Sips from the Fountain of Youth

End of the Road

2010-06-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

The end of college. Who thought that it would end this soon?

Four years have gone by in ways that I could not have even imagined. From the first awkward introductions as a Freshman, to the flurry that was Senior Year, it has been a good time. I have been challenged, I have had total freedom, and I have had to make some of the most important decisions of my life. As I become an adult, I know that this time has been a significant period of growth.

As I look back, I know the romantic in me will long to have things they were. Surrounded by supportive friends, relatively responsibility-free, and living life to the fullest. I don't know if it could have been any better.

I will definitely keep blogging, though I want to come up with an amusing title or idea for my future blog.

Lyric of the Day:
"All the things I know right now
If I only knew back then
There's no gettin' over
No gettin over'
There's just no getting over you."
-David Guetta feat. Fergie, LMAO, and Chris Willis:"Gettin' over You"

Random Story of The Day:
During my move in day my freshman year, I was nervous about living in the dorm. I wanted to take college as a time to get out of my shell a bit, so I tried to introduce myself to everyone who would be in my hall.

During an elevator ride up with a cart load of my stuff, I shared the elevator with a girl who had a cart of her own and her brother. I started up a conversation with her, and I was glad I had a new friend at college.

"You live on my floor!", I exclaimed excitedly as she stepped off the elevator.

"Me. Live Here?", she replied. "I'm a second year med student, its my brother who is moving in..."

Note to Future Self: Visit Boston next year.

College Mix CD (Yeah, I'm lame)

2010-06-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

So here is something I almost forgot to do, my necessary mix CD. Enjoy :D

Tracks

Somebody's Baby - Songs played in your room on repeat grow on you :P
On the Arrow - Oh Ryan. You and AFI.
Vertigo - Discovering TSA while seeing Tiger Army
We Didn't Start the Fire - Connor WOWing across the hall.
Danger! High Voltage - Yike, the dancer.
Tere Layee - Getting brown people music from ET :D
Frera - Sometimes you get good things out of crap.
No It Isn't - Helped me through the rough times.
The G.O.D. - Playing Madden with Silby.
Don't Trust Me - Playing Tennis with Silby and the twins.
Audrey, Start The Revolution! - Erik and Anberlin.
Au Revoir - Sorry, French title & J-Rock. Its La TuQuynh.
How We Do - One of our fave couples.
Take It Away - Concert with Lan. Oh God.
I Constantly Thank God For Esteban - Pratiksha and Nestor. The Engineer Car!
Kids - Controls Final was priceless. Yay to As!
Please Take Me Home - Sometimes its all you can ask.
Gettin' Over You - The End Complete.

B-sides
Believe Me Natalie
Everything You Want
I've Just Seen a Face
Honey

I can't stop partying!!!

2010-05-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

I keep trying to figure out my life, but stuff keeps getting in the way. At least I'm soaking it up. This is great.

Lyric of the Day:
"So many suitors, i don't even have a suit to wear
So many influential fingers running through your hair
I am the razor in the hands of your heart
And i am the razor in the hands of god"
-Head Automatica:"The Razor"

Random Story of The Day:
Drunken Battle for the House Cup goes to Gryffindor.

Note to Future Self: Steak Sundays? Make it so.

Graduation

2010-05-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

So, its come to this. Graduation day. The ceremony yesterday was nice. You really don't think about all the stuff you've done until someone goes over it. Its been a good time.

Well, I have to go. Two more ceremonies to go to. Not that I'm complaining, I love dressing up :D

Lyric of the Day:
"History’s made its mark in anger
As everybody knows, it's what we do, it's nothing new
The next chords struck are fault & failure
And we both know that finger points on cue, there’s blame for two"
-Coheed and Cambria:" Feathers"

Random Story of The Day:
One of my friends lost her tassel and was searching her sister's apartment for it. She finally gave up and went back to her apartment when she noticed that their was a not on her neightbors door that said:

"We found a tassel. Let us know if it yours. -Apartment 35"

She went to her apartment and got her tassel that her roommates had found on the floor.

Note to Future Self: Do the right thing.

I should be studying...more

2010-05-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

I should be studying, but I'm finding it harder and harder to stay motivated. I guess I now understand how badly my capstone group wanted to submit the report as it was.

-12 hours later-

I was going to blog then I opted to study. Tomorrow is the last day of finals as an undergrad. I'm totally convincing myself that bringing a water bottle full of vodka to my last one would be baller.

Lyric of the Day:
"Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I love you endlessly
Darling don't you see?
I'm not satisfied.
"The Killers-:"Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf"

Random Story of The Day:
I sat down studying and I was eating from a bag of donuts I had. I just consumed 7 serving of Entenmann's. I blame Finance and Engineering for my heart attack.

Note to Future Self:
It takes no time to fall in love, but it takes you years to know what love is.

I only laugh just to keep from weeping

2010-05-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my Capstone project for ten hours straight. Right after my Finance study session I grabbed a bagel, and then met with my team.

I think part of my problem is that I enjoy working with people around me. Group projects have been the highlight of my college career and the place where I tend to flourish. If you need a little enthusiasm and entertainment to keep trucking, I'm there.

If only I could get paid to work in a team.

Lyric of the Day:"I was a killer, was the best they'd ever seen
I'd steal your heart before you ever heard a thing
I'm an assassin and I had a job to do
Little did I know that girl was an assassin too"
-John Mayer:"Assassin"

Random Story of The Day:

A guy I know was about to go break up with his college girlfriend because they were going different places in life and he didn't want them to hold each other back. As he is leaving the room, one of his friends shouts out, "Make sure you have this talk at her apartment, just in case there is break up sex".

I guess thats a life lesson.

Note to Future Self: The future doesn't just happen. You shape it. Like a playlist. Be more proactive.

Achilles Last Stand

2010-05-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Things are seriously winding up. Today was the last day of classes during my undergraduate education. I feel like this kind of hit me. Maybe it was my confused scurrying about for an advisor or the fact that I still am not sure about the future, but something caused me to overlook how final this all was.

You take for granted all the things that you have here. A gym whenever you want. The ability to skip classes on a whim. Bumping into your friends when you decide to get lunch. In the words of the Kings of Leon, "Never gonna get it like it used to be".

My hope is that I remember most of what I have done, and that it doesn't fade into a sad type of obscurity. I also need to think of what my real-life blog will be.

And to figure out what I'm doing in real-life.

Lyric of the Day:
"If this isn't love (This isn't love)
this is the closest I've ever been
Do you think we have a chance tonight?
as streetlights sing on Audrey's song"
-Anberlin:"Audrey, Start the Revolution!"

Random Story of The Day:
A friend of mine was hit on at the library during study week. Who does that?

Another friend of mine took over a study lounge for 25 hours and counting. Madness is descending.

Note to Future Self: Moving forward means giving up a little piece of yourself.

Keepin' it Real

2010-05-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

79.10 of new moon. epic!!!!
Lyric of the Day:"Say it ain't so a-woah-a-woah.
Your drug is a heartbreaker.
Say it ain't so a-woah-a-woah.
My love is a life-taker."
-WEEZER:"Say it ain't so"
Random Story of The Day:see above lol

Note to Future Self: Hope for a better tomorrow.

Honestly, they say the kid has got soul

2010-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Senior Bar crawl. Exciting. Met more people than I realized I knew at Maryland. Apparently everyone knows everyone else.

Still figuring out the suture though.
Lyric of the Day:
"Gonna take my chance
Gonna rock and dance
Gonna hit the ground
With a brand new sound
Looking for romance"
-Weezer:"Glorious Day"
Random Story of The Day: We were doing presentations in my finance class. The professor told one of the presenters that there was a pointer on the podium if he needed it. He decided to use the mouse to point to the numbers he wanted to highlight. She stopped him mid-presentation and told him to take out and use the pointer. He was told.

Note to Future Self: If robots get paint-on touch sensors and you're not involved, you're a dumb-ass.

Tolarian Winds

2010-04-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Searching for an advisor for Grad school. Interviewing for back-up finance jobs. Looking for a girl who wants a white picket fence and 2.5 kids.

Went to Art Attack, which was sick. Ivy Rose was cool(I remain biased in favor of female vocalists). Ben Folds was kinda odd(but he's frikin Ben Folds). Weezer was sick. They started off with Hash Pipe and ended the first set with MGMT's Kids.

Hopefully I can find an advisor who does interesting research and can pay me.

Lyric of the Day:
"You have been given a direct order to rock the fuck out.
Rock out like you were just given the last rock and roll album on earth and the minutes are counting down to flames.
Rock out like you just won both showcase showdowns.
Rock out like the streets are empty except for you, your bicycle and your headphones. "
-Anis Mojgani:"Direct Order"

Random Story of The Day: When I tried to type frikin, it auto-corrected to firkin. Blogger thinks Weezer is a liquid :D

Note to Future Self: "When you settle, you choose mediocrity."

Staying the course

2010-04-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time keeping up. Building a robot, doing Finance Problem sets, writing capstone reports, and crafting M+A valuations are kind of getting to me. Dealing with people is continuously frustrating and starting to wear on me.

Or maybe its the fact that I'm not sure what I want to do with my life and I have two days left to decide? I thought that by the end of college I would know what I wanted to do, but it turns out that I'm still as confused as when I got here(with a resume to match).

Funny thing is I won't even think back about this in like a year.

Lyric of the Day:
"Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you,
What would you wish you would've done"
-Kris Allen:"Live like we're dying"

Random Story of The Day:
I went to UVA this past weekend, a couple of the highlights:

"Sober Me gave Drunk Me a budget!"

"That's the closest you're going to get to these"

"To suggest that is to attack your honor, and I don't want to do that. Don't make me do that."

Note to Future Self: Boys don't cry.

Day 1

2010-04-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

This has been a good weekend. Went out Friday, and it was a lot of fun. I kind of wish we did that more often because I love dancing. Maybe I should take up that offer to go to ballroom.

I also watched 500 Days of Summer, which is making it kind of hard to be productive because its made me kind of self-reflective. I hate my ability to empathize when you identify with characters and your heart breaks for them.

Lyric of the Day:
"She's got you high and you don't even know yet
She's got you high and you don't even know yet
The sun's in the sky, its warming up your bare legs
You can't deny your looking for the sunset"
-Mumm-Ra:"She's got you high"

Random Story of The Day:
How I Met Your Mother has inspired me to come up with ways to use my names as verbs.

I Dinesh things up far too often. Luckily I don't John often and I rarely Lim it up. I do Erik occasionally, but at a reasonable rate.

Note to Future Self: No one can guarantee that they won't wake up in the morning and feel differently.

The End of an Era

2010-03-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

I defended my Gemstone thesis today. Simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating. Practice, eat some Jimmy John's, then it was time for the big show.

Mel was great, Alli was solid, Nick was knowledgeable, and I was competent enough. Fielding questions was fun. Its at least its one way that I can get my heart racing.

I'm going to miss my Gems team.

Such is life.

Lyric of the Day:
"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world"
-Coldplay:"Viva La Vida"

Random Story of The Day:
I had a twenty minute conversation with a friend's parents. I have no idea whose parents they were.

Note to Future Self: Find someone to share this with. For real.

On being a Foodie

2010-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Just woke up from a post-Qdoba nap. I have a ton of work, but the motivation is lacking. Busying myself with this stuff is not making waiting for things to happen any less annoying.

At least I have a good playlist to take naps to.

Lyric of the Day:
"You are an illuminating anchor
Of leagues to infinite number
Of crashing waves and breaking thunder
Tiding the ebb and flows of hunger
You're dancing naked there for me
You expose all memory
You make the most of boundary
You're the ghost of royalty imposing love
You are the queen and king combining everything
Intertwining like a ring around the finger, of a girl
I'm just a singer, you're the world
All I can bring ya
Is the language of a lover
Bella luna, my beautiful beautiful moon
How you swoon me like no other"
-Jason Mraz:"Bella Luna"

Random Story of The Day:
Yesterday in my banking class we started a rest-of-the-semester banking simulation.

You are talking to the new head of Goliath National Bank :D

Note to Future Self: Apparently the secret to a successful marriage is having minimal engagement time. Who knew?

It continues!

2010-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Break has been going great. Saw movies. Ate at Plato's. Watched Princess and the Frog.

Plus I got into college :D

Lyric of the Day:
"Meet me halfway, right at the boarderline,
that's where i'm gonna wait, for you.
I'll be lookin out, night n'day.
Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I'll stay.
I can't go any further then this.
I want you so bad it's my only wish."
-Black Eyed Peas:"Meet Me Halfway"

Random Story of The Day:
Overheard in the bar.

Dude: Why is it so hard to find great girls?
His Friend: You need to lower your standards.
Dude: Like to what? A:Female and B:Warm.
His Friend: If you lose one of those it would be easier.
Dude: Are you coming on to me? No homo.
His Friend: I was saying you might need to be a necrophiliac.

Note to Future Self: I don't really care what people say. I don't really watch what dem waan do.

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first Spring Break where I didn't head home. I decided to stay in MD in case I had an interview or something(yay positive thinking!). While I did get to meet up with friends from high school and middle school, there was kind of something missing. That feeling went away when my mom called me and told me that she was flying up for my thesis presentation. While it is something that I would never ask for, having my mom at what I consider one of the defining moments of my college career is one of the greatest things that could happen. My mom is more or less my role model.

