Published November 1, 2006 by

An Almost Lost Cause

So my 9am WWW and Internet exam fast approaches…

Over the past semester I have come to realise a few very important things:

a) I cannot for the life of me write Java Script or PHP without a wizard/sample code and even then I struggle

b) HTML makes perfect sense compared to anything else web-code related

c) Design is by far the better part of everything NO EXCEPTIONS

d) Making code work is satisfying

e) I was never meant to program

f) A pass for the unit will be entirely satisfying

g) A pass is possible because the assignments have been okay to really good

h) I am going to be relying very heavily on understanding the theory and making educated guesses.

i) A fail is possible because there is too much because the whole thing needs to be painstakingly accurate

j) I don’t really care

l) Maybe

m) OK I do care but not because of the unit or the content but because it may affect my course hopping abilities.

I’ll be smiling at the other end of the 3hrs tomorrow but probably only because it’ll be over.

Design General Uni

Published October 18, 2006 by

Flash, Bam, Caught and the Abnormal Hole in my Pocket

frustrated1 Red Toyota Corolla driving along a residential road…

FLASH!

So I was going closer 60 than 50 in a 50 zone… along my own road.

I’ll find out just how bad I was being whenever the letter arrives. They really shouldn’t make those things so bright – you’re far more likely to have an accident in response to one than in lieu of speeding just slightly.

It’s a worry how it happens – I had conversation about speeding tickets just the other day.

I also mentioned something last night about setting your alarm to wake up on time (along with the benefits of coffee).

I set the alarm last night. I didn’t wakeup on time. Last day at uni and the only lecture I really sort of needed to be at was the one first up. I missed that well and truly, so I didn’t go.

I drove down to get my supplimentry folio application printed as we no longer own a colour printer and the uni printer produced some horrendous result – $20 later.

While I was there I ducked into the pharmacy to get a passport size photo done. $10 later. I get six. One for the uni application, the other for the working with Children form that I need for youth leading. Five for whatever. A quality mug.
Come home and fill out the rest of my application, it lands in the postbox. I’m in the post office and the guy is ticking off all my proof of identity documents. OK. OK. OK. OK. It’s all okay. Reaches the photo. “Uh, your face is 2mm off the right size”. I’m sorry, your face is too short can you just pretend to stretch yourself for a moment?

Pissed off just a little bit is probably one way to put it. $10 for effectively one useable photo. I am not driving all the way back and paying for another, at least today.

I read something on budgeting this morning. They may factor in 10% for some spending flexibility, but they never tell you to add a column for abnormal expenses.

General Life Uni

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 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.

Blogging General Life Uni

Published November 12, 2005 by

Life

And so my sister begins her career. A nightime trip into the William Anglis to watch her first birth.

I marvel yet again at the contrast of our lives.

One womb. Similar life experience and yet here we are. She with a career relatively fixed, a relationship with a man she loves which will no doubt progress into marriage and then babies and then grandchildren. And me. No I’m not jealous. I am fractionally confused. I have no career path, I have no relationship, and I have no idea really where my life is going.

I don’t know what I’ll do with myself beyond uni. I don’t know if this is even where my real ability lies. I cannot however hard I try, see myself in a nine-to-five job as I cannot see what kind of job that would be.

What is with being the one who likes having goals, being planned? And having no footing there whatsoever.

Trust. How can you do good in the world if you can’t find a need that you can meet? If you are waiting for one to fall into your lap because you don’t know any other way.

I am not concerned about the future. I am concerned about the now. What am I doing with my life right now? What moments do we waste sitting around waiting for tomorrow?

General Life Uni