Thursday 11 July 2013

Feeling old

Today at work I felt old.

I work at a leisure centre doing a bit of everything, and today my job was to supervise a school trip at the centre - my old secondary school.

Some of the same teachers were there, but a lot had changed about the school - which I could tell before chatting to the year 9 pupils. I was in their year group six years ago. I was last at the school two years ago, when I was a sixth former. And today I was in charge of them. How weird is that?

I'm no stranger to being in charge of groups of school children. Every half term I work at a kids club at the centre, and most weekends I run children's birthday parties at the centre too - but this was different, this was my old school. 

The kids were calling me "Miss", and not only were the kids listening to me - but the staff were too. The teachers who once had authority over me were now following my instructions. Any pupils dream, surely?

This isn't the only thing making me feel old at the moment though, my birthday is looming. 

I am going to be turning twenty. While that may seem like one of those insignificant birthday's to many, for me it's frightening. I realise twenty isn't actually old, really in the scheme of things it's the beginning - but at the same time it marks an end. The end of my teen years, and in turn too my childhood.

As one friend described it: "The next decade is when I need to achieve the most" - the twenties are important, which is frightening. 

Luckily, like the picture on this post says - I may be getting older, and getting more responsibilities, but it doesn't mean I have to grow up. As my Gran says: "You're as old as you feel."

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Procrastination - not necessarily a bad thing.

I procrastinate - a lot. 

At university my class know me as the Queen of The Last Minute Club, not a title I'm necessarily proud of, nor one I aim to keep - in fact I've tried avoiding it. Losing this title appears as difficult as losing any addiction.

Obviously there are some ways I could drop the imaginary crown, becoming more organised may be a start. I could stop putting things off, telling myself "That's next month, I have ages." only to find that next month starts tomorrow (I've done this more than once).

Organisation isn't the only problem. I often just put the problems off, leaving them for future-Shelby to deal with, then she puts them off for future-future-Shelby to do, who then panics and curses past-Shelby.

Sometimes, of course, living in the moment and being happy right now is great - but it's also stupid. I waste time worrying and stressing, when if I got things done straight away I would have nothing to worry about in the future.

BUT - sometimes procrastination is good. 

Sometimes having a break from endless work - voluntary, university assignments, or my job - is good.

Not only am I a university student, but I am also a part-time recreational assistant/bar staff at the local leisure centre, as well as being the MyUni editor of the Canterbury Christ Church (CCCU) page on HerUni, and a writer for the independent student magazine, The Medwire, and a publicist for my sisters upcoming charity event, Wales2Medway - it's hard enough trying to find a moment to breath while reading that list, let alone living it - is it any wonder I sometimes put tasks off? 

Procrastination in my case is often good as it means I can find a moment to breathe and fit a social life in between my busy schedule (I actually have to tell my friends "I'll check my diary" when they even suggest something as small as a lunch date). It also means I get a breather to enjoy 'me time' - quality time with myself is as important as any quality time with family and friends (without it I would appear even less sane than I already do).

Right now, for instance, I am supposed to be editing and uploading an editorial for CCCU MyUni - but quite frankly, I needed a break. One-hour-in-the-future-Shelby can deal with that one, because I am too busy writing my first personal blog for far too long, eating a dinner despite not even being hungry, and having an indulgent skim of Cosmopolitan magazine.


Monday 10 June 2013

Giving the University Centre Folkestone the send-off it deserves.

In December 2012 I wrote two articles for my university newspaper, Unified, one of which was a comment piece on the closure of my university campus in Folkestone (UCF).

This article came just four months after the plan to close the Canterbury Christ Church campus was announced by email by the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robin Baker. His email, sent on August 3 2012, stated that the upcoming closure was to ensure students "the best experience" at university.

