i apologize once again for not blogging more. i don't blog at work, and once i'm back, i usually head out for dinner, and by the time i come back, i do the usual ironing of my work attire and then shower, after which i go to sleep, to prepare for a long day. and the process repeats.
this weekend, however, was a memorial day weekend, which meant i got the monday off, since it was a federal holiday. most of the guys at chi psi were gone, so i thought i would get some private time to just listen to music and read up. however, i spent pretty much most of my weekend with other friends who were staying primarily in the west campus.
friday night, i was supposed to go play soccer for a while, but the laundry machine was jacking up on me and the fact that i didnt have anything to change into prevented me from playing. i did join them later at night to go have dinner, and we just sat and watch TV at Sandesh's place for the night, watching the movie about how the Hustler magazine came into being. the next day, there was the game between England and the States, so i headed over to Sandesh's room to watch it with Scott. we played soccer later on, and all of us were pretty shagged after that, that having not played soccer for over a semester. so obviously my feet and my whole body was aching, as we played for almost 3 hours. the worst part about hanging around on a weekend like this is that we don't have plans for anything, and i find it very hard to live without a plan. whenever i decide to plan something, no one really wanted to do anything, or wasn't really inclined to planning, but doing things at the spur of the moment, so i could say that it was a weekend wasted, almost. but i did get plenty of sleep and rest, so i wasn't complaining.
Scott came over on Sunday and I finally managed to sit through the entire 'The Godfather' movie. i've been wanting to finish watching the whole series for ages, but the length and the pace of it always prevented me from doing so. though im not going to praise the movie like every other person would, i do agree that it is pretty much a perfect film, though not completely of my liking. i watched part II on monday, and that probably was the second longest film ive seen after The Return of The King, but that was pretty good as well. i'll try to spread out Part III over this week, as there is no way that i can sit through a 3 hour film after work.
i got my first paycheck today and that was a weird feeling, because its already been 2 weeks since i started working and that seemed like some time ago. and also because it seemed way too easy, to earn that sum, which is actually quite a lot, sometimes i feel like im being overpaid. but to think that ive earned that much at this moment in time, with millions others in atlanta having to work so hard to earn an equivalent sum makes me wonder about a lot of things. a weird feeling, really.
dinner's here, i must go, til next week.
P.S. i leave my MSN and AIM online while working, so you can drop me messages if you see me online. might take some time to reply, but if i'm online, it means im there.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
first week of work
i have been MIA and i apologize for it. but the first week at work was so overwhelming and all that i just could not get myself to sit down and blog about the work that i do.
but all i can say is that its been fantastic. exactly the type of things i have been yearning for.
wait, lets start from the day i left illinois. okay, flight was okay, and i can say conclusively that american airlines landing is pretty scarier as compared to other airlines. united is bankrupt, delta is close, AA is this, NorthWest is not great, there isnt a single good airlines in the states. well, considering that people here take flights like bus rides, i cant really blame them. and it was ironic how after i got back, i saw this article on CNN that mentioned the 10 best airports, and quite obviously, none of the airports in the US were listed. the top american airport was in minnesota, so you can only imagine.
anyway, i got back, to my new room in chi psi fraternity (i am not a member there, my friends are and they do lease out rooms for the summer, and since it was the cheapest that i could find, i decided to stay there) and guess what, the geezer who was supposed to move all his stuff out a week ago still had loads of shit in our room. it was ridiculous, considering he is the very person in charge of room allocation, and he himself was supposed to move out the day before i left for naperville and when i got back, he still hadnt moved out. so the first few days of work was hard, coz i will come back super tired, and i had to help tom (my new room mate) move out all of the previous occupant's stuff, and then rearrange my belongings so that he could start repainting the walls and start customizing the room his way. when i came back from work, i just wanted to go to sleep, coz an 8 hour day in a office is no joke. but fortunately, we got most of our stuff together by thursday night, and the room is looking real comfortable now. its only a pity that im not here like 75% of the time, coz im at the office.
now about my workplace. its made of up mainly of rather young workers and i really like the small office setting coz everyone knows eachother and we are a pretty tight knit unit. most are tech grads so theres always something to talk about tech. the first day, i was thrown right into the lion's pit, i was greeted by the director of supply chain, Rich, and after i put my things down in my cubicle, i went into a room where my supervisor, Ryan, was conducting a training session with one of the suppliers for our member company. its the regular stuff that they do, and without any prior knowledge of how things really work, i was looking at the actual work i would be expected to do in a few weeks' time. bam, i was hit with the reality. that session was very well done, but long, at 2 hours. but i think i liked it better that way, coz i had a good look at how it was meant to be done, and it is better to know how you're supposed to do it so that you can prepare accordingly.
sadly, due to the nature of the kind of information that the company deals with, i cannot mention the specifics of what i will be dealing with, as confidentiality is a huge issue here. since we are dealing with 9 of the 11 or so major tire manufacturers and their respective suppliers, if any information leaks out, the other manufacturer or the suppliers will get information about their competitors and that could get nasty. in a sense, we are the middlemen. the company is actually a consortium, which means that these 9 members (the manufacturers) have equal stake in control of the company. what the company is in charge of doing is to streamline the order, shipping and invoicing process of the rubber and tire industry, so that timespan of ordering is shortened and made more efficient. basic industrial engineering principle. for most of the week, i did more or less nothing but read documents and guides which are prepared mainly for the participating suppliers so that i can understand what is done and how its done. it was kind of hard continuously reading and analysing all the time, but i must say, i think i picked up a lot this week, and expanded my whole knowledge about the supply chain management.
whats so cool is that i have yet to take a class for my major, so im getting all these exposure to real life application for the stuff i will be learning later at tech, so i wont have to wonder why i am learning all the material later on. actually, i looked up some classes and i think i might already have gained invaluable information for 4 of my major classes already.
anyway, the section i am in is called supply chain, and as the name suggests, its about the chain of the products through certain methods and processes. because its a complex portal that the suppliers have to navigate through, and we are dealing with millions of dollars of business deals, we have to make sure that each suppliers know how to use this web portal that they have to use. its like nurturing a kid how to play a sport. you cant throw him with minimal information, you gotta train him. usually, this process takes about 4 to 6 months, with a weekly for bi-weekly conference call, and guiding them, and leaving them with few assignments to complete over the period. likewise, what i have been doing mainly is to read up on the principles so that i know what im doing. american football may be easy to play, but if you go into the rules and regulations, its very complicated. but if you understand it, you play much better. thats what im doing for the first few weeks.
