New Record!

I have period PAIN.

And it hurts like a mother.

It feels like my uterus is so heavy and just wants to drop out. I quite feel like I wouldn’t mind having it outside for a while – at least I won’t feel so bloated and at the same time, I could just get rid of all that vascular lining that is just itching to be disposed of.

I hate it when Aunt Flo springs up on me so unexpected. It was somewhat expected but not to this extent. Hit me right in the middle of advocacy preparations. My opponent tomorrow better watch out.

I’ve been eating well lately. Maybe too well. Actually it’s been alternative – good and bad. Pizza and noodles. No lunch but big dinner. Or visa versa.

47 days. I think that’s a new record, even for me. It must be the combination of 1 week of practice assessments and then placements. Stress does not agree with my female anatomy.

* * *

Had a good gossip session just now after dinner with Su-Ann and Cassandra. It was fun at the time but thinking back on it, it kinda feels a little evil. And I feel a little guilty. I’ve really got no beef with any of the people we were talking about. Nice to actually talk to someone about something other than law tho.

* * *

I may be in for the best Christmas present ever! But it’s dependant on:

1. the parents giving the go-ahead
2. getting my passport back before January!

Fingers and toes crossed! If you have any spare prayers, I could sure use some now. Thank you!

Updating like a fool

Yeah, so I've been busy. I know. I know! Rubbish excuse! But that does mean that there's nothing really too magical about my life so far.

1.Placement week

Another week marshalling with a judge gone by. This time it was a Crown Court Judge so it was all criminal stuff. Saw mostly sentences and Prelims and PCMHs. If you don't know what those are, don't bother finding out, it's all mostly criminal procedure stuff the court has to deal with before and after trials. Think the beginning and end of Law & Order but the UK version.

They call it Marshalling, not following or shadowing. It's denotes a certain amount of respect. Plus it sounds less stalker-like.

The Judge I was placed with was really nice. He'd talk to us every day, in the morning and after the court was done for the day. He's one of those Judges that you really don't want to mess with and you have to be prepared to answer his questions. He's not scary, just a little fierce I guess. He starts off liek a tiger, but once you've answered him and done the dance, he's a pussycat.

2. Wet shoes :(

Thursday it poured down with rain. On the very day I thought I'd stop at Queen Street Station on the way back from Newport (from placement) and buy myself some shoes from Blue Banana. I love that shop btw.

I was wearing my black wedge heels with the bow on the front. I've had them since Law Year 1 so I quite like them. They are stable and cute. The only really problem is they squish my toes in front. But all shoes do that to me cos I have wide feet. Anyway, back to the rain.

Oh and by the way, did I mention that I left my umbrella in the train? I bought another one for a pound but still - I had to walk all the way down Queen Street with only a folder for protection! Luckily I was dressed for winter...

Back to the shoes. I bought my Blue Banana shoes and was walking home and got to about Coburn Street when it began chucking down monsoon-sized drops of rain. Like the sky had unzipped and just dumped tropical rain down on Cardiff. No fun walking thru that in cloth shoes, even if they were heels. Coburn's a residential street so every 2 or 3 metres there was a drainage pipe that drained the water from the roofs of the houses. It was like squish squish squish SPLASH squish squish squish SPLASH (The squishs meaning normal wet shoe steps, and the SPLASHes meaning big puddle steps). After a while I couldn't care less about how let my shoes or feet were. I was soaked thru up to my knees. Thank God only up to my knees.

I got home. It was a tender squish squish squish to the living room where I gingerly removed my drenched shoes and tights. I think they are still wet today.

An interesting, out of the blue experience. I'm none the worse for wear but I'm not taking the weather for granted any more, that's for sure.

3. Ebay!

I've been going on an Ebay binge lately. I haven't bought too much, but I did buy myself a heater and a pair of denim shorts. Hopefully these aren't the hotpants kind. I already have a pair of those :D

4. Practice Assessments!

Oh yeah, the week before placement week was Practice Assessment week!

Monday - Negotiation

Tuesday - Hand in Skeleton Argument

Wednesday - Advocacy

Thursday - PLR

Friday - Opinion Writing

All spells STRESS! But glad it's over :) Now proper Assessments coming up in December!

