I have a blog?

Oh, hey guys, didn't see you there. That's because you're hidden behind the stacks of cyber journals, Chinese news articles and 'Draft' word documents currently pinning me down while little, evil writer's-block monkeys scribble the word 'DISSERTATION' all over me in indelible ink. But in all seriousness, I'm sorry I haven't written to you (four) in so long - it's not you, it's me. For once, it's not even that I haven't had anything to write about.

I went up Arthur's Seat (finally). You know, that really big hill in Edinburgh that people aren't really sure how it got it's name, but everyone who goes to Edinburgh is meant to climb, regardless of your current state of fitness? Yeah, well, it took 4 years and a Scotsman to drag me up, but I finally made it. It was cold. If I look cold, it's because I was cold.

Me and Edinburgh

I also attended several end of semester balls. I don't have any pictures of the ballroom dancing one (not of me anyway, and those are the ones you came here to see), but I have loads of the language exchange one. Unsurprinsgly, the language one was mainly girls - and the occasional tall, dark and handsome European exchange student.

Me and my flatmates ballin'

We had a great time, I promise

Language Ladies

I even attended a non-clubbing 'Vocals and Verses' event with Hanaa (I should probably introduce my London friends at some point...make a note). Considering I don't usually rate poetry, I really enjoyed this event. I think poetry is one of those things that has to be recited, and with emotion - not written down. But that's just me, I probably just have very little imagination. There were also some up-and-coming singers, Like Rachel Kerr (who recently won a MOBO and was excellent) and Jacob Banks, who was greeted by screams and declarations of love with every note he sang. Seriously, check out some of the tweets:

"AS GOD IS MY WITNESS I WOULD HAPPILY SURRENDER MY WOMB TO @MRJACOBBANKS #VocalsandVerses”

" @MrJacobBanks your name has been taken to my pastor...you have no choice #VocalsAndVerses”

But seriously, besides the crazies you should definitely check out all the acts if you like 'discovering' new music/talent.

Anyway, that's a brief summary of what I've been up to. The rest of the semester was spent in the library, and in fact, as I write this, I sit in Lewisham library having just sent off my first real-life grown-up job application (it's for Linklaters if you wanted to know). But job stuff is in my other blog, so you can check that out if you actually care.

I promise to be better with the updates, especially as I'm having a bit of a slow down in the run-up to Christmas. I do have other things to talk about, but I didn't want to kill you by putting it all in one post.

Thanks for staying faithful ;)

*      *      *      *      *      *

In other news, here a my favourite news articles from this week. Just in case you cared:

1. Beer is really, really cheap in Nigeria, although even cheaper in China, and you don't have to work as hard to get it - in The Economist
2. Someone stole all the children's presents!!! They're sick man.... - on The BBC
3. OK, this isn't 'news' per se, but it's a must see. Creepy santas! - 100 Sketchiest Santas
4. Another non-news item - How British are you? On BuzzFeed

Life after Graduation (?)

Today I read an article in the Guardian and I freaked. Not visibly (I'm in the library), but my head  went into a fatalistic overdrive, churning out all the ways in which I can avoid the horrors of being unemployed 30 months after graduating. Despite the heights of my organisation - demonstrated for you lot in a previous post - I feel like an authoritarian regime whose legitimacy is being challenged, the empire I've created around me about to crash around my ears. I've also started getting rejections from multiple law vacation scheme applications, and while this is an inevitable - and partly necessary - part of the process, it unsettles me somewhat.

I have (obviously) looked at options outside of law, but they're a bit to scarce and limiting for me. Some require me to go to China, whereas others mean I won't be able to go to China for another 3+ years! Obviously I'm going to apply for the Civil Service fast stream (just as everyone should in my opinion), but  I was thinking about other civil service jobs that would use my language skills, like MI5 and GCHQ. But then I can't go to Chinnaaaaa, and also my Chinese probably isn't good enough, and also they sound quite boring.
I've mentioned Bloomberg before and while that sounds like a genuinely interesting viable option, if I have to work in the finance department instead of my preferred choice (data & news) I think I'd just walk out the door.

I've also decided to apply to be a British Council Language Assistant...in China. For me, this is another 'back up', but it's actually really competitive, quite hard to get into and a lot of my friends are also applying - some have been working on their applications for years! It's a proper, fancy job with a well establish, we'll-pay-for-your-training kinda organisation. It's only for 10 months and I think I could handle that much longer in the wonderful land, especially if I get a placement like Chengdu (where the pandas are). At only 20 hours a week, I'd also have lots of time to explore...and improve my language skills, of course. Jardines are another company offering seemingly wonderful opportunities, but they're another company that require me to move to Hong Kong tomorrow and their training programme lasts for four years! It does sound genuinely interesting, but I think you have to have good numeracy skills (which can be practised, of course) and one part of the application requires you to submit a video...I don't know how I feel about this.

What about taking an Intership? Well, on that note the oh so famous Always an Intern blog has enough to put people off going down that road out of anything out of...well, not quite desperation - read it and you'll see what I mean. Even why one of my own good friends warns against the irritations of unpaid internships and a relatively planless near future in her blog. Although having said all this, one should never turn down an internship if it is your only option - it might be your foot in the door for getting your 'dream job'.

I could go to University in China, with an all-inclusive-style grant from the government...Although that's more of a last resort than a viable option. I do want to go back into education at some point (because I love learning and my dream is to be one of the academics that they consult in dusty offices with piles of books and a leather swivel chair in a really famous university because I have all the knowledge of the potential of democratisation in China), but not just quite yet. Remember the Fulbright dream kids - that dream's gonna cost a lot of dollar (literally).

I got an admonishing call from a friend almost immediately after voicing my first wave of panic however - she assured me that I do have the skills, time management and organisational, to secure that elusive post-graduate position. If anyone can, you can Edi. Another friend just told me to shush. But despite their encouraging words, my fears were not completely assuaged. The long and short of it is, I know too many people with too many skills struggling to find jobs and it scares me. On the other hand, I also know a lot of people who have succeeded in securing things like training contracts and even real graduate jobs straight out of Uni, so they do, indeed, exist. It's just not black and white, you know?

