What-ho, flist!

I'm not dead (clearly). The day before yesterday I had my last exam (Phonology) and, without any drama at all, it was devastating. I doubt very much that I will have passed, but I'll have to deal with that at some other time. Irritating and disappointing, but it shouldn't hurt me too badly in the long run.

Came back from my aunts' house on Sunday. They got me some gifty-gifts from their travels: an Ivy League t-shirt, a Harvard t-shirt and, oddly, an Oscar Wilde action figure. These people know me too well. It's weird being back at home, though...It's noisy, it's crowded and I can't stick to the routines I'd gotten used to because other people get in the way. Very irritating. 

Haven't really been up to much, except for studying and panicking, but now that uni's over for the year I can try to relax a bit. I'm free 'til March, lol, so if I'm not thoroughly relaxed by that point, then there's something wrong with me.

Preparations for Christmas are getting underway...I can't believe we're halfway through November already. This year has just flown past, it's ridiculous.

Not a terribly interesting update, granted, but I am still in bed and it is only my second day of freedom, lol, let's let is slide, shall we? 

Anywho, I know you guys are all well, I've checked, but I hope you keep it up :) Big love x

Oh, people, people, people....Studying is a bitch. Exam time reminds me why I hardly ever do it, lol. But, if I put in more effort through the semester and actually gave a shit, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard now. I always say it's going to be different every semester -- and every year when I was still at school -- but it never changes. I should probably just stop saying it.

Urgh. Not looking forward to these exams...Even though there are only two of them, lol. The Shakespeare one will probably be alright, but Phonology not so much. I'm going to stop talking about it because I know I've talked about it a lot lately, but it's just on my mind.

Went to the zoo yesterday with my mum and brother. It was fun :) Hot, but fun. We saw a seal show and I've decided that, now we live in a place with a tub, I want a seal. Not a leopard seal, though, those ones are scary and eat penguins. I also wouldn't mind a giraffe...Not that there's any place to put it, of course. We stood in front of the giraffes for ages just talking about what we think they'd feel like. I mean, they look velvety or kind of like suede...Do they have hair or fur? Is their mane bristly or soft? It was a stupidly involved conversation, lol. We saw the new tiger cubs (very cute and fuzzy), the otters (a favourite), and the meerkats (also a favourite). It was so hot that most of the meerkats (most of the animals, actually) were hiding away inside a log, but since one of them always stands watch to guard the...troop? family? team? pack?...there was this lone meerkat who was initially standing upright on a rock, as they do, but he clearly decided that there was no danger and flopped over onto the ground and spread himself out like a dog on a tiled floor. Very cute. The meerkats also sparked another "I wonder what they feel like" conversation. We decided kind of soft, but mostly bristly. If anyone has some definitive answers regarding these questions, feel free to shed some light.

Seven days until I'm back at home. I'm actually not really looking forward to it, which is kind of weird. I don't know, I guess I just like being on my own more than living at home. It's quieter, everything is done the way I want it to be done, there's no one in my space...That's probably the biggest issue. Before we moved, we had two TV rooms, so everyone could do and watch whatever they wanted, you know? And there was plenty of space. In the house we live in now, there's the main living/dining room and a spare bedroom that's kind of set up as a gaming/TV room, but there's not enough space in there. I just always feel cramped there, you know? And I'd spend more time in my room, but it's so much smaller than my old room and doesn't have any TV reception. Issues. Anyway, I'll be sad to leave. It's been eventful, lol. 

Anyways. The studying continues tomorrow...Had enough for today. It's Sunday evening, lol, enough is enough. I'm just hanging out for the 16th...Last exam. Free for a few months. Hurry up!!

What ho, chickadees...And chickadudes? 

Semester is finished. My 18th Century essay was awful. Dreck. But it met the word limit and was handed in on time, so I'm not going to complain too much. I did that last Phonology assignment the day it was due, which is not something I would usually do, but it got done too, so no more complaining about that either. Hurrah. Coursework is now finished. Let the studying begin. 

