Long Time, no post..

Wow, it has been so long since I posted, I forgot my password.

Just having a read through all of your posts over the last few weeks of the semester and I just can’t quite relate to those saying they “loved” some subjects…. ugh.. never, ever want to see them again…. especially LIAM!!!!! such a high maintenance boyfriend… so demanding, never letting you have any time for your other so called friends such as.. well, it doesn’t matter it’s over now. 

Hopefully we live and learn from our experiences… Well that was the plan anyway. 

(I have always been about the plan.  You know, a night out drinking with the girls, we had a plan.  The plan was always Drink, Dance, Die… The Rules, no strays and definitely no drunk dialling… we girls had to stick together… and like all good plans we promptly threw them out the window, and just tried to minimise damage. Often we didn’t stick to the plan, and hardly ever stuck to the rules.. but I digress) 

So, after the debacle that was last semester, I had planned on being so super prepared for this semester that I was going to have all my books, and the readings for the first two weeks done for each subject….before the semester started.

Well, here we are back next week, and I just ordered my text books yesterday (Friday) and I have not done a single thing…. that whistling sound you might have heard a few weeks ago was The Plan flying out the window.   You would think that after all those years of drinking with the girls that I would give up on The Plan.. .

Honestly, after the exams, I just didn’t want to think about it.  I was a little nervous about getting my marks… and I am pleased to say I did pass them all.  The mark I am most proud of is my 4.  Yep.. just got it too,… 51% . 

Why am I proud of this mark you might be wondering…. especially when everyone knows you have to get good marks in Law to get the good job..

Well, let me tell you.

On the morning of the exam, I got up at 4am.. I didn’t do any study, you see I had a plan…I simply spent from 4am until 7am getting my notes into some kick ass templates, and order, so I would be ready.  7am, I hit the print button and start running to get my kids up, dressed, lunches made and in the car so i can drop them off at before school care and get in, get a park ready for the exam at 8.30am. 

After much cajoling, pushing, shoving and demanding, I had the kids in the car eating their toast for breakfast and I was on my way at 7.50am, telling them not to drop crumbs in the car.  I basically told them to tuck and roll as I pushed them out of the car at before school care (not really I did walk them in) and screamed through peak hour traffic to Uni. 

I was lucky to get a park and be sitting down in front of the exam room with 10 minutes to spare, and thinking I would sit down and calmly read over my notes… my notes.. I pulled my whole bag apart only to realise they were at home sitting on the printer.  I didn’t pack any of my rough notes because I had these kick ass notes.. that were at home on my printer.   So I basically did that exam with my text book and my lecture note pad.   Having spent most of the time trying to find out how to answer the first question, I had just started the second question when the “INVIGULATOR”, calls out fifteen minutes to go…. so i put down some points for question two and basically some very brief bullet points for question three…. yes, that 1 % that just scraped me over from having to do a subject again.. I bet are those last three bullet points.  So, I am very proud of that mark.

Anyway, I wish you all the best for semester two… and I look forward to seeing you all in the lectures and the tutes.

PS.  On reflection of this past semester, I just want to say a very big thank you to all the new friends I made … you guys have been invaluable in getting me to this point… from helping me with stuff I just didn’t understand, to listening to me moan about my life, giving me tips and places to go for help, help with assignements, and just basically getting me over the line… a big huge heartfelt thank you. R,G, R, L,C,H, K… you guys rock.

 

 

Law Skool Drop Out…

Hey Guys,

Sorry I didn’t post last week, and I thought I should post this week before it is two weeks that I haven’t posted… then three… then four…   Just like my study really… two weeks since I did a reading, lecture, tute question.. then four..

Things have been kinda overwhelming.  Suffice to say, rather than bore you with all the details…. I have… gulp… decided to drop a subject.  Yes.  It all got a bit much.  I really didn’t want to, but it was either pull back, regroup or just fall over.  I feel like a bit of a quitter, but anyway… enough of the trying to make myself feel better about it with you guys.

you all sound like you are getting it all together. I am spending the holidays trying to catch up on the three remaining subjects I am doing.  Have to say that Admin and teaching staff were really good in helping me try to figure out how to continue with my studies rather than admit that I couldn’t cut the mustard.  So big thanks to them.

