Exams..End of Year

It is times like these that I really start to realise just how fast time flies!!! I mean seriously..this year passed to quickly, I feel like I just started my 3^rd year a few days ago..and here I am..sitting in my room, with less than 2 weeks left before I move out  of student accommodation with all my coursework finished and all my exams done and dusted about a month ago already!!! It’s unbelievable!! I think that I am young (which I am..20 years old..but 21 next week WOOO J) yet before I know I will be 30..then 40..then 50..hopefully J It just reminds me that I don’t want to waste time and I need to get going and get stuff done before my life flies before my eyes. Not to be dramatic or depressing, it’s just reality.

In terms of coursework, I mean I understand that every degree is hard and people seriously underestimate University students by thinking that all we do is hang out and go out partying, its hard work and some have even said its harder than when they were working! But anyway, my particular degree seemed to have much more coursework than that of a lot of my friends. In March which was when my dissertation was due..I had 6 pieces of coursework to give in, but that was in the space of like 2 weeks !!! It is unbelievable to me that we had to focus on 5 other pieces of coursework while trying to finish our dissertation. Surely we should finish all other coursework and then simply focus on dissertation?! That would make more sense right? Seeing as it is so important and it is something that employers are going to be asking us about therefore it has to be relatively good! In any case, I got it all done somehow..which still feels like I didn’t! Feels like I still have stuff to do which I have forgotten about. But thats probably because I still have so much going on in my life.

In terms of exams, at least I only had 2, which were 3 days apart and which included a 5000 word portfolio worth 90% on the day of my first exam – Friday 13^th!! Great!! But I feel quite positive about them...I’m literally just waiting for both those grades now. I still cannot believe I have finished University.

I found out that my graduation date will be on the 20^th July at 6.15pm !!! That’s crazy, I’m super surprised that it’s so late, but oh well I just want to graduate!!! The whole graduation process is a business..and I’m sure they earn quite a nice profit. I have spent quite a bit of money on graduation tickets, the gown, hat and photographs, which I had to save up for! But I only graduate once, so I might as well do it right, don’t you think? Just the other day I was 18 and leaving my dad’s place to move into my uni room and crying my eyes out thinking I wasn’t ready for Uni – felt like I was too young to be moving out, and here I am, nearly 21 years old about to graduate and facing much bigger and harder problems which I will share in a later blog.

So Conclusion:

- Life flies by so make sure you enjoy it
- Life is hard so make sure you stay strong, wise and don’t let people mess you around
- University life is great so enjoy every second of it and don’t take it for granted
- Hard work pays off
- If you think Uni is hard, wait till you finish ;)

-GOOD LUCK J

PARIS

Oh.my.goodness. I am in love with Paris!!!! It’s actually amazing...I don’t understand how so many people have told me that Paris is ‘ok’ there is nothing just ‘ok about Paris!!!! My boyfriend and I went there from the 2^nd to 3^rd May. Ok..so..maybe that wasn’t the best time to go...it turned out that I didn’t actually manage to finish my last assignment in advance which I thought would prevent me from enjoying the trip..but no no...I managed somehow :D In addition, I also had my first exam the next week (Friday 13^th) as well as my last assignment due. But I will talk about my exams in my next blog ;)

The first day was super tiring...I mean...we had slept 3 hours before the flight and it wasn’t a deep sleep at all...you know what its like sleeping during the day...and the excitement doesn’t let you sleep either!! So our flight was at 6am so we had to be there at 4am but leave the house at 1am to get the EasyBus at 2pm at Victoria coach station...we got to Paris at 7am our time but 8am Paris time. We got to our Oops! hostel in Avenue des Gobelins but turns out we couldn’t be in our room from 11am until 4pm !!!!!!! HOW CRAZY IS THAT ?!?!? You pay for a room but you can’t be in it for most of the day!! Its ridiculous...turns out its because they have to clean the rooms..but seriously...5 hours?? Its not that big a hostel...perhaps they only have one cleaner?? I don’t know..in any case..we didn’t wanna be in the room all day...but on the first day we desperately needed a nap!!!