Anyway, if worst comes to worst, I'll just run away to Dalian and teach English for 3-10 years. Who's with me?

Pills Pills Pills

If one more person says the word Berocca to me, I might punch them in the face. My flatmate asked me to pick some up for her on my way home from the shops. Do you know how much they cost? £5. £5! Even she was shocked and she was the one who had asked for them!

According to their website, Berocca is a 'healthy' way to get more vitamins (namely Vitamins B, C, Magnesium and Zinc).You know what I think they are? I think they're fizzy tablets that are being marketed at extortionate prices, because the sale of protein shakes has declined in the past few years because people realised they could just get up and go to the frickin' gym. Just like people will realise that eating oranges (roughly £negligible) will give them the same, non-essential benefits as taking a factory formulated, chemical rich tablet. By the way, don't get excited by anything that says it contains guarana, it's just a fancy word for caffeine. And people go ooon and ooon about the benefits. Look, take it if you want to, but do NOT try and push this obsession on me. I barely have enough money for 9p Tesco noodles and you want me to spend that money on vitamin supplements? Get out.

And it's not just Berocca (and not just pills). It's like the government unconsciously OK'd the marketing of natural products when they started telling us to get our '5-a-day' and drink 10 gallons of water an hour. Even Women's World questions the credibility and necessity of the '5-a-day', admitting that there are other, and possibly better ways, to stay healthy - bearing in mind this is one of those websites that is probably specifically designed to make women worry about their looks and spend more money (look, it was either this site or the Daily Mail - we both know which one's more credible).

Where did this obsession with popping non-recreation pills come from anyway? I mean, I like to take a vitamin C tablet every now and again, but that's because they're chewy and yummy and I had some left over from the 90's. Do you think people were thinking about these sorts of things 50 years ago? Even 10-20 years ago? And most of those people are still alive! Look at the Japanese and Chinese for goodness sake - they do a lot of weird'ish over there, but for all the crazy sea urchin delicacies I see advertised, I've never heard of a mass campaign for magnesium tablets. When I see my family, they ask you 'Are you eating?' and if you are, that's pretty much good enough for them and the entire bloody village. These aren't even essential vitamins - fair enough if you've got an iron deficiency or you're anaemic or something, but your body can't even retain vitamin C and as for vitamin D, do you even know what it's for? What is the likelihood you're going to get scurvy in this day and age* (when not out at sea on a 17th century warship that is). 

So, in summary, and link this whole rant back to how I think Berocca's stupid, here's a list of 10 things I could have spent those £5s on:

1. 2 drinks on a night out
2. Half a week's shopping (actually essential)
3. A second-hand video game for any console made before 2008
4. lunch
5. 2 hot drinks
6. 2 non-oyster card journeys on London buses/ one non-return from East-West/North-South London (Terms & Conditions apply)
7. A variety pack of something unhealthy and the quintessential opposite of Berocca (which Berocca consumers probably do anyway)
8. A BASKET OF FRUIT (you see where I'm going with this)
9. Someone's début album (support the industry, hate piracy....)
10. The ingredients to make a Beef and Carrot stew with rice, with a side rocket and spinach salad and a vinegar-based dressing.

Think about it people.

P.S. There's a new 'Mixed Berries flavour' out now. Consumerism FTW.

*P.P.S Apparently rickets (caused by vitamin D deficiency) and scurvy are on the rise http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/01January/Pages/Rickets-on-the-rise.aspx) - but again, that's due to poor diet and lack of exercise, both of which I promote over the taking of vitamin supplements! 

10 points for guessing 习近平

Congratulations! You've just effectively used google to discover that the above characters are indeed a name: Xi JinPing. Unfortunately, I wasn't just looking for a word-for-word translation - this isn't an exam. What I was looking for was the answer to this question: what does 习近平 mean? Ok kids, we're about to get technical.

My new found love of Chinese politics - brought on by my new found love of my Chinese politics professor - has turned me into something of a political commentator. Election time is gearing up in the US in one of the most expensive, nail-biting, potentially disappointing campaigns of our generation. But, despite the lack of voting taking place in the Chinese system, the transition of power taking place in the next few weeks could be just as important as what's going on in America.

The Economist refer to Xi as the man who must change China. Alright guys, lets not get too carried away. Apart from the end of currency manipulation and  actually listening to the environmental concerns of the middle classes, there's really not that much that can (or would) be changed when Xi comes to power as China's next President. Yes, when. These things are decided months, even years, in advance, and the top members of China's decision making powerhouse, the Politburo (standing committee), are often scouted early on in their careers and trained up through a variety of 'relevant' positions.

Sophie "I love how they have a Politburo"
Me "Yeah...It's a Communist Party"
Sophie "I know but...it just feels a bit silly!"

They may just seem like a group of nondescript, would-be-about-to-retire-in-any-other-country men, but these are the people that hold all the power in China - they make the most important decisions and have the final say on pretty much everything. Just so you're aware, the current leader of the Communist party is Hu Jintao and his Premier is Wen Jiabo. They've both had experience in different government departments, and have spent time in the 'regions' (Hu did a stint in Tibet), which is essential for any aspiring leader. It may seem like a fairly smooth road to the top once you've been marked out for stardom, but, unsurprisingly, the way can be fraught with pitfalls. 

You may have heard of the Bo Xilai scandal that took place this year, resulting in the party secretary for Chongqing - originally marked out for a place on the Politburo - being expelled from the party. The new favourite? Wang Yang, party secretary of Guangdong. This may all be going over your head right now, but I am going somewhere with this. Chonqing and Guangdong have competing models of development - often taking a more liberal, forward-thinking approach to reform, on several occasions jumping the gun on policies yet to be decided by Beijing (central gov). No doubt they were both aiming for a top position, but one can only have so many mavericks running the country, and needless to say that Wang and Bo weren't the best of friends. Many believe that this 'scandal' and others were cooked up by Bo's opposition in Beijing to get rid of him in time for the once in a decade change over. Or it could just be a happy coincidence; one that Wang Yang happens to benefit greatly from. In the Chinese system, however, I doubt there are anything as convenient as coincidences.

