Okay, so I'm coming back to the internet in two days after my last assignment for the year goes in, but I was just compelled to post because I just hit my minimum-goal for mininanowrimo of 3,000 words (100 p/d) and we're only 6 days in! Woot! And that's WITH working on the world's most massive assignment. My very hopeful goal is actually 10,000 and I'm also on track for that.

Wrote 2,000 words of nummy Spike/Xander porn on Thursday. Whoops. XD

I MISS PEOPLE, AND I MISS THE INTERNETS! SEE YOU GUYS SOON!

So, as you may be aware, it's October. For many people on my flist, this may simply mean it's time to think about pumpkin-carving designs and stocking up on that extra layer of merino. For those of us hanging out in the southern hemisphere who just happen to be attending university, it means that the end of the school year is only a few measly weeks away.

Around me right now is a room full of extremely stressed-out post-grads. It's quite a marked difference from the start of the year, when everyone was full of enthusiasm and you only saw a select few of the students. Now, the number of students has swelled by at least another ten, (who the hell ARE all these sociology students? I swear they just keep popping out of the woodwork. Maybe they're breeding...) and the work has changed from a slightly fun attempt at being a 'real' student into this horrific hair-tearing panic as people progressively realise that these deadlines are non-negotiable, and only two weeks away.

I don't have to hand in my thesis until next year, something which I am so profoundly grateful for I have no words. Seriously. I don't think anyone this year is going to be able to make the deadlines without doing a week's worth of all-nighters. I'm still looking at that later this week. I probably would tonight if I didn't have to be at Kung Fu. Fu is pretty much the only thing keeping my stress from exploding out of the top of my head right now. That, and other forms of exercise.

( Cut for me ranting about exercise and my fear of being overweight )

So anyway, two massive assignments, much stress, no money, job application to go and I'm outta here for the year!

To finish, have a picture of the blossom at the bus stop last month!

Muuust stay foooooocussed! *glares at screen*


Don't you just love it when you have an essay that's really due URGENT URGENT DO YOUR WORK NOW due, and all you can do is rotate through LJ, Facebook, three different emails, look back at the essay, write one word then repeat process? That is today, for me.


I have post S5 fic that I am trrrrryyyying to finish before Show (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!) tomorrow, but see essay for why it probably won't get done on time.

I am REALLY FUCKING EXCITED about Show tomorrow. Oh my GOSH. It'll be coming out in the early evening tomorrow (Saturday here) and can take between 1 and 5 hours to download, (if I compare to previous experiences) and I know I won't be able to do ANYTHING in the mean time. I could re-watch? I guess? *flails* I just hope I can finish watching before, you know, 2am. I have Kung Fu at 8AM on Sunday, which I think is AWFUL and CRUEL and UNUSUAL.

Also, GLEE! Yay! Rachel/Michelle is WAY TOO SKINNY, oh my GOSH girl, go eat a PIE!

Right, yes, essay. I'll get right on that.

Hi all. Long time no post, I know. Post-graduate work is not always fun!

So! Let me update you on my so-interesting life, yes?

1. I went to a party last night and FLIPPED OUT. Seriously, the closest I've been to a full-blown panic attack in ages. The Boyfriend was awesome and super-nice and took me home even though we'd only just got there, and he was really looking forward to the free food. I felt like such an awful party-pooper, but so glad when I got home to be able to snuggle up on the couch and remind myself I didn't have to go outside again until it was DAYTIME! YAY! I think the stress of Honours is feeding into the mild agoraphobia I'm pretty sure I have. :/ Going out at night has very suddenly got much much harder in the last few weeks. This does happen to me from time to time, but not as badly as it did last night. So. In some ways I don't really mind. I'd rather be socially crippled than physically, in terms of where the stress is going, because at least I can still work on thesis when I'm freaking out and hiding in my room rather than sick! I'm deciding not to worry about it, because I'm pretty sure it will get better once the pressure of this year is lower. *nods firmly*

2. Wrote the synopsis to an entire original fic last week. Woo. Full-on. It's very very weird, so if I ever got around to writing it it would only be for online. No publisher would go near it! *laughs* Still, it was fun to see that my creative-brain is still operating in there somewhere, even when it's been smothered by a million essays and what-not this month. Other writing projects are being prodded-at later this week, I hope, depending on my progress with MORE essays. ;_;

3. SPN! New season starting in what, three weeks now? I had a S5 coda half-written, so I might try push that into shape this week, otherwise it'll get eated! I'm SO nervous and also excited for this new season! Very mildly spoiled, and it doesn't SOUND like it's going to be shit, so we'll see.

