Oh just let it be Friday.
Seriously! This pointless attempt at somehow storing the entire content of 'Vander's Human Physiology - The Mechanisms of Body Functions' in my brain is killing me.
I don't think my neurons are working properly. That must be it.
And I don't care how it goes. Or rather, I hope I'm lucky, but if not... I'll worry about it later.
And Friday means that Saturday is up next.... Oh it will be GREAT!
Come Friday, come!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Being Wrong
Hank Green just continues to read my mind and speak my words.
This video is a great example, and I want to share it!
There is something about reading/seeing/hearing your own thoughts coming from someone else...
I guess it's some kind of reminder that we are never really the only ones thinking like we do. I think. ?
But here it is:
This video is a great example, and I want to share it!
There is something about reading/seeing/hearing your own thoughts coming from someone else...
I guess it's some kind of reminder that we are never really the only ones thinking like we do. I think. ?
But here it is:
Excitement!
Can you spell EXCITED?
Foo Fighters, coming to Copenhagen, this summer, oh yeah!
I'd better get that ticket!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Memory and Anger
Here we go again, exams...
I truly hate exams. Not just because I am generally anxious about stuff and have always been dealing with severe exam anxiety - actually, for the first time, this seems to be less of a problem.
But I hate the entire concept of exams. I understand that we need to somehow make sure that the people we are educating actually, well, learn stuff. I get that.
But I do not feel that examinations (at least the kind I'm experiencing) possibly could show/measure or even estimate our understanding of the subject.
And actually grading us on the basis of these tests seems entirely ridiculous to me. I mean if it was just a basic 'we want to check whether you have understood anything at all so we can let you take the next courses'-thing, and they'd give us a passed/not-passed, then I would find it a little less ridiculous.
The way I see it, what is really being tested is first of all how well we handle stressed/pressed situations. And then of course our memory. In my case it seems to be purely short-term memory. The amount of facts I have had in my head up to previous exams, but which have then disappeared from my mind the moment I was done with the given exam, is impressive. So yeah, short-term memory definitely gets tested.
And then just the simple matter of how well-practiced you are at the whole exam thing in general. And the most important factor: how lucky you happen to be with this certain examination. Are the questions all about those two chapters you just got around to reading the night before the exam, or is half of the test built up around that one concept you find difficult or the two chapters you began your revision with - and therefore cannot remember anymore?
Well yes, if you have absolutely no idea what the subject is about, this will usually be revealed. Probably. But beyond that I don't feel like our level of understanding should be expected to come across through this type of examination. Trying to quantify whether we know a lot or just a little.... It's just not working.
But at least I seem to be handling it a little better this time. For now at least.
Previously I have blogged about wanting to care less about my grades and stressing less about stuff I find pointless and ridiculous anyways. And right now I really don't care that I won't be getting a top grade on the exam because I can't remember the definition of every single term in our textbook.
I really don't.
I'll pass it, and that is all I need. I have never before been so calm about an exam I didn't expect to do well in. And I'm a bit proud of myself for this.
Yes, obviously, it does bother me that things are the way they are, and I still have this anger towards the system and its 'judging-desire' for wanting to put us all in boxes so it can pretend it knows where we are and who we are and what we can be used for.
However, I cannot change it. And so, instead, I'll laugh at it. They are only fooling themselves.
(I won't really laugh... But I won't let it get me either!)
But yes, indeed I am a Hufflepuff. Just and loyal.
And I really would like for life to be fair and all to be equal.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Theta Tea
Okay I know it's only because I just read about it a few chapters back... But seriously - my tea leaves formed the theta structure of the bidirectional replication of a circular chromosome!
(Or I guess you could say they formed the Greek letter theta, but I think a chromosome is more fun)
(Or I guess you could say they formed the Greek letter theta, but I think a chromosome is more fun)
Naturally, by the time I took the picture it had already moved around a bit, but I'm telling you it looked really precise!
See it? If you look really close??
Well I thought it was awesome...
See it? If you look really close??
Well I thought it was awesome...
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| Figure from my book: Brock Biology of Microorganisms |
Oh the thrills of studying all day!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Imagine
Imagine a society where everybody could do what makes them happy. Where we all had greater emotional capacities and helped one another, embraced both our differences and similarities, and exercised some insight and understanding.
A place where it wasn't about getting as much out of society as possible and not loosing out on a single thing. Not about making sure that each of our personal rights are exploited to the fullest, but instead about making sure that the right help was provided for those in need of it.
Where we could all trust each other and did not need to control and watch over one another.
A place where we wanted to give as much of ourselves as possible, but didn't need to because everybody else wanted to as well...
All imagination, I know, not realistic... But hey, I use imagination to flee from reality all the time...
A place where it wasn't about getting as much out of society as possible and not loosing out on a single thing. Not about making sure that each of our personal rights are exploited to the fullest, but instead about making sure that the right help was provided for those in need of it.
Where we could all trust each other and did not need to control and watch over one another.
A place where we wanted to give as much of ourselves as possible, but didn't need to because everybody else wanted to as well...
