Antics and Ramblings of Kat

Small Potatoes

2007-01-28T15:22:00.000Z

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."

2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 (The Message)

Things have been quiet on the blog front lately, but not in life in general. Much has happened so far this term that has meant that I've been feeling more stressed than I would have liked to have been (dead laptop--dissertation deadline--housemate issues)... and instead of doing the right thing, and relying on God, I took the more difficult, more painful, route of relying on my own strength. How foolish.

So, in CU last Thursday God took the opportunity to knock some sense into me. Again. There are too many times when I let my nature control me, rather than let God control me. It seems such a logical lesson, but one I seem to fall down upon all too often... somehow I would rather rely upon my own limited knowledge than on the Creator of all. Hmm.

My focus should not be on the things of now, the things that are troubling me, because those things will fade away into insignificance, despite how significant and troubling they seem now. A challenge, to look up and not inwardly, or downwards --- but a glorious one indeed.

Off to Ledbury we go...

2006-11-17T16:34:00.000Z

... for 2006 RUCU Houseparty! Most exciting. A good chance for teaching, worship, fellowship and fun. And for me, a well-needed break from work and the familiarity of everyday routine.

I'm excited!

Been a long time...

2006-11-05T18:25:00.000Z

I was talking to Lou the other day about how we don't seem to have the time to blog anymore. Don't have the energy to conjure up thoughts to commit onto the virtual page. The third year has been a bigger step up than I expected, and as I stand on the brink of the mid-point of term I'm wondering partly where the time has gone, and why I haven't made better use of it. In so many ways.

Work? Well, let's just say I could be doing more of it. This term will probably be my heaviest workload wise (3 modules and my dissertation) so there's nothing else for it but to just do it! I've been reminded lately by a couple of friends that work can most definitely be worship too... so I'm attempting to reform my attitude in those moments when I really, really would rather be doing anything else. I think Colossians 3:23-24 sums it up better than I can say it.

God? As is all too common for me, I keep on trying to do things in my own strength... and you would think I would learn, no? God's teaching me some lessons though... and tough as it is, and busy as I feel, God is supreme. I just need to learn to surrender control... and every day, many, many times a day - and as someone who loves to be organised, to be in control, this is challenging. Praise be that we have such a patient and gracious God!

I'm quite excited about reading Galatians this week. The preacher in church this morning was talking about the struggle we have between the law and grace... and really encouraged us to go away and spend a little time reading the whole of Galatians, getting engaged in Paul's argument and seeing the bigger picture of that book. I wish I could remember more of what the guy said... but I came away excited about reading Galatians. And seeing that I've been struggling with motivation in making time to read the Bible lately, God's definitely got his hand in this!

So here's to surrendering some control... and making time for God -- because I'm learning (again!) that without relying on him, life becomes so much more needlessly difficult.

Blogging Hiatus

2006-10-11T12:56:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm back in Reading and currently internet-less at home... which gives me less time for such frivolous things as blogging, as I always feel a bit guilty for doing non-academic stuff on campus computers!

But fear not, I should be fully back in action by the end of this month, NTL installation-man permitting!

In the meantime... it should be good to have an enforced break. Hopefully I'll conjure up some meaningful things to say by the time I'm back in action... we shall see.

Happy 21st Birthday.... Janet?!

2006-10-03T15:45:00.001+01:00

Well, I'm finally a proper adult. Yesterday was my 21st birthday. This is what I look like as a 21 year old:

As you can see, I'm now oh-so-mature and responsible, naturally!

Here's some candle-blowing action:

Highlight of my day was a late evening visit from two of my lovely friends, Ross and Marc, who delivered me a hand-decorated birthday cake (my third one this year!) - unique, I'm sure you'll agree:

Apparently they managed to eat any letters that made up my name in the process... hence wishing happy birthday to 'Janet'. That, plus the beautiful self-portraits and the way in which it was delivered... resulted in tears of laughter from both me and Ross. Goodness knows what the neighbours thought the commotion was! I also received a Large Shiny Box of Fun, and later the boys left a helium balloon on my doorstep.

What a perfect way to cap a special day... that was unforgettable to be sure!

Forum vs Starbucks

2006-09-07T10:00:00.000+01:00

I was supposed to be at Forum this week. Instead, I'm at home, mostly working because I couldn't afford to be there. I'm sad about that because I'm missing out on seeing friends from Reading who I haven't seen all summer... and missing out on lots of fabulous teaching. Not missing the thought of a week in a tent though! I'm just not really an outdoor-sy person.

But even though I've 'only' been at work, kingdom work is being done. Which is exciting. There are a few Christians in my store, which is cool - and even cooler was the shift a few weeks ago when we realised that there were more Christians than non-Christians there! Anyway, in the last week or so there have been one or two conversations with people talking about Christianity. And a few of the guys have promised to go to a Youth Alpha launch supper that's happening at the end of the month. All pretty exciting really! A lot of the guys that have been asking questions are pretty young, and without a lot of direction to their lives. The fact that they're asking big questions of us is exciting, and challenging at the same time. It encourages me though that although I've 'missed out' on being at Forum, God is using me right where I am. And that's something I all too often forget... I need to remind myself of that so much more often, and be open to be being used in this way!

Mission Bell

2006-08-21T13:30:00.000+01:00

Isn't it strange how something familiar can sometimes suddenly hit you with something you needed to know?

I've been like that with Delirious' album, The Mission Bell just lately. I loved this album from the moment I heard it - but when I was listening to it earlier today, the lyrics just leapt out of the song and smacked my inbetween the eyes.

I've been finding my walk with God more difficult lately than I have done in a few years... that's down to a few reasons, but mainly due to the death of my grandma a couple of months ago and also the unrest that's occurring at my home church in MK. I'd lost the passion, the urgency, the desire I had before - instead I was struggling on a bit, a little half-heartedly... And it was only just now, really listening to those lyrics and with God speaking through them that I've truly realised this. God asking me whether I can honestly sing the words and mean them. I'd managed to deceive myself that everything was ok really, and no, it actually wasn't. I have some work to do... but thankfully I don't have to do that alone - praise God!

Here I am send me

Show me a vision like Isaiah saw

Where the angel touched his lips

And he sinned no more

Let me hear the your voice saying

"Whom shall I send?"

I'll say send me Lord

I'll follow you to the end

Show me a vision like Ezekiel saw

An army of light

From a valley of bones

Breathe life into these lungs of mine

So I can scream and shout

Of your love divine

Search light burns bright

Floods my eyes

Invade me serenade me

I'm giving back my life

Here I am send me

There's nothing in my hands

But here I am send me

I'm in Jacob's dream seeing heaven's gate

Let me climb all night

On my ladder of faith

Wrestle with the angel

Till my body is weak

Dislocate my bones

For it's you that I seek

Show me the light Paul apostle saw

When he fell to the dust

And he could see no more

Open my eyes, open my eyes

I'm frightened what you'll find

When you open up my heart

I'm walking in the light

'Cos it's light that changes the atmosphere

So touch these lips that criticise

And put a song in my mouth

That opens our eyes

It's time for some change. And some action.

JB2 2006

2006-08-15T08:58:00.000+01:00

Ahhh.... I've been back from JB2 for about 10 days now, and I'm only just beginning to feel like I've recovered. Perhaps launching back into a 35 hour week at work, combined with several rather late nights to boot, didn't really help matters!

Anyway... JB2. Exhausting. Busy. Rewarding. Definitely rewarding. One of my main tasks for the week was to coordinate worship - a daunting task when you're trying to please the various and diverse tastes of a group of 60+. God blessed me (and doused my worries!) with a wonderful group of incredibly enthusiastic musicians - bassist, electric guitarist, flautists, pianist, saxophonist... My concerns that worship could be a half-hearted affair were blasted away by God - who provided the means for us to make a joyful noise to him! Perhaps another time I'll blog my thoughts on performance vs praise (a slight issue I had with a couple of my musicians) but that's a whole other topic!

Another event of note was my first foray into leading a meeting, on "Who is the Holy Spirit?". I was daunted from the outset, but on the day before feelings of trepidation were building! However, the night before I went to bed, the group of girls in my dorm prayed for me, and in particular that I would get a refreshing night's sleep - which was in short supply that week, I assure you! That night I got a fabulous night's sleep (praise God!) and managed to deliver my talk with God-inspired confidence, and to communicate who the Holy Spirit was as best as I could. God definitely used me and my inexperience and made it into something worthy, and something valuable and encouraging to the growing members of His Kingdom.

There are so many other things I could say... God worked so much that week, in me alone. What an encouragement and a joy to see God in action, particularly for me at a time when it's been so easy to feel discouraged. JB2 has left me feeling uplifted - and I hope that by blogging the things that have encouraged me, I won't forget them as it's all too often so easy to do.

Convoy!

2006-07-29T08:30:00.000+01:00

I'm going to blame the heat for the lack of blogging activity of late. When I've not been at work (roasting) I've been attempting to keep cool at home, while intermittently preparing my talk for this week, and compiling a Powerpoint presentation of truly epic proportions for use in worship (part of my role as worship coordinator!)

Later on I face the drive up to Cheshire, fortunately in a car with air conditioning, unfortunately at the enforced speed of 60mph as I try and keep in convoy with Stephen who has the uneviable task of driving a minibus plus trailer, packed with a gaggle of overexcited teenagers. So perhaps travelling at 60 is a small sacrifice to make in that case, when I think about it!

This week promises to be busy, very tiring, but so exciting and rewarding. I'm getting progressively more nervous about delivering my 'talk' (more an interactive session, but still!) on Wednesday morning... but with the power of God working in me, I'm sure he'll make it into something useful and relevant to the members. With props including masks, mints, coffee, chocolate and a backpack full of fizzy drinks I don't think it'll be boring!

I'll leave you to speculate on what those could possibly have to do with a talk on the Holy Spirit... and update you in a week or so when I've recovered from the coming week!

New Challenges...

2006-07-06T09:12:00.000+01:00

In just under a month's time, I'll be heading up to Cheshire for Jodrell Bank 2, a CPAS CYFA Venture. This will be my second as a team member, having also cooked for one year.

As time gets closer, people are beginning to find out what their particular 'responsibilities' are on the venture. Last year as a fledging team member, I was started at the shallow end with just a dorm group and a few other small tasks to take care of. This year, it seems God wants to stretch me a lot more than that!

I've been asked to co-ordinate music, which I'm really looking forward to - I love playing (flute) and singing, and to be honest I just don't do it enough anymore. This should be a great opportunity to dust off my instrument, as well as encourage the members to get involved with worship.

