My sideburns are really long. People at church have made comments about them. That's how long they are. Sigh.
In other news, the joy of my summer life that I met last year is about to return tomorrow!
Yes, I'm talking about WIPEOUT!
Oh Mr. Sweeper, how I've missed you...
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What are Pointless Posts?
By Tim. Mostly boring stuff, but every now and then something interesting will appear. No one reads this anyways...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What to watch? Global Doc - "Hip to be Holy" or "Revealed: Hip 2B Holy"
To clarify the topic of this post, there is a documentary on Global coming up entitled "Hip to be Holy" or "Revealed: Hip 2B Holy" or even "Hip 2B Holy." I can't figure it out, but different Google searches turn up different pages calling it different names. It's a little weird that there doesn't seem to be consistency with the title.
It will be airing on Global stations on Monday, May 25, 2009 at 10pm PST/EST (or 7pm if you're in the west and into timeshifting). If all goes well with my tech, I will be recording this program.
Why watch it? Read a few abstract thingys:
From the production company responsible (90th Parallel), they say:
It looks very interesting, and it should be interesting depending on the point of view it will be presented in. My concern is that there will be bias against Jesus/Christianity as there usually is in the news/media/pop culture/world/etc and that half-truths will be told, or that things will be explained or reported in a way that might seem discrediting to the Alpha program and Christians in general. I guess we will see.
Also, I don't know if it's true or not, but I think some portions may have been filmed in2007 if my internet sleuthing is correct. Anyways, in the interest of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the luxury of debatable discussion without persecution (at least from where I'm writing this post), I encourage you to watch it.
EDIT: May 19 - I've been getting a lot of traffic because of this post which shows lots of people are mucho interested in this documentary, as well as the topic. I've found another snippet which has some interview-like dialogue with Kevin Newman and the director Karen Pinker that Googlers might be interested in (btw, if you're reading this, want to buy floppy box from me? Click the link on the top right hand side of the page. 8^D)
Another EDIT: June 1 - You can watch the entire documentary on the Alpha Canada website here. You can thank Lon at Solar Crash for the link.
Hopefully no more EDITS - June 5: You can watch the entire doc on the GlobalTV website, WITH ads, woohoo (note: sarcasm)! If the link doesn't work, just search for it on there. It's there, I saw it.
Saw gas today for a low of 100.4 and a high of 104.6¢/litre. Also, it's been a while since I've done some pointless posting, so watch out for that.
It will be airing on Global stations on Monday, May 25, 2009 at 10pm PST/EST (or 7pm if you're in the west and into timeshifting). If all goes well with my tech, I will be recording this program.
Why watch it? Read a few abstract thingys:
From the production company responsible (90th Parallel), they say:
From the GlobalTV.com website (where you should be able to find definite listing times for the show) they say:
In the race to attract new converts, Evangelical Christians are pulling out ahead – and they’re reeling in young Canadians: particularly, GenNext, or, The Disciple Generation.
Suddenly it's hip to be holy.
Hip 2 B Holy, directed by Karen Pinker, is the latest in the REVEALED series with Kevin Newman for Global Television.
And finally, here's a snippet I found on YouTube:
Hip to be Holy
Monday, May 25 at 10.00 et/pt
There's a Christian reformation stirring in Canada's Christian churches. Forsaking the traditional pew and altar, these Christians are dropping pop culture references, defying the orthodoxy, and creating their own brands of worship. Suddenly, it's hip to be holy.
It looks very interesting, and it should be interesting depending on the point of view it will be presented in. My concern is that there will be bias against Jesus/Christianity as there usually is in the news/media/pop culture/world/etc and that half-truths will be told, or that things will be explained or reported in a way that might seem discrediting to the Alpha program and Christians in general. I guess we will see.
Also, I don't know if it's true or not, but I think some portions may have been filmed in2007 if my internet sleuthing is correct. Anyways, in the interest of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the luxury of debatable discussion without persecution (at least from where I'm writing this post), I encourage you to watch it.
