I just recently read this article at TIME.com about morality. Its actually quite an enlightening read. Seriously, if you've got the time, why not read it?
What Makes Us Moral?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Summer School
Well, I've decided - I'm doing summer school. Why?
Well... I guess it didn't take me much to see where Richie was coming from. He wants to do ACCTG 101 (Accounting, obviously), then carry on to do ACCTG 102, and finally a finance paper. Not that it counts for any engineering credits, but the benefits are there.
Knowledge of the economic world, including financial risk investments (and so on and so forth) will be helpful, especially in the engineering world. After all, engineering is about selling your ideas to customers, so why not?
Also, I predict that I shall be genuinely bored and not working during these holidays, so why not do something useful apart from enjoying myself the whole time?
Well... I guess it didn't take me much to see where Richie was coming from. He wants to do ACCTG 101 (Accounting, obviously), then carry on to do ACCTG 102, and finally a finance paper. Not that it counts for any engineering credits, but the benefits are there.
Knowledge of the economic world, including financial risk investments (and so on and so forth) will be helpful, especially in the engineering world. After all, engineering is about selling your ideas to customers, so why not?
Also, I predict that I shall be genuinely bored and not working during these holidays, so why not do something useful apart from enjoying myself the whole time?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Only 1 left...
Wow, the results must have just all come in or something. Everything is back except for Philosophy, which I don't really care about as long as I pass. My results so far are...
A+ for CHEMMAT 121 (Materials Science) and ENGGEN 131 (Software Computation)
A for ELECTENG 101 (Electronic and Digital Systems)
A- for ENGGEN 204 (Technical Communication)
A little gutted about not getting A+ for ELECTENG eh, but I guess it was expected since I made a few mistakes throughout the paper. Ah well, shame on me. Marcy got straight A+'s this time for his core subjects. Damn him, hehe. Alastair got straight B+'s I think.
Now all thats left is to wait till Dec 17th, when my specialisation gets realised. Sigh, I want it back, goddamnit.
A+ for CHEMMAT 121 (Materials Science) and ENGGEN 131 (Software Computation)
A for ELECTENG 101 (Electronic and Digital Systems)
A- for ENGGEN 204 (Technical Communication)
A little gutted about not getting A+ for ELECTENG eh, but I guess it was expected since I made a few mistakes throughout the paper. Ah well, shame on me. Marcy got straight A+'s this time for his core subjects. Damn him, hehe. Alastair got straight B+'s I think.
Now all thats left is to wait till Dec 17th, when my specialisation gets realised. Sigh, I want it back, goddamnit.
Friday, November 23, 2007
2 down, 3 to go...
Results are partially out, and I've got........
A+ for CHEMMAT 121!!! WOOOOOOHOO! and...
A- for ENGGEN 204 ie, Technical Communication for Engineers
A+ for CHEMMAT was beyond my expectations. I thought I might have made a bit too many mistakes, but this is good! Although, for technical communication, I did expect better. I mean, I got a friggin' 86.5% for the whole thing, and I got an A-?!?! WTF? Ah well.
I hope I did alright for the other subjects. Don't care too much for Philosophy, but I want my electrical and programming ones back.
A+ for CHEMMAT 121!!! WOOOOOOHOO! and...
A- for ENGGEN 204 ie, Technical Communication for Engineers
A+ for CHEMMAT was beyond my expectations. I thought I might have made a bit too many mistakes, but this is good! Although, for technical communication, I did expect better. I mean, I got a friggin' 86.5% for the whole thing, and I got an A-?!?! WTF? Ah well.
I hope I did alright for the other subjects. Don't care too much for Philosophy, but I want my electrical and programming ones back.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Lunch at Alastair's
Heh, yeah, went for lunch at Alastair's today. I swear this dude has this habit of switching my name round now. He called me Damian when I got into the car, then referred to me as Gabriel to his mum on the phone.
Anyway, yeah. It was rather fun I must say. He cooked up some teriyaki beef and udon noodles, and well, I guess I helped, a little. Lost my touch with flipping things like vegetables on a pan, so I kinda sucked. For something he got over the net, it wasn't too bad after all. I must say I was rather impressed, actually.