fortunately, i have been given side projects to keep me busy and not just read up. i have to conduct some research on some devices that keep track of sitting inventory levels and i will have to report to rich in about 2 weeks, so i could probably see some fruits of my work this semester, which only encourages me to put in more effort to this.
but gosh, working 8 (well, 7 if i take away lunch time) is really hard. not to mention this is my first work, and its not like im moving from one place to another and doing a myriad of things, im mostly sitting down, reading documents, making notes and all. my attention span doesnt extend beyond 3 hours, so its very challenging. but i guess i will get used to it sooner or later. i have a newfound respect for my dad who puts in a solid 10, 11 hour every day for the past 20 or so years, not to mention saturday mornings too.
but its only the first week and i shouldnt be too worried. once everything's settled and whatnot, im sure it will get more interesting.
as i was getting ready for a weekend, i found out that Leisha needed a place to crash, and i thought she could come over to chi psi since my room mate will be gone for the weekend. so i asked her to come over, and i guess the weekend turned out really well with many things that we did with Dan, James and Daniel. it was friday nigth when Dan, James and I decided to walk around the nicer parts of Midtown and look for a really good place to eat at. we walked so much, we were so tired, but we ended up at this indian restaurant where we just indulged on all sorts of stuff. Leisha came over later, and what i didnt know was that Tom and his girlfriend were over, doing god knows what in the room, so we were at James' room for sometime, talking about a lot of things before i could get back in to my room. the next day, i had plans to catch the FA Cup Final with Sandesh and Scott, but since Sandesh was working, we had to do it later at night, after he downloaded the clip. we had other plans for the night, to catch Star Wars and something else, but since Scott, Leisha and I wanted to watch the game, we decided on a single movie.
I guess Episode III justified for the rather disappointing prequel to the original trilogy. it was pretty well done, though very tragic, it connected the prequel to the original concisely.
we went to Sandesh's room later on, and boy, we were itching to catch that game. all of us had stayed away from any sort of soccer website for the whole day, coz the results of this match would inevitably have been stated boldly. but i wasn't expecting a full soccer match, 90 minutes, extra time and penalty kicks. Manures and the Gunners were pretty much a decent match for eachother, and i guess the manures had it bad, since they looked like the better side. what a year for them, nothing won, and not to mention, being taken over by that american business tycoon.
we thought we were going to bed since it was 2, but we somehow ended up talking til like 6 in the morning, but i really liked the conversations we had, except for one of the chi psi brother breaking everything and just trash talking. after he was gone, we had a very good flow of exchanges in discussion and it was amazing what each one of us would deliver.
now that im up, im really hungry, and i really wanna go to the places that some of us mentioned that were good last night, i mean this morning.
i dont expect i will be blogging much for the work week, since i dont feel like i should be blogging at work, and i think i will be too tired blogging after i come back. but i will do it whenever i can, and lets see how things go from there on.
but all i can say is that its been fantastic. exactly the type of things i have been yearning for.
wait, lets start from the day i left illinois. okay, flight was okay, and i can say conclusively that american airlines landing is pretty scarier as compared to other airlines. united is bankrupt, delta is close, AA is this, NorthWest is not great, there isnt a single good airlines in the states. well, considering that people here take flights like bus rides, i cant really blame them. and it was ironic how after i got back, i saw this article on CNN that mentioned the 10 best airports, and quite obviously, none of the airports in the US were listed. the top american airport was in minnesota, so you can only imagine.
anyway, i got back, to my new room in chi psi fraternity (i am not a member there, my friends are and they do lease out rooms for the summer, and since it was the cheapest that i could find, i decided to stay there) and guess what, the geezer who was supposed to move all his stuff out a week ago still had loads of shit in our room. it was ridiculous, considering he is the very person in charge of room allocation, and he himself was supposed to move out the day before i left for naperville and when i got back, he still hadnt moved out. so the first few days of work was hard, coz i will come back super tired, and i had to help tom (my new room mate) move out all of the previous occupant's stuff, and then rearrange my belongings so that he could start repainting the walls and start customizing the room his way. when i came back from work, i just wanted to go to sleep, coz an 8 hour day in a office is no joke. but fortunately, we got most of our stuff together by thursday night, and the room is looking real comfortable now. its only a pity that im not here like 75% of the time, coz im at the office.
now about my workplace. its made of up mainly of rather young workers and i really like the small office setting coz everyone knows eachother and we are a pretty tight knit unit. most are tech grads so theres always something to talk about tech. the first day, i was thrown right into the lion's pit, i was greeted by the director of supply chain, Rich, and after i put my things down in my cubicle, i went into a room where my supervisor, Ryan, was conducting a training session with one of the suppliers for our member company. its the regular stuff that they do, and without any prior knowledge of how things really work, i was looking at the actual work i would be expected to do in a few weeks' time. bam, i was hit with the reality. that session was very well done, but long, at 2 hours. but i think i liked it better that way, coz i had a good look at how it was meant to be done, and it is better to know how you're supposed to do it so that you can prepare accordingly.
sadly, due to the nature of the kind of information that the company deals with, i cannot mention the specifics of what i will be dealing with, as confidentiality is a huge issue here. since we are dealing with 9 of the 11 or so major tire manufacturers and their respective suppliers, if any information leaks out, the other manufacturer or the suppliers will get information about their competitors and that could get nasty. in a sense, we are the middlemen. the company is actually a consortium, which means that these 9 members (the manufacturers) have equal stake in control of the company. what the company is in charge of doing is to streamline the order, shipping and invoicing process of the rubber and tire industry, so that timespan of ordering is shortened and made more efficient. basic industrial engineering principle. for most of the week, i did more or less nothing but read documents and guides which are prepared mainly for the participating suppliers so that i can understand what is done and how its done. it was kind of hard continuously reading and analysing all the time, but i must say, i think i picked up a lot this week, and expanded my whole knowledge about the supply chain management.
