Excuses

Well, I've done it again.

This week was Reading Week, or as I like to call it, early March Break.

Here's the problem. A whole week off. Let's skip past the plesantries and formalities where I complain about everything I usually complain about, because I think I've repeated myself enough times to not get any point across. Straight to the point - well, there wasn't one, at least not for me. You could say I'm lazy, or too relaxed, or maybe I had a lobotomy just recently. If you can't be damned to remember anything I have to say (something I'm probably better at than you, ha!), let's recap what I have coming into the week of February 26th:

1) Organic chem test on Tuesday
2) Organic chem lab report due, prelab due Thursday
3) History research paper, due mid March
4) PoliSci paper, due mid March (heck, the day after #3)

Okay, now let's make some context. Here's how my Reading Week broke down:

The Friday before - I picked up, maybe, 8 books from Robarts (the biggest Arts library at UofT) to pull as much information out for my history paper that I'd do during Reading Week.
Monday: Didn't get anything done, but I'd like to think I tried. For about 5 minutes, then I told myself I'd start on Tuesday. Still too 'fresh' from the weekend.
Tuesday: Did nothing. Told myself Wednesday would be a good time to start working. Harder.
Wednesday: I totally forgot about doing any work.
Thursday: realized the impending doom if I didn't study, or do any research if I didn't start now. But I didn't do it anyways.
Friday: See Thursday, but multiply impending doom by 8 and put it to the power of your shoe size.
Saturday: Told myself I have to start now. START NOW DAMNIT. I didn't start.
Sunday: As I'm writing this, it's Sunday, 2:50AM, because I had better things to distract me during the day. For about 7 days now. And what am I doing ... writing this entry! Just to prove I'm easily distracted and I just can't be damned to do any work.


Next on the agenda of - well I don't have an agenda; I write this ad lib. Almost always. So what's on my head right now? Oh yes, I remember now.

If you haven't noticed, I finally caved in to pressure (okay, not really, but pretend I did), and I signed up to FaceBook. At the moment, I pretty much have no friends, so it's pretty indicative of how all 19 years of my life have been. So, for anyone who's willing to make me a friend on the basis that I knew you from somewhere, go right ahead. It's all a friend contest anyways, that FaceBook is. It's consoling to know people I knew from high school, I can still find some way of contacting them if I feel like creeping them out. That being said, I just have FaceBook there for the sake of it, at least for now. At least I won't look weird if someone asks me if I have a FaceBook and awkwardly answer 'No'.

Lastly, a strange rant which makes me feel like I understand something. What I did during my Reading Week was spend all Tuesday catching up with The Office (the U.S. one, not the British one). I personally prefer watching TV shows, well, on the TV instead of on my computer, even if I can get episodes after they air with commericals edited out. Or maybe I just need a more comfy seat and a bigger monitor to change my opinion. That being said, catching up with a half-hour show isn't too hard (about 22 minutes each episode). What gets hard is trying to marathon a drama series more than a season which are full-hour episodes (about 45 minutes). Honestly, if I had a month without naggy parents (i.e., all the free time in the world), enough hard drive space, or even enough money to buy the box sets, I would love to catch up (i.e. start from the beginning) and watch Gilmour Girls. Don't ask why or how, but I would really like to if there weren't 6 or 7 seasons to trek through. It just caught me when I watched a few episodes. Don't mistake, I still like my share of door kicking, gunfights and explosions.

Maybe that's why people give me funny looks when I tell them I watch Desperate Housewives. It's not particularily too soap opera-y, and mostly tries to stay in the comedy end, so it does a good job of keeping me hooked.

Lastly, some good news for a show I thought was cancelled, Six Degrees, is coming back on the air starting at the end of March. The reason it took almost a half-year break is because noone seems to want to watch it. It's not like 24 with the explosions, gunfights, or probably anything virtually appealing to most people, but I guess I fit into that strange niche. Anyways, the idea of the show, boiled down, is about six New Yorkers that somehow influence each other every day, either directly or indirectly - based on the theory of six degrees of seperation. Doesn't sound at all interesting, but I encourage you to watch it, it's absolutely delightful (for lack of a better word) to see how things work out amongst the characters. I dunno, maybe I'm just strange, because most of you (out of a maximum of probably 12 people who might actually read this) will scoff at my opinion (not the first time) and continue on. But, it's just relaxing to watch something fairly grounded but with a twist to it. If you have any doubts, J.J. Abrams is part of the production, - if you're a Lost fan (I, myself, gave up halfway into the 2nd season), you would know who that is, and you should show your support by watching Six Degrees when it airs again.

