Update

I figured I hadn't made a post in quite some time, so I might as well touch base.

I've finally done away with the Instrumentation and Mechanics assignment, although I finished the Mechanics one with only 15 minutes to go before it was due. Whew! Dodged the bullet there. Now all I have to worry about is the programming assignment, which is more like an assignment in theory than anything else. And additionally, which makes it more boring and annoying.

I got myself a summer internship with the university just this morning. I'm extremely stoked about that, and it was extremely fortuituous as well considering that I was just talking to one of my lecturers when he mentioned one of the projects his Masters student was doing. Well, anyway, I've signed myself on that project after he offered it to me, so it's all sweet.

I'm not exactly sure how much scope is being covered, but from what I understand, the project is to develop a working device to deliver controlled physical strains to a thin sheet of a living bone cell culture, thus allowing people with interests in that field to understand how bone remodels itself to varying strains. I personally think it's great. I would have offered to help the Masters student, Casey, with it in my spare time, but unfortunately I still have all this crap loaded on me, and I wouldn't want to commit to helping so early especially with exams coming up. Wouldn't want to leave him all high and dry, you know.

That said, I should probably get to finishing off my programming assignment so I can go to the Stein with a free mind. Peace out.

P/S: Having withdrawal symptoms for martinis. Help!

Oooh, the drama...

...that is Gossip Girl. What else did you expect? Yeah, I finally found the time to watch it today. Makes me wanna see the next episode. Random, huh? Whoever thought I'd be one to watch Gossip Girl?

The rest of my test results are out... 79% for Programming, 85% for Mechanics. I guess it's not too bad now, is it?

Stein #4 is not this Thursday, but next Thursday! Yeah! Now I know I have something to look forward to next week when I'm drowning in my MedSci labs and my other miscellaneous labs.

Oh my god, this seriously takes the cake. Or maybe I find insensitivity amusing.

The Cycle Begins Anew

Yes it does. Monday bloody Monday. A few new breaks to the cycle though...

I skipped MEDSCI lectures today and went to gym instead. Hurrah! That was fun, although I am one lecture short in knowledge of the lungs. Or something. Meh.

I hear there will be a Stein this Thursday. KEEN! So keen to go. Omg omg omg omg I need a break already.

I had to waste money calling this guy's cellphone because he's the Sales Manager for this online company I'm buying a new phone off, and they didn't send me ANY updates whatsoever. That really pisses me off. I mean, seriously, I'm pretty used to buying stuff online now, and I get a response pretty much instantly when they ship my orders over, or if they're out of stock like those fools were. Jeez. I mean, gosh, its not hard to check and tell me if my order is going to be backordered is it? And go ahead and waste a week of my time being slow about it, and only inform me when I check with you, especially when you require my feedback. Gah.

Going for steak this Friday! YAY! And I got 85.7% for MEDSCI! YAY! I'm quite happy.

P/S: I just noticed a slightly excessive use of capitalisation. Oh well. I guess I can live with it.

DIE MOUSEY DIE

Really, I do hate my research project. I have to (me and 4 others actually) research the feasibility of creating an ECG device to be implanted in a mouse and write a report. Sounds simple, fun, and easy, I know. Then you get into it, with little background in electronics, and you realise that some things cannot be done that easily. You hit a giant brick wall which requires you to spend hours and hours of fruitless research because the easiest solution is not viable: Steal another company's working ECG device and backengineer it. Damn.

it's been hectic

I've just finished my last test for quite a while. I've had two, in case you were wondering. MEDSCI 142 (Organ Systems), worth 28% and COMPSYS 202 (Object Oriented Programming), worth 15%. 

I haven't had much time to rest or do anything since the end of the holidays till now. So I mark my moment of freedom with a blog post. 

Summer studentship applications have just begun to open up over here for BME/EngSci. I intend to submit my application once I talk to a few staff members about the viability of a project in tissue engineering. I reckon it'd be great to do a project in that anyway, seeing as that's the field I'm most interested in at the moment. There might be other fields, but I'm not too aware of them. Considering that our lecturers here focus on modelling, instrumentation, and to some extent, neo-metallic materials (or other materials for use in prostheses), I don't really know what else is done in BME.

Pretty tired to be honest. It's been a very long day.

Food and drink?

The holidays are ending... I've still got tons of work, and my study devoted to MEDSCI 142 (test next Wednesday) amounts to just 2 hours. I'm fucked... On the other hand, I guess I've been de-stressing a little. It does help quite a bit, I must say. I've been pretty tired recently.

