march 2008
Just fixed a small issue with the paging on this front page. Thanks for all the heads up guys.... (I jest! :)
I've also been working on something during my weekends offtime, something which has been inspiring to me, and hopefully to others like me as well.
More to come in the upcoming two weeks!
Either way, it's partly my fault for leaving this site to wilter in the deadlands of the virtual world... to which I can clearly blame my obviously unbalanced sense of time and priority. It's all too easy to lose yourself in the work, especially when you are faced with it day and night! In fact, I often feel like the for a period of about an hour after a serious coding session, my natural linguistic abilities are somewhat degraded to a point where I have the purest idea (and the words to describe them) in my head, but lack the compositional skills to construct them into a proper, witty, and to the point statement. I remember reading an article which described the changes in brain chemistry due to the common tasks encountered whilst programming (multitasking, computing logic, syntax parsing and semantics, etc.) and how they affect the behaviour of software developers. Too bad I can't seem to find the article any more!
I digress though, as my real goal for posting today was because I was stepping backwards through time via this blog earlier, and came across a string of posts that I did a two years ago in january (on what is, as of this post, page 10) describing my inner turmoil and somewhat dissatisfaction with the direction in which my life was headed. I believe I wrote the following:
"I also feel like my future, by one extension or another, will be a linear combination of exactly what I'm doing right now...
And that's kind of scary...".
I've had a chance to think about the some of the defining points in my life since then, such as completing school, my internships, as well as working at BumpTop and I can say that I am fairly happy with the way things turned out.
And that's kind of scary...".
One of the biggest challenges I've faced was getting over, well, myself! (of all things!) I've always been kind of self-critical, shy, and distant to a lot of people (and kinda jealous too, now that its 'pick-on-winson' day), and I still am, but I've long come to realize that you just can't see the stage if you are always sitting down. And one of the reasons that I'm having so much fun at work nowadays, is because I *do* feel comfortable with speaking out and having my voice heard; even/especially if I'm not always correct.
Which leads me to my second biggest realization thus far, which is the fact that you can only do as much as you can do. To some, this statement would be a tautology, but to me, this has become the very foundation of my work ethic today. The realization that you have no right to complain about a result, or a roadblock without having exhausted all possible effort, and every potential possibility is an incredibly liberating one. It is the same realization that took me from a 2.7 GPA in third year to a 3.7 GPA with little more than a reorganization of my personal time. The funny thing is that anyone can do it, but no one will believe it until they have tried.
To which my last real reflection stems, is the realization that perfection is a journey and not a goal. I, too, absolutely hate the phrase "that's good enough", but even I recognize that I am sometimes far too narrowminded and idealistic to see the big picture in full light. Incidentally, this is still something I'm working on, but I am now through with simply preaching iteration and not practicing it myself. This also doesn't mean that you should always let things slide (cause that's a very slippery slope? Haha, so punny! :), but sometimes, you have to trust yourself, and especially others, in that what you've done is a first step towards something much greater. Like Randy Pausch says, wait long enough, and everyone will surprise you (hopefully in a good way).
Now before this turns into any more Dr.Philesque, I just want to say to Rhys that you have potentially the single greatest opportunity that anyone in your situation can possibly have, you have the equivalent of the 'girl', the 'riches', and the 'kingdom' to go with it. You have the rare talent to make epresence work, and the drive to make it fly. You just need to calm down, eh?
I'm in a similar situation, (though not nearly as intense, and for different ends :), so the best of luck to you and me both!
Which leads me to my second biggest realization thus far, which is the fact that you can only do as much as you can do. To some, this statement would be a tautology, but to me, this has become the very foundation of my work ethic today. The realization that you have no right to complain about a result, or a roadblock without having exhausted all possible effort, and every potential possibility is an incredibly liberating one. It is the same realization that took me from a 2.7 GPA in third year to a 3.7 GPA with little more than a reorganization of my personal time. The funny thing is that anyone can do it, but no one will believe it until they have tried.
