Happy Easter Sunday

I'm not in any way religious so I don't actually celebrate Easter. Obviously as a child it was all about the chocolate and time off school but we never had special lunches and meet ups with family or anything. Today I'm thanking that fact simply because this would have been the worst Easter ever. Yesterday I had another Tonic-clonic seizure during the morning and smacked my wrist and head. I remember being in the shower and getting dressed after but that's about it, next thing I know is waking up on the floor with a booming head and very sore wrist. My wrist is turning a swollen shade of multi-coloured bruises but head is the worst, I have a massive bump and bruising which has resulted in all down the right side of my face aching painfully. It hurts to talk, smile and worst of all chew so the only thing I can be in least pain eating is yoghurt and over soaked mushed up shreddies... yum.. not the most appetising food ever. 

Yesterday was spent napping on the sofa whilst my housemates wandered around the house doing various things. Today is another day of laying in bed feeling very sorry for myself. The sun is shining though so I've been lying in it on my bed which is delightful change to listening to the rain showering down on the roof! Got to think positive! 

Birmingham and the 'in-car' seizure

It's my friends Asian wedding coming up so all my housemates and I took a trip from Cardiff up to Birmingham to find new outfits for the wedding and Mehndi party. Of course we hit the infamous Soho and Stratford roads in Birmingham famous for their Asian shops, food and atmosphere. It was a totally new experience for me with so many jewels and colours and I LOVED it!!








We spent two days there walking around countless shops pouring over outfit after outfit, stuffing ourselves with delicious food and generally having a good laugh :) Safe to say we all had a lovely time. 

Oh and we went to the most amazingly furnished and decorated restaurant I have ever seen. It's called the Mughal-E-Azam and is inside a renovated chapel.. it really was stunning along with the food!








To top off all the fun and excitement I went and had a seizure whilst squished into the car with everyone and everything. I remember we travelling along the motorway and I started to feel really hot so I took my coat off but then I felt really woozy. The next thing I know we're in the car parked on the side of the road with the windows open and trying to find my rescue meds and being talked to. Apparently I managed to get my coat off, said I felt weird then fainted which then swiftly lead into a 4 minute Tonic-Clonic. I came around confused then slept for ages while we apparently got really lost on the country roads after pulling off the motorway to stop the car and sort me out... sorry girls! I figure a mixture of tiredness, fighting against the cold, the travel and drinking sugary coffee to keep going were the triggers for that one.. At least it was in a car full of medics!!  

Back to life

I'm back out of my shoe box. Back at home. Back at work. Back to normal.

Not to much has been going on just visiting family and friends and generally taking a little step back from the world for a few days. The weather had been miserable as usual with rain, freezing winds and some snow thrown in when ever it feels like it.

My housemates are currently relaxing after finishing medical school having taken their last exam today. Good news on that note is that Epilepsy came up in one of their practical examinations, needless to say they would have all passed that with flying colours!! I feel so glad for them to be stress free for a little while. They're sitting in front of me as I type in fact painting glass jars ready for a party coming up very soon. We've just cooked and eaten a massive celebratory meal which was absolutely delicious and there's a cake happily baking away in the oven. I don't think I'm going to be able to to stay awake to eat some of it tonight though as I'm very tired today. I don't want to be too anti-social on such a happy evening so I thought I'd sit with them down here until I'm literally dropping to sleep! 

There is SO much coming up in life over the next few weeks. Everything from one of my closest friends getting married to various hospital visits (including a neurology appointment whoop) amongst travelling here, there and everywhere for various other things! We're also busy having visitors to the house at the moment because we're interviewing people to fill the rooms from July. I'm the only one staying in the house (sad times) so hopefully I'll find some lovely new housemates.

My youngest sister and I have decided to run the Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK. Obviously I have to take it slow but starting with a little jog a few times a week should help for now. I am definitely not fit enough to run yet though! Have to be very careful not to get to tired as ever as well, super excited though. 

That's pretty much it for now... not overly exciting... just have to carry on bumbling along with life and see how it goes as usual! 

Time travel

I can't believe how much time is flying at the moment. Each day passes so quickly I'm struggling to keep up with the world at the moment!

