Roo's Party

Jess, Phil & Ella, & Ella's gin in a tea cup..

Flop looking happy, curly, and colourful.. mmm beads :)

Roo's party was really cool. I hadn't been to one of his since about 2 weeks after me and Will got back together (which is a VERY long time ago). It was the random assortment of people and alcohol that made it.

Jess, Ella and I made a squomellette which was wonderful even if half its mass was made up of oregano. I can't actually remember much else that happened, but I definitely enjoyed myself. Lovely to see all my friends again. Oh, and there was one particular story that had me in hysterics, but I'm not at liberty to share it :) Most people know it anyway :D Hahaha!

Oh, and it was brilliant to catch up with Flop. She always was one of my 'inners', and always shall be. A friend I can leave for a couple of months and know that our friendship, love and trust is not weakened.

Ian's Birthday

Just look at his golden locks!

Woo! Thanks to Ian for another excellent evening.

We drank, and ate, and danced :) And played with waterbombs.. I had a thoroughly brilliant time. It was nice to get to know Kaili and Scarlet a little better and to meet Fran. Despite copious amounts of smoke billowing out of the kitchen and Tescos failing to provide squid.. and having to serve part of the main course with the icecream because someone *cough* forgot about it, the food was really lovely!

Oh, and Kaili has rescued Ian from his connection to the unholy-kill-me-now-rocket-cocktail by creating a New and Drinkable cocktail known as the Manning Frenzy. I'd say what's in it, but it's copyrighted to Kaili, so you'll just have to ask her :p

Friday Night

Vikki! (and me)

Caught up with a lot of friends, and generally had a great time. Vikki came over to chat to me. She started our chat by introducing me to someone called Ian and advising me (infront of him) not to sleep with him (hah, he had no chance). She ended our chat by loudly declaring that rope was great, that metal was better than rope, and that leather was better than either of them. She then walked into a door.

I also got a fantastic text from a very special friend who dropped for the first time. I wish I could have been there with her - maybe next time? :)

The Last Day

mmmjessspliffsunphillukebikeendofschoolhappiness :)

Last lessons were lovely. Chilford was lovely. And walking out in the sun with Phil, Luke and Jess - pausing in the shade to relax - it was beyond lovely. Friends are the most amazing things in the world. A day like Friday really brought that back to me. All that emotion - all those wonderful people. Everyone appreciating what we have and preparing to say good bye to a lot of it. It was sad and happy and exciting and my heart, that yearns so often - be it for love, success, peace or whatever, felt satisfied for the first time in months.

Will's Concerto

Will in St Mary's

He played brilliantly and I'm so glad I went! Claire and I were slightly tipsy but very happy in our pretty outfits :D I was actually quite nervous for him - Will of course looked as cool as a cucumber (I love that saying!). I think everyone was very impressed. I sat with Dad, Helen and Claire with Will's parents (Ruth and Martin) and his sister and her husband (Liv and James) and Laura in the row behind us which was really nice.

(Dancing) Tom, Mr James, Kate and DOCTOR JAMES (!!) were there too which was nice. *grin* sorry, but Dr James is a legend.

I hope that was the first of many amazing performances we will see from Will - I'm sure the Royal College will train him up well :)

Last week of Sixthform

It's art, honest.

We felt it necessary to leave our mark on the common room. This was our table and we attacked it with a permenant pen. Many inspired pieces of advice and jokes about life in the sixthform. And the slightly less inspired "LOVE EVERYTHING (with chainsaws)" from Luke, but nevermind :)

I had an amazing last week. A wonderful tutorial from the lovely Mr Loe, and a fantastic last sax lesson with Jason. I didn't cry - somehow.

Farewells

Out (at Prezzo) with the Chemistry crew :)

First we played an impressive game of rounders and all my Year 5, 6, 7, 8 memories came flooding back! I played backstop again - just like I used to! And my throw to first post felt wonderfully instinctive, I didn't even need to think about it.

I used to be highly competative back then. I captained the team on several occasions and played hard to the rules. Alice Bonnet and I spent hours practicing the fast hard throw-catch-stump from backstop to first routine. Seriously. It seems strange now to think of how much those matches meant to us - winning was so important! This afternoon wasn't about that though, and I couldn't have cared less which team actually won.

The meal was lovely - good food and fantastic company. The conversations weren't too dodgy (even with me and Jess sitting opposite eachother with our shared, um, sense of humour). Although I had another reminder of how geeky I've become. Note to self: do not make / enjoy Physics jokes in public.

Hiding behind a pint.

So Phil joined us on the Highstreet having just downed a pint (one of several I believe) and a curry. Mammoth effort. We went to the Duke as we had a couple of underagers with us still - we're almost all 18 now! Almost there :)

Claire behind Soap's sofa.

Enough said.

Briefing on Monday.. never have to go to another.. ever.

It's funny counting down and saying "never again". I'm nervous about the word "never", but I really can't see how I'll ever do another briefing. 2 days of school left.

I had a wonderful final tutorial with Mr Loe. He's promised to come dancing sometime. (Ooh! And Marilyn might come along next week :D ) But anyway, we're going to keep in touch so it's not a real goodbye.

