Home for Christmas...

I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last post! Apologies people!

I suppose I should really pick up from where I left off. I don't really have a proper excuse as to why I haven't been on here, although my work load increased a hell of a lot in November and December, so that could have had something to do with it.

I did have time in November to go to the Albert Hall, once again, for the Music for Youth School's Proms. This year Gwent Strings were performing and as I was part of the choir all we had to do was hum at the end of the piece.

Dress rehearsal

The actual performance

This is the piece that we performed. This video was recorded in Birmingham in July. (There is a second part to this as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqL8ciizAaU)

Hmmmm, let me think. What did I do then...?

Oh, yes. Then came December, and with that, the ridiculous amount of Christmas concerts!

I may as well have lived on the trains all through the month, with the amount of travelling between Swansea and Newport I had to do.

I had my first concert with Gwent, which was nothing but as standard to be honest. I'm now one of the oldest in the choir now, but I do like it.

Only a few days after that, I sung as part of a 10-piece choir for a wedding in Bath. This was a great experience, and something I would definitely consider doing in the future, especially seeing as I got paid for it!

The choir just before the wedding started

Then came the Swansea University Choral Society concert. I've got to say, I loved this concert, and I was even lucky enough to have a solo in one of the pieces (I start at 1:47):

The final Christmas concert I did was with the BBC NOW and Chorus. I'm not actually a member of that choir, yet, but they combined with Gwent Youth Choir, and we performed some traditional and not so traditional Christmas songs.

Here's the performance:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017t1jn/BBC_National_Orchestra_of_Wales_23_12_2011/

Annnnnnnd breathe Rhian! I can actually have my social life back now, well until March at least!

I've realised that this post doesn't really have anything to do with me being home in it, but I'll post again soon, I promise!

House 52 life...

Today marks one month since I moved into House 52 in the student village. A lot has happened in that month.

1) Well, first of all, I moved in.

My bed.

My wardrobe, shelves and drawers.

My desk. Most important thing is the flag though!

My picture wall and poster on my door!

My wall, complete with birthday cards, posters and my banner from my guides.

2) I have some awesome house mates.

Pim, Charlotte and myself on the first night out in Diva's.

Me and Jason, our house mate from Hong Kong.

Ben, Matt, Pim, myself, Sam and Jonny before Fresher's Ball.

3) And finally, my birthday!

Blowing out my candles.

My birthday cake from my house mates.

Me and Tom in the Wonky Sheep.

The balloons on the door. Says it all really.

I know what you're thinking. No, I'm not back with Tom, and I haven't spoken to him properly since my birthday. If you are clever enough you might be able to find the blog I've made about him, but I'm not telling you how to find it!

All in all, I have loved my first month here, and can't wait for the many more that will follow!

I want more weeks like that...

Well I'm back. I've been back for more than a month now, but I've only just managed to get around to writing this! I say that, I've just been too lazy really!

I've got to say, I did have an amazing time in Leipzig. There were a few times that I felt like screaming at some people (I'm naming no names!), but no holiday is ever perfect, is it?

I suppose the only part of the tour that I didn't enjoy was the stupidly long bus, ahhhh I mean coach *puts one euro in the pot*, journey that we had to endure there and back. I myself am not brilliant with coaches, so I had these travel sickness tablets called Joy Rides. Oh how I giggled when I first saw them!
I'm also not very good with sleeping on coaches either, unlike my friend Jenny, who slept like this:

I really don't understand how that is comfortable! Thankfully, I did eventually get to sleep: lying face down in the aisle of the coach, where I actually slept like a log! In all honesty I don't really care that I may have been a nuisance to everyone else that had to climb over me, I was comfortable and I got my sleep. That was all I cared about at that moment!

The actual tour itself was amazing and I had actually forgotten how beautiful Germany was. If I were to describe the whole week in words, well, I can't. So I'll do it in pictures instead.

Told you... beautiful!

Amazing artwork on the side of a building.

The only good thing about our sausage meal!

The orchestra's first concert.

Choir rehearsing.

The choir's concert in a monastery.

The married couple sleeping on the way home. Bless them!

In all honesty, I can't wait for Croatia!

2 down, 1 to go...

Well, that was another AMAZING week!

I got back Friday night from a week long course with the National Youth Choir of Wales. This has been my 3rd year with the choir, and they seem to keep getting better!

NYCW 2011

I think I felt the most comfortable in the choir this year. I mean, the first two years were good, but this year I actually felt like I had settled in properly with the other choristers, and also the staff.

Maybe the music wasn't as good as it has been before, but I had three great girls to spend the week with.

Leanne, Laura, Me and Jenny

But aside from the all day rehearsals, we were allowed to have fun too! This year, me and the girls found it great fun to 'plank' in as many places as possible.

Leanne planking across the sinks

It also seems that I have the amazing ability to pull on these courses! Now, I didn't say that, that was my friend Hannah,

I never fail to be impressed by and slightly jealous of @rhiancocker's ability to pull on these courses. It's ridiculous!

See...?!

I also amaze myself sometimes, but like I've said before, I do get on better with guys than girls, so that might have something to do with it! I don't really care though. All the guys I get to know are great people, and I'm great friends with all of them.

Aron, Me and Tom

So that was that week. I'm really sad it's over, but I'm definitely looking forward to next year because we are doing the BBC Proms again!

The last thing I have to look forward to now is Leipzig in a week and a half! I really can't wait!