I am psyched for the rest of break. Hopefully, I end up seeing more movies(The Crazies was intense). I also would like to figure out what I am doing with my life. That would be nice.

Lyric of the Day:
"If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend,
If she wants me."
-Belle and Sebastian:"If She Wants Me"

Random Story of The Day:
Today I realized that I was auditioned for the role of boyfriend by one of the friends of a girl I thought was cute. In this performance I proceeded to comment on how much my "date" was eating and said she wasn't good looking by omission.

As my little brother says, "...and that is why you don't get laid."

Note to Future Self: The Unknown is Fear.

Better than Expected

2010-03-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

This week has turned out much better than expected. Besides the loss of sleep, I've been absurdly productive. I CAD-ed a robot, helped build a great prototype, passed a 440 test, and was able to productively review 443.

I really am looking forward to break. Visiting people, working on my side projects, and watching movies should provide a suitable foil for the rush that has been these past weeks. I need to see The Hurt Locker to understand why Avatar did not win the Oscar. And Up in the Air is supposed to be cool. Shutter Island I keep hearing mixed reviews for. And Alice in Wonderland is in 3-D. All I need now is a hot date.

Update: By passed I mean aced. Hellz yeah.

Lyric of the Day:
"Oh no it happened again.
She's cool, she's hot, she's my friend.
I tried for hours if so,
You leave me no where to go."
-Blink-182:"Please Take Me Home"

Random Story of The Day:
My engineering group and I were working on our prototype from 10pm to around 1am. We had to let some Gorilla Glue set.

Two guys went to the computer labs.

I pulled out my laptop and watched the Office.

Two guys decided to take naps on the tables in the Engineering Lab.

When I was halfway through my episode, the door to the lab swung open. I think its my teammates. "Hola!", I yell to the confused graduate student who walks in without looking up. He looks at the guys sleeping on the tables, our misshapen prototype, and the gluey mess that was our workspace. "Undergrads...", he mutters as he closes the door and leaves.

Note to Future Self: Fear leads to being frozen, paralyzed, and being confused. It is basically the grand-daddy of status ailments in Pokemon.

Changing Times

2010-03-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

I've reached the point in my academic career where I over think my Business exams and actually understand everything that is happening in my Engineering classes. While it's kind of exciting, the fact that this could ruing my business GPA is a little sad.

It looks like its guaranteed that I will end up with very few of my college friends around(since I probably will end up in the DC area). Kind of makes me regret not being friends with less ambitious people.

At least I get to build a robot this semester.

Lyric of the Day:
"I only wanna be your one life stand.
Tell me do you stand by your whole man"
-Hot Chip:"One Life Stand"

Random Story of The Day:
A couple of my friends live together. Two of them started going to Starbucks to work because their roommate took over the common room when she was studying. She would spread over the couch, and have stuff on the dining table as well.

They kept having their outings for a couple weeks until their roommate confronted them because she "felt left out". Irony?

Note to Future Self: You talk too much.

The Balance

2010-03-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I had a great weekend. This weekend, not so much.

It started off pretty great, with my first trip to a bar. That was fun, though it made me realize how much I had missed in college. My friend likes to point out how many of our friendships are caused by location and timing, and not similar interests. This really shows itself when you realize that you really can't get your friends to join you in the adventures you want to go on.

Yesterday I tried to organize a movie outing, and by trying to include people it backfired. I essentially ended up compromising all the way from seeing Scorsese to eating dinner across the street from the movie theater. And apparently even that ended up kinda being a double-edged outing.

Today I spent 7 hours CADing up a robot for a class that I still have homework due for. I did Finance homework for a class that I still have a test to study for. My capstone group is procrastinating even though I made most of our presentation. Tomorrow I have a meeting where the one supervisor I want to see will not be there. At least I have a 4 hour time period between meetings and work to study for my test on Monday...

Lyric of the Day:
"I hold the whole world accused
I've only got myself to blame
I wonder why, I never wonder why
The easiest things are so hard

I just want, I just want love
I just want, I just want love
I just want, I just want love"
-The Bravery:"Unconditional"

Random Story of The Day:
This week I was invited to a University open house. I went, and met all the other prospective PhD students. They gave us a tour of several of the larger labs, told us about professors looking for graduate students, and fed us a ton of free food.

Only thing is that I have not received an acceptance letter from them...

Note to Future Self: Write in your free time. That shit needs to make it to Hollywood.

F*ck Duke, Wear a condom

2010-03-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Last night was the best way to end my tenure as a student fan of Terp basketball. Maryland beats Duke, something they haven't done since my freshman year. While the game was a display of poor shot selection, as long as General Grievous gets it in all is well. Eric Hayes showed up and Adrian Bowie was 4/4 with 9 points and no turnovers.

Of course there was a mini-riot, but I stayed in seeing as I already had put on pajama pants. And I didn't want to get maced. Such is life.

Lyric of the Day:
"A Mastermind - Sees it coming before it comes
A Mastermind - Before he go to war he counts his one
A Mastermind - Everything planned out perfect, in case y'all niggaz got to get murdered
A Mastermind - Sleeps at night, real easy
A Mastermind - Cause everything he does is by the book
A Mastermind - Never do a thing irrational, lives forever, these tales are classical"
-Nas:"Mastermind"

Random Story of The Day:
My friends are training to be EMTs. They wanted me to help them practive being on they phone so they pretended I was a caller to the Fire House.

Apparently first responders will just start laughing if you tell them that your emergency is "My anus is bleeding!"

Note to Future Self: Super Mario Brothers incorporates elements of Alice in Wonderland.

You're the best definition of good intentions

2010-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

So here it is. That weekend where it goes down. Getting ready for what is, hopefully, my last interview. Working on the thesis that will be seen by our discussants. Coming up with the real design for my Capstone project.

All after making the editorial cartoon for the university newspaper :D

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm a drama abolitionist
Damn no opposition to my proposition
Half of a man, half magician
Half a politician holding the mic
Like ammunition
And my vision is as simple as light"
-Jason Mraz:"The Dynamo of Volition"

Random Story of The Day:
My voice became sore from yelling during the Maryland-Duke game. The scary part?

This happened while I was in my apartment watching it on ESPN. And that was less than 9 minutes into the game.

Note to Future Self: Are you odd or normal?

Aha Shake Heartbreak

2010-02-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

Realized that I didn't get a call back from my #1 school. Ah well, these things work themselves out.

Lyric of the Day:
"She sings a siren's song.
I am the damage done."
-The Static Age:"Cherry Red"

Random Story of The Day:
Today I raised my hand in class and stated that "Equity is not a liability".

My teacher told my entire class that what I had just said was crucial to success in her class.

I am king of Obviousland.

Note to Future Self: You can do Math

Keeping the Blade

2010-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

So I've been super busy in the past couple of weeks. Well, not super busy, more like moderately busy with a lot of procrastination. Whether its my Capstone team, Gems, classes that keep putting me to sleep, or trying to avoid unemployment, there is always something to do.

This past weekend we had back to back birthday parties for my friends and my roommate. Pretty fun, but that much celebration takes its toll on you.

Staying motivated is kind of an issue, but not nearly as much as keeping those around me motivated. The fact that Cs still means that we graduate is something that it seems everyone has learned by now. And graduate schools or employers can't un-accept and un-hire you.

The Olympics are sick. Shaun White is sick, Apolo Ohno is a little overrated, Men's figure skating is amazing, and the two-man luge is something else. As my roommate watches, he keeps bringing up how little we have actually accomplished. Yeah, he's kind of a downer. Though I guess something is valid when the little brothers of our HS friends are getting married. Yeah, its kind of like that.

Lyric of the Day:
"We're gonna fuel the fire, gonna stoke it up
We're gonna sip this wine and pass the cup
Who needs avenues, who needs reservoirs
Gonna show this town how to kiss these stars

I say, I say"
-Kings of Leon:"Manhattan"

Random Story of The Day:
A friend of mine was making reservations for dinner:

Her: "I'd like to make a reservation"
Restaurant Staff: "For what time? And how many people?
Her: "I need it for six-thirty and there will be ten people"
Restaurant Staff: "Looks like we can only do six"
Her: "What will I do with the other four people?!"
Restaurant Staff: "...Ma'm..."
Her: "Oh. That's fine."

Note to Future Self: Checking the forums before you sleep is stressful.

Snowed in(still)

2010-02-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is officially madness. We just missed a week of school because of snow. While is kind of fantastic, I feel kind of out of it. Having all this free time is surreal.

On the plus side: I finished Tuck and I think I may get back to the backlog of books that I have to return to people before we graduate. My roomie and I finished our second season of Madden 10. I think we're seeing Valentine's day today.

Too bad about that Gemstone. I'll get it done. Soon-ish.

Lyric of the Day:
"Big city,
White lights,
Sleep all day,
Up all night.

Hey baby,
Im a rockstar.
Hey baby,
Im a rockstar."
-Rihanna ft. Slash:"Rockstar 101"

Random Story of The Day:
Last night my friend's GF was calling him out after he asked our female friend if she really watched football.

I called her out on the fact that five minutes earlier she asked me if I actually knew who Alexander McQueen was.

I am responsible for all kinds of trouble.

Note to Future Self: DP Dough needs to win something.

Snowed in

2010-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

So, this winter continues to be absurdly snow filled. At least it means I get to hang out, dick around, and play in the snow.

Plus I get to write more Gemstone.

Lyric of the Day:
"I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe"
-Mariah Carey:"All I Want for Christmas is You"

Random Story of The Day:
Last night it was snowing, so we decided to make show angels. We ran out, jumped backwards and swung our arms. Only when we got up and looked did we realized that my angel did not have a head. I refused to lean backwards, so i never made an impression in the ground since I didn't want to have my head get cold :P

Note to Future Self: Get-you-laid cookies will not get you a long-term relationship with love and respect.

In the cold cold night

2010-02-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

This last semester has been different that I would have expected. Gone are the midnight debates. Gone is the Diner and the gym, located a short walk from my dorm. Gone are the people who you once thought would change everything.

And yet here I am. I've done many of the things I set out to accomplish. Both my majors? Check. Was it satisfying? Not as much as I thought. Gemstone team that I can be proud of? Yep. Reasonable love life? Heh, maybe in grad school. Stayed with Robotics? Mhm. Getting my research to a place that I can feel accomplished? Maybe by the end of the year.

Hopefully in my memory this will exist as a time that I accomplished as much as I could have, and not the period where I made shitty decision after shitty decision. Too bad there are some things you can't get a do-over for.

Lyric of the Day:
"Stranded in this spooky town
Stoplights are swaying and the phone lines are down
This floor is crackling cold
She took my heart, I think she took my soul
With the moon I run
Far from the carnage of the fiery sun"
-Kings of Leon:"Closer"

Random Story of The Day:
We were supposed to have a party this past Saturday, but it was cancelled since we had a couple inches of snow. We rescheduled it to this Friday. The weather report for today is calling for snow on Friday. The weather refuses to co-operate.

Note to Future Self: You are a huge liability. Thankfully that means you have a huge asset.

So Pretty Burning

2010-02-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

So I'm in class. Learning about what the Fed did at the last meeting it had. This is so exciting.

Lyric of the Day:
"Burn the sun
Burn the light
Take take take take take take it away
Take my hand
Take my life
Take take take take take take it away"
-The Used:"Take it Away"

Random Story of The Day:
Yesterday I was having post-work dinner with my co-workers. Apparently one of my co-workers heard from my roommate's ex that he is an idiot, and was in danger of failing his classes. The kid is either going to Caltech or MIT. She heard wrong.

Note to Future Self: If you go to GTech or UVA, laugh about it.

My Last First Day

2010-01-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Today marks a milestone in my life. This is the last first day of a new semester(Grad school doesn't count since you just keep doing your research during breaks). College, which is supposed to be the time of your life, is coming to and end. And I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.

Applying to five graduate schools was probably a bad idea. But I guess when you get down to it and realize that there are only so many places that you want to move to thats what happens. I'm going to start working on contingency plans and applying to companies that might hire me.

Today is the first time I've ever had an all business schedule for a day, and it feels nice. Not that I don't have to take notes, but Finance is a lot more reproduce-able for me than Engineering.

My 3-hour breaks will be unproductive I fear, but at least sometimes it woks out and you get to have lunch with cute girls. Maybe I'll just use this as reading time...

Lyric of the Day:
"(Keep on feeling)
I only wanna be your one life stand
(Keep on feeling)
Tell me do you stand by your whole man"
-Hot Chip:"One Life Stand"

Random Story of The Day:
My roommate and I have been betting on playoff games, with the loser having to shotgun a beer for each touchdown(rounded up) that their team loses by.

The results(me v. him)

Ravens(3)-Colts(20): I drink three
Chargers(14)-Jets(17): I drink one
Jets(17)-Colts(30): I drink two
Vikings(28)-Saints(31): I drink one

Looks like this weekend is going to be a great weekend. Thank goodness we don't give a shit about the NFC.

Note to Future Self: Write the book about the dreamer. That will have a great screenplay.