Although, recently, I've been having sufficiently strong cravings for a nice steak and maybe a bottle of Sam Adams to have with. And additionally, I'm also wanting to have a nice glass of single malt scotch, like Macallan's Fine Oak range or Talisker, or even  Aberlour. Whatever, you know. I just want a good scotch I can appreciate. I'll have to add getting one to my list, after all the other things first though. Like a new cellphone. Hmm, what to get, what to get...

I just read Sandra's post, and even though I had dinner two hours back, I'm getting hungry again looking at the Big Breakfast picture she posted there. ARGH! I'm craving foods.

I think I might probably take Malcolm out for dinner one of these days since he's been so nice recently, and well, I feel like taking him out for a treat. Hmm, the steakhouse down at the Harbour sounds like a good place, ah?

P/S: Off-topic, but recently one of the ladies at the department store downtown gave me a tester for a relatively recent Guerlain fragrance, Guerlain Homme. I must say I quite like it, its got green tea, lime, rum, bergamot, and a few other things. Pretty bland, but still not bad. I still like Mitsuoko and Vetiver by Guerlain more though. Or even Fahrenheit by Christian Dior.

I hate retards

Really, I do. Why does the Engineering Faculty see fit to let idiots in? WHY? 

I was marking the first year projects for programming, and its HORRIBLE. I can forgive bad commenting, but nonsensical code? Attempts at humour? NO! OH GOD, for the last time, references to the Matrix are not even funny any more.

And don't any of them ever learn that continuously plugging numbers back at the user would only frustrate them? No one really wants to know what they typed into the keyboard when it's still plain visible. And no one wants to see what variables the program is working with either, unless they asked for it! IDIOTS!

The worst one by far was this random chick's one who somehow managed to screw up her output file, and it kept spitting out 2MB files at me, which seemed to grow at a double rate every time I ran it. Seriously. It was at 16MB before I decided I couldn't make head or tail of what she did. At least it's over. I don't even want to think about it anymore.

I've been thinking... *Whoa!* I really have? *World implodes on a massive scale due to paradox*

No, actually, I have been thinking, well, since I was having a conversation with someone I knew about Shadz and stuff last Friday. Turns out they didn't like to hang around some of the first year guys from Engineering because they're "arrogant jocks". Which I got a little offended by. No idea why though.

I'm quite far away to be classified a jock, although I suppose the reason why I fit in so well with them as well as others is because to some extent, I do think like them. I have yet to test this theory of mine, but it does make sense. More sense than me fitting in well with everyone, since I've already picked that theory full of holes, especially after I noted myself omitting certain persons, as well as being almost racist at times. So I'll now go with the "I have the jock mentality" theory. 

Wow, I'm a sad soul. I can't believe I'm thinking about stuff like this.

I better go to gym. Then maybe get down to doing more work. Have fun yeah?

YEAH!

FIELD TRIP 2 IS GONNA HAPPEN!!! 

Haha, for the masses who wouldn't know what I'm talking about, Field Trip 2 is the (un)official continuation of Field Trip 1 for ENGSCI/BME (Engineering Science & Biomedical Engineering). Like the first field trip, it will involve all of ENGSCI/BME from Year 2, and probably (in itself being an absolute certainty) involve copious amounts of alcohol. Unlike the previous field trip, it will NOT involve visits to job sites, thus freeing up more time to play on the beach, and get drunk. 

The only sad thing this time round is the fact that we're not funded by the Department, since its unofficial and all. But hey, Field Trip 1 was awesome, and Field Trip 2 will be too. And it'll be a fitting end to the exams too. I'm stoked. =)

Strange Things...

It appears that in Japan, anything is possible. Including paid seducers and relationship counselors who help to either break a couple up or reconcile them... Yeah, odd huh? I found this article when I was trawling through the web, over here. I guess its a bit of an interesting read.

Found this on Wondermark.com... Its called #291: In which Notability in determined:

I intentionally wrote it out to be an illegible mess.
You wanted me to write you letters, but I'd rather lose your address
and forget that we'd ever met and what did or did not occur.
Sitting in the station, its all a blur
of dance hall hips, pretentious quips,
a boxer's bob and weave.

I never thought...

... that I'd be called a party animal. By my friends that is. The ones I knew from school, the high school in Auckland where I was already pretty social. Yeah, I found it remarkably odd. I thought all of us, as a group were pretty social and party-going. I guess I was wrong. I don't really know my group after all, huh?

