Lemming's Insane Ranting

The mind can certainly play some nasty tricks on you when you're walking back from uni along a lonely deserted street at 4+ in the morning!

Stupid Commonwealth Games is screwing up my clock!!

So on the way back from ta-paoing lunch from Ole, this chink stopped me outside my apartments and the first thing he said was

Chink - "Ni(2) Zhu(4) Zhai(4) Zhe(1) Le(2) Mah?"
Me: I replied in English "Yes" with as much venom as I could master.
Chink - Zhiang(2) Hua(2) Yi(3) Mah?
Me: Gives about to stab your eyes out with a made in china icepick look

He couldn't take the hint, game me this wide oh-you-dun-speak-mandarin-smile back and I was hoping he wasn't gonna drop the classic "We can be good friends" line on me....

So the rest of the conversation went on in English...he should really know better than to approach some asian and start off the conversation in mandarin...like somebody would say "This is not China you know!"

Apparently he wanted to know where I go to buy groceries...apparently he didn't know where Eastgardens was (my housemate claims it's the best sub-urban mall he's seen so far) and a 20 min busride was a shock to him...I guess he wanted distances in donkey minutes or something...

Anyways, been playing Ticket to Ride online!! A revival of some sorts when the housemate and I were talking about boardgames. Was deciding between T2R:Europe, Settlers of Catan and Starfarers of Catan...all so expensive. But seeing I can get equally as much kicks of playing T2R online...it's between the two.





Ok, gotta goto labs now and try to finish up an assignment! We Love Cocoa!!!

Over the air: Passing Sirens

Housemate asked me to try out Guild War Factions with him and so I dumped my LVL 5 character on Aaron's account and created a 24hr Ritualist...

Where does Guild Wars Factions take place?

Guild Wars Factions takes place in Cantha, an Asian-inspired three-nation continent far to the south of the lands of Tyria, the setting for the original Guild Wars campaign.

After the game, as you can see, I parked my character in the middle of a square and started to dance my ass off... that sure attracted alot of attention...well I went off to eat some stuff but when I go back...let's just say that I was the talked of the town. =P

Really don't know, I kinda like the game and sometimes I kinda don't...
Right...so I really don't think I'm going to get it, really got no time to play this semester...

Like the graphics and environment though!

Just got back from the uni's careers expo, feel so stressed now, applications at Accenture for positions in 2007 close in May this year!!

Over the Air: Careless Whisper - George Micheal

We actually watched A Night at the Roxbury today, well everybody except the prude...

Gee, it must be the movies that made had so many of these people like Molly Shannon, Loni Anderson, Jennifer Coolidge, Eva Mendes, Meredith Scott Lynn and of course the 2 stars of the show Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan.

Didn't know that this was the movie that was spun off that silly SNL head bobbing clubbers sketch! And that dancefloor scene!!!

Will: ....you complete me.
Chris: Shuddup, you had me at hello.

Had a great laff with the gang!

You invite somebody into your place generously - Mi Casa, Su Casa...
but before you know it, they're literally eating you out of house and home...

Sighs...

Whilst doing up my own DVR's interface, I've been surfing around to get more information on current implementations of DVRs and came across Starhub's Digital Cable EPG based off OpenTV 1.1.

Starhub is of course going to introduce a DVR of it's own called Starhub SmartTV and it's going to be based off OpenTV's PVR 2.0 implemented on a Thomson hardware solution (similar to AUSTAR's?, though ours would be a twin-tuner as compared to Austar's 4 tuner one =()

I do hope that Starhub comes up with a nice interface for SmartTV, the current Digital Cable EPG is adequate but I think they could do a lot better, I mean if foxtel can design a funky great interface off PVR 1.0, I don't see why we can't do something as nice! Yeah I know...the dated boxy PVR design by Pace is a bit last year...

Ok so granted that I have it easy specifying that my interface input is via a touch-screen, but I wonder if Starhub does any usablity studies for it's new SmartTV interfaces, especially since they'd probably be restricting the manipulation of the interface via the remote control...and I don't mean the interface designers testing it out on themselves...

I learnt it the hard way the folly of letting a geek design an interface when the industry design students took apart my own DVR interface. Designers and Coders just don't think alike... Actually if Starhub's looking at employing somebody with a HCI background to do up it's interface, I wouldn't mind really =P

Argh!! Anyway, must get back to finishing my next design iteration that's due in a few hours time!!

Just finished the call with a certain...erm..somebody from Brisbane, must say I kinda miss having those kind of conversations...

Over the Air: Carnival of the Animals - Camille Saint-Saens

Managed to make it to Maccers and back without getting caught in the rain.

I asked the manager whether the medium packet of fries was actually medium, since it looked more like a small portion of fries, but he gave me some accented reply about squeezing the box...would have poked his eyes out but this IS the nearest source of cheap food for starving students, so best not get barred from the "fine" establishment...

Got my lappy with me today, since I expect the lecture to be really boring later...

Over the Air: Particularly whinny iMac G5 2Ghz

Did the Starhub Smart TV survey and they actually profiled me as...