To which my last real reflection stems, is the realization that perfection is a journey and not a goal. I, too, absolutely hate the phrase "that's good enough", but even I recognize that I am sometimes far too narrowminded and idealistic to see the big picture in full light. Incidentally, this is still something I'm working on, but I am now through with simply preaching iteration and not practicing it myself. This also doesn't mean that you should always let things slide (cause that's a very slippery slope? Haha, so punny! :), but sometimes, you have to trust yourself, and especially others, in that what you've done is a first step towards something much greater. Like Randy Pausch says, wait long enough, and everyone will surprise you (hopefully in a good way).
Now before this turns into any more Dr.Philesque, I just want to say to Rhys that you have potentially the single greatest opportunity that anyone in your situation can possibly have, you have the equivalent of the 'girl', the 'riches', and the 'kingdom' to go with it. You have the rare talent to make epresence work, and the drive to make it fly. You just need to calm down, eh?
I'm in a similar situation, (though not nearly as intense, and for different ends :), so the best of luck to you and me both!
I've also been working on something during my weekends offtime, something which has been inspiring to me, and hopefully to others like me as well.
More to come in the upcoming two weeks!
january 2008
Ah, my first post of the new year; slightly belated due to work, play and everything in
between! Work-wise, I am now at a small startup at the University of Toronto called
BumpTop, where I get to
work on some pretty neat technology, with some pretty smart people! The exposure to the
other graduate students and the people who call DGP home is also an added bonus,
especially considering that I too wish to get my masters some day. Not to mention future gaming sessions with Rhys' retro Atari system upstairs! Yay!
Speaking of games, I'm am now totally hooked on Falcon 4.0 Allied Force. The last time I played a Falcon game (AT) was in the mid 90's, and I remember being pretty hooked then as well. That time around, I read most of the 200-odd page book which greatly described the workings of the F-16, and detailed how to "fly" it in game. Unfortunately, there was also this mission listed in the book which one could never complete (not sure if it was a typo in the book, or a bug in the game!). Anyways, time has treated the Falcon series well, as Falcon 4.0 AF has really matured in every possible aspect from its graphics to its astounding realism. I am still in the process of going through the 700-odd page manual to learn how to navigate waypoints, shoot things, and actually complete a mission, but I can now take-off (from Ramp Start; a good 10 minute, 20 step procedure), and land (final approach, ILS, free glide) pretty consistently. I personally find the whole process to be surprisingly fun and very zen.
My New Years resolutions this year are perhaps my most concrete, they are as listed:
Best of luck to all those who have resolutions themselves! :)
Speaking of games, I'm am now totally hooked on Falcon 4.0 Allied Force. The last time I played a Falcon game (AT) was in the mid 90's, and I remember being pretty hooked then as well. That time around, I read most of the 200-odd page book which greatly described the workings of the F-16, and detailed how to "fly" it in game. Unfortunately, there was also this mission listed in the book which one could never complete (not sure if it was a typo in the book, or a bug in the game!). Anyways, time has treated the Falcon series well, as Falcon 4.0 AF has really matured in every possible aspect from its graphics to its astounding realism. I am still in the process of going through the 700-odd page manual to learn how to navigate waypoints, shoot things, and actually complete a mission, but I can now take-off (from Ramp Start; a good 10 minute, 20 step procedure), and land (final approach, ILS, free glide) pretty consistently. I personally find the whole process to be surprisingly fun and very zen.
My New Years resolutions this year are perhaps my most concrete, they are as listed:
- To take more risks. Not in the lets-jump-off-a-bridge-! variety, but more the lets-walk-the-unbeaten-path variety.
- To learn, learn, and learn some more. Now that I'm out of school, there's no longer anyone to push
me to learn, so I'll have to do this myself. In particular, I am adamant about learning the
following at least the following this year:
- How to fly an F-16. Yah, yah, I know it's a simulator, but real pilots actually train with this software, so I'm sure it'll help if I ever experience a sudden desire to get a pilot's license (possibly a future resolution? ha!)
- French. It's an interesting language! I've started already self-studying, but obviously will need to find people to converse with!