I spent pretty much the night at Shadz (Shadows, the student bar) tonight. Met up with like all the first year engineering students whom I kinda knew prior, but hey, now I know all of em! I think. I've kinda forgotten their names. Also met some random chicks from uhhh.... crap. I forgot who they were and where they were from. Only that one of them was kinda nice.

I got ditched by my group pretty early in the night, so I, yeah, pretty much just socialised with the first year engineering guys, and the others from Biomedical Sciences (pre-meds and all). Including Gayle, whom I met through Malcolm. Never knew she'd be such a social party-goer too. She really suprised me there. I danced with everyone tonight it seems. That was fun.

Fun, fun, fun. And EngSci's dinner is later tonight too! YEAH!!! And we be going to town again! That's twice in a row! I love it when there's a break. Thank god for the midsemester break.

Alright, gym tomorrow before pre-pre-drinks at Tessa's, so I better sleep now and get enough rest for gym and the long night ahead. Ciao peeps.

P/S: I just decided to re-read it (on a whim, like 2 minutes after) and I realise I sound pretty drunk and rant-y. Well, too bad, I am still tipsy, you know, the one where you were drunk, but are sobering up pretty rapidly? Yeah, that one.

Eddie's at the Mexican Cafe

Yeah, hardly an original post title, but I haven't the time to inspire myself creatively and think of a more original awe-inspiring post title for myself. Blame it on assignments and stress.

Eddie's birthday was this Friday, but for some magically odd reason he decided to have it tonight. So I had to ditch the Wine & Cheese Careers Evening (WINE AND CHEESE!!! NOOOOO!!!) to go to the Mexican Cafe. Which was alright, since I'm now as bloated as a mother in her third trimester of pregnancy. You get the idea. And the Margaritas were awesome too.

For starters, most of the people there were Eddie and Faith's (Eddie's longtime girlfriend of uhm, maybe a year or two? I lost track) work mates from Village Skycity (the movies). I was definitely suprised to find that I knew like... at least 3 people there. First off, Chris Holdaway, my mate from school who I kept bumping into this semester. He kept scaring the shit outta me 'cos I never expected to see him. Turns out he works there too. Then there's Emily (Biomedical Engineer in second year with me). Turns out her boyfriend works there too. Then there's Alban, whom I know through Lucy, who was Alastair's girlfriend. Turns out he used to work there. Small world huh?

I even met a fellow Malaysian, who was from Kuching even. If anyone knows/knew a girl who went to both St. Theresa's and St. Mary's and who hangs out with Lodgians from time to time from the class of '89 (she left before she finished though, Form 2 maybe?) and knows Andrew Bong (oops, who doesn't?) called Serena Pang, also cousins with a Noel Pang? That's her. And she knows some of my second year mates from Lynfield College to boot. Wow. Very small world.

Dinner was awesome. I was kinda full before the mains even came, which was uhm... weird, considering me. Maybe it was just tonight or something. But boy, when those mains came, I was like soooo full once I was halfway done. Managed to stuff it down, but wow. Full full full. I stood up at some point and my belly hurt. Hurt from fullness. And all for $30 too. Not bad huh, considering the cake, appetisers and mains.

I forgot what I had, well I can't remember its name. All I know is its Mexican styled meat (like beef or chicken) wrapped in like a tortilla skin, and then deep fried, served with a side of Mexican rice, salad and beans. Pretty good, but I don't remember what it's called anymore. So so bloated though, I'll have to work doubly hard at gym tomorrow to make up for that. And now for sleep...

Time and time again

Well, this is sort of a double entendre for me, even though in truth it isn't. Yeah, my thinking logic is a little wild, but hey, what gives? I kinda get this feeling that I'm running out of time, but I don't know what I'm meant to be doing. Okay, not exactly that way either, but its just an odd feeling. If someone has an alternate explanation for what I'm going through, I'd thoroughly welcome it.

Also, I'm always feeling bored these days. Call it a sense of repetition or deja vu or whatever it is, but I feel like I'm doing the same things all the time, even if I've never done it before, or if its something relatively new.

Hm, maybe I'm just sick of winter, and the rain in snow-proof Auckland. When will summer come and let me spend my days in idyllic bliss and warmth?

