Monthly Archives: November 2009

2012.

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If there was legitimate scientific fact that all the scientists of the world approved of that proved the world is ending in two years…

What would you do?

Would you try to survive it?

If not, what will you do in your last moment?

I watched 2012 on Friday night, not bad.  Come for the CG stay for the “I wonder if they will live… will this end like The Knowing?”

I kind of want to be there when the world ends, just to see how it happens.  But not really, I think I’d like a peaceful, in my sleep of old age, kind of death.  If somehow the world is all messed up and some humans survive, I’d want to be there just to know.  But not really, it’s probably going to be chaos and depressing and maybe worse than the moment when the world “ended”.

My friend said when the world ends he’d take a picture of it.  I thought to myself “what’s the point no one would see it” and then I realized it’s pretty deep.  The world “ends” for everyone eventually, you still do the things you want to do anyway.

Back to the movie,

The CG: Haven’t seen anything like it before, but to be honest it didn’t reach my expectations.  There were moments when it felt more like  cut scenes of games like Final Fantasy, impressive but still had the cartoony feel.

The destruction: There is something about visually stimulating scenes of destruction that I love.   Not the most imaginative stuff but still worth the gander.

The characters: Some quirky ones, but for others it felt like they tried to give them depth only to have it come out kind of forced.

The story: The only interesting thing about this movie was what exactly was the government building that could save some people.  There was a notable scene where… ok no spoilers but there was a scene where it was so well executed that everyone was laughing and clapping at their way of escaping yet another disaster.

So I didn’t say too many good things about 2012 but it wasn’t a bad movie.  It was entertaining and a well spent Friday.

I rate it a $9 out of $12.  (I believe the price was actually $11.95…)

However, for other  mainstream end of the world type movies I would recommend:

For the celebs – Armageddon

For the soul – Deep Impact

For fun – Independence Day

For similar-to-2012-but-better-and-I’m-broke – The Day After Tomorrow

For the faint of heart – Titanic

These kind of movies always make me wonder if I should go be a scientist or a CG artist…

[side note] If you are very critical of movie magic “physics” where for some reason they forgot to account for centripital force, this may not be for you.

The team thing.

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Yesterday was the long anticipated (but not in the “I can’t wait, it’s going to be so fun” kind of way) presentation day of my first big project.  The Electronic Arts case study for organizational behavior (aka COMM292).

At the beginning of the course, the professor puts everyone in the class into teams.  Teams were created based on these personality analysis surveys we did.

I was really excited to find out if good teams can actually be made this way.

My conclusion: well I loved my group but I still can’t tell if it is related to how the prof put it together.

Do you remember how group projects felt in highschool?  (Yes I realize I compare everything to high school a lot.)

1. Most people want every project to be a group project.
2. You must choose your own groups.
3. You must choose your friends.
3b. You must choose the smart kids who will get you the highest marks.

Of course, you don’t always get your way.  It wasn’t so bad when teachers picked your teams because you see these same people all the time and at least sort of know them.

This was different.  I didn’t even know everyone’s names at the start.  Even then, this was honestly one of the coolest project experiences.  Oh I feel like a nerd for saying that.  I didn’t notice much during the whole thing but once it ended, it felt so cool to know total strangers can work together and make something in a short time.

Random fact about me #4: I am a pretty distant person.  Which explains my huge awe of the whole interacting with people thing.

On Sunday, I hung out with a friend from SFU and we were talking about how at the rate we’re going, in four years we will be just as lost with even less of a purpose because by then we won’t even have school to focus on.

I still don’t know what I want to do, and even if it is based on a single experience,  I’m glad I found something that I would like from my future.  I want to work with people.  Ok, so most jobs require working with people anyway, but hey, a step forward is a step forward.

Right direction or not, at least I’m moving?

Keeners.

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Before the days of university I have never heard anyone use the word “keener.”  Now it’s everywhere.  It had to come from somewhere though right?  So someone’s high school must have used “keener.”

Were you a “keener” user?

How I dream for the day when someone calls me a keener and seriously means it.  At this rate it is a lost hope, as are my grades.

Okay I really shouldn’t be saying that.  Yesterday when I was hanging out with a smart friend of mine I realized, the mindset of especially smart people are very different, maybe it is why they are so smart.  She got a midterm back  and it was the first time she had ever done so bad.  Some of you may be thinking “pft probably over exaggerating one of those ‘Asian fails’ again.  Those over achievers =(” but no, it was a genuine way below fail, fail.

And she told me, whilst half speaking to herself: “OK I’LL STUDY AND ON THE FINAL I WILL KNOW EVERY SINGLE QUESTION!!”

Shocking.

To me anyway.  I’m sure she meant it in 100% of the meaning of “every.” When I fail or do bad I just honestly tell myself “I’ll work hard and seriously work to the best of my abilities for the next one” but I have never gone for the “I will know it all” mentality.

I really found it amazing how she seriously meant she would aim for it all.  Could this be a defining factor from the normal and the brilliant?

