52 posts tagged “uni”

So many things are finishing, and so many new things beginning, I'm really feeling like I'm reaching 30 a year early (after all, isn't that when all the good stuff is supposed to start?)

I finished the swedish massage course last weekend. It was a ridiculously hot day in Sydney (apparently it peaked at about 45C) and the aircon in the classroom was struggling. Everyone was sweaty, tired, and over it. BUT we did it, I passed, and decided I probably won't go on to do the entire certificate. Doing the odd massage for friends and family is one thing, but after being paired up with a huge, hairy, stinky guy in class, I realised I really couldn't do it in a professional capacity. Plus, the entire certificate costs over $6k. I may as well just hide that money away in a high interest account.

Last night saw the end of my European History unit, which was also the last official unit in my degree. I started the degree in mid-2006 and have not had more than a week off since then. It's been hard working full time and studying full time, but it's over and I'm so much closer to my final goal, teaching. Feeling a bit lost - not sure how I'm going to cope with NOT having the stress!

I still have the exam for American Literature to go, but if I don't pass that unit, I'll just need to pick up another third year literature unit somewhere non-award. It falls outside the degree, so it doesn't matter TOO much if I don't pass it (well, that's what I keep telling myself. I haven't failed anything yet so I don't want to fail, but I also haven't read any of the three novels that the exam is on next Tuesday soooo....) Frustrating that the uni I want to do my DipEd at requires 3 level 3 literature subjects to be an English teacher, whereas the Education Department only require 2. *sigh*

Pole dancing started up again last night after a week off, and I was actually a bit bored in my level 3 class last night. I'm not a huge fan of my Wednesday night teacher, she doesn't push us at ALL, but it's a great class of girls and only a 4 week term, so it won't be too bad. Really looking forward to my Saturday class. It's still a level 3, but with the teacher I love who caters to all our individual skill levels and gives us extra stuff rather than having us bored and gossiping in a corner. I saw her last night and we're going to work on a right leg hang on Saturday (which is apparently much harder than a left leg hang... not sure why it would be much different, but I'm looking forward to finding out!) On the upside, I've pretty much nailed the inverted v now.

There's been a little bit of stitching, my latest from Subversive Cross Stitch is below. It took about 4 hours, and was done to keep myself from abusing the hell out of my housemate's girlfriend. She managed to lock my cat in his room for an entire day (without any food, water or litter. I wish he'd taken a dump in there) when she left our place on Tuesday morning. I hate her staying over and leaving after we're all at work and not locking the place up properly when she goes, but this had me absolutely livid. We don't shut the doors in the house during the day because of the cats - she KNOWS this, I've HEARD my housemate tell her this a couple of times, I've told her this a few times, but still, she did it, and my little boy was locked in a room for 9 hours. She's lucky it wasn't as hot as the weekend, or I really would have let her have it. So, the stitching kept me away from her and stopped me saying something I'd probably (not really) regret later.

Once American Lit is over I'm going to play with creating some of my own designs. Because I'm lame like that. And I'm going to need some projects now that I'm done studying! 

So... I had decided to take next year off. Do a massage course, prepare for a full on year doing my Dip Ed.

But, the more I've thought about it (and the more weekends I've spent doing the massage course) the more I've been thinking I'm just wasting another year. THEN when I found out the massage course was going to take longer than expected, I decided to re-look at my uni options.

So I've applied for post grad. I'll do it part time, in the first year of it I'll just have to negotiate a half day off during the week, maybe one full day. If my company won't do that, then it's probably time to find a new job anyway. The second year will be cutting back even more, but I'll worry about that if/when it happens.

So far I've only applied to one uni, may apply to another one as well, but not looking likely. Cut off is Friday, and I've got a massive essay to write in that time, so I think I'll just leave it at the one and see where it takes me. I feel kinda sick!!!!

Results for the summer semester were released today, and I really can't complain. A pass in the Text & Culture unit that I wasn't enjoying (this was just a filler unit, it won't count towards my degree, and won't contribute to my GPA either, phew!), a credit for Religion in the Ancient World (I really should have gotten that second assignment re-marked, ah well) and a Distinction for the Roman Eastern Frontier (so either online discussions aren't REALLY worth 10% of your overall mark (because I only posted once... there's supposed to be a minimum of 13 posts) or I absolutely killed the final essay. This actually is a possibility because it was this subject that I pulled my first Ancient History HD.)

