i started this blog on 31st august 2003.
its been a whole year since i started this. and it has become pretty much a big part of my daily life in terms of communicating with others and expressing certain messages, opinions and others.
this has come a long way. and its gonna continue.
ok, i'll not go on n on about this.
i havent been updating much, that's because work suddenly started piling up, so much so that all i've been doing is reading. i spent pretty much the whole of sunday preparing for this week's history by reading number of chapters from 2 texts. and then there's the calculus 1 test that's coming up on thursday, the preparation for that is going well, but a little behind schedule. but what makes me mad is that all these assignments for other subjects starts piling up. instead of setting everything aside for calculus, it seems i might have to do health reading and settle GT1000 and engineering for the night, so that i can concentrate fully for my calculus test.
but other than work, things are going oh so smooth. i love this place. i love the atmosphere.
i've pretty much got used to the system now. monday through friday, classes, readings, assignments, etc. friday night, we usually go out for something or dinner (last week i attended my first professional baseball match, between atlanta braves and san francisco giants, braves won 5-3, much to my delight) and then staying up real late, til like 2 or 3, talking with the other guys or watching tv, or movie. then i wake up really late on saturday, around 12. (the dining hall opens at 11 on weekends, which indirectly induces me to wake up later, since there wont be food til then) and i use the whole of saturday to basically unwind. or basically take a long rest. and then the same process as friday; stay up late, the guys in my section made it a habit to watch DVD together. then wake up late again on sunday and then spend the rest of the day preparing for the coming week.
it seems shitty, but im not complaining. this week will be better, since we have the first match of the football season, the atmosphere is gonna be awesome, and preceding that, georgia tech has booked the whole of six flags, an amusement park, for a tech night. that's gonna be superb.
im using the apple 12" powerbook right now, listening to songs streamed from someone else in the tech network. excellent. its my first mac, so i'm taking a longer time than usual to do the normal stuff, figuring out things on my own, but it'll get there eventually. and i need to start filling up my ipod too. right now, its made up of whatever my room mate had in his computer.
lets see, what else.. oh. newcastle. everything's messed up. well, maybe not. shearer is favourite to take over the managerial role, but i prefer if some temporary staff takes charge til shearer retires. i'll see how it goes for newcastle this season, but the bad beginning? its never a surprise, thats how we always start out in the season.
now that i have the laptop and dont need to rely on my generous room mate whos been really nice about me using the computer for so long, i can post more, use the net more and do my work. talking about more, i really need to get to my studying, but i gotta go have my dinner first.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Monday, August 30, 2004
a knight's tale... interrupted
earlier on today (in my time) newcastle united boss sir bobby robson was relieved of his duties as the manager...
that is so wrong... i am left speechless. as if things werent going bad enough, to get rid of a respected manager, where will they move to now?
that is so wrong... i am left speechless. as if things werent going bad enough, to get rid of a respected manager, where will they move to now?
Thursday, August 26, 2004
to relieve some time
i dropped international affairs today.
sadly, it's already the second week, so this will show on my end of semester transcript as being graded 'W' - Withdrawed.
there was just tons of reading for me. so much so, i could not finish reading, and readings kept piling up. I'm an engineering student dammit, and I had like 4 reading classes; history, international affairs, health and english. so i dropped it. it takes a huge load off my back, really.
so i'm back to 14 hours. that's regarded as normal courseload. i must've been crazy to get away with 17. now all the heavy reading i have are history and health. finally i can get to some actual studying. (yes, there was so much to read that i had no time to review what i had read to start studying, reading is just preparation for class)
plus the fact that i'm holding a position at delta sig and i just submitted a form to run for president of the hall council for Glenn House, i think 14 hours will work out for me. the ones i need to study are history, health and english. calculus 1, intro to engineering and gt1000 will take care of itself.
i have to go request to sit for japanese exams, to get 6 hours humanities credit and further 6 hours for my minor. i hope i get that. if i do, then all i need to do is to sit for a single class at tech and go for study abroad and i'll get my minor. that isnt much time. i was talking to couple of friends today and i might actually be able to get a certificate in something else if i manage my classes right. certificate programs are only 12 hours, which should roughly take about 2 years. now i gotta shortlist what i could take.
i should be getting my powerbook tomorrow. and going to the atlanta braves baseball game. they're doing pretty well at the moment, at the top of NL East.
and i can wake up an hour later from tommorrow, since im no longer taking international affairs.
sadly, it's already the second week, so this will show on my end of semester transcript as being graded 'W' - Withdrawed.
there was just tons of reading for me. so much so, i could not finish reading, and readings kept piling up. I'm an engineering student dammit, and I had like 4 reading classes; history, international affairs, health and english. so i dropped it. it takes a huge load off my back, really.
so i'm back to 14 hours. that's regarded as normal courseload. i must've been crazy to get away with 17. now all the heavy reading i have are history and health. finally i can get to some actual studying. (yes, there was so much to read that i had no time to review what i had read to start studying, reading is just preparation for class)
plus the fact that i'm holding a position at delta sig and i just submitted a form to run for president of the hall council for Glenn House, i think 14 hours will work out for me. the ones i need to study are history, health and english. calculus 1, intro to engineering and gt1000 will take care of itself.
i have to go request to sit for japanese exams, to get 6 hours humanities credit and further 6 hours for my minor. i hope i get that. if i do, then all i need to do is to sit for a single class at tech and go for study abroad and i'll get my minor. that isnt much time. i was talking to couple of friends today and i might actually be able to get a certificate in something else if i manage my classes right. certificate programs are only 12 hours, which should roughly take about 2 years. now i gotta shortlist what i could take.
i should be getting my powerbook tomorrow. and going to the atlanta braves baseball game. they're doing pretty well at the moment, at the top of NL East.
and i can wake up an hour later from tommorrow, since im no longer taking international affairs.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
more credits!
what luck...
it seems now i can claim credit for japanese, so that it will satisfy the 6 hours credit requirement for humanities as well. only difference is that for this, i have to sit for two exams, and pay 50 bucks for it. but im not complaning, coz i will also get 6 hours contributed towards my minor for my high school work.
this is getting better and better.
how many credits hav i earned so far... 16... plus 12.. 28.. that's like one year. wow. subtract calculus 1 and its 24. still one year. could i graduate a semester early? if i plan my courses right...
only way to add to what ive already gotten would have been to score better on the SAT II english so that i could skip english I. but i like the class.
let's see if i really do get the japanese credits...
it seems now i can claim credit for japanese, so that it will satisfy the 6 hours credit requirement for humanities as well. only difference is that for this, i have to sit for two exams, and pay 50 bucks for it. but im not complaning, coz i will also get 6 hours contributed towards my minor for my high school work.
this is getting better and better.
how many credits hav i earned so far... 16... plus 12.. 28.. that's like one year. wow. subtract calculus 1 and its 24. still one year. could i graduate a semester early? if i plan my courses right...
only way to add to what ive already gotten would have been to score better on the SAT II english so that i could skip english I. but i like the class.
let's see if i really do get the japanese credits...
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
tons of reading... but im not complaining.
sheesh, there are tons of reading to do, and im hardly at the top of things yet. ive read history ahead of class, but apparantly that isnt enough, coz the text goes in great detail, whereas the professor seems to skim through a lot of things, while explaining the key compenents in great detail, sometimes adding info that's not in the text as well. but its fun. never knew there was such a divide between the north and the south, and i kinda understand now how the whole rivalry between the democrats and the republicans intensified more than ever after the reconstruction era.
i just started on international affairs (relation) and i have tons of reading for that. i have not covered the first two chapters, but those are just introductions. i will be reading the material needed for tomorrow throughout tonight.
as for health, i am just ok. should be reading about stress if im done with INTA, if not, somewhere in between tomorrow. most of them are common sense, thank god.
im glad that im doing all these, even though i hate reading and writing, simply because i am so glad that im studying after such a long time. calculus 1 is so far no brainers, just doing limits and all, simple MC stuff. i am refreshing my mind and learning couple of new methods and description by this, and doing work is evens simpler. i should master everything while i have the chance, so that i wont have to worry about getting a B if i were to screw up.
i am still amazed by the fact that i got credit for chemistry. i can do quite a lot of things now. like adding couple more introductory courses in the next and the following semester before declaring my major. it seems undecided engineers are guaranteed to get whatever major they want. unless they had a major and changed it before. i did the change before enrolling, so i think i am alright. the admissions people say if you changed once or twice previously then they need to meet some criterias in order to get into the major that they want. i am more or less fixed on industrial systems and engineering or computer engineering, but i am gonna give intro to computer engineering, intro to aerospace engineering and intro to bioengineering a shot. with the chemistry taken out, i can afford to sit for those classes. if i dont like it, i can always drop after week 6. i think i can make a much better decision for my major.
i have been going about to check about study abroad programs. i can actually take up the option of going to singapore to study a semester at NUS for industrial engineering, since they have joint programs, but why do that, i can do that here. so i am thinking of going to japan, so that getting a minor degree in japanese will be easier, since i cant take enough classes in tech. native speakers are barred from taking 1000, 2000 and 3000 classes. that leaves me with only 5 classes. if i go to waseda or fukuoka, i get 9 hours in about 6 weeks, which is much better. then i sit for few tech classes, maybe for 2 semesters and voila, ive got my minor. its actually like substituting the summer semester which is actually supposed to be a holiday for me, to get that 9 hours. since im doing co-op, i thought i will have to go this summer. but apparantly, the class begins in the middle of the spring semester and ends in the middle of the summer semester, which makes it very difficult for me. so i have to go talk to the co-op people to see if there will be any companies which will begin my working term few weeks earlier and finish earlier too. that means i will have to start working from this summer semester. dang. this is how my next 5 years will look like.