The Realistic Romantic

Flexible and positive in your outlook, you tend to take things in your stride and are unfazed by sudden changes of direction. Where others see problems, you see opportunities. Where others see danger, you see adventure. Your cheerful disposition compels you to make the best of every situation. In your view, life's a buffet - so why stick to one dish? But while you savour surprises and relish variety, you are neither a outlandish trendsetter nor a slavish follower of fashion. You know what you like - and quite often that's the tried and true rather than the hot and hip. During your leisure time, you usually choose to relax and be entertained rather than challenged. Your strong practical streak makes you selective in your embrace of new technology and you harbour a healthy suspicion of gimmickry. While you are definitely not into filling up your life with gadgets, you welcome products that will make your life easier or eliminate unpleasant chores. Authentic experience - be it with or without a hand-held electronic device - is what turns you on!

Over the air: This whinney iMac

Got this in my mail...

Dear Patrons,

You may be saddened to learn that Anthony Camden, former Director of the Conservatorium passed away this week after suffering from a seriously debilitating illness for the past few years.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday 11 March at St John's Cathedral at 11.00am to honour the life and work of Anthony Camden.

I would be grateful if you could forward this email throughout your organisation or to anyone else who may be interested in attending the memorial service.


Anthony Camden was the fourth Director of Queensland Conservatorium, serving from late 1988 until mid 1993. These were momentous times for the Conservatorium as Professor Camden's tenure coincided with the Federal Government's reforms on higher education. This was also the time when the Conservatorium was planning for its relocation to a new site within the South Bank precinct following Expo 88. By the time this move of location occurred in 1996, Professor Camden had left the University and was based at the Hong Academy of the Performing Arts.

Professor Camden was an internationally renowned oboist, having performed with major orchestras as a soloist and principal player, and alongside numerous internationally recognised artists and conductors. He was principal oboist with the London Symphony Orchestra from 1972 - 88, and was a foundation member of the London Virtuosi.

Anthony made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Brisbane including education/training (with his leadership of the Queensland Conservatorium in the early 90s), to classical musical (Artistic Advisor with The Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 90s), work with Brisbane Festival over many years. On the global stage, he made an outstanding contribution to the London Symphony Orchestra as Chairman for 20 years and Principal Oboist during that period, to the recording industry (he remains the most prolific recording oboist in the world), and his various tours throughout the world with the London Virtuoso performing with the some of the greatest names in classical music. He was also Head of the Music Department of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Academy for some years and provided consultancy advice to many orchestras throughout South East Asia during this period.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday 11 March at St John's Cathedral at 11.00am to honour the life and work of Anthony Camden.

I would be grateful if you could forward this email throughout your organisation or to anyone else who may be interested in attending the memorial service.

Regards,

Jeff Wecker
Events Manager

Muahaha!!

Feel good knowing that I paid just $26.34 including shipping for "Firefly - The Complete Series" that I ordered from Amazon.com and it costs more now at $24.96 excluding shipping!!

"When are you going to move in?" - Profound words from my housemate

Sigh...

Going to my first meeting with the industrial design students later, should be an interesting collaboration.

Well Jane and Bryan left this afternoon and should be touching down back home anytime soon, sad to see them go and return to an empty house, just had so much fun, joy and laughter with them around!

So I told myself to get out of the house....and I went for Concert Band rehersals and then filled in for the timpini player for Orchestra today, 4-9pm. Whoa! That's a grand total of 5hrs stuck behind the timps!

If anybody's interested -
The University of New South Wales Concert Band
Tuesday, April 11, 1.10 - 2 pm. Clancy Auditorium

• Shostakovich - Festive Overture, op. 96.


• Menotti (arr. Erickson) - Introduction, March and Shepherd's Dance, from 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'.


• Saint-SaÎns (arr. Steiger) - Danse Bacchanale, from 'Samson et Dalilah'. Roman - Drottningholmsmusique.


• Walton - Crown Imperial.

The University of New South Wales Orchestra
Tuesday May 16, 7.30 - 9.00 pm .Clancy Auditorium
Programme inspired by the 250th anniversary this year of Mozartís birth.

• Mozart - Overture to 'The Impresario', K486.


• Mozart - Piano sonata, K 331. Excerpts.


• Reger - Variations and Fugue on a theme of Mozart.

Would have more fun if the damn set of kettle drums weren't out of tune...I swear for the amount of money that the university is making of us, they should at least be able to afford proper timpinis...

Watched the first episode of The IT Crowd, it's hilarious!! Gotta go get more of it!

Over the Air: Katamari on the Rocks - DOKAKA

I ordered myself a birthday present!!
Partly because I left the bootie version back home and I chanced upon the offer on Amazon.com, so I ordered myself the complete Firefly Series!!

Saw this over at digg, so go for it, get your free USB thumbdrive!!
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mysterysolved/corp/default.mspx

The specs for the new mac minis look quite attractive, thinking of buying one so I can do my cocoa development at home...

1 hour of round the lecture hall introduction and another 45 mins going through the course outline. Cyberspace Law is sooooo boring!!

I was so tempted to whip out my DS to drone out the incessant "Hi, my name is XXXX and I'm a Nth year ZZZZZ student". Too bad I won't be able to logon to WFC on the school network since they require a login...hmm...but if I bring my laptop though, I could probably tunnel the connection through.

Had another to-be-tenant looking at the room this morning, a columbian. Looks good on paper and seems eager to move in coz his current housemate kicked him out when her parents found out she was living with a guy. This is Australia? Well...I don't really believe that story actually but then again he doesn't look the partying kind.

Over the Air: Wind buffeting against the lab