April 9-11/2010 :: Watford

Day 77
Mood: Nervous but Excited!
Weather: Quite nice~
Quote of the Weekend: "Awesome"

Arrived on the Aylesburg bus to visit family friends, the Smiths, in Watford. Met up with Mrs. Smith and Princess Smith. Had a nice lunch in the square and admired the little shops around there. Princess Smith is quite the little shopper and had to stop in many a shop to admire the items there. She's just as darling as when I first met her several years ago back when they visited Canada.

We drove back to Watford and Princess Smith showed me around. Princess Smith had a band she wanted to show off, called JLS. They were quite good. I was able to talk to almost everyone I know [all at once] using their computer. Mr. Smith and The Little Doctor returned home and TLD and I had quite a bit of time to talk Doctor Who. He's just as big of a fan as me, though he does have more tools. I'm going to have to get my own Sonic Screwdriver soon or I think I might die.

We had some nice chicken fajitas for dinner and sat and talked. Apparently I have become an older sister to the two little Smiths. So adorable!

Day 78
Mood: Thrilled
Weather: The most beautiful day since I've been here

Today we went to Windsor. Thank goodness I didn't go back on Valentine's Day because today it was beautiful. No coats. Nothing.

It's very amusing to the kids how I speak. Princess Smith speaks frequently that I say things weird. I suppose I'm the outsider here. XD It's amusing. Every time I say 'Awesome' she puts on a Canadian accent and tries to repeat what I say. It's very cute.

The castle was gorgeous!! Turns out the Queen was in this weekend and you could see the Royal Standard flying from the top of the castle.

Ooo~ Nifty guard costumes there boys! I should really research what their hats are made of. I know they used to be bear fur but nowadays that couldn't be possible. Are they synthetic maybe?

View from outside! Gorgeous!

I couldn't take pictures inside the castle or the cathedral but trust me...it was absolutely beautiful inside and out! I was amazed with the private painting collection of the royal family. Spectacular!

Something else I found very amusing was when we were in the section of the castle that had been damaged by a fire in the 90s. There was a large hall and the audio guide said the floor was the original floor. But in order to cover up all the scorch marks...they took the floor boards, flipped them over and then put them back in. I found this quite funny.

Overall it was a great day! Did a bit of wandering~ Had a great time!

Another blog post will follow with my feelings on the Doctor Who episode that ran this Saturday~ I need to rewatch for content~

Day 79
Mood: Worn out
Weather: Not as warm but still pleasant

This morning Princess Smith, Mrs. Smith and I went to a 'boot sale'. It's like a garage sale only everyone packs their wares into the boot of their car, gathers on a field and proceeds to sell things. I bought 2 Doctor Who books for a pound each. Woo! I felt very accomplished.

Then Grandad came over and we all went out for lunch. It was very delicious. The Smiths were incredibly sweet and kept offering me food and drinks when I was around. I felt so guilty having to decline all the time because of my tiny little stomach. But I did have a dozen cups of tea~ Can never go wrong with a cup of tea!!

Also got to spend some time watching television, something I haven't done in a long while off of the internet. I saw a reality show called 'Over the Rainbow' and we had a real laugh over Andrew Lloyd Webber. He seems so completely out of it most of the time. Hilarious!

Also watched a wedding show and some sort of quiz show. They were quite entertaining.

The kids kept asking me if I knew of things and I kept having to say 'no'. I never figured there was so much difference between Canada and the UK. I guess with the internet you really don't have to leave home.

Any whoo~~

Next updates will be Ireland as well as the new Doctor Who episode! Stay posted!

And once again, a great big 'thank you' to the Smiths for allowing me into their home and feeding me! It was fantastic!

:: Julianne ::

April 7/2010 :: Guilty Beauty Love

Day 75
Mood: Ecstatic
Weather: Gorgeous
Quote: "Mad-man with a box"

So, I've been basically alone since Sunday. Pan [my flatemate from Hungary] is still around but our schedules often mean she's asleep most of the day. So you might be thinking...you poor dear, you must have been bored out of your mind these past few days!

Quite the contrary!

This has been the best week ever!

You might be wondering how that could be...but I remind you that I often do well on my own. It's been great recuperation time from the overload of group activities. It's been absolutely superb!

So here are all the reasons for my great mood!