EDIT: May 19 - I've been getting a lot of traffic because of this post which shows lots of people are mucho interested in this documentary, as well as the topic. I've found another snippet which has some interview-like dialogue with Kevin Newman and the director Karen Pinker that Googlers might be interested in (btw, if you're reading this, want to buy floppy box from me? Click the link on the top right hand side of the page. 8^D)
Hopefully no more EDITS - June 5: You can watch the entire doc on the GlobalTV website, WITH ads, woohoo (note: sarcasm)! If the link doesn't work, just search for it on there. It's there, I saw it.
Saw gas today for a low of 100.4 and a high of 104.6¢/litre. Also, it's been a while since I've done some pointless posting, so watch out for that.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Floppy Disk Pen and Pencil Holders For Sale
(or you can use them to hold candy)
They’re recycled! Makes great gifts! If you buy them, you’re helping the environment (if you’re into that sort of thing)!
Cute! Neat! Geeky! Cool! Unique! Hand-made!
Available in BLACK
NAVY BLUE
GREY
One for $5
Three for $12
Shipping to Canada: $1
Shipping to USA: I'll give you a quote
(This is a lot cheaper than the ones I've seen on Etsy.com)
If you buy more than three, shipping costs will go up slightly, but I’ll have to check how much and get back to you. Also, 75% of everything I make from this, will go to help children in India via Mission of Mercy Canada (I’m still undecided between their clean water projects or school funding projects).
Email me; regarding payment, I accept PayPal.
(And yes I know, my photography skills are seriously lacking.)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I am such an idiot
I have never left a movie theater feeling angry before. Usually I'm happy and sometimes in awe of the great storytelling, until tonight. I just saw Knowing and I left the theater angry.
It is so incredibly stupid, I feel like an idiot for freely choosing to see this movie. I was not coerced, I was just under the assumption that it would be intersting, but KNOWING IS ONE OF THE STUPIDEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! If only I knew. Sigh.
I wish I could erase the part of my brain that remembers the movie in my brain, because its taking up valuable space. Don't see this movie. If you love yourself, don't watch this movie. If you really must though, don't spend money to watch this movie. Trust me. Read the entry on Wikipedia on it, read forums, read about how much other people hate it. It's really that bad. That's why I'm taking the time to vent about it, because I feel like such an idiot and I need to warn everyone else.
*Spoilers*
Nicolas Cage and the female protagonist (forget her name) yell at each other unnecessarily a lot because Nicolas Cage doesn't know how to communicate and answer simple questions. A bunch of aliens torment a bunch of kids and lots of violin/suspenseful/potentially scary music is overplayed in too many scenes. Every student at MIT who owns a laptop chooses Dell. In the end, it turns out the numbers on the paper are predicting the end of the world, and two children are transported somewhere by the aliens to start the human race afresh. The earth is burned up by the sun. The End. Oh wait, her name was Diana.
I need to go watch TV and try and cleanse this filth from my mind.
It is so incredibly stupid, I feel like an idiot for freely choosing to see this movie. I was not coerced, I was just under the assumption that it would be intersting, but KNOWING IS ONE OF THE STUPIDEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! If only I knew. Sigh.
I wish I could erase the part of my brain that remembers the movie in my brain, because its taking up valuable space. Don't see this movie. If you love yourself, don't watch this movie. If you really must though, don't spend money to watch this movie. Trust me. Read the entry on Wikipedia on it, read forums, read about how much other people hate it. It's really that bad. That's why I'm taking the time to vent about it, because I feel like such an idiot and I need to warn everyone else.
*Spoilers*
Nicolas Cage and the female protagonist (forget her name) yell at each other unnecessarily a lot because Nicolas Cage doesn't know how to communicate and answer simple questions. A bunch of aliens torment a bunch of kids and lots of violin/suspenseful/potentially scary music is overplayed in too many scenes. Every student at MIT who owns a laptop chooses Dell. In the end, it turns out the numbers on the paper are predicting the end of the world, and two children are transported somewhere by the aliens to start the human race afresh. The earth is burned up by the sun. The End. Oh wait, her name was Diana.
