Happy New Year 2013

2013 is here.  A New Year I am so happy to see.  Glad to be in a new year.  It is brilliant.  I have my friends and family by my side.  Hope everyone’s Christmas and New Years’ was a good celebration.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I had a nice relaxing and fun time with family and friends and also some alone time to reflect and get some university work done.  I can’t forget about doing university work.  It is very important and my ultimate main priority.

Thinking back in the end days of 2012, I kept asking myself the question …

… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO BETTER FOR 2013?

These bullet points below are some of the things that I came up with

·        Put my work first

·        Achieve to the best of my ability

·        Persevere and never give up

·        Work hard at all times

·        No distractions

·        Concentrate on what is important

·        Enjoy life

It is all about building up a great future for yourself so why not start off the year with a bang.

Whatever happens this year, make it a good one.  Leave the past in the past; it’s time for a fresh start.  All the mistakes that were made last year are not to be repeated.  As humans, most of us learn from our mistakes and promise never to make them again.  If you’re like that then that’s great.  You can move on in life without thinking of past issues. 

The best advice I could give is focus on work and don’t waste time on unnecessary things.

Countdown to Christmas

Christmas is near! I cannot wait to be back home.  It is going to be brilliant.  I have my friends and family waiting for my arrival.  However, before the excitement, I have to stop and think, what is Christmas really all about?

Christmas is a time of giving, and celebrating the birth of Jesus (Christian belief).  It is a great festive time of the year that draws people together.  I personally love this time of year due to the different atmosphere that is created around this festive period.  Joy, happiness, family, and friends coming together, presents and food are just a few factors that are involved around Christmas.  I believe it is a time where people can wipe the slate clean and ask for forgiveness. There will be peace between others and a kind act of sharing and love will be consumed.

Overall, it is a time to reflect on the good things you have in life and appreciate them more than you had ever done before.  Never take things or people for granted because one day you will truly need it or them but might not have it or them around anymore.

Always learn from your mistakes and try to put them right.  Be thankful this Christmas and enjoy yourself.  Please don’t drink too much Mulled Wine and eat too much Christmas cake and mince pies.  All should be done in moderation. J

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE and I hope you have a great break.  Rest well and stay safe.  Get ready to party but also remember to do your university work.

Looking forward to the New Year 2013, see you there.  Peace. Joy. Happiness!!

The big approach to Christmas

If you haven’t already realised, Christmas is just around the corner.  That means it’s time to start your Christmas shopping and send out the family invites or receive the family invites.  If you are fortune to go away this Christmas then, that is a big bonus.  Unfortunately, I will not be abroad this year therefore,  I will be stuck here in the cold.  The plus side of staying here though is, it should still be great fun spending time with my family and friends.  In the meantime during the festive season, I will be having to sort out my assignments that will be due on my return to university.

I hope that I can relax over this nice festive break and not worry about university.  I would not like to be stressed out about university work over that period.  Definitely looking forward to being back home with my family and friends, enjoying each others company, receiving and giving presents and eating lots of food.  Hopefully nothing spoils the plans.

One hard decision currently in my mind is deciding what present(s) to get each person.  It takes a lot of thinking, preparation, budgeting and not forgetting the main thing: “time” to get the perfect present for everyone. 

I plan to volunteer my time; during this festive break, to shelters or places where they feed the hungry and needy people.  I do like to play my part in society when I have time to spare.  I need to get my priorities straight then, all the fun can come afterwards ideally. 

In my household, it’s a family tradition to put the christmas tree and lights up together.  It cannot be missed for any reason.  Already, I have seen christmas lights up in and on people’s house nevertheless, the stores have got ahead of the game as they started selling christmas items back in late September, early October.  All I know is, I cannot wait to see the snow, and enjoy my Christmas break off from university.

Assignments, tests, meetings… … Anymore!

These past few weeks have been very hectic.  So much to do but, so little time.   To be honest, when I first saw my timetable I thought it was great.  OH, how I was wrong!! I underestimated it completely.  Ever since the first assignment it hasn’t been a smooth time at university.  No breaks, no weekends, just work, work, work.  The pressure mounts up till you can’t think of what to do next.  Even if you start your work on time, it doesn’t help the fact that you have a minimum of five things to do, all at once.  There isn’t time to have much of a social life either.

University life is hard to manage when you’ve got other personal things to sort out.  Remember I mentionned applying to work placements for my year out of university before I graduate?... Well I have been occupied with work placement applications these past couple of weeks.  I am just waiting to hear back from the companies now.  I guess I did get distracted from my university work by applying to the different companies.  That wasn’t not good at all because now it means I have to sacrifice my social time in order to get back on track.

I have learnt that it is not only about what you can get out of something, it is what you can do or put into that thing in order to fulfil your full potential.  The best thing to do is work hard.  Put your head down and work.  Once it’s over, you can rejoice and celebrate because you will regain your freedom and life.

Going back to first year when the days were much more fun and less tiring would be a wish come true but not at very possible.  Second year is a learning curve that you as a person have to be willing to take.  I am a person who is willing to take on this learning curve and fulfil my potential.  Now ask yourself the question: “Are you?”

