A story about the last few weeks + Exam RESULTS!

I realise that I haven't updated my blog for a while now, but I have so much to tell ^-^ I've been so busy lately with study and mainly with people visiting me from Holland :D First Amber came to visit me, then Nico and Sigrid and Lotte was here for a week as well XD

With Nico and Sigrid I had a lot of fun :D We did 3 treasure hunts, involving a lot of walking and had a lovely dinner and game at the cowherds :) We brought Skipbo and Sequence and played some games between meals ^-^ The treasure hunts were great! We walked on the Southampton Walls, at the docks and in a huge cemetary in the Common (a park). The cemetary was really overgrown and Sigrid was a bit creeped out about it, but I totally loved it! We even saw a green woodpecker... well.... we saw it fly away really, but it was very green with a red head :D It was great seeing Nico and Sigrid again, because I hadn't seen them for about half a year I think. When I go home in summer I should really make an effort to see their boys again as well, 'cause I assume they've really grown a lot since I last saw them ^-^

So Nico and Sigrid were here on the 15th of February and the following weekend Lotte showed up XD She came on Friday evening and left last Thursday midday. On Friday we celebrated George's Birthday, which actually was the previous Wednesday, but he wasn't home then, so we threw him a dinner on Friday :D It was loads of fun and a good opportunity for Lotte to meet my friends. Then on Saturday it was the best weather ever! We did a pillow fight with Iman, in front of West Quay, which was really funny (you can see it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyYJQ_MTIrA)

It was the first day of spring, so Lotte and I went to the Common, where she read in the sun and I watched people and took pictures ^-^ It sounds a little creepy when I put it like that, but it really is a lot of fun seeing so many people playing sports, laughing and walking their dogs on these massive fields, and me being me, I had to take my camera XD It really was lovely weather and Lotte even got sunburnt! (it was only like 12-15 degrees O.o;)

In the evening, around 8pm, we went to a Gig for Gaza, which was basically a get together in Bridge Bar (a bar in the student union) where 5 different bands played, of which 1 was terrible as the vocalist was out of tune the whole time, but the last band was really amazing!
For the rest of the week I had classes, so Lotte had to fend for herself a bit, but I think (and hope) she had fun on her own XD On monday we went to the Cowherds as well, which was, as always, deliscious ^-^ and on Wednesday we made our own High Tea with sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and jam, tea (of course O.o;) and a pineapple cheesecake we made on Tuesday night :D It was deliscious! my mouth waters just thinking of that again *-*
After the high tea, I had to go to a viewing and George and I saw 4 houses, but didn't find one that we really liked... Then we did some food shopping and we drove to the vaccination place again to get me my second HPV vaccination..... I HATE NEEDLES! x_x And on Thursday afternoon I brought Lotte to the airport, we had some hot choco, and I went back to go to lectures.

Yesterday, George and I saw another 5 houses and we found a really great 4 bedroom house! XD I am meeting a guy who is looking for some housemates today to see if he's okay and wants to join us in this house and then I really hope to sign for the house within a few weeks :D

Also, I got my examresults back yesterday :) They are okay, but I'd liked to have done a bit better. I got:
61 for Biology, with which I'm really pleased! ^-^
67 for Chemistry IT and
69 for my Core Chemistry module :D
The grading is very different than in Holland as the highest level is 70 and higher, it is called a first. Then you've got upper second which is between 60 and 70, second which is near 60 I think, third which is near 50 somewhere and a pass which is 40 or higher. So it IS out of 100, but that is actually impossible to reach, sort of. I'm still getting used to the grading a bit, but just so everyone can put my grades into context a bit :D

So, I'll let you know how it goes with my housing, I really hope to sort it out before Easter, but I think we will :D So, that's it for today. Will write soon, I think... O.o;

~xxx~ Fleur
(p.s. I uploaded new pictures. You can see them on the right hand side)

Fun in the Darkroom *-*

I had the greatest evening yesterday! ^-^ I had a darkroom lesson at uni from photosoc. I was there with richard, a committee member, and meila another photosoc member. Richard explained that it is all in the preparation, because developing photos by hand requires good timing and very little light >.<

First he explained me how to develop the film. Meila had already developed her film before coming to the darkroom, so she just watched me do it... or rather hear me do it ^-^ First I tried the procedure with a film that could be destroyed and that went fine. The trick is, really, to have only the things you need in front of you and know exactly where everything is. Because when you take the film out of the round holder thingy (>_<) the light has to be OFF! And believe me, it gets really dark in the darkroom XD

