My mind is on overdrive - as usual!
Mr HT likens it to his mind which he describes as being like a "V8 engine"! I wouldn't use such grandiose terminology, but he does understand. Us, together, fired up on a topic is the most intellectually challenging experience...I shudder with fear and excitement to think how I would have dealt with an opponent like him back in my debating days. He would have made for fierce competition! Thank goodness Mr HT was too busy playing sport with the AIS before he pursued his academic side!
Speaking of sport, Mr HT has amazingly enough taught me an appreciation of it [like fine wine!]. I used to be somewhat dismissive of the sport-obsessed Australian culture due to a childhood spent in New Zealand where sport doesn't feature quite as strongly in the New Zealand psyche. I still don't believe sports stars should be treated like heroes who are "above the rest", however now I can really appreciate the sweat and dedication they put into their careers. To be successful at sport - like in business - is not easy.
And for another thing....a much more serious matter.
Tonight I watched the most fascinating and depressing documentary on SBS titled "Chahinaz: What Rights For Women?"
It brought tears to my eyes at some points as it followed the plight of a beautiful, vibrant and intelligent 20 year old Algerian girl - Chahinaz, who was questioning the oppression and discrimination of women in her country; centering around the "Family Code" law enacted by the government there in 1989.
It reminded me how far we have come in our country, yet how far behind the rest of the world is.
It reminded me that rights are not provided....rights are fought for.
And it reminded me how so many women in Australia take for granted their "right" to be treated as an equal to a man; to choose our own path in life with no pressure or domination by the men in our lives.
However still....even in our own country, now that the "right" has been granted, the voices are quiet. Despite the fact women still earn less than their male counterparts for the same job. Despite the fact that senior roles in organisations and board rooms are still dominated by men. Despite the fact women are still discriminated for having children while trying to maintain a career... I won't list more. It would be unnecessary....but it upsets me - seeing how women in other countries live and how controlled their lives are....and comparing that to the utter disinterest Australian women have in really appreciating the rights they have and furthering the quest for complete equality.
At the same time, I wish there was something I could do to help these women in other countries...who can't even walk down the street without being ogled by EVERY SINGLE MAN...simply because they are unveiled. Perhaps that was what shocked me the most in this documentary. The amount of men who just STARED. Their stares sent chills down my spine. I would have felt unsafe to walk alone. Yet Chahinaz held her head high and walked.
I felt anger when she said how she must watch her every move, for even if she thinks she has done nothing wrong, if she has committed a moral wrong by society...she will bring major problems and shame to her family.
What would it actually feel to live like that?
I will wake up tomorrow, I will live a normal day, feeling safe and free.
But how would it feel to never even have the opportunity to spend one day living like that?
It troubles me.
Lately I have had one issue after another forcing "perspective" into my life.
And despite how depressing it can be, I still hold hope. I am an optimist in the worst of situations. Because I believe if you do not have hope, you have nothing. As naive as it sounds, I do believe in the goodness of humanity. I remember hearing a survivor of the Holocaust say that once....
Well...it is late my friends and I have a rather busy day tomorrow. Mr HT leaves on Friday to spend a year or two living on the other side of the world. Time will tell....but I think this is just the beginning of something....
I miss him already.
S.
Probability went better than I thought it would. I think I'd have a mean of 72 and a standard deviation of 5 on a normal distribution, approximately that is. (Using the central limit theorem on a binomial distribution. Dammit, I didn't know how to prove the central limit theorem!) Also couldn't find my friend Y after the exam, apparently I'd walked right past him. (Though I'm not surprised.) I was hoping he'd want to go to the 620131 Scientific Programming and Simulation wake. (Just to freak out the lecturers.)
I have a small dilemma:
Thursday night - EoX party is on and my last exam is on Friday morning - darn! (What to do?) (What would you do?)
Don't leave your car serviced for too long, or else it might not start like mine when trying to leave a busy petrol station. (Ok, it did start a minute later, but those spark plugs really, REALLY need changing!)
