blasonduo's schooling to school!

[blasonduo]

Entry #

(Don’t look at the date plz)

How hectic have these 2 weeks been you ask? Well…..

As per the cliffhanger from 2 weeks ago (that no one did or has cared about LOL), I am glad to say, they both have been successfully submitted, I just hope that means they have both successfully passed… because if they haven’t, then it really shows the rocky path ahead, and that's a path I do not want to take.

The last 2 weeks have been packed with assessments and deadlines and now it is time for the “mid” semester break, and boy do I need it (speaking of, this means sometime in the next week I will post here with answers to the questions! ). I have this problem where I only study for 1 subject for 6-7 days straight, where all the others are kinda just left behind, this normally happens when an assessment or exam is around the corner. Because of this, I am behind is some of my courses, and so now I need to catch up on the content through “homework”. However, I have my first Maths (lets says midterm) exam first thing back, so as per my study practices, will probably spend more on that during break working on that. I can’t complain much really, Maths is the subject I am most behind in currently.

Things have gone pretty swiftly and quietly, I understand what occurs in lectures and tutorials, and well, I’m just crunching down the weeks. I've learnt some really amazing things in Physics. Rotational inertia was a concept I never really delved into much, but it’s so fascinating! My little fun fact that I learnt in physics, those projectile motion formulae… DON’T HAVE TO BE PROJECTILES!!! They can be used for anything that has a constant acceleration, and hence constant circular motion can be used with it! (different variables though)

Also, just a thing I have noticed with myself… I don’t really write down notes in lectures (I barely did the same in high school too, I’d write them when I got home.) I sit there, still very engaged and attentive, but nothing really gets written down. I know this could be a potentially really bad thing (is it?) but I just really like sitting and listening, so I can understand the concepts first. Writing notes for something I didn’t initially understand makes the notes very poor in my opinion. But yeah, it also could be laziness……. 

Well, since next week isn’t really considered a uni week, and nothing interesting will actually happen… (for anyone who cares ie only me) I’ll see you in 2 uni weeks time! (ie 3 weeks)

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Here is the obligatory picture of an animal I came across during my journey in Uni: (only one because the other photo was on my old phone and it's being an ass! (excuses, I know sue me!))

First Ibis!

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My 3 fortnightly questions that popped into my head:

Why does crying does your nose run?

Why does crying (in some cases) make you feel better? but laughing doesn't make you feel worse?

What is the definition of 1 calorie?

[K888]

RE: taking notes in lectures - just do what works for you. I don't think it's lazy to just listen in the moment and then write down your notes later. The great thing about uni is you can just do whatever works for you, and it's all g - you don't have to conform to a particular structure like you might have had to do in high school.

There are definitely some subjects where I listen to the lecturer and maybe jot down a few dot points but otherwise am mainly just taking in the content. Then there's some subjects where I type as the lecturer explains - I like this when the concepts aren't too difficult so I don't have to go back over it and spend more time on it that evening when I could spend more time on something I don't understand as well or expanding my knowledge on a different topic. I find I learn some stuff better if I'm writing it down as someone's explaining it to me - but again, everyone has a different learning style!

[blasonduo]

RE: taking notes in lectures - just do what works for you. I don't think it's lazy to just listen in the moment and then write down your notes later. The great thing about uni is you can just do whatever works for you, and it's all g - you don't have to conform to a particular structure like you might have had to do in high school.

There are definitely some subjects where I listen to the lecturer and maybe jot down a few dot points but otherwise am mainly just taking in the content. Then there are some subjects where I type as the lecturer explains - I like this when the concepts aren't too difficult so I don't have to go back over it and spend more time on it that evening when I could spend more time on something I don't understand as well or expanding my knowledge on a different topic. I find I learn some stuff better if I'm writing it down as someone's explaining it to me - but again, everyone has a different learning style!

Thanks for the feedback! Means a lot!