A day in the life

2010-01-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

So I'm sick. And I have a test in 2 days. This is how I roll.
Lyric of the Day:
"It may not mean nothing to y’all,
but understand nothing was done for me,
so i don’t plan on stopping at all,
I want this sh-t forever man, ever man, ever man"
-Drake:"Forever"

Random Story of The Day:
Today my friend was prepping for her interview. We were talking about how you are supposed to respond when they ask you questions.

Her: So, if they say m "What was the last book you read?"
Me: Eclipse
Her: Yeah, I don't know if you should tell them that, or the last intellectual book you read
Me: Like Three Cups of Tea in Tehran
Her: You realize that "Three Cups of Tea" and "Reading Lolita in Tehran" are two different books, right?
Me: That's why I just go with Eclipse

Note to Future Self: At least you don't Facebook stalk people :D

Making a responsible choice for my future

2010-01-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

Business Law kinda sucks. I hate reading. I hate taking notes. I hate words. At least this just means next semester will be better(14 credits!).

Lyric of the Day:
"I wish I could save you
I wish I could say to you
I'm not going nowhere
I wish I could say to you
It's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright "
-Kelly Clarkson:"Save You"

Random Story of The Day:
I was hanging out with on of my friends and her high school friends from Hopkins. Things were going pretty well, and I started chatting up one of her cute single friends. I was spitting my hot fire when my roommate flipped one of the meat pieces on the grill, which caused an avalanche on the grill(we were at a Korean BBQ).

"And that is why Bioengineers are not real engineers", I say laughing.

The cute girl I was talking to gives a sigh.

"What?"

"You don't think I'm a real engineer?", she asks slightly irritated.

Damn. There goes that.

Note to Future Self: He who hesitates is lost. And that is you.

I'm getting to old for this shit

2010-01-03T19:26:00.001-08:00

So I'm one year older today. I kind of feel it. Or maybe that's just the feeling of knowing that a phase of your life is changing. The transition to college was one thing, but going into the real world is another. I will be constantly angry at how easy past me had it.

Back to learning about torts.
Lyric of the Day:
"I've seen love
And I follow the speed in the starlight
I've seen love
And I follow the speed in the starswept night"
-Interpol:"Pace Is The Trick"

Random Story of The Day:
Someone texted my friend on his birthday, "Hope you get some of that Jeremiah".
His girlfriend saw it and got angry.
Jerimiah sings a song called "Birthday Sex" XD

Note to Future Self: Watching Food Network while tipsy and playing Magic are the simple stuff you have to enjoy.

Faith

2009-12-31T16:06:00.000-08:00

Before I left for home this winter, I had an interesting discussion with my roommates. Well, I guess not a discussion, more of a "try to explain what you mean" session. Even though I have kind of a mixed up religious background, I still have faith that there is something greater than us. To me, this serves as a more powerful driving force than how others perceive me, which in comparison (in my head) is a shallower existence. But I guess this may just be the result of going to church for Christmas and to temple for New Years.
Lyric of the Day:
"They can say whatever
I'ma do whatever
No pain is forever
Yup, you know this"
-Rihanna:"Hard"

Random Story of The Day:
I went to lunch with a couple of my friends to a local sushi place. At the end of our meal, the hostess approached one of my friends, and asked him if he could fix their TV. Three minutes later our entire party was at the TV and had gotten it to work.

Note to Future Self: You are old enough for people to do aarti for you.

The consequences

2009-12-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Just lost my business 4.0. In a class that I had a fairly solid A in. And the only business class that I was not worried about this semester. Did I mention the difference between my grade and an A were the group projects?

Hopefully things get better as this winter progress.

Lyric of the Day:
"You could be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare
Either way I don't wanna wake up from you
(Turn the lights on)"
-Beyonce:"Sweet Dreams"

Random Story of The Day:
As I read New Moon on the plane, a 14 year old behind me started looking over my shoulder. I had to shush her so she did not spoil it for me.

Note to Future Self: Back to the drawing board. Just remember when you had an eraser and absurd amounts of choice.

The End Complete

2009-12-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Went to my last Gems Formal. It was pretty fun, especially with satellite events happening.

The semester has been exciting. Met a whole new set of people through group projects and got to know some people a little better.

Lyric of the Day:
"Lonely Mr. Kholi from Los Angeles
Came to Punjab on one bent knee
He had a green card, new house, big cash
So made a wish with every fallen lash
For you to do the journey with him
To smile when he got home ask how his day had been
He wants you by his side in joy and strife
Poor Mr. Kholi he has no life without wife. "
-Bride and Prejudice:"No Life without Wife"

Random Story of The Day:
One of my friends lost her phone and keys after deciding at the bar that she just needed to walk home alone. Crazy college kids.

Note to Future Self: You can convince people that you are on a beer pong scholarship.

Racey Days, once again

2009-11-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

Applying for grants and grad schools is actually taxing. I've been rolling through this semester carefree for the most part, but these applications are kind of important. Doesn't help that my procrastination has led to a two-test week when NSF is due. At least next semester will be awesome.

Lyric of the Day:
"Control yourself,
Take only what you need from it"
-MGMT:"Kids"

Random Story of The Day:
Today in my controls class we have an exam(actually in 15 mins). I'm in the room early looking over my notes, so I decide to put on my headphones and listen to music. Only problem was that I didn't plug in my headphones. And I didn't realize that they were unplugged. I just blasted MGMT in a class of studying engineers for like 10 minutes.

Note to Future Self: Sometimes you just need to see different people.

Dead Tired

2009-10-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Saw James Joyce's The Dead. It was extremely good, but maybe I'm just a sucker for musicals or well organized plays or a combination of the two. I guess I enjoy insightful, yet poignantly depressing performances.

Now I have to take and exam and finish a homework. Then start a bunch of scholarship applications.

On the plus side I';m heading up to Baltimore tomorrow to see The Used. I guess things aren't all bad.

Lyric of the Day:
"Well, you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say, 'Oh, Romeo, yeah, you know
I used to have a scene with him'"
-The Killers:"Romeo and Juliet"

Random Story of The Day:
Today I got a text from my friend inviting me to see a movie. As I got excited and got dressed, I called to get details on when we were leaving. I called her phone, but it went straight to voice mail. I double checked the message and realized that the text was two hours old, and the last show was starting in five minutes.

Note to Future Self: Stop getting excited every time WOTC has a job opening in the design department.

The search continues

2009-10-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have to figure out where/what I'm doing. But at least I'm a productive procrastinator.

Lyric of the Day:
"So baby don’t worry, you are my only,
You won’t be lonely, even if the sky is falling down,
You’ll be my only, no need to worry,
Baby are you down down down down down"
-Jay Sean: "Down"

Random Story of The Day:
Apparently some guy was in our campus library masturbating in front of students. He was arrested after ejaculating on this girl's back while she was studying. If someone came on me I would just be confused.

Note to Future Self: Big Blue is it, kid.

Destiny is calling me

2009-10-03T22:14:00.001-07:00

I'm at a part of my life where I'm not sure what to do. Grad school or a job? Stay here or get the hell out of this region? Am I in it to win it?

At least I know that I'm a concrete random learner. Or I think I am.
Lyric of the Day:
"Coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all"
-The Killers:"Mr. Brightside"

Random Story of The Day:
Today at work we played "I love my neighbour". I was the only person who stood up when my co-worker said "I love my neighbour who has a drinking problem". FML

Note to Future Self: Voice your opinions. Being passive-aggressive is lame.

Disney and Marvel

2009-09-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

So apparently sometimes you should just follow the Little Mermaid song. It works for everyone else it seems.

Lyric of the Day:
"Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on"
-Journey:"Mignight Train"

Random Story of The Day:
Continuing my previous cute couple story thing...

One of my college friends was working on biology homework until five in the morning. When she was done, she decided to go to sleep and picked her stuff up of the floor. A guy who was taking the same class and was a pretty good friend was on her bed with his text book. In her exhausted state, she decided that he would leave if she kissed him on the cheek. As she went for his cheek, due to height differences and a miscalculation on her part she ended up kissing dangerously close to his lips. After a moment of confusion he responded "I thought you were more demure". They've been going out for the past two years, and it all started with an accident :P

Note to Future Self: Grab rebounds, like Shaq.

Perspective

2009-08-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today I caught up with Yohance. It seems like as time has gone on we end up seeing less and less of each other, but I'm glad our friendship persists.

Lyric of the Day:
"Memories fade,
like looking through a fogged mirror
Decisions to decisions are made and not fought
But I thought,
this wouldn't hurt a lot.
I guess not"
-MGMT: "Kids"

Random Story of The Day:
My friend and I were talking about sports teams.

Me: Shaq in Pheonix last year was a mistake.
Him: Yeah, but you know Lebron better get a ring this year or he's leaving.
Me: Yeah. Did you hear that Big Ben went to Detroit?
Him: Wait, Big Ben?
Me: Yeah, Ben Wallace is back with the Pistons.
Him: Oh, I thought you meant Ben Rothelsberger.
Me: Does Detroit even have a football team?
Him: Uh yeah, the Lions still count.

(Last Year the Lions did not win a game. This was an NFL record for least wins.)

Note to Future Self: Solar Energy is overrated.

GREs

2009-08-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

So its an hour or so before my GRE exam, and it appears that I'm my own worst enemy. I just took my post-studying evaluation test and ended up getting the same score as before I started studying. Kinda funny XD

Lyric of the Day:
"So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
Because I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have"
-Rise Against:"Savior"

Random Story of The Day:
Last night I had a priority conundrum. Get sleep before my test or stay up and make strudel. I went to sleep after a hard-fought internal battle :P

Note to Future Self: Deadlines suck.

Chivalry is dead, and Loyalty is on the chopping block

2009-07-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

[insert deep over-thought essay involving commentary on society and our current economy]

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm all ears and I'm all scars
to hear you tell me "Boy's like you, you try too hard
to look not quite as desperate". I'm hanging on.
But I still know the way to make your makeup run."
-Fall Out Boy:"The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes"

Random Story of The Day:
When we were playing Halo, I could not for the life of me get a kill. I would put 20 bullets into someone, and then a teammate would steal my kill. I was essentially the Steve Nash of Halo.

While playing Halo:
Dude: "I guess that is what sex must feel like"
Other Dude: "That's like an 'end the night' phrase right there"

Note to Future Self: You were once speechless, and it was exhilarating.

Weekends in the summer

2009-07-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend felt like how I wanted my entire summer to be. On Friday I went out with a couple of friends in DC. Clubbing is one of those things that you build up in your mind, but ends up to be not as fun as it is in your head. Whatever, good company made it pretty fun anyway. After that I came back and hung out with a couple of my neighbors who are getting ready to move out. Its funny how you don't appreciate having people around until they are gone. Seeing people outside of work is also pretty awesome :P

Saturday was a Potluck with a bunch of people from college, and a couple HS friends. It is kinda odd being the only one of my friends from HS who did not end up being in a steady relationship in college. It was pretty great meeting everyone's GFs, and reconnecting with all the people who had spent their summer abroad. Winning settlers using a Monopoly card was sweet.

Sunday was just hanging out playing games with new people. It reminded me how glad I am to be in college still, and how scared I am of the real world. Maybe I should just go to grad school :D

Lyric of the Day:
"Shut up and put your money where your mouth is
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas"
-Katy Perry:"Waking up in Vegas"

Random Story of The Day:
One of my friends threw a party so that this guy she was interested in would be able to come over in a more casual situation. It turns out that he was busy, so it turned out to be just ten of us having ridiculous fun. Good times.

Note to Future Self: Drink more often. That might need different punctuation XD

Ghosts of future pasts

2009-06-30T21:21:00.001-07:00

When I look back at this part of my life I feel like I will have far too many regrets.

But then again there is so much I have done. I guess its just impossible to do everything.

Lyric of the Day:
"By the light of the moon
She rubs her eyes
Says it's funny how the night
Can make you blind
I can just imagine
And I don't know what I’m supposed to do
But if she feels bad then I do too
So I let her be"
-Rob Thomas:"Her Diamonds"

Random Story of The Day:
We were out at a pizza place, when we started talking about funny date stories.

My friend was asked out by this guy in high school. When he called to ask when he should pass by, she told him she would just meet him at the place. Her mom overheard her, and told her to change it so he would pick her up. My friend has to call the guy back and changed plans.

Her picked her up and took he to a movie. When they went into the theater, he refused to buy popcorn, choosing instead to give her gum he brought in. As the movie went on, he tried the "wide yawn move". Needless to say this experience may have stopped her from dating for a while...

Note to Future Self: A Michael Jackson-based musical. When it comes out, you called it.

Inspiration

2009-06-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

Across the Universe is a pretty awesome movie. I'm surprised there hasn't been more rock musicals after it came out. Maybe I should figure out one. But after I decide if PV cell research in Australia is what I want to do with my life.

Lyric of the Day:
"Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest
But baby I don't mean it
I mean it, I promise
Da da da, da da"
-Pink:"Please don't leave me"

Random Story of The Day:
Types of Drunks I have encountered:
- Belligerent Drunk
- Friendly Drunk
- Sleepy Drunk
- Philosophical Drunk
- The "I'm not drunk" Drunk
- Fake Overacting Drunk

Note to Future Self: People rarely want the truth, and even less uncompromising truth.

Though we try so hard just to make it better, there is always blood.