Freshman Year
Fall : Academic Term (NOW)
Spring : Academic Term
Summer : Co-op
Sophomore Year
Fall : Academic
Spring : Co-op
Summer : Academic
Junior Year
Fall : Co-op
Spring : Study Abroad Program in Japan
Summer : Co-op
Senior Year
Fall : Co-op or Academic (Not sure yet)
Spring : Academic
Summer : Academic or Holiday (NSY)
5th Year
Fall : Academic
Spring : Academic (Graduation)
man... that's some plan... almost non stop for 5 years if i take up international co-op at the end of junior year. if not, i get a break for the first time in summer of senior year. alternatively, i can continue then i can finish a semester faster, i mean that's why i get credit for.
talking about credits, i might be able to get credits for humanities since i did foreign language in high school. then i can skip extra 6 hours. which means 18 hours in total (since im re-doing calculus 1)
sudden empty pockets of time scare me. coz i can do so much more in planning what courses to take. i am already planning what to take for next semester, since i dont have to take chemistry anymore. i most probably will take calculus 2, english 2, intro to computing, economic policies and intro to bioengineering or aerospace. that would be about 15 or 16 hours.
i took up a position at Delta Sig. I volunteered to be the academic officer, who keeps track of how everyone is doing and information on scholarships and such. so another step cleared.
things are going very well for me. the final step for this semester is whether to sign up for freShGA (sub-division of student government) or to join the hall council. that i have to research for more info over the next few days.
i blogged way too much today, due to so much excitement. i better get to reading my text.
i should be getting my 12" powerbook and iPod by friday. cant wait.
i just started on international affairs (relation) and i have tons of reading for that. i have not covered the first two chapters, but those are just introductions. i will be reading the material needed for tomorrow throughout tonight.
as for health, i am just ok. should be reading about stress if im done with INTA, if not, somewhere in between tomorrow. most of them are common sense, thank god.
im glad that im doing all these, even though i hate reading and writing, simply because i am so glad that im studying after such a long time. calculus 1 is so far no brainers, just doing limits and all, simple MC stuff. i am refreshing my mind and learning couple of new methods and description by this, and doing work is evens simpler. i should master everything while i have the chance, so that i wont have to worry about getting a B if i were to screw up.
i am still amazed by the fact that i got credit for chemistry. i can do quite a lot of things now. like adding couple more introductory courses in the next and the following semester before declaring my major. it seems undecided engineers are guaranteed to get whatever major they want. unless they had a major and changed it before. i did the change before enrolling, so i think i am alright. the admissions people say if you changed once or twice previously then they need to meet some criterias in order to get into the major that they want. i am more or less fixed on industrial systems and engineering or computer engineering, but i am gonna give intro to computer engineering, intro to aerospace engineering and intro to bioengineering a shot. with the chemistry taken out, i can afford to sit for those classes. if i dont like it, i can always drop after week 6. i think i can make a much better decision for my major.
i have been going about to check about study abroad programs. i can actually take up the option of going to singapore to study a semester at NUS for industrial engineering, since they have joint programs, but why do that, i can do that here. so i am thinking of going to japan, so that getting a minor degree in japanese will be easier, since i cant take enough classes in tech. native speakers are barred from taking 1000, 2000 and 3000 classes. that leaves me with only 5 classes. if i go to waseda or fukuoka, i get 9 hours in about 6 weeks, which is much better. then i sit for few tech classes, maybe for 2 semesters and voila, ive got my minor. its actually like substituting the summer semester which is actually supposed to be a holiday for me, to get that 9 hours. since im doing co-op, i thought i will have to go this summer. but apparantly, the class begins in the middle of the spring semester and ends in the middle of the summer semester, which makes it very difficult for me. so i have to go talk to the co-op people to see if there will be any companies which will begin my working term few weeks earlier and finish earlier too. that means i will have to start working from this summer semester. dang. this is how my next 5 years will look like.
Freshman Year
Fall : Academic Term (NOW)
Spring : Academic Term
Summer : Co-op
Sophomore Year
Fall : Academic
Spring : Co-op
Summer : Academic
Junior Year
Fall : Co-op
Spring : Study Abroad Program in Japan
Summer : Co-op
Senior Year
Fall : Co-op or Academic (Not sure yet)
Spring : Academic
Summer : Academic or Holiday (NSY)
5th Year
Fall : Academic
Spring : Academic (Graduation)
man... that's some plan... almost non stop for 5 years if i take up international co-op at the end of junior year. if not, i get a break for the first time in summer of senior year. alternatively, i can continue then i can finish a semester faster, i mean that's why i get credit for.
talking about credits, i might be able to get credits for humanities since i did foreign language in high school. then i can skip extra 6 hours. which means 18 hours in total (since im re-doing calculus 1)
sudden empty pockets of time scare me. coz i can do so much more in planning what courses to take. i am already planning what to take for next semester, since i dont have to take chemistry anymore. i most probably will take calculus 2, english 2, intro to computing, economic policies and intro to bioengineering or aerospace. that would be about 15 or 16 hours.
i took up a position at Delta Sig. I volunteered to be the academic officer, who keeps track of how everyone is doing and information on scholarships and such. so another step cleared.
things are going very well for me. the final step for this semester is whether to sign up for freShGA (sub-division of student government) or to join the hall council. that i have to research for more info over the next few days.
i blogged way too much today, due to so much excitement. i better get to reading my text.
i should be getting my 12" powerbook and iPod by friday. cant wait.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Credit euphoria
i couldnt check whether i had credits on OSCAR, so i went to the registrar's office to check today.
guess what.
they gave me all 3 credits, for calc I (which im re-taking, so that doesnt really matter), physics I & II (i heard phys II is the hardest course in tech, so i'm glad) and surprise surprise, even though i scored E for the 'A' Levels for Chemistry, they gave me credit for that!
i'm super delighted, coz that means i dont have to take chem next year. only CS to worry about! i heard from those taking chemistry that in tech, we cover whatever other universities cover in two semester in one semester. and a fellow 'a' level taker noted that tech covers whatever we covered in 2 years in one semester.
talk about accelerated learning.
but im glad i got the 3 sciences covered.
i gotta go for history now.
guess what.
they gave me all 3 credits, for calc I (which im re-taking, so that doesnt really matter), physics I & II (i heard phys II is the hardest course in tech, so i'm glad) and surprise surprise, even though i scored E for the 'A' Levels for Chemistry, they gave me credit for that!
i'm super delighted, coz that means i dont have to take chem next year. only CS to worry about! i heard from those taking chemistry that in tech, we cover whatever other universities cover in two semester in one semester. and a fellow 'a' level taker noted that tech covers whatever we covered in 2 years in one semester.
talk about accelerated learning.
but im glad i got the 3 sciences covered.
i gotta go for history now.
Friday, August 20, 2004
Delta Sig
so im officially a frat boy as of today.
ok, i better stop saying frat. (a typical frat joke was shared, when one urged us to stop saying frat as an substitute for fraternity, since we dont say cunt as a short for country)
anyway, now im a member of the Iota class of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity in Georgia Tech (damn thats a long introduction)
i cant disclose what happened in detail, but i guess i am glad i joined. i almost backed off. so much so that i was still in dilemma 30 minutes before we were scheduled to meet. since there isnt going to be another time, i decided to go for it.
and im glad that i did. i think its gonna be fun. and a lot of getting used to.
like for example, i am not good at socialising. so they had this party after we all went for lunch, crashers and other sororities or fraternities dropping by. i talked to some for a while, but for some reason, didnt really want to talk to anyone. more like it would have been weird, coz after simple introductions, there will be an awkward silence. that usually happens to me.
the more important reason i joined delta sig is to gain experience and know guys so that i can step up to higher things, maybe the hall council or even the student government. i can get involved to do things, instead of just party away. i never liked the concept of frat parties anyway. well, maybe that might change.
so that's that. i gotta wake up to join them do some community service tomorrow morning.
talked to the japanese professors. it does seem like i have to go to waseda during the summer. next summer. 9 hours credit for 6 weeks. that's good stuff. plus, in state tuition. then all i need is 2 more classes in the 4000 series and i got my minor. but if i do co-op, then that technically means i probably wont have any proper holiday until june 2009. my summer break will be spent on co-op and study abroad program. jeez. am i ready for that? 2 academic terms and then study abroad, then alternate of co-op and academic for 4 more years. man...
i saw her yet again today. there's something about the way she looks. something about her eyes that draws me to her. but she will never know. its always like that. just fade into obscurity as time passes. and that somehow sucks. but its been like that all along.
i should be ordering my 12" powerbook tomorrow. cant wait.
ok, i better stop saying frat. (a typical frat joke was shared, when one urged us to stop saying frat as an substitute for fraternity, since we dont say cunt as a short for country)
anyway, now im a member of the Iota class of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity in Georgia Tech (damn thats a long introduction)
i cant disclose what happened in detail, but i guess i am glad i joined. i almost backed off. so much so that i was still in dilemma 30 minutes before we were scheduled to meet. since there isnt going to be another time, i decided to go for it.
and im glad that i did. i think its gonna be fun. and a lot of getting used to.
like for example, i am not good at socialising. so they had this party after we all went for lunch, crashers and other sororities or fraternities dropping by. i talked to some for a while, but for some reason, didnt really want to talk to anyone. more like it would have been weird, coz after simple introductions, there will be an awkward silence. that usually happens to me.
the more important reason i joined delta sig is to gain experience and know guys so that i can step up to higher things, maybe the hall council or even the student government. i can get involved to do things, instead of just party away. i never liked the concept of frat parties anyway. well, maybe that might change.
so that's that. i gotta wake up to join them do some community service tomorrow morning.
talked to the japanese professors. it does seem like i have to go to waseda during the summer. next summer. 9 hours credit for 6 weeks. that's good stuff. plus, in state tuition. then all i need is 2 more classes in the 4000 series and i got my minor. but if i do co-op, then that technically means i probably wont have any proper holiday until june 2009. my summer break will be spent on co-op and study abroad program. jeez. am i ready for that? 2 academic terms and then study abroad, then alternate of co-op and academic for 4 more years. man...
i saw her yet again today. there's something about the way she looks. something about her eyes that draws me to her. but she will never know. its always like that. just fade into obscurity as time passes. and that somehow sucks. but its been like that all along.
i should be ordering my 12" powerbook tomorrow. cant wait.
change in schedule
i turned my timetable upside down.
in order to accomodate for the only intro to engineering class offered by the materials science and engineering department at 1505, i pushed my calculus 1 class to 0905. and i dropped psychology for good and took up international affairs at 0805, which means i will get used to waking up early in the morning. afterall, when i signed up for housing, i did mention i was an early riser.
its better, since most of my classes end at 2 or 3 this way. so now im taking 17 hours of classes per week, which is pushing for first semester freshman, but if i think about it, its actually quite light.
as discussed with sandesh, i think it is better to take calculus 1 again, since its gonna be a straight road to an A, since i know more or less everything, it'll be a good chance to consolidate my understanding of maths again. and GT 1000, health and intro engineering should be pretty easy too. so that means 4 of 7 classes have been taken care of. just really need to read for history and international affairs and participate a lot in english.
i read one chapter of history last night and it took quite long, about 2 hours. but contrary to my previous belief that it was boring, it was actually quite interesting, about the whole reconstruction of the south and all. i need to read another chapter, but i dont think i have the time to do that, its next period.
since i dropped psychology, i now have time to meet Dr. Simonds for japanese. i might need to go to waseda afterall for the minor.
