Sunrises and lies

This weekend was spent, as you’ve most probably read in my last blog entry. I must say that despite my previous predictions regarding my sleep coming true, I did enjoy it greatly.

The whole experience was a fun one and the chance to spend some time with people I don’t usually have time to was the best part.

But I’d like to share a few things I learnt or observed on this camping trip:

First of all. We’ve been lied to. Now, I am here assuming that you are all people that live and have lived in urban areas all your life. So at school, at the age where we’re thought that cows go moo, and sheep go bah, we’re told that roosters crows as the sun rises. Bull! the first screechy cry from these infernal birds was heard at 00:30. I don’t know what time zone they’re from, but here, that’s about 5 hrs too early. And the crowing continues until about 8 in the morning, and then it stops. Children are given the impression the rooster crows maybe three times as the first rays of sun peep over the horizon and then calls it a day. Lies.

On the same point, every child KNOWS that a donkey makes a sound along the lines of “eeyor”. More lies thought by the pretty pre-school teachers. We were camping across a valley from a farm, and I was startled on the first morning to hear the sound of something being brutally beaten to death. Or so I thought. I was told it was a donkey. There was no “eeyor”, what there was, was more of a “heeeeeaaaaaaarrrrggggghhhhhh!”

So roosters do not greet the rising sun, and donkeys don’t go “eeyor”, next I’m going to find out pigs aren’t pink and don’t go oink!

The importance of water was also revealed to me this weekend. There was a bit of a panic that we would not have enough water. And it was justified. Seriously, we use water for EVERYTHING! Drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing, and by the time you’ve gone through those processes you’re thirsty again. But we survived.

Fair enough, the first thing I did upon getting home is shower a very long shower, then brushed my teeth, taking my time, I then shaved, and because I could, brushed my teeth again.

Next.

Both mornings, I’m lying in my sleeping-bag around 5.30am and my bladder decides it needs to empty. Fair enough. But if you think I’m going to go through the hassle of dressing quietly in a tent and getting myself outside in the relatively cold air to pee, and go through the hassle of undressing again. You don’t know me well enough. Once I’m up and about while camping, that’s it. Which I’ve found is nice. Waking up early is a nice thing, you can do so much and then look at your watch and see that if you had been home, you’d be just getting up.

And you’d think that having so much time and nothing to really do, one would get bored. But it’s incredible, the less you have to do, the more relaxed you are doing things and without knowing it and without being stressed or rushed, you get to the end of the day having had a full day.

Regarding this, I am surprised to say that I did not, at any point need the company of Mr. Clarkson or Mr. Crowder throughout the entire weekend.

Anyway, I got to see the sunrise from a cliff over the sea for two mornings in a row. Both special and beautiful, and I will always be amazed by sunrise. The colors, the calmness, the silence, and even though you’re sharing it with people, no one usually talks as the sun climbs quickly out of the sea.

On a camp, since one has no real thing to do, one finds he doesn’t mind doing something that’s going to take long.

What am I on about?

We walked to the cliff, and looking down we saw the beauty of the untouched and unspoiled environment at the bottom of the cliff. We figured this was because there was no way of getting to it except by boat. But it lead us to walk along cliff, across difficult terrain until, without realizing it, we reached the sea, and realized we had walked a long distance and for about two hours. The sea was freezing and worth the walk, and on the way back we found a chameleon, so pleasant surprises and results.

Snoring.

I’ve learnt that snoring does not bother me at all. But something I find entertaining is the point before sleep of some people. Their mind is wandering everywhere, and they are in no state of mind to stop their mouth sharing them. Usually resulting in a conversation like the one I had with Jonathan.

Joni: My mind wanders at night

Simon: Why what are you thinking?

Joni: To be honest, Louisa Abela

Simon: Ah, I was thinking about her this week cause her boyfriend is in a credit with me.

Joni: She must be someone’s daughter

Simon: …… Who?

Joni: J.K. Rowling

Simon: ……um?

I was perplexed. But it is interesting is it not? The right person, and you could most probably get anything out of a person in that state. Good to know.

Lastly, on the Saturday, my plan of supper was going to be a burger, maybe two. Through an amazing string of events I don’t feel like describing, me and three others ended up with a bacon cheese burger with a side of too many sausages, wine and beer.

Beautiful.

So, as I started this post, I enjoyed the weekend greatly.

But there was nothing as good and getting into bed after getting home and cleaning myself up.

