mace*net
Site Blog ArchivesLabelsLinks Portfolio Designs Forum
mace's blog v2
Friday, 7 December 2007
Time again.
  Posted by mace at 3:57 PM // 2 comments
Wow. That's two sessions of Uni gone already. Of course, I'm looking forward to the 3 month break we have, but it's struck me - where have all the other months of the year gone?

Ask yourself; what have you achieved?

For me it's been - scraping through my uni courses, I haven't picked up guitar in agges so now I'm basically starting from scratch again, sometimes it seems like friends have changed.. other times its almost as though everything is just the way it was a year ago.

Sure there have been the good times and the bad; the sleepless nights of apparent mild insomnia, the fun times out with old friends and all that.. but perhaps most importantly, the year that has gone be has been about new experiences and new situations. It's only through those, and how we deal with them, such as uni life, issues with friends, making new friends, etc, that we actually learn and grow.

Looking back, it seems like an age ago when we studied the Gwen Harwood poem, At Mornington for HSC English, but perhaps this was the meaning I was supposed to understand from it:

Life is like a wave, it has its ups and downs, so all we can really do is just go with the flow? Like waves, the cycle is repetitious - so all you can really do is just live it out, from one crest to the next *1

*1 Don't get me started on Quantum Physics and Wave/Particle Dualities.. I don't have to do Uni Physics ever again!




So anyway, I was getting to Uni results. I'm pretty happy with how I've done this session, it's been much more consistent than last session, even with a lower WAM. Pity I won't be doing Physics anymore, as I did much better in that than Maths. All my grades are at the lower boundary, which is a little worrying, but then again, it's much better than last session where I missed out on the next grade by one or two marks; so I'm content now =) I guess the important thing is - if you've passed your courses - be happy! As above, things don't always work out the way you want, so just run with it (I seriously can't get the QOTSA song, 'Go with the Flow' out of my head)

Last week: Went for lunch at Pizza Hut all-you-can eat (no, I didn't get any fatter) with my group, then we headed over to Burwood City Hunter for a 'short' lanning session (heh, 3+ Hours). Then met up with other friends at Parra to go see the Advance Screening of Bee Movie! I thought it was alright, though it didn't seem like our law student friends didn't like it =P

This week has been a bit more eventful, went to parra/city to do some shopping, and met up with others again to go find presents for the many many birthdays this week. We spent a fair bit of time looking at games and deciding between which one to get.. and suffice to say, now I seriously want a Wii, and Guitar Hero 3. We watched Beowulf after that... I don't really know what to think of the movie. I kept thinking of 300 scenes whenever Beowulf spoke. =\

Afterwards - more bumming around the city, then Kirstie points me in right direction to the buses to Towers; and turned the ~1hr trip into a fun and entertaining one - so ty, always good to have company =)

Why am I at the Towers? To get to Aza's house for his Birthday. Long story short, seeing a Full HD FIFTY-TWO-inch LCD screen nearly made me cry. It was just.. soo big, and everything looked soooo good on it when we had the X360 hooked up to it. just.. omg. I swear I haven't seen anything like it at work, though I guess the larger space at Dick Smith makes the screens look smaller than they actually are. Anyhow that was an awesome night full of the usual pizza and gaming (FULL HD of course). So now I'll add Xbox 360 and a huge Full HD LCD to the list of stuff I want.

The next day - I rock up at Parramatta in the early morning to complete the shopping for birthday presents with Leane and Albert. We eventually get to Miu's house for his party, and as they say, the rest is history. Glad to see everyone who turned up =) Just more gaming and pizza, it's all good! Wii is sooo violent with so many injuries in our games haha. but so so fun.




So where am I now? I guess, late nights reminiscing too much about the past is where I'm at. Thinking wayy too much late at night =\

Watched all the current episodes of The Big Bang Theory though - that was just awesome. Thanks Kirstie! I <3 my geeks. It's going to be a while until more of The IT Crowd and Battlestar Galactica come out, so I guess I'll be watching How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, and Prison Break.

Things I'm supposed to be doing:
- Learning Guitar - I mean I have my electric out all the time, but I only play it briefly a few times each day.
- Learn Languages - I haven't progressed at all with Chinese/Japanese/German =\
- Finish building my gaming stuff and get painting. So slow...
- Driving - I've only done an hour so far... Anyone know any good instructors?

As for immediate plans.. Beach on Wednesday! msn for details.

That's about it from me, I've probably forgotten so much since I haven't blogged in ages. Have fun everyone!

.mace

Labels: ,



// Post a comment! or View Comments (2)
Friday, 20 July 2007
To quote Starcraft 2...
  Posted by mace at 9:39 PM // 0 comments

"Hell, It's about time!"

So here I am, finally of age! How do I feel, well less sick than I was yesterday. I've managed to return to the normal.. spending the day near the computer rather than watching midday television.

But really, what's the big deal about being eighteen? Aside from being the youngest (or second youngest) wherever I go...

