University: The Housemate

Who is the ultimate housemate? Living in a house of 6 has given me a deep insight into what this so called 'ultimate housemate' consists of. Take Tom Slimming, inhabitant of 37 Shaftesbury Road, and current housemate. On the exterior he is a tough Callum Best wannabe, however after closer inspection and alcohol to loosen his tongue....there is a soft, thoughtful man under that front. Having met Tom shortly before living with him I felt that the person I was going to be living with was a fun, extremely outgoing Croydon local who loved to go out and live the party lifestyle. Contradicting this was his degree: politics and international relations, which I would not have expected from a person of Tom's first impression. Ultimately the course did not work out for him and he then changed to Property Development, however on his journey through University I felt that a new side had emerged, one that I was keen to find out more about. Tom is good around the kitchen, no doubt about it. I would say he is a useful housemate in this department as his love for food and jovial attitude around the communal areas only serves to brighten up the mood and people respond positively to his antics. Alcohol has been known to cause Tom certain problems with aggressiveness a rare occurrence. Having been with Tom on many a night out I have seen his party animal side, his deep side and his laddish side. He is a hard working individual who I find incredibly easy to talk to as he is open and a good listener. Having done a Come Dine With Me week I saw the time and effort Tom was prepared to undertake in order to impress his fellow diners and although Tom received mixed reviews I could see that he was an individual who was able to really get involved in things and enjoyed the banter around the house.

Waking up at 8 o'clock in the morning to hear Tom singing 'Food Glorious Food' at the top of his voice is not the ideal wake up call. This, and his desire to picture his own excrement after going to the toilet, occasionally results in a few bad glances being thrown in his direction. I mean, Tom has a reasonable voice, but he is no Shane Ward....and seriously who wants to be doing a hard piece of work and then, Beep Beep, your phone goes off...who could this be you are thinking...oh its a picture message from Tom saying 'look what I did to the toilet'. I mean really??? Having said that, everything is taken well within the house and most things are kept as banter.

Tom likes to think he is a ladies man, and although successful with the other gender, I think that deep down he is just afraid of commitment and someone getting close enough to him to be able to cause him hurt. In recent months however, I have seen him open up a lot more and be more agreeable to the idea of a relationship, although his need to be a 'lad' often holds him back. To be fair to Tom, he has a killer Croydon sweep. With statements such as 'most loved man in Portsmouth' leaving his mouth that shows he has a good sense of humour as that is clearly not true. Tom's lack of Fifa 11 tekkers on the Xbox is evident in the house as he is more often than not on the losing side when a house session goes down. On the plus side for me, this is then an easy win when playing him and only does good for me on our house league.

I think that Mr Thomas Nigel Slimming is a valued asset to the house. He is his own man and brings something different to the table. I feel that I can talk to him about anything and get along very well with him. The house would certainly be a quieter place without him. Is Tom the ultimate housemate?.....I dont think there is an ultimate housemate to be honest. After evaluating Tom I have come to the conclusion that the best scenario is the house as an all round package, not just one member of it. All being said, Tom does contribute significantly to our house and in this he is a valued member of Shaftesbury manor.