The moment my head hit the pillow.

Blissful comfort.

So in conclusion: camping is a brilliant pass time, if I can bring a shower and proper bed along.

Out

PS: To piss off a farmer more, but not give him an opportunity to hurt you, ignore him. trust me, I tried.

PSS: For photos of the camping trip click here and here and here

ipod? check! let’s go camping

I am, right now, Camping.

Yes indeed.

Outside, sleeping with just a thin layer of material protecting me from the outside world. Spending my day among the trees and nature.

Well.

At least that’s what I assume I’ll be doing. Cause as I write this I’m at home eating breakfast, but it will be published while I’ll be camping.

I realized, as this weekend approached that, contrary to many people’s opinion, I’m getting old. I used to love the idea of camping, and the idea, of time to climb trees, and stay up late outside with no light but the one we create, and building a fire and dancing around it naked, and I still do. But what’s been making me dread this weekend, with all my heart, soul and bones, especially bones, is the idea of not sleeping in a comfortable bed for two nights in a row. I’m going to be sleeping on an excuse of a mattress, feeling every stone and branch that always ends up under the tent.

I’m completely terrified of tomorrow morning. Honestly.

If this doesn’t mean I’m getting old, then I don’t know what does.

Another thought which occurred to me is, well, I have to be extra careful these two days, much more than in the past camping expeditions.

Why?

One slip resulting in my left hand catching my fall, and Jonathan could be practicing fixing a dislocated on me for the second time.

I will try and be careful though, meaning, I’m going to do the same dangerous stuff I would do, but if I fall, I’ll try use only my right.

The result of this attitude of course is that, I haven’t done any preparing yet. It’s actually quite funny, my mother is running around in a panic, putting a collection of food together and basically doing my packing for me. My only preparation so far was charging my ipod and mobile phone, and choosing the flavor of the cuppa’ soup packets.

All I want to know, and this is serious, is how I’m going to survive three days without youtube or twitter?

out

Protagonist?

It’s happened to all of us.

“What has?” I hear you ask.

I’ll explain the situation.

I’m walking along, in a red hoodie, jeans and my yellowish shoes, a backpack on my back and my huge headphones over my ears playing one of the jumpy David Crowder songs. A bottle of Coca Cola sticking out of my bag, the sun shining, and my glasses shading.

So the thought pops into my head.

It’s like I’m in a Coca Cola Advert.

Oh come on, admit it, you’ve thought it about yourself at least once before.

An even better experience happened last semester. I might have written about it before.

Same hoodie, same soft drink, it was a cloudy day and I had just walked out of a lecture at Gateway. I pull out the bottom of Cola, and as I take a swing, the sun peeps through the clouds, my glasses shade and a happy song comes onto my ipod. I mean come on! I actually looked around for a camera crew. It was too perfect.

It doesn’t have to be an advert you ‘find yourself in’.

It could be a music video, while you’re on the bus, or walking along a dark road.

Hell, there are those who think their life would make a good film, and the least self-centered who see only certain situations as film scene worthy.

So what makes us all picture scenes from our lives on the silver screen, be it in an advert, or a film, or a music video?

My thought is that, we have been exposed to so much of these typical scenes used for typical reasons, that they have become installed in our heads. I mean think about it: how many times have we seen someone feeling hot (temperature), drinking, beer or soft drink and suddenly feeling fresh and cool? Thousands of times! It’s become a norm.

In fact, most drink adverts nowadays are just different ways of showing this concept.

It’s that, or the drink giving you some form of power or super human strength.

This irritates me sometimes. Seriously, what does Pepsi have to do with a group of footballers and a team of Sumo wrestlers playing? Fun idea and all, but drinking the soft drink has no connection.

Fanta and CocaCola adverts recently have reached for a link wit music. Again. What?!!

Fair enough, the advertisers manage to find very interesting and cool ways of showing all the above mentioned pre-set ideas.

Most of you know my excitement at seeing one particular Sprite Advert. It’s the one showing a group of youths suffering the heat around a basketball court, when one of them takes a sip of Sprite then removing his T-shirt jumps into the court which ‘magically’ turns into a pool. The implication is that the drinking of the soft drink had something to do with it, but think about it, it’s basically ‘I was hot, I drank the drink, I cooled down.’

But at least they found a really interesting and original way of showing it. I applauded it the first time I saw it alone in my living room, and I still think it is an epic advert.

