Merry Christmas Everybody!!!!! (& Ally's Back :D)

heehee... wow... lot's has happened since I last posted (not all that surprising I s'pose seeing as how I haven't posted since September ;P)... lesse... Flew in to Paris to spend some time with Nal and had fun running around to the Chateau de Vincennes and climbing Notre Dame (finally!) and just generally wreaking havoc on the city with her and Yves *evil grin* before I took off to go a-s'ploring on an epicly wirlwind (6 days :D!) train journey through Germany ;)! Met up with Claire and Zuzanna in Munich (where Zuzana hosted us :D!) - it was amazing!!!I love Munich!!! Bavarian culture is crazily-awesomely-the-best-thing-on-the-planet!!!! Heehee, everyone wears dirndle and leiderhosen!!! It's great :D! It was even especially greater as we were there for Oktoberfest *grins*!!!! People there are Crazy!!!! They start drinking at like 7 in the morning!!!! It was amazing though and the Beer Tents are sooo cool!! The beer even tastes good!!!!! (not that I can finish a Mass on my own though :P) heeheee... we even managed to get a place in one of the tents with Zuzana and her friends! - and Claire and I made loads of new friends on our roamings around town. awww Munich really is a gorgeous city! After that it was off home for Claire and up to Berlin for a couple of days for me. Berlin is a really nice city too... too young and ... new?... for me though... I just don't feel the history to it in the same way I do Rome and Paris. It is really nice though... wouldda been nice to have more time to wander through museums - even so, I miraculously managed to see everything in the day and a half I had there :D! OOOH! and I did this really amazing fre-bikie-tour of the city! It rocked! I highly reccomend it! Next I was off to Heidleberg to visit the fabled town and its pictoresque castle - and to see the jaw bone of Homo heidlebergensis :D!!!!!! It was cool!!!! and the town and castle definitely lived up to their reputation :D!!! Next was back home (or Nals home at any rate :D) to Paris for a night before I headed back off (to my home) in Ox :D!!!. Awww man, I love traveling by train! It just, being able to see all the scenery with not other cars and dirty roads blocking the window makes you feel as though you properly are covering ground and travelling. All in all it was a really beautiful trip.

School was really good this term too :D! Possibly one of my favourite terms yet. It was filled with work, but loads of other stuff too *grins*. I'm now international student rep for Hertford. OOOH!!! And I took up rowing! It's actually really really fun, I was on the Novices C's due to my crazy schedule - but I think that we were arguably the best crew *grins madly* We had the most fun at any rate ;)! Christchurch, the big novice regatta was unfortunately cancelled (again) this year due to massive ammounts of rain and high water levels - but we still managed to race and do well earlier in the week ;)!!!! After all our training in the rain too :P! lol!!! We would get soooo wet! One day was amazing though as there was a sun shower (the rain was still pelting down though!) and there was a double rainbow over christchurch meadow as we were rowing past :). heehee. lesse, what else? Still dancing as much as ever - only ballet and jazz though now, no time for ballroom. OOOH! And I just bought new point shoes (I'm back on point :D) - they're all pretty and Grishko 2007s :D!!! Still playing (european-soccer) football - OOOOHHH!!! ANd I went Kayaking in South Wales one weekend, so that was fun!!!!!! heehee, being me, I managed to fall in on a flat bit :P. What else?... OH! Watching the rugby world cup and the reactions of the english was amazingly fun ;)! As was Hallowe'en baking :D!!!! oooh!!!! And pumpkin Carving!! heehee... I got some weird looks when I had to buy the pumpkin early and bring it into the library with me before bringing it down to South Oxford for carving *grins* It was fun carving though! Especially as it was Qu's first!!!!! *shakes head laughing* I also got the sign of the cross made at me for wearing my devil horns around town on hallowe'en day *shakes head again*. OOOH!!! And X-mas baking :D!!! (not at home, though I did that with Kat at Nonna's all day on Wednesday :D!) But in Ox!!! I got a bunch of us together and we made and decorated X-mas choc-chip and rasin cookies :D!!! They were amazing!!! And they disapeared really really fast ;)!

hmm... yup, so, all in all, a very very good term :D!. Afterward Charlotte and I hung around Oxford with all those who were helping with interviews for a few days before we headed to her place so I could see her family for the night before heading off to Paris to stay with Nal again (and pack the extra suitcase of pressies she gave me to bring home for people ;P!) before heading off skiing :D!!! heehee. Paris was, once again, awesome, as I tagged along with her to some of her classes - one of which, on french comparative literature, was downright amazing! - and just hung out. OOh! We also went to a special x-mas party for Quebec-ers in Paris with her cousin and her boyfriend and friend on the last night which was loads of fun (even if I did finally develop the ear infection that had been threatening - luckily I also had anti-biotics on me ;)!) OOOH!!! and I Also got to go See Tante Janine in Louveciennes again!!! Aww I love her sooo much! So we got to share and enjoyable afternoon of Fooding anf chatting (no walk unfortunately as it was raining.)! Yupyup *nods*

