So here I am, back in school for the summer semester. I'm taking maximum load allowed by a student for the semester, but I'm going to push myself for it. The end of a rough road is near. Anyway, it's been a rough prep to the summer, as I extended my work for an additional week, as my replacement could not come in due to some paperwork issues. Kinda makes me glad that I'm a permanent resident, I don't have to deal with all the paperwork problems, saves me the headache too. So it's kinda like since last summer, where I've basically had no proper break in between semester switches, but I guess I can't complain at this time. Courses for the semester looks good, and so long as I follow my plan, which is to stay ahead and be on top of stuff, I should be good. I've made several mistakes during my time here and I've learnt it the hard way. I'm determined not to let that repeat. It's only for 12 weeks and once that's done, it'll be another semester of work, so it's a good sacrifice.
I had to move into a new room, as everyone is expected to move out at the end of spring. It's basically a building right opposite where I stayed over the last year and not far at all from my new assignment after the summer. I kinda hate this room already. Due to impending increase in humidity and temperature in the coming months, Housing leaves the AC running in full to combat the growth of mildew or mould. And since I'm only one of the 4 or 5 people living in the floor, the whole floor is freezing. It reminds me of the times I spent back in the chilling environments of Chicago and it really sucks, as I'm living in a warmer part of the country, yet I have to deal with it as if I'm living somewhere up north. Worse still, Atlanta has unusually been chilly. Wind's somewhat cooler and the heat isn't as hot as it used to be, so I don't exactly feel like it's the summer as of yet. I'm sure it'll get warmer in the coming days, but at the same time, this winter hasn't exactly been that cold. As a matter of fact, it's been erratic, suddenly getting warm and then dropping over and over. The weird weather activity that we've witnessed over the last year or so is something to be taken seriously. There's been drastic change in weather patterns and weather strengths and intensity, there's something serious going on.
On another note, due to my heavy downloading spree and the depletion of my available space, I scouted for a good deal for a massive external hard disk. Eventually my brother found an excellent deal and I'm finally the owner of a 300GB external hard disk. I used to download movies then delete them once I was done, as it was rare that I'd watch a movie again, but from now, I will be storing it remotely, so that if a friend or someone else asks for it, I can access to them easily. Also, I've managed to find some really good torrent sites, so there's going to be a lot of downloading and storing of some nice files. I'm about to own the complete series of 'Friends,' something that has eluded me for the longest time.
Napster has deployed the experimental approach of providing whatever they have in their library for free, up to 5 times per song, as long as the listener views advertisements in the player window. ABC tried that just a week earlier, where they basically uploaded some of their hit shows a day after it aired on TV for free, the only stipulation being that the viewers must view a mandatory 30 second ad about 3 times or so, depending on the 'break.' I thought it was an awesome idea, but at the same time, had no idea how huge internet advertising was. I've grown accustomed to the junk that I see almost everywhere I go, so I thought it was useless to pay for online ads, as I assumed that most other people would ignore them too. But then when you think about the increase in online purchasing and whatnot, maybe it's not that surprising. Nevertheless, I get to enjoy their shows (most notably, 'Lost') and on-demand music at work or at school at no costs. There seems to be more upside to it if I just ignore the ads, but I think it's inevitable that I view these ads, and I think they're shooting more for awareness and exposure as compared to hard sales.
I probably did not blog this, but 2 weeks ago, I made some last minute arrangements to see P.O.D., as the tickets were pretty cheap and the venue not far from campus - within walking distance. Plus, I was getting tired for the semester and needed some serious venting, so attending a really energetic performance by the group was a well needed activity. Only problem was that there were way too many of the younger generation around, but then again, P.O.D. is a Christian band. It was amazing how many young kids there were, when the group asked for kids to get on stage for the song 'Youth of The Nation.' Then last week, I attended a Jason Mraz gig with another friend. It was held at the Tabernacle, which, in my mind is the best concert venue. Jason Mraz was definitely a performer, he played nicely and the atmosphere fit in well with the music. My only regret was that I hadn't exactly paid too much attention to his music prior to this, and as a result, only recognized few of his songs. If I had been more aware, I think I'd have enjoyed the gig much more.
Goo Goo Dolls announced another gig in Atlanta on Sept 3rd, and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Oct 26th. The RHCP tickets were selling really fast within 10 minutes of it going on sale, but I managed to secure 2 tickets. I'm not sure who wants to go at this point, but I'm sure I'll find someone, as I expect it's gonna be a packed event and a lot of people would want to go. Goo Goo tickets go on sale in June, and this time, I will not miss it, unlike the one I missed in April.
I guess that's all I've got for now.
