One of the rare moments it doesn't actually suck to be at uni!

The essay I was writing here - 75%.

The speech I wanted to walk out of the other week - 16/20.

I'm sitting on 46/60 for this unit now, with the 40% exam on the 25th of October. The exam where you write two essays from four possible topics - he gave us an outline of five potential questions, meaning all should be good in the world.

Props to you, uni, much props indeed.

What's that girl doing, sitting on the couch?

She's trying to write 2000 - 3000 words on the ILO.

ENVY HER.

Dot Points for a drinky Tuesday

Been a while since I've thrown some dots your way, eh?

• The Girl engagement thing is going on the downlow for a lil bit. We sat down over a bag of kettles, two cruisers and a bake-at-home turkish loaf and decided that it would be best to be a bit shush. Seems there was a fairly long chat with the boy in question about it, and she doesn't want to jump to conclusions/make judgements/OD on valium until it's a bit clearer in person. She does have the entire conversation saved, so it may make a comeback at some stage (because I know you're nosy because you're here, aren't you?!).

• I didn't die after kickboxing, though haven't been to the gym since and DO plan to go again this week. I felt VERY out of shape, plus it didn't help that an ex student was there just watching (she taught the class before and decided to come back in halfway through and just SIT there for some godforsaken reason) AND the carb loading I'm doing (see above point), but I'm determined at some stage to get fitter (unless I fall into a 'woe is me' stage that I feel I'm teetering on).

• My tapey face is doing well - it's a lil scabby and it wasn't AWESOME getting the tiny tight stitches pulled out (though infinitely better than having them put in) and I'm still taped up - but the fact that I think my scab looks 'cute' where my lip mole Mole MOLE used to be is a good indicator of my doing the right thing.

• It is also itchy as all heck - I think that's also a good sign, but I just want to get in there and dig around in it. I'm refraining, but considering tricking The Hun into biting my nose (he almost bit my nose hole the other day) just to get some kind of itch in there.
  

• Still no word on that job I applied for (thanks for all your support, team) so I must say I am MOST unimpressed with a company that doesn't get back to applicants even if they are totally underqualified and just fooling themselves. I should add, however, that my only slightly controlled outburst after a meeting about the conditions surrounding the future dismemberment of my team ("Well, there's definitely more incentive for me to leave than stay now!") resulted in me getting approved for a pay rise... two jumps in just over a month adding up to more than $8000 annual increase? That eases the pain somewhat...

• I used to be a really good speller in school, but I cannot thank the automatic spellchecker ENOUGH for automatically pointing out each time I spell 'definitely' wrong ("definately"). Hooray for technology.

• Did I tell you our landlord never showed? Or called? Still? I have no qualms about telling EVERYONE that Independent Property Group is the WORST real estate agency. EVER.

• As more than one of you may be aware, I am totally obsessed with Facebook. So again - if you're out there and want to be my bud, send me an email? If you're not stalker material I'll add you to my RL account... if you are? Don't be a hater for not being added.
  

• I almost managed to book Dadsy in for a tattoo on the weekend. He's turning the big 5-0 this year and I suggested we buy him a tattoo - however because he is his daughters father he would like it sooner rather than later, and if we paid for it he'd still want something more for his actual b'day (not until November). The only drawback to getting it done on the w/end was that he wants youngest bro to be there too so the tat man writes the same thing in the same way in the same place. I think I'm more excited than him about it... on the one hand I have the feeling he'll try and pike, on the other hand I really hope he doesn't because I think it would be awesome for each person in our family to have the same tattoo.

• That unit I thought I royally screwed the exam for? I came out of the course with a credit! That course I was sitting on more than 90% for? I came out with only a pass!!! Seems I royally f*cked that exam up the ass (apologies for the graphic description, team). I went into the lecturer and saw it with my own eyes - I scored only 52% and was pretty much berated for providing shallow answers with absolutely NO depth in TERRIBLE handwriting! I was in there for over a half hour going over it all with him, and a phone call today confirmed that he's decided to bump it to a credit. Which I should be happy with on many levels (at least I passed, at least I got a credit, at least he didn't remark it to a fail, at least I don't have to worry about the poor quality of the unit again) I'm still disappointed that I didn't get what was proddly my only chance at getting a HD AND it's the first time since I've been back at uni that I haven't come out of a semester with a credit and a distinction.

