Exemption Outcome....

EXEMPT!

What a relief!! I am officially graduating University. It was a little up in the air before I received this e-mail. The possibility of preparing yourself to go back after thinking it's all over is just unbearable. It reminds me of that scene in Despicable Me when the evil villain sees a boy crying over an ice cream, so he gives him a balloon, and then he pops the balloon.



This is only for 2/3 subjects, but seeing as I didn't use my workplace unit for these exemptions I will now automatically be exempt from the third. Confused? Here's how it works.

If you successfully complete a workplace unit at Murdoch that coincides with your degree it will replace a core unit. As for the other two units, well...  i'm going to put that down to a damn good exemption letter (and maybe good grades, also maybe the professor was just in a really good mood....).

I stressed for weeks over how I was going to word this letter. How would I address the person I was talking to? How am I going to show I deserve to be exempt? How am I going to phrase "can I be exempt" without sounding pushy? The worst thing was there were no guidelines to writing this kind of letter. Until now.

Due to the amount of hair and sleep I lost over how to write an exemption letter, and no matter how much you google or search the Murdoch site you will not receive any help, I have decided to provide my own how to guide.

How To Write A Killer Exemption Letter:

• Keep it formal - Address the person your talking to formally. For instance, don't say "hi" or "hey". Try going with "dear" and finish off with "yours sincerely". It's a bit of an over kill, but it's better to be over formal than under formal. Also, make sure you use the right title for whomever your addressing. For example "Associate Professor Terrence Lee". Then when they reply with something more simple, you can use that in the future.
  
  
• Demonstrate why you should be exempt - Have you completed several units that correlate with the core unit you have left over? Do you believe you've learnt everything you can on the subject? Ultimately it's up to the person your writing to decide if you've satisfied course requirements, but it doesn't hurt to give your own example.
  
  
• Provide a copy of your academic record - Be prepared for the first reply to ask for this. I wasn't to sure where to get this from. I ended up going into my units and taking a screen capture of my unit results.
  
  

It's not much, so here's a template as well.

If your not to sure whether or not you have any core units left over it's best to ask a question through MyAnswers. They will usually get back to you within a couple of days if your submitting the question during a teaching week.

Good luck with the rest of your studies! And a BIG congrats to all those graduating with me this year :)

Tav Tuesday!

Why has it taken me so long to go to the tav, sit down, and have a drink?  Today was so much fun, and all we did was drink and talk. I'm planning on going again on Wednesday now. Trust me to become addicted to the tavern during my final (ever, hopefully) teaching week of the year.

Day's off are AMAZING!

I can't remember the last time I was this impressed to have a day off. I went to bed at 11:30 last night - which is early for me lately. I woke up at 10am this morning and all I've done is lazily wake up and begin some homework.

The past month has been absolutely hectic. My work hours have increased, the website I'm working on has launched, I've been to 4 gigs (including a 2 day festival and a comedy night), handed in 2 essays, and have still managed to have a social life. I've just looked at my diary, and tomorrow it all starts again for the month of November. Why is the end of the year so intense?!

Currently I am writing what was meant to be a weekly assignment, updating this blog, studying for a test and chatting on facebook. Now that's what I call balance.

Also, check out what I found while studying in library:

Funky, huh?

- Jess

There's a first for everything.

Well... those essays didn't exactly go to plan. I'd like to blame a few things on my late submission of assignments, but truth is it's really my fault. I'll quickly play the blame game though, just to make myself feel better for a moment.

Firstly, I worked on my assigned day off which is when I reserve a majority of my study for. I didn't find out I was working a full day until Thursday night while I was working, so I had prepared to write a majority of the two essays that day. Friday night came around, and I was too tired to string a sentence together. Poor excuse, I know, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to assignments. So if it's not perfect; it's not right and if it's not right; I'm not submitting it. Consequence is, it takes me a lot longer than average to write an essay, aside from that day that I wrote a 2000word essay in 8 hours (I ended up with a C+... but still, terrible terrible habit!)

Both essay's were due at 5pm, and I need to allow for at least 1 hour to travel to uni and reach the assignment box. As 3 o' clock ticked by and I was still in my pj's trying to polish off two conclusions I started to doubt whether I's be ready in time. 4pm came by, and I was still referencing. At 4:50pm I emailed my tutors to let them know my essay's would be late. It was the worst feeling in the world. I've just spent 3 solid days and nights trying to finish these, and I still couldn't get them in on time.

These a few things to be learnt here. Firstly, stop procrastinating. I shouldn't have been writing the bodies for two essays the weekend before they were due, discovering along the way that I actually had more research to do. Secondly, reference along the way. Don't wait till the end of an essay, because you'll finally be finished and realise that you've actually got to spend another hour referencing. It's extremely painful.

I hope everyone's semesters are wrapping up better than mine. I'll let you know my final result when their in. I have no idea what percentage of my mark I'm going to lose - if it's the difference between a C and a D I just might die.

Jess.

Extensions aren't all good news...

So I should have had an essay in by Monday just gone, but instead the class was given an extension till this Friday. It made no difference, I still haven't started writing it.

Last week was pretty full on. I helped run two launch events for a new web page I've been working on with a few other people (Check it out here ;) http://mandurahyoungandrestless.com/) and I partied it up at One Movement. So really, not enough time dedicated to study in between all that. I was pretty focused on handing in the essay on Friday, however, so I was a little bummed when we got another extension.

Yesterday a full class rocked up to our tutorial, only to have the tutor not show. It was like being back in high school when the teacher never showed, I felt free for about 5 minutes before realising I'm meant to look after myself at University. Bummer right? Half the class began to trickle away while a few of us stayed to "work" on our essays. Yeah, that never happened. That afternoon I DID go to the library and borrow some books though, which I haven't done since first year. It didn't help all that much though, and I still went home and stared at my computer; knowing that I needed to write something, but I couldn't figure out what.

That night our tutor sent everyone an e-mail saying we had an extension until next Monday. Great? No. I have a 3000word essay due Monday! Stress stress stress!! I'm sprouting grey hairs as I write this. 5500 words, 5 days. Totally achievable...

Can I be exempt?

It sounds simple, but the title for this blog is one of the hardest lines I have ever had to write. Not in the context of a blog title though...

In order to graduate from Murdoch at the end of this semester, which is only 5 study weeks away (eek!! :D), I need to be granted exemption from 3 subjects. 2 belong to my media degree and 1 belongs to my public relations degree. I've set out an e-mail that explains why I think I should be exempt, but I just can't seem to close it. Do I simply say "due to the above, I believe I should be exempt" or should I be less pushy and write something along the lines of "is it possible for me to be exempt?"