The scarier part though, is that I'm also leading a morning meeting, entitled "Who is the Holy Spirit?". We're basing our talk scheme on the Youth Alpha framework this year, so I do have some initial ideas to begin my thought process... but I have to admit to some feelings of trepidation! Although I spent a year cell leading, and done other things in the past such as Youth Alpha and CEx, I've never done anything like this before; leading a meeting for a large group of teenagers! So herein lies the challenge. Yes, it's quite a long way out of my comfort zone - but I've agreed to do it, and more importantly, God obviously wants me to do it! He'll give me the inspiration and the courage to see it through... and I'll keep you posted on how I get on with preparing this! And of course... your prayers would be incredibly appreciated!

Good Times!

2006-07-03T19:39:00.000+01:00

I've been back at home for just over two days, and already there have been crazy antics and fun times aplenty!

Yesterday included a meal with my fellow youth group leaders, followed by an impromptu trip with Kathryn to Stony Stratford to meet up with some work people in a pub - good times :)

Today, I ventured back into my secondary school with Kathryn to see how things have changed... which is a LOT. We managed to find a handful of teachers that we actually remembered, and marvelled at the new double glazing and new buildings that have sprung up in the past two years! This was followed by a random trip to a park to play frisbee with some good friends, and then covering the lovely Ross's car with newspaper and writing the legend 'I <3 ROSS!' in masking tape on one of the windows... the look on his face was priceless. Good times :) Loving the summer!

Goodbye 116...

2006-06-30T15:57:00.000+01:00

Tonight marks my last evening living on Basingstoke Road... and I have to admit I'm quite sad about it all. I've enjoyed living with Jess, Tracy, Gemma and Rachel and getting to know them all. Today has been spent in a veritable cleaning frenzy in readiness for our house inspection - which turned out to be a cursory look around the house. To be fair, it is gleaming and lemony fresh - and we've worked hard to gain our deposits back!

This evening only Tracy, Gemma and I remain in our lovely house and intend to reward our hard work with Harry Ramsden's fish and chips along with watching Big Brother together for the last time. The best part? No cooking or washing up to do on our last night!

It's been so great living here. God totally provided for me when he placed me into this house. Housing arrangements have never been straight forward for me, but God has been working for my good and his glory the whole time, hallelujah! I'm excited about moving into Pitcroft Avenue with Susan, Fiona and Katey for the next academic year... God's got it all in hand, and has put me there for a purpose... and if this last year has been anything to go by, I'm in for a fantastic year!

2006-06-25T14:42:00.000+01:00

"Don't worry, it's ok, I'm fine; I have a bowl!"
David Surtees, 23rd June 2006

'Black Tie and Diamonds': RUCU Ball '06

2006-06-22T23:11:00.000+01:00

[The full original versions of these photos (and a few others) can be found here :) ]

Summer days, drifting away...

2006-06-21T13:08:00.000+01:00

Ahh... the end of the summer term. There's nothing quite like it for the feeling of anticipation before the seemingly endless summer holiday arrives and the blissful (relative) freedom from academic work. Oh yes, and the occasional realisation that results will be published next week... but that's a minor point! It's great to finally have the time to relax, read books, watch DVDs and hang out with friends without the 'guilt factor' of revising and deadlines. I fully intend to enjoy it while it lasts!

Having been at home last week, it's just great to meet up again with my "Reading-friends". Lunch in Cafe Mondial and playing pool yesterday with Dan and Anna, just chilling out, having a laugh and reflecting on the last year and what lies ahead. On my way home, stumbling upon a game of ultimate frisbee on the sports field that various St Pats residents, past and present (plus a few others!) were playing... good times. Including being rugby tackled to the floor by Andy and being hit in the head by a frisbee by Miri! (No sign of a bruise just yet... we shall see!) And of course, the day was rounded off by watching the highs and lows of the England match in Sherfield Hall JCR, with housemates Gemma and Jess amongst others. All in all, a fabulous summer day. Even if summer doesn't quite seem to want to properly come out and play just yet!

Tonight heralds the RUCU Summer Ball... which promises to be a great night of fun and frivolity. Photos to come tomorrow, I promise!

All the small things...

2006-06-08T12:21:00.000+01:00

Isn't it funny how little things can remind you of someone?

My grandma passed away a week ago today... and ever since, little things have reminded me of her, almost everywhere I go.

* Strawberries. She always used to buy them in the summer.

* Carnations that she used to buy for my mum when she came to visit.

* Shopping in Sainsbury's... and the pork breakfast sausage she always bought, which me, my sister and cousin all love.

* The sunshine, and how she loved the sun and going on holiday and being in the garden.

It's just the little things, that make me think of her and smile and wish she was still here. It's the hardest thing to realise that I won't see her again, and that she won't be at my wedding next summer.

I hope I hold onto the little things... because those are the special things, the special memories that I never want to forget.

So Beautiful

2006-06-04T20:41:00.000+01:00

Darren Hayes. I wonder if you've heard of him? He was the front man of Savage Garden, but went solo since they split a few years back. You probably remember Savage Garden. The classic love song band - Truly Madly Deeply, and all that kind of thing. I really loved Savage Garden for their albums though, the darker album tracks that most people have never heard, but I love and treasure.

I kept following Darren Hayes after the band split, from the global success to now when his record company doesn't really bother to promote him anymore. Darren's not popular in the mainstream really these days... sure, his singles make the Top 40 (for what that's worth these days... I'm not entirely sure that it's that meaningful - and I certainly know that I lot of the music I love would never enter that particular measure of 'success') but you generally won't hear him played on the radio, or on many TV programmes. But I love Darren and his music. I love that he's not afraid to be experimental. Or subversive. He's charismatic and a generally funny and witty, down to earth guy. Not at all hung up and obsessed with being a celebrity. I've seen him a few times on tour, and those gigs have been the best that I've been to. He's immensely talented lyrically and vocally (and I have to confess I'm a bit of a sucker for a falsetto!) - and I think he's underrated.

I love meaningful lyrics. With a story. Things I can relate to, and see that they ring true with life. And I find that with this artist.

Anyway, this video of a performance of 'So Beautiful' at the Zulu Awards last year... the single reached some mediocre position in the UK. But you know what? I don't really care. Because I quite enjoy knowing and enjoying lesser-known artists. Hidden gems. It makes the music more special to me, somehow.

You may not agree with me. You may hate the song, and the performance and the guy. But isn't that the beauty of our individuality? The ability to appreciate and enjoy different things and other peoples' tastes.

I decided to share this with you - because I could.

My Friends Are Great!

2006-05-31T15:51:00.000+01:00

Coffee + revision = productive times!

2006-05-23T12:10:00.000+01:00

Today I went to Starbucks for the third time in two weeks. Not a particularly unusual in itself for me, considering I work there for half the year... but as a paying customer (albeit at a reduced rate!) I don't usually make a habit of frequenting the place that often.

But, revision does funny things to a person, and looking at the same four walls of my room is driving me round the bend! So, armed with revision notes and partner discount card I head down to the change of scenery that is Starbucks to a) revise and b) indulge myself in some highly calorific beverage :) It works for me!!

With one exam down, and two to go (next one being tomorrow afternoon!) I'm foreseeing a couple of more trips yet -- call it a 'coping strategy'!

And I have to say, today was a first... while placing my order I was practically offered a job by the manager -- which I turned down... I'm far too busy as it is when I'm in Reading to fit in a job on top of all that! But still... it's nice to know I have options!

A New Philosophy?

2006-05-14T15:21:00.000+01:00

It's been a while. That has a lot to do with the fact that I've been revising lately... and revision tends to sap every drop of creative thought from your mind.

I know I've never really enjoyed revising, but this year it just seems so much more difficult than it usually is. Perhaps it's because I have more on my mind at the moment.

At any rate, there's nothing else for it except to knuckle down and get on with it. And reward myself with Oreos every once in a while... yummy.

As UCCF's Richard Cunningham very profoundly told us at CU recently... "you can eat an elephant if you take it in slices."

If you can't beat 'em...

2006-05-04T16:17:00.000+01:00

I thought I would join in the fun and games... As Ceryn posted a picture of Ed, and now Ed has posted a picture of Ceryn... and Dannie posted an unflattering photo of me...

[Although this pic isn't too bad... I tried to find a more incriminating one, but couldn't!!]

Trekking to foreign lands... (well, as good as!)

2006-05-04T13:02:00.000+01:00

I went over to Bulmershe yesterday. It was only the second time I've been over there... the first being way back in Freshers Week 2004! I decided to walk over there from Whiteknights (after all, half a mile doesn't sound that far, does it?), so armed with my trusty map (I am a geographer, after all) I set out on the journey.

I made it in the end... but man, I didn't realise quite how far it really was!!

So what was the reason for this trek to Bulmershe, I hear you cry? I was meeting up with my prospective housemates, so we they could check whether I was a generally ok person and I could get to know them! I have pleasure in reporting that Katie, Susan and Fiona are all lovely girls, and that we'll all be residing on Pitcroft Avenue next year! :)

And I tell you what... God knew it all along - I was just impatient and very grudging with my trust in Him. Which is so incredibly stupid, but I suppose that's what I get for being a control freak! I don't think it's any coincidence that the moment I completely let go of the situation, stopped stressing and fretting about what I was going to do next... that's when God showed me where I was really supposed to be. Not where I thought I should be.

It seems ridiculous to think that so often I decide I know better than my Creator, Lord of all and believe that my own short-sighted human perspective and plan must be better... Craziness.

But now.... I'm just most excited at seeing exactly what God has planned for me now he's placed me in that house!!

There's hope in the darkness, you know you're gonna make it

2006-05-01T19:22:00.000+01:00

I don't want to say too much right now... but I may have found somewhere to live next year..! Nothing is totally finalised yet, but I'm hopeful. Huge thanks go to Jess, possibly the most amazing housemate in the world :) So... that particular headache may soon be completely eradicated... praise God!

I went to see my grandparents today... which was tough. It's so hard seeing people I love so much just looking so... old all of a sudden. I think my family are in for a difficult ride over the next few weeks and months... but you know, God has been faithful to me and my family all along, and I have no doubt that will remain to be the case. Even though things will get harder to bear, He'll be right beside us all the way, God unchanging.

Hallelujah!

Just keep swimming...

2006-04-27T16:21:00.000+01:00

It's strange how you can balance your emotions, and suppress them in certain circumstances... It would be easy right now to let myself slide into depression and refuse to smile about anything. And you know, inside I'm still broken... but there's nothing like a bit of old fashioned escapism to help you gain some relief from your feelings.

