Final Tutorial...

This week is the final week of subjects, and the final week of Communications and Digital Technologies. We had our exam on the Monday that has just passed, and I feel that I did ok. I studied as much as I could, on all the topics and theories/personalities that we were advised to (as a group in the lecture) but I feel as though we weren't told enough of which areas to actually look at. This is because within the exam, I came across a few subject areas that I had not heard about at all...I am assuming these topics were explored in the further readings that were given to us throughout the semester.
I wasn't aware that these topics were actually necessary for us to study as I was under the impression that if we would have 'liked' to have read anything further on those specific areas we could have. So, I am a little disappointed that I will be missing out on some of those marks on the questions in the exam, when I would have studied them had I known we were to.
Apart from this, I did reasonably well in the Essay, which I wrote on the Study of Videogames, in which i recieved 17.5 out of 20 marks. I learnt alot from my research for the essay, and am please with my being rewarded a great mark(to me).
Some of the exercises we completed throughout the course such as microsoft word and Excel seemed to be very easy at first, and I was little laid back about actually doing them. However, as I learnt each week, we were shown a variety of little tips and techniques that could in future allow us to use these programs both better, and for more purposes than what we have previously been using them for.
I have learnt so much about how the world is expanding technology-wise, and now that I have learnt all the basics about how it was invented and who invented it, I don't feel as left behind as I did prior to taking this course. I find it difficult to keep up with all the latest gadgets, such as MP3 players, technical phones, blue-tooth technology, etc etc, so I feel a little more confident that I am not so far behind anymore.
Some of the lectures were quite boring, however i do appreciate that this is what happens with the majority of subjects because there is a theoretical side to almost everything. I found the short snippets that Adam showed us a few times really funny, and they seemed to break up the 'boringness' of theses lectures. The movies we watched also helped to tame the boringness...even though they weren't all that flash. :)
I found the themes of the movies really quite fascinating, and if it wasn't for this subject I would've never taken the time to see and appreciate these movies. I found the whole concept of what people (such as Godard) saw happening in the future due to the developmenting world of technology, and I can see where they were coming from. It is interesting to think about whether it is still possible for the citizens of a town to become fully controlled by machines...there are scientist who are trying to clone humans as robots now so I think we can think about these sorts of things without feeling stupid!
Altogether, the subject has taught me alot about technology, how rapidly it is expanding, and all the basics of how it came about, and I feel I am alot more confident in this field of knowledge.

Using microsoft Excel

Today we had to take a look at Microsoft Excel. I found it rather easy in the beginning, however when it came to the point where we had to use the 'macro' tool, it was very frustrating.

Following exactly as the instructions said to, we couldn't find the 'hide' button, which was supposedly on the menu when you right-clicked your mouse.
I eventually located it on teh numbered box. Moving on from this, the only other dilemma I had was trying to change the titles of the Custom Menu Items. This is confusing because there are three separate outcomes that I needed to be able to distinguish between, without having to interpret the actual content of the graph. I didn't end up finding it, even though I tired every button possible, twice! So i resulted in using the help button...and i found it!
It wasn't that difficult to do...I just had to locate it first, and one I did that it was easy each time.

The only other problem I had was with my graph. It just didn't want to create a bar graph even though that is what I had selected each time I tried to create a graph. However after multiple tries, and for no appararent reason it seemed to work and everything was fine.
I find Excel a great program to use, especially if I was a business student. But I am not; I am an Arts student so I don't know just yet what I would be using Excel for exactly.

