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Tuesday 24 January 2012

17:09 - No comments

I'm going to the zoo :)



First of all, sorry for the lack of posts so far this year. January is exam and assignment month, so I was busy revising and such. I even had a maths exam on my birthday :(, but no matter, it's all over now.

In between all the revising I've been working on my new year's resolutions. For my birthday I got a voucher for Edinburgh Zoo from my very lovely girlfriend :). They have penguins and pandas so it's doubley awesome!!

Penguin Parade

I'm going to the zoo on the 28th January. Hopefully I'll be able to see the penguins up close, the reason I might not is that they take part in a voluntary penguin parade at 2 O'Clock. The keyword being 'voluntary', so it might be the case that none of the penguins feel like walking around and having loads of people stare at them. I can see why they might not fancy that, so if they don't take part I won't hold it against them : P.

Also, I booked my flights with a friend to Africa last week, I'll be flying into Nairobi and then getting a bus down to Tanzania which cost us £395 each for the flight, which is really good considering that flights straight into Kilimanjaro Airport are around £800 each. We also get an extra night there, which will mean an extra £20, but we'll get to see another COCO project and that I'm really looking forward too :).


Me and my girlfriend also booked a holiday to Italy last week. We're going to spend a week in Rome on the 23rd - 30th August :). Luckily it's quite a while away, so I should be able to save some spending money by then. So that's Rome, Penguins and Kilimanjaro firmly in sight :). Unfortunately the dates which I'm in Rome, means I won't be able to do the Rat Race, as that is on the 26th August. But I will change it to something similar, like another sporting event perhaps. 

Trevi Fountain
Another thing that will change is the 3 peaks bike and hike challenge. My friend Alex (he is doing it with me) and I have decided that it probably won't be possible to do it this year, cos neither of us have been on our bikes for a long time and it's a good 500 miles that we'd be riding. So we're going to train very hard this year both for the bike and hike and the tough mudder event. We might still do the 3 peaks and just get trains between them for this year or we might do the West Highland Way instead. The West Highland Way is a 96 mile stretch of gorgeous Scottish Highland from Milngavie, just outside Glasgow, to Fort William in the Highlands.


Finally I have also joined the gym at my university, but only a fitness centre membership, I haven't joined any sporting clubs yet. I plan to do that in September when the Uni starts up again, so I can join at the start of the academic year rather than in the middle. Plus, if I joined now they might laugh at my lack of fitness :P, so I'll tone up in the gym first. 

Well it's been quite a productive start to the year 2012, hopefully it will continue to be such :). 

Tuesday 17 January 2012

22:03 - No comments

Goal added: Be a Tough Mudder.

 Tri-State 2010 Event Photos – Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder is said to be one of the hardest endurance events on the planet. It's a hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test your all round strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. It's not a race, it's a challenge that you can't finish on your own.


" To get through mud, fire, ice-water, and 10,000 volts of electricity you’ll need team mates to pick you up when your spirits dip. To get over 12 foot walls and through underground mud tunnels, you’ll need team mates to give you a boost and a push. Tough Mudders are team players who make sure no one gets left behind." - Tough Mudder website

The events are held all over the world and in the UK in 2012 it's being held in Scotland, the North West and the South-East/Midlands, which is a little far for me and it's a bit soon too. I'll need a lot of time to prepare for, but this luckily there's one in Newcastle in 2013, which is perfect. It'll probably be one of the hardest things I'll ever do, but that's what my list is about. Challenging myself physically, mentally and intellectually. All I can say is 'Bring it On!!'




Saturday 31 December 2011

15:43 - No comments

12 Resolutions for 2012!



1. Write a Novel
2. Visit Auschwitz
  
3. See the Coliseum + Rome in general
4. Be a few jumps away from becoming qualified


5. Climb Kilimanjaro
6. 3 Peaks Bike and Hike challenge
                                       
7. Learn to Drive
8. Start my Lord of the Rings Tudor Mint
collection. (I've just bought this one XD, but I would like at least 6 next year).

Gentoo Penguins
9. See Penguins!

10. Rat Race!  http://www.ratraceadventure.com/riverratrace/index.html

11. Learn to juggle 
12. Join the Gym, Hockey team and Karate club at uni.


So there you have it :). My 12 goals for 2012. I think these should keep me occupied for the year, but if not I have a list of 140 odd other things I could do :). Happy New Year everyone and I hope, whatever resolutions you've made, that you succeed. GOOD LUCK FOR 2012!!!! :)

Tuesday 27 December 2011

14:57 - No comments

Thinking Ahead - 2012





Now that 2011 is approaching it's end, I'm doing what many other people are doing this time of year. I'm thinking about all the things I've accomplished this year and all the things I wish I did. This is the time to think about all the goals you want to achieve in the New Year. I'm sure there are a lot of skeptics who think new year's resolutions are a waste of time because they only last a week.


 With that attitude I'm not surprised they only last a week! You need to be committed to your goals, to vow to see them through. If your new year's resolutions never stick then maybe you should consider lowering the bar a little.

For example, if your resolution last year was to quit smoking and it didn't last. I know that to quit smoking can be very difficult, to kick any habit is very difficult. So instead of saying you'll stop completely, you should give yourself little targets throughout the year or for the whole       year like 'I will cut down to 1 pack a week' these little targets are obviously dependant on how much you smoke. But cutting the big resolutions into smaller pieces makes it a lot easier to digest and follow through. Remember it's not important that you stop whatever your habit is straight away, what is important is that you're taking steps towards stopping.

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.  ~Mark Twain

This gem of a quote nicely sums up what I'm saying, thanks Mark.

