Random Thought Theater

[Mastyaeva]

Someone mentioned exams in General Yuzuru chat and there are all this university talks here so I just can't help myself. I want to ask you, guys, how do you deal with the exams' pressure? I feel like I'm dying. I have my entrance exams for a doctoral school in three weeks (one in a week and another just before the Rostelecom) and it's crucial: I have to pass or give up my academic career for a while (simply to find any job for money). It's not the end of the world and I'm not afraid of working, but I'm afraid to give up my dream being consumed by a routine (yes, becoming a university professor is an odd dream but it's me). The main problem is everybody (my friends, parents, professors) are completely sure in my success. They used to see me being the first in everything. But I'm not talented, only hardworking. And those exams are not usual ones: you don't have a right to get B or C. It will be a competition between A and A+. No chance to make any mistake and there are a lot of talented guys competing. I keep telling myself that I have a tendency to overthink and dramatize, that I'm too depended on people's opinion but all this auto-therapy doesn't work any more. Now I have to close everything and study like a crazy, but I'm paralyzed by fear and can't do anything (well, I made this guy while thinking about all it; he is filled by strawberry jam and seems to be a good person; but now I feel guilty to spend my time to such useless stuff).

 Hold on, @Murieleirum. It sounds awful now, but you will use to it. Try to think about Yuzu while studying Japanese, it should help a bit.  

[WinForPooh]

2 hours ago, Neenah said:

As someone who has been on the other side of this discussion I feel I should say something. Scheduling for classes is a real nightmare, especially in large institutes where students in different years and majors share the same lecture theatres and labs. You have to take into consideration all courses, students and teaching staff and make sure they have adequate place and time for the lecture and it is hard. Many lecturers also have other responsibilities that limit their availability and makes it even harder to schedule their classes. So, it is very normal to end up with very weird timetables.

 

Sorry about that, but it is as hard for the staff as it is for the students

We had another way at my uni, at least for postgrads. All classes were scheduled between nine and six, though if all students and professor agreed, there could be earlier or later classes. Each professor would consult with the rest of the department to make sure that the rooms/equipment would be free for their slots and put out a schedule. It was up to the students to figure out a schedule for themselves so that nothing clashed. If enough students wanted to take two courses that had the same time slot once a week or so, they might be able to persuade the professor to change it. But generally, you just had to finish your course credit fullfilment over four semesters, and the professors repeated the required courses every year (no such luck with the electives though), so you'd just pick which one you wanted to do first and do the other one the next year, if there was a clash. It meant that the freshmen and the seniors got to know each other well, too, because we inevitably ended up sharing a few classes! But this would only work for post-grads, where we're choosing specialisations and already have the basic knowledge to sit through any of the courses and get what we need out of it. Nothing has to be done in a specific order. Though there were always informal recomendations that you leave a few of the more demandng courses for your later semseters. I never realised that this was probably an unusual way of doing things. The first couple of weeks were always interesting - so much angst about a required course clashing with an elective you really wanted to take, and trying to find enough people to convince the professor to change it to another time slot when you were ALL free - quite a job!

[WinForPooh]

14 minutes ago, Mastyaeva said:

Someone mentioned exams in General Yuzuru chat and there are all this university talks here so I just can't help myself. I want to ask you, guys, how do you deal with the exams' pressure? I feel like I'm dying. I have my entrance exams for a doctoral school in three weeks (one in a week and another just before the Rostelecom) and it's crucial: I have to pass or give up my academic career for a while (simply to find any job for money). It's not the end of the world and I'm not afraid of working, but I'm afraid to give up my dream being consumed by a routine (yes, becoming a university professor is an odd dream but it's me). The main problem is everybody (my friends, parents, professors) are completely sure in my success. They used to see me being the first in everything. But I'm not talented, only hardworking. And those exams are not usual ones: you don't have a right to get B or C. It will be a competition between A and A+. No chance to make any mistake and there are a lot of talented guys competing. I keep telling myself that I have a tendency to overthink and dramatize, that I'm too depended on people's opinion but all this auto-therapy doesn't work any more. Now I have to close everything and study like a crazy, but I'm paralyzed by fear and can't do anything (well, I made this guy while thinking about all it; he is filled by strawberry jam and seems to be a good person; but now I feel guilty to spend my time to such useless stuff).

