Wednesday, May 9, 2012

9/5/12

Well would you believe it?  I went for another run today.  Despite sore legs initially after yesterday's run they were feeling fine this morning and I actually wanted to get out and run some more!  I did the same 3 km route as yesterday, managed to find a bit more of a rhythm and knocked over 2 minutes off the time (bringing it down to 19 minutes) so it's slightly more acceptable now I think!

Today started with a biosynthesis workshop.  Despite getting half of the questions wrong (well not wrong 'cos I hadn't really answered them...) I feel a lot better about that exam at least, there were some things which I actually remembered.  Just lots more things I need to learn now!  Seen as that was my penultimate timetabled "thing" I thought I'd take another uni photo 'cos I won't be here much longer!


The workshop also gave me another chance to practice my right handed writing.  Actual words are apparently a lot more difficult than chemical structures but it is now legible.  Having not heard back from the relevant person who I e-mailed last Thursday I'm feeling no more confident about my scribe but if I continue to progress with being wrong-handed she can sit and get paid to do nothing whilst I'll do my exam and just be there as a bit of a safety net (or if I get really good at it I might even tell them not to bother and then I can sit my exam in a room with other people, even if it's not the "right" other people).  Avoiding the necessity of a scribe is appealing because not only do I know she won't do the technical bits I don't do thinking out loud.  All the exams I've ever done (well with the exception of French speaking exams) have been written and I'm very used to getting information down in that way, particularly in exams where a certain amount of improvisation and guess work is involved.  When questions involve maths, or organic synthesis that really is thinking by writing, and I often work it out as I go along.  That won't work when it's not me writing!

So being slightly closer to being able to write in one way or another does mean I'm slightly less panicking about exams now.  I know I have a lot to learn, but then I've often not really "learnt" stuff until a day or 2 preceding the exam.  Everything I'm doing now is laying the foundations, making sure I understand everything, and that it's in my head somewhere; and a couple of days going over questions should teach me where to find what I need in my head so I can get it out onto paper in the exam!

Still almost 2 weeks until the first exam anyway, and 3 until my second (and final) exam.  With a piece of coursework to do in the middle.  So I'll be fine (yes I'll keep telling myself that!).

Right.  All this talk of revision I should probably get back to it.  Time to tackle the Fischer-Tropsch Reaction in my catalysis course.  Need to get as much done as possible today because tomorrow involves going home again (even though I only just got here!) and a hospital appointment so don't expect much work will get done!

Stay safe folks :-)

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