living, thinking and writing
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| PRACTICE living, thinking and writing |
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Tuesday, January 14, 2003 First two days and all This semester, all my major school work is tucked into Monday and Tuesday, and nothing major for the rest of the week. Although the course work and teaching is still quite heavy for me, I can have 5 days on my own control-- I feel good about it. I take Grant writing in Learning and Instruction Depatment on Monday afternoon. I used to think it as a kind of workshop stuff, easy and fun. But yesterday I realized it is a heck lot of workload! A lot of hands-on research to do, seven assignment including a final proposal due on April 7, and which should be sent out for grant application for real. I thought about quitting it, but on the second thought, it might push me to work out part of my dissertation proposal by April. Who knows, that will be perfect. The professor has her way for ice-breaking. Though I don't like all those kinds of get-friendly stunts, I do appreciate that she provides plenty of food, especially during Monday afternoon from 4 to 7--since my evening teaching is, officially, only 10 minutes away from the ending of her class. And about the teaching, I feel good for the first night. After the nightmarish experience of teaching only 43 students in the huge lecture hall (for 480 students) last semester, I felt much more confident and comfortable when facing the same amount of students, but in a cute small room only 1/10 size of the last one. And since I'd trained myself pulling attention from those sporadically sitting around the empty room, I found that I can easily make everyone (at least most of them) listening now. I wish that's not only because I tried to dresse like professor last night. Though it is the frist time I teach 101, I believe I can handle it in a pleasant way, after teaching three different courses in a row for the past one year, and all of which are more challenging than 101. I often do things in reverse order, like teaching the easiest one after teaching three difficult one (isn't COM101 supposed to be the first course for TAs?). And like taking course on basic regression after taking linear model and multivariate stats.. But the beauty is, now I can enjoy the beauty of regression, and the beauty of Dr. Matti's lecture. Julia and I were scared off by his profoundity at his probability course in our first semester ever, and did not dare to enroll in his Intermediate stats. in the following semester. Instead, we turned to other practical stats. courses. Now equipped with some hands-on experience and familiarity with stats. terms, I'm coming back, alone (Julia is away in beautiful Amsterdam), to pursue the fundamental of linear regresion. Everyone (now and then) curses the toughness of his class, while loves him for the substantial knowledge he conveys, as well as the natural and passionate flow of his lecture. No one beats him. I'm glad he still remeber me after two years of absence. Two exams and four projects for this course, a lot, but I'm kind of expecting them, to test how well I've learnt these two years. The only downside of the course is its meeting time: 9 a'clock in on Tuesday morning. what a torture for me! and no surprice, I was the last one arriving in for first class, ten minutes late! The best thing is, at the noon of Tuesday, I feel my weekend is coming! I rewarded myself today by watching Amelie in Bin's office. What a sweet, charnming, little French movie. I surely should get more of European movies in the future. And the other best thing (how could there be two best things in a day!) I can watch my favorite TV show, 24, 9 o'clock every Tuesday evening, without worry about any imminent-due assignment! What a wonderful a day makes, 24 little hours¡ I¡¯m almost as happy as Amelie, when she¡¯s riding on the backseat of the scooter, driving through those little streets in Paris, in the lovely early summer day, holding fast to the boy she loves¡ I haven¡¯t been touched by this kind of little bourgeois romantics for a long time. I miss Paris so much! posted by lmeimei @10:20 PM| permanent link| | |
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