BTW- there is a post about 4 posts down called exam in two hours which is actually my most recent post. I don't know why it ended up down there and not up here.
But incidentally- the exam went really well, praise God, and I definitely knew alot more than I thought I did (which is a great thing to realise during an exam).
Now onto tomorrows exam!
3 to go- and this time next week I'll be free!
love B
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
An almost perfect day
I am suppose to be writing about what would my perfect day be.
Alot more complicated than it sounds! Because I now live in Sydney and so my perfect day needs to be spread across two cities. But it can't involve a plane flight- because that would take up to much time- and to do all my favourite things will take up every second of that day. But then, if I was busy doing all my favourite things- would I get tired and warn out?
The other hard thing about perfect days is that when you look back over which days have been the most wonderful in your life- they often aren't what you expect. My wedding day was up there, very cliche- but it really was awesome! But many of the other days have simply been ordinary days with extraordinary occurrences, or just really great fun times with family and friends.
And the cynical, grumpy part of me says-all I want is a day when the hard things in my life could just disappear. Then that would be the perfect day, regardless of what else was to happening.
But taking all of that into account, and knowing that this day is so chocked full I probably wouldn't really enjoy it (!)- here is my perfect day. I've set it in Melbourne-and my new life-long-healthy-eating-habits have, for some unknown reason, gone on holiday ;)
Waking up in a beautiful bed and breakfast with Tim, somewhere in the Dandenong Rangers- with a decadent, multi-course breakfast of all my favourite things (fruit, eggs Benedict, quality toasted muesli and a huge glass of orange juice). We would then go down the mountain and meet my parents and sister for a chai-latte at the Dragon Fly Cafe in the Basin. Then, off to a park for a big BBQ lunch with all my dearest friends. After a short afternoon nap Tim and I would get dressed up for our evening out. We would start with Indian, and then come back to his folks place for dessert (lemon tart, cheesecake...it's hard to decide...). It would be crowded with various relatives and friends and we would play crazy games into the night. For some reason that I'm yet to come up with- we would end the night by dancing!
So there it is. My almost perfect day.
And now I'm even more excited about going back to Melbourne.
1 exam down today- 4 more to go!
love B
Alot more complicated than it sounds! Because I now live in Sydney and so my perfect day needs to be spread across two cities. But it can't involve a plane flight- because that would take up to much time- and to do all my favourite things will take up every second of that day. But then, if I was busy doing all my favourite things- would I get tired and warn out?
The other hard thing about perfect days is that when you look back over which days have been the most wonderful in your life- they often aren't what you expect. My wedding day was up there, very cliche- but it really was awesome! But many of the other days have simply been ordinary days with extraordinary occurrences, or just really great fun times with family and friends.
And the cynical, grumpy part of me says-all I want is a day when the hard things in my life could just disappear. Then that would be the perfect day, regardless of what else was to happening.
But taking all of that into account, and knowing that this day is so chocked full I probably wouldn't really enjoy it (!)- here is my perfect day. I've set it in Melbourne-and my new life-long-healthy-eating-habits have, for some unknown reason, gone on holiday ;)
Waking up in a beautiful bed and breakfast with Tim, somewhere in the Dandenong Rangers- with a decadent, multi-course breakfast of all my favourite things (fruit, eggs Benedict, quality toasted muesli and a huge glass of orange juice). We would then go down the mountain and meet my parents and sister for a chai-latte at the Dragon Fly Cafe in the Basin. Then, off to a park for a big BBQ lunch with all my dearest friends. After a short afternoon nap Tim and I would get dressed up for our evening out. We would start with Indian, and then come back to his folks place for dessert (lemon tart, cheesecake...it's hard to decide...). It would be crowded with various relatives and friends and we would play crazy games into the night. For some reason that I'm yet to come up with- we would end the night by dancing!
So there it is. My almost perfect day.
And now I'm even more excited about going back to Melbourne.
1 exam down today- 4 more to go!
love B
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Art of Overdoing exam prep
I hate being a semi-perfectionist!