We even played some chess while he played some of his recent dabblings in electronica. It was sorta cool to chill to, I guess, while we played chess. He beat me the first time, but I got him the next time. I guess we both play kinda similarly, without a long-term plan in sight.
Then I saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang again, or rather, I saw it again, and he watched it for the first time. From my viewpoint, not a bad movie this time round. Funny dialogue, interesting plot. Good. Then he sent me back, since he had to work. Not a bad way to spend the day I reckon.
Anyway, yeah. It was rather fun I must say. He cooked up some teriyaki beef and udon noodles, and well, I guess I helped, a little. Lost my touch with flipping things like vegetables on a pan, so I kinda sucked. For something he got over the net, it wasn't too bad after all. I must say I was rather impressed, actually.
We even played some chess while he played some of his recent dabblings in electronica. It was sorta cool to chill to, I guess, while we played chess. He beat me the first time, but I got him the next time. I guess we both play kinda similarly, without a long-term plan in sight.
Then I saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang again, or rather, I saw it again, and he watched it for the first time. From my viewpoint, not a bad movie this time round. Funny dialogue, interesting plot. Good. Then he sent me back, since he had to work. Not a bad way to spend the day I reckon.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Sore...
I never thought spending the day at the beach playing with the frisbee at the beach would be so tiring. Well, fine, walking in sludgy, I mean wet, sand as well.
Went for a barbeque at the beach yesterday, with like Arnold, Dan, Nithin, Allan, Laura, Carol, Paul, and I forgot the rest of their names... Oops. The weather was absolutely good, with my only complaint being that it was sometimes not sunny enough. And as usual, beaches directly in Auckland suck. Probably the only exceptions being the North Shore and Mission Bay, but meh, I doubt any of us could be bothered going there...
It was fun, regardless. We tried to go out to the rocks which proved impossible, since well, the way there was to swim across a narrow stream, and well, the mud/sand was basically some sort of sludgy quicksand, as Allan soon found himself up to his knees in mud, heh. Did I mention that the barnacles and shells are quite sharp at times? And slippery too.
I have no idea why, though, but my calves and lower torso is sorta sore. I don't remember running around that much too.... Ah well.
It'd be fun to do that again, except that the weather today is absolutely crappy. I guess we're not fully into summer yet...
Went for a barbeque at the beach yesterday, with like Arnold, Dan, Nithin, Allan, Laura, Carol, Paul, and I forgot the rest of their names... Oops. The weather was absolutely good, with my only complaint being that it was sometimes not sunny enough. And as usual, beaches directly in Auckland suck. Probably the only exceptions being the North Shore and Mission Bay, but meh, I doubt any of us could be bothered going there...
It was fun, regardless. We tried to go out to the rocks which proved impossible, since well, the way there was to swim across a narrow stream, and well, the mud/sand was basically some sort of sludgy quicksand, as Allan soon found himself up to his knees in mud, heh. Did I mention that the barnacles and shells are quite sharp at times? And slippery too.
I have no idea why, though, but my calves and lower torso is sorta sore. I don't remember running around that much too.... Ah well.
It'd be fun to do that again, except that the weather today is absolutely crappy. I guess we're not fully into summer yet...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Uhh... WHAT?
An honestly WTF moment when I saw this:
Man 'marries' dog to beat curse
I mean, seriously. Ok, fine, I guess people all have customs, but this is beyond bizarre to me.
Man 'marries' dog to beat curse
I mean, seriously. Ok, fine, I guess people all have customs, but this is beyond bizarre to me.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
to come of age...
I have learnt that sometimes it is good to call people and keep in touch with them, even when it seems like you don't know them well. Sometimes, throughout the progression of the year, you have gotten to know them well enough. Or even if you haven't, who says that you cannot get to be better friends with them?
However, I have also learnt that sometimes, you must choose who you invest your time in. A sad truth, but not every potential friend you can keep in touch with, nor can you have everyone as a close friend. Time never is on your side, and compromise is a necessity.
Ever feel like time itself rushes so quickly, so inexorably that you feel left behind? Like a tide washing you out to the ocean, leaving you stranded amongst the great blue, without the support of familiarity? Well, I guess its only fair that everyone would feel this way from time to time.
