Tired - rant rant rant!!!

This isn't my proper blog post for the assignment on today's presentations, because I'm just too tired to think after rushing all those assignments out for the facebook module.

Yesterday was the first time I had free time to myself since school started. Free time, as in I had things to settle and homework to do for other modules, but I had the time to sit down and actually think about those other things to settle.

The past 3 weeks were insane. I think I got rather depressed after awhile, when I had to skip an important friend's gathering I was looking forward to on Thursday night to rush the facebook application project due at midnight. And I know as the only artist my group needed me that night.

I had no weekends - if I wasn't working on the app I was worrying about whether I can conquer CSS in the limited time left. I ate 1 meal a day coz of the improper times I was working on the project. Luckily I still kept my weight.. ^_^

I slept/worked 3 overnights in COM 1 and 1 overnight in the PGP study room along with the rest of my team. The COM 1 sofas on the first floor are my best friends now. We usually leave at 10am the next day, after which we collapsed into bed.

I even came back to SOC on the 2nd day of the new year holiday to work on the app with my team. To my horror, I actually discovered Janus's group already there working on their app. And then Boa's group also. And some other groups also I think. >_<

I remember Janus happily waving a ang bao at me and asking if I wanted to eat the heh bee hiam he brought. *Speechless*

I'm thinking we must all be crazy.

One day I stayed till 9am and then realized that I had classes from 12-6pm that day.I couldn't take it anymore so I decided to go home to sleep for 2 hours before going to school again. At 11am I woke up, looked at my clock, thought of school = COM 1, and decided I'm so sick of school I'd rather just sleep some more. I'd been excited to attend the 12 - 3 seminar for NM4208 but if I go I'll just stone or even worse break down. Couldn't take it anymore..>_<

However, I had to drag myself out of bed at 2.30 for another important project meeting for NM4343 and then guess what... The project meeting was another 4 hours in SOC.

The first time I slept in SOC was for the nation-wide game design competition I helped organized, and I thought it would be the one and only time. Turns out life has surprises in store for me. >_<

I even had to quit my part time job for this module!!!!

ARGH!

THIS IS MADNESS!!!!

So much for module on improving social networking ..its entirely destroying my social life....

******************************************************

Which is why, also, that I've decided to go for this very important musical on 13th Feb instead of going for the Facebook pitching session. I had set the date to go for the musical way back in November 2008, and I'm very much looking forward to it. The head scriptwriter is someone I know very well and I wouldn't miss his work for anything, especially since the musical is running for only one night.

I would dearly love to come to the facebook pitching session to hear everyone's ideas on their final app, but enough is enough. I need to reclaim my life and make some proper decisions...>_<

p.s. Prof Ben, I was really alright when you passed by just now, even though I was covering my eyes.. ^_^ I was going through the presentation in my head and I needed to block the rest of the world out coz I get really stressed out over these things.

That said, I'm pretty surprised at my presentation today, I think its the best presentation I've given so far in my years of NUS presentations... no fumbling, lots of engaging audiences and stuff. Jimmy, Toan, and Yu Ming helped me alot when we were rehearsing! I really owe my presentation to their advice, and they know very well how I was panicking and hesitating during all our 3 run-throughs. I never could perfect my speech, without lots of "umm umm help...what should i say here..."and that was only presenting to 3 guys!

I think probably because I was cold and exhausted and nervous and just couldn't care the heck anymore, that I could give that presentation just now. I swear I had a splitting headache all through the whole thing, I just wanted food and sleep... >_<

Lect 1 - CS3216 Intro (090112)

Preamble:Well, this is my first experience blogging consistently for a module, and what can I say? Its going to be a challenge to keep my comments only to the lectures.

Ramble: I love to write, and I love to ramble and go on to different tangents, but for this blog I shall try to rein in my excesses and segregate the pesky irrelevent subjects that pop up now and then to the bottom end of the post. With a clear and definite line.

1st lect comments: The first class of CS3216 was definitely an experience...its the first module where I can get to try out laser guns, eat homemade candy and meatballs, and yell "Hello! I'm hungry, do you all want to go eat?" to classmates I've just known for 2 hours and end up talking in Fong Seng till 10+pm. Got take picture s'more. Ahem who has the picture ah? Can upload?

