"I'll add you to my travel partner list."

Halfway mark! Unfortunately this semester is much busier than the last, and I'm already worried about some of these courses from the first lecture. I'm also going to the lab in the mornings now so I'm actually taking the GO train. Not used to waking up so early again =_= However, it still feels better at the end of the day when compared to staying at the lab after classes until late. Hopefully my PI will give me a break this semester due to the workload and restricted lab resources...

This Christmas was such a needed break from everything. I tried to indulge in as much gaming as I could to clear some of the backlog before spring semester presents itself. Managed to get some Ogre Battle 64, Ouendan 2, Pokemon Rumble, Band Hero, and Nostalgia. Band Hero's subdued difficuly level is pretty good for GH/RB noobs like me who can only last on Hard difficulty, maybe eke out a few of the easier songs on Expert. Plus the songlist is less boring. Of course, I'm lucky the game supports the RB drum which is the one I had. Somehow I think the RB drums feel a lot better to play on compared to the GH drums.

--

New Year's wasn't spent anywhere special, but was enjoyable nonetheless. Have a great 2010, a year which we can finally pronounce again as two two-digit numbers!

First thing eaten in 2010: Turtles chocolate (again, seems to be a theme)
First thing drunk in 2010: Some Chardonnay wine from Pelee Winery
First thing played with in 2010: Band Hero (I didn't manage to get drunk, probably would have been more fun that way)
First thing resumed in 2010 after celebrations: UTAMA foruming, I think

--

Just today I finally found a frame for the piece of artwork I got many years ago from Epcot in Florida's Disney World. I think it's called Oriental Letter Art, where you can have someone's name or a message written out in fancy oriental characters which consist of various symbolic elements. They paint using this cool flat-tipped sponge and bright watercolours. I'm pretty sure this purchase was fueled by the tourist's souvenir frenzy but I don't mind having it around. They simply ask you for your name, then you go walk around the park while they paint your name and you can come back to see how it turned out later.

I thought the stand was personally run by the artist herself, but it turns out they have a website where you can even order art online.



There's the design. (Click for larger image) According to the brochure they handed out, the symbols mean:

Sun: hope, faith, and love

Dragonfly: dream

Bird: peace

Ship: perspective (K)

Rainbow: promise, love, hope, and peace

Crane: longevity and noble mindedness (E)

Cactus: patience and hope (I)

Mountain: perseverence and stoicism

Dragon: honour, credit, bravery and pride

I definitely like the birds and the mountain, and I like the Japanese-y vibe of the dragon. My sister actually got one of these done even longer back when we visited Victoria, BC. Her name sports other symbols like dolphins, lighthouse, shrimp (a rather ornate one at that), and some tangle of flowers which I think are orchids. Unfortunately she lost the symbol sheet so we can't know for sure what dolphins are supposed to stand for.

--

I'm dismayed to find that BPT is still down for the count. In the meantime I've assembled a few quizzes on Sporcle, and I'm still trying to get some iSketch in whenever possible.

Why

HyperText Mark-Up Language

I dug up this really old book in my bookshelf called "You Can Surf the Net!" by Marc Gascoigne. It's from way back in 1995, and I don't remember how I got this book, and I'm not sure how much of it I read. I have a feeling it was from one of those bookorders from primary school.

There's a section called "It's the TLAs" which descibes the TLAs - "Three Letter Acronyms". Basically they're acronyms used while chatting, supposedly, although I'm not sure why they used to be called TLAs since most of them are not three letters (the author mentions this too). It may just seem funny because the list was published so long ago and just seems silly today. Some of them seem too contrived to ever really work. It's believable that the more complex acronyms could have been used occasionally but were simply done away with due to their rarity and length. Most likely, the list is just the author's suggestions of possible acronyms that could be used on the internet (in 1995).