#1. Great weather! - Yup, the weather has been gorgeous. I've been walking everywhere! Screw the bus when the weather is so gorgeous you can wear a t-shirt. Surprisingly I'm the only one in a t-shirt but I suppose it's the Canadian blood that keeps me warm. Seriously, it's beautiful outside! Sunny, a little windy, and oh-so-clear. Perfect weather to really enjoy the weather.

#2. Despite losing the internet for 3 days [on two separate occasions] I've managed to entertain myself with great television. I watched the new Doctor Who episode, discovered the most hilarious movie in the history of the world and watched a delightful anime.

#3. This joy is something other people won't understand in the least. Walking around Oxford in gorgeous weather is understandable, good television is also acceptable. This...might not be as acceptable to people but I could care less. It's put me in the best of moods! And this component is my online roleplaying lifestyle which has unfortunately been lagging quite a bit since Christmas. One of my favourite partners returned and has spent most of the evening roleplaying with me textually. It's bliss.


So basically I wake up and wander around town from noon to late afternoon. Then I come home and watch some shows and finish off my evening with writing.

It's absolute bliss!

:: Julianne ::

April 4/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x01

Day 72
Mood: Pensive
Weather: Gorgeous
Quote: Happy Easter! (I want an apple...apples are my favourite.)

Today was the big day. I have watched the new Doctor Who episode twice. Once with a friend whose brother is also a fan and then another time on my own so that I can fully take in the entire affair. I'm one of those weird people that analyzes symbolism, character development and plot details.

Basically: I am crazy.

But Doctor Who has been a defining portion of my life the past few years. I've fallen in love with the characters (not to mention David Tennant).

Look how gorgeous he is...seriously...GORGEOUS!

But yes, it was a big deal for me when David left. He was what got me into the series and while I do watch episodes with out him...I didn't know if I could be won over enough to be as obsessed with #11. I'd say I was about 25% correct in that assumption. Here's why:

There's minor spoilers from this point forward.

Matt Smith is amazing. He is. He has all the flare of the Doctor, all the humour and all the absolute randomness. Seriously. He's hilarious! The opening scenes with him are side-splittingly funny and I was laughing quite hard watching him. He might not be as attractive as 10 but he's pretty good and it's the character that counts.

I wasn't too pleased though that, for most of the episode, he was wearing the clothes that he regenerated in. (>...< That's David's tie!)

Moving on~

I also enjoy how they changed almost everything. New sonic screwdriver, new Tardis, new opening theme. It lets Matt have his space to grow into the character. He might possess the same basic character traits of all the prior Doctors but he's still new. And he shouldn't be viewed as a mere replacement for David's spectacular Doctor. He should be allowed his own Doctor. Furthermore I don't think I could have watched him fiddle with the old Tardis. That hammer is such a...10 thing. It's David's hammer forever in my books. But that's just me.

Anyway!

On to the next character: Amy Pond, the Doctor's new companion. I like her. She's feisty and seems strong. Plus she's beautiful~

I'm sorry to everyone but I think she's the prettiest companion thus far.

Though she spent most of the episode skeptical and that just got a little tiresome. I like my female characters to be kick-ass cool.

And finally: the plot. Steven Moffat is a genius. His stories are inventive and dark. Russell sometimes had some pretty lame stories to start off a series. Adipose? Seriously? Walking blobs of fat? I love "Smith and Jones" but rhinos? Really?

This episode gave me chills. Fantastic plot. A little hard to follow at the 3/4 way mark but...a good ending.

So my conclusion is thus: 25% of me wants David back...NOW! He was just so perfect. But the other 75% of me is intrigued, fascinated and amused by the 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and the lovely stories that we're sure to hear. I still hate that 10 is gone, I'll miss him, but 11 will be enjoyable all the same.



And I'm done~

Oh right~

Happy Easter everyone!!

Mostly everyone here is gone. Etsy has returned home for the two weeks, Syd + bf + VT have left for Egypt, Southern Belle is now in Germany. *sigh* Ah well~ I'll get stuff done this week to be certain!!


Byeee

:: Julianne ::

April 2/2010 :: An Adventure

Day 70
Mood: Wheee~
Weather: rainy and cold
Quote: Pelvic thrust.

So, the internet is gone on campus for 2 days. So Southern Belle and I went on an adventure on the bus. The U1 bus to Wheatly Campus has free wifi~ So we rode it!

Also wanted to know where Wheatly is (I had no clue).

Went out last night because the internet was gone. Finally had a snake bite at the bar. It's a beer cocktail, quite fruity and only 2 pounds. It was very enjoyable.

