Play up, Pompey!

An online diary of my time spent at the University of Portsmouth, studying Graphic Design. I've never previously been able to keep a diary for longer than a week, so it will be some achievement if this is still going mid-2016...

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Finale

I graduated on 13th July, with most of my nearest and dearest there to witness it. A couple more watched it online through the uni’s streaming service, and they then upload all ceremonies to YouTube, so if you didn’t see it, there’s no excuse! I achieved a 2:1 (Attila) in graphic design for my troubles. And, if the title of this post wasn’t a clue, this is my final entry, so thank you for reading if you’ve stuck with me this long.

I attended a ‘prizewinners’ ceremony before the real McCoy, due to my being shortlisted in the posterfortomorrow competition. It was nice to be part of, along with a number of my colleagues from the past three years. This was followed by the much larger graduation ceremony, and I crossed the stage to shake hands with Sandi Toksvig along with the rest of my class, and other creative courses. It all moved very smoothly and relatively quickly, meaning we were outside gathered on the steps in record time; I think the myriad photos I was made to pose for possibly took longer! We headed to lunch at Pizza Express, which was enjoyable, and then the rest of the fam parted ways. In fact, the whole day was enjoyable, and a good way to sign off on uni life in Portsmouth.

Which means that not only did I successfully make it through three years of university and infuriating housemates (with some notable exceptions), but I also kept this diary going throughout! The main purpose at the start of this was to log my memories for posterity, and to help process the experiences I had, so I look forward to reading back through it all in 1, 3, 10, however many years time.

There is no question that I had a great time, and that my life is the richer for it. The same cannot be said for my bank account, but that’s another story. Though there remains one constant nagging feeling, one that I have expressed before on here - I wish I’d been taught more. Value-for-money issues aside, I still feel slightly under-equipped for the real world; that may be a universal feeling for all graduates, but hey, they can write their own blog. Roughly four hours of lessons a week feels like a pittance, particularly when the majority of those hours would be ‘studio time’ or something similar. Having said that, I liked all the tutors, and truly enjoyed all contact time I had with them. 

And similarly, the miscreants I studied alongside weren’t bad either. I don’t think there was a single person I couldn’t get on with; that may be because I’m just a total delight, but then again, I don’t recall any big disagreements between anyone. We were a good group, and I’m very hopeful of staying in contact with a large number of them - hell, I’m currently living with one of them.

There were a number of highlights, some of which I’ve surely forgotten due to my awful memory (another reason to write this blog), but the ones I do recall include meeting a couple of Scandinavians, and getting a private tour of both Fratton Park and a flag making factory (self-confessed nerd). I was looking forward to new experiences and new people, and Portsmouth certainly delivered. I’m hoping the next chapter of my life - which is also beginning in Pompey - is equally enthralling and exciting. If I have kept you entertained, and you are therefore so inclined to continue reading about my exploits, then the sequel can be followed here - http://benjaminsblog.tumblr.com/

Thanks Portsmouth; I’m not done with you yet, but you’ve been great. 

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12.7.16 This is a summary of my day; in what felt like my first day off in ages, I went and did some shopping. Having spent the last few days completing my LOTR puzzle with Will and his mate Alex, we were all in the mood for another! Alex and I went in search of jigsaw and found a couple. We then parted ways and I continued to shop for various boring household items, a film I'd wanted to see but never have, and collect my uni items on the way home. I'm feeling very accomplished at the moment, so tomorrow (graduation) will have to go some to beat this!

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I picked up my final year artefacts from uni today - my Nobel book and flag decks - and successfully updated my website to show them both. I’m particularly happy to have my cards finally in my possession; I’ve been yearning to play with them!

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London Show - New Designers 2016 

(6-7 June) 

I went back to the show on Thursday, and was very glad I did. Both issues I’d talked to Dan about seemed to have been solved, and this greatly improved my experience. My work was more accessible, there were far fewer of us, and so I could flex my presentation skills. I took some photos of the stand, which was difficult what with my fellow colleagues trying constantly trying to photobomb my efforts (ft. Hayley’s hand), though I may have started that. I spoke to all sorts of people, from Specsavers, games companies, and fellow students/teachers to name a few. 

