It’s all coming back to me now!

… my life, that is. Finally, my last written assignment for university this year is completed (but not yet submitted), and my final performance is a week today. Then it’s a case of sticking around for an open day a week on Saturday, going to see Hairspray in the evening (yay!) and then home for the summer!

Am I excited…. yes and no. I can’t wait to be home, because there’s so much exciting stuff going to happen, but I’ll miss my friends. I’ll miss having my own space, but I won’t miss having to kill my own spiders (found the first one of the year yesterday, a giant one that made me cry until I threw a box of washing powder at it, and I’m still not sure it’s dead). I’ll miss my course, but I won’t miss being weighed down with the work of it all.

Has university changed me? Definitely. For the better? I certainly think and hope so. More on that in a later post, though.

As for what this means for me, it means I can focus on getting better – and maybe getting a scan organised, if the doctors ever get around to it, so someone can actually stop me from being in so much pain. It also means I can do more writing – both fiction and my new venture, a comedy singer/sort-of-songwriter thing that I tried out at a comedy night. It went well, which has spurred me on to write more – videos to follow. It means I can relax and spend more time with Daf, my family and my friends, and I think that’s what I’m looking forwards to most of all 🙂

Freshers Week: Day Two

This day will probably start a few hours later than most, especially if you’re nursing a hangover from the night before! It’s probably a good time to switch Facebook on, because no doubt you’ve met a couple of people the night before who were still sober enough to send you a friend request when they got home. It also might be worth posting on Facebook/sending a text, just to let your family know that you’re still alive – they’ll probably appreciate that. 

For me, day two was a Tuesday. Once I’d woken up and cleared away the hangover – it wasn’t too bad, in all honesty – I finished unpacking and sorting my room out, making sure everything was nice and tidy, and taking some pictures to show my family at home. 

In the afternoon, the uni and the students guild had arranged a treasure hunt to help us get to know the campus and other people. It was quite fun really, we all got into groups and had to go around the campus finding all these places (which really helped later in the term, I’d have gotten lost without it!), and finishing with dinner in the student bar. 

In the evening, my fiance came up to visit and stay the night (it’s allowed in our halls, check with your halls residence agreement and policies to find out if it’s the same for you), and we spent the evening together. However, the student bar had a DJ on from 8pm until late, so for people who did want to go out, there was the option of doing so. 

Mythbusting Uni Fears

I’ve just been reading through the University Discussion forums on the student room and a few common worries have arisen, and they’re ones I experienced last year and ones that people have been experiencing for years and years, so I guess it’s time to maybe bust a few myths and quell a few fears about starting university!

 

Myth: Everyone drinks alcohol all the time – I don’t drink at all/very much, I’m going to be left out!

Wrong! I was worried about this at first – I like a drink now and then, and there have been a couple of times where I’ve gone a little crazy, done shots and Jaegerbombs and had a really good night (although a not-so-great morning after!), but I don’t drink very much – especially not in comparison to my flatmates, who go out to Chester drinking. There haven’t been any huge issues, I haven’t felt particularly pressured into getting wasted and I’ve made friends who don’t enjoy drinking as much. If you do drink lots/hardly drink/don’t drink at all/drink on occasion/ whatever, you won’t be alone! 

 

Myth: I’m being left in control of money for the first time, I’m going to spend everything and then starve AAAARGH!

Wrong – if you budget right! Stick to your budget, and don’t count on your parents/hardship grants to bail you out unless you absolutely need to. This is probably your first taste of independence; you may as well use it wisely rather than wasting it by just proving you can’t handle money. Shop at budget shops – if the thought of buying stuff from B&M Bargains or Discount UK (they’re brilliant but some people just can’t bring themselves to shop there for some reason), go for ALDI – or at least ASDA Smartprice/Tesco Value ranges. There’s no point trying to buy branded stuff when you’re on a student budget; it’ll just waste money. If there is a particular brand or two that you can’t live without and can’t abide the smartprice substitutes, then by all means go for it – mine are Super Noodles, I’m yet to find a worthy substitute – but make sure you buy everything else wisely. Tins in bulk, fresh food sparingly. 

