Welcome back folks! We have to say that the site has been very quiet without you and we missed you all terribly. We hope you had an egg-cellent break and ate as many Easter eggs as possible. We ate far too many ourselves so we’re now planning to hit the gym… it’s the thought that counts right?!
As you are probably all aware, the end of the Easter holidays can only mean one thing; revision and exams! If you’re looking for some stress busting tips then please check out our previous blog. There are lots of great tips to help you through this difficult period and there is also plenty of support around campus. For those of you who do have exams approaching we wish you good luck!
Storthes Hall and Ashenhurst come into their own during the summer months, with lots of barbecues, picnics and water fights taking place. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be in for a scorching hot summer so you get to make the most of your place!
The deposit return forms are starting to come in now but we still have plenty outstanding! Letters have recently gone out to all your rooms with a deposit return form attached. Don’t have a deposit form? You can come and grab one from the DIGS office.
This month D-Bar welcomed you back with open arms with the ‘Return to Storthes’ party and the Playboy Mansion ‘Lets Get Funked’ weekend bonanza. We had a great weekend and hope you did too! Keep and eye on the facebook pages for pictures. We also have the usual array of great evenings planned for you, including open mic Wednesdays, quiz night Thursdays, ‘Out of Town’ on Fridays and of course the infamous D-Bar Sundays. Enjoy!
So, that’s it from us. Check back in next month for more updates. Again, if you have exams in the next few weeks we wish you good luck!
Posted April 14th, 2010 by DIGS Admin. Filed in DIGS Student
Applying for Student Finance? As a new or continuing student you will need to apply for your student finance every academic year. Each year you will be assessed, and depending on your household income, you will be allocated a set amount of finance for the year. You will receive your loan in three instalments; usually they will be paid straight into your bank account on the first day of each term.
For the academic year 2009/10 it was well publicised that many students were left without finance for many months as the student loan company were over stretched with applications. In order to try and avoid any delays with your application, we suggest applying for your finance as soon as possible.
There is plenty of help out there to support you through your degree, for example we suggest you take a look at the directgov.org website for details. To make it that little bit easier we have some points to consider and some useful links for you to use below. Any comments or questions can be posted at the bottom. We look forward to hearing what you think!
There are several parts to your student finance application. All students are eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £4950, dependant on household income).
You may also be entitled to a maintenance grant also depending on household income (up to £2906). This is means tested and if you’re eligible for and receive a maintenance grant your maximum maintenance loan amount will be less than £4950.
A tuition fee loan is also available to cover your fees. Tuition fees for 2010/11 will total £3290 for the academic year.
My advice would be to apply for the maximum amount that you are entitled too. Although student debt can seem a scary and daunting thing to be getting yourself into, if you’re serious about your degree, it really is worth having as much funding behind you as possible so that you do not have to worry about paying your rent and having money for your grocery shopping.
When applying for student finance ensure that you read through the forms correctly to limit the delay in receiving your funds. It is a lengthy form and it is easy to make mistakes when completing it. By taking the time to read through the notes you will be in better stead for covering everything the first time! You can apply right away and you do not have to wait for a firm offer before starting this process. You can apply online or by using the paper form PN1. It’s entirely up to you, just do whichever suits you best.
Remember! Your parents/guardians or partner (depending on your circumstances) may (this is true for the majority of cases) have to provide information. This could be with regards to income, marriage, divorce, step parents incomes and other such information. You will need to start collecting proof of this before you send of your application. They will need to see original, or certified copies of these documents.
Tip: If your parents/guardian/partner are self employed it can sometimes cause delays for your student loan application. If this is the case, my advice would be to ask them to consult their accountant to get up to date earnings and outgoings so it is prepared if the Student Loan Company request it.
As well as the above information you will also need to prove your eligibility to work and receive funding in the UK. This can be in the form of a passport or birth certificate and you will also need to provide your national insurance number. You will also need to sign and return the declaration form that you will be asked to complete.
When your application is ready to be returned by post or submitted online, please remember to post off all the items that have been requested of you. Always send by recorded delivery. Not only does this ensure your personal items, it also means the Student Loan Company can keep track of your application and will be able to process your account more efficiently.
For the academic year 2009/10 the top three reasons why students encountered delays in receiving their fund were as follows;
Not returning the signed declaration form.
Not sending in a copy of their National Insurance number.
Not sending documents by recorded delivery so they could not be tracked.
To see how much you may be entitled to please click here for the ‘direct gov’ student loan calculator.
The challenge: To make “Spicy chicken stir fry with chilli and basil”
Cost per person: £3.90
Time to prepare: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 35 minutes
Overall rating (out of 5): 4
The recipe
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp Thai green curry pasts
1-2 red chillies chopped
15-20 cherry tomatoes
Basil
2 tbsp brown sugar
(Coconut milk to taste)
Method:
Splash some olive oil into a frying pan (or if you have one a wok is best) then add the curry paste
When the pan is hot add the chicken and brown
Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, chillies and basil. Cook until the tomatoes are unrecognisable as tomatoes
You can add as much coconut milk to reduce the heat.
Tip: when waiting for the tomatoes to cook feel free to add some more basil and/ or sugar depending on your liking.
Serve with rice and naan bread or poppadoms and a pickle tray
The verdict
Steve found the benefits of this recipe to be:
Really easy to cook
A bargain at £3.90 per person- he still has some of the ingredients left over so next time would be even cheaper to cook
Really tasty and a healthy option (good for those training for the marathon!)
WARNING!!! Steve didn’t read the recipe correctly (!!!) and so used 2 jars of Thai green curry paste- and said the only problem with the dish was that it was too hot…
However, even if you follow the recipe properly (!) this dish can be quite spicy- we recommend for 2 people to use half a red chilli and change according to the number of people you are cooking for.
Tip: add the chilli gradually- keep tasting and add more if you want.
For more recipe idea’s check out our first blog post: Food Glorious Food.
Quentin Tarantino does what he does best in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, his fourth film. The movie sees The Bride (Uma Thurman) who decides to escape her life as a killer. She fled to Texas, met a young man, and on the day of their wedding was gunned down. Four years later she wakes from a coma and discovers her baby is gone. She decides to get revenge on the people who were responsible for her death.
It’s pretty mind blowing and gruesome stuff, but that’s what Tarantino is known for. The blood is so gratuitous but that’s what makes it brilliant. As with Tarantino’s other films, he mixes dark humour with peril and mixes it amazingly well. None of it is pointless and none of it takes anything away from the story. It just flows seamlessly.
Uma Thurman is superb in the role of ‘The Bride’; the vicious woman seeking revenge on Bill. You can really feel her rage and determination as she ticks off the people on her ‘death list’. Lucy Liu also does a fine job of portraying O-Ren Ishii; one of the five people who played a part in almost ending her life.
The lengthy sword fight scene will keep you wanting more and the cliffhanger will ensure you will want to watch Kill Bill: Vol 2. Brilliant.
