Summer is ending.

my internship here at Verndale is ending. it’s been quite a ride – i felt like i’ve learned a lot about web development in the past 2.5 months. my performance was overall positive, which is good. i got to work on 2 major projects, which was great. i felt trusted and challenged. i’d definitely come back next summer, but i’ll be seeking a wage increase for sure, haha.

school is starting up again. i decided that this year, i would stop being lazy in all aspects of life. i’m going to try harder at school, at ultimate frisbee, and anything i tackled. my personality’s always been competitive and determined, but i still slipped up sometimes, especially with regards with academics. this summer’s internship reinvigorated my desire to study computer science, my drive to become a better programmer, my greed for more knowledge. on my plate for the fall semester are 3 compsci classes (programming languages, intro to algorithms, probability in computing) and 1 BS class (music appreciation). definitely excited.

i can’t wait to move into my single at StuVi 2 too. i’m living with 7 other peeps. our suite’s living room is going to be pimped out – i’m providing the TV and sound system most likely. hopefully i won’t get too distracted.

i’m going to go watch District 9 today. there’s rave reviews and ratings about it – and it’s a scifi flick – so why not? speaking of which, i’ve been watching a lot of TV and movies recently. i don’t feel compelled to play any video games any more. i’m sure it’ll change up sooner or later. i just have these cycles where i happen to like one thing for a while… but eventually it changes. it’s just odd launching up a game and not feeling any desire to play.

Halfway through Summer

so we’re halfway through summer. it’s gone by quickly for me due to a serious job, where i actually have to do work, haha. speaking of which, i’ve been working with the same client for over a month now. just when i thought i was going to close out my project, i had to pick up someone else’s slack. frustrating and a little disappointing, but it’s work to do and experience to be gained. “no pain, no gain” is very true… when i built my first computer, it died every couple of months. in exchange for my pain, i learned a lot about computers. working on this mess of a website, i’ve learned a lot about web development. my resume should be top-notch by the time i graduate college, haha.

i recently started re-watching Neon Genesis Evangelion [with my friend Mathias]. it’s a pretty good anime, although disturbing. the general consensus is that the anime starts out with a plot, but becomes more and more abstract nearer to the end. you have giant robots fighting giant creatures in the beginning… by the end of the anime, you got people fighting with their own consciences. i remember watching it when i was younger – definitely puts some interesting perspectives and ideas into your brain. one such idea is that our identity is split amongst everyone we know. we have a view of ourselves, our ego – and others have their view of us – what we look like to them, how we act like to them, etc. i always thought it was interesting.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

i’m looking forward to this weekend – going on a biking trip with some buddies on saturday. the weather looks nice so it should be a fun and relaxing ride. next weekend is finally the camping trip. it is one of the biggest events of my summer… a fun retreat with friends. this year it’s going to be at Willard Brook State Forest. last year was Harold Parker, i think. next year, probably Myles Standish.

oh right, i got my blackberry tour. of course, you can reach much more indepth reviews online, but overall, the phone is pretty good. it’s my first blackberry so i don’t have anything to compare it to. the qwerty keyboard works well – i type with maybe 1 or 2 mistakes per text message. the phone’s construction feels solid minus the loose battery cover. the screen is sharp and the OS is alright. they really need to overhaul their included Java-based browser though =/ it’s only good for viewing mobile-designed sites. being connected to the internet (i like to call it the cloud) all the time satisfies my addiction pretty well.

if you’re read through this entire post, it must mean you’re pretty bored or you like reading my shitty writing. speaking of which, my verbal skills (mainly pronounciation) have gone down since i started my internship. i have trouble saying words over 4 syllables for some reason… it’s quite pathetic. it must be all the programming. left side of brain versus right side or whatever. oh well, goodbye.

Financial Aid – To Appeal or Not To Appeal?

so i received my finaid package from BU just now. it’s better than previous years, but in this economy, it’s still not enough. essentially i’m being asked to give up my entire summer’s earnings. that just can’t happen since it’s summer – life costs money. i’m either going to have to apply for an unsubsidized loan or appeal the decision. anyone have any experience appealing? if i were to get just $1000 extra grant money, that would be enough.

