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Nov. 9th, 2004 @ 10:21 am
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Sometimes I think my fellow students must be five-year-olds, even if they don't quite look that young (I am, in fact, young for a 4th year university student. I think the 2nd year students I had psychopathology with must be my age or over, mostly).
First, there were the grades for the assignment. Those weren't published until after the exam, which had people throwing fits because they didn't want to have to learn for more than a passing grade for the exam, and if they had a good grade for the assignment, a 5 for the exam (which generally would be considered failed, but this course allows some compensation between the exam and the assignment) would be enough to pass the course. Which REALLY had me wonder about why these people think they're doing this. These are all students of clinical psychology, and psychopathology, in my mind, is pretty central to that field. You'd think people would want to have a firm grasp on the subject matter, so that they can, y'know... do their jobs once they graduate. Not so, apparently.
Also, we turned in the assignments less than two weeks ago. These were almost 300 assignments, of 3 pages each. I assume that the people running this course DO have other things to do with their time as well. Thus, I can't REALLY blame them for needing two weeks to correct and grade 900 pages of assignments. My highschool teachers got two weeks to correct and grade our tests - and those didn't get anywhere near 900 pages total.
Now, there's the answer key for the exam. The exam was yesterday morning, and ON said exam, they said that the answer key would be available online as of this morning. Yes, for a lot of subjects, they're faster than that. Here, apparently, they are not. They told us that in advance. So there REALLY isn't any reason to be throwing fits about this. Your life will NOT end because you have to wait for the answers for 24 hours. It is NOT their fault if YOU are too lazy to read the information they put right there on the exam. Get a life. |
who the FUCK gave Escher permission to design and build his nightmare vision of a library? This place is SURREAL. Everything is black and red, the stairs decline in varying angles, the floors don't seem to agree on how high they should be... So disturbing.
This place scares me. Seriously. |
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Nov. 7th, 2004 @ 10:00 pm
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Everybody who's unhappy with Bush' re-election: go look at this. Might restore your faith in humanity some. |
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Nov. 7th, 2004 @ 07:42 pm
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When I got to the kitchen to prepare dinner, one of my housemates was there, watching "Popstars: The Rivals", in which they plan on forming a boyband and a girlband, which will then battle for a record deal. Or something like that. I felt social, so I stayed downstairs for dinner and watched along.
Dear Gods!
10 girls, who were picked out of auditions which involved several hundreds, if not a thousand girls. Given that huge offer, how come that there were no more than 3 who could sing worth a damn? Most of them SUCKED. I spend most of the time cringing.
Also, I really wonder whether they don't have some coach or whatever who can tell them when a song is a BAD IDEA to pick for a performance. They just started, and they had this one girl singing "I Will Always Love You", which is fucking HARD. Another girl had "If You Had My Love", adapted in a way so there were just about NO solo parts - LOTS of backing vocals, and at the end, you'd hardly heard her sing at all. Backing vocals made me cringe badly, too - as I said, they were just starting off, and had done no work at all on harmonies apparently. It sounded awful. Also, for your first song, pick something you're good at. This one girl did "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey. She could not do the frail, thin parts at all. There are some parts that have some more power to them, and she did fine on those... But oh, the pain when she tried to do the rest...
All in all... I can't sing worth shit. I'd love to, but I can't. But give me an hour's worth of lessons, and my own pick of songs, and I'll bet I could do good enough a job so people wouldn't be looking for earplugs all the time, which is more than some of these girls could claim. So I figure that with a good manager, a good make-up artist and a singing lesson and a half, I could be rich and famous! |
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Nov. 3rd, 2004 @ 10:22 am
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There goes my motivation to study for Monday's exam. I just took the test that came with the book. 25 questions, of which I got three wrong - one because the damned website messed up the question (answers didn't match the question at all, so I just picked a random answer), one that was about a chapter we don't have to learn for the exam here, and one that was about a chapter we'd admittedly had to read, but I really doubt they'll ask about this part of the chapter, since it's about US law.