I haven't been on the receiving end of much good news lately. On top of my ongoing housing problem, Stephen's been having problems with his job... and to cap it all, my grandma - who's been ill for quite sometime - has been diagnosed with untreatable cancer. My stress levels are rising, and with exams on the horizon, that's no good thing.

I spent most of my afternoon with my good friend Miri, and it's funny... I was sure I was going to tell her everything about how I was feeling - but I didn't. It felt better to escape for a while, to talk about other things and other people. My form of escapism. And it's not that I didn't want to confide in her, or tell her what was going on... but by just being someone to chat with about anything and everything, that was what I needed more than dwelling on my problems at the moment.

When I was walking to campus this afternoon, I couldn't help but think how beautiful it was to see blossom on the trees and feel the warmth of the breeze. There's another reason not to wallow into depression... despite my circumstances and of those around me, on Thursday 27th April, this isn't all there is. There's more than this, there's so much more than me. God is working, in ways that at the moment I really don't understand... I'm struggling to see how things will work out, and where things will lead. But that's not really for me to know. Not just yet. God is ultimately faithful, and although at times lately I've felt like my prayers have been bouncing off the ceiling and that I've been all alone.... I know in my heart of hearts that that just isn't true.

Yes, it's a struggle. And no, I don't know what will happen next. But I do know that I have hope. Eternal hope. And that's what's going to keep me going, no matter what. This is one of those times when I find running the race tough, but God is using me and my circumstances to refine me, and make me more like Him.

Another ditch in the road, keep moving...

2006-04-25T17:36:00.000+01:00

It's been a while, and plenty has happened... It's hard to believe that five weeks could pass by so quickly!

It's been good to have a bit of a break from blogging, but it also means that there are a few things to fill you in on!

Word Alive in not-so-sunny Skeggy was a great week of teaching, fellowship, making new friends and getting to know 'old' ones better. I won't try to write up all my notes (see Bish for the main lowdown!) But here are a couple of pictures for your visual pleasure :)

Now I'm back in Reading, which has its upsides and downsides. Downsides include the almost constant banging noise created by the building site across the road... which, of course, is just what you want when you're trying to revise. Being back here also brings my accommodation situation back into sharp focus... I'm running out of options, but I'm still trying to remain positive about the whole thing. There must be something right for me somewhere... it's just a case of trying to find it. And not going completely nuts in the meantime. But it's not all doom and gloom... it is nice to be back and see my friends again. Especially ones who give you unexpected hugs or try to carry you off down the road!

Snap Happy

2006-03-30T10:16:00.000+01:00

Stephen and I met our wedding photographer last night. He's called Tom Millington, and you can see some of his work here. He's cool, and his pictures are fantastic... it's meetings like this that make you realise that the Big Day is getting closer and closer... how exciting!

Digging deeper

2006-03-28T11:42:00.000+01:00

Being at home is always busy. This "holiday" is only from being in Reading... it's not resting or relaxing or a holiday in any other sense of the word! Between working, meeting up with friends, trying to organise my room and my life and preparing for youth group bible studies, I've barely had time for my feet to touch the ground!

But would I have it any other way? I don't think so!

On Sunday I was asked to lead a bible study for the youth group I help to lead when I'm in this neck of the woods... My bible study this time around was about studying the bible! In the most practical sense... I based it upon "Dig Deeper", with the intention of trying to make some small step towards equipping this bunch of teenagers to actually read and study their bibles. Believe me, in the age we live in these days, this is quite a challenge! Reading in our society in general is neglected, so for a start this skill is largely undeveloped. Our obsession with consumer culture and instant media means that these teens are used to being spoon-fed stuff without really having to think for themselves. Trying to foster these skills in them is something I'm passionate about!

Watching them come to grips with navigating their Bible was encouraging... and using the index was definitely necessary to find 'hidey books' such as Titus! But I really felt that God was working, and trying to fan into flame within these kids a passion for their bibles, so that they don't only look at them on a Sunday evening.

We're facing a similar challenge at the Venture I'm on team for in the summer... getting teenagers into their bibles and instilling within them a sense of the bible's significance for their lives!

It's a challenge that I definitely think needs tackling head on. How can we hear God speak if we don't take the time to read his word? And how can these young Christians grow if they're not doing this?

And BREATHE..........

2006-03-17T19:40:00.000Z

It's the end of the term at last... and effectively the end of my second year, save for a few pesky exams mid-way through next term! Time is passing scarily quickly... or maybe I'm just getting old.

I've spent the last couple of days doing relatively little except relax, have fun and spend some quality time with good friends. It's times like this when you really feel that work really gets in the way of being at university!

I head back to MK tomorrow for five weeks (except for a week in the middle when I'm off to Skegness, via Reading for Word Alive with various members of RUCU -- which should be great fun!). I'll be back at Starbucks, which I'm looking forward to... as well as earning some money (which is always welcome) it'll be good to see my friends there... they're a good bunch really! Oh, and revising of course...!

If you're in the vicinity of MK, pop in and say hello... I'm looking forward to catching up with my friends. And guys in Reading... I'm sure 5 weeks will pass quicker than we can possibly imagine!!

2006-03-16T10:43:00.000Z

Interesting article from Bish on the role of women in church and CU over here... very thought-provoking.

Especially as I'm not entirely sure what I think on this matter! Hmm... definitely some food for thought here.

If you're happy and you know it...

2006-03-15T16:55:00.000Z

Thank goodness, our bathroom is once again in one (slightly blue-tinged) piece. Trust me... you never realise quite important basic facilities are until you don't have the use of them!!

I'm also in a joyous position of having completed all my work and submitted it... meaning that my last few days of the term will be spent relatively relaxingly! I'm planning to treat myself to a milkshake tomorrow... any suggestions for interesting flavours to try are more than welcome!

I had my first meeting with my dissertation supervisor today, which was actually great - my supervisor loves my idea, and gave me some good suggestions of how to take things forward over the Easter vacation. It's going to be mostly based on textual analysis, so my dissertation will combine my love of English with my degree... everyone's a winner! (I've always been more of an arty type than a formulae-equation-spade wielding person anyway... what a cruel twist that my degree will make me a BSc!!)

So good times all round... although I still don't have any accommodation for next September... but I remain optimistic and I'll keep you posted on any news!

Goodness gracious...

2006-03-13T14:49:00.000Z

A scene of devastation greeted me when I got home from campus this afternoon.

Our toilet has been playing up all weekend. But at least it was functioning. When I got home this afternoon, I was informed that it had stopped working altogether and that a guy from our property lettings place had come to fix it. Hurrah, we thought.

Whilst we were watching Neighbours, much banging and crashing could be heard. We were a little worried... but assumed that aforementioned guy from property lettings place was on the case. And reasonably competent in the sphere of plumbing.

A short while ago, he informed us that he was going "out" and would be "back soon". So we took the opportunity to survey the scene.

And what a scene it is.

Our toilet in is our BATH. And it has a crack in it. Our bath is now splashed with blue stuff, and our carpet is drenched with water. And there is a pipe dripping.

On top of this, we have no functional toilet (or shower or bath, for that matter), a bathroom in one heck of a state... oh, and no running cold water.

Fabulous.

Oh, the joys of student housing!!

Keep looking up...

2006-03-09T11:09:00.000Z

'I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
I will build you up again...' Jeremiah 31:4-5

I may still not have anywhere to live.

I still don't know how this situation will be resolved.

But what I do know is that God never changes. He is faithful and unchanging. And although I might feel a bit bashed up by what life throws at me, I know I have an eternal hope of something more. Something better.

When I was at home at the weekend, I came across my old Youth Bible and read through some of the things people had written in the front of it. One of them said:

Keep looking up!

Such good advice from an old youth leader of mine, and definitely some advice that I'd do well to put into practice!

What's going on??

2006-03-08T15:20:00.000Z

I like to know what's going on. I have many friends that can tell you that I'm a pretty organised, together kind of a person. I may have difficulty making decisions sometimes, but overall, once I've made a decision I like to know exactly what's happening, when and why.

My problem is that I'm a bit of a control freak.

Which is what makes my situation right now so much more difficult to bear, and makes trusting in God to see me through and for me to trust in his plan for me that much harder.

Those who have a long memory might recall the housing traumas I had last year... with the result that I now live in a nice pink house with four other lovely girls. However, being as they're all a year above me, they're all graduating this year, making it necessary for me to find alternative lodgings for next year. So I applied for two university halls, pretty confident that I would get a place at one or the other. However, on Monday my world fell apart when I discovered that I didn't have a place anywhere... effectively making me homeless for the time being (and worse, feeling like I was reliving last year all over again - in short, I was not a happy bunny).

So, the upshot is I don't know where I'll be living next year. Clearly, God knows something I don't, and has ideas about where I should be living that are different from mine.

I've applied for Reading Student Village now, so we'll see what comes of that. Thoughts and prayers and encouraging comments would be much appreciated though!

It's tough for a control freak like me to really sit back and let God take control, even though I know it's for my benefit. He really blessed me with this house and these housemates last year... so I can take heart from that and know there's something equally good waiting for me around the corner. I just need to be patient... another tough lesson for me to learn!

Snow!!

2006-03-01T17:55:00.000Z

Wow... snow is beautiful. I looked out of my window... and saw this winter wonderland before me! What makes it slightly bizarre is that this morning I walked to campus with glorious blue skies above me, and (when the wind abated!) the sun gently warming me.

How beautiful.

It's times that this that I marvel at the beauty of creation and in turn marvel at the imagination of the God who brought it into being. Things like this are what convinced me that God exists... how could something like this come into being just by coincidence of some particles banging together? That idea just doesn't add up to me...

Pancakes...yum!

2006-02-28T16:22:00.000Z

I like pancakes. I always have done. Once, at my youth group (way back in the day!) we experimented with food colouring... and girls being girls, and boys being boys, we ended up with pinky-purple and black(!) pancakes accordingly!

Last year's pancake related exploits in St Pat's were just before mission week, so the cell groups hosted a free pancake evening for the residents of our hall. It was great fun, if a little hot and frantic at some points! Not sure I'll ever experience a Shrove Tuesday like that again... but man, was it fun!!

Tonight promises to be somewhat more sedate... having taken some time-out from working to whisk together some pancake batter (from scratch, much to my housemate's surprise... and why not, it's very easy!) so I can indulge later on... And my favourite topping? Lemon and sugar... I like to keep it classic!

The end of HOPE is not the end...

