February 2013

Middle of the week.

Brilliant middle of the week.

Woke up early to go to the gym before OVTS with Andy. It was so much fun. OVT is a buffet restaurant and Andy insisted on taking me for breakfast. He blocked the door before we came in so I couldn't sneak past him and say "I'm paying for me". It was lots of fun. We walked around all of the buffet, chatting away before Andy said it was his aim to get everything. We were laughing and joking the entire time and getting thrown really weird looks from the people serving food. We got pancakes and Andy told me to try and use the whipped cream thing - because it was really complicated to figure out - and I nearly sprayed myself (Andy grabbed it from me before I managed it) and then sprayed the ice with the bowls of strawberry sauce and peanut butter inside it. Yeah. Ok. Sorry I am not that skilled at whipped cream. Then Andy continued to make me mini waffles with the waffle maker and we also had parfait (I didn't eat properly for the rest of the day it is needless to say).

It was so much fun. We talked about internships in the summer again and our courses next term and just about everything. He nearly persuaded me to take a computer science course because apparently if I could draw that would be all I needed for the course - to work on a game with him and the boys. However, I can't draw. Only Becky got that gene.

Later in the day, after a second dose of gymage, I went to film the Vagina Monologues with Betty and Catalina. Doesn't sound like me at all, right? Well actually, I am a real theatre person (which all my friends should know by now *cough* Frankenstein last year *cough*). And although it was about a subject which I usually shy away from, wrinkling up my nose and going red in embarrassment ....it was really funny. It was really good. The actresses were brilliant. They talked about truly controversial topics - some happy and some really sad and devestating. But it was brilliant. Everyone was in hysterics for most of the play, and all the money went to a San Diego charity which helped rape victims. I was very pleased we went to see it. And now we have filmed it, we can advertise such a great play to more people.

Good middle of the week - but I am now shattered.

x

After three hours sleep, I got out of bed on Sunday to go for a lovely lunch with my friends. We all travelled down to La Jolla, in the brilliant sunshine, and ate at our favourite fish place. (It is the fish place I went to with Andy, Betty and Catalina when Betty filmed that video). I have only been there twice but my friends all swear it is the best place so I trust them. And it is really yummy. I always get some kind of shrimp salad but everyone else goes for the famous and classic Salmon Burger (apparently it is incredible but being not the biggest Salmon fan, I never go for it). The fish place is called El Pescador - if anyone is interested.

Saturday and Sunday were both beautiful here in San Diego. I can't imagine being stuck back in England where it is so cold and rainy about this time of year. Meanwhile the weather was rather glorious here, with just a tad of a chilly wind.

So the last few days have been very interesting :D SO much fun.

Yesterday, after another dose of Spinning, I went to class - where my Eating Disorders Professor actually makes jokes and makes us all laugh - and then I went out to Lunch. Andy insisted on paying, I did try and resist quite a bit, but alas I was overpowered much to the amusement of the cashier. It was so much fun. We went to OVTs which is the buffet place on campus which everyone loves, it is meant to be Oceanview but you kind of have to stand on a chair and squint to see the ocean. We chatted away, mainly discussing summer plans and the future. Andy asked me if I had considered an internship here in California in the summer, as he is. I had always been thinking about it, but it always has seemed impossibly hard to get an internship for an international student. But as Andy said, there is no harm in trying whatsoever. So I think I am going too. We were then thrown out of the restaurant as we were the last ones there before going for tea at mine. It was a fun day.

And then came CAFE V. Yes. CAFE V. Where my friends Betty and Catalina had decided enough was enough. I am not going to go into details so therefore you would have to be a friend to know what I was talking about. But basically I got strapped down to my chair, not being allowed to move until I sent someone a certain text stating that we needed to talk. Wow. Yeah. Betty and Catalina are fierce when they want to be!!! I love them to bits for it though. Betty kept using the phrase "Come on, you swim everyday." (she also keeps using the phrase SUCH FUN hehehe) As if that meant that I should be able to do what they were asking because swimming is so scary. I would have gladly swam the channel than send that text! However, I did it, and now, I could hug them to death!!!!

You know that scary thing I was going to do a while ago....well I did it (not skydiving Mum!!!)

HEhehehehehe

So yeah spread the happiness, take risks, sometimes it can be totally worth it.