I do have one other concern.  The other day in the lecture with Alastair MacAdam in 141… he said that he believes that if you don’t like reading cases.. you shouldn’t be doing law.  Ummm, I kind of don’t like reading cases.  I like the summaries, just not the cases.  Does this mean I shouldn’t be doing Law?

 Wednesday Morning, 7am Ok, this is the fourth time I have started this having had to go back and edit out all the swearing. I am dying, drowning in this course.  I feel like i am one of those mice on a wheel running as fast as I can and not getting anywhere.  And I feel so dumb.  I know they tell you that you will feel this way, but really, I didn’t think it would be as bad as this.  I am reading this stuff and nothing is sinking in… i mean, i have no freakin idea how to answer the questions, and no matter how many times I read that damn paragraph, I still have no idea what I just read… I have moved to and lived in no less than three countries in my life, all with very different cultures and languages, but this is by far the worst culture shock I have ever experienced.   I am sorry, but the so called beauty of the old sandstone buildings of Law Society and Justice, Legal Institutions and Methods, Fundamentals of Torts and Contracts are just lost under the mountains of reading and shit loads of work I have to do.   My life was busy before I started this.. what was I thinking.  And who the hell sets all this stuff, do they think we have nothing better to do.. I can’t even talk about the Tutorial Questions we are meant to do for the “tutorial participation” as I can’t make sense of the readings to know what the hell I am looking for. 

Monday Morning I got up at 5am to do my reading, didn’t come anywhere near to getting it done, so I got up on Tuesday at 4.30am, still miles from where I need to be in terms of being prepared for my tute, and oh the pressure to participate when you have no idea of what it is they want you to “contribute”.  Did I mention I am tired…How do you guys manage to go out…

 I think the stress is getting to me.  This is week two and already I have missed my second lecture due to having to take my son to hospital, I haven’t even gotten around to listening to the audio stream of the lecture I missed last week.  Argh….I am falling way behind and I haven’t’ even started yet… is this burn out already.. after only two weeks….   Saturday Morning 8am…. Well, after three nervous breakdowns, commencing a drinking problem (I figured I don’t have to go out, I can drink just as well at home, and I don’t have to drive), and giving myself several very stern talking to’s  about why I should not starting smoking again….. I have solved all my problems.  Thursday Morning I knew I was in trouble when my son whispered to my daughter, “UH OH, she is going to go banana’s again”.  As i was madly looking for a sock my son had just thrown to me, that had fallen down behind a cupboard, and I knew that getting the kids and myself off to school would again end in late notes for the kids, and madly looking for a park for me.. That I threw my hands up in the air and had to stop myself from slamming the cupboard draw and dropping the F Bomb in front of the kids, (which if you are a mum, you know you can never ever do, well after they turn two anyway)  It was then I realised that my stress levels were way out of proportion to what was really important in my life.   So I have stepped back… so what if I don’t understand… I am sure it will happen one day.. and so what if my GPA falls back to … what ever it was… I will just do the best I can.  Maybe look into that Life / Study / Balance thing a bit more… at the very least, I am just not going to worry about it anymore…..well at least until Monday…. After all, what is really important, a GPA of 6/7 or a happy Kid… I am glad to say that this is one thing I think I do know…. see you guys in class

All I need to know I learned in Kindergarden

Before you get reading, I guess I had better introduce myself.  You might not have noticed me at orientation, I was the non descript lady standing around in the back ground.  You know, the one NOT wearing skinny jeans/D&G sunglasses/ and ballet flats with a countryroad or LV tote (although I think the LV was fake?).. 

I was the one you probably thought was a secretary or a tutor or something. You didn’t pay very much attention to me anyway, cause you were to busy checking out the cute guy with the Hawaiian boardies, cool Sunglasses and the skate board.. .(which was weird)… but don’t worry I was checking him out too, until I realised he was young enough to be my SON!!!!   

Yep, I am a mature aged student,  one of those older ones, and and yes I am really feelin it this time round back at Uni.  