So why all the fuss? Like I said, these guys are the ones in control. Some speculators think that with a younger, more liberal set of leaders in government China may be on the way to a decent human rights regime (by decent, I mean western), a loosening of party control, and who knows, maybe even democracy. I can say, with some confidence, that China is probably not on the way to broadening the political rights of its citizens (let alone introducing democracy), and will continue to fervently clamp down of the 90,000+ 'incidents' that occur each year. Xi is not known for being a liberal, but he will have to prepare for the effects of a slow-down in growth, with could potentially turn into an economic downturn during his reign. This in turn would increase social unrest, threatening the party's legitimacy and absolute power, arguably already on the decline.

But is the party really under threat? Will the party really change just because its leaders do? That remains to be seen, but it is important to bear in mind that the party doesn't like not being in control: they are the only party, they are the state, they provide welfare and security, control religion, the media and spend billions on ensuring that no one plays up on the internet. They're doing a pretty good job of being in control so far, and this situation is unlikely to change with the introduction of 7 men (and possibly 1 woman) in a body of 83 million cadres, no matter how 'top' they are. The party way of life is ingrained, and even if they all start clamouring for liberalisation, the party's top dogs would need some serious guanxi prowess (along without about 25 years) to push through any truly radical reform.

Ok, so maybe not as much of an impact on us as the US elections may have, but a basic understanding of what's going on with the leadership in China may be of some use when China rules the world...

Job hunting - things I use

Ok, recently people keep asking me where I get all my information about law firms and general employment stuff from, so I'm gonna throw all my 'secrets' into the air to show that I'm not super smart, I'm actually just using google better than some people. Click on the purple words for a link to the site!

Right, so for big firms and law firm reviews:

InsideBuzz is great in my opinion. It helped me narrow down the 6,000 law firms I could apply for to about 60 (the list fluctuates constantly). It gives you a pros and cons list for each firm, then reviews on things like working hours, dress code, atmosphere, wages etc. as provided by real employees, as well as a 'The Buzz on getting hired' section. It also features some practice tests and brochures relating to each featured career. Would be moderately lost without it. NOT JUST FOR LAW FIRMS - also features finance, accounting, consulting, the Civil Service, etc.

Glassdoor is a bit like the grown up version of InsideBuzz, providing a bit less detail from reviewers, but a wider range of employers (especially in the US) and salaries from a wider group of people. I generally use it for the 'interview tips' section, for example:

Interview Question for Business Analyst at A.T. Kearney:

“What is your proposed contribution to the firm, how are you going to make an impact to the company, clients and colleagues”

The Gateway - details on work placement opportunities and
much more :)

The Gateway is another good one for finding out details of companies, and also applications dates for schemes and training contracts. It caters to many a sector, from politics to education, and has an opinion section which is quite a good read.

Internships

Ok, I can't claim the google glory for this one, this was all Odiri (thanks mum).

THIS LINK will take you to a page, where you'll get a word doc downloaded to your comp, so if you don't want a download, do not press the link. I warned you.

A lot of the deadlines have passed, but I think it's got some good general info, esp if you want to work 'internationally' (all you International relations kids get on that....Eva).

More Internships...(paid)......

More law stuff

Lawyer2b - Whether you want to be a Solicitor, Barrister, or are just generally thinking 'wtf is commercial awareness', this site has everything you'll want. From deadlines to 'how to's, tips on application forms to a list of firms by starting salary, it's definitely a good place to start.

If you're applying for law and you haven't looked at Chamber's Student Guide, get out. Most useful for looking up what all the different practice areas are, as well as reviews on the actual law school you'll be attending for GDL/LPC.

Twitter - you don't need a link for that one. Twitter tends to be good for following firms' graduate groups and also general pages, so you're up-to-date with what the firms' working on as well as finding out about any events that you can attend where you can meet real trainees or associates. A good example is the Linklaters Grads page, who write that they are at Exeter Uni as I write this post.

In general, don't forget to look at firms' actual websites for deadlines for applications (especially if you want a winter vacation place, where most applications end on the 31st of October) - If you don't know who to apply for, use InsideBuzz to narrow down the competitors

You might also like this: How to write a good training contract application form

Covering letters (and CVs)

You have your own careers service for this, but in general mine's pretty frickin' awesome

Edinburgh University Careers Service

General

A couple of examples of what my Prospects page looks like

Prospects kind of does what it says on the tin. Take a(nother) personality testy thingy and find out what you're suited to. I can vouch for its accuracy - my top 5 results were all Solicitor. Also got town planner...and I think careers advisor was in there somewhere too....

Bized is another site that's also good for commercial awareness stuff (stands for business education). More practical - not just "this is what's going on in the FT", but actually explaining the difference between PLCs and franchises, and answering some simple but important questions like "How can a business build and maintain its reputation?"

SHL is the website that does practice 'reasoning' tests and a really good personality test, which I think I've mentioned before. It's quite comprehensive, so give it a go if you need some practice.

Look how many brochures I have! You should get some too...from your careers fair.
Note that they're not all law too - if you look closely, you'll spot
Bloomberg, GCHQ and Mountbatten group.

BBC - If you don't read the news, you're a terrible person. Read it!

Also, some advice I was given (also at the careers fair) was to do up your LinkedIn profile properly. You may not be able to find a graduate scheme straight off the site (in fact you probably won't), but it is useful for looking at information about companies you want to work for, or finding people who have the job you want one day! Obviously you can't just approach a randomer and expect them to add you back because you have a cute profile pic (this isn't Facebook), but you can look at their employment history and see how they got to where they are now. You might also join some relevant groups and, through meaningful participation, be able to start a private conversation with someone you might want some advice from. A great tool, that. Apparently, putting on your CV (you know, in the place you put your email address) can also be useful - a prospective employer may not check it, but they will know you have one...something about assuming you're a better person because of it.

I should be a careers advisor!

Xxx

The Careers Fair

3 days worth of sweaty, jobless crowds packed together in a forced smiling, brochure browsing, free-pen snatching frenzy of discovery and employability. Bring it on. I live for this kind of thing - this year's Careers Fair was my arena. Of course, my pre-fair research meant I knew exactly what was coming, and allowed me to shove, dance and side-step around those 100s who still have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their life.