No body would ever imagine that as they drink a soft drink by a basketball court, and that’s what makes it great.

CocaCola made a series of fantastic adverts quite a few months ago. The Happiness Factory Adverts, in which the idea is that there is a whole wonderful and crazy imaginative world inside the CocaCola vending machines.

Amazing, they broke away from the norm. They made us imagine, they made us think, they took a question a child would ask, (How does the Coke come out?), and answered in a way a child’s innocence and imagination would believe. It reminds us of the imagination we once had and makes us wish it where true.

Incredible.

What the advertising world really needs, I mean REALLY needs, is to give me a job.

Leaping non-cute sheep

It’s incredible how many thoughts can go through your head throughout a lecture. It helps if the lecturer speaks in a continuous drone. In the past 43 minutes I have contemplated food, a presentation, blog subjects, the design for a more comfortable bench, a drawing I want to do, food again, reminding events from yesterday, my bag, the human being as an animal, who’s at Chaplaincy, what Kai is doing, my hair, the pain in my shoulder, Matt in London, sketches for people, poster designs, video ideas, Patty, St. Patrick’s day, bass and many more.

It’s astonishing.

It’s astonishing how the mind can be so restless. I mean if it picked one topic and stopped on it and delved deep into that subject, fine, I’d at least be able to write a blog about it.

But as it is, I find myself at a loss on which of these mentioned points and also the ones coming in all the time.

I mean seriously, my mind is acting like the screwed up weather we’re having lately. One minute it’s focusing on one thing, next, like a freak hail storm, with no warning, I’m thinking about something else.

It’s annoying to me on two levels.

First, with my mind in such an active mood, it’s very near impossible to even try and follow what the lecturer is saying for more than 5 minutes, let alone 2 hrs straight.

Secondly, and more importantly, me in this mood, is me in a creative mood, and I want to do something. And I can not decide what to do. Draw, write, edit? The possibilities and interests are endless.

I can’t complain though. Well, I can, and I am, what I meant to say was that there are worst times to be the owner of a restless brain.

Lying in bed trying to sleep, knowing you have an early day the following day is one of them.

We’ve all been there: lying in bed, trying to sleep, and your brain won’t stop working no matter what you try. It’s the time you try to count sheep and your mind starts asking questions like “what color are they?” and then tries to imagine sheep, and then wonders what’s so nice about one side of the fence to make so many sheep jump over. Hmmmm, could I draw a realistic sheep? And why do people draw sheep as cute? Sheep aren’t cute, lambs are, but sheep aren’t. Sheep are nasty looking creatures. I wonder if I remember how to play ‘Mary had a little Lamb’ on the piano….

And so on.

And under all that a little voice crying softly to itself “I want to sleep”.

A restless mind at Church. Enough said? I think so.

Now, the problem with the next one is that it’s not only annoying, but it could get you into trouble. I mean fine, the lecture situation might get you into trouble, but unless the lecturer is one of those asking questions type of person, you’re fine. But the situation I’m about to describe will result in a wrath so powerful descending upon you, you will never be the same.

You’re on the sofa, with the TV switched on, with your girlfriend/ fiancé/ wife cuddling with you. Fine so far. No one is talking and your brain goes off.

A few minutes later, you realize she’s been talking and you come back just in time to here the last word in an questioning tone. Shit.

It is possible to survive, but one must be brilliant at coming up with some epic bullshit.

Having gone to Stella Maris or De La Salle helps.

So, with a mind going on and on, on a random tour of thought, what can one do?

Well, one sits down, pulls out pen and paper, or rather, opens his or her laptop and writes ‘[Enter name here] in Wonderland’

out

Mountain climbing

It's one of those mornings.

No, not one of those mornings where I wear a hood and grunt at people.

But it's one of those mornings where I'm skipping down the street with a smile on my face and expect bluebirds to join me in song and trees to sway to the beat.

This mood is a perfect continuation of the perfectness of this weekend. I mentioned this in yesterdays blog, but very briefly.

So, I'll start with the Lenten Talks.

So everyone knows about the first three days as everyone was still here. But on Thursday, our number reduced greatly as about 10 members of community went to London. I must admit, I was very unhappy about the situation of, not only about being left behind, but about having to keep going with the animation of the Lenten talks without the people in London. I found it unfair, unorganized, and stupid.

Well, it went well.