My favourite was in fact a fellow student, from the space opposite us - the Illustration course from Sunderland. I’d sidled over yesterday to have a chat with a couple of them, as I was getting nowhere amongst the throng at mine, and today I went back to speak to one of them, Laura. I think I may have made it clear how things were going yesterday, because she asked if it was going better today. Thankfully, I could give an affirmative, and then we started chatting about our projects. When I outlined the naval cards, she got all excited, and demanded I show her; turns out she’s a sea cadet, which as far as I can tell is like scouts at sea, so she was genuinely interested in it. She said it’s definitely something I should contact the cadets about, as it would be a great aid to help teach the kids an essential part of naval communication.

Other highlights of the show included an opportunity to pose with Mike and Sulley (saw and took!), and design your own bottle for Absolut - an in-house competition they do each year. I drew about four; I was getting really into it and felt like I was almost back in nursery with all the pens and pastels lying around...

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6.7.16 Today was the start of our London show - carrying on in a similar vein to the Portsmouth one, but on a much larger scale. New Designers welcome universities from all over the country, and all creative courses, not just graphic design. Having been at Wimbledon yesterday, I stayed at Helen's, which made for a far simpler trip to the venue. I got there, found our area in the labyrinth, and spent the majority of my day standing waiting for people to come over and wow with my work. Trouble is, that's what everyone was doing, and some with greater enthusiasm than I felt appropriate. It made it hard for everyone to have a fair shot at talking about their work (including myself), which is the whole point of being here. I only spoke to one person all day about my work, which I think was a combination of other people and also an unfortunate pairing of my work; right in the cranniest nook. Thus, I cut a heavily frustrated figure by the end of play at 9 in the evening. I spoke to one of the tutors Dan about both these issues, which I hope will be solved tomorrow, when I go back. Though it certainly wasn't all awful; when it's all over I will post some choice photos of my doings.

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27.6.16

I had Wednesday confirmed as move-in day, picked up Ed from the station, we went and spent quite a bit on a food shop in Asda, came home to watch a bit of Wimbledon’s opening day, then went out to recreate our own. We won a set each, then called it a day. We came back, watched the second half of Italy v Spain, then a bit more tennis, then England’s diabolical performance against Iceland. I fell asleep for most of the second half. And I’m writing this late and can’t be bothered to write in any more detail.

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24.6.16

So. Yesterday I voted for the first time in my life. It was a little anticlimactic to tell the truth, but it did feel kinda good to do it, particularly for one of the more important polls that have occurred during my adult life. Today I woke up to the news that UK is leaving the EU - by a slim margin, but a margin nonetheless. 

Not a lot has changed since the last time I wrote about politics and voting on here, but from my simplified point of view, it seemed far more sensible/less risky to remain with the other 27 countries; as nobody could say for definite just exactly what this would do for our country, I would have thought that it would be better to stay on the same ship as everyone else - even if it ended up sinking, you collectively pull together and find a solution (i.e. don’t go unnecessarily burning bridges). 

There have been extreme claims - scratch that - lies told by both campaigns, which is the most unsettling part about it, because that does not instil great faith in a decision when the primary forces behind it are too desperate/afraid to give you the truth. Mind you, that’s what politics is all about, isn’t it?

It’s not the outcome I voted for, and it does make me feel uneasy, but I must respect it, and trust that it will not have any apocalyptic consequences for our country. Seeing as the ‘experts’ didn’t know how this will go, I won’t try and make any assumptions, nor will I lampoon anyone for voting differently to me.

It’s a new scary chapter, but that’s what change is, isn’t it? I guess all we can do is just keep swimming reading.

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13.6.16

It’s a month until I officially graduate, and I started the countdown off with a thunderously productive Monday. I had a list of many small things to do, and I blazed through them like a lit line of petrol!

I went to the bank, booked myself a haircut for tomorrow, went in to Asda to get a couple of items, ordered some cardboard boxes to pack up my stuff, got a reduced shift on Saturday (for house sign-out), finished the referencing process for my new flat (with a view to moving in next week), got the go ahead from my current landladies to stay here a little longer while I make the transition, and then went to tennis in the evening - playing much better than I would have expected following a three-week hiatus.

During the day I also did my good deed for the week - and then followed it up with another; while in Asda, there was a small elderly lady using her cane to try and extricate a tub of ice cream from the top shelf, which I got down for her. Then when I sitting outside eating my sandwich, I saw a mother and daughter showing hallmark signs of looking at a map and not knowing where they were. Though I have little confidence in my map reading abilities, I know the area well, and have viewed it on Google Maps a number of times, so felt confident enough in my local knowledge to ask them if they wanted any help. I pointed out where they were, and then confirmed the best way to reach their destination (the aquarium on the seafront).