It was an interesting 2 days (I felt I already had enough brochures from the first two days as to warrant not going to the last). Of course, it was only really interesting for anyone who wanted to be an accountant, lawyer or work in a bank. Or alternatively has a degree in engineering or IT. For everyone else, it was just a hot mess.

In my case, of course, it was an informative event, with more than just free pens apparently! I actually found out about a lot of law firms I hadn't even heard of before, and more about firms I had heard of. Most of the information I already knew, but things like 'We hire a lot of people out of our winter/Easter vacation schemes' was news to me (and will be followed up on). Also, meeting people from the firm was quite a good way to get an impression of their culture. It was no hard task to differentiate between the elites (Latham & Watkins, whose brochure is hardback. Hardback!) and the more normal firms like Baker and McKenzie, who were just lovely.

It really was quite important and competitive for some people though - some guys were there in suits. Suits!  And people were very pushy as well - literally shoving to get a chance to talk to some employer representatives. It was a fair, not a networking event! But I guess the value of a first impression has been very much 'impressed' on certain people (see what I did there?).

Trying to make that lasting impression really puts the pressure on some people (Yes, this is a High School Musical reference, you'll get over it.)

I was pretty much offered a job by Bloomberg though - 'You speak Chinese? Yeah, just apply and you'll probably get in' Says the Chinese guy I was chatting to. Nice.

In other news, I find I'm getting into my Applicationing (it's what I've been calling it in my head) for law firms. It's just for winter workshops/vacation schemes, but I find that it's really good practice for filling out the proper Training Contract forms, which I'm leaving till December. Besides coming up with questions that actually make you think to an irritating degree, I find the world limits on these things are real toughies - obviously they're meant to test you can be as descriptive as possible in the concisest possible way. I'm getting used to using the nuances and flexibility of the English language to my advantage; take out a 'that' here, an 'and' there and you've saved yourself about 5 words, bringing the word count down to that all important 447/450. My advice: never underestimate the power of margin manipulation when trying to make a cover letter one sheet of A4. Same with your CV - the line spacing on my CV is so narrow I'm sure it would just print out as one giant blob, but at least it fits on 2-sides of A4. Boom.


By the by, if anyone's also looking for a job, but not sure how to present yourself on a form/CV, this website has a really good personality test - http://www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html. It seems a bit long and pointless at first (it's very repetitive), but it actually comes out with a really good report with all your strengths and weaknesses, and key words to use on applications and in interviews!
It also has a good range of practice tests if you have to do verbal/ numerical reasoning tests for applications - Check it out!

Dissertation woes

GRRAAAAAAARRGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Well, now that's out of the way, I'll tell you why I've felt the need to verbalise my misery and frustration. So, you all know I had come up with a dissertation plan - the only problem was I hadn't discussed this plan with my supervisor. I knew what he would say before I got to the meeting: "It's too broad."
And, indeed, that was what he said.

So the problem now is: where to next? Well, I still want to focus on this idea of democracy, despite the screw-mouthed-head-tilted-sympathetic-'ok-but-are-you-sure?' looks my dissertation supervisor insists on shooting me. I know I'm not writing a PH.D paper, but it would be so much easier if I was. At length we discussed the issue of 'narrowing down', and he advised me to pick a piece of work (an article, book, study) and use that as a focal sort of 'bouncing' point for my ideas.

Now, I've kind of settled on an article called China: Capitalism doesn't require democracy, and basing my writing around why the writer is, essentially, correct. I want to argue that capitalism in China has only strengthened the Communist party's position, and, contrary to popular belief, China is not moving towards democratisation as a result. Sounds good, right, right?! However, I can't shake this nagging feeling that my tutor's gonna shoot this idea down and halfway through the year I'll still have no bloody idea what I'm doing woeifhwougbowuloslvsowgboevs.

This is doing my need for hyper-organisation no good.

Library Etiquette

You know you're a true final year student when you can write at length about your time spent in the Library. I live there now. On the third floor, overlooking the Meadows. It's quite a nice place to be actually - peaceful, sunny, warm. If I wasn't there to read 50 page chapters on the make-up of China's government apparatus, it would be almost enjoyable.

I plan my days in advance - write a list, pack a lunch, and head straight there after a lecture, or when I wake up, or after a morning run. Last weekend I spent more time in the Library than I did in my own house. Well, there's no point in going unless you're going to spend at lease 5 hours.

Oh. My. God. What has happened to me?! I've turned into a zombie, quite literally, with no real substance to my life besides reading and going for 'coffee breaks' with my fellow libra...rians? Sometimes I find myself dressing up to go to the Library, you know, in case I find a cute guy, going through the same emotional, studious turmoil as myself, so we can reminisce about our days of freedom, now long gone. Shoot me now.

Ok, it's not as bad as all that (obviously, as I would have stopped going there). I used to abhor the Library, but I find my misconceptions were mainly based on having to use a printer during exam or essay period, where the place is full to bursting with panicky, confused 1st and 2nd years, and Rahs who have only started writing their essays at 9:35, when it's due in for 12:00. I get quite a lot done there, but I find I'm slowly turning into one of those dickhead Library connoisseurs, who takes no little pleasure in complaining about the lack of understanding Library noobs show for proper 'quiet-time' study. Honestly though - last week, this Spanish guy started a Skype conversation (in Spanish) with his mother/girlfriend (it was a woman, and I heard I love you a couple of times) in the MIDDLE of the study area. Get out! Frankly, I was appalled, as was one of the many guys sitting around me, who then got up to express his displeasure (in a whisper). The Spanish dude was forced to remove himself from the area, and the rest of us were appropriately mollified. The cheek of it! He could have just gone downstairs to have this conversation - there's a whole area of the Library dedicated to it! It was 8 o'clock and there were only a few of us around, but still, manners please!

I try and keep some links with the real world though. I take Mondays off to do other things, like write this post and attend debate soc, but even as I write, the list of things I need to do appears in reams before my eyes. It never grows, this list, but I find it doesn't shrink either. The turnover of tasks to be completed is quite impressive - from normal work, to society stuff, to attending volunteering meetings, to normal work, to dissertation, exercise and self-study (because if you remember, as I so often forget, I'm studying a language!). I'm sure I have the same amount to do as most people, and I don't do half as many extra-curriculars as my flatmates, but somehow I'm sure it all balances out somewhere, and most of the time it just feels like more.

