Rowing on(wards!

Whoop! On Friday we raced in the 'rowing on' qualifying stages for Summer VIIIs and we've since found out we qualified with a time of 2 minutes and 56seconds for a 1.5km course which is pretty good (apparently...I don't really know much about the timings).

Anyhow, so yesterday and today, we had more training sessions...v. manic as yesterday I had the international festival OXCIA stall to run as well as rowing in the middle of the festival. However, was really glad as it was the last event for this term (as most my committee have finals)...hopefully this will free up time for work, esp. my dissertation research which I've done zilch on :( (yet managed to blag my abstract submission...)

Today is equally busy with rowing, the Synthesis concert (which we'll be prepping for before the 7.30pm start) with Sphere....and sometime during the concert, have to squeeze in peer supporting as well. Manic and no time to study chaos (really!) for our next essay as I'm experiencing it right now :/

P.S. Guess what the picture is meant to represent...

Snow, snow and more snow!

Ahhhh...snow. Unfortunately, it doesn't signal closed schools for me anymore....does Oxford stop for NOTHING??? Grrr...news from home told me that my sister is getting days off school...I haven't had anything cancelled at all! Oh well.

Yeah, haven't been posting for a while...I've been recovering from the aftermath of the event-that-shall-not-be-named *shudder* - I've erased it from my memory! Usually memory loss isn't a problem for me (got a memory like a broken sieve) but this, I fear, will be in many nightmares to come. Advice to people: AVOID trying to run big events and your own society....unless you've got great support from committee members (which I largely didn't), nothing much can be achieved!

Anyhow, despite me only being in my 2nd year, already worried about finals. Although the essays marks are not telling (they certainly don't *seem* like 12 hour read and write jobs!), I'm worried for the long term as I've got no notes! Just essays! I keep saying this but I really should've cut down on extra-curriculars...oh well. Final year will be comparatively easy (I hope!) compared to this hellish year!

The only good thing about the cold weather is that rowing has been put off! Although I do like being out on the water, those extra time slots in my schedule would have ruined me. Luckily, I think I'm back to 'normal' stress levels now. I'll post up some nice pictures of Jesus (college!) and random Oxford in snow when I get a chance...

So GLAD it is all over!!!

I'm going to try and keep this shortish as I'm absolutely knackered. I have been so stressed leading up to the event and alas...the event of course couldn't go smoothly like planned. I certainly don't think we broke even though hopefully when my treasurer reports back, I'll be proved wrong.

Everything went wrong, the prep (only me and a friend initially turned up to move the chairs out the hall, no not those small ones, great big bench type things...) the tickets (why couldn't the secretary have just turned up to the meeting yesterday..well..now two days ago) and just sorted it out then!?!? Instead, reservations which I took, yes me not the secretary, turned out to be just time wasting because in the end, everyone paid regardless of whether the had paid already or not (which then created more trouble as we had to rip up the cheques etc). ANNOYING. Some heads will roll. I need to be less nice to them and just FIRE some of my committee.

Though I guess praise should be given where due. Most of my committee were good on the night and indeed on the run up to the event. However, all our plans of stalls at the edges of the halls just didn't materialise and of course, people had to be greedy and take seconds, push, shove, take loads - I guess I was too naive thinking people would line up in a single file and think of others (i.e. people who hadn't go first portions) before taking seconds. Greedy b.........

Then the tidying up had to occur and I've STILL got all of it to store. The rest of my committee don't seem to make any sacrifices and yet my flat has to have all the OXCIA stuff. I couldn't even enjoy the snow....(Oxford's so pretty in snow..) nothing went as planned though I guess everyone else seemed to enjoy it. The old president said that he felt it taught people about Chinese culture and stuff so that was worth the money. Mmm...I guess.

Oops...short post turned out to be a long rant. Need to go into the Union AGAIN early tomorrow morning to move benches back in. Yeah sure..my committee are going to help my ASS. And THEN I have to fit in my essay :( Anyhow, need to sleep now...I feel better already from that mammoth post.

No lychee juice!!

GRRRRRR.....I hate Tesco!! Well Tesco online! They say it's available and then WHAM no lychee juice WHAM no lychee cocktails. What next?!? I think I've had to deal with all sorts of obstructions...let's hope the actual event itself goes smoothly :O .....I'm crossing absolutely everything and being quite religious as well. Yes I know I shouldn't just turn to religion when I'm stuck but that's the way it is!

I've sold my labour...what next?!? I'm stressed, I'm tired - I can't wait till Sunday is over!

STRESS STRESS AND MORE STRESS!

I can't believe that 2nd week hasn't even finished yet and I am already dreaming of the Easter holidays (actually, felt like that in 0th week whilst revising for collections!).

This week so far has already been very stressful. With no work being done over the New Year weekend and then OXCIA and various other stuff occupying my time, I only got started READING for my essay at 4pm the day before it was due. Then I wrote it and finished around 4am on Thursday....my quickest essay to date! Let's hope not the crappest!

Ha ha...I certainly won't be able to pull the wool other Whittaker, the key book of the biogeography lecture is co-authored by him and he (and others) devised the speciation model which I based my whole essay on! I do love tutorials though...I kept on saying "Whittaker's, I mean er, your model"...he is certainly pretty friendly for a world expert!

Anyhow, ironically enough, the tute provided my only 'non-stress' moment of this week. Straight after the essay, manic OXCIA organisation as the first mandarin classes came about. Displaced students, lost mandarin teachers, negotiating for cheap college wine, room keys to collect, tickets to sell...MADNESS. All the while rushing to get to formal as I had left my poor guest all on her own - I'm not the best host but I was ok in the end!

Let's hope my mental state is recoverable after this weekend. This week has been the only week where I've actually cried out in despair as I've realised I've taken on too much. And it's not even the peak! I start peer-support training next week and also my aim higher mentoring :/ I hope I can cope....

COLLECTIONS ARE OVER!!! :)

Wahoooo! Collections are over! Unfortunately, just like last time, I ran out of time and didn't finish the last question...didn't even have time to scribble a short apology to my tutor (not that it works!).

Alas, the questions I prepared for didn't come up...I guess that's not the way of exams anyway! Mmm...cramming till 3am the night before for a 9.15am exam probably didn't help...I didn't actually get to sleep till 6am! Just had stupid references swimming in my head.

Anyhow, fully caught up with sleep now so all it well...well, I still need to find a venue for OXCIA's New Year celebrations but that's another stressful story all together....