4. I've been keeping a food-diary to hopefully sort out the digestive problems I've been having lately. Good GRIEF it's a frightening experience to see all your bad eating-choices permanently inscribed on paper in front of you. I bought VEGETABLES at the supermarket this week. LOTS of them. @_@ I also printed out the better pain-chart to put at the front so the doctor can refer to it. Hyperbole and a Half has recently changed my entire world.

5. I bought a new computer! Did I say that here? *checks* No! I didn't! I haven't updated in SO LONG! She's called Isabella (not a Twilight reference) and is very very pretty and very very nice to me, and has a remote, so I've been zombie-ing out to Naruto in the evenings and it's AWESOME because I don't even have to get up to load a new episode. BUT, now I have NO MONEY so I can't afford to buy Star Craft II, which is why I bought her in the first place, (there were other reasons, too, but that sounds more geekily dramatic,) which I think is HILARIOUS.

6. I've been invited to do my MA at Washington University! Which is so fucking cool! But also so incredibly never going to happen because it costs 50,000 USD a YEAR for me to study there. Hahahahahahhaha. But so awesome to be invited. Sigh.

7. RE #6 - I had this really odd conversation with the BF yesterday where we basically talked about how the hell we're going to stay together next year with me probably flying off to another country and him probably starting Masters here. :( I had kind of been ignoring the fact that I have a BF when planning the next stage of life, because a friend recommended it as a way of toning down my life-complications, and also because I kinda didn't think we would last this long. But we have and things are good only getting better, which is GREAT, but also really a :( moment when approaching next year. For now though, I'm going to keep ignoring the problem. *sticks fingers in ears* lalalala~!

I think that's enough of me talking. We all agree? Yes? Okay. Ta ta for now.

Hey all. Today was the first night in about 2 weeks? 3? I've had home alone by myself and nothing super-pressure to do. Seriously, that's actually not an exaggeration. I'm not all woe-is-me about it because there has been many good things, but also those weeks have contained visiting my family (which SUCKED, for the record. It was great seeing my brother but then I spent four days in the same house as my separated parents and an 8 week old puppy, which meant that I was stressed out and tired (puppy) and put through an emotional roller-coaster (parents) but was still a welcome reprieve from my infuriating flatmates) followed by interviews for my thesis, followed by a two-day photo-shoot for a Suicide Girls hopeful, followed by my BFF breaking up with her bf of six years and needing a place to stay. AT THE SAME TIME as one of my other besties going on the rocks with HER bf, which resulted in DANGER DANGER EXTREME SUPPORT REQUIRED for both of them, which wasn't a problem but was pretty worrying and meant I was either out lots or had ppl here. AS WELL as that I'm behind-schedule on my thesis. AS WELL as that my BF and I haven't had a lot of time together lately due to all of the above so I was trying to juggle spending time with him as well as my girls, which kinda made me feel guilty coz I was so happy to be spending time with him I possibly wasn't being the most focussed support!friend I could have been.

ANYWAY. All this means is that I haven't had any time for anything really, but on the very few days I've been able to sit down with my computer and a bit of time, I've been doing my best to keep to writing targets. I wanted to make a post for all interested parties, (and I just checked the read-count on Pomme de Sang so I know that there are at least a few of you *cough*) that this month I am actively working on Dry My Tears and have been making genuine progress. I have a secret goal for when I'm going to get the next chapter up and while I'm not telling in case anyone gets disappointed, let's hope I can hit it!

Meanwhile, new addiction: Bleach. Though the gender issues annoy me quite a lot. Still. Fun and the episodes are short enough that I can use them as a mini-break in between studying.

Ooh, and my Foo has given me the details of a Professor in the USA who studies some of the same field as me who might be able to give me advice about the next educational step, so that's exciting!

Oh, and I just got my marks back for last sem. All I'll say is that I am very happy.

Enough for now.

Peeji over and out!

I'm having one of those days where I just feel a general pissed-off-ness with nothing in particular. I think it's just because I'm really busy and I have been all holidays. I haven't had a chance to get anything really done, and semester is about to start again and then I'll be even busier than before. Which sucks, because there are things like emails, and writing, and reading (both for fun and thesis), and catching up with people that I just haven't had a chance to do.