2009-06-20T00:36:00.000-07:00

I am just a boat,
floating on a vast ocean,
without a compass.

Haiku post.

Lyric of the Day:
"It all comes down
to sex or love.
I hate to choose"
-The Static Age:"Trauma"

Random Story of The Day:
Switching from stories that I would like to keep "just in case". Here is one I hope I never have to use.
My friend was interested in this girl, and they were friends. They decided to take a class together. Things were fine until she and her friend decided that they should have him take notes for them when they didn't show up for class. They started getting bitchy with him for not having the notes the way they wanted, and it basically ruined their friendship. The icing on the cake? She was always up on his floor yelling at him, until one day he couldn't find her for notes a day he missed class. He found her in the bedroom of the guy across the hall...

Note to Future Self: You think too much.

The World is on Fire

2009-06-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

The world is retarded. For every Fox News, there is a Huffington Post. For every Heritage Foundation, there is a Heartland Institute. People ignore the Iranian election and report on Letterman talking about Palin's daughter. This is madness, and not the kind that gets you free spells.

Lyric of the Day:
"Say that it isn't so
How she easily come, how she easy go
Please don't tell her cause she don't really need to know.

That I'm crazy like the rest of us
And I'm crazier when I'm next to her."
-Jason Mraz:"Please Don't Tell Her"

Random Story of The Day:
Continuing my previous idea of telling stories that may be good to have in hindsight, I give you the best breakup story.

My friend's GF was going to study abroad for nine months. Not wanting to be a burden to her while she was away, he told himself he would break up with her and if she was single when she came back they could consider dating again. Two days after their "breakup" he was skyping her at eight in the morning. After two visits to her in Europe, and the most ridiculous care packages I have ever seen(one including a CD of him singing/playing a song from Wall-E), it looks like they are still together :P

Note to Future Self: Supreme Court Justices can legislate from the bench...

24 Hours in the life

2009-06-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I hung out with my friend for his birthday. Its amusing to me that kids who go to a top tier school get their kicks by drinking in the parking lot of a mall. Well at least that made them easier to beat in laser tag(Number 3 on the winning team :D). Karaoke is a ton of fun, and I'm glad I got to hang out with my friends before they leave for the summer.

I just came back from the first Hindu prayers that I have been to for a while. I think Dogma had it right, faith is a glass that needs to be periodically refilled. Everytime I go to a place of worship, be it a temple or a church, I find myself feeling spiritually fulfilled. But even as satisfying as that is, I guess I feel pulled towards feeling the chaos in the world than living contently.

Lyric of the Day:
"Tell your boyfriend,
if he's got beef,
That I'm a vegetarian,
and I ain't fucking scared of him"
-3oh!3:"Don't trust me"

Random Story of The Day:
Today I learned a new drinking game. Watch Mulan, and drink every time they say "Huns" or "Man". "Someday I'll make a man out of you" will pretty much destroy you :P

Note to Future Self: Law school?

Airport Internet

2009-06-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

So, I’m at the airport waiting for my flight. Thanks to Southwest’s comfy chairs with electrical outlets, I have my laptop in commission. I even have internet access so this can be posted when I'm done writing!

Today I go back to Maryland. This has been a pretty good break. Even though I missed a couple of possibly crucial phone calls, getting away from last semester was necessary. When I get back, I have a ton to do, including staying with my grandparents, and hanging out with people who are leaving for Europe, and who got back.

I'm even looking forward to going back to the lab. Summer means I can be ridiculously productive, heck I may even be able to cite my mom :D

Lyric of the Day:
"Lets get this party started right,
Lets get drunk and freaky fly,
You with me so its alright,
We gonna stay up the whole night."
-Justice:"The Party"

Random Story of The Day:
For a while, I’m going to be doing a little something different. In case any of the couples I know in college ever get married, I’m going to start putting up amusing stories about them. That was I have a funny story for the wedding :D

One of my friends met this guy in one of her classes. He asked her if she wanted to come with him and “a couple of his friends” to see a movie. Being a cautious person, she asked her roommate if she would come with her to see the movie.

After word trickled to the rooms next door (and to friends who lived even on the top and second floors of the building), a lot of people realized that we all wanted to see that movie. We asked if we could come, and our friend, being the nice person that she is, told us that it probably wouldn’t be a big deal if we all came.

When we got to the theater, she got a call from the guy saying that he was at a restaurant nearby, and that she should join for a pre-movie dinner. As our group walked to the restaurant, I realized something. Dinner and a movie? This kind of felt like a date…

When we got to the restaurant, we met up with the guy who was sitting with his best friend. It turned out that he thought that she was bringing a friend. Our group of eight people accompanied our friend on her first date with this guy :P

Note to Future Self: You once had a list of ten possible jobs. Remember when you had no idea of what you were going to do?

Back Home: Part 4

2009-05-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched Ghost Town and played Valkyrie Chronicles. Its a pretty fun game, too bad its only on ps3 :'(

Today is Vik's graduation. Its kind of weird seeing my little brother getting ready for college. I hope they are ready for him :P

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm in love with a fairytale
Even though it hurts.
'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind
I'm already cursed. "
-Alexander Rybak:"Fairytale"

Random Story of The Day:
My little brother once took a running leap to catch the garter at a wedding. He was 16 at the time.

Note to Future Self: 23 credits of A. That's all I'm saying.

Back Home: Part 3

2009-05-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Went to the beach today. It was pretty fun, though even after my shower I still smell saltwater. When we got back home I watched Taken(which was better than I gave it credit for), and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button(less awesome than I thought it would be). Sounds like the Eastern Conference championship might be up for grabs, with the Magic actually giving Lebron James a fight for his money. That could be interesting.

I actually checked my grades on Blackboard, and so far I have six As. While I'm still waiting for two more grades back, the fact that I could pull of a 23 credit semester while working 3(?!) part-time jobs is pretty exciting. Too bad it looks like next semester will be more of the same.

Which I guess is fine, because I.am.pulling.it.off!

Lyric of the Day:
"And all I (all I)
Need to know (need to know)
Is that I'm something you'll be missing
(is that I'm something that you're missing)
Maybe I should hate you for this
Never really did ever quite get that far
Maybe I should hate you for this
Never really did ever quite get that..."
-Taking Back Sunday:"You are so Last Summer"

Random Story of The Day:
I was telling one my friends(who I haven't seen in far too long) about the wreck that was me during finals. My post-final destressing involved me finishing a bottle of wine with a friend, watching Angels and Demons with her, and making homemade pizza with her.

Him: So look who found himself a girlfriend in college.
Me: We're not going out.
Him: Wait, really?
Me: Yeah....why?
Him: You had more dates in the past week than my girlfriend and I have had this past month.
Me: They weren't dates. We were just hanging out.
Him: Whatever, just don't tell my GF is all I'm saying.

Addendum: Frikin spellcheck. Destressing is a word.

Note to Future Self: After freaking out about your "worst semester" you somehow managed to pull off better grades than freshman year. You slacker bastard.

Back Home: Part 2

2009-05-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today I watched Role Models and Mrs. Doubtfire. I also met our neighbors. They are pretty nice people, though it seems the entire family(4 brothers, 2 sisters) just had daughters.

I've started looking at stuff for the GREs, but I'm not as concerned as I should. I gues getting this far in my life has killed the need to aspire that was the driving force for me through high school. Is it better to be driven or to be happy with what you are doing?

If my roommate asked that question I would totally be a dick and say you have to weight the opportunity costs in something that situational.

Lyric of the Day:
"Dig deeper.
Remember all you've been and all you've left behind.
Wave goodbye, my dear.
Dig deeper.
Remember all you've been and all you've left behind.
Welcome home, my dear."
-Coheed and Cambria:"The End Complete III: The End Complete"

Random Story of The Day:
I was looking up random articles on CNN, the BBC, and the Times when my friend IMed me. As I was about to switch from tabs in Mozilla, the article loaded. I was reading an article on the hell that is becoming a doctor when my pre-med friend IMs me XD

Note to Future Self: This summer was supposed to be it.

Back Home

2009-05-22T20:50:00.001-07:00

So, the FL chronicles begin anew. The day of my flight, I was @ Chris's until 4am. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

First day here I had steak and potatoes for dinner. Twice. I also started watching Kings, which is a great show.

Day 2 was finishing off Kings, and playing PS3. I got farther in my DS games. Dinner was wings with the little brother.

Day 3 was watching "Marley and Me" and "Bedtime Stories". Both movies I got a kick out of. Too bad when they came out I was swamped with work. I also got a new haircut. My mom made macaroni pie and I had some deer salami.

Lyric of the Day:
"I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
That's bringing me down

I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause
it's bringing her down"
-Green Day:"Basket Case"

Random Story of The Day:
My brother and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out. When taking our order the waitress seemed unintentionally critical of my order as she confirmed our order.

Her: "So its one order of Jalepeno Mango Wings, and one of Honey BBQ...You guys realize that the Honey BBQ has no pepper, right?
Me: Yeah, I cant stand pepper.
Her: And a root beer and a Hurricane?...You do realize that that is a girl drink, right?
Me: Yes. Yes, I do realize that.
Her: Well your order will be ready in about ten minutes.

I need a more badass palette.

Note to Future Self: Having your blog is kinda like the scrapbook in Marley and Me. Good Idea.

I'll be better when I'm older

2009-05-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

I've realized that the longer I'm in college the more I change as a person. But going back to things the way they were before is easier than I would like for somethings, and harder for others. I've been fairly good about shutting in my inner yellow(mainly because it comes with some black), but it seems that whenever I'm stressed it comes back. I wish it were that way with my conviction.

I had this great discussion with a friend about what it means to be Catholic, and his amusement at my leaving the church because of the new pope was refreshing. Having a difference between how you live and how you expect others to live is an idea that i think I have trouble accepting because of my belief in the idea of the philosopher king. There shouldn't be dynamically different standards for different people, should there?

Lyric of the Day:
"And tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above"
-Edwin McCain:"I'll Be"

Random Story of The Day:
One of my friends loves the movie My Sassy Girl. Her roommate didn't remember it being as great or romantic as she was making it out to be.

My friend rationalized it: "Well that last time you saw this movie was with your old roommate and her estranged boyfriend - not the best company for a romantic movie."

Note to Future Self: Pachabel's Canon is kind of romantic :P

Overcommited

2009-05-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

I just took two of my finals and I think I may have spread myself too thin this semster. You know how they say ambition is the enemy of success? Maybe there is a reason no one takes 23 credits in a semester.

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm so 3008
You so 2000 and late
I got that boom, boom, boom
That future boom, boom, boom
Let me get it now"
-Black-Eyed Peas:"Boom Boom Pow"

Random Story of The Day:
Our professor explains to the class during a review session that the final exam will be fairly simple. He concludes with "So it should not be a problem for any of you to get a C in this class".

His daughter who he is babysitting, and who has been in the back row raises her hand at the end of class. "Isn't C a bad grade?", she asks in a sincere naive voice.

The entire room of engineering students burst into uncontrollable laughter for 15 minutes.

Note to Future Self: You can learn stuff without taking classes. Remember that.

You can blame it on the goose, gotcha feeling loose

2009-05-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

This week has been spectacular. Monday I was at work until 9 after three group meetings. Tuesday I had coaching, and then a Vibs problem set. Wednesday I was working until 3 am on Finance. Last night I was at work until 8, then I had to grade a HW set.

It has gotten so bad that TK thought I had a secret GF :P

At least I can go into ASME and spin broken bearings for an hour to relax...

Lyric of the Day:
"Oh Mother of Pearl
So, so semiprecious
In your detached world

Oh Mother of Pearl I wouldn't trade you for another girl
Oh Mother of Pearl I wouldn't trade you for another girl"
-Roxy Music: "Mother of Pearl"

Random Story of The Day:
We got back assessments in my Management class. Apparently I lack anything resembling initiative and make poor thoughtless decisions. Who knew? I thought I had a natural +7?

Note to
Future Self: Marry the girl who gets the above reference, and isn't embarrassed to say it.

Time is up

2009-05-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Its the end of the semester, and I'm caught up in the deluge of work. Working on group presentations until 4am, problems sets all night, and stress cooking. Looks like its Showtime.

Lyric of the Day:
"Would things have changed if I could've stayed?
Would you have loved me either way?
Dressed to the blues
Day to day with my collar up."
-Coheed and Cambria:"The Suffering"

Random Story of The Day:
Today a post-doc asked me if I was a grad student. When I told him I was an undergrad he asked why I was in the lab at 8 at night. I had no good answer :P

Excerpts from gtalk:
"sorry for using you as a sounding board for my moral dilemmas :-p"
"fuck science man...I need some me time"

Note to Future Self: Shih's video. Remember it.

It never seems to last

2009-04-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I hung out with someone who I haven't had the chance to see in a while. I guess being hyper-involved in as many things as you can leaves little time for old friends. Being with them I had flashbacks of a time of my life where things were different and I was a lot less jaded. The sad thing is that this was only two years ago, in my freshman year.

Its also funny how much people can both change and stay the same over time. People can keep the things that made you glad to have been close to them, while at the same time maturing in ways that make you think that they have become totally different people. Heck, sometimes people end up losing the little mannerisms that annoyed you.

