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March 29, 2024, 07:03:02 pm

Author Topic: PF's journal  (Read 28590 times)

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PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #15 on: April 07, 2019, 09:04:41 pm »
+11
A somewhat speedy update this time

I've had a good day today. I finally actually submitted some of my assignments that were overdue, the weather was beautiful, and I saw (but sadly did not pat) a puppy.

Unfortunately I still haven't submitted one other assignment that is overdue, and there's another one due tonight that I haven't done (oops), but today was still way better than the rest of this week was :)

Fenner is somewhat quiet at the moment (except for the fire alarms and jackhammer) because a lot of people go home or travelling on the holidays - I didn't have to fight for a spot in the kitchens for once! There's been a bunch of people hanging out in the Fenner courtyard today. There were some people dancing out there tonight, and they were actually really good, so that's my entertainment for the night done.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do these holidays. It's going to take me a few days to finish my assignments and then catch up on the lectures I've missed. I'm also going to have to do some practice tests and stuff (for the subjects that they exist for) because I have a chem and a bio exam after Easter.

I'm hoping I'll have time to go camping for a few days, I miss nature (I know, I say that a lot). I've done just about every half-day walk around Canberra, although there are a few longer ones that I could do (I'm keen to walk around Lake Burley-Griffin but that'll take the entire day). There's a nice campground about 20km from here, which means it's close enough to walk to, but only if I stay for at least 2 nights, so hopefully I actually manage to study early in the holidays so I can be relaxed enough to go.
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2019, 05:20:46 pm »
+12
Hey,

So a fair bit has happened recently that most of you don't know about, but I think it's about time I update this.

I don't really know where to start though. I'm dropping 2 of my classes, so I'm going to be studying part time. At least for this semester, probably next semester too (although I might do 3 classes next semester, doubt I'll do 4). So that's kind of terrifying. Not so much anymore, I've kinda gotten used to the idea, but it's still scary. I guess I've just always seen uni (and school more generally) as something to be completed as fast as possible, but depression just had to go and fuck that up for me.

Don't really know what I'm even doing at uni tbh, very not enjoying my classes, but I think that's just because I can't fucking concentrate at all, so hopefully only doing two classes will help somewhat. Kind of annoying though - I'm going to keep bio and chem, but that means I'm going to have to repeat emsc (AKA the class I really don't like) next year, because it's compulsory for any enviro science major :'(

I'm sort of failing chem at the moment - or at least I failed the midsem exam, but it seems I only have to pass the theory overall, not pass both exams (at least I hope I read the course guide right), and the end of semester exam is worth more so I'm just gonna have to do way better in that. I have to pass the practical part as well, but so far that's going way better than the theory so that should be okay.

Haven't got the results from my bio exam yet, and I doubt I will for ages (even though we got our chem results in 3 days :o), given they haven't even given us the results from one of our assignments that we submitted a month ago ::) but aside from the weirdly specific questions (which I was expecting, but were still odd), it seemed fairly easy.

I haven't actually withdrawn from those two courses yet, mostly because I need to call centrelink first and figure out what I need to do to try and get them to not stop giving me money also need to register with access & inclusion, but at least I've done the paperwork for that. I've heard some *interesting* stories about a&i that make me not keen to actually do it though :-\ I can actually withdraw from my classes without having to go through them, but to get it to not count towards my hecs debt I have to fill out yet more forms ::)

So yeah, life's kinda shit at the moment, and I'm really tired all the time, but hopefully it'll get a bit better soon. Also, unrelated, but I really want a kayak, I just don't quite know how to obtain one, store it, or transport it given the small room and lack of car, should probably wait till after I eventually get a job though lol - speaking of, some recruitment people have called me like 5 times now and I haven't yet answered. Not sure why anyone is that desperate to hire me.

Love you <3

Obligatory meme

2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

K888

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2019, 05:50:38 pm »
+11
It's funny, I think we all create an image in our minds of what we think uni will be and it tends to turn out quite differently to what we expect :)

Are Access and Inclusion kinda like a disability support services thing? I'm registered with the Monash equivalent and although I'm sure it's different for each uni, I've found it to be super helpful, it's really nice to have someone to advocate for you and it makes applying for special consideration and stuff easier.

Be gentle with yourself, PF, and take care. Your health is the most important thing of all. Transitioning into uni (and moving out!) is incredibly difficult and I think you're doing a fantastic job of it, for what it's worth x

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2019, 06:45:21 pm »
+4
It's funny, I think we all create an image in our minds of what we think uni will be and it tends to turn out quite differently to what we expect :)
I think, in a way, uni is exactly what I expected, I'm just not really reacting to it how I expected to, which is incredibly frustrating.