I spent so much time on this letter, that I'm now sure I've missed the deadline. At least according to the Murdoch website. This is something MyAnswers didn't prepare me for. I'm kind of disappointed if this is the case. I would have expected MyAnswers to tell me there was a deadline, rather than just telling me I needed to write a letter to my academic chairs. There's also the fact that there are no guidelines to writing a letter for exemption. It's not such a big deal, but this is a pretty important letter. The outcome of this letter means the difference of me graduating at the end of this year, or half way through next year. Last year I was all "it'll be fine, I'll take this extra unit and if I have to come back I'll have to come back." I thought it would be fun finishing half way through the year, that way I wouldn't be committed to finding a job straight away and would be fresh from 6 months off when I started looking in the new year. But freedom is ever so close right now and I'm fed up with my casual wage and work hours which see that I remain broke for a good majority of the uni semester.

It's true what they say. The final semester is the hardest. I'm getting lazier with my assignments, and slacker with my study schedule. It's like knowing you're prison sentence will end in 6 months, but you dig you're way out anyway. Because it's so close you can't stand it! Okay... maybe that's an exaggeration... but 15 years of school with no more than a 2 month break once a year kind of does your head in.

I WANT TO GRADUATE NOW!!
So please please please Murdoch let me graduate this year! Otherwise I just might cry...

I'm going to go and watch 30 Rock now and procrastinate calm down :)

I'm lonely, and my phone just went flat.

Yeah the title pretty much says it all. It's 4 in the afternoon, my class finished an hour ago, I was meant to meet a friend who didn't show, and now I'm on the library computers blogging. I really forgot what waiting around on campus alone was like. I thought I had so many friends to hang out with, but reality is... everyone goes home at the end of the day.

The only reason I'm hanging around is because Powderfinger's concert starts at 6pm. So I couldn't be bothered driving back to Mandurah and then heading back upto Perth. Consequently I'm stuck at Murdoch, which is the perfect excuse to practice some study. But no... I choose procrastination, every time.

So here I am alone... and I'm thinking this isn't so bad. I'm chilling in the cafeteria, I'm messaging friends checking facebook and then... my phone goes flat. Great, now what? Wouldn't it be awesome if they charged your phone on campus? Yes it would. So I think maybe, just maybe, Murdoch offers this great service.Well... they don't. Murdoch you have failed me!!

I hereby propose that Murdoch offer a phone charging service, instead of having to pay $37 for a energiser battery charger. We are university students, some of us rarely find the time for work, or if your like me your work just doesn't give you hours because your uni schedule doesn't fit in with theirs. So why should we pay $40 (almost) for a service that could well be free. I'm not saying that this service should be free, but if it was like $2 per phone charge that would be pretty reasonable. It would be awesome if it was free... like at southbound. Then again we could all remember to bring phone chargers to uni just in case something like this happens. But that's not the point. The point is that there is an oppurtunity for Murdoch to become extra awesome, and I think they should act on it.

Murals ahoy!

So I managed to grab some pics of the new artworks in the Economics Commerce and Law courtyard, and boy was I impressed. Kyle Hughes-Odgers is pretty talented, he's manage to convert a once empty space into an inviting environment.

If you haven't had the pleasure of stumbling across the new murals here's some pics for you to peruse over in the mean time. I strongly recommend you take a detour down to the ECL courtyard the next time your on campus, it's much more than just paintings. Try figure out if you can decipher a story. A friend of mine looked at the painting with bottles hanging down and said she thought it was about catching the tears of the characters in the other paintings.

Open Day!

I've never been to a university Open Day before, not even Murdoch's. Before I came to university I had no real aspirations of studying again after high school, so Sunday was a new experience.

I was surprised at how much fun the people around me were having, as I was kinda bored. It probably would have been a different story if I had gone with friends, or if I was actually interested in finding out about a course to study.

There was a bunch of fun things set up that day to keep everyone entertained. There were rides, live music, festival food, and nova radio even made an appearance. I spent most of my time at the live music tent, but I did wonder down to the science and media buildings. The science section was interesting, there were little tents set up with a bunch of hands on fun. At the media end of campus there was a red carpet set up with people taking your photo as you walked past. Just before you reached the red carpet, however, there was a giant blow up whale shark. It was probably a litlle smaller than life size, but it was pretty darn close.

One of my favourite things about campus that day was the student centre. The glass doors, that I once thought were windows, had opened up and chairs had been placed outside to make for a super inviting environment. Why can't they do this all the time? Or at least during summer. Actually let's just make campus like Open Day every day. We can have tables and chairs on bush court, a live music tent, people wearing red and white shirts to help when you get lost, and show rides. Who wouldn't want to be on campus then?!

But seriously, the tables and chairs on bush court are a super awesome idea *hint hint Murdoch*.

Murdoch revamp!

Here's a nice little video of the artwork that will soon be on its way to the courtyard just outside the library in the ECL section of murdoch.

It's been directed by Chad Peacock  and showcases Kyle Hughes-Odgers new artwork installation which is apart of the 'Murdoch University Art Collection'.

Construction was meant to start this weekend so if your on campus at all, head down and take a peek!


help is on the way from Chad Peacock on Vimeo.

A change is a comin'.

Time to get excited because big things are happening at Murdoch.

Murdoch University have called upon an internationally recognised artist to help vamp up the ECL area on campus. Many of you probably have lectures here every semester and have noticed it's a pretty empty shell. In order to help make it an inviting environment, artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers has painted a mural which will give new life to the ECL area as a part of the 'Murdoch Art Collection'.

Along with a funky new look, there were will be the added convenience of wireless Internet. Pretty cool huh? So now we can just hang out outside the lecture theatres with our laptops instead of trekking it to the library and back!

Installation should begin this Saturday, and in between now and then I've got a pretty awesome video to share with you guys. Or you could start googling now, here's an extra hint: 'creepy'. Happy searching!

Is it week 14 yet?

Hasn't week 3 come around fast? I've been meaning to write a couple of blogs since first week, it's not like I haven't had much to talk about, I just didn't notice time flying by.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic. I missed the first week because I had tonsillitis, turns out I had actually had it for 6 weeks, so I should have been on bed rest before semester started again. Missing the first week of semester isn't really a huge deal in terms of study load, but I did notice some drastic changes in the second week. Firstly, I didn't have a unit guide for any of my units. My friend manage to save me 1 guide, but that didn't help me with the other 2. So now I'm left with two options, a) read about the week's requirements online, or, b) print out a unit guide. Seeing as my printer is out of ink, I've been going with option a and it hasn't been that bad. Secondly, all my unit readers and prescribed readings were sold out, bar one book which I bought. This is pretty lucky, because I couldn't afford to buy more than one anyway, but it's been a real struggle keeping up to date with my readings. Usually I'll read a book on the train on my way to uni, now I need to sit at a computer. I shouldn't really complain, it's not like I can't access the readings at all, but the other day I read 29 pages on Global Media Industries in an hour because the book belonged to the restricted section. I've never felt so accomplished, and I was so prepared for class this week. So maybe not having the book is a bit of a blessing.