All imagination, I know, not realistic... But hey, I use imagination to flee from reality all the time...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Running
Feeling lucky because a lot of the ice has melted so I could actually run outside this morning!
Awesome!
Awesome!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Some days...
The scary part is that you have no idea what you're throwing yourself into when you get out of bed in the morning.
You start the day normally, feeling no worse than usual. Then you make the first bad decision. But hey, shit happens. Then you thoroughly screw up something else and your annoyance causes the next failure. And then it all just escalates, turns out worse and worse until you finally can't take any more and go to bed at 5 p.m... Only to discover that, again, you made the wrong choice. There is no way you can sleep. Lying down makes it further worse. Your mind is racing - faster and faster, setting off cascades, reliving experiences, over-thinking everything, digging up feelings from the deep, working you into a proper panic attack. At this point you have to get up and you start pacing the apartment while trying to calm yourself down.
But even when you finally stop hyperventilating and feeling like your head, if not your entire body, will explode.... It's still there. That constant feeling of anxiety, placed right by your diaphragm where it nags and nags, maintaining the consuming unease, making you sick to your stomach.
If only you could go to sleep. But you know you can't....
You start the day normally, feeling no worse than usual. Then you make the first bad decision. But hey, shit happens. Then you thoroughly screw up something else and your annoyance causes the next failure. And then it all just escalates, turns out worse and worse until you finally can't take any more and go to bed at 5 p.m... Only to discover that, again, you made the wrong choice. There is no way you can sleep. Lying down makes it further worse. Your mind is racing - faster and faster, setting off cascades, reliving experiences, over-thinking everything, digging up feelings from the deep, working you into a proper panic attack. At this point you have to get up and you start pacing the apartment while trying to calm yourself down.
But even when you finally stop hyperventilating and feeling like your head, if not your entire body, will explode.... It's still there. That constant feeling of anxiety, placed right by your diaphragm where it nags and nags, maintaining the consuming unease, making you sick to your stomach.
If only you could go to sleep. But you know you can't....
Sunday, January 9, 2011
To be Horrible
Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am a horrible salesman.
Or saleswoman, I guess.
So no, the spot behind the counter probably isn't the optimal place to put me. But hey, most jobs don't grow on trees now do they?..
However, it does not really bother me that I'm no good at it. I think the whole idea of persuading someone to buy something they probably don't need, for the sole purpose of making money, is insolent.
Though I guess I cannot really say that I would feel the same way if I was trying to make money for myself. I hope I would.
I am happy to guide and inform costumers if they need help. I myself take great care in choosing which products to buy. Basing well-considered decisions on proper information.
- Again because I dislike the concept of misleading people in order to make money. Or misleading people in general.
I've heard people argue that if one is able to deceive someone then hey, that someone is outsmarted, and both get what they deserve.
I disagree. To me that's not cool. I think it's okay to hate the player as well as the game, when the player is the one creating the game!
So, because I have this view on sales, there is something that always bothers me when I'm at work.
The idea that you should have certain rights because you are a customer.
In my mind the customer is not always right!
I mean... I get that in the world of sales, the customer is more likely to come back if you just smile and nod in response to whatever crap they might be throwing at you, I totally get that.
But I cannot help but feel like I am feeding a false perception which ought not to be fed!
In my (admittedly perhaps pretty strange) mind, we all have equal rights - also in sales situations.
I can make you an offer, and you can take it or walk away. (Or we can negotiate....)
And you can have specific standards or requirements, and I may or may not be able to fulfill these. (Or I can make adjustments if I want...)
But I don't understand this idea of customers' special rights, and I am appalled when customers come into the shop and demand certain things.
To me it would make much more sense to consider our products and prices - and buy it if it seems fair.
Usually you can't have everything. Are low prices more important for you? Or is it the quality? Or the service? Consider... decide.
If you don't like what we offer, then go somewhere else!! (Or at least just suggest something else - don't demand it... And don't be offended if we don't do things your way.)
Oh, and next time - don't be rude! I am worth no less than you.
And this people... is why I am a horrible salesman.
Or saleswoman, I guess.
So no, the spot behind the counter probably isn't the optimal place to put me. But hey, most jobs don't grow on trees now do they?..
However, it does not really bother me that I'm no good at it. I think the whole idea of persuading someone to buy something they probably don't need, for the sole purpose of making money, is insolent.
Though I guess I cannot really say that I would feel the same way if I was trying to make money for myself. I hope I would.
I am happy to guide and inform costumers if they need help. I myself take great care in choosing which products to buy. Basing well-considered decisions on proper information.
- Again because I dislike the concept of misleading people in order to make money. Or misleading people in general.
I've heard people argue that if one is able to deceive someone then hey, that someone is outsmarted, and both get what they deserve.
I disagree. To me that's not cool. I think it's okay to hate the player as well as the game, when the player is the one creating the game!
So, because I have this view on sales, there is something that always bothers me when I'm at work.
The idea that you should have certain rights because you are a customer.
In my mind the customer is not always right!
I mean... I get that in the world of sales, the customer is more likely to come back if you just smile and nod in response to whatever crap they might be throwing at you, I totally get that.