Chatrooms on the internet

Today we looked at chatting over the internet. I like to usually like chat using msn, which contains a list of my friends, that I have added myself, so I find it good knowing that I know the people I am talking to. It is a good way to chat with your friends, when u are both unexpectantly online at simultaneous times.
In contrast to this is the site such as Active worlds.com, which alows you to talk to people through games and three dimensional worlds.
I could talk to others across the bottom of the screen, when using Active world, however i found it difficult to use the figures on the top part of the screen. It is difficult to learn how to move and coordinate the characters, or recognise who the other characters are.
After learning how to navigate my player, i was able to wander around the virtual environment and take a look at the obstacles within the world. But, i still had a lot of trouble to to figure out the purpose for me being in the 3D world- it was like there was no point in my being in these.
It was fun to make my character dance and kick etc, but i was still bored with the game because there seemed to be no purpose to it.
Therefore, in comparison to each other, I prefer to use the msn chatroom, because I know the people I am talking to, and if I was to use a 3D chatroom such as Active world, i would rather use it to play a game, and not talk to others at the same time.

Essay: Fascination of Videogames through Narratology & Ludology

Since the initial introduction of the videogame in the 1970’s, and its recuperation following the video game crash in 1983 [(2006) Wikipedia Video game crash of 1984)], the world’s preoccupation and obsession with computerised entertainment has dramatically intensified due to its development and the revolution of particular elements. Some of these elements include the visual and sound effects, the quality of the player-game interaction and also the depth of the narrative.
A recent development of two perspectives thoroughly examines the videogame; Ludology and Narratology. These theories can be used either as individual sources or in conjunction with each other to investigate the growing fascination the western culture has adopted with the videogame.

In a brief explanation, the study of Ludology, developed by Gonzalo Frasca in 2000, attempts to examine the game-specific dynamics of games, such as the relationship between rules, strategy and game outcomes (Children Spend More Time Playing Video Games than Watching TV, ‘Mental Health Resources’ 2006). In contrast to this, Narratology explores- as the name suggests- the narration of the videogame; that is the storyline, including all the characters and objects’ movements and limitations predetermined by the game designer. Although these theories clearly represent opposing objectives, both contain critical elements that contribute to the game’s playability and thus the player’s fascination with the videogame.

Conceivably the most noticeable method of communication the videogame has with the player is through the interface: the screen that depicts the virtual world. Hence, it is through both sight and sound that the game primarily interacts with the player, therefore heightening the empowerment these elements withhold, and validating the necessity of their dynamics to be engaging and stimulating in order to successfully interact with the player.

Some highly successful videogames, such as Tetris, depict an abstract environment, however it is the action-adventure/horror/sport/science-fiction oriented games that dominate the broad spectrum of videogame categories, which contrastingly are representative of pragmatic scenarios (Answers.com: Computer and Video game genres (2006)).
One of the distinctive (and pleasurable) features of a game…is the impression of realistic mobility and presence within (occupancy of) a fictional parallel world. (Darley, A 2000 p150) As this statement suggests, in order to maintain the players’ interest, it is crucial that the visual scenery and the movements that take place within the game are reflective of the natural world and comprise a direct relevance to the player.

Background objects and additional characters in videogames each have a deliberate purpose for placement within the scene; their presence may be a contribution to the application of and mounting tension, or simply a tool for justifying a character’s personality or situation. For example, the curvaceous yet masculine female action-figure Lara Croft, who stars in the videogame “Tomb Raider”, may carry on her body at any one time a gun (of varying types), backpack, knife, or key, alongside her combat boots, wetsuit or rock-climbing gear.

Each outfit and accompanying tool suggests her status as an outdoor, adventurous character likely to be confronted with a physical battle or problematic situation involving her surrounding environment. This environment however, is also calculatingly structured to complement Lara’s figure: the height of ledges is designed according to Lara’s ability to climb and jump; the length of underwater passages are adjusted to her ability to hold her breath; and so on (King, G & Krzywinska, T 2002 p163). Therefore, also existing in other videogames, the organic structures and costume apparel in Tomb Raider are utilised as key indicators to reveal Croft’s status and potential mission.