Are Access and Inclusion kinda like a disability support services thing? I'm registered with the Monash equivalent and although I'm sure it's different for each uni, I've found it to be super helpful, it's really nice to have someone to advocate for you and it makes applying for special consideration and stuff easier.
Yeah they are. I guess I know that it'd be helpful, it just seems way more complicated than it needs to be and it means I have to go talk to yet more people, which I'm not looking forward to.

Be gentle with yourself, PF, and take care. Your health is the most important thing of all. Transitioning into uni (and moving out!) is incredibly difficult and I think you're doing a fantastic job of it, for what it's worth x
<3
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #19 on: May 10, 2019, 02:46:22 pm »
+9
Heyyyy

I've finally done most of the paperworky-organisy stuff so yay. I submitted my application for late withdrawal - although I put no effort into it so who knows if it'll actually get accepted lol - Even if it doesn't I'll still be withdrawn from those classes and I did it early enough to not fail them, but if it doesn't get approved I'll have to pay the hecs for it, kind of hard to care about that though given it's not something I'll have to worry about for  a while.

Also had a meeting with access and inclusion today, they were nice enough but damn I'm so sick of repeating myself. I think I've been given enough flyers for the ANU crisis line and ANUSA's welfare department that I should start making artwork out of them or something. It should be easier for me to get extensions for assignments now though (although me actually asking for them is a whole separate issue) and I can get breaks + extra writing time for exams, although that's not normally something I have trouble with anyway.

I actually have some of that energy and motivation stuff at the moment ;D although I'm sure it won't last long lol. I was supposed to submit a lab report on Wednesday, but I haven't. I've got another one due in a few hours, although this one is way easier, so I should probably do both of them. Also have a bio quiz due tonight, I'm way behind on lectures, but the quiz is just on molecular genetics so I'll probably manage okay even if I don't find time to watch the lectures tonight. I've got to remember to actually do it though, I totally forgot the last one.

Also have a bio assignment due next week, it's actually fairly short, but I have to research a bunch of stuff which is going to make it take longer.

Still haven't been going to any classes except compulsory ones, I think I should probably just start going to them though (especially the chem lectorials) rather than worrying about trying to catch up on lectures first, because that's just going to make me keep putting it off.

Also apparently inflatable kayaks are a thing, so maybe I actually will get a kayak. Although they seem to be more expensive than normal kayaks :'( motivation to actually get a job i suppose.

Haven't actually called centerlink yet but I really should. I'm technically still enrolled full-time because my late withdrawal thing hasn't been processed yet, but I should do that soon because I really don't want to manage to get myself a debt.
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2019, 05:43:08 pm »
+9
Hey

Still haven't heard anything about the application for late withdrawal which is getting frustrating. I should have just dropped them through isis (as in anu's enrollment system, not as in the terrorist organisation) after I applied for it because I'm still enrolled in them on that until they do something with my application :'(

I got an email about special arrangements for exams, gonna have some long exams if I use all the time I get lol. Fuck I need to email them about the exams I'm not doing for the courses I've sort of dropped

Still haven't called centerlink. Should probably do that, technically still enrolled full time at the moment but I'd imagine they're not gonna be happy if I don't tell then then it gets approved because it'll be retrospective.

Don't really know what I'm going to do about chem. Didn't go to my last lab on Wednesday and they're compulsory so I don't really know what I'm going to do about that. I was supposed to get a medical certificate if I missed them, problem being Mark (course convenor) says he'll only accept ones from a doctor not those ones you can get for $20 at a pharmacy. I wouldn't even know where to find a doctor that I could see the same day, and honestly pretending to be okay enough to go to class would have been easier than finding a doctor and going to see them. I should probably email him and ask but I'm putting it off :-\ Don't know if I'd pass that class anyway given I'd have to get almost 70% on the end of semester exam to pass the theory.

Bio is mostly okay. Except I have an assignment that was due on Thursday, and another that was due the Thursday before that and I haven't submitted either of them. Oops. Should probably spend less time crying and more time studying

Still haven't got a job but I finally started applying for some more again. Canberra is frustrating. 99% of jobs are either full time or minimum wage. Which is probably similar elsewhere, but Canberra's just too small and too spread out to have many decent jobs.
Did I mention that I finally did the math on it.
Minimum wage is $15/hr (or $11/hr...)
My rent is $290/week :'( :'(
$100/week for food and other stuff
So, uh $390/week just for stuff I can't avoid
=26 hours/week. So yeah, not going to get a minimum wage job lol. Did I mention that junior wages are the stupidest things in existence?