But anyway...we began by just walking around...the houses/flats everywhere in Paris are just gorgeous and SO CUTE they all have these really cute balconies that make everything look so romantic !!! And the underground is great..super old school!!! Apparently the first underground ever made was in Paris which then I guess London copied and managed to make some improvements and modernise them a bit. Anyway....we went on a free tour with a lady telling us all about the history of Paris..but we gave up half way because we simply couldn’t walk anymore and decided to go on those bus tours...you know the ones that are open on top?? Yeah..hilarious I know..super tourist style!!

Afterwards we decided to have some lunch and then we went to the Eiffel Tower...we didn’t go to the top this day...we just wanted to see the lights!! So we got there at 8pm, nothing happened..so we waited another hour and at 9pm the Eiffel Tower started glowing as they turned on these orangey lights..and in another hours time at 10pm it started sparkling!!!! Most beautiful thing I have ever seen...I just couldn’t get my eyes off it...its a definite WOW moment for sure!! On the way we saw a couple that we had seen at the very beginning of the day which were pretty awesome so we decided to have a drink with them as we were staying on the same road somehow!!! The drinks were simply extortionate I don’t know how anyone gets drunk in Paris without spending hundreds of euros!!! The gin and tonic had to be paid separately, and the guy’s Jack Daniels was like 8 euros for only about 0.25mls!!! My rose was 4 euros which wasn’t too bad.  We then ran back to the hostel which we were sharing with 2 Canadian girls who were quite nice and not rock’n’roll people so we were all able to have a peaceful sleep.

We woke up at 8am sharp..had some breakfast at the hostel which of course included the infamous Croissants and headed off to see as many famous sights as possible. First of all we wanted to climb the Eiffel Tower this time!!! We ended up waiting in a huge queue for about an hour ½ and the scariest part is going up in the lift coz you can see everything outside and yes the view is amazing but I think seeing the Eiffel Tower from the outside is much more breath taking. We saw the Notre Dame which was AMAZING!!! The details of the architecture are unbelievable and on the inside there is such a great atmosphere!! We then decided to go on a 12 Euro boat tour on the River Seine which I really loved..it gave us historic details of over 30 bridges including one bridge which represents their friendship with Russia and another one representing their friendship with Egypt etc including the oldest bridge which has the drunk faces of over 300 people from centuries ago which was great!!!!

Afterwards we went to see the Arc de Triomphe which was beautiful and then walked down the famous Avenue Des Champs Élysées which is basically the Oxford Street of Paris but the paths and roads are much wider which is really nice. Nearly at the end of the avenue we also saw the Grand Palais where we saw by a huge ‘lake’ which isn’t really a lake but I don’t know what to call it J After this we decided to go back to the Eiffel Tower and find somewhere to eat there that wasn’t too expensive!!! FOOD IS A RIP OFF IN PARIS!!! But in this pub like place the food was great and at a fairly decent price and then we went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle again :D then we had a drink – warm wine – which I think in England is called mulled wine which was really tasty and got me a bit tipsy!!! Then we rushed BACK to the Eiffel Tower and lay on the grass with a perfect view and stayed there for quite a while...so we decided to stay for the next sparkling time!!! The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour at night like church bells except its just at night and we saw it at 10pm, 11pm and 12pm because it is JUST THAT FRIGGIN AMAZING!!!!!! :D

We then had to run back to the hostel because the underground stopped working at 1.30am. The next day was our last day...we had pre-paid tickets for the Louvre. I must say I was a little disappointed...its just a museum..like any other museum...so I think it is a bit overrated. However I did see Mona Lisa and Aphrodite – Venus de Milo and a sculpture of Mary Magdalene they were all great but its just too big and apparently if you spend one minute looking at each painting/sculpture it will take you 4 months :O !!! Insane right?!?!