I need to go watch TV and try and cleanse this filth from my mind.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sweet, Sweet Brain Atrophy
I had a term paper due last week on Tuesday, April 14th. I was really looking forward to writing it because I thought I had it all figured out.
So on Tuesday April 7th, I go to the library borrow a lot of books I figure that I'll need for research.
On Wednesday, April 8th, I start a bit of research.
Thursday, April 9th, I procrastinate and play video games.
Friday, April 10th, I procrastinate and play video games.
Saturday, April 11th, I procrastinate and play video games.
On Sunday, April 12th, I start to panic in my mind a little since I only have about two days left and so I start doing (haha "start") my research again. I end up nodding off to sleep during my research.
On Monday, April 13th, (its due tomorrow), I start being really productive by late afternoon, lets say 5pm.
By 9pm, I've spent a lot of time on my introduction. It is really slick and I'm proud of it.
But now its 11pm, oh crap, I still have 2000/2500 words left to write? I've only just nailed down my thesis.
Sure, 2000 words isn't that bad but considering I had a whole week, I'm slightly bummed and now diminishing marginal returns is starting to set in a bit (sort of); as time progresses (or "increases"), quality of writing decreases.
Now its 2am, early Tuesday morning. I've given up on that grade-A paper I was planning on getting.
Sun is starting to peek through my window at 6am... must write... anything...
It's 7am, and I'm nodding off at the keyboard.
I give up at 9am. I've finished a rough draft of my citations. Time to sleep. I'll wake up at 10:30am to finish it.
Sleep through multiple alarms and snoozes. Wake up at 12pm.
After some food, its 1pm and my productivity has amazingly sky-rocketed.
Go to school and hand in paper at 3pm.
Brain atrophy starts to take stronger hold over my body.
For example, while cleaning my room a few days later, I found some maps I've been saving. I love maps. They're fun to look at. I'm easily amused by Google Maps (and before that Keyhole) and looking at countries and where things are located.
So anyways, in the beginning of phone books, there are local maps of the Lower Mainland and I've always thought, it'd be fun to tear them out and stick them all together to make a giant map of Greater Vancouver. So I did that. Sort of.
I had cut off all the side bars and was already 1/3 of the way done taping all the small pieces together, but as I was overlapping them and making the roads and other parts of the maps perfectly aligned, I realized, they weren't perfectly printed and the maps weren't 100% aligned or to scale. Some roads didn't connect perfectly. So I gave up.
I still love maps though. They're fun to look at.
So on Tuesday April 7th, I go to the library borrow a lot of books I figure that I'll need for research.
On Wednesday, April 8th, I start a bit of research.
Thursday, April 9th, I procrastinate and play video games.
Friday, April 10th, I procrastinate and play video games.
Saturday, April 11th, I procrastinate and play video games.
On Sunday, April 12th, I start to panic in my mind a little since I only have about two days left and so I start doing (haha "start") my research again. I end up nodding off to sleep during my research.
On Monday, April 13th, (its due tomorrow), I start being really productive by late afternoon, lets say 5pm.
By 9pm, I've spent a lot of time on my introduction. It is really slick and I'm proud of it.
But now its 11pm, oh crap, I still have 2000/2500 words left to write? I've only just nailed down my thesis.
Sure, 2000 words isn't that bad but considering I had a whole week, I'm slightly bummed and now diminishing marginal returns is starting to set in a bit (sort of); as time progresses (or "increases"), quality of writing decreases.
Now its 2am, early Tuesday morning. I've given up on that grade-A paper I was planning on getting.
Sun is starting to peek through my window at 6am... must write... anything...
It's 7am, and I'm nodding off at the keyboard.
I give up at 9am. I've finished a rough draft of my citations. Time to sleep. I'll wake up at 10:30am to finish it.
Sleep through multiple alarms and snoozes. Wake up at 12pm.