This week is my last week of classes for this semester (where tf did time even go???), and it's just lectures this week because of the public holiday today. My bio exam is on the 8th and chem is on the 11th. Also have chem HPO on the 17th, doing that would probably help my score a little bit, but I haven't been to any of the lectures for it (although I think there's only 8 or 9), so maybe I'll do it. Then I have holidays until mid-July which could potentially be a bad thing if I don't manage to get a job by then. Got to have some reason to actually get out of bed and all and not having classes isn't going to help that.

In slightly more positive news though, I got an email back from the Canberra dog shelter and they might let me play with some doggos but I've got to fill in some forms and stuff and it's kind of annoying to try and organise without knowing what time I'll end up working when I get a job. Also applied to volunteer for ACT wildlife, answering calls from people & vets who find injured wildlife and organising people to pick up and care for the animals, so that'll be really cool to do if they let me.
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #21 on: June 08, 2019, 05:20:25 pm »
+16
I'm finished my bio exam!

Went better than I thought, there were a few things that I know I didn't explain properly or didn't know the examples for, but it was still easier than I expected.

The content was similar to high school, but the way it's tested is so different. I think I prefer it like this though.

The examiners are way less paranoid too, I was in a small room because I got extra time + rest breaks. We were allowed to leave the room during our rest breaks. The foyer area outside was being used by a few people to study whilst we were doing our exam. I couldn't help but compare it to high school when they were so paranoid that there were separate toilets that we weren't allowed into until after we had started the exam and that no one not doing the exam was allowed to use for the entirety of the exam period. It would be so incredibly easy to cheat on these exams if someone wanted to (not worth the risk, but easy).

Chem is on Tuesday morning, way more worried about that then I was about bio (although rip my bio score because I didn't submit two of my assignments). It's not so bad now that I've started actually watching the lectures - definitely easy than organic chem, I just probably should have started learning it a little sooner than yesterday :-[

The chem HPO exam is on the 17th. I haven't been to any of the lectures for it, but supposedly they're recorded and there's only 8 so I think I'm going to have a shot at the exam. Means I have a week more of studying though :'(

Oh and Mark (chem convenor) let me get away with not having done lab 8 despite not having a medical certificate, so I'm not going to fail on account of that (yay), just have to pass the theory now....
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

K888

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #22 on: June 09, 2019, 03:38:47 pm »
0
Re: doctors close by, have you tried your uni health services? You might also be able to get some recommendations if you have a facebook group for where you live on res. I found my current GP through a rec from my res FB group :)

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #23 on: June 09, 2019, 09:29:19 pm »
0
Re: doctors close by, have you tried your uni health services? You might also be able to get some recommendations if you have a facebook group for where you live on res. I found my current GP through a rec from my res FB group :)
Yeah, my uni's health service is where I have been going. They're run through the national health co op (which, despite the name, is almost exclusively a canberra thing) so they bulk bill. They've always got super long wait though.

There's one place nearby that's very well recommended by everyone, but of course they aren't taking new patients. They also have a sister center, but the vast majority of doctors there don't bulk bill (even students :'( which is a bit frustrating).

I know the anu womens dept. has a spreadsheet with places that have been recommended, so i should probably have a look at that. The issue round here seems to be that you either get a well recommended doctor + short wait times or you get a bulk-billing doctor and you can't have both :'(
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

K888

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #24 on: June 10, 2019, 09:39:38 am »
0
Yeah, my uni's health service is where I have been going. They're run through the national health co op (which, despite the name, is almost exclusively a canberra thing) so they bulk bill. They've always got super long wait though.

There's one place nearby that's very well recommended by everyone, but of course they aren't taking new patients. They also have a sister center, but the vast majority of doctors there don't bulk bill (even students :'( which is a bit frustrating).

I know the anu womens dept. has a spreadsheet with places that have been recommended, so i should probably have a look at that. The issue round here seems to be that you either get a well recommended doctor + short wait times or you get a bulk-billing doctor and you can't have both :'(
do you have a healthcare card? I think a lot of places that don't bulk bill are usually willing to bulk bill a healthcare card holder

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #25 on: June 17, 2019, 05:52:11 pm »
+10
I'm done!

The HPO chem exam was the easiest exam I have ever done. It was 25 multiple choice questions, based off 5 lectures, and I had an hour and a half lol. And there was a heap of overlap from biology stuff about amino acids/proteins and rational drug design. Way easier than core.

I get my results in a couple of weeks - at least the course results, I could get my exam marks before that. I think it's probably more likely that I'll fail chem than pass it. Felt weird doing the hpo exam not knowing if it would even matter. Really hope I don't fail it for a lot of reasons, but oh well, I guess I'll find out soon.

My application for late withdrawal from emsc and scom got approved! Only took them 5 weeks. But also, yay.