I figure it just boils down to the legal ramifications of being 18, you can 'legally' do 'stuff' now. There's also the added responsibility for oneself and apparent independence gained overnight. But otherwise, I'm just a day older!

What else does it mean... Guys - I can finally join you at the pub now. We can go to Boxxdin then head over to Bull & Bush for a post-gears-of-war round. Girls - well I've heard so much about clubbing but never actually been able to go (standing outside is no fun, especially during schoolies =\). But I'll get around to this eventually. Cityrail - no more claiming child tickets for me. Work - thanks for the payrise =D


Reflections of a sound

Well it's a little hard to believe that it's been a year already. In that time I've.. cruised through the HSC, not really pulling my wait but still getting what I wanted (not quite enough for commerce though.. should've aimed a bit higher =S), survived the first session of University with fairly good results (ok I aced Engineering and Computing, and passed Maths and Physics...); Had fun chillaxing at uni, had an awesome time with friends in the holidays (soo many parties! I look forward to more!), watched the New Years Celebration in the city for once, had a great time at Brushy's Point (see adjacent post!); and met a few new people (no regrets about that.. you know who you are ;) ) - a busy year its been! Eh, good times, too much to mention here really!

The year ahead

Well what to expect? 2 Sessions of University. Many, many birthday celebrations. Christmas and New Years. Lots of holidays for summer break. Lots of fun =D I guess now I have a bit more freedom in not having to wait outside pubs/clubs (or wait at net cafes rather) and such whilst everyone else goes and parties... and to go visit Star City =) Earning more money probably means spending more too.. here I come 40k!


But otherwise, I'm still the same geek I was yesterday, and shall most probably be tomorrow. I mean since I've been sick I've learnt how to solve a Rubix cube and now I can do it in just over 2 minutes! Still proud to be a nerd.


Just a quick shoutout to everyone who sent birthday messages yesterday and today - thanks heaps, very much appreciated =D I'm getting better now too, just a cough but otherwise nearly at full strength! I must say I don't feel so young anymore, then again I don't feel old. @ Ying and Hansen, my 19 y.o. friends, you're not thattt old! =) It's really just the presence of people like me =\

Anyhow, yeah, thanks all, have a nice day =D

Labels: ,



// Post a comment! or View Comments
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Twenty-Five.
  Posted by mace at 11:58 PM // 2 comments
1. i've come to realise that i'm not the only one around here...

2. i am listening to Snow Patrol (Wow).

3. i talk predominently via msn.

4. i love anything, and anyone techy.

5. i hate restrictions on everything that I do.

6. i love the smell of food! What else! =D

7. marriage is like Mr & Mrs Smith.

8. fast food is like, never going to make me fat.

9. somewhere, someone is thinking that they should give mace a cookie.

10. i'll always be a sucker for ... you.

11. my secret crush - no wait, a second, stop here. I'm "free".

12. the last time i cried was when i ate too many wasabi peas for my own good.

13. my cell phone is slim and lanky like me.

14. when i wake up in the morning i try to sleep in.

15. before i go to bed - hah, me & sleep? Well ok, I spend a lot of time eating, and drinking, and bumming on the computer, before making numerous attempts to get offline. Then that takes about an hour or so...

16. right now i am thinking about not thinking about exam results.

17. babies are.. cute?

18. i get on with my fellow geeks.

19. today I found out I'm a counselor idealist

20. tonight i'll be alone and hungry.

21. my piercings won't exist.

22. tomorrow i'll still be alone, but no longer hungry =)

23. i really look forward to Live Earth this Saturday!

24. the person most likely to repost this has already posted it?

25. i regret a lot of things. But none of those include meeting the friends I have ;)



I must say, I have always had an interest in psychology, and philosophy. Perhaps not as much as Sci-fi, but nonetheless. I was doing my rounds on Tau Online today and came across a thread by Hansen. I went and did the typology test, and really wasn't surprised by the results; What surprised me was the uncanny accuracy of said results. Of particular interest was the last paragraph:
The Counselor Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in reaching their goals, and enterprising and attentive in their interpersonal roles. Counselors focus on human potentials, think in terms of ethical values, and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (little more than 2 percent) is regrettable, since Counselors have an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their companions. Although Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known a Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another's emotions or intentions -- good or evil -- even before that person is conscious of them. This "mind-reading" can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others' feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance.

Now if you haven't deduced already - I do actually get random psychic stuff happen. Mainly precognitive visions. I mean it's happened twice in the past week already =S

I'll spare the details of said occurances, but I was interested into what typology others have received from this test.

Directed at other Counselor Idealists, does anyone else get psychic precognitions? or is it just me?

And at others - eh.. please explain? =\

Labels:



// Post a comment! or View Comments (2)
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Ode to the Nice Guys
  Posted by mace at 9:21 PM // 2 comments
I think this deserves to be the first post here of this column... For those who haven't read it already, here be the Ode to the Nice Guys (written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal):

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003


And a three-part youtube video series - "Just a Nice Guy"







At the end of the day... cheers to all nice guys!

Labels:



// Post a comment! or View Comments (2)