Reviewing Oxford Botanic Centre

University of Oxford Botanic Centre

Last week I was sick, I knew that I wanted to go out but I wanted to explore somewhere new. In my bus journeys I have always been intrigued about what's in Oxford's Botanic Garden - it looks amazing from the outside. So I decided to go for it, I had 2 hours to kill before sunset, I had some energy left, and my flu seemed under control. 

Entry to the botanic garden was £5.00 - a small fee but I wanted somewhere I can breath easy. here's my review of the place:

the good

• pests under control, it was comfortable getting up close to plants - nothing jumping/biting/crawling up on you
• fresh air
• beautiful scenery
• peaceful environment
• so much to look at and explore

the bad

• small, can be completed in under 40mins but if you wanted to photograph things it could take up to 2 hours
• cost doesn't justify the experience - not everyone wants to spend £5 on something they can see for free elsewhere.
• fee doesn't include the boat ride
• no tour available
• not easily accessible

conclusion

worth seeing if you like nature, photography and want to explore a place quickly. £5 fee should be optional, at least tell the customers where the money will go!

baby steps

when did democracy start to dominate who gets the job? i went to the weirdest job interview today. heck - i didn't even know how they got my information or what job i've applied for... meh. turns out i was the only one there that didn't know how on earth did this care home select me. nevertheless.. i persevered.  

it was a group interview and uhh we were only asked 2 questions ¬_¬

1. introduce yourself
2. pick whoever you thought most deserved the job. you can't write your name down.

FFFFUUUUUU!!!!!

so i took the train, walked along an excessively long motorway road in smart clothes to this place and this is all i get? agh! after this weird place i went back to town to try to find recharge. where the hell is recharge? i see it every time i'm in town but today, when i really really needed to go see FJ its gone. the place just vanishes! really felt retarded, especially after asking people around who were also incredibly unhelpful. i must have looked like a wierdo stalking the church windows. darn it google maps. oh and another funny moment with my adviser - i didn't know where town hall was. he called me and was like uhm.. don't you live here? LOL FML.

I went crazy on jewellery today, i bought some really sweet necklaces from accessorize and clairs'. i'm always looking out for those clean, minimalistic yet detailed kind of jewellery and today i was in the mood for turquoise & silver.

when i got home i was exhausted. i haven't walked this much in a long time so today felt like running a marathon. i had a lovely surprise when i opened my email to find ANOTHER interview! yes yes yes!! 8 page application form paid off. i'm so happy that finally i got an interview through my application form. alhamdu'allah wa shukruh!!!! woo ~ yaaay :D

yessssssss!

the undervalued significance of finding yourself

one of the things i have been working on is securing an interview - and one thing i've done is attend a workshop. at university you would have thought that by attending lectures, taking part in societies and events you would be getting the best exposure to how to tackle life outside studying... well.. not really. employers don't just look at your university life, they want to know what you've learned and how you developed as a person. the main objective of applying to anywhere is to tell the employer yes i know what the job is about, and i really want to work for you. basically you want to kiss ass, but make sure that your lips are going to stain, or... in other words, you should be aiming to leave a lasting impression in both the application/cv and the interview. think of your role model and how they inspired you, and try to portray that in the way you put yourself across.

in preparation or in times of self doubt, i find that meditation usually helps. concentrate on the qualities you have, and how you want people to see you. this way it flows naturally, even if its in the back of your mind, you will find that by looking deep into yourself, you can actually find the person you really want to be.

one time i was really really stressed out during revision time, and instead of rage quitting, i took a deep breath and decided to meditate. 15 mins is really all you need, just clear your mind, find that inner peace, no distractions, no muscles tensed, no bright lights (and don't fall asleep!) just concentrate on whats troubling you. in my case, i honestly didn't know what the stuff i was reading would get me. in a series of why? what? and how? questions i managed to find out what i really wanted to do. once you reach a spot where you can't question yourself any longer, thats when you know.

so theres 2 parts to this job advice, but it all really depends on you. where do you want to be in life? are you happy where you are? how can you change? boundaries are there to be broken, so don't let yourself be locked away in a cage. make the effort to be who you really want to be, and never get discouraged from others. in the end, its your life, and all your actions will consequently shape how you live it. stop wasting time, and start thinking about your future.

where to begin?! q_q

so much on my mind aghh

blog post by one pearl button  really opened my eyes about ways to get organised. simply wow...

whats on my mind? well.....