whats so cool is that i have yet to take a class for my major, so im getting all these exposure to real life application for the stuff i will be learning later at tech, so i wont have to wonder why i am learning all the material later on. actually, i looked up some classes and i think i might already have gained invaluable information for 4 of my major classes already.
anyway, the section i am in is called supply chain, and as the name suggests, its about the chain of the products through certain methods and processes. because its a complex portal that the suppliers have to navigate through, and we are dealing with millions of dollars of business deals, we have to make sure that each suppliers know how to use this web portal that they have to use. its like nurturing a kid how to play a sport. you cant throw him with minimal information, you gotta train him. usually, this process takes about 4 to 6 months, with a weekly for bi-weekly conference call, and guiding them, and leaving them with few assignments to complete over the period. likewise, what i have been doing mainly is to read up on the principles so that i know what im doing. american football may be easy to play, but if you go into the rules and regulations, its very complicated. but if you understand it, you play much better. thats what im doing for the first few weeks.
fortunately, i have been given side projects to keep me busy and not just read up. i have to conduct some research on some devices that keep track of sitting inventory levels and i will have to report to rich in about 2 weeks, so i could probably see some fruits of my work this semester, which only encourages me to put in more effort to this.
but gosh, working 8 (well, 7 if i take away lunch time) is really hard. not to mention this is my first work, and its not like im moving from one place to another and doing a myriad of things, im mostly sitting down, reading documents, making notes and all. my attention span doesnt extend beyond 3 hours, so its very challenging. but i guess i will get used to it sooner or later. i have a newfound respect for my dad who puts in a solid 10, 11 hour every day for the past 20 or so years, not to mention saturday mornings too.
but its only the first week and i shouldnt be too worried. once everything's settled and whatnot, im sure it will get more interesting.
as i was getting ready for a weekend, i found out that Leisha needed a place to crash, and i thought she could come over to chi psi since my room mate will be gone for the weekend. so i asked her to come over, and i guess the weekend turned out really well with many things that we did with Dan, James and Daniel. it was friday nigth when Dan, James and I decided to walk around the nicer parts of Midtown and look for a really good place to eat at. we walked so much, we were so tired, but we ended up at this indian restaurant where we just indulged on all sorts of stuff. Leisha came over later, and what i didnt know was that Tom and his girlfriend were over, doing god knows what in the room, so we were at James' room for sometime, talking about a lot of things before i could get back in to my room. the next day, i had plans to catch the FA Cup Final with Sandesh and Scott, but since Sandesh was working, we had to do it later at night, after he downloaded the clip. we had other plans for the night, to catch Star Wars and something else, but since Scott, Leisha and I wanted to watch the game, we decided on a single movie.
I guess Episode III justified for the rather disappointing prequel to the original trilogy. it was pretty well done, though very tragic, it connected the prequel to the original concisely.
we went to Sandesh's room later on, and boy, we were itching to catch that game. all of us had stayed away from any sort of soccer website for the whole day, coz the results of this match would inevitably have been stated boldly. but i wasn't expecting a full soccer match, 90 minutes, extra time and penalty kicks. Manures and the Gunners were pretty much a decent match for eachother, and i guess the manures had it bad, since they looked like the better side. what a year for them, nothing won, and not to mention, being taken over by that american business tycoon.
we thought we were going to bed since it was 2, but we somehow ended up talking til like 6 in the morning, but i really liked the conversations we had, except for one of the chi psi brother breaking everything and just trash talking. after he was gone, we had a very good flow of exchanges in discussion and it was amazing what each one of us would deliver.
now that im up, im really hungry, and i really wanna go to the places that some of us mentioned that were good last night, i mean this morning.
i dont expect i will be blogging much for the work week, since i dont feel like i should be blogging at work, and i think i will be too tired blogging after i come back. but i will do it whenever i can, and lets see how things go from there on.
Monday, May 16, 2005
signing off from naperville
i havent blogged in a while. ive been taking a much needed rest in my week here, maybe my mom would say a little too much sleep, but its enough to last me for what could be a very intensive first few weeks once my internship gets going.
watched 4 films over the stay here, with the DVDs being rented from the local library. 4 great films in 'gosford park,' 'nineteen eighty-four,' 'the magdalene sisters' and 'you can count on me.' good influx of british films for the first three, a great american story from the last one.
ive been wanting to sit down and jot my thoughts down, but as always, i never did so, and when i am blogging, my mind is blank. i guess i'll have more time to blog over the summer.
my real summer starts once i get back to atlanta. time for some reading up, learning, taking things easy, more self reflection, planning and maybe a little bit more of having fun.
cant wait.
watched 4 films over the stay here, with the DVDs being rented from the local library. 4 great films in 'gosford park,' 'nineteen eighty-four,' 'the magdalene sisters' and 'you can count on me.' good influx of british films for the first three, a great american story from the last one.
ive been wanting to sit down and jot my thoughts down, but as always, i never did so, and when i am blogging, my mind is blank. i guess i'll have more time to blog over the summer.
my real summer starts once i get back to atlanta. time for some reading up, learning, taking things easy, more self reflection, planning and maybe a little bit more of having fun.
cant wait.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
'The Masterplan'
'The Masterplan' by Oasis
"Take the time to make some sense
Of what you want to say
And cast your words away upon the waves
Bring them back with Acquiesce
On a ship of hope today
And as they fall upon the shore
Tell them not to fear no more
Say it loud and sing it proud
And they...
Will dance if they want to dance
Please brother take a chance
You know they're gonna go
Which way they wanna go
All we know is that we don't know
What is gonna be
Please brother let it be
Life on the other hand won't let you understand
Why we're all part of the masterplan
I'm not saying right is wrong
It's up to us to make
The best of all things that come our way
And all the things that came have past
The answer's in the looking glass
There's four and twenty million doors
Down life's endless corridor
Say it loud and sing it proud
And they...
Will dance if they want to dance
Please brother take a chance
You know they're gonna go
Which way they wanna go
All we know is that we don't know
What is gonna be
Please brother let it be
Life on the other hand won't let you understand
Why we're all part of the masterplan"
"Take the time to make some sense
Of what you want to say
And cast your words away upon the waves
Bring them back with Acquiesce
On a ship of hope today
And as they fall upon the shore
Tell them not to fear no more
Say it loud and sing it proud
And they...