I have to say semi, because though I have perfectionist tendencies- I can't call myself a true perfectionist. My house is disgracefully messy, my hand-writing in atrocious, and when I've been writing an essay forever, like your standard non-perfectionist I hand it in rather than checking and double checking because I am SO VERY SICK OF IT!
In fact, it was only a few years ago that I worked out I was a perfectionist at all. I was sitting in church and in the sermon it talked about how we tend to see perfectionism as a slight problem but really a good quality ( the kind of thing you say when asked in an interview what your weakness's are..."I'm too much of a perfectionist, I need my work to be just right!"). But that in reality perfectionism can often mask an underlying insecurity that what I do has to be perfect or people/God won't be happy with me. I suddenly realised at that moment that I was a perfectionist. I may not be in all areas of my life. But I know I avoid doing things I know that I'll be bad at- I just stick with my strengths. I set ridiculously high standards for myself academically- and it's only when I talk to other people that I realise that this isn't normal. And particularly in relationships I'm often so stressed about serving people that it becomes about "Being the perfect friend" and not about serving or caring for them.
While I think I'm getting better in all these areas, the semi-perfectionist tendencies reared their ugly heads again this week as I began to study for exams.
The reality of exams is usually that you work out what might be on the exam, and you make sure you cover enough topics in your prep to make sure you can answer most of the questions.
But this is what goes through my head "Alright, for section C of the OT exam, I'll make sure I've got Psalms and Job down. One of them has come up in every exam for the last ten years. I'll be fine. But what if they don't? What if this is the year that they don't? I really should cover wisdom literature generally? But what about if there is a question about "The writings" generally. That came up in 2002. There could be 3 questions- one on the Apocryphal writing, one on "the writings", and one on Daniel- none of my topics. Maybe I should do the writings too. I could probably wing it though- I could just work it out on the day if I had to. But what if I panic? I don't normally panic in exams. But what if this is the first, what if this is the first and I panic and I fail. I never failed before...maybe I should do the writings too".
This is the point where I come to Tim- he rolls his eyes at me, tells me that I'll be fine and I realise I'm being an idiot.
Friends, please pray for me. I want to do well, but more than that I want to learn and grow. And most of all, I want to learn not to put my eggs in the "I'm academic" basket. My eggs should all be in the "Jesus died for me" basket.
love B
I have to say semi, because though I have perfectionist tendencies- I can't call myself a true perfectionist. My house is disgracefully messy, my hand-writing in atrocious, and when I've been writing an essay forever, like your standard non-perfectionist I hand it in rather than checking and double checking because I am SO VERY SICK OF IT!
In fact, it was only a few years ago that I worked out I was a perfectionist at all. I was sitting in church and in the sermon it talked about how we tend to see perfectionism as a slight problem but really a good quality ( the kind of thing you say when asked in an interview what your weakness's are..."I'm too much of a perfectionist, I need my work to be just right!"). But that in reality perfectionism can often mask an underlying insecurity that what I do has to be perfect or people/God won't be happy with me. I suddenly realised at that moment that I was a perfectionist. I may not be in all areas of my life. But I know I avoid doing things I know that I'll be bad at- I just stick with my strengths. I set ridiculously high standards for myself academically- and it's only when I talk to other people that I realise that this isn't normal. And particularly in relationships I'm often so stressed about serving people that it becomes about "Being the perfect friend" and not about serving or caring for them.
While I think I'm getting better in all these areas, the semi-perfectionist tendencies reared their ugly heads again this week as I began to study for exams.
The reality of exams is usually that you work out what might be on the exam, and you make sure you cover enough topics in your prep to make sure you can answer most of the questions.
But this is what goes through my head "Alright, for section C of the OT exam, I'll make sure I've got Psalms and Job down. One of them has come up in every exam for the last ten years. I'll be fine. But what if they don't? What if this is the year that they don't? I really should cover wisdom literature generally? But what about if there is a question about "The writings" generally. That came up in 2002. There could be 3 questions- one on the Apocryphal writing, one on "the writings", and one on Daniel- none of my topics. Maybe I should do the writings too. I could probably wing it though- I could just work it out on the day if I had to. But what if I panic? I don't normally panic in exams. But what if this is the first, what if this is the first and I panic and I fail. I never failed before...maybe I should do the writings too".
