Backseat Drivers

I have a car, a valid driving licence and, not to blow my own trumpet too much, I'm also a bloody good driver. 

So for people to sit in the passenger seat of MY car and throw shade at MY driving is absolutely under no circumstance regarded as acceptable, and quite frankly I'd rather open the passenger door and boot them out than listen to their opinion of my driving. 

You may be asking yourself who has gotten me so wound up? The answer; my older much more condescending and egotistic brother, who also drives like a 90 year old OAP who wouldn't dream of going 1mph over the speed limit. 

*Quick disclaimer; I love old people, I really do. But I hate their driving...*

Now, this goes beyond the standard brother - sister banter that many siblings have. The only way I could describe the relationship between us was if I was to use the words 'Civil War'. 

We constantly feud over everything and anything that could be worth, and not so worth, arguing about (9 times out of 10 though it will be about the tv remote, and who's going to be in charge of it). 

Anyway, I digress. Going back on subject of backseat driving, my brother only this week agreed to get in my car and allow me to drive him after a year of passing my test. His simple excuse for not doing so before was "I value my life". The absolute cheek of it! 

But something must have won him round in the end, the jojoba and shea butter scented car freshener perhaps being just too tempting to resist. But boy, was that the worst car journey I have ever been on...

"Slow down Nicol", "you're too close to the car in front Nicol", "you're not checking your mirrors enough Nicol". 

I swear to everything holy that if my mum was not in the car with us at the time he would've found himself stranded on the side on the A34 en route to Oxford attempting to flag down another poor victim to listen to his agonising questioning and running criticism.

  

Resting Bitch Face

So, its been brought to my attention by various friends (and total strangers) that I have an almighty resting bitch face, RBF for short.

For those who have never heard of the expression, the urban dictionary sums it up pretty well:

Being graced with the inconvenience of RBF is not something you'll ever be able to escape. Here's a few issues I get on the regular for having the expression:

• It's hard to make a good overall impression towards new people, as everyone thinks you'll be a judgemental and stuck up bitch (but hang on, aren't they being the judgemental ones..?)

• You get told that you resemble Lucy Watson from Made In Chelsea on the daily (for people who live under a rock, she is pictured below).

• This also makes you seem very unapproachable.

• The positives; you'll never lose at poker or get wrinkles. 

So there it is, the not-so-secret secret is out there. For anyone else cursed by RBF, I wish you well and may you be calm in your many years of being told to "lighten up".

The 'Freshers' Fifteen'

I would like to think that I've always had a (semi) petite body frame, and without the risk of sounding too confident, I am was pleased with my body proportions.

I would like to think that this has upheld throughout the 5 weeks of being at university. Sadly, I know this isn't true.

First of all, freshers week, where there is no way in hell you'll be able to keep up with the healthy lifestyle you might have been accustomed to before university. The amount of alcohol that you'll drink in one night alone will be enough calories to take you right through until the next week, and that's before you stop off at the greasiest kebab van on your stumble home.

(Also, it's worth remembering that freshers week does not last a week, it can last many weeks...)

So, let's do some easy calculations; if you're going out 3 or 4 times a week for 2 weeks and buying a kebab each time, you will be eating 6-8 kebabs in 2 weeks. Kebabs are estimated to have around 1,000 calories, so that is 6-8,000 calories for one 'snack' in those 2 weeks (gross!!)

My advice; start signing up to the university gym now and do some high intensity cardio if you want to avoid the dreaded 'freshers' fifteen'.

*Word of warning; do not go down my route of signing up to pilates in the attempt to convince yourself that you're doing exercise. News flash: you're not.*

The Short Life

Before I arrived at university I never quite realised how short I actually was. 

The average height of an 18 year old girl is 5ft - 5ft 5 inches, and being 5ft 4 inches I am fully in-between this category of normality. 

But, despite this I'm still classed as 'short'. I'm not talking just a couple of centimetres shorter than everyone else, I'm meaning a good 5 inches shorter and for a 5ft 4 person this can be very intimidating and also very annoying (stop using me as an armrest!)

Now, my theory is that I'm just surrounding myself with people who are freakishly tall and secretly they should be the ones who feel intimidated by the little more petite people running around weaving in and out of them in large crowds. 

But, despite the annoyances of being shorter than the majority of the universities population, there are some definite advantages to being a short girl, and here are a few of them. 

• You will never experience the perils of not having enough leg room on trains, planes, buses and cars.
• You will never have to worry about being taller than your date, if you're into that kind of thing. 
• You will look forever young, being 'cute sized' and everything.
• No one will ever be able to describe you without the word 'cute' being included somewhere. 
• You can have a permanent laziness pass - can't reach the biscuit jar on the top shelf? no problem, ask someone else to get it.
• Heels - no high heels have ever been too 'high'.
• Power walking to keep up with taller friends will help you shed some excess weight.
• In photos you're usually told to stand or kneel in front of the taller superior people, but the joke is really on them - no one in the front row is ever forgotten!
• Standing upright on the top floor of double decker buses will never be an issue for you (taller friends, you may not have such luck...)
• And finally, you are able to join in with finger painting and sit around wearing princess costumes because children think you are one of them.

Uni Life: Week 4

It's coming to the end of the fourth week at university. To say these 4 weeks have gone quickly would be an understatement.

It seemed like just yesterday I was packing up my room and preparing for the 10 minute journey (yes, you heard that right) to Buckingham university.

Living so local to the university prompts a lot of questions about why I'm living in halls and not commuting from home. The simple answer: I needed to get a breather. I think every 18 year old reaches a point where they feel it's time to go solo and become more independent away from the clutches of their parents, I know I did.

