Time to write something more substantial...

Where to start? So, today was Sunday. The clocks went back which meant I got an extra hour of sleep, although as one of my friends had his wallet stolen last night and we were up late trying to sort it, the extra hour didn't really feel as if it helped. Hmm,

Church this afternoon was absolutely fantastic though. Worship was intense, and passionate and we had an incredible talk on injustice and such. Baroness Cox spoke; she's part of The House of Lords, but uses that as a place to be a voice for the voiceless. 

This evening I cooked loaaads of veg, because I just don't get to eat enough on a student budget, and I've spent the evening finishing reading Frankenstein for tomorrow. I also may have sat and looked through every single photo I'm in on Facebook. Nothing like some procrastination... 

Still, all in all, today has been so full of God's grace in the way he's reminder me that His love is unswerving, it does not fail, and He has incredible plans which He's promised to fulfil. Not bad for what most would be a rather average day. 

This song was one of my favourites from over the summer so it was great to find it again today and have a little listen. I LOVE the lyrics.

Time for me to go to bed, I have a study date involving coffee by the canal at 9am.

Hugs to all (I miss those) and lots of blessings and such.

x

Psalm 28

The LORD is my strength and my shield; 

   my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. 

My heart leaps for joy, 

   and with my song I praise him.
Psalm 28v7

Marxism

I am currently writing an assignment based on Marx, false truth and this article. 

I fear that I am get too angry for a piece of portfolio work...

London and Homeless Tour Guides

"...we've even had corporate groups..."

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

x

Romeo and Juliet

One of the modules I am absolutely loving at the moment is Shakespeare. It's vaguely familiar and we've been doing exciting plays so far.

Anyway, tonight I had to translate some of Romeo and Juliet into modern English for a seminar discussion for tomorrow. Seriously, times like this, my singleness is wasted.

I think I need to get me some wings.

x

Friendship

So, this is horrifically cheesy but I feel it somewhat proves a point.


"FAKE FRIENDS - Never ask for food...REAL FRIENDS - Are the reason you have NO food.
FAKE FRIENDS - Never seen you cry...REAL FRIENDS - Cry with you.
FAKE FRIENDS - Know a few things about you...REAL FRIENDS - Could write a book about you.
FAKE FRIENDS - Would knock on your front door...REAL FRIENDS - Walk right in and say "I'm home".
FAKE FRIENDS - Are around for awhile...REAL FRIENDS - Are for life.
FAKE FRIENDS - Will read this...REAL FRIENDS - Will steal this!♥"


Friends come over and cook things for themselves, have lunch, and raid the junk cupboard. Even at uni we share a LOT of food.
We have been known to collectively cry at the Notebook, or sit on the floor of a conference sharing some tears.
I'm fairly sure my friends could write a rather ridiculous, fairly trashy novel about my life. I wouldn't want them to, but I reckon it'd be possible.
There is no need for a doorbell at home. No one uses it. They just walk in. Sometimes when I'm in the shower. Then they drink tea and chat to my mum.

We have discussed how when we're old we'll be running a cake shop. I don't think this is a joke. I believe this to be a genuine plan...

I quite miss all of them, wherever they are from.

x

Bon Iver

I've just returned from Manchester, where I spent about 24 hours visiting a couple of friends and seeing Bon Iver. 

After spending a month or so in one place, it was nice to jump on a train again and be on the move, especially as last year I was on the move all the time. It was even nicer to be leapt upon by Bridgette as I got off the train at Manchester Piccadilly and then to find Sam there to greet both of us at the end of the platform. After hugs and such (which there aren't enough of at uni!) we trundled off to get coffee in this beautiful little place, and then headed back to Sam's freezing house. 

The north is cold. Really cold.

Anyway, after a dinner where we had to hack frozen chicken from the bone, we put on dresses (or at least Bridgette and I did) and went out to brave the weather. I won't lie, it was totally worth it. That and the extra train fare I had to pay because I missed my train like the moron I am.

Bon Iver is just perfect in every way. It made me do lots of thinking, wish I could sing or play an instrument and then struck me dumb by the beauty of every.single.song.

Imagine the magic of a fairytale but mixed with the heavenliness of heaven... and then add yourself into a room where you're struck by lights that look like leaves, and the fact that it was three and a half years ago that you first heard this music and you're with the same people, and that God has been amazingly good, and life is strange but wonderful.

I loved it. 

And may have left in a slight daze and continued to enthuse about the gig's wonderfulness ever since. 

Now back in London, having done very little reading or work over the past two days, feeling guilty but also a little insane. I cant quite explain it but I think I need to go for a run or something in the rain. Bit mental.

I'm going to go and read some Romeo and Juliet for my lecture tomorrow.
Probably won't help with mentalness right now.

Oh dear.

xxx

Ups and Downs

For several reasons I would like to be at home today.

For many other reasons I don't want to be.

Seriously, the capacity of the human heart is quite mad.

x

I LOVE these.

Drama.

Today has been looong, especially as I stayed up until 3am writing an essay. Still, it's been a good, if not a little packed. Most of my day was spent at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre again. This time there was no performance to watch but a lecture, followed by some drama workshops...

Normally, not really my thing. I may be dramatic on occasion but I'm no actress. I was pleasantly surprised however at how much fun I had. The lecture I found really interesting (in my English geekiness!) and the workshops definitely helped me understand what on earth was going on. And then we got to go and play about on the stage. Pretty cool I must admit.

Tonight I went out for some Thai food with some new friends. An intriguing story that one, but for another time.  I feel as if I've run all over London today, and I would like to do more. Unfortunately another essay has to be attempted and a giant pile of reading worked through...

