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So, missed out on the place we applied for earlier in the week :( Pretty sure it’s for the best though. It’s making us appreciate the other places a lot more. Indooroopilly was the best house by far, but the location really detracted from it, and we’ve only really realised that since being rejected. Paddington is a tiny bit less impressive inside - it’s a touch rundown - but the house has sooo much more. It’s in a great location and has such a good vibe about it. Just hoping this one works out a bit better!

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Got back on the bike today. Was a bit of a struggle.

Through a ridiculous comedy of errors I had to drive home to get some shoes for a Prac, but I didn’t want to take my car back to uni and pay for MORE parking, so I rode. That was bad choice number one. Number two was seeing how hard I could push myself, and how quickly I could get into uni. Bad choice number three was that I got to uni, sat around waiting for my prac to start, then realised I was an hour early.

Because I’d ridden in, I had nothing. I literally had my wallet, keys, phone, labcoat, pen and a bike-lock. No laptop, no notebook - nothing. After a boring hour, headed into the prac, then rode home.

A very uneventful day, but riddled with stupid things I had done. At least I’m getting back on the bike. I think my seat needs to be moved up a tiny bit though, probably about 3mm. I might do that later this evening.

All things considered, today was an alright day. Sweating on a phone call from the real-estate agent that never came - but, hopefully tomorrow brings good news. Looking forward to good news, and getting some solid study done tomorrow. Might even get back on the bike again. ‘Til then, adios.

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Life Update 2.

TUTORING: As some of you may know, a few friends started up a tutoring company a week ago, with great success. We taught our first two students this week and it’s looking good! We’ve basically got a plan that each hour of tutoring pays $5 to the “kitty”. As the company is being run by myself and the two people I’m moving out with, it effectively becomes drinking money! Plus, our first group of clients is at a slightly lower rate than we’re hoping for, but it’s still $30 in my pocket each hour. In short, this makes me happy! Money, money, MONEY!

HOUSING: Finally put an application in on a house. Just to rent, but it’s an application all the same. None of us have rented before, so we’re a bit behind the 8-ball. We’re just hoping that the other applicants are hated by our future landlord :) I’ll update you all once I know some more, but I’m really hoping we get this place. There will be a perpetual-stream of drinks and good cheer. Not to mention the three sensational-looking housemates. House-warming party anyone? I could go on forever about this house, but I shan’t, for fear of not getting approved. Wish us good-luck please! Hopefully we’ll all be able to invite you around shortly for fun-times and slip-n-slide.

PS: Only one person will get the obsessive use of hyphens toward the end.

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Med School.

This is my pitiful attempt at describing life as a med student…

Medicine is what I’ve always wanted to do. I spent a good six months trying to convince myself there was another career for me, but I’ve never truly believed it. Getting accepted into med was one thing, but starting med was an entirely different story. The day results came out I was over the moon. I just floated on my own little cloud of happiness all day. Getting accepted to UQ was special, but kind of dampened by the fact that not all of my friends did. Come Jan 18th, fuck ‘em.

Actually being a med student is amazing. Aside from the “OMG, you’re a med student? Are you single? Can you take advantage of me” bonus, it’s just simply amazing. There’s a strange bond between all the med students at UQ. Something I never felt as a science student. Even meeting someone for the first time, there’s a definite bond or common link.

As for the actual school part of med school, every day is something new. The intro stuff is still totally shit, but the actual med stuff is great. Stuff that was mind-numbingly-boring during undergrad now has context and purpose. Learning is a whole new activity and it’s amazing to be a part of it.

Two weeks in and I’ve found my feet. I have a fantastic group of mates, and a really great cohort of students. I still maintain that 2010 will be an epic year, and it’s yet to disappoint. Bring on the days ahead and may these be the best year yet.

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Day 1 of Med School.

Cannot explain in such a short space how excited (but also nervous) I was to start med. It’s been what I’ve wanted to do forever, so to be finally there was an amazing feeling. Met up with the old science crowd before orientation to grab a coffee and it was a weird kind of feeling. It was weird being at such a monumental step in our lives, yet at the same time feeling exactly as we always did sitting at Merlo with a coffee.

Met Tegan, Sophie’s friend who was starting with us and we hit it off straight away. She’s now already a very close friend and I’m moving out with her this month. Monday was a big day, a lot of intro stuff, but took it’s toll on me mentally. Not only had I not sat in a lecture theatre paying attention in what felt like forever, but it clearly hadn’t hit that I was actually studying med. About halfway through one of the intro lectures it hit me that I would soon be seeing patients. Actual patients who were paying for my care. MY CARE. Cue me grinning like an idiot for the next hour as I thought about being an actual doctor! Again, I have no words to describe how awesome that feeling was.