Time to start working hard again

Yup, it looks like my cruise-y days are ending once more with the handing out of Project 1 for Object Oriented Programming and a project-like "lab" for BioInstrumentation. Which really has nothing to do with BioInstrumentation. Well, I guess the theory behind it is, but practically, if you could come up with a link between being able to sort blue and white marbles using an inductor, a LDR and an LED into separately coloured piles, be my guess. And oh yes, the inductor has a pin that allows you to push the marbles around.

Does sound kinda fun though, since Instrumentation has been boring as hell these few days. Although I don't like the sound of LabView as much, but oh well, I'll live.

Still a little sick, but hey, should be fine by the end of this week I hope. Nose still runny as hell, which has got to the most annoying thing, apart from the coughing. Well, I'm off.

Sick... again

Yeah, I had a relapse. Going to the Stein yesterday may not have been the best idea since I'm now sick as a dog. On the other hand, that stein was totally fun. I met up with a whole group of first years, as well as second years. Somehow, unsurprisingly, Jack and his mates were there too (I kinda expected it though, seeing as they were at the commerce stein too).

I went as a drug tester to the Olympic-themed stein. Well, I was feeling lazy and unoriginal, so I just chucked on my lab coat (I had finished my lab just a few hours ago, so I kept it on pretty much), and changed into track pants. Amazingly, some people managed to guess what I was, although most couldn't. I got random things too, like Drug Doper from this first year dude, who referred to me as that when I bumped into him today. I think he's called Matt. Meh, never good with names.

And there were random chicks who kept giving me hugs and kisses. Claiming that I knew them forever. I was like "Yeah, sure" at that point, since I had no idea who the fuck they were. Besides, who's going turn down attention? Hehe. I can't remember their names anyway. I swear every time I turned around there would be some other chick I never met before (although I made that mistake to Ange and Sara, whoops). At some point I stole this chick's wig which was some sort of bright ginger coloured DragonBall-Z like thing (she was meant to be the flame, torch, whatever). Uhm, like the Super Saiyan. I put it on and did some cheap poses. It was pretty amusing.

Not to mention the cheap beer does wonders, $1 Tui's sure make a light dent on your wallet. At some point in the night I stopped buying drinks 'cause I kept getting some from mates who would buy stashes of 5 or so beers and give them away. (Who's gonna hold on to 5 beers anyway? 2 at most I reckon). There were lots of chicks dressed at tennis players too. Not that I'm complaining, some of them were pretty hot in white, and those short skirts... Wow.

On other news, the last few days have been real dull anyway. I studied the human brain and got to play with an actual one too (although plasticized). It was kinda icky and weird. I stopped thinking of it as a real brain at some point. Plus, I was feeling sick on the day, so I got impatient with the TA's and was contemplating throwing the brain at them to get them to hurry up. Hehe, you know me.

I sometimes feel like I'm becoming more distanced from my peerage (former) from high school. You know, the ones in my year, before I left school a year early. I saw them only for like 10 minutes every single time, before I would bugger off and socialise with my other mates. Then again, I suppose I've always been a bit of a drifter in that sense, but ahh, you know, just that feeling that I'm not as close to them as I used to be. Then there's the fact that few of them drink, or that most are unwilling to go to Steins and student-related functions. (Not that I'm saying that you have to drink copious amounts, its a social thing anyway).

I've also noticed that Biomedical Engineering & Engineering Science (since we're pretty small, 25 in BME and 50 in ES; and we share quite a few classes in common sometimes) are starting to separate into two distinct cliques: The drinkers (primarily composed of whites, maybe with the exception of two Asians, me and I think JP, maybe one or two other Asians), and the non-drinkers (primarily composed of Asians, with the exception of a few whites). Then again, you could kind of tell that the clique was settling nicely into place anyway, from the onset of the EngSci/BME fieldtrip; when the drinkers partied and went to town and the non-drinkers just played cards.

Haha, I better get to bed. This cold/flu/whatever is really doing a number on me. I'm like really tired, my voice sounds funny, and I'm coughing heaps. Yay for sickness. Anyway, cya for now.

P/S: Jack pointed out this amusing video that Paris Hilton uploaded in retaliation to being mocked by McCain in his ad against Obama. Its pure gold. You just HAVE to watch it.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d

Rule No. 108

Rule number 108: The road to hell is not paved with good intentions. The road to hell is paved with smooth-jazz CDs, herbal teas, John Tesh specials, and low-fat cheese.

I found this off a book from Esquire Magazines, The Rules.