Hail to the Victors!!!

Not bad... see what college kids are up to these days...



It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

Two in one.

Can't believe September just went by like that. Chop chop, and first month of my senior year of college just rushed by. So, last 2 weeks was a really busy week for me. Well, actually, since I started studying more on C, it had been really really busy. And the fact that a nice TV sitting in my living room, and all the tv shows premiering didn't make it any easier for me.

Anyway, it was all good, just the usual 4-5 hours sleep for me on weekdays, and waking up 10 minutes before my work a couple of times. It was fun running to the bus stop at 6.55am in the morning, trying to catch the 6.58am bus. And reaching at 7.09am for my 7 o clock shifts.

Companies started their recruiting again, and I was slightly 'obligated' to attend some of them. Anyway, it was actually pretty good to catch up with some of my friends who are currently working with those companies. I mean, seeing their transition and knowing that I'll be in their shoes really soon really got me started on some reality check. Am I ready to graduate? Do I really know what I want to work as after I graduate? Am I happy with what I'll be doing and where I'll be doing it and who I'll be doing it with?

So, come to think about it, I can't really remember clearly what I did daily 2 weeks ago, and so, I'll be breaking the tradition of writing a daily report for the first week but just the highlights of the week.

The brightest point of 2 weeks ago would be witnessing Michigan Wolverines beating Penn State Nittany Lions. It was a rather good game, relatively. Going into the game as underdog, and being able to keep and finally beat a ranked team really gets me back on believing that the season is not over for us yet. And, what makes it better is I brought my camera to the game and took a bunch of shots and videos. Sweet...

Actually, another high point of that week was going to Ashley's with my buddies, Alex, Dane and Quang. It's been awhile since we had such a good time. And, can't believe I got a glass from Ashleys. :)
Had quite some to drink that night, and after a long night of staying a little tipsy, I jogged-walked for thirty minutes to go back to my apartment, leaving my car at my friend's place. And the next day, I had to walk 40 minutes to my friend's place to meet up with them before heading out to the Michigan - Penn State game.

So, here are some of the videos and pictures from the game:
I started off with a King-size breakfast... 4 slices of toast, 6 slices of bacon and 3 eggs, not to mention 2 cups of milk.
Frat parties we passed by on the way to the field.
We were there at the stadium rather early. About 25 minutes before the kickoff.

The football team running onto the field...

Kickoff...
Someone decided to bring poolside fun into the field with a killer-whale float.
Freshman quarterback - Ryan Mallett (15) taking the helm.
Cheerleaders...
Mike Hart (20) a whole lotta heart!

Currently, I am having error uploading more pics... sorry...

Anyway, it was an amazing game... and we won..

So, this past week. It was even better. And again, we won. And Manchester United had been doing pretty well too. On the premier league at least. Winning 1 - 0 and 2 - 0.

Handed in a half-ass paper for the internship course (formality reasons). I can't believe that I pulled out 6.5 pages of random stuff, and trying to connect the dots with examples and all. Kinda corny. :P

Yesterday, it was an away game for Michigan wolverines... And because of stupid duel between the cable companies and the new network, Big Ten Network, it wasn't show on the channels I can get on my tv, hence, I had to go to a sports bar to catch the match. I was at B-dubs and the place was packed, and because of a bad server, my friend couldn't save a seat for me. I was standing there for a good two hours before a couple of my friends decided to leave and I took their seat.

And the first half was pretty bad, and because I was standing, I think, I went through 2 huge 23oz of Guinness rather quickly. (16 ounces is a pint. That makes it almost 3 pints) :P Fortunately, the game picked up in the 2nd half, well, very much so in the 4th quarter, and we were able to pull off a very much expected win. 28 - 16.

So, after starting the season with 0 - 2, we are 3 - 2 now. Couldn't ask for more.

Also, last week, we finally won our first IM soccer game. I actually bought a pair of gloves and cleats so that I won't let the slippery ball escaping from my catches, and the cleats was really helpful on the wet grass field. At least I wasn't slipping and falling whenever I tried running and all. We won 2 - 1. And will be playing in the playoffs in 2 weeks time.

So, that's about it. Studying for exam C is going OK. Need to pick up another notch so that I will have more time doing practice exams.