Will dance if they want to dance
Please brother take a chance
You know they're gonna go
Which way they wanna go
All we know is that we don't know
What is gonna be
Please brother let it be
Life on the other hand won't let you understand
Why we're all part of the masterplan
I'm not saying right is wrong
It's up to us to make
The best of all things that come our way
And all the things that came have past
The answer's in the looking glass
There's four and twenty million doors
Down life's endless corridor
Say it loud and sing it proud
And they...
Will dance if they want to dance
Please brother take a chance
You know they're gonna go
Which way they wanna go
All we know is that we don't know
What is gonna be
Please brother let it be
Life on the other hand won't let you understand
Why we're all part of the masterplan"
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
you reap what you sow
excellent.
after my hard work over the semester, i end up with 5 As and one B. plus the fact that i got two jobs, one to be a housing staff and another, to be an intern.
couldn't ask for more could i? but here comes another challenge, to maintain this streak and keep my GPA above 3.4.... and hopefully i'll be above 3.55 by the time i graduate...
let's see how that fares next fall.
after my hard work over the semester, i end up with 5 As and one B. plus the fact that i got two jobs, one to be a housing staff and another, to be an intern.
couldn't ask for more could i? but here comes another challenge, to maintain this streak and keep my GPA above 3.4.... and hopefully i'll be above 3.55 by the time i graduate...
let's see how that fares next fall.
Monday, May 09, 2005
'Maybe Tomorrow'
an absolutely great song, which was played at the end of the movie 'Crash,' and they played it at the right moment too. been ringing in my head ever since.
'Maybe Tomorrow' by Stereophonics
"I've been down and
I'm wondering why
These little black clouds
Keep walking around
With me
With me
It wastes time
And I'd rather be high
Think I'll walk me outside
And buy a rainbow smile
But be free
They're all free
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
I look around at a beautiful life
Been the upperside of down
Been the inside of out
But we breathe
We breathe
I wanna breeze and an open mind
I wanna swim in the ocean
Wanna take my time for me
All me
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home"
there was another song, that was really good, also played in a trailer, 'In The Deep' by Katherine York.
'In The Deep' by Katherine 'Bird' York
Thought you had all the answers
to rest your heart upon
but something happens
don't see it coming, now
you can't stop yourself
now you're out there swimming
in the deep
Life keeps tumbling you heart in circles
till you let go
till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven
and you throw yourself off
now you're out there spinning in the deep
you know what i realized? all these 'strong' movies are accompanied by great songs as well. i mean, think back in 'closer,' there was that 'The Blower's Daughter' by Damien Rice, 'Caramel' by Suzanne Vega, 'Garden State' had Frou Frou's 'Let Go' and Zero 7's 'In The Waiting Line.' Magnolia had 'Save Me' by Aimee Mann, etc. It's great watching these films and even better when we leave with these great songs playing repeatedly in our heads, reminding us of how magnificent these movies were.
'Maybe Tomorrow' by Stereophonics
"I've been down and
I'm wondering why
These little black clouds
Keep walking around
With me
With me
It wastes time
And I'd rather be high
Think I'll walk me outside
And buy a rainbow smile
But be free
They're all free
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
I look around at a beautiful life
Been the upperside of down
Been the inside of out
But we breathe
We breathe
I wanna breeze and an open mind
I wanna swim in the ocean
Wanna take my time for me
All me
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home"
there was another song, that was really good, also played in a trailer, 'In The Deep' by Katherine York.
'In The Deep' by Katherine 'Bird' York
Thought you had all the answers
to rest your heart upon
but something happens
don't see it coming, now
you can't stop yourself
now you're out there swimming
in the deep
Life keeps tumbling you heart in circles
till you let go
till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven
and you throw yourself off
now you're out there spinning in the deep
you know what i realized? all these 'strong' movies are accompanied by great songs as well. i mean, think back in 'closer,' there was that 'The Blower's Daughter' by Damien Rice, 'Caramel' by Suzanne Vega, 'Garden State' had Frou Frou's 'Let Go' and Zero 7's 'In The Waiting Line.' Magnolia had 'Save Me' by Aimee Mann, etc. It's great watching these films and even better when we leave with these great songs playing repeatedly in our heads, reminding us of how magnificent these movies were.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
so long Glenn 242
i've officially left my 'home' for my freshman year at tech. i've technically moved all my stuff into chi psi, but the previous occupant of the room has yet to move all his things out, so ive not really moved into the room i'll be living in over the summer.
im really tired from moving everything out, going up and down the stairs and loading and unloading everything. but im glad that's done for now. i hope, that by the time i come back next week, everything will be set.
its strange now to think that i spent more time in my dorm room than i have spent in the naperville home. where do i call home now?
after sorting what i will be bringing back to naperville, i hanged with scott, no longer as his resident, but as a fellow tech student. we tried to catch the kentucky derby, and while waiting to do so, i fell asleep for a while, due to the several really late nights and the arduous physical work. by the time we got food from the housing staff's table, we had just missed the derby. i dont follow horse racing, so im not sure about the magnitude of today's importance, but a horse that was tipped with 50-1 won, making it the second biggest upset in history.
after hanging around for a while, we went up to jacob's room and watched the movie 'go' which was really interesting. its one of those multi-scenario films, so you can tell that i loved it. and this was funny as well.
im checking my grades prematurely and it might be bad omen, but im pleased that i have scored As for both English and Computer Science, and a B for Material Science. i already know im getting As for Calculus and Economics, one last one to be revealed is my Japanese, and I hope that my final project wasn't weak. i had to do it all in a rush with the finals, so i hope that wouldn't be the one that will give me a B. if i do manage with an A though, it will be fantastic. I could not expect an A for MSE, since i missed some crucial lectures with the whole ear thing and i did not study as much as i should have for Professor Gerhardt's tests. even then, they were pretty hard, so i probably wouldn't have scored an A anyway.
that leaves me with a GPA of 3.84 for this semester. retaining dean's list and increasing my overall average to 3.48. fantastic. and to think that I was just one A away from being on the Faculty Honor. but I'm not feeling remorseful about that.