- Flash. I've done application programming, and web programming, and a bit of everything in between. I've always put off flash because of it's obstrusive nature in flow of the a good web page. I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong in doing so, and I readily wish to make good by giving it a chance. The technology has also matured quite a bit in the past few years, making it a reasonably good platform for developing "richer" web experiences. Don't worry, my page will still always be Lynx-friendly! :)
- To work harder, and smarter. Not that I didn't work hard or smart before, but there is always room for improvement, whether it be in researching a problem more properly before working on it, or getting a better understanding of the technology that you are working with. Time to move to the next level!
- Get a paper published. Now, this one is a perpetual resolution which renews automatically every year until it's resolved. Yes, I had a little experience in undergrad in writing a short survey paper on Zoomable UI's (gawd, that was such a fun class), but I look forward to the day that I can create some new technology that's worthy enough to write about and/or collaborate on. On the off-chance that someone actually reads this and is interested in collaborating email me!
Best of luck to all those who have resolutions themselves! :)
november 2007
Yes! Finally got my diploma last night amongst numerous other oddly scheduled graduates who chose (either willingly or not) to attend the November Convocation rather than the larger (and ceremoniously longer) summer Convocation. I still have a $1.00 library fee that I have to pay, so I'm lucky they changed the regulations and chose not to withhold my degree!
I must admit though, I'm not much of a awards-ceremony kind of guy, after all, why do I need someone telling me that I've worked "hard and long" when I was there all along? Does a piece of paper change what I can and can not do? (Absolutely Not!)
Ah well, as my brother says, these kinds of events are more for friends and family, to which I whole-heartedly agree.
Thanks Mom, Dad, Felix, Cindy for standing behind me during university. (Good luck in school Cindy!)
Thanks to all the great teachers who have inspired and motivated me over the years.
- Thank you Mr. Albrecht for being the only high school teacher I've known to treat us students like adults and push us to step up and work to our potential. I probably wouldn't have chosen to go to Toronto if not for you.
Thanks to all the friends I've met over the five years here, the group projects were especially fun and I've learned so many things from you guys it's not even funny! I hope we can all work together again in the future (maybe we can all telecommute :)
Best of luck to everyone this year; graduating or not!
Side Note: I also got to ride one of the SimEx Virtual Voyages Mars simulations at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa over the weekend, and I have to say that it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. It had a great little sci-fi back-story for the children (about a "Prometheus Generator" and their "mission" to save the Mars colony by refueling this generator), and the ride was completely surreal, especially in the initial take-off which actually scared me a little (I had low expectations and thought it would jiggle around a bit to fool the children - boy was I wrong). Simulation aside, the museum is pretty interesting, even for adults, mostly because there are a lot of things that children mostly skip (they go straight to the games and puzzles). Well worth the admission price (ride was short, but only $3)!
I must admit though, I'm not much of a awards-ceremony kind of guy, after all, why do I need someone telling me that I've worked "hard and long" when I was there all along? Does a piece of paper change what I can and can not do? (Absolutely Not!)
Ah well, as my brother says, these kinds of events are more for friends and family, to which I whole-heartedly agree.
Thanks Mom, Dad, Felix, Cindy for standing behind me during university. (Good luck in school Cindy!)
Thanks to all the great teachers who have inspired and motivated me over the years.
- Thank you Mr. Albrecht for being the only high school teacher I've known to treat us students like adults and push us to step up and work to our potential. I probably wouldn't have chosen to go to Toronto if not for you.
Thanks to all the friends I've met over the five years here, the group projects were especially fun and I've learned so many things from you guys it's not even funny! I hope we can all work together again in the future (maybe we can all telecommute :)
Best of luck to everyone this year; graduating or not!
Side Note: I also got to ride one of the SimEx Virtual Voyages Mars simulations at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa over the weekend, and I have to say that it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. It had a great little sci-fi back-story for the children (about a "Prometheus Generator" and their "mission" to save the Mars colony by refueling this generator), and the ride was completely surreal, especially in the initial take-off which actually scared me a little (I had low expectations and thought it would jiggle around a bit to fool the children - boy was I wrong). Simulation aside, the museum is pretty interesting, even for adults, mostly because there are a lot of things that children mostly skip (they go straight to the games and puzzles). Well worth the admission price (ride was short, but only $3)!
