Stress Eating

I never thought I did it. Until I started writing my thesis. Then in retrospect, I think I've done it a lot over the years.

I almost never open junk food. Have some when someone's already opened a bag or a can, maybe. But I never open a fresh pack myself - to avoid getting started in the first place. But every time a particularly stressful deadline approaches, I find myself having a whole bag of chips or some other kind of junk food to myself.

Today was an insanely stressful day. I woke up in the middle of the night, worried for no apparent reason. I couldn't get back to sleep for awhile. When I finally got up again in the morning, I switched on my phone and found I had voicemail from my man. On it, he was talking to someone else -he'd pocket dialed me- and it sounded like he'd been in an accident. The good bit was he sounded fine. But all the same, it was distressful knowing he'd been in an accident. For the first time I'm really REALLY REALLY hating being so far away. All I can do is call him to know he's okay, listen, and worry for him. This sucks.

Then there was the interview. Okay, I'm not really crazy about getting this job, but no harm in trying to ace every interview I go to and have my pick of jobs, right? I liked my interviewer - she painted a very realistic yet promising picture of the job and how it would agree with my aspirations. By the end of the interview, with a clearer idea of what they were hiring me for (more about this company's somewhat messy recruitment procedures some other time), I kind of felt like this was something I wouldn't mind trying out.

And then there's the test tomorrow. Which I should be studying for. But I just can't seem to settle down and read. I'm still shaken by what happened this morning, despite my not being directly involved.

I went to the kitchen and opened a packet of twelve biscuits. I'd already munched three before I even got out of the kitchen. That's when I caught myself. This is totally me eating because I'm stressed out. I took out another three to bring with me to my desk and put the rest back into the box and left them safely in the kitchen. Yes, I shall put my laziness to some good use.

Incompetence

I just don't get it. Why can't people seem to get their act together?

There's this tournament hosted by another uni that I'm signing up my team for. I don't really give a crap anymore because I'm graduating, but yes, it's my job to register them. First they faxed over the registration forms to my uni. Which we filled and sent back like a month ago. Next, they have a facebook page, which didn't seem to have been updated since the last time they hosted a tournament 2 years ago. Then they sent out a post on a forum saying they've extended the registration period and finally gave a link to their website - which also looks like they've just finally started to update. There are multiple e-mail addresses to contact them by, two different ones stated on their website, another different one stated on their registration form. Oh and they pathetically only have 3 institutions listed on their Participating Institutions list, and no, my uni isn't one of them. =.=

Procrastination

It is now day 3 since I handed up my thesis. There's still 3 chapters to cover before my test next Friday, lots of grammar to get the hang of before my test on Monday, a resume to write, job applications to do, reports to write...and there something else I know I was supposed to do but I can't quite put my finger on it right now...oh right! Lab report due Tuesday.

What did I do today? Discussed current affairs with my friends over coffee, satisfied my noodle craving, and then went for a make up workshop.

What will I do after I write this? Take a nap.

How oh how will I get myself to go back to getting my work done?

Huge sigh of relief

Finally. After two consecutive Mondays of having to spend all day editing stuff just because my supervisor leaves things to the last minute, it's all finally done. My thesis has been submitted!

I've also found more reason to love me the way I am, even when some people consider me too pushy or anal. Because my supervisor had left everything to the last minute, she had 5 theses to look through on the day all our undergraduate theses were due. That's five really desperate people trying to get their theses approved before submission. Thank goodness my pushiness meant mine was getting read first. Which ultimately meant I was the only one of the five who actually handed it in on time. I'm so glad that's over.

To add to my relief, I've also finally turned down that job offer that I didn't really want but didn't quite know how to turn down either. No...I won't allow myself to settle for a company which... just hasn't made a very good impression..at all. But yes, I do realise that between wanting to graduate as soon as possible, and turning down this job, this blog might very well turn into one about my journey through joblessness for several months.