Another week, another assignment

At the moment the work load isn’t so bad. The routine nowadays feels like once you hand-in your completed current assignment, another one just appears straight after.  No break to relax, just work, work, and more work.  That is a main factor that has increased from first year studying on this course and now in second year.  Just to be honest, the work load has increased therefore the pressure has grown over time.  I am presently on target with my assignments.  I like to plan before starting my assignments as it gives me a clear picture as to what I need to do in order to complete the assignments in the best possible way I can.

At present, it is quite good to start assignments at the same time even if one is due later than the other.  It gives you a better balance for the completion of the assignments.

After completing my assignments, I like to relax and chill out with my friends.  One good, chillaxing place that is in the Medway area to go to is Dockside retail centre.  It is a place in Chatham that has restaurants, shops and a cinema!!!

It’s definitely one of my favourite places in Chatham.  It’s also close to the university so it’s good in the sense of convenience when you want a break or to treat yourself.

 One of my favourite things to do is shop!! So I take advantage of the little shops Dockside retail centre has.  My best friend and I love shopping.  It’s easier to get to compared to Bluewater.  Another favourite of mine is going to the cinema with my friends.  I have been having a bit of fun over the couple months at university. 

It wasn’t only doing work, I enjoyed myself after completing my assignments.  I went out with my best friends to the cinema to watch the new Bond movie – ‘Skyfall’.  That was a great movie.  It’s a must-see movie.  The couple weeks before that, we went to watch ‘Taken 2’.  The next movies to watch are: Argo, Twilight (Breaking Dawn: Part Two) and many more.  I just have to set my priorities first and get the work out of the way before I can commit to going to have fun.

                                                007.com                                                              www.impawards.com 

Welcome to University

Currently in second year, it has been very practical and straightforward.  We have already been given assignments, labs, tasks and group work to do and hand- in before a certain deadline.  Doing all these things mentioned above and having a social life is very, very hard to juggle. Unless you are a good juggler then my outlook on the situation is to forget about having a social life for now until the work load dies down a bit or you have a lot of time to get the tasks and assignments done and handed in before the deadline.



oxfordschoolblogs.co.uk

 

I can imagine at this stage, you’re thinking this can’t be true… but believe me, IT’S TRUE!  The work load piles up if you don’t get it started early.  The earlier you start the assignments and/or tasks, the easier your life will seem.  I like to say, “NEVER leave the work till last minute”.  This is not good for you as it will cause stress when rushing to do everything all at once and it shows you are not in control of what you are doing.  My friends and I say, “Welcome to Uni” as the work gets harder, the stress of getting things right is building. That’s the only disadvantage I have experienced so far.

Not all bad comes out of this life at university. There is a saying that, “good things come/happen to those that wait”.  Overall, university is still great. It just has its moments that make you feel down. Don’t worry, after the assignments have been completed and handed in, you can rejoice and have a celebration party. 

It’s not all bad and it’s not all about work, work, and more work.  Everybody deserves a break and a relaxation period once in a while.

Some calming remedies that I use personally are:

·        Use a stress ball- will draw all your stressful energy away

·        Exercise or get fresh air and have long walks around (alone or with friends)

·        Do a different activity (preferably something fun that you love to do)

·        Listen to soothing music

·        Call a friend(s) or family member(s)

spiritualinspiration.tumblr.com

My time at uni - More weeks ahead

University life as a whole is going really well at this point.  At the moment, I enjoy every minute of it.  Already I’ve learnt new things and been able to refresh my memory on the previous topics I learnt last year.  It is very important to remember both last years’ and this years’ topics.  They are needed for exams, assignments and are good to apply in the real world of working in the IT/ software engineering industry. 

Already in my Database Systems course, I had to do an online quiz relating to the course.  It was a good quiz.  More quizzes to come in the future so I should be prepared.  I’ve received an assignment already and l’ve been given lab work to complete.  Fortunately, there isn’t a great demand to have logbooks as there was last year.  That is a great advantage as it saves me time and allows me to concentrate on my actually assignment(s) and lab work that I need to produce and complete.

My goals/priorities for this year is to produce excellent work, complete my assignments way in advance and read up on topics relating to the course in advance. 

At the moment as it is quite quiet with the amount of work needed to do, I’ve been reading up on different topics and looking for work placements that I could apply to for next year on my industrial year out of university.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next year where I CAN EARN WHILE I LEARN!!

Word of advice when you’re in second year, it’s better to start looking at placements early so you know what companies want and are expecting.  It’s also good so you know if you are able to get a place at the company of your choice.  Another tip is to get your CV up-to-date.  This is really important when applying for work in the industry where you would like to work.  There is a module in the second year of my course that helps you to develop your CV to a standard that reflects what companies would like to see in an applicant.  The GET/ jobshop team are very helpful in that department as they have lots of experience, contacts and advice to give you as a student.

Well that’s enough from me for now, there’s more to come.  Stay in touch.