Ten Things to Look Forward to at University

So I have been thinking a lot about the future lately. Not super far, just the next few years. And I am excited but a little sad too. So if you read this blog regularly you will know that I should be going to university in a few months. And yes I have thought a lot about having the freedom to do what I want, go out when I want and be far from home. But there are lots of little simple things that I have only just realised that has made me really excited about going. Here is a little list-

1. I can wear whatever the hell I want! I am way to excited about this one. After having to wear school uniform for years and then sixth form clothes, I am thrilled to be allowed to wear jeans and a T-shirt every day. Hmmm... may need to buy more clothes. Shopping trip anyone?
2. Go out whenever I want to. No long lectures from mum or curfews.
3. Eat whatever I want. I get to choose what I fancy everyday. However, I may just end up forgetting to eat. Whoops.
4. Buying duvet covers and cutlery. Will be cool to have new bedding and have my own cutlery. 
5. Living in a new place. After living in the countryside for the last six years, living in the city will be different. Especially without my family.
6. Making new friends. I actually can't wait to meet new people in halls and have a bunch of new friends around all the time. This year all my friends are far away so having some close will be nice.
7. Living walking distance from my best friend. We have been living hours away from each other for the last two years and now we can see each other whenever I want.
8. New Stationary! because who doesn't love the smell of fresh paper and new coloured pens.
9. New subject to study. I am actually looking forward to learning new things. Especially because its mostly coursework based and not exams. God I hate exams.
10. Making new memories. Yes, I can be cheesy too.

So there you have it. My list of things I look forward to doing in September. Will probably have a post coming up about my plans for summer soon.

-Random Girl xx

What is Sci-Fi?

So this is a very random topic. But then again, random is what I am all about. So why am I talking about Sci-Fi? Well that would be because, as some of you know, I write stories on Wattpad. Less than I used to because my time is now being taken up by dreaded exams, fussy parents with high expectations and an amazing boyfriend who helps me forget about the former two. Anyway, me and a very good friend have been talking about co-writing a book for ages. And now we are finally brainstorming ideas. Though we probably won't write until the start of summer. We both want to write something completely different to our normal teen fiction high school stories. So we decided to write a Sci-fi story. But then I asked her. What is Sci-fi? Like I have a rough idea through books, movies and TV shows but what actually counts as a Sci-fi story? My friend responds with anything that is set in space. But I decided to do some research and find out some more info.

Obviously I know Sci-fi stands for Science Fiction. But really what is scientific about aliens? Because as far as I know. We haven't discovered anything alien yet. By the way if you are wondering if I believe in aliens, then yeah I guess I kind of do. Not weird green creatures with big black eyes flying around in a frisbee shaped UFO, but I just can't believe that there isn't some sort of life that exists somewhere other than this planet. Okay, now I have gone off topic. Again. 

Science Fiction is defined as a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than life travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life. So I guess it is a lot more than just aliens. After further research I found out it is called "Science" fiction because they are stories that are intended to have a science-based fact or theory connected to it. But I think they have gone a little off the science topic with some of these.

Then I found out there are a bunch of subgenres related to Sci-Fi too. 

• There is Cyberpunk. Apparently is emerged in the early 1980s. Combining cybernetics with punk. How the hell that works? I dunno. I never even heard pf the word cybernetics let alone understand what it means. I also don't really understand where the punk part comes in. I think it has to do with technology and AI's (artificial intelligence). 
• Time travel is probably one of the most popular ones. There is obviously Doctor Who and Back to the Future. Two very different but amazing classics. I don't really need to explain the concept of what this is to you, but I definitely recommend you watch Back to the Future if you haven't already.
• Alternate History. I would have thought this goes under the time travel subgenre but apparently this is more specific than that. This is only based on going back to the past to change the events of the future.
• Military science fiction is another subgenre which I didn't know was a thing. I kind of just pictured the military when I read the title but its not just about national conflict but can be interplanetary or interstellar conflict too. So basically space war? I think thats a better title.
• Superhuman, I would say is the most popular and well known subgenre. It is defines as stories that deal with the emergence of humans who have abilities beyond the norm. So basically superheroes? 
• Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic. Now that just sounds extremely depressing. This is when there is a concern with the end of civilisation through war, pandemic, astronomic impact, ecological disaster or some other disaster. This is kind of split into two topics. Apocalyptic is about the disaster and the immediate aftermath and Post-apocalyptic is basically just the aftermath ranging from the event to hundreds of years after.
• Space Opera. Is it bad that I just think of Phantom of the Opera when I read that? It is actually apparently adventure science fiction set mainly or entirely in outer space or on multiple planets. So the most popular movie (or movies) that fit under this category is Star Wars. Need I say more?
• Space Western. Okay, I can not be the only one who pictured a classic cowboy riding a horse in space. Just me? Whoops. Guess I really am weird. I don't really understand this subgenre so here is a copy and pasted explanation from wikipedia-The space Western transposes themes of American Western books and films to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers. These stories typically involve colony worlds that have only recently been terraformed and/or settled serving as stand-ins for the backdrop of lawlessness and economic expansion that were predominant in the American west. Do you get it? Cause if you do could you please comment and explain it to me?
• Social science fiction focuses on themes of society and human nature. That was kind of vague.
• Climate Fiction is to do with climate change. Bg surprise. Usually set in either the present or the future, but sometimes the past.
• Maritime science fiction (okay these names are unoriginal) is basically about the ocean. There is maritime technoligy and sea monsters involved too. This is starting to seem less and less like science fiction to me. Anyone agree?
• Biopunk is the last one. Okay thats a lie. There is more than that but they are tiny subgenres and I can't be bothered to read about them because it is late and I'm tired. This is to do with change of the human body and engineering humans for specific purposes. Cloning, cyborgs? I don't really know what counts.

