While I was preparing for my exams, other people had already been having theirs. As a result the library has gotten emptier and emptier. Now it is just use regulars all knowing each other, all sitting on the same tables, all spending equal amounts in this historical site.
Right now it is literally impossible to walk along a corridor and not see someone you already know or met in here. This is definitely nice since one feels surrounded by friends. On the other hand, the emptier the library is getting, the less motivation I am having. I just want to join all my friends that have finished their exams and are having a party-month! (since we finish in almost a month)
Can't happen, though! So, all it is left for me is to keep reading my averagely boring economics articles.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Library Adventures # The Experiment
Experiment No1
I will follow the revision time of one student to check what a student (the one siting next to me on the computer desk) generally does in the library:
22:21 - writing a wall-post on facebook
22:26 - starts writing an essay (short one) on Word
22:27 - checks phone and send a text
22:28 - joins neighbouring students to check out a football game recording on youtube
22:29 - i can see that he has so far written exactly 6 lines and then i realise i m also wasting my time, but at least i m having fun :)
22:30 - continues to write essay
22:40 - on facebook again
22:44 - on webmail
22:45 - leaving the computer!
that is 21 minutes he will never see again! In the mean time, although losing time, I managed to find out what "Classical Liberalism" is, yey me!
I will follow the revision time of one student to check what a student (the one siting next to me on the computer desk) generally does in the library:
22:21 - writing a wall-post on facebook
22:26 - starts writing an essay (short one) on Word
22:27 - checks phone and send a text
22:28 - joins neighbouring students to check out a football game recording on youtube
22:29 - i can see that he has so far written exactly 6 lines and then i realise i m also wasting my time, but at least i m having fun :)
22:30 - continues to write essay
22:40 - on facebook again
22:44 - on webmail
22:45 - leaving the computer!
that is 21 minutes he will never see again! In the mean time, although losing time, I managed to find out what "Classical Liberalism" is, yey me!
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Library Adventures # 4
08:37 13 May 2009
I just arrived in the library. It is a ghost-town; everyone is either sleepy or tired, or both. While climbing the stairs I saw this friend of mine; she has an exam in less than half an hour! (maybe it is not library adventures, that I am having but exam sesh adventures...) Anyway I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone good luck on the exams!
I just arrived in the library. It is a ghost-town; everyone is either sleepy or tired, or both. While climbing the stairs I saw this friend of mine; she has an exam in less than half an hour! (maybe it is not library adventures, that I am having but exam sesh adventures...) Anyway I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone good luck on the exams!
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Library Adventures # 3
22:57 12 May 2009
I promised that this exam session I will try to follow not only my experiences but also the experiences of the other suffering students in the library. So, here is a perfect example.
A hope-high-score girl is sitting next to me. She is doing something biological/food industry connected. She has done an essay in the module (which generally means that some of the material she has already thoroughly researched). It is a known fact that to get above 70% one needs to show knowledge not included in the lectures, or in other words, do some research and find cool examples. So at 4 to 23:00 the hope-high-score girl is sitting in the library searching for extra information. Instead of leaving to go home (she also lives far away) she will stay in the library. By know (she has studied all day) she has dark circles under her eyes and her voice is all grumpy. Still, she is not giving up, she will do whatever she can to get a higher score on the exam.
The only question that keeps whirling in my mind is, unless the exam is tomorrow: Why continue working inefficiently all night instead of just go home and sleep? It is obvious why if the exam is tomorrow, it is silly if the exam is in several days. My exam is on Monday, so tired after almost a full day (12 hrs) revision, I need to get home get some sleep and come here fresh, at 8:00, again! For me this is the best strategy!
I promised that this exam session I will try to follow not only my experiences but also the experiences of the other suffering students in the library. So, here is a perfect example.
A hope-high-score girl is sitting next to me. She is doing something biological/food industry connected. She has done an essay in the module (which generally means that some of the material she has already thoroughly researched). It is a known fact that to get above 70% one needs to show knowledge not included in the lectures, or in other words, do some research and find cool examples. So at 4 to 23:00 the hope-high-score girl is sitting in the library searching for extra information. Instead of leaving to go home (she also lives far away) she will stay in the library. By know (she has studied all day) she has dark circles under her eyes and her voice is all grumpy. Still, she is not giving up, she will do whatever she can to get a higher score on the exam.
