Well I did it!!!

Not sure if anyone is still interested lol but I have achieved my first dream - little "old" me has graduated with a Bachelor of Psychological Science with distinction. Such a happy day - after four years of full time study I increased my education level from a year 10 high school finish to that of a University Graduate. But that is not the end of my study - I am loving it all so much that I am continuing on and am now half way through an honours program. End goal is to practice as a psychologist and help people to understand the link between their mind, their behaviour and outcomes in life.

So once I have the honours program completed I will apply for a masters program or undertake a two year supervised provisional role. Still seems like a long way to go but I have come so far and these next few years will fly by just like the last four have.

Moral of the story - reach for your dreams - because if I can do it - so can you!! Absolutely anything is possible.

End of term 1, 2nd year Psychology

Hello

Oh my goodness - where has the time gone??????

I cannot believe that it is now the end of term 1, 2nd year already!

I really must get on here and reflect more often. It has been a huge term with lots happening.

My first major news is that I now also work part time for CQU as well as studying there.

I am so excited and I absolutely love my job.

How lucky am I to be able to say that I love my job - I really cannot believe my luck. I am a widening participation assistant and my role is to go to the local schools out here in western Queensland and undertake sessions with year 11 and 12 students to introduce and teach them skills that may be required in their life long journey. It includes teaching them how to apply for scholarships, undertaking group work, keeping track of learning, along with several other important skills that can be applied to either future study or work force roles. 

I started back in April with training over in Rockhampton (which I just loved) and will really shift into high gear in the school term 3 (July and August) with sessions in Blackall, Longreach and Winton.

 

My study is going superbly - I am still loving every minute of it - even the stressful points (and believe me - there has been a few of those hehe).

2nd Year studies are definitely so much harder than 1st year - I have noticed a huge difference in the study load and the expectations. I sometimes am so busy that I don't know how I fit everything into my schedule. and I often find myself wishing for extra hours in each day. I have even found myself timing my days down to the minutes sometimes. My weekly planner is my lifesaver and I would be lost without it - absolutely everything has to be put into the plan otherwise it doesn't get done.

I have also been lucky enough to have found an absolutely fabulous study buddy - and I can tell you that she is a god send!!! Kelly is in the same year of Psychology as me and we met through the widening participation program. Kelly is also a widening participation assistant and we chat via messages and Skype all the time. We constantly talk about and throw ideas about our studies around as well as do revision sessions for exams. Having a friend to talk about study is amazingly helpful. Although Frankie (hubby) is soooo supportive and eagerly helps me with reviewing my essays and quizzes me for exam study - it is soooo nice to have someone who also talks psychology language. Kelly knows what I am on about without having to explain the concepts  and we constantly crack each other up with psychology jokes - that only psych students would get.

 

I am just so lucky - I have a great job, a fabulous study buddy, I love my study, my family is awesome - how much more could a girl want?

I am currently on three weeks break and although I was well and truly ready for a break - I am now finding myself going a bit stir crazy. hehehe  how silly is that? I have worked my way through a list of things to do - that contained all of my much neglected jobs around the house like sorting out my desk and the kitchen cupboards, scrubbing every surface possible, doing some gardening and now I am finding myself wandering aimlessly around hehehe

I think I had better get another to do list going again - that's a good idea actually. I have a huge pile of pinterest pictures that I have printed out for inspiration for card making - so I could start working my way through those.

 

Speaking of card making - I did have a wonderful day with my card making buddies last Monday and I have another one planned for next Monday. It was so funny last Monday - cause I was so excited to get card making but when I sat down to do it - I couldn't - I sat there like I had never made a card in my life before - I was soooooo out of practice - but by the end of the day - I had three cards made. So hopefully I will be quick off the mark next Monday. 

 

I will get organised and put up a post on my card making blog in the next couple of days. And then I think I will spend a little more time each term - keeping track of my journey. I do find blogging so very helpful in reflecting and looking at what areas I can improve myself in. I have also looked and I have a reflective piece due for one of next terms courses - so what better place to be reflective than here in Blogland.