I think my main problem with taking notes and listening is that I struggle to multitask. The second I start typing/writing, all sense of comprehending sound is gone, and I spend the next 15-30 seconds trying to figure out what I missed. Something I need to work on, but it's difficult to "practice" that type of skill outside the classroom.

[K888]

Thanks for the feedback! Means a lot!

I think my main problem with taking notes and listening is that I struggle to multitask. The second I start typing/writing, all sense of comprehending sound is gone, and I spend the next 15-30 seconds trying to figure out what I missed. Something I need to work on, but it's difficult to "practice" that type of skill outside the classroom.

Yeah, for sure - I find I do sometimes zone out of what the lecturer is saying if I'm writing notes at the same time. I'd probably listen more carefully if I was handwriting notes but that's just not feasible with the amount of content we cover, so I type, and it's easy to just focus on the notes on your screen and whatever application you're using to take notes rather than take in what the lecturer is saying.
It's just a matter of practice, really, and finding what works for you, like I said. If it ruins your groove to write notes during a lecture, then don't - it's as simple as that

[Joseph41]

How did April treat you?

[blasonduo]

Entry #

zzzzzZZZZZZZZ........zzzzzzz..... BAH!! What? Where? When??

Okay, It's been a while, a long while actually, and the main reason was just due to the fact that I was just so bogged down in uni work, and I felt like writing up one of these would be just a cop-out and a way to procrastinate, so I always put it off for another week... and another... and another... I was really amazed by how physically draining it all became, I was constantly tired and continuously had so much more to do, very contrary to HSC work.

This semester was something, very stressful and very tiring, and I've spent the holidays just recovering from this, but it was mostly enjoyable, I met some great people, and was able to attend (some) great lectures! I really hope the rest of my time here lives up to this standard Overall, I'm really happy with what I'm doing

So.... The semester has completed, and I have my results (in which you can see in the UNSW reviews thread) and to be honest, the only mark I'm pretty happy with is my physics mark, and I do hope to improve this, I have used my one time only "it was my first, its was a learning experience" excuse card. However, I have looked at the EDST1101 course outline for next semester, and it already does not look great.

I do want to become a physics TA at UNSW in the future and to get that; I need to make sure my (physics mainly) marks are really good, and they were for the first semester. However, next semester (with help with Rui +1) I'll probably attempt to do the hardest physics one course; (special) Higher Physics 1B. I just hope that I am able to do well in this course, because I know its content and work heavy, and if I don't do well, it may cost me my dream. So fingers crossed! I'll probably update the most on this course in the future

It's a weird feeling, though, I felt so overworked, but now since it's been a while, I really want to go back, I really want to learn more physics and maths (and meeting Rui on a weekly basis just seems awesome ) I'll get an update out hopefully 2 weeks into semester 2! , sorry if this felt all over the place.

Some point this week, expect another post here with answers to (most) of my questions! Pinky promise this time!
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Here is the obligatory picture of animals I came across during my journey in Uni/holiday:

Wasp!

Injured Chicken :(

Lots of seagulls!

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My two that popped into my head (I wish this were more ):

Why do beanies have that little ball ontop of it?

Why is whiteboard marker (not permanent) difficult to rub off after time?

[blasonduo]

Oof! I fell really sick over the weekend, and now am only well enough to actually type, but here are the answers! Not super detailed, just mainly because I couldn't be bothered, but it gives the main gist of it!

Enjoy?

Why do we only hear cicadas during the heat?

This is still kinda unknown, but they normally emerge due to increased sap flow in the tree indicating that warm weather and rain are around, and this is why we hear them.

How do aeroplanes draw in the sky?

The exhaust in the jet engine is very hot and humid, and when it gets released into the atmosphere (which is cold) the water begins to freeze, this mix produced a cloud, and this is what we see in the sky (the same way our breath does it in the cold )

Why are floors tiled like this? Is it just aesthetic or is there a purpose? (see the first entry!)

No real reason, when tiling, there are 12 different designs you can use

Why do buses drip? (this may sound weird, but something I've noticed when a bus leaves, it almost always leaves a slight trail of... something...)

