Not a good day, today. Took the 8:30 am shuttle to Caulfield and got
a pastry and a coffee and a large chocolate milk to eat while walking
to the racecourse. I was balancing the latte on the plastic plate that
comes with the pastry. Unfortunately my skillz were not up to par and I
ended up spilling half the latte all over my shirt. Grr…had to go to
the toilet to clean up and I could smell coffee all day long. Oh well,
at least it woke me up. The first exam was went okay. Systems Design,
I’m repeating it (keep your comments to yourself) and it’s a core
subject so that’s good. Didn’t have enough time to do the business
class diagram well, but that’s okay coz I think I did pretty good on
the other parts. My “pretty good” might not be Martin’s “pretty good”
though. Heh. Martin is my lecturer for this subject. Anyway, I had a 2
hour break in the middle, so I got a burger from the plaza and went to
the labs to read up on Unix. I read all the past exam papers and the
lecture notes. I didn’t have time to read the Week 12 tutorial
exercises though, which, as I would learn later, was a Grave ErrorTM.
About this time, I felt a disturbing trickle of warm liquid down the
back of my pants. I already knew what was up without having to look
into my bag. The chocolate milk that I got this morning and drank only
a bit from lay spilt at the bottom of my bag. A little quick math
reveals the amount of liquid that has been displaced from the bottle
into my bag. 600 ml (bottle capacity) – 100 ml (amount drank in the
morning) = 500 ml of chocolaty goodness. My books were soaked and so
were my pants. I went into the Winner’s Circle feeling very decidedly
un-winner like. The Unix Programming assignment can be summed up in one
word. Hard. Upon coming out, I was told that all the questions were
based on the Week 12 tutorial solutions, which I didn’t read. There was
even a 20 mark question that can be done in one line of code. One
measly line of code that was in the Week 12 tutorial exercises which I
neglected to read. One miserable line of code to grant me a “Get out of
Fail free” card. One wretched (I’m using the inbuilt thesaurus here)
line of code that is worth 20 marks. I’m going to print out the Week 12
tutorial solutions and eat it for revenge. To top it off, I tried the
balancing act again with two seafood baskets and a hot cocoa from
slops. When I opened the door to my room, the plates tilted and the cup
of cocoa started to slide. One of my hand was on the door knob and the
other was holding the plates with the sliding cup which dropped and
spilled all over my floor. It was either that or drop my two seafood
platters. Guess which one I chose?
Month: June 2002
Finals
Exams exams exams. I have two papers on Monday so I’ll have to miss
out on some sleep tonight so I can sleep early tomorrow. Need to get in
bed by 11 pm so I can wake up at 7 am and take a shower and pay my rent
and then catch the 8:30 shuttle to Caulfield Racecourse. Last exam I
got a really good seat. Right in front where you can see out into the
race course. It gives me just that little bit of inspiration. Heh. I’ve
got a paper from 9:30 – 12:30 and another one from 2:30 – 5:30. Not
exactly the best arrangement considering both of the papers are really
important. Oh well. Wish me luck people.
Yun Yun
I didn’t sleep last night to do a bit of revision and finish up my
assignment. Wanted to pass it to my lecturer early morning and then come
back to get some sleep before Spit Day. Things didn’t go exactly as
planned though, I got home at around 10:30 am and only went to bed
sometime before 12 pm. When I awoke again it was dark and looking at my
clock I saw it was already 8 pm. By the time I got to the mound, there
were only scraps of meat left and all the beer and Strongbow was gone.
Bummer. Anyway, I walked to the middle way place between Pinewood and
halls (don’t know what that place is called) to try that Chinese take away
place that I’ve never been to. At the lights before I crossed the road, I
saw this funny fender bender happen. The first car wanted to run the red
lights but changed his mind at the last minute and screeched to stop
slightly past the line. There was another car behind it (about 25 meters
or more) that stepped on the brakes too. She must be going pretty fast coz
that 25 meters wasn’t enough to stop her car. She slammed into the back of
the first car. 25 meters! I wonder how fast she was traveling. I think
they knew each other coz they didn’t even bother to get out of the car and
just drove away together.
Anyway, back to the take away place. It’s called Yun Yun and it has a very
old skool feel too it. It’s like it dropped straight out of the 1970s. I
like it though, it reminds me of this restaurant back home that has the
same decor. I felt like I was in 1970s China. Heh. It closes pretty early,
at 9 pm and thus there were no other customers inside when I went there at
around 8:57. I looked at my watch, that’s why I had the time down. There
were a couple of tables and benches inside so it’s not strictly a take
away place. It even had a dentist style waiting bench, complete with old
issues of magazines that nobody reads. Anyway, I had the sweet and sour
pork in batter (A$8) and a special fried rice (A$6). I like sweet and sour
pork, I had this a lot when I was younger so that must be why I always get
this inexplicable craving for it. The sweet and sour sauce was very nice,
not too sweet and not too sour as well. Pretty generous portions, it comes
in the standard takeaway rectangle boxes most Chinese food places here
use. The special fried rice comes with a lot of BBQ pork slices (char siew)
and chicken pieces. It also contains bean sprouts (!) my most hated
vegetable, so you should get the cook to hold the sprouts if you go there.