Another money tip – if you can get a part-time job, go for it. The hours on my course make it quite difficult to get a part-time job, because I really want to do well on this course, but I’m planning on working in the summer instead. When you’re going out drinking, be wise – don’t flash the cash and offer to buy everyone’s drinks. Pre-drinking is a godsend, it’ll save you so much money! Limit how often you go out – once or twice a week is probably best, because you’ve still got a chance to let your hair down, but you’re not wasting all your money on alcohol. If you smoke, now might be a good time to start cutting down – one thing I’ve noticed from my friends who smoke is that it seriously eats into their budget. 

 

Myth: I’m not going to make friends, everyone will hate me!

Wrong – as long as you don’t cut yourself off. I was so worried I wasn’t going to make friends, but I got really involved in my course, I’ve attempted to join societies (the one main society I wanted to join hasn’t properly started yet though!), I’ve been out a fair few times, and I’ve made friends quite quickly. My closest friends are my coursemates, and that seems to be the case for most of the people I know here at uni. You won’t be without friends unless you never say hello to people!

 

Myth: I can’t cook, I’m going to starve/poison myself/set fire to the building!

Wrong (again, if you do things right!). I don’t know how to cook – or at least, I didn’t when I started uni. I couldn’t even turn the cooker on at home (it’s a gas cooker and I’m scared of ‘splodey things, ok? Give me a break!). I now cook for myself every night, and I’m not just surviving off instant noodles and microwave meals. Since starting uni, I think I’ve had no more than two ready meals in the microwave – the rest of the time, I have been cooking for myself. 

Obviously pasta is a staple, but you’ll get bored of it if you just eat pasta every night. Mixing it up – bolognese, cheese, different sauces etc – helps, but you’re still going to get bored of pasta very quick. Avoid most student cookbooks – they’re ridiculous, you’re not going to be cooking cordon bleu on a student budget, and I have never gotten home from a full day of lectures to think “Hmm, I really fancy spending an hour whipping up some Moroccan spiced lamb mince with couscous, or maybe some sausage ragu & spinach pasta bake” (however, if you DO get home from your lectures and fancy that, the recipes are here – http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/student/ ). You’re going to get home and want something quick and easy. 

I’m going to do a full-on post about student cooking soon, but for now, here’s my basic tips – cook portions in advance and freeze. Oven chips and fish fingers/chicken nuggets is not a crime. Home-made mash potato is easy and a tasty alternative to chips. Tinned food will be your friend. 

 

Myth: I won’t be able to see or speak to my parents/siblings/old friends/dog/cat/hamster/ cornsnake/teddy bear/pet rock until the holidays, I’ll miss them so much! 

This one is neither right nor wrong. The amount people miss their families really does vary – some feel really homesick, others love being away and never even think of their families when they’re away. I’m in the middle but I lean more towards homesick, I miss my family and my dog and my fiance (in no particular order, before people start making comments!) so much, but I don’t let it take over my life – I visit home fairly often. 

Skype/Facebook video calling/whatever video calling service you use is a godsend. I talk to my fiance over Facebook video chat a lot, and I had a lovely Skype call with my family (and my dog, who didn’t seem to realize that I was on the laptop and not in the house when I was calling her, so she was staring at the door waiting for me to walk in, bless her little woolly socks) the other day. Chances are, you will miss your family, especially at first, but it gets easier. Uni is a great experience because it is those first baby steps towards independence. Some people hate it, others thrive on it, most seem to fall into a middle ground, but don’t worry about it wherever you fit on that spectrum – there’s nothing to be ashamed of! 

 

I think that’s it for now – those were the main ones that came up, and obviously I can only speak from my own experience – don’t go all keyboard warrior on me in the comments with “Actually for me it was different”; I’m just going on what I’ve experienced. If you have any other questions – any worries you’d like me to iron out etc – just pop your question in the comments box and I’ll either reply straight away or make another post if there are enough questions to warrant it 🙂 

The Negatives Of Living In Halls

I’m at university, living in halls on-campus, and so far it’s been pretty good – my flatmates are great, I get on with all of them, the prices aren’t too bad – I’m paying £102 a week for an en-suite room which is quite big, in accommodation that only opened in 2009, and we have leather sofas and a flatscreen TV in the lounge/kitchen, so it’s not a bad price either. However, there are some downsides – some of them funny, some of them not-so-much. 