Actually, that's what I'm supposed to be doing right this very second, lol, but it's not even 11 ack-emma yet, so meh. On the 11th is my Shakespeare exam. I think the focus of that is going to be The Winter's Tale (which I am still yet to read, balls), and the on the 16th is the Phonology exam from Hell. Ordinarily I wouldn't worry because my assignment marks should bring me up to a pass mark, but this time the exam is pass/fail. So if I fail the exam (great likelihood because I so did not pass the midterm), then the marks for the assignments don't count and I fail the whole course. Yay. I, like everyone else, do not want a fail on my transcript, but it's not the end of the world. It's not a core subject and so I can still keep my linguistics major, it just means that I might have to pick up another subject somewhere down the track to make up the units. I might already have to do another semester because I dropped Syntax (thankfully, it was a real killer) and will possibly have to make that up too, so it's not a huge deal. I guess if I end up doing another semester I could throw in a couple cool English subjects I didn't get to do ;)

So yeah, everything's been pretty good. Had a "hurrah we finished Syntax" dinner with some friends on Wednesday, one of whom ditched the subject ages ago, like I did, at a place called Ice and Slice. As you might guess, they do pizza and gelato. Now, I'm partial to the odd pizza here and there, but I don't like how nasty and over full they make you, but at this place, they're really light and fresh and awesome. So I ate a whole one. And since I ate a whole pizza, I thought, "fuck it," and had dessert. A waffle pretty much floating in maple syrup and cinnamon. It was sickly sweet, but good. Thursday I had dinner with my mum and we went to this place called Moo Burgers -- all burgers, as I'm sure you can tell -- and they have onion rings, which I love. They really need to be served at more places, I think, because you can never have too many or have them too often. And then, finally, Friday night I went to a pub for a friend's birthday drinks. Not that bad, even though this friend is someone I actually find quite irritating, lol, but a whole bunch of cool people were there, so that was fun. I didn't drink very much at all (finally mastered this not getting shitfaced thing), and had another burger. Gawd.

Funny thing is, this Saturday coming, this particular friend's family is throwing her a surprise party. Naturally, she doesn't know about it, hence the surprise, but I'm reasonably confident that she's going to hate it. Her family is Indian and her parents' greatest desire is for her to marry a nice Indian boy. This chick hates the idea of having to marry someone her parents might actually like and who might be good for her (she's very contrary), lol. So, there are going to be a whole lot of family friends there and, methinks, one or two eligible bachelors. Apparently there were only going to be 12 of her friends there, but another friend managed to sway her parents into inviting more people. Better for us, lol. There's supposed to be a dress-up-and-dance-around-like-a-fool thing too, which I'm most emphatically not participating in. Party-pooper, I know. I don't really want to go, but her parents have spend thousands of dollars to hire out this fancy Indian restaurant and I do like Indian food, and I really want to see what happens with the surprise, if my friend likes it or not (because I'm awful, I kind of hope she doesn't enjoy it...I've never seen that happen in person before), and if they try to push her to meet some nice Indian boys or not. 

Anyway, so that's about it. Convoluted and awful, but I have no brain left. It's still at uni, I think. I'm going to be taking it easy over the next few nights, too, no more burgers and stuff for a while, lol. And I have to be good and actually study; lots of people treat this week before the exam period as a holiday, but some of us don't have that luxury. 

Ciao xo

I am so slack, and so lazy and so awful, how will you ever manage to forgive me? 

The house we're living in now has an extraordinarily long hallway which is a bitch on so many levels. I mean, if you've left something in a bedroom, or in the lounge room, you have to decide if you really want to make the trek and go and get it. It's quite the task. But, the worst part is the router and various wireless deelies are in my mother's room, riiiiight at the front of the house, and the lounge room (where I most often sit) is riiiiiiiight at the back of the house. The back of the house where the internet doesn't reach. 

So poor internet acess and not having my laptop with me when I'm in wi-fi range are the reasons I haven't updated. Awfully sorry, f-list. 

Also, I've been dealing with this intense headache for the last few days which makes it hard to focus on a screen...Or book, or anything, really. My mother keeps telling me it's a tumour because she finds the fact that I might be a little bit of a hypochondriac a tad funny. Boy, will her face be red.

Move on, yes?