 Hold on, @Murieleirum. It sounds awful now, but you will use to it. Try to think about Yuzu while studying Japanese, it should help a bit.  

First, of all, remember that as long as you're not harming anybody else (and I highly highly recommend not harming yourself, either), whatever you do to cope - even if it's to create an adorable Pooh (close enough) filled with strawberry jam you can actually eat, WTF, I know there are no prizes for it but damn, that's an achievement - is a worthwhile thing to do. It made you calm down instead of hyperventilating, and that means it served a purpose (other than being able to eat a jammy Pooh, like, seriously, that would be a worthy end goal in itself). So it was not a waste of time. You need to be in the right frame of mind to prepare well. Just sitting in front of the books and trying to cram is not helpful. So try to banish that guilt. What you did is a positive thing. You found something that will help you find peace and equilibrium, and that is a GOOD thing.

 

Second, being hardworking is at least as important as being innately talented, and you're likely more innately talented than you think you are. We all have skewed perceptions of ourselves. A megalomaniac would not have the doubts you do, so you probably skew towards thinking you're not as good as you are. But that can also be a positive as long as it's used right, because it will help you channel that hardworking part of you. We see the most talented people squandering their gifts all the time, but it's those who have a certain amount of skill in their field but also can work hard and persevere who make a real difference. Perhaps you will not set your field on fire with a radical new theory that changes the entire field. Perhaps you will, because never underestimate the power of dogged hard work. It can achieve more than the brightest stars that burn out too fast. You are definitely more fit to understand students of all kinds - the supremely gifted, the not so gifted - if you have known what it's like to struggle and doubt a little bit, too.

 

Third, we will all be sending you the best wishes and vibes. I believe it does matter - otherwise why would we all sit and stare at a screen, cheering Yuzu on with all our hearts, feeling the pain when he pop remixes a YOLO-Seimei, feeling the elation when he skates the perfect Chopin? It matters.

 

If you see yourself as a hardworking person, you will probably be organised and have a schedule. Whatever your stressbuster is, add that to your schedule. Take that time. Don't feel guilty about it, because it's as much a part of preparation as studying for your exam. All the people who have faith in you are giving you support. It's positive. They will give you as much and more support if ever you don't succeed. Try not to think of it as conditional, and it might stop being so much extra pressure.

 

This is also a classic case of do as I say and not as I do, because what I do is hide under the blanket and eat lots of dessert. It doesn't solve anything, though. Speaking from experience.

 

The swans will watch over you, too. All the very best to you. You will do your best, and maybe YOLO a little, because what more can you ask of yourself, at the end of the day?

[Mastyaeva]

Thank you, @WinForPooh

 

First of all, little strawberry almost-Pooh sends you his greetings. He is very pleased being called yummy and adorable and wishes to thank you in person one day (although it won't be him, as he can't live for so long, but one of his new brothers, for sure) (I'm trying to joke, it's a good sign).

 

I'm starting to think of putting your message on my desk for notes, in a frame, to see it every day.

 

4 часа назад, WinForPooh сказал:

sitting in front of the books and trying to cram

Looks like a perfect description of my everyday life starting by primary school.

 

You are right: less stressing, stressbusters in the schedule and well organized studing.

 

4 часа назад, WinForPooh сказал:

what I do is hide under the blanket and eat lots of dessert

I wish I would be there that moment: I'd make my best desserts for you. Cooking (well, baking, mostly) is my hobby and main stressbuster (except FS).

I just need to do my best. The swans watch over me, it should be all right (when I think about it I imagine Yuzu before the beginning of the performance saying his usual: "I can do it, I can").

Now I feel guilty to make somebody worry about me. I'm hopeless.

[Murieleirum]

41 minutes ago, Mastyaeva said:

Now I feel guilty to make somebody worry about me. I'm hopeless.

 

Now that's just useless.  Sometimes worrying is not bothersome at all, it's nice to have someone to worry about, and it's nice to be able to be supportive with someone who is on another side of the world and is needing for a little psychological hug. 

(btw, I'm the one who followed you on twitter earlier today. If your profile pic is you, you have an adorable smile. Please smile more <3) 

[Mastyaeva]

2 минуты назад, Murieleirum сказал:

 

Now that's just useless. 