The only question that keeps whirling in my mind is, unless the exam is tomorrow: Why continue working inefficiently all night instead of just go home and sleep? It is obvious why if the exam is tomorrow, it is silly if the exam is in several days. My exam is on Monday, so tired after almost a full day (12 hrs) revision, I need to get home get some sleep and come here fresh, at 8:00, again! For me this is the best strategy!
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Library Adventures # 2
After an immense struggle to find any, and I mean any, books for my Public Policy module, God forbid a table to read them on, I decided to give some advice to anyone struggling with library matters.
To not repeat my mistake again, today I came to the library at 8 o'clock in the morning. It is an interesting fact that the library may be fuller in the night than in the the early morning. At seven or eight the place is a perfect desert because most of the people have given up or fallen asleep. Around ten, though, most of the people would have surely woken up and headed to the library. There are two well defined waves of incomers: 9:00-10:00 in the morning when the students that have left around midnight come; 12:00-13:00 when the all-nighters have managed to get out of bed. The first crowd is definitely more dangerous since they are not that tired and ready to run or argue, or even fight for a table!
To escape these problems, try to wake up at 8 o'clock in the morning and bring your a** to the library. Put your stuff on a table. If you still feel tired, go back home to sleep and come later, if not you can have a whole day for sweet revision.
By the way, the book shop under Dalton has some amazing 99p revision packs that help a lot!
(I am never writing a text message again, I just had to go through the whole post fixing "u", "ur", etc.)
To not repeat my mistake again, today I came to the library at 8 o'clock in the morning. It is an interesting fact that the library may be fuller in the night than in the the early morning. At seven or eight the place is a perfect desert because most of the people have given up or fallen asleep. Around ten, though, most of the people would have surely woken up and headed to the library. There are two well defined waves of incomers: 9:00-10:00 in the morning when the students that have left around midnight come; 12:00-13:00 when the all-nighters have managed to get out of bed. The first crowd is definitely more dangerous since they are not that tired and ready to run or argue, or even fight for a table!
To escape these problems, try to wake up at 8 o'clock in the morning and bring your a** to the library. Put your stuff on a table. If you still feel tired, go back home to sleep and come later, if not you can have a whole day for sweet revision.
By the way, the book shop under Dalton has some amazing 99p revision packs that help a lot!
(I am never writing a text message again, I just had to go through the whole post fixing "u", "ur", etc.)
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Many times in our life we have been wondering what happened all those years; how did i ended up here? What happened? It’s a question that you sometimes find yourself asking.
Lately I met some new people and I found a person from my years of primary school and out of the blue I started thinking what happened to our long gone innocent childhood? I cannot really give a satisfying answer on that because I myself do not have the slightest idea. The thing is that in our process of evolution we lost friends, we made new, we grow up and thought of love, we stopped dreaming and started working, we stopped having time and we started having a gadget for writing down our appointments.
I have to say I don’t like responsibilities but I appreciate the fact that I have the chance to be a person that won’t let down their friends, family and of course herself. For me the commitment we take though relationships is a commitment we carry as long as we can. It’s the part that makes us stronger confident and able to have the stamina to fight through difficult times, so when I meet people that still believe in that and still have the dream makes me feel that whatever comes won’t be that hard to handle. Friendship is a valuable asset to our every day lives it makes us better people and gives us hope.
So, some people believe in God, some people believe in money, some others in aliens well I believe in to two things in friendship and myself, simply because they will never fail me! So whatever you do and whoever you are make sure that you will have somebody near you because a person without a friend is a life without witness!
But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. (Thomas Jefferson)
Lately I met some new people and I found a person from my years of primary school and out of the blue I started thinking what happened to our long gone innocent childhood? I cannot really give a satisfying answer on that because I myself do not have the slightest idea. The thing is that in our process of evolution we lost friends, we made new, we grow up and thought of love, we stopped dreaming and started working, we stopped having time and we started having a gadget for writing down our appointments.
I have to say I don’t like responsibilities but I appreciate the fact that I have the chance to be a person that won’t let down their friends, family and of course herself. For me the commitment we take though relationships is a commitment we carry as long as we can. It’s the part that makes us stronger confident and able to have the stamina to fight through difficult times, so when I meet people that still believe in that and still have the dream makes me feel that whatever comes won’t be that hard to handle. Friendship is a valuable asset to our every day lives it makes us better people and gives us hope.
So, some people believe in God, some people believe in money, some others in aliens well I believe in to two things in friendship and myself, simply because they will never fail me! So whatever you do and whoever you are make sure that you will have somebody near you because a person without a friend is a life without witness!