i suddenly had this urge to delay my graduation, with a study abroad to give me some nice time before i graduate. if i were to do that, then i will be allowing myself to lessen my courseload and that will allow me to do more useful things as well. hell, i might even manage to cram in enough hours to land me a double minor. that would be terrific. and i could do an extra co-op term too, which wouldn't be too bad. but this is so ahead in the future, i probably shouldnt get too excited about it. just leave it in the back of my head as an idea for now.
im feeling really good. today was a pretty good day. im leaving for naperville tomorrow, so this will be my last entry for this semester, but expect a lot of blogging over the week, and especially the summer.
im really tired from moving everything out, going up and down the stairs and loading and unloading everything. but im glad that's done for now. i hope, that by the time i come back next week, everything will be set.
its strange now to think that i spent more time in my dorm room than i have spent in the naperville home. where do i call home now?
after sorting what i will be bringing back to naperville, i hanged with scott, no longer as his resident, but as a fellow tech student. we tried to catch the kentucky derby, and while waiting to do so, i fell asleep for a while, due to the several really late nights and the arduous physical work. by the time we got food from the housing staff's table, we had just missed the derby. i dont follow horse racing, so im not sure about the magnitude of today's importance, but a horse that was tipped with 50-1 won, making it the second biggest upset in history.
after hanging around for a while, we went up to jacob's room and watched the movie 'go' which was really interesting. its one of those multi-scenario films, so you can tell that i loved it. and this was funny as well.
im checking my grades prematurely and it might be bad omen, but im pleased that i have scored As for both English and Computer Science, and a B for Material Science. i already know im getting As for Calculus and Economics, one last one to be revealed is my Japanese, and I hope that my final project wasn't weak. i had to do it all in a rush with the finals, so i hope that wouldn't be the one that will give me a B. if i do manage with an A though, it will be fantastic. I could not expect an A for MSE, since i missed some crucial lectures with the whole ear thing and i did not study as much as i should have for Professor Gerhardt's tests. even then, they were pretty hard, so i probably wouldn't have scored an A anyway.
that leaves me with a GPA of 3.84 for this semester. retaining dean's list and increasing my overall average to 3.48. fantastic. and to think that I was just one A away from being on the Faculty Honor. but I'm not feeling remorseful about that.
i suddenly had this urge to delay my graduation, with a study abroad to give me some nice time before i graduate. if i were to do that, then i will be allowing myself to lessen my courseload and that will allow me to do more useful things as well. hell, i might even manage to cram in enough hours to land me a double minor. that would be terrific. and i could do an extra co-op term too, which wouldn't be too bad. but this is so ahead in the future, i probably shouldnt get too excited about it. just leave it in the back of my head as an idea for now.
im feeling really good. today was a pretty good day. im leaving for naperville tomorrow, so this will be my last entry for this semester, but expect a lot of blogging over the week, and especially the summer.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
'Crash' and other things
ive been yearning to blog, but i have been busy packing to leave my room tomorrow and finishing other things that i did not get a chance to sit down and blog outright.
since i was done with my finals on tuesday, i have been taking it a little easy, talking to people, packing, listening to music and just enjoying whatever that has been left of the semester, which, consequently, piled what needed to be done. but its all cool now.
watched number of films over the course of the few days, namely 'the royal tenenbaums,' 'the life aquatic with steve zizzou,' 'brazil,' 'kingdom of heaven' and as the title would have explained, 'crash.'
i realized after watching 'the royal tanenbaums' that the same director did 'steve zizzou.' now, i thought both the movies were interesting, but i found it a little too slow and stale for my taste. wes anderson is probably very good in directing that slow dramatic sort of movies with bill murray and all, but just not my cup of tea. a nice experience though.
on the other hand, 'brazil' was a visionary. to even think that that kind of movie was made in 1985 is remarkable. it told a complete satire of our current society and how things might become in the near future (heck, it has already happened!) and whatnot, it was a very good movie, though james still refuses to acknowledge that that was fantastic.
we did that watch two movies but buy only one ticket thing today, with 'kingdom of heaven' first. i must say, i was kind of let down, cinematography and designs were well done, but the movie jumped scenes too fast and it was almost random at times. i admire ridley scott for his work on 'gladiator' and 'black hawk down' but this fell below expectations. i thought that finally an warrior epic would be amazing, but like the three notorious ones that failed, this falls in their class.
movie of the night, heck, of the year, should go to 'crash.' it was on limited release, and i was very lucky i stumbled upon it on apple trailer page, as the trailer was enough to make me wanna go watch this. its probably the strongest movie ive seen since 'closer,' if not, one of the best film in the recent years that ive seen. i think this goes straight to my top 5 list, it was such a moving, yet strong look at how everything flows. some compares this to the 'six degrees of separation' theory and it might be, but it was darn good. it kept me captivated, and as i would have made it clear by now, i love multi scenarios flowing simultaneously, so this was a feast for me. if this doesn't move or impress one, i honestly don't know what else will. someone deserves an oscar or something for this work, seriously. the best point... well, i shouldn't give it away, just go watch it, there's a particular scenem that's probably worth half the star that makes it 5 stars from four and a half star film. even i was caught off guard for it, and it was all the better since i hardly knew anything about the movie save for the trailer and the 'six degrees of separation' theory.
i was telling james just before the movie how the 'six degrees of separation' theory can be played out. basically it implies that if you take one person and a randomly selected person from anywhere in the world, those two are related in no more than 6 degrees of network. here's an example. me and natalie portman. i know my good friend marc from SAJC. marc has a cousin right here in atlanta, who goes to emory, pamela. pamela has a friend who lives two doors down from her room. that friend has an older sister. that older sister is an childhood best friend of natalie portman. that's six degrees right there. of course, since i now know pamela myself, it can be reduced to 5 degrees now. isn't it interesting?
i went back to the hospital for checkup on wednesday. the laceration in my right ear hasnt completely healed, and they want to see me about 3 weeks later to see if anything changed, if not, i might need to undergo surgery, a minor one, where they'll take a small thin piece of skin from my ear and graft it into my ear, which then, hopefully will mesh, and create that protective layer. or it could heal. im not sure. on top of that, i also went through an hearing test just to make sure the depth of the damage and if i had fluids in my ear or not. apparantly, my hearing is pretty bad. i have a marginaly hearing loss, but what was surprising was that my left was worse than my right. but the test conducted through my ear was worse than the one done through the bone at the back of my ears. that seems to be decent, so its really the fluids thats nullifying the sound flow. i was scared for a moment. i guess no more listening too loudly to my ipods huh. i should have listened to my friends who kept telling me not to listen to my discman or ipod too loudly. i personally thought that the test was scewed due to my attendance at the crystal method concert.