Also had my last saxophone lesson with Jason. I gave him a card and he gave me one straight back. We just had a chilled out lesson, playing from the Real Book, him on keys. At the end I flung my arms around him and didn't let go :) He's taught me for 8 years. I've cried to him and he's cried to me (quite literally) and he's taught me so much more than how to play sax. He's taught me to perform, to notice, to listen and a whole load about the world as well. Anyway, it's not like I'm going to lose touch with him either.

A Rainy Weekend

My garden in the rain

I'm so glad it rained, it really picked my spirits up. I headed into town (actually after a present for Jess) but it rained so amazingly hard I had to give up and come home to change. I then went out for a long walk (albeit with revision cards) and it was wonderful and beautiful!

Chemistry stretching into the distance

It has taken over my life. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I am haunted by the fact that I continue to achieve a B in Chemistry. I want a cuddle. Or, in fact, any other nice distraction.

My hands are considerably smaller than Darren's

It was so lovely to see Darren again! Haven't seen him since Phil's I don't think. :)

Moon outside Will's

I ran into Will on my way back, which was definitely a good thing as I've missed him recently. That and his Mum makes a brilliant coffee and walnut cake :) His parents rule actually. It was nice to see them again. They told me I am welcome over any time, whether Will's there or not, and there'd always be a cat or two for me to cuddle :D It was also good to see Tom, having humiliated myself infront of him briefly earlier. Ah, the joys of alcohol.

I need a dance..

My fiance is a super demo diva

*bounce*

I'm full of energy! I can't remember who it was that tried to stop me bouncing tonight, but he coined the phrase "satellite Tegwen".. apparently gravity is there for a reason.

So, my fiance demoed for the first time tonight and he was brilliant - really brilliant. He didn't even look slightly phased when Becky turned him around to allow the class to admire his arse during the catapult. Completely understandable of course, and I think we can all admit to having admired it at some point.. Yes Ian, even you.

I had an excellent dance with Ian, our first of the evening. For some reason it just really flowed and was really good fun. The second dance less so, but hey. I also had a lovely two dances with my fiance. I put in lots of double spins - they're so much easier with him than anyone else, guess it must be that superb lead of his ;) Jane, you are a lucky lady :p

Ok, not to steal Nathan's thunder, but I have to admit.. Chris was pretty um.. awesome. I think more Australian Ceroc teachers should move here for a couple of years. I had 5 dances with him and by the end of them I was starting to get into his style a bit more. Damn, I could spend hours dancing with that guy..

Exam stress? Or Monsters?

My thanks to Sexy Tom for this forward - it feels very timely. But at least I have memorised chromium and vanadium oxidation state complex colours, and the reactions of the copper 2+ and cobalt 2+ complex reactions. I went on a walk today and took them with me. I got a few odd looks from dogwalkers, as I was talking out loud to myself:

"...which will form a blue precipitate that turns pink on standing and brown in air. In excess ammonia, full ligand substitution will occur and a straw coloured solution is formed. This turns brown in air. In sodium carbonate..."

--

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT WARNING FOR ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY !!

There are crazy brain thieving monsters on the loose who are preying
on young innocent children of higher education and are stealing
precious cells from the brains of these poor helpless victims. They
are ruthless in their quest for knowledge and know no fear.
Monsters are everywhere among us and operate under stealth-like
conditions and often go undetected. All hope is lost for me but I
urge you to save yourself.

These are the symptoms:

- Loss of concentration
- Unable to retain information for more than 3 seconds
- Severe lack of interest in academic studies
- Desperate cravings for trash television
- Violent behaviour towards books and library staff

Many have mistaken these symptoms as purely exam-stress related
behaviour, but they are wrong. The monsters deliberately chose this
time of year as a clever disguise.
So, fellow students, if you feel you are suffering from the unwanted
attention of a mind sucking monster, this is the official government
advice:

- Immediately close all books
- Run as fast and as far from the library as you can
- Aim for the nearest bottle/can/glass of alcohol and consume all
its contents
- Jump around like a clown and/or stand on your head

Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to fill your mind with any
information as the monsters will only take it away and use it as
evidence against you.

They must not break us down. We must remain strong. The battle
shall be won.

Be lazy and crazy my friends and the truth conquer.

The future is in your hands...

May the force be with you.

--

Oh, and anyone who feels like being smart and pointing out I'm not a 'university student' yet, can go to hell. Basically. :)

1000 Blank White Cards

Absolutely awesome game! I played it for the first time today during 'electives' as they've stopped now. I read about it here initially, and there are some other good examples here.

Jess, Phil and Luke came over mine and we just gave it a go. I was wondering if it was going to all be a bit too random to be all that funny but it turned out to be hilarious. As you get into it you get cleverer about the cards you make. I think I won in the end, because the last card I played was one that Jess had made and forgotten about, that converted all positive points into negative ones and vice versa!

Here are some of the very very many cards we played with:


Phil's "You are attacked by an army of Darrens"; Jess's "Mice! Mice! Mice! Mice!"

