Thursday 11 August 2011

Checking off the list.


Blantantly ripping this off Gem, but as I can't think of anything to blog about anymore, you're getting this - My list, and what I've crossed off so far, with a little explanation for each feat. I'm still adding to the list now and again so there's always new stuff I want to try

* Make friends with people I wouldn’t normally be friends with
Done this through blogs, college, through the CF site etc. Basically people I wouldn’t have expected myself to be friends with b/c of maybe age, or different views, but they actually turn out to be amazing people
. And yes you, you’re amazing.

* Raise money for charity
Zipslideeeeeeeeee!

* Get rid of old junk
Much more easily said than done but I did this when I switched rooms

* Start exercising more (some form of physio)
… dammit.

* Smile at strangers
I usually smile a few times each day at people I don’t know. I just think it’s nice for everyone to see a smile when they walk past rather than a grumpy git

* Spend a night under the stars
Did this years ago with friends, slept outside on a trampoline, I think it was actually around November at the time and this meant it was bloody freezing and we ended up coming inside and sleeping on the sitting room floor at  6 am but it was past dawn by then

* Gain more weight
This is a very temperamental one, my weight goes up and down all the time. The highest Ive been was 46kg, atm the moment I seem to hover around 43-44kg

* Go to a zoo
When I was an ickle little kiddy I went to Belfast zoo and fell in love with the polar bears

* Wish on a shooting star
I saw one when I was about 8 I think, I can’t remember what my wish was so I don’t know if it came true!

* Pick my own strawberries
Dad grows strawberries in his garden, and I helped pick some, but mostly I walked around taking photos of all the plants and fruit and veg he grows

* Keep a private, paper journal
I’ve done this since I was 13 and still do

* Save money
I’m so unbelievably awful at this! My student loan has all gone now and went on all sorts of stuff like my camera, camera stuff, clothes, food, my ipod, train tickets, more food, petrol etc. I'm trying again and resisting the urge to go on random online spending sprees cos I think I have enough jeans and dvds. What am I saying? You can never have enough. But I'd like to see a happier looking amount in my bank account. So *humph*

* Throw a surprise party for a family member or friend
I’ve never thrown one myself, but I did attend one a couple of years ago for my great uncle. I don’t think it counts though as I want to help plan it… although not be in charge as that will fail oh-so-badly!

* Have a lazy weekend (I kinda had a lazy year-and-a-half!)
I consider my lazy year and a half the time between finishing 6th form and starting college, as I was at total liberty to do what I wanted, and did a Saturday photography course and had a Friday job for about 6 months. Obviously the other days were either lazy days or camera mishes

* Recruit people to be organ donors
I know a few people who have signed up (including my mum) or at least thought about it and considered it. I have a habit of looking at the back of people’s drivers license to see if they have the organ donor code on it

* Have a clearout/sell unwanted stuff
We had a few car boot sales and got rid of a few things, plenty left, believe me!!

* Swear less (I think I did the opposite of this)
HAHAHAHAHA nah

* Do random acts of kindness
Sometimes I offer to do things that people might not expect me to, and its random and kind so that all counts

* See Northern lights

* Ride a water jet ski

* Go on holiday with a friend

* Get a job (even if it was only temporary)
6 month job which I left after my lung function kept decreasing and I wanted my Fridays because truth be told I hated the job and it was just draining my energy

* Run for charity (ok, so running is a bit optimistic. But y'know what I mean. Like a 5 or 10k or something)

* Read an entire book without putting it down
Did this with the 5, 6th and 7th harry potter books the day they came out

* Own a car
Thank you mobility!

* Have a part in a local theater play
When I was 9 I played an orphan in the play Annie, I didn’t have any speaking parts but I did have a solo dancing bit in front of the entire audience during a musical number!

* Visit a waterfall/Stand behind it/Take ridiculous amount of photos of it

* Learn to drive
I started to learn in July 2010

* Pass my theory test
4th January 2011

* Pass my driving test
7th June 2011

* Watch the sunset and then the sunrise (in the same day)
I’ve watched each separately but I’d love to just sit and watch the sun set, stay up all night and watch it rise again. And obviously I want photos!

* Own a pair of designer heels

* Go to London
July 2009, courtesy of make-a-wish, it was AWESOME!

