After many snakes on a plane, notes on a scandal and one epic movie, I finally I have my P's. Technically, it took two tries, since I failed the first time but passed the second but that's dicounting the 2 times the test didn't proceed because the brake lights were dead. So yeah, I'm licensed now.
Hell, midway during the test, as I did a kerbside stop, I hit the kerb and was shitting myself as a result. So when I reversed angled park in front of the RTA, it was hella wonky. Still, when the examiner said I passed I was pleasantly delighted.
Open Day tomorrow for me. I'm looking forward to it, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Hopefully, I'll locate all my classes and won't get lost on the first day there.
Phuong's going on how fonts are getting smaller. That may be true. But I haven't changed the font here since the beginning, so my font isn't getting smaller. Besides I break things up into nice paragraphs.
Keeping this short, since I'm still capped. Another 12 hours to go.
Just a few more days until I'm uncapped. The net has been so slow for the past few days that it's unbearable. Cable, or at least ADSL, is the way to go. People still on 56k should really switch, and enter a world from which no return is possible. Anyone who has experienced broadband will cry if they're forced back to 56k.
Weather's been mixed to day, very unsettled. It starts off okay, then decides to rain, then stop, then rain again. Right now it's pouring. All I hope is that the catchment area is getting some rain so dam levels might inch upwards. I hardly remember a time when it was anywhere near 80% capacity.
I've been looking at some job listings now that I have my timetable, but haven't seen ones that suit me really well. It's a catch-22 when you want to get a job. To get a job you need experience, but to get experience you need a job. I can probably rely on my work experience way back in year 10, but sometimes I wish getting a job was easier. Hah! If that happens, everyone would have a job.
Those readers who play Warcraft 3 and indulge in DoTA should try out Wilderness Survival by KuulGryphun3. It's quite a difficult game initially but with a bit of practice, it does get easier somewhat.
I really want to do something besides staying at home. Maybe a quick jaunt down to Parramatta? Buy books or watch a movie? Except I'm lazy and indecisive right now. Maybe, if the weather gets better.
Finally, finally, finally, the timetables were available online and I got my hands on my own timetable. Many thanks to Kathy for telling me that the timetable server was now online. It took them long enough.
My first look at the timtable was horrible, because I though I had 8am to 5pm days. Then I saw the gaps. Then I saw that I had all of Friday off. Then I saw that some classes were on certain weeks. So for the first day of uni on the first week, I start at 2pm and end at 5pm with a 1 hour break. So only 2 hours of lectures. I pretty much end most days by 2pm, except in the 8th week onward. It's not that bad actually.
Take a look. Apparently Pharmacy is a bit more hectic. Which reminds me. Check this little thingy out. It's the history of medicine in a paragraph. "I have a sore throat." 2000 BC : "eat this root" 1200 AD : "That root is heathen, say this prayer." 1500 AD : "That prayer is superstition, drink this elixir." 1800 AD : "That elixir is snake oil, take this pill." 1900 AD : "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic." 2000 AD : "That antibiotic is artificial, here why dont you eat this root?"
I had planned to go to the UNSW O-week tomorrow, but I might not. Because I'm lazy, but who knows. I'm in that rare mood of indecision with lots of swaying back and forth. I'll try to make it, but right now, I can't be bother. Well, anyway, that means UNSW is maybe out. Not that I'll miss much, simply because I'm not going to UNSW.
I've finished reading basically all the books in my house. So I've been relying on the TIME magazine I subscribe to. But it depends on what's going on in the world. Sometimes, nothing is happening, so the topic are rather dull. I do however have one book I haven't tackled yet. The Collins History of the World in the Twentieth Century by J.A.S. Grenville. It's a massive book, but suprisingly good. That will keep me occupied until Uni starts.
Over the past few days I've been capped. And with a week to go before the next month, I've been mostly playing DoTA, since it doesn't lag too much even when capped. I'm also playing trivia on IRC. The channel is #trivialoft, they have a website at trivialoft.net. I've been finding out some weird things during my time there. Like did you know that the youngest recorded age of a male ejaculating is eight years old. 0_O! What the hell indeed....
Browsing Youtube is such a pain, but I have found some gold. So since I'm keeping this post short, enjoy this 8 minute skit involving Rowan Atkinson:
Well now, what to say. Since I haven't got my license yet, due to the examiner being extremely strict and absolutely a bitch, I'm in a bit of a depression. My brother managed to get his Ps, even though he's a crapper driver. Just goes to show that you don't need an instructor and having an understanding examiner can go you way. Still, at the very least, one of us has our Ps.