5. Period

Or rather lack thereof. It's been a stressful couple of weeks what with Practice Assessments and all. Well, mainly Practice Assessments, placement week is a breeze :) I'm not too concerned, it's been late before. I've just got the added bonus of knowing that I'm definitely not pregnant. That helps :D

*The Boy

Nothing much to update on save that there's more MSN, which I liiiiike. He's gone off FM10 for a bit after QPR bit the dust, so to speak. Apparently, he got bought by Manchester United *smirk* so he's managing them now *grins*. Good luck! hehe

I think he's getting a bit bored in France - clubs ain't all that and the classes are mornings mostly so he's got a lot of free time. So it's mainly football, FM, hanging out with friends. There's still no Skype which is shit but oh well. There was facebook for a while but that got taken off too.

*Winter Hols

I'm not going anywhere. I mean really. I'm staying in Cardiff. This is so depressing. Most people, housemates included, are going home to Malaysia. Not that I really want to go back, but at least go somewhere. Preferably France again to see The Boy but that's out of the question as far as Parentals and money is concerned. I hate to harp on about it but that's really the only barrier to me going off during hols. It's a stupid reason and so easily cured. But I don't have the time to work now, I obviously can't work and then go. It'll be too late. So I'm resigned to a Christmas in Cardiff - with no one.

I may go to London but I shall see. Hlbh is heading to London, January I think so I may do Christmas with Lea if she's still around. She's another of the fly-home-at-Christmas types.

*I'm not resentful of the fly-home people. I just don't like the 12-13 hour flight so I don't really understand it.

Opposite Day

Days don't normally go like this.

The day started off great. I totally aced the negotiation session. Well I did better than last time (which isn't that hard) but I can now say I don't suck at negotiation. There's hope for me yet! Negotiation was at 9am so I had a loooong break until 4pm when I had my Criminal Practice large group session. I do enjoy all the modules - there's something new to learn all the time, but that room was a little too warm and I found myself nodding off. My head tends to bounce like a bobblehead when I get drowsy. Sleep. Wake up. Close my eyes, nod off. Jerk awake again. And I was sitting in the second row right in the middle! Didn't get caught tho. It's a pity. I really do try and stay awake.

Netball practice was supposed to be my destresser of the day. I rushed home from the Legal Practice Library (LPL) at half seven to get to Talybont by 8pm or thereabouts. To cut a long story short, I ended up getting so angry at the end of practice because of a couple of silly girls who weren't taking practice seriously. I know it's just practice. By all means, have fun. But if you're playing a game (like we were) then you owe it to your team mates to put in some effort. Not just giggle and toss the ball around like it's a marshmellow. Have some goddamn respect for the other people on your team for crying out loud.

I really laid it into them after practice. I wasn't happy. I was angry. How dare they be so selfish. Netball is a team game. You win as a team and you lose as a team. If just one player gives up, what's the point in playing? Notts is on Saturday - 3/4 days away. We haven't had a lot of practices. You at least owe it to the rest of the people who are going to play to the best of your ability. Practices are supposed to help everyone, and it being a team game, there's no point saying I just don't feel like it today. Every practice counts.

I was still fuming on the walk home. I more or less marched home so now my feet hurt. And that's making me angry too. It's been a topsy turvy day.

Looks like its opposite day today, fer reals. Crikey.

* * *

I should also mention that The Boy now has internet. But no VOIP so it's msn messenger and skype calls from here. I still don't get to talk to him as much as I would like. But I'm not home most of the time tho I use a web-based msn chat in the library. This is like dejavu Swansea in the beginning all over again. I don't know tho. I'm not convinced yet.

Communication frustration

You’ve all heard of sexual frustration – you wanna do it, but you can’t. Same same.

1. France just wants to fk with me. Apparently this complete lack on internet-connectivity is not isolated to one university in one lone part of France, it’s nation-wide. Save the little children from cyber-pedos but wreck all forms of long-distance relationships, why don’t you? Yes, we all know French women are born and bred to sex up the world but you don’t have to give them their own private hunting ground. It’s not fair.
   
   
2. Bloody paperwork and customer service. Both in their extremes in France and neither in the good way. Duplicates, triplicates, come back tomorrow, next week, when we call you back. Nothing ever gets done in France unless you grab someone by the balls and yank at them until their eyes water. That or just suck it in and wait for freaking ages. I should know, I’m waiting still.
   
   
3. Blocking Skype. What the fk is up with that? I mean, what are you so afraid people are going to talk about? If it’s bandwidth you are so pissy about then just don’t give people internet in the first place and they won’t complain about it to you.
   