I am a single Mum with two children and this is my third time back on a campus and everything we have been told about Law being different from anything you have studied before seems to be panning out just as they say…

Anyway.. lets take a look back at the first week from a mature aged perspective… (Oh and by the way, to the cute guy in the Hawaiian boardies… I was just kidding, I wasn’t really checking you out…. to busy trying to get my freakin readings done..)

Monday, 25 February 2008

Ok, first week of classes and I am excited about getting started.  Of course it is bedlam at my house the first morning of school.  I am awoken at 7am with a kiss on the cheek from my 7year old daughter, which was lovely until I look at the clock and see that I have overslept by an hour.  So much for getting up early.  All my plans of being super prepared and ahead of my readings for the first class are lost amidst the mad scramble to get two children and one adult off to school.  My 6 year old son is very concerned about who is going to look after his new test tube alien while he is at school today.   I sarcastically answer that I will stay home and feed it as I madly scrape fake peanut butter (allergies at the school) on bread for sandwiches. He is very surprised when I am packing my books into my backpack and asks me what I am doing as we walk out the door.  “Going to school” I reply, and he blankly looks at me before his face crumples.  “You said you would stay home and look after my test tube alien”… I pause as I realise that 6 year olds do not get sarcasm.  I feebly try to explain the concept of sarcasm as I push them both down the stairs at the same time.  Giving up the sarcasm explanaition,  I go on to explain that he can take the Alien to school for show and tell and look after it himself. 

Oh god.. how am I going to do this.  Havent’ even got there and already it seems to hard.  After dropping the kids at school, I think I will go to the gym and do my readings on the walker.. you know, study/balance… start a work out routine and study at the same time cause I do not have time to do it all one at a time.  In the change room I meet a girlfriend I havent’ seen for ages, and we proceed to catch up.  Looking at my clock I realise that I am now running late, change out of my gym clothes and head to school as I have to go buy  the study guide (so I can have the work done for tomorrow’s subject)  and get my laptop set up for wireless and get to the lecture… Argh..

Did I mention I didn’t do the readings for today….

Finally make it to the lecture and fall into my seat as Des Butler begins explaining the ins and outs of Contracts…. oh my, doesn’t’ this sound exciting…. not.  But at least it looks as though he has done his very best to make the subject interesting with pod casts, the workbook and on-line tutorials, movies, and other stuff.  Hey, he even gives you a mid semester exam to track your progress…..great….

Saturday, 1 March 2008

Well, so much for keeping up with everything… the rest of the week just got totally out of control with me completely missing the last lecture of the week (Fundamentals of Torts… if I missed anything important, can you please let me know) … thank god for streaming lectures.  Note to self, have to make sure i listen to that today.  Yep, right after I clean the house, do the laundry, grocery shopping.. oh yeah and find that work life balance they kept talking about all week.   

I am pleased to say that I made the Introduction to Legal research Lecture…after  two attempts… good thing I did as there was lots of hints for the Library Exercise.

I didn’t get any readings done for any of the subjects for this week, just carried those text books and study guides around in the vain hope that I would find time to read them.  I pretty much spent the week juggling my kids school demands, and medical appointments.  We ate take out pretty much every night as I was to shattered to cook.  My Uni classes, unfortunately, got relegated to the back end of the priority list and became another thing I had to do, as appoised to my main focus.   I don’t know how as it really should be up the top… but life kinda gets in the way.  I did meet a really cool girl at the intro to legal research lecture and we are going to get together each week for a study group next week, so hopefully we can keep each other up on everything throughout the semester.

So my goals for this week end, is the do all the readings for last week, and for this next week.  Don’t panic, I have a plan to get it done.  The only way I am going to even remotely be able to accomplish this, is to go to the video shop and rent four Wii and Playstation games as a special treat for my kids.  They will love it, and I can be left alone to do my study.  Wish me luck

By the way Kiera, I was in the same tute as you with the really pretty girl who knew all the answers to the tute questions…. it was like Hermoine Granger was in the class…… hate girls like that…. next tute can you give her a note asking her if she wants to be in our study group next Friday….. you can come too…

See you all next week

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