Umm, not much else to say here. Room is messier than usual. Hmm, exam study. Bizarre amount of unproductive procrastination. (As opposed to blogging which is productive procrastination.)
Well...FINALLY, it is over!
I have returned from the fire and brimstone of "Academic Hades" (quoting PXW!)
Walking out of my final (3.25 hour) accounting exam on Wednesday, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat! I found myself reveling in the moment; after so long and so many complications over the past semester, to know that finally it was all over was the most wonderful feeling.
Now I finally have some time to relax and do things I don't often get time for during semester...I began the "To Do" list last night whilst watching my brother's debate - "That we should ban the sale of fur." Rather tough for a newbie 12 year old, Year 7 kid. But he was up for the challenge! He was debating against girls who were at least Year 8/9 and his team won...VERY IMPRESSED! I'm grooming him for State! [Lol!] Now...I better not turn this entire update into one on debating but it is suffice to say that I am a passionate debater who misses the sport terribly but can't find time to fit it in to my already crowded extra-curricular timetable...so next best thing is to live vicariously!
As for the excitement of the coming weeks:
I can't wait to spend lots of time with my friends and family and on the whole, just spend some time alone thinking and writing. I was speaking to one of my closest friends and mentors the other day - Mr IB - and he gave me some advice that has stuck with me. Currently Mr IB leads an incredibly successful life in finance (yes life...as people in the game know, the hours are not exactly fabulous) and is someone whose time and advice is worth more than its weight in gold!
Anyhow...as for his advice, he told me to carry a journal with me wherever I go because in your university years, your mind is at its most creative and life in general provides the most opportunities for interesting scenarios that should not be forgotten. He is right in this respect because despite my avid "journal chronicles", I often do find myself thinking things or noticing an intriguing moment outside the tram window...and by the end of the day when I find myself writing, these small but important aspects of daily life can be lost in the depths of memory.
Definitely one of the joys of university life is having the time to explore ideas and thoughts with no ultimate purpose.
So a journal has become part of the daily inventory I cart everywhere with me!
I guess at this point, I will stop to making a small amending note of explanation to any of my readers [and fellow bloggers]. Some people may have wondered why my journal entries dropped in number - particularly knowing that I am a passionate writer whose entries numbered at LEAST one per week over first year.
Well...a few months ago now, a number of events kind of collided in my life at once.
Firstly, J and I went through a fairly traumatic break up.
Secondly, one of my best friends was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after firstly spending 12 hours thinking she had cancer.
This happened within a matter of days.
In between that I have been interviewing at some top investment banks for internship positions and dealing with a few other side issues.
Life has definitely been very hectic.
I think when it comes down to it....I've just realised lately how important it is to live each day to the very full, because you never know what is around the corner. The last few weeks I have just CHERISHED every minute I've spent with my friends and family. I don't even take a second of time for granted anymore. Every moment is so precious.
Exams helped center me again as well and finally I feel like I've been getting back on track with things. I'm really excited and motivated about next semester and the "fire in my belly" is back to usual levels. I have also received some great feedback from some very respected people in the investment banking industry in regards to my future career path...which has really meant a lot to me.
So...life goes on and right now I have to think about where on earth I'm going to organise the bi-annual PIS end of semester dinner at. Recommendations people? We've been to Blue Train and Wheat...and I would really like to try somewhere new...but of course finding CBD places [open at night] in the student budget can be difficult! I'm thinking somewhere near Melbourne Central...please feel free to share ideas!
Also on my mind is the need to get to bed and rest...so on those thoughts, I think I will finish up this entry.
I would love to leave two things with the reader however:
Firstly, I would like to say one of the most over-quoted lines in history: "Carpe diem" my friends! Seize the day!
And secondly, I would like tol leave you with a quote from a person in my life whom I find intriguing...and a quote I find so wonderfully applicable to any single moment of my life: "You never know your luck in a big city."
