Hola. A big welcome to our new firsties, and to those who have graduated to the second year blog, as well as to the great unwashed adolescent masses who will be upon us soon for Orientation Week.
A new year, of course, also means new existential reflection on the meaning of life so far and the years to come.
This year, it's all about age and blogging. When I first started writing this blog, which was almost three years ago, I really wondered how relevant my thoughts would actually be to other first years. I didn't know anyone else who did my degree. Or anyone who had my personal background. And, having been through four years of university, I am fairly sure that I still don't know anyone with the same mix of interests as me.
Since then, as I have grown older, my relevance to nervous first-years has continued to tank. I am in my fourth year, which is now a non-existent institution in these days of 3-year Melbourne Model degrees, doing a double degree that no longer exists as a double degree, and one degree that no longer exists at undergraduate at all. I also no longer really care about many of the things that new university students care about - I can't remember the last time I worried about making friends, for example, or the last time I thought about finding help at university, and I always feel like a massive liar when this blog automatically ticks off 'Second year' on the tags list.
What this means is that I'm really not sure about what to fill the remaining three years of blog posts with - I don't graduate until 2012, but it's been a really long time since anything I've done could conceivably count as 'transition and orientation'. So, some quick questions that I'd like to ask readers:
1) do you people actually care what goes on in my life academically, given that it probably has very little relevance to what goes on in your lives academically?
2) same thing, but with activities outside of uni
3) why do people read the Seconds blog? Is it to keep up with posters you met on the Firsts blog? Is it because you want to prepare for second-plus year? Is it because it gives you a more complete snapshot of what the university is like? Or do you just like the gossip?
Thoughts appreciated please.
Still on holidays obviously.
There is one other thing that's driving me mad at the moment apart from boredom, and that is - SALP. Yes, it's the Uni's Student Ambassador Leadership Program. Thing is, I have to do at least 40 hours of Community Service for a non-profit organisation (that's on top of the 20 hours Uni Service). Easy enough, I registered for a volunteering gig more than half a year ago. It didn't work out quite as well as I planned though, coz the organisation I applied for didn't have any volunteering opportunities (apart from a Regional one, and oh, an admin/retail role in Melbourne) during the holidays. So now, I'm back to square one. I've been sending out emails to different organisations these last few weeks using email addresses that I got from the SALP database but alas, at least half of my emails bounced back. Damn unrealiable contacts.
Now that I think of it, it seems like I've done way more volunteering before I joined SALP. Because now that I'm in the program, I've been too caught up with counting the hours to actually enjoy volunteering. Okayy... maybe I'm just saying that because of the time pressure involved - according to my countdown app in my desktop I have exactly 72 days, 8 hours, 35 minutes before the April 30 deadline. Aarggghh..
Is there anyone out there who knows of community volunteering gig that would last for at least 40 hours??? Maybe not one of those ones that needs at least 6 months commitment - I'm a final year student after all. But apart from that, I probably won't be that picky from now on.
I just got back yesterday. Or so I thought. I barely knew what day it was, yet alone what time it was. I opened the door, and crashed. I was exhausted.
Forgot how damn tiring a 48 hour trip can be. Especially if you have a weird lady buying you drinks in Amsterdam, you never know what can happen (meet a Zimbabwean who speaks Norwegian, apparently). But I'm glad to be back, although it feels different this time. Familiar, but still new. Got a whole loads of stuff on this year. I'll be working, for once. Now that's new. And also get to work as an editor for a newspaper. That's both new and exciting. But I think that's how second year goes, you get more busy, and you actually have to make more difficult choices. A summer has passed and you realise who your new "true" friends are, and you value them highly. Cos you realise great friends don't grow on trees, and now that's universal.
So from time to time, I hope to pop by here, and leave my mark. Like a small dot in the world. But if anything, I think this is the year when I will let other dots enter the world stage and leave their mark. In a week, there's O Week. Can't wait! I look back a year ago, and remember how nervous I was, how naive I was. Good times, they were. And good times are to come.
I've said it before, and will say it again: nothing is permanent but change. So what are you waiting for? Ride that wave! Make sure you're not stuck underneath it. Trust me, I've seen some of my friends back in Sweden who are there, and it's not a pretty sight.
