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.

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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.



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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)

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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.

Back To Uni - First Week

Second year of my course meant a new start, preparation for learning and discovery of more new and interesting things.  I was looking forward to my first day back at university.  It was a good chance to see my friends at university; that I didn't get the chance to see over the long summer break as well as meet my new lecturers.  The lecturers and lectures as a whole seem really good and ambitious.  I definitely like that.  I believe I will get on well on this course.  Should be great to learn new things.

The day came, I was all excited.  Had a great feeling about being back at Medway and starting my second year on the Computer Systems and Software Engineering course.  In my head, it meant that I would only have one more year at university.  Moreover, as I planned to do the sandwich course, this meant I would be working on a one year placement/ internship at an IT/ Engineering or Consultancy firm next year for my third year then once that’s over I’ll return back to university to finish off my degree.

Now, back to my first days of my second year…  Already I am knowledgeable about what the course entails and what will be expected of me as a software engineering student.  There are a lot of projects and assignments both individually and team work to do this year which sounds like a lot of fun.  As you can probably tell I like doing projects and assignments.  I love the practicality of it as this is a stepping stone or in other words a development/ insight to what the real world of working in the IT/ Engineering industry will require from you as an individual.  It is very important and necessary for you to do well or at least try to do well now.  Make all the mistakes whilst you’re still learning.  This will be beneficial to you in the long run when you’re out working in the industry, you’ll never make the same mistakes again.

In addition to the projects and assignments, I’ve got a few exams to take next year May/June (2013) for some modules of my course.  I’ll see how they go. 

To be honest, I found it hard on my first day to get back into the normalities of writing notes, reading so many thick books; related to my course and modules and, paying attention to the lectures.  The summer break had a part to play on this fault.  Over the days however, I have been fine with everything.  My head is back on study mode.  No more partying and feeling like I’m still on holiday.  It’s time to get back to work.

This year shall be a really good year.  Especially as there are new editions to my course- in a few of my modules, it should be interesting.  Before I go, I just have to tell you the good news regarding my second year timetable: I have ‘two days’ off.  That means I only have to go into university on three days.  More time to myself or hanging out with friends in the library- STUDYING!!

End of summer 2012; beginning of a new year at university

Summer 2012 has been very eventful.  Exciting things have happened as you all know the Olympics in London being a major factor.  I have had such a brilliant summer.  Now that it is drawing to an end, it is sad in some way but I’m quite excited to go back to university and start learning again.  There are a lot of new things in store to be learnt.  It has been a very long summer but I’m not complaining.  A few highlights of my summer were: going on holiday with one of my close friends from university to Denmark for a week.

 We decided to go to the beach in Denmark on a slightly rainy and cold day.  Turned out to be a good day overall.  Had the chance to interact with the people and adapt to the culture in Denmark.  Even saw cute ducks.

Another fantastic highlight of the summer was definitely the London 2012 Olympics.  As I was supporting mainly Jamaica and Great Britain, it was a delight to see the medals being awarded to the well-deserved Olympians.

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Despite the weather this summer, I have attended a few BBQs and have had two of my own; which turned out well.  It was great to hang out with my friends and family again back home.  I’m going to miss them all even more now when I move back to Medway for university.

Apart from having lots of fun hanging out with friends and family, I worked with the university as a steward at the graduation ceremonies and recently worked as a clearing telephone assistant in the call centre.  It was my first time working with the university and I must say they were really good jobs to do.  I recommend applying for university jobs.  It looks good on your CV and there is a possibility of regular work especially during term times.

Now, preparing myself for the second year of university, I planned to read up on a few elements that will be in my new modules.  I even went to the library to look for books during my busy summer vacation.  That’s what I call dedication to work towards my goal in life.

I feel almost ready for lectures and lab work to commence.  All I need to do is prepare my mind and get back into the swing of things.  Second year of university will be fun just like the first year but probably slightly harder.  It’s a challenge I’m willing to overcome.

For any more information, please follow me.  There’s more interesting things to come.  Hoping the summer has been good for you and your new year at university will be exciting.