 

– Today, there is a sign in the window of the launderette saying that it is “closed until further notice” because there are no lights in there. Call me crazy, but I don’t remember needing lights to wash clothes – not in a room with big windows, in the daytime. 

– It gets bloody noisy. We’ve had an email today informing us that the noise levels have reached unacceptable levels (bolded AND underlined!) and that those responsible will be punished if it isn’t sorted out. Alright, it’s uni, people are going to party and make noise – but at 4 in the morning? Sometimes even I consider complaining (I haven’t… yet!). 

– In comparison to some places, it can be fairly expensive – me and my fiance are sharing a room next year in a private house, which we’re moving into along with two friends from my course, and for both of us to share a double room with en-suite toilet, all bills included, internet, all kitchen equipment etc – £130. That’s just £65 each a week. Compare it to the single room I’m renting now for £102, and it does seem like a lot. 

– Food going missing. Personally, this hasn’t been a major issue for me, with the exception of one garlic baguette that disappeared on the evening I was really looking forwards to having some garlic bread, which was a bit irritating. All my flatmates are lovely people so we haven’t had issues, but in other flats I’ve heard of ice cream, milk, bread etc – and even kitchen utensils! – going missing. 

– Cleanliness. There must be something about university rooms that make them really difficult to keep clean; it took me ages to get mine tidy and I’m praying it’ll stay this way, but I’m not holding my breath. I really like having a tidy room, it just seems really difficult to get it to stay tidy. I’m not sure why – it’s a big room and I have plenty of storage space. 

– The other cleanliness issue – chores. Whilst some flats have actually gone so far as to create rotas – more about those in a minute -, we’ve done the opposite and just kind of said “we’ll tidy when it needs tidying”. Which is all well and good in theory, you know, but when the bin is overflowing and the recycling needs to go out and no-one’s doing it, it gets a little mad. I think we’ve sorted the washing up issue out. I think. 

– The people you live with. I’ve been quite lucky in that I live with nice, normal people – all around the same age, all quite genuine people – different courses, different interests, but no-one seems to really hate each other. However, there have been other flats where people really do hate each other and can’t stand to live with each other, so people have been moving out left, right and center. 

– Having an organisation freak. Again, I’ve been lucky enough to avoid this, but as well as a cleaning rota, some people have set up COOKING rotas. As in, there are specified nights where one person cooks for the whole flat. Now that is something I couldn’t abide with – what happens if you don’t like what’s being cooked, or you just fancy making something quick and easy but it’s your night to cook and people want something posh? I don’t think cooking rotas can ever really work. 

 

Despite all this, I would suggest to any first year, whatever uni they’re thinking of attending, to stay in halls for their first year. I’m having a great time, I love living here and I will miss it when I move out in June – although living in halls has helped me to make friends and feel like I’m part of a community, as well as being a nice introduction to living independently. Being right next door to the student bar has helped a little bit too 😉 

What a year it’s been.

2012-2013

• Stayed single almost the whole year? I haven’t been single at all in 2012.
• Were involved in something you’ll never forget? Absolutely. The Great Birmingham Run was just a phenomenal experience.
• Tripped over a coffee table? No but I have fallen over a couple of sofas.
• Came close to losing your life? Nearly got hit by a bus, if that counts!
• Saw one of your favorite bands/artists live? I saw Idina Menzel live. Amazing moment!
• Did something you regret? I don’t think so. I’ve been trying to live without regrets and so far I think I’m doing pretty well.

2012: Friends and Enemies

• Did you meet any new friends this year? Yes! Going to uni has just been the most amazing experience because of all the people I’ve met here!
• Did you hate anyone? Nope, I’ve realized hate is just pointless. Kill ’em with kindness.
• Did you lose any friends? Again, I think this is the first year where I don’t think I’ve lost any friends, which is awesome!

2012: Your BIRTHDAY!