The realism of the fictional representational world of many videogames is created by the replication of common symbols and objects recognised amongst the western culture: the target audience to which the videogame is aimed. The universal theme of sex appeal is often incorporated into videogames, and is repeatedly achieved through the objectification of the protagonist (King, G & Krzywinska, T 2002 p175). Hence the effects of physically beautifying Lara Croft, and emphatically enhancing her womanly features to equal the western culture’s belief of the ideal woman, makes her character visually appealing to the player, and pertinent to the culture’s value systems (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S & Smith, J. H. (2006)). The same applies for the relevancy of objects within the games’ setting: the placement of particular vegetation is analogous to that of its organic placement in the real world. Thus the artificial representatives of the organic structures can be identified by the player, which allows congruent rules to be applicable as would be in their natural existence.

Furthermore, the proportioning of objects and their structure such as buildings, vehicles and smaller objects are not only relevant to the context in which they’re placed, but also in respect to how they are depicted as a representative of their corresponding physical dimensions. If the game is to engage the player and immerse them into the games’ virtual scenery, the visual effects must not only be identifiable, but also believable. The use of sound can dramatically enhance the effects of this realism; either as a sound on its own such as background music, or as an audio commentary device for the visual images upon the interface of the videogame.

The reason sound design is important in videogames is quite simple: if a laser makes a pleasing, fizzing hum, and if an exploding enemy makes a particularly satisfying boom, then the game is just more fun to play. (Poole, Stephen 2000 p67) This ‘fun’ aspect is, in likeness to the visual effects, derived from the realistic perception of the game. The connection the player can make through audio effects, for example an explosion which directly suggests danger or a bomb, stimulates emotions of fear and panic and consequentially amplifies the life-like experience of the game. It is this release of human emotion that strengthens the authenticity of the situation and allows for greater interaction between the player and the virtual world. Furthermore, the inclusion of physical involvement with the videogame, combined with the audio and visual effects allows for an even deeper level of interaction between the player and the game.

Alternate input devices, such as the steering wheel and the gun, have been developed to complement their respective game genres, in replacement to the universal control-pad. The steering wheel, often connected to acceleration and brake pedals, is a replication of a real vehicle’s steering wheel, and is used to manoeuvre the protagonist’s vehicle across the screen. Additionally, vibrations are released through the wheel in response to the vehicle contacting with other obstacles in the virtual world. Hence, this specific device is used to imitate the required physical movements of driving an actual vehicle, and is responsive to the player’s performance with the consequential vibrations.
Another replacement to the control-pad for many war-orientated games is the gun: the player uses this device to participate in the necessary motions of aiming, shooting and reloading throughout the game. The variation of equipment that controls videogames in their respective genres, as well as the relevancy of each device’s required method of use, contributes to improve the sense of realism and hence the player-game interaction within videogames.

The physical participation, along with the audio and visual effects of the interface, largely contributes to the overall realism experienced when playing the videogame. However, without a specific structure or purpose, the player may become disengaged and bored with the game; hence the necessity of a narrative.

Aside from the Ludological perspectives, the videogame can be viewed as a text through its narrative structure. Similar to other literary art forms, the technique of approaching the player through a first-person context is frequented within many videogames (Newman, J 2002). By initially addressing the player in a direct manner, the game captures their interest and personalises the situation, involving the player from the beginning. The content in which the game expresses in this initial introduction is often an insight into the back-story of the game.
The back-story is used to justify the situation in which the game takes place, generally revealing the setting, era and essential characters (Darley, A 2000 p150-151). It is also useful to reveal the purpose of the player’s role in the game; it can set up a clear motivation and goal for the player to accomplish.

However, in order to reach this goal, and win the videogame, there is often only one correct pathway the player may take, as many games are structured with only one possible pathway. This pathway is guided mainly by other characters and situations within the game, and is largely shaped by the games’ diegetic world; the on-screen depiction and narrative familiarised to the player through prior film and television exhibitions.

These characters that contribute to the outcome of the videogame can be categorised as; player-characters, of whom are controlled (within their predetermined limitations set by the game designer) by the player himself and; the computer-controlled incidental characters who are disguised as helpers, hinderers, beneficiaries, neutral characters, or narrators (Wolf, Mark J. P 2001 p98). Each of these characters, in their respective manner according to what their categorised name suggests, guide the player throughout the course of the game. However, as these characters’ movements have predetermined boundaries to which they are limited to, the player-game interaction is strictly limited.