After some food, its 1pm and my productivity has amazingly sky-rocketed.
Go to school and hand in paper at 3pm.
Brain atrophy starts to take stronger hold over my body.
For example, while cleaning my room a few days later, I found some maps I've been saving. I love maps. They're fun to look at. I'm easily amused by Google Maps (and before that Keyhole) and looking at countries and where things are located.
So anyways, in the beginning of phone books, there are local maps of the Lower Mainland and I've always thought, it'd be fun to tear them out and stick them all together to make a giant map of Greater Vancouver. So I did that. Sort of.
I had cut off all the side bars and was already 1/3 of the way done taping all the small pieces together, but as I was overlapping them and making the roads and other parts of the maps perfectly aligned, I realized, they weren't perfectly printed and the maps weren't 100% aligned or to scale. Some roads didn't connect perfectly. So I gave up.I still love maps though. They're fun to look at.
Monday, April 06, 2009
I am such a fool
Warning: this post won't make much sense and will be incredibly boring to you if you're not a Christian.
God's patience is amazing, especially with me. I am such a fool. If I had to deal with me on a regular basis, I’d beat myself up already for being so annoying. And it wouldn’t be last year’s weakling Tim, it’d be future no-quarter-given-Tim who head-butts, eye-gouges, throat-punches, and crotch-kicks all at the same time.
So while procrastinating doing work/research, just a few moments ago, I ended what must have been a good 30-minute conversation (or longer) with a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was so full of pride and confident in myself (cue warning sirens) that I thought, hey, this should be fun! I’ll go talk to them and see what happens!
After many instances where I listened quietly (oh man, they talk so much!) and pretended to be ignorant about some things (which turns out wasn’t an act), I have full confirmation that I do not know my Bible, I do not know where to find things that are central to my own faith, and I really do not know my own Bible. Also, it was a little fun to be on this side than on the other side for a change. But good sunny weather and polite Jehovah’s Witnesses aside, I feel somewhat humiliated, embarrassed, and definitely foolish, for…. yeah…. I’m a fool.
Interesting things to note: they drove a Nissan, one lady (must have been 30s) was Filipino but she’s learning Mando and Canto!? And the other older lady (maybe, late 50s early 60s) was from Taiwan and the older who was training the younger was much more forceful. Also, they really don’t like the idea of Jesus as God. This is one of the key things I learned that I need to know.
On the bright side, it’s a wake up call from God (not the same as the Jehovah Witnesses god that they were trying to share with me about) that He gave me a Bible and it won’t read itself. Also, the war is not against flesh and blood (eg. the JWs), but against the evil spirits who seek to discredit and distort God’s message and anything against God (Eph 6:12). Idiot.. I feel like I’ve just been neutered or something… probably the wrong analogy but I'm going to stick with it for now.
God's patience is amazing, especially with me. I am such a fool. If I had to deal with me on a regular basis, I’d beat myself up already for being so annoying. And it wouldn’t be last year’s weakling Tim, it’d be future no-quarter-given-Tim who head-butts, eye-gouges, throat-punches, and crotch-kicks all at the same time.
So while procrastinating doing work/research, just a few moments ago, I ended what must have been a good 30-minute conversation (or longer) with a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was so full of pride and confident in myself (cue warning sirens) that I thought, hey, this should be fun! I’ll go talk to them and see what happens!
After many instances where I listened quietly (oh man, they talk so much!) and pretended to be ignorant about some things (which turns out wasn’t an act), I have full confirmation that I do not know my Bible, I do not know where to find things that are central to my own faith, and I really do not know my own Bible. Also, it was a little fun to be on this side than on the other side for a change. But good sunny weather and polite Jehovah’s Witnesses aside, I feel somewhat humiliated, embarrassed, and definitely foolish, for…. yeah…. I’m a fool.
Interesting things to note: they drove a Nissan, one lady (must have been 30s) was Filipino but she’s learning Mando and Canto!? And the other older lady (maybe, late 50s early 60s) was from Taiwan and the older who was training the younger was much more forceful. Also, they really don’t like the idea of Jesus as God. This is one of the key things I learned that I need to know.
