JAFY

Dear first-years don't stress:

This was the plan for one our first assignments. Impressive, no?

I know a lot of you have just completed your first week of university. Firstly congratulations on surviving twelfth grade! Secondly, welcome to rush hour public transport, absolute confusion and feeling like a fish out of water. Not to worry basically everyone is in the same boat as most first years did just come fresh out of high school and this will be your guide to #unilyfe

1. Preparation, preparation, preparation. 

I'm hoping you all know the scene in Legally Blonde when Elle comes to class with nothing but her handbag, fluffy pen and a notepad. Needless to say she was advised to leave. Now that won't happen at university but it can feel just as daunting.

Come to class prepared, you're not in high school, so your tute won't always tell you the textbooks you need, the homework/readings you should have done. Google slash your uni website will be your best friend. The introduction to university's motto is 'you are now an adult hence you are responsible for your own education'. Needless to say there is no spoon feeding of information.

       2. Do your readings.

Trust me my friends, they help a lot. In understanding the tutes, the lectures and when it comes time to do your assignments you'll have references.
Learn to reference. I can't speak on behalf of all courses and universities but from my own experience and those of my friends referencing is something that you self teach and comes with practise.
Some unis offer a quick course, go to your library and read the bulletin boards around campus you can discover man helpful ads there and great parties ;D

It's not a must but have a skim through and a copy of your course guide for every class, that way you'll know whats expected. The key goals of the class and the assignment timeline. Most tutes will reference the guide and if they're kind they will have a copy for you first tute if not take some initiative and print it out at home. 

        3. Join a club

The best and easiest way to make friends outside of your course is to join a club. You'll find that in university it's a refreshing change where you are surrounded essentially by like minded people. The benefits of joining a club is that you know you will have similar interests as the club -sporting, political, religious, ethnic- is something you already have in common.  

       4. Get into a routine

You will have a lot more free time than in your final year of high school. Take it as an opportunity to do something you want with your life. I'm certain we've all said at one point 'I wish I could do ... ' insert appropriate life goal. At the time you couldn't because school just took up so much time. Now you can, no excuses don't sleep your life away. Some examples: get a job, pick up a sport, take photography classes, volunteer at a charity, the possibilities are -I'm not going to say endless-

      5. Have fun with it

University is where you'll find life long friends, colleagues, contacts and opportunities you won't find elsewhere in life. Immerse yourself in uni lyfe. 

Goodluck, Love Cat xox.

Let me in the comments know how your university experience is going, first day, memorable moments, first class cutie ?

P.S: JAFY according to a dear friend means Just Another First Year 

Decisions

jumping into the deep end
just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming swimming

The Wolf of Wall Street. It's the movie that's been on every person's list to view.

+Jordan Belfort the name whispered in awe and disgust amongst adolescent teens, even more impressionable young adults and elders. The memoir is a New York Times best seller. The man himself is a legend, a cult icon for today's youth. It's a rags to riches tale that's “raw and frequently hilarious.” -The New York Times.

It's been on my list of 'Films to view and novels to absorb’ for a period and only as of recent did I see the film. The hype has been phenomenal and I learnt my lesson from The Great Gatsby to turn a deaf ear to the gossip.  Some friends have said, 'there was too much sex' but is there really such a notion? Others, 'the movie was too long'. I was enthralled.

I will not say from beginning to end but a solid ninety percent of the film captured my undivided attention, which is a feat in itself. 

As we left the cinema my very good friend, whom I deem a little naïve, said she couldn't see herself doing wrong by others to further her career. 

I said I could, maybe not in the same way as Mr Belfort but I could; I decided a long time ago I want an extraordinary life. 

I've told this to close friends, teachers and myself on more than one occasion. Now, I'm proclaiming this to the world, the World Wide Web to be exact. "I am willing to do anything to get what I want and what I want is to be successful." 

Success is subjective and in terms of my future it does not just revolve around material goods although those do play a factor. Success means to be at the top of my career, whatever it may be. 