game fest 2011

sickness

sainsburys
volunteering
going abroad

tutorials i need to read

logo design for aa

inspiration for da submission

no more zombies, get over it

sort room - walls, table, floors, storage

need to know where everything is!

sort kitchen - rip out old and stick in the new

get a working environment to learn new stuff - my room needs to be spotless :(

learn illustrator
learn adobe premier
learn after effects
learn sai

camera

lose weight - because like a cactus, i can't seem to lose what i already have

seo work

learn moar about advertising on the internets

read some darn science articles

publish some new content on review science

publish content on artist alliance

get organised, know what i need to do and when to do it

find time to pray

find time for parents

find time for relaxing

review current knowledge

find out about what to do with my degree

this darn cough

attic... is.. heavy... need to de-clutter

wash

aerobics

don't depress over others, get on, focus

paint walls

get paint for walls

feel like you're doing something... & have a target, at least 1

meh..

sleep

getting back a normal sleeping pattern

getting overwhelmed with the list

skipping to the sleep bit

zzzzz....

COUGHHHHHH

zzzzzzz.....

sad face

story of my life.

dream catchers can't catch every bad dream. true story.

lets talk bad dreams. ever had a dream that felt so real you woke up paranoid? confused? wanting to pee really really badly? 3 instances spring to mind lol. one time i dreamt that uhh.... this rooster-human hybrid clan were like the protectors of the earth. for some reason i got caught up in their little turmoil and they had offered me to drink this thing - which looked like was made in a lab... and to join them.. basically.
me, protector of all simply jumped to the idea not considering whether there were other hybrids out there. more powerful/wise and so on. all i wanted to do was help this clan. when i woke up i just thought to myself wtf?! a chicken-hybrid?! stupid birds can't even fly! i remembered that those hybrids were like the chinese calendar animals and were all at conflict and there was me.. choosing a rooster over dragons.. aghh.. dania you should have asked for dragons! you can't help everyone! dammit!
another dream i had was that i was in a hospital or something - its really old, like a hospice or something and i was in training there. i didn't know my way and i was just following instructions by the supervisor i was aiding. so it was getting to the end of the day, and she told me to help her to lock up - of course the windows were open so my instinct told me to close the windows. i did 3 windows just fine, but omg.. the fourth window.. as i approached to close it, i was frozen, literally petrified! i couldn't move anything but my eye lids. i was slowly elevated and remained in mid air helpless. i didn't know whether to be scared, acknowledge that its a dream and turn into a super saiyan and break free or to scream. everything just seemed at a standstill and all i could see was an open field outside this window. gosh i hated myself for being so helpless.. surely closing windows won't spark the supernatural and make them angry? meh.. when i woke up my heart was racing! i couldn't go back to sleep - horrible dream was horrible!
another bad experience was in homebase (gardening and home superstore). there was this green-like goblin following me around. everytime i looked around it had its gaze focused on me and after a few turns, explosives were getting thrown everywhere and the building began to collapse. i ducked for cover behind some isles and decided it was best to head to the out doors since you can get fresh air there. as i crept outside there was this maze... similar to the maze in final fantasy x where you had to solve before meeting yunalesca o_o

but of course.. i couldn't just go through with it so at that point i climbed the fence and headed towards the car park. the store literally was in ruins now, and that green dude was hot on my tail. i get in the car and boom. yeah..sucks. that boom was so loud though i woke up from hearing it.

why on earth am i talking about this? i'm feeling a little grisly after killing one of those big jumpy spiders. u.u;

needz moar powaa

to lift things. i went to hull today. i laughed so hard at mum's expression when she heard of my plans for today, which at an unexpected series of events, worked smoothly. i woke up late, of course, but blame that on my extra curricular activities, i.e. zombie slaying.

nevertheless, i improvised - ended up in the train station in time for my train. hull is such an easy town centre to navigate to! there are 2 shopping malls (at least i discovered 2...) and 2 high streets: the old and the new, which are somehow interlinked by an ally way making it so convenient! theres a market there too but i didn't go deep into the old town centre. today my objectives were to find something for graduation - oh and i tried nike lunar swift 2+ and lunar glide + - they were both super comfy but i prefer lunar swift as it was lighter and better fitting - plus the colours were amazing but i still find that new balance 1026 pair that i found in TKMaxx by far were much better quality, durability despite being slightly fugly.