Okay so, my first try went fine and then I did my actual film and luckily I didn't screw anything up :D Once you have the flim on a special spindle and then in this dark holder, you can turn on the lights again ^-^ And then the chemicals are added, one after another for certain periods of time depending on the film.... I still have to engross myself in all that a bit :)

So... while my film was developed and hung up to dry, we started doing some prints with Meila's film. All the stuff we use to print is just amazing! There is this large machine called the enlanger that is used to shine the right amount of light on a photographic paper and then the paper goes through about the same process as the film. First is goes into the developer, then the stop and then the fix. It's just like in the movies, a room lit in red safety lights and taking the paper out of the chemical bath with tongs and placing it into the next bath XD It's great! ^-^

So I had a great night yesterday. I learned loads and printed my first ever picture, on my OWN!! :D It is a pic of my mom! when we were at the osbourne house on the isle of wight in january 2009. I hope to print some more pictures of the film I developed, but I think I will ask Richard to help me one more time, because I wouldn't want to ruin any of the equipment *-* So, that's my story about yesterday night.

On valentines I'm going out for diner with my friends XD We're going to a lebanese restaurant! It'll be so YUMMY! ^-^ more stories about that and pictures will follow :D

Amber was here ^-^

Hey all! Here's another story for you ^-^ Amber was here for a week and I have to tell you about it a bit. So she came on Saturday last week and left yesterday at 5:40 am! O.O It was loads of fun!

So what we did:
On friday and saturday we went shopping, obviously, and on sunday we went to Bournemouth with my friends. We bought really cool stuff. Amber got this amazing dress and some tops and I got a long sleeved top as well. On Sunday we were supposed to go to Bath, but Iman and Sheena were late for the bus and then Verena wasn't even there yet.... She overslept, because she has a German alarm clock that didn't go off or was on the wrong time or something like that O.o; So.... our plans for Bath were cancelled and I was so excited about going to the glass factory and roman baths there, but well... we'll go there another time ^-^

So we went to the train station to jump on any other train and went to Bournemouth. There we went to the Oceanarium and saw loads of fish. We strolled around in the park and in town and saw loads of references to Baths.... which kept reminding us of the missed bus and cool trip O.o; But we had fun anyway. We saw squirles in the park and there was an aviary as well. Peter was a total bird whisper! We saw the first snow (the tiniest snow flakes ever, but still, it was snow. It's the thought that counts) and then the next day there was 5-10 cm snow on the ground so we were happy XD It only lasted for like 2 days though *-*

Okay so Amber stayed till Saturday, but I did have classes during the week. I was really tired after my classes as I hadn't had any for a while and I had to find my rhythm again, but with Amber there that was a bit hard.... so I was quite tired after classes and I might've been a little grumpy when I got home sometimes, but in the end we had fun, so it all turned out okay. In the week we went shopping again in Southampton once or twice and Amber went to town with Iman once as well, on the Thursday I think, 'cause that was my longest day at Uni. On Wednesday we had diner at Iman's and she made stuffed courgettes, a lebanese recipe, we helped to make it and it was absolutely deliscious! ^-^ *mouth starts to water again as she thinks back at that gorgious meal* XD

On Friday we all went out for diner in the evening at the cowherds: Sheena, Iman, George, Becky (a friend of Sheena's), Amber and me. Amber and I had already been there with the two of us on Tuesday, so the waiter, Ashley, already knew us XD (George asked his name btw and really embarrased Sheena when he told Ashley that she wanted to tell him something... 'cause Sheena had said earlier that he was hot ^^). We had a great diner and had lots of fun! The desserts were, of course, the best part :D They were heavenly! *-*

Then on Saturday morning, flippin 5:40 am I put Amber on the taxi and went back to bed. For the rest of the day I didn't do too much except for cleaning my room and bathroom and watching some random stuff on my computer. Then in the evening I went to the cinema with George to see a 3D film: My Bloody Valentine XD It was scary and gross and had a really good story line! We had loads of fun! ^-^

Tomorrow is gonna be a long day as I have a workshop, then a lecture and then 4 hours of LABS.... But the labs are with John, so it'll be FUN! ^-^ and hard work O.o;

So that's about it.... I still haven't had any exam results, though. It takes them quite long !O.O but anyway... If I hear anything I'll tell you about it right away ^-^

C ya! And keep in touch :D
~xxx~ Fleur

ps. Gijs, I loved your message! kool to hear from you again :D Hope you're doing well and that your knee is doing better ^-^