went for laundry yesterday. im gonna do it once a week. instead of finishing in an hour, we took almost 2 hours. washing is ok, but it took a long time for the dryer to be effective. i had to go for 4 cycles, which meant a dollar. thats not much, but its still something. i intially intended for the post to be named 'rage against the washing machine' but my roommate laughed at it so hard and said i was probably too tired.
oh, i guess i will be joining delta sig afterall.
in order to accomodate for the only intro to engineering class offered by the materials science and engineering department at 1505, i pushed my calculus 1 class to 0905. and i dropped psychology for good and took up international affairs at 0805, which means i will get used to waking up early in the morning. afterall, when i signed up for housing, i did mention i was an early riser.
its better, since most of my classes end at 2 or 3 this way. so now im taking 17 hours of classes per week, which is pushing for first semester freshman, but if i think about it, its actually quite light.
as discussed with sandesh, i think it is better to take calculus 1 again, since its gonna be a straight road to an A, since i know more or less everything, it'll be a good chance to consolidate my understanding of maths again. and GT 1000, health and intro engineering should be pretty easy too. so that means 4 of 7 classes have been taken care of. just really need to read for history and international affairs and participate a lot in english.
i read one chapter of history last night and it took quite long, about 2 hours. but contrary to my previous belief that it was boring, it was actually quite interesting, about the whole reconstruction of the south and all. i need to read another chapter, but i dont think i have the time to do that, its next period.
since i dropped psychology, i now have time to meet Dr. Simonds for japanese. i might need to go to waseda afterall for the minor.
went for laundry yesterday. im gonna do it once a week. instead of finishing in an hour, we took almost 2 hours. washing is ok, but it took a long time for the dryer to be effective. i had to go for 4 cycles, which meant a dollar. thats not much, but its still something. i intially intended for the post to be named 'rage against the washing machine' but my roommate laughed at it so hard and said i was probably too tired.
oh, i guess i will be joining delta sig afterall.
biggest sale in newcastle's history
so woodgate did leave.
dammit.
newcastle better invest wisely in quality defenders with the 13.4 million quids they gained from that sale.
dammit.
newcastle better invest wisely in quality defenders with the 13.4 million quids they gained from that sale.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
reasons
sometimes things just doesnt make sense. but it happens anyway.
i remember the psychology lecturer saying something about how people study this and that. to find out the reasons why certain things behave the way they do and such. if we think out of that context, then someone is trying to find an answer to something all the time. that's why we have so many things in the world. in quest for an answer.
why cant somethings happen without any reason? does reason have to be present for something to occur? maybe that's why there's religion, for people seeking the truth, or reason, because as we continue to question, there will be a point where there is no answer. that's why scientists keep researching about how we came into existence and whatnot. why couldnt we just be a creation of accident? is that so hard to imagine that that can happen? i mean there are billions of people, does death really need a meaning, when there are so many others on earth? i think we just come and go. period. no more, no less. so what if there's nothing after death. there might be, but we wont know. im not gonna go to so much detail about this, but i just felt like saying it. we seek for too much answers or the truth. but it is good, coz that's what drove us to where we are today. and it will continue to advance the human race.
but then i come back to the question; does everything need a reason? its ironic, because that is a question in itself that i dont bother to seek an answer to. since i point out that there need not be a reason, im just gonna leave it at that.
i remember the psychology lecturer saying something about how people study this and that. to find out the reasons why certain things behave the way they do and such. if we think out of that context, then someone is trying to find an answer to something all the time. that's why we have so many things in the world. in quest for an answer.
why cant somethings happen without any reason? does reason have to be present for something to occur? maybe that's why there's religion, for people seeking the truth, or reason, because as we continue to question, there will be a point where there is no answer. that's why scientists keep researching about how we came into existence and whatnot. why couldnt we just be a creation of accident? is that so hard to imagine that that can happen? i mean there are billions of people, does death really need a meaning, when there are so many others on earth? i think we just come and go. period. no more, no less. so what if there's nothing after death. there might be, but we wont know. im not gonna go to so much detail about this, but i just felt like saying it. we seek for too much answers or the truth. but it is good, coz that's what drove us to where we are today. and it will continue to advance the human race.
but then i come back to the question; does everything need a reason? its ironic, because that is a question in itself that i dont bother to seek an answer to. since i point out that there need not be a reason, im just gonna leave it at that.
woodgate's leaving?
i dont believe this.
as if newcastle considering to sell dyer (that issue's been dealth with and is no longer happenening, thank god) now they're selling arguable one of our best players, jonathan woodgate, to real madrid for 13.4 million pounds.
is newcastle thinking? sir bobby said its an offer they could not refuse. we got him for 9m, and 13.4 is too good to refuse? yeah, he's injury prone, but that doesnt mean selling is the way to go..
its outrageous.
without him, whats the point of playing the team that has changed for the better? no one can take his place.
as if newcastle considering to sell dyer (that issue's been dealth with and is no longer happenening, thank god) now they're selling arguable one of our best players, jonathan woodgate, to real madrid for 13.4 million pounds.
is newcastle thinking? sir bobby said its an offer they could not refuse. we got him for 9m, and 13.4 is too good to refuse? yeah, he's injury prone, but that doesnt mean selling is the way to go..
its outrageous.
without him, whats the point of playing the team that has changed for the better? no one can take his place.
to pledge or not to pledge
i think im dropping psychology and taking up international affairs instead.
its only the second lecture and i could not comprehend a single thing that was being said by the lecturer. i think most students had some sort of a biology background, but still, i thought it would not be so complicated. im gonna give it one last try on friday, which is luckily the deadline to change our courses for this semester. friends gave me great reviews for international affairs, so it should be the right choice. plus, it will be a good chance for me to wake up early. coz of the nature of my schedule now, i can afford to wake up at 9. with international affairs, i'll have to wake up at 7, have breakfast and climb that damn freshman hill and try to make it to the building near the ISyE section in about 10 or 15 mins. thats super long. but i think it will be alright. i'll hate the freshman hill forever, as if i didnt like it enough already.
i have until tomorrow to accept the bid from delta sig. my dad says it's worth it, but it will be of no avail if i am to transfer to UIUC. there's no transfer of frats across campus, or that's what im told. but i think i want to. tom has done it, nate probably wont. it might be a big commitment, but the fact that they gave me the bid shows that the frat guys think im good enough to be there. there's a formal dinner tonight, i shall find out more and then pledge, maybe tomorrow.
i finally got all my texts. mixes of used and new books. depending on the psychology part, i might need new books for international affairs, but so far, ive spent US$400+ on textbooks alone. its madness. thank god we can sell the books back, albeit for a lower money in return. still, its better than nothing.
i need to go for my english class now.
its only the second lecture and i could not comprehend a single thing that was being said by the lecturer. i think most students had some sort of a biology background, but still, i thought it would not be so complicated. im gonna give it one last try on friday, which is luckily the deadline to change our courses for this semester. friends gave me great reviews for international affairs, so it should be the right choice. plus, it will be a good chance for me to wake up early. coz of the nature of my schedule now, i can afford to wake up at 9. with international affairs, i'll have to wake up at 7, have breakfast and climb that damn freshman hill and try to make it to the building near the ISyE section in about 10 or 15 mins. thats super long. but i think it will be alright. i'll hate the freshman hill forever, as if i didnt like it enough already.
i have until tomorrow to accept the bid from delta sig. my dad says it's worth it, but it will be of no avail if i am to transfer to UIUC. there's no transfer of frats across campus, or that's what im told. but i think i want to. tom has done it, nate probably wont. it might be a big commitment, but the fact that they gave me the bid shows that the frat guys think im good enough to be there. there's a formal dinner tonight, i shall find out more and then pledge, maybe tomorrow.
i finally got all my texts. mixes of used and new books. depending on the psychology part, i might need new books for international affairs, but so far, ive spent US$400+ on textbooks alone. its madness. thank god we can sell the books back, albeit for a lower money in return. still, its better than nothing.
i need to go for my english class now.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
frat bid
i remember the time when i vowed to myself that i will never involve myself so heavily in school anymore, so that my academics wont suffer.
im about to break that vow today.
i got a bid from one of the frats, cant specify which one, and it feels great. it was funny coz james, tom, nate and i went out together, only for james to go alone after two visitd and the rest of us went to check the others out. ironically all three of us got bid from the same frat, tom accepted, nate and i will hold on for a while before acceptance. i was really surprised coz i didnt think that i'll get a bid, and i thought i had my eyes set on two other frats. but i talked to a whole lot more people this time and the guys were really great. i gotta settle the financial issue first, but as i talked to my dad later on, i think joining this frat will have a lot of advantages in the long run.
so one of my goals in tech is about to be completed. maybe two. i might take up part timing at barnes and noble. also, i forgot that the study abroad program will require me to pay the in-state tuition fee, so my goal for a minor is back on. undergrad research, that remains to be seen. what else... a possible leadership role, and maybe a sport, im not sure. drama seems real nice here though.
i got a cool english teacher. he's a movie critique, and not only that, unlike other classes, his classes take on democracy, and he clearly outlined that we'll be basing our discussions on the upcoming elections which made me real happy. math lecturer seems good too and i think i might end up taking calculus 1 afterall.
there are so many things happening, but its all going good.
and the tech guy at barnes and noble advised me to get the 12" powerbook instead of the 14" ibook coz my hands are smaller and it fits better. personally, i like the metal feel of it too. ibook might crack, i fear.
i spent like 300 bucks on textbooks today. and that isnt like all the books for the first semester. its nuts. and some werent even new, i got used books and it still cost that much. its crazy.
i gotta go read up on my health and psychology books. since i couldnt get the required history one, im so going to be lost tomorrow. as if having problems with following along with the southern accent wasnt bad enough. i gotta sit right infront of him tomorrow.
im about to break that vow today.
i got a bid from one of the frats, cant specify which one, and it feels great. it was funny coz james, tom, nate and i went out together, only for james to go alone after two visitd and the rest of us went to check the others out. ironically all three of us got bid from the same frat, tom accepted, nate and i will hold on for a while before acceptance. i was really surprised coz i didnt think that i'll get a bid, and i thought i had my eyes set on two other frats. but i talked to a whole lot more people this time and the guys were really great. i gotta settle the financial issue first, but as i talked to my dad later on, i think joining this frat will have a lot of advantages in the long run.
so one of my goals in tech is about to be completed. maybe two. i might take up part timing at barnes and noble. also, i forgot that the study abroad program will require me to pay the in-state tuition fee, so my goal for a minor is back on. undergrad research, that remains to be seen. what else... a possible leadership role, and maybe a sport, im not sure. drama seems real nice here though.
i got a cool english teacher. he's a movie critique, and not only that, unlike other classes, his classes take on democracy, and he clearly outlined that we'll be basing our discussions on the upcoming elections which made me real happy. math lecturer seems good too and i think i might end up taking calculus 1 afterall.
there are so many things happening, but its all going good.
and the tech guy at barnes and noble advised me to get the 12" powerbook instead of the 14" ibook coz my hands are smaller and it fits better. personally, i like the metal feel of it too. ibook might crack, i fear.
i spent like 300 bucks on textbooks today. and that isnt like all the books for the first semester. its nuts. and some werent even new, i got used books and it still cost that much. its crazy.
i gotta go read up on my health and psychology books. since i couldnt get the required history one, im so going to be lost tomorrow. as if having problems with following along with the southern accent wasnt bad enough. i gotta sit right infront of him tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
awesome tuesday
i love my schedule, i think... i dont have classes on tuesday til like 1:35 pm.. and that's for ENG 1101... and i only have MATH 1501 to follow that, so only 2 lessons on tuesday.
classes yesterday was pretty nice. HIST 2112 and HPS 1040 were s0-so, but I think PSYC 1101 is gonna be pretty good, lecturer's engaging speaker. i need to do a hell lot of a reading for HIST and PSYC, but its gonna keep me interested, so its all good.
the only problem? it seems all textbooks are sold out. i really hope the new shipment lasts before my classes end at 1625. I need used textbooks, and there's only new ones. and the psyc ones cost like US$80. luckily i can sell off the texts at the end of the semester, if not its just bad investment. i need like 4 texts for history, so its gonna be a prob.
