Saturday, September 6, 2003

Week number one, me life ain't done . . .
I spent too much money this week. Yeah, I know I talk about money (or lack thereof) a lot, and I apologize. Really, after this week, I'll probably be thinking more about school (God forbid) than anything else . . . well, okay, I'll be thinking about Xenosaga too, but that's beside the point!

So if anyone's interested, I'm taking a History course about the Middle Ages, a Latin course, and an English course about Chaucer. Oh, and CompSci, but let's skip that for now.

The fun thing about a class about Geoffrey Chaucer is that you spend time learning how to SPEAK Middle English! We actually took time to note the difference between a "khh" sound and a "kcghhh" sound (I seriously felt people were about to hock stuff up!). So yeah, good fun . . . . . all people should read a bit of Chaucer some time in their lives! That, or watch "A Knight's Tale". It's almost as good (though I seem to be in a minority in that opinion).
Comments (3) | Permalink

Thursday, September 4, 2003

   Cheque's in the bank!
Due to the power outage I mentioned yesterday, I couldn't go to a bank. Therefore, I had to deposit over a thousand dollars via ATM . . . kinda scary, isn't it? Well, with a little luck it'll get through and the purchases I made today won't hurt me.

So yeah, got a couple more books, bringing the textbook total up to about $450. And there's STILL two more that aren't in to go!

In more fun news, I gathered a crowd playing Time Crisis at the arcade at school today. I made it to the second boss on three bucks (2 for starting, 1 for continuing). I guess I just impressed them with my ability to hold the damn gun as if it were ACTUALLY a damn gun! Oh yeah, remind me to Street Philosophize about arcades later, okay? I've got good stuff.

Well, all the introductory classes are done. Time for the real work to begin . . . [cues music . . .]
"War! Hoo! Yeah! What is it good for- Absolutely- NOTHIN'! Say it again . . ."


NOTE: Keep in mind every time I digress about my money situation that I'm using Canadian dollars. So although it still really, REALLY hurts, well . . . ah, who am I kidding? 2000+ dollars is STILL 2000+ dollars to me!
Comments (3) | Permalink

   Um . . . school . . . yeah . . . . . uh . . . . .
As it turns out, the first week of school really isn't as bad as it's gonna get. I still have nothing truly good to complain about. I mean, I suppose I could say something about how textbooks are fiendishly expensive (I finally got my Scholarship Plan cheque, though, so I can buy more!) and how the bookstore has half-hour lines for registers. Maybe I could say something about how my body doesn't want to go back to the granola bar diet and I was really hungry around 2 or 3 today. Hell, I could even complain that with four hours of break one finds very little to do around campus when there's low funds - my brother says he can go to the skating arena or something, but I'm less likely to do that. At best, I can only complain that the morning busride - which was reeeeally quick - was painful due to a hard seat.

The fact of the matter is, though, that a day of running into old classmates, older friends, and a fifteen-minute overview class is nothing compared to how labs, term/research papers, and exams are gonna hurt. It's like the little girl who, upon starting the Grouse Grind**, muttered, "I hate stairs . . ."

So yeah, I'm REALLY trying to find stuff that sucks, but it's too early so far!


[**The Grouse Grind is a hiking path on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver. It's essentially wooden stairs that go from the base of the mountain all the way up to the top. If anyone ever visits Vancouver, do check it out - and if hiking's not your thing, the mountain itself is cool (go home tourism!).]
Comments (3) | Permalink

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

   Boku wa baka desu . . . . .
So it's the first day of school, yada yada yada. My younger brother is all decked out and ready for his tour/orientation thing like the thousands of other 1st-year students on campus as well. I leave to get on the train, he waits for his carpool (yes, I know, two people, same house, different routes to same place). After the train, the bus ride is really quick - we got a new express line that goes nonstop from station to university.

It was about the time I was waking up on the bus (after falling asleep to great difficulty with the excited 1st-years sitting around me) that I realised something I had overlooked . . .

. . . one lecture today, 9:30am, Computer Science 111 . . . . . 111? . . . . . IT'S A 1ST-YEAR COURSE! ALL THE 1ST-YEARS ARE RUNNING AROUND CAMPUS HAVING FUN RIGHT NOW! THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A LECTURE!!!

So yeah, instead I bought a poster ($15 down), played a game of Time Crisis in the arcade ($2 down), and ran into some friends before coming home.