Choosing a Violin Teacher

I was recently asked to be part of a string quartet for an event at uni. It was to be a fairly standard and, if I may say so, boring piece : Canon in D. So cliche. But anyways, I went expecting a fairly standard rehearsal where we could just meet up once or twice before the performance, sort out whatever issues we have with getting all four parts together and that would be it. But when I got there, I found a cellist (the one who invited me) who couldn't seem to play in time (and that's an especially big problem for Canon in D), and two other violinists who just aren't at a level where they can easily play the piece. I actually felt pretty sorry for the two violinists. They've only been playing for a relatively short while and the cellist who got all of us together and picked the piece didn't seem to get it that she was just making them play something they couldn't realistically learn in such a short period of time. In the few days leading up to the rehearsal, where discussion on where and when it would be and stuff, I'd also found her demeanor to be somewhat unpleasant - the sort who wasn't into explaining anything properly. Just short clipped answers.
What bothered me most was when I asked the two volinists how long they'd been playing and they told me two years, the cellist pipes in that well so has she and now she's already got her Grade 5 and is teaching! While the fact that she learned much faster than the other two is pretty impressive, the thought that dominated was OMFG this girl is TEACHING?!
I just couldn't get over the fact that this somewhat unpleasant person with little ability or patience to help slightly weaker peers, who couldn't recognise when a piece was not of a level appropriate to their abilities and frankly, limited ability herself, was teaching! The worst part was when she found out I was teaching too, she basically said "Ooh can I take lessons from you? Now my boss wants me to take the Grade 8 exam." Wth?
So here's the thing. For anyone who's looking for a teacher, and especially parents who are looking for one for their young child, it's always important to take not of a few things:
First of all make sure your teacher is qualified! This may not necessarily mean paper qualifications although that's the easiest way to judge if your teacher is qualified. It would be best if he/she has a degree, although in some places that's pretty hard to come by. In that case a diploma such as the ATCL would also be good. Extensive experience performing or teaching may also be useful. Also make sure that the teacher is pleasant and is willing to explain or repeat stuff when your child can't get it the first time around.
I can't stress how often people neglect to consider these two very simple things when choosing a teacher. Most just go to the first teacher they find. And it's alarming how many people so readily send their kids to under-qualified teachers like this girl. You don't want to do this because as I already saw during our rehearsal, such limited musical ability and knowledge, coupled with an inability to recognize when others are struggling with a piece that just isn't the right level for them, means that you've got a teacher who doesn't know how to decide what repertoire to work on with the student and doesn't see what the problems faced by the student are. You'll want a teacher who knows how to correct mistakes instead of just blindly having the student repeat something until they hopefully stumble across the correct way to play.
Another worrying thing is how some parents also think that they can just settle for any teacher when their child starts learning to play a violin, and then plan to move to a better teacher if the child shows potential. While this makes sense in some ways, it's still important to find a teacher who is sufficiently capable of bringing out whatever potential your child has in the first place. Or at least, a teacher who isn't going to allow your child to develop bad playing habits that will be hard to undo later on. Unpleasant teachers may also just make your child hate the instrument or even music altogether.
Agh can't stand unethical people who teach even though they're not good enough to do so!

colossal.waste.of.my.time

I wonder if all interviews are like this. I'm guessing not. After all, if it's a job that lots of people want and the company is in a position to ask "Why should I pick you over the other [insert huge number here] people who are lining up outside the door?", I doubt the interview would go this way.
In the interview I went for the other day, it wasn't nearly this bad. It was for a sales job, which I'm not too keen on. But by the end of the interview, I actually had quite a bit of respect for the guy interviewing me. I could see why he was the boss. He'd done a good job of selling me that job!
But today, I went for another sales job interview. (Why on earth do these people keep calling me for sales jobs? Bear in mind, these are all happening at career fairs in my uni...I'm not really seeking these sales jobs out.) And really by the end of the interview, I just felt like telling the guy, "Thank you for that colossal waste of my time." It was a crummy job. With lousy benefits. The first annoying thing was that the person who called me up yesterday to ask me to go for the interview told me it was sales and marketing. Fair enough. I went today. The sleazy looking fellas at the fair couldn't be bothered to answer my questions, and just basically told me to sit down and fill in the form - which was pretty much a questionnaire. Then I had to follow one of them to the other exam hall where interviews were being conducted. I don't know if it's my ciak-ness or if he's just really desperate for employees or if he's just a pretty lousy salesperson. I ended up being the one asking the questions. And he ended up being the one with the less than satisfactory answers. And it wasn't even a sales and marketing job as in an actual sales and marketing job. It's the kind of job I'd put in the category of being an Avon lady or a Tupperware member and so forth. Fun if it isn't your only source of income...or you work so super hard at something that isn't particularly...chic. I can't think of a better word to describe it.