Lyric of the Day:
"Clock is ticking while I’m killing time
Spinning all around
Nothing else that you can do
To turn it back"
-Lacuna Coil:"Our Truth"

Random Story of The Day:
I spent this entire weekend trying to find my lost credit card. As I was pulling out my cell phone to call and cancel it, it fell out of my pocket. FML.

Note to Future Self: You are a baller. Don't even think you're not.

Double Posting

2009-04-20T00:52:00.000-07:00

This is written only 10 mins after my previous post(The date on the post is irrelevant). I just had an amusing conversation with my roomies about random stuff, and I was told something. "You need to stop making excuses". I do, and it turns out that I have no one to blame for my crappy love life(or lack thereof). Well, things are changing.

I actually started this thinking about telling all the parents of the world to keep their daughters inside because big D is on the prowl. I was considering a resolution to work on my personal upkeep and being more careful with what I say. But then I realized that at this point in my life I refuse to compromise. In my management class we watched Steve Jobs's commencement speech to Harvard, where his main message was "Don't settle". I don't want to be in a relationship where my girlfriend cringes whenever I bring up DnD, Magic, or something dorky. I don't want to have an SO that runs off in the rain leaving me worried. When I'm old and burned out, I guess I'll have to change my opinon, but until then I am the human wrecking ball. of ideas.

Lyric of the Day:
"They say that kid he's got soul.
I’m everywhere that you go.
And I’ve been there, seen that, and I ain't taking you home.
No-o-o."
-Cobra Starship:"Kiss my Sass"

Random Story of The Day:
I have no idea what the hell is happening in class right now. Sadly, I don't care because I got the second best grade on the first exam.

Note to Future Self: Just because ambition is the enemy of success, you should not sacrifice ambition for the sake of success.

Red Dragon

2009-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

I may think too much. While that may seem like a good thing(and to me it usually is), it comes with a serious set of drawbacks. I end up thinking about things that are touchy for some(Does organized religion make it easier for people to just accept philosophies), to the depressing(How much potential do we lose every year of our existence?), to the demoralizing(Is our purpose to ensure that our children live in a better world, or just that they have more opportunity than we did?).

This causes me to dwell on things I should have moved on with years ago(or at least months). Its just so hard to tell which things have more to it than I have figured.

I also end up giving everything some credit. There is no undefendable assertion in my mind. This becomes a problem because whenever someone dismisses something, I feel the need to defend it.

Well at least I got some stuff going for me. A sweet lab job, amusing roommates, a great view, and 21st birthdays all the time.

P.S. The title comes from a How I Met Your Mother episode where the main character realizes he has the same problem so he does shots to kill his brain. This solution will be investigated further.

Lyric of the Day:
"I’m just a curbside prophet
with my hand in my pocket
and I’m waiting for my rocket to come
I’m just a curbside prophet
with my hand in my pocket
and I’m waiting for my rocket y'all"
-Jason Mraz: "Curbside Prophet"

Random Story of The Day:
When playing video games, we get out of control sometimes. One of my roomates swears, while I end up getting scared that Hunters are going to spring on me if I don't check rooms before I enter. When playing a competitive game, I once told my roomie, "suck it". His response: "I'd rather not"

Note to Future Self: Make sure my wife does not let our kids play hockey.

Best Day Evar!

2009-03-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting day. It started off with my last ever Friday sleep in until 10 am. I had coffee with a couple people which was pretty fun, but then I had to do a simulation thing for my business class. Because I over analyzed the problem we were given, I ended up with a 60% rather than a 100% that I should have gotten. I guess I'm like Ted in that way(This brain can not be stopped!).

I went to a team meeting where I realized that I was the only one with skills necessary to do multiple parts of the project. This means that I have a ridiculous amount of responsibility. Never mind this is a team where I was told that I needed to let other people take control.

My boss also decided that we need 7 am group meetings. This was fine with me until he told me he needed a 7 am individual meeting with each of us.

Finally, I went to a friend's for her b-day. We hung out for a while, which was great fun since I haven't seen a bunch of them in a while. They decided to go to the bars, which I decided to tag along for since I hadn't ever gone. Not only was I told I couldn't go in, I was also told that even if I got my ID there would be a $10 for guys. *begin rant* The next time a girl talks about not getting equal pay, I need to point out that we do not live in a gender equal society. *end rant*

And to top it all off, I've decided to forget about giving up something this Lent. Apparently I'm too opinionated for my own good. Especially since I feel people in steady relationships would hang out on a Friday night...

Lyric of the Day:
"Please understand
This isn't just goodbye
This is I can't stand you
This is where the road crashed into the ocean"
-+44:"No It Isn't"

Random Story of The Day:
Today my friend told me she was having a get together at her place. I had made a cake yesterday so I brought it over so that we could snack on it. The only people who had cake were my roommate and his gf. FML.

(Those two and one of her awesome friends who has similar tastes as me in terms of candy :D)

Note to Future Self: At 37, single women will want to settle down and have families. Too bad they'll still be crazy control freaks. Thank you Baby Momma.

Uncertainty

2009-02-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today I had another one of those "What will I do with my life?" days. I still feel as if I have so much potential and I could do anything that I decided to do. Well not anything(I still remember my two day "Could I be a doctor?" thing).

Lyric of the Day:
"Children don't stop dancing
Believe you can fly
Away...
Away..."
-Creed:"Don't Stop Dancing"

Random Story of The Day:
Talking with my roomie and his gf before dinner.

Him: Any strong girly drink is made with vodka.
Me: To get girls drunk, make vodka drinks. Good to know.
His GF: I'm never letting you meet my hot, available friends
Me: That's fine, I'll settle for moderately attractive.
She glares at me disaprovingly
Me: Actually, nevermind. I don't think I have time to date this semester, maybe next semester?

Note to Future Self: Sometimes you think you like candy corn, but the aftertaste is something you can't accept.

Valentines Day

2009-02-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

So 1/2 my apartment is part of a couple, meaning that for V-day it was me and my roomie. Too bad he decided to go home for his little sister's birthday :P

With no one else in the apartment I spent the first half of the day not doing much. I actually watched the part of How I Met Your Mother where Ted meets Victoria. That, not surprisingly made me slightly depressed.

Things turned around when I got a call from my friend. I had asked her roommate if they wanted to hang out Saturday(seeing as we were all single with nothing to do), so she asked if I wanted to come over and have dinner. We ended up having dinner, watching a movie and watching Demetri Martin's new show. So apparently all is well that ends well :D

Lyric of the Day:
"You've slipped away like a fistful of sand
You are gone, you are gone, you are gone"
-The Bravery: "Fistful of Sand"

Random Story of The Day: Playing telephone charades, we went from "I just died in your arms tonight" to "Happy girl beats man with lollipop under the sun". That game is awesome :D

Note to Future Self: Model the market as a system with mass. Momentum changes everything.

Surprises

2009-02-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

The past week kind of sucked. I had assignments in my classes that really battered the idealistic side of me. In management we looked at the strategy of helping to improve poor neighborhoods for the purpose of exploiting the people there as consumers. My finance class essentially outlined the need for class disparities across the world, emphasizing that having low factors of production(low wage labor) helps to drive economies. With all these things on my mind all I could to was play Pokemon and bask in my powerlessness.(I thought being able to use that world was pretty sweet :P)

Then on Saturday I went over to visit one of my friends who I hadn't seen in a while. Catching up and being distracted by the things that were important in my life made me feel better.

That night as I walked into my apartment I was greeted by more than twenty of my friends charging out of the bedrooms yelling "Surprise!". It turns out my friends had decided that my birthday being in winter break meant that my party should happen when we got back to school. After a great night of lasertag, Rock Band, charades, Bang, and copious amounts of smash brothers, I remembered how awesome humanity was, and the privileges of the life I live.

Sunday I went to BC and watched the Superbowl. My friend is a hardcore Steelers fan, but since they beat the Ravens everyone at his college was supporting the Cardinals. After a full sixty minutes of football we had the Steelers as Superbowl champions and Mike Tomlin as the youngest coach to ever win the Superbowl.

Lyric of the Day:
"You were a child,
crawlin' on your knees toward it.
Makin' mama so proud,
but your voice is too loud."
-MGMT:"Kids"

Random Story of The Day:
My roomates and I play Wii Tennis while pretending to be Roddick, Federer, and Nadal :P

Note to Future Self: For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. Those who peer into the darkness often are overlooking the light. Balance is key.

Day Two

2009-01-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

Updates two days in a row, must be a new thing, right?

Nope, today is an anomaly. It was the second day of class and the first snow day. I had 12 hours, and I only just finished my hw for wednesday. This semester will be awesome.

Lyric of the Day:
"But not everybody knows
That everybody goes
To a better place
And not everybody knows
That everybody could be living their last days
But the hard times will come
and we'll keep movin' on
We're moving on
Keep movin' on!"
-Good Charlotte:"Movin' On"

Random Story of The Day:
A friend came over to make dinner. We were talking about different recipes for vegetarians when he blurts out "You should meet my new girlfriend, she has huge cans of chick peas that we use for curry". Needless to say, halfway through his statement I was in a state of disbelief.

Note to Future Self: Find snow friends. Not a snow bunny, snow friends :P

First Day

2009-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

New set of classes, which overall was not bad. I have to figure out how this semester will work. Heat transfer looks reasonable, but it will be a pain unless I find a good HW group. Mondays seem pretty awesome, 3 hours of Business and English. I should drop a class, but the only thing I could think of if Vibrations, and that is because I'm afraid of a class with 15% As. Plus another problem set each week sucks.

Lyric of the Day:
"My apologies dear,
For all my mistakes and I’m sure to make more.
Cause I forget to enjoy
the small things in life, I just let them slip by."
-The Hush Sound:"My Apologies"

Random Story of The Day:
So I was convincing a friend of mine to help me find a girlfriend.

Me: So I want a girl who won't yell at me.
Her: So she has to be quiet?
Me: Well, someone who wont make me feel bad.
Her: So she has to be passive?
Me: She also has to be squishy.
Her: So she has to be fat?
Me: So, got any friends that I could date?
Her: Um, You don't need a girlfriend...you need a body pillow.
Me: You are a genius!

Note to Future Self: You want to build robots.

Just another day in the life.

2009-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

So I went snowboarding yesterday, and it was better than I expected. Granted I fell like 200 times, and my body hurts, but it was an experience. Not one that I think I will repeat soon, but an interesting one nonetheless.

School starts next week and this semester will be interesting. Twenty-three credits plus work. Hopefully my GPA keeps rising :P

Oh yeah, and here is something Elan found:

Lyric of the Day:
"In the night, I hear 'em talk,
the coldest story ever told.
Somewhere far along this road,
he lost his soul, to a woman so heartless..."
-Kanye West:"Heartless"

Random Story of The Day:
My roomate on the phone to his GF:
"Did you just say (some phrase I forget)? I mean it is something that you would say, but I wouldn't expect you to say that now"

Note to Future Self: Make an AMV for RomeoXJuliet to Taylor Swift's "Love Story"

Superman xD

THE LOVE STORY:How To Avoid Trapped Arm Whilst Cuddling In Bed

MLK/Inaguration

2009-01-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we will have a new president. I'm not sure what it will mean for us as a nation, but I am sure that it will be historically significant. Plus, DC is going to be ridiculously packed...
So with two days off I managed to work on my comic, enjoy :

* He also needs to figure out whether he'll talk in first or second person :P

Lyric of the Day:
"Give me the Green Light
Give me just one night
I'm ready to go right now
I'm ready to go right now"
-MGMT remix of John Legend and Andre 3000:"Green Light"

Random Story of The Day:
While watching the AFC championship, Yohance keeps getting trash talk texts from his Raven-supporting friends. When the Steelers win he sends out a message to all of them:"Congrats on getting to the Superbowl".

Note to Future Self: Remember Barney's graph. y>x!!!

On the Road

2009-01-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Gran Torino was awesome. Academy award winning awesome. The Spirit was interesting, but not as impressive. Oh yeah, and the road trip was legendary.

Lyric of the Day:
"No one on the corner has swagger like us.
Swagger like us, swagger-swagger like us"
-M.I.A. sample from T.I.:"Swagger Like Us"

Random Story of The Day:
Driving down to FL we put our heads out of the car and yelled the name of each state as we entered it. We also yelled at certain streets that we did not appove of.

Note to Future Self: Everything has its upside.

The aftermath of St. Nick

2008-12-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today I accomplished very little. Got through half of The Elder Gods, watched Futuresport and Forever Mine. Futuresport was fairly entertaining(Got to love Rasta Wesley Snipes) and Forever Mine was your classic romance epic. I also just realized that Smallville is still on TV. Seven Pounds was fairly good, as was playing through the last temple in Majora's Mask 3 times. All in all a relaxing day.

Well at least yesterday I managed to get some pans and a tool set :P

Lyric of the Day:
"What's that you're saying there
Oh well
Rain rushing window pain
Oh well
Can't see what space i'm in
Oh well
But i'm safe inside me here
Oh well"
-Frou Frou:"Old Piano"

Random Story of The Day:
When watching Seven Pounds, I couldn't help but notice that the pager that they gave Rosario Dawson was the same one that they give out at TGIF. Yohance thought that was messed up.

Note to Future Self: Invisibility will be achieved when we can affect the structure of our bodies. Spaced crystals are the key.

