#being a student in scotland is...interesting atm

[professional-nap-taker]

been a bit of a mad start to the semester, hence my lack of posting 😬🤣 here’s a b&w photo of my chaotic admin law reading the other day.

[quilavastudy]

Hi, I know you were probably asked about this a lot at the time, but where did you do your elective and what did you do on it? I’m a medical student who has realised an elective abroad is a long shot atm xx

No worries, I actually haven’t been asked about this! I might actually be helpful here, cos I didn’t do my elective abroad. I wasn’t keen on the country my friends were going to, and I was planning a trip to Japan to see my friend 6 months later so thought I’d just have a more chill elective. 

Soooo I did mine in the Orkney Islands in Scotland! I was mostly based in a GP but I did go to the hospital up there a few times. I think it’s quite an interesting home elective to do, because rural medicine is very different to normal - and obviously in the UK we don’t really have many extremely rural places unless they’re up in the scottish highlands or on an island or something. So it was cool to see how differently things worked. 

I was interested in being a GP at the time so it was useful for that too. It was so beautiful up there, and I enjoyed learning about their history and culture. I got to do a lot of home visits with the GPs and we even had to go on boats to visit smaller islands. 

Definitely not for everyone though, as it’s quite isolating up there and you can’t exactly pop to starbucks. There are a few different scottish islands you can do electives on though, like Shetland, Skye, and Arran. xx

[lcthebtswriter]

spontaneous

pairing: mark x reader

summary: during your troubled attempt at finding peace, you and mark confess to each other

tags (reblog and comment): @sophiestooop, @joan-of-stars, @line-viper, @starstuckbluebird, @alien-on-a-treadmill, @aliciabg27, @brianaraydean, @im-that-trash-over-there, @statsvitenskap

What started out as a dramatic cry for help in your English class turned drastic within five seconds.

Your best friend, Mark, upon replying to your text message on the other side of campus, hadn’t realized you were being sarcastic. It had been a long day and like the days before that, your temper grew short and you were agitated by conversations with friends, the laughter of others, and by your own mood swings. For months you’d been spiraling downward in a circle of self-pity and restlessness. There was no telling what you would do after senior year. You were stressed about home, about work, and about school. You were falling asleep in class and asking relatives to check you out of school.

Never before had you been so emotionally exhausted. Every person in your life was draining you through asking for advice or trying to one-up you in every aspect. You didn’t mind being a mock therapist to your friends, but they hadn’t asked about you once with the interest in listening. There was only Mark. Knowing that made you less lonely, but that never stopped you from going on a rant every so often because Mark couldn’t up and ignore your texts.

‘Let’s leave. I’m sick of this place’

You’d waited five seconds before adding:

‘I have money in the bank, you have a car, Fall Break is tomorrow!! Hello? Let’s go to New Hampshire or Scotland or something’

Mark’s reply came when you were typing the draft of your essay, laptop keys clicking along with the other students in the classroom. Your phone vibrated against the tabletop, and you picked it up with greedy fingers to read the message you knew was from Mark before unlocking the homescreen.

‘Spontaneous getaway?? I’m down. Let’s go ASAP--Tyler and Ethan are driving me insane’

By the time Mark drove to the ATM, you’d scribbled a note to your parents and both packed your belongings before hitting the road. Neither of you expected to be gone for more than three days, so you packed light and intended on stealing whatever food you needed to save space for clothes and toiletries. Mark’s van was large enough to bring Chica, but he decided against it knowing his mother would throw a fit if he left her entirely alone over break. With eager smiles, both you and Mark left the suffocation of your hometown.

Day one consisted of driving toward New Hampshire, Mark’s playlist on shuffle as you argued over your fondness for rain and cold weather up north. You took naps in the passenger seat, hung your feet out the window, and tossed stolen candy at Mark as he drove. Gas stations were pit stops for restroom breaks, tank refills, and shoving bags of chips and chocolate bars into the pocket of your hoodie. Day two consisted of daydreaming aloud, asking and answering questions about your futures and pasts and wondering if you would stay together forever. You both agreed that yes, you would remain in each other’s lives until death and even beyond (although you both refused to die).

Day three, however, was when you’d reached New Hampshire and stopped at a gas station just outside the state border. There was a motel down the street you intended to stay at, and after taking a Red Bull off its shelf and paying the cashier for the gas, you speed-walked your way to Mark’s van and emptied your pockets to dump out two Arizona Teas and granola bars. Mark, taking a tea for himself and balancing it on his knee, said: “Running away was the best idea you’ve ever had.” You looked at him with a smile, cheeks warming as he continued. “I know technically we’re going back home, but I like being alone with you like this. Is that weird?” Innocently, Mark lifted the tea to his lips and took his eyes off the road and its scenic twist through a forest to glance at you.