AFAICT --------- As far as I can tell
AFK ------------ Away from my keyboard
B4 ------------- Before
BAK ------------ Back at my keyboard
BCNU ----------- Be seeing you
BFN ------------ Bye for now
BRB ------------ Be right back
BSF ------------ But seriously, folks...
BTDT ----------- Been there done that
BTW ------------ By the way
CUL8R ---------- See you later
DYJHIW --------- Don't you just hate it when...
EOF ------------ End of file
FAQ ------------ Frequently asked questions
FOAF ----------- Friend of a friend
FOC ------------ Free of charge
FWIW ----------- For what it's worth
FYI ------------ For your information
GAL ------------ Get a life
GIGO ----------- Garbage in, garbage out
HHOJ ----------- Ha ha, only joking
HHOS ----------- Ha ha, only being serious
IAE ------------ In any event
IMHO ----------- In my humble opinion
IMNSHO --------- In my not so humble opinion
IMO ------------ In my opinion
IOW ------------ In other words
IRL ------------ In real life
ISTM ----------- It seems to me
ISTR ----------- I seem to remember...
ITRW ----------- In the real world
IYSWIM --------- If you see what I mean
JAM ------------ Just a minute
L8R ------------ Later
LMHO ----------- Laughed my head off
LOL ------------ Laughs out loud
MUG ------------ Multi-user game
NALOPKT -------- Not a lot of people know that
NBD ------------ No big deal
NRN ------------ No reply necessary
OIC ------------ Oh, I see
OMG ------------ Oh my god!
OTOH ----------- On the other hand
OTL ------------ Out to lunch
OTT ------------ Over the top
RFC ------------ Request for comments
ROFL ----------- Rolls on the floor laughing
RSN ------------ Real soon now
RTFAQ ---------- Read the FAQ file
RTFM ----------- Read the manual (it seems a word is missing... :P)
SITD ----------- Still in the dark
SYL ------------ See you later
TCB ------------ The trouble came back!
TDM ------------ Too darn many
TIA ------------ Thanks in advance
TTFN ----------- Ta-ta for now
TTYL ----------- Talk to you later
TVM ------------ Thank you very much
VR ------------- Virtual reality
WRT ------------ With regard to
WYSIWYG -------- What you see is what you get
YCT ------------ Your comment to
YHM ------------ You have mail
YMBJ ----------- You must be joking
YMMV ----------- Your mileage may vary

For even more acronym goodness, try these Sporcle quizzes:
Common Chat Acronyms
Obscure Chat Acronyms (A-D)
Computer Acronyms

Lost in Translation

Attempting to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and my need for a BPT fix, I am posting some random frames that I've drawn on the site. If you want, try thinking of a short caption to describe the picture when you see it. Then after each picture, highlight the text to see the actual caption that I was given to draw a picture of. I also put the actual caption that the person who saw my picture responded with, and you can see if you interpreted it the same way they did. I guess it depends on how well my drawing managed to convey the previous message.

Previous:
|The Queen's gynecologist was just a little *too* happy during her exam..|

Response:
|doctor happy w prank of placing pea under angsty royalty in red|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=59310





Previous:
|The G-force of extreme jumping cause a mans head to rip off|

Response:
|happy head less guy wearing all gray falls outta airplane hes so happy|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=45347





Previous:
|SCIENCE PIE!|

Response:
|Alfred Einstain loves sciencepie|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=56408





Previous:
|Roland and Eddie arrive at the dark tower and eat Spagetthi|

Response:
|cowboys eating meatballs looking at a cactus|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=55966





Previous:
|Morgan Freeman as God smites martians. Tiny man rejoices|

Response:
|black star trek person gets zapped by aliens while happy person looks|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=55197





Previous:
|New Leg amputee had dream of dunking b-ball at NBA game|

Response:
|poor kid remembers the basketball accident that cost him his leg|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=58323





Previous:
|asian man in white suit mad cuz he loses in pacman to a masked frog|

Response:
|Scientist and his devil frog experiemnet beats him at pac-man.|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=58315





Previous:
|A grey Grimace is run over by a ruthless red Hummer|

Response:
|Hummer (the vehicle) happily runs over grey Grimace (McDonalds)|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=56417





Previous:
|A firey three eyed dog is attempting to zombify a sad man.|

Response:
|3 eyed red werewolf mauls some poor guy. Bones n guts showing|

http://www.brokenpicturetelephone.com/view?id=56365



I hope the site gets operational soon. :\

Compunction

It didn't feel like it was that long ago, but I seemed to have neglected this blog for a long time. I guess I'll just use this opportunity for a photo dump and to distract myself from the fact that I'm not sleeping at a proper hour.

