Thursday, January 20, 2005

search for summer job begins

so i met my advisor for internship and co-op, and obviously, he said that i will have to declare my major before even thinking of applying for jobs this coming summer. so i'm gonna have to go around get some signatures from offices and will officially declare my major as industrial & systems engineering on friday. if for any reason i wish to change, well, i can do that anyway. this is for the time being. besides, im 90% convinced i want to be an IE anyway. once that's cleared, i can start doing more with my applications. interviews will probably start end of february and go on into early march, so there isnt much time left.

i also happened to receive an email from the school of modern languages that there will be an international internship event, and that they think that i am a good candidate to apply for these things. i didnt know taking that japanese class brought me this excellent news. if things go right, then i will get to travel straight overseas this summer, most probably to japan, since i know japanese, and its really a sweet deal, siemens, michelin and Atwater consulting are among the interested firms. I'll have to make some changes and submit my resume by next week, and if the companies like what they're seeing, then they'll contact me.

i happened to come across some intern opportunity sponsored by mastercard. they had three choices, to be behind the stages for a rock concert, or learn the ropes of filming of a movie, or co-ordinate a professional baseball match. obviously i chose the movie one. its at universal, so i guess that's promising. but im kinda put off by this, there will be some coverage and it will be like im competing in a reality show, much like the apprentice, where i'll have to go to interviews, get a video resume and hope that i will be considered and all. i hope that there wont be public attention for this.

so yeah, its mad rush for internships, but its better to start early, get experience with the big names and build my resume, so that it will be easier to get a job later on. its only the beginning, and the next few months will prove to be exciting. i already have 3 companies at hand, though none of them have gotten back to me as of yet. the best would be that toyota calls back, but i think that might be a remote possibility. nonetheless, i still have kyocera and applied materials which sent me mails to acknowledge consideration.

its been a long, rough 2 days, and its not gonna get any better tomorrow.

i really need rest. its only the 2nd week. and i finally met arun in person today. according to him, emory started their semester today or something. dammit... why must tech be so early in everything?

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

MLK Memorial weekend

i havent blogged for some time, and its not because i was busy, i just didnt get around to actually sit down and blog. i was not busy at all, in fact, we had a three day weekend, as monday was martin luther king memorial day. obviously, we were bumming around, watching movies, playing games, catching up on work, etc. i watched 'dirty pretty things' twice. i also watched a japanese anime 'escaflowne' which wasnt too impressive, as well as 'shaun of the dead' which i have no idea why people love, i think it just falls under the category of college faves. sure, the tiny details in the movie were well attended to, but the movie in general was nothing more than a waste of time. and i finally managed to watch the 60's classic 'breakfast at tiffany's.' james, dan and i were just marvelling at how audrey hepburn looked absolutely stunning in anything she wore. and it was a pretty decent movie as well. dan and i had caught 'the breakfast club' earlier on, and i thought that was pretty interesting.

i managed to locate a theatre in atlanta where they're screening audrey tautou's new movie 'a very long engagement.' i cant wait to pinpoint the location and actually go watch it. i have dan, who's equally eager to catch it as well, so i hope i get to do that sometime soon.

i tried to sign up for indoor soccer just now, as luck would have it, its maxed out, which means there will be no action for this season. it sucks. but then, the temperature suddenly dropped so bad in atlanta for the past few days, it feels like im back in naperville, just without the snow. so walking around campus is a torture. legs and body are warm enough, but the wind totally freezes the face and the hands, so badly, that when i enter a class and touch my face, it feels like i have a plastic layer.

academics hasnt been too bad so far. i had to drop my sustainability class, but im going ahead with the 19 hours. it can be done, and i have made sufficient effort to get ahead. i have an economics test next week, ive already read all the material and just need to revise, likewise for material science. japanese didnt turn out to be as hard as i expected, and the contents are rather interesting, i guess its just a matter of time before i get a hang of the language yet again. being on top of my things allowed me to relax pretty well over the weekend, so i was glad.

i applied to be a housing staff. been talking to peer leader scott about this for the past few days, and i thought i give it a shot, though im afraid my co-op application might somehow clash. the benefits are good, but its just the experience as a housing staff that seems pretty challenging. i hope that with me being able to converse in japanese, they give me a position in the international house on 4th street apartments. that would be the most ideal offer for me.

rush is back this week, but somehow, i dont think i will be going around. i do wanna check out the fraternities i didnt get to visit last semester, but with the cold and the work, it does not seem like i can go. plus, its only for 3 days, and as im not looking to pledge anywhere, theres really no point. i might drop by to delta sig and chi phi for a while tomorrow though.

