Just when I think I have time, prof tells us we have to design an application for visualization. An application for lots of data. ...I just wish it was easier said than done. Fortunately, I have an idea of what to do. hehe. I'm going to have some musical data and display it with svgz! Hmmm, only problem now it to modify it to be in either a timeline, landscape, or semantic zoom. This project is going to be challenge, but what is life without challenges? Anyway, I do have Comcast broadband now, and other than needing to pay for it, it's pretty nice. Schedule is updated, but still tentative. Time flies though and soon it will be winter quarter! That'll be a tough quarter...Networking application design, Data structures and algorithms, and information and socialization. @_@ But, optimistically I think it may not be as bad as I believe it will be. We'll see. Until the next update (probably next month), I hope that all goes well.

UW Information School

Long time since I updated, right? Well, at the moment I'm at school and busying myself, to the extreme...as usual. Mostly it's because of my new job at the Netops, as a student network analyst. Lots of hours training, and I work nights, so that puts a dent in hours I need to be working on course readings and such. Too bad for me all readings and course material are ONLINE. What's so bad about that? Uh, I have dial-up at home. At work, I have not had time to do hw, and I gotta go online to do hw. I go to school labs, which close way too early IMHO. So why didn't I get broadband earlier, before school began? I did, or at least I tried to. Weeks ago I decided on Qwest, but I only was told a couple days ago that their service couldn't reach my house. Then why, did they offer the service to me in the first place!!! Gaah! Stupidity! So anyway, I'm going to get cable from Comcast, but cuz it's too late their free installation is now $45 (about the price of one extra month of their cable broadband service). $45 for something I can do myself; I mean I built a computer didn't I? I don't even make quite that much $$ on a given day at work...cept when I work 8 hours Sunday. Yeah, Sunday. @_@ I'll update my schedule as soon as I get cable at home. Until then. Laterz.

Evite: Free Online Invitations
This site is pretty cool. Free online invitations, trax your invitees' reponses, keeps records, and more. Now, I just wish some of my friends checked e-mail and are online more. Come to think of it, haven't been to a get together in a while. A long while. Hmm. Maybe I should throw my own party. :p Too bad, I don't have moolah, don't have time to plan & setup, and don't have my own place. I only have enough right now to eat out once. And that's if I only need to pay for myself... Doh, don't have enough even for a drink and dessert. pooh. Geh, I hate having to be all miserly, cuz I know I'm naturally a very generous person. Bah humbuggies...

Elitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd.
This site is for the motherboard thing. Arg. Sometimes I wish people would just lay off stuff they don't understand. Especially when the stuff includes electronics, mechanics, and politics. heh, yeah politics. Aaahnold, your past isn't exactly a clean slate. As a movie star, it's ok, but as a politician... Well, you gotta be wary of your past, present and future actions. Plus you're a what? Republican? Pretty sure Californians are mostly democrats as there are a lot of diversity and environmentalists in that area. I could be wrong though. Don't take my word for it, just assumed considering how California is into rewarding drivers of hybrid cars, recycling, and preserving wildlife. Where did all the hippies originate anyway? Anyhoo, I had that computer working and so and so are blaming me cuz they don't know how to setup the software. Boo. Why me? Oh, yes, now that I'm home from school it's always either my fault or my brother's fault. No wonder teenagers like to use phrases like "The heck?", "umm ok, ___", "What the..__?"... Bafflement. My favorite one (got this from mom) is Ngaw guh (My in Cantonese) Goodness *insert eye roll here*. Laterz.

How to Build a Socket A Athlon Computer
So I was helping out to build a computer for my dad this labor day weekend. Cuz I'm an EE major, I'm suppose to be the know it all. :P Hey, it's really not too hard to build one. You just gotta be wary of wiring and place in one part at a time. Anyway, the first time my brother built it (I just supervised...kinda), we thought the power supply was dead... Then when we brought it back to the store, they found it was not.. Hmmm. Ok, so the next day, I built it all up and tested it with each component. Until it was finally done! Ok, now my dad is trying to fiddle around with installing software... For some reason so far we can only intall Win NT4.0, doh! I'm thinking we need to flash the bios and try intalling Win98 with boot disks and all. But, after I built the working computer dad and brother all want a chance to prove their worth. hahahahah. j/k BTW, we bought a bunch of parts and electronics at the big grand opening sale Fry's Electronics had. A big warehouse of stuffs that has been a big retailer in CA, but recently has moved nearby. Great place, but sometimes if you shop around online enough you can find better pricing. Also, this weekend we went to Canada and I drove most of the way back... @_@ I don't need thriller movies or roller coasters, driving gives me an adrenaline rush cuz I'm totally paranoid that crazy drivers are going to eat me alive. O.o Oh, and lately family is in hi stress cuz brother is starting senior year in HS. Aaah the memories. I think he'll have a blast at college, especially since he has a similar attitude as I did in HS. Basically it sucked. 3% of what I learned in HS I can apply. I wish I just skipped middle and HS, they were a waste IMHO. Nevertheless, I still act immature sometimes. I swore sometime ago I'd never ever forget what it is like to be a kid. Although my childhood is kinda conservative to what kids do nowadays. But that story is for another time. Peace. ^_^ V.