Heehee Next was Skiing in Val Thorens in the French Alps :D! the largest and highest ski area in the alps! It was amazing!!!!! one of the best ski trips I have ever been on :D!!! I totally wish I had taken more pictures!!! There was just incredible amounts of powder, it was AMAZING :D!!!!!!!!! It was over my waist in places!!!! heehee, there was no visibility for the first three days, but the last three were perfectly clear - oooh! and they opened up the passes into the other 3 valleys so we got to explore there and I got to ski GLADES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippeeeeeee :D:D:D:D!!!! heehee... awww.. a bunch of us did advanced lessons and our instructor was Great! heehee he was fun, basically got a kick out of burying us in the deepest powder he could find off piste *shakes head* It was awesome! And I now know how to ski powder as well as packed snow :D!

Heehee after that snow filled adventure I headed back to Nal's for the night so we could have X-mas dinner and exchange gifts and, then, it was off home to land in the biggest snow storm of december 'since '45 :D!!! heehee it was great to arrive in (even if ma refused to come to the airport to pick me up *wrinkles nose*), everything was all White! *grins* yupyup.

So now it's the day before Christmas (for me... eve for everyone else *wrinkles nose*) and I've finally managed an update! Heehee... decorated the house as soon as I arrived and got to see a bunch of the gifties on friday when we all turned up to see Woburn's x-mas assembly (and Mr. Rooney who was subbing for the day :D!!!) so that was all good and fun *grins* and I got to play football in the snow on the back field which was even mpore fun :D (even if I did end up in the splits at one point :P). But yeah, it's great to finially see everyone again!!! I missed you all sooo much *hugs* *plus more hugs just 'cause I've missed you all*

Went up to Burlington yesterday to have an early x-mas with Papa's side so that the Uncle Peter's could be there. It was fun *grins* aww man, Vanessa and Keith have grown sooo much, they're still adorable though ;D! And it was really good to see everyone after not getting to go cottaging this summer *pouts*

So, yeah... that's about it! Update completed I guess ;)!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Hope you all have Happy Holidays!
~Ally

Back!

Wow, It feels like it's been forever since I last posted!!!! (Prolly 'cause I've done so much since, considering the length of most of my posting breaks, it really hasn't been all that long :P)!!

hmm.. lesse... Peru was awesome;y amazingly fun! - although digging in the desert at the same site for seven weeks straight did get a little boring/tiring after a while!! as did not having a really shower for the great majority of the time!!! we went in to town a couple of times just to be able to get clean! We were sooooo dirty - I have pictures of me where it looks like I have a mustache!!!!! lol! Needless to say, when a bunch of us stopped in Trujillo the night brfore our flight most of us took about 3 showers in a row... and I woke up early the next morning to have another one!!!!! heehee... We were digging 6 days/week so we didn't have all that much free time, but I did make it up to Casma to see the ruins over there (which are really really cool and awesome btw and involved a crazy moto-taxi ride into the wilds of the northern peruvian desert :D!!!) with a couple of the others!!! and one weekend a bunch climbd this mountain named huasiquito (without any equipment :S and, although it wasn't overly high, it was high enough and rediculously steep/sheer/crumbling that we prolly shouldda died a number of times(eeek!)), so that was amazingly fun *grins like an idiot*!!!!! ... yupyup.. what else... we fund some cool stuff like a stone necklace, 9 baby camelid skeletons (9! -do you know how long those things take to get out of the ground?!?!), a number of pottery shards, a human tooth, caches of spondylus (v. cool!), some scorpions (;D!)... it was pretty cool!!! and, although our site wasn't this magnificent temple or anything that tourists would love, it was really cool archaeologically 'cause it was really strategically placed and had evidence of occupation by nearly all of the cultures in the area from the ealy pre-ceramic on down!!!! and it was HUGE!!!! it covered an entire floodplain! heehee... every day was an adventure too, 'cause we'd have to take a 45min combi (broken down - non shock absorpbant van) ride up valley (before a 30 mins treck into the desert) to get to the site everyday and, not only did you never know what would be riding along with you (live turkeys...), the thing often broke down in exterly entertaining ways (seriously!!! once, not only did the wheel fall off, the entire axel went with it!!!!! I have pictures!!!!) leaving us to push it!!!!! *shakes head* it was great!!!! :D! OOOH!!! and I got to practice my Spanish!!! awww, I'll miss Francisco!!! He was the Peruvian archaeologist (who reminds me of a 46yr old version of my grandfather) that I was digging with in one part of the site for a large part of the trip ... he was awesome!!!!