Well, I'm reaching the end of my ad-libbed blogmorgrification you would otherwise identify as a blog entry, and for me, that is where the fun ends and reality takes hold again. Apart from doing this, it seems some like some divine being set my life to the 'totally screwed' setting and is just letting it run. And I wouldn't doubt if it's been like that since day 1. How do I make up for a week of not doing any work? Because unless someone has a time machine, I'm definately screwed.

Loneliness, Valentine's Day, Coincidence?

Well, it's that time of year again. Like every other holiday, people say that, don't they? For about 99% of the people that spend most of their time on the Internet, this is yet another day to show that they're lonely bums. And, obviously, you assume I'm part of that group. Assume all you like. Of course, most of them will dismiss the idea of being lonely on Valentine's Day anyways (yes, that's what we're talking about, if you just tuned in).

Unfortunately, trying to find someone to spend Valentine's Day with isn't as simple as spamming "LFG" in the shout channel until someone says yes. If you actually understood that and you weren't born with a penis (under normal circumstances) and relatively easy on the eyes (I'll be the judge of that myself), be sure to look me up. If you did not get that without looking up LFG on urbandictionary.com (the first definition), then I hate to say it, you're probably out of my league. Not as an insult to your person, but I don't think women can just sit there and listen to what men (I use that term loosely to include those that spend all your time playing World of WarCraft - luckily I don't - take note of that) have to say and try to block us out; I know we can, effortlessly, I might add, but I doubt you would be able to stand us talking about our "uber gear" or about our Blackrock Spire raids went so well and discuss how we should've been "main tank" with our skill build. You'd be bored to death. I would be too. Okay, that's my nerd paragraph done. Good Gods, I thought I'd never be able to finish that.

I actually have much to say about loneliness, or I could just be mistaken and am being misled. Maybe a I should somehow, through my vast knowledge of all things technical-like, keep track of the number of people who bother to waste their time and bandwidth coming here to read what I have to say (i.e. incoherent babbling). Unless the small handful of people who do are busy this time of the year (myself included, though I make myself to appear otherwise), I'm just typing for the sake of either to satiate my insomnia or for the sake of giving myself the illusion of feeling I have any real reason and meaning in the Information Age by doing this, even if I am relegated to the fringes of the Internet in comparison to ... about everyone else.

Or maybe I'm just snappy because noone comments anymore, even though I said I didn't give half of a quarter of a damn if you did or didn't. Well, maybe I care, maybe I don't. But it seems like I proved reverse psychology wrong this time.



Reading Week starts next week, so maybe I'll find more time to say nothing, but in multiple paragraphs as usual. To noone, of course.

Sore throats, bad balancing acts, and general laziness

Look at this! Sore throats, bad balancing acts, and more of my general laziness! Of course that means is that it's another time to laugh at my own expense. Apparently, Fortune only smiles upon me only when I am in pain and/or suffering. And then she bursts out in laughter. But no matter.

Before I start, a matter of paperwork. I'm pretty sure I'm talking to a brick wall (or whatever you can imagine me talking to, a Barbie doll, or Plato's ghost), but if anyone still reads this, from now on, I'm going to update my Personal Message on MSN. If it changes it means I wrote something not worth reading and put it up here for everyone to ignore, but you'll come and read it anyways, right? If you're not on my MSN, well, too bad, it probably means I don't/won't like you, and I generally avoid people (followed by blocking and deleting) who add me and never say a thing. (which is a difficult feat in itself)


Ok, so let's move on.

Saying these words hurt me more than you, literally:
Just last week, I got a sore throat. I think it's mother nature's way of telling to finally shut up. At least until Sunday. What I particularily hate is the beginning. You get this little itch, or this little sharp pain when you swallow, and eventually it gets worse throughout the day. That was just Tuesday. The first full day is the worst, when all you get is this searing, sharp pain in the back of your throat. All you sadists are probably smiling now. The only solution, of course, was to down enough water until all you have is your body passing water with each drink. Or shove a dagger down your throat and twist it to do the scratching. Whichever one works. I'm perfectly fine now (to your chagrin), as it passed by around the same week Friday, but it was quite the long week. And I still have this cough from the sore throat. A meaningless one, but a cough nonetheless.


Not born to be a trapeze artist:
Starting about a week and a half ago, I developped a bout of bad balance. It's as if someone misplaced my centre of gravity or something (you physics geeks could probably better explain it). Or it's just another intervention on whoever prayed hard enough to their gods, but I'm sure they all had their hand in it. On my way home one Friday, as the subway was coming to a halt, and not knowing my predicament, I decided to simply 'ride it out' as the train stopped - that's right, to Hell with holding onto anything! Well, as the train stopped, I flew from one end (which is really from the closest door) to the other end of the train, hitting the wall. Kinda like you see in cartoons. Luckily noone was hurt but me, and I did make a young woman laugh, but then again, you're all laughing too, at my expense. Don't worry, noone asked if I was okay.

