Recursion

Yet another late night and my third update in less than 36 hours. Like every other all nighter I've pulled this semester (which is literally every other day), I am at a dead end trying to figure out the correct coding for my programming assignment... For my programming class, we are assigned an assignment each week which contains problems where we have to code to perform a certain task/function. These packets with the prompts are getting thicker...let's take a tally shall we?

Assignment #1
Assigned: August 31st, Due: September 11th
(11 days)
Pages: 5

Assignment #2
Assigned: September 11th, Due: September 18th
(7 days)
Pages: 6

Assignment #3
Assigned: September 18th, Due: September 25th
(7 days)
Pages: 10

Assignment #4
Assigned: September 25th, Due: October 2nd
(7 days)
Pages: 9

Assignment #5
Assigned: October 2nd, Due: October 14th
(12 days)
Pages: 10

Assignment #6
Assigned: October 16th, Due: October 25th
(7 days)
Pages: 18

If you couldn't tell, we are assigned a new assignment the day our previous one is due. These assignments haven't gotten any easier and at the same time, they are getting longer and longer (for the most part). It is a guarantee that at least forty-eight hours leading up to the due date, I get no sleep. My next one is due in seven hours yet I have barely finished a few problems. One of the parts deals with recursive functions, which are functions that call itself (in a loop). It is trial and error. If one command does not work, then try one after another. Essentially if you don't use the right commands, you could be going at it for hours on end to no avail...that is happening to me right now.

It doesn't help me that I had to turn in the past two assignments for this class incomplete...there are only seven weeks or so in the semester and I am struggling in all three of my technical courses...looks like I really need to pick up the game and get some help...some sleep would be nice.

Death and Taxes

Today is a big day for me; after much hesitation and struggle, I finally declared my minor in Theater & Performance Studies! For a long time, a part of me was conflicted in minoring in theater and also not falling behind in the classes I need to take for my major. Since the year started, I have a lot to consider and to think through in regards to academics, the ideal career, life, and certain personal issues.

This past weekend, I visited home for the first time after the second week of school; for the most part, it was good to see my parents again. I finally brought up the idea of minoring in theater to my parents. Suprisingly, they were somewhat receptive to the idea. Both of them mentioned that I should minor if I am interested, but also make sure to keep up with schoolwork. In addition, my mom added that although she is fine with me minoring, I can't major in theater, reasoning that I wouldn't be able to make money

I don't completely agree with her. A career shouldn't solely be about money; it should also be something one is passionate about. The key is to find the balance between following a passion and also having a well-paid job. As long as I'm not starving and going into poverty, I should be able to pursue what I want even if it isn't a high-paying job. For the most part, money isn't the key to happiness. It can definitely help with being happy, but it is also the cause of problems and arguments.

So my compromise is to major in engineering (pursuing a job as an Imagineer, I hope) and to minor in theater. That way, I can follow my interests in acting and not completely drown in the depths of science, math, and technology. It's only the first day...we'll see how everything turns out...

But in regards to the minor, I have shown some dismay with the department. I feel that they try to be too "innovative" and "cutting edge" and ends up failing in what it sets out to be. There isn't much variety in the styles of pieces which in turns shuts out a lot of possibility and appreciation for theater. More popular plays and musicals are never produced here on campus by the department. Because of this focus on this mindset of being innvoative, it draws on selected few who will take the effort to explore this theater. Thus, the appreciation for the arts and theater of campus is very selective. Very few people know about the department or choose to see shows. Let's hope my views of TDPS will change sometime in the next two and a half years and that I will end up eventually embracing theater on campus.

My Current Playlist

Songs I absolutely CAN'T stop listening to....these five songs have been on my playlist and on endless repeat for the last three weeks or more...I have been recommending "Somebody to Love" to everyone.

1. Keep Holding On
2. Somebody to Love
3. It's My Life/Confessions, Part II
4. Halo/Walking on Sunshine
5. No Air

All by Glee Cast. The soundtrack (volume 1 -- five in total) will be out November 2nd. I have yet to pre-order it, which contains select songs from this first season. SO EXCITED to get it. Without a doubt, I will be listening to it on endless looping repeat.

More than one person has referred to the GLEE-ified versions of the songs as similar to "Kidz Bop". Quite the contrary. Well, I guess to give them credit, there is the similarity of both having an ensemble singing group, but the GLEE versions re-invent the songs and keep them upbeat, unlike "Kidz Bop". By the way, have you seen the music videos?? They are HORRENDOUS...it is literally kids in front of a green screen jumping around and doing motions...

There are plans for a music tour with the cast. If that happens, I AM THERE! -- no question about it. I'll probably be the sole college guy amongst a group of tweens. Whatever... In addition, Jonathan Groff will be starring in at least five episodes and Joss Whedon will be directing an upcoming episode!

Catch it every Wednesday 9/8c on FOX. I know, I sound like a commercial.

The Next Big One

On October 17, 1989 at 5:04pm, a slip along the San Andrea fault in the Santa Cruz Mountains caused a fateful 6.9 earthquake that would be remembered for years to come. There were 57 deaths as a direct result of the quake and thousands of injuries. The most deaths occurred on the Nimitz Freeway (Interstate-880) where the upper deck collapsed on the lower, killing 42 people. In addition, a 50-foot long section of the Bay Bridge collapsed resulting in one fatality. An estimated $6 billion of damages occurred, which at the time was the most expensive natural disaster in the history of the United States.