Within many fight-orientated games for example, players can only perform specific fighting movements against opponents according to the combination of buttons pressed on the control pad that are acknowledged by the game. Also, they may only commit one move at a time; hence the player’s freedom to control the character is limited to the game’s programmed structure. Nevertheless, with the development of the multi-linear narrative (of which more than one pathway and outcome are made possible), the game allows for some freedom of personal choice, as the player can choose which pathway to take, and thus attempts to balance the restrictions created by the limiting of the characters’ movements.

The enthralment the world has, and continues to have, with the videogame has been examined through the Ludological and Narratological elements of the sound and visual effects, the physically responsive apparatus’ and also the profundity of the storyline. Each of these elements contributes individually and collectively to enhance the overall virtual experience of a videogame as it is this, their simulacral or so-called ‘virtual’ aspect- this dimension of incorporation in fabrication…which provides most of the fascination and fun (Darley, A. 2000 p166).

REFERENCES:
v Wikipedia (2006) Video game crash of 1984
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1984 (Accessed 03 May 2006)
v ‘Mental Health Resources’ Article: Children Spend More Time Playing Video Games than Watching TV, (2006) http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/familyresources/a/videotv404.htm (Accessed 20 April 2006)
v Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S & Smith, J. H. (2000) ‘Game Research: The Art, Business and Science of Computer Games’ Article: Computer Games, media and Interactivity
http://www.game-research.com/art_games_media.asp (Accessed 03 May 2006)

v Answers.com: Computer and Video game genres (2006)
http://www.answers.com/topic/computer-and-video-game-genres (Accessed 04 May 2006)
v Newman, J (2002) Games Studies-The Myth of the Ergodic Videogame: Some Thoughts on Player-Character Relationships in Videogames http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/newman/ (Accessed 28 April 2006)
v Wolf, Mark J. P (2001) The Medium of the Video Game, University of Texas, USA (p 98)
v Poole, Stephen (2000) Trigger Happy; Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution, Arcade Publishing, New York (p67)
v Darley, Andrew (2000) Digital and Visual Culture: Surface Play and Spectacle in New Media Genres Routledge, London (pp 66, 150, 151)
v King, Geoff & Krzywinska, Tanya (2002) Screen Play: Cinema/Videogames/Interfaces, Wallflower Press, London (pp163, 175)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

§ Smith, J H (2002) ‘Game Research: The Art, Business and Science of Computer Games’ Article: Computer Game Research 101-A brief Introduction to the Literature
http://www.game-research.com/art_computer_game_research.asp (Accessed 19 April 2006)

§ Rawlings, Tomas (2003) ‘Game Research: The Art, Business and Science of Computer Games’ Article: Narrative and Interactivity,.
http://www.game-research.com/art_narrative_and_interactivity.asp (Accessed 19 April 2006)

§ Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Simon & Smith, Jonas Heide (2000) ‘Game Research: The Art, Business and Science of Computer Games’ Article: Computer Games, media and Interactivity
http://www.game-research.com/art_games_media.asp (Accessed 03 May 2006)

§ ‘Mental Health Resources’ Article: Children Spend More Time Playing Video Games than Watching TV, (2006) http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/familyresources/a/videotv404.htm (Accessed 20 April 2006)

§ Stewart Woods (2004) ‘The International Journal of Computer Game Research, Volume 4’, Loading the Dice: The Challenge of Serious Videogames
http://www.gamestudies.org/0401/woods/ (Accessed 20 April 2006)

§ Answers.com: Computer and Video game genres (2006) http://www.answers.com/topic/computer-and-video-game-genres (Accessed 04 May 2006)

§ Kennedy, H. W (2002) Game Studies- Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo? On the Limits of Textual Analysis http://www.gamestudies.org/0202/kennedy/ (Accessed 01 May 2006)

