That Weird Feeling You Get When it's Over...

I’m BACK!!

Loyal readers, I missed you! I hope you didn’t miss me, I hope you just revelled in the joy that was four guest posts from four excellent people while I’ve been away. One more time, people, a round of applause for Alex, Hilde, Tim and Kyle. Life savers. The lot of them.

What have I been doing this past month? Well, so much. I’ve been writing assignments, and doing online quizzes, and teaching, so much teaching! And all the planning and marking and meetings that go with it. I’m glad to report that I made the right decision to get into this teaching business; I’ve learnt so much, have found something I’m good at, and it’s been wonderful. But also, it’s been exhausting.

Today, I finally handed in my last assignment for the semester. After months of hard work, and (I think) 12 pieces of assessment, it’s done, it’s all done, I am free. But instead of feeling great, I am just left with that really weird feeling that you get when something’s over. You know the feeling, like you should be doing something, but also you should be enjoying yourself, but ALSO you should relax forever and never move again. And it feels like your body and brain are moving in two different directions, possibly more. Possibly, your brain has turned into a rubrix cube… who knows?  

In the two hours since my crazy life stopped being so crazy, I have:

Sat down to watch a kids cartoon on TV.

Simultaneously played Monopoly on my phone and therefore saw nothing of the TV show.

Spoken to my mum for 20 minutes.

Picked up Boyfriend from a thing.

Washed the car.

Planted a tomato plant I bought like a week ago because it was close to death.

Started this post.

… so, a really chilled afternoon then.

It’s like, I *tried* to relax at the start there, but I haven’t been able to sit still long enough to actually turn my brain off. Why do our brains and bodies do this to us? It’s like a long-term adrenalin thing or something, like we’re keyed up to keep running long after the race is over, instead of collapsing at the finish line and enjoying a nice cider like we deserve.

Anyway, with uni over, it’ll be back to regular viewing here at Hum Drum Plum, and I might actually get around to doing some more overanalysing of things. That was fun, and everyone was very positive about it, so I better give the people what they want. Keep an eye on my facebook page for voting regards that soon.

Cheers, yo. 

When I Grow Up

Today's picture brought to you by "Sleepy Lizzy" - too damn tired to Paintbrush

‘You can be anything when you grow up’ is a trap. Western society breeds its kids confident, self-assured and with an arrogant sense of entitlement. We all genuinely believe that we are so awesome that we can do anything. Small children will tell you they want to be firemen, princesses, astronauts, presidents, truck drivers, dancers and superheroes. None of them say, “my whole family is in watchmaking, so I will go into the family business at 16 and make watches my entire life”. They don’t say, “whatever my parents think is the best path” or “doctor or lawyer, they both make lots of money”.

Many cultures aren’t like that. And we as Westerners are conditioned to think it’s bad that parents pressure kids to become one thing, and one thing only. It’s nice to have a choice, isn’t it? Nice to know that you literally could do anything? But it’s just not true. We are pushed down certain paths our whole lives. We slowly move toward careers based on our aptitude and skills, our social background, our education, our parents’ careers and sadly, sometimes our gender. These are subtle influencers, but they are always happening. From primary school’s standardised testing, to high school’s subject choices, university specialisations, TAFE certificates and apprenticeships. Each decision, each test, each year brings you closer and closer to an inevitable choice.

This is a problem for me, because I’ve run out of decisions. There are no more tests, no more subjects to choose. I’ve graduated from a degree I practically fell into, tried my “obvious” career move, not particularly enjoyed it and run away to the country. So what is left to me? I’ll tell you what is left. Mother-flippin writing. And if this post seems at all depressing, let me tell you, the realisation that you have one thing left to do is actually kind of empowering.

I’ve gotten to a point now where I know I’ll never be happy till I try it. And I’ve made the final decision, to do exactly that, to try it. I’m going to do NaNoWriMo this year, and I’m going to be more disciplined. I’m going to stop pretending I’m a writer and actually be one. I’m going to set myself a certain number of hours per week to write in, and I’m going to write in them. I’m going to submit to more things, ask for criticism and try to take it as graciously as I can. I’m going to read as many great books as I can, and I’m going to accept that I’m never going to be a vet.