One thing I'm noticing about the end of third year though, is that tutors and lecturers expect a lot more from you, and why shouldn't they? For instance, I have a 2000 word essay due in just over a week. I have had 2 lectures and 1 class on the subject and I'm expected to do the rest of the research myself. Usually classes will help you out a little more by giving you a but more notice or loading you up with tips. I'm not too shocked that I'm expected to be independent, I'm just surprised. This is the first semester I've been told that I should know these things by now, that I've enough practice writing essays and that I should just be able to write one without notice. I suppose this is the kind of thing that will happen when I finally leave University and get a real job, so I'm glad it's happening.

So that's enough of an update for now! I hope I'm not scaring any high schoolers away from university, it takes 3 years for it to finally get hard and even then it's pretty bearable. I hope your all heading to open day on Sunday! It should be a whole lotta fun, and there are some awesome local bands playing. Hope to see you all there!

Jess.

Free Showing of An Inconvenient Truth!

If you haven't already noticed, Murdoch's pretty keen on being green. Recycling bins everywhere, a recycling feature, special green days and now a free movie showing the impact humans are having on the world.

An Inconvenient Truth will be screened for free over two weeks starting August 17th during campus free-time. The movie will be shown in half hour segments starting at 12:30pm in ECL2 (Here's a map: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/maps/murdoch/theatre/ECL2).

Although the screening is free a gold coin donation toward the guild is being encouraged. This will help fund a 5kW solar system to produce renewable energy for the guild building.

I haven't seen this movie since high school, but I can still remember it's key messages. If your a climate change sceptic or interested in finding out what the whole 'global warming' issue is about then I highly recommend seeing this movie. It's impact is undeniable.

Quick update + upcoming Murdoch events.

I've just been having a look at the online unit guides for my classes this semester and checking out the kind of assignments I need to do. The doctor insisted I take this week off uni as I've still got a pretty bad case of tonsillitis. So scrolling through the unit guide for New Media Technologies I come across the big assignment that's worth 30% of my grade. I couldn't help but laugh when I read that the big assignment was to create and maintain a blog. I've been doing this for about a year now, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of grade I end up with. Aside from this every other unit insists I write an essay or campaign plan (what's new PR?!).

Setting aside study commitments Murdoch have some interesting events coming up. On the 15th of August they are holding a Fun Run. You can choose to run either 4km or 8km on the new Bush Court Sports Field. All it costs is a gold coin donation and you get a free running shirt. Registrations close this Friday so get to it here: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/City-to-Surf-2010/Murdoch-Fun-Run/.

Then on the 22nd you can look forward to the Murdoch Open Day which promises fantastic live music, help with choosing what to study and the chance to explore what student life is really like. For more information on the day check out the official site here: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/Openyourmind/?cid=od2010_homepage_onb&bnr=y.

One Movement Line-up announced!

Sunset Events have delivered again!

Hitting our shores in the second weekend of October will be round two of Perth's One Movement Music Festival. It made a pretty good first impression last year with an exceptional line-up, and it looks like this year is no exception.

Grinspoon, Ben Kweller (Heck yes!), Children Collide and British India are set to headline Saturday. While you can catch Xavier Rudd, Shapeshifter, Dan Sultan and Operator Please on Sunday.

The festival will host several of Australia's rising stars including Cloud Control, Sally Seltmann, An Horse, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Parades, Richard In Your Mind, Boy & Bear and Tim & Jean. Also making up the Australian component of the festival will be Miami Horror, Dead Letter Circus, Drapht, Gypsy & The Cat, The Melodics, The Holidays, The Only, The Chemist, The Paper Scissors and Unearthed High Winners Stonefield.

International acts set to grace the One Movement stage include Dengue Fever (USA), ZE! (Malaysia), Delta Spirit (USA), Via Tania (USA), Raghu Dixit (India), Jonneine Zapata (USA), Bedouin Soundclash (Can), KORA (NZ), The Telephones (Japan), Melodramas (UK), Liz Green (UK), Get Dexter (UK) and The Great Spy Experiment (Sing).


For all your ticketing information check out this site: http://festival.onemovementmusic.com/tickets. Sunset's are offering a few different ticket deals, so check them out and see what suits you!

This is definitely a line-up I don't want to miss! What do you think?

Festival day tomorrow!

The second Murdoch semester officially starts today, and I just know everyone's excited to get back to the books. In honour of a new semester the Murdoch guild are throwing a festival tomorrow! Complete with bands, free coffee, and  stalls. Only financial guild members receive free coffee, so the rest of us will have to bring a flask or donate to one of the lovely cafes on campus. The stalls will feature a bunch of clubs and societies around campus. If you're interested in signing up to a club then be sure to check them out tomorrow morning after 9am.

A bunch of fantastic Perth bands will be playing some sweet music tomorrow morning from 9:20am. Helping keep you awake will be Ruby Boots, Hunting Huxley, The Love Junkies and One Tiger Down. These bands are well worth a look, so come down tomorrow and support some local music! Also, the Red Bull DJ will be spinning a few tunes between sets. The guild have arranged a bunch of activities and other festival cliché's to make the day complete. The FREE activities you will find on campus tomorrow include Laser Skirmish, a Bouncy Castle, the Gladiator Challenge, Horizontal Bungee, and the Wrecking Ball. I honestly have no idea what half these things are, so I think I'll have to pop down and have a look myself tomorrow! And like all good festivals there will be fairy floss, ice cream, popcorn and slushies.

So if you're on campus for class tomorrow morning make sure you duck into bush court and check out some splendid local music and enjoy what the guild has on offer. Also if you don't have class, I recommend popping down to Murdoch. Sounds like it could be fun day. :)

The food of students?

Yes that's a lasagne sandwich. Not something I would pay 2 pounds fifty to eat, maybe not even something you could pay me 100 bucks to eat. This little beauty can be found in tesco supermarkets in the UK. Did I say little beauty? It contains 24g of fat and is the equivalent of eating two McDonald's cheeseburgers. I'd rather those cheeseburgers any day.

Thoughts?

I can tell that we are gonna be friends...

