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ARCHIVESSchool
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06 13 : Tue
>> Done with College
Clement | 07:03 PM PST |
BE Y1U |
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I'm finally officially done with college. I walked in the Rainbow Graduation last Saturday, and finished my last class on Tuesday. I'm not going to my college graduation ceremony, since I don't see the point. My parents are not here, and the way UCSD setup its graduation ceremonies is by the colleges, and I really don't know many people from Sixth College, not to mention that cap and gown are expensive. Anyway, Kiet, Phil, Chris and Steven went out to dinner with me after Rainbow Graduation to celebrate. That's all there is. It felt so anti-climax: That's all? After working so hard all these years in school, this is all I get? A piece of paper? (It's not even the real one, since it'll be sent to me later in the mail.)
If you asked me if I like going to school a year ago, I would probably tell you I would love going to school for as long as I can if I could afford it. But if you ask me the same question now, my answer would've been totally different. I'm so over school, in terms of classes and studying, especially during this last quarter. It felt like I was so close to being done but not yet... I'm so ready to be done with school and move on, and be on my feet and supporting myself. Going into the real world can be scary, but it sounds so much better than going back to school to me now.
06 08 : Thu
>> Done with my Senior Project
Clement | 10:55 AM PST |
BE Y0U |
guestbook
I've been working on my senior project last week, and I turned it in on Monday. My senior project is equivalent to the senior thesis of other liberal art majors, so it's a big deal and we had two quarters to work on it. My project was on social identities and the stereostypes associated with them. Perhaps I'll upload it to my portfolio for people to download sometime in the future. I still have one more class next Tuesday, but that class is not that hard at all, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty much done with college.
However, as I was about to relax, another thing came up. It seems like I might not be working at Veoh after all. I got a call from Melissa this morning, saying that the company can only hold my offer until July, but at the rate INS is processing work authorization applications, it's highly unlikely they'll process mine by July. I guess I'll have to start looking at other companies. That sucks. I really like Veoh and the offer they gave me too. :(
05 13 : Sat
>> Sun God Festival
Clement | 04:06 PM PST |
BE Y1U |
guestbook
Since I didn't really go to Sun God last year, and this being my last year at UCSD, I didn't want to miss this last chance. So, Friday night, Dan, Kiet, and I got drunk first at my apartment before heading out to school at around 9 PM. I don't even remember when was the last time I got drunk. We met up with Chris and a few other friends on campus and went to the concert. We got there just in time to see My Chemical Romance got on stage. I heard No Use For A Name was there earlier, but I totally missed them. They're one of my favorite bands. Honestly, we didn't really do much the whole night, but just being drunk and not having to think about all these stress and dramas in life was totally worth it.
04 13 : Thu
>> Things to Look Forward to
Clement | 08:26 PM PST |
BE Y4U |
guestbook
Last night I finally got the flyer design for this year's Day of Silence done, and I'm totally loving it myself. I started out with no idea or whatsoever how I was going to do it, but it just happened, and I really like the end result. Everyone likes it too. They said it's way better than last year; more energized. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Today was a great day! I went to a job fair on campus yesterday and gave out a few resumes, and I got an email today from Veoh for an interview next week. I'm totally excited and nervous. My first REAL job interview. I guess it's a good start, getting an interview a day after I started looking for a job, right?
Then Brandon called me this morning. Yes, the Brandon I met two weekends ago at GameBoi. We had been talking almost every night last week, but since past weekend we kind of stopped. So I was so surprised that he called me out of the blue today. He told me that he's actually coming down to San Diego with a few friends this weekend. I'm soooo thrilled I can't wait 'til the weekend. I'm glad I decided not to go to the DLP Western Regional Conference this weekend at the last minute. I would've totally missed him if I were to go.
Today just made my week so much better. At least now I've something to look forward to. A weekend with Brandon, a job interview next Wednesday, and yes, new contacts and glasses are coming in next week too. I feel like my life is coming together. At least at this moment it feels like it.
02 07 : Tue
>> Wearing Myself Thin
Clement | 11:50 PM PST |
BE Y3U |
guestbook
I've 2 midterm papers for Sociology of Sexuality and a 20-page draft for my Upper-division Practicum Writing course due this Thursday, and yet I constantly find myself doing anything else but them. Yesterday afternoon I managed to spent more than 3 hours approving 1500+ pending members on Open-Mind, getting it back to a manageable state. In case you haven't noticed yet, I also updated my picture on the left. The picture is now randomly generated everytime the page is loaded. I just can't get enough of myself I guess. :) Then I stayed up really late working on a T-shirt design for this year's Kiss-In, but it is an emergency 'cause they need to turn in the design by Wednesday in order to have the shirts made before Valentine's Day.
Today at work, I finally got a blog set-up for the newsletter. Seriously, I hate ASP so much I wish the guy who invented ASP was never born. The blog uses Access for its database and there was this connection error that took me forever to figure out. Well, at least I got it to work, so now I just need to make a layout for it and it should be good to go. After work, I pretty much spent the rest of the day catching up with sleep. Then tonight we had our first rush event of this semester. We had a great turn out and what not. But I think I'm wearing myself thin.
02 05 : Sun
>> Out of It
Clement | 02:53 AM PST |
BE Y2U |
guestbook
I should be looking forward to next week, but I'm not. With the amount of work I've on my plate, I don't think anyone can look forward to it. Usually I would want to write down all the stuff that I need to do, but I just can't bring myself to think about them right now. Yes, this is me; this is usually how I deal with my problems; avoiding them and running away from them until I can't anymore. I'm also a bit out of it lately, or perhaps just the last two days.
Shawn is finally back from his two-week trip to Toronto. So we went out for dinner Friday night. We went to this totally overpriced Italian restaurant in Little Italy, and he told me all about his trip - the good, and the bad. Afterward I went to the Albertson's nearby with Chris 'cause they were having a closing down sale. Everything was 10-50% off. Anyway, I spent more than $80 on grocery and some Crest® Whitestrips®. The last time I used those was like 2 years ago. It was time for me to get some again especially since they were 25% off. After we dropped off Chris' grocery at his place, we came back to my place and watched half of Formula 17. I said half 'cause Chris fell asleep halfway through the movie. But I was content nonetheless. I was so blue the whole day and craving for watching a cheesy romanic comedy with someone all day. I even downloaded Brokeback Mountain waiting for Kiet to come back from work so we could watch it, but having him told me that he was going on a date with someone to watch the same movie just didn't help my mood at all. So I was grateful that Chris was able to spend sometime with me.
Today the blue lingered. Having so much work to worry about obviously didn't help. Well, I basically done nothing productive but watched Oliver Twist, which is a great movie by the way. UCSD LGBTQIA's 11th annual drag show Divas in Denial XI was tonight. It was way better than last year's in my opinion. The only thing was it was suppose to be our pre-rush event for the frat but not that many brothers were there. So, that was that. I really need to get out of my blue soon 'cause this is really bugging me. I've so much I need to do and yet I don't find the motivation to do them because of my mood.
01 31 : Tue
>> Extra Hours
Clement | 10:02 PM PST |
BE Y0U |
guestbook
I'm so glad I got more hours at work. I'll be working about 16 hours a week instead of 10 for a while until they hire a new Assistant Director. I actually need those hours to complete the amount of work I've considering how much is on my plate right now, not to mention I need the extra cash too. But then schoolwork is also a bit overwhelming lately. Spring rush is coming up too. And I'm also tired and stressed out over money. I hope my parents send me the check I asked for soon. It's just not easy having to worry about other stuff while handling school, work, and the fraternity at the same time.
01 26 : Thu
>> Pleasant Yet Tiring.