Post 4th of July Thoughts

last night was pretty fun. i don’t drink often so it’s fun to let go sometimes. hanging with friends – meeting new people – playing some competitive beirut – setting off fireworks and running from cops. this type of partying… it’s fun. it makes me think about how long this can last. once you grow up, you can’t do this type of shit anymore. when you’re 40, there’s no more ragers. it’s just not your thing. but i suppose by the time you get to that age, your tastes in entertainment and views on life would have changed yet again. 40 years old… that’s double my current age. life would be quite different. i guess i would go to work… come home to my kids and wife… grab a beer… surf some internet on my quantum computer and huge monitor… well, i suppose not much will change then :)

well, it’s sunday. the weather’s nice. i’m going to go find something fun to do… i have all day tomorrow to sit in front of a computer.

My New Mouse – Logitech G9 Laser

so i impulse bought this as a slickdeal – $29 after rebate from amazon. i’ve had this mouse for about a week now. i switched from a MX518 – which was working fine, haha. both mouses are gaming-grade and both perform very well.

mini-review: the mouse feels nice in the hands, especially if you have a gamer grip (usually more focus/pressure with the fingers) due to the wideness. i’ve tested it in my normal games and it’s definitely responsive and accurate. the mouse’s ability to store profiles is great – having certain bindings for each mouse button is so useful and convenient.

i’m a big fan of logitech. they make great products. i have logitech z-5500 5.1 speakers, logitech g15 keyboard (1st edition), 2 logitech mouses, and some other items.

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse

Life So Far

there’s nothing to write about except how well my life is going. i’m about to finish my 4th week at my internship – i’m learning so much – and my project is more than half-way done. this weekend is going to be filled with shenanigans. there’s still a lot of summer left – so much to look forward to… camping, montreal, end-of-season tournament, six flags, and some more.

my long-awaited blackberry tour is going to be released in ~2.5 weeks so i can finally upgrade to a smartphone (with internet). i checked out the palm pre today at a sprint store and it looks really nice. the interface is slick for sure – definitely a true iPhone competitor. i think i will upgrade to the blackberry with only a 1-year contract so i can upgrade again next summer =O maybe to the palm pre or an HTC touch pro 2…

Blackberry Tour

i don’t have much content on the site now right. when i feel less lazy, i’ll add to my portfolios.

Frustrating Day

so i’m getting farther in my project. i developed some code and now it’s integration and customization into the customer’s website. the only problem is that the existing site code is so poorly coded and maintained. there are barely any comments, long variable names, seemingly random hardcodes and logic blocks, etc. it is a giant mess… needless to say, this project turned from fun learning into determined frustration. the web site needs a redesign ASAP.

Real Work

it’s my second week at Verndale. work is challenging and i’m constantly busy. it’s a change from my old company, but a welcome one. i’m learning a lot on the job. i got assigned my first project and it looks like a big one at over 100+ manhours speculated. i’ll be the engineer, doing most of the coding and QA.

i’m worried about how i’m performing though. you’re supposed to report at least 8 hours of work a day and it’s hard for me to do so (complicated/extensive time management system). a job estimated at 1 hour takes me 2 hours because i’m still learning. i hope i’m not failing any expectations.

What WolfGang Ultimate Needs To Do

we lost our game today against Porkbellies. i consider them as rivals because our record against them is 2 losses and 1 win. however, i am so frustrated and disappointed at the loss today because it was all our fault. we showed up late and didn’t warm up properly. we threw so many turnovers – our defensive fire was not there – our offense was sluggish and shaky. i’m going to clamp down at practice again. we can’t afford to joke around any longer.

we need to learn:

  • offense strategies
    • zone
    • vertical stack
    • horizontal stack
  • hard, intense defense
    • keeping the force (not getting broken)
    • marking intensely (shuffling back and forth)
    • dictating where we want our man to go

our team needs to show up to practice and give it our all. we need to build team chemistry and increase our ultimate skills. i’m really trying but how can i motivate my players? all i can do now is keep nudging and hoping.

Poor Sleep

I haven’t been sleeping too well recently ever since I moved back to my “old room.” I sleep on top bunk, in a small mattress fenced in by metal to stop myself from falling off. Every morning, my sister wakes up for school and makes a huge racket. She turns on the light – makes a shitload of noise. When my mom wakes up, she creates her own chaos. Sometimes she’ll yell at my sister – sometimes she’ll start fussing over everything. My mom is going insane. I know people say that about their parents all the time – but my mom is a workaholic. She is constantly stressed and lets the stress affect her life way too much.