Finding inspiration to write blogs about my uni life is a little hard while on holidays. I could probably list all of the amazing and interesting things I've been upto recently, but the truth is their not that amazing or interesting. The other day, however, I went to see Little Red play at Amplifier Bar in Perth. I've never been to Amplifier before, so that was a little bit exciting. With me was my friend Steff, who helped me out tons in the blogging competition last year.

Steff and I met in the second semester of our first year at Murdoch. We happened to be studying several units together and became really good friends. That summer she let me tag along with her friends and camp at Southbound with them. Last week we caught up on our holidays and saw a concert together. I guess where I'm going with this is that I've made a friend for life at university. When I first went to uni it was like I moved towns and was starting school all over again. Living in Mandurah all the schools in the area are connected. I started off at North Mandurah Primary School, then headed to Mandurah High School with a bunch of other year 7 students. At Mandurah High I made new friends from other primary schools, we then moved onto Mandurah Senior College together. So needless to say that when I reached Murdoch knowing only 8 students from high school, things were going to be extremely different.

If you've ever changed schools before, you might be used to making new friends. But if, like me, you never changed schools things might be harder. University isn't too much different to high school in terms of meeting people. By the end of your first year you would have met a bunch of new people studying the same thing as you. The great thing about the people you meet is that you will most likely have things in common, because you're studying the same degree. Another plus is the thousands of people that attend uni, well at least it seems like there are thousands of people. You will probably come across a few similar faces while walking the halls, but mostly you'll see a hundred different faces each day. It can be daunting starting out somewhere new, but just think of all the other first years going through the same thing as you.

High School Vs. University Part 3.

The last thing I want to talk about on this topic is the University lifestyle. It is probably the greatest difference between high school and university that you will discover. If you're heading to university straight out of high school then you're probably turning 18 that year, which brings you even more freedom than what you had back in school. I didn't turn 18 until November of my first year, which was a little annoying, but the only thing I was restricted from was the tavern.

Ahh the tavern... it is the single most greatest thing about your new university experience. The ability to drink at school. It is the ultimate hangout between classes, way better than the school cafeteria. Then again, speaking of cafeterias Murdoch's is pretty darn awesome. Back at school I didn't get to choose between Chinese, kebabs, muffins, or chips and gravy every day. There's also several shops on campus that are sure to please. I'm a bit of a stationery fiend so I got a little over excited when I discovered the book shop on campus stocks an awesome variety of stationery. There's also a second hand book store which stocks packets of lollies and a ton of other every day needs. You'll even find a travel agency on campus, yeah not weird at all actually it makes a lot of sense. A lot of students choose to travel between semesters, and at Murdoch they have the luxury of planning their escape during study time.

There's also the many different people you will meet. They will come from different countries, different backgrounds, different suburbs (I live in Mandurah and having friends from Perth is a big deal), and different age groups. Never underestimate mature age students, you will learn a lot from them. Meeting international students is also a ton of fun. You'll learn about their cultures and what they're countries are like, you might even make a friend for life!

So to wrap things up, yes university is completely different to high school. But you shouldn't be scared, the best thing to do is embrace the change! I have enjoyed my last 2 years at university more than I enjoyed my 2 years of senior high school. It's an awesome experience that keeps on giving.

Jess.

High School Vs. University Part 2.

One of the greatest things I learnt before going to university was that I didn't need to study TEE. If you don't think you can handle the pressure of TEE studies then talk to someone at your school and ask them what your alternatives are. I think it all depends on what you want to study when you reach university, as some courses may require you to do TEE. These no harm in asking, though. Instead of studying TEE in year 12 I compiled a portfolio of references, my proudest work, and a cover letter explaining why I wanted to study media.

One thing teachers tried to scare me with as well was the fact that students who studied TEE would be more prepared for a university workload. I think that this comes down to the individual. I used to cruise along in high school with a few B's here and there and a heck of a lot of C's. At university I'm achieving higher grades than I ever did at school with several D's (Distinctions, equivalent to a B) and a couple of HD's (High Distinctions, these are equivalent to an A). I've also heard several stories of students who studied TEE dropping out of university because the pressure was too much. So don't worry if you think the workload is going to be too much to handle, and try not to listen to teachers scare tactics too much. A lot of the time they don't even relate to you, and you'll do a lot better than you might think.

So don't get too bummed if your not performing exceptionally well in school, I never did and I continue to surprise myself at University.

Jess.

Oh, and one more reason why university rocks. You get to do cool things like this in your break and no one cares:

High School Vs. University Part 1.

The other day a couple of my brothers friends came over on their lunch break from school to hang out. They ended up sitting with me asking questions about university. One of the girls is interested in studying the same thing as me, which is pretty cool. The main thing they were concerned about is how different university is going to be, so I thought I would do a mini-series on this topic. One of the biggest things I noticed when I got to university was, that no matter how hard school will try to prepare you for the experience university offers, you will still find it incredibly different.

They both attend the same high school as I did, so I understand what the time tables are like. When I was there we used to have classes to 5 o'clock on Mondays and Tuesdays, we would also have free periods. The reason for the late classes and free time is to prepare students for what classes at university will be like. I've only ever had one class that finished late in the day. Next semester I don't have a class that starts before 11am and they all finish before 3pm. So just remember that your uni timetable will still be quite flexible and its not as daunting as your teachers might make it out to be. I know mine used to scare our class all the time!

If you have any questions about the difference between school and university, let me know :)

Jess.

7 Hours without the internet.

It’s true how they say “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. I rushed home from work today eager to jump on-line to check my e-mails, and of course facebook. But there was just one little problem... the internet wasn’t working. The internet had been down for most of the day, and we couldn’t access it at work either. I must admit I was a little shocked; turns out I rely pretty heavily on the internet these days. I don’t even spend that much time on the computer, now that I’m on uni holidays. But the afternoon is the time of day I like to check my e-mail and facebook updates, you know... before MasterChef starts at 7:30. When I think about it there is a million other things I could be doing right now, it’s not like we’ve lost power. This would be the perfect time to finish that first book from the twilight series that I’ve spent the last 6 months trying to get through, yes it really is that painful. I could spend some time with the numerous game consoles we have in the house playing Mario Kart (Wii), Guitar Hero (Nintendo DS), Whirly Word (iPod touch), or the Sims (PC). I could even learn a new song on the keyboard or guitar, maybe even bake something. But instead I’m sitting at my computer writing a blog post, a digital journal entry that will later need to be posted on-line.

Murdoch now offering Mid year enrolments!

