and so it goes

this morning a truck driver stopped to say "ni hao" (i think) and let me cross. he tried to make small talk (yes, in the middle of a pedestrian crossing) but i just smiled and said thank you. i guess my loser appeal crosses borders and cultures. heh. so much for filipino security guards greeting me on the street.

but on to other things. like schoolwork.

or the absence of.

for some insane reason the tutors decided to change things up a bit, and give us INDIVIDUAL design work. instead of the traditional team design project. because we have been "progressing at an impressive rate in comparison to the previous years." i don't know how much of that is bollocks. but whatever. the point is they're making things up as we go along. and the result is a couple of headless chickens in one classroom. i'm not talking about the students, here. okay, maybe i am, too.

it's a bit frustrating to not know where you're going, or what you're doing. we're given bits and pieces of what we COULD be doing, or what we MIGHT have to submit, but no clear indication of EXACTLY WHAT the end product is supposed to be. i know tihs is not undergrad, and that they shouldn't be feeding us everything. but that is exactly what the tutors are doing, and worse, they're doing it a week at a time. i'd much rather they just give us the bottom line and have us figure out how to reach that on our own. honestly, though, i don't think the tutors even know what the end goal is. hurrah.

we had group presentations again last thursday, and our team volunteered to go first so we can get more comments. and we did. get more comments. compared to the last time. BUT... let's just say quantity is not the same thing as quality. and ours is not an isolated case, i think. the other teams that presented didn't get as thorough a scrubbing as i would have expected. heck, *i* had questions for my classmates that the tutors didn't bring up! and they're just BASIC questions like, did you make sure the base conditions are consistent throughout the study? or maybe, so how do you interpret this data, and what exactly do you understand about it? not to be callous about it, but i feel like *i* could be teaching this course!!! then again, i took this up five years ago, so i really have an unfair advantage.

and now for the good news... i'm glad i did not get into the 16-month program. because as it turns out, the m arch students are going through the same things the m sc students are. same classes, same courses, same project work. just different timetable when it comes to the dissertation. which may be a good thing, but not necessarily. prolonging the agony, so to speak. and paying dearly for it. (in pounds sterling!)

thank god for small miracles.

as my sister says, HE knows what's best for me.

amen.

date update

finally... here’s the head’s up on last weekend’s date.

i went shopping the friday before just so i can "dress appropriately." (HIS WORDS!!!) i got myself a coat and boots, and it was the most expensive shopping spree i ever had!!! waaaah!!! still thinking if i made the right call about the boots... they’re really nice and comfy, though. they’ll probably be worth the investment come wintertime. ANYway...

we met up at a bar near the theater. he was dressed more casually than i expected. Grar. hate him for that. thanks goodness i was not THAT overdressed. if i had shown up in more formal wear i'd have killed him. i swear.

we had a drink before the show, with 30mins of getting-to-know-you conversation. i had half a pint of guinness (that dark brew they call "ale" which happens to be the "national drink of britain." heh.) and, if any of you know of my past encounters with alcohol... let's just say i didn’t finish my one unit. talk about loser. AAAAAAAAAAND... my head hurt all throughout act 1 of the play. loser loser loser. i had to exert extra effort to focus on the production because the headache just made me want to go to sleep. and dig this... it was shakespeare. no everyday language for you!!! mental faculties were given a run for the money. agh. but I survived beautifully, thank you. he was surprised. he thought I wouldn’t have been able to handle the dialogue, given that english is not my native language. "even if your english is perfect" – hah!!! i told him i read shakespeare. he was doubly surprised. i don’t know if that means pretty points for me, but whatever. giving up after half a pint of guinness was more than enough to offset whatever points I chalked up with good shakespearean background.

the show was three hours, we finished almost 11pm. he was considering going to another bar (karaoke, this time. wahahaha.) but i begged off. my head was still throbbing, and i really don’t know how much more i could take. he waited until i got on a bus home, then we parted ways. how anti-climactic, huh? oh well, what do you expect? i went home and had my late LATE post-alcohol dinner. yay.

so there, my first dating experience in the land of endless fog. not too bad, as far as dates go. except for the part where i had to endure verses and rhymes with a throbbing headache. but i have to say, i thoroughly enjoyed the show. i was so absorbed (partly a by-product of sheer willpower) that half the time i forgot i was out on a date. hahaha. kevin spacey as richard ii... not too bad, but he still needs work on his voice projection and theatrical sense. the set design and production work was amazing, though. just have to say. (appreciation for such spawned from minor experience in theatre. but of course, we didn't get to discuss that. heh.)

so, first date over. life goes on.