• Did you have a cake? Yes I did 🙂
• Did you get any presents? I did indeed.
• Did you get what you wished for last year? I don’t think I made a wish last year, but something amazing happened that day 🙂

2012: All about YOU

• Did you change at all this year? Quite a lot. I’ve become more comfortable with being myself, not putting up a front, and I’m quite proud to say that since I started uni, I’ve been very much “what you see is what you get”, and if people don’t like that, it’s not my problem. My confidence has also grown.
• Did you change your style? I wasn’t aware of ever really having a style, let alone changing it. I think this one goes hand in hand with the self-confidence thing in that I now actually own three dresses, something I didn’t own last year – and I’ve worn all three of them!
• Were you in school? Finished college and started university.
• Did you get good grades? I got an A and two Bs, I was pretty damn ecstatic!
• Did you drive? Once or twice 😛
• Did you own a car? Nope.
• Did anyone close to you give birth? Don’t think so.
• Did you go on any vacations? I went to Trecco Bay in Porthcawl and it was great 🙂
• Would you change anything about yourself now? Nope. I’m happy.
• Did you dye your hair? A fair few times, I think I’m closer to my natural colour now than I have been for a while, although it is a bit pink/purple at the moment.

2012: Wrap UP:

• Was 2012 a good year? It had it’s ups and downs, really.
• Do you think 2013 will top 2012? I think it will 🙂
• Best thing that happened in 2012? I have three top moments, and I can’t even arrange these three into an order of first, second and third. That feeling of success after getting into university, the complete overwhelming emotion I felt after crossing the finish line at the Great Birmingham Run, and getting engaged – all three were just perfect moments in 2012.

IN THE YEAR 2012 I CONFESS THAT I….

• Kissed in the snow? Don’t think so. .
• in the parking lot? at the beach ? in secret ? Yes to the car park, yes to the beach but I don’t think in secret 😛
• Had your heart broken? Nope.
• Painted a picture? No.
• Wrote a poem? Can’t remember if I’ve written any poetry this year.
• Ran a mile? I did a half marathon actually 😉
• Visited a foreign country? Not this year.
• Cut in a line of waiting people? Ooh no, I hate people who do that!
• Told someone you were busy when you weren’t? Probably at some point.
• Cooked a disastrous meal? Don’t think so! Survived three months at uni without burning the place down!
• Lied about how old you were? Maybe once or twice!
• Cried yourself to sleep? Nope.

IN 2012 I….

• Broke a promise? No.
• Lied? No major lies I don’t think. Little white ones don’t count.
• Disappointed someone close? Probably! I have a habit of doing that…
• Hid a secret? Don’t think so.
• Pretended to be happy? Doesn’t everyone occasionally?
• Slept under the stars? No! I really want to!
• Met someone who changed your life? I’ve met a lot of awesome people this year, whether they’ll change my life remains to be seen 😉
• Changed your outlook on life? I’ve met some people who make you realize that there are truly good people in the world, and that crap happens to good people. I’ve met others who make me loathe humanity and fear for the future.
• Sat home all day doing nothing? Spent a few months stuck at home doing nothing with a kidney infection. It was horrible.
• Lost something expensive? Nope!
• Learned something new about yourself? I learned that I may not be fast, or a particularly good runner, but by god it doesn’t matter if my feet are about to fall off and I have tendonitis, I will keep walking if it’s for a good cause!
• Tried something you normally wouldn’t try and liked it? Jaegerbombs 😉 hah I’m kidding, I’m not a huge fan of them. Drunk karaoke.
• Made a change in your life? I’m bettering myself by going to uni 🙂
• Found out who your true friends were? Haven’t had one of those moments this year I don’t think.
• Met great people? YES!!!
• Stayed up til sunrise? Are you kidding? I love sleep too much!
• Cried over the silliest thing? The Snowman and the Snowdog the other night. Oh the feels 😥
• Had friends who were drifting away from you? Don’t think so.
• Spent most of your money on food? Nope, majority goes on accommodation.
• Gotten sick? Oh yes 😦
• Liked more than 5 people at the same time? No, because I’m not a whoo-er.
• Became closer with a lot of people? Yes 🙂

 

