Take off! || Blogmas Day 16

Yup, that's right. I'm so done with the whole exam thing, that I'm leaving the country!

Haha, ok, bad joke over. During second year, and particularly over the summer, I started to hang out more with one of my good friends, who I actually met when we both started studying French in first year. She's now studying German, and decided to spend her third year working in Germany. She suggested I come and visit and so, when my exam timetable cam out earlier in the semester and I realised that I had an extra week after exams before Christmas, and before my friend was heading home fro Christmas too, I decided to book a weekend in Germany.

Since Rachael (my friend) lives in a smaller German town, she suggested we both travel to one of the larger cities, and spend the weekend exploring, particularly since Germany is famous for their cities' Christmas Markets. We settled on Frankfurt!

Anyway, this was my first time flying alone. I've flown with friends before, and with my swim club when I was 14, but I've never flown completely alone. I wasn't at all nervous about the flight, but I was a bit jittery about making it through the whole security, boarding thing!

It was totally fine, mostly because I know Glasgow airport pretty well, we shall see how I cope on the return journey in the massive, rather confusing, Frankfurt International airport.

Talking of that particular big, confusing airport, we had an interesting time when we landed! My flight got into terminal 2, and the train station (where Rachael had come into, off her train) was in terminal 1. We literally spent an hour messaging each other, each wandering around separate terminals in the belief that one of us could walk through from one terminal to the other, only to find out that the terminals are actually completely separate buildings which require a shuttle bus ride!

Eventually I went outside and saw a free bus going to terminal 1, which I hopped on, and was reunited with my pal! We were both starving, so we started our weekend with some lunch at a lovely
bakery in the airport!

Rachael's booked us into a hostel, and we're going to head out soon and have a wee explore! Here's to a celebratory weekend!

Catriona x

Bursting the Bubble || Blogmas Day 15

So, after risking my life walking to my last exam this morning (on the iciest, most un-gritted roads ever!), and sitting said exam which I think went ok, its hard to tell, I finally got my prescription, came home and finished packing my case. I have been procrastinating for the past week or so by slowly packing my case in bits, so as to avoid a last minute panic, but somehow I still ended up forgetting pretty much everything and having to squeeze in as many of my belongings as it is possible for one person to carry (a large suitcase, a backpack and an old, torn holdall)

I then proceeded to walk back into town on the ice with all this stuff (the streets had thankfully been gritted by this point), and then take a bus and three trains to arrive in the town where my Gran lives. My Uncle picked me up from the station and my Auntie made us an amazing steak pie dinner, and it was just the best!

It was really nice to catch up with family, and to walk through Glasgow (just between train stations). As much as I love St Andrews (and I really do), I haven't been home in three months, and I'm quite relieved to be away from the stress of my uni friends, and freeeeee!

I realise that these posts have kind of turned into me just describing my day, and I'm really sorry if people are finding them boring. If there's anything particular you want me to blog about, please leave a comment below!

As much as I want to be watching the I'm A Celeb Coming Out Show right now, my Gran gave me the stern word to get some sleep, since I've got to leave for the airport at 6am tomorrow! So I'm going to keep this short and sweet, jump in the shower and try and get some sleep. I'm not sure how prompt my posts will be in the next few days as, tomorrow, I'm Germany bound!

Catriona x

Days of Distractions || Blogmas Day 14

So, today was supposed to be a full day in the library. And to be fair, I have managed to get through everything I need to (eventually!), it just took waaaaay longer than it was supposed to. This has been a bit of a pattern this week, which is a bit annoying because I really want to do well in my exams. At least I'm now one down and just one to go. This time tomorrow I'll be free!

On Tuesday, I was supposed to be doing an interview for the student newspaper (conducting the interview, not being interviewed) at 10am, but the person I was interviewing didn't show so that was a wasted 40 minutes. So that took time reorganise and then I spent another hour + later in the afternoon attending the rescheduled interview.

Today, I had to go and pick up my glasses, which was fine, and get Euros for this weekend. Then I went to pick up my prescription from Boots and then met my friend for a cup of tea and a catch up (which was a very welcome distraction, and I'm not moaning about that bit whatsoever!)

However, when I got back to the library to finally settle down and get some work done, I decided to quickly check my prescription and found that they had given me a different brand of tablets to usual, and the new ones contain peanut oil! I am allergic to peanuts (which you would think either the doc tor or the chemist would have seen on my records), but the chemist can't replace them without doctors' instructions, and since I leave tomorrow I ad to spend a considerable amount of time on the phone trying to get that sorted out!