And, Land, Youtube is an excellent resource that should be used. It is one of the greatest collections of human genius and stupidity gathered in once place. I may watch it a lot, but if something is worth doing, it is worth overdoing. So there.
UNSW O-week beckons, even though I'm not going there. I'm not really sure if I want to go or not, but with nothing else to do, and being capped, I might go along. I know Charles and co are going on the 22nd. What dates are everyone else going on? I might pick two days to go, and have some fun. Post away.
Just for fun, I turned my speakers up high and upped the bass. The music was LOUD. I could hear it in the streets. And now matter where I was in the house, the music sounded clear.
Why is it that no matter how much you pee into the toilet, it never fills up?
Does, if I calculated correctly, SLINKY + ESCULATOR = EVERLASTING FUN?
TB testing wasn't that bad, well, so far. I walked in, the nurse stabbed me with a needle and now I have to put up with some itchiness since then. I don't know how they determine whether you have TB or not, but by Friday I'll find out. Now wait a moment, I just checked Wikipedia and now I now. Don't just you just love Wikipedia? My thoughts are why go to university or whatnot when everything you ever want to know is on Wikipedia. Still the day that Wikipedia is sourced in court cases is when Wikipedia becomes the leading authority on everything.
Finally shaved off my beard today. I hadn't shaved in 3 weeks, so I was developing a beard Abraham Lincoln-style. Considering that it was a good 1 cm deep, shaving was a real pain. It took way longer than usual becomes I had to stop for frequently to rinse. It doesn't matter much anyway, because tomorrow it'll start growing back. Of course I could shave more frequently, but I'm just too lazy. These holidays ahve really made me lazy. When I start going to uni there will be hell to pay. Having to go to lectures on time and on schedule.
Also, I'm starting to think about playing World of Warcraft. I kind of regret now joining in early with Jack and friends, but I didn't feel like joining in. Now that Burning Crusade is out and I have a slightly heftier wallet, I might take the plunge. Or I could finish off FFX and think about playing FFXII. Ahh, decisions, decisions, decisions. Of course, I'm thinking of buying a next-gen console. There is a whole bunch of good games, but they are split between the Xbox360 and the PS3. A hard decision, although the Xbox360 is winning points because it is cheaper. Still, I'll just leave the decision for a later time.
Apparently Jack, Lesley, Bianca and someone else went back to Sefton to talk to the 07 12's about the HSC. For some reason, my brother wasn't impressed with Jack and Lesley. He said Jack talked about World of Warcraft. Well, possibly, but I'm sure Jack didn't talk about Warcraft for all of 30 minutes or whatever. And Lesley made the after-HSC period sound bad by saying something along the lines of "you work hard for 6 months, then take a break for 3 months'. Knowing Lesley's style I know what he means. Anyway, my brother judges people too quickly sometimes. He'll take one look and say "he's a bitch" or whatever. So don't take it too hard guys. It takes a bit of guts to overcome holiday laziness to talk to the 07's.
Naruto fillers has ended. Soon they'll be starting the new Naruto storyline. About time to you bastards. That filler gap was probably the longest gap ever. I would watch the older Naruto episodes, but the english dub is so badly butchered I can't take it. They remove all the blood and violence that sometimes the actions don't make sense. Maybe they shouldn't market to children, what about teens or young adults. There should be like a dedicated anime channel or something. Yes, dub the anime in english if you want, just don't butcher it. Evagelion is on the borderline. Sometimes the dubbing is alright, sometimes it's bad. Listening to the original Japanese, Gendo doesn't come off as a bastardly evil genius as in the dub. It's a more subtle evil, maybe not even evil, just he has a different goal than everyone else.
Here's a little something I found on Youtube. It's a clip of the comedy show Blackadder in its 4th season. Here Edmund Blackadder is pretending to be insane to get out of the trenches and he is explaining to Baldrick (the idiot servant) and Lt George (Hugh Laurie way before House) about how World War I started. Gold, pure gold.
One thing that I hate with a passion are those "administrative tasks". They usually involve paperwork, paperwork and actual work. But I accept the fact that it is like cleaning you house. Pretty sucky but absolutely necessary.
So I'm getting my vaccinations and stuff done way before I'm going to actually do some clinical placement. But I'd rather get it done now, rather then later since now I'm still on holidays. Apparently TB screening is done with a skin test and results are in threee days later. So that's cool. This is one of those administrative tasks, but then again I don't want to be struck down by TB while in the hospital.