Next incident happened on a Wednesday (if only my memory ever worked that well). Getting on the bus - I slipped. Nothing too bad, but gave me a little spook. Next, climbing up onto the elevated part of the bus - slipped, and if you can imagine it, I went flying forward and landed face first on a seat. When it came time to get off the bus on my stop ... you guessed it... I slipped. Of course, after the third one, I promptly yelled "NEW FEET", which, I guess, confused everyone. If anyone had given me a look, I would have continued with "I had feet transplants". Of course this is probably insulting to the actual people who lose their feet and only had prosthetics made, but what's a world without people getting offended? Even people like me need to be on the other side of the insult once in a while. So, lesson is, if you ever hear someone blame their falling on "new feet", it's probably me. Or one of my fans.

Okay, probably me.

Oh, and don't worry, noone asked me if I was okay.


General Laziness leads to more laziness:
To those who don't know what a video card is, it's a piece of computer hardware. But what I'm about to tell you isn't confusing or requires you to know the anatomy of a PC or about how I couldn't get circuit A to circuit B to activate breaker C and etc. Because I tried that. Okay I lied. It's almost been two weeks since this (rather expensive, 200$) "outdated" (as many of you would put it, but I think it still works perfectly fine) piece of hardware decided to die on me. Following this, two weeks of procrastination. Frankly, it's not much of a record, even for me, but this isn't homework, this isn't an assignment that's due in a week, or a project. In fact, I would rather put this hardware to use to do other things on my PC. What have I done in these two weeks? Caught up with most of my work. A travesty! I did not go to university to be as upstanding a student I was as I was in highschool! I need to get off my lazy bum and call tech support sometime. Maybe this week. Tomorrow...nah, the day after that. Ummm, Friday? I can't believe I'm procrastinating on something that would help me better procrasinate at something else.

Just remember to procrastinate.

And I'd like to add, as I am typing (or as you are reading) this line, I've put off posting this for about 4 days now (I'm dead serious here). Also, I'm finally ready to send my aforementioned item back to be fixed/replaced/repaired, except no postal services are open on Sundays. So, Monday. Well, maybe Tuesday, or Wednesday's always a nice day...

... am I doing it again?

And Good Riddance...

Nope, I'm not done with this yet. So much to your dismay, or disappointment (or whatever strange feelings inside you may get), the only time I'll stop is when I'm on the lam. And I'm not... yet. Or at least I don't know if I am... am I?

Anyways, today is that day. The last of the last. Number 365. Day 365. And for 2006, good riddance, what a pretty pathetic year, if at most, tepid, or I'd like to define as 'meh'. Unfortunately that's all we can agree to, now if we could get some solution for world peace. But it's a start.

Now, rather than write out some convulted and horribly incoherent list, I have decided to simply point you in the direction of this Wikipedia article to tell how horrible 2006 was. And to start, it's just world events. Think about it. To quote the following, is the month of January. Read it, fall into a fetal position (thumb sucking optional), then soldier on to the next month. Repeat until December. Or scoff at Wikipedia. Some of you may. Go ahead.

January, a bad start to a bad year:

January

January 1 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
January 2 - The Bad Reichenhall ice rink roof in Germany collapses after heavy snowfall in the Bavarian Alps, killing 15.
January 3 - Twelve deceased coal miners and 1 survivor are discovered in the Sago Mine Disaster near Buckhannon, West Virginia in the United States.
January 4 - Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after Sharon suffers a massive hemorrhagic stroke.
January 5 - A hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia collapses, killing 76 pilgrims visiting to perform hajj.
January 6 - The record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially draws to a close as Tropical Storm Zeta dissipates.
January 7 - Embroiled in multiple scandals, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay announces he will not seek to reassume his former post.
January 7 - U.K. Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.
January 8 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake epicentered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin. Only a few minor injuries and no significant damage are reported.
January 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 11,000 for the first time since June 7, 2001, closing at 11,011.90.
January 11 - The Augustine Volcano in Alaska erupts twice, marking its first major eruption since 1986.
January 12 - A stampede during the Stoning of the devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 362 pilgrims.
January 14 - A natural gas explosion in a coal mine kills 8 in Romania.
January 15 - NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends, the first to return dust from a comet.
January 22 - Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scores 81 points in a regulation NBA game, second only to Wilt Chamberlain who scored 100 points on December 8, 1961.
January 23 - Stephen Harper wins the federal election in Canada, forming a minority government.
January 25 - Hamas wins the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections.
January 25 - Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, is promulgated.
January 27 - Celebrations are held in Salzburg and around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
January 28 - A trade hall roof collapses in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 people.
January 31 - Samuel Alito is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.