REVIEW – “If I Stay”, by Gayle Forman

I bought this book yesterday from Waterstones for £6.99 (the joys of having a Waterstones near where I live, within WALKING DISTANCE!!!). I’m quite hard to please when it comes to books – I don’t like chick-lit very much, I’m not really into huge crime thrillers – Jodi Picoult is about as think-y as I get – and I’m starting to get beyond the stage of Artemis Fowl and Skulduggery Pleasant. I read “Before I Die” by Jenny Downham a while ago, and the little sticker under the book said “If you liked “Before I Die”, you’ll love this!”. I really did enjoy that book, and it’s a genre I like reading about, although I’m not really sure what you’d call it – YA tragic-romantic fiction, maybe? I like books that discuss the afterlife, and what happens when we die – or rather, in the case of this book, what happens when we’re lingering somewhere between life and death.

I’ll try not to spoil the book for anyone so I’ll just give a brief outline. Mia is a seventeen year old cellist who is very talented – she’s applied to Julliard – and she lives with her mother, father and little brother. When school is cancelled because of the snow, her family decide to take a drive, but the snow causes a crash with devastating consequences. Mia watches the following hours unfold from outside of her body, seeing the effect it has both on herself and on her family, friends and boyfriend Adam. The main body of the narrative, which takes place in the present, is peppered with “flashbacks” from the past – as Mia realizes that rather than her fate being decided for her, she is the one who chooses whether she lives or dies. The book follows her as she tries to make that decision, weighing up the impact that all she’s lost will have on her, with the impact that losing her will have on everyone else.

I’d never heard of this book before I picked it up in  Waterstones yesterday. When I saw the cover and the title I rolled my eyes and was half expecting another supernatural “I fell in love with a vampire/werewolf/ghost” kind of story, but I read the blurb and it actually sounded pretty good. After a lot of deliberation and a sneaky peek inside to make sure it wasn’t badly written, I bit the bullet and bought it. That was at about half past four in the afternoon. By around half past seven I’d finished it, and it’s not a short book. I couldn’t stop reading; it had me hooked and I desperately wanted to find out what would happen next. When it ended – and it does end on quite a cliffhanger, I warn you – I was desperate to know more. Today I bought the sequel, “Where She Went”, and I’m a little dubious about it – from the description it sounds ok, but I’m not sure if t’ll live up to the amazing first book or not. Still, if you’re a fan of drawing your own conclusions, the book works well as a standalone title.

I’ve read a lot of books in my time, but I’ve got a feeling this one’s going to be one of my favourites for a long time to come. It’s graphic at times, sometimes upsetting, sometimes uplifting but always very honest and realistic, and the character is instantly likeable and believable, which is something I value in a book – I want to support the character every step of the way, unless the whole point of the book is that I’m not supposed to support a character. That’s where Twilight goes wrong – you’re meant to support and like Bella, but she’s such a whiney, annoying Mary-Sue that it’s just impossible – even when watching the film, you wish Cedric Diggory Edward had just let her die and then we could’ve had three more books of just the Cullens, who were a lot cooler when you get rid of Bella. Apart from the sparkly thing. This isn’t the time for a rant about Twilight though; this is about “If I Stay”, which creates believable characters for whom you want good things to happen. It’s a really engaging story and you feel like you’re part of it, experiencing it all alongisde Mia. It also raises questions – if you were in the same boat, what would you do? What would you pick? Would you choose to live, even though it’ll be painful and you’ve got to deal with life without some very important people – or would you choose death, leaving your loved ones behind?

There are some grisly moments in the book and a couple more elements that mean I’d recommend this book for people who are 13/14+, depending on their maturity. The descriptions of the car crash do leave some pretty vivid mental images – you’ll understand the phrases I’m referring to when you read it – so if you’re of a nervous disposition or get affected by that easily, I’d make sure you’re prepared for it before you read the book. Still, it is a brilliant book and I’d definitely recommend it. I’ll let you all know how the sequel is when I’ve finished it!

