Would the real stressed out students please stand up?

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Okay, my most stressful days have finally passed. And after tomorrow’s COMM 392 3-hours-of-negotiation-hopefully-not-turning-into-yelling union vs management collective bargaining simulation ends… I think hope things will be nicer.

Does the following ever happen to anyone one else during exam times?

One moment I was deep in my books, who knew when I lifted my head I was literally deep in books. “…ok so when that graph shifts that way, firms enter the market… *look up* HOLY CRAP WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DESK?”

Here is the labeled version in case you were interested:

I find it hard to study one subject for too long at once… I feel better off switching around. Do you guys usually study one at a time, put it out of your mind and move onto the next? I wonder which is actually more effective despite how I personally feel about it.

Stuff school doesn’t teach you.

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Life hacks.  Read it.  Live it.   Haha.

Unfortunately, in these hard midterm times, finding out why pirates wore eye patches was the highlight of my day. See image for the answer =)

(click for non-squished version)

Source: http://www.geekologie.com/image.php?path=/2010/08/27/life-hacks-full.jpg

Good luck with the studies everyone.

So busy… again.

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I’m finding I am always either pressed for time or have waaay too much of it.  How does the balancing act work anyway?

1st midterm tomorrow so I thought I’d just share my… study music!

On emotionally depressed days: John Mayer
On chilled out mornings:  Jason Mraz
On chilled out afternoons: Arctic Monkeys
On needing some energy boost days: Miyavi, Ok Go
On distracted days: Edith Piaf (or anything in a language I cannot decipher)
On the day after the distracted days: Sinatra
On days of cramming: [insert link for sound of bustle in the SUB followed by sound of low humming in Koerner]

Everything else: start with one random Youtube video, make a playlist of recommended links. Play.

Studies say you should study in the same atmosphere as the testing room, makes sense but oh well.

Just curious, does anyone listen to the radio anymore? Do you study with sound? If so what?

But… what if I can’t swim?

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At 1:03 pm in my quantitative analysis class I received the following text:

“Hey u wanna join longboat with _____, _____ n ______?”

Stoaked! What? A chance to participate in a recreational school activity?  I haven’t done that since… high school!

Sadly I checked my schedule and realized I was going to another school activity on the same day from this club I joined (Speaking of clubs, clubs days are coming up… I have something to say about clubs but I’ll save it for another post.)

Anyway, longboat sure looks fun and I really hope I get to participate in it once before I graduate.

Here is their promo vid.

Is anyone participating?  Deadline is on Wednesday.  Go forth and fulfill my dream for me! =P

http://www.rec.ubc.ca/events/longboat/

OMG.

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Remember the Olympics back in February? (How could one forget?)

Back then I went to one of the free concerts, Our Lady Peace at the Richmond Ozone to be exact, and there was this really kick ass band that opened for them. I didn’t know that band but their song was so catchy I had to sing along out loud with my friend even though we were just singing whatever we were thought we were hearing. (Which was right… for the most part.) I ended up playlisting them on Youtube for almost 3 weeks.

So they’re at UBC tomorrow.

For once it wasn’t the FREE that caught my attention but “Arkells.” =) check em out if you got time.  Sadly… and very sadly… sad to the point that it was putting a rather large hole in my day today… I have work.  So rock out for me.

Speaking of “free”, there seems to be less free stuff this year on campus.  I have, however, finally landed myself a pair of those green Telus sunglasses.  You know the ones.

Buying Used Textbooks? Patience Young Grasshopper.

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Hello folks, welcome to another episode of Learn from Paulina’s Mistakes!

*cue quirky music and audience pan with title overlay in some cheesy font*

Today’s adventure is one that many students, if have not embarked on, have at least considered doing so. Buying used textbooks. (Seriously, Phoebe’s post… even 2 years later, is still the shit.)

I’ve been hovering over sites for the past 3 days for 2 out of the 6 books I need. Why am I not hovering for the other 4?  I either plan to keep them (my Japanese books) or there is a new edition and I’m going to wait and see.  Hopefully it won’t end up like my calculator incident.

Anyway, here is how my process of buying used books, let me know if you have something else.

1) Find out what the book looks like and how much it costs at the book store (I really hope my friend didn’t lie to me about the prices because I didn’t go to the store)

2) Find out who is selling it for the cheapest (duh) and contact them, contact all of the people selling it for that price.

3) Wait for them to contact you back.

4) If they contact you, great, just set it up (well here is room to bargain if you wish.) If not, go back to step 2.

Easy right? Simple right? I had this all worked out, I was on my 3rd lap back at step 3 for my Managerial Accounting book after chasing the $70s. I had looked for $65 and $70 books before and gave it a day for their response.  However, this time, instead of emails, these people selling for $80 range offered phone numbers.  So I called, and unlike when I was buying my “Managing the Employment Relationship” book, my phone calls moved swiftly down the list.  Everyone had sold theirs.  I was starting to get worried.  Halfway down the page I found someone selling the book for $75 that I’d missed before and texted her (because that was what she wanted… looking at it now, maybe I should have called.)  But honestly, I had little hopes that this was still available because everyone above her on the list had sold, even the ones that were $80.  I kept going down the list.  Finally! Someone who still had the book.  Sealed the deal with my verbal word.  “Are you buying it for sure?” “Yes.”  About a minute later the $75 person texted me back and said she was still selling.

Fail.