My other "Fat Bob" micro bust; which andru got in my post-internship giveaway (and rightfully so, since he helped me with all the sculpting work!)
The new WALLE cutout they have in the atrium now (almost a 1:1 scale I believe?)The cool thing is that it makes WALLE noises when it detects a camera flash, which I had no idea of (nor did the people around me at the time!) until I took the picture!
Waiting to take off at Oakland International. I actually got a window seat this time! Yay!
A pass over San Francisco and one last look at the Golden Gate Bridge
Somewhere over midland USA?
Nearly at Chicago, and my last picture of the day since it got too dark afterwards. O'Hare international is pretty crazy; we had to taxi over a bridge with cars driving not ten meters below, just to get to the second terminal, and I counted no less than five Hudson News stands on my way from one end of the terminal to the other!
As is life, all good things must come to an end. I have just finished my last day of my six month internship at Pixar Animation Studios. I had lots of fun, met lots of great (and talented) people, and learned a lot, not just about software development, but software engineering as well. I am going to miss having lunch with the other Tools interns, as well as playing badminton on Tuesdays and Thursdays (even though they don't play in the atrium any more).
Be sure to go watch WALLE when it comes out next year; it's surprisingly different from Pixar's other films :)
As for me, I am now heading back to Toronto and will be relaxing for a week or so before my convocation (which was deferred from June) after which I will start looking for some meaningful and challenging work to do. I still have much to learn, and I can't wait to see what I'll be doing next. :)
Be sure to go watch WALLE when it comes out next year; it's surprisingly different from Pixar's other films :)
As for me, I am now heading back to Toronto and will be relaxing for a week or so before my convocation (which was deferred from June) after which I will start looking for some meaningful and challenging work to do. I still have much to learn, and I can't wait to see what I'll be doing next. :)
october 2007
A little busier now, but have been watching some Star Trek again lately in my spare time (mostly TNG), and am finding it very enjoyable; much more so than I previously remembered.
So what do you get when you add a box of packing peanuts, a sharp exacto-knife, and an hour at lunch?
You (unfortunately :) get this:
Innocent looking packing foam. The tiny package I got delivered was padded with a thousand of these things. So why waste them? (So says the omnipotent being)
A ship is rapidly under construction at the SF Fleet Yards, with "Earth" in the background
Closer inspection reveals that the ship, while it appears to resemble a conventional Starfleet Steamrunner class design, is actually a prototype.
It is not yet complete, which explains it's blocky construction ;)
Not far away, the Enterprise (1701-D), flagship of the Federation, sits, awaiting orders from Admiral Ackbar ;)
From behind, we see the exquisite, hand-crafted detail on the warp nacelles (and the photon torpedo bay! :)
The deflector dish is also visible, having been fine tuned by Geordi.
(And yes, both the saucer and warp nacelles can be detached in case of emergency!)
"Captain, long-range sensors have detected two vessels on an intercept course."
Dear god, it's The BORG!
It appears that a Borg Sphere and Cube have entered Sector 001 and are heading towards "Earth"!
"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."
(Objects dropping from FTL speeds may appear smaller than they actually are)
The Sphere has broken off! We must intercept it before it reaches "Earth"!
"Lt. Worf, Lock on with Phasers and Quantum Torpedoes! Fire!"
(use your imagination)
"Captain, the Sphere appears to be generating some kind of chronometric particles...!"
<cue dramatic music - DUM DUM DUM>
Well, if you've seen First Contact, then you already know what happens next. Not to mention that my lunch hour is almost up (most of it was spent crafting the four pieces of the Enterprise :).
To be honest, I was actually looking to pick up a miniature Furuta/Yamato Romando model (the detail is amazing) from eBay, but knowing the quick turn around on my interest in these kind of things; it's probably better for me to wait a bit longer and see if I'm still so enamored a month from now.