How about those moments when time itself slows to a crawl, never seeming to move? I don't think I've experienced that for years. I think I'd wish to go back to those days. The times when life was much simpler. When everything was so short, so fast. But then again, in those days, even there were days of time zipping by, too fast to be remembered.
I dislike the fact that I don't have enough time for everything, but I enjoy the rush of doing everything I can, enjoying what is new and old. I fear that it may all end too quickly for me though, and I will be left behind as the tide washes me onto the shore, stranded.
So for now, I will write this into a moment in time, one of the landmarks, one of the breadcrumbs marking my trail. At least, even if I cannot separate my experiences into discrete parts, I will have this as a reference, something concrete in a sea of abstract thought, a thread in the woven pattern. And who knows, perhaps I will remember this little place where I once chronicled my thoughts, years ago, in a world of my own that I sought to conquer.
The mind coming of age is such a hard ordeal.
However, I have also learnt that sometimes, you must choose who you invest your time in. A sad truth, but not every potential friend you can keep in touch with, nor can you have everyone as a close friend. Time never is on your side, and compromise is a necessity.
Ever feel like time itself rushes so quickly, so inexorably that you feel left behind? Like a tide washing you out to the ocean, leaving you stranded amongst the great blue, without the support of familiarity? Well, I guess its only fair that everyone would feel this way from time to time.
How about those moments when time itself slows to a crawl, never seeming to move? I don't think I've experienced that for years. I think I'd wish to go back to those days. The times when life was much simpler. When everything was so short, so fast. But then again, in those days, even there were days of time zipping by, too fast to be remembered.
I dislike the fact that I don't have enough time for everything, but I enjoy the rush of doing everything I can, enjoying what is new and old. I fear that it may all end too quickly for me though, and I will be left behind as the tide washes me onto the shore, stranded.
So for now, I will write this into a moment in time, one of the landmarks, one of the breadcrumbs marking my trail. At least, even if I cannot separate my experiences into discrete parts, I will have this as a reference, something concrete in a sea of abstract thought, a thread in the woven pattern. And who knows, perhaps I will remember this little place where I once chronicled my thoughts, years ago, in a world of my own that I sought to conquer.
The mind coming of age is such a hard ordeal.
Monday, November 12, 2007
And no sooner did I declare it as summer for myself, then did the weather decide to intervene and let down showers. Stupid cold showers. Which wasn't so bad since I managed to get home and evade it before it got me. Whew.
Talk about irony.
My goals for this week:
1) Go to gym actively
2) Get my blood test done and over with
3) Pick up my ticket to Melbourne
4) Listen to Jonny Lang's albums. Currently finished "Wander This World", which is thoroughly awesome as blues music. Do try it out.
5) Attempt to spend less, note LESS, not nothing, money on "unnecessary" food and snacks ><
P/S: Informal exam results should be out in 10-ish days!!! *panics and runs into a tree*. In the not so distant future, my specialisation allocations will be released on December 17th. *fingers crossed*
Talk about irony.
My goals for this week:
1) Go to gym actively
2) Get my blood test done and over with
3) Pick up my ticket to Melbourne
4) Listen to Jonny Lang's albums. Currently finished "Wander This World", which is thoroughly awesome as blues music. Do try it out.
5) Attempt to spend less, note LESS, not nothing, money on "unnecessary" food and snacks ><
P/S: Informal exam results should be out in 10-ish days!!! *panics and runs into a tree*. In the not so distant future, my specialisation allocations will be released on December 17th. *fingers crossed*
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Summer is here, finally...
Its definitely summer. My ring got completely stuck to my finger, well, not really, more like I couldn't take it off, which was something I could always do till today. Had to resort to using cold water, yes cold water, and no, my finger does not fatten miraculously overnight.
How else do I know its summer? Well, plainly for the few reasons below other than my ring:
i) Its hot, like freakin' hot. So hot that I was almost wanting to go out and get a nice tan. Which I didn't do, but I did go to Newmarket ^^
ii) Newmarket has got hot chicks wearing shorts again. Its that time of the year once more. Bring on the summer!
iii) I'm feeling bored, as I do when summer just starts.
