The past weekend has been seriously action packed. A friend came up to visit, and I got many of my other friends around Berkeley to join us. The entire weekend, I wasn't alone for more than two or three hours. However, those hours came after my friend left, and those hours were some of the saddest I've felt in a while (which doesn't say much as I've been pretty happy all summer, i.e. it's not as if I was crying or bawling). It was sad to see my friend leave, but even sadder to recognize that I would be leaving soon, and that I would probably not see these Berkeley friends for months if not years if not ever. Another one of my friends is leaving today, and it has invoked a similar, though more subdued, reaction (probably cause I've had it once before).
Most of the people I'm leaving are on IM, and I will talk to them there, but it's different. You act differently on AIM than in person. To some extent you're more open (I certainly am). However, you don't hear people online. You don't see people online. And, you can't hit people online (which is important). Occassionally, I can't imagine them saying some stuff in person that they're saying online.
In preparation for SB, I'm considering starting a new SN, cause my current list has overflowed. I could delete people, but probably not enough to accommodate as many new people, as I predict myself acquainting (perhaps I'm being overly optimistic). "Quazgar" is currently the leading candidate, as it's my "gamer name," though I have no idea if it's taken or not. But I should think of some other candidates.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Friday, August 20, 2004
Planning Behind
I have a week left as a Berkeley resident and will for at least the next two years become a resident of Santa Barbara. I can't say I miss Berkeley or the people I've met here yet. Perhaps it's the thought of the Internet. Perhaps I just need to actually leave, and feel the resulting isolation of not knowing anyone (as opposed to the isolation of not having anyone around).
Until then, I'm looking into what classes to take. A very preliminary schedule has me doing 2 ECE classes, a P.E. class, audit/sit in on a few undergrad ECE classes, a club or two (dance and grad student society?), and, of course, research. After I talk to a few professors, and especially after I find an advisor, I'll have a better idea of my academic schedule (ECE classes and reseach).
But I still want to take that P.E. class... errr... Physical Activity class... errr... Exercise and Sport Studies class. The leading candidates are Boating & Sailing and Fencing. Boating & Sailing stand out for it's technology, transportation, and the ocean, beaches, and babes (the last according to Shong2). Fencing stands out for it's stabbing. (If only they taught Archery...) I'm more impressed with Boating & Sailing; however, I won't know until I evaluate the class fee and how reasonable it is for me to get to SB Harbor.
If I get cheap, I have Ballroom dancing (which would mean no club for now) and Basketball as non-fee options. Interestingly, UCSB has no martial arts classes, as compared to the strong martial arts program at Berkeley.
And while I'm thinking of the future... a potential plan: MS in ECE, technical consultant (e.g. Accenture), JD, patent lawyer, retirement, death. Somewhere in there, probably girl(s), marriage, children. Or another plan: MS in ECE, PhD, job, retirement, death. Again, probably with girl(s), marriage, children somewhere in there. A third plan: death. That doesn't sound promising though. :)
Finally, a friendly grammatical reminder: "Plan Ahead" is verbose.
Until then, I'm looking into what classes to take. A very preliminary schedule has me doing 2 ECE classes, a P.E. class, audit/sit in on a few undergrad ECE classes, a club or two (dance and grad student society?), and, of course, research. After I talk to a few professors, and especially after I find an advisor, I'll have a better idea of my academic schedule (ECE classes and reseach).
But I still want to take that P.E. class... errr... Physical Activity class... errr... Exercise and Sport Studies class. The leading candidates are Boating & Sailing and Fencing. Boating & Sailing stand out for it's technology, transportation, and the ocean, beaches, and babes (the last according to Shong2). Fencing stands out for it's stabbing. (If only they taught Archery...) I'm more impressed with Boating & Sailing; however, I won't know until I evaluate the class fee and how reasonable it is for me to get to SB Harbor.