Clement | 09:23 PM PST |
BE Y0U |
guestbook
This past week was somewhat pleasant despite a little tiring. Work at the Resource Center is once again exciting again. We're in the process of implementing a new mailing list system that will allow the Resource Center to send out HTML-formatted newsletters and automatically archive all newsletters. Thanks God that's going to save a lot of my time 'cause I'm manually archiving every single newsletter that's going out every week. Once the new system is in effect, I'm going to be able to spend the time archiving the newsletters in something else that's more artistically productive. We had a special meeting regarding the content and layout of the new newsletter this last Monday. We're planning on launching the new newsletter as we move to the new space. There is still a lot to be done, so I'm actually a bit overwhelmed, but I'm still excited to be working on something new.
In terms of schoolwork, I'm still procrastinating and doing all the assignments at the last minute as always, but holding up nonetheless. For my senior project, I've created a blog for documentation purpose and as a part of the class requirement. So please feel free to stop by, comment along the way and take part in the creative process. Ideas and suggestions are highly welcomed for I'm not that creative when it comes to school projects.
01 11 : Wed
>> Middle of Nowhere
Clement | 11:51 PM PST |
BE Y2U |
guestbook
Initiation was fun. We went to Joshua Tree and rented a house and cabin in the middle of nowhere. We had a lot of group activities and I got lots of pictures. I'm so proud of my little brother. I can't believe he's a brother now. I still remember when he was rushing. Time does pass by quick. We all bonded in one way or another in this trip I would say.
Anyway, school has started again. Work has started again as well. I just got most of my classes settled today. I'm happy to say that I got in my senior project class, which means I'm most likely able to graduate on time. I'm only taking 3 classes this quarter, so it shouldn't be that bad. I wish I could say everything is back to normal again, but sometimes something will never be what they used to be. You just need to learn to deal with the changes.
12 05 : Mon
>> Finals Week Nightmare
Clement | 09:37 AM PST |
BE Y3U |
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Last few days were hectic. I have barely slept any everyday; been constantly working on an interactive multimedia piece for my final project for the Digital Media class. I got most of the structure done, but there is still a little way 'til it's completed. I'm still shocked that I finished the 10-page final paper for my Intergroup Dialogue on Gender last night. I started three days ago and I had one page until last night, then I pulled it off. I know, I'm constantly amazed by myself too. Anyway, gotta finish off my final project before tomorrow night, and then start on a take-home essay and study for two final exams on Thursday. So, if I don't post for a few days, there's the reason.
09 25 : Sun
>> Fall Quarter Begins
Clement | 03:23 PM PST |
BE Y4U |
guestbook
We've finally completely moved into our new apartment and unpacked most of the stuff and kind of settled in last week. I'm very much enjoying out new place right now. I've been the one trying to keep the place clean and neat. Just paid my tuition for this quarter a few days ago and now I'm broke. I guess I can still survive until the next paycheck, I just need to keep an eye on my spending.
School has started this past Thursday. I've only had 2 of my classes, so I can't tell how hectic this quarter is going to be for me yet. One thing I know is that the frat is going to take up quite a bit of my time, especially since I've decided to take on a little brother. The Rush has been going well. We've quite a few potential pledges. Things have been going great at work. Got my regular office hours all set. I'll be at the Resource Center Monday 8 to 11 am and Wednesday 4:30 to 9:30 pm. Of course I'll also be there for various org meetings and events as well.
Today I learned something important. Whenever you need to make a decision regarding people, someone is going to get hurt, if no one else get hurt usually you're the one who gets hurt. That's why I hate making decision. Why can't people just tell me what they want me to do? Call me irresponsible.
06 11 : Sat
>> Summer is Finally Here
Clement | 11:46 AM PST |
BE Y6U |
guestbook
So, school is finally over. I had my last final exam on Monday and a final film project presentation on Tuesday. The exam on Monday was for my Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts: Current Practice class, and I don't think I did too well. But I thought my mid-term for that class was bad but it turned out I got a 90%, so hopefully I didn't do too bad on my final. The final project for my film class was bad though. I did a documentary/essay film on same-sex marriage, and I stayed up all night the night before to put it all together. Definitely not the best work I could give. Oh well, I'm just glad that it's all over and done with now.
Jen has graduated and she's moving back home to go to grad school in Irvine. She had been moving stuff back last several days. She bought a new computer back home and I went to Orange County with her on Wednesday to help her setup everything. This was an awesome year, and I'm very glad I met Jen. She's an awesome person and a wonderful friend. She's one of the few best friends I have here in San Diego, so hopefully we will be keeping in touch.
Jen drove me back to San Diego yesterday, and instead of going into work, I helped Kiet move out of his dorm and into his temporary apartment with Robbie close to downtown San Diego. I said temporary because they're trying to find a place closer to UCSD before school starts again. So, there're going to be some more movings. I will be moving into Dan's apartment in La Jolla probably the first week of July, because the least at my current place is not up until the second week of July and that way it will give me a week of time to move stuff out.
Last night we had an end-of-the-year party at Luke's. Quite a few people were there. I didn't drink a lot, but I was very happy to see everyone though. Hideki got really drunk and was being really loud. I had never seen him that drunk before, so it was funny. Kiet spent the night at my place 'cause he needs to work today and it would take him a long time to drive back from his new place down south. Plus Jen sold him her bed, so his new bed is still up here at my place. So it was easier just for him to spend a night up here.
This summer break is going to be a busy one for me. I will be working at the LGBT Resource Center at school. I have planned two trips: one to Denver for the national convention for Delta Lambda Phi, and the other one to Boston with Shawn to visit his family and check out the East Coast. Well, at least I know I will be enjoying it.
03 04 : Fri
>> Canada Rocks!
Clement | 11:44 PM PST |
BE Y9U |
guestbook
I stayed up until 3am this morning to do some last minute homework, and I had to wake up at 5:30am to catch the bus to school for my 8am class. So, today was a long day for me even though nothing much was going on.
There was a flower delivery this afternoon. I answered the door and was shocked to find that the flower was for me. At first I thought it was probably for Jen from her boyfriend or something. It was from my big brother and it came with this card from him telling me not to stress out over some stuff with my department. I don't think I've ever gotten flower before, so this is my first time. It was truly heart-warming and definitely brought a smile to my face.
I got a think BLUE bracelet yesterday on campus. Too bad they don't have any youth size yet, but I absolutely LOVE mine. Totally supporting the cause and hopefully by 2008 people in this country won't be blinded by those so-called "moral values" and blind "patrioticism" anymore.
Read this article from The New Frontier, a new Liberal newspaper on campus. I thought it was just a great article. The Canadian Prime Minister is way awesome, and I couldn't have said it better myself. We should all remember that "separate but equal is never equal". Remember the civil rights movement and learn from history. Just want to share it with you guys, especially with all those cool and awesome Canadians out there...
. . . [more]
02 04 : Fri
>> Admitted to ICAM!
Clement | 02:13 PM PST |
BE Y7U |
guestbook
Alright, I'm in a very good mood. This week went okay, not too bad; spent it mostly on studying for my Formation of Modern Art mid-term, which was yesterday. I think I got all 20 slide identifications right, but for the 4 essay questions, I wrote hella detail for the first 2, and didn't realize time was running out and only had 15 mins left for the last 2... I guess that was the part I screwed up. Well, we also have a take-home essay, so maybe I can pull my grade up with that. We'll see how it goes.
A huge CONGRATULATION to me! I just found out that I got accepted into my major this morning, well, conditionally admitted, since I'm still taking one of the lower-division courses this quarter. I'll be officially admitted when I finish this course with a B or higher, which I don't think is a problem at all. Man, that's what put me in a fine mood for this weekend. Apparently the possibility of me not getting accepted never even come across my roommates Jen and Kyle's mind, but I lack self-confidence and have low self-esteem, so I just worried myself for one entire week over nothing! But whatever, it's all good now that I get accepted.