Don't really know what I'm going to do these holidays, hopefully get a job, but I don't know what else. Kind of want to visit Melbourne, but also kind of don't. Guess I could go up to sydney for a bit, it's a lot closer and inferior Might go camping for a bit (I hope), but also it's winter so maybe not, just got to actually do something so they don't just disappear like last holidays haha.



^There's $5 pizza right near home, it's gonna be the death of me lol.
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #26 on: June 26, 2019, 07:41:36 pm »
+13
Today's cooking tip from PF: Don't accidentally (or deliberately) buy soft tofu when you actually want firm tofu :'(

I think I'm gonna pass chem! Haven't got my grades yet but i got my exam mark and unless my math sucks i somehow passed?!

I got a job - applied for it the day after my last post here, and started the day after that lol. It's full-time, but temporary and rather boring (but the $$$ makes up for it).

The lack of sunlight that comes from being inside from 9-5 every day isn't very pleasant though. I should really go for a walk about now, or do anything that isn't going from sitting at a desk all day to lying in bed, but it's cold and dark and the temptation to watch netflix instead is strong. It also makes me want to spend all weekend outside, which is great, but also means I don't have a lot of time for anything else which is frustrating.

It's super weird to me how incredibly relaxed this work is. Like...are there people who do this their whole lives??? There's only one other person who's always in the store and she was complaining it was busy when we'd had 3 customers all morning? And not even at the same time? That's not her only job, but she spends heaps of time on her phone and applying for a new job (lol) and still thinks that it counts as busy. Compared to woolies where we were working constantly and barely had a spare second to have a drink, and I'm getting paid way more now. It's so strange, society is weird.

You know when new year 7s start at high school and they're little babies and somehow over the course of the year most of them grow up a lot? The last 6 months or so has felt a bit like that to me. It's strange, feels like I don't really recognise myself at times, but it's more of a good thing than a bad thing :)

Edit: Chem HPO marks just got released. Got 20/35 which is about what I was expecting, although hoped for a little higher. Way above average though apparently lol.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2019, 08:21:50 pm by PhoenixxFire »
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #27 on: July 04, 2019, 11:13:32 am »
+8
I got a credit for both chem and bio! So that’s cool. Honestly have no idea how that happened for chem. Bio makes me a bit sad but I also didn’t submit a bunch of my assignments so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got 0.95/100 for scicom which is a new record 😂

Quote
Edit: Chem HPO marks just got released. Got 20/35 which is about what I was expecting, although hoped for a little higher. Way above average though apparently lol.
Was actually 20/25. Which makes sense given the entire exam was just 25 multiple choice questions 😂 they just entered it wrong.
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra

Joseph41

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #28 on: July 04, 2019, 02:09:27 pm »
+2
Awesome work!

Oxford comma, Garamond, Avett Brothers, Orla Gartland enthusiast.

PhoenixxFire

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Re: PF's uni journal
« Reply #29 on: July 21, 2019, 01:52:24 pm »
+12
Classes start again tomorrow. Although I don't have any compulsory classes the first week, just lectures.

I really need to get a part time job lol - not just for the money, but also because otherwise I'm going to have way too much spare time and i'm going to end up spending too much of it staring at a wall or something.

Things are super frustrating at the moment - I keep alternating between not caring about anything and being totally fine with lying in bed listening to sad music all day, and caring about everything way too much and hating that there's not much I can do/am doing about it. Very annoying. but I prefer this to never caring about anything ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Just means that I have to actually study when I care enough to want to pass uni.

I really need to socialise more. I was way better at it earlier in the year, and then I stopped talking to anyone for a couple of weeks and skipped all my classes and that really didn't help lol. Should be a bit easier this semester though, given I only have two compulsory classes. First priority is actually getting a job (which unfortunately involves answering the phone when people call me...) then hopefully going to organise some volunteering stuff around that. I think I'm gonna be better off organising stuff that I can't easily cancel. Also it bothers me to catch up with people over coffee when the coffee at Fenner is cheaper (and frequently nicer, depending on who makes it) haha

Also still need to reply to the email from the canberra dog shelter (they finally replied to my email after a month, but that was two months ago and i haven't replied to theirs. oops. bit hard when i don't really know what days i'm available yet though). But would be awesome to see some doggos again. I really miss my pets. One of my SR's did offer to hide my fish in her room during room inspections if I got one though....

We haven't had a fire alarm at Fenner all holidays (longest time without one all year), but we had one a couple of days ago which was very amusing because it was just after the semester 2 move in date, and it felt like fenner was welcoming us all home lol (also I did love the opportunity to make yet another shitty meme).
2019: B. Environment and Sustainability/B. Science @ ANU
2020: Just Vibing
2021: B. Paramedicine/B. Nursing @ ACU Canberra