lol! So yeah, that was Peru... after that, I came home for a week (- and hosted the gifty reunion party the night after getting home :P) *shakes head and grins* It was awesome!!! I'm sooo glad I got to see (almost *glares at Linna especially*) everyone again :D!!!!! I miss all you guys soooo much *sniffsniff* and then spent the majority of the week hanging out in Scarborough (SCAR-BRO!!!) so that I could see everyone and spend time with Em before she left me and headed out to UBC *sniffsniff* and so I could help (or try to) with Megan's wedding. It was great!!! Megan's dress was absolutely beautiful and the wedding was really nice!!! (omg, on another note, I can't beleive Megan is married!!!!!!!!!!)...

After that, it was off to Hawaii!!!!! (oooh! wait, with a night at home to go see the new cirque show KOOZA! which is really good... different from most cirque shows in that the characters often spoke English, but still very, very good. OOOH! And while I was home I went with Nal to see Medeival Times 'cause she worked there and I had never been... so, yeah, that was fun too :D!!! .. oh! and that was the night I found out that Ma and John had changed the keys to the front door and forgotten to tell me... honestly, sometimes I think that they don't love me ;P! And they did it to Nal too!!! *shakes head*)

Yupyup! Hawai'i was AWESOME!!!! We were on Kuai'i, 'the garden island' and we managed to travel all over it and see things from all angles!!! We took a Helicopter ride all around the island and into Mt Wai'ale ale, the collapsed in crater of the old volcano and the wettest spot in the northern hemisphere!!!!, we went to the Waimea (little grand canyon of the pacific) Canyon and Akala'i swamp (the highest swamp in the world) :D, went kayaking on the Wilua River, horseback riding on the North Coast, swiming everywhere... heehee, it was sooooo much fun!!!! I checked out the lava pools and reefs... ooh!!! and we took a Catamaran tour of the Na Pali coast and I went snorkelling and saw a reef shark!!! Oh! And at the cliffs near where we stayed the sea turtles would come right up during hightide to feed!!!! It was sooo great!!!! OOOH!!!! And we went to a luau!!! and made Leis!!! OH!!!! And I learnt how to surf!!!! And got addicted (and burnt my bum, so now it's peeling *pouts*) It was amazing!!! And I learnt how to Hula!!!!I love it so much! I wanna go back and live there for a summer and work in a hotel and learn more Hula (and surfing)!!!! And maybe go see the big island of Hawai'i so I can see an active volcano!!!! :D!!!!

On our way back we stopped in San Francisco for a few days, so that was pretty cool too :)! Nal and I had loads (wayyy too much :D!) fun riding on the cable cars - they're sooooo cool, especially with a of the hugely steep hills in San Fran - it's like a roller coaster!!! And you don't even have to go inside!!! you can just hang on the outside!!!!! So, yeah, we saw all the sites there like the golden gate bridge, lombard street, postcard row, etc... AND we got to go to Alcatraz (at night too :D!!!!) before heading home last week!!!

So yeah... now I'm at home and working at Canadian Tire doing data entry to make some money before I go back to school in a couple of weeks :D! That said, life's not all boring *grins* I just got back from spending the weekend in Northern Quebec for the 10th aniversary celebration of the engineering company where my dad works (translating for the ontario contingent :P). It was great!!!! *shakes head while grinning* I'd forgotten how crazy engineers could be and how much les quebecois like to party!!!! Heehee... we got split into teams and there were a bunch of crazy challenges and games - one of which was to build a boat in 2 hours out of 8 8' planks of wood, 5 40lbs buckets and some nails!!!! We then had to test them on the (very, very cold :P ) lake and see how many ppl the would carry and have races. It was GREAT!!!! :D!!! Even if I did get completely soaked!!! It was beautiful up there too (bloody freezing though!)! It was far enough North that the leaves had already begun to change... and the water was just soo blue!!! and the rolling hills *shakes head* living in Toronto, it's just so easy to forget how beautiful northen Ontario and Quebec can be...

Yupyup! So now it's back to school in a couple of weeks - well... not quite *grins*. Nal's heading over to Paris to study, so I'm gonna go over and join her for a bit next week before heading up to Germany ('cause I've never been - I also don't speek the language, eeeek!) for a couple of days... and then, it's back to school :D! heehee...
*nods* so.. yeah... I guess that's it!
Lot's o' love!

Awwww....

It's so weird... I can't beleive first year is done already!!! In some ways its just flown by... and in others it... I donno... I guess it really was just about the right length.

