I had a rather eventful day yesterday. The highlights: a prac going overtime and a power cut. That's right, a power cut.
I was working last night about 7:30pm when suddenly, I hear a hum and every single powered item in the house goes off. That's right, EVERYTHING: my stereo, the TV, even the lights. I wait about two minutes, there's a hum and power comes back. Then immediately, there's a third hum and then everything goes off. After realising that it's not a power spike or anything, I decide to go downstairs and investigate what happened. Thank god for the PSP with the bright screen. I picked it up and used it as a relatively effective torch, helping shine light so my parents could whip out the candles and light em, as well as the heavy-duty torch, which was given to my brother. I had great fun, spending the next half hour sneaking up behind my brother and scaring him, placing my hand on his shoulder and making him jump. The parents decided again on a rather early night, leaving my brother and I to chat about crap (from the sex jokes in some of Shakespeare's plays to the rather nasty prank he and his friends played on someone else involving a picture of a muscly, naked man and the poor victim's locker). Incidentally, the power came back about 11pm, in the middle of my playing Fire Emblem on my DS.
The prac was rather boring, so I won't inflict the details on you. Nevertheless - long, boring prac. I hope there aren't too many more like that during the semester.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Friday, August 19, 2005
Damn, it's been a crap week
I'm going to attempt to self-learn Japanese. One benefit of being an anime nut is that you pick up a lot of words here and there. Not to mention considering for the past six months, I've almost been saturating myself in Japanese media - anime, games, music.
It's been three weeks since I've signed up and STILL not connected to the internet. Grr. Very angry, since I now have a rather large backlog of stuff I have to download: mainly anime, but also my sci-fi shows, consisting of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis and SG-1. At least I managed to get some sort of sci-fi fix last night, when they aired a season 8 ep of SG-1 which introduces a character seen in the first few eps of SG-1 season 9.
It really hurts not having internet. I really wish I didn't have such domineering, controlling parents. They say for me to act my age, but it's rather hard to do so when they don't treat me the way I feel a 19 year old should be treated. For gods' sake, they still lock up my computer! If that isn't a sign they still see me as a child, then I don't know what is. They control almost all of my electronic entertainment (I have mentioned before, they have a fondness for confiscating my gaming consoles), and I can only thank my foresight that I got a PSP, enabling me to watch anime when I want. However, having now lost the secret key I had to the computer room, I have to find another way to keep extra anime to load onto my PSP. What's even worse is that to procure another one, I need to persuade my parents to open up the computer room before they go to work so I can then go off to the city and get another one (or three - two for use and one for future reference. I really should have gone and gotten another one or two while I had my current extra key).
Operation Independence seems to be sputtering to a rather unimpressive stop as my parents start buying their usual stuff again (damn, groceries are expensive, and I'm already needing money) - my mum seems to love buying ice cream, chips and chocolates. She doesn't seem to care that I keep telling her to stop buying them, she'd stop for a week or two and then start buying again. It's just stupid, when I tell her not to buy them, she claims it's for other members of the family who might want it, and that if I don't want to eat it, then I shouldn't, but it isn't simple as that. Damn it, she should know that my brother and I are the ones who eat lots of the sweet fattening stuff! And yet she continues to buy them, despite our objections. I should start sticking to my diet more, but it's hard, since they take time to cook, I'm a novice at cooking, and I don't know where everything in the kitchen is. Still, I want to learn how to cook, and then hopefully, I can be back on the road to a thin figure, with culinary skills to boot.
This leads to the ultimate goal of Operation Indepence: to move out and start living on my own. I really need to find a more regular job that will earn me more money than $150 a week. I was thinking that, by the end of the year, I could move out and live with some other people in a house. Still, rent'd kill me, being $120 a week for an inner city place. I know it's a good price, but it really is rather expensive for my budget. As of the time now, it is really getting unpleasant to say the most living at home, where I'm bored, can't do much that I want to do, and the parents focus on studying until I drop. Overstudying is not good, I have a nice pattern established, now please don't interfere with it. As soon as I have some more money stashed away, say $1000 or so credit on my credit card, perhaps I'll get a new laptop on some sort of rental plan, that way I can still do stuff while connected to the internet and continue with my downloading. And the parents can't touch it because I'm paying for it. And I need to get a different job so they counter that by simply stopping me working at the shop in Pennington.