This is going to be a busy weekend, I'm designing buttons, posters, and logos for QPOC and its coming up event, and I'm also helping the Day of Silence committe at my school design their T-shirt for this year's Day of Silence. On top of that I'm going to a couple rush events for this national gay-friendly fraternity DLP. No, I don't think I'm going to join, but going to a few rush events won't hurt.
Find this Gay-O-Meter thing off Spencer's blog. I scored a 43% gay... maybe Jen is right; maybe I'm really not gay enough.
01 30 : Sun
>> ICAM Application
Clement | 11:29 PM PST |
BE Y9U |
guestbook
Thank you so much for all the comments. I'm so sorry I didn't really have the time to check out my dailies last week. I'll return the comments as soon as I get the time to. I can't believe I've neglected my blog for a week. It was a hectic week, but wasn't the worst I had. Sometimes I think I'm just stressing myself out. Anyway, here's a recap for the week.
Last saturday night was the first LGBTQIA Non-Sexist Dance of this quarter. It was okay, nothing too exciting or special happened. Then the rest of the week I basically went to the school library almost everyday to try to get my reading done so that I could work on my portfolio. The deadline to turn in application for ICAM (Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major) was Friday, and I didn't start on my portfolio until Thursday. Yeah, call me a procrastinator... But I had a clear idea of what I want to put in the portfolio and I had all the projects ready, I just needed to put them all together and write a small description for each one and an artistic statement, which isn't really THAT much of work. I stayed up until 5am on Friday morning working on it. Well, I got to school that day and did some touching up and turned in 3 hours before the deadline. The moment when I turned in the application, I felt a mixture of relief and nauseous. On one hand, I'm glad I'm done with it, but on the other hand, the portfolio is no longer within my reach and I can't change it anymore. That was it; I'm either in or out. The admission result will be out next week. Let's hope I get in.
Yesterday was the highlight of the week. Dan, his roommate Anthony, I and this other friend went to the mall. I didn't really get much; just this beanie & wrist bands set that was on sale for only $4. Afterward we went to downtown San Diego 'cause Anthony heard that some gay porn stars were doing some kind of promotional event at this porn shop called Hustler Hollywood. When we were walking into the store, they handed us each a raffle ticket 'cause they were having a raffle later on. Guess what, the most unlucky guy on earth who had never won anything before (yes, that's me) actually WON!! I won this package with a gay porn DVD, a deck of cards with hot naked guys on them, a Hustler shirt, some condoms, and lubricants in it. There were three gay porn stars from the DVD I won and the director of the porn there signing autographs for people. I had them signed my DVD and these pictures of them for me. It was totally awesome, not to mention that was my first ever gay porn DVD. After ward we went to watch Coach Carter and it was a very good movie. Certain parts of the movie might seem cliched, but it is very inspirational and has a very good message behind it.
01 05 : Wed
>> So the Winter Quarter Begins...
Clement | 10:17 PM PST |
BE Y13U |
guestbook
Yesterday was my first day of the quarter. It was quite eventful being the first day of school. I woke up at freaking 5:30am and walked half an hour to the bus-stop to take a 40 min bus ride just to get to my 8am Formations of Modern Art class. Luckily the professor is funny, if not I would so hate myself for taking that class even though it's a requirement. Then I met a girl whose parents are both from Hong Kong originally and has the same last name as me. I was trying to be social so I asked her for her number, which she has gladly given to me.
Remember that "certain someone" I mentioned right before the winter break? Let's make life easier and just call him K. I found out that we not only have the History of Art and Technology lecture together but we are in the same section as well. God bless! He sat by me the entire class and I was like in heaven. Did I mention that I asked for his number as well? But I doubt he is gay. You know, just my fate, always falling for straight guys...
Then later that night I went to TGI Friday's to celebrate a friend's birthday with a whole bunch of lesbians; more than 15 of them with a few gay guys if you must know!
Now tell me this is not an eventful day. What a great way to start out the quarter!
If you're really bored and have extra free time on your hand, feel free to check out the extended, detailed version of my first two days of classes...
. . . [more]
12 10 : Fri
>> A Simple "Good Job"
Clement | 10:33 PM PST |
BE Y11U |
guestbook
One of my final projects was actually good enough to be selected to present in the final section. Of course I was happy. It was funny how a simple "good job" from a certain someone could make my day. That simple "good job" probably worth more than gettng an A in class... maybe not, but you know what I meant by that. That certain someone is also going to be in one of my classes next quarter. Just this fact alone is enough to make this winter break seem unbearably long.
I've been done with finals since Wednesday, but haven't really done much since then; been feeling kind of lazy. Laying around in the apartment all day and watch TV series I've downloaded over the course of this quarter. I just finished a ReGenesis marathron and caught up with all the episodes last night. Now I'm starting on the current season of Everwood. I've also downloaded the entire first season of The O.C. and One Tree Hill, as well as all the episodes of the second season up until this point. Feel free to make a suggestion though, since I'm almost to a point where I don't know what else to download anymore. Gosh. I need to get a life.
12 05 : Sun
>> Project IMBot
Clement | 05:32 PM PST |
BE Y8U |
guestbook
Things have been chaotic this week. Mainly because it was the last week of lectures. Luckily I don't have any final exams, but I do have a shitload of final projects and term papers that I've yet to finish. Wish me luck. Came across this yesterday and thought I would share it with you guys.
 Hi! I'm Neo, the next generation instant-messenger chatbot. With decision-making skills, and the ability to learn and simulate human emotion, I am the only chatbot that "thinks" and "types" like a real person. Message me via AIM™ right now and experience the difference yourself! For more information about me and Project IMBot, please visit www.imbot.tk.
11 23 : Tue
>> Fraternities Ruin Friendships?
Clement | 06:35 PM PST |
BE Y13U |
guestbook
I didn't get home until mid-night last night. I was out doing interviews with Vanessa for our final project for Intro to Media class. There are four people total in our group, but the other two guys said they were busy with schoolwork from other classes. Freshmen, we should've known better than to count on them.
So, we are supposed to do a documentary on whatever topic we want, but the T.A. kept emphasizing that it needs to be deep. Our initial idea was on the lack of a football team in UCSD, and consequently leads to the lack of school spirit and unity. Great topic, and fairly deep. Too bad we don't have enough time to interview coaches and do the history and research. The project is due next Wednesday, with Thanksgiving holiday in the way, there are basically 4-5 days of time we actually have to do all the work from filming to editing. Fine, let's pick something easier... Fraternity. I think that was my idea. Oh, that's great, let's just turn a supposedly meaningful project into another stupid school project that we all just want to get it done and over with, and don't even expect a good grade from it either. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Time is running short; we will just have to see where it takes us.
Vanessa said she knows people in the fraternity, as well as people who aren't in the fraternity but are affected by it. Well, we'll just have to interview them and see where the story leads us. Michael, Skyler, Matt, and John are all Vanessa's friends in her Freshman year. They are all great friends and they were roommates in their Sophomore year. However, Michael and Skyler started pledging a fraternity toward the end of their Freshman year, and slowly drifting away from their friends...
The interviews went great, more than great! We have a storyline going on. It's not just another stupid school project anymore; there are more to it. It's not even just a story; it's a real story that meant something to people (or at least that particular five people). It's not just about us anymore; it's about all those who are in fraternity and all those who are affected by it. These are real people; we have a real, touching story. On tape! Now we have the responsibility to make the documentary right and tell the story right. It was amazing how a few interviews could give us such passion and motivation for our project. I just hope that we have the ability (and time) to complete the task and won't disappoint those people.