*Quick disclaimer: becoming independent still means I can take my washing home once a week, or maybe twice...and maybe pop back for the odd Sunday roast*

So, over these past 4 weeks I've collected together photos and videos of the people who have added to my university experience, including my favourite ones below:

First night of uni - as you can see, it was a messy one!

The second night in Oxford was equally as messy - but luckily this picture was taken before any morals were lost...

I was fortunate to meet four big personalities in the first week of freshers

*Cue the obligatory jumping shadow photo*

                   One of the first pictures of us together, and one of my favourites

London drag night - a night full of laughter and silliness
below is a short video I managed to record - look how she slays!

*Obligatory pre-law ball selfie* (almost missed the bus for this one picture)

Yes, My Name Is 'Nicol' Not 'Nicole'

Two blog posts in and I thought it was about time I introduced myself...

"Hello" is a little bit awkward, I never know how to expand the conversation after the important introductions. So for this reason I'm going to dive straight in.

My name is Nicol Meazzini (yes, that is Nicol, spelt without an 'e' as my parents had to be difficult). One thing people are usually taken aback by, apart from the different spelling of my first name, is the fact I was not christened with a middle name. I've never questioned why my parents decided against it though so it's as much of a mystery to me as it is to you!

In case you're wondering my surname is Italian, as my dad is from Venezia, Italy. But being half Italian is fairly wasted on me as I'm pretty poor at speaking the language (rather embarrassing, I know).

Having an unusually spelt first name and a virtually impossible surname to spell and pronounce can get pretty tiring. As I'm constantly being asked to repeat my name it's now second nature to spell out 'Nicol' and 'Meazzini' after meeting new people.

But although I've never found my name on a keyring in a souvenir shop (believe me when you're 11 this is a pretty big deal!) I've come to terms with its uniqueness and secretly love how I've never met another 'Nicol'. Despite the 18 long years of being mocked for spelling my name the "wrong way"...

21 Best Pre-Drinking Songs For Freshers Week

Some may say that freshers week is a week to settle into uni life, taking it easy before the upcoming academic year. However, realistically this is not the case. Almost immediately you're hit with flyers advertising drinking events and activities promising to create and seal friendships for the next 2/3 years with the help of liquid confidence. A big part of freshers week that I have learnt is that pre-drinking is a pivotal first stage to a night out and should not be skipped. Not only as it's a bonding session in its own right, but because it's a lot cheaper to stock up on alcohol brands you've never heard of from your local Aldi than pay the extortionate prices for a vodka mixer in a club/bar (student loans only stretch so far!)

Music is also a very important part of pre-drinking. If selected carefully this music should get you 'hyped' for the evening ahead (along with a couple of cheesy classics to drunkenly sing along with too!)

Below I have compiled 25 songs that I think are worthy enough to be added to your pre-drinking playlists.

• In Da Club - 50 Cent 
• Get Busy - Sean Paul
• Five More Hours - Deorro x Chris Brown
• Ignition (Remix) - R.Kelly
• Hotline Bling - Drake 
• Shake That - Dansson
• Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
• Black Skinhead - Kanye West
• Partition - Beyoncé 
• Mr Brightside - The Killers
• Runaway (U & I) - Galantis
• I Love College - Asher Roth
• Wasted - Tiesto, Matthew Koma
• Cheers (Drink To that) - Rihanna 
• Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader
• Tipsy (Club Mix) - J-Kwon
• Opposite Of Adults - Chiddy Bang 
• What's My Age Again - Blink 182
• This Could Be Us - Rae Sremmurd 
• The Next Episode - Dr. Dre
• Get Low - Ying Yang Twins
• Million Voices - Otto Knows
• Whatever You Like - T.I
• Teach Me - Bakermat
• You're On - Madeon, Kyan

How I Survived Freshers (and how you can too!) - My Uni Survival Guide

If you're anything like me you'll be more concerned about getting to uni and making new friends than unpacking the 10+ bags of homeware and kitchen appliances that your parents were so adamant you would need (seriously, what student uses or has any intention of using a salad spinner?), but mums will be mums and who am I to turn down a free electric whisk...

Attempting to wedge and strategically pile up items I knew I would never use into my locker made me realise that I should have researched exactly what I would need to survive the 2 years of uni.

Listed below are some items I have used and have needed in the initial 3 weeks of being a fresher.

Bedroom*

• Pillows x2 (or how ever many you prefer)
• Duvet
• Duvet covers x2
• Mattress protector
• Bottom sheets X2
• Warm and snuggly blanket/throw
• Alarm clock (do not solely rely upon your phone alarm, this would be a very rookie error)
• Desk lamp (although this may also be supplied)
• Door stop (a good way to make friends with other freshers in your block)
• Home comforts (family and friend pictures for when you're feeling homesick)

*It's important to note that your university may supply bedding packs upon arrival that will contain pillows and duvets etc., so it's definitely worth checking.

Kitchen 

Many universities supply kitchen appliances, such as kettles and toasters, so before you take that oh-so-predictable trip to IKEA for the top of the range bagel and bread toaster (yes, I am guilty of this), be aware that they'll most likely already be supplied (maybe not so much the bagel toaster though...).

• Plates, cereal bowls x2, pasta bowls x2, small plates x2, large plates x2 (this way you'll always have one left when washing up the other)
• Mugs x2 (you'll learn that drinking tea is a pivotal bonding exercise with other freshers)
• Glasses: wine glasses x2, shot glasses x2 (so you won't have to drink on your own)
• Cutlery (knives, cutting knives, forks, spoons etc)
• Scissors (you can't use your teeth to open everything)
• Cooking utensils (ladle, wooden spoon etc)
• Tea towels (my advice; take as many as humanly possible they will get "lost")
• Pots & pans (for when you realise living on takeaways is not good for your body or your student loan)

These are just a couple of ideas and tips to get you through the first few weeks of uni life - if I can get through it, so can you!