Ok well I might go and grab myself a diet coke and have afternoon tea with the boys before working out what we are going to have for dinner - today has gone so fast - I can't believe it is already 3 o'clock.

 

Have a great day, doing what ever it is that you are doing!

Keep smiling, be happy, talk soon x joy

 

 

Where is the time going

Hello, Hello, Hello

Long time and no me

How naughty I am!!!!!

I have been such a bad bad blogger - but here I am better late than never

Today is officially the last day of term break with term three year one done and dusted 

and with a drum roll

dadum dadum

 

Year Two starts on Monday

can you believe it

Year Two already

I am a second year Psychology student - (it sounds so grown up hehe)

I just cannot believe it

WOW WOW WOW

It is so exciting!!

And if time continues to go so fast - I will be finished before I know it.

I did two subjects this last term  - Foundations of Psychology Research which I received a High Distinction for and Organisational Behavior that I received a Distinction for.

I was actually I little disappointed with my Distinction after achieving all High Distinctions for all of my other subjects - but that is silly really as a Distinction is still above 75% - so I have to learn not to be so hard on myself. But I must admit I did not give my usual 100% for Organisational behavior - I got a little slack and didn't push myself completely. 

So that is a lesson to learn - if I want HD's I need to put in the effort and do it.

My new desktop back ground is flashing the benefits of consistency and perseverance at me  - as I really think that is what is needed to succeed.

So as of Monday I start with

Life Span Human Development - this always fascinates me - so super excited to do this subject

Personality - also fascinating and exciting to be doing

and last but not least

Research Methods for Psychology - a little daunting but I am determined to get to it and get my brain wrapped around the subject.

I have all my term planner done up and ready to go

I am also raring to get back into it

I even started my readings ahead of time - to keep me ahead of schedule - I like being in front and in control

It makes the whole process flow much more smoothly.

Ok well I promise that I will keep you more up to date on this term studies

and not be a terrible blogger

I have taken control of my life and am now not only eating a healthy diet and exercising but I am also trying my hardest to be more organised - and I am loving it!

I was kinda organised before but have ramped up the energy in this part of my life - so that I can fit in all that I want to fit in.

I am feeling so much more healthy - I sleep better, feel better and have more energy

So look out I might end up being dangerous hehe

Ok well take care

talk soon

x joy

EXAM WEEK

Hello and happy Thursday to you,

I have just sat my first big exam for the term and thought that I would come here and reflect and in the process cleanse the mind so that I can get stuck into study for my second exam next Wednesday.

 

I am so glad that I got this exam out of the way first - Professional Practice and if you remember from my last post - I did not really enjoy the course at all. It was very content heavy and required so much time to try and get my head around everything that you had to learn for the exam. Sooooooo very glad it is over!!!!!!!!

Not sure how I went - I felt like I was brain dead, so I will have to wait and see.

 

Anyway I now have to knuckle down and get stuck into study for Social Foundations of Psychology - I really enjoyed that content, so will find study much easier.

 

I have the boys on school holidays, so it has been fun trying to juggle them being home as well as study but we have managed ok. Although Benji is bored silly!!!!!! It is his birthday on Monday, so we are taking him over to Emerald for a couple of days tomorrow as a birthday treat. We will get to go to the movies and eat at Macca's , which is always fun to do when you don't get to do it very often.

 

My plan is to take my study gear with me and study at night, or while the boys are in the pool. So that I don't fall behind. I want to re watch all lectures and undertake practise quizzes before Wednesday, so it might be a tight schedule.

 

Then I have a couple of weeks off before term 3 starts. I am doing two subjects over the Christmas term. So I won't be so bogged down. Looking forward to that. Although I have my lovely sisters wedding at the beginning of November so really should start thinking about organising getting down to Brisbane for that - I haven't even had a chance to think that far in advance yet.