Maybe I should just switch to studying notes from the lectures. |
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So I woke up to the news this morning.
Bush is winning and the man who killed Theo van Gogh is almost certainly a fundie muslim, so enter the anti-islam riots.
Could today start any worse?
Nov. 3rd, 2004 @ 08:37 am
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| » Shock |
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Theo van Gogh is a Dutch columnist and movie maker, on the right of the political spectrum. He is provoking, and often offensive to many. He is highly critical of the Dutch society. Mostly, his views aren't mine by a long shot, and neither are his methods. Often, I thought he was more likely to sabotage the debate by forcing up uncontrolled emotions on both part of the debate. However, he clearly stands for something, and is willing to take the flak for it.
Theo van Gogh is dead. This morning, he got killed in Amsterdam. He was supposedly found with a letter attached to his chest with a knife. Said letter is said to contain Arabic texts.
Today, I mourn. I mourn a man who, little as a like him or agree with him, deserves some respect. I mourn a man who got killed for standing up for what he believed, no matter how wrong I may have considered his methods to be. I mourn for my country, for our apparent inability to deal with those who present unpopular opinions, and to learn from the past.
My thoughts go out to mr. van Gogh's family. May they be able to find comfort.
I wish upon the spirit of Theo van Gogh a thousand of bread, a thousand of beer, and a thousand of everything good. May he be justified. May he ascend.
Nov. 2nd, 2004 @ 11:26 am
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| » Caught by surprise by Halloween |
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So I go a mail yesterday around 10pm, letting me know that Saturday's soos evening is Halloween themed, and would we please all dress up? Now Halloween isn't that big here, so I hadn't counted on that at all - though in retrospect, maybe I should have.
However, I haven't been to a Halloween party in... well... I'm not actually sure I've ever been. Last time I did the costume thing was probably in primary school, for carnival. So the request for a costume left me pretty stumped as to what the hell to wear - though I suspect several people (including my bf) won't dress up at all.
However, after puzzling for a couple of hours, I've figured it out - and it won't cost me a thing. Long black skirt, over a catsuit I own with long sleeves that end in long points (which has prompted ex to tell me I looked like a witch before). Long black velvet hooded cape. Large bronze sun pendant with a black leather center. Heavy black eye make up, red lips... I'll be a witch. I'm pondering dying my hair black for a few days and getting some black nailpolish to finish it off.
Just tried it - not in the least because I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off the eyes the way I want them - and I think it looks wonderful.
Oct. 29th, 2004 @ 03:19 pm
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| » (No Subject) |
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I went menstrual on my boyfriend yesterday. Totally trembling-in-my-seat-and-crying upset over what pretty much amounts to nothing. We were making plans for the weekend just now, and I think I must have scared him yesterday:
Him: "Well, I have to work Saturday morning and Sunday evening, and... "
Me: "You want some time for your study as well"
Him: "Well, no... I'm just looking what else I have to do"
Me: "You want some time for your study as well"
Him: "I have this presentation Tuesday, and I don't have time to prepare for it Friday..."
Me: "You want some time for your study as well"
Him: *sounds VERY relieved* "Well... yes"
Oct. 28th, 2004 @ 09:53 pm
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| » For all guitar players |
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Don't put the guitar pick between your teeth when you don't need it for a sec.
My bf plays the guitar, and was working on recording a song, so he put the guitar in his lap and the pick beween his teeth while doing something on the keyboard. Some saliva went down wrong, he coughed... and swallowed the pick, which got stuck somewhere halfway down on the way to his stomach.
He ended up spending Saturday in the hospital getting it removed, which involved such fun things as X-rays, full anaesthesia, and getting stuff shoved down his throat. He quite scared everyone, even though it wasn't really all that dangerous. I don't want to thing about the option of this getting stuck in his windpipe.