Anyway we left after ¾ hours and decided to lay down on the grass as it was a beautiful hot day and we actually fell asleep..I PASSED OUT..literally my bf was talking to me and calling out my name and nothing was waking me up hahaha nothing like a nap in the sun..Siesta time for me :D Anyway..we had to make our way to the airport Paris Charles De Gaulles and our flight was 2 hours delayed so we waited in the airport 5 hours playing hangman and Battle of the Ships which was pretty fun and then because the flight was delayed we couldn’t get on the EasyBus to Victoria coach station so we had to pay AGAIN for the bus (£15) and then a cab from there to my place which was £25!! The whole trip back was stressful and not so cool...but hey the experience was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!

My goal is to live and/or work there for at least 6 months at some point in my life because its just stunning :D I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE !!!!! Just make sure u eat mcdonalds coz restaurants are a bit of a piss take tbh.

Anyway....I have blabbered on for long enough!!!! Pardonnez moi!!!

AU REVOIR!!!!!! :))))))

THE DISSERTATION ATTACK

Dissertation. This single word seems to be enough to explain everything I feel when I say it or read it. But I think it is something that only those who have done a dissertation can completely understand. In a way, I’m glad to have been a part of something that students go through all over the world. We all feel each other’s pain; we’re on the same wavelength and for once, everyone agrees on one thing:  it is an exhausting process that for several months on end, takes over your life completely, and everytime you panic and have a sort of break down, you just know you have to pick yourself back up again and keep going because...well...you have no choice if you want to finish your degree. We all use words such as: Chapters, Abstract, Methodology, Research Philosophy, Key Findings, SPSS software, Ackowledgements, and the fine details of Harvard Referencing. I feel this unites us. This first picture is perfect and its actually a question I had to keep asking myself, and I had to keep reminding myself that I WANT A GOOD DEGREE!! I WANT TO GRADUATE!! I WANT TO WEAR THAT GOWN!! I WANT AT LEAST A 2.1. And all of that means dedication and a constant search for self-motivation deep within our being.

While I was searching for pictures for this blog, several pictures on Google were quite funny and I really wanted to share this one in particular. This picture shows the worst defences for dissertations but they all feel quite true to a certain extent.

I have never in my life dedicated so much time to coursework. I mean..I have spent many long nights working on assignments but never to this extent. It has literally been my life for several months. Night and day. 3 or 4 hours sleep whenever I had the time. However, seeing the end result is very satisfying, albeit scary. Its strange seeing such a big project finally finished and its a very weird feeling. I submitted it last week Monday, 21^st March and I can honestly say I was happy with the end result. Now I will be checking my grades every day frantically, as I CAN’T WAIT to see the results!!! Even though I haven’t finished my degree yet, it does feel like a big part or phase of my life has finished.

This picture is also quite good, as it felt like every breathing moment was about my Dissertation. Constantly floating in your head. Dreaming about it even. I don’t think there are words to really describe this process.

Good luck to everyone who will do a Dissertation one day. 

International Women’s Day!

Now here is a day worth celebrating! Two days ago, people from all around the world got together to celebrate International Women’s Day and its 100^th Anniversary. When I say all around the world I mean it literally:

-          Millennium Bridge in London

-          Brooklyn Bridge in New York City

-          Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

-          Grand Barriere Bridge joining Rwanda and Congo

Along with many other bridges worldwide.

This day is of particular importance to me at the moment due to my Dissertation as it regards Gender Inequality and Gendered Practices. During my research I have found out that progress in this area has been superbly slow, but made nonetheless. Women are asserting themselves more and more, especially in our generation as we have been brought up in an era of equal opportunities. Women are advancing faster than men after they graduate and reaching senior positions faster, however the glass ceiling phenomenon continues to exist as women go higher up in the hierarchy. The gender pay gap continues to exist with a disadvantage for women of around 22%, on average, in the US and the UK, however the percentages change depending on which sector they’re in. Additionally, young women are negotiating their first salaries as effectively as young men.  Also with regards to the work-family challenge, family-friendly policies have been attempted in many organisations resulting in some positive changes, however the household and childcare responsibilities continue to be a burden which falls mainly on women/mothers regardless of their job and working pattern. In my research I have found that the underlying reason for these continuing problems, is actually society and social constructs that people still hold regarding gender roles. Success in these areas cannot be reached until changes of a more fundamental and private way are actively addressed.