This summer I've been preoccupied with Broken Picture Telephone, which I will elaborate on in a different post. Of course, the habit has been mercilessly routed due to the site having fallen into a state of disrepair. Another event of note is the first time in a while I've actually attended class during summer for school. I never went to summer school during high school, but thought it prudent this summer to take the statistics course that I didn't have room for during the main term (which was already over average course load). It worked out for the better, and I appreciate being able to eat dinner at a time earlier than 10pm again.

I reluctantly admit that earlier this year I did a lot of posting on the Gaia Online forums. Although the overwhelming population of users on that site is definitely...of a younger age group, the only place I ever post in is the 'Word Games' Forum. For some reason I have a real penchant for those silly 'Word Association' or '4-Letter Acronym' games, and since the Gaia forums are so active, it effectively feeds my obsession (and devastates my productivity). Another plus is that most the users who frequent the 'Word Games' forum post rather sensibly and intelligently. It wasn't surprising to find that many of the regulars are actually a bit older than the general population, attending college or whatnot.

The way this website hooks onto younger users is kind of devious. They offer daily promotions where they force you to watch a trailer video for a recent movie (usually the likes of Mall Cop or 17 Again and their ilk) in order to gain an item you can dress up your virtual avatar with. Not to mention that they constantly push their 'Gaia Gold' upon you, which are like cash points you can purchase from stores or online in order to be able to buy more virtual merchandise. Of all the things you can buy, I consider this one of the most useless. Perhaps if a lot of people know you on Gaia and you want to impress them, you may drop some cash to make your avatar look spiffier, but there isn't really anything past that. And of course, it's an extremely transient moment of enjoyment, at best. On the other hand, I can understand if someone was really enamoured by the avatar system and just wanted to buy themselves a nice avatar. Personally when it comes to paying for extra 'features' in games I usually forego the minor cosmetic updates.

On another note, I just recently started an account at My Anime List, which really does seem to have a very Facebook-esque interface. Not sure how regularly I will update the site (hopefully not like how I update this blog) but it's a good way to keep track of all the shows you've watched. It also reveals my pathetically long to-watch list of shows. Currently I'm indulging in Canaan, Zetsubou Zan, Umineko, and Natsume Yuujinchou, in those times between PCAT studying sessions. As the deadline for studying approaches, these anime-viewing sessions are quickly becoming endangered.

Finally, due to some sort of self-imposed obligation, here is the exam schedule for the spring term of 3rd year. I was very relieved when I found that it was much more reasonable than the monstrosity that was the Fall term exams.

Exam Schedule
BCH370 - 04/07 - 3-4pm - MS2378 - Biochemistry Lab
GLG110 - 04/20 - 7-9pm - EX200 - Geology
PCL362 - 04/23 - 2-4pm - BA2195 - Toxicology
PCL365 - 04/28 - 9am-12pm - BN3 - Toxicology Lab
PSL302 - 05/01 - 9-11am - EX200 - Physiology

Photo dump to follow, soon.

Sockets in the socket pool

One of the above is real and the other is in fact a candy dispenser. I thought it was pretty good for simply being an imitation toy, down to having the removable battery cover. In fact, you press the B button down in order to shoot the candy out from the front of the remote.

Last week I had my three wisdom teeth removed (I apparently don't have a fourth wisdom tooth) and it seems I had a lucky recovery because I didn't experience the massive swelling and pain that a lot of people get. It meant that I didn't need to take any of those painkillers prescribed. Aside from the disgusting taste left by the stitches in the wound the experience wasn't bad at all.

The recent propane blast was a bit unsettling to me due to its magnitude and having been awake at the time to feel and hear it. It's good that very few got injured in the incident. It served as a wake-up call to the fact that there was a volatile storage facility surrounded by residential areas. This wouldn't have happened in SimCity, where if you build residential and commercial areas too close to industrial areas, even if you were only trying to give them power and water, the citizens will only give the illusion of moving in but then quickly disappear in droves leaving blackened, rotting plots of land behind that will never recover again no matter what you do even if you tried moving the factories away man I was bad at SimCity.