In the spirit of Murdoch offering mid year enrolments I've been asked to write about the topics that some people find daunting about university. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about student budgets and how tough they can be. I can't believe its been that long since I last wrote a blog! Lets just say that things have been pretty hectic lately. So I think now is a good time to describe how time consuming a University degree can be.
I have always had a job while I've been at uni, except for a couple of months last year. The strange thing about this was that I received better grades in the first semester while I was working, than I did in the second semester when I wasn't. I think I became so used to juggling two commitments at once, that when one went I away I became a little lost. This past semester has been my busiest in 2 and a half years. I was studying two units on campus, one off campus as a work placement unit (intern-ship at Sunset Events), a casual job at Michael Hill, managing this blog, and starting a website for the youth of Mandurah. Even I'm a little amazed at how I juggled these things.

Attending university can be a bit of a time-eater, but it should't mean you need to miss out on a social life or work. As I mentioned in my last blog having a job will help you to cover the costs of your daily life on campus (There's nothing worse than craving caffeine and being broke!). It probably isn't ideal to work full time and study full time, if you do this please leave me a comment telling me how the heck you manage that. (Seriously!) My best friend works part-time and studies full time. She seems to handle these two well. I have a casual job, so some weeks I only work 2 days. I think its the ideal set up as I can attend uni on campus, work a couple of days, and still have a day for study. Some weeks I don't always want to spend my day off studying so instead of hanging out with friends in between classes I'll go to the library and catch up on readings.

At Murdoch you can study full time, part time or externally. If you have a bunch of commitments that prevent you from studying on campus then external studies is a fantastic option. For more information on flexible learning options check out the Murdoch website here: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/Future-students/Domestic-students/Deciding-what-to-study/Flexible-learning-options/

A university degree will always be daunting at first, and I must admit there are times during the semester when I get a little freaked out. But the experience is worth it. On campus life is so rewarding as is meeting like minded people studying the same thing as you. So if you can, give studying on campus a go!

Jess.

Students + Money = Tough Times.

This is probably a topic I would love a lecture about, actually make that a unit. (There really should be units providing guides on "How to Survive at Uni") I'm probably the last person in the world who should be giving financial advice. For example, Currently I just received a very small pay check for last weeks work, I have been given no work shifts this week, and I will not be paid for next weeks work until the week after. So it is safe to say that by then my funds would have well and truly dried up. Do I do anything differently? No. Today, as usual, I went to the ANZ ATM and took out $20 for lunch. I won't spend that $20 solely on food, but it's no longer in the bank... it's in my wallet. The last place money wants to be is in my wallet, because it won't stay there long.
For the benefit of you ,and myself, I've knocked up a list of the things we could do during our daily routine at University to save a bit of cash. (Also, my mums a financial advisor so I may of received a little help...)

• Pack lunch - I cannot stress to you enough how much money you will save by bringing lunch. I usually pack my lunch for the first half of the semester and succumb to buying lunch in the second half. Do not give into temptation!
• Use a pencil case - Pencil Case's ensure that our pens and pencils have a home. When we are finished with our pens and pencils, they return to their home. If they don't go home, they are lost... forever. Think now of all the pens you've 'misplaced' in the past year. Yeah, and how many have you bought? That's what I thought. We're more likely to lose a pen than use it until it runs out of ink. Therefore, buying a pencil case is good for the economy. (Well, you're economy at least).
• Use Public Transport - It's good for your wallet and the environment! Plus, Murdoch is so close to the train station it's not funny. Seriously. On that note, if you don't have a smartrider - get one! We're entitled to student fees and sometimes I even score a free day! I have no idea how it works, I just know its worth it.
• Don't carry lose change - Keep it in a piggy bank. It's way too easy to walk past the vending machine and buy that block of handsome looking chocolate... so delicately wrapped by cadbury... just begging to be eaten... No!
• Get a job - You may hate the idea, and it's a little bit of extra stress on top of study, but its well worth eliminating the stress that will come with being broke.
• If you live out of home, shop wisely - This one's from mum. She recommends buying the specials and all those '2 for 1' deals. She also thinks you should 'make a budget and stick to it' - like that will ever happen, but you can at least try =]

While I was writing this my friend just came back from the printer in the library. "Jess! Someones fallen asleep". I asked her to take a photo for my blog - she said that would be weird. I agree. But as you can see, the semester has definitely taken its toll.

On that note, I best get back to study! Good luck with exams!

New Timetable webpage.

Huzzah!

Murdoch are indeed brilliant - and I think sometimes they can read our minds.

Check out their latest invention which helps compile a timetable for all your units. I don't know about you, but every semester I always plan to make a coloured time table so I always remember my class times. It never happens, but now! I might just have a fancy timetable =]

http://timetables.murdoch.edu.au/teaching/

Lost.

If you stopped watching 'Lost' after the second season because it just got way to confusing, overly complicated, and just down right annoying, then check out the video below.

Its everything you need to know about 'Lost' in 8 minutes and 15 seconds. The Finale for the season, as in the end forever and ever, airs in the US and pretty much the rest of the world tonight.

But Australians have to wait. It airs here on Wednesday at 8:30. Which is tomorrow, so yay!

Watch the catch up vid and I guarantee you'll need to watch the finale. Yes, after revealing every secret and cliff-hanger for the season they still manage to keep you watching with this video summary of 6 seasons. Magical.

On the bright side...

This news is soooooooooooo blog worthy.

The Strokes are coming to Perth!!!

http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/23809/On-The-Bright-Side-festival-lineup.htm

They will be joined by:

What an awesome line-up! This new festival has been deemed as the alternative of Splendour in the Grass for us Westies. Hence the name 'On the Bright Side'. Here it is used in a sentence: So you can't go to Splendour in the Grass and see an array of fine acts, but On the Bright Side you get to see the Strokes!

See you there!

Procrasta-eating.

My friend Steff has just coined the term' procrasta-eating'. I was procrastinating with a friend on-line today and we were talking about how much food we had eaten just so we could not study while we ate. I ate more food today then I have eaten all week. I even ate when I wasn't hungry, just because it was something to do. Even as we speak I am thinking of making myself an ice cream before I continue to finish my assignment.

Read what she has to say here: http://steffwantssugar.blogspot.com/2010/05/bedom-procrasta-eating.html

Do you procrasta-eat?

Show and Tell: Destination 'Procrastination Island'.

I don't understand how one person can be so unproductive. I discovered my brothers electric guitar tonight. I was involved in learning a bunch of new songs by Grizzly Bear, The Kooks and Vampire Weekend for about 2 hours. 2 hours I could have spent working on my 2000word assignment due this week (I really hope my tut doesn't read this as I kind of need an extension, if they do... then I worked very hard tonight on that assignment due Friday that I need to hand in Wednesday!). Playing the electric guitar is soooo much easier than an acoustic, my god is it easy. I didn't really notice until I put down the electric and picked up the acoustic again. I've only ever played acoustic so I'm kind of used to it. But the difference is exactly like playing a keyboard and then playing a piano. You need to bang the keys on a piano way harder than a keyboard.

