The Random Thoughts Thread

[K888]

Just ran into my year 9 English teacher at a service station.

And by ran into, I mean I saw her in the distance and quickly turned around and avoided her so she wouldn't see me.

[tashhhaaa]

Just ran into my year 9 English teacher at a service station.

And by ran into, I mean I saw her in the distance and quickly turned around and avoided her so she wouldn't see me.

THIS HAPPENED TO ME (same teacher) but it was on a train, I promptly changed carriages and hoped she didn't see me O.O

[RuiAce]

Finding and fixing the bug in your code that you've been trying to find for days is like the best feeling ever.

But it's fucking agonising before you find it

[appleandbee]

THIS HAPPENED TO ME (same teacher) but it was on a train, I promptly changed carriages and hoped she didn't see me O.O

The same thing happened to me with my year 9 English teacher two weeks ago (and homeroom/tutorial teacher for 3 years). I was getting onto a tram from a stop close to Parliament station after my improv class, and she got off the same door that I was getting onto. Fortunately she got off with a few friends, so she didn't notice/pay attention to me. I have some history with her, so it would have been awkward if she noticed me. I wasn't good at English back in year 9 (my old high school didn't have teach English as a subject in year 7/8), and she was a bit condescending and played favouritism towards people that were planning on doing VCE Literature. She was the one that suggested that I was autistic/dyslexic due to my lack of social skills at the time. She was also the debating coordinator for about 2-3 years until she had to go on leave, which is why I didn't try-out for the debating teams while she was there (not that I want to brag about uni debating to her). :p

[peterpiper]

Been spending my leisurely hours watching tales of mere existence on youtube, and finding the narrator incredibly relatable. It's so......weird, admittedly.

[RuiAce]

For the sake of procrastination I decided to play one of my 7th grade piano pieces again.

Wtf... 7th feels so much easier than 8th

[tashhhaaa]

The same thing happened to me with my year 9 English teacher two weeks ago (and homeroom/tutorial teacher for 3 years). I was getting onto a tram from a stop close to Parliament station after my improv class, and she got off the same door that I was getting onto. Fortunately she got off with a few friends, so she didn't notice/pay attention to me. I have some history with her, so it would have been awkward if she noticed me. I wasn't good at English back in year 9 (my old high school didn't have teach English as a subject in year 7/8), and she was a bit condescending and played favouritism towards people that were planning on doing VCE Literature. She was the one that suggested that I was autistic/dyslexic due to my lack of social skills at the time. She was also the debating coordinator for about 2-3 years until she had to go on leave, which is why I didn't try-out for the debating teams while she was there (not that I want to brag about uni debating to her). :p

Ugh she sounds terrible, and what is it with year 9 English teachers stalking us LOL

Never done debating in my life, how did you get involved at uni? Do you like it?

[sweetiepi]

Just ran into my year 9 English teacher at a service station.

To continue on with the year 9 English stories- I consistently bump into mine when walking past a certain restaurant in the local plaza.

[appleandbee]

Never done debating in my life, how did you get involved at uni? Do you like it?

I never planned to pursue debating (didn’t even know it was a thing at uni, let alone how large the international and Australian community was), my friend who was really involved in ANU convinced to especially because I started schools judging (for the money :p). Like most first years, you go for one meeting, feel intimidated and don’t come back (most ‘drop out’ after the first semester unfortunately). Somehow decided to come back in the second semester, got to debate with a couple of pros/experienced debaters (that have debated at majors) in internal meetings which was useful for development and confidence (that’s a strong point about the Australian circuit that there is strong emphasis on novice development). But yeah, it was only after an entire year, that I decided to try- out for the majors and was fortunate enough to go to the Australian and Australasian based majors this year.

As for whether I like it, it’s like a Kinder Surprise, that’s probably the most accurate way to describe, you don’t know what topic or side you’ll get until like 15-30 minutes beforehand (depending on the format). Most of the topics are pretty interesting, as there are not just political ones but also ones that deconstructs deeper norms in society like regretting the substitution of digital entertainment (e.g. tv, movies, video games) for written materials (e.g. novels, Kindle, comic books) in the lives of children or the use of queerbaiting (the practice of hinting but not actually depicting a potential same-sex relationship) in film, tv and media. It’s different to schools debating in a refreshing way, there is almost no emphasis on manner/style (leave that to public speaking and drama), judging or team’s approach isn’t based on a tick the boxes of the checklist style, and there is a greater focus on the process of creating a case and strategy in regards to engaging with the other team/s (which makes it more interesting).

