#yes this all centres around greece lmao

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

it's been a long time since I've been in uni, but my main piece of advice for anyone considering doing an arts degree..... for the love of god, DO those group work subjects. DO the subjects with presentations.

because I went basically almost my entire degree without doing group work and presentations... (until I was practically forced to pick subjects that had them, bc they met my criteria of NO assignments over 3,000 words, NO in class tests or mid semester and end of semester exams and NO weekly reading reflection diary bullshit).... that when it came to applying for jobs or even job interviews (and esp group setting assessment days/centres) I realised I had NO idea how to work with other people or even talk to people, bc I spent so much of my time alone philosophising and doing english essays.

obvs part of it was down to the fact that the arts department at my home uni, particularly with philosophy, was absolutely useless with setting group work assessments- unless you did sociology or idek politics or something- particularly in upper level subjects. like the philosophy dept didn't introduce group projects UNTIL I GRADUATED, and same goes for presentations..... as if philosophy students are NEVER meant to present their arguments or work in groups. okay, there were very lackadaisical group discussions (really the whole class) where you'd pick one person to present your trio's (say) arguments or whatever... but from your desks. AND it was only marked under the 5% to 10% class participation marks that no one cared about, really... bc half of that mark is just lecture and tute attendance, and maybe the very occasional question ask or answer in class.

but yeah. don't lock yourself away from group work- even if it IS the most frustrating fucking thing ever on your schedule..... or esp of you're in a group work heavy degree like marketing and your arts dept minor or electives are your way to escape it.... just do it man. because I came out of uni with no solid group work skills, all bc I refused to trust ANYONE ELSE with MY marks, after two bad experiences (I think) in first year in 2015.... where either nearly the entire group left the class or dropped out, or just straight up never turned up to class and contributed. so then I developed bad trust issues and REFUSED to do ANY group work subjects.... until I did editing 101 and creative writing 101 in my either second last or last semester of uni.... which were both subjects I LOVED (even if mr creative writing 101 prof was a fuckin douchebag lmao).

but my point is that you can't go to job interviews and be like "I fucking hate group work and refuse to work in a team," or "I refused to do group work at uni, bc i had trust issues and refused to let anyone else contribute to or give feedback on my work". I've obviously never answered job application or interview questions about group work like that.... but it was always my thought process on it.... and I always struggled to spin a positive view on group work and feedback.

next is presentations. like i said before, it was kind of my home uni's philosophy depts fault for never realising that their students had no idea how to present bc they refused to set group work projects, until I left.... and also, a lot of people actively avoid presentations bc of anxiety around them- me included (cue me having a nervous breakdown over that one ancient history subject that I did on theatre in ancient Greece).... that it's like "yeah let's just avoid that forever".... but then, if unlike me, you end up doing a masters or an honours thesis etc.... how on EARTH do you present that??? how on earth do you learn to present when you actively avoid it throughout your degree??? like, yes. i get it. it sucks that the presentation may be like 40% of your mark (which I do agree is fucking dumb asf) but sweet jesus. just bite the bullet and do it. or if you're still hella anxious about it, go to something like toastmasters or something similar to learn public speaking skills.

I'll admit that toastmasters (or other programs like it) will feel dorky and awkward, super systematic, and programmed (bc they are, I would know I attended toastmasters at uni and still go from time to time now that they've changed their meeting time to 6pm on tuesdays). but these programs will HELP you present, gain confidence, and feel less offended when gaining feedback.... bc I always saw feedback as an attack on me in my early 20s, and not a helping guide to point to you strengthen your skills and confidence. also, you'll make friends and maybe take on group roles such as marketing and pr officer or something.

like yeah. I'll admit some fucking professors WILL give you shit feedback, just bc they're shit teachers; or they think that it's important to give harsh feedback bc it's how industry works or whatever bullshit.... but programs like toastmasters will help you even take shitty and unhelpful feedback and turn into something helpful (maybe)... or at least see the help in any feedback - positive and negative (or room for improvement).

anyway. that's my advice for new uni students, esp in arts fields. DO NOT actively avoid group work or presentations in your degree (not counting when a particular faculty doesn't include them in their assessments). because you'll come out realising that you have NO idea how to talk and work with other people. like I know all the uni student memes about how every tom, dick and harry or sarah, jane and dani are all stupid asf, and YOU'RE the only smart one in the group (apparently)... and that hilarious one that goes something like this: "let every person I've ever done group work with at uni lower me into my coffin at my funeral, just to have them let me down. one. last. time." are funny asf, but don't discount group work and presentations.

because, in hindsight, you're actively being the stupid person in your own life by refusing to work with other people.... because you're either:

(A.) too terrified for other people to see and comment on your work, bc you think it's too perfect to be criticised or edited from feedback (HINT: it is NOT perfect, most esp if you've done it right at the deadline or 8hrs before the deadline) and you have intense imposter syndrome about literally EVERYTHING

and/or

(B.) you think you don't need friends and the stress and drama that always surrounds group work, and can only ever trust yourself with your marks and planning skills through your degree. moreover, you also probs think that you don't need to develop leadership skills (possily, depending on what role you fall into in a particular group project).... or develop any group work dynamic skills, which you can only learn BY DOING group work.