11 19 : Fri
>> "Waiting for Eric"
Clement | 03:58 PM PST |
BE Y5U |
guestbook
There was this presentation by the game group in my Computing in the Arts lecture last night. The game group is an option for any students in the class to join and substitue it for their final term paper. They were supposed to develop a game and do a presentation/demonstration in class, and they're excused from their term paper. So, last night was their presentation. They had all these computer towers and monitors all hooked up and set up in front of the lecture hall. At first, they seemed to be missing a member 'cause the group leader kept calling a guy named Eric on his cell, and finally he talked to the professor about it. Eric sounded somewhat important in this whole demonstation 'cause the rest of the group members seemed pretty nervous about not having him around. But there was nothing they could do, so they went ahead and started the demonstration without him. However, things started to go wrong... First, they couldn't get their computers to hook up to the screen projector; the screen kept jumping back to "no signal". Then when they got it to connect and started loading the game, an error message kept popping up saying something about their screen resolution. Once they got everything to work and running the game, it was so bad and undebugged that things didn't seem to work the way they should. Everyone could tell the group leader was getting pissed 'cause he kept banging on the desk and yelling at his group members. We were all like thinking what's up with this guy. Toward the end of the game where they supposed to have four players stand in this four circles to finish, they realized that they couldn't because Eric wasn't there and apparently he was one of the players needed. and apparently the group members didn't remember that part when they began the demonstration... so they just stucked there and they asked the professor to take the place of Eric. And when the professor is setting up and connecting his laptop somehow they knocked one of the towers down, and at the same time the screen went crazy. When everyone was laughing and talking about it, the screen suddenly went blank... and then the credits rolled... The VIS40 Game Group presents Project "Waiting for Eric"... Still, no one seemed to realize anything...
Then we had a discussion right afterward, and the first thing the leader said was "I need to confess, the whole thing you saw on the screen was played from a pre-recorded DVD..." and at the same time the professor ejected a DVD-R disc from the player... "and yes, even the 'no signal' parts were part of the recording, and yes, even the knocking down the computer tower part, and yes, it was all an act." The whole lecture hall just went silence. No one could believe what they just heard. So the "game group" and the professor planned out the whole thing and tricked us all. The fictional character, Eric was created to make the audience believe that things went terribly wrong because he didn't show up. The whole presentation or "demonstation" was supposed to be an experiment/performance art to see the audience's reaction to the whole situation. NOT A SINGLE PERSON in the class had a clue what was really going on. Even though it did make us all looked like fools, it was definitely a great presentation!!
I'll be gone this entire weekend. I'm going to UCLA for the Students of Color Conference this weekend. I've never been to any conference before, so this is going to be my first one, and I'm really excited. I'm going as part of QPOC. We're leaving tomorrow early morning and we're not going to be back until late Sunday night. It should be fun. I'll let you guys know how it goes once I get back. Have a nice weekend!
11 15 : Mon
>> Figuring Out My Schedule
Clement | 05:58 PM PST |
BE Y8U |
guestbook
Saturday the LGBTQIA had another Family Dinner (just a social gathering type dinner). In my opinion, it was better than the last one, just because there weren't as many people, and we had a quite educational conversation. We talked from family histories to religions to politics to international relations. Afterward Dan and I had a long talk about something that was bothering him. Apparently he thought the fact that he's interested in me makes me felt uncomfortable and therefore didn't hangout with him as much as I used to. Well, I was a bit surprised to hear that 'cause it totally wasn't true and I didn't even give much thought about it. Last couple weeks I was just hella busy with school and other shit that's going on that I was either too tired or simply didn't have the time to go to those LGBTQIA events and meetings. Anyway, it was all clear now and we also talked about many other things as well. I'm glad he brough it up and we talked about it. I'm one of those people who rather have people be honest with me and talk about whatever is bothering them than keeping everything to themselves.
Saturday night I watched a few more old episodes of Jack and Bobby. The more I watch that show, the more I love it. It's just so cool and meaningful and touchy and corny at the same time, not to mention that Jack is hot and Bobby is cute, LOL. Anyway, I've finally caught up with all the episodes and now I just need to keep up with the show on Wednesday night. I've also downloaded the ABC prime-time series, Lost. I've always wanted to watch that show even before it came out but my schedule just doesn't allow me to do so. I've just finished watching the first episode this afternoon, and I thought it was pretty good.
I slept in until 1pm on Sunday, and spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out my class schedule for the next two years. I'm a Junior now and I really hope that I'll be able to graduate in two years, because it is just hella expensive for me to go for even one more quarter, especially when I'm paying out of state tuition. At first I was going to take on a minor but then it would be really tough for me to finish in two years, so I decided to just drop that idea and just take a few random elective classes to fill my unit requirement instead. Perhaps that's for the best after all. So, I've gotten my schedule for next quarter figured out, and it seems that I'll only be taking 12 units. I know it's not many classes at all, but the classes I want to take aren't offered next quarter, so I'll just have to try again the quarter after next. Also, I'm definitely going to get a job next quarter, so I guess it would be easier for me to fit my schedule that way. To be honest, it was quite a relief to have things figured out and settled. I'm one of those worrywarts who are not too good in dealing with uncertainties; uncertainties simply stress me out. Even though I've gone through so many uncertainties these past few years since I started studying aboard, and everything seemed to work out at the end, but it's just one of the things I can never get used to. All I've to say is that I'm lucky and grateful that God has been looking out for me.
11 01 : Mon
>> Didn't Do Shit This Weekend!
Clement | 06:54 PM PST |
BE Y6U |
guestbook
This is going to be a short entry 'cause I've so much schoolwork need to be finished. I've a 2000 word mid-term paper for my Media class due tomorrow night, a weekly reading response paper due tonight, and two other projects going on. Instead of starting on them and getting them done this weekend, I didn't do shit! QPOC had a Quotluck (a queer potluck) on Friday night that I wanted to go but didn't because I was hella tired. Then I slept in until 2pm on Saturday, got my laundry done that afternoon, and then went to get a haircut with Kyle. It was at this kind of ghetto haircut shop, but then it was only $7 and I actually like the haircut so I guess it is ok. Then I caught up with all the readings that we were supposed to be done for the midterm yesterday afternoon, and started on my midterm paper last night. I got about 1000 words last night so I still have another 1000 words to go. Well, I got my weekly response paper done today at school so I guess that's one thing out of the way... just wish me luck on my midterm paper and remember to go out and vote tomorrow!!
10 29 : Fri
>> Rainbow Bracelet
Clement | 12:58 PM PST |
BE Y16U |
guestbook
 As you all can see, as the election day drawing closer and closer, I've put up this "Vote for Kerry '04" banner on top to remind people to vote. I've also made this "Vote for Kerry '04" buddy icon, so please use it if you're a Kerry supporter. I mean, besides supporting Kerry and Edwards, the main purpose of these is to remind people to vote next Tuesday! I don't even care whether you're gonna vote for Kerry or not, just please go out and vote! There's nothing worse (not literally) than wasting your vote and not standing up for what you believe in. So go out on Nov 2nd, vote and be heard!
Last night at the QPOC meeting, this girl (I feel so bad for not remembering her name) made rainbow bracelets for everyone, and I got one too. I put it on and had been wearing it last night, but I had a swearshirt on so Kyle didn't notice it at all. Today I put it on right after my class this morning and I'm still wearing it. I think this is actually my first time displaying any indication of my sexuality in public. I mean, on one hand I was really proud of myself but on the other hand I was a bit worried about what people would think. But then again, who give a fuck what they think. I've been caring more about what others think than myself for so many years, and now it's time for me to start being true to myself! So yeah! Go rainbow bracelet! Well, there's always a first time for everything, right?
In my Computing and the Arts lecture this week, we were focusing on the topic of artificial intelligence, which is a subject that has always been fascinating to me. But there are so many issues involved that can't be easily resolved, like how you define intelligence, how can a computer/robot think and are we talking about the same kind of thinking as in human, as well as other social problems that might come with the popularization of artificial intelligence. Perhaps that's why I love and enjoyed movies like A.I and I, Robot. However, I don't think the idea that robots are gonna take over in the future would be like what is portrayed in the movies, but more in a sense of how we'd be so relied on the technologies that it might be impossible for us to continue functioning without computers or robots. I mean, just think about it, even nowadays, so many things are processed virtually such as bank account transactions, and everything is becoming digitalized; they're not even physical but a bunch of ones and zeros. We've already become highly relied on technologies within just a decade or two; now think about what could happen in 50 years? I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with it; I just want to point out that it's not so much as the robots taking over, but more like we handing over the control to them.