so natalie portman and clive owen got what they truly deserved, the best supporting actress/actor for their effort in 'closer.' i personally thought they overshadowed the 'main' actor/actress jude law and julia roberts, and should have been nominated for the best actor/actress prize instead, but then again, they would have had a harder chance of winning that prize as compared to the best supporting category. i was checking imdb's list of the best of 2004, and im surprised i actually caught most of the good independent movies listed on that list. i need to catch 'napolean dynamite,' 'passion of the christ,' 'motorcycle diaries' and 'before sunset' to complete the top 10 list.

after the weekend though, im more into audrey tautou and audrey hepburn. those two seem virtually untouchable.

Friday, January 14, 2005

1st week almost to an end

it seemed like ive been back in school for ages. but that's how much classes ive had to go and equal amount of time spent studying for them i guess.

nevertheless, im still glad to be back. ive dropped from 20 to 19, since i can't attend the sustainability class due to it clashing with english, but that's alright. now i have to make the grave decision of dropping either economics or english, or not dropping any at all and go ahead with 19 hours. i think, with enough time committed, its not an impossible feat.

the japanese class translation didnt seem that difficult as i thought. we actually went through some other page in the class and if you just read slowly, the computer actually makes very interesting errors. for example, the web page was about lithium-on batteries on laptops and it had a section that offered 'hot tips' and that translated as hot (as in temperature) elongated corner. and the thing about keeping the battery cool and not overheated became 'keeping the battery cool (as in, stylish cool instead of hot/cold) the funniest part was where it advised calibration of battery, meaning exercizing the machine every now and then, and it translated as 'don't let your machine do physical exercize.'

so the class aims to exploit the errors in computational translation and find out how we as humans can improve on it. so with a topic like that, im not going to drop it, right?

if i read early, stop wasting time doing useless things, then i think this particular set of 19 hours isnt too much. there's no final for econs, no finals for japanese. i have to make a decision by end of today, among settling so many other things.

on the other hand, i received a certain invitation from lambda sigma. i initially thought it was fraternity asking me to rush at their place next week, but as i found out later, its actually a honor sophomore society for leaders in campus. supposedly some upperclassman recommened me as an outstanding freshman who has made contribution to the campus. for all i know, i cant come up with anything that ive done last semester that has made an impact on campus, so i was really surprised to be given such an invitation. there's going to be a banquet in 2 weeks time, im just gonna attend and see what this is all about before having to do anything with it.

ive set up a co-op meeting with Mr. Simmons next week, so i should start working on the intern position pretty early.

im gonna get some of the guys living in my section to participate in intramural indoor soccer. im not sure if to go for C or B division, i dont want it to be competitive and just a recreation, but i want at least a playoffs instead of just playing couple of games and then finishing the season.

well, its pretty clear im very well back in school.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

feeling the heat

im already feeling the heat of an arduous 19 hour courseload by the 2nd day.

quite a bit of reading for material science as well as economics, and guess what, it seems like japanese will be the most challenging subject. not in terms of difficulty, but in terms of the amount of time spent on it. there's already a 4 page assignment due next week, an extensive webpage project due next month, and so many other translating activity that not only requires time, but also high vocabulary that ive not used for a very long time. im very rusty, but my professor seems convinced i will have no problems in the class. it is a senior level special topics class afterall, and im the only non 4th/5th year student. i might be asking for it a little too early, i thought.

scott advised i drop english and continue with the japanese class since its something so technical, i can put on my resume, but im not sure how it will turn out. dr. tryon might not be in tech after this semester, and i kinda like his class topic and the pace of it. other classes might require more reading and more writing of essays which i am rather put off by. if i were to drop his class though, i can attend john's environmental class.

on the other hand, i could delay my material science course too, but it seems more interesting than i thought. i couldnt drop economics, coz i most probably will be taking psychology next semester and i dont want two high intensive reading classes.

so there's the big dilemma. i cant drop calculus and computer science, and those classs dont seem like it poses much of a problem for me, but my, look at the deal i have at hand here. dropping japanese off will be a big load off my back for me and i kinda want to do that instead, but im not sure if this class will be offered again.

im already losing sleep by 2nd day. was it a good choice to start off with 20 hours afterall?