Pretty crappy for the most part already, eh?

If you disagree, that's what the Comments are for. Or send me threatening email. That always works. Fan mail would be a first for me, be it hate mail or not. So go ahead, write! It doesn't have to be as clever as what I type (or it could be better, dazzle me, please), but as long as it looks like English, I just might as well read it.


But onto my 2006.

2006 for me meant I finished high school. The second semester wasn't all that bad, but I could've done better. My summer could've been better, as I'm still stuck on whether or not that we didn't go on a family vacation this summer was good or bad. Well summer ended, as they all do. And to everyone's surprise, the Spring of 2006, the University of Toronto admitted me. (Well, more like late May infact). Laugh it up all you want. I find it hilarious myself, when my parents kept lecturing me on how hard university would be to enter, ad infinitum. Well, maybe I applied to general arts. Maybe that's why. But I'll have to say physical chemistry really nailed my ass, along with the rest of this semester's students in CHM139H1. I didn't get much done from September to December 31st. 3 papers, alot of late nights up either doing work or not doing work and waking up Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays before the sun comes up to get downtown (and it will continue this semster).

Long complaint short: I hate Tuesdays, where I have essentially 10/12 hours of classes (U of T is open from 9AM to 9PM). Sounds like fun, right? Maybe in some sick, sadistic sort of way.

About my general laziness: I hate writing labs. I hate writing labs for a Tuesday because simply, I work myself to death on Tuesdays. And to you who think arts courses (e.g. English, history, etc) are bird courses or something, you have been lied to. And, oh how those labs infuriate me. (repetition is always good to get a point across, something I learned in history). Now's a good time to stop complaining.

Luckily, something good of this year can be salvaged in my advantage. TIME named me one of the People of the Year. I'm not kidding. Okay, so you're probably one too, but I'm more important because I'm doing this... unless you're doing this too. (i.e. blogging)

Here's hoping I get more done in 2007, such as being more diligent with my work, and getting it done early. Well, probably not. New Year's resolutions? Maybe to write real New Year's resolutions for 2008. Or 2009.

Happy 2007. In about 8 hours and 15 minutes. At least for the Eastern Time Zone...ers.

p.s. I turn 19 on the 5th, January. If that really matters at all. Or if anyone reads this at all.

Gearing up for Christmas

Christmas. Yes, Christmas.

And if you seem offended, well, too bad. I celebrate Christmas. You can celebrate whatever, I really don't care. But more power to you. This is what I hate about people turning "Merry Christmas" into "Happy Holidays". What happened? I seem to remember a time that when you told it to someone they didn't care less if they celebrated it or not, but now it seems like it's some kind of racial slur. Tolerance has gone down, just noone sees it.


Anyways, I was never the politically correct type, you have to put so much effort into not offending anyone, but that's what I'm much better at. And besides, there were times when you didn't have to be politically correct. Ah, yesterday. All my troubles seemed to far away.


But to the matter of Christmas. It's not being ruined by the fact that (again) there are more rambling morons who insist if you wish someone a "Merry Christmas" and they don't celebrate you, you deserved to be lynched in the public square. No, it's not that fear of some bombing or anything. If you live in Toronto, you'd know.

THE SNOW IS MISSING. WHERE IS THE SNOW? I DO NOT KNOW.

But I know who does.


This is a travesty. A TRAVESTY. A week before Christmas and where is the snow? I blame global warming. Everyone, Americans, Western Infidels, Mexican illegal immigrants (or aliens for your politically correct nutcases), the Kyoto protocol, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Kim Jong-Il, George Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Smurfs, the Carebears, WHATEVER. Blame whoever you want for Global warming, but why do we have to suffer for it? I, myself, had only one other ... (I shudder at the thought) Green Christmas. Back when I was maybe 7? But that doesn't matter. I don't want another one. But maybe I know who to ask. I shall address it in the form of a letter because prayer service is probably backed up at this time of year. Did I give it away? Probably. Well, He can read it for Himself and maybe I'll make him feel guilty and it'll snow within the week. We don't live in freaking Arizona.