• I am getting worried about my old dog at home. He's been around since I was in year 4 and is totally skin, bones and wobbles now. His feet slip on the cork tiling, he leans up against anything he can, and all the stories from home about him are only sad... like how he fell in the fish pond and nearly drowned the other week - his eyes are like 90% cataracts, he was put outside because he was peeing on the family room floor right in front of Dadsy and the outside lights weren't on and he couldn't work out where he was. Plus he was wearing his heavy winter jacket because he has no fat to keep him warm, which would have weighed him down (and his back legs hardly work as it is) and he shook for 3 hours after they found him soaked and covered in leaves by the back door, even after they took half an hour to hairdry him (he weighs less than 4 kilos now). Or the stories are funny but sad, like how the other week it looked like he was having a fit or something because he was leaning up against the unit and coudln't stand up properly and looked stressed so mumsy picked him up to calm him down, but he was actually peeing in the house. Yeah - lot of peeing stories, but all he does now is sleep and pee. Poor old dog.

• I am looking forward to my potential Qld trip in November (I'm almost 100% sure I'll get my nose done if I can get a teeny tiny stud, I haven't had ANYONE in RL say it would be a good diea) and I am also looking forward to a potential Melbourne trip in August. Hooray for minibreaks!
  

Take THAT Exams!

Two exams two mornings in a row = crappy.

The first one went terribly. I studied all the stuff in general, principles and relationships etc and focussed on the hints that our tutor subtly gave us for two hours in a hushed voice, stressing we don't share it with anyone. Unfortunately, it was the opposite to one of my previous exams where I memorised calculations and formulas and relationships, only to be asked about general high level principles. The essay questions where very specific - the type of things you'd be asked in take home essay questions - and not at ALL related to what the tutor highlighted. Like the time I spent learning about the federal tribunal, arbitration and conciliation COULD have been spent on actually knowing specifics about how conflict is the lifeblood of the organisation and details of specific employer associations... What might be ok is that I was on 42/60 pre-exam, so if passing the exam is not a requirement, I should still be passing the course... perhaps even scraping with a credit if I get 23/40?!

The second one this morning went well, I think. It was a two hour exam and I walked out at the 90 minute mark, after only graspng for answers and fluffing about on one of the questions. Proddly the best part about it is that one of the questions was about the group assignment, designed to catch out the people who didn't do a fair share of the work and/or only did their part. This meant that I basically got free points as I did my group assignment myself so knew what it was about. Again, I think.

SO. My point is - it's done. And I will spend the nex month utilising my free time by sitting on my ass playing Lumines, cleaning my room and printing out photos. AndPerhapsApplyingForJobsAsIhaveNotHeardAthingFromThatOtherOneWhichIs
NotAgoodSignAndActuallyDownrightRudeOfThem.

I have my big four-oh-oh coming up - any suggestions for the post? I know adam was a fan of The Hun's interview, but that was a struggle to get together, and he seems to have abandoned us for RSI town. *sniff*.

~tumbleweed~

Sorry doodz, I'm 'studying' so things'll be quiet for a few days... Industrial Relations - 9am tmr (eep!) and Document & Workflow Mgmt - 9am Wed then I promise to be back boring you about how glad I am to not be studying and instead focussing on something else trivial to whinge about.

In the meantime, why not entertain yourself with my 100 things and entertain me with your comments? You KNOW I'm checking my email every three minutes for comments...

ZOMG BRAIN WARLORD

I am totally the chariot leader of brainlords.

(No - I'm not drinking - out of cruisers and Moscato - ;wah;)

You know that whole 40% assignment I had due the other week? That I was up till 4am doing?

I got the marks back last night - 21/25! Add that to my other awesome scores so far (I have the loveliest tutor) - I'm on 92.5% for the course, b!tches! Jus have the 30% exam and the results from a 5% presentation left, and I'm tied for top of the tutorial! I have NEVER been that awesome before. Obviously, Enny = excited (and d'jen = trendsetter).