nike lunar swift 2+ score: 8/10 too expensive

nike lunar glide + score: 7/10 too expensive but pretty o_o

new balance 1026 - these babies own! score: 9/10 fugly but amazing fit & support

i bought new smart shoes, the amazingly fitted smart trousers from warehouse, and 'basic' (probably referring to the design, its a little common imo) but amazing in quality shirt that complements any smart trousers very well - it looks so good, even better than my monsoon and miss n smart tops! i'm very happy with it :3
i also found amazing skinny jeans in stone white/ dimmed white colour that i have been eyeing for a while in the H&M store but i found in better quality at Zara, i think its cheaper too. i also bought a planner for next year from paperchase, a mask to exfoliate my face, which has been lighting up like a christmas tree full of bumps and lovely acne.. i dunno whats going on, perhaps because of the amount of travelling i've been doing? maybe because i've had less green tea, theres been more breakouts? i haven't been applying any makeup, so that isn't the problem... hmm. also my hand rash returned.. i did spaghetti yesterday, and i had steam cooking my hand causing it to become sensitized. considering the fact that i have sensitive hands, this sensation turns into dermatitis - g'dammit!
i think i broke the bank today, seriously... my weekend's money earned, went poof today ;_; time to retreat into shopping hibernation....
i started bodyrocking today - first exercise: transform your booty workout. it wasn't as bad as zuz made it sound.. i was doing the forms properly, without weights though since i'm a beginner, sweated a little... i don't feel like it did much :L meh.. i'll be doing another tomorrow along with weighing and sorting out my fridge, eating my fruits.... and yeah. i think i may go town tomorrow, i mean nottingham, well, maybe... because i really want the blazer to complement the trousers i bought regardless of the fact that it doesn't look great.. i need something that matches and the price on this baby is just too hard to resist. i'll probably get skipping rope too - but thats it! i'll be walking it there too insha'allah :3 exercise exercise exercise! i think my body is finally lean enough to carry out some fat exorcism LOL i don't get tired from a whole day's walking anymore, i need extra things to cause pain and suffering to fat.

shopping, exploring and uhh....

teeth whitening. i come here today, firstly because i am extremely uncomfortable wearing these 'miracle workers' crest 3d white strips. not only am i burping whitening-flavored... burps, but also, i can't close my mouth, they feel so weird!! no i'm not taking pictures because they look frikin ugly and disgusting!

aghh they are so disgusting..

why did i choose to do this? simple, graduation. despite how i am regretting everything this year, i want to set things right, or at least some things.. one of those are my teeth. if you know me, you'd know i love to smile and so i feel like this is an important step to getting myself back.. in a sense. no more depressed dania, time to be confident, no more regrets, no more feeling worthless, hopeless and out of touch with reality - i guess i just want to improve. over the past weeks i have spoken to so many people and given so much wonderful advice i don't know why i'm not following it myself! i need to listen to myself, so yeah. this week i have been travelling, exploring cities of the north of nottingham such as leeds, sheffield and derby. i have to say, i really liked derby's shopping centre 'westfield' its huge, spacious and has all my favorite shops.

awesome shop is sooo awesome! <3

i really loved the fashion in bershka - oh my oh my, i think this was the first ever store that i went into, and i spent at least an hour flicking through their wonderful fashion. they were all so wearable! i really liked their tshirts and how affordable everything was! it was amazing, even the staff were amazing, this is one shop i will revisit again and again, even if i have to go oxford street to see it!
eghh just took off the whitening strips. not only do they look gross but taking them off also looks gross. i hate the after-taste of whitening in my mouth. i don't know how i'm going to sleep tonight having half of what i had in my mouth, now lingering my stomach. i'm very very disturbed by these whitening strips. plus, it doesn't look like they did anything at all :L
back to my exploration - the city that i really found was architecturally stunning has to be sheffield. their town centre was a little difficult to navigate to, but i really enjoyed strolling (blindly) through the streets in my quest to find the shops! the moment that you step out of the train station you're welcomed by a beautifully designed  and complex fountain spanning the front of the station in different levels, reflecting the hills and breadth of sheffield. i found it very inspiring. the city looks very beautiful with the contrast of modern and archaic buildings - it really looks like a pretty place to live in.
so leeds, what did i think of leeds... well, it was a little further away than sheffield, and despite the popularity of the place by so many people i couldn't really agree. the shops were indeed spread out and i found the extra walking quite rewarding - but somehow it reminded me of nottingham, or to be more precise... a downgrade version of nottingham - i kinda prefer nottingham. with regards to sheffield's town centre shopping experience, i also prefer nottingham as it has way more shops, at a closer proximity and also easier to navigate to.
ofcourse, i took pictures but atm its kinda late to go through them, edit and upload them on here, so pics should be coming soon :3