Cheers,
Olle
It's a new year again - new resolutions anyone? Hmm... considering that I was able to keep my very unambitious (my Dad's description, not mine) resolution from last year, maybe I'll try making another one. Sure, it's already February but since the Chinese just had their new year celebration, and I'm always being mistaken as Chinese, it's a good time as any other to make resolutions. Since it will be my last year of Uni as of 1st of March, I guess the best resolution would be to just enjoy the whole Uni student life while it lasts. A good place to start is with student discount and freebies...
On another note, I haven't really been doing much all summer. I'm in the process of renewing my passport (my current one is either lost in the mail or with the embassy), so I'm stuck here in Australia till I get a new one. I went to that Moonlight Cinema in the Royal Botanic Gardens a few weeks ago, and it was nice coz it was like 2 of my favourite things rolled in one - watching a movie and having a picnic. True, the picnic stuff might be contaminated by Aeroguard especially come sunset (there's so many people spraying at once that you can see some sort of Aeroguard mist), but it's still fun. It ended so late though, so I had to dash to the tram then train, to catch the last train of the day. I also went on a few wine-tasting trips with my parents, including a one-time lunch at a wine estate - I still don't get all those wine tasting notes cards; the most ridiculous entry I've read so far is that of some wine tasting like "the forest floor". I can't really imagine what the forest floor is supposed to taste like - every time I try to imagine, I get this image of a person licking the ground of some forest in the Dandenongs. And that really doesn't seem all that enticing. I also volunteered for an exhibition day for an Architecture organisation last December, and I must say, I've never seen anyone get excited with light fittings until that day. Sure they have some sort of connection with Frank Lloyd Wright but still, exclaiming like it's the best thing since the Internet is a tad too much.
Other stuff I've been doing during the holidays are going to the beach, working, book-binging, working, going to the movies and working. Oh, and I'll be going to this Urban History/Planning History conference next week. Why? a) I'm already bored b) I had $200 to spare... and I can't believe I just said that, and c) it's related to my field of study PLUS if I'm lucky, I could d) do some networking - I dunno how it works but apparently, it's really important in the field of building environments.
Well, that's all for now. Sorry for the much delayed post - I just realised that the last time I posted anything was just after the exams. I hope everyone's not getting bored with holidays like me. :)
Trying to refrain from writing too many posts - for fear of flooding out the whole page with my writings. (Unfortunately?) it is heading in that direction. J'aime apprendre le français et biologie. Which is good, because my life consists of french and biology. Still have an inner hatred for current academic testing methods (a.k.a exams). It (that is, my life) is also now consisting of guitar and salsa lessons - they both start next week. Weather is cold, which is fantastique because this weekend some of us in the outdoors club are going XC skiing for the weekend. Next weekend is downhill, and the weekend after is ice climbing. At which point I'll have to re-work my budget and possibly not eat for a month/come home early. Maybe.
Involved now with C4C (Campus for Christ) and what a great bunch of people they are. Took part in Irish set dancing with them last weekend - excellent fun.
Exchangees got together for Australia day and much partying occurred. Also went to igloofest, which is an outdoor rave party - an experience... which can only be had at -20. Got home ok without my nose falling off from wind chill.
Here is just a quick update on what has been happening in the past week or so since coming to Montreal.
It feels like it has been forever - but in fact has only been a just over a week since I got here. Its cold (-18C!) and today has decided to make up for lack of snow lately and is now re-covering the roads. I'm getting faster at taking off and putting on layers everytime you go into class/a building and am finding and losing my way around the underground passageways that connects the uni together. With my sense of direction I managed to end up in the basement of the mechanical engineering building where they have heat transfer labs (it was like a sauna in there!) when I wanted to go to a biology lecture. All the signs are in french, but now I know that sortie means exit.
Speaking of which, french is going well - there is SO much to learn, but there are always opportunities to practice. I'm still behind in work, catching up on all of last week's missed classes, but it is certainly getting there... and I'm enjoying all the subjects that I'm taking so far. The work ethic here is crazy... sorry Melbourne Uni... but McGill has one up you for academic crazyness. It is like everyone is a med student here :p
As for anything non-uni related, hrm.. this whole city seems a mecca for students. Here people will work soo hard over the summer and then move as far away as possible to go to uni. That's like England too. I did go to the 'old port' the other day. There is an outdoor skating rink (on my to-do list) and plenty of art galleries. I might go back there on friday afternoon to get some warm ear muffs.
