Emma_B

I don't want to influence you but I was under a lot of pressure to apply to Oxbridge but I knew I would hate it. Its a lot work, and a very study-focused environment, and I knew it wasn't what I wanted. I say if its not for you dont do it.

I like all kinds but mainly Rock and Indie. Reason i ask is cos I wanted to tell you about 5th Avenue, which is the best club ever. It's all Rock and Indie, mostly commercial but non-commercail also, every day, and it is so cheap! £2 for a double spirit. I'm sure you will be there nearly as much as me!

I'm doing French and German. English Language is part of the same school I am in. I know people doing it. Its really good! And Manchester is a really cool place! What kind of music do you like?

Yay, come here! It is super fun! I love it. I do not love my flatmates but I think that's just bad luck because everyone else I've met is so col! What do you want to study?

My Mum was all "You have good grades, you should apply to Oxford". No Mum, I can't think of anything worse than another 3/4 years at home, thanks! I'm going to Manchester, it's only 3 hours away! Hope things get better. At least you haven't got much longer at home. When I moved away, it took all the pressure off, and like I said it's much easier to get on with my family now there is space between us.

I lived with this for 15 years (my brother is 15!). Believe me, it will get better. My brother has his problems, he has ADHD and Aspergers, but it still doesn't make it any easier. I know how it feels to always be the bad one! I'm at uni now, and not having the best time at the moment, but I am happier here than I would be at home. When I do go home for the weekend it's like being 10 years old again. It can be really hard. When you get to this age, no one really empathises with the "My brother is a pain" thing anymore, but it can really get you down. It does me. I found that I had to just detatch from the situation. I started to absent myself from the family, I just didn't get involved anymore, I stopped interacting with them. I don't know if that was a good thing to do or not. I wouldn't necessarily advise it because it caused everyone a lot of pain, including me. I think if you do just focus on Uni that will help you get through the next few months. Now, with a few hundred miles between us, my relationship with my brother is a lot better. We chat on MSN all the time. That really helps me, because I know now that I haven't lost him forever just because we weren't close as kids. I don't really have much advice. I'm not much help! Just know that one day very soon you will be an independent adult, and this won't be an issue anymore. Hope that helps a little. I do know what it feels like. You can PM me if you get so stressed you need to scream!!!!

Oh, jealous! I am facing a night in alone, with the Lost DVD staring at me. It's going to be tough to resist!

I can't wait for new Lost either! My friend has been downloading it but I'm trying to resist.

Hey Mercury Girl! How are you?

Hey! I'm bored and my friends are arguing. Anyone around?

Well I am only sending one valentine's this year, and its a big fat parcel of cakes and sweeties to my best friend, who's at another university and who has tonsillitis! And I would send it to her anyway because you don't have to wait for February 14th to show someone that you love them.

Loved it. So real, I agree that you could just imagine it happen, and it was really well written.

A girl on my course left her keys on a table in the common room of her Halls of Residence, and then couldn't find them later. She looked everywhere, but in the end had to stay with a friend for the night. In the morning she went downstairs and the keys were back on the table where she had left them. When she opened her room, she found someone had been in and stolen her laptop, and put the key back afterwards. What really sucks though is that I can't even get into the building without her as it has a swipe-card entrance and you have to speak to Reception if you want to bring in a friend. So someone who lives in the block must have taken the keys and computer.

Aww I'm sorry for you. I had to buy a new one the other week as well but that was my fault. I woke up and it wasn't working. I opened it. It was smashed to smithereens and about half a lake fell out. My friend says I dropped it in a puddle.