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I did more exploring yesterday too.

The subbasement of Korener.  What a death trap.

It’s all quiet, you’re lucky if you see a few lively souls around.  You’re walking down the wide middle aisle but your wet sneakers are squeaking across the linoleum tiles so you decide to turn into a smaller carpeted lane.

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You don’t really know where you’re heading as every path seems to start looking the same.  You start walking faster hoping to find a way out.  CREAK. What was that? You turn around hoping to find that someone stepped on one of those metal things that enter into the shelves.  No one.  You face forward again and you suddenly realize the shelves are moving on their own.

You panic, you duck between nearest shelves.

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Ok this one was way too narrow to fit completely inside.  So you go for the historic Vietnam section. You lean against the the old books trying to catch your heart beat.  Suddenly you realize the walls are closing in on you.  You’re in the midway point between the two ends of the shelf.  You waste 4 seconds trying to decide which side you run towards.  You try to yell out and even though the library is so quiet the layers of shelves block out the sound.

But you’re a keener and you escaped.

Those shelves really scare me though.  I have a hard time walking between them slowly and calmly.

A typical day.

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I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while.  I couldn’t think of anything to talk about.

So on the bus to school on Thursday, I asked myself why I didn’t have anything to say.  It hit me that the school life has come to the point where I officially deem myself “settled in” even though I still feel like I have alot to catch up on.

Rather than telling you my daily schedule, I will share with you these things that I find are consistent in my day other than the classes that I have to go to.

There is always…

@9-10: moments of staring at people on the bus and wondering what they’re thinking and where they’re going.

@11-12: something to catch up on, something to study for, some meeting to be at.  There is always something.  The perpetual stress… but even stress can be something to get used to.

@lunch: distracted by things to check out at the SUB like that scarf stand or the AMS art gallery.

@the class after I ate: a moment of dozing off, followed by a moment of “how long was I out?”, followed by a moment of “I’m so screwed for this class.”

@ another class: repeat the 3rd moment of the previous.

@a class where I have friends: something inappropriate to laugh at.

@…a random time: some place to explore.  Like going to the 2nd floor of the SUB and seeing what the rooms are booked for that day.  Man, I feel like such a creeper.

@…a random place: seeing something I didn’t notice before

^ the SUB 2nd floor. (Dun dun dun, are they straight or misaligned? It’s an optical illusion~~)

@Angus or that road between Irving and Chemistry: someone handing me something.

@sometime near the end of the day: doing something stupid.  For instance on Friday: walking backwards against the wind for a couple hundred meters.  It’s warmer that way. Really. (Don’t worry, it’s much less embarrassing when you’re not doing it by yourself… and at 5:30 with no one around)

@bus ride home: something to talk about with friend… usually something that questions the way people are.

@Friday: the desperate feeling to hang out with someone in hopes of recovering the sanity you lost over the week.

What’s the point?

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Lots of stuff is happening in my life and as the 43 bent it’s accordion around into the bus loop I asked myself “what’s the point?”

I’m referring to the point of coming to school.

To learn, to get a degree so I can get a job, to try new things, to meet people… etc etc.

Somehow today that wasn’t very motivating.  Don’t get me wrong, I love learning in general and was never really a skipper, but these reasons just didn’t feel enough.  I know quite a few people who know what they want to be, or do, or at least have some sort of direction.  Me?  I just want to have a good time and graduate.  The truth is that I don’t really know what I am aiming for, I’m just living as the moments come.

People always say to me “you’ll find out some day, just get good grades for now, don’t worry.”  However true that might maybe be, it still doesn’t feel good to not know where you’re going.  Actually, it feels extremely horrible sometimes.  It makes the place that I am at unsettling.

So during my one hour pre-noon break I took a walk.  To “find myself”?  I really don’t know.  I was kind of hoping that it would guide me to somewhere interesting where I might have an epiphany on the matter or something.

Nothing happened, but I finally found the Nitobe Garden (the Japanese garden thing).  Also, the Asian studies building, film productions, a Christmas tree (that wasn’t actually a tree… try looking for it, it’s stuck to a side of a building!)… and Vanier! (yes… I have never been there before.)

I took some pictures of swirling trees!



The funny thing was that I actually got lost but just said to myself “oh well, I’ll find my way eventually” and guess where I found myself?

Turned the corner, looked up the hill and the only thing that made me realize where I was, White Spot.  Ok maybe I’m looking into it too deeply but at that moment I had to laugh.  To me White Spot = Angus Building = Sauder… in otherwords, all that time on my wandering journey of “why am I here? I don’t even know what I want to be…  Is business really the right choice for me?” brought me back to Sauder.

If I weren’t me I would say I looked into this too deeply and it’s just a coincidence.

If you feel like you’re in the same spot as me, consider watching this:

I’m inspired. I just don’t know how to act on it.

[random] I found this sight kind of interesting…

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Spotted outside the power plant.

What do you think required such a narrow door?  Is it art?