576.

Final leg of apparent multi-blogging today, just going to post a few photos from the Grad Ball on Saturday. This way I feel like I have fully rounded off my University life and get back to more inane posts. I promise that I will begin work on the website tomorrow evening, today and tomorrow have turned out to be a lot more eventful than I had planned.

To add to my schedule, I am expecting a phone call tomorrow about a job I applied for this evening, I basically nerdgasmed over the company, it's so cool — perhaps more about that later, although it may be another case of 'initial excitement, no response', I'm not criticising them at all, it's just becoming slightly apparent to me that I'm not that spectacular at follow-up emails, but that is unrelated to them and more to do with disappointment from other applications.

I don't think I mentioned what I thought of the Grad Ball. I really enjoyed it and it was great to be so happy and to have everyone around me be so happy. However, I don't think that it was any better that last year's and it was over £10 cheaper last year, at a far more respectable, £25. I'm not a cheapskate but I do like to get my money's worth and for the record, Zane Lowe lived up to being a predicted disappointment, even a hipster agreed with me.
One thing I must say was a plus, was the fact that due to the high price of the ticket, everything once you got in was quite reasonable, although more reasonable had it been free...

Growing up and HP & DH.

It's pretty fitting that the day I graduated should turn out to be the same day that the new Harry Potter film came out. I mean I'm not like a 'Potter-loser' or anything but I've loved the books for a long time as well as enjoyed the films. It's very important that despite the title of this blog post, I am definitely not a creep.

If you haven't read the books but enjoy the films (what is wrong with you?!) I respect that, but expect spoilers.
Basically, it's just nice at the end of Harry Potter and everyone is all grown up, I'm now mirroring this in real life because I've officially graduated and therefore by definition am also a grown-up, despite not wanting to be.
Although I have certainly not always appreciated the films, it's a strange experience to have something you have grown up with ending at the same period in your life when something else important is ending.

I suppose I slightly prolonged the experience because I only just got round to seeing the film this afternoon, after this weekend's celebrations, making it all perhaps slightly more emotional due to the partying coming to an end as well.

I sign off on the house tomorrow and hope that I have very little need to ever return to Portsmouth, but I've had a great four years here and I hope that it's all been worth it...

Graduation.

I honestly don't know what I was so panicky about, yesterday was absolutely brilliant. I can now officially say that I'm a graduate, despite not actually receiving anything, to the disappointment of two random Asian men that approached me when I was heading over to hand my robes back.
Despite the nerves, it was such a happy, fun day. Moon was still a bit sick, but we've got some lovely photos, it was odd being the focus of so many other people's cameras, it was like being famous for the day.

Flickr set










So, aside from my actual certificate (which is in the post), I'm 100% a graduate now, I've shaken people's hands to prove it and everything.

Oh me, oh my.

I should get to sleep but I think I'll just toss and turn over nerves if I get into bed.

In just over twelve hours, I will have officially graduating and will have said goodbye to my University days for good. I'm just finishing off the crucial 'graduation' nails... Please don't let me fall over myself/my gown.

My Glastonbury video is being uploaded onto Vimeo as I type, iMovie was being as temperamental as always, but it seems to be working fine. I'll let it go 'live' in the morning. I'm unsure whether I will post as I go along or just do one big post when I get back, I plan on really going for it on the celebrating front, especially since the probability of Moon being slightly better has gone up.

Grad ball anticipation.

So apparently Kelis has pulled out of her contract to perform at the Portsmouth SU as part of this year's circus-themed Graduation Summer Ball. Words can't begin to describe how indifferent I was to her playing in the first place and in all truth, the only thing I'm hoping for Saturday's proceedings is another silent disco, because last year's was so bangin'.

Whatever was going to happen, I wasn't go to end up seeing Kelis. Now the Portsmouth SU has decided that an adequate replacement is Zane Lowe. I can't say that I really care for him either. After his gaff over Beyoncé at Glastonbury, I'm pretty sure that I dislike him even more. It wasn't so much the fact that he dissed her, I don't care about that because everyone is entitled to their opinion and he's an alternative DJ so I never thought he would be her number one fan. The overall reason this particular incident got my goat was due to the fact that he didn't even have the balls to stick by his verbal diarrhoea and was almost immediately apologising for it. I mean fine, do something if you think it's going to get a cheap laugh but don't flip flop on it when it doesn't and makes more people angry instead, you just end up looking like an idiot, as well as a total wuss.
So, that's why I dislike Zane Lowe even more than I did before, but hey, he's pretty famous and if he doesn't talk over the songs, he usually plays my kind of set. It would be cool if there was lots of Biffy and a track by Ed Sheeran wouldn't go a miss either.

There are numerous other special guests performing that night but, obviously I'm mainly exciting because it's my night to round off my accomplishments over the last four years, at least that's how I'll be looking at it. I really am pretty proud that not only did I manage to pass but I actually got a decent grade, meaning that it wasn't a waste of time to only go in at most twice a week for the last year. I'm so excited and I can't wait to get dressed up and be dressed up with my friends, doing it last year as part of Moon's grad-ball just wasn't the same because I was just a plus-one, now he's mine and it's me who's the great one.

Results are in.

I'm pretty sure that I would barely cotton onto any of these kind of things if it wasn't for Facebook.
Pretty chuffed though, and doesn't it sound good? Perhaps not quite as good a 'First class' but it's still pretty bangin'.
'Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Photography with Upper Second Class Honours'. ♥
I picked up the final bits for my grad-ball outfit in Kingston today, I think I'm far too prepared, all I'm currently worried about when it comes to graduating is the potential to fall over and what nail polish to wear - decisions, decisions...

553.