“It isn’t,” you replied.

That night you had time to think more about that shock of innocence in Mark’s eyes. The soft way he looked at you, the fond and gentle stare of someone attracted to another--it made you weak in the knees. Mark, though you’d known him since eighth grade, was always less of a friend and more like someone you could spend the rest of your life with and feel easy about it. One night after a football game, you and Mark had smoked a joint and sprawled atop the playground near the high school. You’d held hands and promised not to leave each other and, while he may have dismissed it as an intoxicated moment of frailty, it always meant more to you.

The motel was costly with the low income you gathered over summer. Mark’s pay as a babysitter wasn’t all that good, but you managed to get a room with one bed and a couch. For the past two days, you and Mark slept in the van where there was plenty of room to recline the seats or sleep on the bed of the car. Sharing a bed with him, however, made you anxious since you took into account the lingering eyes and hand brushes you shared over the past five months and three days. Of course you didn’t let it show that there was something more going on with your feelings toward Mark, but that didn’t stop his word vomit.

It was dark in the motel room and maybe that was why Mark found it so easy to lay on his back beside you and act as if he was speaking to nothing. “Being with you, getting to know why you want to leave--it’s all falling apart and I know what I can do with it, but I don’t know if it’s what you want, ya know?” Mark’s voice was deep and quiet and you could feel his warmth beside you.

“No,” you replied dumbly.

Mark, annoyed at having to rephrase, turned to face you in the darkness and felt his face go red when you did the same. “I like you. It isn’t normal, but I noticed a few months back when we were baking a cake for my mom and you had frosting on your nose and I couldn’t help but wipe it off. There was something about it--about you...I don’t know,” Mark rambled. His hand, close to yours, was clenching and relaxing as Mark struggled to voice his thoughts. A beat of silence as you thought and then you scooted closer.

“Now I get it,” he heard in the darkness. A disbelieving huff of amusement sounded from Mark, and he took your hand in his as if finally cutting through the awkward stage of confession. “Come here,” you’d said, and your other hand was in Mark’s hair. It felt natural to draw closer to your aura, your warmth, and the positivity of knowing there was no interruption as Mark kissed you.

There was no stampede of anger, no agitation toward the human race, and a wave of comfort finally settled your anxieties. In search of yourselves you’d found each other, and there was nothing that would change that when you had to return home.

[dracolucius-abraxusmalfoy]

Rules: Answer these 21 questions, then tag 21 people you’d like to get to know better.

Tagged by @tovlia wow! Thanks so much 😍 I love answering questions, I feel so honoured ❤️

Nickname: Cas.

Height: It says 168cm on my ID, so we’ll go with that. (5″6?)

Last Movie I Saw: Oh god ahh... The last movie I remember watching is Mr Glass, but that was three weeks ago and I’m positive I’ve since watched more. 

Last thing I googled: What’s the best wet cat food? (I ran out of dry and I couldn’t get to the store where they sell the kind my baby eats.)

Favourite Musician(s): That is the hardest question ever to answer. I like Bon Iver and City and Color I guess, atm I’m super into leikeli47. Mostly though I like songs rather than artists. 

Song stuck in my head: I don’t really have one stuck in my head rn, I often get Cherry Wine by Hozier stuck in my head though, and earlier I had Tic Boom by Leikeli47. 

Other blogs: I have my main obviously, and a private one I share with my cousin @carmillized that’s basically the blog of a character in a novel we’re (trying to) writing. It’s a lot of black and gay aesthetics, as well as lots of art history, some writing stuff and just generally pretty pictures. It was supposed to help us develop her character, it’s kind of become its own thing though...

Do I get asks? I get a few, yes. I’d love to have more though, honestly makes my day whenever you guys send me asks. 

Following: Too many, dear lord. Sometimes I go in and clear out blogs that are inactive, but for the most part, I only unfollow blogs if I repeatedly see content on my dash that I’m actually opposed to seeing. Like even if someone changes their interests and they no longer align with mine I’m unlikely to unfollow them. 713 if you want the exact number. (it was down from 670 to 550 this spring, and now we’re back up again, YEET)

Amount of sleep: Not enough. Or too much. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the recommended 8 hours, it’s usually 3-5 or 9-12. 