It was kinda weird staying long for exams and having sooo many people leave... college just seemed soooo much quieter without them - despite the fact that all the medics, PPE-ists, mathmaticians, E&M-ers, biologist, linguists, historians and Arch & Anthers were still around... I donno... It's actually been kinda fun. More relaxed almost - even with Exams :D! *grins* exams were pretty fun... I had two days of six hours solid writing 12 essays total. Yeas, Oxford is insane. The the last one wasn't exactly my favourite and I ended up leaving early (though I did that for most of them... or finished early and then got trapped in the exam room unable to leave due to the fact that I had finished one minute after the half-hour-remaining mark *wrinkles nose* Gah! I swear I was more distracting to have around with all of my squirming than my departure would have been :P)! It was still fun though since I came back to college and deposited my stuff before heading back to the exam schools to join the crowd waiting to attack and congratulate all those wearing red carnations :D!!!! OOOH! and our flutes of champagne - particularly the chocolate bottle - on the lawn afterward were also fun! *grins*

*shakes head* still feels weird to think I'm leaving Oxford in an hour... (AHHH!!! I'm leaving in an hour!!! EEEEKKK!!!) I had soooooo much stuff packed to leave in storage that it was insane!!!! I have no idea how I've managed to pack it for all of the other breaks!!!! Awww... soo strange to think that this is the last time we'll properly be living in Hertford *pouts* I'll miss it! - Just Like I miss Amanda *grins* Amanda was back last weekend and it was awesome!!!!! Punting with her, her friend Lee, Henry and Ewen was especially entertaining *grins* heehee... drunken Amanda and Henry (who totally deserved it for getting a destinction in his exams :D) are faaarrr too much fun - insane, but fun too!!!!

Anyhow, I should probably head off... I'm at Charlotte's for the night so that I can say bye for the summer and then off home for two days before I leave for Peru (ahhhh! - which means I am unfortunately going to miss Janet Evanovich doing a book signing at Indigo *cries* soooo unfair!!! I'm missing it by like 8 or 9 hours... and I keep getting emails about it *dies*)

So yeah, that's pretty much it! Hope everyone has and awesome and Amazing summer. I'll miss you all greatly!!!!
Lot's of love!
~Ally

AHHHH!!!! *runs for cover*

... ... ... what? it's only safe to run and hide. It's quite obvious that the world must be ending... I mean, come on, I'm posting twice within the same month *grins*

anyhow... lesse... what've I been up to lately? Went in to London after ballet 2 weeks ago to meet up with Ma and John so that we could go see Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Bath... It was really neat!! I really wish that you could still go right up to stonehenge... being roped off from it just doesn't give you the same feeling as you would get being up close. It would be awesome if you could still climb on ... *looks sheepishly toward her fellow archaeologists*... uh.. I mean carefully investigate without any climbing what-so-ever it *nods*... it was still pretty cool though and Salisbury was really pretty. Bath was amazingly incredible. It just doesn't feel like you're in England at all! You can almost feel the Roman-ness oozing out of the very stones *sigh* it felt like home almost in the same way that Rome does... I so just didn't want to leave... *grins* ah, well... I'll get 'round to heading back there one of these days... Ooooh! And despite the fact that it rained for the majority of the time that Ma and John were here, it was nice and sunny on all of our touristy days *grins* must just be a reflection of my wonderful-ness - unfortunately it was also sunny for the entirety of their trip up to the scottish highland without me *grumbles*

what else is new??? hmm... this is sad... I'm not entirely sure what I've been up to... finnished all my essays a while ago, had my last tut this morning... now all that's left is to study... hmmm... all of the physicists have been slowly dying from their exams this week.., I'm not entirely sure whether it's funny or depressing... *chuckles*... ah well... oooh! I know what I totally forgot to mention! The fact that I did a little miny Jazz show in the park for Oxford (the city's) 1000 year aniversary. It was fun! I think I may kind of actually miss performing *shakes head* ... s'weird, I totally never thought I'd say that... awww... and I missed recital for the first time ever!!! It feels sooooo weird! especially since I've seen every show that Jess and Sophie have ever done except this one!

*giggles* On another note, I appear to be doing a lot of new and exciting(?) things this term. Punting... um... other stuff-ing... Playing Rounders (a bizare form of baseball)... breaking my nose while playing rounders.... yup... I think that's about it *grins* heehee - what? I wasn't wearing my glasses so I couldn't see the ball when Sam threw it ... and it kinda hit me in the face... yup. Not to worry though! *grins* being me, I accidentally-on-purpose managed to re-align it while trying to stop the bleeding before going to the hospital (which is a good thing since I then had to wait 2 and a half hours... at which point my nose would've settled in the wrong place - ick.). So it's still all pretty and straight and the only way you can tell is by the slightly black left eye. *nods*... ah well... *shakes head* Honnestly... I don't know what to do if these things didn't happen in my life... it would just be so boring :P!