And, I think it's finally warm out, warm enough for me to run outdoor. Been slacking lately, only able to cover 10 - 15 miles a week. But it's still better than nothing. :)

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to MOMMY!

Kinda funny too...

I'll be updating my blog later maybe tonight, or perhaps tomorrow. Anyway, found these kinda funny definitions for some phrases you hear from your professors...

The following list of phrases and their definitions might help you understand the fuzzy language of science and medicine. These special phrases are also applicable to anyone reading a PhD dissertation or academic paper.


"IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN"...
I didn’t look up the original reference.



"A DEFINITE TREND IS EVIDENT"...
These data are practically meaningless.



"WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS"...
An unsuccessful experiment but I still hope to get it published.




"THREE OF THE SAMPLES WERE CHOSEN FOR DETAILED STUDY"...
The other results didn’t make any sense.



"TYPICAL RESULTS ARE SHOWN"...
This is the prettiest graph.



"THESE RESULTS WILL BE IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT"...
I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded.



"IN MY EXPERIENCE"...
Once.



"IN CASE AFTER CASE"...
Twice.



"IN A SERIES OF CASES"...
Thrice.



"IT IS BELIEVED THAT"...
I think.



"IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT"...
A couple of others think so, too.



"CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE" ...
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.



"ACCORDING TO STATISTICAL ANALYSIS"...
Rumor has it.



"A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FINDINGS"...
A really wild guess.



"A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBTAINABLE DATA"...
Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a beer glass.



"IT IS CLEAR THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS"...
I don’t understand it....and I never will.




"AFTER ADDITIONAL STUDY BY MY COLLEAGUES"...
They don’t understand it either.



"A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EXPLORATORY STUDY"...
A totally useless topic selected by my committee.



"IT IS HOPED THAT THIS STUDY WILL STIMULATE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN THIS FIELD"...
I am pleased to feed you bu!!$#*t.

Funny one liner...

Well, to be able to get over something, you must be really comfortable to laugh at it.

So, I overheard this one-liner on ESPN. Here it goes:

Q:How many batteries does it take to beat Michigan?
A:One double A (I-AA)

No Wii for C...

So, after a lot of thinking, and also many failings on my several attempts to get a Wii, I decided to not buy a Wii this semester, well, at least not to buy it before my Exam 4/C.

And I've finally decided that I will take Exam 4 and I started studying for it, with more effort.
Woo hoo!!!

Last week was a less hectic week. Well, it always feels that way once I get the routine going.
But I did something rather stupid on Monday actually, where I forgot that I had another class at 4pm, that, I took a bus back to North campus, heading back to my apartment at 3.40pm. Fortunately, I remembered and got off and took another bus, and got to the class just 5 minutes late. Not too bad.

What other 'highlights' of the week? Well, last Sunday, I cooked my favorite dish for the very first time, and it turned out to be quite OK. It's a double-cooked pork, first deep fried and then, stir fried over sauce.Deep frying...Stir frying...
The end result... delicious...

Also, yesterday, Michigan finally won their first match of the season. A good 38 - 0 win against Notre Dame. It was a pretty good game, but, there's still a lot of things that Michigan wasn't doing right. And for the upcoming week, a game against Penn State really got me worried. Not to say that I don't have confidence in my own team, but really, to be realistic, it's just not going to be easy. After the game, Quang and I went to Macaroni Grill for dinner. The food was amazing. The Shrimp and Artichoke dip as appetizer was just so good. I actually smiled and felt great after taking my first bite. To top it off, I went back to my apartment and started studying. Welcome to the life of an actuarial student.

This afternoon, I finally got around buying a new pair of running shoes. I went to the running specialist store and professional they were. First, the guy asked me to walk down the aisle, and back, and then, measured my feet size, (by the way, my left feet is half a size bigger than my right), and he went into the stockroom to grab 3 pairs of shoes for me to try on. Alright, the first pair of shoes was great. Then, I tried on the 2nd, and then the 3rd. The 3rd one was just sooooo good. Without any hesitation, I bought the 3rd pair, and then, 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam' (in Malay), 3-minute heat(direct translation from Mandarin), because of this 'newness', in the evening I went running, and really, it was really a different experience altogether. It felt so much better, and my leg didn't hurt at all after 4 miles of running.

