Published October 17, 2006 by

The Panda Says No!

the panda says no!So, I’m in my last ‘teaching’ week at uni. This afternoon I had the great joy *cough* of being involved in a peer review assesment group of our prototype models and accompaning documentation. Because of the sample of students provided by this insightful tutorial I know now just how or why some people sometimes refer to the education system in Australia as decidedly, well how shall I put it? Crap.

You’d think that as a prerequisite to any University course they wouldn’t have to sit a basic literacy test – that’s it, they don’t. They should. I have never ever seen such a shocking array of ridiculous errors. Last minute many of the assignments may have been, but that can hardly make up for the position of commas, (Or lack of), full stops where they shouldn’t be, spelling errors, lost letters, absent formatting – basic formatting, no paragraphs, no CAPITALS, no vague hint of them having been proofread. Infact, understanding the documentation in the first place was the harder task than critiquing their overall project. What I saw I would not pass at a Grade 6 level.

The Panda is bawling so hard that the dark spots on his coat are running into the light ones.

I end this on thoroughly different note and am sending you on your way to YouTube (That of which Google recently so intelligently bought for some ridiculous packet of green) to check out:

The Odd Couple

Which is kind of funny – and I’m linking to mainly because I played a part in creating it. You wont see me on camera though – I was behind it the whole time.

Oh and what say you of my future venture? I intend to see if I can sell ‘Dave’ (The lego-man Star) on Ebay (After we get a few more hits). Who knows – maybe I’ll hit a goldmine.

Or not.

General Uni

Published October 14, 2006 by

Youth

cakes70.jpgThey went absolutely insane.

The scream game was the funniest thing I seen in a long time. I really can’t scream very well at all – it just comes out a kind of yell.

Spanna, Geoff (I think) and I are running next week. New strategy: stuff them full of food so they can’t talk. We’re having a cake night.

General Ministry

Published October 13, 2006 by

Regarding Church

“Doctrine doesn’t feed the soul, love does”

What do you think about this statement?

Church General

Published October 13, 2006 by

The Progress of Normality

ws5cl2.jpgI clearly overreacted to my homework levels. After yesterday where I scheduled my day ruthlessly, I discovered that none of it is too much of a problem – Geoff has wonderfully offered to help me on the rest of my php stuff. The model is made and written about and a good part of the other writing around prototyping is going to take me maybe half an hour tops. The animatic is not due until the following week. Less stress and much more freedom.

Wednesday night our young adults group ran Terry’s, which is a free meal put on by our church every week for people in the community. A good experience. I’ve been once before. It was perhaps not the most comfortable having someone watching me while I chopped up all kinds of salad stuff, but I retreated after the food to helping out Narelle and Col with the kids and had a grand time making sure big scissors didn’t cut little fingers and folding chatterboxes.

After, we discussed being involved in the broader community, which to be candid bored me to tears – the questions thrown out were predomenantly to my mind, rhetorical or Sunday School like. Perhaps I was just in a rotten mood? It wasn’t anything new, it didn’t evoke change. The stories that came out of the evening were definitely encouraging.

Today the past revisited in the shape of Peter and Nancy Reed. Back in the 1990’s some time we used to eagerly visit their house in the Solomons because of their pool and for a glorious afternoon tea. They were Emily’s second Grandparents and we’ve each gotten a birthday card ($) from them every year up until we turn 18. Laura and I joined them for lunch up in Sassafrass and wound up at the Rhodedendon garden. As a flower I think Rhodedendron’s are far too showy, but in massive lots the colours are pretty magnificent. Sat on a tour bus for 20 minutes (which I found somewhat amusing and at the same time sadly nice – just sitting there having to do nothing at all). I had a massive headache the whole time because my shoulders were sore.

Youth starts up again tonight. Initiative games. I am looking forward to it and particularly this term (however short) getting to know some of the kids a bit better. It’s a good feeling when you can wander up to them at church and can chat freely – when you know that originally they’ve been pretty quiet, now they won’t shutup.

I’ve been thinking a little about whether or not I should head up to ESA again for the kids camp this year. We shall see how things are looking when the email comes my way, undoubtably it will.

My, the boredom of this post!

General Life

Published October 11, 2006 by

Why the qua’s are low

birdieQuality and Quantity

This blog hasn’t seen the light of either for a while.

Here’s why:

After today I have 3 days (or I guess 5, but who would go so far for a pointless 1hr Friday lecture) of uni. I have 4 major assignments due.

One part of one is due Monday, the other parts and two others are due next Friday and the last is gracefully due in study week – meaning do it before or do it when you are meant to be prepping for exams.

I have two exams (which really isn’t a lot). One of which should be a breeze, one of which could prove to require some acrobatics – as the lecturer refuses to give out lecture slides and as far as I know very minimal information on the exam. I’m not sure how right this is, how legal/moral blah de blah. We theorise on it (if theorise is even a word) and have had ear to many a conversation not leaning favorably in his direction. Nevertheless, I have tracked down the slides and shall have to be proactive about working out what’s going to be on the thing. Ie. know everything. Not possible.

So. Viral Marketing – no longer a problem
Prototyping – 50% done (left to do: model to make + lots of words to write)
Animatic – 40% done (left to do: 8 images + words)
PHP Database Re: Website Forms – 50%ish done (more forms to make work) – this is still the doozer.

My triumph of the day was tackling a good chunk of the most daunting of the lot: 104 Assignment – I sucessfully crash coursed myself in php and databases and it worked. I don’t really clearly know all the ins and outs but not bad for a days effort. I went in with absoloutely no idea of how to do it after a semester of supposedly having learnt it. A prime example of this quality education system. I treated myself to lunch.

Huw and I celebrated the realisation of only one more real week of ever returning to Deakin. And depending on whether we both get into our respective courses, should be at the same Swinburne campus next year! I have also found out out that Dave (yits) will be there’ish if he gets into circus.

I am excited too much about not continuing this course, but I will miss the people. They’re a good bunch and I feel like I’m just starting to get to know them well.

I realise that I never got around to finishing off some thoughts on ‘Dark and Light’ (it was a post half written) so perhaps you can look forward to that.

BUT

Until these things are knocked on the head with the meanest last minute mallet I can find. No extensive posts.

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