Okay here's some good news!
My prof recently spoke to me and told me to fill up a form that qualifies me as a graduate research student!
This means i get paid by the hour (up to some maximum number of hours each week)!
This is really quite surprising... and in some strange way I actually feel more motivated to concentrate my efforts into creating more efficient hours..
But things are getting dicey.. I still have modules to undertake and this means exams to study for..
Sigh now I know why the coffee is good. It HAS to be, or the researchers would be rioting...
Onward.