Free hardcore!

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I know what you're thinking..., but no, hardcore is not some form of dodgy top-shelf material (top-shelf stuff... interested? g'wannn!). It's the layer of foundation material used in building, which consists of broken up bits of whatever, usually larger bits of stone and rock, sometimes even brick is used. There was no short supply of it (although some of it was questionable, and seemed more like building rubble/junk dumped by the side of a public footpath with supposedly "good" intentions), there was actually a rather large amount of rubble in used materials bags by the side of the path on the left of the picture.

Moving on, today I went in to talk to my dissertation tutor. I told her about my circumstances and said that I was more than a month behind in my research and so on and handed in a really shoddy synopsis (worth 10% mind you..). She understood, and whilst we concluded I wasn't the "ideal" student who would have done everything right, the important thing is that I was back on track, catching up and making the most of the remaining 80-90% since I can still do well in that. It was good to catch up with my tutor (who is also my dissertation co-ordinator and course leader) on a more personal level.

A thought I had today - you know how after a while, internet shopping becomes a matter of dealing with a faceless entity, which if anything goes wrong you usually jump to the conclusion that sorting it out will be a pain-in-the-butt due to the automated systems and complex logistical networks that somehow makes the world go around? Yeah, I think you know what I'm talking about here - there's no friendly customer face. I think this is especially the case with someone who has been on eBay since early 2002 and Bricklink since 2003 (with some 600+ feedbacks combined)... everything just becomes a matter of ordering something and expecting nothing more than an invoice inside the package... Thankfully I make the effort to write personal notes too all my Bricklink folks to thank them for their custom (and draw a great big smiley!).

Well today it was nice to be reminded that not everyone is what you assume they are - everyone from the customers who can't spell properly on eBay to those who absolutely suck at responding to emails. I delivered a Bricklink order to someone in Filton (Bristol) today, where I had a good chat with him. We're talking about a guy, in his mid-30's roughly, he has 5 children and still plays with Lego with his 2 children which are interested in it. He's still buying the stuff too, and looking to sell off the bits he doesn't need. I happen to pass by his area, then remember that I brought his order along just in case I would be able to deliver it, so I call him up and swing by, and I meet the most pleasant guy (for someone who has shoddy gramatical errors) ever... it starts off with him asking how much it was, I tell him, £2.00, despite knowing that his order including delivery is about £3.00. I refuse to take any more for it - at which point, he offers me eggs. Eggs. Fresh chicken eggs... which were laid about 1-2 days ago. There I am, amazed... and I ask him if it's easy to keep [the chickens], to which he offers to show me the hens around the back. Sure enough there's a massive garden and at the far end, theres a chicken pen, with some chickens clucking... It's such a small thing (i.e. 2 eggs) but being offered fresh eggs is strangely enough, generosity that I don't encounter these days very often, especially in the online world. It's a nice change from the normal reality that is internet shopping. I know I'll be offering that guy discounts from now on if he wants more parts.



Not everyone online is a faceless entity, or someone you merely chat with through a forum, it's so important to remember that there's a character behind all those usernames you see. It reminds me of how my associations with the University of Bristol started - through meeting someone online from a forum. It reminds me to not forget my roots and the values I once kept. It also means I'll be writing happier and notes which are more fun to my buyers! And I've got two eggs now... hmm.... fresh eggs.... mmm... damn, where is cream soda when you need it? =O

That aside, why do I feel strangely compelled to further my abilities and make myself a better character/person? Strengthening my confidence seems difficult but I know it could do me some good. Being able to be precise and make decisions without worry or doubt is essential to me. Not waffle on, be indecisive or generally hobble along in life. No, because that's not how it's done. I need to learn to inspire others, properly. I am learning out how to figure out my life better now, and take control of it. Listening too. It's a strange desire, I feel change is happening already, for the good.. or for the worse? I don't know... sometimes I'm not keen on it, but for the good I'd like to think!, it's best to look at change with optimism, and deal with it, grab it by the horns if necessary. I have a preference to look at it with a good outlook though, things will always look up, just don't let this s*** get you down.

"Change is not merely necessary to life- it is life." -Alvin Toffler.

But don't jump to conclusions or assumptions, I'm still meee!! Still your friendly neighbourhood mew mew! =^_^=

Lifes too short, so try and smile!
Here if you need me! =)

Balls are touching...

Balls are touching... it's what I did on Friday, so read on. Work is looming over my head like a big grey cloud... But here's my fix!:

The last 3 weeks have been a series of [rather dramatic] highs and lows for me, and I've found it hard to come to terms with everything, but that's cool, it's for the best. On Friday I met up with some pals to go play pool at Rileys, which was easily the best thing I've done in a while. Like the others I hadn't touched a cue for some time, so y'know, we were all a bit rusty. Within an hour or so.... we were playing a little more competitively (it's a good thing, I can assure you).. but of course, Rileys was always about socialising rather than competing. Earlier today, I met up with another good friend, and we had a good chat for some... what, was it 5 hours+ or something? I don't think I've had a conversation with a single person for so long (!!). It was great to catch up and see her new flat, and all my worries were eased away... (well I hope her's was a little, my apologies for being a not-such-a-good guest!). But today I really felt she understood me, was there to listen to what I had to say and like, of had some good ideas and advice, so thank you. Today was my turning point, that point where the little light bulb inside my head goes *ding!* and I know what I'm doing in life all of a sudden again! (i.e. not being silly!)