 

Hug received, I'm better. Well, I'm trying.
(Yes, this is my photo on twitter, thanks for the compliment.  It was two years ago, there was a huge international scientific conference where I participated and I was very happy that day. Sorry, I have a very boring twitter, I almost don't use it).

[Neenah]

@Mastyaeva best wishes for your exams, I am sure you will do just fine. Try not to obsess over the results,  just do your best and you will find that you are way better prepared than you think. Do whatever helps you manage your stress whether it is baking, singing in the shower or posting here (you can appropriate the emoji thread for a lot of fun trying to make sense of the 1000 emoji we have available). Stress is your worst enemy, so make it a priority 

 

One more thing you need to remember, this exam is not the end of the road but the beginning. You are doing this as a step toward your dream and if that did not work there are always other options to explore. Do not give up and do not doubt yourself, fight until the end and you will get there eventually

 

Good luck  

[obscurite]

12 hours ago, Neenah said:

As someone who has been on the other side of this discussion I feel I should say something. Scheduling for classes is a real nightmare, especially in large institutes where students in different years and majors share the same lecture theatres and labs. You have to take into consideration all courses, students and teaching staff and make sure they have adequate place and time for the lecture and it is hard. Many lecturers also have other responsibilities that limit their availability and makes it even harder to schedule their classes. So, it is very normal to end up with very weird timetables.

 

Sorry about that, but it is as hard for the staff as it is for the students

My university is rather large (a freshman class size of 31k was admitted this year!) and my major is one of the most impacted ones on top of that so I do completely understand this! Student affairs workers are incredible and work hard to expand classes that are in demand and accommodate as many students as they can so I'm definitely not putting the blame on anyone. I'm just complaining for my own sake, I guess Although it's gotten a lot better as I'm taking upper divisions/specialization courses now which are of course in lesser demand than the intro level courses. 

[WinForPooh]

7 hours ago, Mastyaeva said:

Thank you, @WinForPooh

 

First of all, little strawberry almost-Pooh sends you his greetings. He is very pleased being called yummy and adorable and wishes to thank you in person one day (although it won't be him, as he can't live for so long, but one of his new brothers, for sure) (I'm trying to joke, it's a good sign).

 

The strawberry is an inspired choice, I would enact theatrical and very dramatic last gasp scenes while eating him. You should have told him to stop overtraining on that knee. Off with your head! And I shall eat you!

 

Quote

 

I wish I would be there that moment: I'd make my best desserts for you. Cooking (well, baking, mostly) is my hobby and main stressbuster (except FS).

I just need to do my best. The swans watch over me, it should be all right (when I think about it I imagine Yuzu before the beginning of the performance saying his usual: "I can do it, I can").

 

 

I do the same. If anybody comes home to find me with two dozen muffins, it usually means I have a deadline I'm behind on and I'm terrified, so instead of working, I baked, of course. And you know what? It is always the logical choice. It makes me feel like I accomplished something good, and if I can make food that makes people (including me) happy, then no deadline is going to defeat me. And they don't. (Then I watch the World's H&L a few times and it calms me down, too.)

 

Quote

Now I feel guilty to make somebody worry about me. I'm hopeless.

 

But I'm not worried. I'm sure that you'll do your best, and that's the most anybody can ever ask of you. Have faith, you didn't come this far by faking it, you did so because whatever your skill set is, it's good for what you've chosen to do, so your best will be enough. And remember the Pumpkin King - he fell all over the place at ACI but do you think that's stopping him? Nooo, he's going to go all out on Halloween anyway! And soon he shall have the Iron Throne!

 

_{Better him than Cersei. I've been reading the books. And baking cinnamon cookies. I have a deadline.}

[kitsune]

Sorry I feel like I'm messing up a conversation but I really want to tell a little bit about my day.

Today I went out with my family to do some shopping . We went to a bookstore, I knew there were books, magazines and other things in Japanese. I just did not think I was going to find anything related to Yuzu . The first thing I saw was a book called Yuzuru Method and I was already getting the book, my mother and my grandmother saw it and told me to think it over . I returned the book to the shelf and saw that it had some magazines with several photos of Yuzu. My first thought was "I want to buy all" but I can not buy all and chose three and after seeing the prices I had to choose one. I did not know magazines were so expensive . Was a difficult choice had to leave behind the book, a magazine that had pictures of faoi, another one that had photos of wtt and a few others . I chose one that had several photos of Yuzu from Worlds 2017. This competition is special to me and I really wanted something from last season, it's the first season I followed as a fan of Yuzu. Having this magazine with me really makes me very happy . See Yuzu happy and smiling is my favorite Yuzu .