For the rest of the week, if I wasn’t at uni I was at TSE. The long hours hurt, but it was worth every second. I regret not being able to spend more time with the TSE crowd, but wouldn’t change it no matter how many times I had my life again. As I write this I can’t help miss the people I spent the better part of a fortnight with.

One week of med down, and hardly any sleep. This called for a lot of drinking! TSE afterparty was on the Saturday night and was a night to be remembered. Not necessarily for the right reasons, but they weren’t wrong either! Really good end to a few weeks, but fuck me I needed some sleep!

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So, here’s my attempted recap at the last few weeks. I’ll do it in three parts… yeah? Part 1 will be basically about TSE, particularly the week down the coast. 2 will contain the first few days of medicine, with a bit of TSE thrown in and 3 will be my thoughts on med after two weeks.

TSE stands for The Science Experience, and is a three day event for students going into grade ten, so they’re about 14 years old. Having been a student 7 years ago, I’ve staffed the last 6 and each one is as fun as the next. After running Brisbane TSEs for the past two years I took the lead and ran the Gold Coast (GUG) campus with a few mates.

GUG was epic; just a good solid week of fun down the coast with some amazing students and some even better friends. I can’t thank everyone enough for being such great staff members. It made my job so much easier.

Next, we headed back to Brisbane to join the other 90 staff up here, and the true fun began. Sure, there was some massive fucking issues, but it made everything all the more worthwhile. Spent the Saturday and Sunday ducking home to try and sort out my shit before med, but ultimately spent as much time at the hall with the rest of TSE.

I won’t write any more for fear of boring you to all to death, but really happy with how the week went. Was pretty nervous and excited about med the next day though!

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As my birthday gift from yesterday, I went to Emma Sheldrake’s studio to pick the print of hers I wanted. Meeting her was amazing, she’s got such talent, and was so nice. It was really good to compare her actual personality and the personality that comes through in her work. She puts some real punk expression into some of her work, but the beauty and finesse of her persona are really portrayed in her painting too.

So, the parents and I went into her studio (technically her father, Cliff Sheldrake’s - another brilliant artist) and had a look around. She had a few of her prints to show us, and also a few of the originals to compare them to for colour/detail etc. I wanted the blue print (Thank God For Mirrors) from the moment we stepped in, but then she said that she would get prints done of anything I wanted, not just the ones she had left in stock. I instantly asked about the Peacock Eyes one, that I’ve wanted ever since I saw her work, but apparently the lady who bought the original had a contract drawn up to say that no copies could be made etc. Then she showed me the catalogue of all her work, and I was drawn straight away to the La Roux inspired work (Oh So Hot Catching Flies) that’s the front of her website. We spent 10 minutes discussing whether or not to take the blue piece with us, or have the red one made up.

In the end we decided to get the Red one, so sometime in the next fortnight I’ll have my very own Emma Sheldrake on my wall!!!

After a pretty phenomenal start to the day I headed off for day two of Sunset Sounds. Saw King Khan and the Shrines, The Editors, The Temper Trap and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs which were all amazing. Seeing Dougy Mandagi of The Temper Trap sing is epic. Never in a million years would I have expected the voice of Sweet Disposition to come out of his mouth. It was just perfect, cannot explain it any better than that.

The 6th and 7th of Jan have been the two most amazing days. I really hope that it’s a sign of good things to come for 2010. If so, 2010 is going to be a year to remember.

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21.

What a day!

Got the choice of Emma Sheldrake prints for my birthday so I’m unbelievably excited. One of those gifts I could never have guessed, but one of the best I’ve ever received.

After the early/ecstatic start, set off to the supermarket and bottleshop. Got a whole heap of gear for my 21st lunch, and got the final bits ready.

Having a few mates over for my 21st was the ideal way to celebrate it. I mean, everyone wants to be treated like royalty on their birthday, but just having a bunch of uni kids around was fantastic. Especially when it also meant Sunset Sounds.

Sunset sounds was AMAZING. The music was really diverse and some of the acts were just sensational. Biggest mention must go to MOBY who played an hour long set at the very end of the night. I didn’t know much of the music too well but was having a ball. And hearing him do a cover of Ring of Fire was just mental!

Hope y’all had a good night too, catch you on the flipside. Slash after Sunset Sounds day 2! Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Temper Trap. WOOHOOOOO

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Massive clean up day in prep for tomorrow’s party/lunch.

BBQ/lunch/party with the uni crowd tomorrow then Sunset Sounds. Fuck yesssss.

No more words tonight, just tireds. They count equally as words.

21 in just over an hour.

That’s really all I feel like writing now, so I’ll hit “Create post” shortly and just go to bed.

Night all, thanks for being there while I was 20. Please be there tomorrow when I’m 21.

Much love. xx