after that was done, i dropped by to emory, to meet pamela and leisha before the summer kicked in. if i hadnt, i probably would not have met them until the next fall. everytime i go to the emory campus, i feel like im in a real university. their spanking new buildings look more academic to me than the ones at georgia tech, and this time, i even noticed that the students looked more like mature university students than the tech students. maybe its because its a new place, so im getting different impressions. maybe because its the private vs public university thing. maybe i have gotten too used to the downtown feel of georgia tech. my peer leader, scott, says its because emory students are rich people. maybe that is the case, im not sure. i just wish that i was at a campus like emory, that's all. and i personally think that its due to their remote location, though they're considered to be an urban university, its nowhere as close as georgia tech, where hopping on the MARTA, or going somewhere is only few minutes away. at emory, i'd probably have to plan when to go ahead in time if i wanted to do something, as it is a little off downtown. ever notice how new things appeal more to you? i bet, if i were an emory student, then i'll be attracted to georgia tech because of its downtown feel and the vivrant atmosphere of the campus and all. it goes both ways. you get some, you lose some. but im happy at tech, i guess i wont leave for anywhere else as of now. just an occasional change of scenary does do some good.
i went back, got my dad and mom some gifts to get from tech, and bought myself some books to read over the summer. guess what i bought, a dummie's guide to Islam and The Qu'ran. yes. me. i had some interesting incidents over this semester and maybe i have reached that age where i need to do some self exploration and find myself. i want to know the fact before committing to anything, and i actually have been reading some really interesting articles that clarifies some of the common misinterpretations about the religion. either way, im only benefitting myself, with extra knowledge, and if it works out, my own religion that i never really got to learn. either way, i hope that along the way, i get to read all of the 3 revelations of the three major religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) so that i can cross reference. its a debate that's driving the world crazy and i will want to know the actual facts for myself as well.
the drive with james to phipps mall today was really interesting. for the most part of today, i was helping james move his stuff to where we will be living over the summer (though in separate rooms this time, we will still be living next to each other) my stuff is more or less packed, so im not worried, but we need to settle the furniture settings sometime very soon. but what was so funny was that james was so absent minded during the drive, it was as if we were exploring through a city we didnt know. i kept giving directions, he kept missing them, but we eventually got there in good time. it was a funny experience though.
end of semester. its been way too long, but this is how it ends. one year of college is done. next thing i know, i will be having my degree in my hands ready to join the working force.
i'm still reeling from the effects of 'crash.' that was such a fantastic movie.
since i was done with my finals on tuesday, i have been taking it a little easy, talking to people, packing, listening to music and just enjoying whatever that has been left of the semester, which, consequently, piled what needed to be done. but its all cool now.
watched number of films over the course of the few days, namely 'the royal tenenbaums,' 'the life aquatic with steve zizzou,' 'brazil,' 'kingdom of heaven' and as the title would have explained, 'crash.'
i realized after watching 'the royal tanenbaums' that the same director did 'steve zizzou.' now, i thought both the movies were interesting, but i found it a little too slow and stale for my taste. wes anderson is probably very good in directing that slow dramatic sort of movies with bill murray and all, but just not my cup of tea. a nice experience though.
on the other hand, 'brazil' was a visionary. to even think that that kind of movie was made in 1985 is remarkable. it told a complete satire of our current society and how things might become in the near future (heck, it has already happened!) and whatnot, it was a very good movie, though james still refuses to acknowledge that that was fantastic.
we did that watch two movies but buy only one ticket thing today, with 'kingdom of heaven' first. i must say, i was kind of let down, cinematography and designs were well done, but the movie jumped scenes too fast and it was almost random at times. i admire ridley scott for his work on 'gladiator' and 'black hawk down' but this fell below expectations. i thought that finally an warrior epic would be amazing, but like the three notorious ones that failed, this falls in their class.
movie of the night, heck, of the year, should go to 'crash.' it was on limited release, and i was very lucky i stumbled upon it on apple trailer page, as the trailer was enough to make me wanna go watch this. its probably the strongest movie ive seen since 'closer,' if not, one of the best film in the recent years that ive seen. i think this goes straight to my top 5 list, it was such a moving, yet strong look at how everything flows. some compares this to the 'six degrees of separation' theory and it might be, but it was darn good. it kept me captivated, and as i would have made it clear by now, i love multi scenarios flowing simultaneously, so this was a feast for me. if this doesn't move or impress one, i honestly don't know what else will. someone deserves an oscar or something for this work, seriously. the best point... well, i shouldn't give it away, just go watch it, there's a particular scenem that's probably worth half the star that makes it 5 stars from four and a half star film. even i was caught off guard for it, and it was all the better since i hardly knew anything about the movie save for the trailer and the 'six degrees of separation' theory.
i was telling james just before the movie how the 'six degrees of separation' theory can be played out. basically it implies that if you take one person and a randomly selected person from anywhere in the world, those two are related in no more than 6 degrees of network. here's an example. me and natalie portman. i know my good friend marc from SAJC. marc has a cousin right here in atlanta, who goes to emory, pamela. pamela has a friend who lives two doors down from her room. that friend has an older sister. that older sister is an childhood best friend of natalie portman. that's six degrees right there. of course, since i now know pamela myself, it can be reduced to 5 degrees now. isn't it interesting?
i went back to the hospital for checkup on wednesday. the laceration in my right ear hasnt completely healed, and they want to see me about 3 weeks later to see if anything changed, if not, i might need to undergo surgery, a minor one, where they'll take a small thin piece of skin from my ear and graft it into my ear, which then, hopefully will mesh, and create that protective layer. or it could heal. im not sure. on top of that, i also went through an hearing test just to make sure the depth of the damage and if i had fluids in my ear or not. apparantly, my hearing is pretty bad. i have a marginaly hearing loss, but what was surprising was that my left was worse than my right. but the test conducted through my ear was worse than the one done through the bone at the back of my ears. that seems to be decent, so its really the fluids thats nullifying the sound flow. i was scared for a moment. i guess no more listening too loudly to my ipods huh. i should have listened to my friends who kept telling me not to listen to my discman or ipod too loudly. i personally thought that the test was scewed due to my attendance at the crystal method concert.
