Summer to do list [UPDATE 3.0]

Image source: Death to the Stock Photo

I'm a bit disappointed by how little I managed to strike of my summer list. I had hoped I would be able to relax and enjoy summer thoroughly, but when I look at my list I didn't apparently. To be fair, that isn't entirely my fault. I had two resits and for both I got new assignments that happened to be a shitload of work. By the end of August I was already a little bit frustrated because I didn't feel like I enjoyed my summer holiday at all and the three weeks that rested me in September where filled by relaxing & guilt (week 1), horror & desperation whilst looking for an intern company, a social organisation and a mentor (week two), frustration and more desperation (week three). I didn't start my new school year refreshed and recharged, I was already stressing about the workload two weeks before the year started which I absolutely hated.

Another reason why my list didn't really work, was because I never actually planned these things in my agenda. I just jotted them down and hoped I would magically be presented with opportunities for making them happen. Which of course was never. So although I like the idea of an autumn list, I'm not sure I'll make one. Sometimes I just feel too constricted by all these lists I make and I want to go a more spontaneous way.

So, now you know why I didn't manage to strike of a lot of things from my list, onto the I did manage to finish!

05. Create a portfolio (website) I didn't manage to create a new portfolio website, but I did create a new portfolio! I know it's not completely the same thing, but I haven't found the time to sit down and think about my website's design and I needed the portfolio so it's an almost sort of ticked of part of my list. I've uploaded my portfolio onto Issuu and I've put it below so everbody can enjoy it. ;)

07. Read A Game of Thrones Another one I didn't actually do, but (but!) that's because I decided to start reading A Game of Thrones only after my Goodreads Reading Challenge was completed. I feared I would otherwise stress too much about not getting to my objective for 2014. Also, because of the read-a-thon I've read almost 2000 pages in September alone (which is more than the average number of pages in a Song of Fire and Ice novel) and I've read 4200 pages in the last three months. So yes, I consider this also a win.

11. Start looking for companies for an internship (abroad) Although I was very enthusiastic at the end of last year about going to Berlin for my internship, I realised this would mean I would see the Boy even less this school year than last school year, I wouldn't be able to hang out with friends at all and I didn't had the energy to cope with the hassle of the paperwork of an international internship. So I quit the "abroad" idea even tough I really want to live abroad for an extended period of time at least once in my life and I'm not sure if that'll ever be possible once I'll start working. But, I do know I'll enjoy the Boy, my friends and the time I can spend at home because I so need it. I did start looking for companies in Ghent, I called a couple and even got the invitation to go talk to a few. Now it's fingers crossed I get picked!

13. Find some cool tutorials in Illustrator and Photoshop & learn some new stuff I had hoped to do this in my free time, as a relaxing bit of practise, but turns out I needed to watch some tutorials because of the resit assignment for Graphic Design and the cover of my portfolio magazine. I'm not completely happy with that cover (a low poly/polygonal portrait), but it took me almost a whole day of drawing f-ing triangles, so I used it. Even though the colours are off (even more so thanks to Blogger :/).

The ones I didn't finish:

• Go on a picknick
• Spent almost as many hours outside as behind my laptop
• Follow & finish some online courses
• Go cycling in the Leie vallery
• Go sketching outside
• Start my driving lessons
• Experiment with different printing techniques
• Visit the Bourgoyen
• Organise a craft party
• Make or do something I pinned on Pinterest once a week
• Sew to my heart's content
• Finish my Russian travel journal

I'll just have to keep them in mind for the following months and next summer. And if anyone has tips for how to do more fun activities, please let me know. I need to figure out this balancing work vs fun thing otherwise I'll go mad.