To me, those words sum up the magic of living because you never DO know. - The endless opportunities that exist, the factors of luck and fate playing interchangeably against our notion of "free will" leading us to a sense of the unknown; it sums up the incredible intensity and the grandiosity of LIFE.
I guess, most of all - it gives me a sense of hope when faced with situations that at times appear despairing.
The person who told those words has become a major influence in my life and I consider their existence in my life...to be the best luck I've ever found.
Take care everyone.
Goodnight and GOOD LUCK!
Sophie
I felt like doing a Google image search for Flying Spaghetti, looking for the Flying Spaghetti monster. I find this page: http://creationwiki.org/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster
Before I continue, I will say I consider my self somewhere between Atheist and Agnostic.
I found the table there rather amusing. I have absolutely no problems with the first column, for what I hope are obvious reasons. It says that "Evidence for evolution is not to be questioned". Do they think we go in blindly with every piece of evidence? Evidence for evolution is in everywhere from DNA to fossils. Understanding of DNA, mutations and micro-evolution in bacteria did not develop overnight, and is able to be replicated.
Also they claim evolution has little supporting evidence as compared to Intelligent Design and Creationism. But the actual constructs of ID and Creationism would mean that any evidence is either bad or cannot falsify their prediction.
Evolutionary theory is constantly seeking to refine itself. Many of its proponents are not dogmatic and don't expect to be able to get a complete theory. They seek to work from what we know now and work backwards, and go back as far as we can go. Where as Creationism, ID and Flying Spaghetti Monster start from a beginning, and work up to the modern day from there.
I also stumbled upon http://www.anointed-one.net/atheism.html from an advert link. First it claims that, mostly in regards to the Big Bang theory, "If matter and energy cannot be created, how did they originate?" Well the Big Bang theory doesn't say all matter originated from nothing. It says it came from a single point. Physics also worked different at this point.
We are also told "There is not even one generally accepted scientific theory on the origin of matter and energy." Well that's why it's called 'science'! Science should be able to have opposing theories, and science should be able to discuss these theories. Science is not an synonym for 'the same'. We also get another ill-advised comment that "There is not even one generally accepted scientific theory on the origin of life."
It also talks about the scientific method and how evolutionary theory does not use it. This article seems to only focus on the very beginnings of life rather than anything else which science has been able to test, and observe. Experimentation does include finding fossils and exploration of DNA and mutations. Evolutionists are continuing to try to take steps further back in time, and hope to understand more. It is also true that this would never get us satisfied, as we would want to go a step further back.
Man, what a crazy ramble. I might add that I personally think that the Big Bang has been overrated and we are in danger of not allowing other plausible theories to develop in the scientific community. The Big Bang does have problems, which are too much for me to explain here. This reluctance for new theories is not good for science or evolutionary theory. (Reluctance though is nothing new.)
Hmm, maybe next time I will talk about the Citizen's Electoral Council of Australia people that hang outside Uni telling us that climate change is a fraud and Al Gore is the modern day Hitler. (and wants to see everyone on the planet die/starve to death.)
The only thing stopping me from dropping Law at this particular point in time is that it would negate everything that I wanted last year. Perhaps more painful, however, is the realisation that what I don't really know why I wanted to do Law in the first place, and that I've been struggling to construct rational reasons after the fact.
Not a good day.
Hey people.
Right now I'm intending to do some vector analysis study and also get my Essay for History and Philosophy of Mathematics done by Friday, rather than when it is due the Tuesday after. Simply because it will be so much easier to hand in that way.
Went to a bar on High Street Northcote, Open Bar I think it's called, last night which was great inbetween study. Got talking to some random people and got invited to some house party which is conveniently after exams.
I really should stop now. Umm, too hard to think straight when writing a blog and exams are so close.