When I visited the Toronto Zoo this summer the butterflies were actually out in the Indo-Malaya Pavillion so it was interesting to see them flying around everywhere so closely you.

While cleaning boxes of old schoolwork I found that poem I did from Gr.12, which reminded me of the awesome Doppelganger poem:

Self-Reflection

I woke up from my dream
at last.
The world still seemed an illusion.
Surrounded by tunnels,
the lobby was silent and still.
I was almost unnerved.
The seated black-cloaked man
pointed towards
a symbol above a door.
I went deeper,
but it wasn’t my preference.
A creature pointed to a green door.
I ignored it
and wanted to go another way, so
I shouted,
but a force drove me into the door.
I was uncertain,
walking deeper into the dark.
I was compelled to turn back but kept
moving to a random direction.
I ran
at last of my own will,
and there a great entity
was guarding something.
I realized that I

had found my portal.

I realized that I
was guarding something.
And there, a great entity,
at last of my own will,
I ran,
moving to a random direction.
I was compelled to turn back but kept
walking deeper into the dark.
I was uncertain,
but a force drove me into the door.
I shouted,
and wanted to go another way, so,
I ignored it.
A creature pointed to a green door,
but it wasn’t my preference.
I went deeper.
A symbol above a door
pointed towards
the seated black-cloaked man.
I was almost unnerved.
The lobby was silent and still
surrounded by tunnels.
The world still seemed an illusion.
At last,
I woke up from my dream.

Things Happened

Most of which are not very interesting.

Highlights:
- 2nd year was dealt a finishing blow
- FeMan, 404 Forbidden Kingdom
- Darwin: The Evolution Revolution @ ROM
- WiiWare -> Dr. Mario
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- The damage of the game disc of said Brawl
- Finally finished Tigana
- I found out that I liked crosswords, but am still terrible at them
- Started playing iSketch again to find that all the regulars are now using crazy pseudonyms and are all "teehee I won't tell you who I am"

Also, found a nest in the tree in the front yard:



It looks very well made. Reminds me of the duck nest, except back then the duck was still there. That was when I found out that ducks made loud wheezing noises to make you go away.

Future forecast?
- Visit to Wonderland, which is now exponentially less paramount
- Victory of Eagles
- Trauma Center 2 (!!!)

Exam Schedule
CLA201 - 04/22 - 9-11am - SEEL
BIO250 - 04/24 - 2-5pm - VAN
CHM247 - 04/28 - 9am-12pm - VAS
HMB265 - 05/02 - 9am-12pm - VAN
PCL201 - 05/07 - 9am-12pm - VAS

4/5 exams in the same place, therefore I did not get lost.

Secretariat

Santa recently decided to go Boxing Day shopping, and got himself a spiffy new GPS device.

Rudolph is now on welfare.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! / HAPPY POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!!!

COX

The following was inspired by those poems I saw while taking the TTC.

Fragments

.......Poetry is
............taking English sentences and
.breaking them into
....................fragments

GER PICK-UP

So right now is way past the time when you realize university isn't fun. The first sets of midterms have already passed, and the next set starts soon. I have a biology writing report which demands you stuff information found in a ten-page scientific article into three single-sided double-spaced pages. An astronomy project expects me to be able to fully identify constellations in the sky...we are in Toronto, and it seems the professor hasn't noticed the little quirks about Toronto's sky, which is that there are no stars, only smog.

Earlier this month someone had a seizure during a phys chem lecture, which obviously caused a big clamor. Right after that I went to astronomy, and someone shouted "Call a doctor!" after the guy beside her "fell unconsious" and dropped the bottle he was holding. Personally, it just looked like he fell asleep, not unconscious...

In regards to commuting, I have sadly witnessed a sharp increase of subway beggars, who jump to and fro between subway cars pushing their Tim Hortons cup into your face as they pass while you're sleeping. I guess it is very effective as all the people around you have already been concentrated into a small area for you.