P.S. I’m at TiNA next weekend! I will almost certainly blog but I don’t know when, I will possibly do a couple of posts, like last time, but maybe slightly more fun and less OHMYGODI’MDOINGSOMANYTHINGSLETMETELLYOUABOUTTHEMINGREATDETAIL

Lizzyish gives advice: UNI1000

Hello and welcome to UNI1000 – Introduction to Surviving Uni

Following the success of my advice blog, where I gave advice on how to get through school, I have been inspired to write something similar for University students. In the following blog you will not find study tips, help with choosing courses, or suggestions for how to make yourself job-ready. What you will find is a series of actually useful things about surviving the other stuff, from making sure your tummy is filled, to making sure your social life is fulfilling. Enjoy…

Centrelink – Ah, Centrelink. The devil you must keep close. On the one hand, they give you free money, and you should never complain about them, on the other, they are a bureaucratic nightmare wrapped in a confusing website wrapped in a pile of contradictory mail. I have regularly received two letters on the same day, dated the same date, from two different Centrelink offices telling me two completely opposing and contradictory things. Like 1. “Dear Miss Ish, you are now eligible for payment, to be issued on the 1^st June 2007” and 2. “Dear Miss Ish, NO! NO MONEY FOR YOU, YOU MUST STARVE NOW AHAHAHA!”

When dealing with Centrelink, you must always stay at least 1 step ahead of the game. Study their website, read all the pamphlets, get to know their inner workings. Follow the rules, always report on time but always be on top of it. You should see one of your major occupations as “Centrelink Expert” because at any time they could do something crazy and cut you off. Exhibit A (from my own vault of experiences) – they may send a letter to your house, and it may not get to your house because Australia Post is in cahoots with Centrelink. They may receive this letter back marked “undeliverable”, they may send another letter to your house informing you that as they could not contact you at your house (where you are currently sitting, reading the letter), they have cut off your payments and you will now starve. The only solution to this was to call them up and cry. This worked quite well.

Finally, it is important to dress appropriately when going in for a crying session appointment at the Centrelink office. Your attire needs to say ‘I’m a responsible young adult who is taking care of themselves’, but also ‘I am so poor I’ve stopped using electricity to save on my electricity bills’. I would recommend jeans and a slightly too big tshirt, maybe with a few holes in them. Wear shoes, but only the ones where the soles are sort of flapping off when you walk.

Working – depending on what you study, it may be near impossible for you to maintain regular employment while at uni. Even if your contact hours are minimal, there’s still all the essays, exam prep, group meetings for stupid group assignments, and all the socialising you have to do. If you can manage it though, working while you’re at uni provides that little bit of extra cash Centrelink fails to give you, so that you are actually over the poverty line. Find something with about 10-15 hours a week. Never tell them when uni holidays are… they’ll give you way too many hours and it’ll dock your Centrelink and you’ll end up with less. See if there are any jobs at uni. One of the best jobs I had at uni was with the Support Services there. My job was to go to classes with students with a disability, take notes for them, help them to get to and from class, maybe get some books for them at the library, a bit of photocopying. It’s really easy and you end up going to classes that either you’ve already taken, or you were considering taking or are just generally interesting. Also you end up making a friend or two. And you get paid to hang out with them in the library. It’s win-win really.

Food – Undoubtedly, after you’ve fought with Centrelink and your job, you’re going to be hungry, and despite your best efforts, you’re not going to have much money for food. Here are a few tips to help you fill that studenty tum –

Gnocchi – it’s this pasta made from potatoes that you can buy in packets for about $3. There’s 2 – 3 meals there and once the water is boiling it cooks in literally a minute.

Mi Goreng – It’s like 2 minute noodles but better and it’s regularly on sale for very cheap. 2 minute noodles make you feel ill after a while, and Mi Goreng has fun flavourings in packets. Get someone whose made it before to show you how they do it, everyone has their own way. It’s like a special cult just for poor people, it’s awesome. Actually Mi Goreng makes you feel ill after a while too, if that’s all you’re eating. Maybe alternate?

