iHeart my iPod collection

*Droolz*

Liver damage report, stat!

It's been a pretty long while since I posted an entry. This would be my first since starting the new term. As you might have guessed, I have been quite occupied. But not in the sense I usually tend to use that word. I can actually say many non-academic things have been on my plate in the last little while. I feel like this will turn into a long entry, so I'm gonna make the reading somewhat easier by highlighting the main theme of the paragraph.

Ok so, let's see.... first week back to Skule was Godiva Week (ERTW!). It was hella fun, especially the Chariot Race. I missed a couple of the big events, but I still managed to hang out in the Atrium so much that I drank for 6 days in a row; something I've never done before. Don't get me wrong, the amount consumed each day wasn't big, but by the end I was beat!

The second week was burned up entirely by interviews. I had 3 interviews with ATI for various 16 months PEY positions. All 3 positions are hardware ASIC related. I'm actually surprising bad at these interviews. This came as a real shock to me, but I really suck at answering technical questions, under the spotlight. My inability to correctly solve simple questions really jabbed my confidence, and ultimately now my chances of landing the job. I have a few interviews with Actel this coming week, so hopefully I will do much better.

This past Saturday was UTEK (University of Toronto Engineering Kompetition). I chose to help in organizing this event. Our team of 9 had to go through grueling 8am meetings every week since Sept. to sleepless last-minute preparations, all to hold this one-day annual event. To sum the day up, it was hectic as hell and many things could have gone a lot smoother. In the end, it was a success. I feel quite bad for Rob, the chair of UTEK. The night before, he had to change a flat tire at 2am in the raining morning; during the day of, he lost his laptop which contained 3 years worths of work that wasn't backed up, and Jose's wallet was stolen too; and to top it off, he practically emptied his bank account in preparation for this (which will be reimbursed of course). However, our big feast afterwards paid-for by the Alumni office, made all the grumbling and the stress worth it. Good times that night.

Last but not least, my school work. This term has been quite easy-going. So far, my hands haven't done the dirty business with my textbooks yet, and I've been wasting an incredible amount of time watching season 1 of ROME. Wow... that show is sooo good, I can honestly say: the best dramatic TV series, ever.

I will try to update my blog more often, so as to not make such a big void in my archives.

A new term

So tomorrow starts another term. The 3rd year Spring term. After a 2 and a half week break, I feel ready and excited to go back now.

The downer is last term's marks are posted and boy, are they disgusting. The lowest average ever since coming to university. I was expecting low marks, but still, to actaully see it scripted in my record, it's a different story. And I just realized how much this will hurt my chances of admission into grad school. When applying next year, the marks they'll look at is obviously the 3F and 3S terms.

Therefore, this means I must perform almost flawlessly this time to balance last term's Quasimodo of a mark. I do feel this term looks easier than last. The courses sound interesting and I'm excited for another run at Skule. Here's my timetable:

Happy New Year!

May 2006 bring everyone happy times and lots of blessings.

I tell you the worse currecy
that ever grew among mankind is money. This
sacks cities, this drives people from their homes,
this teaches and corrupts the minds of the loyal
to acts of shame.
- ANTIGONE, Sophocles

Written in 442 B.C., yet still applies every bit as much today.

Extreme Makeover: Website Edition

Ok maybe not "extreme" per se, but still, my website has been updated. It's bigger, a little faster, and now with even more hilarity, hidden easter eggs, surprises, and even prizes! Yes, real prizes. Take your time and check it out.

Christmas cheers everyone!

Merry Christmas !

Hope everyone has a fun holiday. While enjoying your fat, juicy, plump, turkey, I hope y'all remind yourselves what the meaning of Christmas is really about. Hint: contrary to popular belief, it's not centred around the Xbox360.

Oh, and happy Hanukkah too! (to all those who apply)

God bless.

Chronic(what?)cles of Narnia!

This has got to be the best pre-recorded piece on SNL ever. Big big props to Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg. Just watch and see, you'll be impressed.

Chris Parnell & Andy Samberg - Lazy Sunday

The stache and the goatee is coming off

Phew... finally got through another season of playoffs of university. This was the longest exam period I ever had, 2 and a half weeks! My facial hair is even of, dare I say, "respectable" length?

What of the exam results? I really have no high hopes for it this term. Doesn't matter how well I do on the exams, I lost enough marks during the semester to bring down the final grade significantly. And I don't expect much from the exams anyway.

This is the problem/side-effect of doing well last year. Now everyone expects for me to be on that same level; my parents, my friends, even myself. Oh well ... at least it's not like I'm gonna lose a scholarship, since I never had any to begin with.

The only thing on my mind now is a whole lot of relaxation and going out to enjoy the season.

Christmas spirit

Everywhere I look,
On the streets,
In my neighbour's yard,
In the newspapers,
On my computer screen,
Over the airwaves,
In the digital coaxial cables,
All my friends,
and their msn names,
My parents,
Everywhere I look,
There's Christmas spirit flowing.
But here I am,
Stuck in the exam phase,
Shackled to my desk,
Bounded like Prometheus.
Help me get through this.

Procrastination is the Devil

So here I am wasting time playing with Photoshop, in the middle of exam period. This was fun. I made a comic-fying version of a photograph (an old one at that).

BeforeAfter

Hehe, Aanchal has a stache.

*much thanks to the Attack of the Show for the know-hows.