I sent in the application - the process basically went along these lines:

• Tues 12pm - Draft selection criteria dot points
• Tues 2pm - Ask old boss for tips on what to write
• Tues 8pm:2.30am - Draft 5.5 / 7 answers accordingly
• Wed 8pm - Email to parents
• Wed 8.30pm:2am - Finish other 1.5 and then cut 12 page document to 6
• Thurs 8am - Send updated copy to parents
• Thurs 8.30 - Read that parents think there is fair chance you might get interview
  
• Thurs 10am - Show old boss
• Thurs 10.30am - Listen to boss say she'd be surprised if you don't get interview
  
• Thurs 5.30pm - Get heaps of feedback from brother
• Thursday 5.30p,:6.35pm - Make many changes from comfy chair at uni
• Thursday 6:40pm - Submit.

It could go either way I guess - whilst drafting I realised how under qualified and inexperienced I am for the position, but your awesome feedback kept my going. At least they know what I do if they have an opening in future... I've decided not to mention it to my big boss unless I get some kind of offer, for fear of her laughing at me for aiming too high, or dissing the place as a terrible place to work.

And MySpace? Well, it's been interesting, though it's still a bit nonsensical. Basically, I found as many RL peeps and bloggers as I could, made lots of friend requests without messaging to tell them WTF I am, got told off for using LolCatz (which I lurve!), got tracked down by an ex boyfriend and found out a good friend from school has cancer.

All within less than a week... what a week,

I sense danger...!

Well.

I got to bed just before 4am this morning - I had actually 'finished' at 3, but I couldn't get the stupid email file to send properly... I left it sending while I showered but it still hadn't sent by the time I got out and I wanted Bed NOW so I left it running overnight and shut it down this morning before work (for which I was a leeeedle bit late) (and my hair was still wet when I got to work).

I was telling The Hun about the stoopid home internet after I polished off the last bits of the (mediocre at best) assignment and tried sending it from work - which ALSO wasn't working properly.

"You shoulda stopped the downloads."
"I did!"
"Well, how big was the file?"
"Eleven thousand."
"11 meg?!"
"No, no ... eleven thousand kaybees"
"Hunny, that's 11 meg - of course it wasn't sending."

I know that's a bit big as I tried to email 17meg of photos (zipped) to some friends and it wouldn't send.

Moral of the story? F*ck uni.

That is my favourite saying at the moment - mostly because I say it sarcastically to The Hun many times a night, but Ipause before saying the 'ni' part. Good times.

I popped home after work (heh, almost typed 'pooped') and picked up the lappy so I could see the lecture notes- a collection of slides containing notes from two other units here at the uni, text from wikipedia and pictures of a treacherous path up a hill - one of those presentations that your public servant friends constantly spam you with thoughtfully forward on.

Now I'm sitting in an amazingly comfy chair outside the room my tute will be in in 15 minutes - it's kinda like a futon and low to the ground and feels like I'm resting on a doona.

Last week I made it out to the uni after almost deciding to notify the tutor, only to find that the email I'd been sent stating that the tute room had changed must have been incorrect - there was no one in either the old room OR the new room. I later found out that the email was incorrect, but the third website for this subject (yes! three! why?!) contains the correct tute room. I fricking hope.

Oh noes! Teh internet nearly ates my rambles...

Has anyone googled "Fucking harvard referencing" lately?

Quickie Uni Goss Party

Jus a quickie today - I have a 20 page report due tmr that's worth 40% and so far I've set the porchlight on so that baby Jesus knows where to stop in to do a spot of document/workflow redevelopment...

There's a few things that I want to write about too - eating overseas, clothing, my sexy new shoes and... other things.... that I can't talk about because the 'watchers' are lurking and making me hold back... so I need to think some more.

Anyways - the real reason I'm updating?

GET OUT AND CELEBRATE THE NEWEST ANNUAL HOLIDAY!

Hooray!

STOP!

Essay Time!

*ugh*

Allergic to work?

I'm tired.

It might be because there was no sleep in this weekend due to the grading on Saturday and the Christening on Sunday.

It's only Tuesday, but both days this week I've woken up feeling ok, and then felt crap as soon as I've got into work - throaty, chesty and eye boggly. Yesterday I felt fine once I was outta work - today I feel worse... I still have a headache. This proddly was also due to the INSANE tute and lecture I sat thru this afternoon (well, 1/3rd lecture) of an hour of struggling to understand the tutor, and 30 mins of looking at a screen of notes that weren't on the site when I downloaded LAST WEEKS NOTES BY ACCIDENT this afternoon. The dude started rambling about the history of Industrial Relations - but the slide on the screen had like two sets of years on it, and THAT'S IT. Rambling about the first fleet was this year, first strike was this year, ladies got the vote in this year, the blah-blah ruling was way back here, the so and so whatever happened then... You can tell I wasn't in the mood for it, can't you?!