Monday, January 10, 2005

spring 2005 starts

my first class was rather enjoyable, the professor seems really competent and he cracks in a couple of jokes here and there, so it will seem i can continue like last semester, liking the class. i found out chris is in the same lecture as me, so that's a plus. james is in my computer science class, rich is in my english class and josh is in my econs class. so im pretty set! first day's great so far.

it feels a little weird, its not like im new, but its as if im new here, because im taking completely new courses. its not like how it used to be in singapore, where you come back to school after a break, but continue with the same syllabus, same teacher and same people.

i went to deposit the money my mom gave me by cheque, to buy texts for the semester, but seems like theres gonna be a hold for a while, since its a considerably large sum for a new account. that might be a problem, i might not get some of the books coz i might not have the money by my side, but i guess i will work that out.

james got a couch for our room for only 10 bucks from an auction, and not only that, he got a brand new poster with these two really hot chicks and their 'peaches' and at the bottom, it says 'lend a hand.' some guys has already seen it and we're all marvelling at it and vowing to lend anything we have to help them out. haha.

so im basically back to listening to my ipod and walking everywhere around campus. somehow it feels really nice.

as for the courseload, i dont think i will continue with my environmental sustainability class since i cant attend half of it, and i also found out that john, the person who conducts the class, is still teaching the class in the future despite having already graduated. i thought that this might be the last semester that the class is being offered, so i took my chances, but i guess its not going to be like that, so i might as well take it at a time where i can participate fully. and i guess i might drop my japanese later on, i'll see, but its not something that is urgently needed at this time. plus, theres only like 6 people in the class, so participation and work is going to be under heavy surveillance. i guess 16 hours is good in a sense, that i can concentrate on those subjects more intensely, then i might end up with really good grades.

its only the first week, so i'll see how it goes.

Sunday, January 09, 2005

peace out, A-Town!

alright.. gonna be leaving naperville in about 20 minutes. all set, i hope i didnt leave behind anything important. cant wait to be back in atlanta, home of outkast, usher, ludacris and lil' jon.

im eager for the new semester to get started, and it will be happening very soon.

i'll be back in naperville during spring break. how weird, im heading north for spring break when most people will be heading south.

well, whatever it is, im all set.

peace out, A-Town! Yeahh, okayy...

Saturday, January 08, 2005

20 hours next semester???

the second registration phase was open for me starting today, until next friday, and i managed to get dr. tryon's english ii class, so im happy. i was afraid that there wont be any openings for his class, but there were 2 spots on thursday, albeit one that clashes with my sustainability class, but i kinda dont have any choice, since the other two of his classes clash with my calculus ii and economics class. and i dropped my circuits course and kept my japanese translation class.

which means... im now signed up for 20 hours of classes next semester. 20 hours might be jumping a little too far from the easy 14 hours i had last semester. but then, considering how much time i wasted on doing nothing and exploring the campus and whatever, i think 20 hours isnt much. i could be wrong.

lemme break it down for the people who dont understand what 20 hours mean. if you're on good standing, or any standing in georgia tech, the maximum hours of classes you can take in the fall and the spring semester is 21 hours. so im taking 20 of that for now. 20 hours could be somewhat equivalent to taking 10 'o' level subjects, 4 'a' level subjects and one/two S papers. get the idea? well, it could never be that tough as compared to singapore, but just imagine the courseload.

i initially intended to drop my japanese translation class after the first week, since i can take that later, theres no hurry for it, but i kinda see that as my GPA booster for this semester. but then again, i could decide to take it, coz i think that i'll have an easy time taking the class.

im not sure, i could still drop to 17 hours for the remainder of the semester, which i think i most probably will, but i wanna give 20 hours a try for now. struggle now, and i will be able to take 15 for the rest of my tech semesters and have a somewhat easy time. that makes sense, doesnt it?

so for now, the classes im sitting for are;
ENGL1102 - english composition ii
CS1371 - computing for engineers
MATH1502 - calculus ii
MSE2001 - intro to engineering materials
ECON2100 - principles of economics
JAPN4813 - japanese business and technical translation
ISYE4991 - environmental sustainability

if i'm gonna meet my target of being on the dean's list.. then i gotta score A for japanese and sustainability, B for english, computer science, economics and materials and afford to get a C for calculus ii. but obviously, if i target for the minimum, im gonna get lower. im gonna work for an A in calc this time round and see what else i can do. i'll need good grades for that intern position im seeking in the summer too.

with proper management of time and a keen interest in everything, i guess 20 hours is not an impossible feat. time will tell...