2006-02-27T17:19:00.000Z

HOPE 2006 was awesome. I (and the CU Exec) had to miss the last evening meeting as we were going away for the weekend, but what I was there for was incredible. God was so clearly present and moving and carrying out his work on Reading Campus. It was so amazing as we were miles away from Reading on Friday night to be receiving texts from people who were at the evening event telling us that people were having their lives changed... and giving their lives over to Jesus. AMAZING!!

Even as we sat and prayed for our university, we received another text telling us of another one saved. Three in total on Friday, that we knew of. Most excitingly for me, are the changes that I've seen happen in some of the people that have attended CEX. I've seen them explore their questions, and make connections... seen those lightbulbs appear over their heads! It's so exciting to hear that they've committed to following Jesus, and that the questions they had have been answered, and that God has spoken into their hearts and lives. I'm so looking forward to CEX tonight. The topic: Jesus' resurrection. Such an exciting topic to look into after such an amazing week.

HOPE 2006 may be over, but the work doesn't stop here. People at Reading still need to hear the good news of Jesus. We need to keep on telling others, and living out our faith in our homes, lectures and social lives. It was great this weekend to meet with others seeking to do the same thing at their universities all over the South East, and to share ideas and here what things worked to help share the gospel that little bit more... This year, and beyond is going to be exciting. I can feel it!

HOPE: Day 3

2006-02-23T14:29:00.000Z

Wednesday's are always tiring. There's the knowledge that you're half way through the week, but there's still a far way to go before the weekend. But yesterday was fun (apart from a 9am lecture... but these things can't be helped sometimes, I guess!)

I didn't make the lunchtime talk today, as my friend Dan and I were meeting up with his housemate Paul (known to the majority as Pablo!) to play pool and generally celebrate his birthday. It was also good to get to know Pablo better... united in our efforts to beat Dan at pool! (And we managed it a few times too... victory made sweeter by the fact that Dan is Ultra Competitive... :) ) The night before, at the sports quiz after evening talk, we'd also discovered that our sports knowledge really wasn't up to scratch... I think that pained Dan somewhat!

After doing some work in the afternoon (it had to happen at some point - work has very much taken a back seat this week, however!) it was time to head out to the evening talk, with Graham speaking on "The Hope of the Gift". I certainly can't speak for everyone in the room last night, but the message of the talk definitely hit home to me. A real challenge to my attitude towards telling other people about Jesus. Amazing.

Well, now I must procrastinate no more and get on with preparing for my seminar tomorrow... ontology, epistemology and methodology of geography, anyone?

Introducing...

2006-02-22T15:23:00.000Z

The Fiance

(you can call him Stephen if you like)

HOPE: Day 2

2006-02-22T15:00:00.000Z

Yesterday, I managed to extract myself from bed to get to the team meeting. It was a great time to reflect on the previous day's happenings (especially in regard to events happening over at Bulmershe or the international events, which many of us weren't able to go to) and praise God for what he has been doing and what he has yet to do!

Lunchtime brought another free lunch and a discussion on "Don't all religions lead to God?" HumSS 25 was fairly full to the brim, and a good few questions were posed. Sadly, my group members for a project I'm doing at the moment in Geography preferred to do statistics than come and eat free food and hear the talk... we can but try!

"The Hope of New Life" was the topic brought to us by Graham in the evening, focusing on the fact that there's nothing we can do to gain eternal life... we're not good enough. In the story of the rich young ruler, who comes to Jesus and asks "what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus tells him that he must keep the ten commandments, and particularly highlights one that he knows the young man can't keep. Jesus tells the young man to sell all his possessions, knowing that he won't be able to do this.

There's nothing that we can do to gain eternal life. We're not good enough. Even the nicest of people have their flaws, and have thoughts and deeds in their past that they'd rather keep hidden. In fact, to be a Christian, you have to realise that you're bad enough. But the great thing is that Jesus' death and resurrection means that we don't have to be good enough. Jesus, the only perfect man ever, led a blameless and sinless life in order that he could be the perfect sacrifice for us and our sin. Letting us have a way back to God, and a way out of our sin, if we accept him into our lives and recognise him for who he is.

That never fails to blow my mind.

HOPE: Day 1

2006-02-21T15:56:00.000Z

Just for now, you will have to humour me and pretend that it's Monday. My idea of live-blogging this week has, for now, turned into retro-blogging due to my great need of sleep last night... it's a tiring business, all this talk of HOPE!

I have to admit, I didn't get off to a great start yesterday... tiredness and the temptation of the snooze button kicked in, meaning I didn't make it to the first team meeting at 10am yesterday morning. (What it is to be a student...!) I did however get to the lunchtime talk, given by Tom Price on the subject "Does God Exist?" It was great to have a good turnout, and hear Tom faithfully and clearly preach the gospel.

I then had to dash and go and do some work, as unfortunately my lecturers don't understand that this week is a busy one!

Later, it was time to head towards the Blue Rooms for the evening talk (The Hope of the Son), firstly via the Union to meet up with any guys from CEX that wanted to come along -- after all, it can certainly be pretty daunting to walk into a room full of people you don't know! It was wonderful to have four of our regular attendees there, as well as two friends of a couple of the girls! I find it amazing that these guys, not even Christians yet, are better at inviting people along to events than I am... What a challenge to me and how I share the gospel with my friends!

Graham Daniels from Christians in Sport gave a great talk, relating his personal stories with those in the Bible, and challenging people to think about whether they're stuck with Christianity because they think it's either weird, irrelevant or untrue. A mixture of entertaining and engaging speaking, coupled with the solid truth of the gospel. Personally, I couldn't ask for anything more!

Then, if all that wasn't enough, it was time to head over to St Pat's to host a free pancake drop-in... the response to which, I think, exceeded all of our humble expectations. Conversations were had, pancakes were eaten, and possibly the greatest number of people ever were crammed into a pretty small kitchen! Good times.

Then it was time to head home and off to bed... ready to face another day of HOPE on campus!

Catching my breath...

2006-02-20T15:10:00.000Z

So much has happened since I last posted... and it's all exciting! So I hope you're sitting comfortably...

I spent much of last week trying to take things easy, as I was a little under the weather - and as soon as I tried to do anything too ambitious, I ended up having to rest even more! As a consequence, I ended up having to have an enforced break from my usual evening activities of CEX, cell group and Christian Union... but perhaps on one hand God was just trying to teach me a lesson in relaxing in Him rather than doing all the time!

However, the weekend was somewhat more action-packed. Stephen (The Fiance) came to visit on Friday for our late semi-Valentines evening together... which involved lots of pizza, telly and wine! We're of the opinion that you don't need to have a fancy evening out to celebrate something... it's often the simpler things in life that are best!

Saturday was the CEX day away, which was time spent away from campus and other distractions to meet together and talk about Christian life. We had four sets of DVD and discussion, focussing on the Bible, prayer, the Holy Spirit and the church. Throughout the whole course so far, not only has it been such a privilege and a joy to take these guys through exploring what Christianity is all about; it's also been so amazing for me too to be reminded of the fundamental truths of my faith... God has used this course to teach me just as much as the non-Christians that have been coming to us!

I spent my Sunday mainly at my Reading church, Greyfriars, and spent some time getting to know a few more people at my church over a wonderful roast dinner. It was so inspiring to hear one particular couple talk about how they'd seen God work in their lives, and the number of times they'd stepped out in faith because God had told them to, and he'd honoured them because they'd listened to him. Conversations like that is why I love being in a church that has such diversity... others have so much that we can learn from, from their own experiences... yesterday made me realise yet again how amazing my God is!

Then, before we knew it, it was time to head back to the church hall where RUCU were gathering for the launch of HOPE 2006. After so much preparation and anticipation, HOPE week is finally here... and what an air of anticipation there is. I can't wait to see what God is going to do this week... and way beyond!

My Kind of Sport...

2006-02-16T15:39:00.000Z

Curling.

I love it!

I'd forgotten quite how much until the Winter Olympics graced our screens once again... and, you know, I think I prefer the Winter Olympics to the normal variety!

I'll be the first to admit, I don't understand the intricacies of this game. But there's something undeniably appealing to me about people wielding brooms, sweeping that ice in a frenzied fashion, sliding those stones at a target and wearing those special slidy shoes!

(I discovered the other day, whilst enjoying the curling coverage, that the shoes have special slidy soles that help them glide oh-so-gracefully across the ice, but they also have a grip pad that they can take on and off when they don't need to slide anywhere! Ingenious!!)

What's more, it seems we Brits actually have something of a talent for the sport... at the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, the women's team won gold. And this year, we don't seem to be doing too badly either, with both the men's and women's teams in joint first position at the top of their leaderboards! (At the time of writing, of course. Check out the latest results here!)

What a sport.

Currently, the other thing bringing a smile to my face is courtesy of Google, who are certainly entering into the spirit of Torino 2006 with lovely themed images of different winter sports. You can see my favourite to the left. I'm sure you'll agree, it's a little more interesting than the norm!

My Dissertation

2006-02-16T10:44:00.000Z

I anticipate that this will certainly not be the last time you hear this lovely topic mentioned!

My first draft dissertation title is due in tomorrow... but being the compulsively organised soul that I am, I'm going to hand it in today. It seems a scarier prospect than it actually is, as my topic is by no means set in stone... I haven't passed the point of no return yet - far from it!

I've chosen to base my dissertation on my lovely home town of Milton Keynes - and if you're thinking negative thoughts here, then you've hit on the topic of said dissertation! I want to examine the image that Milton Keynes has given itself, and indeed been given by other sources such as the media... that's the plan, anyway!

I'm thinking it's a feasible study, but seeing as my personal tutor doesn't want to see me until next week (beyond the deadline, let me emphasise) I haven't had much 'expert' input! But we shall see... I get a supervisor assigned to me sometime next week, who should be a "specialist in the field"... love that phrase, always makes me think of a person standing in a field with a bunch of cows!!

Needless to say, I'll keep you posted... I must admit to being a little daunted - I've never really taken on a project that's taken a year to complete before... unless you count my road (no pun intended!) to driving success!

But I do like a challenge.. and I have no doubt that this project will be just that.

Eventful Times...

2006-02-14T15:59:00.000Z

This last week has been quite an eventful one... starting with last Wednesday evening when, after dinner, my usually trusty laptop wouldn't boot up past a certain point. Oh dear, I thought. Although I'm pretty computer-savvy up to a point, I tried various methods to try and solve this problem to no avail. I then called Stephen (The Fiance), who is often very handy in situations where I am Technically Challenged, but he couldn't come up with any suggestions that worked.

