2. The Nightmare of All-Nighters.

We've all been there. Or at least, those of us without the organisational skills of a filing cabinet have. You're kicking back after a long day of classes and a hearty meal of cheese on toast, when suddenly you realise: oh crap. That coursework is due in tomorrow. FML. 
Now, some of you might be lucky - it might be that it's just a quick assignment to hand in to your 3pm tutorial and you can bang it out in no time tomorrow morning after a sound night's sleep. For others, though, this is the massive oh-fuck-kill-me-now moment, because your class is at 9am and your tutor is terrifying or, even worse, it's a Big Bad Essay with a very specific, very strict, probably unmanageable deadline of 12 noon. A no-show is not an option. There's only one thing for it: the all-nighter.
And so this is how you end up being the girl (or guy) in the queue for the self-checkouts at Tesco Express at 7 o'clock at night, two cans of Red Bull and a share pack of Minstrels in hand (hey. There's a long night ahead, sugar is essential. And Minstrels are darn tasty, ok?). You can feel the judging eyes of everyone in the vicinity burning into you. There it is, they're thinking. Exactly what you don't want to be, the slacker of the group, leaving everything to the last minute. For shame, stranger. For shame! This is not a good feeling. This, my friends, is the moment you start to really regret all that time you spent in the pub or watching Glee on megavideo or making paper sculptures or essentially doing anything but this coursework that is now taking its foul revenge by making you lose your 8 hour rest. Quickly, you pay for your survival supplies, leave the shop and run back to your flat, barricading yourself in your bedroom with only your laptop, books and a hefty supply of caffeine for company.
So how exactly do we get through the night without succumbing to the temptation of sleep or getting distracted by pictures of cats in sinks (which, if you're interested, are all here. Don't look at me like that, I get linked to weird stuff, ok?). Well, dear readers, I have developed a few pro tips to keep you fresh as a daisy for 24 hours (well, maybe not, but definitely long enough to do what you need to do).

1. Make your bed. I know what you're thinking. How does that help? I only do that when I've got a date or my mum's visiting! Trust me though. When your bed is unmade, it can be ultra-tempting to just slide on in there under the duvet and forget about the trouble you'll be in until you've been unconscious for a good few hours. When it's made, however, different story. It's all nice and neat (assuming your mother taught you well) and you have to go to all the effort of pulling back the covers and messing it up. Another idea is to cover the bed in stuff. Throw down your jacket, bag, books, hairdryer, whatever. If you have to go through the process of moving all that, you'll stay at your desk. I know that because you're lazy. If you weren't then you wouldn't need this advice in the first place.
2. Mix it up. It can be tempting to stick to one thing for your source of caffeine, but it is better to juggle them. Simple reasons: if you stay with an energy drink (Red Bull, for example), you have massive potential for a monstrous headache and hands so shaky even spellcheck can't save you. Too much coffee, quite simply, leads to stained teeth and nasty breath, and when you're running out the door at half 8 the next morning to get this assignment printed out in the library, that's the last thing you want. After all, you never know who you're going to meet. And as for tea, well, who ever stayed awake for 2 days by drinking tea?
3. In addition to point number 2, drink water. It can help keep you awake (although I wouldn't rely on just H2O to keep you going all night) and also hydrated, which keeps the caffeine-induced headaches at bay (just).
4. Have snacks. Especially important if you want to get to at least some classes the next day. Eating does, surprisingly, stop you from feeling like you're going to throw up when you're in your lectures and you're sleep deprived, so you can make like the Duracell bunny and keep going and going and going.
5. Stretch. This may sound strange but it does work. Take a break every few hours and do some stretches, maybe with a little yoga-type breathing. Focus on your back and shoulders since this is where the tension builds when you're sitting at a desk for long periods of time. By doing this, you get to focus on something else for a bit and you get a bit of exercise, which (in my experience anyway) can give you a new sense of vigour when it comes to getting things done.

Now bear in mind that these are not hard facts, just what I've drawn from my own experience through trial and error (after my first all-nighter, I sat in a lecture hallucinating that I was on a boat. True story.) and I know that what works for me doesn't necessarily work for everyone. If you're taking my advice, take it with a pinch of salt because I am definitely not an expert. Of course, it would be better if you just did your work ahead of time, but where's the fun in that??

 Much love!


P.S. A tip for the morning after (in case you didn't know) - use haemorrhoid cream to get rid of the eye bags. Alternatively, if you don't want to spring for that (or you're embarrassed to buy it, I don't blame you if you are) you can grate a potato, make a little parcel with it by wrapping in a cloth and sit with one of those on each eye for about 20 mins. I don't know how either of these work, but they do!


Current mood: tired

Current weight: still no scales/fatty fear

Current nail colour: very chipped french manicure

Alcoholic beverages this week: 0. Give me a break, it is only Monday.

1. An introduction.

Hello, hello. Welcome to my new blog, make yourself at home.

I thought I'd write a little introductory post for those of you who don't know me (which, even if anyone reads this, is probably nobody...) or don't know what this is all about. So, here are the facts:

1. My name is Megan, I'm 18 (which I still find strange to say even 6 months after my birthday!) and I'm Scottish.
2. I'm studying French and Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh (for those of you who don't know what Linguistics is, don't worry. I didn't know until about 4 lectures into the course). Also this year I'm taking a course in Sociology, because, well, why not?
3. I'm a bit of a nerd, but I'm perfectly ok with that. Some of my favourite tv shows include Doctor Who, Firefly (which should NEVER have been cancelled), and other such lovely sci-fi things.  I also like Gossip Girl, 90210 and Desperate Housewives. Make of this information what you will.
4. I am obsessed with the gym. I think this is mainly due to the fact that on my unemployed student budget, such things as gym memberships are a major luxury and therefore something I don't have. One day, though. One day I'll get back there.
5. In contrast to my last point, I also adore ice cream and bacon sandwiches (not together. Ew). Give me a nice crispy bacon butty and I'll love you forever. A tub of Ben and Jerry's? Marry me now. I may love exercise but I am definitely not a health freak.
6. I generally find it very hard to think of things to put in a list about myself. Maybe this would be easier if we take it slow. Get to know each other over the course of time. Yes, I like that idea...

Now, about the blog! Well, I have been blogging on and off (mostly off, really) for the past few years, just about my life in general, but that got boring. I like having a place to just write down my thoughts and stuff, but because there was no real structure or reason to it, it started to feel like I was just a whiny teenager begging for the approval of someone, anyone, as long as I was getting some attention. It wasn't cool. So, I thought to myself, what am I going to do about this? I didn't want to just give up, or even worse, just start putting everything in a diary (shock horror!) (yes, I did have a diary when I was younger but looking back on it, it's just hilariously pathetic. That's a place I'd rather not revisit, thank you very much). I realised that I needed a purpose, something definite to keep me from straying into whinge city or taking a detour through boredomville. 
So here we are. The student experience. It seems as good a point as any to focus on, so that's what I shall be doing. If you have any suggestions for a specific part of student life for me to talk about (or if you think I should quit while I'm ahead) (or if you read this at all, actually, because I quite like you if you did), comment and let me know.


Much love!



Current mood: chilled
Current weight: unknown, due to lack of bathroom scales. Also due to fear of said weight.
Current nail colour: badly done french manicure. I did them myself!
Alcoholic beverages this week: 3 (or maybe 4. Not many anyway)