Not only that, it went fantastically. I enjoyed every moment of animating, planning, playing, and last but certainly not least, I loved the packing up.

Seriously, I'm not in any way being sarcastic. I loved the coordination between all of us who helped. I loved the efficiency of everyone. And to have everything packed away in the vans, and the chapel back in it's normal state in half an hour, with ten people missing, and with the rain pouring down, was amazing. I thank all who helped.

After every evening, I never went home directly. And every night was fun, great and special in it's own way.

I have to send out a special thanks to Bernice for helping me get through this weekend.

Also, a shout out to all the people still in London at the moment. I seriously hope you had a wonderful time and look forward to you, SLOWLY AND EVENTUALLY, transferring what you got from there to us.

*I looks up at the lecturer. Realize he is still saying the same thing he was saying 52 minutes ago. Shrug and continue with my blog*

So what did I get out of this weekend. Well, besides a reminder to always have faith in God and thrust Him blindly.

You ever look ahead and see a looming, dark, unclimbable mountain in your path? And it gets closer, until you right under it and you're so worried you begin to feel physically ill.

And then, without realizing it, no matter how hard a task it is, it's behind you. You look back and realize you got through it. Obviously you begin to notice the people that actually helped you get over the bigger boulders, but you made it.

So with this positive, message of hope.

And with the lecture about to end, and the sun shining outside and a mug of tea with my name on it at Chaplaincy...

out

was going to write an epic blog, but didnt

i was going to write an entire blog about the epic-ness of this weekend

thursday was great, friday was better, and yesterday was fun too

the lenten talks ended brilliantly, even though half the team was abroad, but stefan did a fantastic job, and i thank him from here

big thanks go to pedro for the sound

and last night thanks for everyone who helped pack up the stuff

everything was in the vans in 30 minutes flat and the chapel was all set up back to normal

i had a long blog planned

but not in the mood to write it anymore

so with no full-stops and no capital letters and matt don't you dare comment about it

out

Can I Tell You?

There are so many pointless things people say everyday. And I mean really pointless sentences. Sentences with either really obvious answers or questions with no real point at all.

I mean, I’ve been injured quite number of times and when you’re lying on the floor with blood pouring out of your nose and your head spinning, the last thing anyone needs to ask you is “Are you ok?”

I mean, seriously, those few moments and breaths of air could have been used to call a doctor or an ambulance.

I walked into Chaplaincy earlier this week soaking wet. You can most probably imagine my sarcasm to the question “It’s raining?”

Or asking someone blue in the face and shivering if it’s cold.

Obviously, knowing the person well, makes a lot of usually normal questions pointless too. For example: asking me “Would you like a cup of tea?” would be wasting your time as you know I’m going to say yes. Asking Krissie “would you like this muffin?” or asking Mike “Mc Donalds or the Salad bowl?” is just as pointless.

Only you and someone else in a room and you smell a fart, “Did you fart?” Isn’t it obvious, if it wasn’t you, then don’t embarrass the man, or woman (because yes indeed, women do fart) and pretend nothing happened.

You touch something hot, and move your hand away with a verbal expression of pain, and they ask “Is it hot?” What do you think it is?

There are so many other situations like these.

But the phrases that really irritate me, the phrases that are more useless than a blind goalkeeper, are the ones, usually said by girls between the age of 12 and 20. The infamous “Can I tell you?” or it’s alternative “Can I ask you something?”

First of all, by asking me “Can I ask you a question?” you have already, as it where asked me a question. And have you ever met any one who ever waited for an answer to it.

In today’s fast day and age, where we don’t have time to write text messages properly, and they are reduced to a few letters and numbers put together to form sentences, why do we keep insisting on wasting time on these pointless questions? Who has the time to insert extra words, let alone whole sentences.

I’ve had phone conversations of 30 seconds in which the only words I said was “Where?”….”ok”. No hello, no good-bye, there was no need. I’m going to see the person in a few minutes or hours at maximum, all ‘vital’ gossip can be shared there.

The strange thing is, that the people who usually say this chocolate kettle of a phrase, are usually people who have a real lot to say and speak really, really fast. So why? Why? Do they take the time and slow down enough to insert this pointless questions? Save time, save breath. Terry Pratchett, in one of his books says that the human body only has so much air it can process before it dies, and these girls are wasting it on saying the same question fifty times a day.

But, I guess it’s their choice.

We all have stupid habits, like mine is writing these pointless thoughts, and yours is reading them.

