RENT: The presentation, first impressions

Today I presented my translation of Rent centering on the stage directions at the beginning of Act 1. Despite the fact that I had only finished writing it last night and I hadn't run through it. I even had handouts left over, which I will post up on my next post as it includes the ST (source text), TT (target text) and back translation. I have just got my marks back and I got 56. An average two two. The essay must be better. Wish me luck!

Filtness out!

Project Translate - update

Had a meeting about my year abroad yesterday, a Spanish one this time. As you may or may not know, my Spanish is not in the best condition. My grammar is good, my oral is basic, and by oral I mean my ability to actually speak the language, no smutty comments please. Anyway, there are LOADS of unis, but only a few who cater to the less abled and shy (i.e. me), but I'm happy to go basically anywhere, within reason.

The RENT translation project has somewhat stalled, as I have no idea what song to put forward, as obviously all of them, but it has to be 250 words. La Vie Boheme is defo too long, as is I think Rent. At this point I'm stuck between What You Own and Halloween. Any thoughts? So much to think about ARGH!!!!

Filtness Out

Erasmus here I come...

Today, I had a meeting for my year abroad which is happening in the next academic year. I have decided that, despite my reservations, I am going to go to Spain for a semester, even though my actual oral knowledge of Spanish is quite limited, as, so far my courses have been only grammar based... oh dear :(! I have no idea which Spanish unis we (Roehampton) have exchanges with, so I'll keep you posted on that. On the French front though I am definitely going for Universite Paul Valery (Montpellier) and probably Universite Lumiere Lyon II, or maybe Universite d'Angers or Universite Francois-Rabelais in Tours! All very good choices - it's difficult to choose. Will let you know my final decision!

A new direction

Sorry for the absence. I've been working and rehearsing.

Today is the start of the new theme for this blog, my mission to become a translator specialising in the theatre. My previous translation of a script was episode 4 of series one of The Thick of It into French from English. Bear in mind that I completed this last summer before I started uni, but I've been looking over it recently, and it's surprisingly good if I say so myself. The other day I started translating RENT for a presentation I am doing in three weeks time. It's a massive undertaking, but I know I can do it. So far, I have just about finished Tune up #1. I am aware that I may be breaking copyright laws, but I won't publish it unless requested to. Vive la vie boheme!!!

Filtness out!

Alors...

I am sitting here in the hallway again, yes, the internet trauma continues, a background disturbance in my everyday, hum-drum life, at 3.37 am, trying to make myself tired. There is a slight pique behind my eyes, but really not enough to convince me to turn off the hallway light and head to bed. Wednesdays were for me originally my Spanish day, 9am lecture with a teacher who's name is pronunced in a similar way to Nacho, and then the rest of the day to myself... sorta, there's just steel band bang in the middle of the day just to break up the monotony of being. Now I am a big fan of steel-bands, I have always loved listening to them and I love playing them, it gives one such a massive rush when a piece comes together, it makes everyone happy just listening to them. But 1-3... really? Oh well. This week though, is slightly different. Today at 1pm I have an important meeting about the year abroad next year, for which I had to postpone a meet-up with my dad, and steel pans doesn't even feature. Quite co-incidentally, they have been moved to Friday, my other day off. I never get any peace anymore obviously. Me-time is rare, but well deserved. Not that it matters tomorrow night, as the gentleman and I are going on our first date. EEEK! It was originally scheduled for yesterday, but due to rubbish timetabling of said gentleman's workplace, he had to work. We had a text conversation instead. Not the same, but hey... it's something right! Things might well be looking up?!?

Filtness out xx

Well... that went well!

Today, flatmate and I cleaned the kitchen. This may seem ordinary and mundane to you my dear readers, but you should have seen the state of it before, it was HORRIBLE! I cannot really reiterate it enough. The sink was brown with filth, and swimming in mould. Yes, I am aware that this catastrophe we called a place to prepare food was caused by our own ineptitude, but still... it is now clean. And, in even better news, the gentleman did text back (after a little encouragement, granted) and are now in an intermittent text convo. Things are looking up! Auditions tomorrow... EEEK!!!!! Wish me luck!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!! :)

Well, what a week its been. I've been out and about practically every night week, mostly due to rehearsals for The Wedding Singer, but none the less, it's been very fun! Last night, for example, I went out for a friends's birthday, got rather drunk and danced like mad at a bar, but met a nice gentleman, who I got on really well with, now will he text me? Only time will tell... And, I wasn't even gonna go, thank god I did :)

Rain won't get me down!