Oh, and applications for Law have just opened. As in, right now. Hum.

Wow, this just turned into a rant, didn't it? I'm sorry I had to take it out on you guys, but I find that I have no time to actually talk to any of my friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go read up about Libor...

Xxx

上学

Yes my final year has started, Dilesh, despite it not being term time in the rest of the UK. Unfortunately for those of us going to University in Scotland, they like to spring these sorts of things on you early, then snap it to an abrupt stop just as quickly. As one of my tutors said, "You've only got about 20 weeks of teaching before your finals, and don't forget your dissertations are due in in April!" Oh. My. God.

So yeah, super busy, but I'll try and keep you guys informed of any developments that aren't related to the dismantlement of Maoist ideology in China after 1978. Yeah.

So, how's the flat? - Good, actually. Despite my fears of having not seen it before I moved in, I was quite pleasantly surprised. I guess it helps if you've been picturing the worst. It's right near the Meadows (fieldy thing connecting the uni to other residential areas of Edinburgh) and is cosy in a typical Edinburgh fashion. I shall try and post some pictures if I remember.

How's school? - Yes, I still refer to it as school. It's fiiinnne, doing way more China related courses, which means I will probably know how the country is run by the end of the year. I took an impossibly hard re-entrance exam, but actually did quite well, which I'm taking as a good sign. By impossibly hard, I mean this was one of the questions:

Translate the following passage into English: Other BRICS have slowed too, including China and Brazil. But India's GDP figures, the worst for at least nine years, will havea deep impact on the sub-continent. The country was meant to grow in its sleep - regardless of what happens in the rest of the world. A quick bounce back looks unlikely. The central bank has cut interest rates a little this year, but will struggle to loosen policy further given high inflation. The ruling coalition keeps promising a bout of reforms to boost confidence, but it is so divided, its behavious so erratic and its record of delivery so poor that few believe this will actually happen.

I'm sorry, what?
Well, I had a crack at it, and I passed the test, so I'm sure I'll be fiiiinnnneeee. I've got a sh' load of reading to do and I've been coerced into taking a Literature course (starting with poetry. Poetry!), so expect a languishing death, accompanied with a memoir written in quatrain in the didactic, ku-fu style of the HighTang dynasty.

Does your Dissertation have to be written in Chinese? - Ha, hahahahaha *wipes away single tear* You're so sweet. No. No it does not.

What's your Dissertation about? - How the capitalisation of China's markets and the growth in consumerism in China since 1989 has erased popular demand for democracy. Don't watch that.

What else are you doing this year? - Well, besides cornering innocent Chinese exchange students and forcing them to be my friends, I'm also attending Debate soc, doing some volunteering (meant to be mentoring 1st years/ promoting higher education in secondary schools. I'll definitely let you know how that goes.) and trying to keep on top of Japanese. Or just on Japanese in general. I have the books with me anyway.

I'm determined to get a 1st and look really impressive by the end of this year. In the words of Wang Zhihuan
欲穷千里目， 
更上层楼 

"If you wish to see for a thousand miles, you must ascend further up the tower".

Deep.

Xxx

NB: 上学 (shàngxué) means to attend or begin school, usually in reference to university students.

The Pleasantries of Student Accommodation

So there I was, calmly researching my Dissertation at work, when Sophie contacts me telling me there's yet ANOTHER problem with our flat in Edinburgh. Imma drop some context on y'all quickly just so you can see how inept these people are (baring in mind we were, at one point, organising this across about 12 time zones). In no particular order, their offences are:

• Not knowing who's dealing with us - Zara, Karen, Tom, Jerry, Snoop Dogg, it seems like every single person in that bloody place has (mis)handled our contract at some point, but don't seem to be keeping notes/ in touch with each other.
• Telling us we haven't paid our holding fee
• Telling us we have paid our holding fee, and actually paid too much ( "It's ok, we'll take it off your deposit!" What do you want for coming up with that one? A cookie?)
• Telling us we haven't sent our guarantor forms
• Telling us we haven't sent our guarantor forms
• Telling us we haven't sent our guarantor forms
• Telling us we haven't paid our deposit
• Telling us we haven't sent our guarantor forms
• Telling Sally she hasn't paid her deposit
• Sending me an email with the wrong address, telling me I haven't paid the deposit (the address in the email didn't exist by the way. Thanks 'Joanna')

And of course their latest offence - Telling us that we can't have the keys to the property until 4 days after the contract begins. Oooohohoho this is gonna be good. I feel that these people are very lucky they haven't had to deal with me yet, because I get angry in a very quite-direct-eye-contact-yeah-that's-right-i'm-looking-at-you-don't-make-me-go-loosham-on-you-getting-more-ghetto-by-the-word kinda way. They will rue the day they have to deal with my Mother. In fact, the day they meet ANY of us face to face - we're not stupid just because we're students and don't think that because you're older than us we'll be scared of marching into your office and demanding to have a 'word' with every last one of you. Phew.



How I listen and respond when my Letting Agency contacts me with their nonsense

How I feel on the Inside

Anyway, so Sophie, the first of us to arrive in Edinburgh, wanted to arrange to pick up the keys the day after the contract starts (the 31st) as that's when she'll be back from holiday. "Oh I'm sorry, the whole office will be away in Dundee on that day. We can't get you the keys till Monday." At the risk of being a bit obscene here, are you sh*tting on my face? Are you actually trying this ridiculousness now? It this how it's gonna go down? Really? Ok, let's go. Do you know that due to your own inefficiency, one of your tenants could be left homeless for half a week because you couldn't arrange for 1 person to get her keys to the property that she legally rents and to which she has rightful access from the start date of the lease and everyday thereafter until the period agreed upon in the contract has been terminated, or has been violated by any one of the parties? Do you? Because you do now.

Don't even try me fools. I have been reading contracts, agreements and terms and conditions for 3 weeks now - I know when someone's in material breach. Stop your nonsense, make my keys available to me, or give me my money back for those 3 days that you have not allowed me access to my property, or I will sue you. Do. Not. Try. Me.