Tennis went pretty well after a horrendous warm up, though I was feeling the conditions a lot more than usual; I was sweating Nadal amounts, and even resorted to putting a sweatband on my arm to stem the flow! I soon got back into the swing of things (it’s a lame pun but it always fits), though my serve was what suffered most from the lack of practice. This meant I was not quite as lethal in the latter stages of the session, when it became matchplay. Having said that, I hit about 4-5 aces out wide on the deuce (my favourite). But having said that, I hit way more double faults than usual. I lost my first game but then won three on the bounce to get to and remain on top court. When we stopped I was losing the final game 2-1, but I was 30-0 up on my serve having been 2-0 down, so I say draw. And another gold medal for me.

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11.6.16

I’m writing about Asda for the second day in a row! Only because I had two customers who reminded me of my parents so much that it made me chuckle!

The first one was a father and son (both adults); they only bought a few things, but bickered over who paid. The son wanted to put it on his card but the dad thrust his cash at me instead. This I find very relatable with my dad, and I couldn’t help laughing at it.

Later on, a lady came through, who started talking about how she prefers to shop at Waitrose, given Asda’s inferior fruit & veg (her words, not mine). I said that my mum and sister both work for the partnership, and that I did briefly for a time, which caused her to exclaim, ‘Oh why did you leave?!’ She said they take care of their employees, which Asda clearly don’t (again, her words!). She was so vehemently pro-Waitrose that I’m sure my mum would’ve wiped a proud tear from her eye...

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10.6.16

After spending the start of the week with Dad and sis, packing in all sorts of work and play, it was kinda relieving to have a couple of straightforward days at Asda to recuperate! And for the most part that’s what they were - especially today; people seemed more chatty today than most days since I’ve been back, and that always helps.

There was a couple with their little boy - the mum held his fingers to punch in her pin, which he enjoyed but immediately went barmy when she took the card out and put it away! I defused this by handing him the receipt, which perked him up equally as quickly! He even gave me a wave over his mum’s shoulder as they walked off, which I returned with a smile. There was an elderly lady sitting nearby who saw this and smiled at me too, which was nice.

Then, as I was about to exit stage left, a lady asked me where the couscous was; there are three aisles next to each other that kinda merge into one, with rices, foreign foods and the like, so I went on a quick sojourn with her with no luck. I went and found a colleague, who fortunately had had a similar request recently, but even then it took her a while to pinpoint hit! When we got there, the customer had just picked a bag out, having found it just before us. We all had a chuckle about it, which was a nice note to leave on.

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31.5.16

My aunt Helen (no the other aunt Helen) came down to visit me and see my show - I met her at the train station and we made our way through the drizzle to Eldon; as she wandered around the exhibition, I filmed the entire studio, so I could show the space to people who couldn’t make it, such as my granny.

We then went to Brewhouse & Kitchen, and if you’re having deja vu, that’s because I went there with my mum, dad, and sis on Friday when they came to see the show. I had another delicious NY Burger, but this time was unable to finish it, which made me wonder if I was coming down with something!

I am writing this a day late, and I have just received my overall grade/s for my degree. The marks are all there, so I’m pretty damn sure of my results, but it just feels a little unofficial still. Nevertheless, it seems I’ll be graduating with a 2:1, which I call a very good result.

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28.5.16

First day back at Asda after a stint in the wilderness - and it was a drudge. I don’t know if I’ve made that word up but it fits so perfectly. It was tough, but I got there in the end. I’m back on tills for the time being, so it’s harder to have different things going on to break up the day. I was exceedingly uncomfortable in my little booth, and had a fair few issues that needed resolving by my superiors (in rank only), who did not share my sense of urgency most of the time.

I suppose the most notable thing was that for the first time I can recall, upon opening a pack of eggs, I discovered a broken one and had to get a replacement!!! The novelty soon wore off, though. And when my shift finished at 8, I left promptly because I had agreed to meet up with some friends to watch the Champions League final, but I was accosted by a lady who needed my help...for no more than three things, it turned out.

After eventually escaping, I grabbed (and paid for!) a Kopparberg on my way out, and headed to Ryan’s house. He greeted me at the front door, resplendent in his newly-purchased Real Madrid shirt - he always said he was a Liverpool fan, but it is clear now that his support was only skin deep, and jumped ship to a far more successful team as soon as he could.