Just needed a little patience.  About 10 minutes worth of it.  I had a days worth of it before, but when the list started moving fast I had to settle.

Here are my pickings in the end:

Book Bookstore Price Price I Bought for
Managerial Accounting $162 $80
Managing the Employment Relationship $84 $35

Unfortunately, for accounting I still have to buy the Lyryx access code,  I hope it isn’t that much.

The real lesson though isn’t really patience.   Because it is still a pretty good deal, usually.

The real lesson is:  Buy used = no HST = win!

Lazy Summer Mornings.

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From a distant perspective, school starting on the 2nd week of September always makes me feel good. Like as if I’m cheating time for a longer summer. However, in the moment right now, it feels more like an extended funeral with 5 days of mourning. Or perhaps sort of like how I would expect myself to feel if someone told me I was dying and I was out to suck some marrow of life, except I’m not dying so I laze around with the intent to suck the marrow out of life.

Did I have plans for my summer at home? Yes. Did I fulfill them? Not all of them. Did I attempt to? Yes… sort of. Will I keep trying? Well no, the summer is over. What keeps me from doing these things even though summer is over? …

Note to self: just because it’s not summer doesn’t mean you can’t do all those things you “wanted to do but didn’t have time for” over the school year. Key word = prioritize. What makes you happy? Long run and short run.

So how am I spending my last cherished Saturday morning? (Whatever happened to Fox Box!?)

I’m looking at pictures of nebulae (nebula…s).

And for some reason I’m getting a slight motion sickness kind of feeling when I look at them.

I get this same feeling when I’m on Google Maps looking at things like mountains or bodies of water in satellite view.

I guess I’m just not cut out to be an alien.

Headless warrior is a great plan B though.

Bookstore tips for first year students that I just remembered.

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1) For those taking math (differential calculus):

Yes, you will need that calculator that they ask you to buy.  They will only allow that one at quizzes/tests/midterms/exams.

Well…  you might not need it at first.  However, my experience was like this…

September – “Waaat $10?? Pft, I’ll live with my own calculator… oh wait what I can’t? Whatever we’llll see.”

Mid September – “Hey… this isn’t so bad, I don’t even need a calculator”

First Midterm –  “Hey prof, do you think we’ll need a calculator for the midterm?” “No it should be ok” “Do you think we’ll need a calculator for this class at all?” “You don’t need to have one but…” “Ok.”

After first midterm – “Holy crap that was hard, but a calculator wouldn’t have saved me”

Late October – “WTF HOW DO I DO LOG WITHOUT A CALCULATOR!?!?”

1 week before 2nd midterm at the UBC Bookstore – “=( the rebate on the calculators are gone!!”

2 days before midterm at Staples’ cash register (where it was cheaper) – *defeated*

2) Waits at the Bookstore for the first few weeks of the semester during the day are about an hour, that doesn’t include you wandering around the bookstore looking for the books and getting distracted by UBC swag and Mac books.  So if you and your friends have breaks that are too short, you can always camp in the line for each other haha.

3) Discount Books in the Village is your FRIEND.  The lines are faster too.

4) #3 doesn’t apply if you must buy many “Custom” Packages.  But those are cheaper than book so whatever.

5) Those Access Code things (ie. Lyryx) are not cheap to buy online.  So if you want to buy a second hand book (which are usually keyless) to save money, depending on how much you get it for, you might not save money at all.

Look what I found! Hello Math 184.

Honestly though, I actually miss math.  But I can’t say, I will voluntarily take it again.

“So what is the whole point of photography?”

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asked Rabi in his December 2nd post.

His post suggested some random projects to do and so I did one.  “take photos of your feet at random places”

Well… rather than random places I just took it when I felt the ground looked… not like the normal ground.

I’ve collected these over the course of the past 7 months.  Kind of sad that all this time it is only 25 pictures isn’t it?  Oh well.

All of the feet pictures were taken with my 3.2 mp camera phone.  Of course the pictures were also all (but 1) severely edited in Photoshop.

I’ve loved photography since my friend showed me the glory that is the Polaroid back in grade 6 at a Superstore.  Since then I’ve owned 3.

Pentax Optio:  My first love.  Lost in a two foot drop whist en route to my friend’s hands.

Point and shoots back then still had manual focus as an option. <3

Kodak V503: My reluctant purchase after the Pentax.  Lost to the sea somewhere in China.

I was never very attached this camera.  However, it wasn’t until after it was gone and when I went browsing for a new one that I understood it’s awesomeness.  Point and shoots these days have so little manual features now that they somewhat disappoint me.  (Where is the custom long exposure settings with flash combo!)

The 3rd one, I can’t find a picture but it looks similar to this:

From my friend on my 17th birthday.  I’ve still yet to develop this time capsule.  Actually, I haven’t finished the roll yet either.

I’ve never owned a DSLR and have maybe held one a maximum of 10 times.  I believe I’m missing out somewhere but I’d miss out if I were short a quite a few couple hundred bucks.  (Like how will I pay for my accounting textbook! Jokes…)

Maybe my mother is right that I never stick with anything which is why I never dove very deeply into photography.  That’s ok, cameras have led me to the wonderful world of photoshop and web design and flash, which led to much nerdier things.  (Of which was my high school hobby and I guess I’ve somewhat “moved on,” or is that only a subtle way of saying I’m less consumed by it.) But you know the beauty of education right?  Transferable skills!!!! Ftw.