Yesterday saw me heading to Islington to one of my favourite bars (so pretentious it doesn't have a name!) in the middle of the afternoon. I had an excuse though. SCIENCE!
It was a workshop on how our senses are interlinked. They started by playing us different drinks being poured and asking us to work out whether they were hot or cold (turns out most people can). Following on from this we had to say whether a sound was sweet, salty, bitter or sour. Again, most people actually could (the sweet and bitter were obvious, but salty and sour were slightly more difficult). After this, of course, the drinks came out. They were playing with these ideas to effect flavour profiles and how long a drink stays sweet depending on what sounds are being played and whether knowing what's in a drink effects how you taste it. They did all sorts of things with changing which flavours you notice depending on what sounds are playing (again, turns out the same drink can change what it tastes like, or at least which notes you notice depending on the sounds you're hearing). The ended by just playing around with evocative sounds to enhance the drinks. This ended with me being slightly freaked out by drinking a "Barbers Shop Fizz" while listening to a 3D recording of a haircut. I've not had my haircut since 1995...
Yesterday the new QS World Rankings for universities came out. UCL, my current institution came out 4th in the world (again), whilst Surrey where I did my degree came a respectable but not really world beating 259th (interestingly in the Guardian UK rankings a few weeks ago it came 12th, above quite a lot of universities it's a long way below in these world ranking, which says a lot about the subjectivity of these tables!). I posted about this on Facebook yesterday* and it turned in to an interesting thread of comments, mostly by my old pals in Surrey being surprised that we'd all ended up in much higher up the rankings places and being rather negative about our abilities.
Given that we all hold our own in these 'world leading' universities (the conversation was mostly between myself and two guys at Imperial, ranked 6th in the world), I come to wonder why we're all so self deprecating about our degrees (other than that I'm self deprecating about pretty much everything I do!) when we actually got a generally fantastic quality of teaching, and, from my experience of marking them, harder exams than the undergrads get here at UCL. With the exception of Cambridge, where things are genuinely harder, it all actually just boils down to attitude.
Rather than making jokes about the admissions people having made mistakes and being puzzled that we've not been kicked out yet and actually accept that we're actually good enough to be (t)here, we'd do better ourselves.
Here's to confidence!
*my exact words were "A university that let me in is 4th best in the world? I doubt it somehow!", which sums stuff up quite well really.
Right, I've remembered that I actually quite like Livejournal, and should probably start writing in it again.
Unfortunately life is rather hectic, the PhD life style both works for me, and really doesn't. Especially when combined with trying to do ALL OF THE THINGS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD whilst doing one.
I am still in love with London, it has the afore mentioned all of the things for me to do, I'm going to loads of theatre and music and dance and art things. I've taken up swing dancing and cocktail making (and am going to reattempt to take up the saxophone, although I've also been asked to play in a brass band, so I shall see). I'm also toying with the idea of trying stand up comedy and becoming a writer(ha!).
The other thing getting in the way of LJing is that I'm keeping a more subject specific blog about my attempts to get fit vs my ill health, which take up most of the tiny amount of time I find for social writing.
I have a limit it would seem. I'm not talking about health this time which in a way is a nice change, but still not an entirely positive thing.
The story goes like this. On my way in to work yesterday there was a crane being set up in the quad. By Lunchtime people were throwing themselves off this attached to an elastic band and of course being me, I signed up for a go. All was fine, I was at the top ready to go looking out over a phenomenal view of London when the supervisor put his hand on my shoulder. I have never been so terrified of anything in my entire life. I became unable to breathe and move. Fear.
I ended up having to go down on the crane (which given that I had a big pile of colleagues/friends watching was a difficult thing to do in itself) and didn't stop shaking (despite being treated for shock) for over an hour afterwards. Turns out I have a reasonably healthy fear of stepping in to voids. I've never been great with heights and I'm petrified of flying so this isn't the biggest surprise in the world.
I'm now left with the dilemma of whether or not to somehow better mentally prepare myself and have another go (preferably back in the UCL quad, next year) or if I write it off as a bad idea.
Facebook is telling my I don't exist. Given how far reaching and all powerful it is, I have a horrible feeling I may just have to accept this fact.
Also, given that it's been over a month since I did my last day. The next day on the 30 day music challenge is a song that I can dance to... I can't dance at all, limbs go everywhere, it's a disaster! However, I've recently been going to Swing Dance classes, which I'm managing to do a lot better than just being left on a dancefloor with music I like, so I shall give you this... rock step kick step kick step rock step kick step kick step....
So, I now have some letters after my name. Not that anyone other than me doubted for a second that I would. I didn't actually do very well in the last lot of exams due to having burned out, but that didn't matter too much over all as I still managed a first due to dissertation and previous results.
Thank you everyone who supported me through it. PhD starts in september!
I appear to have become a squeeing fan boy. A few months ago a friend(well, actually lecturer) of mine introduced me to a country singer called Caitlin Rose. This evening I went to see her play live. I have possibly become a swoony teenager. Wibble.
I tend to prefer it when exams examine the course we've actually been taught... SIlly of me, I know... but it is nice.
I spent far too much time trying to figure out how all the questions related to the stuff we'd been taught. Ah well, it's only worth 70% of one module so not too much over all.
To overcome rage, I went and walked around the bits of North Downs just outside Guildford, which are alarmingly pretty and have some fantastic views (those of you ever in the area, I really recommend!). Left me pondering walking the whole of the North Downs way over the summer.
One down, four to go so I'd best get back to the books!
(although before I do, the next day in my 30 day music challenge (what?!) is a song I know all the words to.
During exam times I tend to get fixated on a few songs. This time round it has been this, which I now know all the words to, although it does occasionally get replaced with the equations of hydrostatic support in a star.
Not long after I'd gotten my car and was still getting used to it, around the time this Zombie Girl EP came out, my friend Jess and I went for a drive in the sun and got completely lost. This is what was playing as we drove round the wilds of Snowdonia hoping for a road sign!
day 6 brings me to 'a song that reminds you of somewhere'
Another one I'm not going to post. When I was 12, we went on a family holiday to Austria, and the bar in the hotel played 'Everything I do, I do it for you', Other than this is it was a good holiday, but I hate that song, but it is one of the few songs that reminds me of a specific place.
