Lori Carnochan

Talk about lastminute.com!

Lori Carnochan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:10:07 +0000

After handing in two large pieces of coursework today I felt that I had to write about what I witnessed. After a brief panic due to my printer deciding to jam itself with paper, I was slightly later than usual when I handed in my work. The deadline as always was 12pm on Friday. I arrived at the submission desks around 11.25pm where I joined what can only be described as a zoo! There were students absolutely everywhere and you could feel the panic in the air. Any sort of hard surface was surrounded by students all trying to fill in their submission forms. People were even writing on the floor. It was pure madness. There was a cacophony of sounds and words all jumbled up. Everything from “What’s the module number?” to “Eh what’s our tutors name?” could be heard from at least three floors above and below. It was as if nobody had handed in an assignment before.

There was a queue about five people long waiting to get hold of the stapler and don’t even get me started on the pens. Luckily I had previously stapled my work together and had even managed to bring my own pen. It was a bit of a struggle pushing through the people who were hounding the submission slots but I managed in the end. I met a few classmates outside and watched a steady stream of students making their way up to the fifth floor- some looking paler than others! At 11.55pm there were still some latecomers who by the looks of things had finished their work at 11.45pm. Anyway, I’m just glad my work is submitted and on time so I can enjoy my Christmas break. Now who’s coming to the pub?

Escape to the country

Lori Carnochan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:48:26 +0000

View from my houseView from 'Criffel', 4 miles from my village

When I first started university I use to look forward to going home very weekend to see my boyfriend. Four years on, I still look forward to travelling two hours south every Friday. However, it’s not for the reason of missing my boyfriend, it’s because I absolutely adore where I live. My house sits 100 metres back from the Solway Coast and has the most spectacular views from every window in the house. Even when I was growing up I appreciated the beautiful surrounding I had and realised how lucky I was.

One of my very close friends at university is what you would call a ‘typical student’. She has hundreds of friends all over the city, she is more often than not absolutely broke, she parties about three nights a week and attends every party/event she’s invited to. Then you have myself. I enjoy the odd night out with my friends in Edinburgh, however I usually keep my socialising for back home. I have met a great deal of lovely people at uni, but there are only a few people I would classify as being my close friends.

I celebrated my 21^st in May of this year and my party-animal friend travelled back home with me to the little village I live in. There’s a particular point when driving along the road where the beautiful scenery hits you. We drove over the small crest and there it was…the whole of the Solway coast spread out below us, stretching all the way to the lake district where you could see the peaks of every hill. She turned to me and said, “Wow, I now understand why you come home every weekend”. I mean don’t get me wrong I love Edinburgh, it’s one of my favourite cities in Britain. Unfortunately nothing beats arriving back home where I can go for long walks along the beach, ride my horses all over the countryside or just completely relax in my garden where the only noise you can hear is that of the birds singing. I love the sense of community we have in the small village made up of only 60 or so people. My parents own the local pub and you would be shocked at what scandal I hear whilst pulling pints for the locals. It’s always great banter and as they say, ‘there’s no place like home’.

ZzZzZ…Grunt!!

Lori Carnochan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:25:18 +0000

Ok, so you’ve had a really long day at work, you come home to work on a university assignment, have some tea then head to bed. I mean you’re shattered. You’ve probably been up since at least 10am. I cant understand why parents don’t appreciate what busy lives us students lead. Anyway, now that you’re fed and watered and caught up on what’s happening in the jungle, you’re ready for bed. So you jump under your rather stale but homely covers and prepare yourself for some serious shut-eye. Just as you get into that certain position (where you feel like the person who invented beds invented them just for you because they are the best things in the world), you hear a noise. Perhaps it came from outside? Now you haven’t opened your curtains since the start of term and have no intention of doing so for the rest of term so you can’t even justify getting out of bed to look out the window.

You once again close your eyes in the hope of catching some Zzz’s. Just as you are remembering why you love beds so much…there’s that damn noise again. So this time you are pretty annoyed and decide to sit bolt upright in bed. You can always hear better when you sit up, it’s a fact. You hear a sound which resembles a piece of heavy wood being dragged across floorboards and think to yourself “what the hell is that?”. Once again you hear this peculiar noise. Why on earth would Mr and Mrs Grumpy from upstairs be moving furniture at 10.30pm? Then, as you hear what can only be described as a loud ‘grunt’, it all becomes clear. Somebody is snoring.