CNN.com
Sometimes I really wonder if this site bends the truth. Oftentimes the articles are a bit too,... well, generalized. I mean you really do need heed what they say with only half an ear. What really bothered me today was the way they lined up the headlines, on the top there is a big flashy link on possible job boom. emphasis on possible. Then way down hidden in the business section is an artical on Labor woes lingering..... I like how it starts, economy is picking up but to those 9 million without jobs, they're like "so, what!?". Exactly, woooppy ding dong, if the economy is picking up, what with companies laying off people for technology and cheap workers in other countres. Of course companies are going to say they're profitting! Bah. If you can't tell, babaa at home still has no job and momeee even notes that he's getting a bit depressed. :( Dangit. I'd rather have him angry than ... depressed. Ah well, labor day weekend. The day that should be named laborless day is coming up. Going to canada, again. Why? Cuz the asian food there is more L337 than here ;D~, and cuz I'm getting a tattoo on my face! Ahahahaha! It's not really permanent, just two lines on my face. Actually this is a checkup/redo thing, cuz I already had it done last weekend... No one has commented on it, but then again my co-workers don't heed stuff like this much.... Ah well. Laterz.

Star Wars Galaxies
It sux. I have the game but I can't play due to tight budget of super wedgieness (you know which pants I'm talking about).
On the other hand...I still plan to get that ps2, but since a cnnmoney article said there may be a price war soon in September...I'll try really hard to be patient.
In the meantime, I'm gonna do other stuff to keep my mind off impending penny pinchingness. ARG. Sakura Con registration for $30. Cheap compared to $50 at the door, but I'm at that point I wish it was $20. Gah, sometimes I wish I wasn't so good at mental math. All the figures add up and I really do keep a sharp eye on my plastics. Well, as the cantonese put it, I'm super wary of blowing over my credit lines. At the moment they're huge, cuz my checking account is not so huge. Keeps my bills manageable. Savings account seems huge, but it's all for school. Cut my hair so my head doesn't feel as heavy, but...short hair is easier to pull. yeah, like beetheoven, I'm a hair puller when I'm stressed. Doh, I hope I don't go bald. O.o Bald Irene...now, that's a thought. (:p) <- bald smiley!

Some good news, turns out my dad keeps his pay for 3 more months. I'm still planning to get DSL, PS2, & DDRmax bundles. I'm totally going to be much happier being poor with a online access, gaming console, and games. Sounds kinda ironic to have all those and be poor, but I'm going to be paying for most of household items anyway (I'll be the only one employed...), so I have to buy some stuff for ME, or else I'll go insane. Not that I don't like using money on family, but it's depressing IMHO when you see all the money you earned being spent on bills on stuff you only use 10% of the time (ie electric, water, etc.) since I'll be either working or at school 90% of the time. But, I figured a good way to relieve the stress of being poor is playing games. Still, it'll be a while before I can get all those games on my wish list (30+ games...) Ack. Gotta make more money. Gotta study. Gotta get a life. :p

No good news yet. Just look at the CNN article title 'Job Search Hell', how can that signify a quick transition from laid off to employed? It's pretty discouraging, with an average unemployed time of 4.2 months...Average. News is worrisome, so I think the only things that make me happy are figuring things out at work and coming home and being a peacemaker at home. It gets pretty tense as dad is still out of work and the job market being so tight. We still life as is, just don't go out to eat, shop, or for entertainment so we can save money for bills. Must remember to turn off lights around the house and sleep early cuz it's dark. My brother and I play more board games cuz PC drains power and so we limit use to the Sundays and at night 9pm and later to save on electricity use. Sounds pretty dismal, but I do have enough from this summer to fund another year of school (including school insurance coverage since dad's work insurance lasts only till the end of this month). If I work really hard, I may be able to pay for some internet broadbrand so I can do homework and things at home on the weekends. In sad times, somehow one must find simple things to find happiness in. Sounds all religious and stuff, I'm actually agnostic (meaning I have not chosen one to follow yet), but I've been to christian sunday school, went to buddhist hearing, and even read a catholic prayer. I know what is moral and what is social codes are, just innately. All I have now is hope for the best. Peace.