 

Ok well I am going to clear off my desk and start the study role again all afresh. I will need to download the lectures that I want to watch while we are away, so I have them on hand and don't have to use up precious mega bites of my portable wifi .

 

I hope you have a happy day, talk soon

x joy 

Mid term reflection

WOW - it's mid term already!

Well actually its after mid term, cause this is now week 6 and time to get back to the grind stone.

I thought I would start off this second half of term with a mighty big reflection which is always good for the soul and very helpful in getting back on track and heading in the right direction.

This term has been huge again - although I really think all terms will be huge, so I had better get used to it. I really do love the vacation week at the six week mark cause I really start to unravel a bit and things start to build up. It is great to just catch up and reassess everything and kind of clear the slate and start afresh.

 

Professional practice is huge, I am finding that this course is taking way more of the required 12 hours to complete each week. There are videos to watch, tutorials to sit, readings to do, assessments to get done along with the lectures to watch!!!!!

 I can't tell you how much I will be glad when this course is over! It involves a very big group work assessment and I must say that I am not enjoying that at all. I realise that the whole point of it is to learn to work with others but I am a bit of a control freak and really only feel comfortable relying on myself. It is frustrating to say the least when you are wanting to get stuck into the work load but no-one else in your group is as keen as you are - Urgh!!!!! Anyway I just have to learn to compromise and do things a little differently than I am used to - I just want to get it done and then we could spend the last couple of weeks fine tuning but I have the feeling that the others would rather just fly by the seat of their pants and get it done just before it is due. So to solve my uncomfortableness with this situation I am trying really hard to be less stressed and relaxing a bit and just working on my bits and then I can just spend time fine tuning my own stuff, while we work as a group on the group portion. Everyone I am working with seems really nice, it is just that they work differently to me (and I guess that is the whole point to the exercise) .

 

I am loving my other two subjects!! They are the psychology subjects and are much more comfortable for me. I sat my mid term exam week 5 and got 29/30 hence I am a happy girl with that.

Mind you it did take quite a bit of hard work to get that 29 - I studied for that exam for nearly the solid week before the test and let the other two subjects lapse into break week to do so. Anyway it all worked out - I am now all up to date and raring to go again.

 

On the home front I have two of my three boys off sick at the moment. My biggest boy has had a very hard time at work during the last week and a bit. Being on call 24 hours a day takes it toll after awhile especially when he doesn't get a proper nights sleep for many of those nights and then has to cancel days off when others call in sick. Some times it is very hard and I don't know how he does it - I cannot cope without sleep or food and sometimes he goes hours and hours without both. Then adding chest pain into the picture - it is not good and I finally convinced him to go to the doctor. Who took one look at him and sent him off on sick leave - sometimes you just have to stop and look after yourself first no matter who you have to let down. Its better to stop and take a break instead of fall over in a heap and not be able to get back up. He has been told to relax and not do anything stressful for at least two weeks. Then I also have my littlest boy down with one of these rotten fluey coldy things that everyone is getting - I know he is sick when he doesn't move all day. He has had raging temperatures and bright rosy cheeks. We are just trying to keep temps down and fluids up - he does seem a little brighter today, so fingers crossed. He and the big fella are currently watching an old western on tv - nothing soothes the soul like an old western hehehe. Luckily boy number three is healthy - although he is very much a teenager again but that is a whole other story!!!!!!

 

Ok well I am off to go read chapter 13 Social Development for this weeks readings for social foundations of Psychology. Then I have my 50 000 pages to read for Professional practice (hehe maybe not 50 000 but the readings are huge for the week - I will go add up how many pages I have to read for you - 100 plus pages- urgh - makes it so hard to try and retain it all!!!! (in the time it took me to count them I could of just read a few pages -  couldn't I))

  

This will be me this week!!!!

In between taking temperatures and fluffing pillows for the sick ones in the house hehe

Hopefully I will be back in the next couple of weeks with the luxury of time to reflect on the next half of the term - it is so good for re-evaluating and refocusing. 

