~ Curious Charlie ~

First Week Back @ Friday, July 27, 2012

Monday

First day back at ~~college~~ uni, making an extra effort use the right words, though to me uni will always be known as college :P Had 'Info Systems', which is a version of IT, and uses excel. Love excel, especially formulas. Back in middle school I picked IT every year (and possibly semester) as an elective, and we did lots of little projects to learn how to use different programs, charts, graphs and things like that. Back then I was more of a left-brainer, but since then I do think my IT/Maths skills have declined a little. The teacher said that in the three classes he had so far today I was the first to suggest using a formula for adding up figures in excel, which I thought was a bit strange... Perhaps the others didn't pick IT as their elective as much as me?

Not sure why no one (in my classes so far) seems to know this but there's a website like ebay, but commission free for textbooks. You can buy/sell and trade (I think). While a 2nd hand book from your college bookshop sells for about 60-75% of the original RRP, on this website you can get it for much less. Feel free to share it with your friends :) It's textbookexchange.com.au note that it's for Australia only, this link. Note: communication there sucks.

Other way to save money on texts, is to borrow them.

A random thing we did today was the house on fire, collect three items. Easier than the stranded on a deserted island one. Our group came up with in this order: pets, files/external HD and laptop/photos. But an all girl group included clothes O.o to which the teacher responds, he didn't say we were nakid :P. He also thought it was funny no one said their partner, though I assumed we were meant to pick things that were objects - with the exception of the pets.

Mr. Bean would save...

...a pirate hat, a bag with mystery contents, and Teddy of course.

Tuesday

9am class, Accounting. The earliest I've required to be at college or any place of education in a very long time - but I made it. :P Accounting... an image of Henry (Ugly Betty) in his argyle vests and big square glasses come to mind. Also memories of work experience, hours on end spent typing up figures from shoeboxes full of receipts. And like in court it's then cross-examined and re-examined. I don't want to spent the next few years of my life doing that, working my way up. I've done accounting before, half a year before I switched to another subject, that didn't go so well. But today we went for attempt no.2, so far going good - I think.

A big part of the day was spent waiting ~~productively~~, to talk to a lecturer, who didn't take bookings for a legit reason - some solutions take 2 minutes to solve (?), others take 30 minutes+, there are no problems, only solutions. ;) No I don't remember who said that, but I heard someone say it today. That was how I spent 2hrs of my day, in two sessions. But ultimately he did see me, and it was after his hours on duty. :)

Henry the Accountant - Ugly Betty

Maths... like accounting, but to a lesser degree has not being used in for about half a decade, this is bad... a certain past teacher of mine (who discovered what his realistic dream career of being a personal trainer, the year after I was in his class) from middle school would be horrified to know that I haven't been keeping my maths skills up-to-date, with all those hours he spent with me. Other than the basic 'foundation' maths, I haven't done percentages, interest rates or anything your basic calculator isn't capable of for some time. I'm not even sure if my calculator even works anymore. For anyone else who was very fond of maths back in school: how do you keep your maths skills alive?

Loved Maths Munchers. My favourite childhood PC game, other than Spelling Bee. :P

It's an amazing fun & educational game, back when I was in education the kids loved it too.

If today's post had it's own post - I'm typing this on Tues, but saving it till I upload pictures - it would be "The Joy of Group Work". Group work, the last time I did that was even longer ago than doing maths. Today we got projects, defining an area or rather word of a tree diagram in accounting. As always I start off with a plan, but when you have two brains, it ain't so easy. We have, I think, different ways of going about this. At the moment he wants to do a draft of a part of it to show me what he means. Like some projects, this one comes with presentations. Now I do think it is more of a gender thing, but we had trouble finding wardrobe similarities, in the tie and style department. Yes we're wearing suits, with light blue shirts and ~~recently~~ polished shoes "A gentleman always keeps his leather shoes polished..." but he wanted a tie. I think it's a bit much, but apparently it's better to be overdressed than under dressed - unless you 'Gone with the Wind' hoop skirt doesn't allow you through the doors, without doing the crab scuttle (walk/crawl).