Getting into The Spirit

2008-12-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was basically me catching up with watching stuff online, like Naruto and Lost. I managed top create a pretty nice gift basket for my grandparents.

Christmas involved a lot of good food, and going to see The Spirit. While not the best movie I've seen, it wasn't the worst. Very stylized and cliche. I had good ideas when I started this, but the fact that it is 3am has worked its magic.

Lyric of the Day:
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away"
-Hugh Martin:"Have yourself a merry little Christmas"

Random Story of The Day:
So I was going to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas, but I had a couple hours before I needed to leave. I decided to kill time by starting the latest book from my reading list, the new Edding's series. When I paused from reading I realized it was 12:30. For the second time in a row I eneded up watching mass on TV :P

Note to Future Self: Figure out what you want to do.

Milk and Cookies

2008-12-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

More like Cookies and Milk, but whatever. I realized earlier this week that I can make ice cream sandwiches myself, an ability that essentially was the only thing I felt I had after my fluids test. Apparently everyone was rocked by it, and my circuits test was do-able so I'm good.

Bowling was a lot of fun, though the entire night made me think of Kal Penn in the Namesake. The scene with him and the girl who went to France and came back super-hot?

I also saw Milk today, which was really interesting. As someone raised Roman Catholic, and who shifter from leaning to the right towards the left it really made me think about religion's place in our society. While religion shapes our morals and values, the degree to which it can be used to change society is debatable. The fact that discrimination is a vital part of society, yet causes injustice sucks.

Lyric of the Day:
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams
That you've dreamed of
Once in a lullaby"
-Leona Lewis:"Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Random Story of The Day:
As we're playing Rock Band, we manage to score a 750,000 points. In joy, CC raises him drumsticks and yells "750,000 points!". His momentum from raising the sticks causes him to falls backwards into a lamp and table. No college kids were hurt in the making of this scene.

CC also yells out "1! 2! 3! 4!" before he has a part on drums. Even in the middle of songs...

Note to Future Self: Wedding tattoos instead of rings? Think about it.

Finals Crunch

2008-12-17T10:57:00.000-08:00

Tried to write an entry after Fluids wrecked me. It failed,

Lyric of the Day:
"I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with
The spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid
Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics
Articulate but still would grab a nigga by the collar quick."
-T.I. feat. Rihanna:"Live your Life"

Random Story of The Day:
Me: I kind of want to see 7 pounds.
Friend's GF: Yeah, Will Smith is so hot!
Me: He is like fifty or something.
Friend: Yeah, we were going to see it, you could tag along.
Friend's GF: Threesome!
Friend: Ummm....that not the word I would use...

Formal to Forms

2008-12-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

How can a teacher get away with changing the due date of an assignment 9pm the night before they want it due? I don't even know.

Well, I'm off to work on another lab report.

BTW, Gems Formal was phenomenal. Sometimes you gotta take time and just enjoy yourself.It was good seeing Michelle, bumping into my section(WAVES!), and meeting up people I hadn't seen in a while(campers!). Feeling empowered to voice how you feel is intoxicating, or maybe a result of it.

Lyric of the Day:
"Run and tell all of the angels
This could take all night
Think I need a devil to help me
Get things right"
-Foo Fighter:"Learn to Fly"

Random Story of The Day:
Bruck to class: "And what do we use lubrication for?"
*awkward silence*

Prop 8, The musical

2008-12-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

Neil Patrick Harris is the man.

Lyric of the Day:
"So far away we wait for the day,
For the lives all so wasted and gone;
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days-
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!"
-DragonForce:"Through the Fire and the Flames"

Random Story of The Day:
So apparently I have not been missing my lab's group meetings, my PI just hasn't had one for two months. Our first one is today, so I guess I better go make something to show...

The End Complete

2008-11-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

So, I just had my second to last GEMS class as an SL. When RT asked who wanted to do it next year, only one person raised their hand.

Wasn't me.

I also made a sick tuna casserole. Pigeon peas + Tuna = delicious. Formal should be entertaining.

Lyric of the Day:
"He was a skater boy,
She said 'see you later boy',
He wasn't good enough for her
Now he's a super star,
Slammin' on his guitar,
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"
-Avril Lavigne:"Sk8ter Boy"

Random Story of The Day:
"After reading an entire chapter on kidney function, ending with the nervous control of urination, I kinda need to pee"

"And I'll leave you with the house"(meant to say goodbye and failed)

My friends :P

Resolutions

2008-11-06T21:26:00.000-08:00

For New Years, I've decide working on my list of resolutions a bit early this year. Here are a couple big ones.

1. I will not be a GEMS SL. Ever again. Except if I get to do 100 with a good friend. My logic for this decision is based on the fact that I've had an amazing time doing 102 and 202. I followed a group of students from Gemscamp, to team formation, up to their preparation for their thesis defense. I don't think I will be able to replicate this experience, especially since I'm not going to be a 102 SL next semester. SLing was something I enjoyed alot, but its not something that I think I can do again. Plus, all those overachiever gems kids who need it for their resume need a chance to SL.

2. I will have my polymerization model done by Thanksgiving. I've been slacking at work due to distractions, be it HHMI, Fluids, or pretending to be a BIOE. I need to work out the kinks in the dynamics and add in polarity. Hopefully I'll even have a decent looking GUI by the end of this semester.

3. I will go to Badminton on Mondays once I recover. This semester I kind of slacked off in terms or going to badminton, but after I injured my ankle I realized that if I were a couple of pounds lighter maybe having to limp around wouldn't be so bad. Plus, badminton was a great way to keep in touch with a couple of friends who I rarely see these days.

4. With a similar idea, I will setup my schedule so I can go to ballroom next semester. Just because I have HW and work doesn't mean I can't make time for something that I really liked. Maybe I'll even be able to organize my old partner coming with me so that the learning curve won't make me look silly as I get back used to dancing. Heck, maybe I'll try to convince a new person to go with me.

5. I will go home this winter. I usually end up coming up with some excuse to avoid leaving campus, but this winter I think I'll head to FL, at least for Christmas, if not my birthday as well. Its my little brother's last year in high school, and I really think should spend sometime with him before he is off to college.

Lyric of the Day:
"His keeping busy, yeah he's bleeding stones,
With his machinations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we’re all basically alone"
-Andrew Bird:"Imitosis"

Random Story of The Day:
Heard in the ME lounge-
Tom: There is no way that you could get with her.
Dude: Ignore him, That's just Tom being a dick.
Tom: This is just Tom being honest.

Check out "Silent Library". The Japanese remain amusing.

Can you help me find a way to carry on again?

2008-07-26T16:26:00.003-07:00

So, I've decided that I'm far too busy to mantain my comic. However whenever I have a serious set of free time I'll work on one. Promise. Until then I leave you with this.

If I don't have time for a comic do I have time for all the other things I want to do? Who knows, guess its time to prioritize :P

Lyric of the Day:
"Days swiftly come and go
I'm dreaming of her
She's seeing other guys
Emotions they stir
The sun is gone
The nights are long
And I am left while the tears fall"
-All-American Rejects:"Swing Swing"

Random Story of The Day:

"I saw the thing that people think is a cougar. It's not. It's a gigantic raccoon. I mean, a gigantic, scary raccoon. That snarled at me. But a raccoon."
-Me on the College Park cougar

'sruth?

2008-07-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

So it looks like I lied. The art will stay this way until I get a reason to make it better. We could pretend that I see this as a challenge, rather than insight to my lack of artistic skills.

I apologize for the toilet humor in my last comic.
*snicker*
I love bad puns.

Lyric of the Day:
"I'll tell you what you wanna know
But boy you better listen close
People gonna tell you lies
Don't let it come as a suprise "
-The Killers:"Daddy's Eyes"

Random Story of The Day:

Ironic

2008-07-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

So I've had the argument over whether "Ironic" by Alanis Morisette is actually ironic one too many times. Looks like its based on your definition of "Irony". I'm gonna claim victory on this one.

Lyric of the Day:
"I just wanna use your love
tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight.
I don't wanna lose your love tonight"
-Katy Perry:"Use Your Love"

Random Comic of The Day:
We all have our OCD moments.

*Comics 12-15 will be devoted to him coming to his friend with girl problems.
WTF, mate

Comic :D

2008-06-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try and create a comic. Lets see if this creativity keeps up. Hopefully the art will get better as I get help with it/when I get my scanner.

Lyric of the Day:
"Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight we break up
We kiss we make up"
-Katy Perry:"Hot 'N Cold"

Random Story of The Day:
True story from college.

City Visit

2008-06-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across one of my old works that I found amusing. Here, in its entirety, I present my Joyce imitation City Visit

City Visit

As the car came to a halt I peered through the window. I saw the colorful painting of shop signs and glass windows which shielded all types of different things. I saw a store with a bright red sign that had a bicycle painted on it. “Living in the city must be wonderful”, I thought to myself, as I continued to survey these sights that seemed so foreign to me. As I sat absorbing all of the information on the store signs, I heard the car door open.

“Get out, boy”, my Aunt instructed.
“Yes ma’am”, I answered back reflexively.
“I have business to attend to, so don’t dilly-dally around”
“Yes ma’am”

As we got out of the car, I glanced again at the store with the red sign. A pair of boys, one around my age, and one that looked around seventeen, walked animatedly up to the store. As they opened the store’s door, I heard a small bell ring excitedly. My attention was snatched away from the store by my Aunt who pushed me ahead with her open hand as she headed to where she wanted to go. She was always this way; at home she would make my uncle complete every minor chore before he was able to read his newspaper in peace. I followed her closely, not wanting to be lost in this strange place full of shops and signs.

We came to a stop in front of a tailor, which I could tell by the worn away sign in black and white that was by the door. The slimy-looking white paint on the sign made the picture of a needle and thread hard to see, but the large black letters stood out against the white background. As we walked in, I saw a large dark man sitting behind a countertop full of needles and spools of thread. As he looked at us, his eyes inquiring our reason for disturbing him, my Aunt pulled out a dress from the bag she had been carrying. Seeing that there was business to attend to, the tailor stood up from the rickety stool he had been sitting on.

“’Ow can ah help yew?”, he asked, reaching for the dress.
“The sleeve of this dress was unfortunately ripped two days ago”, my aunt explained as she searched for the tear herself, ignoring the tailor’s open hands.
“Ah think that ah can fix yore dress”, replied the shopkeeper as he examined the dress with experienced but bloodshot eyes.

After my aunt handed over the dress, he started writing down numbers on a small dirty scratchbook. I took this opportunity to glance around the store. There were a large amount of simple dresses on racks around his store, but a section of extravagant frilly dresses caught my eye.
Among them I saw the most remarkable creature. Her bright golden hair had almost allowed her to elude my observation, as it blended in with the gaily colored dresses around her. But her deep green eyes caught my attention, and they captivated me. I stared in wonder at what I had discovered until I was interrupted by my Aunt.

“For the second time, pick up that pin I dropped!” she instructed.
“Yes ma’am”, I absently replied. I reached down and felt for the pin, but kept my eyes on the beauty that had captured my attention.
“Don’ be startled. That’s just mah daughter Darla”, the tailor spoke. The shopkeeper, seeing my attention distracted, had apparently mistaken my amazement for panic. He continued, “She’s just finding a dress for the church play this Sunday”, as if to calm my concern about the presence of other people in the store.

It was at this moment that fate seemed to smile on me. As if reminded of the church’s very existence, my Aunt suddenly declared that it was necessary for the entire family to go to church this Sunday. It is quite possible that my uncle’s recent gambling on Saturday nights in an attempt to escape the house and my aunt had made her think that he needed some religious influence. For whatever reason, it had been decided that I would given the opportunity to see that angel perform on stage. If God had wanted me to go to church, he could choose no better incentive for me. As I came back to reality from my feeling of ecstatic joy, I saw that she had moved behind a rack of dresses. Before I could try to maneuver myself to a position where I could catch another glimpse of her, my Aunt forced me out of the store.

As we walked back to the car, my Aunt with her mended dress and me with my excitements about the future, we saw those two boys coming out of the bicycle store. They were both very happy, and the younger one came out with a new bike. I felt a feeling of pity for them. How could they experience such happiness without being in her presence?

The next few nights I spent dreaming of her performing in the play. She was alone in front the crowd, surrounded by light, her hair shining in the light. I saw her lips moving as she stared into the crowd. Her face radiated her emotions, and her eyes gave feeling to the words I could not hear. With these visions I grew more and more desperate to go to church; to see her perform.

Sunday morning we drove into the city, but we did not go past the shops with signs and entrancing displays. Instead we went to a run-down neighborhood, where the sidewalks were covered in mud and filth. My anticipation did not wane, as passing through this place brought me closer to meeting her again. When we arrived at the church, my uncle parked, and my aunt coaxed us to hurry into the church. We sat down near the back of the church. The thin feeble priest gave a sermon on the importance of faith. As my aunt sat there with her best expression of understanding on, I saw my uncle’s eyes closing. I myself strained to keep my full attention on the priest. As he droned on, I consoled myself by reminding myself the true reason I had wanted to come.

As the sermon’s end neared, my anticipation rose to its peak. I could hardly sit here listening to this clergyman ramble on, knowing that in only moments I would be able to see her again.

