Almost Time!

There is only two and a half weeks to go until semester one starts! I have mixed feelings about this. I sort of want to get into a routine again, yet I know I will miss the blissful holidays when I'm back at uni. This year will be my final year as an undergraduate, after that is either employment or postgrad study. I haven't decided which way to go yet. It is one of the several things I must sort out before the year ends.

I will be taking the following subjects this semester:
- Advanced Food Analysis
- Food Processing and Preservation
- Biotechnology in Practice
- Techniques in Molecular Science

It has been a busy February so far. For one there was the Chinese New Year celebrations, it's the year of the rabbit for those who don't know. We had a delicious family dinner at a new restaurant that opened in the city, called Shanghai Dynasty. The interior decor was spectacular! Full of golds and fancy furniture. There was dragon dance too, to entertain and bless the patrons dining that evening.

In other news, I have been kept on as a casual at David Jones! =D However we got a new manager and all that, so hopefully things will still look up. I gave in my uni availabilities in on Monday, so I am hoping to get consistent hours each week. Fingers crossed!

Quick Pre-exam Update

Taking a short break between my studies to type up a short blog piece. My first exam, Ecology, is tomorrow afternoon! I am trying not to get overly stressed about it, but it should be okay as the exam is worth 40%.

Weather has been crazy lately. One moment it would be freezing cold with heavy rain, then sunshine the next. It makes planning activities outdoors quite frustrating.

I got my first Christmas casual job at David Jones! I will be working in the manchester department (bed linen, towels etc.) at the Bourke Street store in the city. I am excited and a bit nervous - my first shift will be this coming Saturday! =]

Hmm...what else is there? Ooh right, season three of my favourite TV show, Fringe, will premiere this Wednesday night! I've been waiting for ages, as it started two months ago in the US. Grr...so much for fast-tracked! To celebrate, I shall share one of my favourite videos I found on Youtube of the two main characters of the show, Peter and Olivia. I love the song as well!

{Fringe} Peter/Olivia - Boats and Birds

A Healthy Meal

Bloggin' while eating my lunch, a toasted foccacia with chicken schnitzel, pineapple and lettuce. Only recently have I 'discovered', well more of got into, as I have known this for ages, creating your own sandwich for lunch.

There is a few places at uni where you can 'make' your own sandwich by choosing the type of bread (normal sliced bread, rolls, baguettes or foccacias), main base (schnitzel, beef, roast chicken, turkey or simply ham etc.), dressing and spreads (mayonnaise, avocado, butter or pesto etc.) and a range of other delicious extras such as cheese, cucumber, lettuce and tomato, salad, sliced eggs, olives, pineapple, beetroot and much more. In winter, a toasted sandwich makes all the difference.

I think this is a much healthier alternative to several other options I normally get, which was muffins, pies and pizzas. Although this custom-made lunch is usually more expensive, it's worth it. For me, no sandwich is complete without a slice of juicy pineapple or two. =P

Thoughts of August

Hello readers!

Haven't blogged in a while. Even though I arrived back in Melbourne exactly two weeks ago, I haven't got around to updating my blog.

Anyway the weather is pretty dreadful lately, have been raining heaps. I couldn't remember that last time we had a winter as wet as this year's. But even though it's cold, wet and windy, there is one good thing: Melbourne's water storage is up slightly this year. I still miss sunny days...can't wait until Spring!

This semester I am doing four subjects: Food Microbiology and Safety, Comparative Animal Physiology, Ecology and Human-Animal Interactions for breadth. These are all prac subjects, which means a pretty packed timetable. This reminds me, I still have to write a 1500 word essay for breadth, so I really shouldn't be blogging. Heehee!

In the spirit of philanthropy, I have signed up for several volunteering events, both at uni and in the community. This month I shall be promoting a student-run financial aid charity for students, called Student Appeal, which starts next week. I've also signed up for Daffodil Day, which is on the 27th of this month.

I am also going mad trying desperately to look for a new job. I think I've spent more time writing resumes and cover letters than on my homework, haha.

Last weekend I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D with my sister and a very good friend. It was amazing, the last ten years have been so worth the wait! The storyline was superb, the voice acting was brilliant, and all the new characters are very memorable. If you haven't already, go and see it...NOW!

But I am pretty happy with the way things are going right now. However I do miss riding quite a lot. Hopefully the weather will clear up soon!