after that was done, i dropped by to emory, to meet pamela and leisha before the summer kicked in. if i hadnt, i probably would not have met them until the next fall. everytime i go to the emory campus, i feel like im in a real university. their spanking new buildings look more academic to me than the ones at georgia tech, and this time, i even noticed that the students looked more like mature university students than the tech students. maybe its because its a new place, so im getting different impressions. maybe because its the private vs public university thing. maybe i have gotten too used to the downtown feel of georgia tech. my peer leader, scott, says its because emory students are rich people. maybe that is the case, im not sure. i just wish that i was at a campus like emory, that's all. and i personally think that its due to their remote location, though they're considered to be an urban university, its nowhere as close as georgia tech, where hopping on the MARTA, or going somewhere is only few minutes away. at emory, i'd probably have to plan when to go ahead in time if i wanted to do something, as it is a little off downtown. ever notice how new things appeal more to you? i bet, if i were an emory student, then i'll be attracted to georgia tech because of its downtown feel and the vivrant atmosphere of the campus and all. it goes both ways. you get some, you lose some. but im happy at tech, i guess i wont leave for anywhere else as of now. just an occasional change of scenary does do some good.
i went back, got my dad and mom some gifts to get from tech, and bought myself some books to read over the summer. guess what i bought, a dummie's guide to Islam and The Qu'ran. yes. me. i had some interesting incidents over this semester and maybe i have reached that age where i need to do some self exploration and find myself. i want to know the fact before committing to anything, and i actually have been reading some really interesting articles that clarifies some of the common misinterpretations about the religion. either way, im only benefitting myself, with extra knowledge, and if it works out, my own religion that i never really got to learn. either way, i hope that along the way, i get to read all of the 3 revelations of the three major religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) so that i can cross reference. its a debate that's driving the world crazy and i will want to know the actual facts for myself as well.
the drive with james to phipps mall today was really interesting. for the most part of today, i was helping james move his stuff to where we will be living over the summer (though in separate rooms this time, we will still be living next to each other) my stuff is more or less packed, so im not worried, but we need to settle the furniture settings sometime very soon. but what was so funny was that james was so absent minded during the drive, it was as if we were exploring through a city we didnt know. i kept giving directions, he kept missing them, but we eventually got there in good time. it was a funny experience though.
end of semester. its been way too long, but this is how it ends. one year of college is done. next thing i know, i will be having my degree in my hands ready to join the working force.
i'm still reeling from the effects of 'crash.' that was such a fantastic movie.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
i'm done being a freshman!
well, that says it well. CS Final was tougher than i thought, but it was very do-able with time. after that, i finished off my japanese project, and i was done for the semester.
this feels somewhat odd, as i did so much this semester, it felt so long, yet it felt like it passed too quickly. i put it a lot to my academics and job hunting early on in the semester, i guess, by spring break, i was wearing out. by the time it was finals, i think i got a little complacent with the fact that i had only 2 finals, with MSE virtually guaranteed a B, and CS at least a B. in that sense, i might not have done as well as i should have, because, as i said, it has been a very long semester and i just wanted to get it done and over with. i hope that it doesn't backfire on me.
but then think about it, i have done a lot. i secured a housing staff job for the next year, a co-operative internship for the summer, and am still doing well academically.
i just hope that my GPA is above 3.5 for this semester so that my overall GPA improves. i intend to raise it higher as time passes.
it sounds weird, but though im done being a freshman, i was done being a freshman by my first semester. right now, im just 5 credit hours away from being classified as a junior, and by the time im done with my second year, i should be only 2 or 3 credit hours from being a senior.
if i thought this semester was rough, the fall semester will be worse. im taking 5 solid classes, and am probably looking at taking 5 final exams for all 5 subjects. 3 of them will be core classes for my major, and the other two will still take as much time as well. plus, i gotta be on top of my things, more than ever as compared to this semester.
in anycase, i can rejoice that its all over for now. ive more or less cleared my table, half done packing, just gotta do a last round of laundry before i pack everything off.
as i promised, here are some pictures from the crystal method gig i attended on saturday.
first up, some from the guest DJs, evil nine, and i forgot the duo who were before them.
i didnt intend for the effects, but it came out pretty nicely.
and now for the duo of the night, the crystal method
eventually, dan, karun and i were right in front of the DJs, just grooving to the fantastic music. karun somehow sneaked out and got the vinyl record, and actually got the both of them to sign on them. like i did with jamie cullum, i shook both their hands to thank them for a fantastic night.
it was weird, as i expect more younger people to be there. most were either in their late 20's or middle aged people. there were crazy stuff happening behind us, but we ignored it and just had a good time to ourselves. usual stuff happening in clubs, im not really surprised. but the funniest part of the night was when some random guy put his arm around dan's waist, thinking he was a chick (dan sports long curly hair, i cant blame people if they think he's a girl by just looking at him from behind) and i was surprised, and obviously, the guy realized, took his arms up, apologized and moved on swiftly to some other chick, and both dan and i were just laughing so loud, but our laughter was nullified by the huge speakers that was right infront of us.
i saw one of the members of crytal method as we were walking back to campus (it's a mere 15 minutes walk from our campus, isnt that sweet?) as he was being driven back to wherever that he was going, and i recognized him instinctively, and put my thumbs up, and he waved back, but karun apparantly didn't even see him, which was funny since he was right there with me the whole night and even got them to sign his vinyl record.
it was a good night, save for the fact that dawar pulled out the night before, and we couldnt find a replacement, which meant us having to cover for his cost, or forcing him to pay (he eventually agreed to pay) and i kinda felt back coz rich and hunter left prematurely, as they didnt seem to enjoy the music as much as we did. part of the reason could have been that we came way too early, (at 9, when the gates opened) and crystal method started performing around 12. add to that, they consumed some substance before heading out, and that might have gotten to them with all the lighting and the music at the club. can't blame them for that.