10 20 : Wed
>> Sleepless Walking Zombie
Clement | 01:02 AM PST |
BE Y18U |
guestbook
Alright, I'm really tired right now. I had like a total of 7 hours of sleep in the past 3 days. Yes, you heard me right. First, I worked on my current layout until 4am and had to wake up at 8am on Monday. Then I pulled an all-nighter working on this 2D Art-Making project that was due yesterday, which took me forever 'cause I created everything on it except the pictures of the girl face and the big arm in the background. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I created the entire "advertisment" on Photoshop, and think about how much time it took me just to make that supposely futuristic cellphone look 3D-ish and realistic, then you'll know why it literally took me ALL night. And then last night I was working on this first project for my Computing in the Arts class. I like it; I'm not like extremely happy with it, but it'll have to do since I definitely can't go for another night. Yesterday I was either high on caffine or dead tired that I could fell sleep walking. So if I pulled another all-nighter, I would probably be ended up in a hospital... I finished it up and went to bed at 5am this morning and woke up at 8am; 3 hours is better than none at all. Well, at least I'm done with all my schoolwork for this week. More coming next week but I sure have learned my lesson and won't let this happen again. Sometimes I kind of enjoyed being tired or sleepy during the day though, because when I'm in that state, I don't give a shit about what other people think. Like usually I'm pretty conscious about what I'm wearing and how would people look at me; I just care too much about what others think of me. But I become this carefree person when I'm tired or don't have enough sleep. No more matching up clothes and pants; no more fixing my hairs, etc. Now isn't that nice?
Alright, let me give you guys a recap of my life besides school over this last weekend. I went to the LGBTQIA "Family Dinner" potluck on Saturday. It was alright; not too many people went. Confirmed that Raf (the guy in LGBTQIA who I think is hot) and Wil (the guy I met in Q-Camp) are together, which means my chance is gone, well... there wasn't much hope to begin with anyway. Afterward, Dan and I went to Starbucks before he drove me back, and he kinda asked me out. He asked if I was interesed in a relationship and I said no, not really... Well, he's a nice guy and everything, but I just think of him as a friend; nothing more.
Anyway, thank you all so much for commenting on my new layout! I really do appreciate that. I'll definitely try to get the rest of the site up as soon as I get the time to do so. Keep checking back for more updates. Thanks again and take care, pals!
10 06 : Wed
>> Start Taking Care of Myself
Clement | 01:02 PM PST |
BE Y7U |
guestbook
Yesterday morning when I was working on my first 2D Art-Making project on my laptop in the library, Kyle was right beside me and he said "Hey, you might wanna put some pictures of girls in there, if not the people in your class are gonna think that you're gay." That was exactly what he said and my response was "okay..." See, that's what we as gay people have to go through if we're still in the fucking closet. Perhaps someday I'll let him know. Jen said we should wait and see... I agree with her.
Last night in my Media class, we watched an old, black & white, foreign film called Persona, which I'll have to say is one fucked up film. It was so confusing and I guess that was the point of the film. I fell sleep for 20 mins during the film 'cause it was so boring... Well, mainly because I was so tired.
I think I know why I've been kinda down lately. I think the main reason is that I haven't had much sleep these few days. Going to bed at around 1-2am and waking up at 7-8am just doesn't do it for me. I'm usually one of those people who have 8-10 hours of sleep a day. Since I don't have a car, I always just ride to school with my roommates and since I've night classes I stay at school for a pretty long time everyday. Without enough sleep, I'm always tired during the day, and I don't feel like cooking when I get home. See, that just doesn't work. School has only started for 2 weeks and I'm already getting tired of it and all stressed out... I'm not even taking any hard classes at all. I need to change that and start taking care of myself again, and start enjoying my life in San Diego.
09 30 : Thu
>> First QPOC Meeting
Clement | 10:56 PM PST |
BE Y5U |
guestbook
I'm really tired today. I didn't get too much sleep last two nights; probably like 5 hours each night. So far I can still handle it, but I definitely need to start going to bed a bit earlier from now on. In our Intro to Media discussion section this morning, we got in groups of 4 and we're gonna all work on our first project, which is recreating a scene from the movie Rear Window. Today our TA kinda briefly introduced the process and key elements of storyboarding. Basically we're gonna go through all the steps and the whole production process trying to come up with a scene that's as close to the original scene as possible. Seems like it's gonna be a fun project, and we've about 5 weeks to work on it, so we'll see how that goes.
This afternoon when I went to the library I saw Sonny (the guy who I met online and is working at Cafe Roma on campus), so we decided to study together. I mean, we basically just sit beside each other and I read my text while he read his, so it wasn't too much of a "study together".
Tonight after my 5-7pm Intro to Computing in the Arts lecture I went to the first QPOC (Queer People Of Color) meeting, and there was this guy called Raf that I kinda like. He was one of my group leaders during group discussion in Q-Camp. But like he didn't really go to any meetings or events until tonight, so this was like the second time I saw him. Anyway, he's like one of the youth advisors for a new local queer youth bi-monthly publication called Outspoken, and they're currently accepting submissions. I'm interested in submitting some artwork, so I stayed after the meeting and talked to him briefly. The thing is he didn't look at me directly the whole time we were talking. I mean, I don't know is it merely because he's a shy guy, or is there something else. Well, at least from all the people that I've fallen for so far, he's like the first one that I might actually have a chance with since he's gay... But then again, he's totally out of my league, so maybe I'm just giving myself unrealistic hope again.
Anyway, in my last entry I forgot to mention that I've updated a couple new cam pictures. So if you guys are interested in what my new room looks like, go take a peek.
09 28 : Tue
>> First LGBTQIA Meeting
Clement | 12:45 PM PST |
BE Y3U |
guestbook
I only had one class yesterday from 5 to 7pm, so I slept in until 1pm, which I know was pretty bad. I went to school with Kyle at 4:30pm, but the traffic was really bad, and I was like 5 mins late to class. Well, it was a huge class in one of those huge lecture halls, and there was still not enough seats, so I had to sit on the stairs. It was an Intro to 2D Art-Making class and the professor has a really thick accent. It wasn't like one of those European accents but something really ugly, so I only understood like half of what he was saying. The lecture was hella boring 'cause he kept showing slides and talking about them but we didn't really understand what the hell he was saying. I've a studio session for that class later today so hopefully the TAs will be able to help.
After the class I met up with Dan and we went to the first LGBTQIA meeting at the LGBT Rescource Center on campus. There were a few more cute guys there this time. I didn't stay for too long though 'cause I was suppose to ride home with Kyle after he got out of his class at 8pm.
I didn't go to bed until 1:30 last night and I had to woke up at 7:30 this morning, but I slept way too much the night before so I guess it was alright. Kyle and I carpooled with Jen to school this morning. We got to school parking lot and took the shuttle to the main campus area where most the main lecture buildings are. Right after I got off the shuttle I realized that I didn't have my cell phone in my side jean pocket anymore, and the shuttle has gone already. I just hope that my cell phone slipped out in Jen's car and not on the shuttle. Kyle and Jen are gonna go check it out once they get out of class later, and Kyle's gonna meet up with me and let me know. Man, I've lost my set of keys just last Friday, and now I lost my phone! What the fuck's wrong with me!!? I really really really hope that my cell phone's in Jen's car.
I had the Formations of Modern Art class this morning at 9:30. The professor let me add the class, so now I'm in and officially taking 18 units. The professor has an European accent which I like, but the lecture was just boring. He just went through slides and talked about them. He was trying to be funny every once a while but it just didn't help much. The class itself is just boring... I mean, it's an art history class for Christ's sake! How else can you make it fun?