As the 10th anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake passes, let us remember the deaths that occurred as a result. And with the next big one's imminent arrival, be prepared so we can minimize the damages and respond accordingly.

Long and boring

I have discovered that I seldom post on here; entries are separated my three or more week gaps. And when I do take the effort to write, my posts are long and lacking substance. My guess is that no one reads this blog...but why do I post on here? As I have said before, it's a way to gather my thoughts...and fantasize about my ideal life in an indirect way.

Lack thereof

The semester started nearly a month ago (and the rest of the UCs only start this week). Since then, school/academics has been keeping me busy. I am taking 16 units with three technical courses (physics, electronics, programming) and one humanities course. So far, the pace is manageable, but after the first midterm, everything will start picking up. It is bad enough having a physics problem set AND program coding both due on Friday. With that, a problem set for electronics is due every two weeks or so. Thus, I need to manage my time carefully.

With the organizations I have already joined, I had to re-evaluate my participation in each. This semester, even though it was a tough decision, I am putting Men's Chorale on hold. Mondays are busy enough with two labs and a total of eight hours of class from 9am to 8pm. It would be hard to fit rehearsal in the one-hour slot I have between physics lab and electronics lab. Besides, with my course load, I might not even be able to attend concerts, performances, gigs, etc.

Luckily, the requirements for Rally Comm and Rotaract are minimal. For the most part, I can participate as much as time allows. I have gone to one out of two football games...and I have yet to attend a volleyball game. Our team has been doing well, winning five consecutive matches thus far. The requirements for Rally Comm are the Homecoming and Bonfire Rallies while Rotaract requires two events per semester to be active. For now, I'll fulfill the minimum and do more as I have time.

The only time cruncher is Barestage. This semester I am part of the public relations committee. As of now, there are four of us altogether; a few more might be joining our team. Our task is to actively promote our group as well as upcoming auditions/productions to the campus. There are quite a few people to share the work, but it still requires my active participation with flyering and such. In addition, I'm marketing director for Brighton Beach Memoirs. Unfortunately, I won't be auditioning for any productions this semester. But I hope I will be able to next semester for Into the Woods. 

For now, I just need to get through this semester. My lack of motivation isn't helping me with getting things done. It has gotten to the point where I will waste my time away doing nothing productive, which then adversely affects my academic performance. This became apparent while doing MasteringPhysics, an online program for physics problems. I ran out of time and hastily turned in the problem set somewhat completed. Because of my procrastination, I was pressed for time and did not have enough time to work out the problems myself. Each week I tell myself to start working and studying earlier, but it never happens. I know that if I don't pick things up, it will come back and get me.

It's getting late...around 2:30am. Must get back to work and figure out my problem set for electronics. This class has me going around in circles. I am having such a hard time understanding the concepts...it's taking me such a long time to learn the material, yet I avoid doing the homework by going on the computer...it's gonna be a long night...

Back at Berkeley

A month has passed since my last post. Time sure does fly. So much has happened since then; the most significant being the start of a new academic year. As mentioned in my previous posts, summer was spent back in Berkeley taking summer classes, most specifically, organic chemistry. It has been a tough battle, but I was victorious the second time around. I used knowledge from the first encounter to my benefit, so it was slightly easier the second time around. Especially since the professor whittled down the material to the basics.

Anyways, I have been back in Berkeley for a week now. This year, I am living in campus housing: a double in Unit 2 Griffiths. The living conditions haven't been too shabby. My bed is currently lofted (it was like that when I got there), but I am most likely unlofting it. I am paranoid of injuring myself while climbing up and down to my bed when I am half-awake or half-asleep. Still need to talk to my roommate about that. And things are going pretty well with my roommate. He's fairly quiet. This past week, I've been so extremely busy with Welcome Week events, so I haven't been in the room all that much. I feel really bad for leaving him and not interacting with him much. This will change after this week is over. I hope.

This year, there is still empty space left in my closet and drawers! I've learned my lesson from last year and minimized what I brought to school. Let's hope it stays this way and I don't accumulate too much more stuff. It set me aback when moving out that I filled the entire Honda Odyssey with stuff from my dorm room. There was no free space besides a seat for the driver and a passenger. I am NOT going to let that happen again. This is just one of MANY things I learned from my experience at Berkeley this past year.

This year, I am looking forward to:

• more food options (not necessarily BETTER food though)
• using my meal points to get Peet's
• meeting my floor mates and hopefully getting along with them
• Theater 119: Asian/American Performance Across Media!
  
• taking more courses for my Acting and Performance Studies minor
• my technical courses (even though they're not THAT interesting, my professors seem to know what they're doing)

Things to be missed:

• late night at Foothill (still haven't tried steak plate)
• an ice machine, especially on hot days

On the other hand, there are things not to be missed:

• long treks up many flights of stairs, to and from Foothill to class, meetings, and any other event
• the lack of food options on North side (Foothill area)
• crappy food at Foothill

There is probably much more I'm missing on these lists...forgive me. I still need to finalize my class schedule for this semester. It depends on the lone class that I'm wait listed for. Once I get off the waiting list, everything will fall into place. For once, I am looking forward to taking my technical courses because all of my professors seem like they know what they're doing. In addition, they're all fairly interesting, especially my Asian/American Performance professor/class. In development...