abracadabra

saturday 30 jan 2010

Rod offered me a cup of tea in this nice tea mug, all white at first sight. he warned me that the mug was going to turn darker and darker as i finished my tea because it was going to normally be colder. i thought he was not serious, and went on enjoying my tea. it turns out the mug did get darker, and in the end it was so fast i almost couldn't register in photos the color changing. what an interesting coffee mug! not recommended for children below five years of age. :-)

the award

29 Jan 2010

Nora came to my room this afternoon to offer me a slice of cake she bought to celebrate the award she just received from her department. Her supervisor had told her she would receive this award if she studied hard enough to get outstanding marks, which she did. She was quite happy to succeed and I think it is always great to find a way to officially celebrate the achievements. When we do this we sort of have a powerful file in our mind, one of being happy and knowing that the work pays off. I was very happy for her. I know how hard it is to be away from home and still have to manage hard work from school and endless other challenges we encounter here quite often.

Nora is my flatmate. She is a nice, hardworking student from mainland China. She is studying engineering. What she always tells me she’s studying sounds very difficult for me to even think about what this is.

Her supervisor also invited her, along with other two classmates, to travel together to attend a conference in Dundee, Scotland. She was so excited about the trip. I told her that if her supervisor has offered her such great opportunities the only reason is that he sees in her the good student the good professors hope to find in their classrooms. During this trip to Scotland she mentioned to him she is considering applying for the PhD programme here at the University of Southampton. He said that if she applies for the PhD he will do everything he can to find her a scholarship, even though he cannot promise her she’ll get one. That was great and she came back from trip very enthusiast about the conference, the trip, and about applying for the PhD programme.

a neve que cai e a cidade que para

(o texto desse post eh um email enviado a minha irma kassandra)

8 jan 2010

a universidade vai fechar, de novo. fica bem dificil mesmo o dia. que sensacao ruim. a gente TEM que ficar em casa. to incomodada com essa dificuldade de se movimentar pra qualquer esquina. ta um horror mesmo pensar que os onibus param, mudam a rota, a gente cai (hoje passei por uma moca e 'ops' ela me disse que ja tinha caido duas vezes so hoje. eu ainda nao levei nenhuma queda, mas ando com muita dificuldade, devagar, e com medo. e com um monte de coisas pra fazer.

eh o povo dizendo pra gente se abastecer de coisas e ficar em casa. se abastecer de que??? nem sei o que comprar, na verdade. vou ver se arrumo meu quarto e faco os servicos que tenho que fazer e pronto. torca por nos, pra essa previsao ser so excesso de precaucao deles, porque a neve demais deixa o servico pessimo por varios dias depois, principalmente para pedestre como eu, que nao ando na rua principal, e sim nas calcadas e na floresta, com gelo espelhado escorregadio. andar pela rua eh igualmente perigoso, porque os carros se arrastam e precisam driblar da gente. juro que to estressada. nem to achando nada bonito.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: xxxx@xxxxx
Sent: 08 January 2010 15:52
To: xxxx@xxxxx

Subject: FW: MONDAY 11 JANUARY 2010

Importance: High

Dear All,

Unfortunately, due to the predicted adverse weather conditions for Sunday night into Monday morning the University has taken the decision to close on Monday 11 January.

Please keep checking your emails and SUSSED for further updates during the weekend and on Monday. Every effort will be made to get the university re-opened on Tuesday.

Thank you for your anticipated co-operation during this period.

With best wishes,
Eleanor

Dr. Eleanor Quince,
Postgraduate Research Coordinator,
School of Humanities,
Avenue Campus
University of Southampton,
SO17 1BJ
http://www.soton.ac.uk/hpgr

2010 is in the air - what now?

thursday 7 jan 2010

i don't think i am fully connected to this new year yet. not been long ago we were thinking about the turn of the century. everyone was talking about year 2000. now it is 2010. i am so confused!! or lazy?? a bit of both.

the truth is i am slow and struggling with this freezing cold winter in england. this has been a nightmare for me to step out of the house or to walk anywhere. you oughta keep the faith, otherwise. . .

my birthday was yesterday. it felt a little weird to keep it really quiet at home. none of my flatmates knew about it, only internet contacts and personal life people. am i too old now for little celebrations? or have i gotten to the point that it really doesn't matter whether i have a birthday party or not? i am quite certain all i want is to be in good health and to know that the ones who are precious to me are all fine and safe. i know that the most important point for me now.

cheers to 2010!!!!
kalina