Also recently, the revelations about finding high levels of lead in products is really confusing to me. A few months ago everyone was happy with their toy cars and building blocks, and then suddenly everything has too much lead in it. It's as if quality testing just realized "Holy crap, we forgot to test for lead" and then found out everything had a lot of lead. I wonder if this was like when we found out that saturated fats were bad, and that everything actually had saturated fats.

This month is also Nintendo freebie month. They sent me a spiffy pack of DS Lite styluses a long while ago for my Brain Age 2 purchase. They're also sending out some Wii Remote jackets for people who actually still have problems not treating the remotes like a javelin.



However the change in publishers for Nintendo Power I do not like as much, as they no longer give you the option to choose a free gift when you resubscribe to the magazine, only a barebones website which forces you to get a player's guide you really don't need.

Also, contemplating SSBB:



This is what happens when I wait too long to post.

Mania

Yam Cake

First year is...done? Nice. And now's it's time to move out.
Having an almost four month summer vacation is different, and the year DID seem like it went by faster. Now it's time to slow way down and relax a tiny bit in the summer. :P

Digging through old receipts I found out that I actually went to a lot of movies this year, at least to me. I don't usually go to movies too often, but being able to walk to the closest movie theatre really helps :D I'm definitely going to miss being downtown and able to walk to so many places nearby.

Sep 11: Borat
Oct 02: The Illusionist
Oct 23: The Prestige
Nov 02: Manufactured Landscapes
Jan 15: Pan's Labyrinth
Mar 15: 300 IMAX
May 05: Spiderman 3 IMAX

PS: OMG THE DUSTBALLS THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

Manufactured Landscapes

Alphabet City

Whetted Curiosity

Last night there was much hopping through deep snow. This morning there was much wading through deep puddles.

Bottom of pant legs...so wet...

Rollerbeetle Grand Prix

Valentine's + Chinese New Year = Lots of red

Finally it's Reading Week, and I'm looking forward to all the procrastinating waiting to be done.


Happy Chinese New Year's!

Egg Bagel

It's going to be real cold!

Also, linguistics is interesting. And maybe I'll see Pan's Labyrinth tomorrow.

And now I can set my cellphone to tell me to stop forgetting the laundry.

Do Not Pass Go

Today was a lesson taught the hard way.

Newmarket: 18
Richmond Hill: 8
Markham: 14
Scarborough: 11
Scarborough 2: 100 8

Basically, it's go at 9pm or go broke.

Perap

<'ThePug> You can't get your music to play eh?
<'ThePug> That is a shame
<[Trin]quack> yea.. maybe you could help me
<'ThePug> Help eh?
<[Trin]quack> pweez?
<'ThePug> Have you tried like....playing the file?
<[new]gosha> yeah double clicking it would help
<[Trin]quack> yes. it come up on my itunes but now even my music i had on there before doenst play
<[Trin]quack> i'm a girl
<'ThePug> I would have never guessed
<'ThePug> Do you have your speakers turned on?
<'ThePug> Do you own speakers?
<[new]gosha> is the computer on?
<[New]HouseofLo> do you have a soundcard?
<[Trin]quack> yes i have considered all technical possibilities i know of
<[UTM]Count> what is the file type?
<'ThePug> Try using winamp....or even wmp if you must
<'ThePug> Just something that "doesn't suck" (i.e. itunes)
<'Minerva> TheSuperunknown loves baby turtles.

Time is tissue...

SoaP was just so silly. It's like buying a bar of Mexican Goat Milk Loofah just because it sounds silly.

Also, you crazy scientists should leave Pluto alone. Pick on a planet your own size. >_>

The Dutchess

The comics here are just soooo good. My schedule for the next hour has just been booked full. (Click for actual comic.)





A few comics have mild nudity and other such content. They're not too distasteful or anything, but if you're worried, just a head's up. Ignore those and focus on the other comics >_>

As well, Improv Everywhere

Seriously, I'm just getting all of these stuff from JohnQ Blog*. That place is pretty much the closest thing to heaven you can get. It's updated often, and with so much intriguing content, all of which are paired with some intelligent and comprehensible commentary and opinions. It's becoming part of my daily routine.

* It's linked to the "Stuff From the Internet" category. You can find the other categories in the bar on the left.