When the priest was done with his sermon, and the collection plate passed around, the play began. As each scene passed, I waited for her to appear. I sat there waiting for almost the entire play. Eventually, she came out, looking at the floor and dragging her feet, and sputtered out her few lines. As quickly as she entered the play, she was gone.

I silently cursed my aunt for dragging me to church and I vowed never to come back into the city unless it was absolutely necessary.

Lyric of the Day:
"It's always times like these
When I think of you.
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me."
-Vanessa Carlton:"A Thousand Miles"

Random Story of The Day:
So I met my friends mom, since she wanted to make sure I was a safe driver/not creepy dude and what not. Leave it to me to use a great opportunity to make a mother concerned.

Her mom: "So where are you all going?"
Me: "I figured I'd show the girls some moves."
Her mom:(concerned silence)
Me: "We're going to this Friday night swing event that I used to go to in high school"

Welcome Home

2008-05-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

So, I'm back in FL. And I have discovered something amazing. Apollo Justice!

This game is fun and captivating, though sometimes it feels as if it will never end. Thank goodness I've started summer constuctively :D

Lyric of the Day:
"And everybody gets there, everybody gets their
And everybody gets their way
I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her
Now I'm the only one to blame"
-Panic! @ the Disco:"That Green Gentleman"

Random Funny thing of The Day:

In the halls of cynics and dreamers

2008-04-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

Cynics are dreamers who are too afraid to dream.

Whether jaded by life experiences, tired of being beaten down by failure, or afraid of taking risks they are hesitant to act. And so they push their fears onto others. Stifling anything that may represent hope to others because if they can not have it, then no one can.

A citizen has rights that are protected by his government.

Lyric of the Day:
"Yeah,
I lose control,
High above the clouds.
It's a wonderful feeling."
-Big D and the Revolution:"To Higher Clouds"

Random Story of The Day:
So, I have 13 shirts for MD day on my bed. Team formation was helluva intense though.

Life goes on

2008-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

A month after my trip and I'm getting used to being back at school in the US. Test this week. Problem sets every weekend.

Plus, another uneventful Valentine's Day. Life goes on.

Lyric of the Day:
"I could stay a while
But sooner or later I'll break your smile
And I can tell a joke
But one of these days I'm bound to choke

And we could share a kiss
But I feel like I can't go through with this
And I bet we could build a home
But I know the right thing for me to do

Is to leave you alone"
-The White Stripes:"A Martyr For My Love For You"

Random Story of The Day:
Apparently there is "Hug and Indian Day". Made by someone at Acton-Boxborough regional High School. I <3 New England, even though they lost the Superbowl.

Back in the US(SR)

2008-01-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Just got back from my Australia trip. Cute animals, awesome beaches, great sunsets.

Lyric of the Day:
"Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough."
-The Strokes:"Reptilia"

Random Story of The Day:
In Australia\ I hugged a koala. That is all.

Merry Christmas :D

2007-12-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Watching the Papal Mass on TV I still feel moved by the spirit of the season. It's easy to criticize people for their religious views or idealistic world views, but the fact that they retain them can make you feel warm inside.

For someone who, you know, spends his time trying to fight perceived "ignorance" it's kind of interesting to sit there and soak it all in. Curse you cynicism and your lures.

Well, I'm off to make a semester video/pack. Peace.

Lyric of the Day:
"He was always giving her attention
Looking hard to find the things she mentioned
He was dedicated
But most suckers hate it
That girl was fine
But she didn’t appreciate him
"...
Everybody put up your hands
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Feel the beat now
If you got nothing left
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Back it up now
You got a reason to live
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'
Feelin' good now
Don’t be afraid to get down
Say 'I don’t wanna be in love'
'I don’t wanna be in love'"
-Good Charlotte:"Dance Floor Anthem(I Don't Want To Be In Love)"

Random Story of The Day:
I spent 4 hours of Christmas watching basketball, only to see the teams I like get crushed. Curse you fantasy basketball!!!

Knights of Fire and Ice

2007-12-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

Realizing that you were wrong is hard. Accepting it is even harder. Its one of those moments where you have to swallow your pride, shake your mind free of delusions, and accept the truth. Too bad illusions of grandeur are so goddamn beautiful, right?

What about "knowing" that you're right. Or at least having the conviction that someone else is wrong but will not listen to you. Watching a friend set themselves up for failure is one of those things that frustrates you. You want to stop them from doing it, but what if you're not right?

Fire = Passion;
Ice = Judgement;

Both part of the same Conviction.

Well, on the bright side I only got one B this semester. And Avenue Q was amazing. So was Rock Band at Jeff's.

Lyric of the Day:
"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell,
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,
how the devil himself could be pulled out of me,
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,
Every soul in the room keeping time with there hands,
And we sang…"
-Santana ft. Chad Kroeger: "Into the Night"

Random Story of The Day:
I'm watching Elan play Hellgate London. He's a marksman(a ranged class) focusing on precision shooting.

Me: Marksmen suck
Him: What are you talking about?
Me: Basically you just camp spawns.
Him: Dude. It's like Diablo Counterstrike.
Me: I'm just saying a real man would just rush in and kill those demons with an axe of something
Him: Stop being a jerk.
Me: Why, going to cry at me little girl?

Moving; People, places and things.

2007-08-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

Remember how I said I was going to talk about freedom and morality after reading Night Watch? That was an accidental lie, sorry.

I'm moving back to CP, which I don't know if I dread or look forward to. Becoming distant with high school friends again is going to hit me hard. Sure we can try to stay in contact, but honestly nothing beats face to face conversations. Meeting up with college friends is exciting, but the knowledge that they will end up distant in a couple years is disheartening.

Change is annoying...

Lyric of the Day:
"So don't let the world bring you down.
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow old."
-Incubus:"The Warmth"

Random Story of The Day:
Joe goes with Jeff to see the Breakfast Club at midnight. I go to sleep at 3. At around 5 am I hear a noise and open my eyes enough to see Joe walk in. I go back to sleep and get up at 7:45 for my 8am. Gotta love College :D

VFest and Reflection

2007-08-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

First thing first. Virgin Fest was amazing. Interpol was ridiculous. As was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Panic! was enjoyable, and Regina Spektor was pretty amazing. The Fratellis made me want to get their album and CSS and LCD soundsystem make me want to have dorm dance parties. I love my combination of luck and the freedom that comes with living five states from your parents.

I've been watching Honey and Clover, and I've kinda been throwing around new ideas. After things have failed, people have 4 options. Try the same thing again, give up and try something else, give up entirely, or wait for the situation to change. The first is a sign of insanity and goes against science, so lets throw that out. The last is too much of a passive approach, which means while I would be inclined to do it, it cannot be seen as the best solution.

So the question becomes try something new or give up. That depends on the situation, correct? If trying something new has diminished success rates due to previous failure should such an approach even be tried? How much must we desire success to be driven to try again? Where is the "logic police" that stops us if our struggle becomes futile? Does this then mean that giving up entirely is the best and most secure answer? Yay for anime-driven catharses!

Join us next time when we discuss about the restriction of freedom as manifested after reading Lukyashenko's Night Watch..

Lyric of the Day:
"Show me the dirt pile
And I will pray that the soul can take
Three stowaways
Vanish with no guile
And I will not pay
But the soul can wait
The soul can wait"
-Interpol:"Pioneer to the Falls"

Random Story of The Day:

At Magic Nationals Collins and Ryan refused to get pictures taken in front of the gigantic Cho-Manno because they didn't want them on Facebook. Got to love my friends :D

Otakon 2007 Recap

2007-07-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

This recap will probably take a couple of days to get put up, but it'll probably be pretty decent.

Here we go!
Wednesday:
Hauled ass to Baltimore. Got to my grandma's at 9:30. Went to Home Depot at 9:57(It closes at 10!) to get supplies. From 10:30-2am worked on my costume with Collins. It felt good to be back at his house getting ready to dork out. Played KoL and Magic in my breaks.

Thursday:
Woke up at 10. Went to Toys R' Us and Walmart to get guns for my costume. Chris got a duffel bag from a thrift store for like $1. Phil came with us just because we were going to Toys R' us XD. Went down to the city at 4-ish. Chris and I hung hung out with Nonye and Chima who arrived early. Davon popped in and out since he knew lots of people who were around. We waited for O and Ryan to get there then headed to line up for passes. We kinda cut in line with Collins and O, but the guys behind them didnt care, which was awesome. We went back and got ready for the next day, which meant staying up until 6 talking. Good Times!

Friday: I

Saturday: forgot

Sunday: this

Lyric of the Day:
"Lose control
Increasing pace
Warped and bewitched
Intention erased

Whatever they say
These people are torn
Wild and bereft
Assassin is born"
-Muse:"Assassin"

Random Story of The Day:
So one of my friends at Otakon decided to dance behind some girl for like ten minutes. A couple of us told him it was a bad idea, but he waved us off. The girl turns around and it turns out its a guy in a schoolgirl costume!

Florida; The escapade continues!

2007-07-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

(Day 6): Went to Kissimmee to buy Magic and made a little sliver combo deck I'm kind of proud of. When I get back to MD I can't wait to test it with the guys. Otakon is going to be frikin awesome! Bumped my little brother's car in the parking lot, but it was nothing a little compound couldn't take care of. Helped the family unpack the new house some more.

(Day 7): Went to Orlando to set up for Magic Day on Saturday. Got a new laptop bag at Florida Mall. While I was there I picked up the first three books in the Night Watch series. The movie was sick, so I imagine the books must be good.

When I got back I helped make dinner for the family. Curried Crab and Dumplings. It was really good, especially considering my diet for the past year :P Played Paper Mario 2 for a bit as things were cooking.

The last days were a blur, but included lots of good food.

Lyric of the Day:
"Say that you're into me,
let me know how it will be
If you don't know just say so
I'll wait till the perfect time
think of all the perfect lines
I'll make sure if I let you know"
-Hello Goodbye: "Call N' Return"

Random Story of The Day:
Dad comes into my room. We have to carry Vik's car to fix the AC(extremly necessary in FL).

Dad: Throw on your clothes, we're going now.
Me: I'm coming?
Dad: You're driving.
Me: Where is it?
Dad: St. Cloud
Me: Where is that?
Dad: South of Harper's Cove
Me: Where is that?
Dad: You take Narcoussi
Me: Where is that?
Dad: Follow Boggy Creek to the left
Me: Where am I taking this left?

Back on the Internet!

2007-07-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my fourth-ish day in FL and my family finally got the internet set up in the new house. Lets summarize what I've been up to so far:

(Days 1-3): First thing we did after I got here was go to Miami for the weekend. I had two Venti Soy Caramel Macchiatos(I forgot the "Iced" :P) on the trip there. Even with that caffeine I still managed to catch some sleep. On the plane I read the first 120-ish pages of the 6th Harry Potter, so I got through a bunch of it on the 4 hour drive to Miami. I also managed to play some FFTactics Advance and Pokemon FireRed(My little brother was stuck). We stayed with a family friend who had an amazing condo right next to Miami Beach. It was pretty amazing, especially since I hadn't been in warm salt water in forever. I think I love waves and choppy water, because the calm rolling of the beach was boring to me. Either way the weekend was fun and I got a bit darker.

(Day 4): I played MK and RE4 on my little brother's Wii. Finished Harry Potter. Helped move and unpacked some boxes in the house. Swam with the family in our house's pool. I'm kind of glad my parents have gotten their "final house". Though now that leaves them to talking about how their Grandkids can come visit them and swim in the pool...

(Day 5): Messed around with our network at home and played Warcraft 3 with my brother. I realize that I kind of suck at the game. And that my little brother is pretty good at it. Woe is me.

We also went to get my little brother registered for class. I realized there that I still resented my family going to FL. Moreso than the fact that I felt abandoned, I think the fact that things are happening for them without me being around made me feel insignificant. Plus my alternate Hopkins student future will always loom over my head when I think of FL. Ah well, all is well that ends well, and things are pretty good right now. I'm living in an apt working for a program I actually like.

We went to the old FL house and cleaned up. There was alot of vacuuming to be done, which ended up being my job. With my brother's injured leg and my parents getting older I think I kind of wished I were down here.

Lyric of the Day:
"meguri-kuru toki ni
yakusoku wo ubaware-sou
kono ryoute sashi nobete mo
kokoro wa hanarete"

(Translated)
"I feel the changing season
will see my promise broken.
Even if I reach out with my hands,
my heart will stay distant."
-L'Arc~en~Ciel:"Blurry Eyes"

Random Story of The Day:
While my family fliped through my pictures:

Brother: "Whats funny is even though there are so many pictures of girls on your bed, you've probably never gone with any of them."

Mom: "Are you sure your friends aren't gay?"(In response to Ryan's BG for me)

Dad: "So you took off any pictures with drinking before showing us, eh?"

Epilogue

2007-06-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

And so my story unfolds, in what appears to be a poem but clearly should not be. Too bad I despise stream on consciousness for its unreadability. Such is life; the choice to ignore things that we dislike doing ends up ultimately making life harder.

