Dough-nuts about finals!

I officially love being a finalist. I was having a bit of a work crisis today because I accidentally lost some of the work I'd done for a stats project due in tomorrow (first and last time that's ever happening!). So there I was, sitting in my room, trying to compute the 95% Wilcoxon confidence interval for the increase in travel times on Friday mornings relative to Monday mornings on a certain segment of a freeway in Australia in 2010 for the second time - when I heard a knock at my door. In comes a lovely first year with a doughnut especially for me. Oxford has a tradition (I'm not sure how long standing it actually is) that during finals students who aren't taking them can 'adopt' a finalist and I'm certain I've got a good adopted parent. I think I'm a little bit smitten with him now... Well, no time for that, I've got a project to finish.

F x

PS - Just because I'm a poor finalist doesn't mean I didn't find the time to vote today. Sometimes your civil rights just have to take priority.

Is it just me...?

Today I had an optician’s appointment. I’ve actually been really looking forward to it because I just find going to the optician’s so relaxing! This is also true of going to the doctor and the dentist. Ever since I was little I’ve found it strangely comfortable when I have appointments like that, I get this nice feeling in my neck and I just don’t want to move.  Maybe it’s the feeling of being looked after or being the centre of attention whilst not really knowing what’s going on. Maybe I really enjoy being asked ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions about my health and wellbeing. I’m not quite sure what it is but I just love appointments! The few people I’ve told about this generally think it’s weird, but I have met one or two people who get a similar feeling to me. Does anyone else out there understand this peaceful, comfy feeling? (Maybe we could start a club or something, where we pretend to be doctors so we can have all that pleasant feeling on a regular basis?)

So I was quite excited about my appointment and thought it would make a nice break from Maths and I’d also get a few things sorted out. Unfortunately, it turns out my eyesight has got a lot worse, so much so they advised me to get a health check up (it’s obviously fine) and wouldn’t give me my contact lenses yet. Although this does mean the excitement of more appointments, Oxford Finalists really don’t have time for minor health scares so I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my trip to the optician’s.

Finalist x

PS - It's late so I couldn't think of a pun for the title

A-ball-ing Behaviour

I’m absolutely exhausted today! Last night I went to the Exeter College ‘Paradise Lost’ Ball, it was fantastic. Highlights include being the only ones dancing to the acoustic musician in the dining hall, more dancing to Oxford’s own funk band Dot’s Funk Odyssey, tasty candy floss and making friends with my Applied Probability tutor! An Oxford tradition is to stay up all night to bring in May Day and all go down to Magdalen Bridge at 6 am to hear the choir sing from Magdalen College. In the past I’ve thought I’d rather be sleeping but this year I decided to finally do it but I failed miserably. I simply had to go to bed so I left the ball at 3 and went to sleep. I set my alarm for half 5 so I could go down to hear the choir but I have no recollection of it going off, sleepy me was clearly not having any of it, and I ended up getting up at 2. Since then I’ve had a brief stint in the library and spent the rest of the time on facebook. My prospects for finals are looking good.

Finalist x

PS - Apologies for the terrible pun but be expecting more.

Dying to look good

I’ve recently started dying my hair with henna. The henna I get comes in these big solid chunks that you have to mix up with hot water into a paste and then apply to your head. The last couple of times I’ve had either my mum or a friend do it for me but today was the first time I attempted to do it myself. It was also the last time. I decided to do it in just my underwear with a towel wrapped round my shoulders to save me having to wash extra clothes, but I underestimated the amount of henna I would dollop all over myself. My right leg looks like it’s covered in tiny bruises and my left leg has long streaks of orange on it. My arms have a similar problem, as I couldn’t keep the towel round me, and I’m pretty sure my face is going to have a glowing orange frame. My neck is the worst, absolutely covered. I wouldn’t mind so much but I’m going to a ball on Saturday and I’m definitely going to look like I had an accident with the fake tan. I’m still sitting with cling film wrapped round my head so I shall find out in about three hours the extent of my new sun kissed look when I wash it all off. How exciting!

Finalist x

The Beginning

It’s been a beautiful, sunny day today in Oxford. But hiding in the crevices of Oxford’s ancient libraries are hundreds of twenty-somethings feeling sick with dread as their final exams get closer and closer. Unfortunately, I am one of them. To make it even worse, I study Maths & Stats and, of course, my exams are infinitely harder than everybody else’s.

Some might say this is a bad time to decide to start a blog... well, I can’t really argue with that. I’m doing this to keep me sane and to get me into practice for the real world where I’ll have to start writing words and full sentences again. The real world is very exciting and keeping me going!

I don’t intend to bore you with complaints about how stressed I am (I am so stressed!) or how my degree is too hard (why do they make the exams so hard? I hate the Maths department!). I intend to record some of the more interesting things I manage to fit in this term and to write library reviews; so I shall be visiting as many as possible to get a good overview. I hope to culminate this blog in a drunken post made after my last exam.

I do hope you enjoy my tales from my last term at Oxford. Comments and feedback would be appreciated.

Finalist x