Hello World!

e-props to anyone that recognizes the nerdy reference.

there’s not much to write about nowadays. winter break is nearly over – it’s been a good one. i think i got all my laziness out so i’m ready to spring back into college. i wasted a bunch of time watching this korean drama during break named “boys over flowers.”

it wasn’t a great drama, but i felt like it reminded me of who i was at heart: a gay guy. haha, just kidding. but i felt my personality soften as i watched the drama. at the risk of saying too much on a public blog, it finally allowed me to forgive that girl that broke my heart. the majority of dramas are about pain, but after the pain, there’s always relief and possibly some insight/change. i mean, you exercise through pain to get a stronger/better body. the [emotional] heart’s the same way. you break it a couple of times, and once it heals, you’ll come out the other side stronger.

anyways, enough about sappy love shit. let’s talk about ambition. where am i on my goals?

  • school – i am excited about my upcoming class schedule: sociology, history of graphic design, advanced software systems, and intro to databases. since i’m interested in all my classes, surely i won’t fail! haha. i also got a B last semester in my (hard) Algorithms course so i am again motivated to continue my life as a CS major.
  • pool – i’m probably going to hit the pool hall way less this semester. it’s not really a priority, and from what my near-pro friend Bochen says, it’s lonely/boring at the top. like i’ve said before, the fun is in the challenging climb upwards (my rehashing of the phrase “it’s not the destination, but the journey”).
  • work – i have 2 jobs, one at CFAITO and one at 829 Studios. i’m going to be splitting my time between them this next semester. it’s going to be really challenging, but if i manage to juggle everything, my knowledge of web development is going to leap forward.
  • snowboarding – i actually learned to ski, but it’s no where near as fun as snowboarding. i haven’t gone as much as i’d like, but that will change in the coming months. boxes and rails, here i come.
  • finances – this is actually a new aspect of my life that i need to monitor. aside from spreading myself thin, all my activities are really adding up. ever since i turned 21, my alcohol bill has skyrocketed. this is not good. i’m going to try to cut back on unnecessary spending, especially on food. that extra dessert or drink not only costs money, but it’s just more calories that i have to burn off later at the gym or at practice.
  • ultimate – i need to get in even better shape. i’ve reached a plateau because i am not putting forth the effort to exercise more regularly. the tournament is less than a month away and i need to be in the best condition i can be in so i can support my team. this is most likely going to be BU’s most competitive season in many years and i definitely don’t want my fitness to be the reason for a loss.

i should talk about family, but this post is getting long [and i’m getting lazy] so i’ll leave that topic for next time.

My Early New Year’s Resolutions

i had been veering off the path recently and i needed to re-evaluate my priorities in life so as to not fail. i started a new job as a programmer at 829 LLC. i’m in it more for the experience than the money because my finances are pretty stable, but my big wage was a great incentive to get me on board. however, now my schedule is even more packed. i’m looking at an additional 10 hours of work a week on top of my 10 hours of work-study, but maybe i can still manage. without further ado, my goals:

  • captain of BU men’s ultimate frisbee team next year – this goal is very achievable. i’ve been working hard at ultimate ever since i came to BU. i started off as an unathletic and inexperienced player, having no prior sports experience other than martial arts. i would like to think that i’ve progressed since i play more than 2 points a game nowadays.
  • manager at CFA ITO (work-study job) – this goal is also very achievable. i’ve worked here ever since i’ve gotten to BU. the job has been a good learning experience because i’ve constantly been challenged. it was the first job that forced me to work 100% at all times, which has shaped my work ethic into something reasonable. i feel attached because i just know the organization and the people so well (relative to previous/other jobs). the pay could be better, but in this economy, i’ll take it.
  • continue web development next summer – sooner or later, i will have to choose between verndale or 829 LLC as my summer job. we’ll have to see how this run with 829 LLC goes, but i’m sure i’ll be happy with my choice either way because i’ll be getting paid well to do rewarding and exciting work.
  • be a decent pool player by end of academic year – i’ve been hitting BU central’s pool hall pretty hard for the past month. everyone pretty much knows me as a regular there. i purchased my own cue stick (mcdermott m72e for $135 off ebay) and i think i need to step it up to the next level. i’m going to start reading and watching learning materials, as well as practicing instead of just playing pool. by the end of the school year, hopefully i’ll be able to run a table from the break most of the time.
  • don’t fail school – a seemingly silly goal, but i find myself not paying attention to my academics as much as i should be. i mean, i pay quite a bit of money to attend college and i shouldn’t slut around so much, but i have poor self-control and this results in poor grades. i’ve pretty much decided what i want to do when i graduate: desktop and/or web programming. it’ll be more along the lines of practical application rather than technical/theoretical because frankly, i’m not that great at math and by extension, computer science. this means i just need to focus on the classes that matter and skim by in the classes that don’t relate so much. a bad strategy for my GPA for sure, but i’m just a realist (or maybe that’s just my excuse for sucking in classes).
  • learn some tricks in snowboarding – maybe too early, but with this upcoming season, i want to improve my skills on the slopes. last year, i could do some big boxes and rails and small jumps, but i want to double that this year. i want to be doing bigger jumps, smaller boxes and rails, and maybe even a 360. maybe it’s my competitiveness, but i just think that part of the enjoyment of an activity is the challenge it provides. that’s why i just love trying new things and seeing if i can improve at it really quickly.

anyways, have to wake up early tomorrow (or today, rather) and listen to a semi-boring lecture on probability and computing (CS237). it’s my worst class currently and i was going to drop it, but i decided to just stick it out and try to barely pass. hooray for mediocrity!