So, in the end, everything worked ok. But it has now been a very long day, and I don't have the luxury of an afternoon exam (and therefore time to look over stuff in the morning), so I think my best bet now is just to try and get some sleep and hope for the best in the morning!

Sorry this hasn't been very festive... but I'm so close to freedom I can taste it and it's great!

Catriona x

Nerves, nerves, nerves || Blogmas Day 13

I went to bed last night not feeling very well, and when I woke up it was way worse! I'm fairly positive that it is an IBS flare-up, as I often get these when I'm stressed, and especially in winter for some reason. I might do a proper post on IBS some time actually, but not for Blogmas haha!

Anyway, with a 2pm exam I was determined to get my act together (and to eat something, despite not feeling like it!), so I decided to head to Rectors Café for porridge and then, later, soup, while I read through my notes. I think it was the right move because, despite the nerves, the exam went pretty well I think!

I've always been quite a nervy person actually, so I wasn't overly surprised when I was diagnosed with IBS and told that it's stress related. When I was little, I was afraid of some many things,. I had actual phobias of animals, heights, needles, and I always had some kind of tick that would wind up my family, like screwing up my face or clearing my throat or blinking too much... always something that I would find addictive. I'm a lot better now that I'm older, although I do still have some weird quirks, like, most recently, cracking my fingers.

Do any of you guys have any bad habits or certain things you do when you're nervous? I'm hoping its not just me because otherwise this post is more than just a bit boring, its kind of embarrassing!

I was going to get some revision in this evening, because it's not long until my next exam, but I am actually exhausted. Feeling a little better though, so decided to eat some food and watch The Apprentice semi-final (totally the wrong choice at the end by the way, no spoilers though!) and now its time to sleep!

You've only got 1, maybe 2, days left of reading about me in exam-mode!

Catriona x

Study Style || Blogmas Day 12

WARNING: This is not going to be very festive. Unfortunately, I'm not really in the Christmas mind set now (and probably wont be until the weekend, when my exams are over and I'm free from the library!)

Today, for the first time, my flatmate decided to come and study in the library with me. I spend quite a lot of time in the library, throughout the semester but particularly closer to exams. I like to create a bit of separation between uni and home, and I also don't concentrate very well in the flat, especially in the winter, because as soon as I see my warm cosy bed and consider an afternoon spent studying versus an afternoon spent watching Netflix, all chance of being productive is lost!

So, my revision routine very much includes long library days, but my flatmate prefers to base herself in the flat, so this was a change for her! It got me to thinking about how different our study routines are, and how important having a routine, any routine, is important to us both, particularly me (because I can only really speak for me, after all!)

I work best when I get up early, make myself a decent breakfast (a bowl of cereal will suffice!), then make a cup of tea in my KeepCup, get dressed and basic hair and make-up done and head out in time to get a good spot in the library! I've tried sitting in various places in the library and, honestly, the section at the back of our main library, where you can still speak and eat and drink, but away from the hustle and bustle and stress of the front sections. For some reason, people are just automatically quieter there, even though its not a silent section.

I've been trying to bring my own lunch recently because it's a healthier, and cheaper, option, but I do usually need to plan something in the middle of the day to get a stretch of the legs and a breath of fresh air, even if its just nipping out and grabbing a coffee (which I try and not drink too much of because too much caffeine just makes me feel sick and anxious!).

I like to have a goal of what I need to achieved by the end of the day, and then just stay in the library until I get that finished. This (usually) means I get home at a not-to-late time and have time to make myself a decent dinner and chill out a bit before bed, writing or reading or watching Netflix or something. I also work best with music... SO much better this year since I invested in Spotify and some mew earphones.

Personally, my first step is to make sure that I have typed-up and printed all of my lecture and tutorial notes and then I go through them all, alongside their corresponding lecture slides, and turn them into mind-maps. Which aren't really mind-maps in the traditional sense, but more just lots of colourful bubbles which essentially equate to condensed versions of my notes that have slightly more chance of sticking in my head!

Now, I'm going to stop using up all my chill time writing this, take one last look over my mind-maps and get some sleep... exam number 1 is tomorrow!

Catriona x

Out for Tea || Blogmas Day 11

Today was a really positive library day. Still a while to go till I'm 100% ready (well, a day, coz that's all I've got!) but feeling a bit better. And the day was made all the better by the fact that my flatmates and I had decided to go out for dinner together.