Also I would like to thank Laura for being so lovely and excited for me :D. She may not have forced me to send a text but she definitely gave me a kick in the right direction (as did her Mum with her own personal stories) so thank you so much :D. And thanks for the Valentines Gifts!!! (she thought I was really upset about not getting any when I wrote it in my blog - I wish there was like a sarcasm text button so people would know...but it was adorable!)

Just a quick plug, every year, in England, there is Comic Relief. A massive funny night full of brilliant talent, where actors and actresses, singers and performers come together to provide England with 24 hours of entertainment. It is all in order to raise money for charity! This year the new English Charity Single is this! Definitely have a listen! And Enjoy!

President's Day consisted of Betty and I have an amazing time :D

It was quite a tiring day to be honest. Firstly, I had a film shoot to do which I was meant to be running. Thank god I have Linda - a far more experienced Videographer than I - to help. She was very good at telling the actors what to do and discussing with me where we should place certain probs. Betty was also a major help with her amazing camera skills so thank you guys so much!

The shoot was about encouraging people to intervene if there is an incident and promoting racial diversity on campus. It was for UCSD. I enjoyed doing it and i learnt a lot. It always is surprising, however, how long a five minute scene can take to shoot. Also David had run off with the boom and consequently, we were trying to pick up sound on hidden microphones and shooters attached to the cameras. But, at the end of the day, it was a good shoot - I felt. We went back to the studios where I turned to Betty and asked if she could smell something. I got a really strong glare back and she started flicking her eyes behind her. I won't mention who there were but lets call him Man A was sitting behind her.
Oh, I thought he must just smell of chicken. He was playing with what look liked a whole load of rubber bands. I wasn't quite sure why - maybe a stress mechanism or something....well I thought that until he put the device to his lips and started smoking it. The studio is a small place. And that was the longest ten minutes of my live where I wanted to virtually break down the computer to make the memory card transfer the footage quicker. Betty and I were offered some but I think our recoiling and looks of disgust were enough for everyone to realise we 'weren't that kinda cool'.

Yuck.

I was glad when we escaped! Nearly coughed up my lungsssssssss!!!!

Later we came back to mine and painted our nails again and watched COUNTLESS episodes of Miranda. It was so much fun! I haven't watched it in ages. It was so funny! Miranda and Gary were adorable - and apparently reminded Betty of Me and someone. Hm. Well I can see the similarities between Miranda and I...
x

I have had a pretty magical Presidents weekend. 

It's like a sitcom - my life. One big joke where someone is watching, pointing and laughing at me while they control the buttons to my life.

Lets first take yesterday. I finished my essay in time, was extremely happy and was ready to see it in print and in my hand. I started to print the paper, only to realise there weren't enough papers in my printer. I hopped up to go and get more paper, and proceeded to trip over the lead between my laptop to the printer. The printer fell on the floor with a SMASH, glass everywhere! Everywhere! And one dead, incoherent printer. I was so annoyed!!! So upset with myself and it would only happen to me! Only me!  I had to leave the glass all over my floor that day as I had to then run to class (Andy joked that is why I had to wear massive platforms in the evening).

Betty, Laura and I went to Zumba that evening and had such a good time. We were jumping around and laughing our heads off. One move involved all linking arms and spinning around. I can't do Zumba well when I am not dizzy...when I am dizzy, it is ten times worse! But I love it! It is so much fun!

Our dinner was also fun. We rushed into Cafe V all sweaty, grabbed food and went back to our apartment to eat and joke. Laura was getting ready to go so she had to rush but it was still lovely talking to her.

And that is why I am the only one in the apartment this weekend, all by myself!! It feels weird though. Unlike before, when I was in the apartment by myself back in September, I am content because I know my friends are coming back. I also have Betty - my lovely Betty who I could not live without. She is so sweet and I love chatting to her, I swear we laugh 24/7.

On Friday evening, Betty dragged me out of the apartment - I was happy to stay in the apartment because I didn't know if we were invited to anything. We went to Chris' B-day celebrations where I spent the night chatting with Andy. Playing the Ukulele and playing a variety of drinking games - which I was actually capable of playing! It was fun! We spent the night chatting and basically playing the Ukulele. At some point I have now been pulled into a promise to play the ukulele for him whilst singing.....ahhh help. My sister has often told me my singing abilities are equal to that of a horse so......I am not looking forward to this. x

Wow, guys, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much for the hundreds and hundred of Valentines Day cards and the roses and the chocolates. I do not need to spend another dining dollar whilst I am here because I have received so many. I am just totally flattered.