It's that time of the semester once more.

The time has come that most students dread - exam period!!! *gasp* *shock horror* *nausea* Well, you get the picture. xD

At least this semester, my exams are fairly spread out over the three weeks. My first exam, which would be Biochemistry and molecular biology, is held this Thursday. After that is Australian wildlife biology on Tuesday 15th of June, followed by Food chemistry, biology and nutrition on Wednesday the 23rd of June. So yeah, pretty good schedule. This means I can still work during the exam period. I really hate revising and studying for exams. I don't mind doing them, as it means it would be all over after that, but studying for them is not only boring but is tedious as well. My brain can't handle all the information overload haha.

In other news, I had my sixth riding lesson today. It was quite chilly at the start, but after grooming and tacking up Whisky, I was quite warmed up! All we worked on today was rising and sitting trot, canter and transitions on the lunge. I also did some riding without stirrups. It was difficult and quite painful lol, and I almost fell off on several occasions. But Whisky was a good horse, whenever I was slipping or losing my balance, he would slow down. I love cantering, it's so much fun! =D

Here is the only picture for the day. The quality is not very good due to the gloomy weather and small camera. xD

Lunch Hour

Nothing much to blog about lately. Uni is going on as usual. Easter break is coming up in one week's time, can't wait! I want to do so many fun things! Hehee!

So today's blog will be about lunch, or more precisely, what I usually eat for lunch at uni. I avoid the greasy Chinese takeaways you see. I've tried once, wasn't so pleasant. So I normally alternate between the following:

• Spinach and cheese roll
• Sweet chilli tandoori wrap
• Shepherds pie
• Hawaiian pizza from Pronto Pizza
• Vegetarian calzoni
• Chocolate muffin
• Sushi rolls
• Grilled fish and rice

Some food can be quite expensive though, so I try to bring my own lunch when possible. *make mental note to buy ham and cheese*

Until next time folks!

Sorted at last! ^^

Due to me taking a summer subject this summer, my subject selection and timetables were a complete mess. Thankfully, it's all fixed now.

You see, it all started with the delay of the summer semester exam results for Chemistry 2, which was supposed to be released this past Monday. Because of this, the system was unable to approve my chosen subjects as it kept warning me that I have selected a summer subject. This also means I couldn't view my timetable on Alloc8. After countless emails sent to the student centre with no results, I was fed up. So I took a trip to uni yesterday to sort things out face to face. A course adviser approved my subject plan, and now I am finally ready!

I must say, I am fairly pleased with my timetable for semester one. I get Tuesdays off and I finish at 10am on Fridays. Not so sure on 9am starts on three days though. I mean it's fine right now, but when winter rolls around, it would be difficult to get out of bed at 6am again.

Quick Update

Only one more week left until summer school will be finally over! But that means the exam is just around the corner, on the 15th of February. Argh...so stressed.

Roger Federer won the Australian Open! I'm so happy for him, he is indeed one of the greatest tennis players on the planet. ^_^

As you can see, I changed my blog template. This one maybe very simple, but it is very cute! I love it, yet another masterpiece from Gisele Jaquenod, click here to get your own!

Summer school!

Okay, I am actually not excited about this at all. I mean who would want to study nothing but Chemistry for seven weeks? LOL! Luckily I only need to be at uni three days a week.

Right now I am also rushing to get as much driving practice as possible. I am aiming to get my drivers licence near the end of March. Currently I have just over 57 hours under my belt, so there is still 63 hours to go! But I am on track. =)

So little time...

*holds pillow over the face and screams*

The exams start in just 25 days! This time, it's even worse than the last semester. I have three exams in a row! Chemistry, Biology and Physics - all in three days!

How could they be so cruel...my brain...argh my brain hurts!

*flail arms wildly*

*runs away to Neverland*

Impatient

There is still one and half weeks before the mid semester break. It's late this year, after eight weeks instead of the usual six.

So I really can't wait, so I can relax my mind a bit, and more importantly, catch up on work. Physics is taking a toll on me, I really dislike the content this semester. Electrostatics and circuits is just not my cup of tea. =__=

Better go and do some work now. *sigh*

The Start of Semester 2

One week of the second semester has already gone by! Nothing much has happened...yet.
I'm quite happy with my results from last semester, although I am hoping to do better, especially in physics, which was my worst subject. xD

All the lecturers are okay so far too. Now I just hope the tutors are good. *fingers crossed*

Rex is booked for the vet this Tuesday. I might have to miss an hour of uni, depends on if my sister have work or not.