Bank of America called me up this morning to say that my bank account wouldnt exactly be free. i need to make a minimum deposit of US$99 and then pay an annual fee of US$30 for maintenance. so much for signing up for a supposedly 'free' student checking account. but i need it. gotta talk to my dad later to see if i should go to some other regional bank. i need money to buy all these freakin expensive texts and my ibook or powerbook, i still have not sorted that one out yet.
anyway, i havent been updating with too much detail lately. my room mate's great. we get along pretty well and im glad that i have him as my room mate. he's real funny and its fun being around in the room or having meals with him.
so whats been going on since the orientation is that we basically explore the campus coz the fraternity houses are open for us to check them out and see which one to join. i kinda had decided not to join, since it seemed fake, which some of them are, but there were some that were really nice. one of the first ones i visited, Delta Tau Delta, had this hypnotist over as a guest and that one hour was a spectable. he really hypnotized 6 out of a possible 13 volunteers and it was just amazing and hilarious. those guys didnt recall what they were doing in the past hour. but it wasnt exactly my kinda frat to join.
as a matter of fact, i still am not sure if i should pledge to a frat, coz of two things. money and the doubt whether i'll stay at tech or move to urbana-champaign (first semester was really ex. i can cut the cost to half if i transfer) so i gotta talk more. there was this one frat tt indirectly kicked us out, i dont think i should mention their name, coz it will probably violate the tech honor code. but they were really rude. they could just let us go through their place and if we ever decided to pledge (now we're never ever gonna do that) then they could just say they dont wanna give us a bid. simple as that. and there was this completely nerdy/weird frat, that's totally off my list. im considering Chi Psi and Chi Phi, it seems to suit my ideal. i like Chi Phi, even though its technically in shambles, but im very impressed by its ex-president coz he really cares about his frat and is hopeful about recolonizing the whole frat. i think i could help do that. but i'll never know. they've been really sincere and nice.
oh, and we met Luke Schenscher yesterday. he's like one of the most important member of the tech basketball that was the national runnerup last year. he's super tall and really nice. his left leg was in casts, but he should be ready for the new season. james (my room mate) went wild when we walked past him and realized it was really him. we talked to him for a while and wished him all the best for the coming season. that's the first time i actually saw a player from TV (during the NCAA earlier this year) and he could potentially become really big in the future, possibly NBA. he was saying that he couldnt make it to the Aussies team for Athens, but i think he should have been and he would have done pretty well. well, there's always Beijing 2008.
what else... there's just so much to say that i keep forgetting. campus is huge. my dorm's right next to the tech stadium, so when the football season starts, its gonna be really cool. east campus is the way to be! but gotta walk real far to classes, but im not complaining. i think wit all the walking ive done, its a real good workout for the legs.
i really need to go wash my stuff. its been one week. im soon gonna run out of things to wear if i dont do my laundry today or tomorrow. i need to do laundry, i need textbooks, i need to start reading, i need to apply to co-op and barnes & noble for part time work, research undergrad research, etc, etc. damn.
and i had a surprise test for maths on my first day. i was MCQ. by singaporean standards, its an A, but here, its a C, im quite pissed that i got couple of questions wrong. and i still havent decided whether to skip Calculus I for Calculus II. the TA told me to talk to the lecturer but at this rate, it might not be worth it. but im getting a full 4.0 if i claim credit. and i cant find out whether the credit is official, it doesnt show online. dammit.
and there's still the japanese to consider. i wonder if there's any credit available for JLPT. if not i'll start straight at the 4000 (the highest course series) and not get enough for certificate or minor if i dont go to study abroad at Waseda. i prefer to go to Singapore for the industrial engineering exchange program. it'd be weird, coz i was there for almost 12 years but going as an exchange student. i better go to Waseda instead. Dr. Kikuchi, whom i talked to regarding the minor thing, told me if i go there and transfer everything, i will get a minor in no time. but i might take SPAN I & II, learn something new. its a requirement anyway, so it might not be a problem.
undecided engineering gives me option to explore, but the planning which course to take is a heck of a problem. its basically 4 choices now i think... computer, electric, industrial or mechanial. ah well, i still have time to go through everything.
okay, im gonna head for lunch and then go to ENGL 1101.
classes yesterday was pretty nice. HIST 2112 and HPS 1040 were s0-so, but I think PSYC 1101 is gonna be pretty good, lecturer's engaging speaker. i need to do a hell lot of a reading for HIST and PSYC, but its gonna keep me interested, so its all good.
the only problem? it seems all textbooks are sold out. i really hope the new shipment lasts before my classes end at 1625. I need used textbooks, and there's only new ones. and the psyc ones cost like US$80. luckily i can sell off the texts at the end of the semester, if not its just bad investment. i need like 4 texts for history, so its gonna be a prob.
Bank of America called me up this morning to say that my bank account wouldnt exactly be free. i need to make a minimum deposit of US$99 and then pay an annual fee of US$30 for maintenance. so much for signing up for a supposedly 'free' student checking account. but i need it. gotta talk to my dad later to see if i should go to some other regional bank. i need money to buy all these freakin expensive texts and my ibook or powerbook, i still have not sorted that one out yet.
anyway, i havent been updating with too much detail lately. my room mate's great. we get along pretty well and im glad that i have him as my room mate. he's real funny and its fun being around in the room or having meals with him.
so whats been going on since the orientation is that we basically explore the campus coz the fraternity houses are open for us to check them out and see which one to join. i kinda had decided not to join, since it seemed fake, which some of them are, but there were some that were really nice. one of the first ones i visited, Delta Tau Delta, had this hypnotist over as a guest and that one hour was a spectable. he really hypnotized 6 out of a possible 13 volunteers and it was just amazing and hilarious. those guys didnt recall what they were doing in the past hour. but it wasnt exactly my kinda frat to join.
as a matter of fact, i still am not sure if i should pledge to a frat, coz of two things. money and the doubt whether i'll stay at tech or move to urbana-champaign (first semester was really ex. i can cut the cost to half if i transfer) so i gotta talk more. there was this one frat tt indirectly kicked us out, i dont think i should mention their name, coz it will probably violate the tech honor code. but they were really rude. they could just let us go through their place and if we ever decided to pledge (now we're never ever gonna do that) then they could just say they dont wanna give us a bid. simple as that. and there was this completely nerdy/weird frat, that's totally off my list. im considering Chi Psi and Chi Phi, it seems to suit my ideal. i like Chi Phi, even though its technically in shambles, but im very impressed by its ex-president coz he really cares about his frat and is hopeful about recolonizing the whole frat. i think i could help do that. but i'll never know. they've been really sincere and nice.
oh, and we met Luke Schenscher yesterday. he's like one of the most important member of the tech basketball that was the national runnerup last year. he's super tall and really nice. his left leg was in casts, but he should be ready for the new season. james (my room mate) went wild when we walked past him and realized it was really him. we talked to him for a while and wished him all the best for the coming season. that's the first time i actually saw a player from TV (during the NCAA earlier this year) and he could potentially become really big in the future, possibly NBA. he was saying that he couldnt make it to the Aussies team for Athens, but i think he should have been and he would have done pretty well. well, there's always Beijing 2008.
what else... there's just so much to say that i keep forgetting. campus is huge. my dorm's right next to the tech stadium, so when the football season starts, its gonna be really cool. east campus is the way to be! but gotta walk real far to classes, but im not complaining. i think wit all the walking ive done, its a real good workout for the legs.
i really need to go wash my stuff. its been one week. im soon gonna run out of things to wear if i dont do my laundry today or tomorrow. i need to do laundry, i need textbooks, i need to start reading, i need to apply to co-op and barnes & noble for part time work, research undergrad research, etc, etc. damn.
and i had a surprise test for maths on my first day. i was MCQ. by singaporean standards, its an A, but here, its a C, im quite pissed that i got couple of questions wrong. and i still havent decided whether to skip Calculus I for Calculus II. the TA told me to talk to the lecturer but at this rate, it might not be worth it. but im getting a full 4.0 if i claim credit. and i cant find out whether the credit is official, it doesnt show online. dammit.
and there's still the japanese to consider. i wonder if there's any credit available for JLPT. if not i'll start straight at the 4000 (the highest course series) and not get enough for certificate or minor if i dont go to study abroad at Waseda. i prefer to go to Singapore for the industrial engineering exchange program. it'd be weird, coz i was there for almost 12 years but going as an exchange student. i better go to Waseda instead. Dr. Kikuchi, whom i talked to regarding the minor thing, told me if i go there and transfer everything, i will get a minor in no time. but i might take SPAN I & II, learn something new. its a requirement anyway, so it might not be a problem.
undecided engineering gives me option to explore, but the planning which course to take is a heck of a problem. its basically 4 choices now i think... computer, electric, industrial or mechanial. ah well, i still have time to go through everything.
okay, im gonna head for lunch and then go to ENGL 1101.
