A Catch-up

HELLO

Yes, I am still alive. 

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with posting, going to university has been a lot tougher than expected. 

You spend your whole academic life building up to it, being told how fantastic university life is going to be. How you are going to be 'engaged with academic discussions', how its going to be 'the best days of your life' because you are independent and free from parental supervision.

But I have found that life at university has been a little less this:

Casual studying on a wall 

and a little more this:

Thank you Google

Now, please don't get me wrong, I love to party as much as the next 19 year old gal, I have met some great people at uni and had some fab nights out. But after going out 3 times a week for a few months it can all start to take its toll on your body and your bank account. And with only six contact hours a week, I'm starting to wonder: Whats the point?

Living on a campus university can get a bit claustrophobic at times and with so few working hours and all your best friends so far away its only natural to feel a little sad and lonely sometimes. 

There is so much pressure to lovelovelove university life, no one tells you that it's OK to not enjoy it all the time. 

You would think that during university you might drift away from your childhood friends and meet millions of new and different people. But over the past few months I have come to appreciate my old friends even more. We have all grown so much closer by  discussing honestly how we feel about university and I have realized that there is no point in pretending to enjoy something just because everyone else is. With your oldest friends there is no need to put on a front because usually, they can see right through it. 

I have been going through some tough times recently and I am so lucky to have such a great support system of friends who have helped me through. I have come to the realization that some people may go to university expecting to find life long friends, but that's just not a necessity for me, I already have them.  

Since 2004

As essential as a good group of friends, a delicious Victoria Sponge cake.

2 cups (246g) plain flour

2 cups (246g) caster sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla essence 

2 eggs

1/2 cup (114g) butter

• Beat the butter and sugar together until paler in colour and creamer in texture
• Add the vanilla essence
• Slowly beat in the eggs
• Add half the milk then half the flour and repeat

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius, check on it after approximately 20 minutes although times will vary with oven. The cake should have risen well and be springy to the touch. A toothpick should come out clean.

Wait for it to cool before halving with a serrated knife and spreading a layer of strawberry jam and then a layer of  whipped cream in the center.

Sieve a little powdered icing sugar on top and dig in.