Roll on to Friday, when The Fiance arrived in person (and I'd been computer-less for nearly 2 days. Most distressing) and renewed his attempts to solve the problem. Alas, he could not find a solution. I then dug out my PC World coverplan (knew there was a reason for taking that out!) and called up a Friendly Man, who immediately told us my poor lappy had a virus. Unfortunately, the only cure for said virus was to restore the operating system, which means I have lost all the files that weren't backed up... most annoying!

However, on the plus side, my computer is now back up and running, and I have switched my anti-virus software allegiance from one giant company to another!

The weekend took me away to the distant land of Leamington Spa, where I was attending a training weekend for the CYFA Venture (a Christian youth holiday) I help to lead in the summer, Jodrell Bank 2. It was a good opportunity to catch up with people I last saw six months ago, and also to discuss our ideas and strategies for the summer. One of our main challenges is to try and make the Venture more Bible-focused, as last year many of the members were often without their Bibles in meetings where they needed them. Our challenge is to help this group of teenagers realise how important the Bible is for them and their lives, and that's not just a book that's far removed from them and their situations. We came up with a lot of ideas, but who can say how successful we'll be until the time comes... What does seem certain is that in the same way Christ is an example for us, we need to be an example to the young people coming on our Venture to show them Jesus... not just with our Bibles but in everything we do! What a glorious challenge!

Montage of Miriam

2006-02-08T16:07:00.000Z

I've been threatening to do this for a while... and now seems an ideal time to do so! Over the past few months, I've managed to collect quite a few photos of our dear Miri, not all of which could be said to be the most flattering... so here we have it, a little tribute to the lovely lady that is Miriam Gray!

I hope you enjoy it... and Miri, I hope you're still speaking to me!!

Christianity Explored

2006-02-06T22:07:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while since I last blogged... but I tend to go in peaks and troughs with these things. I've always been particularly bad at keeping a diary, but at least I'm better with this! Hopefully I'll be updating more regularly for the next few weeks!

Monday evenings currently mean only one thing: Christianity Explored (or CEX, as it's more affectionately known - and it's easier to type, too).

I have the amazing privilege, along with four other guys, to help people learn about the gospel, about who Jesus is and what he did for us... and how amazing is that?!

It's so great to be able to show the guys that come that Christians are, actually, normal people who like to eat lots of chocolate cake and have a sense of humour. And, in the case of Ed, like to wear the meal we're about to eat. Perhaps he was saving it for later, or experimenting with some kind of tramp-chic; who can tell!

All I know is, God is doing amazing things. And I'm excited to be able to share with people the best news ever; that Jesus died for us so that we could be free. That God is totally interested in us, in our lives, and that he wants to get to know us and have a relationship with us. And that he loves us despite our imperfections and our tendency to fail over and over again. That is one awesome God!

And there I was, thinking it was all fun and games...

2006-01-17T10:46:00.000Z

Goodness me, this term has been something of a shock to the system! I won't deny I was busy last time, because I was, but this term... it's just on a whole other level! Particularly in the realm of decision making... which isn't really my forte, sadly. But perhaps this will all just be good practice and I'll end up being FANTASTIC at making decisions once this term is out!!

Although last week the word which can strike fear into the heart of even the hardest-working individual was uttered: dissertation!

Surprisingly, I'm still finding the time for plenty of fun... although I fear the amount of time indulging in fun activities will have to diminish as the term continues... but hey, it'll be good fun while it lasts!!

2006... How exciting!

2006-01-09T10:55:00.000Z

2006, eh? Scary to think that 10 years ago was 1996 and 5 years ago was 2001! Both of those years feel relatively recent... It's official... I'm beginning to get old. Here are some of my observations as we're now in the year where I fully and completely enter adulthood...

Christmas 2005 was the 4th Christmas that I've worked at Starbucks and been rushed off my feet by angry shoppers. Next Christmas will be the last one before I graduate!
I'm over halfway through the actual 'learning' part of my degree already
I graduate next year
I get married next year!!
My sister turns 18 this year... now I'm really feeling old
I've only been driving for about six months, and I'm allowed to drive a BMW!!

I await this term with anticipation. (I'm not too excited about this afternoon, because I have Web Page Development, and that sounds a little geeky to me, but we'll gloss over that one for now!) No doubt 2006 will throw its fair share of trials and tribulations at me, but at the moment I'm excited about what will happen in the next ten weeks. I've been a cell leader for nearly a year now; and now it's time for me to hand over the reins to the next one... Jen. I can't wait to see how God will work through her, and in St Pats in the next year and beyond. It's so exciting to pass on the baton, but at the same time it leaves me with some extra time on my hands that I'm sure God won't allow to go to waste! So that's why I'm excited too... new challenges for me lie ahead, and I know not yet what they are in full.

I'm happy to be back in Reading. I've enjoyed being at home, but I do like being here. I'm looking forward to catching up with my friends here again and drinking copious caffeine-based beverages in Cafe Mondial!

Here's to the next year... I'm determined to make the most of the opportunities that come my way! I hope you do the same too.

Christmas...

2005-12-24T13:29:00.000Z

Just a quickie to wish everyone a Merry Christmas... I know for me that this year won't be quite the same as previous ones, but we're still making the best of it nonetheless, and I hope that everyone will have a good time whatever you get up to.

See you soon chicks and chickens! xx

Home Sweet Home

2005-12-20T15:15:00.000Z

Ahhh... sometimes it's good to be at home. True, it does have its trials and tribulations, but all in all it's quite nice to be somewhere where meals are provided, and laundry is done!

I'm back working at Starbucks, which is good news for my bank account... although I am indulging in a somewhat expensive haircut tomorrow -- but it'll be worth it for the overall pampering experience and the emergence of me with much less shaggy locks!! I've nearly completed my Christmas shopping too - I'm shortly popping down to the epic consumer mecca that is the brand spangly new Asda Bletchley (which sells basically anything you can think of, from butter to bikes to boots!)

The best thing about being at home though is being able to hang out with my lovely MK-based friends -- it's just so good to catch up with like-minded people! Which of course means.... going to the pub tomorrow evening. Where else but good old 'Spoons would do?!

Only 5 days til Christmas..............

Yes... I'm procrastinating again!

2005-12-07T15:14:00.000Z

Well guys and gals, yet again I'm putting off doing work... the Word documents are open on my trusty laptop but I simply do not have the urge to work. Which is ridiculous really, as I'm so close to finishing all my work for this term... if only I could get the motivation and get down to it for an hour or two, I would be free and able to do nothing for as long as I want! But oh no... my brain has other, less helpful ideas. Most frustrating.

At least I haven't succumbed to the honeytrap that is daytime television yet... I draw the line at Neighbours -- because if you start watching Doctors after that, before you know it you've spent the whole afternoon watching programme after programme that does nothing to enrich your life whatsoever! (Least of all meet your deadlines). I'm hoping that by coaxing my weary braincells into forming vaguely coherent sentences and commiting them to screen (I prefer pen and paper, but you can't win 'em all) that I'll magically be able to write some fantastically amazing academic insights into the social and economic relations of globalisation on world cities.

Here's hoping...

RUCU Carol Service

2005-12-05T17:54:00.000Z

It was the Christian Union carol service last night, and lovely it was too. We sang carols along with the little orchestra, were serenaded by the fantastic university gospel choir, Blessed Melody, and heard an amazing (amaaaazing, for the benefit of Tom!) talk from Graham Daniels, who's from Christians in Sport.

He talked about how people are all looking for saviours... Portsmouth's, for example, is Harry Redknapp. But the only Saviour we need, and the only one we have, is Jesus. Who was born on Christmas Day. That's what Christmas is all about. The birth of our Saviour, not tinsel and Santa Claus and how many presents you find under the tree. Christmas was the start of the most amazing life in history - the life of our Saviour Jesus. How exciting!!

I feel I should also add here another little comment about Graham Daniels... when I was much younger, my church at home was really involved in CIS, particularly my parents... and Graham used to come to our church quite a lot. So my claim to fame is, Graham Daniels came round to my house for lunch when I was younger! We had tomato soup I believe (I also believe he's a vegetarian... but don't quote me on that!), and he put cheese in it -- if you haven't tried that, you should, it's very nice!

So there you are... great story, isn't it?! Not sure whether I'll share it with Graham though if I speak to him... he might just think I'm the tiniest bit strange!!

Why I Like December

2005-12-01T17:14:00.000Z

Goodness me, it's December already. Where has the year gone to? This time of year means several things to me...

Deadlines: probably the least enjoyable part of the term! I never realised quite how easy I had it as a fresher... 1000 word essays are nothing compared to this! It'll be all good though... I must confess to being more than a little nervous about a presentation I have to do tomorrow morning though...!
Carol Concerts: the main thing about breaking up on the 9th December is that Christmas comes forward quite a bit... so this Sunday the Christian Union is putting on it's carol service! Should be lovely and put everyone right into the festive mood. So... if you're in the Reading vicinity on Sunday evening, be at London Road Campus at 6pm (there'll even be mince pies... and alternatives, if you're strange and don't like that kind of thing!)
Advent calendars: so I may now have exited my teens and be in the realm of adulthood, but I still have an advent calendar this year! How often do you get an excuse to eat chocolate in the mornings?!
Going back to the 'bucks: thanks to my wonderful manager who has decided to employ me again for the duration of the holidays! Which also equates to lots of yummy cakes and lovely hot comforting drinks. I love my job... and it has the added benefit of adding much needed funds to my bank account! Hurrah!
Seeing old friends: I love catching up with my old buddies and pals, who made my time in 6th form oh-so-much fun! We never realised how good we had it at the time... but it does mean we can go to the pub together and catch up, which is always guaranteed to be fun :)
Hats and scarves and gloves: those who know me reasonably well will know I have something of a fetish for hats... which, bizarrely, seems to have extended into scarves as well, lately! It's all about keeping warm... which is always a good thing!
Oh, and I'll get to see my other half much, much more often too... which has got to be a good thing!

So December is all about the fun times... just once I've got these essays done and dusted!

I Love Weekends... but not Essays

2005-11-29T11:54:00.000Z

My weekends at the moment are really the highlight of my week... I've been spoiled with the amount of fun I've been having, and the escapism from work that they've been providing!

This last weekend, the lovely Ross came to visit me from home... his journey here was the cause of much amusement to me and my housemates as he managed to get lost, and confuse the M40 with the M4... and then end up in the shopping centre car park in the town centre, rather than at my house! (Which, as it happens, he'd driven past without realising!) Due to the nightmare that is Reading's one-way system, we decided the best course of action was for me to meet him in town... so, I managed to catch the only bus of the hour with about a minute to spare, and made my way into town. To complicate matters ever so slightly, Friday was a Christmas lights switch on down at the shopping centre, which meant there were hundreds more people there than usual -- which did lead to a bit of a movie-style moment when we spotted each other through the groups of people milling about on the pavement.