To leave a footprint in history, I want to feature in textbooks, be taught and studied. When I leave this Earth I wish to have left a legacy behind to my loves so that entails having a family. My upbringing wasn't all sunshine and rainbows so having a family of my own, one that I can create traditions and memories is an extremely important part of success in my eyes. I cannot wait to help mould a being, to pass on my values and create a little person, a life. 

I want to inspire thought provoking moments, discussion and happiness.

More so I think I understand in a minuscule sense the world, I can be realistic however I enjoy being a dream believer. I'm not afraid to dream big. Someone once told me to always aim higher because usually you underachieve but you're closer to that goal. So if you aim really high then you're end result is still going to be great. Others have said if you aims are too great you are only setting yourself up for disappointment. But look at it like this if you are one to be disappointed by failure, try and not let it discourage you instead take away from that misstep fuel to push you forward towards your end game goal.  When the final buzzer rings I hope we're all able to say it was a good game. 

Goodness I'm corny. Face palm. 

just tell me

Alrighty.. 

One of my pet peeves is when beings allow situations to simmer and then end up truly resenting the other person. 

Personally I'd much rather have a massive blowout so that we can resolve whatever issue lies there since it allows an outlet for all that frustration and maybe even anger. It deals with the issue and we can all move on from it.

For example if I do something that really annoys you, please tell me. I'd much rather you did, you won't offend me and if you do I'll get over it and at least I’ll be able to work on some self-improvement. Because if you don't most likely I will continue to do this thing 
that -will end up aggravating you to no end-, because I don't know that it bothers you and I don't know any better so you can't blame me if I do.

Funny story, this was the story of my life because I lost my glasses for over a good year hence I was constantly squinting. Someone told me I looked really bitchy (forever the case of the Bitch Face), because I was always "greasing" them off. No. My reply will always be the same, I just couldn't see you. See if you had asked me or told me this earlier we could have saved ourselves all the confusion and been friends sooner, I really am a nice person when I want to be, hehe.

brat

"Just because I have things you don't have doesn't make me spoilt."

S P O I L T.
This is a term that does offend me when said in a certain manner. It's something I've been called before, it's a term that beings have associated with my character without a second thought as to why or how.

I personally don't believe that I'm spoilt perhaps at times I can act spoilt or even like to think I am but it's not something integral to my being, at least I hope not.

I've found that when a being coins another as spoilt it stems from a deeper place, generally a place of envy. We as human beings are allowed to have bouts of jealousy and rivalry however, how one chooses to act upon these emotions, is a reflection on the type of person. One can be internal; where you see possessions of another and hope for them for yourself, so you work towards them by achieving your own goals and strive towards your own ambition and success. This internal mind frame applies to more than physical objects it can apply to traits you may idolise in others.

Recently I attended a defensive driving course, Murcotts', and I was taught about internal and external drivers. An internal driver in our case let's say, an internal thinker, in a situation they will look at the differences they could have made to prevent the accident e.g: reduce their speed, been more aware of their surroundings...

Now an external thinker, would place blame on the other motorist's (their speed, awareness, skill), the weather, the driving conditions. So when applied to life an external thinker would take that envy and look at their own shortcomings as a result of factors out of their influence, maybe their parents aren't as well off, their not materialistic like the other, everything and anything outside their realm of control is the cause and effect in their life.

Neither state of mind is ideal because they're at polar ends of sphere (or as my literature teacher taught me to say binary opposites). You can't blame yourself for everything because then you would have no confidence and very poor self esteem but you shouldn't shift all the responsibility to others as then one could never experience personal growth.

Another factor is how you were brought up, if one is surrounded by luxe objects it's something you become accustomed to and as a result you can feel entitled to such materials. Parents and guardians are role models it's a given. One of my first memories of my stepmum was meeting her after school one Friday; Dad would pick me up on Fridays. At the time it felt as if she was invading something that was 'ours' but then we went up to Collins Street and visited a luxury store - this was the first time I understood the concept of a brand being exclusive, for lack of a better word-. The sales assistants were dressed completely in black, they had magical keys that opened up a drawers filled with treasures, doors were hidden in the walls and it was fun. We bonded.