If I get cheap, I have Ballroom dancing (which would mean no club for now) and Basketball as non-fee options. Interestingly, UCSB has no martial arts classes, as compared to the strong martial arts program at Berkeley.
And while I'm thinking of the future... a potential plan: MS in ECE, technical consultant (e.g. Accenture), JD, patent lawyer, retirement, death. Somewhere in there, probably girl(s), marriage, children. Or another plan: MS in ECE, PhD, job, retirement, death. Again, probably with girl(s), marriage, children somewhere in there. A third plan: death. That doesn't sound promising though. :)
Finally, a friendly grammatical reminder: "Plan Ahead" is verbose.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Thursday, August 12, 2004
People will most definitely come
Well, my first foray into watching professional sports live is fittingly the first professional sport I remember watching on TV: baseball. Last Wednesday I watched the SF Giants host the Cincinnati Reds, and on Tuesday, I watched the Oakland A's host the Detroit Tigers. In the former game, Reds won 8-7, and in the latter, A's won 5-4. SBC Park (or Candlestick for you old fogees) is a more impressive stadium than the Coliseum: better view, bigger field, larger screen. However, the A's have more giveaways than the Giants. Section 315 received free Round Table Pizza for Eric Chavez's 3-run homer. And I cheered for 8 strike-outs, so that I could get a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi. Too bad their relief pitchers sucked and couldn't throw strikeouts.
But back to reminiscing about baseball. Of course, if you ask me now, my favorite sport to watch is basketball, with Lakers being the team to watch (perhaps less so now that Shaq is gone, but I hold out hope). And my favorite sport to play: quit asking questions, and let me get on with the story. I picked up a little of baseball as fan of the Atlanta Braves. At that time, they dominated the NL: going to World Series after World Series, to lose to teams like the Blue Jays and the Twins. I cheered for Otis Nixon, base stealer extrordinaire, Deion Sanders, two sports man, and John Smoltz, well, actually, I thought he was a horrible pitcher. Now, baseball is too slow, a game for those who play baseball, without the excitement of basketball. Regardless, the Braves still have a special place in my heart. Go Braves!
And now for something completely different.
A reason to hate Berkeley: lack of astronomical phenomenon. Perhaps the urbanites don't see this as much of a problem. But then again, NYC and LA kids would probably die of shock if they looked at the sky in my hometown. The number of stars would so overwhelm their senses that they would collapse while convulsing and foaming at the mouth. In Berkeley, clouds covered the Mars opposition (about when Mars is closest to Earth) a year ago, buildings and hills blocked a total lunar eclipse, and clouds covered today's peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Damn you, Berkeley. I shake my fist at you. Though I suspect Santa Barbara won't be any better in this respect.
But back to reminiscing about baseball. Of course, if you ask me now, my favorite sport to watch is basketball, with Lakers being the team to watch (perhaps less so now that Shaq is gone, but I hold out hope). And my favorite sport to play: quit asking questions, and let me get on with the story. I picked up a little of baseball as fan of the Atlanta Braves. At that time, they dominated the NL: going to World Series after World Series, to lose to teams like the Blue Jays and the Twins. I cheered for Otis Nixon, base stealer extrordinaire, Deion Sanders, two sports man, and John Smoltz, well, actually, I thought he was a horrible pitcher. Now, baseball is too slow, a game for those who play baseball, without the excitement of basketball. Regardless, the Braves still have a special place in my heart. Go Braves!
And now for something completely different.
