Let's face it-this blog is a bit rubbish.
HOWEVER. I have a new one in which I review books and shit. It's called "Finding The Lit: Five Easy Steps", because apparently the only way I can attract people to it is by making them think of something rude. Go there now for more ramblings.
http://findingthelit.blogspot.com/
Sunday 18 September 2011
Wednesday 4 May 2011
How Rollercoasters Work
I was awakened this morning to a frantic call from my boyfriend who seemed to be in the midst of a nervous breakdown. He began with "Roisin...I need to talk to you" in a quavering voice. If anybody says they need to talk to you while their voice is shaking, you will quickly discover this is just about one of the most terrifying sounds your brain can be exposed to. My immediate thoughts were:
1. Most of my chums from university have been killed in some kind of horrific pileup incident.
2. My boyfriend has been orphaned after his parents were trampled by an escaped rhinoceros.
3. He was going to reveal that he was born with female genitalia.
Two things we have learned from this seemingly pointless introduction:
1. I watch too many films.
2. His tone made me think that something horrible was about to be revealed.
In fact, the reason for his distress was that his dissertation was due in and he felt it wasn't good enough for submission. Despite my nagging to get it in on time, he has left it for another day. The whole thing left me feeling very frustrated at the entire university system; because the reality is, even if he submitted the dissertation in the state it was in at the time (without a conclusion or enough secondary sources) he probably still would have got a 2:1. As will most people doing an Arts Degree.
I can only speak for the University of Liverpool here, but I felt like it was almost ridiculously easy to get a 2:1. Philosophy was more difficult,I admit, and I had to work a bit harder. But for English students who would settle with a 2:1-come on. Don't act like you have that much work. Sparknotes is all you need-I would literally read the summaries and all the analysis and spout it in a seminar the next day. To pass English, the only understanding you need is the understanding that people far smarter than you have already done most of the work, and it's all on the internet for you to paraphrase and pass off as your own.
Of course, there is a genuine pleasure that comes with reading the works themselves. I'm not opposed to this, but if you choose to read the works for this reason, don't complain about the amount of work when you could have an easier alternative with much the same outcome... ESPECIALLY WHEN AT MOST YOU RECEIVE SIX HOURS A WEEK OF ACTUAL TEACHING TIME.
Obtaining a degree was ten times easier than A-Levels. No employer cares that I have a 2:1 in English and Philosophy and why should they? I know bugger all about philosophy and the only books I read during those three years were ones for my own personal enjoyment. By rights I should have failed completely. And yet I still got a 2:1. Think about that for a minute. Either I'm some kind of genius, or taking an Arts Degree is a colossal waste of time and money. Though at least in my case, no energy was wasted, unlike my poor boyfriend.
So my advice to anybody taking an Arts Degree is to enjoy your social life, especially so in first year (some people I know actually complained about workload in first year, despite the fact that you only need 40 % to pass and it doesn't count anyway), and cheat your way to a 2:1. Paraphase things from the internet. Find criticism books that nobody has heard of and copy entire paragraphs, word for word. Learn sentences from Spark Notes to use in your exam. Or better yet, find new and inventive ways to cheat and you might just come away with a First.
1. Most of my chums from university have been killed in some kind of horrific pileup incident.
2. My boyfriend has been orphaned after his parents were trampled by an escaped rhinoceros.
3. He was going to reveal that he was born with female genitalia.
Two things we have learned from this seemingly pointless introduction:
1. I watch too many films.
2. His tone made me think that something horrible was about to be revealed.
In fact, the reason for his distress was that his dissertation was due in and he felt it wasn't good enough for submission. Despite my nagging to get it in on time, he has left it for another day. The whole thing left me feeling very frustrated at the entire university system; because the reality is, even if he submitted the dissertation in the state it was in at the time (without a conclusion or enough secondary sources) he probably still would have got a 2:1. As will most people doing an Arts Degree.
I can only speak for the University of Liverpool here, but I felt like it was almost ridiculously easy to get a 2:1. Philosophy was more difficult,I admit, and I had to work a bit harder. But for English students who would settle with a 2:1-come on. Don't act like you have that much work. Sparknotes is all you need-I would literally read the summaries and all the analysis and spout it in a seminar the next day. To pass English, the only understanding you need is the understanding that people far smarter than you have already done most of the work, and it's all on the internet for you to paraphrase and pass off as your own.
Of course, there is a genuine pleasure that comes with reading the works themselves. I'm not opposed to this, but if you choose to read the works for this reason, don't complain about the amount of work when you could have an easier alternative with much the same outcome... ESPECIALLY WHEN AT MOST YOU RECEIVE SIX HOURS A WEEK OF ACTUAL TEACHING TIME.