it was a nice little place. im feeling like im experiencing a completely new life here in atlanta with the college life and the hotspots in downtown atlanta. good music, good concerts, great venues, all that i need to start checking out are other fine food places other than fogo de chao. i really feel like im a twentysomething now. it seems fitful to say that as i am approaching to be 21 over the summer, and its only gonna get better, as i will be working over the summer, so i will have plenty of time to do a lot of things after work. damn, i gotta start planning what to do, aside from watching a lot of movies, obviously.
this feels somewhat odd, as i did so much this semester, it felt so long, yet it felt like it passed too quickly. i put it a lot to my academics and job hunting early on in the semester, i guess, by spring break, i was wearing out. by the time it was finals, i think i got a little complacent with the fact that i had only 2 finals, with MSE virtually guaranteed a B, and CS at least a B. in that sense, i might not have done as well as i should have, because, as i said, it has been a very long semester and i just wanted to get it done and over with. i hope that it doesn't backfire on me.
but then think about it, i have done a lot. i secured a housing staff job for the next year, a co-operative internship for the summer, and am still doing well academically.
i just hope that my GPA is above 3.5 for this semester so that my overall GPA improves. i intend to raise it higher as time passes.
it sounds weird, but though im done being a freshman, i was done being a freshman by my first semester. right now, im just 5 credit hours away from being classified as a junior, and by the time im done with my second year, i should be only 2 or 3 credit hours from being a senior.
if i thought this semester was rough, the fall semester will be worse. im taking 5 solid classes, and am probably looking at taking 5 final exams for all 5 subjects. 3 of them will be core classes for my major, and the other two will still take as much time as well. plus, i gotta be on top of my things, more than ever as compared to this semester.
in anycase, i can rejoice that its all over for now. ive more or less cleared my table, half done packing, just gotta do a last round of laundry before i pack everything off.
as i promised, here are some pictures from the crystal method gig i attended on saturday.
first up, some from the guest DJs, evil nine, and i forgot the duo who were before them.
i didnt intend for the effects, but it came out pretty nicely.
and now for the duo of the night, the crystal method
eventually, dan, karun and i were right in front of the DJs, just grooving to the fantastic music. karun somehow sneaked out and got the vinyl record, and actually got the both of them to sign on them. like i did with jamie cullum, i shook both their hands to thank them for a fantastic night.
it was weird, as i expect more younger people to be there. most were either in their late 20's or middle aged people. there were crazy stuff happening behind us, but we ignored it and just had a good time to ourselves. usual stuff happening in clubs, im not really surprised. but the funniest part of the night was when some random guy put his arm around dan's waist, thinking he was a chick (dan sports long curly hair, i cant blame people if they think he's a girl by just looking at him from behind) and i was surprised, and obviously, the guy realized, took his arms up, apologized and moved on swiftly to some other chick, and both dan and i were just laughing so loud, but our laughter was nullified by the huge speakers that was right infront of us.
i saw one of the members of crytal method as we were walking back to campus (it's a mere 15 minutes walk from our campus, isnt that sweet?) as he was being driven back to wherever that he was going, and i recognized him instinctively, and put my thumbs up, and he waved back, but karun apparantly didn't even see him, which was funny since he was right there with me the whole night and even got them to sign his vinyl record.
it was a good night, save for the fact that dawar pulled out the night before, and we couldnt find a replacement, which meant us having to cover for his cost, or forcing him to pay (he eventually agreed to pay) and i kinda felt back coz rich and hunter left prematurely, as they didnt seem to enjoy the music as much as we did. part of the reason could have been that we came way too early, (at 9, when the gates opened) and crystal method started performing around 12. add to that, they consumed some substance before heading out, and that might have gotten to them with all the lighting and the music at the club. can't blame them for that.
it was a nice little place. im feeling like im experiencing a completely new life here in atlanta with the college life and the hotspots in downtown atlanta. good music, good concerts, great venues, all that i need to start checking out are other fine food places other than fogo de chao. i really feel like im a twentysomething now. it seems fitful to say that as i am approaching to be 21 over the summer, and its only gonna get better, as i will be working over the summer, so i will have plenty of time to do a lot of things after work. damn, i gotta start planning what to do, aside from watching a lot of movies, obviously.
Monday, May 02, 2005
wait up
i realized i havent blogged for sometime. the reason is because i've been busy preparing for my class group presentations for english and japanese, and i've been trying to tie the work up for the semester.
i think im in pretty good shape for the finals, which start tomorrow. the semester's been too long. way too long. i realized how long it has been when my english professor made some mistake while talking about something and he apologized for his error, saying its been a 'long week' - when it was only tuesday. it suddenly hit me then that that was the last week of classes, and he may have been right in that sense, that the rigours of the semester made us tire out by the first half of the week.
anyway, it will all be over in two days, and that's whats keeping me alive. material science final tomorrow and computer science on tuesday, then i gotta touch my japanese project up before submission on the same day. 2 more days. it feels so short, yet so long.
to kind of unwind, i had my first clubbing experience at The Loft, where a few of us had an excellent night with The Crystal Method as the guest DJs. i was right infront of them most of the time, which was a pretty cool experience.
anyway, gotta go back to the world of material science. pictures of last night and reflections are coming up in 2 days. so wait up, i'm coming back soon. 2 more days.
i think im in pretty good shape for the finals, which start tomorrow. the semester's been too long. way too long. i realized how long it has been when my english professor made some mistake while talking about something and he apologized for his error, saying its been a 'long week' - when it was only tuesday. it suddenly hit me then that that was the last week of classes, and he may have been right in that sense, that the rigours of the semester made us tire out by the first half of the week.
anyway, it will all be over in two days, and that's whats keeping me alive. material science final tomorrow and computer science on tuesday, then i gotta touch my japanese project up before submission on the same day. 2 more days. it feels so short, yet so long.
to kind of unwind, i had my first clubbing experience at The Loft, where a few of us had an excellent night with The Crystal Method as the guest DJs. i was right infront of them most of the time, which was a pretty cool experience.
anyway, gotta go back to the world of material science. pictures of last night and reflections are coming up in 2 days. so wait up, i'm coming back soon. 2 more days.
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