Jess's "Amine!"; My "Snails get their revenge on the French" 

Phil's "Hedgehog drop"; My "Fluffy handcuffs give you asthma" 

My "Derranged monkey eats your banana"; Luke's "Hit the person to your left" 

Yay!

Out of a multitude of Toms, this is 'Sexy Tom' (for obvious reasons).

I hadn't spoken to Tom for absolutely ages - it was so nice to catch up!

Spin says:
And things for me are fine, if a bit stressful - A levels approaching!
Sexy Tom says:
oh yeah, dw too much about them, i've got the first of my exams on tues, not looking foreward to it at all!!
Spin says:
hehe! I have to worry about them! I need 3 A's!
Sexy Tom says:
good luck then, hope you won't need it!
Sexy Tom says:
you know what im more annoyed about tho?
Sexy Tom says:
not being able to go dancing on monday nite before hand

He took my advice on the Ceroc thing! I have every intention of forcing him to come and dance with me over the summer at some stage :) I don't think it will be too tricky to persuade him.

Meh I want to dance tomorrow and I can't :( :( :( etc.

(Oh, I should add that Tom got no say in his prefix of 'sexy', I added them a while back when I was regularly referring to 5 or 6 different Toms and it got confusing. Others included: Godly Tom, Romeo Tom, Dancing Tom, Mac Tom and Big Tom)

100 things..

..about me. A completely egocentric entry.

1. I’m obsessive
2. I forgive easily
3. I hate wearing nail varnish but I like putting it on
4. I find the Arts easy
5. I like spending time on my own
6. I feel happier when my hair is curly rather than straightened
7. I don’t like talking about my taste in music
8. I’ve only been sad in the morning 3 times in my life
9. I often have vivid dreams & nightmares
10. I think ‘I love you’ is overused
11. I avoid playing card games with friends
12. I can’t hold grudges
13. I like being quiet
14. I’m addicted to Ceroc
15. I enjoy almost all types of weather
16. I’ve given up on using ‘ever’ & ‘never’ as regards the future
17. I’m impulsive
18. I love baths & showers
19. I haven’t really failed at anything
20. I get scared by infinity
21. I love taking risks
22. I’m very close to my sister (who hates taking risks)
23. I like laughing at myself
24. I hate being pitied
25. I’ve said ‘I hate you’ once & I didn’t mean it
26. I believe studying Physics A’ level has changed me
27. I’m a very good liar
28. I hate lying & avoid it as much as is humanly possible
29. I want to learn how to massage
30. I used to be ashamed of my face
31. I like buying belts & jewellery
32. I associate numbers with colours (e.g. 3 = yellow)
33. I rarely sulk about anything for more than half an hour
34. I find arrogant men attractive
35. I use people’s names more often if I fancy them
36. I actually quite enjoy tidying & organising my things
37. I have complete respect for my Dad
38. I don’t own a watch
39. I’m close friends with a headmistress
40. I love nicknames & different identities
41. I find vectors confusing
42. I often spin about in my blochs at home
43. I’m an atheist
44. I do believe in something however, I just don’t think that something is God
45. I go to bed early when I’m depressed
46. I have a thing for ears
47. I want to have a go on a motorbike
48. I like lyrics that tell interesting stories
49. I didn’t get nervous when I played Juliet
50. I’m a highly loyal person
51. I want to paraglide
52. I think first impressions tell you a lot
53. I like having my photo taken
54. I love eye contact
55. I’ve never been scared of the dark
56. I keep a diary
57. I watch very little television
58. I want to see Australia & New Zealand
59. I act calmly & logically when I’m frightened
60. I like being provocative
61. I enjoy play fighting
62. I overanalyse
63. I stand up for my friends
64. I’m moody & don’t try to hide it
65. I like electric guitars & big amps
66. I own a large number of scarves
67. I often think about time
68. I find the sky fascinating
69. I talk to trees
70. I’ve worried about my sanity twice
71. I don’t like it when people cancel at the last moment
72. I love being naked
73. I sometimes act shallow to hide deeper emotion
74. I like photographing interesting fungi
75. I’m short-sighted
76. I distinguish between ‘good looking’ & ‘attractive’
77. I tend not to hide my kinks
78. I find small talk easy
79. I love being hugged & cuddled
80. I usually impersonate people when I quote them
81. I can convert my jealousy into happiness
82. I tend to bounce around a lot
83. I really like dragons
84. I feel uncomfortable in low cut tops
85. I don’t compliment people unless I really mean it
86. I now grin whenever I peg washing up
87. I finish lots of sentences with 2 full stops when online..
88. I eat ice cubes when I’m bored to stop me snacking
89. I love purple, red, & everything between
90. I have 101 people’s numbers on my mobile
91. I don’t want a tattoo
92. I work well in 3 hour bursts
93. I get frustrated by materialistic people
94. I have a geekish streak
95. I say things to get reactions
96. I enjoy cooking & eating
97. I need to learn transition metal complex colours
98. I enjoy listening to intelligent people talking
99. I love challenges
100. I stole the idea of writing 100 things about me from Melissa