This post sure is soon, when compared to the gaps between the previous posts. But since yesterday, I learned of some pretty bad news, that I just had to post. You know of those things you see on the news about fires and car crashes, and it seems so distant and most people probably think, "That won't ever happen to me..." Well, I didn't experience a fire or car crash, but let's just say the household income went from $90,000 or so to $20,000 for about a year then unless something turns up...my family and I will be in BIG financial trouble... Yeah, I was worried about the unemployment problems around the US, but never thought it'd happen to our family. If you haven't figured out the hint, basically my dad lost his job. Now it's just me at the APL earning everything I can for the coming year's tuition, and my brother's tutoring earning him money to save for a rainy rainy day. Anyway, like a past post said, life gives you lemons, but there is always a way to find the sweetness in lemonade. Ok... maybe we can't afford sugar anymore, but at least the lemon peels have healing qualities for hair and skin. Until maybe more cheerful news. Peace.

Hee hee. Long gap again. News now is I work full-time at the APL. No time for diddly or squat. Well, I make some 'Crane Eggs of Desire' (tetrahedrons of time-consuming-ness) on the way to and from work on the bus. Other than that, I go home eat and play and sleep. That's it. Weekends are a little better, I get to sleep in! Yay. Ok, all I just need to remember is to save more for PS2!!! Why PS2, cuz I like more of the games on there. I -like- 3rd person games, RPG's, and storylines of doom. Forget xbox, Halo is the only good game I saw, gamecube...well, my brother says he'll get that one. Sure gamecube games are fun, but ... they're also addicting as cokaine. Do not need that...yet. Peace.

New news. Post-poned graduation, got in Informatics, found some work for the summer, and doing more excercises! Yay me! Still gotta go see Matrix reloaded. Not playing in theaters anymore...which is kinda surprising, but it's at the Imax in the Pacific Science Center... So, I may just go see it there. Be patient, flexible, and pragmatic are my mottos this time. So life gives you lemons, fight back with patience and persistance and you should get some good lemonade out of it!

ack.. dunno if i can even cancel graduation 3 weeks before. oh well. who cares. it's their fault. >:[ too bad. dommage. good night. :p

Haven't posted in a long long while. Sooo busybooo, again. I finally, yes finally, decided to drop that ee class. It'll postpone graduation, I hope, and give me an excuse to hang around. Hey, it's their fault for giving me the whole attitude about leaving because I would have more than 210 credits. hey! quite a bit of those credits were transferred! It's not like this is my 7th year of college! Ack, their attitude against me staying just weeweed me off. Grr. I dropped to spite them and extend graduation, whether they like it or not. >:[ ... Actually, I was doing badly in the class and I want to get another degree. BUT they whine and give me excuses, so I'm taking up a spot, big deal! So what if you think I'm selfish, so are they! I mean, I want to further my education to improve my marketability to the job market, but they won't let me? I mean, come on! I thought colleges/universities were suppose to help further my education and help me get a job, so long as I kept pooring in the moolah. I mean, really now, who is benefitting from this relationship? The poor money sapped college student who tries to stay longer to get + points for job marketability, or the bad-economy stricken educational system that jacks up the price on tuition to balance out difficult fund management. Ok, I can understand kicking out students that switch majors again and again and again and again, but me? I've got a set plan. I want another degree and I will finish courses to get it, then find a job and leave this university. Never to come again, if they so desire. Why have they made it sooo difficult? What have I done to deserve this threat and force from the institution to kick me out? I'm a research assistant, I won a space grant, and mary gates grant. Not contributing to university? Being a burden? What do I need to do for them to let me stay? Get accepted into Nursing cuz it's more prestigious and competitive to get in? Have failed AP and transfer courses so I wouldn't have so many credits? What is wrong with an informatics degree combined with my ee degree? They are totally related in my eyes. ack ack ack. Then when I need advising most, advisors vanish on me. No e-mail replies, one is called out sick.. Well, I'm sick and tired of waiting and stressing. Time to drop and give them a migraine about pulling out of graduation. Too bad. They messed up my plans, I'm messing with theirs. When the world gives you lemons, I get sour. Sour people are not nice people. I used to be nice, too bad they gave me so many lemons...