See, I know that if you’ve read this far, you want to listen. So without needing to ask, I know:

I can tell you.

choo choo of thought

"I might tread on the snail to make Peter, a snail lover, sad," said the lecturer.

What a lovely way to wake up this morning.

So, yes, I'm actually at my 9 o'clock lecture on a Monday morning again.

This is more surprising considering the last few hours of last night where spent setting up for this weeks lenten talks.

*OMG! I just contributed to a discussion in class*

*at 9:05 on Monday!*

Anyway, back to yesterday. I mean, it was difficult, it was tiring, and I would like to truly commend Joe for his patience and dedication.

So anyway, there was a lot of work involved, so if you want to come, they're going to be held all this week starting at 7.30 at the University Chapel.

And back to the here and now:

"Is this clear?"

And I'm thinking to myself, what is clear? What is "what" referring to?

And now he's talking about getting rid of someone that's bothering him.

It's just crazy how lectures jump from one thing to another, with no form of link in between. I'll admit, I'm not exactly following all the time. But I seriously doubt anyone in this room is.

I mean, anyone who has heard me describe how I reason things out and come to conclusions will know that when it comes to choo choos of thought mine are pretty unpredictable. But they always make sense. Andrew can most probably vouch for the logic, and Matt is the one that usually can guess, without me having to explain the steps involved in a thought process.

The thing is, I think logically, that people can follow, and I make connections between one event and the other, and what one person said and the look in his eye and how two people are acting and usually I can make pretty accurate conclusions.

I think that lectures have the sanity to have a reason why they're going from one point to another, but I think they forget that the vital piece of information needed to make the connection, is not present in our head.

And the one thing that I think stops us finding out that little information detail is, we don't care enough.

out

head cold

It's saturday.

We had rehearsals this morning.

And then went to move the platforms to the chapel.

I'm going to almost be touching the ceiling.

I'd give some thoughtful insight, but my face feels like it's stuffed with cotton wool, and my nose keeps dripping.

Carrot soup.

out

Idea!

A group of people sitting around a table trying hard to come up with a good and/or original idea for something. Be it for a play, poster, video, song, or any other art related thing, a group of people can spend hours, frowning at the table, inspecting the ceiling and exploring the contents of various pockets and orifices with no solution. And most of them will be looking at one particular member of the group, the one they think of the Creative One. Let’s call him Simon.

Each person round the table is thinking, “Simon will come up with something soon.” So they relax, and not commit themselves. On the other hand, as creative as Simon may be, he can’t come up with brilliant ideas every time he’s asked to, plus, Simon has had a long day, is feeling a bit ill and is not interested in the subject being discussed anyway.

There a few people, then, who know that Simon is usually the one to come up with the good ideas, and wants, due to a competitive drive, beat him to it this time. And it would be Simon’s pleasure if for once he doesn’t have to think.

But this is besides my point, my point is that although a meeting is held especially to come up with an idea, no idea can be formed by the end of it. And then the next day, while Simon is in the shower thinking about showery things, like soap and water and so on, out of nowhere, an brilliant, and usually obvious idea pops into his head regarding the point of the meeting the night before.

What the hell?

There are two points I want to explore.

First, How come it is Simon to get the sudden idea?

Second, Why does the idea pop up when Simon isn’t thinking about it?

Psychologists may have some reason behind the second question, involving concepts such as the unconscious and so on, and may even be able to answer the first, but personally I like the way Terry Pratchett describes it in his Discworld series.

He says that ideas are, well, independent objects, flying around the world and universe on their own, looking for the ideal brain for them to develop and grow in. When an idea finds such a brain, it heads for it and thus an idea is had. (I’m not sure one can say ‘an idea is had’ but it makes sense in my head as one ‘has an idea’, so ‘an idea is had’. Anyway, bad grammar never bothered me.) Now some people’s brain seem to be some sort of magnet to ideas, and therefore you get the Simon’s of the world.

But, why in the shower, or at bed late at night, or on the bus?

For the answer to this question, I’m going to Sheldon Cooper from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ who mentions a study which shows that when doing jobs that require less mental thought and are made up of routine and a lot of repetition, certain parts of the brain which are used to come up with ideas and think about stuff, are free to work.

So that answers that-ish.

And now I have a poster to design. So I’m going to take a shower.

Water, water, soap, scrub, rub….

Wait….

Eureka!

Out

Catch-up?