Now on to some rumours. Apparently, the Cumberland campus of USyd is going to be sold to UWS, and thus all USyd Cumberland students will have to move to the city campus. I don't know how true this is, as it is all hearsay (Damn you Wild Swans!) but supposedly, USyd is already constructing replacement buildings at the city campus. I just hope that if it is true, then the deal is going to take a while. This is selling an entire campus here. Maybe it will take 4-5 years for it to eventualise. By that time I already have my bachelor's and have no interuppted learning.
Another rumour of the mill. My brother mentioned that this years year 12s (the 07 12's) may not have a year 12 concert, since our previous concert by the 06 12's was "too explicit". Those last words coem from Cree. I was at first outraged, then patted myslef on the back until I calmed down. The sticky point is our final act, which was supposed to be a coordinated dance with some guys in skirts became...over-saturated...with people who joined in for fun and so made some new "moves" for it. That final act apparently freaked out the administrators (my word for the school's top brass, principal, deputy principals and whatnot) that they may not allow the 07 year 12 concert.
That said, the 07 12's seemed to be cursed with a bit of bad luck. Remember in year 10, when pretty much everyone in our year took early leave? Then the next year they forced everyone to stay at school? If the 07 12's concert is cancelled, then that's another notch of bad luck. Still, they get to be the class of (2)007, so that's fair. Their concert would have been good but not as good as our one. Hmmm...I recall saying that our final act couldn't be beaten because we had guys with skirts. If there is no 07 concert then that will ring true.
Massive rain for the past couple of days. It rains like hell, then stops for a while, then rains again. The repetition is pissy, but we need the water. If dam levels keep dropping, you better hope the desalination plant is finished or we might have to drink treated effulent. I don't have anything against it. I just reckon it should be more of a last resort option, if all other plans have failed.
Still haven't got my timetables. Has any USyd person got their timetables or received any hint about it? I just wonder what takes them so long. If UNSW can do theirs by now, then surely USyd can.
And something funny I've jsut discovered on Youtube. The CBS channel has put up clips from the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It contains these stand-up jokes, mocking the news and US politics, some which would have been dynamite for MCing during the year 12 concert. I'm putting a clip below, but you do need some knowledge of recent and past events in the US. I get plenty of that through TIME magazine.
Can I just say now that Robin Hobb writes some damn good stuff? Her novels balance character development, plot and magic. My order of books arrived yesterday and since then I've been reading Shaman's Crossing like a madman. Finished all 631 pages a few hours ago. And I want more. I want to know what happens next. The people who watch anime or read manga or whatever know this feeling. You get to a point where every ending is a cliffhanger, because you desperately want to know what happens next. It's a very good book, Shaman's Crossing, and all fantasy lovers should be buying any book with Robin Hobb on it like hotcakes. Read it and love it. I still have Doppelganger and Warrior and Witch by Marie Brennan to read. It's a mix of action and magic and the first few pages are quite good. Yes, very good indeed...
Still haven't got my timetables yet. It's kinda pissy, but there's nothing much I can do. I've mainly been getting all the vaccination and stuff out of the way. Since I will be doing clinical placement in hospitals, I have to get the proper vaccinations, and I need to screen for tuberculosis. Where the hell is my local chest clinic? If I can get a phone number, I'll call up and ask what needs to be done. I think I might as well get this over and done with by the end of February so I don't have to worry about it anymore.
And here's a little joke that can be done in any university. Seriously, I would pay money if someone did something similar to this:
Arrgh...Forest Mage by Robin Hobb is out of stock with Infinitas. So I have to wait for several months. Still the other three books were there so I'll have something to read in February.
I inadvertently fell asleep after lunch. By my reckoning, it was only for an hour but I hate this weird dream. It felt so real dammit, and now I'm feeling a bit off. It had something to do with this object that gave power but I had to die soon, and I was tampering with it, but the demon was like "rawr! I want your blood!" and I was like "eat shit and die!" and I somehow changed my pillow into the angel-like thing but the demon went straight through and was shaking me. I woke in a panic, and was punching the air randomly until I realised it was a dream. I hate those eeriely realistic dreams. It just ruins my sleep. The aftermath is that I feel a little sick, but that should pass I hope.
My tv decided to protest and call it quits. Well not really, I can still get sound and other functions but there is no image. The electron guns must have died, which is crap since the TV is only like 10 years old. The last TV was like 20 years old dammit. So how the TV has to be replaced or repaired. The basic plan is to repair it, but if it can't be repaired, then we'll buy a new one. Maybe an LCD or plasma, but the screen has to be around 80cm if it is to fit on the tv cupboard or whatever it's called.
