My Hobbies!

I have always made time for excercise :D Going to the gym is part of my daily routine, and I feel that regular excercise is good for both mind and body. I love to go to the gym and I often also use it as a way to de-stress. I find that strenuous excercise helps you to feel much better within yourself, which clears your mind and helps you to process particular problems or situations that may have occured, thus allowing you to think calmly of possible solutions, while coming to terms with them at the same time and realising that whatever it is, it's not that bad after all :)

As well as this, I also enjoy going to the cinema. Comedies are a particular favourite of mine. I love to laugh as it lifts your spirits and your mood :) I also enjoy sitcoms on TV such as Will & Grace, Everybody Loves Raymond, Scrubs, Friends, and TV series such as the Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives. I was consequently keen on doing a course in TV Drama during my second year of University.

As with most people my age I enjoy socialising and going out on the town to party and dance the night away. Coming to University has given me a new set of friends, thus giving the opportunity to expand my social network. Often a night in to relax is a favoured option these days. I also enjoy occaisionally dining out after a visit to the cinema, or having a wonder around the shops :) As an extreme Girls Aloud fan, attending a concert of theirs here and there never goes a miss! :D

Pictures From: Weights; www.bridesmadefitblog.com/2008/06/choices-cho... Will & Grace; musicremedy.com/w/Will_and_Grace/ Girls Alou; www.weblo.com/.../General/girlsaloud.com/488756/

How I Think I Have Changed Over the Last 3 years...

Looking back over the last three years, since attending University I believe I have changed considerably. When I first began, I wasn't sure what to expect. I questioned my ability before I had even started. This was no doubt due to the uncertainty of what tasks were ahead of me. I Have always been a worrier. But being at University and undergoing the many stresses and strains that come with it, I have learnt that worrying about things that havn't happened yet is just putting more pressure on yourself. Staying calm until knowing all the facts is much easier on yourself, and allows you to prepare yourself for a stronger approach at the task in hand.
I believe I have learnt that by coming across as a confident person (even if you arn't) enables you to ease into the situation and actually end up tackling it with real confidence. I used to find it difficult to mingle with people that I didn't know. But this approach also helps to encourage communication, which I have learnt makes you feel much more at ease as opposed to keeping yourself to yourself all he time. Being in an environment where there is naturally a lot of people practically forces you out of your shell.
Before coming to University, I didn't go out much or associate with many people. I would just concentrate on getting my work done. While I am still dedicated to getting work done and out of the way, by being around a lot of people I have learnt that getting a balance of work and socialising is good for your personal well-being. I have always been good at organising myself and time-management, so prioritising was never a problem.
Although, since the level of work required at University is much higher than that of previous levels of education, I often find myself challenged. However, I feel that by getting used to such tough expectations, I am preparing myself for what will be expected of me in the outside world. By attending University I belive that year by year, my academic skills have improved. For example, I have a wider knowledge when it comes to approaches to research and ways of thinking.
Before University, I lived at home with my parents where my Mum would cook for me (although I would often help as I do enjoy cooking!), washed and ironed my clothes, kept a tidy and organised home, and basically helped out domestically in any way. While my Dad went out to work and paid the bills. The was always hot water, heating, electricity, and TV. Since being at University I have lived on my own for the very first time. However, as sharing accommodation with several scruffy students very much clashed with my own ideas of domestic life, I have since acquired a flat where I live on my own. Here I have learnt to wash and iron my own clothes, cook for myself, pay my own bills, and add to my previously known routine in order to simoultaniously manage myself both domestically, and academically. As well as becoming familiar with the fact that, if you can't afford it, you can't have it!
All this, my ups and my downs, I feel has made me grow a tougher skin, become more independent, and more self-sufficient. I feel as though I have grown up considerably in the last three years.