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.
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.
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