   
4. MSN Messenger for Mac – has no video capabilities. We know you’re ugly Steve Jobs, not everyone else is. Be a man.
   
   
5. It’s probably due to the time of night, but would it kill you to sound a little more enthusiastic when I call you? We haven’t spoken in a week, at least some sign that you still realise that I mean something to you would be nice. I’ve generally given you the benefit of the doubt and say that you’re tired, you’ve had a long day, you’ve had a stressful week – but given that you cut our conversation short and that we don’t get the chance to get pissed over the “phone”, I feel like I have the right to vent my immediate feelings here. Talking about the fact that you’re still going to be in France next year isn’t one of the glowing points on my list of things that make me smile at the moment. I’m glad that you get to do what you want but I’m not totally ok with it yet – I’m worried. Day by day, Sara. Day by day.

That’s all from me bloggy. It’s been a wonky day. I’m still sore from netball practice on Friday which isn’t at all helping my mood. I want ice cream and chocolate and maybe both. But heaven forbid that I get fat. That wouldn’t help at all, would it?

What a weekend

I should have blogged about this yesterday but to be honest, I couldn't be arsed.

Friday night I went out for pub golf with the BVC fellas. Given that I didn't go out hte last time or that I haven't been drinking for ages I should taken it a bit slower. But no. I went racing off like a mad woman with a wax lined stomach.

Here's what I got into myself:

• Vodka mixer (orange juice) down in 1
• Half a bottle of apple cider down in 1
• Half a pint of Fosters down in 1
• Vodka mixer (Cola) down in 3
• Double Gin and tonic down in 3
• Whisky mixer (JD and orange juice) down in 3

I was playing the par 9 route but i still managed to down a few. And the first 3 drinks were all within 30 minutes of each other I think. I didn't look at the time to be fair.

We all ended up at Oceana at like 11pm but by then I was feeling well wrecked and really sleepy and headachy. I could barely keep my eyes open and focused on things. About 11.30 (I think?) i made my own way to the loo and chucked up a good portion of the hari raya goodies that I had been snacking on earlier in the day. Two good heaves and I waddled back up to the disco. The Disco was really fun tho. I was chatting with this guy from Cardiff who was sitting at the same table as me. I was just chatting to him and he seemed really nice and all. I didn't see much of him after that.

Let me firstly note, that I have never before thrown up after drinking. And I never wanna do it again. It burns.

I was somewhat accompanied by Melody for a part of the night and then I decided I couldn't stay awake and wanted to go home. Kirsty, bless her, walked me downstairs to the taxi place, but not before following me to the loo and again chucking up three times before I was satisfied that I wasn't going to make a mess of the taxi.

I got home safe and sound, and granted I forgot to message Kirsty later. Sorry hun.

Tash was back home after going out somewhere. I knocked on her door, at the suggestion of Kirsty and my own common sense and told her I was feeling rotten and that I had thrown up five times already and I was worried that I would throw up in bed (eww...).

She and Jun, the other house mate of ours, talked to me for a bit, before determining that I was quite sober and that I probably won't throw up while asleep. Nevertheless, Tash still lined my bin with a big black bin liner just in case.

I woke up the next morning, not really with a hangover, just with a sense that my brain was a little tight for my head. I went back to sleep. Woke up properly at 11am something feeling relatively fine and not a trace of the malingering effects of a hangover that people moan about.

* * *

Not surprisingly for me, I don't go red when I drink. It's an interesting non-effect that I have been told about tho I've never had access to a properly lit mirror to check. Chern, on the other hand, goes flush-red at the first drop of wine and Hui Lynn gets all splotchy all over. Kirsty has a good alco-tolerance so I can't tell with her yet.

* * *

Yesterday, the Boy told me that his camera was stolen from his bag while he was playing football.

It's quite a WTF?! moment as his camera is just a year old and he quite needs it, otherwise wha'ts the point in taking a year out in France if you're not going to document it with photos. Memories are all well and good, but you need photos.

So I crash landed on Amazon UK and tried to figure out if I could chip in to get him a new camera. The newer Canon Ixus 95 was on promotion so I rang him up in France and told him about that. I'm chipping in about 50 pounds as his Christmas present. And it comes with a free camera case - which he (says) he needs. Well, he splashed out on a nice one last time so I might as well find him one with a case thrown in free. It's quite a good deal.

I've sent off for it to be sent to his residence in France and it should be there by the end of the wek, tho with the French postal service, no one knows.

I have to send off the 2GB Memory card that he bought for me the last time.

* * *

Talking about posting things, I have to mail off the package that I have prepared for my parents for their anniversary and Dad's birthday! It's very belated but better than nothing! And I think they will like it :)

* * *

Placement week now. Monday off. Tuesday to Pontypridd, Wednesday to Merthyr Tydvil following a District Judge and Thursday and Friday chambering with a Cardiff Chambers. Yay! So excited :)