Monday, August 16, 2004
tech round up
okay, so i finally kinda get to blog properly. past few days moved so freaking fast since i moved in, i didnt really get to track my days down.
my room is pretty cool now. my cousin came over the weekend to help me get things such as the bedsheet and comforters, i think ive got more or less everything now, just need the text books and a laptop. i think im set to get the ibook 14".
i just had my first class, HIST 2112. its gonna be pretty interesting, but i have a problem listening to what the lecturer's saying, so i better sit in the first centre row from now on. i have like an hour's break til the non stop, got wellness, psychology and calculus I. i'll talk to the lecturer later on about calc II, so i'll see about that.
k gotta get lunch before lesson starts, blog later...
my room is pretty cool now. my cousin came over the weekend to help me get things such as the bedsheet and comforters, i think ive got more or less everything now, just need the text books and a laptop. i think im set to get the ibook 14".
i just had my first class, HIST 2112. its gonna be pretty interesting, but i have a problem listening to what the lecturer's saying, so i better sit in the first centre row from now on. i have like an hour's break til the non stop, got wellness, psychology and calculus I. i'll talk to the lecturer later on about calc II, so i'll see about that.
k gotta get lunch before lesson starts, blog later...
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Final Score from the Riverside Stadium
Middlesbrough 2
Stewart Downing (73rd min)
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (90th min)
Newcastle United 2
Craig Bellamy (14th min)
Alan Shearer (83rd min, pen)
that hasselbaink ass.... supposedly scored with his hand or something... if not, it'd have been a perfect start to the season...
Stewart Downing (73rd min)
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (90th min)
Newcastle United 2
Craig Bellamy (14th min)
Alan Shearer (83rd min, pen)
that hasselbaink ass.... supposedly scored with his hand or something... if not, it'd have been a perfect start to the season...
Friday, August 13, 2004
16 hours
and i added psychology as the final course.
even though it may be 16 hours, my timetable doesnt seem bad at all. most of my classes are after lunch, GT1000 being the only class that starts at 9AM and HIST2112 the only other morning class at 11AM.
i contacted the lecturers that teach Japanese about a possible minor degree. one of them replied and said that since i obtained JLPT Level 1, i might be well above what they teach in tech and maybe i should just enroll for advanced classes. i wonder if that will contribute to any certificate program or a minor. im to have a phone interview with him later in the afternoon. that be the case, i can strike obtaining a minor off my list of goals at tech.
that means im pushing CHEM and CS to next semester. and the only other change i would possibly make is for Calculus II from Calculus I.
ok now i need textbooks. and maybe a 12" or 15" powerbook. they supposedly give you back 200 bucks if you purchase an ipod. that technically means i can get a 20GB for $50+. good deal.
even though it may be 16 hours, my timetable doesnt seem bad at all. most of my classes are after lunch, GT1000 being the only class that starts at 9AM and HIST2112 the only other morning class at 11AM.
i contacted the lecturers that teach Japanese about a possible minor degree. one of them replied and said that since i obtained JLPT Level 1, i might be well above what they teach in tech and maybe i should just enroll for advanced classes. i wonder if that will contribute to any certificate program or a minor. im to have a phone interview with him later in the afternoon. that be the case, i can strike obtaining a minor off my list of goals at tech.
that means im pushing CHEM and CS to next semester. and the only other change i would possibly make is for Calculus II from Calculus I.
ok now i need textbooks. and maybe a 12" or 15" powerbook. they supposedly give you back 200 bucks if you purchase an ipod. that technically means i can get a 20GB for $50+. good deal.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
my first semester courses
as i anticipated, i could not take general chem and intro to computing. so i'm going to take 13 hours course for this semester, which is actually quite little. but it might change in the next couple of days, because i decided to turn in my A Levels cert to claim 12 hours of credit.
that means now i can skip calculus 1 and phy 1 & 2. saves a lot of time, since im undecided engineering and i intend to take up as many courses as possible to make an informed decision.
but i kinda made my shortlist already. bye bye chemical and materials. now i have to deal between aerospace, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical. im already very interested in industrial systems. its awesome in tech.
so for now, im taking calculus 1, english 1, history, wellness, gt 1001 and am on waitlist for intro computing. doubt i'll get that though, seems everyone wants to take it.
i most probably will change my schedule for calculus 1 to 2. and then instead of taking phy 1 and 2, i'll substitute them with chem and intro comp. jolly good.
almost everyone told me to claim credit and forget about the fact that i have not schooled in 9 months and most probably would have forgotten a lot of things. they do little re-caps and if not, i just have to study more. 13 hours could be a blessing.
that means now i can skip calculus 1 and phy 1 & 2. saves a lot of time, since im undecided engineering and i intend to take up as many courses as possible to make an informed decision.
but i kinda made my shortlist already. bye bye chemical and materials. now i have to deal between aerospace, computer, electrical, industrial and mechanical. im already very interested in industrial systems. its awesome in tech.
so for now, im taking calculus 1, english 1, history, wellness, gt 1001 and am on waitlist for intro computing. doubt i'll get that though, seems everyone wants to take it.
i most probably will change my schedule for calculus 1 to 2. and then instead of taking phy 1 and 2, i'll substitute them with chem and intro comp. jolly good.
almost everyone told me to claim credit and forget about the fact that i have not schooled in 9 months and most probably would have forgotten a lot of things. they do little re-caps and if not, i just have to study more. 13 hours could be a blessing.
what's the good word?
'hey y'all!'
that's the word i hear everywhere. in southern accent.
georgia tech is amazing. just what i wanted. cant blog for too long since im in the middle of FASET orientation, somehow found time to get to the net in the library. this place rocks. its a university built right into a city. i love being here. met so many people of different backgrounds, character, etc, the list goes on.
its exactly what ive been waiting for.
im a yellow jacket, officially.
anyway, the answer to the topic above question which is 'what's the good word?' is promptly answered with 'to hell with georgia!' (refers to UGA - univ. of georgia, we have an immense rivalry with that university and they teach us that from day one)
that's the word i hear everywhere. in southern accent.
georgia tech is amazing. just what i wanted. cant blog for too long since im in the middle of FASET orientation, somehow found time to get to the net in the library. this place rocks. its a university built right into a city. i love being here. met so many people of different backgrounds, character, etc, the list goes on.
its exactly what ive been waiting for.
im a yellow jacket, officially.
anyway, the answer to the topic above question which is 'what's the good word?' is promptly answered with 'to hell with georgia!' (refers to UGA - univ. of georgia, we have an immense rivalry with that university and they teach us that from day one)
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
signing off from naperville
okay, all my bags are more or less packed. i always realize i left out something afterwards so i hope tts not the case...
im already bringing a lot, but it seems that isnt enough. but what i have should be sufficient for now.
handphone's settled.. laptop isnt.. i really want the 15' powerbook, but i'll have to see about that in tech's barnes and noble store.
im so excited. but at the same time, im worried. ah well, i'll let things handle it. just go with the flow..
oh, newcastle's getting carr! im super happy. that's a very efficient right-back. cant believe he's leaving spurs, and only for 2 million! it seems all the signings this summer has been pretty good.. milner, butt, kluivert and now carr. strengthening going pretty well...
okay, im gonna leave it at this. i'll have to look for the library computer to access the net for the next couple of days, but i'm ok wit tt.
tech, here i come... a new chapter starts right now...
im already bringing a lot, but it seems that isnt enough. but what i have should be sufficient for now.
handphone's settled.. laptop isnt.. i really want the 15' powerbook, but i'll have to see about that in tech's barnes and noble store.
im so excited. but at the same time, im worried. ah well, i'll let things handle it. just go with the flow..
oh, newcastle's getting carr! im super happy. that's a very efficient right-back. cant believe he's leaving spurs, and only for 2 million! it seems all the signings this summer has been pretty good.. milner, butt, kluivert and now carr. strengthening going pretty well...
okay, im gonna leave it at this. i'll have to look for the library computer to access the net for the next couple of days, but i'm ok wit tt.
tech, here i come... a new chapter starts right now...
Monday, August 09, 2004
packing's almost done
boy, ive been so busy settling other things and packing that i so forgot or didnt get the time to blog.
there has been way too much shit. our land line kept tripping and it was off for sometime. it was finally repaired on monday, seems the wires outside in the box was somewhat loose. but it should be stable now.
i repacked my clothes just now. felt that i was bringing way too much stuff. i was initially quite pissed wit the new vacuum machine that my mom bought coz it wasnt sucking enough air out of the vacuum bag (its super useful) but i tried again without anything to attach and it did the job pretty well. it reduces space by like almost two-third, so its very efficient.
the past few days were spent going about for hasib's school things and getting other household stuff. most of saturday was spent on getting grocery and looking for the right vacuum machine and almost the whole of yesterday was spent looking for potential car. i am pretty impressed with toyota's side project scion. their xB model was unlocked, when the dealer's place was closed, but i guess they did that intentionally, since its a new and not so popular model. the toyota prius was also unlocked, but it couldnt beat the feel of the scion xb. it looks like shit from the outside, like an old school van, but its awesome from the inside. a lot of head space, u can really see the road clearly and all. but i think the best deal out there was the toyota matrix. its got enough cargo space and seems pretty funtional. if i had a choice i'd take the beetle or mini cooper anytime... for nearly US$20k, its pretty good.
i think my mom is more or less set on getting the toyota avalon. its something like a corolla, but one notch up. and the engine lasts longer, my uncle said.
we went to the little india section of chicago in the evening for dinner. that place is really funny. it seems you go to a suburban indian city. every shop is like little india and there are people dressed up like its a festival and all. the dinner was pretty good too.
night time chicago looked fabulous from the interstate 90/94. the lights on the buildings and the SEARS Towers looked like it was taken from a postcard.
but there was one problem. on the way back, there was this asshole who was tailgating everyone, and my uncle kinda provocated them by suddenly braking from a high speed and that really ticked them off. it was kinda scary for a while, coz this guy in the SUV was driving and switching lanes so quickly. but then again, what else can he do. there was a girl sitting next to him and she was like pointing the finger and all to us, but had i been the driver, i think i would have stuck out my tongue like i was pretending to like the finger or just give her a slutty/retarded kiss or something. that would so piss her off.
anyway, we got off later on, they followed for a while, but they drove off afterwards when we exited the highway. they couldnt possible tailgate us all the way to an suburb.
i just called to book the taxi for tomorrow's ride. i still need to get a cellphone and open a bank account. i could do it in atlanta, but for convenience's sake, i think i better get it done here.
hmm, my last day in naperville. tomorrow's a mix of uncertainty and excitement. i have yet to call my room mate, i better do that now...
there has been way too much shit. our land line kept tripping and it was off for sometime. it was finally repaired on monday, seems the wires outside in the box was somewhat loose. but it should be stable now.
i repacked my clothes just now. felt that i was bringing way too much stuff. i was initially quite pissed wit the new vacuum machine that my mom bought coz it wasnt sucking enough air out of the vacuum bag (its super useful) but i tried again without anything to attach and it did the job pretty well. it reduces space by like almost two-third, so its very efficient.