There's a lesson to be learned from this... But I'm not so sure bf learned it. In bed that night, he was telling me that, all in all, it had been a pretty good day - after all, the hospital had been more uncomfortable than dangerous or painful or nasty, he'd gotten to play around with his new recording equipment, and got to spend a quiet evening with me instead of working from 1 to 10pm (he'd've gone in for the late shift - 5-10pm - but he wasn't allowed to because of the anaesthesia). He's probably the only person I know who'd refer to a day mostly spend in the ER and having emergency surgery as "a pretty good day".
Oct. 24th, 2004 @ 11:35 pm
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| » And people think Belgians are stupid... |
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A German went to a market in the Netherlands yesterday, and apparently found a pony he rather liked. I guess what with Christmas being close enough for people to start thinking about gifts, the man got sick of his daughter begging him for a pony.
So he stole he pony.
And transported it in a Volkswagen Polo.
Bet he was surprised when the police stopped him, too.
Oct. 20th, 2004 @ 02:05 pm
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| » (No Subject) |
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It's a good thing Douglas Adams is dead (sad a his early death was, 'cause the man was pure genius) for otherwise, I would have had to marry him, which:
- Would likely have pissed off his wife and daughter
- Would have involved putting bf in the extramarital affair category, which in turn would've pissed bf off, since he insists on things like monogamy and being faithful
- Would have started unfortunate rumours about how such a young woman as myself would only marry a man his age for the money, when really - I'm just after more Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
Oct. 20th, 2004 @ 10:35 am
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| » For those interested in mental health care |
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http://www.tard-blog.com
http://www.slowchildren-atplay.com
Both of these are written by people working with children with emotional and behavioral problems - the first works in a special ed class, which involves problems with retardation and such as well as pure behavioral issues, the second works in a group home with teenage boys with severe behavioral problems, but no retardation or biologically based disorders.
Yes, it is at times rude. Yes, it may poke fun at people in a sucky situation. However, it also shows the reality of this kind of work, and the horrifying situations these people are faced with day to day. The second one is all the more horrifying when you realize that these children are the way they are mostly because of the way others treated them.
Maybe these are things that shouldn't be made out to be something to laugh about. But by the Gods - how are people to deal with this if they can't laugh about it every so often?
Oct. 14th, 2004 @ 07:01 pm
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| » No fair! |
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So I got my license WEdnesday, and went to pick up the car at my parents' today (parents are on vacation, so I could take it with me, no problem). So I went for my first ride alone, feeling all cool. Turned up the radio, hit the gas when I got on the highway... For about 4 or 5 km. The rest of the way was traffic jam. No. Fair.
I'm surprised at how confident I felt though - I'd expected to be more nervous - and proud that I managed to only have the engine stop on me twice - once in the traffic jam, once in front of the house, when I realized I was on a bump too late - in spite of the switch from diesel to gas.
Sep. 24th, 2004 @ 12:12 pm
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| » Ewww... |
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So the top layer of skin is coming off the burn on my arm. As in: bits get rinsed off when I take a shower.
I know that this is supposed to happen - the dead skin has to go off and make place for the healthy skin. The skin that's coming out now seems to be healthy, though it's still a good bit darker than it's supposed to be - it still looks somewhat burned. Apparently the couple of seconds between dropping the custard and rinsing it off were enough for it to burn in quite nicely. However - it's good that the skin comes off. It means it's healing.
It still freaks me out though. I mean... my skin rinses off in the shower!
Sep. 13th, 2004 @ 10:27 am
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| » *beams* |
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Just got a mail about a boy I tested and sent in a report about to my boss. I ended up sending it without double-checking thoroughly, because this boy is damned complicated, and after writing a 5 page report about him, my mind was too numb to do much of anything sensible with the report anymore. I've a bunch of observations, some conclusions, a lot of problems, several test results... And frankly, no CLUE as to what is actually going on here. My mind was like the retarded dog my parents once head, who would just walk circles around the outside stairs. I HAD to send it in that day (report to the parents was due soon after), so I just sent it in imperfectly, with an offer to work out kinks later.
So boss-lady just mailed me. "I don't get it either. Sent him on to a neurologist to see whether he can make sense out of it. You did a wonderful job on the report. Sent it on as is, along with mine."
