Semester Two...Bring It.

So ends what may be called exceptionally long holidays. I took the bus to uni with my head held high, my eyes bright and back straight on Monday, the 20th of July. As the university loomed closer before my very eyes, my posture gradually shrunk away in a curve, my neck loosened and my head bowed. I walked out of the bus towards the university, dejected. Almost defeated.
The force was almost too much to bear with, and I shivered, even as I inched ever closer to the formidable buildings. Yet, as I got closer, relief - that wonderful sense of comfort grew with each step. For it was not the very institution that intimidated me you see, but the rain, the thunder and the gale force winds that attacked me as soon as I stepped off the bus.

UWA could not have picked a better day to begin semester 2.

The extract above is somewhat inaccurate, although for descriptive purposes, it looks much better that way. As luck would have it, I was pelted with rain not as I got to uni, but rather almost as soon as I stepped out of the house.

It's been three days since I've headed back to uni, and I can truthfully say that each day has been as torturous as the other. My pants have been drenched for three days, my shoes are no longer fully up to task and my umbrella has been getting quite a work out. I now keep it in my hand as a permanant accessory. Quite the latest thing. Everyone has one nowadays. Just can't live without it. ;)

Meanwhile, I'm glad to be back at uni.
In two lessons, I honestly believe I've learnt and understood more than I ever did in six months worth of lessons at Saints (sorry sir) so I have a weird and sudden sense of hope that accounting might not be a horrific as I once thought it would be. I just have to...keep studying it I suppose.
Statistics looks rather dodgy. There are two lecturers, one indian and one caucasian. The caucasian one seems to be alright. The indian one seems to be technologically illiterate and has a very funky accent. Ultimately, I think I prefer the caucasian.
Debating communications looks very difficult already. Fun, but challenging. Of course, it's only challenging since we have to use a computer. But I look forward to an entire semester with this unit, and already attempting to get my work placement in Singapore. ;)
Asian Modernities looks set to surprise us all once again. This is a pretty sleepy sort of unit, if not for the amazing lecturer who actually knows how to teach.

So bring on the days. I swear I'll get through all of them this time. :)

xx

The Electronic Project From Hell

One of the highlights and most stressful times I've ever had this year.

Under my Communications degree, I had to take ENGL1112 which is a Screen Texts and Print Texts unit, compulsory during first semester in my first year.
I had essays, readings, and never ending books to read. Which was great, since it's generally what I enjoy doing.

Then they threw us:

The Electronic Project from Hell.

That's the real name.

Formally, however, it's known as:

The iPod Project.

What we basically had to do was to use one of our texts: Patchwork Girl or Donnie Darko (I used this one), find a theme that ran through one of those texts and then do our own hypertext explaining our opinions and thoughts about it.

A hypertext is basically something that conveys a message electronically. It's like trying to write an essay using powerpoint. Only you've got to use words (if necessary), pictures, songs, audio, anything that conveys your meaning as creatively as is possible. An essay in pictures and audio.

I guess the pictures you use really do have to say a thousand words.

I can only say thank GOD that referencing isn't necessary. Otherwise I'd have a lot of trouble finding the artists who took the photos that I'd pinched off the internet. And the people who said/wrote the quotes I used. I even stuck in something that looked like poetry just so it would look like I'd done some work. It might be construed that way, but I never know since it didn't even rhyme. Ah well, poetic licence and all that.

My biggest problem though was having to do all the html referencing. I didn't even use bright colours or fancy fonts. It was just the absolute basics - having to link one slide to another, and making sure the video actually showed up when the link was pressed (which it didn't, the first time I tried. I eventually figured out that the video had to be in the iPod hard drive and not just iTunes before it would play up)
I feel rather bitter about this though. Why? Because my lecturer can't even switch on the computer without help, and she wants us to do...a hypertext project on an iPod??

Initally, we were all taught how to do the linking on an apple mac computer. Which I hated. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike the mac? I have never used anything so complicated and annoying in my entire life. Although it doesn't help that my PC doesn't have the most recent Quicktime Player for me to format and edit video clips.
Thankfully, one student who shared my thoughts was generous and kind enough (I sincerely hope he knows it's him if he ever reads this) to post up instructions on how to do the entire project on PC. Which I gratefully followed. Step-by-step instructions really are a bonus for someone who left everything to the last minute and didn't even realise to what extent the full potential of an iPod was.