the past few days were spent going about for hasib's school things and getting other household stuff. most of saturday was spent on getting grocery and looking for the right vacuum machine and almost the whole of yesterday was spent looking for potential car. i am pretty impressed with toyota's side project scion. their xB model was unlocked, when the dealer's place was closed, but i guess they did that intentionally, since its a new and not so popular model. the toyota prius was also unlocked, but it couldnt beat the feel of the scion xb. it looks like shit from the outside, like an old school van, but its awesome from the inside. a lot of head space, u can really see the road clearly and all. but i think the best deal out there was the toyota matrix. its got enough cargo space and seems pretty funtional. if i had a choice i'd take the beetle or mini cooper anytime... for nearly US$20k, its pretty good.
i think my mom is more or less set on getting the toyota avalon. its something like a corolla, but one notch up. and the engine lasts longer, my uncle said.
we went to the little india section of chicago in the evening for dinner. that place is really funny. it seems you go to a suburban indian city. every shop is like little india and there are people dressed up like its a festival and all. the dinner was pretty good too.
night time chicago looked fabulous from the interstate 90/94. the lights on the buildings and the SEARS Towers looked like it was taken from a postcard.
but there was one problem. on the way back, there was this asshole who was tailgating everyone, and my uncle kinda provocated them by suddenly braking from a high speed and that really ticked them off. it was kinda scary for a while, coz this guy in the SUV was driving and switching lanes so quickly. but then again, what else can he do. there was a girl sitting next to him and she was like pointing the finger and all to us, but had i been the driver, i think i would have stuck out my tongue like i was pretending to like the finger or just give her a slutty/retarded kiss or something. that would so piss her off.
anyway, we got off later on, they followed for a while, but they drove off afterwards when we exited the highway. they couldnt possible tailgate us all the way to an suburb.
i just called to book the taxi for tomorrow's ride. i still need to get a cellphone and open a bank account. i could do it in atlanta, but for convenience's sake, i think i better get it done here.
hmm, my last day in naperville. tomorrow's a mix of uncertainty and excitement. i have yet to call my room mate, i better do that now...
Friday, August 06, 2004
undecided
i was checking through my information on tech OSCAR system, and found out that some of my courses for the first semester was pre-registered. so far, i'm supposed to study MATH 1501 - Calculus I, ENGL 1101 - English Composition I and HIST 2112 - United States since 1877.
The history so puts me off. But its a requirement that I have to fulfill in order to graduate. I'd much prefer to take CHEM 1310 - General Chemistry, CS 1321 - Intro Computing and maybe MSE 1001 - Introduction to Engineering. but I guess its because I'm doing undeclared engineering that I have these 3 instead.
but if i am to just do the 3 classes, then my schedule is pretty slack. i only have 2 hours of lectures for monday and wednesday, 3 hours for tuesday and thursday, and only 1 hour for friday. if i substitute that with 2 hours of studying for every hour of lecture, that's not too bad.
i gotta start planning which courses to take.. like MSE 2001 - Principles and Applications ofMaterials Engineering, but for that, i need to take CHEM 1310 as a prerequisite. but its probably the most helpful class, it sheds a light into various majors, mainly chem engin, mech engin, aerospace engin, biomedical engin, material science engin and textile and fiber engin. it also is helpful for comp and elec engin, which more or less covers what i wanna know. the only other thing to try out will be industrial & systems engin, and hopefully by the end of it, i'll be pretty clear as to which course to major in.
actually, im only intending to look into biomedical, comp, elec, industrial, materials and mech engin... the rest doesnt really matter, their industry growth til 2012 is not too convincing.
The history so puts me off. But its a requirement that I have to fulfill in order to graduate. I'd much prefer to take CHEM 1310 - General Chemistry, CS 1321 - Intro Computing and maybe MSE 1001 - Introduction to Engineering. but I guess its because I'm doing undeclared engineering that I have these 3 instead.
but if i am to just do the 3 classes, then my schedule is pretty slack. i only have 2 hours of lectures for monday and wednesday, 3 hours for tuesday and thursday, and only 1 hour for friday. if i substitute that with 2 hours of studying for every hour of lecture, that's not too bad.
i gotta start planning which courses to take.. like MSE 2001 - Principles and Applications ofMaterials Engineering, but for that, i need to take CHEM 1310 as a prerequisite. but its probably the most helpful class, it sheds a light into various majors, mainly chem engin, mech engin, aerospace engin, biomedical engin, material science engin and textile and fiber engin. it also is helpful for comp and elec engin, which more or less covers what i wanna know. the only other thing to try out will be industrial & systems engin, and hopefully by the end of it, i'll be pretty clear as to which course to major in.
actually, im only intending to look into biomedical, comp, elec, industrial, materials and mech engin... the rest doesnt really matter, their industry growth til 2012 is not too convincing.
its all about the benjamins
not gonna say much, but it was one hell of a day. so much shit to deal with, as if i havent had enough to deal with myself already.
anyway, im glad that my roommate has returned my email. supposedly he just found out about me. can't blame him, we were all given our new tech email addresses that we have no idea how to access. i dont even know my password. i guess i will know how to access in few days' time. conveniently, but i'll keep using my yahoo account, the tech mail will be for official mails and tech notifications and such.
im pretty pissed today, at how things work, i thought i knew about it all, but it seems i saw things differently this time round.
its all about the benjamins, baby, if you know what i mean.
4 more days til touchdown at hartsfield-jackson... and to A-Town... it does exist, contrary to popular belief, that its just a term usher mentioned in his song, 'yeah.'
anyway, im glad that my roommate has returned my email. supposedly he just found out about me. can't blame him, we were all given our new tech email addresses that we have no idea how to access. i dont even know my password. i guess i will know how to access in few days' time. conveniently, but i'll keep using my yahoo account, the tech mail will be for official mails and tech notifications and such.
im pretty pissed today, at how things work, i thought i knew about it all, but it seems i saw things differently this time round.
its all about the benjamins, baby, if you know what i mean.
4 more days til touchdown at hartsfield-jackson... and to A-Town... it does exist, contrary to popular belief, that its just a term usher mentioned in his song, 'yeah.'
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
back in america
first and foremost; i'm never flying united airlines again. it was obvious from the start how the initial flight was transferred, and then the the way they handled the connecting flight. god knows how many people missed the connecting flight to boston, or the somewhere else.
but 'the da vinci code' provided such a great time, that i forgot about fatigue. its clearly a very smart and well thought novel, i wonder how much of the information the author wrote is true, because i agree with certain points he made. since im not a christian or catholic, i am not confused about the facts regarding magdalene, but it did provide a food for thought for a non-believer, like me. the end was a little disappointing, but the way the book led to diffrent sections, that was just amazing. clearly one book that has to be read by everyone.
i felt glad to reach chicago, but the immigration bit ticked me off. i dont understand why it took so long for them to ask simple questions and go through the luggage. it seemed everyone there was simply taking their time to do all these. im not complaining about why i had to go there, since its part of standard procedure and im like a clear example of who must be questioned (the officer was confused when i told him that i was born in japan, but holding a bangladeshi passport, and i flew from singapore) i had nothing to worry about, since im totally clean, they can find nothing about me since ive done nothing. so i just answered whatever they asked me and did whatever they told me to do. however, at times i found it hard to understand what the officer was saying, which kinda made me think about how i would adjust to life here once university starts. what if the lecturer talks that way? i can get used to friends talking, but lecturers, which will be changing every semester, or just people i come across?
language did help, during the JAL flight, or when i had to convince the people in Tokyo that i simply had to get seats for the flight. even though it had become super rusty, i think i can polish it up, if i am to minor in it. it sounded like an amateur, but at least if worked to get their attention.
it felt really funny to see all these people walking towards the immigration check point, so many indian students coming here to study. there were so many of them lining up in the other line (we lined up in the citizens/permanent resident section) that one officer asked who were incoming students, and gave them other instructions. i noticed one guy had the tag 'oklahoma state university' on his bag, just in case that got lost or something. and as we exitted the customs, i noticed there were people waiting for these students, one particular person held a placard that said 'illinois institute of technology: indian association' i almost started laughing at that, it just was too funny to read that kinda thing. one of them as eyeing me, as if to approach me but when they saw my GT logo on my shoulder bag, they continued to look at other potential students who were supposed to arrive.
on the the way to 'home,' i kept thinking, whats so great about this 'american dream' that everyone else in the world seems to chase after? my relatives were the ones that came here to study and to settle. im half-half, my dad's the one making the effort to get me and my brother to a 'better' life, because 'it all happens in america.' and so many people come over to start a new life, supposedly one that has been portrayed as a paradise. i know very few of those coming to america actually realizes that dream, but people do come in great numbers anyway. i kinda felt like i was better off in singapore, even if i had to do NS, it would mean just 2 years. i felt like i would have been much better. looking at the taxi driver, who clearly seemed an african national, kind of made me think more about it. he also came here, after struggling, to lead a better life. but as with everything, we have to work hard for it, for something that isnt guaranteed, but its worth a shot anyway.
maybe i feel like an incoming immigrant for the first time, after being questioned. had i been a complete stranger, i might have asked, why am i being treated so unfairly? this is not fair, this is not what i came for. but i know thats how it all works here, and im sure this isnt the end of such experiences. hopefully it will not get worse.
the american dream... heh... im not in search for that...
everything was alright, until the moment i tried to get to sleep. suddenly the house seemed so empty, foreign and strange. it was a completely awkward realization, that made me think 'this is not my home' i thought i was gonna have a breakdown of some sort, but it suddenly made me feel real sad, that this was in the middle of nowhere (it was very clear by the taxi ride) in a place so big, and a house so empty (it soon wont be once my mom unpacks everything from all the heavy luggages we brought) in a place i still think im not used to, even after 3.5 months here. it feels like a prison to me, since i was basically bound to this place. it wasnt like that for my brother, since he goes to school and sees a new life. so i am so glad that im leaving this place in about 6 days, off to another foreign place. i guess i will always feel this way wherever i go. as i took my breakfast alone, while everyone else was asleep, i just thought, what if i had actually lived in this place, alone? it's be so lonely. in a place im not familiar with and all. suddenly everything seemed so complicated.
and checking all the mails that came from georgia tech. so many mails of this sales, that sales, i thought it was the end of it, these businesses go through universities as well. i am so sickened by such commercialization. even as i watched the programs on television, it all felt wrong, truth about life being blinded.