However, in an attempt to take some control over my life, I've made up a plan for July to make sure that my priorities don't get submerged in the rat-race. Particularly writing. Because I don't have any specific deadlines, like a lot of amateur writers, I think, it's so easy to just say, 'oh, I'll get around to that later' but I don't have TIME to say that if I hope to get this TV show off to a producer before the end of the year. ANYWAY, I've got a daily writing target like for mini NaNoWriMo and trying to stick to it. Wish me luck! I've spent some time on Dry My Tears as well, this week. In an ideal world I'd like to finish that before the end of the year as well.

In other news, I've been roped into helping out with Dr Sketchy's Christchurch. Which is going to be a lot of work, (already is!) but has been a lot of fun. So if anyone around here is in the 'hood, come check it out!

So many awesome Big Bangs this year! I may post a list of some of my favs, later, but I've barely had the chance to read this week! Last week I was up north delivering a PUPPY to my Dad. (OH YES, I WIN!) I'll post a piccy when I'm home.

Okay, now I feel less guilty about not posting for ages. My brother gave me 55 new albums of music when I was in Wellington so I may have some music recs soon, too.

Love love, everyone!

Good things:

I've just got to make it through today and assignment 6 and 7 of the seven due in the last five days will be done and I can maybe stop wandering around with this startled-hen look on my face.
(Of course, then I will have to catch up on 5 books and 4,000 words of writing I've been NOT doing due to said 7 assignments, but hey, SO NOT THE POINT!)

Glee club tonight. (Yes, I've joined a Glee Club, and no, it's not lame and full of weirdos, it's AWESOME and full of AWESOME AND SCARY-CRAZY PEOPLE.)

I've done at least half of a 5x22 coda. I think it doesn't suck, too.

I watched Star Trek last night AGAIN. (This is about the 7th time, I think.) And yes, it is STILL AWESOME.

I bought the game Jeanne d'Arc to go towards my research and it's SUPER FUN and really addictive. ^_^ Really good thing to have to do before bed because I can't read fic when I've been staring at words for about 12 hours solid.


Less good things:

My Sammessiah fic needs some work, it's a bit average. :/

From next week I have to start recruiting participants for my research. Which means I need to power through these damn video games and I DO NOT HAVE TIME. >:[

I need to get my shit together and start making some serious plans about where I'm going once I've finished honors. This is scary because I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO and I have no idea who to ASK because none of the lecturers here know anything about Japan, and the only Japanese lecturer who WOULD have been helpful has LEFT. Wah. :(


Um, to end on a positive note..... My kitty is adorable, YAY!

No time for slacking! I've got 15 mins to write half an essay!

Today I watched 40 Priests vs Onyxia and, 40 Paladins Vs 40 Shaman, just coz I could. (Actually, the girl next to me in the Lab was watching it and then it turned into a very academic discussion with several other people of the addiction of WoW.) Now I have to go to a class where I have to figure out what to ask people about what they thought of certain religious elements in specific video games. Or something.... stupid research.


In other news, Autumn is awesome and beautiful. And I have no time. AH! WHEEE! (This post was brought to you by apparently nothing at all, have a nice day.)

Just got my first essay back for the semester, I have been having NIGHTMARES about this essay it was SO BAD. It was a complete MESS. The ideas were alright but I patched it all together like a plastic surgery failure. I thought I would get a B or something. Ugh. But, I got an A-! YAAAAY! Soooo relieved you have no idea! (NIGHTMARES! NO JOKE!) Which gives me hope that the NEXT essay, which is due in 2 weeks, if I don't turn into a massive spaz, might even get an A.

I'm not normally the type that worries at all about grades, when I was in first year I was just happy to PASS, however now that I'm doing post-grad your chances of getting scholarships really is hugely affected by your GPA and mine just... hasn't been the best. So the goal is to get first-class honors so that I can use THAT to get masters scholarships. As such I need to be getting a minimum of A-, but I'm aiming for A/A+ so that if I drop the ball here or there the average will still be alright.

Anyway, that's probably not very interesting to anyone but me but I'm SO RELIEVED I had to post. The postyness overcame me.

In other thesis news I've got to play all kinds of really weird and interesting games lately. Spacewar! is one of the first video games ever made. (it wasn't even on a PC, it was on some crazy computing machine that they had before then!) It's fun, go try it! Hunt the Wumpus was also a very early text-based game (that's a picture-based version, but you get the general idea) that came out way back when. It's really interesting looking at how games have evolved, and reading stuff about Japan as a fantasy-space for the West. I love my research so hard right now I'm gonna shut up. :D

In other news, I'm sick with a never-ending cold at the moment and if you haven't read it and are looking for a good fantasy book, The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson is definitely worth reading.