Saturday was spent showing Ross the sights of Reading, the highlight being our trip to Shakeaway (a must-visit location for any visitor to Reading!).

On Sunday I ventured into London to meet up with the youth group I help to run at home... which was great, but ever so slightly worrying, in that I had to look after 6 of them in Camden and additionally make sure they didn't get any crazy ideas about getting onto a train home without the other leaders that were going back to Leighton Buzzard! "Why can't you take us?" they asked... "Erm... because I'm going back to Reading!" I replied.

I've concluded that there's not a lot of logic or common sense between a group of six teens... but their hearts are in the right place, which is what counts!

Well, that's enough procrastinating for the time being... I have plenty of work to be doing, so I'd better get on with it in order to keep the stress levels down... to all of those who've been on the receiving end of my stress-related irritableness... all I can say is, normal service will be resumed shortly! xx

What a Weekend!

2005-11-21T16:37:00.000Z

I love weekends away. Especially with a bundle of like-minded Christians, who are every bit as much as crazy as I am! It all adds up to a whole load of fun, some amazing Bible teaching and not much sleep!

We're gearing up to the Mission that's happening next term, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited... the amazing thing for me is that God is working already in people's hearts and lives... he knows already who's going to come to what talks and events, and who's going to respond to him. I've been so reassured this weekend to know that it's not my 'job' to 'make' people become Christians - and let's face it, how would I manage that anyway? My part in this is to be myself with my friends, and live a life that is honouring to God. Which is what I'm trying to do anyway! So this isn't a duty... it's a joy.

I can't wait!

A weekend away wouldn't be a weekend away without a comedy moment or few... and here's my favourite. I have a feeling it'll lose something in the written form, but hey ho. [Sorry Miri!!]

Miri was brushing her teeth, when Lou and I here this noise... a really rather half-hearted and pathetic 'puh' sound. The strange thing was... it didn't correspond to her spitting out the toothbrushy stuff... it was afterwards! We started to giggle... and then Miri, bless her, does it again - 'puh'! Clearly, we collapsed into hysterics at this point. As I said... I think it loses something in the transcription!

It's COLD

2005-11-14T11:52:00.000Z

Officially.

I had to wear 2 jumpers all day yesterday purely because my house refused to warm up! Today isn't much better - my legs actually went numb from the cold as I walked into town this morning. I had to buy a gingerbread latte to warm myself up... after all, isn't that what any normal person does??

The colder weather has brought several cravings upon me... custard... warm drinks of any kind... soup... toasties... I think the key is WARM things!

Roll out the hot water bottle and thermal socks, methinks... (oh, and I should probably get on with some work while I'm at it... maybe?)

Could it be??

2005-11-03T16:56:00.000Z

Could it be that winter is finally coming? I'm not a big fan of the season myself, but I have noticed the slight strangeness of it being pretty warm in November!

However, today definitely felt distinctly wintery... when I emerged from my lecture at 12pm I was greeted by rain (and consequently a rather damp bike), and when I was cycling home I very nearly got blown across the road on several occasions! Had to concentrate a little harder on maintaining an upright position than usual, hehe. I'm now debating whether to leave my window open to let my washing dry or close it to avoid draughtiness... decisions, decisions!

Tonight I'm going to an event the CU are putting on, called FAQ - the basic premise being that people can come along and ask a panel whatever questions they want, as well as being able to enjoy a drink from the bar... sounds good to me! I'm coming to expect quite a lot from my Thursday evenings these days... last week I was at a friends' house until 12.30am watching cheesy 80s and 90s hits on a music channel and drinking homemade Oreo milkshakes... and the week before that saw a late night trip to the Haagen Dazs cafe in town! Yum... Funny how the night when I could most do with an early night tends to be the most exciting -- ain't it always the way??

The Time is Now

2005-10-25T22:04:00.000+01:00

Cell tonight was small, but perfectly formed. 3 girls, sitting studying the Bible and getting to know each other that bit better. Being honest and open about they feel about stuff. About spreading the gospel. There aren't many better ways to spend a Tuesday evening!

I feel really impacted by the fact that we're all here for a purpose... and that purpose isn't just to sit and drift along until the day we die. We don't know how long we have here. We don't know whether the end of the world is just around the corner. But what I do know is that I want as many people as possible to know the truth. By keeping the most amazing thing I have in my life to myself, I would effectively be condemning my friends and those I know and love to death. Why would I want to deny them the opportunity of eternal life, just because I'm too worried that people will think less of me?

All I know is, there's no time like the present.

Jesus told the crowd a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?' The gardener said, 'Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilise, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.' Luke 13:6-9 (The Message)

It's time to be fruitful, to live out the purpose I'm here for. Why put off until tomorrow what I can do today? The time is now.

The Leaf Men are out again...

2005-10-13T12:19:00.000+01:00

The presence of men with rakes and the tractor with the leaf collecting gismo on the back must mean only one thing: autumn is here. This morning felt distinctly autumnal, as I was leaving my house to walk to campus through rain and slushy leaves on the pavement.

I do have to wonder though... what do the Leaf Men do for the rest of the year??

Twenteen!

2005-10-10T10:26:00.000+01:00

Well, guys and gals, I am no longer a mere teenager. Just over a week ago now I reached the grand old age of 20 -- although I am still the baby of my Reading-based household nonetheless! My birthday this year was one to rememeber, as I left the country with my Geography buddies for a week of fieldwork and lots of socialising in Barcelona. Nice work if you can get it, I'm sure you'll agree! I had a most enjoyable day, and one of my tutors even bought me a drink. Good times had all round!

The rest of the week left me exhausted, what with all the walking I had to do...far too much happened to be able to recount it all here, but here are the edited highlights.

Being lost on the mountain of Montserrat, with around 8 others plus the departmental secretary, who hadn't a clue where we were. There's something ironic about geography students being lost... but in our defence, the map we had was useless: it had no northing, and only showed the footpaths we were meant to follow, not the other ones that existed on the mountain. We couldn't even make use of our compass! But all is well, and I'm probably much fitter as a result of that little escapade!
Being in a shop with Nat, bartering with a shopkeeper who told us "English girls are very sexy". I think he just wanted to make a sale... but we won the bartering war anyway! (His response being... "Don't tell my boss!")
YUMMY ice cream... Kinder Egg flavour: what an invention!
€3 cocktails in the rather nice Nubaa... how I wish there was a Reading equivalent!

Time for one last anecdote, which happened the week before I left for Barcelona... I went to purchase some superglue from good old WHSmiths, and the checkout woman actually asked me for ID!!! I didn't help matters when she asked for my age and I replied "Er, 19" (I was getting confused, what with my impending exit from teenage-hood!) I don't believe that I look 15 or younger though! What is the world coming to...!

That's all for now... til next time -- remember that a day without a smile is a day wasted.

Back in Reading

2005-09-27T10:42:00.000+01:00

So, I'm all settled into my new lovely house in Reading with my lovely new housemates -- getting all into a new routine which involves cooking, amongst other things! All very exciting.

It is a bit weird living so far away from people that were just around the corner last year, but I'm sure I'll get used to it... it'll just take a little bit more careful planning than before! But it's a good development nonetheless!

Despite there being no lectures this week, it's surprisingly busy around the place... it's Freshers Week, and as a part of the Christian Union and being a cell leader in my hall, we're putting on activities all over the show. Sometime this week I also need to work out what I need to take with me to Barcelona... we depart on Sunday morning and I feel very underprepared!! Oh, what it is to be busy again...!

G'day chicken lickens!

2005-08-14T19:58:00.000+01:00

I'm happy to report that my parents have finally seen the light and bought a new desktop PC! Thus I no longer have to endure the tedium of my previous dinosaur-esque piece of equipment, and am now much more inclined to blog whilst away from my humble university abode.

The most worthy information to report is that I've finally passed my driving test!! It may have taken me 5 attempts, but with 6 minors in all, I don't think that's toooo bad. ;) Besides, all that counts is that I now can actually drive and, best of all, I can drive Stephen's shiny new BMW 320d! Wahey - look out for me on a road near you!

That's all for now... I have a cold of some sort, and am feeling rather sorry for myself... so the usual sparkling wit and razor-sharp insights will have to wait for another day! ;)

Love to all... xxx

We're all going on a summer holiday...

2005-07-14T12:27:00.000+01:00

You can tell when the holiday season is here, because my blogging regularity decreases dramatically! I'm getting used to life at home, and earning money is a welcome change from receiving month after month of bank statements with debits and absolutely no credits!

Last week was eventful to say the least; with the fantastic news of obtaining the 2012 Olympics in London, contrasted with the terrorist attacks the very next day. Some readers may know that my dad works as a civil servant in London; he was unaffected by the attacks, save from some inconvenience in getting home. I still can't believe that people can commit such atrocities.

In other news, our kitchen is somewhat in disarray after the kitchen fitters managed to remove much of the plaster from the walls, along with the kitchen cabinets... hence this week we have a semi-completed kitchen, which will hopefully be finished next week. At least, that's the plan!

The other topic of note is the continuing saga of my road to driving success... I may blog about it all sometime, but in the intervening period, if you want to know, you'll have to ask me yourself!!

Hope this finds you well and not too frazzled by the sun! xx

The Last Day

2005-06-30T09:55:00.000+01:00

Well, it's here at last. Time for me to pack up my old kit bag and head off back home. I always thought I'd be quite happy to say 'goodbye' to St Pat's, as life here hasn't exactly turned out as I thought it would... Life on my corridor hasn't exactly been sociable, to say the least. However, there are many people here that I'm happy to call my friends, and it's strange to realise that from now on we're going to be scattered around Reading and it won't be nearly as easy to pop round and visit people as it is now... It's all another change on this big university adventure!

The summer heralds lots of catching up with old friends, and Starbucking the time away. Anyone who sees me and asks me for yet another frappuccino... do it at your own risk!!

And so, the end is near...

2005-06-28T18:26:00.000+01:00

I think that the (virtual) end of my first year of Studentdom deserves some form of acknowledgement in the blogosphere... Hoorah for me, I passed with a most respectable 2:1.

Results Day itself was yesterday, and was marked by a rather lovely barbecue, which was laid on by the legendary Cafe Shamrock... I might even go as far as to say that it was the best meal of the year! Tonight also heralds another barbecue... however, it is looking distinctly damp outside, which could make events rather interesting!