Joking. Another year with absolutely nothing is hardly a shock to me by now though so don't think I am wallowing in despair (just very close to it).

Valentines Day was actually really fun. I got to see that quite a lot of my friends got gifts from their parents *cough* THANKS MUM AND DAD *cough* and everyone on campus was generally much nicer. There were lots of smiley people and simply joyful conversations. Unfortunately I was at the end of my clothing cycle so was only able to wear grey whilst my friends wore reds and pinks - sorry I was not trying to make a statement, just that I had not yet gone to Ralphs to buy so more washing detergent.

It was a good day. I filmed in the afternoon with Triton TV which was really fun, especially interviewing the Sixth Provost and some Sixth students for a small video that will be available for incoming students next year. It made me feel a bit sad actually because I don't want there to be new students. If there are new students, it'll mean I will have left.

In the evening, Laura and Bobby made us all heart shaped pasta. We all sat around and chatted and giggled till it was time to see a movie and Bobby to go to Maths.  We went to watch a totally romantic movie in the evening - it is called 'Safe Haven' and is really good. It made me weep quite a bit but also burst out laughing and 'awww' for quite a lot of the movie. I would really recommend it. I also have been sticking to my lent which was really hard when the cinema wouldn't stop advertising XL Large Diet Coke refills. Water still tastes as boring as hell. Ah well. Hopefully my cravings will fade.

x

Just a new video of mine..

Where art thou pancakes???

What is this? No one has heard of Pancake day? And why not?!

For those of you who do not know, pancake day is a day of fun filled food in England. You eat pancakes for literally the entire day (well at Uni where you can eat what you like you do) and it is some of the most fun ever. There are often special events put on at Universities or in town halls where you can go and flip pancakes with your friends or simply go to eat and sample a delicious amount of crazy flavoured pancakes - heard of a Spinach, Raspberry and White Chocolate pancake? No, neither had I before going to Warwick.

I love flipping pancakes, especially as I finally seem to have got the knack of it. I went through a faze of just throwing it in the air and it landing on the floor, the stove, in the sink... And I went through a faze of throwing it in the air and it falling half onto the pan and the other half falling onto the floor, the sink. Ah dear. But last year, I seemed to have it spot on. I don't practice making pancakes very often, so touch wood, I haven't lost that skill.

However, in America, I have discovered they don't celebrate such a thing. Even if you are not religious in England, it is kind of a really unhealthy day before Lent starts. I have often giving up things during Lent and will again this year. I am tackling sweetners and fizzy drinks. Yep. Both of these things. 40 days cold turkey. Ouch. Should be fine though. Whenever I do Lent, I take it far more seriously than when I just give a few things up. Why? Because I feel super guilty if I break lent (think it was something Nana installed in me :D)

However, the more Spanish/Mexican half of America (particularly San Diego) celebrate this day in a different way. They also call it 'Mardi Gras'. It is a day of celebration. Betty was telling me at spinning this morning, that in Portugal, people dress up in outfits and dance. However, here, in San Diego, It seems like it is a big drinking event. Lots of people are going out tonight as it seems a party night when it is Mardi Gras. However, I doubt they are all giving up alcohol in the morning :P.

UCSD have decided to celebrate it a bit differently. Once again, free food. Which seems a bit standard of UCSD - don't worry I am not complaining. At lunch, Catalina took the free food option and it was hilarious! She had to try six pots of rice in some sort of soup thing and then fill out a questionnaire marking the rice on some kind of score chart!!! They were all from different dining halls at UCSD and she had to say which she liked the best!

I tried. Honestly, Mum, friends, I tried. You warned me I might want to keep it a secret. You warned me I might want to keep it a bit hush hush. One poster at the maximum. No talking about it continually. No wearing T-shirts.

I'm sorry. But the Whovian inside me was never really going to be silenced so easily. I remember Melanie told me, when I was fourteen, that she would bet her life that this was a faze, I'd grow out of it by the time I was seventeen, eighteen max. Ah, bless. How little faith she had in me - or more likely, how much faith she had in me.

My name is Lissy, and I love Doctor Who.

To an unprecedented level. I watch the episodes, I buy the posters, I read the books, I read the fanfictions, I watch the behind-the-scenes and the interviews. I love it. It makes me so happy. When stupid surveys ask you what your relationship status sometimes I jokily wish I could tick -

Wow,

Busy week.