This week is my midsemester break and I have so much work to do it's stupid. I hope I'll actually do some of that work, lol, but it's 11:32 am on Monday morning and so far, nothing. There's still time. My primary issue is an essay for my Shakespeare class. 2000 words (I think) on the interaction between human and non-human animals in Shakespeare's work. It's actually a good question and I've kind of got some thoughts up my sleeve, but I am -- as per usual -- slow to start. It's due on the 7th and I want to have the bulk of the thing done this week. I guess I could be alright with having to collate and type next week, but the majority of the thing needs to be done while I have time to focus on it. Fat chance. I also have an essay to write for my 18th century literature class about...Something...I think I've decided to write it about different biographies of Samuel Johnson (Johnson, the star of my last English essay....The disaster that was over 800 words short...Let's hope that wasn't an omen). Not due until November, I think, so one thing at a time.

I also have to catch up on all of my reading, of which there is much, prepare for a discussion board post for the 18th century class (also about Johnson) and do a phonology assignment about tonal languages and how tone works according to the three Association Conventions...Which, in theory, I understand, lol.

Oh, balls.

I got a facebook message from my oldest little sister, Maddie (of Pope bobblehead fame), enquiring as to when I went back to uni and if she could come with me just for a day to see what it's like to be a uni student. Very endearing. So, the 6th (the day before my dashed essay is due which is why it needs to be done ASAP) is the day my sister will be accompanying me to a lecture, lol. The 6th is a Thursday and fortunately I only have one lecture on that day, so she can see what it's all about, and then we'll biff off and do lunch ;) Fun times. It's nice that she wants to spend some time with me and see what it's all about...None of my other siblings are that enthusiastic (not that I expect them to be) or interested. And it's also nice that she's aspiring to a higher education (again, none of my other siblings are). She's a good kid.

I'm going to try to get her lost in the Quad ;)

I know that post was all over the place...I'm procrastinating, lol...But I'm still here and things are going alright. Headache notwithstanding. 

So, ladies and gents, back to university tomorrow...A month really isn't enough time off, lol. Although, truth be told, if I had had more time I still wouldn't have done any of the things I needed to do i.e. properly organise my shelves, unpack the last bits of crap in my room, other things I should have done but can't remember right now.

I don't have to be in at uni tomorrow (ordinarily I would have a class at 1pm but it doesn't start until next week. Pointless) so I'm just going in to borrow a couple of books for one of my classes and buy my various texts and suchlike. As much as I dig shopping for books and getting my readers and all that, I'm not super fond of standing in queues for three hours (no exaggeration, either) and it'll suck ass tomorrow because it's going to rain. Like it's been raining for what feels like the last forty days and nights. I'm considering building an ark but I need to find someone with larger cubits than mine.

As for classes, I am -- as usual -- doing two English and two Linguistics courses:

• ENGL2640: Shakespeare. We're reading five of the Bard's plays (Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Titus Andronicus and The Winter's Tale) which will be cool. Of those five, I've only done Hamlet (over and over again), and I kind of chose it because I don't have a decent working knowledge of Shakespeare's works and I feel I should. I could talk almost endlessly about his life, lol, and a tad about his sonnets (which are beautiful, by the way), but I couldn't say much about his plays.
• ENGL2659: 18th Century: Scandal and Sociability. There are four texts to be read and I've not read a single one, so I'm looking forward to that. It's a good thing I like reading, lol. The text for this class are: The Adventures of Rivella by Delarivier Manley, Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe, Pamela by Samuel Richardson and Millennium Hall by Sarah Scott (the very pious, very married, very lesbian author who is now very dead. SCANDAL!!). If any of you lovely things have read any of these books, let me know!!!
• LNGS2621: Phonology. Not to be confused with last semester's irritating (but still kind of cool) Phonetics class. Phonology deals with the sound systems of a language (or of languages) whereas Phonetics deals with the sounds themselves and how they are produced. A kind of confusing difference but an interesting one.
• LNGS2602: Syntax. This is the one I've been waiting for (well, this and Morphology which isn't on this semester). Syntax, as lots of you probably know, is the arrangement of words and phrases to construct grammatically correct sentences. It's very exciting, lol, and a bit of fun. One gets to break down a sentence into its base components and word classes and build syntax trees from there...They're reasonably simple, they make sense and they don't make my brain hurt like the trees we had to do in Functional Grammar (which I passed by the absolute skin of my teeth and never have to do again).

