I just wrote an e-mail to…

Halliburton. Must go find a rock to crawl under.

One lived to pray, one prayed for life.

We’ve had a small breakthrough in the Ghana project campaign at Stand Up For Africa. A second massive oil company wants to send one of their representatives to visit our project in Ghana and talk about funding. After all the e-mails sent and websites trawled for contacts, there is something to get excited about. Very good stuff. It was so time-consuming researching every big company to see if they had operations or at least prospective operations in Ghana, but it’s starting to pay off. We’re in talks with two big oil companies now.

What’s also exciting is that I may have an awesome supervisor for my dissertation next year. Awesome as in I’ve been using his books and articles since I started at SOAS and he’s pretty much the best person to supervise the subject I’m writing about. I’m writing about the relationships between Islamist groups and the state in Southeast Asia (probably with a focus on Sumatra, Indonesia). A very interesting subject that I chose because I can’t see myself getting too sick of it by the dissertation deadline. I’m starting my research now and there’s just so much that I could cover. This dissertation is my opportunity to use SOAS facilities for what they’re really there for which (geek to the core that I am) has made me really look forward to the coming academic year.

In general I’m starting to feel as though I’ve wasted the last two years in a number of ways. There’s no point wasting three years and thousands of pounds to do a degree while putting in minimal effort. I might as well really push myself next year and see what I can come up with. Considering the hand I was dealt during exams this year, I guess I should be thankful that I came out with a high 2:1. But there are always some aspects of my secondary school which I suppose I’ll never be able to shake off: the perfectionism and the inability to cut myself some slack. At least if I work my ass of in the coming year, I’ll know that I worked for whatever grade I get and I won’t have to consider what might have been. The only way to calm my brain down at the moment is to start reading and researching for my dissertation, as there is no other way really to prepare for the coming year. So reading and researching is what I will do.

Take me on a trip, I’d like to go some daaaay.

For the first time in quite a while, I am on a job hunt. Bleeeehhhh. I hate job-hunting. When it comes to selling my good qualities, I am absolutely terrible. I just had to write a blurb about myself for the Stand Up For Africa staff page and I found it so difficult. I know that I have useful skills but the whole job-hunting process just feels so soul-less, and even if what I write in my CV or covering letter is true, I feel like I’m making it up because the process is so fake.

I’m really going to miss my support worker job over the summer. Roll on September, I say. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done and I’m actually good at it. I rarely feel as though I’m good at the things I do. Usually I just have this feeling that I’ve scraped by, but not with this.

Mmm. I’m currently at my boyfriend’s house, sorting out all of our clothes. He’s interning full-time at Banyak Films, so seeing as I’m between jobs I agreed to sort it all out. I’m putting on the campest gay anthems I have on iTunes and getting to it. Any moment now. Yep.