Initially there was uproar amongst the students. The email delivering our news stated that the results of the University Student Survey, carried out during the previous academic year, which we were all encouraged to fill out by the previous Campus Director, Chris Price, was "at the forefront" of their minds when making the decision to close the campus. This left many students feeling "resentful" and as though the Uni were "twisting their words", as stated in Facebook comments and posts in the UCF Student Facebook page, shortly after the email had been received.

Now, ten months after receiving the news and six months after writing about the decision and the effect in Unified, most students have got past the initial shock and are looking forward to their time in Canterbury, which has so much more to offer than Folkestone.

I've been wanting to write about the close again for some time now, but there was just so much to say that I put off publishing anything - whether it be here on my blog, or on HerUni - for fear of not doing UCF justice.

For me, just writing one article on the subject wasn't enough. Thankfully, the Deputy Editor of The Medwire, Matt Charles, has a soft spot for the campus. On behalf of UCF he has set up a page on The Medwire's website.On this page a different opinion piece, written by a different UCF student, will be uploaded every day of this week, starting today. This week-long series is our way of saying a farewell to UCF, and having our say on the close. The series will also consist of news and interviews about the move - starting today with an article about the reasons behind the move, and developing with staff interviews.



Seven UCF students are getting to have their say, thanks to The Medwire's week-long series.



The articles on The Medwire: 

Matt Charles: Former Vice-Chancellor 'UCF closure was to further student experience'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/10/former-vice-chancellor-ucf-closure-was-to-further-student-experience/

Montana Allen: 'The dull and slimy image I think about'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/10/the-dull-and-slimy-image-i-think-about/

Celine Cuddihy: 'It felt as though the wool had been pulled over our eyes'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/11/it-felt-as-though-the-wool-had-been-pulled-over-our-eyes/

Matt Charles: 'UCF in number (may contain sarcasm)'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/11/ucf-in-numbers-may-contain-sarcasm/

Matt Charles: 'UCF campus director insists move is a 'positive' one'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/12/ucf-campus-director-insists-move-is-a-positive-one/

Edd Hodson: 'Canterbury will be better - much better'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/12/canterbury-will-be-better-much-better/

Lauren Hewitt: 'UCF reaffirmed my love for singing ... and being centre of attention'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/13/ucf-reaffirmed-my-love-for-singing-being-the-centre-of-attention/

Nick Duffy: '#SecondCampusProblems'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/13/secondcampusproblems/

Joe Morgan: 'Folkestone is fantastic and ever so slightly seedy'
http://www.themedwire.co.uk/2013/06/14/folkestone-is-fantastic-and-ever-so-slightly-seedy/


Follow: @the_medwire and like their Facebook page: The Medwire to keep up-to-date with the articles uploaded each day.

Follow the whole week on twitter and voice your opinion with #ByeByeUCF



Tuesday 29 January 2013

Make Mistakes - Regret Nothing.

I have grown into the strong belief that there really is no such thing as a regret. We only regret mistakes, and mistakes are there for us to learn from. A mistake is just another category of 'lesson', taught by that teacher everybody likes to moan about - life. 

Watching 'This Means War' recently a character, FDR, says how "Mistakes make us who we are" - and he instantly managed to par the physical attractiveness of his co-star, Tom Hardy, because of this intelligent remark. 

I think about all of the things which I could class as regrets or mistakes, then realise how much they've taught me, and how much I have changed as a person because of them. How can I regret anything that has made me who I am today? 

Bad choices in men and friendships, unwise spending of money and time, exchanging mean words and poor attitudes. As with most people I have done each of these, but all have taught me and moulded me into who I am today.

If I hadn't made bad choices in men and friendships, I wouldn't know how to pick the good ones. If I hadn't spent my money and time unwisely, I wouldn't know how to spend it more sensibly. If I hadn't exchanged mean words and acted badly toward others, I wouldn't know the consequences.

You can't make a perfect pancake without tossing a few away in the process, just like we all must make mistakes in order to better ourselves. That's just how lessons work - and life never stops teaching us. 


















Make mistakes, regret nothing.