Monday, May 21, 2007
I just can’t study!!!
I’m supposed to be revising for my exams that are rapidly approaching, but I just cannot do it. I’m sitting at my desk with a pile of 15 books next to me, and no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot make myself open them and take notes. I haven’t been this unmotivated for quite some time. It doesn’t help that my first exam is this Thursday, and I know nothing of the subject matter. However, my consolidation lies in the fact that I’m a person who flourishes under pressure, so most likely by tomorrow I will have become sufficiently scared of what my grade will be if I don’t study, that I’ll be hitting the books like a madman. I’m sure I can cram a semester’s worth of information into 2 days of studying…after all, I did it for all 4 of my classes last term (in fact, I taught myself all about the Vietnam War just hours before my American exam, and I ended up with a 17 in that class, so it’s definitely possible!).
Well, procrastination aside, what else have I been doing? Ah yes, well I booked a trip to Dublin in September. I’m so excited, as I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland…I heard from my friend Wendi that it’s so incredibly beautiful, so I’ll definitely be putting my camera to good use, I reckon. The fare was dirt cheap as well, just 2 pence (about 4 cents) roundtrip! Of course, taxes added to this amount, but the entire flight was only £30…you really can’t beat that price. The funny thing is that my friend Theresa and I have decided to rent a car for a couple of days to see the surrounding countryside (I really want to drive down to the Cork area, and kiss the blarney stone...come on, it’s the actual freakin’ blarney stone…who wouldn’t want to do that?!). Of course, neither of us has ever driven on the left hand side of the road before, so it will definitely be an adventure! For once my advanced age will come in handy, as I’ll be able to rent a car without paying the extra ‘young person’s fee’…whoo hoo for being 26 (ah, I just realized that I’ll be 27 when the trip actually comes around…good gracious that’s old!). However, as I do not know how to drive a manual, I’ll have to rent an automatic, and those things do not come cheap over here…come on Europeans, embrace the automatic (and don’t charge extra for it)!! Yep, so I get to travel to two entirely different countries this summer, and I’m so, so, so, so, so excited about it…look at me, I’m a world traveler! :-)
What else? Ah yes, I had a job interview on Friday, and was offered the job just two hours after I left the manager’s office. Yay. I kind of put off finding a summer job until a bit too late, so it’s not an office job like I was hoping for, but beggars can’t be choosers, and money is money. So, now I won’t be bored out of my skull (and poor as a hobo) this summer in between my two trips. I’m also hoping that I’ll be able to meet some more people in this city, as only meeting students is becoming a bit mundane (not to mention that they’re all so very, very young, and I would really love to meet some people my own age!). So yep, I’m pretty excited about working again this summer, and I plan to get in all the overtime I can.
Well, that’s pretty much all that’s been going on recently. Oh wait, yes, I almost forgot…I got back my grades for the last two essays I wrote. My first two essays didn’t score such great marks, but I really improved on the second set. Because I’m so proud of these two papers, I’m going to put them online for anyone who wants to take a peak. They’re no Stephen King or an Oprah book of the month club work, but if you’re interested in the subject matter, I personally think that they make good reading (mind you, I am just a bit biased!). I just picked up my Russian essay regarding ‘Why was the Russian army defeated in the Crimean War?’, and got an 18 (out of 20)! Yeah for me. Last week, I also got back my Scotland essay, with the title ‘Was Witchcraft in Scotland any way distinctive?’ I really enjoyed writing this essay, and apparently, that came through in the paper, as my tutor had only glowing things to say about it. Needless to say, I received an 18 on that as well. So, after a brief check to my writing ego with my first two marks, I rallied and really proved that writing is indeed one of my true talents. I feel even better, as my Russian tutor wrote that there was “clear potential here for really good work at honours level”. Hooray for me, the future looks bright! Lol.
Well, I’d like to say that I must get going as I have some revision to do, but I don’t lie, so I won’t say it! I’ll probably end up playing a computer game or watching some telly for a while. Perhaps I will end up doing some Russian reading later tonight, if I get bored…who knows. Regardless, I shall bid you all adieu.