Oooo, oooo, just to make this post more media-filled, anyone who hasn't played Robot Unicorn Attack should go do it now, most entertaining thing to play when you've been trying to theorise for hours ever.

Don't wind yourself up over minor or non-existent issues. It's a waste of space and time. The Doctor would not approve of such abuses.


( Things I'm learning about post-grad )

I'm feeling like writing at the moment. Did some original work yesterday, being tempted by a million other fannish pursuits. Don't have time for either, anyway.

By the way, the BF's mother was really nice! And I think I passed without her hating me! Yay!

Have Danneel and Jensen got married yet? Does anyone know this? Is anyone other than me interested in my epic Danneel/Genevieve & J2 fic I keep almost-writing?

Hi all. Long time no post. I think no one is surprised by now, so lets just skip the gnashing of teeth and move on.

In news of Life of Peeji, I'm in my last week of Working Too Much at my workplace, and just starting my second week of Working Too Much at uni.

I spent 6 HOURS today researching video game titles for use in my honours thesis.

6 HOURS

I'm going to hate myself by the end of this, seriously. Will NEVER be able to play video games again. (but right now, I'm just really excited and can't believe I'm allowed to do this as an academic pursuit.)

I'm thrilled, I gotta say, to finally be doing post-grad. I feel like a fraud, and that any moment someone will point and say, 'You don't belong here!' I'm just so grateful that I've made it this far and I hope I can do well.

Also, doing research on video games? EXPENSIVE. @_@

I'm going to have no life at all this year. It's going to be awesome. Two of the girls doing post-grad Anth are also massive geeks like me. They helped me search for titles this afternoon because they were bored. *beams*

I miss writing right now, but there just isn't any time. Maybe once I've got into a routine. Right now I'm trying to pack 40 hours of study into three days a week and there just is. no. time. Writing is never forgotten for me, though.

Anyway, I gotta get some sleep. Just wanted to say hi to the outside world.

P.S. Jared just got married and even though I'm so happy for him, and not even Jared obsessed, a little part of me was all sad yesterday. ^_^;;

I DEMAND SOME SERIOUS PROPOSAL FIC RIGHT NOW. COME ON, PEOPLE.

J2 will always be my main love but if I'm going to read some het, Danneel better damn well be in it and I WANT SOME PROPOSAL FIC!

*throws confetti*

I'm just so HAPPY for them! I don't fear for the fandom at ALL really, (esp if Jared and Gen are engaged too, that's just too perfect for double-blind scenarios.

OOO! In fact, I feel compelled to point out that Jensen and Danneel started being more open and spending-time ish around when Genevieve started working on Spn. Did Danneel develop an epic romance? I THINK SO. In fact, someone also needs to write the epic romance of Gen and Danneel as well in the context of some J2 lovvviiin.)

Okay, back in reality-land, so, SO happy for Jensen and Danneel. I really hope it works out for them.

(linky, for those who don't know)

Also, another 700 words today. Aiming to finish tomorrow or Weds. Also sorted out majority of enrolment for 2010. Yay.

Man! The last two weeks have been so insanely busy! Today is my first real day off in weeks! I was supposed to have a big list of things to do but I just thought, 'hang on, sanity has to come before other things', so I'm taking a mental health day and staying home instead of heading into uni.

I HAVE, however, been working quietly on fic. I think I've sorted out the main problems with my post-22 fic, and done about 500 words on it today. I deleted 2,000 words last week so I'm glad I've (hopefully) fixed it. I'm also trying to leave room for it to be vaguely S5 compliant because since I have two assignments and only 3 more days of not-work between now and the 10th, (11th here, technically,) I doubt I'll have it finished before then!

I kind of hate my new job at the moment, but that's mainly because I haven't had my proper days off this holidays and I'm very aware that this was my only time for a break before the end of semester.

OH, and I found out today that the ONE paper I need to take to graduate has been moved to second semester next year. So uh, unless I can convince them to let me out of it, my degree is delayed by a YEAR. Trust me when I tell you that I was NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL! I've sent off an email straight away, because I'm FURIOUS. Because if they had informed us in advance I could have either taken it this year, or not taken it, gotten out of it and I would have been finishing THIS semester. I am SOOOOOOOO FUCKED OFF.

Finally, I'm working on the next episode of my anime now as well. I've so far mentally cast Jared, Jensen AND Danneel to play various characters.

That's enough of me talking for one day. Love love!

EDIT: Oh, and I just wanted to have a little mini-spaz over the fact that my supernatural/J2 folder in my bookmarks reached 400 fics this week. 400! I have an addiction and no shame!