And this is only the beginning. The place isn't even that nice you know. kmt.

Edi Xxx

***Addition - I've now checked the 'Tenancy Agreement', clause F12 states that:
"12. Suspending part of the rent

If you cannot live in or use part of the premises you will not have to pay a percentage of the rent until the whole premises are fit to live in again."

Honestly. Bring it.

Drum Roll Please

Omg I feel like an absolute genius for figuring this out – and by this I mean the mind-boggling series of life decisions that I’ve been considering since becoming an adult. Follow my train of thought if you will.

You remember how I said I was agonising between continuing with education and entering the real world [with some education thrown in], well I’ve just, just, realised how I can do both. I was thinking about my year abroad the other day, and how people often commented on how I seemed mature for my age. This is because most of my friends not from my Uni were a little older than me – 22-26, where I was only 20. Then I realised that most of them hadn’t entered the real world, but [on the whole] didn’t seem to be too old or wasting their lives. If anything, they seemed more ‘employable’. And that’s because they’d done the degree ‘ish, worked a little and then gone and done something else with their lives. Hey! Why don’t I do that!

So, new plan kids. I’ve decided to put my full efforts into applying for law training contracts [I’ve decided on a nice, random number of 7], maybe a couple of graduate schemes, work for a few years, then move abroad and continue with my favourite hobby of them all – studying. Yes, ok Mum, you tried to tell me something similar before, but it really hadn’t sunk in, as I was obsessed with not being able to learn Japanese before I was old, and before I realised that I wasn’t going to get a Fulbright Scholarship to a competitive, world-reknowned US University with nothing but a degree and a winning smile.

Sorry Stanford - You're just gonna have to wait.

Ah yes, the Fulbright Scholarship, ‘what is that?’ you ask. Well, it happens to be the only not-really-that-viable option for British people looking for a heavy discount for studying in the US. It’s so good (fees fully paid for a year as well as a living allowance, what whaaaaat) that it’s got ridiculously high standards for acceptance. Of course, anyone can apply. But a quick glance at the ‘Current and Past Fulbrighters’ list tells you that you ain’t getting on this course without at least two of the following: A first class degree (Or 2:1 if you went to Oxbridge); being an aeronautical engineer; being a prize winning novelist/artist of any description/athlete; having a very impressive CV; being the world’s best person. Of course, you don’t have to fulfil all of these criteria, but a smattering helps. So, I’m going to go into the world and collect my smattering!.... That came out wrong.

Anyhoo, I felt that this path was much better than spreading myself too thin and, knowing me, not getting anything, travelling round the world for a bit, get bored, come home, go back to uni forever, and end up in lots of lots of debt before running away to become a nomad. A well qualified nomad. Hey I could be a wise woman that people come to see for solutions to their problems! A wise woman hidden deep in- Sorry, massive tangent there.

So yeah, I’ve come up with a solution to my problem that a 6 year old could have figured out, which will mean more enjoyment in my final year as well as less stress. Yeah, I know, it seems really obvious to you, but let me just say that many a person has asked me to help them look for something when it's been right in front of them the whole time. Don't judge - we all have our moments, let me have mine.

Edi Xxx
P.S. I've decided to bring back the random Chinese words that littered my last blog because, I don't know about you, but I've missed them. I'll start integrating them from now on, but today's phrase is 进退两难 [jìntuìliǎngnán - lit. to find it difficult to advance or retreat - to be in a dilemma] to describe the turmoil that I was in, from which I have now relieved myself. :)

Does ‘Blogger’ count as a skill?

I’m not desperate for skills, hobbies and interests to put on my CV and upcoming application forms, but I have to wonder if I can include my blog as any one of these, from logistical point of view as well as a space filling one. It doesn’t really add anything (I’m not sure ‘avidly and continuously updating my adoring Facebook friends on my worldly doings’ can really go under the category of ‘creative writing’), and to be honest I’m not even sure I could talk it up into having some sort of higher purpose.

Maybe if I went semi-pro with it?

sem·i·pro·fes·sion·al

 

 /ˌsɛmiprəˈfɛʃənl, [sem-ee-pruh-fesh-uh-nl, sem-ahy-]

adjective

1. actively engaged in some field or sport for pay but on a part-time basis: semi-professional baseball players.

2. engaged in by paid, part-time people: semi-professional football.

3. having some features of

professional work but requiring less knowledge, skill, and judgment: a semi-professional job.

　

Hmm…so, according to definitions two and three, sub-sections 1, all I need to do is slap some Google adds on the sidebar, earn a little bit of dollar from ‘clicks’ and boom, I’m almost professional. I’ve already got the ‘less knowledge’ bit covered. Get in.

　

However, another problem presents itself in that if I include my blog on my application forms then a prospective employer might actually read it. Yes, that would be the point. But lets face it, my blog is highly opinionated in a very prejudicial way, contains way too many swear words and, worst of all, is derisively humorous. For example, I don’t think an interviewer would care for a later review of my experience as being ‘about as much fun as a poke in the eye’, with the interviewer himself being described as a 'wet fish' (see previous blog for more details)– and if they don’t care for my opinions, they’re not going to care about me.

Well, I was just wondering…

Edi Xxx



An Independent and Ignorant Inquest: How to Talk Yourself Up

***I feel I should warn you in advance that this post is really long...Much longer than I had originally intended...***

On the day that the new UK unemployment figures were due to be released, I heard a report on the radio saying that youth unemployment is the worst it's been for 20 years, and is only getting worse. Upon further research (BBC and Guardian articles) I found that around 20% of young people (16-24 years old) are unemployed and the number of youths that have been unenmployed for over 6 months is increasing, despite an overall decline in unemployment (8% down from 8.2% in the last quarter).

Now, 16-24 is the age group my good friends and I belong to, and though we largely belong to the more privelledged of society (we all went to good Unis and more than one of us is studying medicine related courses), we too recognise the difficulties of getting hired. I've already spoken about the competition for training contracts, and when a good friend of mine was employed by Deloitte (Top 10 Graduate Employer from now until the end of time), we threw him a party. "You get a party just for getting a job now?" an incredulous, over-40, permanently employed family friend asked me. The simple answer is "Yes, you do", and you probably deserve one too.So, what is responsible for this turn in fortune, what is anybody doing about it and, probably most importantly, what can you do to big yourself up and land on the much coveted 1^st step of your career ladder?