i read the brochure about co-op in tech. work, study. that's all i knew about it. it seems there's also a hierarchy in co-op as well. not only do you get paid, starting with US$12 per hour, but that pay also increases as you work longer, and efficiently. and at the end of it, you also get a diploma in co-op education program. and its integrated into the university system. i have a hope, a vision, to graduate with an engineering degree (i'll get to know specifically which one, in the next 2 yrs) and also a minor (be it in japanese for engineering entrepreneurship) and to top it off, a diploma in cooperative education program. how cool is that. and along the way, i might be involved in soccer, hall council or some leadership program too. i cant wait. i just cant wait.
pizzas, expensive taxi rides, immigration, tons of junk mail, lot of phone calls, cool wind and just pleasant temperature, endless re-runs of friends and nightly jay-lenos...
yeah, i am back in america.
but 'the da vinci code' provided such a great time, that i forgot about fatigue. its clearly a very smart and well thought novel, i wonder how much of the information the author wrote is true, because i agree with certain points he made. since im not a christian or catholic, i am not confused about the facts regarding magdalene, but it did provide a food for thought for a non-believer, like me. the end was a little disappointing, but the way the book led to diffrent sections, that was just amazing. clearly one book that has to be read by everyone.
i felt glad to reach chicago, but the immigration bit ticked me off. i dont understand why it took so long for them to ask simple questions and go through the luggage. it seemed everyone there was simply taking their time to do all these. im not complaining about why i had to go there, since its part of standard procedure and im like a clear example of who must be questioned (the officer was confused when i told him that i was born in japan, but holding a bangladeshi passport, and i flew from singapore) i had nothing to worry about, since im totally clean, they can find nothing about me since ive done nothing. so i just answered whatever they asked me and did whatever they told me to do. however, at times i found it hard to understand what the officer was saying, which kinda made me think about how i would adjust to life here once university starts. what if the lecturer talks that way? i can get used to friends talking, but lecturers, which will be changing every semester, or just people i come across?
language did help, during the JAL flight, or when i had to convince the people in Tokyo that i simply had to get seats for the flight. even though it had become super rusty, i think i can polish it up, if i am to minor in it. it sounded like an amateur, but at least if worked to get their attention.
it felt really funny to see all these people walking towards the immigration check point, so many indian students coming here to study. there were so many of them lining up in the other line (we lined up in the citizens/permanent resident section) that one officer asked who were incoming students, and gave them other instructions. i noticed one guy had the tag 'oklahoma state university' on his bag, just in case that got lost or something. and as we exitted the customs, i noticed there were people waiting for these students, one particular person held a placard that said 'illinois institute of technology: indian association' i almost started laughing at that, it just was too funny to read that kinda thing. one of them as eyeing me, as if to approach me but when they saw my GT logo on my shoulder bag, they continued to look at other potential students who were supposed to arrive.
on the the way to 'home,' i kept thinking, whats so great about this 'american dream' that everyone else in the world seems to chase after? my relatives were the ones that came here to study and to settle. im half-half, my dad's the one making the effort to get me and my brother to a 'better' life, because 'it all happens in america.' and so many people come over to start a new life, supposedly one that has been portrayed as a paradise. i know very few of those coming to america actually realizes that dream, but people do come in great numbers anyway. i kinda felt like i was better off in singapore, even if i had to do NS, it would mean just 2 years. i felt like i would have been much better. looking at the taxi driver, who clearly seemed an african national, kind of made me think more about it. he also came here, after struggling, to lead a better life. but as with everything, we have to work hard for it, for something that isnt guaranteed, but its worth a shot anyway.
maybe i feel like an incoming immigrant for the first time, after being questioned. had i been a complete stranger, i might have asked, why am i being treated so unfairly? this is not fair, this is not what i came for. but i know thats how it all works here, and im sure this isnt the end of such experiences. hopefully it will not get worse.
the american dream... heh... im not in search for that...
everything was alright, until the moment i tried to get to sleep. suddenly the house seemed so empty, foreign and strange. it was a completely awkward realization, that made me think 'this is not my home' i thought i was gonna have a breakdown of some sort, but it suddenly made me feel real sad, that this was in the middle of nowhere (it was very clear by the taxi ride) in a place so big, and a house so empty (it soon wont be once my mom unpacks everything from all the heavy luggages we brought) in a place i still think im not used to, even after 3.5 months here. it feels like a prison to me, since i was basically bound to this place. it wasnt like that for my brother, since he goes to school and sees a new life. so i am so glad that im leaving this place in about 6 days, off to another foreign place. i guess i will always feel this way wherever i go. as i took my breakfast alone, while everyone else was asleep, i just thought, what if i had actually lived in this place, alone? it's be so lonely. in a place im not familiar with and all. suddenly everything seemed so complicated.
and checking all the mails that came from georgia tech. so many mails of this sales, that sales, i thought it was the end of it, these businesses go through universities as well. i am so sickened by such commercialization. even as i watched the programs on television, it all felt wrong, truth about life being blinded.
i read the brochure about co-op in tech. work, study. that's all i knew about it. it seems there's also a hierarchy in co-op as well. not only do you get paid, starting with US$12 per hour, but that pay also increases as you work longer, and efficiently. and at the end of it, you also get a diploma in co-op education program. and its integrated into the university system. i have a hope, a vision, to graduate with an engineering degree (i'll get to know specifically which one, in the next 2 yrs) and also a minor (be it in japanese for engineering entrepreneurship) and to top it off, a diploma in cooperative education program. how cool is that. and along the way, i might be involved in soccer, hall council or some leadership program too. i cant wait. i just cant wait.
pizzas, expensive taxi rides, immigration, tons of junk mail, lot of phone calls, cool wind and just pleasant temperature, endless re-runs of friends and nightly jay-lenos...
yeah, i am back in america.
Travel Log: Return Flight
3rd August 2004
(Note: We are informed on the 2nd Aug 1630 HRS GMT +0800 that UA882 will not fly, due to technical difficulty. Thus, we are asked to approach the UA counter at 3rd Aug 0420 HRS GMT +0800 for flight transfer. Our flight on UA882 was initially scheduled to take off at 3rd Aug 0720 HRS GMT +0800)
0245 HRS GMT +0800 (Singapore Time) - Wake up
0250 - Wash up
0310 - To horror, we realize lift is out of power. I climb down 11 storeys to get help of the security guards
0315 - Security guards operate the lift using fireman's access
0320 - Taxi arrives
0325 - Departure from Tulip Gardens
0350 - Reach Changi International Airport Terminal 1 (Travel time: 25 mins, amount paid: SG$40)
0400 - United Airlines counter is not open (Counter 1)
0420 - United Airlines counter opens
0425 - Told UA882 passengers will be transferred to JL712 due to technical difficulties with the arriving plane. Told to approach JAL counter (Counter 11) at 0530
0440 - Early breakfast at Caffe Ritazza
0450 - Consumes Chicken Pesto with spinach and warm milk
0520 - JAL Counter opens
0530 - Told without endorsement from UA, we cannot get on JL712. Talk with UA personnel.
0540 - Check in
0600 - After much deliberation between JAL and UA, we are cleared
0650 - Immigration cleared
0700 - At WH Smith, purchased 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown for SG$17
0710 - Enter Gate C1
0750 - Board JL712 Seat 62G
0825 - Take off from Changi International Airport
0850 - Starts readings 'The Da Vinci Code' (effectively loses track of lunch or dinner time since I am engrossed in reading the book)
1610 HRS GMT +0900 (Tokyo Time) - Touch Down at Narita International Terminal 2 (Travel time: 6 hours 20 minutes)
1630 - Told to get in line for transfer shuttle to Terminal 1
1655 - Shuttle leaves for T1
1705 - Arrives at T1, connecting flight passengers rush to Gate 31, as flight is on hold to accomodate what could be about 40 of us from JL712
1710 - Told to wait at Gate 31 as tickets are being issued.
1720 - Overhears a news that there's only 15 more seats for about the rest of us which was around 20. We're next in line to be served. Later, we are told we might not get seats. Encouraged to travel to San Francisco instead. I start convincing them in Japanese that we need to get on this flight. (I realize how rusty my Japanese has become, but it caught their attention and helped anyway)
1730 - Tickets are issued after a frantic 10 minutes. The seats are separate for the 3 of us, but we get 2 Business Class and 1 Economy Class seats. I think its only deserved fpr us after UA screws up from the beginning. We almost didn't fly on this when we were told that our seats on this flight was confirmed, all the way from Singapore
1735 - Board UA882 Seat 24B
1825 - Take Off from Narita International, after a delay of 2 hours from the initial take off time
1845 - Resumes reading 'The Da Vinci Code'
4th August 2004
0130 HRS GMT +0900 (Tokyo Time) - Finishes reaching 'The Da Vinci Code' I've never read a book so fast before. Roughly around 590 pages of it in about 13 hours
0140 - Falls asleep
0330 - Wakes up
3rd Aug 2004 (In the U.S.)
1520 HRS GMT -0600 (Central Time) - Touch Down at O'Hare International Airport Terminal 5 (Travel time: 11 hours 5 minutes)
1545 - Immigration Check
1550 - Taken to another section for questioning (I realize, as a 20 year old muslim holding a Bangladeshi passport, its not surprising)
1600 - Asked couple of questions from the officer in charge; what's my name is, how old I am, where was I born, why I was in Singapore, whether I have any military experience, whether I fired a weapon before, whether I was in any hate society, how I came to hold a Permanent Resident Card, etc)
1620 - Told to claim my luggage for content check (I find out my suitcase is wrecked, handle was broken, wheels were distorted, extendable handle might come off on next travel)
1645 - Cleared from Immigration, told I can go to Baggage Claim
1650 - All baggeges claimed
1705 - Request for a bigger taxi at the taxi stand
1720 - Departure from O'Hare International Airport
1800 - Arrival at Naperville, but unsure of the area, calls my uncle for directions
1825 - Arrival at Tamahawk Lane (Travel time: 1 hour 5 minutes, amount paid: US$100)
1900 - Dinner (Uncle got pizza for us)
2000 - Shower
2100 - Falls asleep
4th August 2004 (In the U.S.)
0930 HRS GMT -0600 (Central Time) - Wakes up
0940 - Wash up
1000 - Checks couple of information on the net, chat with couple of friends for a while
1120 - Breakfast
1345 - Starts Blogging
1435 - Ends Blogging
(Note: We are informed on the 2nd Aug 1630 HRS GMT +0800 that UA882 will not fly, due to technical difficulty. Thus, we are asked to approach the UA counter at 3rd Aug 0420 HRS GMT +0800 for flight transfer. Our flight on UA882 was initially scheduled to take off at 3rd Aug 0720 HRS GMT +0800)
0245 HRS GMT +0800 (Singapore Time) - Wake up
0250 - Wash up
0310 - To horror, we realize lift is out of power. I climb down 11 storeys to get help of the security guards
0315 - Security guards operate the lift using fireman's access
0320 - Taxi arrives
0325 - Departure from Tulip Gardens
0350 - Reach Changi International Airport Terminal 1 (Travel time: 25 mins, amount paid: SG$40)
0400 - United Airlines counter is not open (Counter 1)
0420 - United Airlines counter opens
0425 - Told UA882 passengers will be transferred to JL712 due to technical difficulties with the arriving plane. Told to approach JAL counter (Counter 11) at 0530
0440 - Early breakfast at Caffe Ritazza
0450 - Consumes Chicken Pesto with spinach and warm milk
0520 - JAL Counter opens
0530 - Told without endorsement from UA, we cannot get on JL712. Talk with UA personnel.