I'm leaving for FL pretty soon, which is exciting. Though I haven't gotten as far on my reading list as I would like to be pre-trip. This list looks like:

The Gunslinger series
(Sixth and Seventh Harry Potter?)
The Golden Compass series(Before the movie!)
(The Hitchhiker's guide?)
Night Watch series(After the movie!)
Runaway Jury
The Food Taster

Suggestions? Concerns? Utter loathing of something on my list?

Lyric of the Day:
"Hey
I used have a little bit of a plan
Used to
Have a concept of where I stand
But that concept slipped right out of my hands
Now I don't really even know who I am
Yo, what do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free and
What ever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen with me"
-Fort Minor:"Believe Me"

Random Story of The Day:
Gtalk is pretty great. So is AIM.

Dinesh: so yeah, we're going to have a big movie night this summer at some point; wedding crashers and KKHH back to back
Ekta: KKHH? ...
Dinesh: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Ekta: I know, I'm just.. are you serious?

Me: so here's the plan...(the plan)
Collins: genius
Collins: it is perfect
Collins: jk
Me: jk as in we have a problem?
Collins: nah nah
Me: ok, you scared the shit out of me
Collins: sorry sorry
Me: there was a big "FUCKKKK!!!!" that exploded in my mind

Walking with my shadow at Night(Part 2)

2007-06-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Walking down to Regents another choice;
Should I pass by Patterson,
hovercraft-building and midnight math "raids".
Nope, those experiences were all about grades.

So towards Stamp I trek,
A walk almost too familiar by now.
"Friday nights at CP", Rocky Horror at the Hoff,
Dinner before Gems, all went down there.

Past the stadium that looms to my right,
A trigger for thinking my mementos.
Shirts from Orientation, Blackout, and Relay,
All remain safely in my closet.

Right in front of stamp a new choice,
A three way fork in my path.
Not the hill to the right that I hate,
nor though the various levels do I go.

Cutting to the left path,
past what will always be the "Comm building",
courtyards where Maryland day tents were,
a place where ninjas rushed performers once.

Across Campus drive I journey.
Its amazing to think to myself,
that once that was the one part
of this entire campus that I knew.
(And from Magic of all things)

Past "Stonehenge" I have to travel,
Remembering all that happened in GEMS102.
To think that all those presentations
led to me doing Icebreakers with my own group.

In front of McKeldin I pause.
Research for Islam and Gemstone,
Undergraduate research day,
And being there for friends.

Booksales on the steps of Tydings,
104 discussion in Key about SAHDS.
I find myself slightly amazed,
One semester has made these places have meaning.

Far to the left I see the chapel,
A place of life and my initiation into Gemstone;
A reminder of human mortality;
A symbol that happiness can exist in this world.

I walk towards the Commons shop,
where hours were spent finding cake ingredients,
making sure to avoid the Point of Failure.
Well the physical place, at least.

Susquehanna stand before me,
The last memory on my journey.
Cramming for Physics tests during lectures
even though my successes proved futile.

As I take the elevator up, I think;
When next will I remember all of these things?
My answer is bittersweet; probably not too soon.
Nite Ride will make this journey a thing of the past.

Lyric of the Day:
"This is the point from which I will die and succeed
Living the struggle, I know I'm alive when I bleed
From now on it can never be the same as before
Cause the place I'm from doesn't exist anymore"
-Immortal Technique:"Point of No Return"

Random Story of The Day:
The best moments on AIM in a while:

a black comet: this is pathetic
justbobdanish: me or you?

Elan: whats happening?
me: not much; making monkeys/cutting paper
Elan: cool cool
me: you?
Elan: working, kinda
reflecting on my life
and basically i figure i need to be more awesome

Interlude

2007-06-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Part of me wants to finish that silly poem, part of me realizes it could go on for a couple more posts. I'll decide later I guess :P

Today was my first day without anything to do. No prior engagements, nothing planned to do in my apartment or on campus. So after playing Tales of Symphonia for a while, and picking up the Gunslinger for a couple minutes, I decided to clean up my hard drive. Apparently I only have 1 Gig of free space on my main hard drive and 3 GB on my secondary. I guess tomorrow I'll organize my music/fix up my Itunes...

Lyric of the Day:
"Please sleep, my darling, sleep
Your cry for inspiration
Never reaches ears on distant stars
And every night, our lonely planet
Slides across the universe
And I won't pretend I understand"
-+44:"Little Death"

Random Story of The Day:
A conversation at the pool:
Me: Swimming is fun.
ET: I dunno, I think I might go get my book.
Me: No one reads at the pool...
ET: They are (points to an elderly couple reading)
Me: I'm sorry, no one under 70 reads at the pool.
ET: (nods to the people next to us) Well apparently all people our age do is hit on girls and make out in the pool
Me: ...which is probably more entertaining than your idea

Walking with my shadow at Night(Part 1)

2007-06-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Two in the morning and I return to campus,
The place where I've spent my last year.
A place, by now, so familiar;
I feel I'll never forget it.

The HHP is the first thing I pass,
"Symbolic" I think as I smile to myself.
My continuing tradition of Badminton
housed in the same building as Ballroom

Going up to the stairs near the pool,
The scent of chlorine in the air.
Embarrassment, Regret, Hope, Self-Amusement,
Many thoughts past my mind being here.

I pause as I walk past the Diner;
Memories of countless dinners with friends,
Literal hundreds of times shared;
some amusing and others the opposite.

Straight ahead, I see Ellicott,
My near past and future neatly rolled in one.
Looking towards the coming year,
with the joy from the last still not gone.

Soccer fields to the left,
where once we sledded.
Now, summer has come
and things are changed.

Late nights we've spent,
hurriedly taking the elevator from the eight floor,
an then running though building's front door,
all at the reception of "stadium side"

I look ahead and see the paths diverge,
multiple paths to the same end,
with different experiences on your journey
seem almost poetic in their very existence.

To the right I could pass the CSPAC,
Where I've invited myself to several plays,
Who knows when next I'll go.
Perhaps some friends of mine will be on stage.

Instead I choose the path usually traveled,
that is more known and that feels safer.
Returning to the known?
Seems that even my adventurous spirit can waiver.

Walking down to Regents another choice;
Should I pass by Patterson,
hovercraft-building was enjoyable

So towards Stamp I trek,
A walk almost too familiar by now.
"Friday nights at CP", Rocky Horror at the Hoff,
Dinner before Gems, all went down there.

(To be continued...)

Lyric of the Day:
"When will stupid learn
Fire's gonna burn
Think of consequence
Then you move when its your turn"
-Weezer:"Haunt You Every Day"

Random Story of The Day:

I love when I feel comfortable enough with a friend to preface an AIM conversation with "I apologize in advance for the needless mocking of you I am about to engage in." Sorry Lim, but you know it was hilarious.

Also "macking babes" and "making babies" are two letters off, thats kinda interesting. You learn many lessons when talking to TKO online :P

Conflicting Interests

2007-06-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been kinda busy. Whether its doing HW for Accounting, hanging at Ryan's until unreasonable hours in the morning, or having lunch with Ammar, TKO, or Michelle. Working for Gemstone has also been a significant part of what I do, and while it can get fairly repetitive the flexibility of my job has been worth it. Plus I get to work with the incoming freshman!

Class has been entertaining, as I guess with good company even the most repetitive class can become something you look forward to. I'm not going to say that passing notes with ET has made this one of my most enjoyable classes, but it kinda has. I'm doing fairly well in it, considering I have an A as of now.

As great as things are now, I'll admit that I'm starting to miss being able to hang out with my friends. Elan and Collins have gone off to work and on vacation. Joe, Ryan, Jen, and a bunch of other people have 9-5s which means getting together is limited to the weekends. Yikes, Jason, and Aziz are all in other states. This makes me want the summer to move a little faster.

But then comes days like today where I find myself wishing the summer to slow down. I want more days at the pool with Ekta. More chance encounters with Ammar, Sarah, and TKO. More Aim conversations with Joe and Elan. With the scent of chlorine still in my hair, I want another of today.

I wish I knew what I wanted.

Lyric of the Day:
"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers "
-Eminem:"Like Toy Soldiers"

Random Story of The Day:
Ryan and I went to Rita's after hanging out for the day. When it gets time to order the girl serving us to take our order, she takes his and, without a pause, mine.

A second later she comes back with our orders and asks "Are you seperate or together?". Ryan's friend who is working in the back yells out,"They're definitely together!". The girl smiles and gives us an amused look, then gets our seperate reciepts.

Pirates and Problems

2007-05-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

"All is well that ends well." I hope that actually works in real life or things could suck next year. Just remember kids, I've always got a plan.

On to this weekend's debauchery.

Friday: Took the day off! We went to pirates dressed as pirates; The Four Horsemen as well as our resident Gunslinger and TKO. It was quite fun, especially since the movie was pretty good and we didn't get too many crazy glances.

Getting there on time was helluva difficult though, since we decided to leave later than we should have. Mr. Anderson's picnic was quite interesting, 'cept for me realizing that I clearly am not an outdoor person. I guess thats why I should work in an office :P

So yeah, we got caught in beltway traffic, ut ended up missing like ten minutes of the movie overall, so things were not as bad as they could have been. We had dinner in a sports bar after, which was quite fun. It also served as a time when those few who remembered cameras got pictures.(Note to self: Get those pictures)

Saturday: Went to Mele's end of the year party. Dan kinfe fight scared the shit out of me. Elan and I winning a game of pool against actual good people was also a highlight of the night. So was cheating in Apples to Apples. Not that I did.

At night, we be on Vent. We be playin' Dota.

Sunday: Since I spent the night by Elan, I had to go home to clean up some. Packed up books, and ended up reading the Dark Tower for 20 mins. Went to Connor's bday thing, which was fun though I only knew two people there. Man of the Year was pretty good, and Rigged War is sort of fun, so was Jenga poker.

Being there meant I missed ninja tag, which to be honest wasn't heartbreaking for me. I think I've outgrown running around with swords in the forest, or I realized that it was fine for me not to want to do that with Elan and Corey. Came late to Elan's, played some Dota. Owned with Pandaren.

Monday: Woke up at Elan's at 12. Grandparents coming back at 4. It is 2:19 and I'm still blogging. Woe is me.

Lyric of the Day:
"It was a beautiful letdown
When I crashed and burned
When I found myself alone
Unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful letdown
The day I knew
That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do"
-Switchfoot:"The Beautiful Letdown"

Random Story of The Day:
Dancing to the DOTA song with Collins and Elan :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-TZk4gPKM

Good news for people who like ironic news

2007-05-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

So the semester is over, and even though I was looking forward to being able to relax, I'm spending craploads of time working. This semester was good times for the most part, though there were some stressful/retarded times. At least I only used 2/3 of my stupid things to do a semester this semester!

Let's look at the highlight reel.

-Crazy Europeans: Let's have an insane Math class with a cool Swiss/Italian teacher who has no idea what a curve is! At least this was responsible for Tim and I hanging out more. No more midnight math for me! I'll miss those guys...

-Joe's new no-sleep policy: I think I've learned to sleep with the light on. Man, I'm such a good roommate. Best thing ever was hearing "Joe, finish your food!" when TKO saw his row of half-finished doubleshots.

-Team LIFE: Think of an idea, get it approved by your favorite teacher, get people to vote on it. This was so stressful, as you can see by what I realize were extremely bitchy journals. At least I have Ryna and the status of team leader :P

-Valentine's Day: Giving boys roses is like giving little kids guns. Hilarious in theory, a bad idea in practice. At least no one died.

-Holi: What's the best part about going to an event like Holi after most of the dye is gone? Pushing girls/Joe into pools of dye water. And slip and sliding.

-GTV: Planning summer camp was actually quite fun. I can't wait to work with Jmoss again. Who knows, I may even end up joining Maryland Shakespeare players!

-Bridges: Built two by myself. Felt good, but it will probably take its toll on my grade. Statics as a whole sucked. Probably had to do with knowing no one in my class. A lesson is learned, but the damage is irreversible.<--Stolen from webcomic Ryan reads :D

-Housing next year: Well, Lim and I are moving across from Revolver, but next to problems. Who the hell chooses to live next to the RA? Joe and I, apparently. Yikes and Jen are living on the Women in Engineering floor...This should be amusing :P

-Cakes: Driving near the VA border with TKO and Clee to get a cake was a ridiculously fun experience. So was the "surprise" party after. Everyone had fun and enjoyed it I think. Making TKO's cake was also a fun experience, even though Revolver did more for it that I did. But that's cuz I went to see Brokeback Mountain. Even if it wasn't with everyone I thought it would be with :P

-The Angels of Death: The best 4 person team in Gemstone. Returning from LAID we had Big D and the always amazing JMoss. Add in two dashes of work ethic, one with the ability to edit and worship a TA (ET), and one with the ability to get the word ethnical passed as ethical(Yikes), and you have the most powerful strike force assembled in Gemstone. Hopefully I get to hang out with these kids more next semester(but not to the point where they tire of me :P)

-Irony in Physics: I got a high A- in a 3 credit class, and a solid C in a 1 credit class. The result a 4 credit B+. There is no justice...and thus the title of this entry

Lyric of the Day:
"Hey, you know they're all the same
You know you're doing better on your own (on your own)
So don't buy in.
Live right now
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough
For someone else"
-Jimmy Eat World:"The Middle"

Random Story of The Day:
I almost slept at the office today. Joe ruins all my fun :P