(Still considering getting a couple the BSG diecasts though; the Viper Mk. II, and Colonial One look fantastic, and are pretty affordable to boot!)
So what do you get when you add a box of packing peanuts, a sharp exacto-knife, and an hour at lunch?
You (unfortunately :) get this:
Innocent looking packing foam. The tiny package I got delivered was padded with a thousand of these things. So why waste them? (So says the omnipotent being)A ship is rapidly under construction at the SF Fleet Yards, with "Earth" in the backgroundCloser inspection reveals that the ship, while it appears to resemble a conventional Starfleet Steamrunner class design, is actually a prototype. It is not yet complete, which explains it's blocky construction ;)
Not far away, the Enterprise (1701-D), flagship of the Federation, sits, awaiting orders from Admiral Ackbar ;)From behind, we see the exquisite, hand-crafted detail on the warp nacelles (and the photon torpedo bay! :)The deflector dish is also visible, having been fine tuned by Geordi. (And yes, both the saucer and warp nacelles can be detached in case of emergency!)
"Captain, long-range sensors have detected two vessels on an intercept course."Dear god, it's The BORG!It appears that a Borg Sphere and Cube have entered Sector 001 and are heading towards "Earth"!"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."(Objects dropping from FTL speeds may appear smaller than they actually are)
The Sphere has broken off! We must intercept it before it reaches "Earth"!"Lt. Worf, Lock on with Phasers and Quantum Torpedoes! Fire!"(use your imagination)
"Captain, the Sphere appears to be generating some kind of chronometric particles...!"<cue dramatic music - DUM DUM DUM>
Well, if you've seen First Contact, then you already know what happens next. Not to mention that my lunch hour is almost up (most of it was spent crafting the four pieces of the Enterprise :).
To be honest, I was actually looking to pick up a miniature Furuta/Yamato Romando model (the detail is amazing) from eBay, but knowing the quick turn around on my interest in these kind of things; it's probably better for me to wait a bit longer and see if I'm still so enamored a month from now.
(Still considering getting a couple the BSG diecasts though; the Viper Mk. II, and Colonial One look fantastic, and are pretty affordable to boot!)
september 2007
Video of SF-Oakland Bridge being repaired.
I love how they just slide it right in! Ingenious.
I love how they just slide it right in! Ingenious.
I found out yesterday that the terrible pain in my right jaw was caused by my impacted wisdom teeth (both top and bottom). Luckily, Dr. William Allison referred me to an oral surgeon in Berkeley (Dr. Richard Berger) who penciled me in this morning as an emergency case. The surprising thing was that this whole procedure, despite reading up on it and prepared the worst for, turned out to be the best dental experience I've ever had. I read a bunch of personal experiences on RFD and was worried all night about the swelling, bleeding, stitches, dry sockets, infections and complications, but these guys really knew what they were doing.
I went in, had a quick consultation, laid down on the reclining chair, and was administered the novocaine to numb the right side of my mouth. Once that set in, Dr. Berger went to work and in less than two minutes (literally), he had both teeth out. They said it was one of the quickest extractions they've had! All in all, the complete procedure took less than 15 minutes, and I am to expect minimal swelling and minimal pain, which is AWESOME (no stitches necessary either!). I think it also costs considerably less here, compared to estimates I had a couple years ago in Toronto, which is all good (considering I'm still an intern!)
Now I can go back to work tomorrow! Yay!
ありがとう Dr. Allison, Dr. Berger, Glenn!
I went in, had a quick consultation, laid down on the reclining chair, and was administered the novocaine to numb the right side of my mouth. Once that set in, Dr. Berger went to work and in less than two minutes (literally), he had both teeth out. They said it was one of the quickest extractions they've had! All in all, the complete procedure took less than 15 minutes, and I am to expect minimal swelling and minimal pain, which is AWESOME (no stitches necessary either!). I think it also costs considerably less here, compared to estimates I had a couple years ago in Toronto, which is all good (considering I'm still an intern!)
Now I can go back to work tomorrow! Yay!
ありがとう Dr. Allison, Dr. Berger, Glenn!