Presentation Outfit

Lunch @ Hudsons

It was semi-frozen, with the salad being icy.

Wednesday

Third day back and I'm out. Stress sick. Will be back tomorrow.

- If stress was a diet, I'd be a supermodel. -

So many things to be done, I have a list. Some of the items involve other people who aren't so responsive at the moment. One of the most stressful things is class selection. I have chosen my classes, according to timing, but then there's the lecturer/tutor to consider. I don't understand most accents, it's like it goes through a filter in my brain and then comes through without the accent, and so I lag quite a bit. But fortunately there's only even been one lecturer who I completely do not understand, it started out not that bad, but by the first hour I started hearing random words that were not in English, occasionally I identified a few words though. Emma said she was speaking English, just with no punctuation on a semi-monotone and on fast-forward mode.

Ps & Solutions
1. Missed first stats. lecture - downloaded ppt/recordings. after watching that there will be more tasks. repeat 1hr tomorrow
2. Missed x2 acc - must turn up next week... going to get email saying if I'm doing my orgi session
3. Missed stats tut - downloaded missed work
4. Buying books - 2nd hand people ain't communicating. got the lib books atm. will buy books by wk3
5. Missing mail - emailed post office & seller. awaiting reply.
6. My Classpad (calc) has issues - will first pin pt issues then contact Casio/Calculator King
7. Possibly declined maths/excel skills which hasn't been used in a while - check out workshop times/locations
8. Email has died. I can't send any emails! - have submitted a ticket to IT (via phone, couldn't email them...)
9. MS 07-10 ain't compatible with my computer - convert them at the lib tomorrow
10. Computer graphics issue that only I see... - will take a photo, upload and send to IT

Moving onto less stressful things, received a giveaway/random contest prize in the mail today. But you'll have to wait for my next post to find out what it is. ;)

I considered doing a separate post for this, but to avoid looking like a junk food junkie (I haven't had hot chips in weeks btw), I'll include it here. Here's a voucher for free hot chips from Red Rooster, expires 1st Aug 2012. Feel free to use it daily, I'm looking at you Freud (one of those guys who eats lots and ends up losing weight O.o).

For voucher see link above.

Thursday

Sustainable Ops. Stats lec v2 immediately follows. Mr stats v2. is slightly technologically challenged, like a few of the others. He manages to get the files open with help though, but didn't notice that he forgot to record the lecture... I left half way to go to my next class. I prefer mr stats v1. In class we just went through the basics, first day stuff.

Event of the Day: dropped my pencilcase somewhere. Didn't notice. Notices an hour later and completely freaks out. I didn't have my business card/contact details in it! Retraces steps. Found it. Where I last sat down, two buildings and 3 floors away. Someone picked it up and left it on the windowsill.

After class I went to the library and got the last copy of the stats book. And no one fought me for it :P Book sellers still unresponsive at the moment, the PO and all the parcels I'm waiting on too. But the email issue has been fixed! They bounced back because of lack of subject line, and hence considered spam. Found a fake credit card on the notice board, something about your debit to God and sinners XD. Love the idea, but other than that meh. I'm not as religious as your average American.

On my way back to the city, Emma and I stopped at Red Rooster, for cheeseburger and chips. RR makes the best chicken burgers ;) A trip to OfficeWorks to get that accounting workbook bounded, only to remember the front page was still on the printer! Stopped by Priceline to pick up some stuff I reserved, my new moisturizer and eye liner.

I like it. It's moisturizes but doesn't make my skin shiny.

A detour through the lane ways (I found Hopetoun Tea Rooms!).

A quick stop by 7 Eleven for hot chocolate and back to the library dinner and a couple hours of sustainable op lecs. At some point I on the way to the library I got distracted and took a peak at Portmans in the basement, tried on something, and might buy it. Will sleep on it. It's perfect - except for that part that needs to be altered. I'm beginning to think sometimes I analyze too much.