Hello readers,

I'm happy today, I don't know if you noticed... Anyway, today I had Spanish For Continuing Beginners, which wasn't that bad actually, and handed in my coursework, the one I only had the weekend to do, had a less than average lunch at a cafe and came home. Several hours later and I'm listening to a Mama-Mia parody about Diahorrea. Very funny indeed!!! :)

'Free' sung by Stuart Matthew Price & Louise Dearman - SIMPLY THE MUSIC ...

A new low

A new post for Ari W to comment on! Whoop-di-f-ing-doo! Do your worse, I don't give a damn anymore! Today, quite by accident, one of my flatmates broke my Disk Drive by ramming it in a bit too hard, and now I cannot open it and the disk is shut inside. I think a trip to the IT help desk is in order, even though I know they won't help. :( I think my hole just opened up and swallowed me up!!!! Only Musical Theatre is helping mood at this point. Thank you RENT and The Wedding Singer!!!

Filtness out

A relaxing read. Reccommended!

Today has been very relaxing, just what I needed after such a stressful few weeks. I don't even mind that I can't access my Spanish cwk, or that the locksmith came n practically unanounced and faced a very angry flatmate. OOPS! I am also very happy because my new fave book has arrived, "Without You, a memoir of love, loss and the musical RENT" by Anthony Rapp. The narrative reads so well I almost think i'm reading fiction. I'm already on P52! Congratulations Mr Rapp on a truly great and movng book. It's just a shame your show is not coming to the UK :(!

Filtness out xx

Anger and frustration - part 2

As you can see by the comments on my last post, someone has reacted badly to the fact that I post my opinions about life in general on to the internet. I realise that this may be disagreeable to some, but really, the reason I blog is to gain validation in some form or other for my little known existence in this world. This may sound like I am fame hungry, but that's not true. All I really seek to gain from this blog is a little bit of outside help to try and make my life a bit more sensical. A shrink is not necessary before you say anything. I resent the person's attack because it seems like he is only focusing on one certain, tiny, point of my blog and has blown it out of all proportion, backed by someone who I thought would understand. But no. Thank you former fellow Bede residents. You have made me feel so much better *sarcastic*!
Filtness out!

Anger and frustration - what people don't want to see!

Today I got angry. I never get angry. The reason for my anger? The realisation that wherever I go and whatever I do, I will always be a pawn in the chess game called life. And, at this point in time, I've just been taken by the queen. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good, dilligent student, I hand in my coursework on time, I go to my lectures and I take notes. But today, something snapped, my reason went out of the window and I let rip. Wanna know why? Last week I was informed that for the last two weeks I had been attending the wrong Spanish lecture, and that post A-level was too high a level for me and that instead I should go to Spanish for Continuing Beginners. Let me point out, that I am not the 'beginner' that they infer. I got a B at GCSE. So, I may not quite be A Level standard, but by no means am I a beginner. That's strike one. Strike 1.5 being that all we did in Spanish for Continuing Beginners, is learn about Hacer Que. I know about Hacer Que. Now, I know that I am not the strongest Spanish speaker, but I know my grammar! At least in the post A-level class I was pushed to the limit and I actually sort of enjoyed it, and it was oral orientated. Exactly what I need! But no. I have to be subjected to patronising attitudes and hacer que every week. This is not university, this is Primary School! Strike two, condescending woman from an undisclosed company getting very annoyed with me because my friend and I were late to a meeting. So late in fact, that half of the staff went home because we got there. Reason - they gave us crap directions. Strike 3, getting home, wanting nothing more than just to relax and watch videos on Youtube. Access denied. Why? Apparently, I have not downloaded the new Flash player, which I know I have downloaded at least ten times in the last two days. No joke! For about an hour yesterday it was working, now it has decided that I never downloaded it.
But it's not just this that has pissed me off today. This evening I was discussing my blog with a friend over a certain well-known social networking site, who pointed out that blogging is very public and therefore potentially very dangerous. This got me thinking... I mean, other people can be angry and shouting and no-one will virtually bat an eyelid, but me, the mild mannered mediator, I am not allowed to blow up because A. it might offend someone, causing friction, and B. my cause for anger is considered too trivial, and therefore should just forget it. So why is anger such a taboo subject? Why can't I be angry and not have people object, as I have sat with dozens of people dozens of times listening to their angry outbursts and helping them to calm down, yet no-one allows the opposite to happen. This is the most maddening thing, and so I am sharing it with the world, hoping that someone will understand.
Filtness out!

The 'joys' of translation - what a myth!