**** Just Got Real.

So… three weeks today, I go to university. I move away from home three weeks today, to a new place with new people and new experiences. I’m excited, don’t get me wrong – I can’t wait to meet new people, and the thought of independence is exciting – but it’s also really scary. I’m in the same town for uni where I was in hospital back in April, and I think a lot of my fears stem from the fact that I was so aware of how far away everyone was from me when I was up there. I think I need to remind myself that in April, I was in hospital – I was poorly, I didn’t want to be there and I didn’t have a choice about it. In this case, I’ve made the choice to go to university, I can visit home whenever I want, I can easily chat to my family on Skype or Facebook and I’ll be having fun – I won’t be ill (save for the Freshers Flu, which I’m bound to end up with), and I’ll be with new friends.

I think this will only get more nervewracking in the next three weeks. Looking at my bedroom, with the pile of bags and boxes ready for uni, only serves to remind me of just how soon it is. I’ve got loads of stuff ready – pillows and sheets, boxes and decorations and towels and bathroom stuff – so I know that physically, I’m pretty prepared. The question is, am I prepared mentally? I’m looking forwards to the course – my best friend from college is doing the exact same course as me, so I know that friends won’t be too much of an issue. I also know that I got great results at A Level, so I’m ready for it. I’m looking forwards to meeting the people who’ll be in my flat – I’ve already spoken to some of them on Facebook, so I’m looking forward to actually meeting them. I’m looking forward to parties, to nights in with pizza and films, to living independently and shopping for myself and cleaning up after myself.

I’m dreading leaving my family behind.

I’m so scared that my fiance will get sick of me being away, and I’ll get home to find out he’s with someone else. I’m terrified that my dog won’t recognise me when I go home. I’m scared of being away from my family, purely because I’ve never been away from them for so long. It’ll be nice to challenge myself, to live on my own without my parents there to correct me before I go wrong, but that doesn’t make it any less scary. I’m worried I’ll be really homesick and end up shutting myself away and not make any new friends. I’m worried that people will think I’ve changed since I’ve been at uni. I’m worried because I’ll miss my fiance so much – he’s everything to me, and I hate the thought of being so far away from him. It’s not a huge distance – people continue relationships across continents – but for me, it’ll seem massive, because I’m so used to being so conveniently close to him.

So, in short, the feelings are a bit mixed at the moment. Excitement and fear are having a bit of a battle, and I’m not sure who’s going to win. All I can do is hope that by the time I’m settled in at uni, all my fears will be gone, replaced with excitement for what’s bound to be a great year – and as many chances to go back and visit my family (and yes, I do include my fiance in that) as often as possible.

A Letter To My 13-Year-Old Self.

Revision is not going well – my mind just really isn’t in it today – so I’ve decided to change things a little bit, and I am going to write a letter to my 13 year old self. The power of hindsight is a wonderful thing, and there are many things that I think would have turned out better had I heeded the advice I’m about to give myself. That said, I’m so happy how I am today, so don’t read this and assume I’m not happy with my life. This is partly a writing exercize, and partly because I’m bored.

Dear 13-year-old-me,

The next few years are going to be tough on you, and right now you’re not prepared for them at all. You’re still drifting through school, not really paying much attention to lessons other than ones that interest you and you have a few friends, but you’re not exactly popular. So, here’s my advice for you over the next four years, to wind up as awesome (if not awesome-r) as your current, 17 year old self.