I am sorry. Midterms - which kind of went, err, terribly. But oh well, I did try, but simply didn't revise the right stuff. Next time, up my game.

Other than that, the most important part of my week has been working for Triton TV and getting valuable experience for hopefully *fingers crossed* my future career. I have interviewed two people and covered a Puppet Show at the Loft.

The interviews were fun. By 9am this morning, I knew how to set up all the equipment and all the different names of the equipment so I felt a lot more confident. I liked doing it and listening to the interviews with everyday students was really interesting. They all had such different ambitions and lives.

The Puppet show was a bit odd. When I signed up to film it, I was expecting something like 'War Horse'; a spectacular production in England with large life size puppets. The storyline is so heartfelt and the puppets are genuinely very realistic and beautifully manoeuvred. However, this puppet show was quite a bit different. The puppets were slightly like Wallace and Gromit creepy look-a-likes, without obvious features and the type you'd expect to find in a Victorian household. Despite the fact there were also large life size flying chicken puppets and random electrical pylons, it seemed very old fashioned. The music was rather creepy and I totally didn't follow the storyline. Something about a debt collector being hypnotised by a large chicken and meanwhile being attacked by an electrical pole and trying to defeat a big monkey in charge. Yeah, totally confused!!! BUT it was an experience. I learnt a lot more about the camera and different lens. I also had to hold the boom for a good twenty minutes for one interview and realised just how painful it was. I also felt good because I was helping out.

So that has been my week, pretty much.

Sorry about the late update - Mum thinks I am dead. I'll try and update again soon.
x

Monday has hit and the weekend is over. Now it is back to midterm mayhem. Sigh. Two midterms on Thursday....going to be no fun. Ah well. It seems everyone is snowed under with work so come next Friday....FREEDOOMMMM!!! Which will be awesome fun.

So what did I do over the weekend?

Well Friday, all of us girls stayed in eating Catalina's brownies and ice cream. We gossiped and joked and once again, quite a few conversations made me very uncomfortable. But it was really good fun. We were laughing at the parties around us - to be honest there were barely any. And at one point, two random Asians invaded our apartment to ask us to come to their friend's birthday. We had never even met them. Catalina was so down for it and tried to drag us all to go - hence why I ended up hiding in the loo. Yep, sorry Catalina, when you were asking were I was, I was on the loo begging for the boys to leave. So Catalina and Betty left and Laura and I stayed chatting away a bit longer.

Saturday was a day of studying, followed by an evening with Andy. It was really fun. It took us an hour to actually sit down and watch Doctor Who - standard. We were teasing Arunav saying even though he jokes that he hates it, he almost always sits down to watch it. Andy then forced me to have a pop tart and we were dancing around playing these musical instruments - which kept making him cracking up laughing because I couldn't really figure out how to play it. We then sat down for Doctor Who. It was really fun although it got a bit distracting when I thought I kept seeing someone watching through the window from outside. I thought I was imagining things ....until Joanne admitted it was her the next day. We watched the Vincent Van Gogh one and know, because I have studied Art History, I realised how historically incorrect it was - however, as Andy said, it is Doctor Who so they are allowed to get away with destroying a bit of history to make a good story :D. Watched Doctor Who until about 3 in the morning.

The next morning, bright and early, we went to the cinema. Andy had tons of work so we went early so that we could both work in the afternoon/evening. Apart from fully embarrassing myself by taking us to the wrong cinema - EVEN THOUGH ANDY HAD SEEN THE SIGN POINTING TO THE CINEMA THE OTHER WAY SO IT WASN'T JUST MY FAULT! We sat down and watched the movie. It was really good. I thought the acting was fabulous - Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling once again!!! And I cried quite a bit....crinngeeee. It was a brilliant day.

When I got back, my friends imaginations had gone into overdrive which was quite hilarious. Come on guys, you've known me for four months. And my text to Mum made her imagination go into drive also....oh dear. Over active imaginations.

Anyway brilliant weekend :D x

 So yesterday, I found out I would be living in Claycroft next year. It is an accommodation place on Warwick Campus. I should be ecstatic. I should be over the moon. I only have to share my bathroom with one other person (unlike first year). I have the Swimming Pool on one side and Tesco on the other. It is brilliant. It is also one of the most beautiful accommodations on campus and known for being a bit quieter - brilliant for a fourth year.