Thursday, January 06, 2005

wasting my time, in the waiting line

"Wait in line
'Till your time
Ticking clock
Everyone stop

Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me
Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me

Do you believe
In what you see
There doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me

Do you believe
In what you see
Motionless wheel
Nothing is real
Wasting my time
In the waiting line
Do you believe in
What you see"


im getting really frustrated at the lack of activity back 'home' in naperville. im literally counting down to the day that im flying back to atlanta and i can't wait. its utter waste of time for me to be here and i guess pamela put it quite simply because i dont know anybody here. being here depresses me for some reason. its suburbia getting to my head. funny enough, its the preferred mode of living for the relatively well off americans to be living in a suburb. its definately not the lifestyle for me. far away, secluded, in clean and safe environment, driving about in SUVs, shopping... the realization came sharply today as i accompanied my mom to the grocery shopping. drive, shop, bills, maintenance... for better part of today, i imagined myself back in singapore, living the fast paced life. and i really wished i was back there. i never settled well with the idea of living in this country, as a matter of fact, i dont like it at all here. maybe not atlanta, maybe not yet. i know some people will kill to be living in my position, but given the chances, i'll trade it. some human part of me dies each passing day. while many students look forward to being back at home for the semester break or holidays, i, for one, do not look forward to it from now on. and its only the first year that im feeling this dammit.

soon, i wont even call naperville 'home'... by mid way through next semester, i would have stayed longer in atlanta than i have in naperville. then what?

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

the 4 year plan

it is now pretty clear that i will be in georgia tech for a good 4 years. it seems that the financial implications were more serious than i had anticipated, and as a result, i can forget about any hopes of graduating in the 2 or 3 year plan that i had been pondering over.

with the 4 year plan, i will now seriously seek an internship opportunity, starting this summer. i guess it pays off in both ends in a sense that not only will i get paid well, but if i do well and impress the company that hires me, i could also be looking at securing myself a job before i graduate. hopefully the money accumulated until then will help finance my education for a year at least. and if aid application goes well, then everything will be set.

its amazing to think that even if georgia tech was one of the cheaper of my choices in university selection, the cost is still very very steep. the cost of education has never seemed more cruel.

if i had really intended to graduate early, then that would have meant paying up more as well, which wouldnt have helped. plus, i have the priviledge of being able to skip a semester, and usually taking in 4 full internship semesters will force the student to stay in college for 5 years, but since i can do the internship semester and graduate in 4 years flat, why not right?

so that settles for the duration problem. another problem that is yet to be settled is my major. i could do a double major once im done with one, but im not sure if thats gonna be helpful. but its still up in the air at the moment. i guess i gotta figure out what course to take first. right now, im signed up for 19 hours, i know im pushing it, and ive been considering to drop to 16 or 17 once i get the chance to add and remove courses again. im thinking of dropping my japanese business translation course and taking up english ii, so that i can get that done and over with. i guess i'll put psychology on hold for next academic year and do economics instead too. and if i drop circuits, then im looking at a tough, but manageable 17 hours. my target will be to maintain a GPA of 3.0 so that i can remain in the dean's list for the year.

so thats that.

watched 'the pianist' last night. that was a really great movie, attention to detail and the expressions were delivered very well. and to think that that was a true story! 'almost famous' was a so-so movie, im not sure why it should be ranked that high, and 'magnolia' was a pretty interesting tale involving multiple random events all connected somehow, but i felt that it was too long.

so three more to catch from that top 250 list that ive downloaded. there are still many more, but 'saving private ryan,' 'schindler's list' and 'the seven samurais' are the three that i have currently in my laptop. and those three promise to be a really good time, only that each one of them is at least 2 hours and 40 minutes long. so its going to be also a test of attention as well.

Saturday, January 01, 2005

last post of 2004

well, whatever it is, its the last post of 2004 for me here. i dont really care much about the fact that its the last post of 2004 or not, but just as a record. these things dont really mean much. to me, its just a system that the human race devised to keep proper track of time. sorry to sound like a party spoiler, but thats what i think.

anyway, i guess im just another night away from recovering. the headache and pain around the body's gone.

the past 2, 3 days has been a complete waste. trying to sleep, cant get to sleep, headache not going away, sniffing endlessly and stuff.. but im glad thats done and over with.

and no more orange juice.

i could have used the time to watch movies, but my attention span wasnt good, so only managed to watch 3. of the 3, 2 were not as good as i expected. 'mulholland drive' was a mysterious yet very captivating drama, but 'forrest gump' and 'goodfellas,' i was disappointed with them, as they were just average movie to me. frankly, i dont understand how 'forrest gump' managed to be such a worldwide success, probably because it was that nice guy doing everything honestly and feel good movie that seems to strike everyone's heart.

im not sure if this post will be classified as 1st jan once i change the time setting, but its not new years in chicago yet. i saw the new year's ball in new york sometime ago, and its spectacular as ever.