I'm a little ashamed to admit the levels of procrastination I stooped to after this, but I will share with you tonight - only because it's 12:45 and I'm past caring for the day. After following someone on twitter I decided to see if I could find their facebook profile. I won't disclose names just in case there are real stalkers out there, I say real because I'm a fake stalker who will just find the profile and be like *meh* now what. Anyway, he's a singer in a band and a facebook search of his name will only return fake fan groups - typical I know. Well... I found the profile. Totally private, totally untraceable, and you can't even add them. Which is everything I would have expected. I don't even know why I cared so much, it's not like I wanted access to personal photos or anything. That's always seemed weird to me. I guess I just wanted to see if I could achieve the impossible. Just another example that nothing is impossible thanks to the interwebz.

Speaking of the impossible, have I mentioned I'm working on a campaign to get Kevin Rudd re-elected? Yeah... maybe that's the reason why I haven't started the assignment yet. I must admit I was a supporter of Kevin Rudd back in 07. But these days? What a joke, the only time I saw him a little bit human was when Kerry O'Brien asked him the hard questions and he got a widdle bit angwy. I just don't see the point of having a PM who wants to impress the world more than his own country. That being said I'm not 100% sure I could vote liberal. Sure Tony Abbott's an Iron Man and can rock a pair of speedos, but do I want a Prime Minister who could double as a pin-up boy? (I am joking by the way, that was totally sarcastic.... seriously ;) ) Then again Malcolm Turnbull did reply to a letter my dad sent him, which shows he actually cares which is a nice change.

So as I write I'm chilling in the lounge room watching some TV. I'm half way through writing a sentence when my brother walks upto me and says "Omg!!! Jess!!! Siren!! Theres a Siren!!" "Huh?! What!? Spider!?" "Shh... don't move just listen" "WHAT!? *gets ready to jump from seat*". Apparently there was a siren... a siren! Why the hell would he get excited about a siren? It sounded like the fridge was making a weird noise to me - not a stoopid siren. I told him that if it's not War of the Worlds dramatic then he's not to distract me again. Terrible...

Before I sign off for the night I do want to mention a slight improvement to the world today. Twitter has altered the algorithm that discovers the top trending topics of the day. This means that Justin Bieber will no longer be the singly most popular twitter subject every single freaking day of the week. There is one issue though... his fans are like super mutants of those who obsess over the Jonas Brothers. So nice try twitter but looking at the trending topics at the moment [to the Right] you've had little effect...

One Week To Go...

It is true that the end of semester is very hectic. I am suffering bitter disappointment this week at the fact that I must hand in an assignment 2 days before its due date. It's not just a little assignment either - it's the biggest assignment of the semester. Stupidly, however, I have devoted my time to a group assignment - which I deemed to be more important.

The group assignment is due tomorrow, and I'm pretty much ready to roll with that. Then on Tuesday I have a test for a unit I have attended about 5/13 lectures for. I do have a good excuse though, my lecturer just sums up the weeks readings in the lectures. It seems a little pointless to go if I'm not learning anything new. But I do have to study for Tuesdays' test, because I've gotten a bit behind on my readings. Terrible, terrible time management on my behalf. Then it will be Wednesday. I have already anticipated a break down for that day. I'm working a 13 hour shift on Thursday, which means I will leave home at 7:45 and won't get home until 9:30 - if I'm lucky. So I will be knackered by Thursday night and the last thing I want to do is finish an assignment. Then it's off to Sunset Events on Friday for my final day as an Intern, and after that I'm off to the Murdoch end of semester party at the Tav. I've never been to one of these before so I'm quite looking forward to it. But nevertheless this means I need to hand in my assignment on Wednesday night which includes a 2000 word report and at least three written tactics for a media kit(i.e a media release or feature story). I hope all of you are a bit further ahead in your work then me - I just never learn.

In other news, however, Murdoch had a 'No Cars on Campus Day'. What an awesome idea! I wasn't affected at all unfortunately as I don't attend uni on Thursdays and even if I did it would be on public transport anyway. Apparently it actually worked, though, and people left their cars at home. There was a little stall outside the library all week letting students know how they can travel to uni without their car. It would be interesting to see if anyone leaves their car at home in the future and follows their new public transport regime on a daily basis.

In other news, I went to Groovin' the Moo yesterday. But I didn't just go to Groovin' the Moo, I worked at Groovin' the Moo. Not only did I work there, but I worked on the artist desk... with a triple A pass. Yeah... it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, all the artists were really cool so there was no divatude to combat. Which meant my day was pretty boring, and cold. So I ended up going for a wonder around the festival grounds and meeting up with a few friends. We had a little boogy to Grinspoon and Empire of the Sun, before Vampire Weekend came on. I didn't take many photos yesterday but I took a few of Vampire Weekend. There a few highlights yesterday that will leave me fairly happy for a while (despite my disappointment at missing Vampire Weekend at Metro City tonight, Gah!). Here's a list of what made my day and what access to the backstage area is really like:

• Exchanging a simple 'Hi' with Lisa Mitchell's drummer. He is by far my favourite drummer - he just dresses so well all the time...

• Empire of the Sun. If you didn't see their set - you missed out big time! Luke Steele is one musical genius and he sure knows how to impress. By the way - those dancers? Freaking awesome!

• Watching the first three songs of Vampire Weekends set from the photo pit. It was a little awkward with the crowd right behind us... but totally awesome!! We then went to the back of the crowd and danced the night away to the rest of their set. Dancing to A-punk live was absolutely amazing!

• Almost walking into Daniel Johns while looking for my friend - I was about 30cms away from looking like the biggest douche ever. He's about a foot or two taller than me so I doubt he would have noticed... but still... it would have been awkward.

• Having Ezra walk past and actually look at me instead of ignoring us - I can now die happy after a single eye exchange.

• The after party. I walk in and the first thing I see is Daniel Johns tearing up the dance floor. Free drinks for all and bumping elbows with a bunch of amazing musicians. By far the best party I've been to in a while.

• One last thing - surviving the ride home. Driving alone down a country highway that has beware of Kangaroo signs every kilometre, just a bit nerve racking. But I made it, without falling asleep at the wheel.

Let's hope this final week goes according to plan and I don't fail anything. *fingers crossed*

Good luck everyone!

Jess.

Show and Tell: New and Improved Edition!