I've a studio session for Intro to 2D Art-Making at 1pm, but I think I'll try to talk to the TAs and hopefully go to a different session instead. We'll see how that goes. I also have an Intro to Media class tonight from 7-10, and then I'm gonna meet up with Jen and we're gonna watch Fahrenheit 9/11 at the student center theater. I've heard alot of good things about the documentary when it first came out in the U.S. this summer, so I'm kinda expecting alot from the film.
[UPDATED 3:30PM PST] Yeah, I found my cell phone. It was really in Jen's car!! Gosh, I'm gonna have to be more careful with it from now on after the close call. I got out of my Intro to 2D Art-Making studio session hella early, 'cause the TA just assigned our first project and let us go. I'm gonna try to get in the session right before that one though 'cause I don't like when there're long breaks between my classes. I would rather go to one after an other and get them over with. I'm gonna talk to my TA and the TA of the other session I'm trying to get in and see how it goes. It shouldn't be too big of a problem.
We've a vendor fair going on this week on campus, so after my studio session I went to check it out. There was this table for posters, and while I was browsing through the posters, Jen and Kyle showed up, and Jen got two posters for $20 and I got 3 for $32. It wasn't like a good deal but it wasn't too bad either. I got two large size movie posters - Troy and X2, and a Smashing Pumpkins one. I don't really like Smashing Pumpkins that much but the poster was really vintage feeling. Jen just went back to the apartment and since I've a class at 7pm, I'm staying at school to try to get some readings done.
06 03 : Thu
>> 7 Hours Straight Studying
Clement | 11:59 PM PST |
BE Y5U |
guestbook
I didn't start studying for Java Programming until yesterday afternoon like 3 hours before the exam. I only went through the most important stuff 'cause there wasn't enough time, and the exam turned out to be quite easy, so I was lucky. I think I got all the programming questions. At least I knew how to do them all and was pretty confident about them. But I wasn't too sure on a few multiple choice questions. Oh well, I know I did pretty good overall, so I'm not too worry about it. I should be able to get an A out of that class. Then I got home and did a 5-page research paper for my roommate. I'm such a nice guy, am I? Well, no, he paid for it, so ya. LOL I didn't have much sleep last night 'cause I didn't get that paper done until 3am in the morning, and I needed to wake up at 9:30am today. I had an English final at 10:30am. Well, it wasn't too much of a final; we just needed to be there. We didn't have any exam or anything, instead, we had a potluck. I didn't bring in any food though, but I sure did eat a whole lot of other people's. We also watched a video about how advertising and consumerism would bring about the end of the world and such. It was pretty interesting and it did make some valid points, but it was also a bit extreme I must say. Afterward I went to study for Calculus with Rafael, Stephen, Peter, and Dustin (Just my friends from the class). Because the final exam for Calculus is cumulative, so we went through all the materials all the way from the beginning. We started at around 1pm and we didn't finish until 8pm tonight. Crazy, wasn't it? Well, at least now we got pretty much every down, so I feel pretty good about the exam. Wish me luck on that.
05 27 : Thu
>> An All-Nighter
Clement | 07:40 PM PST |
BE Y11U |
guestbook
Last two days were crazy! Remember the final program project for Java Programming that was due Wednesday? I didn't start on it until Tuesday night. Late night! Ok, I bought The Return of the King DVD on that day after my classes. So me and my roommates watched it that night right after The Real World: San Diego, and we didn't finish watching it until 2am in the morning. Since I had a two-hour nap earlier, I thought I was gonna be fine. Besides, the project didn't seem that difficult. But then guess what!? I ended up having an all-nighter! I worked all the way through the night and until the next day morning! In fact, it wasn't even like 100% done, but I was out of time, so I just took a quick shower and headed off to school at around 1:30pm. I was like a walking zombie the rest of the day. I got a Red Bull (just one of those energy drinks) right when I got to school. It did help a bit. It was kinda weird though; like I was dead tired but energized at the same time. I turned in my take-home exam for Calculus. I'm sure I've aced that exam. My teacher let us out early, so I had 3 hours until my Java Programming class. Stephen and I went to the library. I worked on the program for like a little bit before the class, and I got it figured out. It still wasn't like a 100% finished 'cause I didn't meet all the specifications, but at least it was totally functionable. The Java Programming class didn't finish until 9pm, so I was awake for way more than 24 hours. I went straight to bed right when I got home and didn't wake up 'til 10am this morning. Anyway, I gotta go. I might post more later.
[ADDED 11:25 PM] Hey guys, guess what? I'm at Tim's place right now in Santa Clara. I'm spending a night here and tomorrow morning we're gonna drive up to Washington State. Crazy, isn't it? And the thing is I didn't even know I was gonna go until this late afternoon. I had an English class earlier this morning from 11:10am to 12:30pm. Right after that Vladi came to school to pick me up and we went to Costco, where I bought Avril Lavigne's new CD Under My Skin. When I got home I immediately ripped the entire CD onto my iPod, and I took a little nap also. Then Beth called later and asked me do I wanna go up to Washington for the weekend. I was so surprised, but hey, why not? I'm done with all my classes already, and my only two final exams are not until later next week. So they came pick me up in about an hour or so, right when I was still writing the entry. That was why I was in a hurry. Tomorrow morning around 9am we're gonna go pick up Beth's little sister, Shannon from the airport. She's my age and she's going to Arizona State University. I haven't seen her since last winter at Tim and Beth's wedding, so it would be nice to see her again. Then Tim, Beth, Shannon and I will be heading up to Washington. It's gonna be a fun roadtrip. I won't be back until Monday, so I'll see you guys later. Have a nice Memorial Day weekend!
05 24 : Mon
>> Last Week of Lectures
Clement | 11:19 PM PST |
BE Y6U |
guestbook
I was so surprised when my Calculus instructor told us that our final exam will be on next Friday. I knew that we only have a few weeks of school left but I wasn't aware that it was that close. This week is basically the last week of lectures, and next week is finals week, and I'll be done with my A.A. Can you believe that? Anyway, I still have to finish this take home exam for Calculus, which is due Wednesday. I started working on it last night, and Stephen was helping me online through AIM last night. I think I got it down pretty much. I just need to write it out and such. We're gonna meet again at school tomorrow to make sure we got everything right. I'm not too worry about it. However, I'm worry about my final project for Java Programming though, which is due Wednesday also. And I haven't even started it yet. I know that my procrastination will get me in trouble someday. Hopefully I'll be able to get it done tomorrow. I also have 20 more pages journal entries needed to be finished by this week for English. Last time I pull off 40 pages in 2 days, so 20 pages shouldn't be too bad. Then I've two final exams next week. One for Calculus and one for Java Programming, and I'll be done. And a week after that I'll be off to Hong Kong for the summer. Man, I'm so ready to go back. I haven't seen my family and friends in two and a half years. This is gonna be fun.
I've been watching the Queer As Folk episodes Brian downloaded, but the thing is it's not complete. There're various episodes missing. So I promise myself I'll go buy the complete first, second, and third seasons bootleg DVD sets once I go back to Hong Kong. Talking about DVD, The Return of the King is coming out tomorrow. Gotta get that also. Man, I'm so into Downelink lately, so if any of you guys have an account there, please add me as your friend. My email there is emoclement[at]yahoo[dot]com.