On another note, as part of my big "phase" of distraction, I've gotten a new phone, which I've found rather feature packed. So I've been installing various ROMs (software that makes the phone go "tick"), softwares... So much so, that I'm working on a holder for my motorbike to use it's GPS feature. Note: Skip to the end of the post if you're not interested in the build!

The basic setup is basically a metal bracket (used for roofing that I got from Toolstation), attached to a waterproof case (meant for valuables when outdoors, from eBay) with some nuts holding it together and a BIG dollop of Araldite epoxy. The phone is able to charge and output audio via a splitter cable (from eBay), although it won't take calls since this would require finding some way to answer the call - i.e. the phone is inside a case, the only workaround is a button from a handfree headset, and that's not possible due to the nature of the setup. So I figure if I get calls I'll just ignore them until I pull up.

Sorting out the basic holder was simple enough. The holder will be mounted onto the mirror attachment. However, since the mirror is attached to handbars which rotate as you steer, the movement presented the next problem. Cheap wires/cables to bridge the steering (such as the typical cheap ones used in the splitter as seen above) would just not be able to handle the outdoors/rain/stress and would fail in pretty soon. I went to Maplins to buy some decent speaker cable which had 4 wires, removed one (since stereo uses 3) and was able to squeeze this into a normal 3.5mm jack. The power lead was automotive cable with a USB and mini USB plugs at either end, so it's essentially a power-only hardcore USB extension. I DIY-soldered my own cables so that I'd have some which would withstand the steering.


With the cables made up, I plugged the phone into my amp and the power to the usual charger. Bingo, it works fine and charges as it should.


The final job was making connectors ready for the outdoors, I'd already thought about the case for the phone. However, I wanted to be able to separate the USB cables from the splitter rather than waterproofing them by gluing them together. So I found a small plastic case from some old electronics to cover the plugs.


So that's it. The splitter is permanently held in place with the epoxy, tomorrow I'll mount it and give it a go, although I'm still waiting for the proper cigarette lighter socket-to-USB adaptor to arrive in the mail. I'll post a few more pictures later in the week!

Here's two good tunes which are on my playlist (might not be to everyone's taste I know)






Tomorrow is the start of another week, I'm some 2 weeks behind in study now, but I hope to catch up this week.

I've been looking at the way I work my life recently, and picked out a few sucky bits which I figure this academic year I'll work on! Well, there's quite a number of things I want to do now, so I need to take some initiative to work on myself. I've also been made to realise that I was never that inspiring towards others, sure I was good at being supportive.. but there is a line drawn between being supportive and being inspiring. Well, so I've been led to believe...! Sorry I was not there for you... I'm sorry to the various pals I've "neglected" a bit over the last year or so, you're not forgotten =P


"Live the dream" .. as a good pal always says..

so LIVE THE DREAM! I won't be scared of stepping OUT of my comfort zone this year!!

Take care all,
Have a fantastic week - I know will!!

Stay Happy, don' be sad... happyyyyyy =)

Lecturers....

Most lecturers are usually quite good at replying to emails (providing they're not being condescending).

I asked my law lecturer for the name of the photocopied handout she gave so I could locate the book myself after having lost the handout. She tells me to come in and see her, and says that she wrote it herself, she might have a spare. (she didn't write that particular handout herself, and I clarified that what I was after was from a book)

I then manage to locate what appears to be the exact book on Amazon (she photocopied the cover), and ask her to clarify if this is the book. She's a part-time lecturer, so she's off for the weekend. In the meantime I go to UWE to borrow said book and arrive home, find that it almost certainly appears to be the book. She sent me a reply today when she got back in and tells me again, to go in and see her and that I wouldn't need any additional material. (I won't - I have what I need now)

But the fact here, is that she failed failed twice to answer my emails (instead just sending me one-liners)
- I asked her for the name and author of a book she handed out a photocopy of (she failed to answer my question)
- I asked her to clarify whether the book I'd found on amazon (and subsequently in the UWE library) was indeed the book which the handout was from (which she failed to clarify)

I thought these people teach in the University of Bristol - they would at least be able to read the emails and give appropriate replies...

Geth: "lecturers never actually pay attention to what other people say... that's not their method :P"

Some do... but she is pretty bad at replying to emails compared to others. She's a great lecturer, but just annoying she failed to answer me here.

p.s. the book is actually a pretty good book!

Homebound with a biccy (and Wells..)