I am SO proud of myself. This boy is complicated as all hell, and I did a good job testing him!
Sep. 8th, 2004 @ 12:56 pm
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| » Yay! |
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My hand is free! The bandage now only reaches from my wrist to about 3 inches from my elbow. There's a little blistering on my arm, it seems, but all in all - it looks pretty good. I should be able to just put some gauze over the wound as of Thursday, rather than a full bandage around my arm.
Sep. 7th, 2004 @ 09:16 am
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| » "Professional" ponderings |
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Mom and I looked through the new WISC (probably the most used intelligence test in most Western countries) yesterday, since mom had to use it today. I'm not too thrilled about it. There are several things that I consider real errors.
They've questions like "Why is freedom of speech important?" to which they want the answer "1) because everyone has the right to speak their mind and 2) so everyone can participate in the political process". The first I think gives a pretty decent definition of freedom of speech, but doesn't say why it's important. The second one - well, everyone could participate without freedom of speech. It might be pointless, since you'd only be allowed to agree with the main party... But you could participate.
The new picture ordening set is awful, imho. They took out several to make the whole thing more PC, which I don't like much (I understand... I just don't like it), and there are a couple that plain don't make sense.They took out most of the social stuff. And then there's the last one... There's 6 images - a sunset, a sunrise, and a couple that show the same house shown in those first two with shadows moving. Obviously, the idea is to put them into order from sunrise to sunset. Thing is... For the northern hemisphere, the shadows move the wrong way around. The colors for sunset and sunrise show in the same spot in the sky. The shadows have funky differences in angle within one picture. All in all - there are enough mistakes for there to be plenty of perfectly valid reasons for a kid to get it wrong other than not being "smart" enough.
The whole test became a lot more... beta-based, as we'd say here. There's a LOT more exact science. A kid who simply isn't talented in that area will come out looking pretty stupid.
Also, adding a performal test but not a verbal test, to me, seems to upset the balance between the two.
There's more, but it won't come to mind right now.
Sep. 6th, 2004 @ 01:21 pm
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| » (No Subject) |
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So yesterday was my birthday. It started off wonderful - as per my request, we had breakfast with the family, and I got my gifts from my youngest brother and parents. After that, I had a shower and we started preparing stuff. I'd made quark pie the evening before already and after running errands, I started the cherry pie I'd wanted to make.
Cherry pie the way I wanted to make it ("vlaai" for those familiar with the term. A traditional Belgian kind of pie) involves custard. Which meant I had to, you know, make custard. From scratch. It's something I've done once before, a long time ago, so when it turned out right, I wanted to show it off to my mom. So I pick of the pan of boiling hot custard (see where this is headed?) walk into the living room... And drop it, after which I instinctively try to catch it, thus getting a rather large amount of HOT custard on my right arm and hand. It took me no more than a couple of seconds to get my arm under the cold water tap, which my brother had been so kind as to open for me as soon as he saw what happened. Insert panic on mom's part, the solution to which is calling my dad to do something.
Of course I couldn't finish the pie now. It was unlikely I would be able to do so later. The dough was rising, and there would be visitors coming in a couple of hours, who'd want pie. So about 10 minutes after burning myself, I was standing in the kitchen, arm under the running, cold water, guiding my dad through the process of making fresh custard, and making sure he'd finish the pie properly.
All in all, an hour later I was at the doctor's, having my hand and arm bandaged up, with lots of special cream, while dad was finishing my pie.
The day was otherwise cool, though I was highly annoyed that I wasn't able to do things myself (while I now have my fingers free, since they didn't get burned badly, and seem to be fine now, I originally had my entire hand bandaged up, making pretty much ANYTHING impossible to do with my right hand/arm. And seeing as I'm totally right-handed...). Dinner, which I had to delegate to my parents (which meant they got to prepare a meal they had NO clue how to prepare), turned out lovely, I had a bunch of wonderful people around, and had an all-around enjoyable day.
Sep. 5th, 2004 @ 12:46 pm
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