‘In the current economic climate’ is a phrase we hear a lot these days, but how much has the recession affected our opportunities? Well, according to the TUC, "prospects for young people deteriorated sharply when the recession started in 2008 and have been at 'crisis levels' ever since". So it is the recession then. Hardly surprising, as it was the private sector that a) caused the recession, and b) most people want to work for. I thought it was more money more problems? Anyway, the TUC go on to say that this dire situation has not been helped by the government cutting support for people out of jobs, and their representative on the radio said that the government had cut ‘essential’ programs that had shown proven benefits in the past.

Never fear though, as the government is apparently on it like a tramp on chips, assuring us that they won’t ‘underestimate [the situation] for a moment’ and are ‘committed to helping young people get the skills and experience they need to get a job’. They’ve introduced this new spangled Youth Contract thing, which I don’t 100% understand [despite my weeks of proof-reading training], but is basically meant to pay employers to hire youths by tempting them with wage subsidies. Hmmm. Well there's a link if you actually care.

Well, enough about the government and their boring, ineffective plans, let's talk about us (baby). What are the options, if any? Some smarty pants out there may be sitting there pointing out (to themselves) that there are actually many viable options for people willing to put in the effort. Well to that smarty pants I say this: not all options are viable for everyone. The world always needs more teachers, for example. But - besides the fact that not everyone is inclined to be a teacher – this generally requires another year of funding a course that many can’t afford. But many of those who could afford it, or could afford to take (another) year ‘out’, just want to get on with life. So, how to stand out from the crowd then.

Well, many of the points I mentioned in my previous Law post can be applied more generally, such as volunteering or doing an Internship or 3 (some unpaid but all useful). But again we’re back to the problem of those who have neither time nor money. If you’re really desperate for a certain position, you may have to lower your youthful expectations and work your way up. An example off the top of my head: I found during my legal research that some medium-small firms offer positions as a paralegal, and give you the opportunity to apply for a training contract later on. 

                  It's not all about University - most of these guys work for big companies with very well paid positions

And what about those people who didn’t go to Uni or didn’t get top grades in general? In the spirit of recently released A level results, to those people who didn’t get the results they wanted, didn’t get a place through clearing, or just weren’t academically inclined in the first place, it may just be a case of lowering your expectations. University isn’t for everyone, and, bless them, getting a 2:2 from the University of The Only Place That Would Take Me with DDE, sometimes just isn’t worth it. As the TUC pointed out, although 41% of young people go on to higher education nowadays, it does not afford them the same guarantee that it used to. No Sh*t Sherlock. I’m not telling you to settle for Zara for the rest of your life (they only hire beautiful Spanish people anyway), but schemes like Apprenticeships in IT, Accountancy, Childcare (you can charge a bomb for being a Nanny nowadays) give you an extra qualification to boost your CV at a later date and frankly a way to earn money and skills at the same time. If you’re dead set on Higher Education though, don’t let me stop you, hey retake your A levels if you must – but do it properly.

Chris Moriarty [great name btw] on the Radio today from the Chartered Institute of Marketing says that there's more to life than Uni grades and qualifications - 

"If you know what career you want then you should contact your professional body/institute [For us, someone who wants to get into marketing]...What professional bodies do is provide guidance, support, advice... We work with Universities to map their courses to our guidelines...We can give you a guide to what a career [in marketing] will be like, give you CV advice and provide you with available job roles... If you're not a graduate you're also at an advantage for being willing to take the less well-paid jobs."

If you’re just starting out at University or are in second year or thereabouts, my advice to you now is to make it count. Good grades really, really are not everything these days. Great you’ve got a 2:1…..And? Do tutoring at a local school, do lots of extra curriculars and become a committee member of the Harry Potter Society, learn a language (THAT’s what I’d forgotten – everyone should learn a language…not Chinese though, you’ll be learning forever) outside of your course. And if you’re lucky by the time you graduate this recession bollocks will have blown over.

To those of us 18+, all is not lost and there is still time for us to prove ourselves before we become a lost generation. Hell, move abroad and teach English and come back when the economy’s looking up. And if you’re really good, at the end of it I’ll throw you a party.

Edi xxx

As a note of Contention – Is it just a case of what you put in is what you get out? As the one-handed pianist proves, no task is insurmountable, and even a jobless youth admits that while he ‘feels like a loser’, he hasn’t been as proactive as he could have been... (Discuss?)

Never Wear White to Work

People, come on. If one more person asks me where I'm doing my work experience I think I'm gonna cry. I have answered about 500 individual questions, posted it on Facebook at least 10 times and I'm pretty sure when y'all came to my house that time (you know who you are) I gave you the update. It's the frickin' Stock Exchange, ok?! The London Stock Exchange. And now, because of you, I'm gonna have to tell EVERYONE what/when/how it's going.

So basically, I managed to land a 1 month placement at the London stock Exchange Legal Department. Relevant Experience: tick. Contrary to (apparent) popular belief, there is no longer a trading floor with half-crazed white-collar men running around shoving slips of paper in each others' faces yelling stock prices like fruit-hawkers in an East London market. "No, everything's computerised nowadays", I heard the security guard telling a group of giddy Japanese businessmen. It's all quite quiet in the office in fact, at least now that the Olympics are over.

If you're looking for a good graduate employer, I would recommend these guys actually. No matter what department you're in, the grads are all good mates, and the office is open plan and informal. Everyone works hard[ish] and the hierarchy system seems to be loosely based on the heads of departments having glass-screened offices connected to the larger office, with their doors always open and them popping their heads out for frequent, non-work related chats. V cool. Dress code is also decidedly tie-less and the ladies dress in a semi-formal semi-cas manner, obviously earning the type of dough that allows you to wear New Collection Banana Republic to work every day.

Depending on your desk, you get quite a nice view.
This is St Paul's Cathedral from my current desk

I'm not too sure about the lack of privacy though. Everybody seems to spend some time going for walking breaks, browsing the net or lolling about chatting, but as I write this post (at work) I still cast my eyes about nervously. Especially as I sit with my back to my supervisors. Hmmmmm. Still, I work hard when I have tasks to do - it's my lack of law degree that keeps me noticably un-busy at intervals.