§ Manninen, Tony (2003) Games Studies- Interaction Forms and Communicative Actions in Multiplayer Games http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/manninen/#top (Accessed 01 May2006)

§ Newman, J (2002) Games Studies-The Myth of the Ergodic Videogame: Some Thoughts on Player-Character Relationships in Videogames http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/newman/ (Accessed 28 April 2006)

§ Darley, Andrew (2000) Digital and Visual Culture: Surface Play and Spectacle in New Media Genres Routledge, London
§ Poole, Stephen (2000) Trigger Happy; Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution, Arcade Publishing, New York
§ King, Geoff & Krzywinska, Tanya (2002) Screen Play: Cinema/Videogames/Interfaces, Wallflower Press, London
§ Coupland, Douglas (1998) Lara’s Book: Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider Phenomenon, Prima, USA
§ Wolf, Mark J. P (2001) The Medium of the Video Game, University of Texas, USA

Microsoft Powerpoint

Today I had to create my own powerpoint presentation, just with basic information about myself and my hobbies etc. I have used Powerpoint a few times and found the instructions quite easy to follow. The only trouble I seemed to have was a little bit with the animation presetting. I think if you use it you can preset each of the slides to have the sme animation and sequences of animations, but as we were required to have a different animation for each separate slide, I didn't use this tool and instead started from scratch each time with new animations.

All together I found this weeks exercise easy and I think it is useful when giving seminars as you can either time the presentation to follow along with your speech, or just click on the mouse when you are ready for the next presentation.

Using Microsoft

During this tutorial, we had to complete a few exercises on Microsoft word and how it works.

In the beginning I though it was really simple, and perhaps a waste of time as we began with the basics such as bolding word and underlining them.

But then we had to create a letter...

It showed me how to create a mail-merging thing which allows me to insert different names of the people I'd be sending my letter to. This is going to be very useful for me in the long run when I wish to post letters of the same or nearly the same content to multiple recipients.

It was a little difficult to know what all the buttons on the toolbar were for but with a little experimenting I was able to learn their uses and utilise them to my needs. :)

Pictures and their meanings...

This is probably the most appropriate picture to match the term 'friends' as the group of people shown are the characters from the show which is titled "Friends" and revolves around a group of friends ( some famile) that live together in America and basicall just details their day-to-day lives.

High tech.... this word automatically gets me thinking about those little computer chips that contain billions of bits of imformation...something I just cannot seem to grasp because I think its so complex and tricky the way a centimeter-squared piece of plasctic or whatever it is can

contain so much information!

News...I think it is self-explanatory..a newspaper!
Even though with the revolutionizing world, this is still the image the springs into mind when I think of the News!

Summer... reminds me of California... ig uess I've seen too many of those corny teenage-summer-vacation movies made in California...Just like this one:

Now unconventional is a toughy...according to the dictionary it means not generally

accepted by the public etc so i think this image is quirky enough to fit an unconventional theme!

Lastly, University life: NOW THIS IS APROPRIATE. bascially because university menas stacks of paperwork and assignments that just seem never-ending! Yikes!

Scavenger hunt...

1.What is the weight of the worlds biggest pumpkin?
A: According to Lenny_G, the worlds biggest pumpkin weighs in at 1061 pounds. Now usually i wouldn't just get my answer off someone else's blog, but considering they are a student from the same class as me (ha ha!) I guess they have already done the work! :)

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?
A:I've been searching a few of the sites, and it looks like its either sending him some fan mail or
going to where he is currently swimming. I would think you could sms the team and it would still get to him, even though he isn't competeing in the Commonwealth games...

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
A: Approxiamtely 20 inches long... that is alot of tongue!

