In which Demi has the jitters.

Fact: I suffer badly from nerves.

I was never one to be all pumped to go into an exam, bouncing about with adrenalin. Oh no, I'm the one sat in the corner, clutching my notes and reading over them feverishly while my face pales with each passing second. During my driving test I was so nervous I actually stopped breathing at one point, which my examiner had to point out in alarm.

And I start my first work experience placement in morning. So, naturally, I'm petrified already.

A lot of my fear stems from being a burden. I'm meant to be there to help out and learn in the process, but visions of me helplessly staring at a Mac (I know they use them. I, however, do not.) until I burst into tears keep apparating.

I know I'm being ridiculous. I know I'm not supposed to know anything just yet, and that this is the first hint of an incline on what is sure to be a massive learning curve. But it's different and real and important and I'm freaking out, as I am prone to do.

I'll update my progress in a couple of days. Until then, I will leave you with some shots of me and my friends merrily punting around Cambridge, and sipping cocktails at a College garden party (Woodstock themed, woooo yeah). I would thoroughly recommend a visit, if ever the opportunity arises; I was stunned by how beautiful it was, despite being told numerous times. However, my laid-back attitude jarred somewhat with the Cambridge student mindset of being super busy all the time, busy busy busy, now now now. Pfft, no thanks. I drive at my own pace. xo.

[I would like to add that I was in fact holding my camera-wielding friend's drink, not two of my own!]

In which Demi is getting ready for action!

I'm back home now until the end of September! Liquorice is happy to see me, I like to think.

I had a lovely send-off from Nottingham with numerous events; house parties, girls nights in and wild nights out. I also had the privilege of sharing a bed for two weeks with a friend who came to stay with us after having to move out of her own house early. Which meant a whole lot of laughter and not much sleep was to be had. All followed up with a short break to Cambridge with one of my best friends from home, A., to visit another old school friend - pictures of which will follow shortly.

As soon as I stepped through the front door though (alright, maybe not 'as soon as'. A cuppa and a catch-up with Mum was top priority), all thoughts snapped to my work experience, which will be happening over the next month. I'm determined to make the most of my fantastic opportunities, and I spent much of today sorting out bus passes, routes, emailing to confirm last minute details etc. I'm even putting myself through intensive early-waking training to make sure I can be up in time for work, after weeks of rolling out of bed at midday.

If PR turns out to not be for me, I will genuinely be stumped for possible future careers. I'm trusting my gut though, which reassures me that I'm making the right decision. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Until then, I'll be missing some amazing people, who helped to form another of the best years of my life ♥ xo.

My amazing housemates from this year ♥

In which Demi introduces herself, two years late...

I had a flick through my old blog posts the other day, and came to the conclusion that I haven't actually ever given much information about myself before. Personally, I hate stumbling across a blogger and having no idea of who they are or what direction they're heading in. Sometimes you can read between the lines and pick up titbits... and sometimes it's easier to lay some facts down straight. So I thought I'd do a short post containing a few facts I think you, my invisible reader, should know about me.

• Demi is not my real name. It's pretty close to my real name, and also ties in my initials, so it was an easy choice.
• I'm at the end of my second year at the University of Nottingham, UK, where I'm reading English Studies. I don't know why we apparently 'read' subjects at University, but I have been informed that this is the correct terminology!
• I'm a bad English student. I'm extraordinarily picky when it comes to books, and find it very difficult to shift an initial dislike of a book once I get a bit more into it. Chances are, if I'm not a fan from the start, I won't be a fan by the end. I also hate 90% of the 'classics'. I threw Jane Eyre across my dorm room last year. I abhore Tess of the d'Urbervilles; we had to read it in Sixth Form and I am yet to come across another book that is as equally depressing, ridiculous and downright dull in my entire life. There's a whole bloomin' chapter devoted to turnip farming!
• In accordance with the last fact, I am a modern girl; I am not really one for vintage. The idea of wearing old clothes from thirty years ago kinda makes me itch. I love my laptop, and would probably die if separated from my phone. I find it hard to relate to 'classic' books, because of the freedom we enjoy in this day and age. Forgive me for not being able to relate to the thrill of raising a skirt above the ankle - probably because mine are already hovering above my knees.
• I love films. Love them. Pretty much anything but horror. In an ideal world, where I could work in any industry, I'd work in films.
• I am a huge romantic. I think we are driven by love, in various forms, to do everything we do.
• I am a control freak, and have been the 'mature one' since the age of about 14. My older brother was extremely displased to find that I was to be put in charge whenever my parents left us and our younger sister alone. My family have compared me to a 30yr old in a 19yr old's body.
• Psychology fascinates me. As does how humans react and communicate with one another.
• I make an amazing cup of tea. This is a well documented fact, not just me bragging. Probably due to the fact that I can happily drink about 8 cups of tea a day, when given the chance.
• I hatehatehate the taste of beer, wine, cider, champagne... basically anything with that sharp, acidic alcoholic taste. I'm a fussy drinker, which can make for expensive nights out. Ironically, having started drinking quite late compared to a lot of my friends, I can hold a surprising amount for my size (5'2" in case you were wondering).
• I'm not really a sporty person, but I adore swimming and skiing. I also used to go horse-riding every week for about six years, until I lost my nerve quite inexplicably one summer and never really got back into it.
• Early mornings reduce me to a comatose-state. I might as well not even be up, my brain doesn't really kick in until about 10am. I can also stay up quite happily until about 3am, when my brain suddenly shuts down and I need sleep. To say that I am something of a nightowl is an understatement.
• Although I never realised it until moving into my first student home, shared with 4 other girls, I am very fussy when it comes to cleanliness in the house. After the first week or so, when the counters were covered in stains and crumbs, and the bathroom was starting to get a bit grungy, I snapped and drew up a cleaning rota. I blame my extremely clean-freakish mum for this trait. Ironically, you wouldn't be able to tell this about me from looking at my room, which tends to be a complete tip... a trait I have inherited from my dad, whose office has been deemed a lost cause by mum.

 I could go on... but a bit of intrigue always has people coming back for more. xo.

In which Demi has some down time.

In my humble opinion, there is nothing better than home comforts. I've popped back up North for a few days to fully recharge my batteries after the hectic exam period. While there may not have been a big difference between doing very little at Uni and very little at home, once I got here I knew I'd made the right decision. Thanks go to my housemate Sugar at Girl, Introspective for pushing me into realising I needed to come back. Seeing my mum's face split into a massive grin as I staggered out of the coach station suddenly made the 2 and a half hr journey worth it. Splaying out on the sofa with my brother and sister watching a film together eclipsed watching a film alone in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Bantering with my dad in person always triumphs over phone calls.

It's been a pretty rough year for my family, but to be able to have moments like these last few days reminds me of how simple and unconditional our love for each other is. And it's nice to remember that I don't have to play grown-up all the time.

On a side-note, thanks to my brother choosing the film, I am now in love with the Tron: Legacy soundtrack, which is composed entirely by Daft Punk. I'm not normally one to get really into movie soundtracks, but this one is absolutely brilliant. I have a feeling it will come in handy next year - I often find that I work best to instrumental music, or songs with few lyrics, so I'm not tempted to sing along. Pendulum's Immersion was my album of choice this year. If you haven't checked it out yet, I thoroughly recommend! xo.

I leave you with my adorable, if somewhat daft, cat Liquorice :)