So, that's that for this semester, really. I'm kind of hoping to not have a repeat of last semester, but if my marks have told me anything it's that I can skate by on my natural brilliance (and it is brilliant, lol) without a whole lot of effort and still pass my classes...I mean, yes, just pass, in the case of last semester, but pass nonetheless. Laziness triumphs again!!!!

Today I went with my mother to a Nike outlet store (I love those things) where I bought myself two new pair of shoes...At 30% off! I loves me a great bargain, lol. I also got a few things to start my Christmas shopping. I'm aware that it's only July, but it won't be for long and I don't want to be stuck in the fortnight before Chrissie without having bought anyone anything. My strategy is to buy stuff as I see it this year. Let's hope all goes well.

Anyway, new shoes for a new semester...Which is really going to suck if it rains tomorrow. Which it will. Because that's all it's done for days. Damn rain.
I do hope that the weather is great wherever you all are xox
 

 
So, I'm seeing Deathly Hallows II tomorrow and I can hardly wait. We're getting 3D Harry Potter glasses too, which is so supremely nerdy. I wish I wasn't as excited as I am, lol. It's also kind of sad, too...I pretty much grew up with the Harry Potter books, and the books grew with me, if you know what I'm saying. Everyone remembers The Philosopher's Stone and how, while there was Voldemort and a mountain troll, it wasn't all that dark or scary, but if we look at Deathly Hallows, that shit's fucked up. Everyone dies (I'm not going with a spoiler alert here, if you haven't read the books, you deserve to have the story ruined). It a much darker, more adult story...Though, except for the final battle scenes, I doubt that there will be anything in this movie that will be as dark (and strangely arousing) as the torture scene in Deathly Hallows I with Bellatrix (that crazy minx) and Hermione.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. 

I've been reading a lot lately because I've really got nothing else to do...I mean, I've been out here and there, but the point of holidays -- in my mind -- is to be away from the people you see everyday, lol. Anyhow, reading recommendations time!!!!

I'm seriously recommending, above all, that everyone go out and read -- right this very second!! -- The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester. I think I mentioned before that it's about one of the main, if not THE main, contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary who submitted this colossal amount of information from the comfort of his cells in an insane asylum. The book is incredibly well written. The author somehow managed to pull together this enormous amount of information (journals, original dictionary entries, correspondence, hospital and police records etc) and was able to weave it into something that is not just very, very readable, but also true (though the Winchester wasn't there and it's not unreasonable to think that some bits are filled in). The whole thing was great -- easily one of the best books I've read in a while -- but one of the best parts of the book was the afterword where Winchester was speaking about all the research and whatnot he had to do for the book. He came across someone who had a bunch of old, dirty printing press plates and this person gave him one. I was disturbingly excited to learn that the plate he got was one of the original ones used to print the actual OED....I can't imagine how many copies of the OED it helped to print. I can't imagine how many people worked with that plate....I'm deeply envious, lol. That would be a truly extraordinary thing to have in one's collection.

Which reminds me, I need a new dictionary. Did you know that to get the best from your dictionaries you should replace them every ten years or so. Did you also know how difficult it's become to find a dictionary? I don't want to constantly have to refer to the internet when I want to look something up. I think the internet is important and extremely useful, I mean, having everything to hand is awesome, but it's not the same as having a text you can turn to at anytime. I guess for me it's about that tactile experience of having that book in hand and seeking information printed and reprinted and redeveloped by people. I don't know, call me old-fashioned.

Back to books!!!

I read Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye recently, which was great, but I don't think it was quite as heart-stopping as my favourite book of hers, Beloved. This one is about a very badly treated young black girl who wishes for (and gets) blue eyes. Morrison wrote that the story was inspired by a moment in her childhood where her school friend said that she wanted to be beautiful, that she wanted to have blue eyes and that would make her beautiful. Morrison was outraged that her friend would change something -- her dark and familiar features -- that she knew was beautiful, and then repulsed at the thought of how odd her friend would look with blue eyes. The author has an interesting writing style...It's casual and conversational, but somehow it speaks to something deep and a little bit profound in her readers. I don't know how she manages. I still like Beloved better, but this one didn't suck, lol.