So, yes, summer has finally begun. Hurrah for the summer!
How else do I know its summer? Well, plainly for the few reasons below other than my ring:
i) Its hot, like freakin' hot. So hot that I was almost wanting to go out and get a nice tan. Which I didn't do, but I did go to Newmarket ^^
ii) Newmarket has got hot chicks wearing shorts again. Its that time of the year once more. Bring on the summer!
iii) I'm feeling bored, as I do when summer just starts.
So, yes, summer has finally begun. Hurrah for the summer!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
My Life's Constants Are...
(Blogger's note: Damn you Sandra, you made this post before I did =P. Ah well, I'll just do it anyway.)
Boredom. Alright, its not like I'm bored 24/7, but... well, I don't actually go out all the time with friends. I can be almost anti-social during the holidays sometimes, and even if I'm not, I have a tendency to be bored on any day I'm not doing anything. But hey, I guess I just can't occupy my time by myself.
Drifting. I don't mean the car boy-racer sort. I mean the sort of drifting you get when you finally look back and realise that you've wandered off, leaving another group of friends behind. Or maybe it was mutual. I guess its a bad thing for me, but sometimes I'm far too prone to letting this happen. Which leads to...
Reunions. There are always long, long periods that go by without me meeting some of my friends, purely because we belong to different social circles. So obviously, there'll be reunions. Strangely enough, farewells aren't as constant I guess. Purely because I never say goodbye. There's something too finite about farewells, and I guess I hate the tone of finality. I've never been one for goodbyes.
Coffee. This has become a ritual for me almost, to just enjoy a cup of coffee and sit down and have maybe a cake or cookie with it. Or to go to a cafe and relax by myself.
Gym. If I didn't go, I'd be bored mindless for an extra 6 to 10 hours a week. Its quite fun, heading down to campus, gym-ming, then spending time in town for a bit.
Not alcohol. Contrary to what people may think or otherwise suggest, I'm hardly an alcoholic. I don't necessarily binge-drink, neither do I constantly drink. Heh, I think my grades would slip if I tried that. Or maybe I might make myself stupid if I did it.
Boredom. Alright, its not like I'm bored 24/7, but... well, I don't actually go out all the time with friends. I can be almost anti-social during the holidays sometimes, and even if I'm not, I have a tendency to be bored on any day I'm not doing anything. But hey, I guess I just can't occupy my time by myself.
Drifting. I don't mean the car boy-racer sort. I mean the sort of drifting you get when you finally look back and realise that you've wandered off, leaving another group of friends behind. Or maybe it was mutual. I guess its a bad thing for me, but sometimes I'm far too prone to letting this happen. Which leads to...
Reunions. There are always long, long periods that go by without me meeting some of my friends, purely because we belong to different social circles. So obviously, there'll be reunions. Strangely enough, farewells aren't as constant I guess. Purely because I never say goodbye. There's something too finite about farewells, and I guess I hate the tone of finality. I've never been one for goodbyes.
Coffee. This has become a ritual for me almost, to just enjoy a cup of coffee and sit down and have maybe a cake or cookie with it. Or to go to a cafe and relax by myself.
Gym. If I didn't go, I'd be bored mindless for an extra 6 to 10 hours a week. Its quite fun, heading down to campus, gym-ming, then spending time in town for a bit.
Not alcohol. Contrary to what people may think or otherwise suggest, I'm hardly an alcoholic. I don't necessarily binge-drink, neither do I constantly drink. Heh, I think my grades would slip if I tried that. Or maybe I might make myself stupid if I did it.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Horrible, horrible weather
Gah! I'm not liking the weather at the moment. Yesterday it was so hot that I got a headache and had to interrupt my gym session early due to that head pounding pain. And today it just keeps raining and raining and raining. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Its supposed to be summer, and the weather's still so un-summery. More like blasted is what it is.
Waiting for the summer, the long long idyllic summer. Where I will just spend my days in the unending sunshine. To doze at the seaside, smell the sea breeze, and hear the waves crashing. I wanna go to the beach, damnit!