Heehee... anyhow... I should prolly head off.. to ... uh... do something I s'pose...
lot's of love!
~Ally

BOO!

*little kiddish innocent voice* Guess what, Guess what?!?!... okay, fine... I'll tell... I should be writing an essay right now :D! (so what else is new :P).

hmmm... I don't actually know what to say... the urge to blog just suddenly came upon me - as it so very often does when I'm supposed to be writing an essay... although that really doesn't explain my lack of postage... what with the 12 essays I've had per term :P.

Where to start?? It's so strage how everyone else back home is done already and getting to meet up without me *sobs* awww, man you guys are soooo great and I totally miss you so much... Mr Dick was totally right when he said we would/were all go/going through gifted withdrawal *shakes head*... I've never known a crazier group of people.

This term has been awesomely fun so far... might not have been the start I hoped for, but I know that Tsz would be pleased to know that we were enjoying ourselves and eating well! Thank you Tsz, by the way, for being such an awesome friend to all and for just demonstrating the way that life is supposed to be lived - to it's fullest, with every moment enjoyed and taken advantage of - you were an incredible person and I know that I will, and do, miss you... dance was just so much more fun with you around to run into people :P... and to drag me all over town in search of food during competitions (and then have me drag you to the beach in blackpool at 9 at night 'cuase I'd never seen it)!!! Wherever you are, I hope that you are having as much fun as you always did dancing, mahjong-ing, eating and doing everything else that you were so fond of doing and that made us all love you so dearly...

In spite of that (or possibly because of Tsz's influence) term's been awesome since first week!!! Filled with playing frisbee and basking in the sun in the university parks, five-a-side football with the hertford womens team, taking looong fun walks around Oxford (and getting locked into Christ Church meadows after hours and have to climb the (very high) gates (three times!) late at night to get out), Late night BBQs, fooding and fun with the girls and training the hertford dancesport cuppers team - which btw came in 5th!!!!! Yay!!!! GO US :D! The competition was actually loads of fun... especially since I had just gone with the intention of captaining and, instead, ended up making it to 6th place on a Jive routine made and learnt 10mins before the start with one of the other hertfordians who had danced last year and turned up to cheer :D!!!!!! It was good fun! (AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! English-ism *runs screaming*)... *calms doan a bit* anyhow... WAIT!!! Punting!!! How could I have forgotten punting on my list of fun things I've done this term?!?!?! OMG! Punting is amazing!! It's like gondoleiring except in shallow English rivers with a long pole rather than a paddle... and it only took me two crashes into the trees/bank to learn to do it *grins widely*!!!! The bank crash was mildly scary though... there were cows standing right at the edge with no fencing to hold them back... cows are scary I tell you! Never mind all that mumbo-jumbo written about their warm intelligent eyes... I saw those eyes, they were clearly judging my punting (in)ability :P.

So yeah... this term's been pretty awesome so far... and then Ma and John were visiting this week so I got Yummy food bought for me (which is always important) *grins*. and I took them 'round to the uni parks and taught them to punt and sent them 'round a visiting things ('cause y'know they wouldn't've done that on their own :P)... ooooh!!!! and we went to Warwick castle and it was all pretty and medieval and they had a trebuchet that they actually shot off... and lots of pretty historical information and if I had lived in Victorian times I totally would have been Daisy, Countess of Warwick 'cause she was awesome and pretty and smart and broke convention ... and yeah... so that was fun too... and now they're visiting Charlotte's parents (eeek!) and have been for the past *checks clock* 7? hours... wow!... yup... OOOH! And frisbee cuppers was this morning!!! We managed to loose every single game with the exception of the one that we won by default 'cause the other team failed to show up... it was pretty impresive ;P!!!! Oooh! and we saw Guys and Dolls... it was really good... I quite like the whole fun simplicity of the story... it's very... refreshing almost.. and the music and dancing were really good too!

And... well... yeah... I should prolly head off to bed to get some sleep so that I can actually write my essay tomorrow morning before my tutorial, 2 football games, ballet class and late night trip into London so that I can go to Stonehenge, Bath and Salisbury Cathedral with Ma and John on Tuesday... hmmm... I hafta remember to bring my camera for that one...

See you all soon (and by that I mean... uh soon-ish...)...
Lot's of Luv,
~Ally

Wow... can't say that last post was my most articulate, well-ordered or coherent ever, but then *shakes head* when was I ever coherent, well-ordered or articulate *grins*?