05 20 : Thu
>> $300 Scholarship
Clement | 08:04 PM PST |
BE Y11U |
guestbook
Good news! Last semester I've applied for some scholarships at my school, and I found out that I've gotten one of them. I've been selected as the recipient of The Shirley Family Endowed Scholarship in the amount of $300. LOL, I know, $300 isn't much, especially comparing to what I'll have to pay next year at UCSD, but it's better than nothing! I'm really proud of myself. Seriously, I've never thought that I would even get any of them, especially since I'm an international student, I thought they would rather give it to people who are actually from the U.S. you know. Well, I wish they would've given me more money though. (Okay, I need to stop being greedy!! :p) Anyway, they've this little ceremony thing tomorrow at 4pm that I need to attend, and I actually get to meet the people who gave me the scholarship, so I guess it should be fun. I've also won second prize in the Cabrillo College Writing Awards. You guys remember the Legalizing Same Sex Marriage research paper I wrote for English 1A last semester. My professor asked me to submit my paper but I've never thought that I would even have a chance. Anyway, the award would be handed out at the same ceremony tomorrow.
I got a haircut today, 'cause my hair was getting really long. Well, let just say that the hair-stylist cut my hair way shorter than what I've intented. Oh well, it's still good nevertheless. My roommates said I look ALOT younger now. They said I look like a 13-15 year old. I'll try to put up a couple cam pics maybe this weekend, but I'm not promising anything, since I hate taking pictures of my ugly ass self. I've been watching Queer As Folk these past few days. I'm all the way up to episode 11th now, and I must say, the plot is indeed getting better, WAY better!
05 12 : Wed
>> A Few Bizarre Days
Clement | 02:18 AM PST |
BE Y6U |
guestbook
These several days are kinda bizarre. My sleeping pattern has been so messed up that I stayed up 'til 3/4-ish every night and waking up at around 1/2-ish every afternoon. It just started like last Thursday and lasted all through the weekend. Then Monday night I was up 'til 4am talking to my friend Leo in Hong Kong. My English class being canceled the next day just didn't help but made it worse since I gotta sleep in. Well, I hope that I'll be able to get my sleeping pattern straight again soon! In addition, I've so many paperwork for transferring to UCSD and school work that it's just overwhelming. But then again, I'm such a worrywart that I think I'm the one who's constantly giving myself unnecessary stress.
Anyway, this Saturday is UCSD's Transfer Admit Day, where they'll give transfer students all the information and stuff. It's kinda like an orientation for transfer students or something like that. I know that you should at least go check out the campus and the area before you go to a university, but at first I wasn't planning on going at all 'cause I had no idea how would I get down there, and even if I could I had no where to stay and I didn't wanna stay at a hotel... there were just too much hassles that I rather just miss the Admit Day. Then I started talking to Brian, who's currently attending UCSD and living in an apartment near the school, and he said I can crash at his place for the weekend and taught me how to take the Greyhound to get down there. So, now my hope is up again, and I'll be going down there this weekend to check out the school and the area. A HUGE thank to Brian for making this happen! Stupid Greyhound is expensive though. It cost me $116 for the round trip tickets. Of course it's still way cheaper than flying down there, but at first I was expecting something around $60-80, not to mention it's gonna take me 14 hours for each trip. Don't get me wrong, I'm still grateful and happy that I gotta go down there for the weekend.
05 06 : Thu
>> Successful Presentation
Clement | 01:52 PM PST |
BE Y13U |
guestbook
This week has been crazy. I was so busy with schoolwork it wasn't even funny. In fact, I just finished a presentation for English 2. It went really well, and my class and the teacher like it alot. Well, they better! I stayed up 'til 5am to work on it this morning. Okay, that was mostly my fault 'cause I'm such a procrastinator and I never get anything done until the last minute, then realize that the work actually take way longer to finish. Our group did our presentation on how American culture influences other cultures more specifically Asian cultures. I set up a PowerPoint slideshow with various posters and advertisements, and also some Japanese commercials that feature our governor Arnold. They were funny too and my class laughed so hard. A HUGE THANKS to Jenny, who helped me find most of the slides and videos. My other 2 groupmates also brought in some video clips, so our presentation was pretty resourceful and fun. My class was really responsive and actively participated in the presentation too, which just made things that much easier. Well, I'm just glad I got it done and over with.
I bought the Peter Pan DVD on Tuesday right when it came out. LOL Yeah, I'm a little kid at heart, not to mention Peter Pan has always been my favorite kid story since I was young. I didn't see it in theater when it first came out, so I just need to get the DVD. The thing is I was so freakin' occupied with schoolwork that I haven't even had a chance to watch it yet, but I think I'll definitely watch it tonight.
A HUGE THANKS TO MIKE for this incredibly cool fansign featuring my favorite Yellowcard! The fansign below is resized to fit in my blog, so go check out the full size version in my fansigns page under the portfolio section.
04 24 : Sat
>> In This Diary
Clement | 11:31 PM PST |
BE Y14U |
guestbook
First of all, I've great news! You know all the university in California are sending out admission notices to transfer students in late April? I've been waiting for mine but they never come and this coming week is like the last week of April, so I went online today and checked my application status. And I found out that I've been accepted into UCSD!! There was this semi-official online admission notice on the admission decision page in my applicant account. I was so excited that I couldn't believe it was happening. I guess I should get the official acceptance letter and package in the mail sometime this week. I've applied to three schools: UCLA, UCSD, and San Jose State. Among the three I only wanted to go to either UCLA or UCSD. SJSU was more like a backup school in case I didn't get in the first two. I haven't heard from UCLA yet, but I'm happy nevertheless.
Anyway, as you can see. I've put up a new layout. The last one was nice, but it was up for three months, so I guess it's time for a change. This layout didn't turn out as nice as I thought it would. This was inspired by a same-titled song by The Ataris. I've been listening to their music for a long time and they're one of my all time favorite bands. "In This Diary" is the song that got me hooked to them. It has such awesome lyrics. I've featured the lyrics on the layout, but if they're hard to read, I've also attached the lyrics in the extended section of this entry. Anyway, this layout is kinda plain and simple design wise. That was part of my intention also. Anyway, let me know what do you think about it, alright?
. . . [more]
04 22 : Thu
>> Two Awesome Days
Clement | 06:04 PM PST |
BE Y8U |
guestbook
OMG! These two days are awesome. Well, where do I begin? Alright, yesterday right before Calculus 2, I was doing a take-home quiz with Stephen (yes, I found out that his name is spelled Stephen, not Steven), and we got to class like 10 mins late and missed an in-class pop-quiz. But it was only 10 points, so it wasn't a big deal. I would've been pissed, but the fact that I was working out the take-home quiz with Stephen just make everything alright. Halfway through our class, the entire campus went out of power. I guess it was the entire area also. Anyway, other classes they got out early, but our Calculus 2 professor is crazy, so he took a whiteboard outside and we continued our class outdoor. After our class, the power still didn't come back yet, and I had a Java Programming class later that night, so I wasn't sure would I still have to go to class or would the class be canceled. And here's the good part, Stephen had a Chemistry lab later that night also. So we decided to go outside and get some Calculus homework done. That was like the best moment. We were sitting outside under a sunny blue sky, talking about Calculus (well, I wished we were talking about something else, but actually I didn't really care as long as we're talking). I know yesterday was supposed to be the Day of Silence, but that was Stephen we're talking about here, so how could I resist? Then later my Java Programming instructor called to let me know that the class was canceled. So I went with Stephen to check if his Chemistry lab was canceled as well, but I guess because Chemistry lab has its own generator in case of emergency power-out or something, so his class wasn't canceled. I just stayed and talked with him until his class began. I've found out so many things about him. He's a huge computer geek like I used to. I was so surprised to find someone in the U.S. who knows what a DOS is and how we used to have to set up the config and autoexec to run the mouse and CD-Rom drivers in order to play games in DOS. Actually he knows more about computer than I do. We just talked about all the computer games we used to play and such. And at the end I asked for his screen name. Yep, I did. Now I can keep in touch with him outside of classroom. Then today we both went to the Math Center at our college to work on our homework after our classes, 'cause we have another exam coming next Wednesday. Anyway, after I got back from school around 2pm, I went to the beach with Eli. It was so hot today and the beach is only 15 mins walking distance away, so might as well. We just played a little bit football, had a slice of pizza and some ice-cream. It was fun, you just need to get out of the apartment every once a while, you know.