My letter is as follows:

Dear God,

Why hasn't it snowed in Toronto yet? Is this your cruel idea of punishing us? We would very much like a White Christmas, please. And those poor souls who run the snow plow fleet every year would like to see work themselves. See, I'm not at all inconsiderate and only think of my own intentions. So, to reiterate, please have it snow by Christmas in Toronto, because not only is it unnatural for a Green Christmas in Toronto, there are others who need to find work during the winters of our city. Otherwise, please forward this to the appropriate deity who controls the weather, whether global or over the assigned area of Southern Ontario.

Thanks,
Kelvin





Yes, I'm going to Hell, but I might as well make the most of it :)



Now, with a week coming up before Christmas, there's much to be done. I actually bought my parents Christmas presents. I won't say what but I bought them ahead of time (last week of November, first week December). Now all I have to do is wrap them. And that is a difficult task for a guy. I'll admit it, but I'm willing to learn, only because I don't want to pay someone to do it. Also, I paid for these gifts myself, but I'll be nice and put my little brother's and sister's names on the tags anyways. Only because I should. What does that mean?

Me: Hey Winnie (sister), do you have 20$, help me pay for Christmas presents for the folks. Then we won't look like the bloodsucking leeches we are for at least a day.
Sister: NO.

Now I have a week to figure out how to wrap presents, and do it twice (and maybe more for practice). Wish me luck.


Now, last but not least, the decorations. Pictures later, but it's the standard fare at our house. 2 foot tall Christmas tree, lights being fixed outside the house (we don't take em down, we're lazy over here), and figures of angels and Xmas trees on the windows that flash. Then we have the family Christmas party where we usually invite whoever we're related to who's over in Canada to come. More of them means more presents for me.


Now, as for myself, I need to find my Santa hat. It is imperative that I do. Why? Many reasons why, but I shall tell you now. First, it is confortable; sure it gets hot if you leave it on for too long, but it is oh so comfortable. Second, it makes the ladies irresistable. You may think I'm lying, but I do not. I wore the exact same hat during Grade 11 and 12, and I can clearly recall (especially in French class) everyone wanted to wear it. And Carmen Chan kept trying to kill me to wear it. You can ask her. She'll deny it, but it's true. I don't lie.

Well, maybe I do, but not there.


Happy Holidays, but I only say that because it is the holidays. It'll be Merry Christmas when it's December 25th, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me short of either killing me or ripping out my vocal chords. Do you worst.

"Yes, you look lovely, now JUMP!"

The Runaway Bride ... no the other one

This is the only reason I'm waiting for Christmas.

21 days and counting.

Freedom! ... Pending?

DAMN!

Almost... Just when I think I'm done with this term, I remembered I had some tests and an exam this term. But I didn't expect alot more than well... what I was expecting. My history paper was dead easy, 1000 words, short of trying to keep it at 1000 words maximum. My last lab report was due just yesterday, and like other lab reports I had no idea what I was doing. But I handed it in on time.

Tests? Chem Laboratory test is next week Friday. Poli sci test is Tuesday and a final Chemistry exam and I AM DONE. ... for this term.

So anyways, away from such brooding topics. I want to tell you about my day at school, because I can do that and it's really coooooooool.

Yesterday was Poli Sci day, which I generally loathe because... well let's start somewhere else. At least I'm not the only person. Only person what? Okay, my brain is still fried. Anyways, this week, I found out the people in my poli sci tutorial (note: I am the only yellow guy there - yes, I know it's Poli Sci) also equally find the professor just maybe a few sandwiches short of a picnic. It seems they're not the supersmart political science philosopher wannabes (maybe 2 of them are), which is extremely relieving because I felt like I was trapped in a room as the only complete idiot. Also, my poli sci lecture is extremely boring. I spend my time generally browsing the internet and copying down whatever comes up on the PowerPoint slides. But there are total Poli Sci nerds in this lecture. Naturally, they sit at the front. Luckily everyone in my tutorial pretty much agrees those idiots ask the most pathetic questions (Osama bin Laden while we're on the topic of constituions? I'm not that stupid but those are barely relevant) and waste maybe 20 minutes out of the 2 hour lecture and our prof always goes off on these crazy tangents, mumbles at times and worst of all, in a large lecture hall, he tries to use the blackboard at the front of the room. Noone understands him, and its unanimous in our tutorial that we're pretty much screwed for the midterm test. And I do not want my Poli sci essay back, or "2200 words of my arrogance and lack of political knowledge".

And here I was thinking Political Science for white people was what Math is for Chinese people. But it sort of still is in a sense. I mean, we get a 10-minute break in class, and people do discuss politics during this time.



Also, I'd like to mention, I posted (or will soon be, I'm writing both at once, but I'll be quick about it) in this post on my Xanga how to subscribe to RSS feeds (e.g. how to subscribe to my blog) if you haven't already did or tried to figure it out.