0540 - Check in
0600 - After much deliberation between JAL and UA, we are cleared
0650 - Immigration cleared
0700 - At WH Smith, purchased 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown for SG$17
0710 - Enter Gate C1
0750 - Board JL712 Seat 62G
0825 - Take off from Changi International Airport
0850 - Starts readings 'The Da Vinci Code' (effectively loses track of lunch or dinner time since I am engrossed in reading the book)
1610 HRS GMT +0900 (Tokyo Time) - Touch Down at Narita International Terminal 2 (Travel time: 6 hours 20 minutes)
1630 - Told to get in line for transfer shuttle to Terminal 1
1655 - Shuttle leaves for T1
1705 - Arrives at T1, connecting flight passengers rush to Gate 31, as flight is on hold to accomodate what could be about 40 of us from JL712
1710 - Told to wait at Gate 31 as tickets are being issued.
1720 - Overhears a news that there's only 15 more seats for about the rest of us which was around 20. We're next in line to be served. Later, we are told we might not get seats. Encouraged to travel to San Francisco instead. I start convincing them in Japanese that we need to get on this flight. (I realize how rusty my Japanese has become, but it caught their attention and helped anyway)
1730 - Tickets are issued after a frantic 10 minutes. The seats are separate for the 3 of us, but we get 2 Business Class and 1 Economy Class seats. I think its only deserved fpr us after UA screws up from the beginning. We almost didn't fly on this when we were told that our seats on this flight was confirmed, all the way from Singapore
1735 - Board UA882 Seat 24B
1825 - Take Off from Narita International, after a delay of 2 hours from the initial take off time
1845 - Resumes reading 'The Da Vinci Code'
4th August 2004
0130 HRS GMT +0900 (Tokyo Time) - Finishes reaching 'The Da Vinci Code' I've never read a book so fast before. Roughly around 590 pages of it in about 13 hours
0140 - Falls asleep
0330 - Wakes up
3rd Aug 2004 (In the U.S.)
1520 HRS GMT -0600 (Central Time) - Touch Down at O'Hare International Airport Terminal 5 (Travel time: 11 hours 5 minutes)
1545 - Immigration Check
1550 - Taken to another section for questioning (I realize, as a 20 year old muslim holding a Bangladeshi passport, its not surprising)
1600 - Asked couple of questions from the officer in charge; what's my name is, how old I am, where was I born, why I was in Singapore, whether I have any military experience, whether I fired a weapon before, whether I was in any hate society, how I came to hold a Permanent Resident Card, etc)
1620 - Told to claim my luggage for content check (I find out my suitcase is wrecked, handle was broken, wheels were distorted, extendable handle might come off on next travel)
1645 - Cleared from Immigration, told I can go to Baggage Claim
1650 - All baggeges claimed
1705 - Request for a bigger taxi at the taxi stand
1720 - Departure from O'Hare International Airport
1800 - Arrival at Naperville, but unsure of the area, calls my uncle for directions
1825 - Arrival at Tamahawk Lane (Travel time: 1 hour 5 minutes, amount paid: US$100)
1900 - Dinner (Uncle got pizza for us)
2000 - Shower
2100 - Falls asleep
4th August 2004 (In the U.S.)
0930 HRS GMT -0600 (Central Time) - Wakes up
0940 - Wash up
1000 - Checks couple of information on the net, chat with couple of friends for a while
1120 - Breakfast
1345 - Starts Blogging
1435 - Ends Blogging
Monday, August 02, 2004
signing off from singapore
i leave tonight, or early morning.
there was a scare earlier on, coz there seems to be a problem with united airlines (like, when is there not a problem with united) so they seem to have shifted all of the passenger on that particular flight to JAL. so the tickets are going to be re-issued and that caused a moment of panic coz we werent sure whether we will get our seats or get a delayed flight. but it seems to have been taken care of at the moment, we will know the final decision at 4AM.
yesterday was pretty good. rained a lot, but i spent most of the day at nabil's place for lunch. didnt get to see jennifer, but spent a bit of time talking with nafis and nabil. and then we went to queensway, coz hasib needed to get boots and other things for his soccer. he better get into the team, if not, all that would be a waste. since i wasnt gonna head to peninsula plaza area anytime soon, i thought i might as well get the newcastle home jersey there. they were on sale for 80 bucks. with the names, it would cost between 130 to 140, depending on who, which was clearly not worth it. i wanted to put my name and the number 25, i was not gonna pay 50, 60 bucks for that.
i watched what would most probably be my last newcastle match on television. and not surprisingly, we lost, 1-0 to sporting lisbon. but that was decided by an excellent goal, so ive got nothing to complain. got to see the 3 new boys in action, butt, milner and kluivert. i just realized they have a pretty good squad; given, bernard, woodgate, bramble, dyer, jenas, milner, butt, bowyer, shearer and kluivert, if everyone is injury-free and fit, which rarely happens. imagine the onslaught if that potential can be realized.
and also somehow managed to watch all the films, im pretty disappointed with kolya, kandahar and color of paradise, very anticlimax, but spanish apartment was quite funny and interesting.
anyway, to be main point today. last entry from singapore, i think.
i have had a great 1.5 months here in singapore, my adopted home for almost 12 years. im really going to miss this place, and i really hope that i get to come back next year. i wish that all of you guys take care and excel and whatever that you do, and please please do not lose touch. i might not reply very fast, but i definately do read your mail, so keep those emails coming to -deleted-
i really feel guilty for the part that i didnt get to meet a lot of my friends, especially the SA cricket team, my SA class, my QSS classmates, and a whole lot of other people ive gotten to know by many means throughout the years. if i do come back next year, i will make sure that i get to see everyone. im very delighted that i got to see a lot of you guys, although we didnt quite get to spend that much time, but i really do appreciate whatever time that we shared, be it during parties, or during the night over dinner, or at the movies. these times will never be back, ive gotten past another stage in my life to become an adult, but the bonds we forged will hopefully remain as strong as ever. it'll be funny to imagine that i might meet some of you after 10 long years, only to realize we've changed completely. but im looking forward to days like that.
keep reading this blog, i almost decided to end it next month, after the first anniversary, but since its one of the means of communication between my friends, i'm gonna keep it active, so that you guys can read what im up to and all. some content might be toned down, since now that i'll be enrolling in university, some of the things i mention can be taken against me and such, but i will try to write as much as possible about events surrounding me.
just two lines that goes through my mind as songs play in my head...
i remember the look in your eyes, when i told you that this was good-bye ('ocean avenue' by yellowcard)
i think about you all the time, but i dont need the same... ('name' by goo goo dolls)
okay then, take care and see you around everyone. maybe i'll blog at tokyo, if not, look forward to another travel log when i return to chicago.
til then, neaz, out! (okay that doesnt sound nice at all...)
there was a scare earlier on, coz there seems to be a problem with united airlines (like, when is there not a problem with united) so they seem to have shifted all of the passenger on that particular flight to JAL. so the tickets are going to be re-issued and that caused a moment of panic coz we werent sure whether we will get our seats or get a delayed flight. but it seems to have been taken care of at the moment, we will know the final decision at 4AM.
yesterday was pretty good. rained a lot, but i spent most of the day at nabil's place for lunch. didnt get to see jennifer, but spent a bit of time talking with nafis and nabil. and then we went to queensway, coz hasib needed to get boots and other things for his soccer. he better get into the team, if not, all that would be a waste. since i wasnt gonna head to peninsula plaza area anytime soon, i thought i might as well get the newcastle home jersey there. they were on sale for 80 bucks. with the names, it would cost between 130 to 140, depending on who, which was clearly not worth it. i wanted to put my name and the number 25, i was not gonna pay 50, 60 bucks for that.
i watched what would most probably be my last newcastle match on television. and not surprisingly, we lost, 1-0 to sporting lisbon. but that was decided by an excellent goal, so ive got nothing to complain. got to see the 3 new boys in action, butt, milner and kluivert. i just realized they have a pretty good squad; given, bernard, woodgate, bramble, dyer, jenas, milner, butt, bowyer, shearer and kluivert, if everyone is injury-free and fit, which rarely happens. imagine the onslaught if that potential can be realized.
and also somehow managed to watch all the films, im pretty disappointed with kolya, kandahar and color of paradise, very anticlimax, but spanish apartment was quite funny and interesting.
anyway, to be main point today. last entry from singapore, i think.
i have had a great 1.5 months here in singapore, my adopted home for almost 12 years. im really going to miss this place, and i really hope that i get to come back next year. i wish that all of you guys take care and excel and whatever that you do, and please please do not lose touch. i might not reply very fast, but i definately do read your mail, so keep those emails coming to -deleted-
i really feel guilty for the part that i didnt get to meet a lot of my friends, especially the SA cricket team, my SA class, my QSS classmates, and a whole lot of other people ive gotten to know by many means throughout the years. if i do come back next year, i will make sure that i get to see everyone. im very delighted that i got to see a lot of you guys, although we didnt quite get to spend that much time, but i really do appreciate whatever time that we shared, be it during parties, or during the night over dinner, or at the movies. these times will never be back, ive gotten past another stage in my life to become an adult, but the bonds we forged will hopefully remain as strong as ever. it'll be funny to imagine that i might meet some of you after 10 long years, only to realize we've changed completely. but im looking forward to days like that.
keep reading this blog, i almost decided to end it next month, after the first anniversary, but since its one of the means of communication between my friends, i'm gonna keep it active, so that you guys can read what im up to and all. some content might be toned down, since now that i'll be enrolling in university, some of the things i mention can be taken against me and such, but i will try to write as much as possible about events surrounding me.
just two lines that goes through my mind as songs play in my head...
i remember the look in your eyes, when i told you that this was good-bye ('ocean avenue' by yellowcard)
i think about you all the time, but i dont need the same... ('name' by goo goo dolls)
okay then, take care and see you around everyone. maybe i'll blog at tokyo, if not, look forward to another travel log when i return to chicago.
til then, neaz, out! (okay that doesnt sound nice at all...)
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