Anyhow, thought I'd do a short update-y post-like thing before I headed off to England *nods*.

Lesse - the gifty thing was a fun success... man, I love Woburn, it was awesome... Em, Jess, Marc and I all had fun on Friday, despite the fact that we stood outside in the freezing cold for an hour before deciding we were lazy (and frozen solid :P) and returning home for yummy warm tea :D! Which, of course meant that people got in as soon as we left *shakes head in amusement*... I swear my life is constructed on the premise of a sit com... heehee, Jess's on thurs was also fun, as was the hot tub time in the snow before we went to meet marc at the train station:D! - which, I might add, I missed due to the fact that I had developed a drysocket and had to stop at the dentist's on the way *sigh* - see, sit com!!! Even more entertainingly however, as soon as I took my departure and headed toward the dentist, Em chipped her tooth *giggles*...

Then, it was off to the great white north - literally! it snowed the entire week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still very fun though! Our group of 15 was an awesomely amazing mix of diverse people and our instructor, Robb, was incredible!!! I am also very proud to say that we are now all regestered Woofers *grins madly* ... that is, of course, that we are all Wilderness First Responders (WFR- pronounced Woofer) and can do crazy first aid stuff (like clear spines, fix certain dislocation and give injections *pause for evil smile*) so long as we are in the back country 2 hours away from diffinitive care (at which point you are all at my mercy *evil cackle*) *clears throat* right... so, yeah... that brings us up to now... hmmm... I suppose I should really go pack...

See you!
the ever-insane, Ally

Right...

*sighs and shakes head* I sooooo do not have time to be blogging right now but *shrug* blogging I am 'cause I really really really do need to do an update before I forget all that has happened in my life - sad ain't it? You know you're getting old when you can't remember your own life!!! (on a complete and utter side note: OMG! I can't believe I'm nineteen!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHAHHHHAHHHHAHHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! okay, now I feel better *grins*)

hmmm... I suppose I should prolly start of with what's new... hmm... what is new????
lesse, I found out on wednesday that I would have to get my wisdom tooth (yes, tooth. I for some reason only had one *shrug* who knows, no one ever said I was wise :P.) taken out on thursday... I just got it back today (my dentist said I could keep it as a souvenir :D) The thing was huge!!!!! I have no idea how there isn't a masive gapping hole in the back of my mouth!!!!!! The strange thing is that I didn't swell up at all - so, of course, I took this as permission to run around visiting ppl, write essays and run errands in the days imediately following its removal in typical me fashion *grins (with a gapping hole)* *shakes head again* that thing was bloody gigantic!!!!
- speaking of bloody, I do not have an English accent :P!!!!!!!! *looks innocent* It's not my fault that I now occaisionally speak with a slight English lilt.... and that I say Bah-naah-nah.. and trousers rather than pants ... and toilet or loo rather than... okay, fine :P.

hmmm what else is new... I've been home for what? Almost three weeks now (6wk long breaks between terms are nice :D) so I've been visiting the Uof T-ers nearly everyday ('cause however much you deny it Ting, I know you miss me terribly *grins*). And I visited the York-ers on monday which was tons and tons of fun.. never made it to waterloo or western (I'm sorry you guys, I really do love you too!!!! Look, It even took me nearly 3 wks to visit york!!!!!). Visited Woburn, and Miller and yeah... man.. I can't believe I'm in Uni - or that the York ppl are almost done first year! That's just crazy!!!! OOOH!!!! I went up to Queens with Em and her mum to see Megan's recital which was AMAZING!!! and got jumped by Kav and Raza which was equally as Awesome and Cool and I'm sooooo glad they ran (quite litterally :P) in to me :D!!!!!!!!! And MIT came home for a visit too :D!!!!! lesse... what else... got run over by a little chinese man in a car last monday(???) which was incredibly funny (and painful) as he insisted on stopping and apologizing profusely WHILE HIS CAR WAS STILL PARTIALLY ON MY FOOT!!!!! *shakes head* it was quite the funny scene...

OOOOH!!!! And Em and Gillian and I went down to see Al's band and they were AMAZING!!!! Omg! I had no clue Al could sing!!!! I'm totally looking forward to hearing them again!!!! I also saw the Taming of The Shrew In ballet form which I love for my birthday and we saw the Canadian production of We Will Rock You for Nal's which was also incredibly good... OOOH! and ma and I saw Blood Brothers when she droped me off in England... And yeah... now I should totally be preparing a speach-ey thing to give at woburn before I head off to Jess's for the night... but yeah... when have I ever been known to write something when I was supposed to...