Also, forgot to mention that at 4.45pm, I learned that Target was having a clearance sale on futon, so, I rushed to the Target store that I knew, just to find out that it's at another Target store elsewhere, and drove there, and fortunately, there were still 10 futons left. As it was only $25 (original price of $100), I bought it without a doubt. And then, spent the next 1 hr + 15 minutes assembling it. That's right before my running.
Oh yar, on Thursday night, I played soccer for Student Actuaries @ Michigan (SAM). It was kinda sad that only 6 of us showed up. It was really saddening. We can actually play, but, well, with only 60% of full force, we got killed by our opponent. But, after we forfeited ourselves, and had a couple of players from the our opponent to play for us, we started winning. And I was actually doing not too bad a job as a goalie. Really, sorry for blowing my own trumpet here, but, I found it surprisingly hard to believe too.

And, on Tuesday night, it was Student Actuaries @ Michigan (SAM)'s mass meeting. A lot of people showed up, and it was good. Everything went rather smoothly, other than me forgot to mention Kai as Social chair until later. Sorry! :)

And I'm getting tired of Dell. I contacted them many times about my faulty DVD-+RW rom, and I've yet to get them to send me a new one, or to have them to take some action.

So, that's about it, my week, all jumbled up. In a nutshell.
Monday: Work, class, to the wrong bus, class.
Tuesday: Class, class... more class, and SAM mass meeting
Wednesday: Work, class, work, class
Thursday: Class, class... SAM IM Soccer
Friday: Class, Work... some drinking, studying...
Saturday: Studying... Home game vs Notre Dame... Dinner... Studying
Sunday: Studying... shoes shopping... futon shopping... futon assembling... running... Emmy awards... Studying

Fool me once...

It's painful to accept the fact that Michigan Wolverines are not good this year. Fool me once, shame of you; fool me twice, shame on me. How many losses can the fans take this year? How many non-conference home game losses can the fans take this year? Well, so far, 2 out of 2. Perfect losing record. I'm pretty sure the Michigan Wolverines are having a record-breaking year, breaking all the worst record you can keep track.The first 2 home games... the first 2 losses...

Losing is bad. But losing badly and not even giving back a fight is more than disheartening. It's embarrassing, humiliating, and just pure shame. The first loss, it's like having Manchester United, full squad, losing to a First Division team. The second loss, it's not longer an upset because Michigan Wolverines dropped out of the top-25 ranking after the first loss. It's comparable to be walloped 5 - 0 playing Manchester City. I mean, losing 39 - 7 at home. I tried to stay until the end of the game, but, I couldn't take it anymore after having to go through 2 weeks, back to back of such torture.

Enough of that.

So, last week was first week of class for me as a Senior, my final year as an undergraduate student. I'm do see myself taking things in an easier manner. More relax in handling things.
Am I becoming more mature? Maybe.
Are things going better? Yes.

I just think that I've been too hard on myself and on things in the past. I think this is a sign of me aging, not maturing. Whatever it is, I find that life's like that, and well, shits happen. Classes are good, and I find myself easier and enjoying classes more than ever. Maybe because knowing that the classes I'm taking are not required subconsciously make things better. Not that I don't like classes I took before, but, knowing that those classes are required to have some added pressure, I guess.

Work had been bad, especially the breakfast shifts. As the cafeteria is still way understaffed. I don't mind doing more work, but having to do more than 2 people's share is too much. I mean, have to be at 2 different posts physically is just impossible. Something needs to be done, to be done now.

Also, clubs' work have been keeping me busy. Running around printing flyers, buying food and emailing others. Festifall went rather well, and we have more than 40 people signing up at the booth.

Watching US Open at night had been fun. Djokovic's energy and being funny (Go youtube and search for 'Djokovic'), Federer godlike performance, Nadal losing to the Ferrer, Santoro coming short on his amazing run... And congrats to Henin on winning US Open 2007.

Cooking... I've been doing quite some cooking lately. Nothing too fancy, but sorry for blowing my own trumpet, those dishes so far turned out to be very edible. :P
Romaine with fried onion.
Chicken and potatoes with oyster-sauce. (Over-added the dried chili.)
Maybe I should start another blog of just the food I cook...then, i need to be more 'discipline', in terms of taking pictures of the food I cook before chowing them down.

So, back to the weekly summary.
Monday: Labor day. meeting and all.