Why I joined this module: I joined the module because I thought it would be fun, and different. I'm very sick of modules where everyone's quiet when the teacher asks a question, I'm sick of modules where people just don't speak up because they are too afraid of their opinion being heard, and I'm sick of modules where you know perfectly well the people are intelligent but they are just not opening their mouths. Okay, yeah, sorry for the repetition, but you get my point.

So far, I haven't been disappointed. The module's got really interesting students, students who want to make a difference to the world, with a whole repetoire of skills and passions. I really enjoyed the show and tell session and my favorite part of the module so far it to meet and talk to all these great people who are classmates of mine. I Which brings me to my next point -

What I want to do with my life: Honestly, I have no idea. Some glimmers here and there, but no concrete single all-consuming passion. It sort of sucks to listen to everyone's dreams and then have none to share, you feel sort of lousy inside.

But come to think of it, I think I don't have dreams because my dreams seem so unrealistic that I don't think they are possible.

Dream 1: For example, I want to steer clear from 9-5 jobs and just spend all my time on creative work, like drawing comics, making gifts, and cooking. I just love creating things like with my secondary school bag that I brought for show and tell... I just have no idea how to live off that.

Dream 2: When I was in secondary school I wanted to come up with my own brand of clothes/bags and stuff, because I like drawing characters..You know, that kind of brand that's centered around a cartoon character one.. But it just seemed so impossible.. >_<

Dream 3: I always had this dream of making an RPG. Probably coz FF7 made such a huge impact on my life - it started me drawing fanart and writing fanfiction. It'll be so cool to create a character that excites people, that people can identify with, and the people will love to cosplay... It'll be so cool to write a story that people will remember for life, that is important to people. To touch people with words and brand their minds forever with the memory of my sentences...That's why I like literature so much too...literature talks about the important stuff in life....^_^

Dream 4: Break new ground in comics. Or more like make my own lasting statement in the comic industry. Not sure what I can do to reach that goal yet, but I'm experimenting with interactive comics after being inspired by NM3222 interactive storytelling...

Anyways, now I'm trying to see if freelance web designing works for me as a career, so I just started learning HTML and am hoping to pick up CSS and etc from the sat workshops! Meanwhile I'll be churning out some short comics at my deviantart account here and am working on a some art pieces for an artbook with some other artist wannabes...if things go according to schedule, it'll be self-published in about August thereabouts.. ^_^

Well, I hope by the end of this module, I'll learn to be more confident in my skills and in achieving my dreams!

_______________________________________________________________

Side note and rant, not relevant to module:

I'd initially set up this blog at Wordpress, but due to severe technical difficulties I decided to return to blogger instead.

This is my first post at mannie3216.wordpress.com (a.k.a. wordpress complaints):

I'm flabbergasted at how frustrating the wordpress user interface is NOW. I used wordpress a year or so back, and as far as I remember, had no difficulties in using it whatsover.

Encountering wordpress again to start up this blog, I'd thought it'll be easy. The utter frustration at finding the delete button for the first post that Wordpress forced upon my new blog took me more than 15 minutes, and lots of searching on google.

The interface is horrible. Common sense should have made wordpress include a link to the support site, or at least give a brief how-to on that first post. Unfortunately, the link to the support page blended in nicely with the background on the bottom of the user admin site, a search for delete post on the support forum came up with unrelated results, and after much stress I found the correct link that taught me how to click on the edit button under the category of posts, check the check box next to the post, and then scroll down a scroll bar to find the delete link.

Not to mention I just saw a perfectly fine delete button right on this page without going to all that trouble, staring right at me in very small red letters just to the right of this text box. I am honestly ready to scream - I chose wordpress because I've heard how good it can be, and now it is proving itself otherwise.

If by tonight I'm unable to post a picture and a video on this site, just to test it, I will change a new blogging site.

Picture Test - (This did not appear on the Wordpress site)

This is a picture of me dancing during Chingay 2008. I'd designed the costume so I was rather proud to wear it..hurhur... Its a long story, ask me if you want to know...or search Kronos+rag in google ^_^

Video Test (This did not appear on Wordpress site either..)

A friend showed me this video recently, and I found it hilarious, so I thought I'll share it. Its a parody of Final Fantasy 7, a really old RPG game, and the first proper game that I played...(discounting five stones, tic tac toe, zi go ba, and the national education game they made everyone play in primary school..)

It reminds me of this course - something cool, fun, and innovative done by students with a passion. ^_^