I'm just soooo tired though. Like, every day. Thank god I'm doing at least a one-year postgrad as I am so not ready for the real world yet. At 21 years old I may be an adult, but I am not a grown-up. I've also decided that I'm gonna be good (because, you know, I'm still on dat China ting) and take Chinese classes to keep my level up before going back to uni. Of course, the only ones available to me are on a Tuesday evening from 6:45 till 8:45. Yay exhaustion! You people will be lucky if I don't have heart failure before September, let alone post another...post. Lord knows how my mother does it.

By the by, if you're wondering what the title of the post is in reference to, it's basically pointing out that, as a brown person, it is impossible to wear a white anything to work without discovering some brown on it when you take it off. It doesn't matter if you apply your make-up before/after/during the dressing process, whether you NEVER touch your face with your hands (and I mean ever), or if you don't eat anything for the entire day (food can be brown too). It irks me. I'm glad that, as a brown person, I can rock bright colours of all shades [from fuschia to mustard, if you will] at all times. If you are a male, however, a white female - or even a brown female who wears makeup and will continue to wear white because she can - please, do, continue to wear the white shift dresses and shirts I covet. For those brown people who insist on wearing white, be careful - a semi-permanent stain is only a smudge away.

Edi xxx

Why do YOU want to be a Lawyer?

And so it has come to this. Goodness me it's like applying for University all over again. For those of you who aren't residents of the UK or just don't know, today's discussion is about applying for a Training Contract with a Commercial Law Firm - someone who will pay for me to do my law conversion and then take me on for at least 2 years. And of course as a non-law graduate, I will need to know the answer to the above question before Autumn - when applications open - not having had the advantage of writing the answer in my undergraduate application, and having that file neatly stored away somewhere I could find it 3 years later. It's quite a good question though, but I'd like to point out the the you has been capitalised for a reason. This is one of those questions that one may know the answer to, but not necessarily know how to put across, or at least not in the right way. And when it comes to securing a Law Training Contract, that's all that matters.

"Why do you want to study Chinese?" is looking like a walk in the park these days - there were much fewer people applying for that, and somehow it seemed much easier to make yourself 'stand out'. But now, now, everyone applying for Law has a 2:1 or above (above! Who are you people?!), everyone has had work experience, everyone has wanted to be a lawyer since the dawn of man, everyone has the correct amount of UCAS points and everyone has a bloody good reason for wanting to be a lawyer. And there are a lot of everyones. Of course, there are ways to put yourself at the proverbial advantage, at least on paper - do lots of extra-curriculars, have non-legal work-experience, volunteer, be a balanced, open-minded, well-rounded individual who shows evidence of working well individually, as well as in a group, and has a good sense of humour whilst being appropriately professional. I find it ironic that they expect you to have had such a good work-life balance when everyone know that City law firm employees have no such thing. 

They discourage the scatter-gun approach (applying to as many firms as possible with a sort of blanket approach), but with competition so fierce, you'll definitely need to spread yourself thinner than you'd like. Unless you've got the kind of confidence that makes you think you'll get a job by applying to just one or two firms - the type of attitude they also strongly discourage. You have to know why you want to work for that firm as well - look at their bio, their 'philosophy' as a 'global/leading/dynamic/expanding' firm with an 'international/unprecedented/well deserved' reputation, their recent cases. Are you Commercially minded? do you even know what that means?!

Needless to say, getting a training contract it tough. Realistically, at an average of 5-10% acceptance rate, it seems like applying for a training contract consists of selection, re-selection, de-selection, rejection, the deadliest competition you've had to face since the egg-and-spoon race in year 4 and a series of questions so probing you start questioning your very reason for existence.

Having researched and read and researched some more, I, of course, know why I want to be a lawyer. My reasons have been jotted down in my mental note book into two very neat columns - 'things that you can say in an interview' and 'they probably won't hire if you say this, even though you know it and they know it'. The first includes things such as challenging work, in many firms a chance to go far far and away on secondment,  and access to big profile cases and clients. The latter includes things such as freebies, a chance to get something that'll knock the socks off future employers on your CV and the chance to earn bare dollar while you're still young.

(As an aside, please don't get Coporate law confused with the 'helping people' law. Corporate lawyers work for the people who run the world.)

As many people know however, Law in the City (or in any Commercial firm really) is a mixed bag, so you'd better make sure that if you'r going for a training contract that you really want it. Read the reviews of any high-profile law firm written by a trainee if you care to here - most play down the long-hours that any civil-servant would balk at, the lack of a life outside of work (as if you would need one with such a fantastic job!) and instead play up the subsidised goodies and the type of pay that someone under the age of 30 with no dependents neither needs nor deserves. I mean, really, it's just ridonkulous! Although for some people, of course, it's just not enough - check this guy out:

"The pay is OK, I guess. But like everyone else, you always want a little bit more lolly." First year trainee (earning £39,000)

What are you talking about?! If you're like me and planning on living with your parents in the suburbs in comfort for as long as socially acceptable, you certainly do not need that much money. If, by someone's grace, I did get a training contract, I wouldn't know what to do with my earnings! In fact, I would - I'd just withdraw my daily limit everyday and 'make it rain' as it were in my room... by myself. It's not like I'd have any time to spend it. 

Even the most sunshine-and-rainbows of reviews, however, do manage to include a footnote somewhere between mention of a free on-site gym and weekly massage therapy that they clock anywhere between 50-70 hours a week. That's 10-14 hours a day for those of you going 'huh?', not including the occasional "can you come in on Saturday?"s because of a deal that needs closing, for which you are, obviously, indispensable. Well, don't let people say they're paying you for nothing.

Sorry, this post was a bit long, being half rant half encyclopedia. If you were dead set on applying for the big City anyway, I doubt I would have put you off, as you're the type of person who almost definitely enjoys hard work and reckless violence whilst maintaining a positive, out-going and approachable personality. For everyone else, I hear McDonalds are accepting  applications - although you need a minimum of 5 A-C GCSE grades. You just can't win, can you?

Edi Xx