Lucky number: 3! My birthday is 03/03/1999. 

What I’m wearing: lulu lemon on the fly pant (I had a gift card and they’re super comfy???) and an off white mock neck jumper (I basically live in turtlenecks, even during the summer.)

Dream job: I have no idea. I’m probably going into education, I’d like to work with high school kids, but I also considered psychiatry (again, with kids and teens). Being a novelist would be dope af too I guess, but I probably wouldn’t feel fulfilled if I only did that. (I’m literally in Fine Art but it has almost nothing to do with my future plans?

Dream trip: I’d love to travel to Irland and Scotland, but not like, the big cities, I want to see the small towns and learn about local culture and traditions from locals. I’d also love to visit Trinidad and Tobago and some of the other islands. 

Favourite food: Curry probably, maybe roti, but in the end, it amounts to the same thing doesn’t it?

Play an instrument? I did a couple of guitar lessons, and I’d love to finish learning, maybe piano too, but no, sadly, I just admire music from afar. 

Languages: English and French (although, I don’t think I’ve held a full conversation in French in two years so like... that’s iffy.)

Favourite songs: That’s an even harder question. Cherry Wine by Hozier?  Darkness and light by John Legend, Comptine d’un autre ete; l’apres midi by Yann Tiersen, My Lady's House by Iron and Wine, Brown Sugar by D’ Angelo, Ain’t Misbelivin’ by Fats Walter. 

Random Fact: I have Hyper Mobility Syndrome. Basically, I’m really fucking flexible and none of my ligaments do what they’re supposed to. Shoulders? Dislocate, then pop right back in with no warning. I can hold my hands and rotate my arms from front to back. I can touch my head to my ass, I get a head rush now, but it doesn't hurt per se. Splits are childs play. My whole body hurts all the time, though that might be the 10+ years of gymnastics. I’ll probably have arthritis but the time I’m 35. 

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: New Books, the smell of chai tea, soft sweaters, cool socks. Jean jackets and overalls and turtlenecks. Am I a Lesbian or Art Student? Paint stained hands and oil paint smell. Colour coded notes. cool Autumn afternoons, but warm summer nights. Spicy and Sweet. 

Honestly, just an enigma of a person. 

I don’t know if I have 21 people but let’s see... 

@dmxlfoypotter @pukingpastilles @slytherthicc @hufflepuffs-deserve-love-too

@goldentruth813 @mothermalfoy @drarry-imagines There’s more but I can’t remember their urls. 

[asydneysiderstudyer]

Get to know me tag!

I was tagged in this by @possumstudy - thanks so much! :)

rules! - tag 20 followers that you’d like to get to know better!

nicknames - Gen, Vivi

gender - female

star sign - Sagittarius 

height - 163cm

sexuality - straight

hogwarts house - either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw

favourite animal - small dogs or butterflies

average hours spent sleeping - anywhere between 8 and 10 hours

dogs or cats - Dogs! But I like cats that are social :) Unfortunately I don’t have either. :(

number of blankets I sleep with - one or none because it’s crazy hot rn in Australia (same as what @possumstudy said!)

dream trip - Europe, including France, England, Scotland, Hungary, and Italy and Greece and Macedon because I looove Ancient History. Also Iceland. :) 

dream job - A medical researcher but also a doctor, atm I’m thinking maybe in something interesting and undiscovered, like neurology or genetics or haematology......

when I made this account - December 2015

why I made this account - I remember I was upset at the beginning of year 12 because I was just so stressed and also had just received a bad mark in an exam. My friend @peachyalice sat me down and showed me some studyblr posts on Tumblr and I think it started from there. I created an Instagram (@asydneysidersstudyblr) and this Tumblr to both hold me accountable of studying and discover more about others’ study habits and also be inspired by them. And I think it has helped me a lot throughout both year 12 and this year’s first year of medicine at university. I love being part of this studyblr community.

# of followers - 942 on Instagram and 306 on Tumblr - thank you every single one of you for your support throughout my student journey! 😊

Who I’m tagging: 

@emmastudies @historygrl @lakeblue1 @studyblrrs @universi-tea @academea @justlikehermione @hermionerd-studies @kay-lets-do-this @studywithkal @maddie-is-going-places and anyone else who wants to do it can say I tagged them!

[ensmagonline]

Are cryptocurrencies here to stay?