Women have been fighting this never ending battle for years and years and even in Egypt women were in the frontline of the protests. The suffragettes of the 1960s paved the way for us to continue fighting for change and they remind us never to give up. There are thousands of strong women around the world who continue to be treated like second class citizens but they never cease to make their voices heard and fight for something so basic and fundamental – OUR HUMAN RIGHTS!!

I will never understand where this inequality truly began..perhaps religion truly caused it all in the first place, but at some point we lost a battle against men and we need to level the playing field with all the fight we have within us. It wasn’t that long ago that some women were revered as Goddesses and treated with the respect they deserve.

 It is always good to remember that behind every powerful man in the world, there is a strong woman beside him. We just need to be at the forefront and stop hindering our lives in order to submit to the needs of men and allow them victory.

Amsterdam!!

I went to Amsterdam this weekend from early morning Sunday 13^th February to Monday 14^th late at night.  I don’t think 2 days and 1 night is enough to get a good feel of Amsterdam, however, if I had to spend another day there I would have gone completely crazy. 

First – Going to Amsterdam is just one of those things that most University Students feel they need to do at least once. It’s fairly cheap to fly there and to pay for accommodation. However, everything is super expensive once you’re there. We ended up spending more money than we thought we would, and I don’t exactly have anything to show for it!

Second – It felt as though everyone living there doesn’t live in reality. Yes everything is relaxed and calm, but I think people need to snap out of it too and try to make something out of their lives. But perhaps I misunderstood what I saw.

Third – Everything is about Sex and Drugs. Everywhere you go, that’s what you see. It is a very adult city to be in; there are no children around, which is understandable but also strange. We probably saw about 3 babies, but they were really small and recently born, taking that out, no children and nothing there that appeals to children in any way.

Fourth – If anybody decides to go to Amsterdam, just make sure you have the right company to go with. It can very well ruin the entire trip otherwise, trust me.

Fifth – There are cats in so many of the shops and coffee shops!! It’s so cute, but they do all look high, which is funny but cruel. It’s not surprising with the amount of weed around there.

Sixth – In terms of transport!!! Wow...I mean...the majority of the people there ride bikes!! Instead of car parks, we saw bike parks, which is crazy!! It’s brilliant, I love it. However, being a pedestrian is like being at the bottom of the food chain!! There are specific roads and crossings for bikes, cars, buses, trams, so while you’re walking you literally have to look everywhere at once! I don’t know HOW I didn’t get run over!!! The trains are super cool too!!! We were so excited because the trains and double-decker trains, so sitting on top was awesome!

Seventh – Red Light District, perhaps the most degrading, humiliating thing I have ever seen in my life. Maybe it’s because I’m a gender egalitarian who fights for women’s rights at every turn, that it was so difficult to witness. It’s so sad that women are literally in a shop...behind glass windows waiting to be sold....just like the sex objects that are literally only good for that – Sex...objectifying women as always. Feels like the battle I fight for will never be won. It goes against everything I fight for. I’m glad I saw it though...but heartbreaking nonetheless.

All in all..it was definitely an experience.

What’s going on?!

I have had a pretty interesting few days. My boyfriend had a gig on Thursday at the HalfMoon in Putney – everything went great, lots of people, good company and good music!!
Friday, his Russian friend came to the UK we took him to the National Gallery, which was interesting, but to be honest...I expected better, but the company made it cool. We had dinner at Frankie’s and then went to classical concert in a Church in Trafalgar Square where they played some of Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi and Handel. The church was lit by candlelight and the musicians were aaaaaamazing, I absolutely loved it!!! The weekend was pretty chilled out..but now its Monday..and the rat race begins once again...