The brochure I got said that it has new management now, it’s now run by a
Colin and Anne Lew. The cook and cashier are both around 60 years old,
which adds to the 70s feel of the place. I like the fried rice, it has a
very
umami [glutamate.org] taste so I’ll be going back for more when I’m
craving for Chinese food.
Dentist bench for your waiting pleasure.
The tables. Complete with a slippery vinyl table cloth.
Old skool air conditioner in the upper right consolidates the 70s feel.
The cashier desk.
A peek into the kitchen.
Spyder
Today is the last day of the semester. I’m going to catch the 8 am
shuttle to Caulfield and then hand in my assignment. After that, I’ll
have to see some of my lecturers and tutors and then get back and get
some sleep before Spit Day starts. Note to self: Remember to return the
overdue library book. Anyway, Spit Day is a Roberts Hall event that
marks the last day of the semester. Otherwise known as the Festival of
the Mound, there will be BBQs and some drinking on the mound, which is
a small hill in the central courtyard of Roberts Hall. On another note,
I saw someone trying to kill a spider with a keychain today. I was
walking up the stairs when I saw this girl trying to hit something on
the ceiling. Responding to my quizzical looks, she told me that there’s
a spider, pointing to the area above my head. Now this disturbed me
greatly, because I don’t like spiders. I have arachnophobia due to an
unfortunate incident when I was 7 years old, which involved a bathroom,
a large spider and running out of the bathroom naked. Anyway, back to
the spider incident, I was trying hard to remain nonchalant but my
steps instinctively become rather hurried while I hunched my shoulders
stiffly and prayed that the spider won’t suddenly decide to drop down
my neck. After reaching my floor safely I looked down and saw a spider
about the size of my palm crouching on the ceiling. Phew. I think I
would have produced a very unmanly noise if the spider really did jump
on me.
Chihuahua
I was feeling thirsty on my way to the campus so I got a bottle of
mineral water from the dodgy vending machine at Huntingdale Station.
Anyway, I wanted to drink plain water so I got disgruntled when nothing
came out after I pressed the spring water choice. I pressed it again
and lo and behold, two bottles came out instead of one. Sometimes this
happens, especially when the bottles are small. Good then, I was really
thirsty. Saw a little girl on the train today with her pet chihuahua.
She was letting the dog run loose all over the carriage and was talking
to it and everything. Very cute. The girl was about 10 years old so I’m
wondering why she’s using the train alone at night. Today is my last 8
pm – 10 pm lecture. I’m not a big fan of that time slot coz by the time
I get back it’ll be 11 pm and thus half the night is gone. OK, enough
rambling, I’m going to go to sleep now and wake up earlier tomorrow to
study. Waking up at 12 pm is considered early for me since I’ve taken
the trouble to schedule most of my tutes in the afternoon. Oh, and
drinking OJ and coffee together is really something. I think my bowels
are crying now.
Very farnee
Two men are driving through Alabama when they get pulled over by a highway
patrolman. The cop walks up and taps on the window with his nightstick.
The driver rolls down the window and ‘Whack!’ the cop smacks him in the
head with the stick.
The driver asks, “What the hell was that for?”
The cop answers, “You’re in Alabama, son. When we pull you over, you
better have your license ready when we get to your car.”
The driver says, “I’m sorry, Officer, I’m not from around here.” The cop
runs a check on the guy’s license, and he’s clean. He gives the guy his
license back, walks around to the passenger side, and taps on the window.
The passenger rolls down the window and, ‘Whack!’ the cop smacks him on
the head with the nightstick.
The passenger asks, “What’d you do that for?”
The cop says, “Just making your wish come true.”
The passenger asks, “Making what wish come true?”
The cop says, “Two miles down the road you’re gonna say to your buddy, ‘I
wish that asshole would’ve tried that shit with me!'”
Zerg Soccer
Well, since the World Cup is going on now and all, me and Jimmy played a
couple of rounds of Zerg Soccer as a break from studying. It’s a custom
map for Starcraft made by Blizzard.
Most people assume that the Zerg
are a malicious species with no sense of humor or fun. While they are
quite malicious, some Cerebrates have demonstrated both humor and a desire
for pure recreation. The recent popularity of soccer among the Swarm is a
prime example. Besides sporting a name even a Hydralisk can pronounce, it
gives opposing Broods an opportunity to safely compete, and has recently
surpassed “Pin your tail through the Terran” as the Zerg sport of
choice.
Description and pictures taken from
SCC: Map
Archives [battle.net].
Basically, you have two Guardians
and two Mutalisks and a Queen. You attack Da Ball, which is a
heavily armored and Zealot with high hit points. There are Hooligans
on all the sides. The Hooligans are Hydralisks on the long side and
Zerglings on the back. If Da Ball hits the side, the Hydras use their
spines to move it back from the wall. If Da Ball hits the wall beside the
goal posts, you get a free kick. Each match consists of two 10 minute
halves. Now on to the battle report.