Now, not only do you hate being disturbed by any sort of noise when you’re trying to sleep, but you positively detest the typical snorer. Especially the overweight ones with greasy hair who have more drool coming out their mouths than Beethoven eating sherbet. So what can be done about this problem which has so kindly decided to arise at the most inappropriate time? Have they no consideration for the fact you have a lecture at 1pm? How rude.

Anyway the answer to the question is nothing. Unless you enclose a nose strip with your annual Christmas card for your lovely neighbours upstairs then I’m afraid it will be a pillow-over-the-head job. If the person who is making the awful noise is staying in your house then I can only suggest shoving a sock in their mouth or something along those lines. According to our good friends at BUPA, around four in ten adults have a snoring problem. Well thank god I’m not one of those poor people. Or even worse, a partner or relative of one of those people. Believe me, as much as I love him, if my boyfriend decided to take it upon himself to start this snoring malarkey, I’d be out the bed before you could say ‘get him a nose strip‘. So good luck to all you poor creatures who have to put up with this on a nightly basis. You have more tolerance than me. And as for upstairs…pipe down would you!

Dear Santa…all I want for Christmas is my loan

Lori Carnochan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:14:06 +0000

There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of students who have more worries already added to the stressful time that is university before Christmas. Most students either have a load of assignments to hand in or are preparing for dreaded exams. On top of that, they also have to think about buying presents for friends and family. This year, I am most definitely one of these stressed students. However, the main reason is not exams, assignments or buying presents; it is the fact that I have still not received my student loan.

I applied for my loan in the middle of October and I have not had a single payment. I was unable to contact the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), by telephone and they didn’t respond to my emails. I finally managed to speak to an advisor and she informed me that they required some forms. I sent the correct forms away immediately and once again waited. A few weeks later I had heard nothing so I tried to contact them and it took as long as the first time to get through to somebody. They told me there had been a delay and my application was now being looked at. Fast forward two weeks and no news. I decided to drive to the SAAS headquarters in Edinburgh and ask what exactly was going on. They told me my 2009 application had been put on hold while they finalised details for the 2008 year. I then had to send in more forms from 2008. This seemed completely irrelevant as last year my loan application went through with no problems whatsoever. Today I phoned SAAS as it has now been two weeks since I sent in the latest forms. I have been promised that my application is being processed today and I shall hear when my first payment is due within the next 48 hours.

To say that I have been frustrated by the services of SAAS this year is an understatement. The first semester of my 4th year finishes in a few days and I have had no support with my finances from SAAS. I am very fortunate that my parents were able to give me a loan or I would have been forced to move back home to Dumfries and wouldn’t have been able to attend university as I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford the living costs. I am now struggling once again to make ends meet and I can’t ask my parents for any more money. I feel that the run up to Christmas is stressful enough with university work and is particularly stressful this year as I am in my 4th year and I want to achieve the best grades possible. Hopefully Christmas will come early for myself and students in a similar situation and we will finally see some money in our banks.

Don’t look back in anger

Lori Carnochan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:10:37 +0000

Many of us look back on our childhood and believe that they were the best days of our lives. I am definitely one of those people. I had an amazing childhood, growing up in a small village situated on the Solway coast. My days were filled with riding my horses, makings dens on the beach and cycling around the countryside with my friends. Even at a young age I was aware that I was lucky to be growing up in such beautiful surroundings. I loved every day of Primary School as we spent a lot of time outside instead of being cooped up in a classroom for hours. However, recently I went back to couple of areas of my past and my memories changed dramatically.

It was a beautiful autumn morning so I decided to go for a ride on my horse. I don’t usually ride past my old primary school as it leads to a busy road but I thought I would go and see what the school play grounds now looked like. As I approached the school I was horrified to see some ghastly green gates blocking the access to what we use to call the ‘sandy’ (a wooded area filled with hills, bushes, trees and mud). I then went around to the side of the school too see the famous ‘octopus’ tree (named by the school children due to its huge limbs appearing from the trunk). We use to spend all of our lunch times climbing the tree, trying to climb as high as we dared. We usually ended up in trouble as we could never get back down which would result in us missing the start of our next class. Once again I was horrified to see that this iconic tree was no longer there.