I have this sudden urge to buy a trench coat. Don't know where it came from. But trench coats seem dificult to find. Then again I'm probably not putting enough effort into searching. Something Matrix-style but not to flashy. I found a place that sells Matrix replica trenchcoats but the prices range from US$235 to US$1316. Fuck. I'll have to save up a hefty amount for that. Oh, and they sell replicas of Trigun trench coats that Vash the Stampede wear. They look cool too.
UNSW O-week is from February 19-23. So I can tag along and chek out UNSW and see why so many Seftoners are going there. Now to find a few groups to tag along....
Just finished watching The Phantom of the Opera. And I really enjoyed it. The story is cool, the acting great and the songs were kickass. Maybe one day I'll actually see a stage production of it. Apparently it's still going in the US and UK. So half a chance that someday I'll be able to see it.
Ordered some books from Infinitas. Two books from the new Robin Hobb series, Shaman's Crossing and Forest Mage. I wanted Polity Agent by Neal Asher, but the hardcover copy is not in stock and they have to order it which takes (plus delivery) 1-2 months at best! The paperback copy comes out in July, so I guess I'll wait until then.
Besides that, the month is not exciting as I thought it would be. I guess the books I've ordered masked most of the feeling, but it hasn't arrived and I'll finish them quickly. Anybody organising a day out or something?
Besides the books, I'll probably resist spending my money on anything else. As a habit, I don't buy anything that I don't really need and hoard the money, eventually putting it into the bank and letting it build up. Chinese New Year brings some hope, but I'm not expecting that much money anyway. Getting a casual job would be nice. Ideally, work at a games or computer shop would suit me best, but I'm not too picky. Unfortunately, timetables still haven't come out, so I can't commit to anything. But more money would be nice, so I can hoard more.
Still it's a good month to formulate long term plans. I would like to get a new computer, take advantage of Vista and all that jazz. But that's furthur down the road, maybe near the end of the year or early next year. And regarding education I'm thinking that after I graduate, I'll get a job and continue part-time studying. Or maybe continue long-term studying if I can keep the pace. But that as well is down the road a fair while, so I still have time.
Only played a few hours of FFX. Still haven't been able to get into a rhythm. I left it for such a long while. I tried playing Day of Defeat: Source but it feels so weird after playing DotA for so long. Ahhh well...
The cicadas are pissing me off. I don't know about other places, but the cicadas start their droning buzz and it starts to get louder. Imagine the buzzing of the cicadas. Now imagine that the sound gets louder and louder, until you can't hear the lawnmower next door. Then imagine the sound keeping up so you starting screaming in a cold sweat, but no one hears you since the the buzzing is so loud. Then the buzzing cuts, and your ears are now ringing from the deafening silence. Rinse and repeat. Arrgh....
So yeah, someone plan a day out or something. City, net cafe, whatever. And give us our damn timetables USyd, you mugs. Anyone does anyone have a few RAV4s or something, because here's a splendid idea for some fun:
Occasionally I find myself utterly unable to sleep at night. No matter how much I toss and turn, my eyes refuse to shut. So I hop onto the net and surf to the dark recesses of the internet. And I have struck gold! Gold my friends! Well, at least to me. Infinitas is an Australian bookshop, specialising in 'sci-fi, fantasy, horror, speculative fiction, roleplaying gaming, popular science and other books, artwork, games and figurines'. Say goodbye to the boring month of February because now I know where to spend some cash. I already have my eye on some Neal Asher and Robin Hobb. Now, if only I could find a casual job for some more cash...
I know Charles knows of a prospective job at his workplace, but until I get my uni timetable I can't commit to anything. Damn USyd! Give us our timetables already! UNSW students have their timetables, what about us?
Has anyone seen a tv series called Black Books. It's hella awesome. It's some comedy gold. Do note that it does clever wordplay and some surreal situations, so if you're more into slapstick or Jackass antics, it's not really for you. But watch it anyway. Since it rules so much. So hard to find some decent comedy sometimes. Ever since The Sketch Show was taken off air, the standard hasn't been high.
I ran across this trailer for The Phantom of the Opera, a 2004 remake of the musical, which is based on the book. The trailer looks hella mad and since I haven't really watched or know much about it, I'm trying to get my hands on it. And the music is quite good as well. Oh, and on that subject, someone made a 'Vader of the Opera' on Youtube. Obviously, this person(s) have too much time on their hands. A link is at the end.
And on a random note, you know that commercial for Maccleans Lemon Mint toothpaste? What about other flavours? Like chocolate? Or sweet chilli? It will make brushing your teeth fun. Holy crap...I think I'm onto a winner of an idea here...