Last few weeks have meant that I've been stuck somewhere with a book, pen and [lots of] paper. Can't say I'm the greatest fan of this period, because there's a month where I'm effectively homebound. In theory, if I'm out having fun, I've got the energy to revise... in theory, anyway.

Fortunately, that doesn't hold 100% true (it is, for the most part, 99% true, however, else I wouldn't be writing this). And so we went to Wells on the 29th April - a charming city. I didn't really intend on going there, but was simply going for a ride out on a very nice day (route: Clifton Suspension Bridge [B3129], Failand, Flax Bourton, [A370], Backwell, Congresbury, [B3133], Lower Langford, [A38], [A368], Burrington [B3134], Charterhouse, Priddy, [A39], Wells), thought we'd head into Somerset as we'd previously ventured into the Mendip Hills, Backwell and Cheddar and found it very nice (maybe I'll upload a few pics another time). With no aim, I was starting to get hungry when we were in the Mendips (where we saw a black sheep - I don't personally have a pic, Sherry does though), and thought we'd head to Wells to find some food. We ate at an Indian place, which was not bad. Wells was very pretty, and a bit of Wikipedia when we were home later told us that this lovely street contained many Grade 1 listed medieval buildings (many had been updated, but still!). What was strange was that the complete street was cobbled and it was like stepping back in time - with the addition of a few cars parked on the street.


I don't have a picture of Wells Cathedral as it didn't dawn on me to take my camera out until quite late in the day. However, I do have a lovely picture of it at night (not great, I know).

We missed out on the palace with a moat, as it was getting late, and couldn't be bothered to walk, however, there is always next time - I am thinking of stopping at Wells next time I head in a southerly direction. p.s. the journey back was horrible, a total lack of cat's eyes on the A37 made my journey rather hellish as I couldn't see where the road was without opening my visor due to the tiny specks of rain.

Step back a few days, and I'm back in Bristol now - I notice these geese on the UWE campus. It's lovely. The female has made a next in a flowerbed (I can only assume they picked that spot at night, since it's a fair bit from any water course/feature I know of - the stream that runs through Harry Stoke and the UWE campus, perhaps?). They're gone now, unfortunately.



That's all for now!

Reflective Essay I had to write for my course

Just handed in some piece of coursework into the Project Room.
On my way home now, but thought I'd share this reflective essay I've had to write.

p.s. looking forward to a nice weekend. Hopefully I can get lots of revision for my first exam in.


Reflect on prospects for employability:
This year I have tried to find a placement but I have not had much luck. In the meantime I have tried to further my interests in my field by joining English Heritage and the National Trust, since I find history and preservation interesting. I have also applied to join (perhaps a little bit late) the RTPI, so await a reply from them. Until a few months ago, I was still not certain which path I wanted to go down – the RICS or the RTPI.


Achieving effective learning:
This academic year, I have studied in a library a lot more (especially so during Easter). I found it the best place to go with a friend or two for some quiet study. It’s just amazing how a quiet bedroom and a quiet library compare – I think the fact everyone else is working is the motivation. That, and the fact I have a bed right next to my desk.


Coping with assessment:
I think I have tried to be better with my time management. A lot better. Occasionally, I still find that I’ve still got something to cover or mention in an assignment at the last minute, but it’s not as much, I prepared for it a lot more. It’s not ideal, but I generally started reading around the topics a lot, lot earlier this time. I still find my work tough, and I think it’s partially because I narrowly passed some of my modules last year, so lack the foundation here and there. That’s alright though – I have been sorting that out this year.


Benefits of working with others:
I’ve got my moments where I am really focused into my work (and also moments where I’m quite the opposite) – and I think I know when I can’t say I enjoyed my groupwork this year. At all. I found that I was more or less chairing and leading the group towards the marks in Inter-professional. Eventually I found I had to write a literature review, and having never written one before and getting it wrong twice, it meant that I just did not have time to focus my efforts on the group (I put some proper effort into the project for my own marks, as selfish as it may seem, I really can’t say I care about people who don’t put any effort in at all) or had any time to work on the project. It doesn’t bother me though – in the process, I taught myself (with my sister’s help) how to use InDesign publishing software and Photoshop and did a lot of that project in it. I thought my posters looked pretty good.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed the groupwork earlier in the year in City and Regional Plan Making, where I worked with someone who really put in the effort to head the group. I was there to support him whenever he needed it. I felt it really worked, since he was willing to listen (shame that wasn’t the case in Inter-professional… at all.), he used your ideas, gave people a chance to talk, I genuinely enjoyed working with that him.


What are you going to do differently next year:
Next year, I am going to look at the way I approach assignments, especially the big ones. Because, quite simply, reading around the topic and then going back to the brief and then reading some more doesn’t seem to be working for me. I always seem to find I’ve missed out something and it’s all improperly bound together in the project room shortly before it’s due in. I think I lack some serious study skills, to name a few: skimming articles, how to write a report (I’ve done 2 now, and they’re both a bit sketchy) and most importantly: something that I always seem incompetent at – reading the question…!