Luckily, I found out last week that a friend of mine is also in the class, so I'll email him tomorrow for the heads up - I have NO idea what this course is doing - there is no structure to the tutes, there is no direction on what chapters to read, I know I need clippings about SOMETHING but don't really know what.

So I'm kinda hoping for a flu day because I get the flu shot each year - last year I had 3.5 days off work for sick leave - all in a row the week I got the flu shot needle, and THAT WAS IT. Work is quiet and I'm starting to freak myself out that mebbe the symptoms are actually signs of infection and I'll have to get my foot amputated and so on and so forth.

Anyway, the point of my story was meant to be - how can you tell that I'm tired?

When I try to snooze my alarm for another 10 minutes by pressing the side of The Hun's head (as opposed to the side of my phone).

Time for an early night, methinks.

At Laaaaaaaaaaaaaarst

*sigh*

Exams are over for the year (1.5 semesters of 6 semesters down!) and I cannot WAIT for Christmas.

Having the two of the squooshed up so close together in the first week of exams is somewhat a double edged sword - paying off a week of headaches, eating total rubbish (and the constipation that comes with it), blatant procrastination and pangs of stomach wrenching guilt for the joy that comes with knowing that it's all over very quickly.

Both exams went fairly well I think (I HOPE!) - I felt very underprepared for both, but got a sense of calm once I was in there and saw the questions. I wrote for a full three hours for the accounting test and didn't use the 2 pages of handwritten notes as much as I thought I would, but I would like to vent at the site of the international student sitting in front of me that was allowed to enter with a page of typed notes. HULLO? It was said in the lectures and the outline and in the lecture notes and in the tutes and in the exam timetable that you were allowed a double sided HAND WRITTEN page of notes! Though I guess I should be just as angry at the 3 or 4 volunteers (?!) that man the exams checking exams and notes, that didn't pull him up on that. I answered 90 - 95 of the 100 points worth.

Org B also went well - I wrote four essays in two and a half hours - as soon as my pen was down, my hand was up to leave. I'm all for double checking and all that, but once you've written an essay in exams, there's no going back on it, so I was hella glad to get outta that hall.

Bah!

So yeah, where was I?

Yeah, uni's over. So here's what I'm looking forward to...

- Sunny weather.

- Weekends.

- Cruisers on weeknights.

- Taking some leave here and there just to bum around.

- Hosting Nutrimetics Party.

- Hosting Tupperware Party.

- Work Christmas Party.

- Team Christmas Party.

- Buying some flat laceless shoes (or maybe two pairs>!)

- Dadsy's birthday.

- Youngest Bro's birthday.

- CHRISTMAS!!!

- Early Christmas party with the rellies.

- Trip to the coast with the brothers and two or three of the cousins (including a trip past Mogo WHICH I LOVE!).

- Going to Sydney for a w/end with gf1 and gf2.

- A wedding.

- A haircut.

- Martial Arts Christmas Party.

- Maybe a trip to QLD to assit in martial arts camp in January of February.

- BIG DAY OUT in Sydney!

- New Years (what ARE we going to do?!).

What are YOU looking forward to over the Summer Season?

(PS - Am considering buying a ticket to see Chris Isaak in Wollongong, but would hafta sit by myself as Mumsy and Dadsy are going but have already bought tix. Thoughts?)

What has these last two days of study leave taught me?

A retrospective insight from a tired and gonky eyed Enny...

1) Studying in The Huns study is more productive than studying on the couch or in bed.

2) The productiveness of the study is more likely to be affected by distractions than you ever thought possible (but at least the groceries were done, food cupboard sorted, 'My Documents' folder was tidied up, etc).

3) I am not human. I am powered by refined carbs, particularly those found in No Name Crinkle Cut Potato Chips, Loaves of white bread with seeds on top and Nuttelex all round, Thins (plain AND crinkle cut), Free-from double choc biscuits, Soy Good Chocolate 'Ice cream', popcorn, diet cordial and Redeye.

4) This unadultered craving for potato chips does not mean I'm pregnant (proven, so you can all relax now).