When I returned home I asked my dad if he knew why there were gates to prevent the children from playing in the sandy and why the octopus tree had been, dare I say it, chopped down. He told me the gates had been put up as a safety measure and the tree was apparently rotten and could pose a danger to the school children. Health and safety spoiling the fun again I thought to myself.

I know that in this day and age we have to be more careful when it comes to security but when is it all going to stop? This prompted me to file a Freedom of Information request to my local council. I basically asked how many accidents had happened at my primary school over the last 12 years that required the attention of the doctor or hospital. The answer was zero. As suspected. So, despite these schoolchildren attending a school surrounded by beautiful countryside, they are now subjected to playing on a mass area of tarmac and concrete. Nice.

After my trip to my old school, I wish I had stayed put. The fantastic memories I had of my days at primary had been replaced by ones of red tape and safety this and safety that.

A few weeks ago I decided to go and visit my old house. Now, why would I do that? Well out of sheer curiosity I suppose. I wanted to see what had changed from the look of the house, what the garden was like etc. Well just about everything had changed. The shed my papa had built to use as a workshop had been torn down and replaced by a brick building. From what I could see it looked like it was being used as an office. The small pond we kept fish in had been replaced by paving stones. The exterior of the house had also significantly changed. There was an ugly extension to the kitchen and what looked like another bathroom on the ground floor. I had seen enough. I once again returned to my house wishing I had never left as my memories were somewhat tarnished.

In both occasions, I regretted trying to feed my curiosity. Both experiences left me feeling disappointed and a little mad. So my advice to you would be; If you have some really precious memories from your childhood, leave them as they are. Don’t return to that special place and expect everything to be the same as it was in the 90’s. Things will most definitely have changed, and perhaps not for the better.

Plastic surgery for O.A.P’s? Seriously?

Lori Carnochan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:42:44 +0000

I was truly shocked tonight when I turned on Channel Four and seen a program called “Ten years younger: Bus Pass Challenge”. I often watch the original ten years younger as some of the results you see are amazing. However, I found it hard to believe that this program was actually going to show an O.A.P receiving all kinds of plastic surgery in order to make themselves appear younger. Well, I was right as this is exactly what was happening. The show featured two older ladies, 64-year-old Marie and 72-year-old Betty who were both unhappy with their appearance. A lifetime of sun-worshipping without wearing protection, along with smoking around 140 cigarettes a week had left Marie with skin like leather and a face with more crinkles than a pack of McCoys. Betty on the other hand was just looking for a bit of a make-over and a few fashion tips.

Marie received eye bag removal, a face peel, a face lift, a nose job and a set of sparkling new veneers. I may have missed a few procedures, however there’s only so many images of sawing, burning, pulling and bleaching I can look at without feeling sick. Whilst Marie was going through this hell, Betty was enjoying a new haircut and a new wardrobe. The end results in both cases were very impressive. They both looked at least 15 years younger than they had done before the miracle team had worked their magic. However, who actually wants a granny who has teeth brighter than those of Tom Cruise or a forehead which lacks the ability to frown. Nothing gives me a giggle more then when my granny sees me before a night on the town and her face says it all. So I for one would think my granny had lost her head if she suggested any kind of plastic surgery.

Elderly UK consumers are increasingly choosing to have cosmetic surgery, a leading private healthcare company has claimed. According to Dr Sneh Khemka of Bupa, the most popular procedure among patients over the age of 60 is bletheroplasty, which is chosen by around 30 per cent of elderly patients. “Bletheroplasty is a reduction of the saggy eyelids people get at the bottom of the eyes,” Dr Khemka explained. Around 28 per cent of patients opt for facelifts, while female breast reduction (eight per cent) and tummy tucks (six per cent) are also popular, the associate medical director revealed. (Private Healthcare UK). These figures astonish me. How many men and women with a bus pass are contemplating plastic surgery?

I believe that we should all grow old gracefully. A healthy diet, some gentle exercise and in general looking after your body is all you need to have a happy retirement. The only exception is if someone requires reconstructive surgery, perhaps after an accident or the removal of a breast following surgery etc. In general I think we are becoming far too obsessed with the way we look and the way we think we should look. I can accept young people having boob jobs or nose jobs or whatever takes their fancy as it is becoming more popular. . However, I urge all the grannies out there to stay put. We love you the way you are, whether you are carrying a bit of weight, have a head full of greys or have to take your false teeth out every night before bed. You are the nice cuddly grannies we have grown to love! So if you feel the need to spruce yourself up a bit, then take Betty’s advice and head down to Boots in the direction of the make-up counter.