A reason to hate Berkeley: lack of astronomical phenomenon. Perhaps the urbanites don't see this as much of a problem. But then again, NYC and LA kids would probably die of shock if they looked at the sky in my hometown. The number of stars would so overwhelm their senses that they would collapse while convulsing and foaming at the mouth. In Berkeley, clouds covered the Mars opposition (about when Mars is closest to Earth) a year ago, buildings and hills blocked a total lunar eclipse, and clouds covered today's peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Damn you, Berkeley. I shake my fist at you. Though I suspect Santa Barbara won't be any better in this respect.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
It Don't Mean a Thing
I have just completed the summer of swing -- actually, swing has take less than a third of this summer. And what has this dancing newbie learned from the past few weeks? "A weak first step transmits nothing." Wait, that's just a line from Shall We Dansu? In fact, it's been a lesson in taking more initiative. As guys, we must ask the girl to dance and lead the moves, often with force. One of my dance partners, who seemed more experienced, insisted I direct her more strongly and speak clearer body language.
The learning environment mitigates this issue slightly; everyone wants a partner and knows what move is next. However, this premonition doesn't help the guy learn to lead, because the girl will often react before they've been told to do so.
Whether I will continue with dancing of any form, I don't know. UCSB, expectedly, has the resources in place (i.e. the SBDC). And dancing could be an important skill in the future, if only for wedding occassions. I believe it'll ultimately be a matter of finding someone there to push me into it.
The learning environment mitigates this issue slightly; everyone wants a partner and knows what move is next. However, this premonition doesn't help the guy learn to lead, because the girl will often react before they've been told to do so.
Whether I will continue with dancing of any form, I don't know. UCSB, expectedly, has the resources in place (i.e. the SBDC). And dancing could be an important skill in the future, if only for wedding occassions. I believe it'll ultimately be a matter of finding someone there to push me into it.
Friday, August 06, 2004
The Sins (like The Sims)
A week ago now, I was on the road to Las Vegas, and this seems like a good opportunity to analyze what should be left alone and in the past.
The facts:
Four of us left Richmond around 4pm in a rented Chevy Impala for Sunnyvale to meet the fifth on the "road trip" to Las Vegas; following the route emblazoned by Rand McNally's online directions finder. Under the light of a blue moon, we made it through the desert to the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino where we met up with the other eight people, eventually.
While in Vegas, I returned the car, went to the Star Trek Convention, asked and received 24 decks of cards, overate at buffet in the Aladdin, saw a dance show, played Truth or Dare poker, slept, ate a champagne buffet at the Monte Carlo, wandered the Coca-cola and M&M's store, walked back to the hotel, went to MGM Grand and New York, New York, walked back to the hotel, played card games and watched TV and other people sleeping, napped, ate $5 steak and eggs, conversed and watched TV, slept.
Aside from the chatting and general interaction, events to be noted are the Star Trek Convention and the buffets.
With years as a fan of Star Trek and the culture of Trekkies, I expected a Star Trek Convention to be a grand event; however, it seemed pretty small. Perhaps it was that not that many people were in costumes. Perhaps the subject is just too narrow. Perhaps I was just there at the wrong time.
The event was divided into three sections. One was the convention room floor, and it was all about selling stuff. Majel Barret, Wil Wheaton, Chase Masterson, Tony Amendola, and Jaws of 007 were selling autographs. Another was a secondary auditorium, where I only know about because it was in the program. Most of the action was in the main auditorium, where I watched a Star Trek Trivia section which were mostly well-known facts, that is, I knew most of them. Alice Krige, the Borg Queen, and Ethan Phillips, Neelix, spoke and answered questions there. Alice Krige has a very slow and deliberate demeanor. It was very patient and inviting, but to some extent a little creepy. Maybe it just because I know she played the Borg Queen. Ethan Phillips tried to be comedic, but relied heavily on say the things that would kill an old grandma if she heard him speak. Some of it worked for me, but some of it didn't. I wasn't really expecting comedy and some of the jokes required you to be in that mindset, like why people laugh at things at stand-up comics' jokes that aren't that funny.
There's not actually that much to say about the buffets except that I probably ate way too much, and even then I don't know if I got my money's worth. Oooh, also, a little pineapple juice and champagne don't mix that well. The best mixtures are when the strengths of the taste come at different times. The taste pineapple and champagne are both strongest towards the middle and end, with champagne having more of an aftertaste. Not to mention I've not really acquired the taste of alcohol. I should have tried putting in more pineapple juice.
