Operation January.

Me on 28th January 2012.

So, as I write this post, almost 1/12 of the year has already passed us. How crazy is that? It doesn't seem like two minutes since Christmas and we're already 1/12 of the year closer to the next one. A lot of life changing decisions have been made this January - some for the better and some for the worse. For the worse for now, anyway. I do believe that everything happens for a reason so perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that I didn't get what I wanted this time. There might be something around the corner that makes the rejection a positive thing.

So, my to-do list for January was 'a hospital appointment that may result in me having a pretty big operation, my all important interview with Huddersfield for my dream postgraduate course and returning to my last semester at Lampeter.' Well, the hospital appointment went well and I decided not to have the surgery, which the hospital were happy to go with. I'll probably never know what my problem is and why I'm in pain but I'd rather that than have an operation that might not even discover the problem. So that's one positive. Not being cut open is always a positive, right? :)

I had my interview at Huddersfield. I gave the best interview I could have done and I'm pretty proud of myself. The results came back and I'd come 11th in the tests (out of 30 interviewees and 1,000 applications). Pretty good, huh? Unfortunately there were only 10 places on the course and so I'm first reserve but it doesn't look likely that I'll get it. Pretty disappointing but I know I gave it my best and the interviewers have commended my application and advised me to re-apply next year in light of the feedback I've been given. So now I've got to find something else to do, at least until next year. Be it a job, a Masters degree or... well... an awful lot of Jeremy Kyle.

Focusing on now, the last semester at Lampeter is underway and going well. I've got a first class grade in one module so far and I'm still waiting to hear about or complete the rest. By the 30th March it'll all be over and I cannot wait. I'm enjoying my Arabic classes and my dissertation (a 7,000 word essay on Nazism as a religion) is complete. I'm off to Devizes to celebrate my friend Francis' passing out parade this weekend and then I'm off to Spain mid-February so things are looking busy but enjoyable.

With regards to my New Year's resolutions, we're off with a flying start! '1. Lose 14lbs by my graduation on 13th July' is already complete! Using the My Fitness Pal app for iPad, I've already lost 14lb and it's still January. Hooray! So I'm probably going to up this to 28lb and take my time about the rest of it. My Fitness Pal is a fantastic free application for all smart phones and is available purely as a website so you use it on the computer. It's essentially a calorie counting app but it's hugely practical and handy. You put in your height, current weight and how much you'd like to lose per week - with a maximum of 2lb. The app will then generate a calorie total for you to work to each day. I can't say that I notice the difference yet with how I feel but I'm told that I look slimmer, my clothes are baggier and the scales don't lie. :)

PLEASE ignore the hat! It's Gary's. But look how skinny I am! Haha.

With regards to resolution five, '5. Tell Gary that I love him every day', that is going swimmingly... because it's so easy. I'm the happiest I've ever been and I cannot wait to get home to him for good.We were both home last weekend and we went for a walk with his parents and his dogs. Boo Boo, his Shar Pei, has really sore paws and gets blisters and infections between her pads - for no known reason. Shar Peis are beautiful and lovely dogs but have so many health problems it's unreal. Boo smells odd. All of the time. She can smell horrible as soon as she gets out of the bath - it's just a thing with that breed. They also have a lot of fur problems and allergies, which is why Boo has so much trouble with her paws.So Hannah, Gary's Mum, bought her some dog socks. They are hilarious. She runs like a galloping horse when she wears them but she looks so happy. I will leave you with this wonderful image :)

Boo and her dog socks.