Ness' guide to team work with Ness.

After the last group work thing we did for law, we were asked to do a bit of research about team work, then to reflect upon the processes our team went through and what we learned. Here is a summary of the things that I will strictly adhere to in the future.

1) Where possible, form groups with people you already know and have contact details of. That way, if you have to you can harass them via facebook, email, phone and in person.

2) Once the group is formed and no one else wants to step up, assert some leadership. Talk about what the task is, what needs to be done, when it needs to be done by and who needs to do which part. The reason for setting a schedule is so that we can review the work done together as a group so it'll be easier to pinpoint what works and what doesn't.

3) Make sure that everyone knows exactly what they're supposed to do. In order for this to work, all team members must be present at each meeting. If you can't make it to a meeting you need a reasonable and acceptable excuse like your grandma died and you're going to the funeral or you've contracted a debilitating illness.

If your excuse is, "oh, I'm so hung over" or "I can't bother to come into uni on days when it's convenient for everyone else" my standard response from now on will be FUCK OFF. If you can't be bothered to study hard and only just want to pass, I will kick you out of the group.

4) If you haven't done your allocated task by the set schedule, then my response will also be FUCK OFF.

5) If I've told you to send something before 2am I mean it motherfucker.

6) Although I've asserted leadership, I will not tolerate doing all the work. I've allocated tasks for a reason, and I expect you to comply.

7) Compliance with all my rules will lead to handing the assignment on time. Furthermore if everyone in the group is smart and has done their parts to a good standard then we will get a fantastic mark.

This is why lawyers can't have nice things.

Sure lawyers might make a lot of money, but we all know money can't buy happiness. And while crying in a Ferrari might seem fun, it probably isn't.

Lawyers have the highest rates of depression amongst professionals, according to Beyond Blue survey.

Thinking about it now it does make sense. Mathmaticians have the best job satisfaction, outranking lawyers according to JobsRated.

Personally, I think it's because mathematicians can solve problems that have right and wrong answers. Lawyers don't. Maybe that's simplifying it, but I feel like I want to help people by fixing problems, but as a lawyer I'm not really fixing anything.

Oh well, back to more law readings.

tired mumblings

Recently I've been struggling with balancing my work load at university with my personal life, work and everyday tasks. I've often bemoaned about how everthing is so much harder than in high school and I'm frequently worried about my role in the future as a functioning member of society.

It is hard. The work is hard. There is never a right or wrong answer in law, and there is only an occasional yes or no in psychology based on what we've proven or disproven. Statistics is a bunch of maybes and 95% sure's.

It's only going to get harder. A lawyer or a psychologist, someone who fixes other problems. There's no textbook with the answers in the back, and you have to use your own reasoning to help as best as you can. You have to force yourself to think.

It's so easy not to think. It's so easy to be pulled along by the next high or low that strikes you. Love, drugs, trying to earn money, having fun and vegging out are all really easy to do. And if the tasks are enjoyable you want to do them more. It's human nature.

But tertiary students who are challenged and required to think and process large amounts of information, try and fit it into how their own logic works, and try and apply that to the world around them have a responsibility to use their intelligence.

We're the next generation. We have almost everything at our fingertips: information, basic needs, luxuries and many things that money can't buy. But we can and we have to make things better, for not just ourselves, but for the people we care about, for the people they care about , for the people who need our help. Because we're all human and I believe that all humans have a chance to develop and become a much better, kinder species if only the people we're educating use their brains and decide that being open, tolerant, well informed, fair and balanced is what's right.

Basically, I'm so tired right now. I'm not trying my best to do my best and sometimes I fall back and do things that are really easy because I don't have to think. But I know that's wrong and something has to change. I don't want to be the person who half asses their way through their education and becomes the not fully competent professional because I won't be any good to anyone. I don't want any student to half ass it through their education either because that stunts human growth.

I understand that development doesn't hinge entirely on academic success, and that students should be actively involved in what they have a strong interest and passion for, whether that be the performing arts, the environment, history, recreational sports and the like. But there needs to be a balance. The more knowledge we have, the more empowered students are. I believe this. We might be idealistic youths but I really believe that our generation will be the generation that changes the world for the better.

The cove

We love you, we love you, we love you
And when you play we follow, we follow, we follow
Coz we all follow Sydney, the Sydney, the Sydney,
And that's the way we like it, we like it, we like it.

That's the way
(You fucking cunts)
We like it
(You fucking cunts)

the last two months of stuff

Diversity Week
Mostly helped out with the Rotaract stall (we were sharing with the Dance Academy) and sold gerberas to raise money for the Mexican orphanage La Casa... and to promote the Latin Festival we were going to host later. Hung out with the Singaporean Student Association a bit and the Brewster.

Inception
A pretty good film. Not as mind-blowing or hard to understand as everyone made it out to be. The action scenes didn't exactly require insane mental powers to understand. Clever beginning and ending. Newfound admiration for Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ellen Page :3

Australian Election
My first proper election I guess. Voted for the local Labor member, and in the Senate voted for the Greens, Sex Party, Independents etc etc. I am probably partially responsible for the 9 seats the Greens now hold in the Senate hehehe. The Labor candidate for my area lost, but the Liberal member has experience I guess.