However, of all the books I've been reading, I think you all should read the one I haven't yet finished, A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving. He's the dude who wrote The World According to Garp which I also thought was incredible. This one is about, amongst a great many other things, a pair of boys (Johnny Wheelwright who is the narrator, and the strange Owen Meaney) and the things that happen to and between them. I'm only about 200 pages in and I find myself thinking about it, going "yeah, I really have to get back to Owen Meaney." I adore Irving's style...It isn't particularly technical, which I concede might be a negative thing for some readers, but I think that sometimes floral, fancy writing can get in the way. Here, the writing is casual, easy and neat, and the characters are allowed -- encouraged -- speak for themselves. And speak they do. Go read it right this very second (along with Garp) and let me know what you think.

The next one I'm going to read is -- WAIT FOR IT!! -- Wodehouse by Robert McCrum. It occurred to me that I have read, as have lots of you, lol, a lot of Wodehouse's work, but I know very little about him. So, I figured I ought to remedy that. I've only read a few pages and so far it's deeply entertaining; McCrum includes some of Wodehouse's writing along with his own which provides a nice balance. I really can't say much more than that because I haven't read much more than that, but I'm looking forward to that one.

So, I'm sorry (as always) that I've been such a bad journaller (diarist?), I hadn't realised how long it had been since I last updated, lol. And I'm also sorry that this entry is so dashed long!!! But you brought it on yourselves, lol, some of you asked for book recs and here they are. 

Aside from all this craziness, not much is going on with me. Not long before I go back to uni, so I'm making the most of my lazy, lazy holidays...Sleeping late, staying in PJs, watching too much TV. Yeah, you're just jealous. I'm well and rested and so, so, so looking forward to HP7.2 tomorrow. It's almost embarrassing how excited I am :P

Ciao!!!

 
So, that was New Year's. I was at my dad's and behaved remarkably well which is unusual, especially where alcohol is involved. I drank my stepmother's crazy, but tasty, green punch concoction and stuck with that until it was gone. It took quite some effort to switch to Coke or water rather than searching for something harder, which is what usually would have happened, but I'm happy with that. Although I do have an addictive personality, I don't ever want to wind up an alcoholic. There are and have been many alcoholics in my family and I have no desire to join the ranks.

Maddie was peeved that said stepmother (her mother) only let her have a shot of Midori in some lemonade at the beginning of the night, so she managed to scam booze from various places, including some -- quite a large "some" -- of one of her uncles' Jim Beam Black Label. After drinking quite a lot of different kinds of alcohol, she got pretty shit-faced. Not dangerously so, and really if she'd been a more seasoned drinker it wouldn't have had anywhere near the impact; but 16 years old, not much experience. 'Nuff said. Anyways, so she'd finished her booze, lol, and with my encouragement was drinking plenty of water...She drops the lid to her water bottle and bends to pick it up, only to smack her forehead on the counter on the way down. Naturally she wasn't injured (God protects drunks and babies, after all, lol) but the look on her face was absolutely priceless. Priceless! And she didn't even have the good sense to have a hangover. Dang. I wish I had been like that when I was a kid, lol. On second thoughts, though, maybe it's a good thing that I (usually) get the hangovers I do...One suspects that I'd drink a whole lot more than I currently do.

Anyway. Can't believe that it's 2011. Not a damn clue where this last year went...I'm sure we missed some months or something. That must be it. I'm not sure that 2010 had an April or July...Hmm...Someone should look into that.

As for the world famous New Year's Resolutions, I am resolving not to eat any more pork or pork-related products (bye-bye, chorizo and big breakfasts), to treat my body more kindly (trying to find a way to step off my painkillers that won't kill me) and just to focus more and work more consistently with my uni stuff.

The day after tomorrow is when my reading project starts -- library, here I come -- and I'll post the final book list at that point.