(and to make matters worse, any entry-level job you get in an office right out of uni/college, is HIGHLY unlikely to have its own little office away from everything to let you work on your own, by yourself, all day long. you're going to be in the thick of the ultimate worst group setting: the fucking horrendous and dreaded open plan office.... talking to dave from accounting, jeena from marketing/PR, and janice from customer service solutions, all day long, monday to friday).

I thought both of the above things simultaneously throughout uni and suffered for it detrimentally. because how the fuck do you lie through your teeth for job apps and interviews about group work, when you've purposely avoided it??? how do you present stuff and accept feedback when you refuse to do presentations; or really take notice of the feedback when you feel attacked by it???

anyway. here's a rant and advice post.

#life #about me #shut up ilona #uni #uni life #ilona tries to give advice

[unibrowzz]

My 2020 reviews

All the cool kids were doing these so now I finally dragged my ass into doing them too lmao. 

Albania- Fall from the Sky

A song I swear cursed this whole contest from the moment it won Festivali i Këngës. Like with the shitshow this song caused I just knew the whole year was fucked. With half the fandom whining they didn’t get their first club song of the year to the other half smugly shoving it as their winner despite no other songs being around to compare it to, the whole fiasco just left me knowing that 2020 would end in tears, just hopefully not my own. As for the song, it’s lame. It’s a standard ballad with OBSCENE amounts of autotune, which is weird because the girl can actually sing pretty decently without it, so why they decided to make her sound like a damn computer is beyond me. And WHY did they translate it, haven't the past few years proven that Albania's better off leaving their songs in Albanian? 

Armenia- Chains on You

A bootleg Ariana Grande song, and a really shit one at that. The kind of song only people who think being young, gay and mean counts as having a personality would say is good.

Australia- Don’t Break Me

One of the few decent Australian entries (but that REALLY isn’t saying much coming from me, I barely care they’re in the contest by this point) but marred by a horribly untidy performance and lacklustre lyrics. At least it’s not fucking pop-opera, that’s all I can say. I’d rather listen to the sound of my face being dragged down the runway at Heathrow airport than be subjected to another Zero Gravity.

Austria- Alive

One of those pseudo-jazz dance songs, á la Olly Murs or Bruno Mars (I swear there’s a song like this in every recent contest). I mean, it’s good, but it’s just kinda meh since I’m kinda getting tired of this genre rearing its fedora-wearing head every time a new lineup rolls in.

Azerbaijan- Cleopatra

One of the “better” trashy entries this year, comprised of about five different musical genres, six ancient cultures being appropriated and absolutely zero class. Probably sounds at least 50% better when you’re absolutely steaming drunk and face down on the floor in the middle of a gay bar.

Belarus- Da Vidna

Somehow, this song sounds both very unique and original yet trite and average at the same time. I couldn’t decide whether listening to it was a new experience or if I’d heard it a million times before.

Belgium- Release Me

A song which just drones on till it ends. I would say it’s ripping off the song that won last year, but it forgot that having a chorus stops your song from being three minutes of snooze.

Bulgaria- Tears Getting Sober

A typical breathy mumble-girl song, AKA a genre I can’t fucking stand. Really don’t see the hype with this one, the melody is pretty but the vocals are out for lunch and it’s otherwise completely and utterly boring.

Croatia- Divlji Vjetre

One of the token big dramatic ballads you listen to once, enjoy, then forget about until Darius in the Discord server plays it one night whilst you’re hitting up the radio bot with requests. You’ll find that “nice, but forgettable” is a common theme for this year.

Cyprus- Running

Ironically Cyprus didn’t send a crappy Fuego knockoff for 2020, and I say ironically because a crappy Fuego knockoff would’ve actually stood out this year, and I say crappy because honestly Fuego wasn’t even all that great to begin with. "Running” itself is just one of those edgy tortured soul pop songs which, let’s be honest, would have been paired with an impressive performance which would’ve overshadowed how bland it is. Kind of like “You’re the Only One”. Or even Fuego for that matter.

Czech Republic- Kemama

Standard Afro-pop, a genre we don't often see at the contest so I'll let it pass. I feel like this is the kind of song that’s infinitely better live, and that it would’ve been one of those songs that suddenly became a frontrunner after the semi finals, but I guess we’ll never know eh?