* Read some classics

* Ride a Harley

* Go on holiday somewhere abroad and sunny :)

* See the Script live
19th march 2011, thank you Ayesha for the tickets! I took my cousin as Ayesha couldn’t go, she was still recovering from her transplant a month before and couldn’t be in crowded places

* Pass 80% in PFTs
I’ve managed this a few times but only when I’m mega well. Now mostly it sits anywhere between 45% and 75%

* Own all LOST seasons on DVD
Oh yeahhhh

* Get College qualifications
Ive got the level 2 diploma from the Saturday course, I’ve completed level 1 BSL and I’m halfway through my foundation degree in photography

* Learn sign language (Level 1 BSL course completed (: )
Level 1 BSL taken in June 2011, I absolutely loved the course and really want to do level 2 and 3. It’ll just have to take a lot of saving up as they’re expensive!

* Get 'Breathe' tattoo
I did this in may 17th 2010, and I love it!

* Get some form of I.D.
I got my provisional license a couple of months after I turned 18, as lets face it, I needed it. I’ve now got my PINK license and a passport. Take that people who think I’m 14!

* Watch the clouds go by
It’s so peaceful to just lie down on a field and watch the clouds. I’ve also done that watching the stars too

* Go rock climbing again (of some description)

I went rock climbing at a sort of event organised for a few deaf people before we went into further education (6th form). I made some really good friends that day, we were all deaf so were in the same boat more or less, and we went to Keilder where we did a bunch of activities, a zipslide (not as big as my charity one mind you) rock climbing a 30ft wall, which I LOVED (and even raced and beat the boys up it :D) canoeing and making your own raft. It was a really good day but I definitely loved the rock climbing the most, so I want to try a bigger one :D I also loved abseiling back down!

* Go quad biking
My friend’s brother had a quad bike and we tore up a field going round several times, till it decided to stop when I was on it, halfway across the field. I don’t think I broke it, it was just having a hissy fit

* Go to NYC

* Tell people I love them more regularly
I’ve mostly managed this, I tell people I love them more, especially when I think they need to hear it, but for some reason it’s always been a difficult thing for me to say as I don’t like it when it’s just thrown around

* Meet an online friend in person
I met Sammy and Ayesha In summer 2010, we had an amazing time in the metro! I’ve also met some people who I knew through friends but had never met in person before, it’s odd after talking so much online you meet someone and they turn out to be different to what you thought they would be or sound like!

* Be unique

* Do a Zip slide
Tyne bridge done, next time it’s off the BALTIC!!!

* Drive across Route 66

* Fall in love

* Get on the FdA Commercial Photographic Practice course
BOOM, sit the fuck down

* Complete it

* Get a 2nd tattoo
Hope in Chinese on my neck. I have a couple other ideas that I like but I’m pretty sure my parents won’t be impressed if I get more..!!

* Be in a pub lock-in

* Ride in a limo
Me and several friends went in a limo to the year 11 ball in summer 2007, and I also went in one through London for my make-a-wish!

* See the Eiffel Tower

(and obviously take the overdone-to-death-but-I-want-to-take-them-anyway photos)

* Go to Nandos
Oh-so-many times. It’s so lovely!

* Complete the 365 project
More than halfway through this! I quite like some of the shots I've taken, others were just random things that I saw or thought were funny. Some are properly crap quality as I'd used a crap camera phone or my iPod, but now I'm trying to make sure I remember to use my Nikon, or at least my small point and shoot. Some are still taken on my phone but since I got a new phone a few months ago, this one is better as it focuses and has a flash, so at least what is better quality than it was before! It's also got an app for photo effects which I use to make an average boring thing look slightly more interesting


* Have a photography job

* Move out

I have no idea when/where it'll be, but I will one day. I also need a room mate as I don't think I'd like to live alone. I get creeped out. Plus if the phone rang, I'm screwed. And then there's the fact that I'm so clumsy that I'd probably trip on something and mangle myself in some way, so they're have a dual purpose.

* Go to a football game
I’ve done this a few times, mostly I went with my dad, I used to be a proper tom-boy when I was younger

* Send a message in a bottle
I’ve done this before with my uncle and older sister years ago on holiday in scotland but I want to do it again!

