Go here:
http://logannolin.com/music
Click: “Come What May”

Cheers..

Basically- I’m sure it’s really strange to hear me say that I did well on assignment by getting a 68% or 75%.  After all, according to the US grade system- a 68% is an “F” and 75% is a “D”– both of those aren’t exactly star quality grades.  Well I’m here to set the record straight!.. My good, trusty friend, Wikipedia, has this fantastic page set up so that you can see proof that my “good” grades are actually in fact, “good”.

Follow the link and look under the heading: “International Comparisons”.  Click here —-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification 

Cheers!..

Shockingly, cookies don’t really exist over here- the British call them biscuits..  They have an additional name for graham crackers (which come in a long tube pack and are shaped like circles) and other “hard cookies”.. They are called- wait for it…………….Digestives.  For some reason I just can’t bring myself to enjoy eating something called a “digestive”.

This past weekend a few friends and I were invited to stay with my friend Lani at her house in New Milton or Hampshire, England.  Her house was amazing and was incredibly close to Barton on Sea, which is an awesome pebble beach facing France which is divided by the English channel.  The beach is completely covered in rocks and seashells and there is even a castle just above the beach called Highcliffe Castle.

While in Hampshire, I had my first “cream tea” that consisted of English tea and milk (no sugar) and scones with clotted cream and jam.  Clotted cream is really difficult to describe, but I will try my best.  It is basically an insanely thick (think the texture of butter with some added flour) sweet “cream” that has surprisingly little actual taste- apart from the sweetness. There’s a link to it –>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotted_cream

Getting out of the city was great for the weekend- particularly seeing proper grass and not seeing pavement everywhere I look..

In other news- it snowed for the second time in London this evening and I have pictures!.. (It snowed for the first time while I was in Hampshire and had practically melted when I arrived home)

Cheers, Santorum 2012!..

..great thing I’m living in the US to reap the benefits

1. eating food ..in Texas
2. doing something patriotic ..in Texas  OR
3. eating food whilst doing something patriotic ..in Texas

It’s such an amusing thing to hear..

Now that I’ve got that off my chest………

Classes are now underway and I was finally registered for my “option module”.  I chose Global Markets.  This module did not seem as though it would be very enjoyable; however, the class is actually proving to be pretty interesting.  My updated schedule is the same as the last post (Tuesdays and Thursdays) with the addition of Wednesday for Global Markets.  The other classes are also going well, I’m a little bummed that this semester will end with final exams, but I’m looking forward to the 5+ weeks of spring break starting the end of March!..

OH YA….I almost forgot!..  A few weeks back, I went to a free comedy night at a place called Archangel in Kensington with my friend, Sam.  I was really excited to go, but was expecting that I might not understand a lot of the humor as I figured the “humour” would be British-based.  This was an incorrect assumption.  The comedians were really excellent and if the Americans in the audience did not understand something, they brought them up to speed (in comedic form, of course).  I forgot to take pictures this time, but I will go again and I WILL take pictures..

I promise that I will do something interesting soon…..maybe go to the theatre or visit some new exotic place.  I am sure that these posts are rather boring if I’m only talking about my classes.  I was also considering starting video updates?..  That would be just specTACULAR, ya?..

Cheers!..

Monday- No Class
Tuesday- Advertising seminar (4-5:30pm)
Wednesday- No Class
Thursday- Marketing Metrics and Analysis seminar (10-11:30am), Marketing Metrics and Analysis lecture (11:30-1:00pm), Business Research and Professional Practice seminar (2:30-4:00pm), and Advertising lecture (6-7:30pm)
Friday- No Class

I am missing one module right now.. I was planning on doing a Global Markets module on Wednesdays; however, there is an opportunity for me to be in a Distribution and Retail module on Tuesday from 9:30-11:00am (lecture) and either 11:30-1:00pm or 1-2:30pm (seminar).

The adjustment coming back to London has been much easier and faster which is nice.  I have been working on a new cover song by Rihanna “We Found Love” and I will hopefully make a YouTube video to post soon.  The concept can be found here: logannolin.com/we-found-love

Until then- cheers!..

I am so happy that I have been able to spend the holidays at home with my family and friends.  I do miss London, but no place can ever give you the same comfort as your hometown.

I leave for London on 11th January and I will make sure to post more once I get back.  I have been running around the Quad Cities seeing all of my friends and family and have failed to blog on a regular basis.

I know that 2012 is going to be even better than 2011 and I am looking forward to everything that this new year brings!

Cheers!..

It is so crazy for me to think that I will be back in the Quad Cities in two short days.. I didn’t think that I was going to have any problem leaving London for a few weeks, but I am feeling really sad about having to leave.  I am so happy that I have a whole year and a half left in London- I can’t even imagine being in a study abroad program and having to leave London permanently now.

Cheers!..

1. Nachtflug Nightclub, Cologne
2. Nachtflug Nightclub, Cologne
3. The Dom (interior), Cologne
4. The Dom (exterior), Cologne
5. The Dom (bell tower view), Cologne
6. The Rhine, Dusseldorf
7. Accommodation, Cologne
8. German House, Cologne
9. German Christmas Market, Cologne
10. 300-year-old restaurant: Zum Schiffchen, Dusseldorf
11. Traditional German dish “Schweinshaxe”, Dusseldorf

I arrived in Düsseldorf, Germany in the evening and we quickly made our way to Maria’s 18th birthday party at a nightclub called Nachtflug. The entire evening was great and I met some amazing people that I will hopefully see again if I am able to visit again in early February for “Karneval”.

The next day, we all visited a proper German Christmas market in Cologne or “Köln”. The amount of Christmas markets that exist in Germany is unbelievable and each separate market has so many shops! We stayed in the markets and shopped for a while and then went home for an early Christmas dinner that Alex and Claudia had prepared. Side note: the food that I had while I was here was excellent– both Alex and Claudia are exceptional cooks!

After dinner and a little bit of sleep, Camille and Albert were awake by 6 a.m. because Santa or Father Christmas had visited early! Santa even brought me a Starbucks Köln coffee tumbler and coffee beans! After “Christmas”, we dropped Maria off at the airport later that morning (she was heading to Chile), and proceeded to visit Düsseldorf where I encountered the Rhine river and ate a traditional German lunch at the over-300-year-old restaurant: Zum Schiffchen. I ate “Schweinshaxe” which is a pork knuckle, fried potatoes, and a coleslaw/sauerkraut combination washed down with a Frankenheim Alt beer (see picture). Later that evening we watched the German-made film “Downfall” which was a really interesting story following Hitler’s last 12 days alive in Berlin.

Yesterday before I left, I visited Cologne and toured Germany’s most visited landmark “the Dom”. I climbed 475 feet or 533 steps to see the view of Cologne from the top tower. The trek up the stairs was a pretty intense workout of endless spiral staircases, but it was well worth it.

Overall– Germany was a fantastic time and I hope that I am able to visit again!

Cheers!..

This week I have been working like mad on a really fun presentation for my Marketing Research course (last assignment!) and I made a short video for the presentation.  I am really hoping that my professor likes it because I believe that my group is the only group that created a video to use during our presentation- check it out HERE.

1 day until Germany, 12 days until USA, and 17 days until Christmas.. Life is good!

Cheers!..