Well, I have just had the most pointless lecture EVER! Let me explain. This lecture, Aspects of Translation, is the practical of my two translation lectures. The other one being history and theory. You would think that being a lecture, our teacher, one Lucile Desblanche, would teach us how to translate, you know, sentence structure etc, but no, she gives us stuff to translate, like last week for example she gave us a letter to David Cameron to translate into French, and instead of marking it herself and giving us feedback she flip-flops on the easiest sentences, today she got stuck on 'problem-solving', an 8 year old could easily translate that, and gives us no feedback at all! She gets us to read out a sentence of our translation, says "pas mal" and doesn't even help us to improve the sentences we have just read out. I would much rather read a book on translation and translate something in my own time, and I would actually LEARN SOMETHING! Well... now that I mentioned it, that is exactly what I'm doing. I know it's probably breaking some kind of law, but well, it's not liker anyone will want it... will they. I will reveal more at a later date.

The internet blues continue

Wireless is sh*t, official! I have already discussed my lack of connection to our supposedly properly connected Sky modem in my previous posts, but today I have reached new lows in my depth of internet-related despair. Despite my attempt to link up a connection this morning, my wireless connection is still evading me. Hence why, at this very moment I am sitting in my hallway typing this blog. The reason for this, because it's the only location in my flat with an internet cable, which is connected to the troublesome modem, the cause of all my strife! This, in itself is very undignified, but when the only way I can now hang out with my flatmates while we're in the flat is to sit in the hallway, is just putting salt in the wound. Another stinging blow is that my only solace in this sorry mess, Youtube, is being silly, saying I need to download the new Flash player, when, according to my pc, I have already downloaded it. FML!!!! I honestly feel sorry for Nicola (the only flatmate who can get the wireless connection), because she ends up joining me. I feel like a refugee in my own flat. A little extreme an analogy I know, but it sort of feels right. And it's driving me insane. Please save me! Anyone, please!!! :(

All-nighter thoughts

Well. What a week it's been. The first few days, as usual, were uneventful, except for the dreaded Aspects of Translating and interpreting, which is the most horrible lecture in French one will ever encounter. Most of the class are francophile exchange students, fair enough considering it is a translation class. But, because of them, we now have the whole lecture in French. Not only that, we can hardly hear what she says 'cause she mumbles. The best of both worlds! *sarcastic*! Bloody hell. I mean, if the fact that we are translating from our mother tongue into our second language isn't bad enough, if we're not perfect we'll get ripped to pieces. Even the sainted francophones are not immune, but if they can't get it right, who can? That is the eternal question that the translator must struggle to answer every day of their lives. This was on Monday, on Thursday was a biggie. The Broadband finally arrived and I started with a new drama group called The Cygnet Players. I can't wait for the next rehearsal! BTW, we're doing The Wedding Singer, and it's in March, more info to come in later posts. Anyway, I came home, full of optimism, and what was I greeted with, a non-existent wireless connection! Woop-di-doo! Only one laptop in our household has the connection, and it sure 'aint mine! BUGGER! :( Oh well. In other news, I auditioned for an infomercial for Roehampton (I am a student there) called R U Goin Uni on Friday morning, which those of you who follow me on Twitter already know about, and today, Sunday, after no sleep whatsoever, am going to Wembley Arena to watch Doctor Who Live. If anyone hears snoring, I apologise in advance!

Life gets in the way of life! Part 1

OK, here we go. My first (non-French homework) blog. What a couple of weeks it has been! Where do I start? Well, let's start from the beginning. 1st September 2010. Myself and one of my two fellow flatmates move into Hayward Gardens. Stressful enough! Then bills had to be sorted ARGH!!!! Hell on earth!!! First of all we didn't have the previous occupants' gas/elec details etc (considering that this is a student residency and that in their agreement, the previous tenants had to leave a previous bill to indicate suppliers), it took all afternoon to get in contact with the previous tenant to reveal this info. The next day, the day after we moved in, she goes home for a week for driving lessons, leaving me all alone in a strange new flat, with strange new noises. Not nice! To cut a long chapter short, I made a few decisions, flat-wise, while she was absent. And what does she bloody do? She has the nerve to criticise me. Some cheek! Anyway. A month in, the flighty flatmate is still virtually non-existent, so the other flatmate and I make joint decisions. We have to, it's the just the way it goes.  We FINALLY sorted out broadband, with our providers (SKY) being the biggest ass-holes on the planet (excuse my French), and yet, I still can't get internet. Even now, a good month after the furore all began! MADDENING to say the least! I am, right now, on borrowed time, typing away and annoying the hell outta my best mate and flatmate (not the flighty one) on her laptop. Because, strangely, she gets the wireless connection, I don't! FML!