Obtaining a degree was ten times easier than A-Levels. No employer cares that I have a 2:1 in English and Philosophy and why should they? I know bugger all about philosophy and the only books I read during those three years were ones for my own personal enjoyment. By rights I should have failed completely. And yet I still got a 2:1. Think about that for a minute. Either I'm some kind of genius, or taking an Arts Degree is a colossal waste of time and money. Though at least in my case, no energy was wasted, unlike my poor boyfriend.
So my advice to anybody taking an Arts Degree is to enjoy your social life, especially so in first year (some people I know actually complained about workload in first year, despite the fact that you only need 40 % to pass and it doesn't count anyway), and cheat your way to a 2:1. Paraphase things from the internet. Find criticism books that nobody has heard of and copy entire paragraphs, word for word. Learn sentences from Spark Notes to use in your exam. Or better yet, find new and inventive ways to cheat and you might just come away with a First.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
How Antiques Work
For anybody reading this-yes I AM TALKING TO YOU, ONE FOLLOWER-I am currently in Ireland, trying to use my bottomless amount of free time productively. So here is my book list:
Also, here are the other books that I couldnt fit in that photo:
Also, here are the other books that I couldnt fit in that photo:
Monday 25 April 2011
How Igloos Work
I'm still not ENTIRELY sure what the point of a blog is, unless you have something incredibly profound and important to say. I, like 99.99999% of the population am neither profound nor important. Unless my acceptance and awareness of the futility and insignificance of my own existence means I am,in fact,profound? Ooooh I sound all smart like.
Things I did today:
-I woke up at 5.30 am due to pretty inexplicable excruciating pain radiating throughout my entire body. This is a recurring event and I should probably see a doctor about it at some point just so, you know, it's not cancer or anything. As I've just realised how bleak it is to begin a blog by highlighting the possibility of the author dying slowly and painfully in the near future, here is a picture of a baby panda.
Things I did today:
-I woke up at 5.30 am due to pretty inexplicable excruciating pain radiating throughout my entire body. This is a recurring event and I should probably see a doctor about it at some point just so, you know, it's not cancer or anything. As I've just realised how bleak it is to begin a blog by highlighting the possibility of the author dying slowly and painfully in the near future, here is a picture of a baby panda.
Look at this adorable mother-fucker.
-I learnt about Issiah Berlin's pluralism, before realising that if three years of studying Philosophy literally taught me nothing about philosophy I probably wont be come the next Bertrand Russell any time soon. Which is a shame because, well, look at him.
-I read some more of Stalingrad. Am I an idiot, or is it not as amazingly life-changing as everyone says? Having said that, I'm currently on page 60 and it is 480 pages long.
-I watched five episodes of The Wire,and have subsequently come up with several systematic plans on how I can win the war on drugs single handedly. One involves shooting baby pandas out of cannons into the mansions of drug barons. There's no greater drug than the dopamine produced when cuddling a critically endangered creature.
-I resurrected my blog, though I currently have only one follower. It would almost be less embarrassing if I had none at all, at least then I could claim "the settings are weird, and I cant figure out how to change them". Speaking of which, the settings on my blog are weird and I cant figure out how to change them.
Ciao.
-I read some more of Stalingrad. Am I an idiot, or is it not as amazingly life-changing as everyone says? Having said that, I'm currently on page 60 and it is 480 pages long.
-I watched five episodes of The Wire,and have subsequently come up with several systematic plans on how I can win the war on drugs single handedly. One involves shooting baby pandas out of cannons into the mansions of drug barons. There's no greater drug than the dopamine produced when cuddling a critically endangered creature.
-I resurrected my blog, though I currently have only one follower. It would almost be less embarrassing if I had none at all, at least then I could claim "the settings are weird, and I cant figure out how to change them". Speaking of which, the settings on my blog are weird and I cant figure out how to change them.
Ciao.
Monday 6 September 2010
How The Edinburgh Fringe Works
So, me and Jason went to the fringe last weekend. Needless to say it was one of the more bizarre and hilarious weekends of my life. A particular highlight was a little known musical named Jump, featuring a song performed by a transvestite, aptly named "They Never Leave Their Wives".
Thursday 18 March 2010
How Totem Poles Work
So apparently nobody can see this blog for reasons I dont fully understand. In which case I guess I can write pretty much anything-so regarding last night, I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did and that the gentleman in question does not sue.
That is all.
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