Two down, one more to go

Wow, time really flies eh?

I only have one more exam, chemistry, before I am liberated for this semester at last! =D I seriously can't wait, it's a whole month of freedom!

For my previous two exams, biology of cells and organisms, and physics fundamentals, were alright. I was far more confident about biology than physics, which I hope I can pass. xD
During the two days on which I had those two, the examination hall was freezing, and I am not kidding. I wore as much as I could, but clothes only helped so much. Three hours and fifteen minutes of sitting still was enough to make my lips turn purple and I left the hall with chattering teeth. Gah....I can't perform my best when I am very cold (or hot for that matter).

*sigh* I just wish on the day of my chemistry exam, the weather would be more accommodating.

A change for the worse

NOOOO! We now have a different physics prac demonstrator!

His name is Ahmed, and to be honest, most people don't really like him. He talks a lot at the start, and then won't let us have the full three hours to complete the workshop exercises and the experiment. He is also quite harsh.

We all miss our previous demonstrator, her name is Chiara. She was really nice to us, and much more easygoing. She is now in charge of another prac group.

Ugh.. We have Ahmed for another 3 pracs. =__=

Wow...

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun? xD

I can't believe that four weeks of uni are behind me already. Only about 9 more weeks until the examination period. Not that I'm looking forward to it. Heck no!

I like science so much better! It's much more interesting, and there is more variety than just lectures all the time. Sure, I now have to be at uni five days a week, but so far it's great. The only downside is that we just get so much homework and there are tonnes of readings to do each week. I am already behind, and I must try to catch up soon.

And I must say I really love the laboratory sessions. Not only you get some hands on experience, it's also much more fun that burying your nose in the textbooks all day. ^^

Checkin in!

Wow, it's been AGES since my last entry. Well, I guess no one cares since hardly anyone reads this anyway.

It is very very hot lately, with temperatures over 40 degrees celsius. So I mostly just stayed home, enjoying the air conditioning. I try to keep my pet rabbit Rex cool by spraying mist on him and giving him frozen water bottles. Summer is a dreadful time for him, with a thick fur coat and all.

So I have decided to transfer to science. I get some credit points though, so that's a relief. =) Hope it will all work out fine.

Which Way?

These days I feel really lost, well not literally of course. I feel lost about my future, uncertain about which road I should take.

For those of you who know, I am currently studying first-year Bachelor of Commerce, and in the past month I have started to really dislike the course. I have little motivation, perseverance or consistency, and right now I'm doing worse than last semester. Several times I turn up late to lectures, sometimes even missing one entirely. Try as I may, I find it extremely difficult at times to get a grip and actually do work.

Yes, commerce was my first preference, but science was my second. You know I never really wanted to study commerce in the first place, but the pressure from my parents... :( Now I wonder if I made the right choice in the first place. I want to transfer course next year, to Bachelor of Science. My ultimate goal is to do one year of that, then apply for direct entry into Veterinary Science. But it will be challenging, very very challenging. If not, then I would choose to major in Zoology, and hopefully do masters or honours in this field. Preferably, if possible, do a double major in Zoology and Marine Biology. :)

I believe that people should do what they enjoy, and not choose a course just because their parents or teachers said they should. I mean ultimately, you are the one who will be pursuing that as a career, and studying something you don't like leads to an unhappy future. I want to be able to get up in the morning, be ready to face the day and say, "A new day, a new adventure!" I want to actually enjoy uni, and looking forward to it, knowing that I will make fascinating discoveries and learn what I love to learn.

Will this ever happen? I can only hope.

Stressed...

Argh! I'm so stressed out right now. I have two assignments due next week, one on Monday and the other on Thursday and I barely started. Lately I find it extremely difficult to find the motivation to concentrate on school work. I dunno why, I am so easily distracted. This is not good! :( I must get a grip somehow...

Also, I really need to cancel my Maccas shift on Wednesday to do my assignment, but I'm scared they might get mad at me. But I have too! Or..... Oh drat, I dunno what to do! *sniff*

I really really cannot wait for the semester break!