All that remains for me now is to enjoy some sociable activities for the next couple of days (such as the aforementioned barbecue), before departing from Reading for a good few months and heading back to MK for some catching up with lovely gorgeous friends and earning some much needed fundage! (I can see next year being somewhat damaging on the bank account!)

As people are slowly disappearing from across the hall, my assumption is that they're leaving rather than being abducted, or anything similarly sinister, I'm left to amuse myself with DVDs and the wonder of the Internet -- although the lack of people might actually mean a couple of nights of decent sleep! Now, that would be a novelty...

Special Student Blog

2005-06-15T09:54:00.000+01:00

Here's something of a little gem that I encountered when randomly clicking on links around the internet... It's a big place in here, isn't it?

Cooking by Numbers is a site specially engineered for students (or equally, batchelors!), and creates recipes from the limited supplies that you may have in your fridge or cupboard. Genius!

Enjoy :)

Some Reading Material...

2005-06-13T14:20:00.000+01:00

OK, so I was a bit bored and ended up looking at this blog... But this article is fairly interesting, from a guy know as 'Tyger Tyger'. It's basically a comparison between the pervasive use of text speak these days and Orwellian Newspeak - ok, so the inner linguist hasn't quite died out yet! I have to admit to have had similar thoughts myself...

Check it out here.

Handbags and Gladrags...

2005-06-13T11:33:00.000+01:00

I've put up some pictures of the two summer balls I attended last week - and I believe I'd be right in saying that a good time was had by all!

The boat cruise on the Thames was good fun - much sight-seeing to be had, and a couple of rather interesting coach journeys both to and from London! (Including a somewhat drunken Craig attempting to remove the locked toilet door with a screw... obviously sensible behaviour!!)

The RUCU masquerade ball on Saturday was also a giggle, with much mask swopping and boogie-ing on down to the fantabulous jazz band.

Ah well... time to hang up those dresses for another year!

What's this? Something to do?!

2005-06-09T10:45:00.000+01:00

Tonight heralds possibly the most exciting event of the week so far - the St Patrick's Summer Ball! We're going for a boat cruise on the Thames in London no less, on a boat known as the Royal Princess.

It promises to be a great night of epic proportions, as we're leaving here at 6pm, to return in the wee small hours of Friday morning... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about it! :)

Stay tuned for all the details... and hopefully some photos, which I'll put up over the weekend!

Kat xxx

Do I have the nicest cleaner in the world?

2005-06-08T18:52:00.000+01:00

Isobel, the little Irish lady who cleans my humble abode, has to be one of the top contenders for nicest cleaner ever.

Here are my reasons why:

Today, I'd stripped my bed and gotten my new sheets, but before I had time to make the bed, she'd done it when she'd cleaned my room, before I got back from being out - all without being asked.
She makes the best bed ever - like in a hotel!
She comes round to ask which day would be best to clean your room... rather than come barging in on the day when you're having a lie-in.
My noticeboard in my room is a horrible shade of yellow, so way back in the first time I covered it with white paper. When I came back after the Easter vacation, she'd recovered it with Winnie the Pooh wrapping paper!
When I left my nightwear in my bed over the vacation at Christmas, she washed and ironed it and left it waiting for me on my pillow when I got back.
She collects together all of your shoes and lines them up in pairs.
She organises all my girlie cosmetics and toiletries in height order around my sink.
Sometimes she even does my washing up!
She bought me a birthday card last year - even though she'd only known me for about a week!

Basically, Isobel is a legend. Shame I can't take her with me to clean my new house next year...

At last... the end is here!

2005-06-06T14:20:00.000+01:00

Well folks, I'm free of the burden of exams! Saturday's exam went pretty well, even if I do say so myself... I definitely found the Human Geography exams the most enjoyable of the lot!

Stephen came to pick me up from my exam, and we then went out and ate large quantities of food in Chilis in town (and drank lemon ice tea... yum!) We then indulged in some retail therapy - and I do mean both of us, I wasn't simply dragging Stephen around the shops, I promise!

Over the course of the weekend we also procured ourselves some new items of mobile telephony... I now have a camera phone, so you can expect more regular picture updates here, when I have access to a bluetooth transfer-type device (I believe the technical term is actually 'dongle'... how funny is that?!) Anyhoo... it seems to just be fun fun fun from here on in, and lucky me, I have two balls to attend this week! One of which is a river boat cruise on the Thames in London. Oh yes. St Patrick's is finally making up for the dire formals that have preceeded this one!

For any MK folks who'd like to know, I'm not home for a while yet! I'll be around from the 17 - 26 June (mainly to work, hopefully... woohoo!) and then I'll be back for good from July 1. I know, I know... long Reading summer terms! Although... feel free to visit at any time! :)

Love to all, Kat xx

So maybe this is why men call us 'birds'...

2005-06-05T22:50:00.000+01:00

The Waiting Room

2005-06-03T15:10:00.000+01:00

Last night saw possibly the greatest night out I've had since I've been in Reading. The Waiting Room played in our Union - for those of you who are unenlightened, this is the band of Dr Karl Kennedy of Neighbours' fame, no less! In 'real life' he's Alan Fletcher, but everyone knows and loves him as Dr Karl -- and Reading students were loving him last night!

They mainly did covers of songs by Oasis, the unfeasibly Scottish Proclaimers and many others; the best moment for me was the rendition of McFly's "Obviously" with the words changed to reflect Karl and Izzy's relationship - "I always will be far too good for her!" Classic.

Just what being a student is all about...

My Secret Weapon

2005-06-02T10:16:00.000+01:00

Over the course of my last couple of exams, I have discovered the ideal examination concentration and energy aid. It comes in a very inexpensive and easily obtainable form. I give you... the humble banana! Consume one or two of these babies before an exam, and somehow it provides enough energy to sustain an entire three hour essay based exam!

Needless to say, I now have a couple ready and waiting to be commissioned for this afternoon's horror of climatology and hydrology... Really not looking forward to this one, folks!

One word of warning, however: it is possible to overdose on potassium, of which bananas are a plentiful source - so don't go too crazy... hehe...

Diversionary Tactics...

2005-06-01T19:29:00.000+01:00

How about this for a random caper (and also a good procrastinatory activity)! Enter your name, click "sloganize" and see what happens!

Sloganizer

Here are the first few results I get!

Kat is better than chocolate
Up, up and away with Kat
Kat - one name, one legend
Kat. We build smiles.
There is no life without Kat
The wonder has a name: Kat

All in all, the cause for much hilarity! Give it a go... it's a giggle!

June... already?!

2005-06-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - where has this academic year gone to?! A wise individual known as Sam told us freshers that the first term would go most slowly of all... and our response was "no, surely not!" But it would seem that Sam was right. What a clever old bean.

However, if time continues to race by at this horrendously breakneck pace, then I'll have graduated and out into the big scary world by the time I've finished this blog entry! (Well... almost).

Exam conditions call this afternoon... Equipped with cups of tea and bananas a-plenty, I'm trying to a) keep myself going, and b) keep calm! The plan this morning is to absorb as much information as possible...

And then I have to go through it all again tomorrow... and the day after that... and the day after that! Roll on Saturday afternoon, and gloriously free lazy days.

"Handle With Care: Like 'Eggs'."

2005-05-30T21:52:00.000+01:00

The most interesting thing of note today comes courtesy of the beloved Cafe Shamrock. There I was, waiting in the unfeasibly long and slow moving queue, when I spied a box which bore the legend "Handle With Care: Like 'Eggs'". I was most intrigued as to what the contents may be... but sadly, dear reader, I regret to inform you that I was not privy to such information! Ah well... we can speculate :)

Apart from that, revision has been the way forward, so much so that I regretfully had to ignore the presence of a national holiday and the sunshine outside in favour of learning about the inner workings of the European Union, Africa, the Caribbean and the like. Geography is certainly a strange beast.

Until next time... be happy :)

Exams... Will it ever end?!

2005-05-29T17:27:00.000+01:00

Will I be pleased when this week's over!! (And that's something of an understatement...) The seemingly endless revision will finally come to a close on Saturday, after a further 10 hours of exams in the coming week. Once they're done, there's a conspicuous spell of nothingness for several weeks... Ironically, I'm sure I won't know what to do with myself after a while!

Ahh well... in the meantime, just to keep you amused you might like to check out the PostSecret website. The basic premise is people send in postcards confessing their deepest darkest secrets... it makes for an interesting read! Don't think I'll be sending one in though...

Everything's Not Lost

2005-05-27T11:09:00.000+01:00

Everything's Not Lost

when I counted up my demons
saw there was one for every day
with the good ones on my shoulders
I drove the other ones away

so if you ever feel neglected
and if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
hoping everything's not lost

when you thought that it was over
you could feel it all around
and everybody's out to get you
don't you let it drag you down

'cos if you ever feel neglected
if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
hoping everything's not lost

if you ever feel neglected
if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
hoping everything's not lost

come on yeah
ah ah yeah
sing out yeah
and everything's not lost

Shame on you if you didn't recognise those as the lyrics to Coldplay's "Everything's Not Lost"! This song has always amused me to a certain extent... The way Chris Martin sings the line "everything's not lost" certainly doesn't add conviction to his statement! But I do love the song anyway... and it's always good to be reminded that everything's not lost :) Especially with exams all over the show!

The things some people do to get their junk food fix...

2005-05-26T10:38:00.000+01:00

I think most of us can sympathise with this particular woman...

Pizza Rage Lands US Woman in Jail

How many times have I impatiently waited for a delivery order to arrive!!

One down...

2005-05-25T14:11:00.000+01:00

9am this morning saw the start of my exams, and it's actually quite a relief to have got one under my belt at last! After a bit of a trek down to the little-known London Road campus (Reading has 3 different campuses... extreme!!) I was ready to focus on all things soil, geomorphology and biogeography related - thrilling, I'm sure you'll agree!

Although I didn't get all the question topics I hoped for, I certainly wasn't short of vaguely intelligent things to say, and I did manage to commit pen to paper for most of the three hour period! Hoorah.

So now, having had only thoughts of biogeochemical cycles, positive feedbacks and crazy soil related topics in my head for days, I'm going to firmly file away all such thoughts and relax!! Until I start thinking about the other four exams I have to do... Ahh well, enjoy the rest while it lasts I guess!