5) Even the most precaution(istic?) people fear that there is a chance of pregnancy when 'the time of womanly celebration' does not occur within the expected HOUR.

6) I am TOTALLY too easily influenced by things I find on the internet (WILLIAM SLEDD YOU ARE THE HOTTNESS), b!tches.

7) Accounting? Soooo not my strongpoint. How mumsy does it (and how youngest bro wanted to do it) I'll NEVER know. Like how you can you just group things under names that seem to change according to whim, flight and fancy and somehow all balance out?

8) Slowing the internet to 'share' with the ppl who have 'shared' with you, will NOT reduce the amount of time I procrastinate - it will INCREASE it as I wait for the tabs to load.

9) Blogger, Firefox and Gmail need to get their sh!t together so that I can have 3 gmail accounts open in seperate tabs WITHOUT everything wigging out and me almost accidentally posting comments with my 'real' name MORE THAN ONCE IN TWO DAYS.

10) Who procrastinates at 1am the night before an exam?! That would be me.

Ugh.

Update tmr evening - at least the accounting will be over and done with.

Unless I fail.

KNOCK WOOD - HAPPY THOUGHTS, HAPPY THOUGHTS...

Y'all know how it is...

You go into uni and find out that you're on 49% (total) for one of your classes, with 40% still to come in, so you can stress a little less.

And then you find out that you're on 10% (total) for the other of your classes, with 80% still to come in, so your stress is back up or mebbe even a lil higher.

And then you go into work that lil bit more relaxed because you realise it's the last week you're gonna have to be absent for most of a Tuesday and a bit of Wednesday.

And then your co worker sends you an email to inform you that your bosses husband is outta town so there should be a party at her house because he never lets her have any fun.

And then you all engage in an afternoon of frantic emailing where you all seem to compete to see who can seem the most convincing that there actually WILL be a party at your bosses house that night.

And then the co worker leaves and both you AND your boss are trying to decide whether or not the co worker is serious.

And then you get home and check your mobile that you left at home and you realise that the co worker went to the effort of smsing you while you were at uni to suggest said house party.

And then you message the co worker to admit that you aren't sure if they were serious about the house party but you're in if it is.

And then quite quickly it's past midnight on a Tuesday and you've drunk almost half a bottle of vodka and you're watching channel E displaying the hottest models of all time and you're having the <3s for Tyler or Tyson someone or other WHO IS TEH HOTTNESS and talking about how your co worker is planning to get engaged in March and no, your cravings for salty potato chips doesn't mean your pregnant and yes you plan to get married and some stage and you're not really sure if you're curious about marijuana or not and perhaps if you dropped the weight and practiced the walk then you too could be a supermodel

And then you have muse time in the shower about how drinking mostly causes you to hear the things that you don't want to hear as well as not hear the things you should hear.

And then you ask - WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR MY 300th POST SPECTACULAR?

Egads - it's uni time

So, I have an essay due next Tuesday(26th) and a test on the Wednesday (27th), so this was supposed to be a study weekend... I also have tmr off and the next monday off too.

So far this weekend I have:

• Been to floriade
• Caught up with friends
• Gorged myself of sugar cinnamon macadamias and almonds
  
• Watched ALL the LonelyGirl15 and DanielBeast videos
• Researched what her religion might be
• Put on a load of washing
  
• Been out to dinner
• Seen Ollie Browne and Holly Throsby live
• Lined up for her CD's
• Checked all the blogs on both of my blogrolls almost ten times
• Done the groceries
• Chatted to an old friend on MSN
• Called my parents house twice
• Brought in the washing
• Bothered The Hun
  
• Ripped Holly Throsbys music to my iTunes so I can sing along
  
• Read Lulu's archives and requested a link so I can order a plush tofu
• Not gone to the gym or hit the punching bag
• Received ZERO calls about my car
  
• Watched Meerkat Manor
• Watched It's me or the Dogs
• Watched Australian Idol
  
• Cooked Dinner
• Eaten more than my points allows and STILL feel ravenous
  
• Done about 7% of my essay

I feel I should stay up late and make more of a go on the essay but I just don't think I can be arsed. Like seriously - does ANYONE go nuts for the Ohio and Michigan studies of behavioural leadershup and the influence they have on Fiedlers Leadership Contingency theory and Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model?

blech.