I watched the all-Madrid final with Ryan, Joe (another course mate), and Ryan’s friend Ali (I hope I spelt that right, but then, I can’t think how else you would spell it, unless you wanted to be confused for a place where both shady deals and shady acts are carried out). The game went all the way to penalties, which were all efficiently dispatched, until Atlético player #4 decided to give the world’s most modest man a chance to grab the headlines; the Portuguese Preener stepped up and claimed the trophy for Real, removing his shirt moments later, just to remind everyone how buff he really is. It was doubly frustrating because we called this scenario before the penalties even started, knowing how Ronaldo-centric both Real and Cristiano himself are.

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27.5.16 

Show time! Our grad show opened its doors this evening, and mum, dad, and sister came down to have nosey at what I’ve been spending the last three years working towards! Oh, and this picture was taken before it was opened - it was pretty packed with guests! We also got to see The Bookkeeper - the film I helped develop promotional materials for - which was cool, and I was included in the credits, which was a nice touch.

The four of us then went for a bite at Brewhouse & Kitchen; for the record I had a pulled pork burger with chips (and a Kopparberg, natch), before we all went our separate ways.

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21.5.16

My course buddies came round for lunch today - Will, Becca, Lucy and I had been discussing going somewhere for a bite to eat, but everywhere we looked seemed fairly pricey to me (Ken’s Fried Chicken excepted). So I suggested they come over to mine and I cook, which would be much cheaper, and we could hang out too. So that’s what we did - I went with fajitas, and though I think Lucy found them a bit on the spicy side, there was silence during the consumption so I take that as a good sign. Lucy and Becca brought pie and custard for dessert, which was thoughtful, and that also went down without complaint.

We then decided to watch a film, and as we surfed through Netflix, Will stumbled across ‘Of Mice and Men’ - starring Gary Sinise (Lieutenant Dan) and John Malkovich - and immediately decided this was what we’d be watching. Turned out they’d all studied the book/film at school for GCSE English, and apparently I had missed out. For the record, I did ‘The Crucible’, and I even remember the film adaptation with Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder.

I enjoyed the film - though the overarching story was a serious one, Malkovich provided humour throughout, once again stealing the show. Contrastingly, Sinise seems to have that one facial expression, like you just took his last jaffa cake, and he will find you, and he will kill you. Even when he smiles he looks like he’s just heard a really dark joke or something.

Will then surfed through my game collection, and settled on Hexic, a little arcade game where you move coloured gems around. We passed some time playing that and laughing at Will’s ineptitude, before everyone headed home; I then spent the evening unsure what to do with no MOTD to build my evening around.

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18.5.16

Today I gave blood for the fourth time; it went off without a hitch, and I also signed up for bone marrow donation too. If I am of use, they’ll contact me with the ‘next steps’.

I also know the first of my marks from this year’s projects (Visual Culture doesn’t count): I managed 60% in Design Studio Practice (Bookkeeper), which has pretty-much confirmed I will end my degree with a 2:1. This is what I was aiming for, and have been averaging throughout, so I am pleased.

However, I am less pleased with the DSP mark; this may seem a bit superfluous having achieved my overall target, but I thought I merited a higher mark, given that it was all on the presentation, which I felt I delivered well. It wouldn’t make a difference even if I scored 100% on it, but I consider my communication skills to be very strong, so I am personally aggrieved that apparently the tutors disagree! I look forward to reading my feedback at a later date.

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14.5.16

I went to see two houses with Will - the two finalists, as it were. We unanimously agreed on a winner, so we will be ringing the estate agent on Monday with a view to getting the ball rolling!

We then met up with Becca and went for a ‘cheeky Nando’s’ - which seems to be the only way to have Nando’s. It hit the spot, and made the trudge home very tough; I finally got in a collapsed onto bed, and did very little for the rest of the day. It didn’t feel like a particularly hectic day, but it took a lot of time and a lot of walking, so I am trying to convince myself that we walked about 26 miles, and I’m not just getting tired more quickly than I used to...

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9.5.16

I am tired.

I went to view 5 houses today, but spread over many hours. My lazy-layabout-housemate-to-be was busy starting his job today, so I went along with course friend Lucy, who apparently has nothing better to do with all her newly-acquired free time! She was better at it than me, actually, picking up on things in the places that I wouldn’t have spotted. I only rated one of them, but I consider it all worthwhile experience. The more you know, and all that.

I then found the strength to go to tennis in the evening, and as always, did not regret it. My forehand is still about as reliable as a screen door on a battleship, which was a bit of a handicap at times, but overall I did ok.

I only have one house to view tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to a quieter day (I put in a lot of mileage). I may clean my room, but no promises.