Cryptocurrencies are fast becoming the mainstream as consumers clamour to get in with the trend kicked off by Bitcoin. But with the industry drawing comparisons to the wild west and uncertainty regarding market regulation; the public is at risk of losing out if they don’t take time to research, say experts. Last week several British banks, including Lloyds and Halifax Bank of Scotland, put stops on credit card crypto purchases leaving many customers unsure about how to buy and where to make safe transactions. Meanwhile UK customers were recently prevented from buying into the crypto markets in their entirety after German firm Commerzbank put a block on the popular Coinbase exchange. That resulted in Nationwide customers having a stop on transferring funds due to the SEPA transfer process that it partnered with the German bank on. David Merry, CEO of Investoo Group, a leading London based fin tech company which owns digital brands that provide market intelligence to clients, says customers were forced to wait for weeks for refunds after transactions were approved in the UK before being stopped via the European network. He said: “There was a lot of anger out there. Many Nationwide customers had paid a lot of money to buy currencies from the Coinbase exchange and had to wait weeks for refunds. “Traditional banking is not up to speed with the pace of the crypto markets. “And while there’s lots of chatter about a bubble, the reality is the market is actually quite small. “You can draw a scale comparison by looking at the market capital of the FTSE 100, and it completely dwarfs it. “Last month the FTSE 100 was worth £2.054 trillion alone while the crypto market averaged out around the $500 billion mark. “Banks are still warming to the idea of how blockchain will work on a grand scale, but there’s no stopping this technology, no matter what the naysayers say, it’s here to stay and it won’t be long until it is in everyday use for everyone.” Fifty years ago, Barclays and Westminster banks were the first to give customers access to their cash via ATM machines. What is an every day convenience for customers now, was in fact revolutionary back then with automated access to cash helping to change the way the world dealt with money. Nowadays, some of the world’s leading consumer brands are looking into how customers can purchase goods direct via the digital currency marketplace rather than relying on ‘fiat’ currency transactions like pounds, dollars and euros. Mr Merry added: “At the moment it’s still very early days, some retailers are accepting crypto transactions but it’s far from mainstream. “For example, coffee shops and even tattoo parlors are experimenting with payments while larger companies like McDonalds and Amazon are investigating the potential. “While it’s not totally widespread in the UK yet, in places like Japan and the USA there’s more choice. “Getting to the stage where you can simply go into a shop and use your crypto wallet in exchange for products and services will happen and when it does, money will be changed forever. “It took almost 30 years after the invention of the ATM for debit cards to come into everyday use. “But with crypto wallets it will be different. In as little as five years’ time, digital currency and smart contracts will have revolutionised the world.” While the technology is rapidly advancing, the speed of the public’s uptake isn’t quite matched to the same extent. Investoo Group recently revealed the results of a poll which was published by their news site Coinlist.me which showed British attitudes to cryptocurrencies. The results provided an interesting snapshot on how the public view the market and in fact shows that uptake is more prevalent with young people. Indeed, it showed that 18 to 24 year-olds are four times more likely to invest in the market than their parents or the over 55s, which indicates that the future is very bright as tech savvy youngsters warm to the idea of the easy use of the instrument. The poll also identified that students are the group most likely to invest in crypto currencies like Bitcoin in Britain with 25% of full time students say they would happily get involved. By far the most popular investment for students is property with 42% of those asked saying it was attractive while stocks and shares came in at 27%. But 42% admit a lack of understanding on how to buy crypto currencies is putting them off while 42% cited perceived security risks as the reason for not splashing the cash. Conversely 88 per cent of respondents to the You Gov poll said they are unlikely to invest in the crypto currency markets this year despite more than a trillion dollars of global assets expected to flood into the sector in 2018. Scott Ryder of brokerage site CryptoGo.com says that far from market dominator Bitcoin being the most sought-after currency – Ripple is the one with the most buzz. Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system, currency exchange and remittance network created by the company of the same name. It is able to process 1,500 transactions per second and has been updated to be able to scale to Visa levels of 50,000 transactions per second. “At the moment most people are interested in Ripple,” said Mr Ryder. “They see this has the most opportunity in terms of returns due to its business being tangible and being adopted by all the largest banks. “Ripple, which has been around since 2012, are signing up with institutions and financial institutions left right and centre, if a bank can’t process a payment as fast as the bank next door then they are going to lose business. “This is creating a domino effect for all the banks to be able to process speeds as fast as each other.” While it’s certainly true that there’s some way to go before the concept hits lightning speed, what’s fundamentally evident is that cryptocurrencies are here to stay amid the negative noise.   The post Are cryptocurrencies here to stay? appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

https://www.moneymagpie.com/manage-your-money/are-cryptocurrencies-here-to-stay