Heehee... I suppose that since I am (finally) doing the update I promised I should start off where my last update ended.... hmmmm... for that, we must travel back in time *erie time-travelly music comes on* to the beggining of the school year *dundundun*

it was a bright and early morning with all of the birds chirping and the - what?! I'm not allowed to get creative with my life??? :P lol. Nah. while my first couple of weeks in oxford were bright n' sunny (despite the prevailing view point, it does not always rain in England :P), it prolly makes more sense to discuss the nights - and no, don't go yelling at me - I didn't do anything naughty :P (just ignore all of those pictures of me with poles up on facebook* wide-eyed innocent look*). Freshers (that's frosh for most normal people :D) week was incredibly insanely fun - and the endless nightly clubbing and packed days were a great prelude to the lack of sleep that is the 8 weeks of term time in Oxford *grins* But yeah, Hetford is a great college and boy do we know how to party *shakes head* Anyhow, loads of experiences and many friends later (and all in one week too), term started... and My God! There are just too may experiences to recount *sigh* I knew I shouldda updated sooner :P!!!! lol! Suffice it to say that Oxford during term time is loads of fun. My Tutors (profs - oxford speaks its own language) are great. I love my Ballet teacher despite the fact that I think she's insane. Ballroom is... fun? interesting to learn though I don't know how much longer I can cope with having to work with a partner :P (I'm far too independant aren't I... *shakes head* ppl should really start picking up on that one... hmmm) . OOOH!!! my team (I'm on the oxford ballroom team) won the F team competition at Sheffield (yes, I know, it was F team... *shrug* It was still a pleasant surprise *grins*) this past term. OH! And Odin (a fellow dancer and exchange student from Germany) and I came in the top 10 out of 40 in Rock and Roll at Nationals after only 3.5 hours of practice (which included teaching me the style and choreographing the routine) - so that was pretty cool :D!

Hmmm... what else? I really do need to try rowing next term and I can't wait to go punting on the river!!!!! OOOH! and I'm now playing on the college women's football (aka soccer) team - which should be really interesting due to how much I suck *shakes head and grins* Who knows... hmmm.... what else... on top of getting everyone addicted to Timmy's, I've gotten them addicted to peanut butter cookies made with canadian peanut butter - which of course means that I am relegated to the kitchen at least 3 times a term to bake :P.

OOOH!!!! Speaking of baking! I flew home for the weekend back in october for my comencement (graduation) - (yes. I am insane. but, then, we already knew that didn't we :P! *grins*) Which was loads of fun 'cause I got to see everyone again :D!!! And I got to bake pumpkin pie!!!!! Fall just isn't fall without pumpkin pie :D! Or the smell of fall... england doesn't know what it's missing!!!!!!! I also came home and baked again at christmas. But, not before staying at Charlotte's just outside of london for a week and seeing The Producers before going skiing in the Alps :D!!!! It was pretty interesting. It's really weirdly different from the rockies 'cause there are virtually no trees!!!! (which meant no glades *pouts*) It was pretty cool though 'cause we were at Les Deux Alpes and there is a glacier at the top!!!! Not the hardest thing to ski (it's blues and greens) but fun anyhow. The fact that there are no trees makes it really interesting though 'cause the equivalent of double blacks are "off piste" which is steep and rocky and involves many cliffs (one of which I watched a friend go over - all the while having no idea who he was and thinking him an idiot :P - he survived perfectly fine... his skis and poles didn't though :P). So, of course, being me and having skied with Tash and Beck all my life, I spent the first two days skiing off piste :D! ... luckily, I also spent those days skiing the other open blacks and blues on the mountain since, on the last run of the second day I was skiing the flat part of a blue run at virtually no speed when I fell over and sliced my knee open to the bone *wrinkles nose* ... all in all, it was a pretty fun experience... the french rescue ppl thought I was nuts and teased me mercilessly for how excited I was about the gurney ride down (what?! It was fun!!!!) and by my attempts to describe a roller coaster (I forgot that it was a montagne rousse *pouts*) and the doctor and nurse were equally as entertaned by my watching them stitch my knee closed... the trip also wasn't a complete loss as the doctor let me ski again 2 days later for the last two days of the trip :D! Although he did bind my knee so that I couldn't bend it and made me promise to stay on easy hills *pouts again* Skiing with a straight knee is hard!!!! *shrug* it was still fun, and an experience :D! And it meant that I had an excuse to explore the glacier and ski with my not-so-adept-friends :D!!!!!! It also made the plane flight home interesting.. if somewhat uncomfortable...

I stayed at Charlotte's again for a couple of days after this term ended, I love Charlotte's family! They are totally awesome :D!!! and we went in to London for my bday and spent the day playing on a Heath!!!! It was soo coool!!!! I'd never been to a heath before!!!!!!!! afterward we left Hampstead Heath and headed into London central where we met up with a couple of the guys (after being hit on by a random british-canadian *weird look* and charlotte being propositioned by an old man at the market :P) and went to see Blood Diamond (which was really really good) and had yummy frozen yogurt :D.