This task was set almost a month ago. But I finished it tonight, and finally, I can hand it in tomorrow morning before the 4pm deadline hits and all chaos in the Arts Building at UWA ensues.

To be honest - I had fun on this project. It was the canvas I never had. The blank space on which I could do absolutely anything I wanted. All that space, so much to do, so much to say. I believe I've definitely gone over the quota necessary - I only needed to create 10 slides and I think I have at least 15. The only think I hated about it was the html referencing I needed to do, just to get one stupid point across. But, well, that's art.

Thus ends the Electronic Project from Hell. :)

Mishy <3>

Photoshop

I can use it!

I got told by the Multicultural Week group that I had to get photoshop and learn to use it. Sharp sharp. And while I am computer literate, I am no Bill Gates. Which ultimately meant this would be a challenge times 2 to learn how to use it.
But then I found out I would need to learn how to use photoshop for my Communications degree anyway, so it made sense for me to get a head start now.

And okay, so I encountered some problems. But eventually, I got there! Not to mention, I've been fiddling around with like a bunch of tools while I had time.

And yeah, call me crazy, but I'm pretty impressed with what I've done so far. :)

So here's some of the pictures I ended up playing around with for the MCW Society's Proposal.




Mishy <3

Upcoming Events

I have a hectic two weeks ahead of me.

This week, 9th of August Saturday, is JB birthday. :P And I know he doesn't want me to make any form of fuss about it, but I'll announce it here just to annoy him slightly. :P Muahaha. But it's okay, I won't be able to celebrate it properly seeing as I'm going to be so busy anyway.

This week, Sunday is the University of Western Australia open day. I am soo excited to be going for this. I have an ass load of questions to ask about the Communicatiosn course and whether or not I have a one in hell chance of getting in, considering I really want to get in here. Weird and workaholic-ish as it sounds, I am absolutely estatic to be going for this, and I cannot wait for Sunday to come. =)

Next week Monday, university applications will be due in. And I will be in such a state of panic and agitation as no one will have ever seen me in before. Apparently, there is some TISC guide I must follow which hasn't come out yet [why it can't come out BEFORE the day the application entries OPEN is beyond me...] and of course, I do not have it yet. They say it is one long complicated process, and I refuse to get mine wrong. Watch me freak out and fall in a dead faint on Monday night.

Next week Wednesday, Elaine is coming!!! This is the first time I've ever had an old friend come visit me in my current country of residence, so I am even more estatic at this visit than I am with the UWA open day. She'll only be here for a week, but I think that's all fine and jolly considering I really should be studying anyway. Any longer, and I will officially be doomed to complete distraction.

Next week Sunday, is the Curtin open day. I am not so keen to go to this university, but it is where I am expected to go, should I fail to get into UWA. I would apply interstate, but I am not even sure if the parental units approve of the plan. I forsee a major problem. =/

Anyway, back to history, seeing as my history teacher has just landed me with an entire month's worth of assignments to complete...

Mishy <3

What To Do, What To Do...

Indeed, the title reflects my confusion already. =S
University is but just a year away.
And while I have finally given up all hopes of entering into the likes of prestigious names such as Cambridge, Oxford or even Harvard, I still have not let go of all the courses that I want to do.

My sights have been set on Australian National University and University of Western Australia, seeing as they seem to have some of the best Arts and Humanities programmes in Australia.
And the courses I want to do are: Archaeology, Psychology and Mass Communications.
This, indeed, is a problem.
Mass Communications would lead me, most probably directly to journalism, which is what I want to do for a while anyway. Of course, I highly doubt that anyone would kick me out of the journalism position for not having a Mass Communications degree under my belt.
Psychology and Archaology are two very difficult, and probably pretty weird degrees to take, the latter being the weirdest. Of course, this could be easily solved by me doing a double Arts/Science degree, but it's really hard, and I'm not even sure if I want to do Psychology. I just picked it because it looked good and I thought I could do it. Unfortunately, I'm now second guessing myself, which is probably the worst thing I can do at this point in time. I already second guess myself at everything, to second guess myself here is probably not out of the ordinary, but it's going to make my life living hell for the next few weeks.
Archaeology is something I've wanted to do for a long time, even as a kid I told myself that I wanted to dig up old relics and study them and find out what they were used for, what they were made out of, the works. It was, (and still is) a fanatical ambition of mine and it probably won't stop until I go on at least one dig, knowing me.
Journalism by far seems to be the better career to jump into. (despite the lack of regular hours!)

Anyhow, the Michelle Watch signs out!

Mishy <3