I'm interested to hear what your resolutions are, if you're resolving to do (or not do) anything at all, and let me know how your NYE/Day celebrations went. I hope you all had fun and took care of yourselves, and I hope that 2011 will be kind to you guys xx

P.S. i stumbled across this interesting site the other day. It seems to be a cross between Post Secret and LJ...People write about their experiences pertaining to different things and other people share their own stories or comment on the original post. Interesting site. You can find it here at: www.experienceproject.com 

 
Although I usually do nothing for NYE as a matter of tradition, tomorrow night I'll be at my dad's for no other reason than I forgot that I had already said I'd go, lol, so that disrupts my plans of doing nothing. But I won't be getting shit-faced and making out with people or doing other stupid things, so it's about as close to nothing as you can get, I think.

My brother and a friend of his have gone into the city to hang out with a friend until new year's day where they'll undoubtedly enjoy the boozing and trawling of crowds. As long as he doesn't get into too much trouble, all is well. And my mum and Snappy are going on a harbour cruise to watch the NYE fireworks and to see the bridge all lit up. I for one am happy to catch the whole spectacle on TV.

So, if I don't update tomorrow - which I might not, lol, you all know how slack I am - I want to wish you all the best beginning of 2011 possible. Be safe, be nice and don't drink too much, and I'll be back very early in the new year to talk endlessly about my new book project (additions to the list are always welcome) and the many and varied resolutions I'll make but never carry out.

Stay safe xox

 Ladles and jelly spoons, today is Christmas Eve. The older I get, the less I care for Christmas - in my mind it has no religious affiliation and no longer carries much more meaning than any other family get together - but, I have always had a thing for Christmas Eve. There's something about it...There's a magic about it that never really went away. Plenty of people grow out of this sort of stuff, and for the most part I have too (despite my trying to hang onto my childhood), but each year we hang out for dinner at my dad's (or wherever) and we get to talking about Christmas memories and other such things and, sure enough, all that shimmer and magic comes back and I find myself staying up through the night to await the sound of reindeers' hooves on the roof. 

Then, of course, I get myself together and go to sleep.

So, tonight we're going - as I mentioned - to my dad's for dinner. It's not a specifically Christmassy event because it all started when we were kids at my grandmother's house...She was (and is) a Jehovah's Witness and so didn't celebrate Christmas, but it was important to my grandfather to have everyone all together. Now dinner is being held at my dad's because my grandmother is no longer in the best of health or capable of dealing with all the cooking and preparation, which is unfortunate because it's not the same anymore. Even so, we're all still getting together and it's still fun in its way. Besides, my dad has a spa now, lol, and that'll be kind of cool too.

Christmas Day will be spent with my mum's family (we alternate from year to year). We'll be at my aunts' house with various family members for a big lunch and present giving. And receiving.

Boxing Day is a little sketchy thus far, but if we go according to tradition, then we'll be back at dad's for more lunch and gift exchanging. Perhaps you can see why these three or so days are known as the "three days of presents and ham" in our family - all we do is swap gifts and eat (mostly ham, lol).

So, indeedy. I'm a little bummed, as usual, that Christmas no longer has any kind of real importance in my family - and in many other families - and the focus has really been set on abundance; too much food, too many things. There's not any religious connection to it in my family, which suits me well because I don't consider myself to be a Christian, but the downside of not having that wider view about Christmas (and indeed other holidays) is that we have a tendency to shut out other people and maintain the focus on ourselves and our stuff. I wish more people, and myself too, I'm as guilty as anyone else, could recognise how lucky we really are, and how blessed. We're surrounded by family and friends, rarely needing or wanting for anything, full to the gills with food and drink, and there are people out there who have nothing. Not a thing. Zilch. And often we try to ignore or push away the thoughts of people who have found themselves in that situation because its easier or makes us more comfortable, but that's not fair...I think we all need to learn to take nothing for granted - tell your family that you love them, be truly grateful for your food and gifts and recognise where they come from. Keep your eye on the bigger picture, yes?

This entry's getting a little more lengthy than I had envisioned, lol, so I'm going to put the next bit under a cut for brevity. I mentioned in my last entry that I'm undertaking a project where between January 1st and March 1st, when I go back to uni, I will read a list of books that have been suggested to me by my family and friends. Now, the books that will be on the list are the books that you all have found the most influential or that have most shaped you. So, please, make some suggestions, because my list is still criminally short!! I want the titles of your most influential books. Not your favourites, but those that have most shaped who you are.

( 2011 SUMMER PROJECT BOOK LISTCollapse )