. I urge all potential freshers to look out for us at Freshers Fair.
This week's post will be a very honest, open view on student life from the perspective of someone who doesn't go out every week or even every three weeks. I prefer a quieter night in. Last week I mentioned meeting up with friends and going for a drink at Bar One, the bar on the Vale. That was definitely what I would call is 'my territory'. Personally, I see massive clubs like Gatecrasher and so on (see, I haven't even got a wealth of experience there to mention a few more) to be places I'd go to for occasions. Perhaps that sounded a little bitter but there's a reason for this. I've mentioned in previous posts about the atmosphere in university halls. You have to be prepared for interrupted sleep on nights that are frequent to begin with then they die down and happen only twice a week then they creep up again and so on.
I have to be blunt: I don't necessarily feel a part of the community of Tennis Court. I haven't met many people yet who don't have the, shall we say, typical student mentality of work vs play. I'm working on that. I am, though, counting down the days (two months!) until I'm in my second year house and I know I won't have to worry about the kitchen being an utter disgrace. My flat failed our recent flat inspection twice. It was spotless after the second inspection because the boys realised what they were living in. When I was the last one to leave, at Easter, I'd tidied the kitchen up nicely so I'd have something nice and fresh to come back to. I then polished it up a bit when I returned. Then it got messy. It stayed messy for two weeks. This morning I decided that just wasn't acceptable any more and I cleaned up. Luckily, the boys appreciate when this happens and I buttered them up even more with some freshly baked cupcakes so hopefully the kitchen will stay at least in an acceptable state.
In a small aside - I'm loving Doctor Who right now. Apart from the episode that was on tonight. That was slightly naff. Not quite as genius as Steven Moffat's weeping angels. Watching Confidential (which is arguably my favourite of the two parts - main then behind the scenes) I began to see how the true story linked in with the writer's idea. It kind of made sense. I'm not a history buff, though, so it took a few facts and a history lesson from one of the residents for me to understand a snippet. It's a good series, though. Ok maybe that wasn't such a small aside. And I could discuss the matter further.
Adding to my waiting game, I'm also looking forward to transforming my crowded room into a whole house. The person I'm living with - my boyfriend - may not be staying with me over summer because he'd like to spend some time at home so I'll have the house to myself for however long I stay there for (I'm thinking of getting work experience here while I have a few months spare). That means I can really move in and organise my stuff. I can buy a book shelf and make a mini library corner and a desk to put my old PC on and a little exercise corner next to the TV and a work corner in my room with all my folders. Ooh, exciting! And a shoe corner. Can't forget the shoes.
The Northern Society have been on hiatus to figure a few things out and we're back to the drawing board. Hopefully there will be more interesting news to come, with that. I urge all potential freshers to look out for us at Freshers Fair.
Saturday 1 May 2010
Final Term: Week 1: Election Hosting and the Two Bars
Firstly, the University of Birmingham hosted the political debate this week. One of the things promoted by the Guild was the vote for students campaign. They encouraged everyone to wear either a Vote for Students shirt or just a pink themed outfit. The first thing that sprang to mind, apart from 'I don't own any pink' was 'I can't wear red, then'. I'm all for this particular campaign because it's about tuition fees and such but the first thing I think of when a 'wear -colour-' day comes up is either the lack of that colour in my wardrobe or the clash of colour that I will likely choose instead. I wore blue on Thursday. No pink.
Aside from the colour grumble, having the UK's media on campus was mental! It was a perfect opportunity for me and my friend because we both wanted to get some work experience in the TV industry so rather than shamelessly standing in the background of a shot we went and spoke to a few people and got some contact details. There was definitely a buzz around campus and everyone was excited to see Mandleson roaming free with a camera on him.
