Gap yar!

This time next week I will be a fully graduated Master of Chemistry with no real further plans for life. Thought I'd better start on at least a very rough plan of the next year.

July - August - Travel. Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Canada
September - December - Placement in Chemistry department at UNESP, Brazil
???
September/October - Start PhD (possibly Bristol (nanomaterials training programme), University of British Columbia)

In between - 8 months to fill.
1 month volunteer work in Borneo, 1/2 months travelling Europe?, 4 months travelling South America?, online course from EdX?, Kayaking qualifications?, look for work experience/temp stuff near home.

Turns out a year is a long time to fill. Applications are due in around December, so at least I won't need any great detail for that. Hope this works out and isn't a terrible idea! Looking forward to a break anyway.

WORKING WORKING WORKING

Poster gone! Project gone! Still have the massive amounts of revision and the fecking presentation to write, but we're getting there! 1st June baby, cannae wait. Very easily distracted today. Feel like I want to create something, but who knows what. Got all these travel thoughts in my brain, getting the itchy feet big time. Not long now anyway, going to hit the big bad world! Never need to know about electron counting in clusters ever again, rock on.

Revision this year is bought to you by the Bs - Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Gone all American of late. It was a bit overdue methinks. Ah well. Back to revision, got to bash this one out the park then go wild in the aisles!

Places to go before I croak it.

1. Costa Rica! Already got this one booked, cannae wait. Its got volcanos, monkeys, waterfalls, turtles, kayaking and sloths. Perfection.
2. South America - Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia. I will do this little combo when I have a year free, just casual like.
3. Madagascar. Lemurs, nuff said.
4. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, (Arctic Circle), Ushari (Antartica for the poor man). Want to see the Northern Lights and icebergs.
   
5. Europe - Italy, Slovenia, Germany proper, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Croatia. Might do me some inter-rail at some point.
6. Borneo - making houses for Orang Utans.
   
7. Africa - Namibia, places with Chimps/Gorillas. Ape theme!
   
8. New Zealand, it looks good fun.
9. Canada - I'm liking all the epic-ness of that place.
10. USA again. I miss the Big Sky TM
    

New year...bit late

Ha. Time for putting thoughts down...2012 eh?

• Graduate! Oh yes, finally the four years are up. On the 29th June this year I will (hopefully!) be a Master of Chemistry, barring a massive cock-up. Got to put the nose firmly to the grindstone to ensure its that first class honours degree I've been fannying around for the last three years! This will make me happier than can possibly be explained.
• After that? Shit man, no idea. Possibly a PhD, hopefully I can get myself a year working somewhere though. All depends on The List when it finally comes out...if not, would quite like to spend the summer at DSTL, really not ready to start my working life yet. This part of the Plan probably could do with some work...
• Travels! Got the bug now. Have finally booked up Costa Rica, been looking forward to this one for a long time. Hopefully the rain won't be too bad. After that I will be hitting up Guatemala, Belize and Mexico with father dearest. Either a fantastic or a terrible idea, only time will tell!
• Family...bloody hell. Ain't the brightest section in the world. After the £3 shit CD for christmas, I cannot be bothered with my sister any more. She couldn't even spend Christmas with us. Buggered off on Christmas Eve and came back on new years day so that she could get a lift back to London. Takes the piss. Can't be doing with people like that. Shame really. Not looking like either of them will be at my graduation either, good to know that family ranks up high for them...
• Carry on with the chilling! I'm liking the laid back way my psyche is going, its pretty useful in stressful situations! Don't know if I will be saying that come May/June...
• Keep on keeping on, last year had many low points. This year is starting off slightly better, but there are things on the horizon that I don't particularly want to come across. Hopefully a few unexpected good things will pop up too.

In conclusion, it will no longer get me down when people let me down - they do it regularly so why bother? Time to go it alone, cut the ties and do the things that make me happy. And get a first...

Fecking robbing landlords...

Oh dear. Having to practice my room fixing skills again this year. Didn't mind when I was paying £52 a week, but for £80 a week this prison cell is a bit much. Had to do some D.I.Y. draft-proofing, because apparently its a good idea to put a weird cupboard that backs onto the outside of the house and has no insulation next to a bed, so all night a freezing breeze blows over your face. Nice one! Anyway, the sheet from toga night in first year is doing a decent job now at fixing the shoddy workmanship this house is full of.

Had my first Christmas dinner of the season yesterday, next one on Thursday. Good times. Would like to be at home now, got hardly any more desire to work left. Not good when theres still a week to go and plenty to be done. Ah well. Also have the distraction of what the hell I'm going to be doing next year to worry about. All the stuff I'm interested in doesn't start happening til after Christmas though, so plenty of thinking and not a lot of action on the horizon which is never good.

Come on holidays!

NEXT SUMMER!

Got my summer sorted out for next year. Not only is Costa Rica booked up, but also a trip through Guatemala, Belize and Mexico at the end for good measure. The project ain't going well, I don't know what I'm doing after I graduate but at least I shall have a good trip to look forward to!

On Reflection

The 3-and-a-half weeks I spent in the USA were unforgettable for me. Honestly it was the greatest experience of my life. I was lucky with my travelling companions, the weather and to be visiting some the best places the country has to offer. I was massively unlucky with my camera, and I did feel that some places were missed out that could have been amazing due to bad organisation and timing from the tour company, but overall it was amazing. I drank too much Budweiser, ate too many McDonalds and slept too many times in a tent but in return I have seen and done things that people should want to kill for.