But right now I'm off to find a Post Office, as this week I realised I actually needed to send in my student loan application form! Always a good idea... Unfortunately it would seem that slapping a first class stamp on it will simply not be enough, and cheekily I'll have to pay for somewhat more stampage than your average letter demands... Which involves a walk to the post office! Maybes I'll stop at Greggs on the way back and get a doughnut... after all, I deserve a treat, and I must have burned off a ridiculous number of calories with all that thinking power this morning, surely!!

To those also with exams; the best of luck, remember they'll be over sooner than you think, and after all - they're only exams!! Your success or otherwise has no catastrophic implications for your personal safety or that of the world at large!! Isn't that a cheery thought?!

Business As Usual

2005-05-23T21:27:00.000+01:00

Happily, it seems my flatness was something of a blip, and I am now all peachy and cheery again!

Yay!

Hoorah for Cadbury's Dairy Milk, good friends, and prayer!

Flat Kat

2005-05-23T18:37:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm feeling a bit flat today. Everything started off ok; I was up nice and early, and had a good productive morning of revision. But then after lunch, everything went a bit downhill! Any ability I had to concentrate went out of the window - most disheartening. I'm just getting impatient to get these exams out of the way - they're stopping me from enjoying myself and really just taking over my life, and my bedroom!

I'm hoping that I'll be back feeling like myself shortly enough... I don't like feeling like someone's squished me all flat! It's just not normal...

Anyhow, I'll leave you to your random internet browsing activities and listen to some uplifting music! Mayhaps that will help :)

Love from Kat x

Note to self: think geographical thoughts!

2005-05-20T11:41:00.000+01:00

I'm finding myself longing for the day when my exams will be over!! After 12pm on June 4th (and yes, I do have an exam on a Saturday morning...) I will be free from the stresses of it all, and feeling guilty for not revising while I'm taking a well-earned break! I can't help thinking how great it would be if I could go to sleep and wake up again after it's all over, to find that I've passed and done reasonably well!! Unfortunately for me, I know it's just fanciful and wishful thinking... so I'd best get on with the matter in hand!

In any case, if the speed at which the last few weeks seem to have been passing (let alone the rest of the year!) is anything to go by, I think it will be over surprisingly quickly!

Ahh well... shouldn't complain I suppose - it's what I signed up for!! However, I do find myself in the rather nice position of only having about 3 exams next year... I'll just have oodles of coursework to do!! C'est la vie...

Anyhoo, hope this wee entry finds you well and not too depressed by the lousy weather (or it could just be a strange Reading microclimate?? who knows!)

Toodlepip.

General Generalness

2005-05-13T13:24:00.000+01:00

After a weekend of relative relaxation back in MK, I'm now getting back into the swing of revision! Only a week to go before the exams start now, and I think I've definitely improved my outlook on things... and I'm certainly not going to let myself get stressed out about it!!

On the downside, it seems that relaxing over the weekend caused me to relax my immune system too - and consequently, I now have a cold and am losing my voice! For those that know me well enough, you will realise that a voiceless Kat is not really a happy one! It certainly is a bit of an inconvenience, I will say that.

Oddity of this week is that Stephen's on a course in Wokingham (which is only a few miles down the road from Reading) - however, the course is so dictatorial in nature that despite being hardly any distance at all apart, we're unable to see each other until Friday afternoon! It's very odd...

In other news, I saw "Kingdom of Heaven" at the weekend, accompanied by the lovely Ross. At two and a half hours long, it takes a bit of concentration - and unfortunately, at some points during the film, we quite literally lost the plot! Orlando Bloom is a bit too much of a pretty boy to be taken seriously as the saviour of Jerusalem, and at many points I felt let down by the build up of a promise of a huge battle, which resulted in terms being agreed and everyone wandering back off into the sunset without so much as an arrow being fired. Ahh well... at least this trend for epics is bound to end sometime!

The Joys of Halls of Residence

2005-05-11T21:25:00.000+01:00

Don't get me wrong, living in hall certainly has its moments of greatness (like this evening, we decided that we really couldn't be bothered with the food the canteen was serving, so we ordered lots of Domino's pizza and potato wedges and ate them in the corridor!) but I feel it's time for a little rant about those things about hall life that can really get a girl down...

The rarity of a decent night's sleep. As if it's not hard enough to unwind from a day's mind-numbing revision, once you finally do manage to escape into the land of nod, some charming individuals decide that, actually, their need to make ridiculous amounts of noise at 3:30am is more important. Like last night. Again.

Loud music... that you really don't want to listen to. In a slight continuation of the above gripe, is the music that travels through the ceiling for my listening pleasure at all hours of the day and night. Fabulous. And then of course, there's the RnB obsessive that lives a couple of doors down who periodically puts his music on. Loudly. And it's always the same CD. Always!! And RnB? Continuously? I mean really.

Food. It always seems to be the case that when you really feel like you need a tasty meal to comfort yourself after a hard day, there's never one that you fancy. And how does the canteen manage to create a menu that some days contains nothing you like, and on others have several meals that you would quite happily eat one of each of?

Random items that appear after rowdy nights out. For instance, for sale signs. Some individuals in my hall seem to have an unhealthy obsession with the things. And then there have been gates... cones... anything and everything. And the worst thing? You just know we'll be collectively charged for their removal!

Messy boys. They leave the toilet seat up, they don't do their washing up, they leave rubbish everywhere, and they steal your food. And leave random garments in the corridor until the time that they need them again. The current offenders are three pairs of football boots, and associated paraphernalia. (It's rather tempting to hide them somewhere, just to teach them a lesson...) At least, three particular boys on my corridor do. I wouldn't want to tar you all with the same brush, fellas!

Noisy, inconsiderate boys. The aforementioned boys are also obsessed with watching football... constantly. Hence, at all hours of the day I hear the screams of boys as once again, they are unhappy with the ref. Sometimes I do have to wonder if they're having just a little too much fun, if you catch my drift...

Anyway, I shouldn't really complain! At least I do get sleep. And I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in and food to eat. However, there is one thing that can be said for living in hall: it does make you appreciate your home comforts!

Hey ho...

2005-05-10T18:08:00.000+01:00

Exams are looming, and life in St Pats seems to be as lively as ever - particularly as far as the guy who lives above me is concerned... perhaps he's trying to serenade me and procure my favour? Well, here's a newsflash - it ain't working!

The line-up for our Summer Ball has created a bit of a hoo-hah - we've got Rolf Harris (an obvious legend), and for clear reasons, the student body as a whole is pretty chuffed with that! However, we also have Rooster and Javine - and when you consider that Ash was on the cards at one point, the general mood is not a happy one! Saying that, the night should be a giggle, complete with fairground rides and all... Question is, how do you pull off wearing a posh frock whilst participating on the dodgems? Answers on a postcard please, to the usual address...

In other news, the Kitchen Raiders have been back in action... This time, the poor victim was half a packet of my cream crackers. Poor things, they never saw it coming! Consequently, due to my general feelings of animosity towards my corridor-mates, I've now vacated the kitchen area (in all parts except the fridge) and created a mini-stash in my bedroom! Haha... Victory (and food!) is mine!!

A Lovely Little Ditty...

2005-05-05T22:17:00.000+01:00

No matter how young a prune may be, it's always full of wrinkles
A baby prune is like its dad, but it's not wrinkled half as bad
We have a wrinkles on our face
But a prune has wrinkles EVERY place
No matter how young a prune may be, it's always full of wrinkles

Interesting Fact Tuesday!

2005-05-03T14:33:00.000+01:00

OK, so having been mildly inspired by Div's nostalgic trip down memory lane to the old English Language A Level classes, I've decided to share this reasonably interesting titbit I found in good old Bill Bryson's "Short History of Nearly Everything".

Apparently the phrase to be "on cloud 9" hails back to a cloud atlas (surely a fascinating read!) where different cloud types were assigned a number. Cloud 9 in this case was cumulonimbus - and for the non-cloud savvy amongst you, that is the lovely fluffy looking cloud that you often may compared to various shapes whilst cloud gazing.

So, there we have it - I'm imparting an interesting fact whilst also living up to my cloud-studying reputation!! (George, I thought you'd particularly appreciate that!! ;) )
Toodle-pip.

Reason To Hate Smokers #5276

2005-04-29T10:08:00.000+01:00

Last night I was pleasantly tucked up in bed, enjoying a restful night's slumber... when, rudely, I was jolted awake from my bed by the very very loud sound of the fire alarm! At 3am, no less. Having dashed about my room in search of dressing gown and suitable footwear, I left my room accompanied by Stephen (who had the misfortune of sleeping on my floor last night!) and encountering other bleary-eyed confused people!

After 2 fire engines had arrived (presumably leaving the rest of Reading rather depleted in terms of emergency cover!) and it had been established that there was in fact no fire, we were allowed back inside, to everyone's relief! (Especially those who had forgotten to don some footwear.)

On arriving back on my corridor, I heard along the grapevine that the alarm had been triggered by someone smoking in their room, no less. Considering I live in a non-smoking hall with smoke detectors in every room, I don't consider that to be a particularly smart move!

Needless to say, I don't think the individual(s) responsible will be the most popular in hall today... not least with the Warden!! Ahh well... it made Wednesday evening rather more exciting than usual!!

Quiet Period??

2005-04-26T23:16:00.000+01:00

OK, so it's approaching exam season, and there are stern warnings across the hall (and each bedroom!) warning about sanctions that will be taken if quiet isn't kept until June sometime. Therefore, is it just possible that the person who lives above me just can't read?? Last night I was serenaded by Annie Lennox and Gwen Stefani - admittedly, it wasn't like I was working, or attempting to sleep - but on occasions I have been!

I foresee a trip to the Warden (the fabulously named Dr Gayford) in the relatively near future... Won't I be popular?!

A Tragic Day in my history of blogging...

2005-04-26T02:14:00.000+01:00

So, yesterday I returned to university. One of my first acts was to set up my trusty laptop and surf my way onto the information superhighway. My access to said facility had been curtailed over the holidays due to other members of my family wishing to get a look-in!

One of the first things I did was head over here to check out my blog... and then tragedy struck. Kingdom of Kat, in its former pink glory, had seemed to have disappeared!! In a vain hope, I left it to today to see if my blog would reappear... but to no avail. The worrying thing is that I have no idea why my blog was removed! I didn't delete it... I don't believe it contained anything inappropriate... and I'm positive that there isn't any kind of inactivity period!

So... Here I am, starting anew. On the bright side, I still have the same domain for my space! Hurrah. And I do rather like the aquatic feel of this page... What will remain, however, are those random comments and little diversions from the mundanity of life!

Feel more than welcome to comment... and, fingers crossed, this space will be here to stay!!