It's water! Coming from the AC in the bus

Why do wet dogs stink?

There are heaps of bacteria and yeast that live on dogs, and they excrete their own wastes. When washed, these wastes are brought up by water; they cause this stink

Why does crying does your nose run?

When you cry, tears come out of the tear glands under your eyelids and drain through the tear ducts that empty into your nose. Tears mix with mucus there and your nose runs. (got it from https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/nose-run.html)

What is the definition of 1 calorie?

The calorie is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree. (shoulda known this aha)

Why do beanies have that little ball on top of it?

Used to cover or gather the seams left from "nålebinding" a very old style of making hats, but then it became fashion trends, especially in the 60's when this one famous guy wore them, and I guess it stuck.

Why is whiteboard marker (not permanent) difficult to rub off after time?

It contains a solvent that stops the marker from bonding to the board and over time this solvent is lost. This is why writing over a bonded marker makes it easy to wipe off, more solvent was added. (what this solvent is idk!! )

[clovvy]

Does Rui help undergrads sometimes? That's interesting.... I don't think I want to do physics at uni as I probably prefer chem over phys.... but I do like maths despite sucking at it..... Not really sure what I want to do tbh.....

[RuiAce]

Does Rui help undergrads sometimes? That's interesting.... I don't think I want to do physics at uni as I probably prefer chem over phys.... but I do like maths despite sucking at it..... Not really sure what I want to do tbh.....

I don't help undergrads per se.

I assist in 1st year maths all the time and occasionally also 2nd year maths. But I also give 1st year students encouragement when they need it, which I felt he deserved for the special physics course.

That being said this is his journal so I'll leave off the comments at that.

[blasonduo]

Entry #

Howdy folks, turns out I have not made an entry for the new semester, and it's already week 5! So, now I will go over whats new and whats been happening

As timetabling goes, I have again secured another day off, which is lovely, having a day off to work and get money and just to have a day to relax without transport really allows me to remain sane Other days are pretty full on, and well, I guess if you’re interested, go see for yourself

Timetable

The main event for me this semester is PHYS1241, and woah is it demanding. This subject is just usually very difficult (I’ve been told by the lecturer as one of the hardest first year courses out there) with the questions it throws at you, and it is very time consuming with the assessments it allocates, I’ve recently handed in an assessment that took roughly 40 hours to complete. It was six questions and worth 5%... And I’ll have to do it three more times. It also has assessments on lab write-ups where we have to write up every week's lab experiment(s) to hand in for marking, this one isn’t really as difficult, but more time-consuming and kinda difficult to gain the marks (I don’t know this yet, but the criteria does suggest this). Also, everyone is just so smart and fluent in this course; it really is intimidating.

Due to physics’s demands, it sucks up all my time, making me fall behind in other content-heavy courses such as MATH1231. Maths has weekly online tutorials, worth 1% each, and even without knowing any of the knowledge due to falling behind, I should struggle with the questions, but somehow don't. But once I do problems from the book, I go “WTF is this” I’m hoping to catch up in maths this week, as its a slightly more relaxed week in regards to physics.

My other two courses are a lot more relaxed and easier to go through without falling behind, I’ve almost done no study for BIOS1101, but I’m still very up to date with the content. The lectures are very simple, and the final exam is just a simple multiple choice exam. The labs are 3 hours long, but not that stressful and content heavy, it’s kinda fun and relaxing Today, we received our first assessment back, and I got 98% which I'm just over the moon about . The weird part is that the directors of the course say that it is very difficult and that it’ll be very timeconsuming difficult to understand in the content, and they keep stressing this, which I found as weird, but that may be because I’m comparing it to PHYS1241 :/

Lastly, the good ol’ EDST classes, they were a blast (sarcasm) last semester, and it's exhilarating to have it again! Honestly, though, EDST1101 is actually wayyy more enjoyable than the other 2 I had to do in Semester 1, the content is actually pretty interesting, and it is fun to read into. The assessments aren’t nearly as awful as the other ones, two tests, one essay and one presentation. We had the options to pick what week we wanted to present in, and I picked the earliest one (week 3) just to get it out of the way for physics. We went pretty well, I thought, but our tutor thought we did amazingly well, and we got 18/20 I’m super stoked about that. I’m hoping this course stays the way that it is, and it’ll actually be a beautiful course.