But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. (Thomas Jefferson)
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Now Stop!
It is time for my regular recap post. Last week I was sitting in my room and I realised that this blog is the longest commitment I have ever had in my life. I have never had a job for a longer period because I get bored and change it, I have never had a same room for such a long time because I always get bored and move the furniture, most of all, I have never lived in one house for such a long time (since uni, of course) because (well not boredom) contracts end. Evidently this is a game of I have never now :)
Anyway, putting this aside I have a lot planned for May for you all. First obviously my Library Adventures are continuing! I will follow one more night of a revising student (except this time it will not be me!). Most importantly, I will introduce you to my new assistant. Yes, you heard correct, I am having an assistant blogger. With the exam session going on (as my average is going down) I will need a fellow hand to make sure to never miss a post. Viki will be providing this place with another point of view. Oh, but not to worry I am never stepping off the throne!
Anyway, putting this aside I have a lot planned for May for you all. First obviously my Library Adventures are continuing! I will follow one more night of a revising student (except this time it will not be me!). Most importantly, I will introduce you to my new assistant. Yes, you heard correct, I am having an assistant blogger. With the exam session going on (as my average is going down) I will need a fellow hand to make sure to never miss a post. Viki will be providing this place with another point of view. Oh, but not to worry I am never stepping off the throne!
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Library Adventures # 1
This post has been posted a bit later than written...
01:14 6th May
As the rows of people in the library are getting less and less not that is after midnight, tension is increasing! See what you may not know is that the library is not only a place to study during the 24/6 opening times at exam seshes. It is also a social club for students to interact! So many people come here just to have a little chat with someone they have not seen in a while. What is more, so many students spend hours in hours here "studying" without ever completing a single line/lecture/practice test.
See what p***** me off is not talking; I do not mind a person having a little chat with a fellow sufferer; it is the shouting! Yes, you read right: SHOUTING! I was just on the phone discussing my coursework with Nasko when a group of unsatisfied girls (and I mean se******) started shouting in the hall. They did not get caught this time but I bet they will, eventually.
When the library is open 24/6 the security is doubled and is walking around all night. If they hear anything more than the sound of silence they add you to the Black List; a list of student that have had warnings. After the third warning you can get banned from the library! Now, getting banned from the library is a very new LOW! And it is not just low, it is "low-low-low-low" (Rida, 2008).
This is all from me for now.
References:
Rida, F. and Wayne, L (2008). Low Low.
01:14 6th May
As the rows of people in the library are getting less and less not that is after midnight, tension is increasing! See what you may not know is that the library is not only a place to study during the 24/6 opening times at exam seshes. It is also a social club for students to interact! So many people come here just to have a little chat with someone they have not seen in a while. What is more, so many students spend hours in hours here "studying" without ever completing a single line/lecture/practice test.
See what p***** me off is not talking; I do not mind a person having a little chat with a fellow sufferer; it is the shouting! Yes, you read right: SHOUTING! I was just on the phone discussing my coursework with Nasko when a group of unsatisfied girls (and I mean se******) started shouting in the hall. They did not get caught this time but I bet they will, eventually.
When the library is open 24/6 the security is doubled and is walking around all night. If they hear anything more than the sound of silence they add you to the Black List; a list of student that have had warnings. After the third warning you can get banned from the library! Now, getting banned from the library is a very new LOW! And it is not just low, it is "low-low-low-low" (Rida, 2008).
This is all from me for now.
References:
Rida, F. and Wayne, L (2008). Low Low.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Aston Excellence Awards
The Aston Excellence Awards are the single event of the year when you can say to your favourite lecturer: "Thanks, you made an impression on me!". The awards are given to members of staff that make outstanding contributions towards the achievement of Aston’s mission to develop Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Research and Community Engagement. So, it is like the lecturers' Oscars. I am personally nominating my favourite lecturer just to make a nice gesture. He has definitely influenced me in many ways and got me hooked on a subject I am not particularly fond of.
I think one of the best feeling is the one of appreciation; as when you write a coursework that you spent so much time on and you receive a good review (Oh my god, look at the writing so many amazing stuff about my baby!). Personally, for me it is not the grade but the review on the return form that just makes a difference.
Anyway, probably most of you have read he e-mail distributed by the university about the voting process. If you have not, just ask in a comment and I will give you the contact person myself. But you need to submit your nominee before the 27th May. And before I forget, I think that if you vote you get to go to the ceremony (Need to double check that.).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)