Denmark- Yes 

The quintessential mid-10s Eurovision song. It's got guitars, happy people, Scandinavian origins… it’s just a typical radio guitar song, nothing special.

Estonia- What Love Is

I mean it's better than La Forza. Granted, the sound of someone pissing directly onto a microphone installed in the bowl of a toilet would sound better than La Forza but still. Going back to this song, it’s just... a standard Eastern-ballad with some very desperate lyrics. It feels kind of outdated, if I’m honest. Like something about this just reeks of 2011.

Finland- Looking Back

Yet another dreary, forgettable ballad. It comes to something when the best song they COULD have sent was a party song which sounded like it was from the mid 90s. At least that song was memorable. That said, this one at least has some decent lyrics. Bravo for that I guess.

France- Mon Alliée

France decides to say “fuck it” to being an underground fan-favourite and takes a leaf out of the UKs book by sending the same rent-a-Swede schlock they’ve been sending since 2015. I’m just confused as to why anyone in their right mind would choose to follow the UKs example but you do you France.

Germany- Violent Thing

A rehash of Sweden's entry from two years ago, but this time sung by Justin Bieber circa 2008. Kind of alright if you can stomach the singer's whiny voice, but otherwise pretty dull and kinda forgettable.

Greece- Superg!rl

Hello fellow kidz, we are hearing you like the girl power? The super heroes? The t3xt $p3ech? We made you song, please give us the votes *dabs*

Georgia- Take me as I Am

I mean… this sure is a choice. This feels like one of those songs that everyone memes on because the lyrics are kinda janky and the singer’s voice (and accent) take a bit of getting used to, but other than that it’s just one of those NQ songs for hipster fans to declare as their unironic winner at a later date. All in all this just feels like the male equivalent of one of those mid-10s fat acceptance women’s songs, only a lot shoutier and this time he has more flaws than not being skinny.

Iceland- Think About Things 

A bootleg George Ezra song, performed by a load of disinterested tumblr users in their pyjamas. Because if there’s one thing that sells me on a song, it’s being given the evils by a bunch of nerds who look like they’ll send me death threats for not agreeing with their Pokémon headcanons. To be fair, the song is kind of groovy since it sounds so 70s, but the performance is very off-putting to people who aren’t in the Eurovision loop. And also people who are, because I sure as Hell don’t see the appeal in this myself and this whole performance just feels like Save Your Kisses for Me without the charm. I feel like this would’ve come second or third, definitely with a lot of televotes but either the jury would’ve dragged it down or it wouldn’t have scored enough televotes to win.

Ireland- Story of my Life

A song that’s at LEAST ten years out of date by this point, think like an early Katy Perry, Jessie J or Avril Lavigne song. I’ll forgive it because even though it sounds like it should’ve been entered in 2013 (at the latest), it at least evokes some nostalgic memories of shitty school discos and holiday parks.

Israel- Feker Libi

The female equivalent of the Czech song. Unsurprisingly, people went wild for it when it was released. I guess only women are allowed to sing Afro-pop at this contest. Like with the Czech song, I’ll forgive it since Afro-pop is a cool genre anyway, and even though this is just another club song I can at least see myself dancing to it.

Italy- Fai Rumore

Well, at least my wish of “Italy sends a typical power ballad devoid of anything the mainstream fandom likes” finally came true. It was pretty refreshing to have a year where people weren’t shoving Italy’s entry up my nose left right and centre. In terms of my actual thoughts I can’t deny that the guy has a tremendous voice, but for some reason the song just doesn’t… click with me. I guess I like my male Italian singers a little more gruff and raspy, if you know what I mean. They gotta sound like they smoke at LEAST five packets of cigarettes a day for me to take notice.

Malta- All of my Love

Listen I am 100% rooting for Destiny Chukunyere to win this contest some day but man was this song a disappointment. It feels so… un-special and generic, like it gets the job done and that’s it. It’s not the stand-up-and-belt-it-out soul anthem I’d hoped for, it’s just… there.

Moldova- Prison

All I remember about this song is that it vaguely reminds me of that one Meccano song about the gypsy who makes a deal with the moon or something. And I’ve TRIED to remember more about what it sounds like, trust me.

Latvia- Still Breathing

The one horrible weird song you get every year which overuses strobe effects to the point it comes with an epilepsy warning. Would be bearable if it wasn't for the singer’s insistence that this is actually some feminist masterpiece when it's really just a self-empowerment club song about the singer fingerbanging herself over the fact she writes music.

Lithuania- On Fire

One of the songs everyone thought was going to win at one point, even though it seems like a surefire non-qualifier to me. It’s one of those weird entries, but not the kind of over the top, batshit insane, you’d-have-to-be-drunk-to-enjoy-it weird, the kind of subdued surreal weird. Like this is weed instead of LSD or cocaine weird. Granted my mom, who I consider to be a "typical" Eurofan, actually really liked this song when she saw it in the recaps, so who knows maybe this would have done well with televoters after all.