In other news;
I'm very scared about graduating and not having a job. I'm currently psyching myself up for a couple of really neat-sounding jobs at ASOS, that I probably won't get. I just want to be normal and settled, and to not live at home forever.
I've had no replies from any jobs, aside from one that wouldn't have me because I couldn't drive, which is yet another thing that I need to get myself in gear to do.

Tomorrow, I'm going to work on sorting out my 'new' bedroom so I can have more of a work-space and be able to focus slightly more should anything important come up. I haven't actually ever lived in this house because we moved here while I was in the middle of university, so I've nearly always been living out of a suitcase whenever I've stayed here. It's quite odd to have everything packed away.
In terms of personal projects I'm also going to begin work on my Glastonbury documentary tomorrow, there are so many cool clips to sift through, generally I just can't wait to share it with my friends, although I'm also using it as something to feel as though I am keeping myself occupied too.

I seem to have suddenly had an influx of followers on Twitter, not an 'impressive' amount but enough for me to feel as though someone may actually be listening to me. All this spare time has been alright though, I won a couple of pairs of tickets to the iTunes Festival (yes, it is an annual thing for me now). I didn't go to Seasick Steve tonight though and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Manic Street Preachers/Dry the River tickets that I passed on to Moon's brother and his girlfriend will work for them. I'm not a massive fan of either and I was stupid and hadn't considered how last minute the competition was, I won them on Friday afternoon... I really to hope I win tickets to see Ed Sheeran again though, I'm not sure how desperate I am about seeing anybody else.

I haven't really got much else to say other than continue to pine for a job, but consider this my entrance back into the 'world of blogging', now when I say I maintain my blog, it can actually be true!

Here is a video from this afternoon:

I'll be a graduate soon...

So, here is another job that I might not get. I'm so scared of becoming a real human-being.

Capital.

..why yes, I was in the middle of Guildhall Square filming this off the big screen's live feed cheering my boyfriend on by myself while his own brother was sat about 8 metres away. Go go graduation!

Grad W/end.

Here are my favourite photos from this weekend.
I really enjoyed myself and am really looking forward to my own graduation now as well as mine and Moon's trip down to Cornwall in the next couple of weeks.
Enjoy how small I am because I always forget, also appreciate my tanlines (thanks Glasto)

LOOK HOW HANDSOME MY BOYF IS(!)

© Ruth Johnston 2010.

I'm quite happy that I missed The Creators Project for this, a bit gutted I wasn't able to finish off the Malden Fortnight stuff but I've been invited to a presentation on Thursday where I'll be able to meet and be thanked by the committee, I may also get a free meal. Moon says he will be my date ♥.
The best of the rest are on Facebook, I'm going to print out the nicest ones for my friends for when I see them next, also a ton for Moon so Moon's mum can cry with happiness over them.

Today is Moon's Graduation...

I am watching The Flintstones and waiting in the hotel lounge for his parents to pick us up.
It's been a pretty nice weekend, and we went to see a film last night, where I dropped my popcorn everywhere because either I am mega clumsy or my tights were too slippery. We went to see Predator, which was pretty good and has made me interested in watching the old ones, as it's yet another series of films - along with the Alien quadrilogy - that I have yet to see. I really liked Laurence Fishburne's character.

I forgot my USB cable so I'll be able to put up my photographs from the Grad Ball when I get home.

I'm going to try and 'play photographer' this afternoon to see how my images size up to the photos that Moon has paid to have taken.

Float your own boat.

Moon and I went to have a look at the graduate exhibitions currently showing in the Eldon Building in Portsmouth. Naturally it was all a trip mainly to look at how the Photography graduate's work turned out, it's all to such a high standard, I don't know how we're going to pull it off this time next year, but then I guess that's why they're graduating this year and we've only just finished our second year. The amount of bickering that took place for the last exhibition was unbelievable, hopefully people will be better at settling their differences next time around.
The Photography degree show is called 'Wide Eyes', like I mentioned I think a serious amount of skill went into producing these images and the exhibition really comes together despite the diverse amount of subject matter on show. I went ahead and bought the catalogue and everything. One criticism I would have would be the layout of the show as it's weirdly spread all around the building and some of the work is really far apart, but it's not really the fault of the graduates as it probably was the best that they could work with, the only reason I am mentioning it is that due to the odd layout, some of the work is quite easy to miss if you're idly walking around and not completely paying attention.

This is the inside of the catalogue, I didn't actually take any photographs of the show, not for any particular reason, I was just too busy looking to really think about it. This piece by Adam Gilbert-Anderson was probably my favourite of the show, the way it was displayed was also how I hope to display one of my major projects next year, so it was a big help. The image below also got featured as a commended image on theprintspace gallery's monthly competition, I think the whole piece was really effective, particularly the ticking clock, it actually drove Moon mad. The video piece can be found on his blog along with other work, which is also really interesting.

There really are some great storytellers among this lot, a pretty useful tool to have if you want to more than a photographer's assistant.

© Faye Wears

This is another piece that I really liked, the lines you see are light trails of planes, very interesting, also, I found the below video today and it kind of reminded me of it, two more examples of simple ideas working well.

Flight Patterns, © Charlie McCarthy via Public School

I might see if I can get to the show in London to see how it differs from the one here, the photographs are great so with a better exhibition layout they could look even better.

I also saw this suitcase of tea as part of the Collective exhibition also on at Eldon, the other pieces are really interesting, once again, I wish I'd photographed more to show, but I was concentrating, I don't even know who it's by, but it's great.

After all of that, we then went to the Portsmouth City Museum. It's not so great, but it was free, and at least I can say that I've been now, even if none of the exhibitions interested me. Well, apart from the one about 'hey day' Southsea, but that could have been done a lot better. Sorry, Portsmouth City Museum, but at least you're better than Portsmouth Natural History Museum.