In other news, Joe's Bar has been moved and prettied up! Joe's is the bar in the Guild of Students on the main campus, where you can go for a drink or some food any time of the day and where quite a few events are held in the evenings. I love spending time in Joe's - even more so now that it's all done up. The prices are really good, too. For half a four seasons pizza (which, to me, could well have been a full pizza as it was a generous half) it's £3. A huge portion of chips (and I mean HUGE) it's about £2. Absolute bargain. It's all freshly made in the kitchens of Joe's, too, so it's very good quality food. If I wasn't so conscious about calories, I'd have my lunch there most days. There's also the biggest dessert in the world (perhaps not an official claim but it is pretty huge) which is aptly named the 'University Challenge', with the tag line 'do you dare or do you have to share?'. Fantastic! The onion ring tower also looks interesting. ...now I'm hungry.
Last night I met up with one of my friends from back home. He brought his BCU (Birmingham City University) friend along and I brought my boyfriend along so we all sat on Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and had a drink together then played some pool. Our original option was to go to Broad Street but considering it was a Friday night we didn't want to get caught in the mass crowds of people going to Gatecrasher and such like. Bar One always has a good atmosphere and plays good music so it was definitely a better idea. It's £1 for two games of pool (or 60p for one) so we played a good few games, which was a welcome return as I played a lot of pool in the last two terms and was itching to get back there. On Sunday I'll be returning to Bar One for the Pub Quiz again. Not quite sure what our team name should be this time round.
Through the whole of the Easter break I've been doing work and avoiding doing work. Thankfully, I only have one essay left to complete then only one exam on the 19th May then I'm done for first year. I'll still continue blogging after I've finished because I'll still be in Birmingham for the rest of the term. The contract for halls ends on July 4th and my second year house contract starts on July 1st so I'm taking advantage of that convenience and will be moving my stuff over gradually. But, as I said, I still have one essay to complete. That's in for Tuesday so I better get cracking!
Aside from the colour grumble, having the UK's media on campus was mental! It was a perfect opportunity for me and my friend because we both wanted to get some work experience in the TV industry so rather than shamelessly standing in the background of a shot we went and spoke to a few people and got some contact details. There was definitely a buzz around campus and everyone was excited to see Mandleson roaming free with a camera on him.
In other news, Joe's Bar has been moved and prettied up! Joe's is the bar in the Guild of Students on the main campus, where you can go for a drink or some food any time of the day and where quite a few events are held in the evenings. I love spending time in Joe's - even more so now that it's all done up. The prices are really good, too. For half a four seasons pizza (which, to me, could well have been a full pizza as it was a generous half) it's £3. A huge portion of chips (and I mean HUGE) it's about £2. Absolute bargain. It's all freshly made in the kitchens of Joe's, too, so it's very good quality food. If I wasn't so conscious about calories, I'd have my lunch there most days. There's also the biggest dessert in the world (perhaps not an official claim but it is pretty huge) which is aptly named the 'University Challenge', with the tag line 'do you dare or do you have to share?'. Fantastic! The onion ring tower also looks interesting. ...now I'm hungry.
Last night I met up with one of my friends from back home. He brought his BCU (Birmingham City University) friend along and I brought my boyfriend along so we all sat on Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and had a drink together then played some pool. Our original option was to go to Broad Street but considering it was a Friday night we didn't want to get caught in the mass crowds of people going to Gatecrasher and such like. Bar One always has a good atmosphere and plays good music so it was definitely a better idea. It's £1 for two games of pool (or 60p for one) so we played a good few games, which was a welcome return as I played a lot of pool in the last two terms and was itching to get back there. On Sunday I'll be returning to Bar One for the Pub Quiz again. Not quite sure what our team name should be this time round.
Through the whole of the Easter break I've been doing work and avoiding doing work. Thankfully, I only have one essay left to complete then only one exam on the 19th May then I'm done for first year. I'll still continue blogging after I've finished because I'll still be in Birmingham for the rest of the term. The contract for halls ends on July 4th and my second year house contract starts on July 1st so I'm taking advantage of that convenience and will be moving my stuff over gradually. But, as I said, I still have one essay to complete. That's in for Tuesday so I better get cracking!
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Name: Vici Royle