4. How would you define the word "ontology"? In your own words, what does it really mean ?
A: Ontology means "The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being" which, in my interpretation is something like the act of living or existing.
http://dictionary.reference.com/

5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?
A: I'm thinking its the 1975 film Shivers
http://filmfreakcentral.net/notes/dcronenbergretrointerview.htm

6. When was the original "Hacker's Manifesto" written?
A: It was originally written in 1986, according to http://www.whitehats.ca/main/members/Ubergeek/ubergeek_manifesto.html

7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with "555"?
A: No English place names contained the combination of the letters J, K, and L -- which are all assigned to the digit "5" on the phone. So the prefix 555 wasn't used, and Hollywood was encouraged to use it so as to limit the prank-calling public.
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20020826.html

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
A: Well i've been searching the internet...through Yahoo and Altavista and it seems that there are heaps of 'cheap' modes of transport from Crete to Rhodes, but, one of my searches came up with a previos students blog and they have commented that the cheapest way is to walk ... sounds right to me!

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
A: From march 20-27, in Australia the best song was "I'll Never Find Another You" by The Seekers, in the UK it was "The Last Time" by The Rolling Stones and then in America it was "Eight Days A Week" by The Beatles. Wow, i never thought all of these great bands were around at the same time as each other! Perhaps I should get out my mum's old records and have a listen hey!...get with the times!

10. Which Brisbane band was (still is?) Stephen Stockwell a member of?
A: Well well well, it seems Mr stockwell is a member of Brisbane's the Black Assassins... not just a lecturer after all! hahaha
www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au/2005/content/standard.asp?name=StockwellS

Alphaville Review

Alphaville is an old, black and white film, in French, so it has subtitles.

Although this may seem unenticing to watch, the underlying concept is quite fascinating to anyone interested in (the birth and development of) communication or technology (and media).

Basically, the film explores the notion of the computer-controls-the-human concept. That is, back in the 1960's (when it was made) the whole idea of how fast the technology was growing (or soon to be growing) was thought to one day have the potentialto take over and control the human race.
However, as the storyline unfolded, it became evident that the computer could not identify emotions, as do humans and this, ultimatley was the death of the computer.

It is interesting to see just how far we have advance technologically since the making of this film. We are expanding our knowledge almost on a day-to-day basis, and it may be, perhaps, not that far away when we can get computer to do alot of work for us. It is, however, highly unlikely that they will conquer us as a rac eand take over our lives and bodies. And this is because, just as Godard has revealed in his film, humans will always have and need that intimacy and love from one-another, and this is something a computer can never understand. Although it is possible for the computer to know the meaning of love, they cannot participate in feeling the sensations that come along with it.

So, this film is highly relevant to the issues we deal with today in communication and technological practices,
and we cn use the underlying theme as a basis as to where we think we may end up in the future.

Spam Schmam!

OMG!
I totally HATE sll the spam that i seem to be getting in my email inbox. GRRRRR!

I only get it in my hotmail email though, thankfully not the uni one as well! I guess this is because there is a bigger and better firewall that comes with the University emailing system, as opposed to the hotmail one which practically lets anything and anyone in!!!

I have got a filter happening, but if i put the security up too high, i can't seem to recieve emails from friends unless they are on my "safe list". So there goes that idea...not that i get that many emails from people that aren't on the "safe list" but occasionally i get one from a friend I haven't heard from in yonks so its always nice not to reject the (few) goodies i do get!

There are some laws in australia that try to ban any unecessary emails that go around, but it seems those that want to annoy the hell out of the rest of us seem to disguise their emails well and they get through the system unnoticed by the big guys.

scavenger hunt

Q- What is a search engine?
A- A search engine is a tool used to search the world wide web.

Q- How do seach engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
A- Some search engines will rank their results by relevancy according to various criteria like how often a term is searched by other users.

Others will place the companies that 'pay' for their sites to be listed at the top most of the searches.

Q- Who, or what makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
A- The more topic-specific your words are that you enter into the search engine, the more useful a page will be as a result of that search. Therefore, if you put in a search request for something as broad as an object, like books, the results will be in the thousands. However if you entered something more specific such as sci-fi/japanese books, your search results would come back much more narrowed and closer to what you want.

