very interesting marketing class this

very interesting marketing class this morning. i think i’ve mentioned previously that my marketing teacher is an interesting character. she’s very loud, moves class along very quickly, is pretty in your face (including picking people out of the group to answer questions & then saying how they’re wrong) and uses examples you wouldnt expect a teacher to (contraceptive pills, liposuction, strip clubs,etc). i liked her at first. it’s a hard class to keep up with and there’s other (bad) issues re her teaching style but i thought she was ok. after the first group gave their presentation to our class, she berated them in front of the class and was plain rude so my attitude changed. pretty much everyone i’ve talked to that has her (she teaches 3 classes) isn’t a fan. so when we were supposed to do mid semester reviews, i was honest. and i think everyone else in my class was too.

because this morning she spent about an hour addressing the issues we brought up. she said she was treating us in such a manner b/c after our first class she was worried about us. apparently we didn’t speak enough and she decided to change her teaching style to force us to talk in class. um ok. that doesnt excuse being rude. well she’s kind of backpeddled, said she’d try to speak more softly (the least of the issues IMO) and if we’d participate she wouldn’t be so in our faces. then she implied the other prof got worse marks than she did (oh, it was just our class – out of 3- that rated her so low) which i find hard to believe since i’ve heard such good things about him like how he gives bonus marks for items that we’d get marked down for. he’s also taught one of our classes & i def liked his style better.

here’s some great pix of

here’s some great pix of melbourne courtesy of readers of the age. and more

ok. i’m never turning my

ok. i’m never turning my phone on yahoo IM again. i did last nite – for the 2nd time since i’ve been here. this afternoon i got a txt from a friend. and now i’ve been getting that same text over and over and over. they seem to come in batches. i got 56 this afternoon. then it went quiet. then 70 more. now 50 more. i tried to log out of the phone this afternoon but didn’t get a confirmation message. now i just tried again and got the confirmation 4 times. argh!!!!!!!

why wont my freaking blog

why wont my freaking blog publish!!!!!!?????????????/

i went to see

i went to see the violent femmes last nite @ the palace in st kilda. most amusing was a sold out crowd of aussies singing

do you like american music
we like american music
I like american music baby
do you like american music
we like all kinds of music
but I like american music best

i was right up front, 4th back from stage, and shortly after the show started i thought i might have to leave. it was really crowded and suddenly there was lots of moshing. that’s when i realized i wore the wrong shoes (ones that didnt attach to my feet). i had a moment when i thought “fuck, am i too old to dance at a femmes show when the guys on stage are older than i am??” um, no course not. i just picked the wrong footware. but don’t worry, i elbowed those young fuckers around & stayed right up there the entire show. it was a pretty big crowd & the next 2 shows they’re doing here are small venues so i think i’ll have to get tix to those.

the opening act was good too. spencer p jones apparently a melb “legend”. trying to download some stuff now.

in addition to my busy school schedule and the part time job i want to get, i’m thinking of taking guitar lessons.

i started writing this

i started writing this last nite on the train home… i really need to get a pda blogger… here goes the reflection on the first 6 (?) weeks of being a full time student.

it’s now officially easter break because i’ve just talked to my finance teacher n told him i’m going home sick. i’ve been in the country about 8 weeks now & i’m pretty much loving it. it’s starting to get cold now so maybe that feeling will change (today is the first day nyc is warmer than here). i’m feeling a bit shell shocked n i do feel a bit sick (headache and achy) so this won’t be real thoughtful. my main complaint with school is we have so much to read, so much to do, that there’s no time for reflection or outside learning. it’s just slug thru chaper after chapter (estimated 300 pages a week but that slows down the long the semester goes on). i had expected or at least hoped for the chance to do some independant learning esp since only 1 of my classes is org development – where i want to concentrate. i have about 10 books checked out the the library to read this break on that subject.

the past 8 days have been the absolute worst. i had a marketing paper & presentation due monday (which went v well), a finance test on wed (went better than i expected but was a pretty crap grade) and a case study on thursday (no grade yet). then i spent the entire weekend researching & writing a market analysis (which i think sucked b/c i was so burnt by that time). in addition to all this there was the normal reading and meeting with groups to work on future projects. that’s why i think i felt like shit yesterday, came home, drank nyquil & slept for 11 hours.

there’s been more of a cultural difference in being here than in london in some ways. since i hung out with aussies in london, i really felt like au was closer, culturally, to the usa than the uk. so in some ways i was expecting it to be less of an adjustment than london was. but i feel like it’s been more of an adjustment in some ways. the bulk of it has been at school where teachers use lots of examples (aussie companies, tv ads, etc) that i have no clue about. there’s also a relaxation in doing everything that i’m not used to – especially boys who have asked me out (or what i assumed was going out) to then find out that no they didnt mean we’d do something on x date but sometime in the future and then to call and suggest getting together on x nite. ie they’re relaxed & don’t plan anything.

i’m feeling a bit settled now. it’s been almost 3 wks that i’ve been at this apartment i’m sharing in the CBD (central business district). i joined a pilates studio this week. am figuring out how to get around. i’ve met a few people but not a ton since i’m spending a lot of time with school work so i need to work on that. and i need to find a job. this apartment is a bit out of my budget.

last nite i drank some

last nite i drank some nyquil, watched a disturbing show on tv called fat club (yes, a reality show about fat folks at a fat farm) and then passed out. i slept for like 13 hours but i feel better now.

my week from hell

my week from hell is over. i think. i have tomorrow “off”, 2 classes wed & then easter break. course i have a fair amount of school work to do over break. today i just felt completely brain dead. had about 4 hours of sleep (went to bed at 6am). it’s 3am now & i’m wide awake. i’m slipping back into my bad timezone habits.

here’s an article from the

here’s an article from the times magazine about the unemployed in nyc. more specifically the higher level folks who are still unemployed after years regardless of their achievements and degrees. a great illustration of why i’m back in school. very depressing.

here’s an interesting site i

here’s an interesting site i found via first tuesday… working circles. another networking with a specific purpose/mentoring site. ill keep an eye on this one.