I suppose I should also name this a 'Mothers Day' edition as well, seeing as today is indeed mothers day. So Happy Mothers Day mum! I bought her a dressing gown (which she asked for), candles (that smell like Bondi beach, mmm), bracelets (so she can stop stealing mine!), and headbands (because mine keep going missing...). I also attempted to make her pancakes for breakfast but the mix dad bought wasn't very good so I ended up ducking down to McDonald's. They gave me a free Sunday Times! I was well impressed. I hope you're all spoiling your mothers today! She really does deserve it :)

This edition is aptly named the 'New and Improved Edition'. Why? Well I'm bringing in a couple of new changes this week inspired by my boredom at uni last week. The first is called 'Murdoch look-a-likes', the second 'Creepy Things That Steff Says'. I think both of these titles are fairly self explanatory, so I won't bore with details!

Here's your daily laugh! Words can't really explain this video... I must admit I laughed pretty hard the first time I watched it, then when I watched it again I was just confused. Check it out below:

Murdoch Look-A-Likes #1

This title was inspired by an incident the other day when I saw someone who looked EXACTLY like Bernard Fanning. Make no mistake, I do not joke about these things and am usually pretty spot on. So believe me when I say that Bernard Fanning's long lost twin is roaming the halls of Murdoch University. Hopefully next time I will have a camera on me, but that would be kind of weird... not to mention stalkerish... yeah not such a good idea.

I must give mention to the Dockers fantastic performance this season. I have been a long time supporter of Fremantle since I was little. I used to say I barracked for both the Eagles and the Dockers except for when they played each other, then I would cheer on the Dockers. Nowadays I only care for the Dockers, and I'm very very proud of the boys. Last night was the most intense final quarter I've ever watched. I was jumping and yelling at the TV, screaming 'YES!' so loud I could have woken the neighbours each time they scored a goal. I also made the mistake of saying that 'Pav is my fav' in front of my dad. He now refers to him (Matthew Pavlich) as my pin-up boy. I suppose there are worse things...

I would love to take this time to exclaim my hatred for the misuse of the English language. And I don't just mean grammatical errors, that I can handle... to an extent. But what I am mainly pointing to is people who use txt language and then simplify it again. Worse than this is the fact that they are using a computer keyboard!!! How does one right so bad when all the letters are layed out in front of them?! It's not that hard to type one extra letter, and they're all placed in such a way that it makes it convenient for the user to spell words correctly. And some words have the exact amount of letters as the proper spelling. For example; 'Gewd' *shivers* and 'Good'. Would it not be easier to spell it 'Good' that way you're only using three keys and not four. I could go on forever, but I won't. Except for this last example, the other day someone wrote 'Sea' to me as in I 'See' you. I would have accepted this as a typo, despite the fact the 'a' is neither in the word nor close to 'e' on a keyboard, but they were talking to me 'lyk dis'.

Creepy Things Steff Says #1
This section is inspired by my friend Stephanie Chong. We met during second semester of our first year at Murdoch and have hung out between classes ever since. You may have noticed her mentioned a few times before as she helped me out a lot with the blogging competition. Well, the other day it came to my attention that she likes to say creepy things... alot. You know the things that you're meant to keep in you're head? Yeah, those things. So to kick things off here is one of her creepiest statements of late.

"I'm going to hang outside his house once he turns 18" - In relation to me saying that liking Nick Jonas was a little weird.

Check out her blog and tune into her latest adventure where she 'Blogs Every Day of May': http://steffwantssugar.blogspot.com/

And that is all folks, talk soon :)

Jess.

Boredom Busters!

There's only 2 weeks left of the semester and we're all hard at work trying to complete those last minute assignments. Well we all know what happens when we're working hard at the computer - we ultimately succumb to the brilliant power of the internet. There are literally a hundred other things I could be doing right now that would be mightily more productive than scouring my bookmarks for cool sites I've collected.

I've just stumbled upon this new site called 'http://www.stumbleupon.com'. You tell the site what kind of things your interested in and it surfs the internet for you! It works in the same way that 'http://www.boredbutton.com/' does. The first site 'Stumble Upon' found for me was an online game. Online games are deadly addictive for me so I forced myself to click the 'stumble' button to get away from that page. Currently I'm searching through a bunch of music orientated wallpapers, I think I've found my monthly background!

If you're looking for a way to procrastinate (*cough* I mean take a break from you're studies) then look no further, here's a little collection of sites I've discovered so far:

Tumblr.com: Here's a link to my tumblr (http://jessiqwa.tumblr.com) to give you an idea of what the sites about. Think if twitter became a blog.

Maths all over again: Missed out on basic mathematics in school or just can't remember anything since you've left? Check out Steven Strogatz regular updates on the New York Times blogs to go back to basics and beyond (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/steven-strogatz/).

Ted: This site is an awesome way to gain different perspectives of the world through speeches and talks. Remember when you're school hired that motivational speaker to come talk to you about how life gets better after high school? Well that speech would have been featured on Ted.

Tetris Remastered: Old school tetris gets modernised with this little online game. It's basically the same tetris you've played for the last 20 years except with a little twist. Check it out here: http://firstpersontetris.com/. Also, how good is the music!?

Google Goodness: Until a week ago I had no idea the wonderful and magical things Google could do. It was like opening up a whole new world. not only that, but there are sites designed around manipulating google. First we haves Google backwards - http://elgoog.rb-hosting.de/index.cgi. Next, we have a site that combats that one facebook friend who refuses to use Google and instead just asks their friends to do it for them. Well next time you see that status update hit them back with this http://lmgtfy.com/ (Let Me Google That For You). Oh and Google doesn't implode if you Google Google, disappointing I know.

Virtual Sand: I once stayed on this site until I had filled the page with sand, which is actually kind of sad now that I think about it... (http://thisissand.com/).

Dr. Horrible: For lovers of Neil Patrick Harris you will love this. (http://www.drhorrible.com/)

Go Away: Inappropriate laughs guaranteed. (http://27bslash6.com/index.html)

That should be enough to last the next two weeks! I will leave with one final page about Perth (http://www.wordonthestreet.com.au/) and that should do it. :)

Jess.

P.S Oh and before you go *whispers* google secret #367 - type 'Sexy Snape' into google and press 'I'm Feeling Lucky', you will not regret this.

It twas the field of creams.

Dear oh dear... what a day. Today I mingled with some of the worlds best DJ's, watched the derby live, walked at least a total of 10kms, and still made it home in time for the Logies.

Today I worked backstage at Creamfields as apart of my internship. It was a truly rewarding experience. I helped man the Artist Registration desk, which is where all artists pass through when they arrive on the site. I didn't really know what to expect of the artists on the line-up as I've only really heard of Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT and LMFAO. Well... without going into details let me just put it out there that all artists at Creamfields this year were exponentially awesome! And I'm going to leave it at that. Except for one more thing - "I'm in Miami Bitch" live, went off!