Waiting for the summer, the long long idyllic summer. Where I will just spend my days in the unending sunshine. To doze at the seaside, smell the sea breeze, and hear the waves crashing. I wanna go to the beach, damnit!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
So much for responsibility
I don't think I'm a very responsible friend... Heh.
Went to watch Resident Evil 3 with Dan and Chris last night, then Chris went home after... Leaving me and Dan to go to... Shadows! Yes, I thought I'd take him there since he'd never gone there before. Bad idea. Well, okay, it was a bad idea at the end.
It started off alright. We got a jug of beer each, I downed mine pretty quick, and Dan tried to keep up. I guess that was his first mistake. My mistake was not stopping him. We got another jug almost immediately. I downed it in a moderate amount of time, and Dan still tried to keep up.
I admit that he got pretty drunk at this stage, which I couldn't really pick up on though. He only just seemed tipsy to me, which I guess I was at fault for. And I was on the way to being tipsy myself, so I kinda lost my inhibitions on restraining myself and Dan for drinking too much. My second mistake. We managed to walk around for a bit before returning to Shadz. Then it got worse. We both took yet another jug, then I got him a mixed drink - apple flavoured with hardly a taste of alcohol - and myself a martini. I think that was far too much for him to handle. He was completely smashed... I guess I was too much to an extent, since it was all in like 2 hours or less. Like severe binge drinking here...
Somehow, he managed to get on the bus, which I reckon might have been another mistake. He managed to get home and into bed. What he forgot was to spew in the toilet/sink. He did so sometime in the night, getting himself covered in vomit. Ew Ew Ew. Luckily I wasn't there, but I did get a text at 6am telling me of it, enclosed with a promise to never drink again. Oh dear. And that was his first time getting that drunk too. Ah well, he'll be back. I remember doing the same thing, the vow, not the spewing on myself, and I'm still drinking. Heh.
Went to watch Resident Evil 3 with Dan and Chris last night, then Chris went home after... Leaving me and Dan to go to... Shadows! Yes, I thought I'd take him there since he'd never gone there before. Bad idea. Well, okay, it was a bad idea at the end.
It started off alright. We got a jug of beer each, I downed mine pretty quick, and Dan tried to keep up. I guess that was his first mistake. My mistake was not stopping him. We got another jug almost immediately. I downed it in a moderate amount of time, and Dan still tried to keep up.
I admit that he got pretty drunk at this stage, which I couldn't really pick up on though. He only just seemed tipsy to me, which I guess I was at fault for. And I was on the way to being tipsy myself, so I kinda lost my inhibitions on restraining myself and Dan for drinking too much. My second mistake. We managed to walk around for a bit before returning to Shadz. Then it got worse. We both took yet another jug, then I got him a mixed drink - apple flavoured with hardly a taste of alcohol - and myself a martini. I think that was far too much for him to handle. He was completely smashed... I guess I was too much to an extent, since it was all in like 2 hours or less. Like severe binge drinking here...
Somehow, he managed to get on the bus, which I reckon might have been another mistake. He managed to get home and into bed. What he forgot was to spew in the toilet/sink. He did so sometime in the night, getting himself covered in vomit. Ew Ew Ew. Luckily I wasn't there, but I did get a text at 6am telling me of it, enclosed with a promise to never drink again. Oh dear. And that was his first time getting that drunk too. Ah well, he'll be back. I remember doing the same thing, the vow, not the spewing on myself, and I'm still drinking. Heh.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
Now that I have your attention... ITS OVER!!!!
MY EXAMS ARE OFFICIALLY OVER!!! OVVVVVVVVERRRRRRRRRR!
That's right, I'M FREE! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!
All that's left is to wait for my results and hope and pray that I get into Biomedical Engineering. Well, there's always Engineering Science for me anyway =)
Now that I have your attention... ITS OVER!!!!
MY EXAMS ARE OFFICIALLY OVER!!! OVVVVVVVVERRRRRRRRRR!
That's right, I'M FREE! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!
All that's left is to wait for my results and hope and pray that I get into Biomedical Engineering. Well, there's always Engineering Science for me anyway =)
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