Tuesday: First day of class. Woke up at 6.15am and helped out for two hours, before headed to classes at 9 til 11.30am. Went groceries at night.

Wednesday: Work from 7 til 10.15am . Classes from 12 - 1pm. More work from 1.15pm til 3.45pm and more classes from 4 til 5.30pm. Will be my most hectic day of the week.

Thursday: Classes and Festifall. Went to class from 9 til 11am. Was at the Student Actuaries @ Michigan booth from 11 - 4pm. Haircut appointment was canceled.

Friday: Class and work. Had my haircut finally. Went 'shopping' for Fall BBQ on Sunday.

Saturday: More shopping for Fall BBQ. Went to the game. Went to Hong Hua for good food. It was an interesting mix of us who went there. It was a good night.

Sunday... will be having meeting, then BBQ, then will be watching Federer playing Djokovic in the US Open 2007 final. And really need to study for C.

So, i think the question for me to answer before Sept 21st is "to C or not to C?" (Will I be prepared for the 4th actuarial exam if I were to take it in November?)

A very long post

Warning: This will be a very long post once it's done.

So, it had been more than 10 days since my last post. So, this post will be a really long one, once it's done. Currently, I'm getting ready to head out for the very first Michigan home game of the 2007 season.

So, football comes before blogging. Sorry :)

Got back from the season-ending opener football game. Why? We lost to a Division I-AA team. For the very first time in history, a top 5 - ranked team lost to a Division I-AA team. And, I was lucky enough to witness it. The game was a really close one, and we lost it because, we were sorta outplayed, and we definitely made too many mistakes - 2 blocked field goals and 2 failed 2-point conversions. Kudos to Mike Hart for carrying so much weight on his shoulders, but, football is a team-sport. Coach Lloyd Carr, I would like to challenge you to at least win the conference title! This lost is not only humiliating, humbling and embarrassing, it's also knocking some sense and being real back to us. Don't over-estimate ourself and under-estimate our opponent.

Watching the game, and feeling all the ups and downs was really 'maturing'. Also, it helps me to understand the American culture better. A lot of the time, you learn more from losing than winning. And, how to handle a lost is also very important.

OK. Enough of this tragic event. Something positive: Man U won their match against Sunderland. So, now, they have 8 points from 5 matches. Also, another most positive event to even the score, I passed my driving road test yesterday. :P

Alright, now, the yin-yang is balanced, I will resume my regular 'weekly' update style of blogging.
Last Tuesday, I went to the Coordinator training. It was OK, then, in the evening and at night, I started cleaning up my room and all.

On Wednesday, IAPA training started, and then, in the evening, Jason and I went to IKEA and spent $300 buying kitchen utensils and a lounging chair, a coffee table, a rug and a tv stand for my living room. At night, I was able to assemble my coffee table and chair before. And that's after washing all the dishes and china I bought.

On Thursday, after coming back from the IAPA training, Jason and I went to CircuitCity to buy my LCD TV (32 inches). :) And after that, we went for a Chinese buffet, which was ok. Before heading out to CircuitCity, I assembled the tv stand. The picture of the TV was stunning, and I love it. Also, whenever you want to buy anything from CircuitCity, do remember to check the price online, because it's different from the price at the store (it's always cheaper online).

On Friday, after the morning session of IAPA thingy, I forgot what I did.

On Saturday, I drove Jason to several car dealers as he was searching for a car. And at night, I just watched sports and movies on tv. Same for Sunday as well.

On Monday, for IAPA work, it was only morning, where we introduced ourselves to all freshmen, and gave out their appointment slips. The real job, helping them backpacking for classes ran from Tuesday til Thursday.

On Tuesday morning, bright and early, woke up at 4.30am, and started driving to the airport at 4.45am, to meet up with a graduate student, to pick him up at the airport, I went to both terminals, and waited til 6.45am, yet, failed to meet up with him, before heading back to Ann Arbor to work. Parking in Ann Arbor is really a pain in the S, I turned round and round searching for a free road side parking but failed to do so, and ended up parking at a metered-spot, at $1/hour for 4 hours. For my lunch hour, I rushed back to my apartment to meet up with Wei Ping, then, went back down to central campus for my second session of work.

Wednesday whole day and Thursday morning, pretty much the same work.

Friday, started working at the dining hall instead.

Saturday, that's today...