Donatella Versace- Old and beautiful? You decide!

Good luck to David Bogie for the Rally of Scotland

Lori Carnochan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:35:33 +0000

Well, my nerves are building by the hour as the Rally of Scotland starts in approximately 24 hours. My boyfriend David Bogie, 22, was crowned Scottish rally Champion last month and is taking part in the rally. He is the youngest person to win the championship since his hero Colin McRae. Colin was not only his hero but also his friend so it was quite an emotional end to the season last month when he crossed the finish line. I was very proud of him.

The rally of Scotland is final round of the Intercontinental rally challenge and for the first time in 13 years, an international rally series is being held in Scotland. The competitors will have to tackle over 130 stage miles in forests throughout Perth, Stirling and Kinross. These stages are renowned for being extremely quick and there are a lot of places to catch you out. Bearing in mind the weather we have had for the last few weeks, the stages will also be muddy and slippery. This information does nothing to help calm my nerves.

David will have some seriously tough competition as he will be up against the Intercontinental rally champion Kris Meeke and three former British champions. He is hoping for a good result as this would ensure he is noticed by some of the top teams. There are competitors from over 10 nations taking part therefore it is a fantastic opportunity for him to make himself known. He is seeded at number five which is a good seeding, however holding onto that place throughout the rally is going to be tough.

I have been a spectator at nearly every rally he has competed in for the last two and a half years so you would think I would get use to the nerves.. I have travelled with him for rallies throughout Britian, the Isle of Man and Ireland. Everywhere from the mountains of Inverness to the seafront in Bournemouth. However I am still nervous before the event.

The morning of the rally is hectic to say the least. We are usually showered and down for breakfast at around 6.30am, although we never manage to stomach anything more than a glass of orange juice. Then we head down to the start ramp where all of the competitors are getting prepared to head to the first stage. It is here where I wish David all the best and tell him to be careful (I always feel like telling him not to drive too fast but I don’t suppose telling a rally driver this is much help).

We watch all of the rally stages throughout the day and the nerves don’t get any better. The worst part is when I’m waiting in the stage for him to drive past and it seems like he is taking forever. Sometimes the day goes very smoothly, with the car running well and David putting in good times and ending up on the podium. However, rallying is very much filled with highs and lows. The lows are when he picks up a puncture, there’s a mechanical fault with the car or when he crashes.

I have witnessed David crashing right in front of my eyes. It happened this year in June at his home event, the “Scottish” rally based in Dumfries. Myself and my family, David’s family and all of our friends were standing at a corner waiting for him. He approached the corner too quickly, drifted slightly wide and hit a concrete block. This catapulted him into the air and sent him rolling down the banking. Not a nice sight by any means. My whole body was shaking and I felt physically sick. I could barely speak until he emerged from the car unhurt. Luckily on that occasion he was fine, although there have been times when he has been badly hurt.

At the end of the rally we head to the finish line to see the top crews over the line. David is a very successful rally driver so we are lucky to see him on the podium regularly. All of the drama that has happened throughout the day is forgotten when he is on the podium holding up his trophy. After the rally we usually go out for a nice meal then a night up the town if it has been a good day. If it has been a bad day we usually get a quick bite to eat, a bath then an early bed.

Hopefully this weekend will be a good weekend for myself and David. I hope he has a good run on all three days and manages to bring home a good result. I’m very excited about spectating along with the other 100,000 spectators. I love watching the cars screaming though the forest stages at 100mph going sideways round corners. Some of the stages are set in the most amazing scenery and before the stage starts it is very tranquil. I love everything about rallying and I have been lucky to gain some key contacts through networking at the rally press events.

I now need to go and make sure I have everything organised for heading to Perth tomorrow. Then it will be bed for me as it’ going to be a long weekend. I would just like to say a good luck to David for this weekend…make Scotland proud!

Hello world!

Lori Carnochan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:09:50 +0000

Well, i can’t say that i have ever written a blog before so this should be good fun! It may take me a while to get into the swing of things but i will give it a go!