I’m getting back into self-directed research.
this might sound surprising, but it’s actually pretty standard for me: I always end up feeling extra motivated when I’m supposed to be relaxing.
so, in a way, every august is my research new year’s eve – and that, of course, includes resolutions.
resolutions for the final year of my master’s
- working topics: I already wrote about them in my next steps post – I feel like this list shouldn’t change much, because some of those I really have to do, others I really shouldn’t not do, and I don’t feel like there’s really any time to do other stuff
- exams: boy do I have some backlog! but it should be alright.
- one in september
- one during the winter term (another paper to write smh)
- four during my affiliate term at ucl (but they count as if they were 5)
- maybe a couple more back in italy in february?
- and then the full exam experience in summer of ’24
- methods (quantitative): see the tableau post. I need to learn at least the basics of that stuff. I’d love to get started during the first semester but I think that’s an entirely unrealistic. second semester, right after my exams? sounds better.
- methods (other): I need to set aside some time to think about map/territory stuff, and specifically how one could go about studying map/territory stuff. maybe at the gym? oh wait-
- health: I really have no excuses, I need to start going to the gym. lol.
- work: still thinking about it but I think I should focus on doing fewer things a bit better rather than a lot of things and be confused all the time.
- fun: I will be playing a cleric (city domain) in an adventure set in a parallel universe’s magical quasi-Venice, in person, in London, with friends. I am truly excited.
- it: uhhhh so I’d love to go for an easy cert but I don’t really think that’s feasible. unless I commit to it, as I’ve come to realise. my completion rate for past goals is surprisingly close to 100%. I could do it. do I want to do it? would it benefit me, or would that time and effort be better spent somewhere else? interesting questions.
- languages:
- I really should pick up my rusty Mandarin again. planning on a 45min/day type of thing, slow but steady, blah blah. maybe 1h. maybe at the gym? lol.
- also, I am going to have to dust up some french (I’m probably going to have to attend a french course during the first semester at sant’anna, then take an exam at sant’anna and one at unifi. god how much easier would it be if those two curricula actually talked to each other. eh, nevermind.)
- setup
- as my friends on twitter know, I’m thinking of replacing my printed papers and pastel highlighters with a tablet and pen, still unsure of which specifically. I feel like this is the start of my Big Deep Dive into Stuff. can’t afford to have it all on paper, mostly because 1) I move a lot and 2) I need something I can ctrl/cmd + f my way through.
- everything else should be more than enough. a special shout-out to my sony xm-4s, quite possibly one of my best investments ever at 460+ hours of usage in the span of four months (graph below). truly amazing.
I feel like this might be it? I guess I’ll just update if anything else comes to mind.
hugs
here it is, bonus content-