haven't posted in a while. Sooooooooo busyboooo. heh, so figured my big M would come when I was relaxed and unstressed... shoulda figured right when I said it the situation occurred. ha ha. Usually good timing since midterms are but a few weeks in the close horizon. so is my b-day. woohoo. Get presents for getting old. Wonder what I'm going to get? I hope I get a car... :p Like that will ever happen. A gaming console with games would be nice.... Not going to happen either. Maybe a really big fat check? Yeah right. Most likely thing is I'm going to turn 22. geh.. old... I think once you get to a certain age, time just starts to catch up and go by really fast. Where did my year of being 21 go? Ah well, more excuse to go spend big for the other big M. Me. XD

Arms sore from pushups at step aerobix class. pooh, weak upper body strength. dangit, oi what I must do to keep fit. It really is a no pain no gain world. hw hw hw this week. :( I hope I can get enough done to go watch Bullet Proof Monk with Chow yun fat. He's soo cool looking, and acting. I like him better than Jacky Chan. His first big serial TV/movie in asia was 'The Bund'. It's about getting involved in a mafia type of group. The love triangle thing in there is pretty intense, where his 'best bud' ends up killing him (chow's char) for the girl. Oh, and IMHO Jacky is obnoxious and ugly, (hey I'm being nice about this, believe me). Even Jet Li looks better than him, even though he's kinda short and angsty looking in US movies. Ok... enuf critique of how asian guys are portrayed in the US media... asian girls are..um non-existent? They're either cool and cold villainous characters (crouching/hidden), sarcastic weirdos (charlie's angels), or even more misinterpreted by anime. None of these come even close to what they're really really like. I can write a whole essay on this, cuz I just happen to be one. Ah well. look at the time. Time to go do more lab...woohoooo. yay. (i'm being a sarcastic weirdo, ok?)

Bleah. That lab yesterday took 6 hours! And we're still not quite done yet. Arg. It was sukki. I got back an didn't eat dinner till, what, 10pm. Well, at least it was good. Heh then played some Smash with my roomy, but it was still pretty sukki to have 7 hours wasted away on a lab. I mean if we got it all done that'd be a different matter, but noooooo. It just doesn't work that way, does it. Didn't sleep till 3am, was reorganizing my room cuz, it was messy and that got on my nerves. okie, yoga time. Until next time, peace!

First post of this day. Had a pretty good sleep. hmmm. posting to this blog thing is addicting. Good thing not too many people read this. I'm going to just post randomness here anyway. I just combined most of my posts yesterday into one big one. Oh and editted the M.J.B. blog. Some pretty hefty posts I put there. Those posts I do want people to read.

Last post of the day. Whew. A productive day, despite my hours of playing Smash. I updated my website, posted with a blog. And, printed some homework out for class. yay me! Going to read and do yoga before going to bed. Yup, sleeping before the next day... That'll be first. Meh.. Have go finish a lab tomorrow, I estimate it'll take 5 hours... unless I'm lucky. *hope* *hope*

heh. TC 498 is about usability research, interface design, and user-centered..ness. This is going to be so entertaining. Finally found the best template for this. IMHO. I mean even the ad goes well on this template! Go figure, the designer obviously had that in mind. Ok, I need to stop ranting. Time to do Homework... sigh.

Earlier in the evening around 7:00pm...Kween Iween was heard blogging...
Hmmm. Not showing up on the webpage? arg... maybe it's my cpu? or is it just cuz it doesn't like me? ;__; waaa.
Then, 5 minutes later...
OOOOohhh... I need to click 'publish'... pooh. I didn't know that. Minus points on usability! Take it! ahahahaha!

Woot! Started a blog. This is interesting. Maybe I'll actually update my webpage more, now. weeee. I guess, what I can do here is just rant and rant and rant some more. Ok, so this was started cuz someone in my TC 498 class suggested it as a way for to discuss stuff with others on your team. Virtual teamwork is the term for it. Anyway. I have this blogger account now, so I'm going to make my own as well.