So that is basically it. All the stuff that goes into Sci-Fi. I guess it covers a lot more than just spaceships and aliens. Good to know. Only problem now is trying to decide which sub topic to write about is going to take me FOREVER. Oh well. Good thing I have a lot of time before I actually start writing. Was this useful to anyone? If not at least it helped me.

-Random Girl xxx

Things Working Themselves Out

I'm not really sure where to start with this post. To be honest I am not really sure what it is about yet. So I will just write down whatever comes to mind. Today has been a good day. Maybe even an amazing day. What happened to the crazy stressed girl from a few days ago who was an emotional mess? Well I took a break. I feel slightly guilty than I spend time relaxing and having fun instead of doing work. But actually, I think I benefited more from having a rest than I would have from the extra hours of revision. I have been working myself to the ground lately. There was just too much going on all the time and it was exhausting. There is still too much going on but now I feel calmer and a little bit more prepared for the next lot of crazy to occur. I think I was too busy trying to control everything around me, that I forgot one of the things I always tell myself. Kind of like a mantra. Things work themselves out in the end. Sure not always the way you want it to. But a lot of the time you just have to let life take its course and accept what it is given to you rather than control everything.

Three days ago, I was emotional and stressed, dealing with summer trip plans, work, revision, my boyfriend, student finance and my mum. I wanted to fix all my problems at once. Instead, I stopped all of them. Just for a day. I slept. Watched TV. Had a nap. And by the time I woke up, one of those things had been sorted. My flights were booked. My relationship with my mum (which has been very strained these last few months) was slowly repairing itself, and I had an amazing evening with my boyfriend. Sure, I still need to revise which I spent the last four hours doing. And I need to sort out student finance. But there is just the slightest weight of my shoulders which makes all the difference. I already feel more relaxed and happier than I have for weeks.

I have been too busy thinking about all the things that need to be done by the end of the school year, that I forgot about all the amazing things I have to look forward to. Going travelling, spending the summer with my old friends (and hopefully my boyfriend if we are still together then), spending time with my family (probably on the boat) and then going off to university with my best friend. I need to have something to focus on that makes me happy. A goal rather than worrying about how I get there. I need to trust myself that I can do it all as long as I am happy along the way. Because what is the point if i'm living a miserable life.

Anyway there is my random rant. If anyone has been going through anything similar (which is probably likely if you are finishing off school this year too.) then feel free to comment with your experiences. Or don't. Up to you.

-Random Girl xxx

Not Enough Time..

Hello internet people! So work has taken over my life!!! I hate it. It is all I do, all I think about, all I talk about, even all I dream about. I don't know how people do this full time. I mean I get doing a job you love or is part of your career, but full time waitressing sucks. (At least for me. Please don't be offended if you do this full time, it is just my opinion.) My bosses suck. I have barely seen my boyfriend these past few days. Yesterday I finished at five and he started at six. And then today I am working from 2 until close (around 11) and he was meant to come in at five to join me. You know what my bosses did? Changed his shift so he was sent to another pub to fill in for someone for the day. And then tomorrow he is working and I'm free and then Sunday I am working and he is free. Life sucks. It's not just about not spending enough time with him though. One of the assistant managers is really getting on my nerves. And I live in a touristy area which is full of snobbish rich tourists during the holidays who come to the pub I work at and make my life a living hell. They are so specific about everything they want and complain if they are not the top priority. They think we are all beneath them and look down at us as if we were their slaves. I just want them to go back to their mansions and boss around their own slaves instead of substituting them for us. 

The other bane in my life is school. Exams are coming and that means revision. What an evil word. So when I'm not running around like a lost sheep, slaving away at snobbish tourists, I have my head stuck in a text book. And then my family complain I don't spend enough time with them and I complain I don't spend enough time with my boyfriend. Basically I don't have enough time to work, revise, spend time with family or my boyfriend. There just isn't time. And I can feel myself getting exhausted juggling it all. 

Life sucks.

-Random Girl xx