So, P, C, D. Not too bad at all. Now I need to move on to pull up the GPA with this next lot of subjects! Still enjoying the Shakespeare, really enjoying the Fall of the Roman Empire, and Latin... it's a love/hate thing.

I'm 5 subjects off finishing my degree, and I may have received my first fail for an assignment.

The instructions for the quiz are no longer visible... I believe we were only supposed to answer 3 of the 5 questions.

However, the mark that has come back on the quiz (with the instructions removed) is out of 32.5.... 5 questions at 6.5 marks each. So at the moment blackboard is telling me
 Total score: 15/32.5 = 46.1538%
Maximum possible score: 32.5

I am really hoping this is a system glitch - I have NEVER failed anything before (except for year 10 religion... heh), and am having a bit of a panic attack. The tutor is awol for a couple of days too. *sigh* The joys of being an external student.

Another external student gripe...

I'm doing a Latin course that has weekly assessments. That's fine, whatever. We've only had one so far, I drove in Sunday night before last, dropped it off, all good. In the following Thursday's lecture that I downloaded and listened to, I hear the internal students have received theirs back. It's now Wednesday and I STILL don't have mine back, and the next one is due tomorrow. It's not a huge deal this early on, but if the internals are consistently going to have feedback and whatever a full week before us externals, I'm going to kick up a stink.

Happy Wednesday!

I was practicing my endings... the 'o s t, mus tis nt' and got asked if I was trying to beatbox

It is so ridiculous, but I have an inability to do anything ahead of time. Because I only have 1000 words to write on geography's impact on religion in ancient Greece and Rome, I've been procrastinating ALL night. I know that it'll get to Tuesday night and I'll sit up half the night researching and writing. I work better under pressure I guess.

It is just so stupid. I KNOW I'm being stupid. I KNOW I should just write the damn thing. But I keep finding a million and one things to distract me. Like writing this blog. *sigh*

So, week 1 of my Ancient Languages course is over, and I only realised yesterday that it had started. Would have been nice if the uni had sent me a unit outline at the start of the week...

Anyway, they sent me a cd yesterday with this week's lectures on it. I had 2 hours worth to catch up on, which I've just finished listening to. I think they need another listen because the only things that have stuck are:

1. The letter w did not exist in the latin alphabet.
2. The letters u and v are basically interchangable.
3. The letters u and v are pronounced as we pronounce w.
4. Latin is the official language of the Vatican.

So.... does this mean that 'Vatican' should actually be pronounced 'Watican'?

If after 2 hours that is all I retained, another listen is definitely needed. But at least I'm thinking critically right? meh.

In other news, Buffy essay needs to get written this weekend... so the 6 weeks of readings I didn't get around to need to be done to. And ANOTHER Ancient Greek & Egyptian religion essay. *sigh* I'll be glad to put these two subjects behind me.

Monday brings in 13 weeks of Shakespeare and The Fall of the Roman Empire in the West. And more Latin.

I know I carry on about buying books all the time, but when you're given booklists that total up to over $100 each subject, adding up to at least $800 a year, you do tend to become a little obsessive.

Anyway, further to my babbling the other day, one of my books has already arrived!! I ordered it from the UK on Friday, from a site that gives free postage world-wide (The Book Depository), and it is already here... is that efficient or what?? Ordering from them was still half the price of anywhere in Oz too...

Happy happy happy!

Working on yet another assignment, this one for Religions of the Ancient World. For one of the questions we have to check out the Theban Mapping Project and discuss New Kingdom royal tombs.

The Valley of the Kings was one of the highlights to my visit to Egypt a few years back. Up at 4am to get a boat across the Nile, then riding on a donkey to the Valley. By 9am it was about 45C, and even hotter inside the tombs. Not all of them are open at all times, but as soon as I was told the tomb of Thutmose III was open, I had to have a look... and I wasn't letting the fact that it was the furthest away had the a ridiculous amount of stairs deter me.

I've had a lot of fun this morning looking at photos of this place that I've actually seen, but having trouble actually doing the assignment - looking at the tombs is way more interesting than writing about them!