On the bright side, it’s a wake up call from God (not the same as the Jehovah Witnesses god that they were trying to share with me about) that He gave me a Bible and it won’t read itself. Also, the war is not against flesh and blood (eg. the JWs), but against the evil spirits who seek to discredit and distort God’s message and anything against God (Eph 6:12). Idiot.. I feel like I’ve just been neutered or something… probably the wrong analogy but I'm going to stick with it for now.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Pointless Post #26
My life has reached a new low.
I goof off and make lots of lame jokes all the time, but apparently my "personality" was misunderstood (haha shut up) as a gay guy in Convo Mall asked me out today.
For the record, I declined. When the semester is over and I have free time again, I'm going to buy a truck so I can work on it, then I'm going to take up hunting as a hobby, watch even more hockey, and do more manly things.
Sigh...
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What are Pointless Posts?
I goof off and make lots of lame jokes all the time, but apparently my "personality" was misunderstood (haha shut up) as a gay guy in Convo Mall asked me out today.
For the record, I declined. When the semester is over and I have free time again, I'm going to buy a truck so I can work on it, then I'm going to take up hunting as a hobby, watch even more hockey, and do more manly things.
Sigh...
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What are Pointless Posts?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pointless Post #25
I just realized that it is almost exactly 10 years ago, that I was in a Power Plant off the coast of the Rock Tunnel near Cerulean City, when I captured Zapdos. I remember freaking out as I encountered the bird because I had forgotten to save the game before engaging in battle. But as previously mentioned, I was victorious.
Aaahhh.... memories. By the way, the link is safe to click. It's not a Rick Roll (or is it?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlw1FpOCEfo
Oh yeeeeaaaaaaah, I just favourited that video...
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What are Pointless Posts?
Aaahhh.... memories. By the way, the link is safe to click. It's not a Rick Roll (or is it?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlw1FpOCEfo
Oh yeeeeaaaaaaah, I just favourited that video...
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What are Pointless Posts?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Pointless Post #24
Maybe this is embarassing to say, but I had a good cry today, and I don't really cry that often. Those onions really got to me as I was chopping to them, whew.
I think I get my hair cut about 7 times per year.
Why do birds walk so funny? And they have such skinny legs, haha!
Saw gas for about $1 yesterday and a high of 96.9¢/litre today.
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What are Pointless Posts?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Tiring Week
This is a narcissistic post. And the title says it all. I'm pooped (but slightly better after having a full night's sleep).
Aside from a few late night's earlier in the semester and an all-night report writing session two weeks ago, this has been one of the most tiring week's I've ever had.
It consisted of:
-no hockey (playing or watching)
-eating many many many granola bars
-long and frantic research, skimming articles and other things with too many words...
-sacrificing small assignments for bigger assignments
-getting ~5 hours sleep/day for four days (most was 6.75 on one day and least was 2)
-preparing and rehearsing for back-to-back presentations
-ironing a shirt at 1:30am
-doing homework in the library until almost 12am (twice)
-not being able to catch up on sleep on the bus because idiot fellow passengers will not shut up (I don't care about what your hair colour used to be, where you traveled to last year, or how you used to save money by stealing your neighbours fruits/vegetables from their garden! Talk softer! And the same to you cell phone users!)
-almost falling asleep in DG multiple times despite a very intriguing discussion (at least, it sounded intriguing from what I remember of it... all I remember now is that afterwards I kept on thinking of a Mark Driscoll quote, "Culturally liberal and theologically conservative.")
PS - I'm not a schizophrenic.
Aside from a few late night's earlier in the semester and an all-night report writing session two weeks ago, this has been one of the most tiring week's I've ever had.
It consisted of:
-no hockey (playing or watching)
-eating many many many granola bars
-long and frantic research, skimming articles and other things with too many words...
