Whew! We have just finished celebrating the end of Phase 4: Field Methods and Computer Data Management, but I'm still reeling from the shock of it. Imagine, I was able to finish my paper of 51 pages. Isn't that grand? I slept at past 3am this morning, and my housemates slept later than me. We all need sleep but most of us are still in the computer room. I guess it is hard to break old habits. =)
Yesterday, I was in the computer room the whole day staring at my laptop. I was not feeling tired yet, but when we went home at 6pm, I told myself I'd just rest for a bit then wake up to finish my paper. Voila! I woke up to find out its past 8pm already. I had to force myself to wake up by standing, because my body was still in the sleep, sleep mode.
That's when I realized how tired I was. My body was reacting to the weeks of hell I put it through. It's good we had a Christmas break or else the Applied Linguistics class would all have a breakdown at one point or the other in this 8 weeks of analyzing languages.
But that more than two hours of rest at the end of the day really gave me the strength to finish my paper last night and pass it on time this morning. Back it up with native coffee and you won't feel the need to sleep, har har har. We told our professor that our post-Field Methods reaction is, "Haaaaaaaaay!" He just laughed. I guess when he finishes with our final papers, he can also say the same thing.
We had an amusing situation this morning at 3am. I was done with my paper and was supposed to print it. (Thanks to Fukuda san, we had a new ink cartridge, just in time for the final paper.) But the printer kept saying that the ink levels are low, that the black cartridge has been used before, and that I should press the RESUME button if I still want to print. I kept pressing the OK button but it still popped up so I had to cancel printing. We tried the other printer, still the same warning. We tried the other printer's cartridge, connected the printer to Robyn's computer; still the same warning. We were getting really frustrated because if we can't print, then we can't pass our paper, right? We thought it might be the color cartridge, so Manong Dalmas went home and got their printer (we all have the same kind of printer) and their cartridge, but still the same thing.
Then I asked Robyn, "What is this RESUME button that this printer keeps on asking us to push?" She said she also doesn't know, but Doralyn heard my question and answered that it was the lower button in the printer. Guess what? That did the trick! Well, what can I say? It always helps to read the printer's manual nyahahahaha... After going nuts about it, we can't help but laugh at the irony.
You know what, I forgot to put an acknowledgement in my paper, so allow me to write it here:
--Thank you to our profesors, Sirs Steve and Allan and Ma'am Joker, for their expertise, great teamwork and help. If our teachers were not that approachable and understanding, I wouldn't be here writing all these.
--Thank you to my parents and siblings for their love and support in my endeavors, and for praying for me. Also to my mentor, Uncle Keith and his wife Aunt Kathie, for pushing and encouraging me still.
--Thank you to my housemates: Jean, Robyn, Meriam, Rynj, Doralyn, Esther and not to forget our 3/4 housemate Manong Dalmas, for sharing the ups and downs of this course with me. The sleepless nights weren't that bad because you were there struggling and laughing along with me. Special mention to Meriam, who is my language learning partner: thank you for being a considerate companion in all our sessions.
--Thank you to my classmates, the Applied Linguistics Program class, who have become a family.
--Thank you to our Language Resource Person (LRP), Pathawng, for sharing us one of his gifts, his language (Chin, Falam), and for being so accomodating with the extra time we asked for. Also, to the other LRPs, Thara and John, for contributing to a clearer analysis of their language.
--Thank you to my friends: Marj, who is always online and available to unload all of life's worries and events. Shock absorber, in short! Jesse, whom I can always count on to meet with me when I want to go out, and not think about linguistics for a change. My childhood pals: Mona, Nancy, Dalome, Wayen, Girly, Jane, Claudette, Kristelle, Christine, Maurice, and a whole lot more of my elementary batchmates, whom I can relish being with when I go home, and who keep in touch with me. My high school barkada: Nympha, Gay, Luz, Joanna, Maisie, Mia, and other special high school friends, who are still a part of me. We see each other rarely but when we do, it still feels like old times.
--Thank you to everyone, whom I have not mentioned in this impromptu acknowledgement, but have helped, counseled, encouraged me at one time or the other. You know who you are.
--And last but not the least, to God, who is responsible for all these good things I have acknowledged. My gratitude could never measure up to his immeasurable love and mercy.
Goodbye Field Methods and Computer Data Management!
Hello Sociolinguistics and Literacy! :-)