[tashhhaaa]

I never planned to pursue debating (didn’t even know it was a thing at uni, let alone how large the international and Australian community was), my friend who was really involved in ANU convinced to especially because I started schools judging (for the money :p). Like most first years, you go for one meeting, feel intimidated and don’t come back (most ‘drop out’ after the first semester unfortunately). Somehow decided to come back in the second semester, got to debate with a couple of pros/experienced debaters (that have debated at majors) in internal meetings which was useful for development and confidence (that’s a strong point about the Australian circuit that there is strong emphasis on novice development). But yeah, it was only after an entire year, that I decided to try- out for the majors and was fortunate enough to go to the Australian and Australasian based majors this year.

As for whether I like it, it’s like a Kinder Surprise, that’s probably the most accurate way to describe, you don’t know what topic or side you’ll get until like 15-30 minutes beforehand (depending on the format). Most of the topics are pretty interesting, as there are not just political ones but also ones that deconstructs deeper norms in society like regretting the substitution of digital entertainment (e.g. tv, movies, video games) for written materials (e.g. novels, Kindle, comic books) in the lives of children or the use of queerbaiting (the practice of hinting but not actually depicting a potential same-sex relationship) in film, tv and media. It’s different to schools debating in a refreshing way, there is almost no emphasis on manner/style (leave that to public speaking and drama), judging or team’s approach isn’t based on a tick the boxes of the checklist style, and there is a greater focus on the process of creating a case and strategy in regards to engaging with the other team/s (which makes it more interesting).

thanks for your insight!!
I want to get involved in some activities at uni but idk where to start lol

[K888]

How is it that I can be so exhausted that I'm just about falling asleep while brushing my teeth but then as soon as I get into bed and put my head on my pillow I'm wide awake??

This is not how it's meant to work.

[appleandbee]

thanks for your insight!!
I want to get involved in some activities at uni but idk where to start lol

No worries at all!

In terms of where to start, liking a bunch of club Facebook pages (and joining the groups) and checking the student portal notice boards allows you to keep up with at the opportunities that may arise! Also o-week is a great opportunity to check out everything that is on offer. Unimelb has a great variety of clubs and societies. Don’t feel obliged to be involved in university life, many people are unable to as a result of job commitments, you may even find better opportunities outside of uni. If you mean ‘not knowing where to start’, as in no really knowing what’s on offer, I think it good to consider things that you are broadly interested in, and what you are looking to gain out of it (eg. a space to chill out once a week playing sport/or other games, something slightly more intensive like debating/sketch comedy, leadership/organisational capacity, volunteering). Almost all student clubs & societies demand very demand very little to be involved, even the leadership roles don’t require much experience. There are a couple of stuff I know people are involved and sounds great, which will hopefully provide you some inspiration:

Student media/writing: Farrago, the unimelb student magazine has a lot of positions on offer http://farragomagazine.com/join/, applications close of the 22nd. There’s also Judy’s Punch, an annual magazine organized the student union’s womens department and Myriad (which looks fantastic), for people of colour, the applications would probably open closer to mid- year though.

Health outreach (more volunteering based than the other ones listed): Melbourne University Health Initiatives (MUHI), probably one of the best organisations on campus (I recently applied to be a publications officer) regularly advertises various leadership/organisational based positions. They are also known for their Student Welfare Outreach Team (SWOT) which runs tutoring programs throughout the year for disadvantaged students (you can apply to be a tutor), there’s also a summer school run by the student union (VCESS) which does similar things. There’s also another program that sounds great, CHASE \ Community Health Advancement and Student Engagement, which recruits student mentors (no degree restriction) to give workshops on public health topics (and help kids develop their own projects) in schools in the western suburbs, from memory, they open applications early Feb. Since their website is down/under construction, here is their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CHASEmelb/?ref=br_rs.

Humanitarian outreach: These things are far more organisational and outreach based because they focus more on running campaigns and events as well as building partnerships with other organisations rather than providing active volunteering opportunities. Oxfam, Amnesty International, Tedxunimelb (not humanitarian outreach, they basically run Ted Talks style events at the uni, but involvement is mainly organisational) and Oaktree typically opens applications for marketing, design, events organisation and general committee positions early in the year, like Feb-March.

Other things: Departmental clubs (eg. enviro collective, science student’s society), Mudcrabs/sketch comedy (this guy from my theatre is very involved so I’m planning to join next year, they seem to be very active), sports, debating (described earlier), Model UN through the Unimelb International Relations Society (probably more laidback compared to debating as most people don’t have Model UN experience as opposed to debating for people in the debating society), sports clubs, Flare ensemble if you like to dance (they have a lot classes where you can go to as many as you like for a reasonable membership fee), choirs (Apollo Health Music Society seems friendly, a good friend of mine is very involved in it), Film making society (not really sure if it is any good, but considering how expensive film making is to pursue on an individual level, this seems like a bargain since they have all the equipment), the book club, student mentoring through the student union (mentoring new uni students).

