Sandy's diary in Manchester (August, 2001)

Just click on any of the following underlined dates and you can get to know what's going on with me that day.

1st Aug, 01 (Wed)

Mixed feelings

My feelings towards my dissertation are contradictory. I hate it because it has been making my life difficult (I'm so occupied with it that no space nor time is available for anything else and I don't think I've enjoyed life as much as I want) but I love it in that it gives me a chance to get to know a lot of (Chinese) people in Manchester (of course it can be easy to list lots of other advantages, if you want).

Today I got to know a 'girl' from Hong Kong who runs a Chinese takeaway in Manchester with her husband for a questionnaire of my dissertation, thanks to my departmental secretary, who frequents their shop and introduced her to me. It happened that she had also studied linguistics before in HK and I listened to her with fear when she commented on my dissertation. Like a student and her teacher.

Another evidence for the benefits from my dissertation is my unexpected meeting with an old Chinese couple with whom I had done a questionnaire. They were taking a rest at a bus stop when I was on my way to the library. It was nice to talk with them and it was like meeting an 'old' friend (yeah, they're old in terms of age). The bad cloud over my life today, which had resulted from a meeting with my supervisor and a letter I just received from the Accommodation Office, telling me I was unable to get a writing-up room to live in the remaining days of my dissertation, was then removed.

3rd Aug, 01 (Fri)

Friends are essential

I do not have any religious belief but I went to a Chinese church on the previous Sunday for the questionnaires of my dissertation. Today I met a women from the Hong Kong Institute of Education whom I had got to know at the church. She was willing to offer me any help with accommodation. A warm feeling came to me and it's really nice to make more friends when you're abroad.

4th Aug, 01 (Sat)

The eve of my trip to Scotland (excited)

From this week onwards I had been in no mood of doing anything but kept thinking about my trip to Scotland. I think I had been doing the same thing (my dissertation) for so long that a break from it was needed if I wanted to carry on with it (maybe I was just making an excuse for myself!). My productivity index was at its lowest level today but the only good thing of today was my meeting with my classmate Virginia, who would be leaving the following week. No celebration. No party. But it was still an enjoyable chat and there was a sad feeling when we said farewell to each other. When will we meet again? Hope to see you soon, Virginia! Take care!

I met another elderly this afternoon, who did a questionnaire for my dissertation the other day. She's a lovely Chinese woman who always made herself beautiful with make-up before going out (I guess) and who was a bit like a very rich woman in Hong Kong.

12th Aug, 01 (Sun)

A generous owner

When I first came here, I found everything was expensive, which was a fact. As time went on, I got used to it and no longer converted the price into Hong Kong dollars as much often as I had done. As poor students, who would soon be on the verge of bankruptcy, we found where to buy cheaper stuff and where to dine out at a lower cost without being at the expense of delicious food. A fast food shop near the campus has become our 'saviour'. We enjoyed its food like chicken kebab (wah, yummy yummy!). The Pakistani owner was also nice and interesting. Sometimes he offered us free snack. Well, if he may read this homepage by chance (which is very unlikely unless he was told of it), do remember to give us more free offers! I'm pleased to advertise his shop here for free! Hehe...

13th Aug, 01 (Mon)

a lazy pig!

Still not recovered from the trip and needed more rest. Slept for another few hours in the daytime and so, sorry, nothing special can be talked about here for today. (oh, my bed and my doll 'koala' are the loveliest in this world!!!)

15th Aug, 01 (Wed)

The 'pig' started working on her dissertation...

Unsurprisingly Sandy's productivity index was still at its low level. I started the reading for my dissertation before I could start any writing. I had jotted down some points in the course of my empirical work before (for fear that I'd forget them if I didn't do so). But good organisation of ideas was needed, which was one of the difficult parts of my dissertation. I kept telling people of my worries and in return kept being told 'you'll be fine'. I HOPE SO!

Surprisingly I met a friend of mine who came back from her summer holiday in HK. A bit sweet flavour was added to my dull life when I got a chat with her about how enjoyable her life was in HK, but not so to Sven Eriksson's, the boss of a national team which got defeated by Holland in a friendly 2-0 tonight...

26th Aug, 01 (Sun)

Shock in the football world

One of the attractions of football is you can see a lot about life on and off the pitch. On the pitch you never know what'll happen and you may get sent off at any time - maybe unfairly; off the pitch you may be like a goods being transferred to another club without being told when and why. Just like Jaap Stam, a Dutch defender - one of the best in the world in my opinion - whose former club now is Manchester United.

I got the news about his move to Lazio from the radio in the morning and still couldn't believe it then. Speculations as to why one of the biggest clubs in the world sold him, who would be his successor in the club and whether his autobiography had anything to do with the whole matter were made. Almost all the phone calls in radio programmes I listened to from morning till night were about Stam's shocking exit. Everyone - maybe except for a few behind the move - was shocked. The manager of Manchester United denied the move had anything to do with Stam's autobiography, in which he disclosed secrets in the dressing room and criticised his team-mates and the manager. Who'd believe that the move was just a business matter? I didn't read either the book or parts of it serialised on a local newspaper actually and so I can't comment on it and say who's right and who's wrong. But I do think it is silly to disclose the secrets of the people with whom you are still working when your book gets published.  How can you face them then? You can't pretend nothing has happened. The Stam's autobiography saga gives me a lesson that, don't speak ill of the others in an inappropriate time. Well, so far I haven't made such a mistake ( I think) in my diary here.

29th Aug, 01 (Wed)

House searching

So, finally I came to the accommodation office of the University of Salford for my new accommodation. Honestly speaking, I spent little time on house searching when I devoted myself to my dissertation. I owed thanks to another person now, my friend's classmate, who told us of the possibility of living in Salford. But my desire of continuing living in Manchester and close to my campus was still strong and I was resistant to living in Salford, which is unfamiliar to me. Hope I could find another place in Manchester to live in.

30th Aug, 01 (Thur)

I wanted to cry!

Sandy as a small potato was almost in tears today . Struggling hard with her life-or-death dissertation, the girl with a fragile heart and soul was down after having a conversation with one of her best friends on the phone, wondering 'why my (academic) life is so miserable here'! It seems the person who took her 'minna no tabo' umbrella, which she had left behind in the library, didn't sympathise with her. Poor Sandy! 

31st Aug, 01 (Fri)

Signals of the end of my study

The computer I had rented from the computer centre needed to separate with me today. It was returned to the computer centre. Though I had been complaining of its lack of functions (no CD-Rom!), noisiness and bulkiness, its services should still be appreciated. It had been my companion at night when I was struggling with the essays. Without it, I might not have been able to finish the essays on time or I might need to risk my safety when coming home late because of a need to work at the computer centre. By the way, thanks to Pat and Chelsea who helped me to move it.

My friends' hiring of graduation robes and booking of a tour to Europe also told me that I'd soon finish my student life here.

What will happen to this lazy pig? How's her dissertation going? What's been going on around in Manchester? Keep an eye on the coming of soon-to-be-updated diary!!!

This page was last updated on Thursday, 16 October 2003.

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