Ahh, man ... if only I could enjoy this semester as much as I did the last ... I'd enjoy it even more thanks to the really ncie timetable - mondays off, nothing until midday tuesdays, wednesdays 10-12pm and then a prac every second wednesday, prac on thursdays from 10-1, and then simply a straight run from 9-2 on fridays. As opposed to a straight 8 hour run on monday from 9-5, tuesday 8-10 and then 1-5 prac for four weeks at the beginning of the semester, 9-12 prac on wednesday and then either 2-5 prac or a 5-6 tute, every thurs 12-2, every other one having a 9-12 prac, and finally, a 5 hour run on friday from 9-2. Much, much nicer.
It's been three weeks since I've signed up and STILL not connected to the internet. Grr. Very angry, since I now have a rather large backlog of stuff I have to download: mainly anime, but also my sci-fi shows, consisting of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis and SG-1. At least I managed to get some sort of sci-fi fix last night, when they aired a season 8 ep of SG-1 which introduces a character seen in the first few eps of SG-1 season 9.
It really hurts not having internet. I really wish I didn't have such domineering, controlling parents. They say for me to act my age, but it's rather hard to do so when they don't treat me the way I feel a 19 year old should be treated. For gods' sake, they still lock up my computer! If that isn't a sign they still see me as a child, then I don't know what is. They control almost all of my electronic entertainment (I have mentioned before, they have a fondness for confiscating my gaming consoles), and I can only thank my foresight that I got a PSP, enabling me to watch anime when I want. However, having now lost the secret key I had to the computer room, I have to find another way to keep extra anime to load onto my PSP. What's even worse is that to procure another one, I need to persuade my parents to open up the computer room before they go to work so I can then go off to the city and get another one (or three - two for use and one for future reference. I really should have gone and gotten another one or two while I had my current extra key).
Operation Independence seems to be sputtering to a rather unimpressive stop as my parents start buying their usual stuff again (damn, groceries are expensive, and I'm already needing money) - my mum seems to love buying ice cream, chips and chocolates. She doesn't seem to care that I keep telling her to stop buying them, she'd stop for a week or two and then start buying again. It's just stupid, when I tell her not to buy them, she claims it's for other members of the family who might want it, and that if I don't want to eat it, then I shouldn't, but it isn't simple as that. Damn it, she should know that my brother and I are the ones who eat lots of the sweet fattening stuff! And yet she continues to buy them, despite our objections. I should start sticking to my diet more, but it's hard, since they take time to cook, I'm a novice at cooking, and I don't know where everything in the kitchen is. Still, I want to learn how to cook, and then hopefully, I can be back on the road to a thin figure, with culinary skills to boot.
This leads to the ultimate goal of Operation Indepence: to move out and start living on my own. I really need to find a more regular job that will earn me more money than $150 a week. I was thinking that, by the end of the year, I could move out and live with some other people in a house. Still, rent'd kill me, being $120 a week for an inner city place. I know it's a good price, but it really is rather expensive for my budget. As of the time now, it is really getting unpleasant to say the most living at home, where I'm bored, can't do much that I want to do, and the parents focus on studying until I drop. Overstudying is not good, I have a nice pattern established, now please don't interfere with it. As soon as I have some more money stashed away, say $1000 or so credit on my credit card, perhaps I'll get a new laptop on some sort of rental plan, that way I can still do stuff while connected to the internet and continue with my downloading. And the parents can't touch it because I'm paying for it. And I need to get a different job so they counter that by simply stopping me working at the shop in Pennington.
