Winter blues (David)
The cold weather has finally got to me. I have been ill the last few days and it’s pissing me off. I advise anyone planning to sleep at a friend’s house to ensure that their house has some sort of heating or spare blankets. I think I caught my cold by sleeping on the floor with my clothes as my only warmth. Pity there wasn’t anyone special there whom I could hug and warm up with :P.
It’s the first time I have fallen ill this year and probably the first time I had to take a panadol. It’s so frustrating, because all my plans for the holidays have been put on-hold. I don’t have the physical strength to do anything except blow my nose and make hot honey tea (I will never add lemon into my tea next time Im sick because apparently acidic foods make sore throats worse, source:Wikipedia). My uni results did nothing to lift my mood, yes I passed but I am not especially happy. I’m not sure if its my high expectations or if its because Im just shit. Probably the latter.
To make matters worse, I had to take the weekend off work, forgoing a considerable amount of income. Usually I wouldn’t mind having fewer hours because I get more free time to go out and to do things I want to do. But in this case, I am confined to my house with absolutely nothing to do. I got so bored today that I decided to do my tax return online. I didn’t earn enough to pay tax but there were a couple of weeks in the summer holidays where I worked a lotta hours and therefore had tax withheld from me. It’s a pain really, they ask you so many questions and for a 19 yo boy most of them are irrelevant; eg the many references to ‘spouse’ and ‘dependants’. Despite all the trouble, Im looking forward to the tax refund, however small it may be.
The past week has been miserable really and these holidays haven’t been the best ever. I guess all there is for me to do now is rest and recover, get over my disappointments and frustrations, be happy and enter second semester 2 (only 2 weeks away) with a smile and some motivation. Other than that the only excitement now is Le Tour de France, which means staying up late and watching SBS. Most people can’t stand watching cyclists cycle on TV for hours but I guess its something only enthusiasts can understand, like how only cat lovers would ever buy a magazine completely dedicated to cats. The beauty of the French countryside keeps the race fascinating and the dramas that unfold are absolutely captivating. The tour starts tonight in London, in fact it starts right now!
Bye!
Try pears instead of lemon… or ginger if you’re also suffering from stomach cramp. I don’t know whether it actually has any scientifically proven benefit, but boy is the placebo effect good.
Don’t get disheartened about your results. First semester was a disappointment for me as well. I didn’t do quite as well as I had hoped.
When I started uni I actually thought it would be easy to get H1s in every subject…one of my dear 3rd year friends actually sat me down after I told him this and very kindly said to me “that might be a bit unrealistic Sophie”.
After a much better second semester, I learned that it really is about how much work you put in. [Unless you are a genius which I am definitely not]. If you put in the study time it will show in your results.
First semester is a learning curve. It’s where you realise what you need to do to succeed. And – if it is any consolation, at the end of the day, for most jobs, the only year that REALLY matters is third year….
For that reason, a lot of people simply choose to party for 1st and 2nd year before hitting the books in 3rd. So take in mind that your expectations are probably a lot higher than most people’s and your results are probably still better than 50% of other people’s.
The most important thing is that you survived! That is something to be really proud of because the uni transition is not easy.
Best of luck next semester.
Ey David,
yeah, don’t worry about your results too much. First year isn’t that important (I guess it’s like doing bad in prep…). Any way, you can only improve. Study hard, stay off the drugs and all is well.
Speaking of le Tour, have you heard the news? Vino tested positive for having someone else’s blood in him (different globules or something), and as a result, he has been booted from the tour as well as his Astana team. Eh, drugs and cycling… they’re like tables and chairs, or forks and knives, or pens and paper.
BTW, I owe you two don don meals.