We still have a female, ranga prime minister, who is probably hanging on precariously because the votes were so close.

Latin Fest
We'd been trying to organise this stupid thing for a year now, and it finally culminated in an explosion of fantastic musical and dance performances, made even better with some spicy choripan, filling empanadas and slighty-too-crunchy churros.

Damn it, I still promote it instinctively. But it really was fun. I even got to let loose and dance a couple of times. Watching the Brazilian dancers, Mel and Nestor perform was really exciting and mindblowing too.

Scott Pilgrim v The World
Very funny film. Lots of great lines and nerdy references. Knives was so cute, I wanted to adopt her haha. The final battle was pretty epic.

Law + Psych Assignments
Two assignments due the same time on Monday morning made for a hell of last minute assignment cramming.

The plus side is I've handed in everything this semester on time (unlike last semester). I plan to keep doing that.

Bumblebee's Birthday Week
Bought a bag, discovered our favourite section of the library, bought a box full of useless stuff, made an awesome birthday card made of cardboard. Didn't actuall see Bee on his actual birthday though =/

Science Revue
Went to see Sherlock Ohms and Dr. Wattson and the Light Brigade at Sydney Uni. Very clever at times, funny at times, and constantly entertaining.

Actually went to lunch with Pichu and a bunch of highschool friends before hand, then going to karaoke for a few hours (glorious, extra, free minutes at the end hahaha). Actually sang a few Korean songs... despite not speaking or understanding more than a handful of phrases ^^

The bus home at night was a nightmare though. V and grog cans strewn everywhere, the entire bus stinking of BO, chunder and cigarette smoke. Got home pretty late too xS

Relay for life
Hiked all the way to the sports field, set up a blanket and dozed in the sun for a bit. Set up Bee's tent and put up his awesome Samurai Blue flag on the side of the tent. Had some delicious, healthy lunch provided by Bee then went Cookies hunting. Found her malnutritioned and exhausted from long hours of working. Mooched around some more and got some snacks to eat.

Eventually the actual relay kicked off and we had some fun dancing around the field for the first lap. Left early to get home and took an awesome short cut which I am totally using next time.

Sydney FC
Today! Went to see the footbal, Sydney FC v Gold Coast United. Met up in the city with Bee and had some Hungry Jacks for lunch. Waited for Bee's friend to turn up so we could take the bus to the stadium. When we got there it seemed like there were heaps of people there. The stadium seemed so full, it was pretty amazing. Actual attendance was something short of 10 000 =O

The Cove (organised bunch of really vocal Sydney FC supporters) sat in a particular bay and led the chants and songs throughout the entire game. Sydney scored first, then the Gold Coast potted one just before hlaf time (GUUUUUH).

Then some juniors came on the field at half time to play mini soccer, which was really fun to watch and cheer for.

The game ended in a draw, which was pretty disappointing. But yeah, definitely something I'd go watch again.

the difference between

I fucking love you

and

I love fucking you

is that if you love someone, you will eat ALL of their cooking and say that it tastes great.

i think too much

On a scale of:



to:



I am probably a:



I'm not sure why it's such an imperative for me to be skinny, and why it's such an imperative that I have tiny thighs and a flat belly.

I've come to terms with not having tiny thighs. I've kind of decided that, as most women go, having thighs (in general) is a fact of life.

I've come to terms with the fact that at my height, I should only be a certain density.

But I just can't come to terms with the fact that I will probably never have a flat belly like this:



I mean I could... but when it comes down to it all I tend to choose to be lazy than to do something about it.

What I think I'm trying to express is that I think I'm normal. It's very hard to find pictures of normal people. It's very easy to find pictures of people belonging in the extremes. So much so that because I'm inundated with images of "skinny" women, I get the feeling I'm starting to think of them as normal. I mean they clearly aren't.

I think it's a very interesting task, trying to write yourself out of thinking something. It might not be so interesting to read sure... but that's kind of the reason I try not to advertise my blog.

I think the last thing I'm trying to nut out is the fact that I get the impression that talking about your insecurities, or the things that make you sad, seems to be avoided. I guess when people are together in a group they're trying to have a good time. I mean, I don't know about most people but when I'm with other people I tend to feel happier, and there's less time to think. I feel like if I talk about any worries or fears that it will ruin the mood. That's not to say it stops me from doing it, but I guess over time I've stopped talking about certain subjects.

And those subjects usually end up here.

I also get the impression that no one actually has insecurities, and that I'm the only one that does. I mean obviously that's not true, but it's very very easy to focus on my own thoughts, and it's very easy to look for "evidence" that supports my impression. From a psychological stand point I see why that happens, and that it happens to most people, so technically I should know better. And I'm trying. I'm slowly but surely collecting everyone else's insecurities and weaving them into a blanket that I can hide under and keep warm in. Or some other ridiculous metaphor representing warmth and comfort.

I think I'm feeling better about my thoughts now that I've written this out.