Exams, exams, exams

Exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams, exams,

Goodbye teenager, hellooo 20s

First, happy birthday to moi! The number 20 hasn't quite sunk in yet, probably need a day or two more.

Turning 20 is a big step. This means my years as a teenager are gone. No more excuses for stupid things, no more close relation to teen movies, and teen jokes. I actually remember how glad I was when I turned thirteen and how I wanted to grow faster. Guess I got my wish now. Looking back, I can say my seven year stint as a teen was pretty damn good. Probably not the most exciting one of block, but certainly not dull. Had some really good times and used it wisely.

So the 20s are supposed to be the best times of your lfe, right? Now I gotta start thinking about, in a more serious manner, moving out, careers, relationships,... family. Wow. Exciting, but scary, scary words. I'm looking forward to it and I'm going to make sure to live this time of my life to all that it can be. (lol. sounds like the Army ad)

What a night!

Yesterday was the ECE Dinner Dance and it was hella fun! Although there were a few minor glitches here and there, overall it was a very successful night. The fact that I organized to make it happen made it that much more rewarding. Reaping the fruits of my labour so to speak.

Photos from my camera are now uploaded on my photo blog. I know there were others taking pics too. Here is Danny's site with pictures taken from his crappy 3.1 MP camera.

More importantly, I gotta give shout-outs to all those who helped me greatly. Kharthick, in giving me directions and Hotel contacts, Jeremy for selling tickets, quite persuasively might I add, and Danny for helping me with advertising.

I hope all 125 in attendance had a great time. There are many lessons I learned from this event, one of which is wine and pop do not mix very well.

ECE Dinner Dance

So as this year's Social Director of the ECE Club (that's Electrical and Computer Engineering, NOT Early Childhood Education), my main duty is to organize the annual ECE Dinner Dance.

It was supposed to be a partnership venture, along with my Comp counterpart Rob, but he ditched it. So basically I have to organize the entire thing by myself. I'm really diappointed at him, because he has done absolutely nothing towards this event. I'm a little bitter because I had to spend quite some time on this during that crazy 2 weeks with midterms. Now that I'm getting the results back, I'm ticked, because I know the time I spent on this could have gone to studying that would lead to better results. However, other execs of the ECE Club have been very helpful and supportive though. Organizing an event like this is a hell of a lot more involved than I thought. I have to think about and arrange everything, down to the smallest details which no one attending the event would even give a thought to. It's a lot of work that's for sure.

In any case, most of the organization has been done and tickets are on sale now. It will be on Saturday November 19th, at the fabulous Novotel Toronto. It is on The Esplanade, right on the waterfront, a 2 minute walk from Union Station. The night will include a 3 course meal, 2 bottles of wine per table, and unlimited soft drinks. The Skule Jazz Combo will also be gracing us with their performance. A DJ with lighting effects is in order. All this is only $35 per person. Tickets are on sale in the Atrium at lunch everyday. Last I heard, we're already 75% sold out.

I just have a few more things to finalize this week. I'm hoping for a sell out event of 130. Quite a lot of time has gone into this, so I pray everything will turn out great and everyone will have a blast.

In your face, midterms!

Boo-ya-ka-sha! In your face, midterms! for throwing me three of you in a matter of 35 hours. Do thy worst, for I have seen Hell itself.

Ok, maybe I shouldn't sounds so cocky. After all, I didn't do that well. But at this moment, it really doesn't matter, because I just finished 3 phuckin' midterms in a row.

It wasn't just those 35 hours that was intense, it was all of the last seven days leading up to the midterms. I never had to study for 3 different midterms at once. Coupled with things that I absolutely had to take care of from my extracurricular side, colliding right in the middle of all this,... it was stress and intensity at its best. In retrospect, I can now say good times, good times.

Facebook addiction

Argggh!! I'm hooked on the facebook again! This occured last year smack in the middle of the final exams, and now that I have 4 midterms coming up in the next 2 weeks, it's happening again. Gotta love my sense of timing. I'm spending around an hour a day surfing the facebook, also known as the "facebook trance". Sh**, why did I let it happen to me again?

A wise man (a friend from Cornell) once told me that the facebook is more than a site, it's a drug. And oh, how right he is. This has to be the biggest waste of time, ever! and yet, it's so addictive. Those of you who don't know what I'm talking about are probably thinking I'm on crack, but most of you do, and know how they hook you back again and again. Look, it's 2:20 right now, and I'm still up doing it. I got work to do, damnit!

Why do you mock me, computer? why?!

You know you're an engineer when . . .

This is a classic. I found this cut-out of an article I kept from first year. It's from the faculty student paper The Cannon (which I was a part of in the last 2 year).


In case you're wondering, yes I did post it on my door.

1000 Visits

Yaaayyyyyyyy!... Today marked the 1000th visit to my blog. Awesome!

It's good to know that I'm at least putting out content worth viewing, and that this isn't a total waste of time. It took exactly 3 months, since I started this blog back in July. Not too shabby, I think.

Word of the day

I came upon this word during my readings. I thought I should share the knowledge.

buttress (btrs) n.

1. A structure, usually brick or stone, built against a wall for support or reinforcement.

2. Something resembling a buttress, as:
a) The flared base of certain tree trunks.
b) A horny growth on the heel of a horse's hoof.

3. Something that serves to support, prop, or reinforce: “The law is by its very nature buttress of the status quo” (J. William Fulbright).

tr.v. but·tressed, but·tress·ing, but·tress·es

*courtesy of dictionary.com