Frozen veges – I know what you’re thinking… you’ve just moved out of home, you don’t have to eat veges anymore right? WRONG. I have one word for you: scurvy. Do you want your teeth to fall out because your gums have receded into your brain? No. So eat some goddamn vegetables. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to afford fresh veg, so buy big packets of frozen veg and add to pasta/gnocchi/anything.

Red Meat – it is very difficult to be a vegetarian on a student budget, and you need iron for all that sleeping you’re going to do. You’re not going to be able to afford fancy steaks, but you can buy chopped up stir-fry meat for pretty cheap. Invest in a wok, home-brand soy sauce and some honey. Add in the frozen veges and bam! You’re a stir-fry wizard. Vermicilli rice noodles are very cheap and can be added to your stir-fry to add carbs. Or you can go with every student’s old faithful…

Rice – Rice can be bought in large quantities for not many dollars. Home-brand is definitely the way on this one. Rice is rice. You are literally paying for packaging on any other brand. Sunrice? Are you kidding me? There is no sun in that rice, not even a little speck of sunshiney happiness. Rice can be added to anything, and if you’re really poor, it can be eaten by itself if need be. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll get you through till that next Centrelink pay.

Also, learn to bake. Just a few simple things like scones, cupcakes, biscuits etc. Flour and other basics are all quite cheap and last for ages, and if you’re ever craving something sweet that you just can’t afford, you’ll have an endless supply of delicious baked goods. Baked goods are also an excellent way to make friends.

Furniture – beg, borrow and steal as much furniture as you can from family, friends and neighbours. After that, wait for the kerbside collections. These are a cut-throat business in suburbs with high densities of students. So you need to go out at about 10pm and do the rounds. People throw out all sorts of stuff – bookshelves, armchairs, milk crates… all useful in a shared student house.

Sleeping at Uni – this is one of the great pastimes of our generation. Got four hours to kill between classes? What better way is there to spend them except having a sneaky nap? Scope out the best spots, these may include the Z row in the library, an out of the way garden bed or an empty lecture theatre. I can only speak from my own experience at UQ but may I heartily recommend that amphitheatre type area near the lakes, the upper levels of the SS & H library and anywhere in the Great Court.

Your Social Life – making friends at uni can be difficult. The people in your classes one week may have all pissed off by the next. Just because you sat together in the lecture doesn’t mean you’ll ever find each other again. It took me a while, actually, to sort out how to do this but here are some of the things I worked out.

1.     Give it a bit of time. It’s not like school, you may only see people once a week or less.

2.     Be friendly to as many people as possible. All hierarchies you’ve ever known have just been thrown out the window, it is impossible to ascertain what kind of people are sitting in a tute room with you or whether or not they are ‘cool’ (in the popularity sense) or cool (in the actual sense). So just be nice, to everyone, and you’ll eventually work out who you actually want to be friends with.

3.     Be yourself (GROAN). I know how fucking irritating that is (who else are you meant to be, right?) but seriously, I made about 20x more friends when I stopped caring all the time and started just enjoying my classes, my lecturers and the people around me.

4.     Learn to bake. See earlier point.

5.     Join a society of some kind. Do you like something? A sport? Politics? The environment? Music? Dancing? Pokemon? Medieval re-enactments? Chances are someone else at uni does too and they’ve already started a group. On market day, sign up to as many things that interest you as possible and then, when they send you the first email ACTUALLY GO TO THE THING. Yes, it will be scary, yes, you may actually realise the whole thing was a terrible idea but probably at least one of the things you signed up for will be actually good. They will seem cliquey, they will all seem to know each other, they will forget your name but this is because they were just like you a year ago, and now they’ve found their niche and they’re so happy about it they sort of forgot what that was like. They will be your friends, they will remember your name, and you guys are going to have the best time doing whatever it is you do for the next 3-4 years. Just stick at it for a couple more weeks. Be yourself, be friendly, give it time, bake them a cake… you’ll be best friends by second semester.

I joined the Student Theatre Company, Underground, where I learned about 300 life skills, had some of the best times of my life, and made lots of friends, many of whom will be life-long. The other advantage was that eventually I got a key to the theatre, which really helped in the whole “sleeping at uni” thing.