-sacrificing small assignments for bigger assignments
-getting ~5 hours sleep/day for four days (most was 6.75 on one day and least was 2)
-preparing and rehearsing for back-to-back presentations
-ironing a shirt at 1:30am
-doing homework in the library until almost 12am (twice)
-not being able to catch up on sleep on the bus because idiot fellow passengers will not shut up (I don't care about what your hair colour used to be, where you traveled to last year, or how you used to save money by stealing your neighbours fruits/vegetables from their garden! Talk softer! And the same to you cell phone users!)
-almost falling asleep in DG multiple times despite a very intriguing discussion (at least, it sounded intriguing from what I remember of it... all I remember now is that afterwards I kept on thinking of a Mark Driscoll quote, "Culturally liberal and theologically conservative.")
My mind is still in the process of planning for buttloads of work, deadlines, and meetings in the two remaining weeks of school....
....waah, waah, waaah, Tim is such a big whiny baby. Somebody change his diaper and give him his bottle. Good sweet crap you're so annoying with your sob stories of how you're still alive and didn't have to dodge land mines or walk miles for a trickle of parasite infested water to drink.
PS - I'm not a schizophrenic.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Pointless Post #23
I washed my headband by hand earlier today because I'm going to need it when I play floor hockey later (I have amazing sweat glands in my forehead! Wait, do I even have sweat glands in my forehead? I'm not a biologist...) Ahem, regardless, whenever I play sports, sweat pours down my face and I use a headband to keep the sweat from my eyes.
So after I washed my headband, it was still really, really wet, even after I had wrung it out. So instead of sticking it in the dryer (which would have been wasteful, all by itself), I tried microwaving it. Three minutes later, it started to smoke so I quickly took it out and success! It was 90% dry!
So now I have a partially burnt headband, our house smells like burnt-something, but it's still useable!
Yes, I'm Chinese. Thankyoubyebyeee! [said with high-pitched nasal Canto accent]
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What are Pointless Posts?
Monday, March 02, 2009
Pointless Post #22
Internet memes do not work well in real life. Specifically, rickrolling and saying "fail" (or "epic fail" if that fancies you more). Or maybe I'm just too big of a nerd.
Sigh. I should probably get some fresh air.
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What are Pointless Posts?
Sigh. I should probably get some fresh air.
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What are Pointless Posts?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
My Worst Semester Ever...
...or is it my best semester ever?
Another title for this post could be “Obligatory post about school,” as I always have something to complain about school. Right now, it’s the middle of Week 7. Middle of the semester. Time flew by pretty quickly. SFU’s reading break or “mid-term break” ended yesterday, but I got an email this morning from the prof announcing that today’s class would be cancelled, so woohoo, extra day for me to catch up on stuff! And catching up is not an understatement…
One reason why this might be my worst semester ever is because I’ve fallen deeply behind in my readings. I’m doing three courses. One of the classes I’m all up to date and everything is fantastic there, however, it is an elective class (ASC 302: Selected Topics in Chinese Studies: Popular Culture and Cultural Production in Contemporary China).
Semi-tangent: I took my first ASC class way back in my first semester waaay back in first year, and I fell in love with ASC stuff. Ironic how I haven’t done a minor in it, but I’ve still taken buttloads of ASC courses. They’re great. ASC 302 is great too cause it’s basically a film class. Watch Chinese films, do some analysis, relate it to contemporary society/change/etc (which I already love to do) and did I mention we get to watch movies? Watch movies as homework? Done. It’s actually pretty relevant on a social perspective though. Very insightful.
As for my business classes (the other two out of the three) that I need to take in order to graduate with a business degree, I have done almost none of my readings… In fact, last week I finally took off the plastic wrapping for one of my textbooks in order to skim a case that was going to be discussed the next day. I won’t talk about how much I hate the bookstore or how much I hate textbook publishing companies, but I will say that these books are again, boring (business textbooks… pfft).
Most of the lectures (or seminars as they’re called… hey actually I just realized, all of my classes this semester are officially seminars… interesting) for my two business courses usually end up with me trying to pay attention, but naturally drifting off into daydreams, goofing off, or boredom and confusion. Sigh.
