Me > uni life > study [Vincent]

Updated with [text] 090308
Okay I know I’m being asian mathematical here, but I’m sure you’ll agree with that inequation. Uhhh, especially the uni life > study bit ? =P

You do have 3 years to do something at uni, but come on guys Carpe Diem a bit. Reality’s only what you make of it, so make it. Etc about making your own decisions. University is only going to be awesome as you make it, so make it.

~ It’s the end of the week (Daniel)

Dead Poets Society springs to mind… The world is your oyster. Hmm we could equally say me ⊃ uni life ⊃ study, and that’s pretty much an all-encompassing statement for at least my next three (or three-point-five…) years here at Unimelb.

Onto a weekly summary :

• First lectures. A.Maths, fun, although I’ve never done matrices (at school) before. Logic, yay for novelty, especially because it helps me justify my ways of thinking. Clear thinkinggggg is needed for too many things, and I don’t want to be hot-headed all the time. PPE, ah damn, I almost fell asleep during that introductory lecture. Ling, woot because I finally get to know so much more about language – that fascinating thing via which I’m communicating with you all now.
• First tutes. So far only for PPE and A.Maths. PPE, at least on this one I deviate from Daniel’s experience – the people in my tute actually talked ! Which encouraged me (who usually refuses to say anything at a first-time gathering) to join in the discussion. For anyone interested, it was about the SA government “monitoring” McDonalds’ pricing schemes at their various franchises… A.Maths, uhhh everyone got to work on the problems and then we had a lab session. ONE NOTABLE THING : We did the usual self-intro thing, and I was obviously the odd-one-out in my tute group, being the only BA there among all you BSc’s and BCom’s. Gahhh. But I enjoy being the odd-one-out. I’ll have to learn to stare people down whenever I tell them I’m a BA doing maths as breadth and they stare at me like I’m from Mars or something…
• Food at Union House. I think I’ve mostly been getting the chips and chicken fillet burgers from a certain store… Aaaaand, I’m keeping my voucher as a memento for being an f_y@u blogger ! =P
• Wifi. I have the internet on one hand, but not under ten fingers. Gahhh. The wireless works without any fuss on my iPod touch, but the Macbook seems determined to kick me out of internet access .____. Ah well I’ve resorted to only taking notes on the laptop. Email, daily schedule and the rest go on the touch. (I need the email because that helps me keep up with the interviews, etc.)
• Audition and interviews. Tuesday – Chinese Theatre Group, Semester 1 Cantonese production cast audition. Everyone’s pro, except for me =\ But I’m delighted that the director (who auditioned us) recognised me when I walked past her in the corridor on Thursday. Friday – Chinese Theatre Group, same production but interview for script translator. (Which basically means translating the script from colloquial spoken Cantonese into written Chinese and English subtitles.) Then Chinese Culture Society, interview for general committee. Yay everyone at my interview session (there were quite a few) were accepted. I’m uhhh, not fob ! Please =P
• MUCS rehearsal. That was Wednesday evening. Freezing when we were waiting outside. Met a second-year BA there, and also a friend J. We’re singing Mozart’s Requiem ! I sang Dies irae with the choral group at school last year, but Requiem aeternam is new to me. All very well, basses rock ! (I’m bass/baritone.)
• Visit to Newman College. After MUCS rehearsal, J invited me to his residential college. Wow it’s actually not bad. Stayed for an hour, mostly watching the clip he filmed of his friend’s 21st birthday. J’s friend’s friend wrote a play in secret in under two weeks, all in tribute to J’s friend ! Wow, and they put it on all for him. I was simply amazed. And J and I made plans to go watch Wicked some time soon =]
• Club gatherings and activities. I missed CMG’s first gathering because of my A.Maths tute =_____= If only it hadn’t changed from next Friday to this Friday. But I did go to the HKSA Orientation Games on the same day, if only to watch my friends play badminton and having great rallies. (Yes they were truly great ! I’m a fool at sport and I’m saying this !) And if only I didn’t have to leave twice during the gathering for my two interviews…
• [ Making new friends. I’ve found myself talking a lot more this week than I normally would, both to people I’ve only met for the first time and to people from school I’ve hardly ever talked to during my four years there. Which is good, I guess. Social contact is of the utmost importance ! And of course, it helps immensely if you have a lunch buddy, maths buddy, tute buddy, and general all-rounder mates who would walk around campus randomly with you, etc… ]

Upcoming :

• Trivia night. Looking forward to seeing (some of ?) you guys there. We shall conquer >=]
• First committee meeting(s). Time management, leadership skills, effective communication, the whole hog.
• Aa Rumbaa camp. Should I ?

I told Mum about my plans, and she gave me a strange look and said, “Why are you doing so much ?” Uhhh, I’d like to think uni life consisted of more than just studying. But I do study. I enjoy my lectures and readings, alright ? Although I think she must be concerned about my time management. After all, CCS meetings would be on Friday afternoons (some weeks, on and off). And if I (hopefully) become a CTG script translator, I’d have meetings on Monday afternoons too. Now on top of that, MUCS rehearsal on Wednesday evenings, and late finishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays… That means a full week O_____O

Ahem, which still brings me back to the title of this post. Me > uni life no matter what – and that also means I’m going to stay on top of everything ! I’m telling myself I’ll cope !

Another long post,

cenvii