Talk soon

x joy

 

WOW - where has the time gone

Hello and a super happy Thursday to you!
You may have noticed that I have not been around for awhile.
Well I have been super duper busy, with my head down and my bum up, working very hard.
It is now week 1 of term two.
I have been very slack with keeping you up to date on my progress, but I will start now with a quick run down on what I have been doing.

I sat all three of my exams in the first week of June. It was a huge week because of having three exams to study for. I tried very hard to stay relaxed and calm but I will admit that I ended up getting a little stressed a few times.
I was actually surprised at just how much information that I had retained when it came to the exams and I was confident that I had done kinda ok in all three.

Anyway I sat the last of the three on Thursday 6th June and that afternoon we headed off on our family vacation. However what was meant to be a relaxing time for the family ended up being 'a running around like chickens with their heads cut off' two and a half weeks. Hehehehe.

We arrived in Brisbane at my lovely Nieces place on the Friday and then I left for a weekend get away with my Niece and my lovely Sister on the Saturday. We treated ourselves to a day at the Brisbane Paper crafting Show, followed by our version of a night on the town in Brisbane, staying at a lovely hotel in town. It was funny cause we ended up back at the hotel and in our pj's by 9.30 at night. Gone are the days when I can party all night hehehe. We did have dinner at the Pancake Manor, where I used to frequent when I was much younger (27 years ago - to be exact - oh boy I am getting old). It was a lovely trip down memory lane. We had lots of giggles during the evening and I really enjoyed every aspect of the getaway.

We stayed at my nieces place for just over a week, which involved a whole lot of shopping for stuff that we needed and couldn't get a home. We also took the boys ice skating, bowling and to an indoor skate park - lots of fun! And then of the Sunday we headed off to the Gold Coast for 4 days. I thought that we would be able to have a relax while we where down on the coast - but that didn't happen. We took the boys to Dream world and SeaWorld while we where there - and had a fabulous time. We treated the boys and let Ashley sign up for  being a trainer for the day and Benji got to do a deep water swim with the dolphins at Sea world. They loved every minute of it!!!!!!! I will try and add some photos for you to see soon.

Anyway after a lovely, very busy holiday we returned to Blackall and started getting stuck into our renovating again while I awaited my end of term results. Finally on Friday the 28th June I got my results and am very pleased to say that I  not only passed all three courses but achieved:

1. High Distinction
2. High Distinction
3. High Distinction

Yay Yay Yay
how happy am I!!!!!!!!
I am over the moon - all the hard work and stress paid off.
I had done really well in my exams as well as my mid term assessments - what a relief!!!!!!

Anyway now term 2 started on Monday and I am now well and truly into the first week of study.
My Three subjects this term are:

Social Foundations of Psychology
Current Trends in Psychology
and
Professional Practice
So far, so good - I have got my head around the course profiles and assessments, so now I just have to get cracking and do the hard yards.
Ok well speaking of hard work I had better go and get into it.
I will pop those photos up as soon as I get a moment.
Have a great and happy day,
talk soon
x joy






Week 11

Hello there, and a happy Wednesday to you,

Can you believe that it is week 11 already.

Oh my - I don't know where the time is going.

It feels like I wake up each day only to feel like the next minute I am going to bed again.

This week is the final week containing assessable content for two of my courses, the other has a non compulsory subject which is Intro into behaviour modification (which I am looking forward to).

Then next week has some more non compulsory subjects and review for all three courses.

Then the first week of June I sit my three exams - so much study to do before that gets here - URGH.

I have sat some moch exams and they made me realise that I need a lot more work in the revision department.

Anyway I am taking one step at a time and plodding along, I am trying to do my best and have a variety of strategies for study.

There is sooooo much information to take in, I am worried that I will not get it all. Each week my head is swirling with new information still and sometimes when I reread something I cannot recall anything at all.

Ok well it is just a quick post today as I still have a bit to get through before I can call it a day.

So I had better go and get into it.

Have a great day

talk soon

x joy