So why might I consider this semester my best? Despite not doing almost any of my readings, I’ve gotten all my work done on time, getting decent marks back on work submitted, and I don’t hate any of my profs! I genuinely respect all of them. I’m quite sure that’s a first for me at SFU.
I’ve woken up extra early on certain times to get work done among other things, as well as stayed back after classes to again, get things done. Before, my intention was always to sleep in as much as possible, get up and rush to school, sit in class, and then rush home as soon as prof dismisses to crawl back into bed (figuratively). In this being my last year as an undergraduate, I finally feel like a real university student… I’ve even bought food to eat while on campus out of necessity and scheduling, because before, I always used to bring my own food because it was so expensive. Now, prices have become reasonable thanks to new services, but a word of warning: Chartwells, your day of reckoning will draw near. I’m serious.
I’ve also been doing a lot of reminiscing. In some ways, I can’t believe this is my final year at SFU. I think a lot about who I used to be, what I used to do, what things were like when I was a first year student and what kinds of things first years experience now. I sometimes stare at buildings and think, “that used to be a parking lot,” or at renovated places on campus and think, “this actually looks nicer now… too bad I didn’t get to enjoy these facilities before they replaced the disgusting 40-year old carpet.” I sometimes wonder if all my previous years were wasted, if I could have done more… in everything. But that might just be wishful thinking. Or it could be true too. I think it’s a little of both.
I miss sitting in big lecture halls, specifically the big science ones you have to enter in the South AQ hall. Poking my head in there makes me feel nostalgic, because 3/4 days this semester, I’m in the same, tiny, seminar room with crappy, broken, squeaky seats in WMC 3250. The other day (which would have been today), I’m in RCB 6136, which is also another tiny room with several annoying concrete pillars that can block your view depending on where you sit. I also got lost trying to find that room during the first week of the semester. A silly place to put a classroom, right on the end of a hallway full of offices.
To wrap this obligatory post about school up, Simon Fraser University is a good university, but compared to almost every other university (maybe?), I think it is a bad university. I’m quite apathetic to what happens here, because of poor administration, poor student politics, poor management, and too many bad experiences in classes that should have been enjoyable. I’m proud in one way to say that I go to SFU, but in another way, I’m ashamed at how it’s not the most student-friendly place in the world. I blame poor money management. I can’t imagine how much is wasted due to poor choices by the idiots who are given the responsibility to steward funds.
I used to hate UBC so much, partly because I didn’t want to go there, partly because it’s so far away (but my parents made me apply there anyway and they denied my application so hurray, another reason to hate UBC), and partly due to the SFU/UBC rivalry (which come to think about now… does one even exist?). Now I see how foolish I was.
As weird as it sounds, I’ve already planned out my decision for when future students working part time call to ask me, as an alumni, donations for SFU. My answer? No. Stop calling me.
Go UBC!
Please Note: This post was mainly about my feelings related to my educational/student experiences at SFU. I may post in the future about how my time at university has been the best, most valuable growing experiences I’ve ever had, aside from all the cool people I’ve met, and what God has done in my life.
Another title for this post could be “Obligatory post about school,” as I always have something to complain about school. Right now, it’s the middle of Week 7. Middle of the semester. Time flew by pretty quickly. SFU’s reading break or “mid-term break” ended yesterday, but I got an email this morning from the prof announcing that today’s class would be cancelled, so woohoo, extra day for me to catch up on stuff! And catching up is not an understatement…
One reason why this might be my worst semester ever is because I’ve fallen deeply behind in my readings. I’m doing three courses. One of the classes I’m all up to date and everything is fantastic there, however, it is an elective class (ASC 302: Selected Topics in Chinese Studies: Popular Culture and Cultural Production in Contemporary China).