Boring, I know. I'll have some reeeal good gripes about school tomorrow, I promise!
Comments (6) | Permalink

   The Xenosaga war bodes poorly!
One more bit-round of Xenosaga before school starts . . . saved just before a crazy boss fight. Pressed through it, took a casualty, but won. Then a "quick" cinematic, then ANOTHER boss fight! This one came while I was unprepared and slaughtered my first wave.

After the restart, fought the first boss again but this time prepared, smoked its sorry ass. Next!

Completely prepared for this second guy. Destroy him with much HP to spare . . . then he comes back to life as a flying guy with more HP! Now my weapons aren't hurting him as much, but it's a steady fight that's slowly chopping him down.

He's down to his last 400-500 or so. He casts a magic-guard-reducing thing on all my guys . . . . . should've seen what was coming next . . . . . . big magic thing, averaging NINE HUNDRED damage on ALL my people . . . . . . . . . . .

40 minutes of playing time gone . . . . . maybe it was some divine message to tell me to go to sleep because I have a 9:30 lecture tomorrow? Who knows . . . . .
Comments (7) | Permalink

Monday, September 1, 2003

   Calm before the storm . . . . .
The room is quiet save for the humming of the computer and the slight ringing in my ears (that's right, they're still ringing). Both brothers are out of the house; the elder on his day-off from work, the younger soaking in the last day of summer shooting paintballs.

I, meanwhile, am left sitting in my ugly orange office chair, letting the reality of the soon-to-be Labour Day +1 sink in.


I didn't really do anything this summer.

And yet, I don't really want to start school again.


[complain]I don't want to start sorting out my clipboards and loading them with paper.
I don't want to start looking over my textbooks, old and new, to get a firm grip of the subjects.
I don't want to have to start waking up before sunrise and doing the shower-rush with the other people in the house.
I don't want to have to start travelling 20 minutes on the train and 40 minutes on the bus again.
I don't want to start carrying water on me at all times because a can of pop costs $1.25.
And I DEFINITELY don't want to start taking Comp Sci, a course that requires a subject I haven't practiced in about two or three years![/complain]

Ah, such is life . . . you never really start feeling alive until you start feeling like you're dying . . . . . best of luck to everyone else who, like me, is standing in the Higgins boat, watching the seaspray fly over the side, just waiting for the ramp at the front to drop . . . . . yes, it IS that serious.
Comments (6) | Permalink

   Rrrrrrringggggg . . . . .
Earlier today (Sunday) I was in a Chinatown parade doing music accompaniment for the lion dancers. Well, needless to say close proximity to a drum, a gong and 3 cymbals for about an hour is not a good thing. Since we finished, my ears have had a constant ringing, which sucks.

That was 7 or 8 hours ago. They still ring. Sucky, no?
Comments (1) | Permalink

Saturday, August 30, 2003

   Japanese Horror
I rented "Ringu" yesterday. I was cringing a lot during it.

The American remake, "The Ring" is very similar to it.
I'm gonna hafta give props to the Japanese version for the end "Oh My God!" moment, though. Very creepy.

Oh! And if anyone's seen the live-action GTO drama, the actress that plays Fuyutsuki is the main character in Ringu!
Comments (3) | Permalink

Thursday, August 28, 2003

   Money go bye-bye . . . . .
Gas for getting to campus: $20
3rd year winter tuition: $1924
All but one textbook: $310
pizza & coke lunch: $3.85
2 1/2 hours of parking: $7.50

Knowing full damn well that lunch at school will revolve around water and "Nature Valley" granola bars . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . priceless.


"There are a whole lot of things money can buy . . . . . it's just a real shame I have none now."
Comments (7) | Permalink

   Why me?
Well, it's a little past 5:30am right now, and I haven't been able to sleep for the past hour and a half or so. I woke up around 4 due to an insane desire to scratch all over my body. After turning on my lamp, I found a trail of bug bites and/or rashes all across my leg, on my shoulder, and lower face!

I calamined EVERYTHING and tried to go to sleep.

About a half hour later a buzzing sound blew past my ear. Lights on again. Couldn't find it. A while later, the buzzing came back, lights came on, tiny mosquito charging me, WHAP! Dead mosquito.

You'd think one'd be happy with that. No, now I just couldn't get comfortable in that bed where god knows what has happened to me. Then the head started itching . . . . .

My scalp started driving me nuts, so I took a shower. My neck and chest are still a little itchy, but on the whole I think I might be able to get about an hour or two's worth of sleep before having to wake up at around 8 or whatever . . . . .

Yeah. Today's gonna suck . . . . .
Comments (7) | Permalink