I'm fairly sure life as a fresher wasn't meant to be this intense. One of my american flatmates has gone to Paris this weekend. I am seriously jealous. 

I'm off to get some sleep, sort out my body that is crying out for rest, and then have a productive day...ahem... 

Auf Wiedersehn 

PS - I AM GOING TO MANCHESTER NEXT WEEK AND AM REALLY QUITE EXCITED! x

I dare not ask.

"Can my day get any worse?" is usually a question for a bad film or cheesy cartoon. Normally involves pianos falling out of windows and crushing people on the pavement. Now, I've had no pianos.

In fact, in the grand scheme of things, it's not been that bad. HOWEVER, I have an insane amount of reading, essays and general other work related stuff to do.

...and then get told I have to, once again, wash literally everything I own because creatures in my room are continuing to bite me.

Goodbye life and hello staying awake until dawn to get everything done.

GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

xo

Confused much?

Today I overslept by two and a half hours. Almost impressive if it wasn't so annoying. Still, I've achieved all I'd planned so I guess it's not all bad. I went to church this afternoon which was fun, looking at God's call upon our lives to love cities, and how that is outworked. It was something I needed to hear; exactly why I am where I am. So that was good. There were also Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at the end of the service as it was their seventh anniversary. Also good.

We went for drinks after church and decided at about half eight it was time to head home for dinner. We took a de-tour into Tesco's and then took the oh-so-memorable 'twenty five to Ilford' home. This is the bus that goes from literally outside Uni, to apparently most of London. It's useful, cheaper than the tube, but is certainly not quick and often contains some interesting characters. (On the way to church there was a three week old kitten in a box on the bus. CUTE.)

So anyway, home, dinner, and then locked into my room to read. I can only say that I am out of my depth. I've been using an online dictionary to attempt to decipher most of the words in one of these articles. Utterly ridiculous. We were warned it was tricky, but quite frankly I barely understood two sentences. Our seminar tomorrow could prove interesting.

Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a bit of a manic Monday, with lots of running around town, and back to back things I need to be at from 9am until gone 6pm. Excitingly though it's the first Amnesty International meeting of the year.

Love Amigos xo

One of My Favourite Things. Ever.

How I feel, in Icelandic. So, so beautiful.
x

It's three thirty in the morning.

A few days on from the debacle that has been dealing with the buildings/maintenance team at Uni and I am a tad less angry. Just a tad. I've had a couple of good seminars and have completed all of last weeks reading. And yes, I did mean last weeks.

I've had a strange few days but enjoyed a film night with the students from church, and went to chinatown on Wednesday. One of the many joys of London!

Today I got some work done, watched a bucket load of t.v on catch up and went to CU this evening, which, with a great talk on grace, was highly encouraging. The rest of the evening passed quickly and the plan was to get an earlyish night. Unfortunately living next door to friends means that I get distracted quickly and for quite a long time.

The lack of sleep and routine is beginning to make me dizzy in the sense that time passes and I've begun to lose track of days.

Anyway, enough sleep deprived ramblings, I need to awake in a few hours to discuss Shakespeare and his use of gender roles.

Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite. xo





PS - Ohhhh the irony! x

Dry Cleaning Fail

Uni have thrown all of my dry cleaning into a bin.

No joke.

Goodbye belongings.

Busy Week

Wow, so the past seven days have flown past, and yet strangely, London continues to feel like a holiday or joke.

The bedbug situation got worse, and Thursday involved me and Sue washing literally everything we own that could be washed. Five and a half hours later, I had done no reading but did have all of my things in black bags, nicely laundered. Needless to say, I was not in the best of moods. Still, things are looking up, and although my room looks like a prison, with no curtains and hospital style bed sheets borrowed from Uni, hopefully the bugs are nearly gone.

Lectures began this week, and with continuous late nights of chatting it's been a challenge to stay awake for an hour of administration. Seminars are definitely going to be more productive I think. My poetry seminar leader person, is a little insane. In the, 'I love poetry, am a massive geek and will go off on one' kind of way... interesting for someone in their mid twenties!

Friday was a definite highlight, with the baking sunshine, a great lecture on Shakespeare, followed by my first trip to The Globe Theatre, where we saw Much Ado About Nothing. Has to be one of the most incredible things I have ever seen and certainly my most enjoyable experience of Shakespeare. As we walked around St Paul's  over the Millennium Bridge and into The Globe, it was one of several 'I love London and my life' moments.

Similar moment was repeated yesterday as we sat enjoying a picnic lunch in Hyde Park, surrounded by more of this strange October sunshine, and autumn leaves. There are some excellent photos. Anyway, I also got free perfume from a stand outside Marble Arch, enjoyed lunch from Pret a Manger and saw an interesting protest from some activists fighting for Sharia law in Syria and the UK. Oh, and some crazy Egyptian raffle house thing. It was a cultured day, what can I say.

Today, being Sunday, I went to church, and one of my flatmates came along to see what it was like, having been part of a church choir back home. (Definitely a great God thing!)

I love having the chance to get my focus back onto Jesus and worship was quite exceptional. We went out for Wagamamas with everyone after, but I must admit, I miss home and the community I have there. I guess it's just initial newbie feelings. The girls called me briefly though when I got back, and it was so good to hear them, but I was definitely jealous of them being together. I'm just resting in the fact that God has led me here verrry clearly, and He will provide as He has done already. (Perhaps a prayer point please??)

Anyway, once again it's well into the middle of the night, I have to be up early to get work done before lectures, and so I shall dash.

Send me post. I love the stuff and I'm getting a reputation of having excellent post sending friends, thanks very much, Antonia, Sam and Hazel!

Love to all, or y'all as my american friends say xxx