Currently I'm sitting in the canteen at the university where I work waiting for a meeting to finish. The meeting is being held in the room where my all my work stuff is, I need to get my notebook etc from in there to look up what I need to research. I'll check back again once I've finished the mocha I grabbed before I sat down and began my people watching (in a non creepy way...) actually it makes me remember all the things my course mates and I got up to when we studied here :)

I'm off on a little jaunt this weekend. My grandma and I have decided to go on holiday together this year, so we're meeting up at my dads for the weekend to start planning it! We are so similar in our ways my nan and I, from the food we favour to our opinions on all things life. The main love we share though is the need to travel. Since being diagnosed with Epilepsy apart from a 3 day trip to Paris while at uni, travelling abroad has been well and truly out of the question. Mainly because of the cost of travel insurance, it usually costs more than the holiday itself. I can't wait any longer though and have decided that I am just going to live my life as I want to travelling wise and seeing the world is a priority. So anyway we are going to explore somewhere in Europe together. We haven't chosen a particular place yet though which is reason for out meet up this weekend. She is bringing all her many travel books over and I plan on spending a lot of time pouring over them to decide on where exactly to go. In the past I have travelled to many countries in Europe particularly in the East when I spent a month with 2 friends and our backpacks. We went to the more unusual countries to visit. I have never been to more popular countries such as Spain or Italy... so maybe this is the time! I LOVE  a good dose of culture and absolutely CANNOT wait to absorb as much of it as I can. I've been saving my pennies as the months pass and will keep doing so until we go, which will most probably be in September or around then at least.

Well I'd best go and see if I can get to my notebook and finish work before I head home to pack and catch the train up North! 

Bastille - Bad Blood - Pompeii

I'm the kind of person that will listen to any type of music. There are some songs though that just sit perfectly in my life no matter how I'm feeling or what I happen to be doing at that particular time.  

Whilst recovering the other day from seizures the radio was on in the background and a song came on that immediately took my mind to another place (excuse the pun). It focussed my mind, settled me and made life seem amazing right at that very moment. Once home I searched long and hard to find what the song was and after listening to the radio program that it was played during, I heard it again! The song was Pompeii by the band Bastille. 

I simply CANNOT stop listening to their album Bad Blood. Every spare minute I'm in my room with my laptop and speakers the album is playing, along with every time I'm on the bus on my phone. It's the kind of music I can just lay back and listen to in the background while thinking through anything and everything or whilst I'm trying to focus on completing much needed jobs and tasks. Every song is different as well so non of that monotonous repetitive stuff. 

Basically I really like them and their music and I want to share it! x 

A day in bed, at work.

I went to work the other day only to spend the day down in the medical centre hanging out completely out of it with the nurses.

While I was on the bus on the way I remember getting a phone call from one of the people I work with asking for a catch up on things so I told him I was about 5 mins away as it happened and I'd meet him in his office. I remember walking into his office and putting a camera case down next to a shelf and him asking if I wanted any water and then bam nothing after that. Next thing I know is I'm sitting with a nurse on the bed in sick bay feeling rather fuzzy. My forehead was buzzing and my right arm felt like a piece of lead. She told me I was "away with the fairies for a while" and she could see me coming and going in and out of focus. We'd had full blown conversations about gibberish but she'd kept me talking to focus. I reckon having someone talk me through seizures might help in some way,  maybe I can keep myself more conscious or something? I'll have to have more of a think on that one. Apparently after this I slept flat out for hours after while they kept popping their heads around the corner to check I was alright. 

I really should learn to get used to this but it always comes as a surprise. It's the most bizarre thing just zoning back into the world in a completely different place, it doesn't scare me as much as it used to though, especially when I recognise the person/people with me. 

Ah well it's something I'll have to get used to, I'm very lucky the seizures didn't start on the bus.. or maybe they did... who knows!

Well what can I say the nurses are lovely, the bed is comfy and the tea is very good. I just don't want to be making a habit of it, I have a job to do! 

Excuse me while I vanish

It's been an awful weekend and some horrible news has been received so I'm taking a tiny bit of time out from blogging just for a wee while though soooo.. consider this a stop-gap.

Keep smiling through the tough stuff! x

Les Boutographies 2013

I am very, very pleased to have been selected to be one of the artists chosen to represent the graduates of the course at the French photography festival Boutographies this year. A big congratulations to the others who have been selected! 

I thought I'd post a link to a Show Reel that has been produced using a few selected photographic artists who have graduated over the last three years or are currently in their final year at the University of Wales, Newport on the BA (Hons) Photographic art course. 

J Dolby - Glove - from the series Dislocate.