Shocker: 1D smoke joint! (Is it though?)

So the big story in the past couple of days is that two of the five from the pop teen heartthrob boy band, One Direction, Louis and Zayn, have been caught on video smoking a spliff. 

Oh the horror! Two twenty-something-year-old guys having a casual joint! Because that doesn't occur on a daily basis everywhere in the world.

At no point am I condoning the use of marijuana, it is of course illegal in the UK, but is it really that surprising that two of the richest under 25-year-olds in the world are smoking weed? Rock bands of the 1960's would laugh in the face of One Direction and other 2014 celebs thinking they were so hard as to smoke a class C drug.

Yes, 1D are the idols and fantasies of millions of young girls, but so are Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus and yet no one at The Sun is reporting their use of marijuana. Then again, we are still waiting for one of One Direction to be arrested or gyrate with a massive foam finger.

The fact is that when your absolutely loaded and have forgotten what the word 'no' means, smoking a joint is nothing compared to what they could (and probably are) doing. 

So lets not get caught up in the idea that this is the start of another clean cut celebrity meltdown until one of them is caught in a hotel room Rolling Stones style filled with smoke, hookers and cocaine. 

This is simply two guys having the time of their lives being part of the most successful boy band of the 21st century, doing something that most guys and girls of the same age do. This, if anything, is their normality.

No Longer a Fresher…

Time flies when you’re having fun. My first year at uni certainly has and all in all it’s been a good year. I’ve learnt things about life, myself and of course journalism.

There are certain things that I think just have to be done in your first year at university to be a top fresher. I’d like to think I’ve done a few of them.

Joining a society is definitely something I would encourage to any first year. It’s just another new group of people to mingle with. The Winchester Volleyball team has given me a lot of entertainment over the past few months and holds several of my highlights from the year.

The great thing about joining a society, particularly sports is that at Winchester at least, and I’m sure at other universities, it’s not all serious and competitive. People do join for the social aspect which is definitely what I did and it’s fair to say that volleyball is a team that prides itself on being more of a social team.

For a lot of sports societies the big event is sports tour which I decided to buy a ticket for just a few days before the January deadline and I’m so glad I did. It was one of the best weeks ever and a proper boozy, student time. It’s even quite fun as a fresher to get dicked on by seniors. I would advise anyone on a sports team to go on tour, it’s not to be missed.

Of course it’s not all fun and games. One of the major factors of being a student is finance. I was one of the lucky ones in that my loan and grant covered my accommodation with a good amount left over for myself. I also had a fair bit saved up from my job back home. Seriously though, never underestimate how much money you will need as a student. A tenner here, a fiver there, it all adds up. I just about survived until the end of second semester and came two pounds from my overdraft. Luckily I now have a job in Winchester and its treating my bank account nicely.

I really wouldn’t wait around to get a part time job. I started looking properly in January and didn’t have one until the end of March and looking at the circumstances, it was pure luck that I went there for lunch with my mum and happened too ask about any jobs.

Although it may not be the most fun summer, I’m staying in Winchester for the majority to work and save for year two. Also I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep it once second year starts. With 9/10am starts every day I don’t know how long I’ll be able to cope with getting home at 4am from working at a bar. I do love the job though and I definitely prefer the people to 

my last job.

Let’s now not forget the reason I’m at university; the degree. I think you know after the first few weeks if you made the right choice or not and I know I did. The course itself is awesome and the people on it are also great. The good thing about doing journalism at Winchester is that it’s not a big course in terms of the number of students. There’s about 40 of us which means there’s no excuse to not at least know everyone’s name. The great thing about a smaller course as well is that it’s much easier to be social with each other outside of lectures. There have been many a pub trip and nights out to the SU with journalism.

Now that first year is coming to an end it’s a weird feeling knowing that I won’t see my closest uni friends for three months. It’s also weird to think I’ll be moving into a proper house in July. I think that’s when it will hit that I am no longer a fresher and everything piece of work I do actually matters, so it’s not okay to scrape through with a 40% because I was out the night before.

However, if this year’s anything to go by, second year’s going to be a blast (okay, with a bit work work!)

R.