Now I'm going to be thinking about my resolutions for 2012 and since so many people keep saying it's going to be the end of the world as we know in December 2012 I'm going to make it the best damn year ever! (Just in case :P) Stay tuned for my resolution post folks. Oh and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas :)

Wednesday 7 December 2011

20:41 - No comments

50 books in a year - DONE!

After 2 years of trying to do this I've finally done it! In the first attempt I think I only got to about 30 so I'm really chuffed I finally got there this year. I averaged about 1 book a week, which sounds easy enough, but to do it consistently for 50 odd weeks is quite hard especially when you go on holiday and have exams to revise for and moving house. So I'm really proud of myself :). And here's the final list, I love lists :). My favourites are in blue and I highly recommend them :) 


  1. The Hobbit
  2. The Fellowship of the Ring               
  3. The Two Towers                                                    
  4. The Return of the King (I read The Lord of the Rings every year, cos it's awesome!)
  5. All Quiet On The Western Front
  6. Frankenstein
  7. Lord of the Rings and Philosophy
  8. Regeneration
  9. A Fool's Alphabet
  10. The Blasphemer
  11. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
  12. Of Mice and Men
  13. The Lost Symbol
  14. Around the World in 80 Days
  15. Life of Pi
  16. The Man Who Cycled the World
  17. Fighter Heroes of World War One
  18. The Green Mile
  19. One Day
  20. Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone
  21. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
  22. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
  23. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
  24. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
  25. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
  26. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (I read one Harry Potter book a day in the run up to the final film as a fond farewell to J.K.Rowling's world :), that and I was a bit behind in total :P
  27. The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz
  28. Witchling
  29. Changeling
  30. Darkling
  31. Dragon Wytch
  32. Night Huntress
  33. Demon Mistress
  34. Bone Magic
  35. Harvest Hunting
  36. Blood Wyne (28 to 36 is known as the 'Otherworld' series. Fantastic science fiction about 3 sisters, one is a witch, one is a werecat and the third a vampire. http://www.galenorn.com/Otherworld/index.php?body=ow-witchling.htm )
  37. Solitaire Mystery
  38. A Wolf at the Table
  39. Tuesday's With Morrie
  40. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
  41. Interview with a Vampire
  42. American Psycho (Read this out of curiosity and never will again, I like horror films and everything but this is just disturbing)
  43. Private Peaceful (This book made me and my 17 year old brother cry)
  44. The Auschwitz Violin
  45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
  46. War of the Worlds
  47. The Kite Runner
  48. The Colour Purple
  49. One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich
  50. Stephen Hawking: A Briefer History of Time.(This also allowed me to cross off 'understand a science book' XD) 

Wednesday 30 November 2011

11:20 - No comments

Kilimanjaro 1st Meeting.

We had the first meeting last night at Cotswolds (an outdoor shop), for the COCO charity climb. They talked us through the itinerary and the kit list which was really helpful, since I don't really know that much about it.

We're going on the 15th - 24th June and I'm really excited XD. The only things that's making me a little nervous is the amount of money we each have to raise. It's around £2000 which is quite a a lot. Fortunately I contacted my old secondary school before the meeting and asked if they would have a non-uniform day to help me raise the money and they agreed :). There are over 700 kids that go to that school so I'll get about £700 :D. I'm also going to contact my old primary school and my sixth form college to see if they will help. I've also set up a just giving page so I can pester my family and friends for sponsorship :P. Feel free to donate if you like http://www.justgiving.com/becca-ellis.

I'll keep you updated on my fundraising progress and training, which I'm really looking forward to. Maybe this will give me the kick up the backside I need to join the gym and get back in my walking boots. Wish me luck folks :)

Friday 25 November 2011

16:33 - No comments

Sky Diving - Done!

Since I already started crossing things off before I made this blog, I thought I'd tell you about the goals I've already achieved. This biggest one for me was Sky Diving!!



When I started Uni, I joined a club I spotted at freshers week 'Northumbria University Trainee Skydivers'. They said it would cost £5 to join the club and £150 pounds for the initial training and my first jump. Every jump after that is just £33 with every 4th jump free. I could think of no better way of spending my student loan, so off I popped to bank and got myself on the first course which was on the first week of October. The training took place at Peterlee Parachute Centre in Shotton Colliery and involved a lot of rolling on the floor and dangling/flailing in a harness from the ceiling. (I'm the girl on the right in the photo). All in all the training was fun, apart from the written test at the end.




Unfortunately, the weather wasn't brilliant that weekend and many weekends after, so I didn't actually get to jump until 5th November. Which gives me another reason to always 'remember, remember the 5th November'. I can tell you now there is no chance of me forgetting my first jump. It was AMAZING! I did a static line jump, which basically means that I go up in a small plane and as I jump out, a static line (A bit of cord) pulls my parachute out for me and then I take it to the ground. You have to walked out on to a ledge on the outside of the plane and hold on to a pole. When the instructor yells 'GO!' you're supposed to jump, I have to admit it took a while for the message to register. I held onto that pole for dear life! When I eventually let go, I didn't really jump off, I fell off. I might of screamed a little too and I kept looking up waiting for my parachute to open! After about 5 agonising seconds I see the parachute above my head and start to relax. Sort of. It was such an amazing experience and one I highly recommend. It's just you 1000's of feet above everyone else. When the time came for landing I got nervous again but I had no need, I landed smoothly on my feet :). Everyone who completed their first jump got a certificate :). I won't be able to jump again until after Christmas, but I plan on doing lots in summer and hopefully in a few years I'll be fully qualified! How cool is that?!

Don't know why I'm making a strange face, but I loves my certificate :) 

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