Ahh, man ... if only I could enjoy this semester as much as I did the last ... I'd enjoy it even more thanks to the really ncie timetable - mondays off, nothing until midday tuesdays, wednesdays 10-12pm and then a prac every second wednesday, prac on thursdays from 10-1, and then simply a straight run from 9-2 on fridays. As opposed to a straight 8 hour run on monday from 9-5, tuesday 8-10 and then 1-5 prac for four weeks at the beginning of the semester, 9-12 prac on wednesday and then either 2-5 prac or a 5-6 tute, every thurs 12-2, every other one having a 9-12 prac, and finally, a 5 hour run on friday from 9-2. Much, much nicer.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Love and aspirations
Well, one week in and its seems I've already lost a bit of the weight I built up over the exam period. One kilo down from 90 to 89kg. Yay. On a worse note, my internet is now gone, so I'm waiting for Adam Internet get a move on and plug me up with ADSL2 already. I swear, broadband is so druglike. Once you go broadband, you can't go back, it seems. And now, since my mum challenged me to find a job, I'm finding it hard to find a good one: within my area (preferably in the city), pays relatively well (not like $7 an hour or something), and reasonable times. *sigh* I suppose I'll wait until the summer and then see if I can't get a nice $200 per week job working in a lab for a project over the summer.
My brother recently got his Ls - and now I can reciprocate all the snide remarks he made about my poor driving skills when we're in the car and HE's driving. Incidentally, he went out for a spin with my dad and apparently almost ran down a dog. I like to think that he was going to sacrifice the dog to the gods of driving in return for great driving skills. Maybe so he can pull some Initial D style drifting shit or something.
My household has gone wireless, as my dad bought the necessary equipment for it all - unfortunately, it's proving a devil to configure for security and for the best placement so all three computers wireless'ed up get the best reception. My room, where I wanted to put it originally, doesn't have enough strength. The computer room is a little better, but when I get my hands on a laptop again, it's gonna cause problems when I want to browse the Net in my room.
With the beginning of the new semester, I'm once again reminded of my New Years' four goals (in no particular order) :
1) Better grades (Dinstinction to High Distinction average)
2) Get into shape (Get down from about 85-90 kg to 75-78kg)
3) Financial Independence (change over from my current job to another one where my parents AREN'T my boss - yes, nepotism got me my current job)
4) Get a girlfriend (it's amazing what games can do to you - I was trying out some Japanese dating sim type games for the hell of it, and after finishing it, I had this sudden craving for companionship of the female kind)
Sadly, I seem to be failing on all fronts. Especially with the atrocious marks last semester, my seeming to have gained weight during the year instead of losing it, and I am nowhere near getting a girlfriend than I was at the beginning of the year. Watching Bridget Jones' Diary on Friday night served only to exacerbate the feelings of loneliness and craving for companionship.
Speaking of aspirations, one thing I want to do is travel to and live in Japan for a period of time. It'd be interesting, I think. I wonder if there is some sort of exchange program between Uni SA and somewhere in Japan, or something like the JET program, especially after reading the hilarious diaries of one fellow who's over in Japan teaching English: http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html. I think perhaps that the second half of next year (gods willing, I pass everything this semester with flying colours), I might take up Japanese formally. I've always been meaning to do it, and I have a very basic command of the language (it's like my German, I can say only a basic type of sentence - " is , only with a greater vocab - oh, and I know some of the expletives, both German and Japanese) - and it'd let me play Jap release only RPGs ^_^
My brother recently got his Ls - and now I can reciprocate all the snide remarks he made about my poor driving skills when we're in the car and HE's driving. Incidentally, he went out for a spin with my dad and apparently almost ran down a dog. I like to think that he was going to sacrifice the dog to the gods of driving in return for great driving skills. Maybe so he can pull some Initial D style drifting shit or something.
My household has gone wireless, as my dad bought the necessary equipment for it all - unfortunately, it's proving a devil to configure for security and for the best placement so all three computers wireless'ed up get the best reception. My room, where I wanted to put it originally, doesn't have enough strength. The computer room is a little better, but when I get my hands on a laptop again, it's gonna cause problems when I want to browse the Net in my room.