This has already gone for a long time, so I’ll end it here, thanks for reading

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Here is the obligatory picture of an animal:

Kitties!

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My 3 questions that popped into my head:

Why does riding faster on a bike make it easier to balance?

Why does toasting bread make it fresher?

How is it possible that Earth can flip its magnetic poles?

[blasonduo]

Entry #

It’s been a couple of months, and a lot has happened, so it means time for another entry! (What? My last post was in August? HA, lucky for me no one is really missing out on anything anyway)

So, let’s start with the exciting news, At the end of last year, I had applied for a Teaching assistant position for phys1121/1131 (where I help run the problem-solving workshop) and I was successful!!!!! This is really exciting for me in so many ways, especially since it allows me to have some experience in teaching before working in placement and allows me to develop my skills especially in confidence and clarity. I have been to a total of 2 lessons right now, and let me tell you, I have loved every second of it. In the future, I also hope to become a lab demonstrator too, but we’ll see.

Last semester for me went surprisingly well, (apart from maths )  and I finally achieved my first HD and I did surprisingly well in my higher physics course too! Now it's a new semester with new courses, MATH2089, PHYS2111 and EDST2003. It isn’t a lie when I say that I struggled with 1st year maths, and was VERY worried about second year maths, but 2089 (so far) has been really, really easy!  Like I understand that they do have to start kinda basic again, as it does include introductory topics to both statistics and numerical methods, but I hope the difficulty stays this way because physics is the complete opposite, I found first year physics to be okay, but second year has come around and it is really, really difficult. So far, I’ve been able to mostly catch up with the content since my other 2 courses have not been too demanding. Then we have the good old EDST courses, and currently, it has the same feel to first-year education in where the content is pretty straight forward,  Towards the end, we are taught (and assessed) about lesson plans, which I’m both looking forward to and not .

So far, when comparing to trimesters, I’m definitely less stressed out, and it feels like I have not that much to do, but the days have been limited, and it might (probably) will get hectic again, Let’s hope I can keep up and I'll hope to keep you updated on how I go.

Also, here is my new timetable! (for the 0 of you who care)

Spoiler

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Here is the obligatory pictures of animals!:

Birds!

Horses!

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Some questions that popped into my head:

What makes something sticky?

How do air fresheners keep their smell for so long?

[Bri MT]

Nice work on getting the TA position! Glad to hear that it's been great so far

I'm hoping you don't actually have to attend that Monday lecture as that seems frustrating.

How have you found coming back for this year as opposed to first year?

[blasonduo]

Nice work on getting the TA position! Glad to hear that it's been great so far

I'm hoping you don't actually have to attend that Monday lecture as that seems frustrating.

How have you found coming back for this year as opposed to first year?

Thanks for the reply!

Sadly, I do, Monday's were my day to work, but it's just impossible to skip the lecture as the recordings only record her voice, and her notes aren't sufficient. Luckily my TA does allow me to drop work on Monday.

Second year is so much more relaxing, just with the fact you know you are going to different courses with the same people. It's soooo much better walking into a lecture/tutorial knowing someone. In first year, this didn't happen that often.

[blasonduo]

Well well well...... where has the time gone?

I have not updated this in literally 3 years, but that's okay because nothing interesting happened...

Until today. This is my last day being unemployed. I have done it. I have landed myself a position at a school. Am I nervous? Yes. Has it kept me up? Yes. Will I crumble under the pressure? Probably.

I might use this space to reflect on my job and my ability to do it; that's if I have time. But at the very least; my schooling journey into school has almost reached it's conclusion.

Wish me luck