Tonight i'm catching up with international students at uni (free pizza) - so far I've managed to miss out on two ski trips, a hockey match and ice skating! hehe.. there is a fair amount of things happening that are randomly organised last-minute. For those back at Melbourne Uni, I encourage you to get involved with M.U.S.E.X or with any of the International student societies... they're a great place to start if you want to be a tourist in your own country/city!
Most students live in the student ghetto which is about a 2 min walk east of the uni, I live about 20-30 mins south of uni... so apparently that is too far for people to come and visit. On saturday - a church I visited make up sandwiches and distribute them to the homeless in the city, which I think will be a good thing to get involved in and perhaps see the flip side of Montreal. So that's what I'll be doing this weekend if there are no other last min ski trips organised!
Au Revior!
Guess where I am?!
Uni starts tomorrow - and its all nerves and excitement from here on.
It is cold. very cold.
I'm writing this while listening to a French CD (how to speak french...) this multitasking is making neither work properly.
Leaving Aus in 40C heat and arriving (eventually) in England - WHERE IT IS SNOWING - I'm hoping for a white Christmas this year. Of perhaps more importance to this blog, I finished off the last of my four exams for Marine Phytoplankton and Marine Botany on the Friday and I think all were relieved in finishing it off. The majority of us were sick/sick at some point because lack of sleep and constant studying isn't really conducive to good health. Our results will hopefully be released at some point this year.
Anywho. Shall keep ya'll up to date as to what is happening - I'm heading off to Canada early new year and shall be trying to find a place to stay for the couple of days before uni starts! Anyone out there who knows of people in Montreal?
Ciao!
Nicola.
[Edit 26/12: MERRY CHRISTMAS!]
Because it might be that long before you get another update :)
Summer: heading back to Hong Kong to help my dad translate his new textbook into English, then heading back to Melbourne to take two summer subjects (Legal Ethics, Evidence). In the meantime, rewriting the MSS constitution to take into account the changes post-VCA merger and drafting the official MSS submission to the VCAM discussion paper, planning a two-campus O-week 2010 (here's to hoping that I don't get lost at the VCA!), catching up on all the books I didn't read during the year (what's with the Twilight series' popularity, I read Eclipse and it's beyond awful), and writing my application for Institutions in International Law. A friend of mine will be doing Searching for the American Dream at the same time (which I believe blogger Georgie also did - you can read her account here), and we're trying to figure out how to coordinate a joint travel trip despite the fact that she'll be in the US and I'll be in Geneva. Alas, the laws of space and time don't seem to be working in our favour, although I'm still convinced we can do Asia if we buy crap enough flights to have really long stopovers :)
Enrolled in for semester 1 next year: International Law, Corporations Law, Music Language 2, and if I get in, Institutions, but if I don't, the Ethnography of Music.
Enrolled in for semester 2 next year: Stravinsky and the Music of the 20th Century, Broadway and Music of the Theatre, International Human Rights Law, Remedies.
I'm reeling at the amount of elective in that. Other than Corporations, Remedies, and Music Language 2, it's all my choice! That's never happened in my degree before - how exciting! I'm expecting this courseplan to really change between now and March/August respectively - because it can! Ha! So that's what it feels like to be an arts student...
Also, I'll be the MJIL book reviews editor next year, so I've been spending a lot of time on Amazon and lots of various publisher's lists looking for interesting books to send to academics for reviewing.
Exams went alright. Don't know how I feel about the NTEU ban on releasing results to students.
I feel somewhat justified writing a post, post-exams - as I have now commenced (4 days after my last exam) Marine Phytoplankton and Marine Botany summer school. Two subjects, two weeks, four exams and 25 points ahead. They call it 'intensive' subjects for a reason, and now - come Thursday - my social life consists of a date with the books and a diet of energy drinks.
It's absolutely fascinating everything we're learning about, getting to spend our days (there are ~15 of us) looking through the microscope. Next week we're heading down to Queenscliff to learn about 'macroalgea' (otherwise known as seaweed if you want to sound less impressive). Should be great... a fair number of us know how to scuba dive, although I think for the moment we'll stick to snorkeling.
Fun fun! My holidays don't fully start for awhile...
Ciao!
... then back to study from 4th Jan in Canada! I'll keep you posted while I'm over there...and hopefully encourage those of you who are thinking about going on exchange or want to do something similar.
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