04 20 : Tue
>> The Result of Procrastination
Clement | 02:20 PM PST |
BE Y6U |
guestbook
OMG, I'm dead tired right now. These several days are nothing but assignments. Remember all the works I needed to do for English 2? I got them all done in 2 days. I rewrote my last 2 papers on Sunday, and I stayed up until 4am this morning to finish the 40 page journal that's due today. Crazy, am I? I still can't believe that I've actually pulled it off. I just hope that the teacher won't go through the journal entries in details. I've gotten my last paper back, and I got a B++ on it. I think I'm gonna rewrite it a bit and add some more stuff to it so I can get an A. Yesterday I went to my Calculus class early just so that I've more time to talk to Steven, 'cause every time he's always there before me. We only got like 5 mins before everyone else showed up. Aw... I wish that they would never show up, so I could talk to Steven forever. Anyway, I think I'm gonna take a nap since I've only had like 5 or 6 hours of sleep last night. Later tonight I still need to write a program that's due tomorrow for Java Programming. I'm just super busy with school, but I can't really blame anyone but my own procrastinate nature.
04 13 : Tue
>> Great Shows I Used to Watch
Clement | 11:36 PM PST |
BE Y12U |
guestbook
Today was probably the first day I woke up before 10:30am since last two weeks. I had a class at 11:10am today, so I set my alarm clock to 9am last night, but I just couldn't get up until around 10:15am. Well, hopefully I'll get my sleeping pattern straight again. Nothing special happened today, except that one of my roommates, Vladi came back today after going home for the spring break. I got out of class at around 12:30pm and I came straight home to do my Java Programming assignment that's due tomorrow. I started working on it around 3pm and got it all done at around 6:30pm. I'm so proud of myself. Usually I wouldn't start it until late at night and then work 'til like 3 or 4am in the morning, but this time I didn't procrastinate. Also, when I went on the course website to get the homework assignment, I found out that I got a 95% on my Java Programming midterm. I'm extremely happy about that 'cause I was expecting something around 80-85%. So, I freed up the entire night, but instead of rewriting my two papers or catching up with some journal entries for English, I just sat there and watched TV... wasted the entire night. Well, I shouldn't say it was wasted. At least I caught One Tree Hill. I miss all those great shows I used to watch. My roommates are always watching stupid stuff on TV, so I can't really watch anything I like (which they think is stupid). Well, I wish TheWB would issues DVD boxed sets for One Tree Hill, Everwood, and 7th Heaven. If they do, I'll definitely get them all. Seriously, they're like some of the best shows on TV nowadays. But then again, what do I know? I don't even watch much TV anymore.
04 12 : Mon
>> Fame-Loving, Cocky Bastard
Clement | 11:55 PM PST |
BE Y9U |
guestbook
Spring break is finally over; today's our first day back to school. I was kinda excited to some extent, because I gotta see Steven. Besides, breaks are fun only if you're going somewhere or actually have something to do. Long breaks with nothing to do are just hella boring. They mess up your sleeping pattern and don't keep you on track, at least they do in my case. Anyway, Rafael burned two CDs for me -- Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon and Matchbook Romance's Stories and Alibis. They're both great CDs and I've been wanting to get them. I ripped all the songs off the two CDs onto my iPod tonight. Also, I've been downloading a lot of songs these past few days, mostly emo/punk stuff. I'm really getting into that genre, especially those that have good lyrics.
We got our last Calculus exam back today. I got a 90%. It was alright. I could've done better though. The teacher said that this's the hardest of all 4 exams for this course, and only a handful of people got an A on it. Me being one of them makes me feel happy! (Man, I'm such a fame-loving, cocky bastard! LOL) I've a 88% average in Calculus right now, hopefully I'll be able to pull it up to an A in the next exam and the final. I'm an overachiever if you haven't figured it out yet. Steven only got a 80% though, because of all those minor stupid mistakes. I could tell he was really disappointed (just like last time I was), and man... he was so cute when he was down that I just wanna run over to him and give him a big hug and tell him that it's alright.
Getting a good grade on the exam and seeing Steven just made my day. I was in this fine mood the rest of the day. I cooked a big dinner and just relaxed and chilled tonight. I have a paper for English due tomorrow, and sure I didn't work on it at all, and it was suppose to be like 5-6 pages. So I've decided to just turn in an old paper I've written for my previous English class. Well, the one that I picked was like 11 pages, so I edited it down to 6 pages. This is my first time doing it, so I hope the teacher won't find out. I don't really like the teacher anyway, so I shouldn't feel bad cheating her. Besides, it's not like I use someone else's paper. I wrote that paper myself before, and people use their papers for various classes all the time. My Philosophy teacher couple semesters ago even taught us how to do that. Yes, it's all cool. I think I've found enough excuses to make myself not feel bad.
04 11 : Sun
>> How Life Used To Be
Clement | 03:03 PM PST |
BE Y11U |
guestbook
Our landlord is moving into the apartment beside ours. So lately she has been moving alot of her stuff into it. Yesterday when I was doing laundry, I saw her carrying big boxes of books upstair (our apartment is on the 2nd floor), so I offered to help her. I ended up moving most of her stuff upstair for her. When we were done, she started talking about all kinds of things to me, and she showed me an old photo album of her son and such. It was kinda funny. She's actually a pretty nice person.
My roommates came back last night. They weren't too happy with their trip up north. Apparently the guy they went with just kinda left them at a party and went around doing his own thing. So they were stuck with a bunch of people they didn't even know. Well, I'm glad I didn't go with them. Last night I finally started doing some schoolwork. Seriously, I've so many assignments I need to do it's not even funny. I've a English paper due Tuesday, and I've to rewrite my last 2 papers for higher grades, plus a 40 page journal due next Tuesday. On top of that, I've to write a program for Java Programming that's due this Wednesday. Last night I've only done 5 pages out of the total 40 page journal. I've absolutely no idea how am I gonna pull it off this time. My original plan was to finish at least 20 pages and rewrite that 2 papers in this Spring break... seems like my mission has failed, unless I somehow get the 2 rewrites done and do another 15 page journal entries today, which is almost impossible.
Anyway, I went to bed at around 2am last night. I couldn't go to sleep and just rolled around on my bed. I've been pretty stressed out lately, over not just schoolwork but various things as well. Whenever I'm stressed out, I become depressed as well. I feel lonely and helpless because my family and friends are not around and I've to take care of all the things myself. I suddenly realized how much I've changed since I first came back to the U.S. for college. I remembered how I used to be like and how I used to feel. I used to be this carefree, cheerful, innocent person with lots of friends. Life used to be hopeful and fun. Everyone was nice and good-hearted in my eyes. Now it feels like I've seen the world; I've been exposed to responsibilities and the dark side of people. Life isn't fun anymore and people aren't always as friendly as they appear to be. I even hate certain people for what they've done to me, and in the past I wouldn't even get mad at anyone easily. My perspective has changed a whole lot. I changed from that carefree, cheerful boy to a guy who just try to get through life. What happened? I haven't felt like how I used to for a long time, somehow I've forgotten that feeling and perspective. But last night I remembered. I don't know, it was just like God suddenly took all the worries and stresses off my shoulders. I don't even hate those certain people anymore. Dislike them, yes, but I don't hate them. Hate is a really strong emotion you know. I've also figured out alot of things, and remembered what is really important. Afterall, life is really open to your interpretation. It all depends on how you look at it and how you want it to be. It's really weird, I just figured out all of those last night when I was in bed. It was like I got struck by lighting and have been given a new life (or a new perspective in life at least). I ended up falling sleep around 4:30am I think. Then today when I woke up at 1:30pm, I remembered it's Easter today. Well, if it wasn't God, I really don't know what it was.
09 07 : Sat
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