November Favourites

So my friend has started doing this thing on his blogs monthly where he puts his favourite things of the moment down, so I decided to perhaps do the same. It'll be good for me to get back into the swing of things!

TV Show

Right now I am just loving Modern Family. I started watching it a couple of weeks ago at the insistence on one of my friends and already have seen the whole first season. It's fantastic!

Quite possibly the most dysfunctional family ever.

Songs

Every month I make a playlist full of songs I love and am listening to at the minute, here are some of the songs being played on my November 2011 playlist.

It's All Over - Glee Cast

You and I - Lady Gaga

Don't Mess With Me - Temposhark

Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

Not That Big - Temposhark ft. Imogen Heap

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine

Film

Titanic, I just rewatched it and forgot quite how good it was. 

Really should have used a breathmint... 

I mean, it's heart wrenching, so sad, I normally end up mourning Jack for around two days after seeing the film ( I get into it, okay ) and how gorgeous is Leonardo DiCaprio?! Yeah, 'nuff said. 

Wow...

So it's been a long long time since I posted on here! I used to have funny things to post but at the moment I've not got anything, sort of moved on to tumblr so... 

Christmas

And so December is upon us, which means in just twenty-five days (or less depending on when you are reading this) it shall be Christmas Day. 


I love Christmas, I love getting excited for it, I love decorating the flat for Christmas, I love standing outside in the freezing cold pretending to like mulled wine (for 2 sips and then giving it to someone else) that you paid an absolute fortune for (£5.50). I love it, I love browsing the German Market, I love it when it gets snowy, I love Christmas. 

Merry Christmas!

However what I do not love about Christmas is the stress to get everyones presents. That part, I hate. Presents are a big deal, but I try to only get presents for family, and close friends, because it just makes it so much easier that way. But there's still the panic, are you going to get someone more than what they got you? If you're disappointed by a present you have to hide it... It's difficult.


To be honest the day I look the most forward to is Christmas Eve. You cannot go wrong with Christmas Eve. It's impossible. The anticipation for the next morning is still there, you spend more time with family and less time with presents or being rushed around cooking a dinner, helping or whatever it is you choose to do with your day. 


Christmas Eve is that perfect day where everything is done, you do not need to worry about anything else now, everything is done, you can relax, whatever is going to go wrong the next day cannot be changed now, just relax. It's perfect. I love it. 


However this snow at the moment, I am not so fond of to be honest. The snow that has closed my university, the snow that makes walking to work in the morning take twice as long, the snow that has everyone moaning and complaining about it. Let's just get on with it and hope it goes away. 

My Experience With Presentations

So as I have previously mentioned on this blog, I'm not the worlds best person when it comes to presentations, in fact, I'm really quite terrible with them. My problem is that I work myself up so much about them, that it's easier just to not think about it, and pretend that absolutely nothing is happening, pretend that I don't have to get up and stand and talk about things in front of people for a while. 


This is kind of what that goes like:

Not pictured: Studying

Anyway, so I sit around in happy-la-la-land for about a month or so before something snaps and I end up sitting up for most of the night cursing myself and frantically trying to do something worthwhile for my presentation. The presentation for my university course wasn't the first presentation or talk I have ever had to give. 

Here are some of my experiences that go way back... 

I remember doing one in Primary 7, to the whole class, on polar bears. And it was okay, I was really nervous but it was okay, I had a big piece of cardboard paper with pictures for people to look at. And back then seemed to be before my cycle of denial began.

But then in Secondary 1 or 2, I can't remember which, we had to give a talk to the class on something like our favourite holiday or something. I can't remember. And I was terrified, I convinced myself I could wing it, as long as I didn't think about it, I would be okay. 

I forgot though that I was quite terrified of certain social situations, one of them being standing up and having over twenty of your peers (who you don't know that well and probably don't like you anyway) staring at you and waiting for you to say something worthwhile, is at the top of that list. 

And I was awful, she picked me first or second, I was definitely at the very start anyway and I got up and slowly walked my way to the front of the classroom, wanting to die. I stuttered and stammered, went bright red and kept fidgeting with the cords on my cardigan, before finally I could go and sit down and pretend I didn't need any friends - since I definitely wasn't going to have any now. 

I remained terrified but knowing I was going to have to come across talks again in the future and in 3rd and 4th year I did, but the teacher did them in a way that meant we could do them in little groups of 3 or 4 outside of the classroom, and sitting down, so we didn't need to stand up and present it. Which I found much nicer and easier to deal with. 

But as the years passed my aversion to presentations got worse and I did as much as I could to avoid them altogether.

But my degree is very important to me, without my degree I can't do my chosen career and without that then I will never feel any self-worth. I'm a very career orientated person. 

So I was going to have to do this presentation, whether I wanted to or not. So eventually when I was at about 3 days till the presentation it hit me I had a presentation to do and dammit it was important. I decided I no longer needed to sleep and just stayed up all night revising, and reading books called Automotive Ergonomics. 

And then I did it. I did the presentation, I didn't want to but I did, and when my lecturer told me what I got I was practically blown off my feet. 95%! How crazy is that? 

So I had a celebratory day off uni work and spent the day in bed. They are my favourite kind of days.... 

I'm in heaven now.

40 Things

This is a blog meme I found a while ago, I don't have the link to it anymore but if anyone fancies copying it from me go ahead! Although this isn't my own original material (well the answers are but not the questions).

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

I started university!

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn't really have any resolutions, apart from to do the Moonwalk, which I did!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister did, just two weeks ago!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Nobody that I was particularly close to as in, spoke to regularly and saw a lot, but a few people I knew, did.

5. What countries did you visit?

France, England.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

I would like to have more money.... hey we can dream?

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?

Feb 22nd - my eighteenth birthday. Feb 23rd - when I got to see Wicked for the first and as of yet, only time. April 16th - Nickys birthday. August 13th - My sisters birthday!  Nov 1st - My nephews birthday :) when he was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting into uni!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not going home for the summer.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing serious just a chest infection over the summer.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

MY IPHONE :) 

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

What? I don't know, a lot of peoples! 

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

A couple of people's did, but I shan't get into that here.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Food and bills

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

WICKED! My eighteenth, Paris! And Kians birth.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2010?

Oh quite a few.... that Americano song! Bad Romance, Telephone, basically any song that was a hit this year.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

happier or sadder? A bit of both?
thinner or fatter? Fatter I think.
richer or poorer? Poorer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Enjoyed the sun a bit more when it was here!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Wasted money.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

At home with my mam having a lovely family day.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

It's a toss up between Nicky, my mam and my stepmam.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?

I already was in love.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?

Big fat zerroooo

24. What was your favourite TV program?

LOST

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Hate is a strong word, I dislike people now that I didn't dislike this time last year.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?

I read quite a few books. Difficult to choose.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Lady Gaga ;)

28. What did you want and get?

To go to university.

29. What did you want and not get?

Money..... oh if only I could be so luckyyyy.

30. What were your favourite films of this year?

Made in Dagenham was fantastic. Can't remember other films I saw! Terrible.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 18, and I spent the morning at my dads house and then went into town to get my iPhone, and then spent the afternoon with my best friends and then my mam and sister surprised me! My boyfriend was there the whole day it was fantastic, then the next day my mam and sister and I went to London. :) 

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Moving into a nice flat, feeling closer to friends and family and getting to university. Having a future. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

It changes a lot.

34. What kept you sane?

My friends and family

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Zac Efron.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election.

37. Who did you miss?

Some people I am not so close to anymore.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Oh god a few! All my friends I made at university, friends I met at work.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

I can't think of one this very second...

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

"You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream" :)