Sitting at the artist desk things can get a little slow when there aren't too many artists arriving. This lead us to seek out other things to do such as listen to In the Pines, read the West Australian 10 billion times, and watch the AFL live on the computer. How did we watch it live on the computer? Well... the AFL have set-up this awesome application on their webpage that mimics the game online. It shows a field with dots and lines representing players and the game play. I don't mean to plug AFL here, but seriously... this is one pretty awesome widget.

I want to include in this post a little word of advice to current Murdoch students; check your email account. Today I checked mine for the first time this semester and I had over 30 e-mails about things such as exam timetables, guild elections, and LMS downtimes. It would have been handy to know these things when they were relevant. I also discovered an e-mail explaining the new Murdoch Encounters campaign in great depth. This is something I've been pondering over for a while. Turns out the fun things outside the library are a part of Murdoch's new branding campaign. I kind of guessed this after seeing a couple of TV ads about Murdoch encounters last week. If you're still a little confused about the whole thing check out the Murdoch site here to grab some more info: http://brand2010.murdoch.edu.au/?cid=bc_sa0001. On this note I would like to say that I feel like Murdoch is everywhere. You can't go anywhere these days as a Murdoch student without seeing Murdoch branded somewhere - I'm mostly referring to music festivals here. The thing is, isn't a little weird to have you're University as a part of both your social life (off campus) and your working life? Just a thought, I'll let you ponder that further.

I hope all is well with everyone. Only 3 weeks left till the end of semester! It's gone so fast. Let's hope next semester goes as fast as this ;)

Jess.

Winter, is that you?

The biting cold has reached us. It's to cold too leave the house at night without a jacket, and too cold to want to leave the comfort of our sheets in the morning. This has only been going on for a couple of weeks and already I'm resulting to comfort food and movies to get me through.

This morning I arose pretty early for a Sunday when I wasn't working, so I decided to chill out in the lounge and watch some Sunday morning television. I can always recall Sunday morning being the worst time for television. It's worse then daytime TV, at least then we have The View and Dr. Phil. But this morning I was quite surprised. Due to today being ANZAC Day (Lest We Forget) there was a special show on ABC showing ANZAC parade's over the years. I started watching from 1995 until it stopped at 2006. It was like watching my life go by. When the 2001 march came on, I thought wow that was only yesterday. I had to stop and remind myself that that was 9 years ago. When 2005 came on, I just shook my head. I'm still finding it hard to comprehend that I'm turning 20 this year.

Next I stumbled upon Channel 10, and much to my amusement Video Hits were screening interviews with the Glee cast! I am a self proclaimed Gleek and I'm terribly upset that the show is coming back at 8pm Thursday nights, which is the one work shift I am guaranteed every week. Aside from a Glee preview there were a few bands on Video Hits that I was a little surprised to see. Firstly there was Dizzee Rascal and Florence & the Machine. Maybe not so surprising seeing as Dizzee has had a couple of mainstream hits, and then again so has Florence. It's strange that a year ago I was obsessed with "The Dog Days are Over" and couldn't get any of my friends to like it quite as much. Maybe now they will finally listen. Then Marina and The Diamonds came on. I haven't even heard her on the radio yet?! Thanks to Perez Hilton I was introduced to Marina, and I think she may have had a single of the week on itunes at one stage. Nevertheless, the last time this happened was with Katy Perry, and I would have thought her to be considerably more mainstream than Marina & the Diamonds, but whatever Video Hits. Lastly, We Are Scientists made an appearance. I was over being surprised at this stage, but honestly their still more Nova material then they are Top 40. I can't really complain about "Mainstream" music though seeing as one of my favourite bands is Powderfinger. And as long as Bernard Fanning doesn't join a political party any time soon, I will still respect them as a band.

So as today is ANZAC Day, we have tomorrow off uni. I'm quite pleased about this. It means I have more time to work on unfinished (and not started) assignments due in the coming weeks. And seeing as I spent a good day shopping last Thursday, I really have no excuse for not staying home. But as any true procrastinator would, I will find a distraction. Right now I'm properly discovering Grizzly Bear, aside from the odd track. I'm a little late on this and expect a rightful bashing. But nevertheless, they are pretty awesome. I've also got a group assignment which needs attending to. I've made a start on this, if not almost completed already but I hate giving a group work that isn't really upto standard. It's okay for me to create a rough draft and finish the good copy 2 hours before its due, but when it comes to group assignments I feel I need to step my game up a bit. Group assignments are also about matching your groups work standards. And I've got a pretty good group this semester, meaning they're hard working, smart, and fun to be around. So I would hate to disappoint them with my work at this stage which would only warrant a Pass grade, and we're aiming for a Distinction.

With that said, I best get back to the group work. I wouldn't want an e-mail on Tuesday saying "you've had a long weekend to work on it, where's your contribution?". Even though their pretty cool and this won't happen, I still know they'd be thinking it ;).

Jess.

P.S Goooooooo Freo!!

I need to stop procrastinating.

Meh, I'll start tomorrow.

This past week has been a total blur. It mostly consisted of me rushing from here to there, working, and struggling to complete an assignment I had 6 weeks to work on. The funny thing is that despite realising I may have a problem with leaving things to the last minute, I will still do it again with my next assignment. There really should be a program call Procrastinator's Anonymous (PA) for University students. We would have meetings once a week in the library and someone will help us change our attitude towards study in order to complete assignments days before the due date.

My best friend will work on an essay as soon as the essay question is provided. She will write several drafts, check them herself, ask others to check them, and even take them to her tutor at times. Yes, she gets very good marks and even hopes to do honours. I have studied with her for at least 2 days per week every semester over the past 2 years, and her good habits are yet to rub off on me. It also doesn't help that I have this conversation regularly:

"Have you done that assignment due 3 days from now?"

"Nah haven't even started aye"

"Haha, yeah me neither".

This happens often, way too often. It makes me think "if they've left it this long then it's not so bad that I have either". Well it is bad. Some people write really well under pressure, I'm not one of them. My best work tends to happen when I've spent a few weeks researching, and then about a week writing.

Is it just me or do interesting things only happen on campus when I'm not there? Apparently there was an evacuation in the library this week, with fire trucks and all! I'm not sure about the full story, but it may have just been a drill. Either way, what an awesome excuse to not study.

There's some pretty cool events coming up soon for students still pondering over what to study. I'll post a couple of updates here, they include things like 'Be a Band Manager for a day',' Be a Vet for a day', and 'Be a Nurse for a day'.

Till next time,

Jess.