Ngannu Word Forming

Ngannu* is the first thing that I see (other than neon) that can be formed here.

This is during the Crab Feed, while waiting for guests to arrive - this is Cameron's game in Hanging with Friends.

I know, it's not a word, but experiences at UC Davis is causing me to think differently, probably for the better.

Note on Future Postings: For picture blog posts set to a certain date, the date will be set at the time I created the post for the first two weeks, meaning it's the first thing that appears on the blog. After this point, the posts will be set to their intended date.

[Also known as: Davis Reference: Word Forming, but I changed it since I prefer more creative titles as an added bonus for people who do look at the pics section of this blog.]

Chinese New Year Parade

CNYP - Chinese New Year Parade (they didn't do this last year). Featuring a new parade layout.

First thought about this: Too close. But it's like life, progressing from MCHS to UOP in a short lifespan. This makes references to my previous post, where I last visited Pier 39 as a freshman at MCHS. (They were further apart later down the road.)

Also, I wonder why half of the banner is missing (it seems to be folded), but the new MCHS dragon logo looks pimped out.

DLSSP In Stereo

We're busy working, those PTP dolls were both tough and time-consuming but in the end, we managed to pull it off. GJ Leonne.

Objective: District Large Scale Service Project. Meet up at the Arc in San Francisco. Make PTP (pediatric trauma prevention dolls), quilt and scarf making, outdoor work. A second team for the project was at SF State.

Summary: Event was successful - all people were dismissed at 4pm. Post event, visited Pier 39, a place I haven't been to in seven years (including going to the same restaurant), with portions of Davis, Reno, and UOP meeting up (though at different times)

Because I placed a lot of importance into knowing (and identifying) people, the number of people who I knew when I walked through the door substantially increased*.

Last Year: 15 identified (4 not friends on FB), met 13 new people.
This Event: 78 identified (31 not friends on FB), met 19 new people.

Fun Fact: This page will show up if you Google Image search for 'PTP dolls'. The panda is that of San Francisco State.

Pledging with Computing Honor

I have finally received my pledge for Professional Computing. Part of the first group of pledges, I will pursue my Comp Sci career with honor.

A Note on Subscriptions: I have started to invest some of my FB adds into subscribes instead. They're normally intended to follow people who you don't really know in person, but all my subscribe adds (currently) are people who I do know in person who I don't think know me (at an acquaintance level). In all honesty, when subscriptions are used on friends of friends, you get more than just their public status updates...

Hole in Chambers

Chambers 114 today. Two things I would like to know:

• (unrelated) Why was there a CKI general meeting yesterday. Yes, you guys said that we would probably be meeting up again, but during a 3 day weekend? Seriously?
• How can a hole be made with this size in the Chambers building? I mean someone had to make an effort in order to do this

I'm not sure whether or not someone found a hole to get through to Chambers (either physically or virtually) but either way they had it patched by Thursday morning.

Idea: Davis Crew

I just had the strangest idea (or a rather creative one) - place the Davis E-Board as well as the A-Board (if possible) in the TF2 cast style. Maybe a sketch or something.

This image wasn't uploaded until April 2012 for the below reasons. It appeared at 4:44 in the DCON 2012 Opening Slideshow.

Full Circle VP

The last two weeks went by too fast. During that time I had my position set on VP Admin, several service events came by, nominated for President and VPA, and later elections. I only went going for VPA. Ultimately I didn't win that position. Neither did the person I voted for, since he had a very good speech and skills in leadership and there was no way I could fully serve given my pending co-op in fall, which I would most likely not be on campus during that time.

It all seems like things have gone full circle now. A year ago I was asking these questions (And yes, I did plan these questions well ahead of time.) and now I'm in that same position in CKI - running for VP (which was the other position I would run for other than secretary)

The only thing left now is accumulating enough hours to get that Bronze at DCON. Trying to figure out how to pass my current grad courses (four projects behind past due date at time of writing) with at least an A- or better is another story altogether.

Background Image - robot holding a flower. Date of this post shifted to Feb 14 - just thought it might relate. Happy Single Awareness Day (at least for me, but hopefully this will change by next year)

DCM, Looking Forward

[115] Reach 400 total friends on any site that counts friends. (Goal Completed)
[186] Successfully get a job. (Goal Completed)

The best thing to do now is to look up, and push forward. I now have my 400 friends which I thought was impossible or very difficult to do at the time I wrote that goal (which was 170). Now I can focus less on quantity and focus more on quality: In other words, improve as many friendships as possible in whatever time I have left. Additionally I will post on FB more often since I completed that goal.

Starting Point: At Zaps Zone - completely dominated the arena, but it's not as fun as compared to playing against a group of professionals.

Key2College Audience of One, DCM

"Probably one of the funniest, most educational DCM I’ve ever been to." -Nam Hoang*

In a week prior to the event, prepared a slideshow (the theme for this year was super mario), learned that my partner had many interest similarities with me, and did a lot of practicing in order to prepare speaking up to the high school audience on Sunday...

... which comprised of one person, Amy Chin, from MCHS.

At least we can say it's successful but there was 100% positive feedback about the workshops, if you factor her post on tumblr.

Fun Fact: Music playing at the title slide (before the presentation starts) - Avicii - Super Mario World Levels (SNES Version)

Crabfeed and Nom Noms

We're not the ones handling the crabs, we're the ones serving the guests. It's us four*... and 70 or so Key Clubbers. In an attempt to acquire the 50 hours or so for the MRP Bronze for DCON (it's the only thing left I could go for when being on E-board fails) I went through all four hours of this event.

I based the post name off of the next day's Facebook Event, Laser Tag Social and Nom Noms.

Pacific Circle K Car Smash

We're smashing cars and all of that for a good cause - as a fundraiser.

General Information: This is NOT smashing someone else's car (well it might've been, but this is a old car and the owner didn't want it anymore), but instead a car taken from Stockton Pick and Pull for a nominal fee.

Class of December

Like this rock, I'm in the class of December 2012, but still walk anyways in May. Gotta work hard on this MS, I need B+'s or higher on all my classes this semester - and they're grad courses too.

(Image: was taken at San Jose State University)

Back at San Jose

Overhead view of San Jose, facing south. Taken from the Mariott on the 25th floor.

I do realize that I might've missed a Service Event and LAN gaming party back at Stockton, but honestly if I was given the option to do that I would've taken it. Now that I'm over here...

It's been over two years since I last took a visit to the Tech. Original exploration of the city was rather limited in the past, but I made a more thorough effort this time around, including visiting San Jose State (the library - much more modern comp sci-related books than I would find here than in any Stockton library.

And then there was Cassandra back in those days, she used to be at SJSU, but returned back to Delta. Why, I currently do not know. Recent attempts to contact her have not been successful - I am starting to figure that even it's hard to contact former close friends. Which brings me in a loop back to a post almost two years ago.

Any Given Tuesday

This will probably be my only trip that I'm going to with Pacific ACM - I've not enough hardware requirements to get to any LAN party they put up, plus it tends to interfere with CKI a bit.

It's not a Tuesday (despite the title), it was the store that was called "Tuesday Morning". (I wonder what they sell there?) which is next to Laser Quest, our main event.

Note on the Laser Guns: Not all the sensors work on every vest, and there were many occasions where you will miss a shot when you clearly hit it. It ended up in situations where I was at close range with another opponent and blasted away at each others guns... err, unable to tag each other. (For the record, the front of the gun has a sensor that will disable you if hit.)