Syd's boyfriend arrived today as well. He's super sweet, very nice as most Australians are. (Or so I've noticed). At least the Aussies I've met are super nice and very approachable. Maybe it's the Canadian and Aussie connection. XD

Anyway~ I'll write again in my next wifi spot!!

Part 2

Mac'ers!

In a MacDonald now, or as the Aussies call them: Mac'ers. It's super busy but we found a seat! Yay!

Got a nice meal~ Gonna eat now!!

:: Julianne ::

March 31/2010 :: Sometimes Professors are Amazing

Day 68
Mood: anxious
Weather: ehhh...could be warmer
Quote: "Ah..ah..ah...*pause*...she's a lesbian."


Some professors aren't teachers. They're eternal students. They enjoy learning and enjoy talking about what they know. They're frequently not the best of teachers. They don't cover everything and they cover with fervour the things that they do enjoy. I know this first hand. I've had professors that just talk at the class. No structure, no flow, just talking in whatever order they fancy about random things that are slightly related to the subject at hand.

But some professors are amazing.

Professor Peter Jones is one such professor. He's my professor in two classes and he's absolutely fantastic. He's engaging when he speaks, he's got structure to his lectures, he's helpful, he answers emails in a short amount of time and above all he's understanding. Plus he runs very good seminars that are different and interesting.

It's fantastic.

I have a lot of profs like this back home. But here I find they're a tad rare. Things aren't done the same way here as they are in Canada.

=_=

But anywhoozle~ 2 more classes left and then I'm done for a full 2 weeks!!

Huzzah!!

And I have one more piece of significant news, for me anyway.

I first got into anime because of a friend when I was 12. She bought the Inuyasha manga and we used to read together all the time. When Inuyasha came on television we used to watch together as well. We parted as friends at 14 but this imprint remained. When high school came around Inuyasha was one of the first animes that I watched in its native Japanese under the influence of another friend. A friend I still hold very dear for helping me shape the person that I am. We used to play 'Count the Kagomes' at conventions and mock how there was never an ending to the show. Just a relentless girl-fest. I never actually watched more than a few episodes and I never read beyond Volume 9.

Finally I finished the manga last year and this week the anime finally finished the story with the last episode of "Inuyasha: the Final Act". It makes me feel nostalgic and happy. I was never a huge fan but I owe most of my life to it. Without Inuyasha I would never have purchased my first manga. I wouldn't have started doodling [poorly as I do] anime styled doodles. I would have never met my greatest friends in high school. I would never have done so many things. I might not have been passionately involved in Inuyasha but it was a deciding factor in my life.

To see it finally end fills me with joy, almost as though finally symbolizing my turn to full adulthood. I do turn 21 this coming month...26 days away. My childhood is finally over and done with and the next stage of my life begins.

I wonder what shall be my inspiration for the next chapter?

:: Julianne ::

March 29/2010 :: Homework is Weird Here

Day 66
Mood: Relieved and yet still a little nervous
Weather: Beautiful, a bit rainy, but the perfect temperature

I hate the way you hand in assignments here. You have to put them in a box, a drop box. With a paperclip. Awesome. Plus I get all worried about the pages being lost etc. even though I did look over all of them and handed it in to the right drop box.

That's the funny thing about my memory. Sometimes I completely forget doing something and then I stress about it forever afterward. Did I lock the door when I left? Did I leave the oven on? Did I have all the pages?

I hope so. It's about all I can do.

=_=

But beyond that things are going really well~ I feel full of energy and really excited. One assignment done, the one that was the hardest, and now I can move on and really enjoy my time here. I've got some things I'd like to do over the break and I'm planning a visit to some family friends. Plus Easter is this weekend and that means the new Doctor Who episode.

Whee~~

And my birthday is coming up in less than a month! Also super awesome!!

:: Julianne ::

March 28/2010 :: Edit

I have come to learn that my previous blog post was found to be offensive by other parties. It has thus been edited to remove offensive materials. It was not my intention to offend people but rather give myself a sense of closure.

I admit that I shouldn't have mentioned things and, as someone well versed in the internet, I leave quite a bit of my life on the web. However other people should not be dragged into this sphere for an assortment of reasons and I apologize for my lack of tact. I shouldn't have involved other people, I apologize to those once more who took offense.

All I meant to say was this: Be happy with your life, be happy with yourself.

My wordyness led to a whole range of things that shouldn't have been included. That is all that should have been stated.

Once more, for the record, I apologize.

:: Julianne ::