Q- What are some of your favourite search engines? Why do you like one more than the other?
A- I personally prefer google.com only only because the name is easy to remember :) and also because the homepage doesn't contain loads of advertising articles and junk. I find I almost always find what i am searching for, first go with google...whereas one such as yahoo.com tends to advertise their 'favourite' or home-sites so i have to look a little harder.

Q- Can you find some current news stories about the search engines?
A- apparently, so yahoo has just told me... G oogle News has just gone mobile! this means that certain people with the right sort of mobiles (the lucky and rich ones!) can access news from google on their mobile phones. The news articles that can go to the phones, however, are only the articles that have been optimized for mobile users.

Course Uncertainty...???...

Howdy again!

Erm, I'm so confused about this course I'm taking. I mean, I'm trying to keep up with it all by reading ahead, and trying out the tutorial tasks on my own at home but its just not helping. This week i am supposed to post a report on the topics I'm going to cover for my essay but I've had a brief look through the course readings and reallu there is nothing much there that takes my fancy so.... i guess I'm stuck.

My tutor said to find something we like so we'll breeze through the essay but what are we supposed to do it theres nothing there for us that we like???

Arrrgh! Uni schmuni! Its so confusing and daunting for us first years! This is the second time around at uni for me, i quit the last time I was here and I'm determined to hang on this time, but its so hard! Why do I seem like the only one struggling?? Is everyone else just silently chucking their tantrums or is Nocola Fawson the ONLY ONE who is actually struggling? AAAARG!

Unknown

Well, I've been informed that this blog of mine is supposed to be used to express my feelings about the comm and dig technologies class at uni i'm taking; wither that or it was just an option for the people that get stuck with ideas to write about.

Anyhow... about this class; i haven't actually had a tute for it yet, that starts tomorrow so until then... What I've seen of the class (in the 2 lectures) its pretty intense stuff. Boring too, just a tad, but then again thats only some of it... the pieces that I find relevant are those that relate to me and the world around me; We had to watch this film called "Alphaville" (and we're supposed to write about it soon too) and its so old and weird- I have no idea why we're meant to watch it. Anyway, its only halfway through so I guess it'll all come together in the end!

as for now I have to catch up on this weeks readings... its alotta reading for me so meh, off to it i am!

gumboots for gumbies!

There are no rainbows here today, literally speaking.
But, in my world, the rainbows seem to have frizzled into mere fragments of my surrounding peers imaginations!
Haha...everyone is telling me that there is a better way of living and that I should get up, out of bed and do something or go somewhere. Well I have, and still things are as frighteningly boring as they were before. I'm not keen to stay this way, however whenever an enticing idea appears i sit and ponder the outcome, and sit and ponder the outcome and sit and ponder the outcome.... until I've thought about it too much and its boring all over again. Ha, sad ha!
perhaps i should just act on instinct next time? But thats not the way I operate... I prefer to sit on the fence and watch as other people make my decisions for me, and I can do something on the spur of the moment because that would be irrational, and bad things will happen. Right?
Meh, maybe next time I will just do it. Ha. maybe

Me Me ME!

Hey ho everyone!

Well, this is my first official online blog! Yay me!
i love to keep a journal about my daily life, and i write in it religiously, so I figure why not post my thoughts and feelings online, then perhaps I can get a reply and maybe change my (sometimes determined and extremely selfish) mind on issues I should really be letting out to those around me! haha..sounds like i'm boring hey!
Well...here it is...I've been suffering anorexia for about 2 years now and it sucks! I had to quit uni half way through the first semester in 2005, when I was studying Psych. Now I'm back, and ready, but I've completely changed my goals and now I'm studying Journalism! Things are gonn abe tough for a while, just until I get myself into a rhythm and used to the pressures of uni.
I'm very far from being well, and my family thinks its best for me not to be back at uni so soon. But i'm determined to get through it all!!
So i have about 9 kg's to put on... it's a bloody long journey and its soooooooooooo hard and even more frustrating but i'm hoping there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel, somewhere!
Anyways, thats is... cheers to all!