But I cannot help but feel like I am feeding a false perception which ought not to be fed!
In my (admittedly perhaps pretty strange) mind, we all have equal rights - also in sales situations.
I can make you an offer, and you can take it or walk away. (Or we can negotiate....)
And you can have specific standards or requirements, and I may or may not be able to fulfill these. (Or I can make adjustments if I want...)
But I don't understand this idea of customers' special rights, and I am appalled when customers come into the shop and demand certain things.
To me it would make much more sense to consider our products and prices - and buy it if it seems fair.
Usually you can't have everything. Are low prices more important for you? Or is it the quality? Or the service? Consider... decide.
If you don't like what we offer, then go somewhere else!! (Or at least just suggest something else - don't demand it... And don't be offended if we don't do things your way.)
Oh, and next time - don't be rude! I am worth no less than you.
And this people... is why I am a horrible salesman.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Platform 9 3/4
So what do you do when you feel like life and everything is too much?
You run away... Or rather, you fly. To London!
Not by broom, I think that would be too cold this time of year so a plane will have to do.
I just booked the tickets for me and my friend today and I'm so excited!!
Leaving the day after my exam.
We wanted to go to Edinburgh, home of my hero, but we will do that next time.
First trip of 2011. Maybe I should make 2011 a travel year for me? Yeah....
The Leaky Cauldron here I come!
You run away... Or rather, you fly. To London!
Not by broom, I think that would be too cold this time of year so a plane will have to do.
I just booked the tickets for me and my friend today and I'm so excited!!
Leaving the day after my exam.
We wanted to go to Edinburgh, home of my hero, but we will do that next time.
First trip of 2011. Maybe I should make 2011 a travel year for me? Yeah....
The Leaky Cauldron here I come!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pure Awesome
I really need to share my excitement here....
Yesterday The Harry Potter Alliance announced the new part of their latest campaign.
Now, obviously I love Harry Potter, so I doubt anybody will find it surprising that I am a part of something called The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA).
But the HPA is not only awesome because of the HP factor. It is simply an awesome organization because of what they (that is we) do.
It's all about using the popular phenomenon to do good and make changes.
Like raising more than $123.000 for Haiti after the devastating earthquakes!
The current campaign is the Deathly Hallows Campaign.
Every month between the last HP films we focus on a new "horcrux". (If you haven't read/seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows then just think of horcruxes as something that needs to be defeated).
The first horcrux was the Starvation Wages Horcrux, focusing on Fair Trade. Something I am very passionate about!
The second was the Dementor Horcrux concerning depression, anxiety, and mental health. The biggest issues of my life, need I say more?
And again the new horcrux, announced yesterday, is an issue I find very important.
The Body Bind Horcrux focuses on media constructed body image contra actual health and wellbeing.
So yeah, I just had to share my enthusiasm.
The Harry Potter Alliance is a non profit organization both with focus on the typical 'save the children and animals and stop the wars'-stuff, and also on the everyday issues of our society.
I'm truly proud of my fellow Harry Potter fans here.
Pure awesome...
Yesterday The Harry Potter Alliance announced the new part of their latest campaign.
Now, obviously I love Harry Potter, so I doubt anybody will find it surprising that I am a part of something called The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA).
But the HPA is not only awesome because of the HP factor. It is simply an awesome organization because of what they (that is we) do.
It's all about using the popular phenomenon to do good and make changes.
Like raising more than $123.000 for Haiti after the devastating earthquakes!
The current campaign is the Deathly Hallows Campaign.
Every month between the last HP films we focus on a new "horcrux". (If you haven't read/seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows then just think of horcruxes as something that needs to be defeated).
The first horcrux was the Starvation Wages Horcrux, focusing on Fair Trade. Something I am very passionate about!
The second was the Dementor Horcrux concerning depression, anxiety, and mental health. The biggest issues of my life, need I say more?
And again the new horcrux, announced yesterday, is an issue I find very important.
The Body Bind Horcrux focuses on media constructed body image contra actual health and wellbeing.
So yeah, I just had to share my enthusiasm.
The Harry Potter Alliance is a non profit organization both with focus on the typical 'save the children and animals and stop the wars'-stuff, and also on the everyday issues of our society.
I'm truly proud of my fellow Harry Potter fans here.
Pure awesome...
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Seaweed-covered Chocolate
Welcome to 2011!
I had a very low-key 31st of December. The fireworks everywhere terrifies the crap out of me so I prefer to stay inside all day and night if possible.
So, I stayed home with my roommate and made lots and lots of sushi and watched old episodes of The Big Bang Theory...
So, I stayed home with my roommate and made lots and lots of sushi and watched old episodes of The Big Bang Theory...
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| A New Year's treat for myself. Hadn't tried it before. Very nice! |
 |
| Roasting sesame seeds for the sushi |
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| Having a little schorle while preparing the food |
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| Cutting the fish |
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| Lots of sushi, giant rolls, stomach ache ahead |
So I'm starting out this year with huge amounts of leftover homemade sushi and a deep desire to wrap everything from millet to cheese to chocolate to liquorice in nori sheets...
And I hope everyone had a nice 2011-beginning!
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