Since I finish exams earlier than them both, and a lot of people at my uni, I decided to make the most of the extra week of festivities (and get out of their hair!) and leave straight after my last exam, so we wouldn't all be here when we've all finished to go for a Christmas/end of semester meal, so instead we went this evening.

We booked a local restaurant that is run by the same company as many of the other restaurants in our town, one of which my flatmate works at, so we got 30% discount which was nice!

We decided to order cocktails. My flatmates had an Apple Bramble and a French Martini, and I had my favourite which is a Mojito, and decided to go for a raspberry one which was the best choice ever as it was made with actual raspberries and tasted absolutely delicious!


We opted against starters and went straight for main courses, which we all demolished we were so hungry! I had a steak and ale pie with chips and seasonal veg, while Theo had fish pie and Amy had mac 'n' cheese.

The food was delicious, and we even had (a tiny bit) of room for desert. I had a delicious white chocolate cheesecake with ice cream (or sorbet?) and honeycomb. Amy had the brownie, and Theo the sticky toffee pudding.

It was a really lovely evening, and a nice excuse to not cook! It felt lovely and festive in the restaurant, and cosy, and the staff were very friendly. We chatted about so may weird things and, just for a couple of hours, were able to forget about exams!

Catriona x

Vlogmas || Blogmas Day 10

Today I'm having a study-from-home day, which usually goes one of two ways: very productive or utterly disastrous! I tend to work more efficiently in the library as my flat is too much of a distraction, but in April when I was studying for my Spring exams, I injured my knee and was on crutches, so had to get used to working from home. So, I've kind of had a bit of a balance this time round. Apart from the fact that my hands are so cold I can barely write, and that my flatmate and I took a break to go to Morrison's and buy food, it's going ok so far!

For about as long as I have been writing this blog (coming up for 4 years!), I have enjoyed dipping in and out of Youtube. There are very few channels that I watch every single video (basically just Carrie Hope Fletcher and her brother and sister-in-law's channels!), but I like to watch a few videos from a variety of popular, and less popular, Youtubers.

This time of year is great for content because lot of Youtubers do 'Vlogmas', which is really the inspiration behind my Blogmas, and involves them filming their day every day of advent and posting it on their channel in vlog form!

Usually I only manage to watch a few Vlogmas videos, and limit myself to indulging when my exams are over, but this year there are 3 channels that I've been following quite consistently for the last week, and have had their videos on in the background while I'm doing some less intense studying, blog writing, or getting ready. So, I thought I'd share those with you!


1) Giovanna Fletcher (Giovannasworld)

The aforementioned sister-in-law! I really like Giovanna. Arguably, her channel is more aimed at Mum's as it is often about family activities and what she's up to with her young children, but she's
 also an author, actress, Christmas lover and comes across as a really genuine and lovely person! Her family time vlogs really sum up the Christmas vibe and are very heart-warming!

2) Zoe Sugg a.k.a. Zoella (MoreZoella)

There's been LOTS of controversy around Zoella recently. I mean, when isn't there? If she's not being accused of selling a very overpriced advent calendar as part of her popular beauty range, people are digging up her old, offensive tweets. I'm NOT saying that there's not truth in these allegations, and I do not follow Zoe or her boyfriend Alfie Days channels consistently because I find parts of their lifestyle annoying and their videos a bit long for regular viewing, BUT I have really been enjoying her Vlogmas because she basically takes December off work and just fully embraces the festivities, and there's something about that which makes me, if a little jealous, very happy! Plus, again, she really does come across as a very sweet, if insanely rich, person.

3) Nadia Sawalha and Kaye Adams (Nadia & Kaye)

Finally, it's Nadia and Kaye off Loose Women! Loose Women is one of my major guilty pleasures. I don't think I've ever watched the entire show on TV, because I don't really watch much TV and definitely not during the day, but I love watching wee clips on Youtube coz I just find the panel so funny! I have quite a bit of this Vlogmas to catch up on actually, but discovering this year that this is something that these two do has been the best! They actually make me laugh out loud! They are just mum's around the same age as mine who remind me of the batty middle-aged maternal loveliness that I adore in my own mum and miss terribly! Their preparation for Christmas reminds me of being a kid at home again and yeah, a channel definitely worth checking out if you want a laugh!

Do you have any Vlogmas recommendations for me (maybe for when I actually have finished my exams!). Do you maybe vlog yourself? I have thought about trying out a Youtube channel a few times in an attempt to combat my nervousness of being recorded, so you never know, maybe one year I'll have a Vlogmas too!

Catriona x