1 down, 2 to go...

This time I'm not talking about exams!

No, I am now checking off the 3 amazing weeks of music I have already had, and have to look forward to.

The first week started for me with Gwent's Annual Summer Showcase in St. David's Hall, Cardiff. I always love this day, because I get to experience and listen to so many parts of the music service I've never heard before.

And I can't complain, what with Gwent being recognised as the best music service in the UK! http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/9065728.Gwent_music_support_is_best_in_Britain/?ref=rss

And then from the Tuesday to Saturday, I was in Birmingham for the Music For Youth's National Festival. This was the first time I had actually been in more than one thing at this festival, and I'm so glad I stayed up for the week to experience everything.

On the Tuesday I was in two choirs: Greater Gwent Youth Choir and Bassaleg School Senior Choir. It was a great day altogether, and even better for school choir because we won an award!

I'm the one in the middle with the glasses and necklaces!

Greater Gwent Youth Choir

There is also this video of GGYC performing Gloria - Vivaldi

Wednesday was next, I was in Bottom Heavy this day. Now you're probably wondering what bottom heavy is? Well, it is another Gwent ensemble consisting of just cellos and double basses (and two guitars!). I am one of said guitarists, and I have to say I love performing with this group.

Bottom Heavy

I'm the one on the left

Overall Gwent received 11 out of a possible 15 awards, which gives us a good chance of performing in the School's Proms in the Albert Hall in November.

I've still got two more exciting weeks of music to look forward to. One begins this Saturday for the National Youth Choir of Wales, and the second is in August when Gwent go to Leipzig with choir and orchestra.

Finally...

I've had my hair cut!

Now some of you are probably thinking, 'Why is she telling us this?' but this is the first time in forever I have had short hair!

3 down, 4 to go...

Yes, it's that time again. Exams.

If I'm going to be honest it's all I seem to have done for the past two years, which I suppose is partly true.

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And once again I have been distracted by my guitar! It seems to have happened a lot recently. I never seem to want to do revision because of them. Well I suppose I do have four to choose from to play!

But getting back to exams. These are the last ones (hopefully) that I will ever have to do in school. And then I'm off to Swansea!!

I thought I might have learnt a lesson from my January exams however, but I haven't. I told myself that I would start revision early, and I didn't. I had an exam yesterday and I started revision for that on Sunday. Not good... not good at all. Thankfully I did a lot of last minute cramming, so hopefully it's paid off (I doubt it though!)

My next exam is on Monday, and it's Maths. Not too worried about that, because I can actually do maths.
Then I've got Physics on Tuesday, Product Design on Thursday, and then another Physics paper on Monday.

Did I mention I dislike the WJEC!? That Physics paper on the Monday, is the last exam on the calender of the year. Trust me to take a subject that has it's exam on a Monday. While everyone else will have finished on the Friday and will be out getting drunk that weekend, 13 of us in my school will be at home all weekend revising.

Ah well, I've got a really exciting summer to look forward to! I shall tell you more soon!

The National Trust..

is cool, alright!?
Check this video out. I'm in it!



If you want to know who I am, I'm talking at 1:11, 1:50 and 1:57. I sound quite welsh actually!

Never leave thing to the last minute...

Take my advice on this. I'm currently in the middle of finishing a Product Design coursework folder, that I have had 3 months to complete, and I decide to do it the day before it's meant to be in. I am so screwed!

I want a tattoo...

I love this design. I'm thinking of getting it on the back of my lower neck :)

I will fail at life...

... if I don't get my ass into gear!

So basically it is nearing exams for me, but I've also got A-Level coursework that has to be in on Friday, which I have hardly started. I am screwed.

And of course, I haven't started revising. I have just read back through my posts from around this time last year, and you would have thought I'd have learnt from them. But I haven't. My revision probably won't start until I really have to do any, which isn't a good plan, but that's how I roll!

In other news...

...I've just realised there is so much, I'm going to put them into separate posts.

But..... if you have twitter, feel free to follow me! http://twitter.com/#!/rhiancocker

Flood It...

I love this game....
Have fun!

Flood It!

Games

Merry Easter....

Yeah, I've said it a month late, but so what!?

It's been a while, (again!), since I've been on here. Although I do have an excuse this time! I've had more exams!

I only had 3 during January, but they were so much harder than anything I did at AS level was. I say that, even though one of them was an AS level resit!

First of all I had my Maths C3 module, which, if I'm going to be honest, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yeah there were a few questions that I got a little bit confused on, but other than that, it went fine!
Then, the day after, I had my Product Design, DT1 resit. I thought it went amazing actually! There was one small question that I got a little stuck on, but I think I stormed through the essay question!
And finally I had my Physics PH4 module. I wasn't looking forward to this exam, and it didn't help that the paper  was really hard. I managed quite a few questions, but there were about 2 that I didn't answer at all!
Ah well, I just have to wait for the results in March now!

In other news, I have now had all my offers back from Universities! Well, sort of! I have 4 conditional offers from Swansea, Liverpool John Moores and Portsmouth, and I have an interview for Loughborough in April. Swansea is my first choice, and they want me to get an A and two B's. I think this is reasonable enough, but even if I get three B's I'll still get it.

Not looking forward to Valentines Day though. I won't go into detail, but me and the other half haven't spoken for a while, and things aren't looking too good. Hopefully we will be able to sort things out.

And I will make sure I post more.... honest!!