Home at x-mas was also fun! The gifted family dinner at frankie tomatoes that we planned the night before (as per usual :P) and Baldwin's New Years Party and living at everyone's house but my own for 2 weeks :D!!! and... yeah... *nods* I'd say that was a pretty good summary... especially 'cause I really, really, truly do need to be going to pack now... oh, yes! and write that speach (eeeeekkk!!!!) we're running a gifted intervention since all of the younger gifties are apparently thinking of dropping out *shakes head* they have no idea what they'd be giving up.

OMG!!!! How could I have forgotten!!!! I'm a member of the Oxford Union, which is a debating and speaking society and, among others, I have seen Emma Watson (Hermione) speak (she's surprisingly intelligent and articulate, a lot like her character actually) and met Natalie Portman!!!!! She was amazing!!!!She's extremely intelligent and down to earth (she was giving a talk on micro-economics). OOOH!!!! And through the Canadian Society, I got to meet Paul Martin. Paul Martin!!!!!!He is an incredible man. the reason he always seems so slow is because when he is asked a question is because he actually Thinks about his answer! And he is willing to take criticim afterward in order to improve. He also doesn't balk at admitting to not kowing something and has no problem asking the advice or opinions of those who know more!!!! He was just amazing and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to shake his hand.

Anyhow, I suppose I must be off... My luguage is calling me (eek). I'm out clubbing with Jess and Em and Marc (YAY!!!! Marc!!) tomorrow night before heading up north to burks falls for 9 days in a wilderness first aid course (and it's supposed to snow this weekend!!!!!!!!) before I head straight back to England for trinity term (I told you that Oxford had it's own language :P)... and then, after exams and Amanda's visit (and our suggested vagrancy), I fly to Peru where I am digging for 6wks :D! .. after that it's home for a week or so for Megan's wedding before I fly off to Hawaii... *shakes head* sometimes I love my life - other times I think I'm insane *grins*

See you all in August!

Heehee.

*Does a little dance* It's snowing! It's snowing!!! Snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow!!!
*giggles* I always know I'm home when it's -10 C and snowing :D!!! Especially when it starts the day I come home and celebrate my birthday. After all, it has to. It always snows on my birthday. I think it's some sort of commemorative thing for the ice storm that proclaimed the calamity that would follow my birth ;)!

wow... it's been a while (not the longest I haven't blogged in... I don't think...) but I really truly must do an update! Now, unfortunately, will not be the time (I know *sniffsniff* heartbreaking isn't it???) I have however, updated my bio to proclaim that I have succeeded in surviving the evil machinations of my friends (*cough*Evan*cough* ;P) and am now a whole year older *Grins* - And all of this despite the fact that I still act like I'm about six :D!!!! Pretty impressive, eh???

Anyhow, I really must be off but, if anyone is still bored enough to want more reading (and even if they aren't!!!) I recommend Tempozine. An amazing, student run, professional looking, online magazine about world affairs. The link to which is conveniently placed on the sidebar beside this post :D! (Wow!!! I should totally get Jen and Linna to let me do their advertisements from now on ;)!!!) Ok, Ok, I do have some vested interest in telling ppl to read it (beyond the fact that it is just plain amazing) - but you'll have to read the next issue to find out why *mischievous smile*

kk, I really am going now. Really, I am! And I do promise to post an update sometime soon (in the relatively near future at any rate *wrinkles nose*).

OOh!!! But before I go! You know what's funny?... The whole Timmy's thing!!! Any Canadians who meet while abroad seem to inevitably end up discussing Tim Horton's, what they love about it, how much they miss it, the first things they're gonna eat when they get home, etc. While I was myself, engaging in one of these conversations the other day at Uni, I was asked if That was the only topic we Canadians were capable of discussing abroad (to which I, of course, answered "NO!" since, as we all know, Canadians are also quite capable of discussing things such as Hockey and the many and varying types of different Snow and Ice :P). However, I was also asked if this constant discussion of Timmy's was an "abroad thing" to make us feel at home... and I realised (to feelings of mixed horror and delight) that, no, it wasn't! I'm pretty sure that Canadians discuss Timmy's equally as much at home with about 5 of them in a mile radius from us as we do when we are outside of the country and are missing them terribly...
... I'm not entirely sure what that says about us as a country... but it can't be bad... after all, I (along with El and Stephen) have managed to get the majority of Hertford addicted to Timbits!!!!!!!!! *Grins*

Lot's of love,
from the ever Timmy's loving,
~Ally