:D
Hi everyone,
I know I have been rather quiet of late and it's mainly because I have just been so overwhelmingly busy. I am exhausted...and exams are just around the corner but have been keeping fit and healthy so should manage to get through that with no dramas!
I just wanted to take the time to wish a massive GOOD LUCK to everyone over the coming exam period.
I know this is a time of many nerves, worries and concerns; but I hope everyone remembers that their best is all that can be asked of them.
I would love to write a long reflective post on life, but again, time does not provide me that luxury!
I have learned a lot over the last few weeks in particular however. And that is the amazing thing about this point in your life...it is these years at university where you learn so many life lessons.
I have begun to learn the importance of trying to LIVE for "right now". I am such a determined and focused person about where I'm going in my life and what I want to do. I have always been like that I doubt I will ever change from that...however sometimes it is important to slow down a bit. Even if just for a few minutes!
I am trying to appreciate every moment because I've realised through some difficult experiences, that you never know what is around the corner. At this point in my life, I have never been more excited about the future or more content with my life in this second; right now. I am trying to breath in every moment and hold it in my memory so that I never forget it.
I think you are never too young or too old to remember that.
Best wishes everyone,
Sophie
I have become so distracted lately. So much World of Warcraft, so much less study - and it shows! Seen a few movies since as well. The crazyness of Spiderman 3, which is great if you love really rediculous films. Also 300, if you like films with story lines with as much depth as Super Mario Bros.
Also, we found a mushroom growing in our bathroom! Something to do with the leaking roof. It's good we had a clean up to actually find it.
And oh darn - the Bamboos are playing on Thursday 21st and I have one last exam on Friday 22nd. I'll have to just get over it and find something on the Friday night. Hopefully find a new band to get into.
Analogy: Your muscles ache, each breath cuts like a razor, your legs shake like they are just going to fall out from under you. But you are so close to the finishing line - if you can just keep running, you'll finish the race. You know you won't win, but just to finish it would make all the pain you have endured and distance you have already run worth it.
Feeling a lot like that about uni at the moment... I have three more essays and one exam - if I can just finish them, then I can do whatever I want.
What do I want? I have a couple of projects I want to get stuck into. Auditions for The Mikado are soonish, and I'm dying to get a part. I also want to get a job (finally) and actually be able to give my fashion addiction some relief. I have started an online children's story series; it's in development and will hopefully be launched around June-July. I am also playing with some ideas for starting a relationships column - as like a 'real world' antidote to Samantha Brett. I have three ideas for paintings that I have to do for my new apartment, and I really should be actually buying some furniture...
So, there are a lot of things that I am keen to get into, with only a couple of weeks of hard work standing between me and creative gratification. It's infuriating.
Other than that, not a great deal is happening. The last month or so has been extremely tough, with a little return of the doom and gloom of days gone by. I really thought that I was better equipped to deal with it all now, but it took just one bad thing to knock me off my feet for a whole month. I'm not completely good again yet, but at least I'm heading in the right direction.
Nails bitten slowly down to shreds
As hope flies its lonely white flag
And my heart travels oceans
Searching for a destination; an end
For the emotions buried down deep
In a box labeled “not for the faint-hearted”
Too scared to leave the known comfort
Of strong arms holding me tightly
But he knew what you'd known for a year
On a mild autumn night
Where the stars aligned
And your eyes met with mine
Revealing the burning passion inside
That left me stuck mid-thought
In a breathless panic of desire
Until you found a stolen moment
And I caught a taste of betrayal
When your finger tips brushed against me
So faint, like a mere mistake
That you never meant to make
When you set sail for the sun
Leaving me far behind
I will dream of your journeys
Across lands unbeknownst to some
I will hold your words close
Seeking strength and solidarity
As I strive for victory alone
Silently, quietly, I will yearn for you.
But I will go on.
And when all is said and done
Today’s tomorrow is now found
I hope you recall these treasured times
And I pray that you will set out to find
Your fingers once again entwined with mine
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