This is the point where I come to Tim- he rolls his eyes at me, tells me that I'll be fine and I realise I'm being an idiot.
Friends, please pray for me. I want to do well, but more than that I want to learn and grow. And most of all, I want to learn not to put my eggs in the "I'm academic" basket. My eggs should all be in the "Jesus died for me" basket.
love B
Sunday, November 2, 2008
POV thanks and my holiday ramble
Hi folks
Just wanted to say thanks for all your advice on the "point of view question". I'm leaning towards 1st person- but I feel a bit more relaxed about it now- I'll just see how it goes and I can always change it. Thank you!
Unfortunately- despite lecture pads full of notes and picture for my story that I've stored up during the last few weeks of classes ;)- with exams fast approaching I don't know how much time I will have to actually write.
But oh, the holidays. In 3 lovely weeks I will be done with study for the year and will have one glorious month off in Melbourne. In some senses I'm a little nervous. It's been so long seen I've been down and seen everyone! Silly, I know.
But when I think of long walks around the paddocks in the Basin, watching Tim and Joel (his brother) fight over which Wii games are the best, seeing how much taller my little cousins have gotten, eating Mums amazing cooking, talking Gilmore girls and theology with Sandy, and seeing Tim's parents, Elise (sis-in-law), Joel (bro-in-law), Harry and Ange (their wonderful significant others), and whoever else decides to come over to the crazy world that is my parents-in-laws house! I can' wait to see my dear old church friends, and all my RMIT girls, and my relatives at the various Christmas parties we will be attending. I hope to reacquaint myself with the game of Cricket, to blog every second day, to talk and talk and talk with my dear husband, and to share 20 odd year old jokes with my Mum, Dad, and sister. I look forward to watching kids walk that I've never seen walk before, and sleeping in the room where I slept when I myself learnt how to walk.
I know it will be hard, and a little painful- knowing I am coming back for only a little bit, and that its still three more years up in Sydney. I know it will bring back lots of uncertainties about the future and what's going to happen. I know for some relationships it will be like we've never left and others like we've never met.
But I am still very, very excited.
Now, back to study...
love B
Just wanted to say thanks for all your advice on the "point of view question". I'm leaning towards 1st person- but I feel a bit more relaxed about it now- I'll just see how it goes and I can always change it. Thank you!
Unfortunately- despite lecture pads full of notes and picture for my story that I've stored up during the last few weeks of classes ;)- with exams fast approaching I don't know how much time I will have to actually write.
But oh, the holidays. In 3 lovely weeks I will be done with study for the year and will have one glorious month off in Melbourne. In some senses I'm a little nervous. It's been so long seen I've been down and seen everyone! Silly, I know.
But when I think of long walks around the paddocks in the Basin, watching Tim and Joel (his brother) fight over which Wii games are the best, seeing how much taller my little cousins have gotten, eating Mums amazing cooking, talking Gilmore girls and theology with Sandy, and seeing Tim's parents, Elise (sis-in-law), Joel (bro-in-law), Harry and Ange (their wonderful significant others), and whoever else decides to come over to the crazy world that is my parents-in-laws house! I can' wait to see my dear old church friends, and all my RMIT girls, and my relatives at the various Christmas parties we will be attending. I hope to reacquaint myself with the game of Cricket, to blog every second day, to talk and talk and talk with my dear husband, and to share 20 odd year old jokes with my Mum, Dad, and sister. I look forward to watching kids walk that I've never seen walk before, and sleeping in the room where I slept when I myself learnt how to walk.
I know it will be hard, and a little painful- knowing I am coming back for only a little bit, and that its still three more years up in Sydney. I know it will bring back lots of uncertainties about the future and what's going to happen. I know for some relationships it will be like we've never left and others like we've never met.
But I am still very, very excited.
Now, back to study...
love B
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