My Filofax Setup

As a form of subtle procrastination, I have recently been tweaking certain parts of how I organise my filofax. I'm still not 100% happy with it though. I think the main trouble I'm having is managing to fit all of my lectures in to the pages as well as everything else, without it becoming an illegible mess! I'm seriously considering upgrading to a an A5 size for next semester or changing to a 2DTP diary, because I'll also be doing my dissertation too. I would also love to implement some kind of colour-coding system! Anyway, back to the layout. 

So, say hello to my loyal personal Chameleon in black! It's been in use for about a year and has weathered all of the chucking around etc. pretty well! I mainly use it for the diary/organisation side of things, as well as lists and other stuff. However, I don't really use the address section because I already have an address book.  

                                            

As you can see, I fully utilise the card holders - it's my purse overflow! I also keep my Paperchase cute animal sticky notes and some classic heart shaped post its stashed away too. The front is just decorated with patterned tape, although I am tempted to experiment with pictures and scrapbooking stuff too. 

                                          

Here is a (rather shoddy) example of what one of my term time weeks looks like. Usually it's busier than this, but all the lectures and other classes take up so much room/looks really messy! I like to space the lectures out on the page according to what time they are at so that I can more easily assess whether I have any blocks of free time for work or meeting up with friends/going to the gym. Saying that, my exercise regime has been steadily declining in quantity...not good! 

                                         

As well as having a WO2P diary, I also have a monthly one further back which lets me quickly scan for any events etc. The two tabs behind this are for my blog ideas, lists of things (books, wishlist, presents for people) and exercises. 

I hope you liked the tour and I would be very grateful if you have any ideas about organising my main diary pages more efficiently! 

Mental Illness and How We Try to Ignore it.

Browsing on BBC News earlier tonight, I stumbled across a quite frankly disturbing article. It described how Indonesia treated their mentally ill - by locking them up in institutions and chaining them to wooden platforms. Naturally, I was shocked by this. But then I thought, this isn't wildly different to how people with mental health problems are treated in this country. Disgusting does not cover it.

In the UK, it is deemed perfectly normal to visit your GP with a problem along the lines of mental illness. As long as nobody else finds out. The stigma still hanging over mental illness in this country is still staggeringly large, regardless of the recent publicity ads by Stephen Fry and other well known people. It just doesn't seem to make a difference. It still seems that the moment that you mention you have a mental illness, people back right off and (maybe unconsciously) view you as being some kind of emotionally unstable psychopath. Having only had limited experience of this type of illness, I am not fully qualified to start spouting off about what people should or shouldn't do. However, what I did notice was how keen doctors were on antidepressant medication even for mild cases. This almost gave me the impression that they still want to hush the disease down with minimal effort. Studies show that long term counselling is the way to go with depression, not just a bit of CBT and 'wonder drug'.

I find it fascinating how we can talk about people breaking bones or having non-psychiatric illnesses as freely as they can talk about the weather, and yet an awkward silence almost always sets in when things like schizophrenia or depression are mentioned. They are no different to any of the other diseases - the person suffering didn't make themselves get the disease and aren't 'contaminated' either. Just because it involves the mind, these people are subtly discriminated against. This should not be the case!

What I'm Reading This Month...

Now that work is about to calm down slightly (last exam of the year on Friday!), I wouldn't mind getting on with a bit more reading. I used to be a prime example of a book worm, but the ever increasing workload of a pharmacy degree has gradually stripped me of this title. Saying that, I have read two very good books this academic year: Captain Corelli's Mandolin and The Glass Blowers by Daphne DuMaurier. There's something about DuMaurier's work that makes it near impossible to put down. However, books seem to be collecting on my shelves at the rate of knots, so here is a list of my 'to read' list, along with several other titles.

1. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. I purchased this book after jumping on the bandwagon at a book-signing after a lecture presented by Ben at my university back in March. I am hoping that it will prove to be a useful read, seeing as I've tailored my uni modules next year to favour Epidemiology and Drug Safety. The book basically exposes how the Pharma industry is ripping people off (and perhaps risking peoples' health) for profit, carefully hiding any dodgy clinical studies and trials. Sneaky.
2. Mere Christianity by C S Lewis. This book isn't very substantial in quantity, but a lot more so in quality. As the title suggests, it is a Christian book mostly outlining Christian morals and the reasoning behind them. Do not expect to be bombarded with backless wardrobes and various talking animals: this is a serious book. So serious, in fact, that I'm struggling to finish it. I'll have to chivvy along a bit though, because I'm sure the friend who lent it to me will want it back before the end of the semester!
3. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Again, I started reading this book a few months ago when there was a lull in workload. The beauty of this book is that the chapters are relatively stand-alone, so it can be dipped in and out of. It is a fascinating view into the life of a post Second World War midwife and kind of makes me want to travel back in time. 
4. Under the Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen. This is my Aunt's new book which is set in India around the time that British colonialism was falling apart. From what I've read already, it's a lovely flowing read with a spark of romance, and very accurate on the historical part too.
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. A birthday present from my house, in addition to the lethal food blender (0-fingers hanging off in 4.5 seconds).

There are various others, but this should stand me in good stead for at least the first part of the summer holidays, and will be an extremely welcome break from the (easily) foot high pile of textbooks sat next to my desk.