Hello! Today, I am sporting my Bank Holiday Bunday bun. It’s something I put in when I know I won’t have to see anyone. Or sometimes when I will have to, because I like to embarrass the people I’m with. Sometimes, it is branded ‘Partybun’, when I am going to a party and want a bun. Today, it is ‘Seriousbusinessbun’, because I am in the throes of a syntax take-home exam. And if you don’t know what that is, I envy you deeply. Thankfully this is the last piece of uni work I have this year, so from Thursday onwards it’s plain sailing, in that I’ll only have journalism to focus on. Tonight I’m going to do some speed practise with the gloriously annoying Marie Cartwright CD, and tomorrow I will finish my Media Law question. There’s not a great deal more I need to do at the moment, thank the LORD. Shorthand is freaking me out. I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I know it’s just practise that’ll get me writing faster, but I panic when I get stuck on tricky shorthands. I don’t know why, but I keep getting bouts of self doubt. I just hate facing failure. Not that I think I’ll fail, but I feel out of my comfort zone when things aren’t easy. I feel failed by the UK school system to be honest, as I never felt pushed until the second year of college, when I studied Economics. Economics was easily my favourite A-level, as I felt challenged and stimulated and compelled to learn. Prior to that though, I just coasted through and nob0dy pushed me to do more. The UK system focuses too much on those who can’t, and if you’re someone you can, you’re just another ticked box and they don’t really care further than that. So now when I’m faced with challenges at uni or on this course, I feel like a failure if I can’t grasp it straight away. If I’d been introduced to challenges when I was younger, I think I’d be significantly more robust when faced with difficulties now. I think ultimately, I’d like to be a freelance journalist. I know it takes a lot of work to get to a stage where you’re in enough demand and you have enough contacts to do that, but it’s the dream. I’d also love to be a travel journalist, but let’s be honest: Who the hell wouldn’t? Red magazine would also be great to work for, along with EasyLiving and anything really in that ilk, the more middle-aged monthly glossies. What can I say? I just love quinoa, fad diets and interior design. I’ve come up with an idea for my PA feature, too. PA, if I’ve not explained before, is Public Affairs, and is concerned with the way the country is run, in a national and local context. It covers Government, Parliament, the Monarchy and lots of different areas within Government, such as the NHS, education, foreign affairs… and we have to write a feature based on some local issue of our choosing, with links to the council or local government. Once mine is underway, I’ll let you know what I’m up to, but I might get told it’s a stupid idea, so I’d better not say yet in case it’s rubbish. I know some other people planning on setting up blogs, which I’m excited to read. If anyone I know who is reading this has a blog, please let me know, as I love reading what people have to say. One more thing – if you know any male students who are ‘players’ (as in, a bit of a hit with girls, not tennis players… ARHARHAR), please please point me in their direction, as I need to find one to interview for a piece for a website! Kayleigh