An update is in order…
I just submitted my major assignment for uni this semester & got it in by the skin of my teeth. Phew.
I’m snowed under with marking essays for work.
Of course, the whole household has been sick.
But, in happier news, I’ve been buying up a storm of clothes on ebay and also doing the rounds at all the good op shops.
I just got my mark back from a recent essay & I got 100%!!!!!! How is that even possible? I myself wasn’t even 100% happy with the essay so you can imagine how ecstatic I am to receive this grade. I feel truly chuffed. Anyway, this assignment was based on a Chinese woman’s experience of living in Australia, & the differences between how the two cultures see polite behaviour. The main incident in this assignment is when the woman asked her husband to pass her a plate. She said, “Pass me the plate, Tim”, to which he replied, “What’s the magic word!!!?????” I found the assignment very interesting, even more so now that I know I was on the right track- hehehe. I’m halfway through the semester- only 6 more weeks to go : )
If only my silence indicated fun, excitement, that life was just way too exhilarating to stop and write in my blog.
Alas! It is not the case.
I have been very busy procrastinating. I have been avoiding study.
I have also started teaching on a new program- English for Engineering. The first class was hilarious. It was going well- the students were busy brainstorming the definition of engineering in groups, blah blah blah, all of it was focussed on what engineering is, and then at about 45 minutes in, I made a comment that tied the activities into the reason why they would need clear, precise English in their careers as engineers. But, we’re not studying engineering, one of them piped up. We’re computer science. Well, I really wish someone had told that to me!
Anyway, here is Ashie and I- he’s just woken from his nap & has sat on my lap for a photo!
Yes I know six months ago I said that I was taking a hiatus on study as it wasn’t working for our family. But, my work situation has changed (a long story!) so I now have a bit more time on my hands and I’ve re-enrolled in my masters doing one subject called “Intercultural Communication”. My boss actually gave me lots of encouragement, an injection of motivation & some good reasons to try to get it finished. It definitely is my goal to get it done.
Paul’s also back at uni so this weekend has really been “heads down, bottoms up” for us.
Yay. The semester is over! I really can’t actually believe that we made it. Well, Paul has one more exam on Wednesday but he is not too stressed about it.
I submitted my last assignment last night, with one hour to spare. It was 3 different essays on: the similarities in the way morphology is acquired across different languages, yet the fact that findings from English first language acquisition may not be applicable to other languages, & the importance for adults to acquire a good range of linguistic varieties.
It’s all very very interesting & I do enjoy studying.
But I have come to the conclusion that it’s just not working for us a family right now with both Paul & myself studying. So, I’m going to have a break. I’m halfway through my masters & I WILL finish it. Just not right now. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back to it when life has calmed down a bit. Hmmmnnn- does that ever happen???? Probably not. But in any case, I think later will be easier than now!
So, with some more spare time up my sleeves, I shall have no excuses to whinge & whine. I’m tremendously sorry that most of my posts recently have been so negative & boring. I do apologise!
So, this is my hair back to being brown. I’m currently sitting on the deck with my cup of coffee eating vegemite on toast. But not for long! I have a big pile of things to do in a short amount of time. Assignment is due on Monday & I haven’t even started it- eeeek. Plus, the house is a huge mess. & I can’t get my thoughts organised while the place is such a disaster zone so that’s first on my list……
Ash is spending the morning with Nicole and Alia, but I’ll pick him up at 12.30.
I better hop to it!!!!!
PS- yes that is a Christmas mug- it’s the biggest one I have so it stays out all year round : )-
It’s been a looong while but nothing really all that interesting has occurred. I was very busy finishing off my linguistics subject & finally completed my essay on Aboriginal English. I haven’t got the results yet but should all be a-ok. I have scored a new job working on a pre-university English course at Adelaide Uni. The focus is not really so much on English but rather on university skills- critical thinking, essay writing, public speaking, group work. It’s going to be very different to the fun & games we had in my last course! & speaking of my last course, I received my student feedback in the post the other day & I was very satisfied. Thankfully all my students seemed to think that I was an effective teacher so it was a nice confirmation that my new career path is working out.
Paul has also been extremely busy finishing off this semester. I can not really begin to describe how much happier we will all be once he gets his last assignment done. Only one more weekend of hell. I pray that our current grind will actually pay off in the long run as it really is not fun now.
Master Ash has been going really well indeed. He is my turbo baby. So much energy. I am very pleased to report that he does seem to be sleeping better in general. Although it does seem crazy to me that at only 9 months he has decided that one day sleep is sufficient! It pains me to say it but the sleeping has improved since I cut down my breastfeeding & started giving some formula feeds. Oh, the natural parent in me is ashamed but Ash is thriving & we are getting more sleep.
Anyway, gotta go- it’s a work day & I have a wriggly worm climbing all over me wanting breakfast!
All is well in my world today. Apart from my kitchen & laundry- these areas are not so well. In fact, they are quite disgusting so I had better get off the computer & do something about it!
I have spent this morning trying to do some study. A has been asleep for ages, so you would have thought I could at least do something productive. Like study or housework. Or even having a shower! But I am still in my pyjamas. I kind of did a little bit of study but most of it involved googling, & not much writing!
I am investigating 2 things.
1. Nice girls don’t talk dirty. Do men swear more than women???? My findings so far show that generally this is probably not the case anymore. Many many women have potty mouths!!!!!! I don’t swear very often at all, but I do find that sometimes when I am extremely frustrated, I will swear before I even know it. Swear words do seem to very good way for people to release steam & anger. It’s the harsh sounds. But both Paul & I have agreed that we will cut out all swearing in our house. Like I said, it’s not like we swear a lot anyway so hopefully it won’t be too hard.
2. What are the linguistic features of blogging? I am very interested in this subject & so far my research has been fascinating, but I’m not sure any of you would be all that keen on me banging on about prepositions, negations, register, blah blah blah. So I won’t bore you!
It is soooo cold in Adelaide! I spent the whole afternoon in bed with a hot water bottle & my little man. He only slept his usual 40 minutes but we snuggled for about 2 & a half hours. It was lovely. Of course, my house is still a total bomb, A is in disposable nappies, & noone has any clean underwear, but who cares. At this point, it is still all about survival & self preservation.
I am thinking that my “gentle” parenting days may be numbered & we may implement what I call “OPERATION EARPLUG”. Unfortunately the 2 hour sleeping issue is not resolved, & we have tried many many different strategies with no real improvement. I will keep you updated on our progress.
We had a very busy weekend, & things are becoming quite hectic again. Paul is back at uni. I’m back at uni. Who knows how this semester will go but no doubt we will have our share of stress & panic!
