Art Is Never Finished, Only Abandoned

Day ?? - That Time I Updated To Avoid Cleaning My Room

So I have been really busy over the past few days. I went out on Wednesday for cocktails and had a Long Island Iced Tea for the first time. Which may have been an error because now I fear Wednesday Cocktail night may have to become a ritual.

This is not conducive to a healthy working environment.

I realised the other day that this was meant to be a photo blog and it's actually turned into me ranting and raving a lot. But hey ho.

The last few weeks have been insanely busy. 2 exams, a 15 page paper and a 4 day trip to Milan.

It was a great trip although there were a few things that could have gone better...

First of all, the trip there is exhausting. We left to catch the bus at 2am which would take us to Bremen. We arrived at the airport in Bremen at 4am (ish) then tried to sleep till 9am because our flight was at midday! It was such a long time to be travelling.

When we eventually got to Milan we got on a tram and didn't realise you were meant to buy tickets before you got on so we rode it for free! My blood pressure was through the roof the entire way. I honestly thought we were going to be arrested at any given moment by the imaginary conductor.

Terrifying, I tell you.

Then when we got to the hostel we had booked 7 beds in a private dorm. Turns out that didn't count for anything and he decided to put 5 of us in a private dorm and 1 of the girls in a separate room. (One girl unfortunately couldn't come with us. My maths skills aren't that bad.) So we grumbled a bit but it was fine.

We then decided to walk into town. I feel we would have re considered this decision if we had known how far from town we actually were. It took us probably 2 hours for all us girls to get to the centre by which point I was so hungry that I was ready to eat one of the smaller ones. (I could have taken them. Maybe.) So we picked a restaurant that was close by and not too horrifically expensive.

Bad move.

Only two of the meals were enjoyable and only 4 were actually edible.

We were in Italy and the food was bad.

Need I say any more?

Probably not. But here's the rest of the weekend anyway.

• Wandered around for 5 hours on Friday night after travelling all day. This wandering did not end in alcohol. Hence the disappointed tone.
• Saturday went to find Top Shop only to discover that it does not exist in Italy. Duh.
• Got laughed out of a hotel when we asked for directions to the mystical Top Shop.
• Panicked that I wouldn't be allowed in to the Duomo because of my short, inappropriate skirt.
• Cursed the fact that this was the one day I decided not to opt for jeans.
• Friend was pick pocketed in the train station on the way to dinner.
• Went to a restaurant to find it packed and had stopped the buffet.
• Pick pocketed friend is (justifiably) very upset and now just wants to go to McDonalds as this is the only thing she can afford.
• Find a nice family restaurant and have a lovely meal. Pay for pick pocketed friend as a gesture of friendship and kindness and possibly restoration of humanity.
• Drink copious amounts of wine.
• Get ready to leave then decide more wine would be better.
• Laugh at French toilets. 
• Get told off at the train station for making too much noise and for starting an escalator that has been switched off for the night.
• Get a train one stop and are told to get off because the train station is closing.
• Discover we are an hour away from home.
• Walk.
• Walk some more.
• Get home to find a bit of a party going on. 
• Go to sleep. (Have to don socks and a hoodie with the hood pulled up in order to fend off the cold temperature threatening to seep into my bones).
• Wake up to the sound of some puking. (Have I been transported back into University Halls? Nope. Still in my freezing hostel room in Milan).
• Wake up to the sound of a hair drier.
• Wonder how students can consume so much alcohol and not feel rotten in the morning.
• Buy an umbrella from some guy in the train station. Pick up one which is 2 euros but then spot a rainbow brollie for 6 and decide that is a bargain).
• Climb 250 stairs up to the Duomo roof. 
• Take nice pictures.
• Go find somewhere to eat for lunch. Devour the best lasagne ever.
• Go to Milano castle and explore the museums. (See a Leonardo Da Vinci painting and the last, unfinished Michelangelo) 
• Go to dinner.
• Have amazing Happy hour.
• Head back to hostel. Have been moved into a different public dormitory (Fffffuuuuu...)
• Decide to have a fairly early night. (Am sharing the double with a friend and this is just a happy excuse to snuggle for longer)
• Wake up to the lights being switched on and the hostel owner shouting 'WHO HAS DONE THIS?'
• Discover that our room has flooded. Decide that laughing may be better than crying.
• Get out of the hostel as fast as we can the next morning.

I think that's basically it for the Milan trip.

And now that I've typed that I'm officially all blogged out. Although lots has happened since that fateful holiday. 

I shall save that for another day.

Ciao.

&&Fin

There Are Nights When The Wolves Are Silent And Only The Moon Howls

Day ?? - That Time I Locked Myself Away and Did Revision

I know, I know, it sounds like the start of some spooky halloween tale. In fact, just saying the word 'revision' aloud makes a tremor run down my spine. Nevertheless, that is what I have been doing for the past week. It was a very strange exam system though.

The European Private Law exam was 6.30pm-9pm. Which I was very baffled about - who does exams in the evenings? Very weird. Also, it wasn't properly moderated, you had your bag next to you, the invigilator left the room occasionally, you went to the toilet on your own.

But, weirdest of all, when I opened my Law exam staring back at me were multiple choice questions.

....?

Not that I have anything against MCQ papers it's just that...that's not how we're used to doing Law back in England, letmetellyou.

It was just a different, continental experience all round I guess.

Anthropology was very odd too - a take home exam which we had 10 days to complete (so coursework really). There were 10 questions split into two parts (1a&b, 2a&b etc) but you were only allowed to write one page for each numbered question so one page for both parts of your answer.

Most confusing.

My friend sat her Masters level exam and she was allowed a statute book in with her. Nobody checked that she hadn't written extra notes in there or that it was a clean copy.

No wonder the pass rate over here is 60% instead of 40%. How embarrassing if you fail.

(I say that now but in a couple of weeks I expect I'll be in tears over my mark of 5 or below.)

So, alas, my adventures have not been so great this week. Although I have enjoyed some new experiences I suppose. Here are some other things I have done:

• Gone for hot chocolate and stayed in the coffee shop for 3 hours.
• Bought lights and a seat cover for my beautiful Hoj. (Because he's worth it.)
• Had someone clear out the bike shed so now there is room for all the bikes. Huzzah!
• Lied to a charity worker.
• Missed out on what looked like the best Halloween party ever because it was the night before my exam.
• Ruined my freshly painted nails by cleaning the kitchen after my student manager came to remind me.
• Laughed at some pretty funny pictures on facebook (you know the one I mean!)
• Talked to Hanny Vee for the first time in agessss. <3
• Arranged Sam to come and visit in November! =D
• Arranged for Sam to have a bed when he comes to visit.
• Cried because my Mum told me she was re-decorating my room and I was emotional.
• Invited an Australian back to my house for Christmas.
• Asked my parents if I could invite an Australian back to my house for Christmas.
• Watched an entire season of Legend of the Seeker.

I think that's about it so far. 

&&Fin.