Game 1
killuminati [Me] leading
Jormungand United
Silencer [Jimmy] leading the Baelrog Footballers
The game started with my Guardian spitting
out a spore at the Zealot (Da Ball), propelling it slightly
forward. Both of us haven’t played this scenario before, so we were just
experimenting around. After seeing that I have 2 Mutas at the sides, I
quickly hotkeyed them and moved them up to help move the ball. I left the
other Guardian and the Queen in front of the goal post. With the help of
the Mutas, the Guardian managed to edge the ball closer and closer to the
goal posts. Silencer tried unsuccessfully to block the ball and into the
beacon, er…the goal it went. w00t! The half time whistle blew and into
the second half we went.
Half-time score: 1-0 to
Jormungand United
At the sound of the second half whistle, I
immediately pushed the ball into the other side with my Guardian and
hotkeyed the two Mutas and moved them to the front to help. I also
commanded the Queen into the fray for some Ensnare goodness. When the
Queen neared the ball, I moved my Mutas and Guardian away and ensnared
Silencer’s two Mutas that were trying to get the ball over to my side.
Unfortunately my micro skillz were lacking today and I Ensnared the ball
as well. I did manage to get it to the side, before the Hydralisk
Hooligans spined the ball back into play. The Ensnare was starting to fade
so I Ensnared Silencer’s Guardian again and pushed the ball further into
his goal area. Unfortunately the Ensnared Guardian managed to push it into
the side before I got the ball into the goal, resulting in a penalty kick.
I used my two Mutas to kick the ball into the goal, but was intercepted by
Silencer’s Mutas. The final whistle ended the game with a score of 1-0.
Full time score: 1-0 to
Jormungand United
Game 2
killuminati [Me] leading
Jormungand United
Silencer [Jimmy] leading the
Baelrog Footballers
The game started off badly, with Silencer
getting off a shot before I did, moving the ball closer to my side. My
Mutas tried unsuccessfully to stave off this brazen attack and I quickly
called my goal keeper Guardian up to help. Bad move. Silencer’s speedy
Mutas (Mutalisks move faster than Guardians) took this chance to push the
ball into my goal post! Arrrggghhhhh! The
Jormungand United
leader, killuminati took this chance to let
off a Hokkien expletive which sounds like cheese and bye mashed together.
The Baelrog
Footballers coach replied with a
celebratory “whoot!” and proceeded with another goal attempt with his
Guardian. I decided to use my Mutas to “foul” the forward Guardian in a
show of un-sportsmanship. Unfortunately, the players don’t damage each
other so that was for naught. After a close call in which I just managed
to push the ball to the side using copious Ensnares and furious Muta
microing the half time came.
Half-time score: 0-1 to the
Baelrog Footballers
I started off the second half determined to
even the score. However, Silencer got hold of the ball again despite me
flying my Mutas back and forth to hold off the push. My poor Mutas got
Ensnared by Silencer and their flying speed was greatly reduced, resulting
in the ball nearly reaching my goal before a timely block by goal keeper
Guardian (Jersey Number: 2) managed to push it to the side, resulting in a
penalty kick for Silencer. My Mutas got Ensnared yet again and it was all
I could to to push the ball off to the side before it went in this time.
However, Silencer was not to be denied and the third try using a Guardian
and 2 Mutas rewarded him with ANOTHER goal, dashing the hopes of
killuminati to even up the score. With only 2:47 minutes left with the
second half, I renewed my vigor and pushed forward with all my players,
leaving the goal post unattended. I was just one step from Silencer’s open
goal post when suddenly one of his Mutas materialized close by and pushed
the ball off to the side. With that, the game ended with:
Full time score: 0-2 to the
Baelrog Footballers
‘Tis a sad day for Zerg Football fans.
1 week
I am going to sit for my finals one week from today. Better get some studying done.
I like cross product marketing
Went to McDonald’s today to grab something to eat. I saw someone walking
this big furry dog, it was huge! The tail itself was as thick as my arm.
Interesting, only matched by the cat one of the Monash College admins
keep. That one is a huge thing too, and its funny to see her walk. I think
it’s a she anyway, I didn’t peer underneath to check. I would look strange
doing that coz the cat was on campus grounds and there are people walking
around. I tried carrying her once, and she’s real heavy. I think she
didn’t like it though, coz she struggled to get lose. It’s a nice feeling
though, picking up such a big sized cat. A nice heavy weight. Anyway,
McDonald’s has this promotion going where you get two Scrabble stickers
with your drink and two with your fries. It’s only for the large value
meals though. Basically you stick the stickers on the tray liner which has
a Scrabble game going and you win whatever words that match your stickers.
I got a D and an N for the fries. Forgot what I got with the drink. The
funny thing is, there is this Scrabble sticker on the bin asking you to
check for stickers before throwing away the wrappers. Cute. Just realized
that this has become a food centric blog. Oh well.
Happy Birthday Dad!
A very happy birthday and many happy returns of the day to the man. Take
it easy Dad!
Birthday Haiku
Father the binder
Order from discordia
Irreplaceable