With the beginning of the new semester, I'm once again reminded of my New Years' four goals (in no particular order) :
1) Better grades (Dinstinction to High Distinction average)
2) Get into shape (Get down from about 85-90 kg to 75-78kg)
3) Financial Independence (change over from my current job to another one where my parents AREN'T my boss - yes, nepotism got me my current job)
4) Get a girlfriend (it's amazing what games can do to you - I was trying out some Japanese dating sim type games for the hell of it, and after finishing it, I had this sudden craving for companionship of the female kind)
Sadly, I seem to be failing on all fronts. Especially with the atrocious marks last semester, my seeming to have gained weight during the year instead of losing it, and I am nowhere near getting a girlfriend than I was at the beginning of the year. Watching Bridget Jones' Diary on Friday night served only to exacerbate the feelings of loneliness and craving for companionship.
Speaking of aspirations, one thing I want to do is travel to and live in Japan for a period of time. It'd be interesting, I think. I wonder if there is some sort of exchange program between Uni SA and somewhere in Japan, or something like the JET program, especially after reading the hilarious diaries of one fellow who's over in Japan teaching English: http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html. I think perhaps that the second half of next year (gods willing, I pass everything this semester with flying colours), I might take up Japanese formally. I've always been meaning to do it, and I have a very basic command of the language (it's like my German, I can say only a basic type of sentence - "
Monday, August 01, 2005
Of Cash and Casserole
Well, phase one of Operation Independence (my plan to make myself less reliant on my parents) is a go. I've been cooking for myself, and within about an hour I should know how that casserole I (tried to) cook went. Apparently, girls dig a guy who can cook. At least, according to my cousin. Phase two is on the way (own internet), I made an application to Adam Internet for an ADSL2+ account, my brother and I are going to share costs between us. I'm going to have to make sure he pays up ... he's only given me $50 to help pay for a $289 router (the Billion 7402G). Damn that stingy prick and his lazy ways. He was recently told that he was taken off the roster at his job cos his work practices weren't very good. Then he got a call on Saturday and was asked to come back. So what did he do? He gave them the equivalent of a long distance finger (middle finger)and "bugger off, I ain't coming back." Now he has to hoard his lunch money like anything and to make his half of the payments. It'd be funny if he did get beat up by bullies and had his lunch money stolen. Not good, but amusing nonetheless.
I accidentally let it out that I bought a wireless router, and the powers that be went off at me. The way my mum went off at me made me realise that she is the biggest materialist that I ever met. Granted, it's materialism about me getting stuff for myself, but it is still blatant materialism. She disapproves of the things I buy. They go on about how I should save money so that I can buy a car, or for a rainy day. I can manage my own finances, thank you very much. She wants me to finish uni quickly so I have a proper job. It seems I'm repeating first semester next year, and perhaps in a manner befitting Red Dwarf, that repeating would perhaps be one of the best things that happened to me (at least I'm nothing personality-wise like Rimmer. I hope.), since it'll teach me to buckle down and work much harder.
Well, my casserole's ready, so I'm going to have dinner.
Itadakimasu!
I accidentally let it out that I bought a wireless router, and the powers that be went off at me. The way my mum went off at me made me realise that she is the biggest materialist that I ever met. Granted, it's materialism about me getting stuff for myself, but it is still blatant materialism. She disapproves of the things I buy. They go on about how I should save money so that I can buy a car, or for a rainy day. I can manage my own finances, thank you very much. She wants me to finish uni quickly so I have a proper job. It seems I'm repeating first semester next year, and perhaps in a manner befitting Red Dwarf, that repeating would perhaps be one of the best things that happened to me (at least I'm nothing personality-wise like Rimmer. I hope.), since it'll teach me to buckle down and work much harder.
Well, my casserole's ready, so I'm going to have dinner.
Itadakimasu!
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