Semi-tangent: I took my first ASC class way back in my first semester waaay back in first year, and I fell in love with ASC stuff. Ironic how I haven’t done a minor in it, but I’ve still taken buttloads of ASC courses. They’re great. ASC 302 is great too cause it’s basically a film class. Watch Chinese films, do some analysis, relate it to contemporary society/change/etc (which I already love to do) and did I mention we get to watch movies? Watch movies as homework? Done. It’s actually pretty relevant on a social perspective though. Very insightful.
As for my business classes (the other two out of the three) that I need to take in order to graduate with a business degree, I have done almost none of my readings… In fact, last week I finally took off the plastic wrapping for one of my textbooks in order to skim a case that was going to be discussed the next day. I won’t talk about how much I hate the bookstore or how much I hate textbook publishing companies, but I will say that these books are again, boring (business textbooks… pfft).
Most of the lectures (or seminars as they’re called… hey actually I just realized, all of my classes this semester are officially seminars… interesting) for my two business courses usually end up with me trying to pay attention, but naturally drifting off into daydreams, goofing off, or boredom and confusion. Sigh.
So why might I consider this semester my best? Despite not doing almost any of my readings, I’ve gotten all my work done on time, getting decent marks back on work submitted, and I don’t hate any of my profs! I genuinely respect all of them. I’m quite sure that’s a first for me at SFU.
I’ve woken up extra early on certain times to get work done among other things, as well as stayed back after classes to again, get things done. Before, my intention was always to sleep in as much as possible, get up and rush to school, sit in class, and then rush home as soon as prof dismisses to crawl back into bed (figuratively). In this being my last year as an undergraduate, I finally feel like a real university student… I’ve even bought food to eat while on campus out of necessity and scheduling, because before, I always used to bring my own food because it was so expensive. Now, prices have become reasonable thanks to new services, but a word of warning: Chartwells, your day of reckoning will draw near. I’m serious.
I’ve also been doing a lot of reminiscing. In some ways, I can’t believe this is my final year at SFU. I think a lot about who I used to be, what I used to do, what things were like when I was a first year student and what kinds of things first years experience now. I sometimes stare at buildings and think, “that used to be a parking lot,” or at renovated places on campus and think, “this actually looks nicer now… too bad I didn’t get to enjoy these facilities before they replaced the disgusting 40-year old carpet.” I sometimes wonder if all my previous years were wasted, if I could have done more… in everything. But that might just be wishful thinking. Or it could be true too. I think it’s a little of both.
I miss sitting in big lecture halls, specifically the big science ones you have to enter in the South AQ hall. Poking my head in there makes me feel nostalgic, because 3/4 days this semester, I’m in the same, tiny, seminar room with crappy, broken, squeaky seats in WMC 3250. The other day (which would have been today), I’m in RCB 6136, which is also another tiny room with several annoying concrete pillars that can block your view depending on where you sit. I also got lost trying to find that room during the first week of the semester. A silly place to put a classroom, right on the end of a hallway full of offices.
To wrap this obligatory post about school up, Simon Fraser University is a good university, but compared to almost every other university (maybe?), I think it is a bad university. I’m quite apathetic to what happens here, because of poor administration, poor student politics, poor management, and too many bad experiences in classes that should have been enjoyable. I’m proud in one way to say that I go to SFU, but in another way, I’m ashamed at how it’s not the most student-friendly place in the world. I blame poor money management. I can’t imagine how much is wasted due to poor choices by the idiots who are given the responsibility to steward funds.
I used to hate UBC so much, partly because I didn’t want to go there, partly because it’s so far away (but my parents made me apply there anyway and they denied my application so hurray, another reason to hate UBC), and partly due to the SFU/UBC rivalry (which come to think about now… does one even exist?). Now I see how foolish I was.
As weird as it sounds, I’ve already planned out my decision for when future students working part time call to ask me, as an alumni, donations for SFU. My answer? No. Stop calling me.
Go UBC!
Please Note: This post was mainly about my feelings related to my educational/student experiences at SFU. I may post in the future about how my time at university has been the best, most valuable growing experiences I’ve ever had, aside from all the cool people I’ve met, and what God has done in my life.
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