Okkk, so on the ‘business’ side of things: I have a new subject this term called Contemporary Issues in Management – so far it seems pretty cool, I like it. We have to do an Essay on something that is in the headlines these days that is interesting and that has to be managed one way or another. I have been checking out some contemporary issues – I am going to present a few of them here:

TODAY!!! AIRPORT EXPLOSION IN MOSCOW!!

This one would involve global issues, its pretty recent seeing as it happened today. Apparently 23 people died and 130 people were injured...a suicide bombing. I would have to analyse how the airport would manage this situation to get things up and running again and how to prevent such things from happening in the first place. Could be interesting...

PROTESTS – HAPPENING IN THE UK (TUITION FEES) AND IN PORTUGAL (WAGE CUTS)

This one is interesting too! Tuition fees are going to affect us all, not just the students. Do these protests make a difference...how well are police managing these protests – NOT WELL AT ALL!! I was there, and violence towards students who are just being peaceful is simply ridiculous and inhumane. How well have these protests been managed by the people actually organising them?

There’s also the Protests in Portugal..this is interesting to me seeing as I’m also Portuguese and lived there for 13 years. It seems Greece is also protesting – they have a good history with being successful in this, maybe we should learn from them?! Recession is causing major wage cuts – how is the government planning on managing this one?!

WIKILEAKS

Now this one is juicy...spilt secrets...important secrets that organisations want to keep on the low. Firstly how does Wikileaks manage its information and how do corrupt organisations manage a crisis when all their dirty secrets are out in the open for everyone to see?! Hmm..

Of course there are many other things going on... I will have to keep an eye out and do my homework, hey?! :P

The End of First Term...wow! So, what happened..

So!! This term, in my case, has had some serious lows but some pretty cool highs too, not worth mentioning the negatives so I’ll focus on the positives!

In my previous blog I mentioned the awesome group of friends that proves the effects of Globalization in the 21st Century and I mentioned Ice Skating – so yes we went to Hype Park, Winter Wonderland - it was AWESOME!!! Bearing in mind that in that group of friends I was the only one who hadn’t been Ice Skating before and there were 2 Russians who should really be amazing at this..however, I didn’t fall ONCE!! Yes, you read it right...I did not, but one of the Russians did..several times, this obviously makes me bubble with pride lol (not a huge achievement, but an achievement nonetheless). The unfortunate part of this was that I had the crappiest pair of skating shoes which left my feet with huge disgusting blisters that I still currently have (Eww, right?) But oh well...No Pain No Gain ! :D

The other thing I did this term, for the first time in my life was Paintballing! I’ve always wanted to do it! Not gonna lie...I was pretty scared, everyone who talks about it, goes on about how painful it is when you get shot, but that just means there was even more adrenaline and excitement!! We got there early at about 9am and we only finished at 4.30pm, it was a long, exhausting day but it was a great experience and I definitely recommend it to everyone. But I particularly recommend it to people who are competitive, and love to shoot the ... out of things without actually causing real harm of course :D but that’s the fun part. We got there, I was the team leader so I had to wait in a huge queue to get the paint balls and get everything organized, then it’s kind of like a product chain line as we get the full body clothing, and ‘bullet-proof’ vests, the bullet containers that look like kidneys, the helmets and of course the guns.

Below is a picture of us all kitted up :))

I also celebrated ThanksGiving for the first time in my life to make our American friends feel better about not being back home. That was an interesting experience; I really enjoy it and definitely wouldn’t mind incorporating it in my yearly traditions!

Anyway...the main point of all this is to show how going to University has allowed me to meet people from all around the World, people who are just like any of us, with the same fears, goals, insecurities, anxieties and desires. We have all been open minded in experiencing new things and new places which have provided us with memories for life!!!