So here's what's likely to be quite a long entry and quite possibly the only one for another 7 months.
Well the last post was more recent in terms of my mental-state than I'd at first thought, so maybe it won't be so difficult to catch up. I suppose looking at life from earlier this year's perspective, the biggest most mood-affecting change would be my boyfriend situation.
I'll start from the beginning, I suppose.
I broke up with Rhys in March (well, he finished it), shortly before I posted that last entry I imagine. He fucked around with my mind for a bit, refusing to talk to me, aiding the moving-on process immensely. He was, in essence, a douche. He returned to normal throughout the summer and we were, as I saw it, friends. Which was fine - that chapter of my life was well and truly over.
So spring was quite a difficult time for me. I know my woes don't really compare to some people's.. and I did what I could do just get on with life, which eventually enabled me to sort my brain out. May and June brought with them the end of school and the beginning of exams which all came and went in a blur. I also somehow managed to acquire a job as bar/floor staff in the Wetherspoons pub in Monmouth. Although this made me feel pretty independent, it was also the shittest job in the world and left me near suicidal every Sunday evening.
Oddly enough, leaving school wasn't a very big deal for me.. everyone around me was getting emotional, but I'd only been at Caldicot for 2 years and never really felt like I fitted in, so moving on was no challenge.
Although I will admit that I miss our Media and Psychology lessons.. those two teachers were the best teachers I've ever had the pleasure of being taught by and I was genuinely sad to leave them. But ah well, onwards and upwards.. or whatever.
The start of the summer was a bit strange. I found myself with a lot of spare time and the most freedom I've ever experienced, whilst still trying to get my head around the Rhys situation. It was around the end of June, beginning of July, that he started talking to me again. I wasn't best pleased with the timing, what with it happening to coincide with his return to Caldicot and thus his return to boredom. Perhaps that was just paranoia on my end, but even so. That's how I was thinking at the time.
Dani and I entered shoot nations again, with similar results to last year. Although this time neither of us won anything. These were my entries:
I can't remember what the titles were because I'm rubbish, but they weren't very good. The bottom one was commended, though.. despite the fact it apparently broke the no-editing rule (along with several other commended AND winning photos...).
I don't think I'll bother entering anymore, it just stresses me out.
Anyway. The end of July, beginning of August, brought with it day trips and Aussie Guy. August was a good month for getting the most out of summer and having a good time.
Ahhh, it was a good summer.. although it went pretty quickly. I got my A level results on the 19th August which were just what I needed to get my place at the University of Glamorgan studying Photography. I somehow managed to get an A in Media, A in Drama and B in Psychology... I'll never know how I managed that Drama grade, considering, yknow, Ashton. Ughhhh, that's the first time I've thought about her in months.. God, I wonder if she's still a twat.. who am I kidding, she's probably even more twattish now her precious Lloyd's gone to Uni.. :')
Any-who, my results were all fine and dandy and after that everything started to pick up pace. Summer rapidly disappeared, melting into the chaos of University preparation. I can safely say I was terrified, trying my best to find flatmates before moving into Ty Pont so I would have some idea of the characters I'd be spending the next year or so with. My search was pretty fruitless until the last week, when I found Vikki. She seemed nice, but it was quite obvious I wasn't going to get a true judge of her character until I met her in person.. yknow, when some people just don't seem like themselves over the internet? Yeah.
I also managed to find Chris, who was, at first, going to be in my flat until Ty Pont cocked it up and decided he was meant to be in 1113 down the corridor instead. That was annoying.
I officially moved out of quiet, little Tryleg into the bustling world of the city of Cardiff on September 15th and I was, quite frankly, shitting myself. I spent my first night in Cardiff alone and feeling somewhat deflated. Catherine wasn't moving in until the Saturday and none of my flatmates came before me. Thursday was a tad more eventful; I posted my first vlog on our collab. youtube channel (you're gonna wanna check that out here) and met my first flatmate, Richard. Leon also moved in on the Thursday, but he didn't appear outside his room until the Friday I don't think.. not too sure, my memory isn't amazing. Vikki then moved in on the Friday, as did Sarah.. but we didn't see her properly for a little while (I think she was just really, really shy...).
I was pretty relieved to have such friendly people to live with and definitely relieved to have someone as chatty as Rich. We all managed to get some serious flat bonding done over freshers week.
Yes, this is a flat-cake.. yes, I did make it.. and yes, it is very pink. Incidentally, the cow-plate featured here has since been broken. And no one owned up to it. ;/ *quiet sobbing*
Dani moved down to Cardiff the week after Freshers and life quickened pace.
To be honest, as I'm writing this now in the early hours of 21st December, I can't believe how quickly the last 3 months have gone. So much has happened.
Vikki, aka Spuds, Leon, aka Hoots, and Rich are amazing flatmates. We're already like a proper little family and definitely embrace the cheese. We're all moving in together next year as well, along with Dan (Rich's mate), Katelyn (Spuds' mate), Niall (Hoots' mate) and Dani. We have our house already.. I actually can't wait. Even though we still have 2/3s of our first year left to complete, I'm psyched for what next year may bring. May The Little Owls live on.. and, er, begin to actually exist! Ha. God, if you don't get a proper guitar for Christmas Richard then I'm gonna be entirely unimpressed.
My course is good. It started off very slowly with barely any work and my 3-day-week seemed like a blessing. Everything started to snowball around the beginning of November, though.. I ended up with about 5 deadlines in the space of two weeks all before Christmas, which have given me a proper kick up the backside. As I type this, I should probably be doing Journal work for when I'm back in January, but because of the stupidly timed snow I have very few prints to discuss. Guh, I'll be going back early in order to get some dark room work in before we go back.
I would post up some pictures from my course, but I don't have any on my laptop. Many apologies. Maybe if I keep this blog alive you'll see some within the next few months. We'll see.
Rhys does indeed still live in Cardiff (in Roath somewhere..) but I hardly see him. He's not been in a terribly social state of mind and has blocked me out of his life about fifty times since the start of term, but not for conventional hatred reasons.. to say the least. I don't want to dislike him, despite what his depressed, paranoid self may think.. he still means a lot to me and was the first person I truly fell for.. but I would never go back. I hope he's alright when he gets out of this dip. I'm sure he will be.
I met up in person with Chris, (the one from 1113) a few times in the first month or so and he seemed sweet enough. He plays guitar amazingly and there was an amusing night round his flat in the first couple of weeks in which he got his Banjo out (oo-er). He is, in essence, a walking-talking stringed-instrument. With a blonde afro. But yes. We got on quite well.. he asked me to sing in his band with his course friends.. which I was pretty pleased with, considering my incessant urges to start a band over the past 5 years or so. Then, 25th November, he asked me out. I can safely say I haven't been this happy in a long time. I don't think I deserve someone as sweet as him.. his presence alone can make me feel better about myself and about life. Although we've only been seeing each other for 3 and a half weeks, he's already worked his way into my every day thought processes.. having spent the last 2 weeks seeing him every day, coming home for Christmas has proved rather strange.
I have a good feeling about the next few months. If life carries on the way it has been I don't think I could ask for anything more.