After we went to a market and nothing happened, I just had a silly smile after seeing that they were going to buy a Yuzu spice and other things.

[Xen]

2 hours ago, kitsune said:

Sorry I feel like I'm messing up a conversation but I really want to tell a little bit about my day.

Today I went out with my family to do some shopping . We went to a bookstore, I knew there were books, magazines and other things in Japanese. I just did not think I was going to find anything related to Yuzu . The first thing I saw was a book called Yuzuru Method and I was already getting the book, my mother and my grandmother saw it and told me to think it over . I returned the book to the shelf and saw that it had some magazines with several photos of Yuzu. My first thought was "I want to buy all" but I can not buy all and chose three and after seeing the prices I had to choose one. I did not know magazines were so expensive . Was a difficult choice had to leave behind the book, a magazine that had pictures of faoi, another one that had photos of wtt and a few others . I chose one that had several photos of Yuzu from Worlds 2017. This competition is special to me and I really wanted something from last season, it's the first season I followed as a fan of Yuzu. Having this magazine with me really makes me very happy . See Yuzu happy and smiling is my favorite Yuzu .

After we went to a market and nothing happened, I just had a silly smile after seeing that they were going to buy a Yuzu spice and other things.

Good job self control. If it were me, I'd end up grabbing all three magazines. 

 

Speaking of which, has anyone here ever owned a Microsoft pro surface tablet? I'm hesitating on whether to buy one or not. They're so pricey! But can function like a drawing tablet and laptop, which is good because carrying 8 lbs on my back isn't doing wonders when I have to business travel a lot.

[Mastyaeva]

20 часов назад, WinForPooh сказал:

baking cinnamon cookies

 

20 часов назад, WinForPooh сказал:

two dozen muffins

I barely stopped myself, not to ask you for recipes.
Once again, many-many-many thanks for all your support.

Hold on with your deadline.

19 часов назад, kitsune сказал:

Sorry I feel like I'm messing up a conversation but I really want to tell a little bit about my day.

Today I went out with my family to do some shopping . We went to a bookstore, I knew there were books, magazines and other things in Japanese. I just did not think I was going to find anything related to Yuzu . The first thing I saw was a book called Yuzuru Method and I was already getting the book, my mother and my grandmother saw it and told me to think it over . I returned the book to the shelf and saw that it had some magazines with several photos of Yuzu. My first thought was "I want to buy all" but I can not buy all and chose three and after seeing the prices I had to choose one. I did not know magazines were so expensive . Was a difficult choice had to leave behind the book, a magazine that had pictures of faoi, another one that had photos of wtt and a few others . I chose one that had several photos of Yuzu from Worlds 2017. This competition is special to me and I really wanted something from last season, it's the first season I followed as a fan of Yuzu. Having this magazine with me really makes me very happy . See Yuzu happy and smiling is my favorite Yuzu .

After we went to a market and nothing happened, I just had a silly smile after seeing that they were going to buy a Yuzu spice and other things.

Yes, a stunning self-control. You can be proud of yourself.  Sometimes I think that fate keeps me from coming to Japan, because I would spend all my money on these magazines and calendars.

16 часов назад, Xen сказал:

has anyone here ever owned a Microsoft pro surface tablet

Sorry, never. I just checked, they're really insanely expensive. However, speaking about good tablets, three years ago I bought IPad Air. I'm not a fan of Apple, but it's really fast in action and, most importantly, almost weightless. I'm not sure about its use for drawing, because I don't paint myself, but I heard that it's possible. But in addition, there are endless problems with the flash drive, of course.

[sweetwater]

I thought of posting this in the General thread but wasn't sure it's time for this in that thread now...

I don't necessarily love this hairstyle but I think his round forehead is adorable.

[ralucutzagy]

10 minutes ago, sweetwater said:

I thought of posting this in the General thread but wasn't sure it's time for this in that thread now...

I don't necessarily love this hairstyle but I think his round forehead is adorable.

Chloe Ing is a big Yuzu fan! Love the pics!

[axelnojutsu]

I just had a sudden strong burst of "homesickness" for Japan. I want to live there again at some point but right now idk when I'll even get to visit again