As the last of us left of the BART station, a person commented to me that I answer all of my questions essentially non-commitally with reponses like "okay," "interesting," etc. Dang. It's something I've realized about myself for a little while now, but no one has really pointed it out (or if they didn't, I wasn't said explicitly). I certainly need to work on being more decisive, and forming more solid opinions. But a good question is why I'm so non-commital. Part of it is probably that I don't want to be disagreeable. When it comes to quality, I don't want someone to say they like it when I don't. My opinion will often shift one way in response to hearing other people's opinions. Why can't I just make up my own mind, stick to it, and screw all the other people who don't agree with me? Maybe I'm too nice.
The facts:
Four of us left Richmond around 4pm in a rented Chevy Impala for Sunnyvale to meet the fifth on the "road trip" to Las Vegas; following the route emblazoned by Rand McNally's online directions finder. Under the light of a blue moon, we made it through the desert to the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino where we met up with the other eight people, eventually.
While in Vegas, I returned the car, went to the Star Trek Convention, asked and received 24 decks of cards, overate at buffet in the Aladdin, saw a dance show, played Truth or Dare poker, slept, ate a champagne buffet at the Monte Carlo, wandered the Coca-cola and M&M's store, walked back to the hotel, went to MGM Grand and New York, New York, walked back to the hotel, played card games and watched TV and other people sleeping, napped, ate $5 steak and eggs, conversed and watched TV, slept.
Aside from the chatting and general interaction, events to be noted are the Star Trek Convention and the buffets.
With years as a fan of Star Trek and the culture of Trekkies, I expected a Star Trek Convention to be a grand event; however, it seemed pretty small. Perhaps it was that not that many people were in costumes. Perhaps the subject is just too narrow. Perhaps I was just there at the wrong time.
The event was divided into three sections. One was the convention room floor, and it was all about selling stuff. Majel Barret, Wil Wheaton, Chase Masterson, Tony Amendola, and Jaws of 007 were selling autographs. Another was a secondary auditorium, where I only know about because it was in the program. Most of the action was in the main auditorium, where I watched a Star Trek Trivia section which were mostly well-known facts, that is, I knew most of them. Alice Krige, the Borg Queen, and Ethan Phillips, Neelix, spoke and answered questions there. Alice Krige has a very slow and deliberate demeanor. It was very patient and inviting, but to some extent a little creepy. Maybe it just because I know she played the Borg Queen. Ethan Phillips tried to be comedic, but relied heavily on say the things that would kill an old grandma if she heard him speak. Some of it worked for me, but some of it didn't. I wasn't really expecting comedy and some of the jokes required you to be in that mindset, like why people laugh at things at stand-up comics' jokes that aren't that funny.
There's not actually that much to say about the buffets except that I probably ate way too much, and even then I don't know if I got my money's worth. Oooh, also, a little pineapple juice and champagne don't mix that well. The best mixtures are when the strengths of the taste come at different times. The taste pineapple and champagne are both strongest towards the middle and end, with champagne having more of an aftertaste. Not to mention I've not really acquired the taste of alcohol. I should have tried putting in more pineapple juice.
As the last of us left of the BART station, a person commented to me that I answer all of my questions essentially non-commitally with reponses like "okay," "interesting," etc. Dang. It's something I've realized about myself for a little while now, but no one has really pointed it out (or if they didn't, I wasn't said explicitly). I certainly need to work on being more decisive, and forming more solid opinions. But a good question is why I'm so non-commital. Part of it is probably that I don't want to be disagreeable. When it comes to quality, I don't want someone to say they like it when I don't. My opinion will often shift one way in response to hearing other people's opinions. Why can't I just make up my own mind, stick to it, and screw all the other people who don't agree with me? Maybe I'm too nice.
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