• Pay attention in Maths and Science lessons. Yes, it’s boring. Yes, we hate science and maths, but you will regret not paying attention – I find myself wishing I understood maths and science better because I struggle with it, I’ve forgotten virtually everything I used to be able to remember and I think there’s a few times where it could’ve been handy. Had I listened more when I was your age, I could have gotten As in the sciences and a B in Maths. I’m happy with the Cs in Maths and Physics and the Bs in Biology and Chemistry, but I know it could have been better, if I’d gotten over the fact that I find them boring and paid more attention.
• You’re too young for boys. Disregard all boys that come your way until December 31st, 2010 and you’ll end up very happy and not with a load of self-esteem issues that still bug you to this day.
• If someone whose name begins with “D”, who enjoys science fiction, writing and acting reveals that he likes you a lot on December 31st, 2010, don’t hesitate to admit that you return those feelings, because by the time you’re my age, you will have had the best 17 months of your life.
• Learn as many musical instruments as possible! Start playing the guitar and ukulele early, I only started a couple of years ago and I regret not learning earlier because I could be so much better by now. Keep going with the singing, regardless of what people say – in the future, it will open a lot of doors for you.
• Take every opportunity to perform that you get, and don’t let confidence issues convince you out of it.
• Don’t bring your problems home and take them out on your family. They’re struggling with your teenage mood swings enough, let alone having to put up with you being a royal pain thanks to other things happening in your life.
• Don’t wait as long as I did to get a sudden confidence boost. When you’re in a situation with new people, introduce yourself. Be friendly and be yourself, but for god’s sake, CALM DOWN A BIT. If you’re hyper it’s only going to scare people away. By the time you’re my age, you’ll have found a happy medium – when you need to be, you can be serious, but you’re also not afraid to be goofy and go a little crazy, especially when you’re scaring pigeons away and screaming as crabs chase you.
• Don’t spent your time worrying about what other people think about you. One of the most stupid things I’ve ever done is change myself into a quiet, reserved person because I was worried that people would mistake my… well, I like to think of it as quirkiness … for special needs or something like that. These days, people can think that about me if they want, it just shows their ignorance because they don’t take the time to get to know me and find out that I don’t have SEN, I’m just making the most of being a child before I turn 18.
• School isn’t the be-all and end-all. For all I said about paying attention in Maths and Science, don’t let it take over your life! Chill out a little bit or you’re going to get stressed and over-worked. Do all your homework when you get it, do work in the lessons rather than chatting and messing about – which, by the way, doesn’t help with the whole “People assuming you’re special” issue – and you won’t have to spend hours at home trying to do it but failing because you didn’t listen to the teacher.
• Don’t stress about not becoming a prefect – at the end of the day, the teachers were right. The prefects ended up as basically targets for the misbehaving students, and you can do without that stress in your GCSE year. Plus, I don’t think it turned out to be quite as good as people thought it would be. And hey, most of your friends didn’t get to be prefect either, so it’s not like you’re the only one. You’ll end up having an amazing Year 11 regardless, and no matter how many times you say you can’t wait to leave, as soon as you get to college you’ll be wishing you were back there again!
• There are certain people you shouldn’t bother with, and others who you should bother with more. I’m not going to name them here out of respect for their privacy, but when someone is a friend to you, don’t be mean to them – and when someone is mean to you, for heavens’ sake don’t try to build bridges, it’ll only lead to more trouble in the long run. Small arguments are going to happen, especially when some of you have such personality clashes, but there are people you still speak to today who you had arguments with in the past and got over them, and that’s worth it. On the other hand, there are people you ignored the major arguments with and insisted things would change, and now there’s irrepairable damage. Still, don’t assume that’s a bad thing.
• You are going to miss your friends a hell of a lot when you go to college, so make sure you stay in touch with them over Facebook! Never underestimate the value of social networking; for all its faults it also has advantages.
• Deefer is going to die, and it’s going to absolutely break your heart, but don’t worry and DON’T blame yourself. You’ll have another dog and she will change your life completely, so much for the better.
• Stop wearing make-up earlier than I did. You’re beautiful without it, it can destroy people’s skin and you’ll feel so much better for it. Special occasions will feel more special when you’re getting ready and putting make-up on, and it’ll save you money when you’re not wasting £5 a time on foundation.
• Don’t worry about the future. When you’re 13, university isn’t something you need to worry about. You’ll go through ups and downs of wanting to go and not wanting to go, and you won’t know what course you want to do and at times you’ll just feel like giving it all up, but don’t! As I’m writing this, I’m looking at a box by my window which is slowly filling up with things ready for university, and it makes me smile because I’m going to university – despite everything, I’m going to go.
• In short, to borrow a favourite quote of mine, live like there’s no tomorrow. Laugh every chance you get. Learn from your mistakes – and don’t make them again! Love the people who will love you back. Live the life you love and you’ll love the life you live.

Don’t worry. Life’s going to throw some nasty stuff at you, and you’ll have the scars to show for it when you get to my age, but you’re going to get through. Nothing can get you down – you’re strong and you’re beautiful and, one day, you’ll be writing this post to your thirteen year old self, looking back on the years and realizing that regardless of what is thrown your way, you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you believe and smarter than you think, and I think you’re going to be just fine.