* Take underwater photos

I have an underwater lomo film camera I just need a nice underwater place to take the photos, and to actually remember the camera when I go

* Knock back a lit sambuca shot
That wasn’t exactly nice. I hate sambuca b/c the strength of it when it hits my throat makes me cough and practically burns my throat

* Take my car through a car wash

* Go to the pub drinking with my Dad
Haha obviously. I’ve been to the pub with him on new years eve and also some family parties where he bought my drink

* Stay up all night till the next day at a party (a few times tbh)
Well who hasn’t?! 6am deep whispered conversations were so fun!

* Let a stranger buy you a drink (nothing dodgy)
A guy bought a round of sambucca shots for himself and my friends, obviously we watched the entire time to make sure we weren’t spiked or anything, but I think he was just a generous guy (who was a tad tipsy)

* Have my fortune told (If they say I'll live a long healthy life, I WILL laugh..)

* Meet some extended family

* Kiss a stranger
Who hasn’t?! Ahem, anyway, moving on…

* Go to a music festival (and camp there?)

* Rent out Mayfield Studios or Banana Studios for a photoshoot

I've done shoots in college, but I think I'd just love to do one in a studio off college premises to make it feel more professional (i.e., not have the tutor walk in on your shoot and pick at things when you've got it perfectly how you want it) These places do cost, but with a student card, banana studios is £20 for two hours which isn't insubordinate. Mayfield is £20 for one hour, still enough time for a shoot.

* Witness and take pictures of an epic lightning storm
This is SO. FUCKING. DIFFICULT. So I'd love to go somewhere (from a safe distance) that had a massive lightening storm, rather than the one flash every 30 minutes we get in the UK, cos I'm not psychic and never know when to press the button. Even when you think a bolt is coming and you hold the shutter down taking multiple frames, you still miss it!!


* Be remembered

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Zipslide!

This years zipslide is on 2nd October and I've just signed up for it :) I'm not sure how similar it'll be to last time, as last year it was off the Tyne Bridge, and this year it's off the Baltic. A very very very high building. The lift itself is practically an extreme sport as it moves so fast! I'm excited though as I love the adrenaline rush you get! I've already made a justgiving site, so feel free to post it around and in return I'll give you one internet-cookie. I'm not sure how that'll work but it's the thought that counts, right?


I know I've not blogged lately but that's b/c I've got nothing to write and partly just can't be arsed... haha! My birthday is tomorrow and I'll be the grand old age of 20. I feel old! Me and my family are going out for a meal which will be nice. And I've got an envelope of presents from Gem which I'm opening the second midnight goes, as they've been taunting me all week but I wanted to wait till my birthday. And midnight is my birthday so it counts! Seriously, I generally don't care about my birthday, but put presents in front of me and I digress into a 3 year old.

Frankly I think it's the wrapping paper.

I'm also going out on the Saturday after with my friends. We'll be going out to town and probably getting royally shitfaced, which is what normal 20 year olds do! I rarely do anything for my birthday so I'm looking forward to this and hoping it'll be an excellent night out. And then I'll have to wake up on Sunday morning and untag all the horrendous photos that crawled their way onto facebook... 

I had clinic yesterday and for once everything was good. Weight was 43.5kg (obviously the mars bar I ate before setting off paid off) and my lung function was good, I literally went purple from trying so hard and coughing so much, but I was determined to get good results. I asked for IVs before college starts in Sept (vague, but we haven't been given a specific date. Brilliant. Thanks.) so my (new, did I mention that?) dr said 1st Sept for IVs. That'll make it 3 months since my last IVs finished. Personally I think that's just pushing it a bit but if I need them closer then I'll just get them moved, as there's no point in IV-free summer if you feel crap for all of it. The (new!) Dr has said something about bringing pred down as I've been on 10mg consistently since early 2009.

Anyway, onto the explanation of the new Dr! He's been at clinic for about a year or so, I saw him once or twice if my usual Dr was busy (er, probably eating lunch and pulling his trousers up so high, a la Simon Cowell). The last couple of appointments I've seen this bloke instead, and I get on with him a hell of a lot more, and it seems he's my permanent Dr now, or at least I can hope! He actually exists in this century too - when we were talking about whats a good time for Ivs, he said get your phone out and check the calendar (and got out his touch screen too). I don't think the other Dr even HAD a mobile phone. So yeah, now clinic doesn't seem as hell-on-earth as it used to be. Yay!

First and last of 2018

Oh dear. I think this is a new record, one post for the entire year (Technically. I wrote on 1.1.18 but its likely I wrote it a few days bef...