Netherlands- Grow

I appreciate this song for how artsy and clever it is with its structure, since it starts off acapella and the instrumental builds up with the song until it stops suddenly, symbolising a person’s growth from a child into an adult, and ending suddenly with their death (Geddit? The song’s called “Grow”). But it feels like the kind of song that would be lost on a Eurovision audience. The juries would have taken note, for sure, but the televote… let’s be honest, they’d have been too busy drunk voting for Russia to care about anything else.

North Macedonia- You

Well, it's better than the miserable dirge they sent last year, but given how I'd rather pleasure myself with a steak knife than listen to that song, that really isn't saying much. Going back to “You”, it really just feels like a diet version of Switzerland’s entry from last year, combined with Sweden’s song from 2018. What I’m saying is it’s your average “I’m a man in a club and I want to dance with and probably fuck this hot girl I just met” song, which I a new genre I just made up. You’re welcome.

Norway- Attention 

One of those songs you appreciate because it sounds nice and the singer has a good voice, but instantly forget because it’s really not all that interesting. If I sound like I'm repeating myself, welcome to Eurovision 2020.

Poland- Empires

“Rise Like a Phoenix” but sung by a wannabe Adele and not a mascara-wearing Jesus in a dress. Like a lot of other songs on this list, it’s just average across the board, likeable when it’s on, but instantly forgettable as soon as the next song comes on.

Portugal: Medo de Sentir

Pretty, but also similar to their ill-fated 2018 entry, only with a bit more energy and less pink hair. What I’m saying is this would have been another NQ unless the crowd who enjoy subtle ambience music come in to save it like they did with Slovenia's entry last year.

Romania- Alcohol You

See Bulgaria, because this is practically the same song. It’s just as dreary, just as badly sung (if not worse because holy shit this girl sounds like she’s being suffocated), and I suppose you COULD excuse that by saying she’s drunk or hungover… but I don’t want to listen to someone ungracefully mumble into a microphone for three minutes.

Russia- Uno

A classic big camp party song, the kind of song people who haven’t watched Eurovision since 2003 think wins on the regular. I can see why people would like it (especially in this boring year lmao, I applaud Russia for taking the opportunity to loosen their corset and just send a complete mess instead of their usual clinical vote grabs), but it’s just not something I enjoy. It's the song that plays into the misconception that Eurovision is just a clown show for drunk people, like this is just here to be that one flash-in-the-pan meme song that only entertains people who don’t really care about Eurovision until the day before it airs. Kind of like the old ladies they sent in 2012 (remember them?).

San Marino- Freaky!

San Marino, in true Sammarinese fashion, have yet again sent a decade-ambiguous song which sounds like it was either released in 1978 or 2003. I feel like this would have been one of those songs which could have surprised us if it had a really wacky, creative performance (think like Moldova in 2018), but this is San Marino so you know that would never happen.

Serbia- Hasta la Vista

Insert unoriginal joke about a decade wanting their shitty trend back right here. Okay maybe that’s a bit harsh, especially considering how this song is actually, yanno, unique in comparison to the rest of this year. But it still feels weirdly dated, in a way where I can’t decide whether it sounds like it belongs in 1998 or 2018. I suppose girl power ages a song regardless of when it was released.

Slovenia- Voda

Yet another standard Balkan-European power ballad which you appreciate because it’s well sung, but forget the moment it ends because it’s kinda boring. … Does anyone else have a bit of deja vu?

Spain- Universo

For some reason I feel like this song is shilling itself out to someone but I have no idea who. Aside from the horny people voting solely because the singer is moderately attractive even with that wretched Jedward haircut.

Sweden- Move

Imagine soul but… boring.

Switzerland- Répondez Moi

Imagine Arcade but… in French.

United Kingdom- My last Breath

Not the best the UK could have done, but it’s at least a modern offering unlike the residual dregs of the mid-90s that we sent throughout the 2010s. It’s definitely a bit too generic to have done any better than maybe 15th, but hey at least the cancellation means we won’t have to see it not do as well as the BBC thinks it’s entitled to do, prompting a billion clickbait articles about how Brexit somehow affected our performance.

Ukraine- Solovey

At long last we come to something you probably weren't expecting: a song I actually really like. Which is weird because I usually don't care for or don't like whatever Ukraine vomits into the contest, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a song I liked from them in such a weak year. This song isn’t for everyone, it’s white noise singing which is a very acquired taste, but this is honestly the only 2020 song I find myself coming back to over and over. And it’s in Ukrainian too, so you don’t have to put up with their usual mangled English offerings.

#and that conclude's the mods thoughts lmao #eurovision #if this is good i might do this with other years let me know what you think #mod speaks #mod reviews