Week 15: Last week off!

Hi there!

As I write this, I've just had my first lecture back at uni! But I'm going to keep Monday as my upload day for this blog so I can talk about the week prior (so I won't tell you about today's lecture until next week!).

So obviously, as I only just got back to uni there's not much to say about last week but I still wanted to document it a little - this blog is so I can look back at the end of my degree or when I'm 30 and think back to the times I had at uni from a more academic perspective. I've got a personal blog and YouTube for the other stuff!

This week wasn't very eventful - I had a very bad day Sunday and Monday I was recovering but Tuesday my dad came down to visit so I got to have dinner with him and spend Wednesday shopping with him (he bought me a lot of food from Sainsburys and a new phone to replace the one I dropped... oops?). Thursday, I woke up very early (considering I've not been up for uni in three weeks!) and met my dad at 9am to see him off and then I went back to bed. I was supposed to be having a 'day' with the boyfriend but he didn't get up till about 3pm so it was more of an afternoon/evening! 

Friday I had a lie in and then did some baking in the evening, then I played some very competitive MarioKart with my boyfriend and our friend. They were so loud that security came up with a noise complaint but it was funny none the less. 

Saturday was all baking and helping my friend set up his YouTube channel before a Sprinkles date with the best banoffee pancakes I've ever had and Sunday was my boyfriend's birthday!

So I stayed up fairly late because my 9am this morning but it was worth every second.

When I think about it like this it was a busy week, but I'm almost looking forward to going back to uni and having a bit more routine this week - I even joined a gym today!

Here's to getting back to normality and 9am's!




Personal blog: http://sophiecountsclouds.blogspot.co.uk/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SophieCountsClouds
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieALuckett

Week 14... Still not back at uni!

Hello!

Whilst I'm still not back at uni yet, this week drawing to a close marks the end of my 'work experience' weeks, sees me past my last two deadlines and into a week of completely freedom.

I am disappointed not to have had work experience right now, but I'm so glad to have had the time to work on my photography deadline - I love photography, taking photos is something I've become really passionate about since I started learning about it professionally but the portfolio work was stressful to say the least!

But I got the first assignment done with a total of 2000 words and the second assignment I put my heart and soul into with only a few words shy of 10,000 words! That second assignment was the one I really got into though and took pictures of stuff I was interested in and cared about, which I didn't with 75% of the first assignment so it was more difficult to finish.

So after many very, very late nights (I never want to see 7am again) I got everything submitted! I'm so proud of my second assignment and I hope it'll pull up the grade for the first one. It's all behind me now!

In the few days I've had off I've been reading (I finished a book and wrote a review on my personal blog, Sophie Counts Clouds that I'm really proud of!), sleeping, looking after my ill boyfriend and perking up late at night and writing three blog posts in one go!

That definitely isn't tonight. I definitely didn't write a post on SophieCountsClouds, for UCAS and here all in one night... I'm feeling inspired and motivated right now!

I really have got a new found love for blogging - now that I've finished blogging every single day on my personal blog, I get to blog when I choose and I'm writing posts that are longer, more in-depth and generally better! I'm so proud.

My goal for the next week is to look into and send some emails to companies regarding doing work experience during the Easter Holidays (because I missed my chance in the last two weeks) - I'm particularly interested in radio, photography or blogging so any tips would be much appreciated! I figure if I write this goal here, I can feedback next week with how well I did!

However, my dad is visiting next week and it's my boyfriend's birthday so I'm going to do some baking for a little tiny gathering-that-doesn't-quite-deserve-to-be-called-a-party-thing we're having! It's going to be busy and I'm looking forward to some more structure.

I'm also going to a workshop on blogging with a guest speaker and another workshop on handling stress, so I'm looking forward to those too!

I'm actually looking forward to going back to uni and getting a bit more structure in my life!




Personal blog: http://sophiecountsclouds.blogspot.co.uk/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SophieCountsClouds
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieALuckett

New Years update!

Hello!

It's been a lot longer since I updated this blog than I intended! I full intended to write the reflection of Week 12 when I was back home for Christmas so I could write about the whole week but then I was home... and it was Christmas... and I had friends to meet up with and I got my hair cut short and I was very busy!

Short hair and dark lip - my Christmas attire!

Now I can't really recall my last week all that well - last time I wrote a blog, I'd thought I'd just failed my last audio assignment. That Friday I didn't do anything in the photography studio - I helped James with his photography and then we both took an early day (I think?). That Friday was also my last writing deadline and I got that in on time too - I should be getting the results for that pretty soon.

I can't remember what I did that weekend - I can't remember what happened on my Monday seminars though I know I did write another little feature on All Time Low announced a new opening act for their UK tour this year (my last post on this blog!).

That Wednesday was our last News Day of Semester 1 and so began the descent of my health - I felt a bit sniffly, my throat was a bit sore at the beginning of Wednesday but I put it behind me, helped create audio for two stories and had a fairly long day but that night I was having a little Christmas party with my friends with take out pizza, MarioKart and little presents.

Unfortunately, by that end of the day I sounded very bunged up, I was struggling to stay awake and did have a little nap in the middle of the Squad party. I felt very, very ill by the end of the night and I was 90% sure I wasn't going to go in for my audio feedback session the following day because it would take me longer to get to and from uni than I would be in uni for.

However I woke up at 10.43 the following day when I needed to be in at 10.50 and instead of letting myself wallow in self-pity and my inability to talk as my sickness developed (can I make it sound any more dramatic?!), I threw on some clothes and practically ran into uni being only four minutes late.

It was so worth it though because whilst I only just scraped a third in the assignment I assumed I failed (I was only 2% off being wrong) but in the first audio assignment I submitted in November went really well! I got a first! The first even assignment I did and I got a first! And talking through the other assignment, my tutors said that if I hadn't been ill on the Thursday before and been able to go into uni and show them my work then I definitely would have done miles, miles better and they said my overall grade didn't reflect my abilities.

Happy, poorly Sophie was very happy and went back to her room with uncontainable glee!! I managed to keep myself somewhat motivated and do a few more jobs that day and it wasn't until that evening that it became another very late night and a very ill Sophie.

Apparently I talk in third person now too?

However, I was travelling home for Christmas on the Friday night so while I was so ill I only managed to make it into photography for 15 minutes and then I packed up the rest of stuff and had a very casual walk to the train station. We even opted for taking a taxi across London rather than the underground because our suitcases were so heavy and I felt so awful.

But that was the end of my first semester at university! It went so much better than I thought it would and I found out I got a 2:1 on my news stories assignment too - I'm lucky enough that weeks 13, 14 and 15 aren't actual academic weeks for me.

Weeks 13 and 14 are meant to be work experience weeks however I didn't acquire any work experience so I'm using the time to work on my photography assignment, which I really got my teeth into today, as shown by my studio set up in the header photo - I got my last theme done, I've done some of the computer work for the other assignment and I got some recreational photography and a blog post on my personal blog Sophie Counts Clouds so all in all, a very productive day!

A good day like this really does help my motivation - I've got two more shoots planned for tomorrow and then it's all just portfolio and computer work! I'm feeling good.

When I start uni properly again on week 16 (25th January) I'll continue with regular blogging schedule, however I do intend to keep updating this blog with what I'm doing with my time 'off' (ish) too - excited to be blogging again!

Bring on Semester 2!




Personal blog: http://sophiecountsclouds.blogspot.co.uk/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SophieCountsClouds
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieALuckett