Exams

Ok two exams down, one more to go! Had marine biology exam on the 25th... whoever invented writing essays in biology exams is evil!! We had to write 3 essays in the exam plus answer some short answer questions. When I studied I wrote 16 essays, one for every lecture topic that we covered in the course! ...But it's so hard to know how you did in essay type answers- are they too short or too long...?? My parents said that when I came home I looked like a ghost!

Then on Saturday (exam on a Saturday??!!!) I had my english exam- 4 hours writing straight!! By the end of the 4th hour I was seeing stars on my exam paper! I was so tired afterwards, didn't feel like doing anything...but I still have to do more study...

So now I have only genetics left to study for! Going back to study now...

The final week

Oh what a crazy, crazy week this has been! Aghhhhh!!!!

First there were 3 lab reports due in, one on Wednesday and two on Friday. Then on Monday we got our molecular genetics test back which was ok. Unfortunately I also went to pick up my English essay and that was a big disappointment. And I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong… I think the tutor doesn’t like me. Or maybe I really am a bad English student… oh I really don’t know. English was always my good subject at school, and now…sigh. I just hope the exam goes well…

Then on Wednesday I had my practical test for biology lab course. Mmmm….That was a very… interesting experience. I was sooo nervous about it! Practical tests are sooo stressful! Give me a written test any day… Anyway, the day before the test we got told that in the test we were going to study a microscope slide and then in part 2 we had to record our own ECG which means electrocardiography, of our blood pressure, using Power Lab system and then analyze our results. AAghhhh!!!! We did several experiments with the Power Lab computer during the term where we recorded each others heart rate, blood pressure and pulse, but we worked in huge groups so not everyone got to use the Power lab system. I was sooo nervous about that part of the test!!! Although we did have instructions in our lab books on how to do everything, but it still wasn’t the same as having practice at it (our tests for the lab are open book). Anyway I was so nervous on Wednesday when I got into the lab test. First I had to do the microscope part. That part I wasn’t worried about but it turned out quite different… Ohhhhhh it’s painful just thinking about it!

The task was to set up the microscope correctly with a slide, focusing on a certain cell on the slide. Sounds simple huh? Well, not if you’re so nervous that you forget how to turn the microscope on because you can’t find the ‘on’ switch!!! Seriously, that is exactly what happened to me!! It was so embarrassing! There were several lecturers walking around the lab supervising us and they must have thought I was nuts, staring down a dark microscope!! But I was so nervous I couldn’t think! Eventually one of the lecturers came up to me and turned something and the light came on (they are allowed to help us slightly) The microscope was in fact already on, just the brightness was turned down! Ewwww!!! So that was my hideous start to the lab test. In contrast, the ECG measuring turned out better than I thought and I managed to get a graph and analyze it. Whew!

So that was what my lab test was like.

Then today I had my theory test for the lab paper and that was Ahhhhh!!!!! It was open book too, but we had to know how to do calculations and other data analysis as well. So today I went into uni really early and spent all day studying for it. But when it came to doing the test, oh my!!! It was soooo impossibly long that there was no way of finishing it!!! How annoying!!! I hate it when lecturers set tests like that, to prevent everyone from getting good marks (is that why they do it??). When I got out I found out that no one finished it! Feel a bit better… hopefully they will scale the test up, they do that sometimes.

Got home at 6pm today. What a long long week! And now its officially study period!!!!! Yeeehhaaa!!! No more assignments or lab reports or tests!!! Just exam study!! Time to hit the books!!! And then after exams it’s summer break!!! Yeaaaa!!!

The Transposase Gene

In last years genetics test on molecular biology one of the questions asked us to write a poem about any gene that we studied. So I wrote a poem! On Friday we had our genetics test and there was a question in there that went like this:
"You want to give a molecular biologist a birthday present. What would you give him?"
So I gave him a poem, making up the story that the biologist is currently studying transpose genes and that I wrote a poem for him in honour of what he is studying.

The Transposase Gene

Transposase gene, transposase gene,
sits between two inverted repeats
it may seem.

It functions to move elements
all around,
by chopping them out
and dragging along the ground.

It's active in the germ line,
and doesn't ever like to whine.

But repressed in all somatic cells-
let it sleep!
We know all about this gene,
so we have no reason to really weep!
-by Polina Jilina (1st October, 2007)

Crazy Week

What a crazy week this was! Ahhhh!! Got back from our holiday in Rotorua on Sunday night (see a separate post) and was immediately bogged down with a million assignments (or so it felt like it!). Also had an upcoming genetics test that was to be on Friday and was soo scared! Our current lecturer kept saying that we have to read the textbook as well as our lecture notes and know EVERYTHING so I spent all day on Tuesday reading 12 chapters of genetics! (9am-6pm with 1 hour lunch break! aghhh!!!) My brain felt like mush by the end of the day! There was so much detail in the text book that I couldn't see how it was possible to remember everything in those 12 chapters!! That's why is was terrified of the upcoming test!

Anyway I spent all week studying (and doing my assignments for the bio lab) and then I had the test on Friday. I don't think it was as bad as I thought it would be but still... I liked the last question where we had to make up a present for a molecular biologist! (see different post)
Have been feeling a bit guilty because I had to miss some english lectures to do my lab reports and assignments and there just wasn't enough spare time! English is not going as well as as I thought it would be, I still can't get a good mark for my tests, so frustrating!! I don't even know what I'm doing wrong! Biology is going way better than english. Have to work really really hard for my english exam to make up for my muck ups. Luckily they take our best marks only, so if I do well in the exam they will give me my exam mark as an overall grade. Have to work really hard...

Sigh. At least this week is finally over, it has been crazy! Next week I have two lab tests for my bio lab course and some lab assignments. Shouldn't be too bad I hope... and then it's study leave! Exams are coming up really soon! Have to do lots and lots and LOTS of study!!!...

Lola

On the 3oth of September the night we got home from Rotorua we went to pick up our new puppy Lola.

Linda's dream come true!!! :)

Dad introduces the kitchen to Lola

Lola

Linda and Lola when we first bought her home

She is sooo cute! Only 3 months old but so intelligent! Since the day we got her Linda has been teaching her so many things like 'sit' and 'fetch' and 'come' etc the list goes on and on! And she does everything!! And she's only the size of a cat! Misty is bigger than her! We love her to bits! Lola and Misty are learning to get along... hilarious to watch! :) Then on the following Tuesday, Linda's friend Mila came over. We had so much fun playing with Lola!
...then Linda and Mila decided to dress up...

Mr Something and his wife from Japan

Mysterious Men...

... and gorgious ladies. Mila, Linda and Lola- the movie stars from Hollywood

Rotorua

Last Thursday me and my family went to Rotorua for 4 days...
...It was a long 6 hour drive... past Mt Raupehu...
...the dessert road... but we finally got there!!!:)

It was so much fun and so relaxing! It was nice to have a break before all the severe exam study begins! We stayed in Wylie Court...We're here!!! :)

Our 'home for 3 nights and 4 days... heavenly! :)

Our suite had two stories; Mum and Dad stayed in the room on the first floor and me and Linda got the room upstairs!
The bathroom was interesting; it had two mirrors near the sink arranged triangularly so whenever I brushed my teeth there were actually 4 Polinas in total in the bathroom!

From the kitchen there are sliding doors that lead to a mini pool! The pool was so hot that you could barely sit in it! There was a cold water tap near the pool but it had no hose! So what's the point?? Eventually Dad invented a pipe made of a plastic bag that went from the tap to the pool so we could cool the water in the pool- and not get fried!

The kitchen

Downstairs -Mum and Dad's room. They got the TV...

...up the stairs... to mine and Linda's room

Our giant wardrobe-which even had a safe!

...Linda (looking innocent) didn't hesitate to claim the giant wardrobe in our room!

Our beds-mine's the one on the left with Hermione posters above it

...unpacking

Our little corridoor that lead to the balcony from where you could see the swimming pool...

Our motel had an awesome outdoor heated mineral pool which was right opposite the suite we were staying in! Me and Linda went swimming several times a day and stayed in the water for hours! (so did mum and dad but not for as long!)
Then I tried experimenting with motion pictures on Linda...

...and she jumps...

...and she lands!!

...walking on water!!

...the water was really warm no matter what the temparature was like outside! We even went swimming at nighttime when it got dark! You could float on the water and see all the stars!!

...I could stay in the water for hours!!

...attempting sunbathing... was a bit chilly though

When we weren't swimming in the pool we were going places...
Kuirau Park with gaysers -some of which smelled like rotton egg... I've always hated that smell but this time funnily enough I didn't mind it -I found the gaysers fascinating!

So pretty! These leaves look like they're made of plaster! But in fact they are real leaves that fell into the sulfur mixture (yellow) of the gayser- then they solidified coated in sulfur, and gained a silver tarnish!

A statue of the gayser...see the resemblance??

gaysers (is that how you spell it?)

A random greenstone at a suvinir shop

OutsideTractor Museum

Pretty Rooster

One day we went to the top of a mountain to the Skyline where you get to go up in a gondala

I was a bit scared at first but then it turned out quite fun

Gondalas

What view!!

...Linda on the luge

...the view!

Go Linda!!! (coming back up in a lift!)

...at the top of the mountain...

We went all over Rotorua...

The telephone booth!! We're in England!! ;) ...I want to go to England!!!

Rototua history museum

random statues... and Linda

Outside and inside Rotorua history museum

Then we went and had...

strawberry ice cream...

...passion fruit...

gorgious scenery

Linda in Tulip Land! Behind her is the statue of Wylie the Soldier. The place we stayed in was named after him!

Beautiful!!

...the park

At The Bath in Rotorua

The Pukeko

Rotorua was the best! But eventually it was time to go back home....
On our drive back to Wellington on Sunday we stopped at Waikato River and waterfall. I have never seen such a sight!

...water...

I just love the blue colour of the water! Have never seen such beautiful water!

Rushing flow of water...

Waikato River... I think

Waikato River Waterfall and me...

We also stopped at this place cliff place where people go bungie jumping and other scary stuff like that.... you can see a bit of the bridge at the top. This is where people bungie jump from! There was also a flying fox...

Cliffs

Such a scary cliff! And to imagine, poeple go bungie jumping down there! We watched people go down there and oh boy it was frightening! Really not my idea of fun!
We returned home at 6pm. We had a great time in Rotorua!!! ...but on Monday it was back to uni with assignments and lab reports...