I was planning to talk about ideas, but my morning has led me to need to speak to you about something else.

I walk into a lecture for the first time at 9 o'clock after the hassle of trying to find the right room. Now, before you all begin judging me, I had not attended any of the previous lectures because there was a bit of a hassle with my credits and I only added this particular study unit last week.

Anyway, I enter the class a bit late, and ask the lecturer if it was the right credit.

He said it was but said, he wasn't sure if I was allowed to take up the credit so late.

I relied that the add/ drop period ended two days ago.

He answered that it was ok with him, but I might find it confusing to catch up as I had missed the first 4 hours in which the basics where covered. So I sat down, making the student population go up by one. We are now five students.

I'll admit I was a bit worried about being able to catch up. But as the lecturer started the lecture, I was following.

How?

Because, all lectures link and overlap. I mean seriously. Pick any group of lectures of the same topic, say, for example Philosophy, the information given during the first month of lectures are the same. Compare the notes, go on, do it, and I promise you, you can flip them and mix them and they would still make sense.

So, my point? Why not do the sensible thing? Meet the lecturers in the beginning of the year and compare syllabi and create one lecture as an introduction to the different others that build of it. I mean contrary to the thoughts of everyone above the age of 30, we students are busy people and have other things to do besides sitting for lectures we've heard a hundred times over.

I mean, how can you expect students to turn up for all lectures if they know that they're just going to be hearing repeated content. Yes, you can take attendance, but I find that treatment childish. Also, I'm sure the lecturers find it annoying lecturing the basics and would much rather skip to the 'interesting' stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I could catch up so easily to a lecture I missed two weeks of, but if I'm going to drag my ass to an 8 o'clock lecture every Thursday, I rather it be worth the effort.

I'd like to say something. I realized that this is my third lecture related blog entry. And while each one is different, I still feel the need to explain myself. I'm a full time student, so writing about the experiences I go through will obviously include lectures and lecture related things... like farmville.

out

Shite, what did he ask?

Sitting in a lecture can have the effect of some drugs on a student. Honestly, I think a “do not operate heavy machinery while attending this lecture” sign should be placed outside lecture room doors, and over the white boards as well just in case people forget.

I don’t think it’s because the lecturer’s don’t know what they’re talking about. Quite the contrary, I think a lot of the lecturers are experts in their field. They just don’t know how to teach. It’s like Sheldon teaching Penny physics. They just go on and on. I discussed this briefly two blogs ago, but my point today is another one.

So put your self in my shoes, as torn as they may be, half way through a two hour lecture, listening passively and typing out whatever the lecturer says, when all of a sudden a question is asked and immediately after it, my name!

Now, this is not one of the few lecturers that knows my name. Only one lecturer knows my name, and I’m usually paying attention in his interesting and entertaining lecture anyway, so that’s fine. This lecturer had picked up the register and picked a random name. Luckily, the brain can recall the last sentence heard even though one isn’t really listening. Most of us have experienced the typical “What did I just say?” question asked by a teacher, parent or partner. So after a brief moment to recall the question, I now had to think.

It’s like starting a car in third. But I love these moments. Especially if the answer can be reached by thought and not by memory. So, some quick thinking, assuming and making connections and I came up with a reasonable answer. And from then on I was paying attention, I was thinking and offering answers to questions and comments to statements. Learning was happening.

So kudos to the lecturer.

I have another lecturer who doesn’t bother with names, just randomly points at people when asking a question, putting you on the spot. Although with some thought and after a few experiments, the way to get out of his ‘random’ pointing came to us. I share this at the risk of other communication students reading it and using it, but to be honest, I doubt many of my peers follow my blog. In the first five to ten minutes out of the two hour lecture, remain keen: answer questions, put your hand up, ask questions and offer comments and opinions, and the lecturer will then ignore you for the rest of the lecture. What makes it more impressive, is that, when later, I felt inclined to answer another question, he told me “let’s let the others have a chance.” I didn’t complain. Please note, there is difficulty in paying attention and showing keenness in those first few minutes, especially if in this case, the lecture is at 8 in the morning.

But something surprising I must share with you, is that as a student, lectures are much more interesting and fun when I make the effort to pay attention and participate in the lecture. No, don’t laugh at me or scoff, it’s true. This of course does not mean that I will, from not on, be paying attention in all my lectures…

“That’s it for today, see you next week.”

Lecture’s over.

Out