You should just sign up or apply for things if you want to do it. There’s a fifth year med student (or even some post grad students who I’ve come across who attended all the debating majors despite only getting involved in uni debating this year (almost everyone would say that if you can’t go to tournaments by your 2nd year of uni, there’s no point in being involved…). There are two 50+ year old guys in my Improv theatre class, working as a nurse and actuary, who just decided they wanted to try something new, challenging and fun.

Hope this helps 😊

[PhoenixxFire]

So for some strange reason I very clearly remember this one slice thing I cooked maybe 10 years ago. For years now I've been trying to remember what it was and I never could. Yesterday I was reading a random sbs article and it popped up as a suggested recipe at the bottom.

It is Parkin, a British slide made traditionally for guy fawkes day. It's weird I've spent so many years trying to remember what it was and never could. I'm making it tonight.

[tashhhaaa]

No worries at all!

In terms of where to start, liking a bunch of club Facebook pages (and joining the groups) and checking the student portal notice boards allows you to keep up with at the opportunities that may arise! Also o-week is a great opportunity to check out everything that is on offer. Unimelb has a great variety of clubs and societies. Don’t feel obliged to be involved in university life, many people are unable to as a result of job commitments, you may even find better opportunities outside of uni. If you mean ‘not knowing where to start’, as in no really knowing what’s on offer, I think it good to consider things that you are broadly interested in, and what you are looking to gain out of it (eg. a space to chill out once a week playing sport/or other games, something slightly more intensive like debating/sketch comedy, leadership/organisational capacity, volunteering). Almost all student clubs & societies demand very demand very little to be involved, even the leadership roles don’t require much experience. There are a couple of stuff I know people are involved and sounds great, which will hopefully provide you some inspiration:

Student media/writing: Farrago, the unimelb student magazine has a lot of positions on offer http://farragomagazine.com/join/, applications close of the 22nd. There’s also Judy’s Punch, an annual magazine organized the student union’s womens department and Myriad (which looks fantastic), for people of colour, the applications would probably open closer to mid- year though.

Health outreach (more volunteering based than the other ones listed): Melbourne University Health Initiatives (MUHI), probably one of the best organisations on campus (I recently applied to be a publications officer) regularly advertises various leadership/organisational based positions. They are also known for their Student Welfare Outreach Team (SWOT) which runs tutoring programs throughout the year for disadvantaged students (you can apply to be a tutor), there’s also a summer school run by the student union (VCESS) which does similar things. There’s also another program that sounds great, CHASE \ Community Health Advancement and Student Engagement, which recruits student mentors (no degree restriction) to give workshops on public health topics (and help kids develop their own projects) in schools in the western suburbs, from memory, they open applications early Feb. Since their website is down/under construction, here is their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CHASEmelb/?ref=br_rs.

Humanitarian outreach: These things are far more organisational and outreach based because they focus more on running campaigns and events as well as building partnerships with other organisations rather than providing active volunteering opportunities. Oxfam, Amnesty International, Tedxunimelb (not humanitarian outreach, they basically run Ted Talks style events at the uni, but involvement is mainly organisational) and Oaktree typically opens applications for marketing, design, events organisation and general committee positions early in the year, like Feb-March.

Other things: Departmental clubs (eg. enviro collective, science student’s society), Mudcrabs/sketch comedy (this guy from my theatre is very involved so I’m planning to join next year, they seem to be very active), sports, debating (described earlier), Model UN through the Unimelb International Relations Society (probably more laidback compared to debating as most people don’t have Model UN experience as opposed to debating for people in the debating society), sports clubs, Flare ensemble if you like to dance (they have a lot classes where you can go to as many as you like for a reasonable membership fee), choirs (Apollo Health Music Society seems friendly, a good friend of mine is very involved in it), Film making society (not really sure if it is any good, but considering how expensive film making is to pursue on an individual level, this seems like a bargain since they have all the equipment), the book club, student mentoring through the student union (mentoring new uni students).

You should just sign up or apply for things if you want to do it. There’s a fifth year med student (or even some post grad students who I’ve come across who attended all the debating majors despite only getting involved in uni debating this year (almost everyone would say that if you can’t go to tournaments by your 2nd year of uni, there’s no point in being involved…). There are two 50+ year old guys in my Improv theatre class, working as a nurse and actuary, who just decided they wanted to try something new, challenging and fun.

Hope this helps 😊

Wow this is an awesome answer thank you so much

[sweetiepi]

Remind me that walking to and from Bunnings on a day like this is a shit idea lol