This is actually sweeter than it looks.
Who sets aside a box of treats (more specifically, cookies and pastries, one per person). My professor for my grad class does. He offers the box to everyone, and only one person comes up. Then slowly, another person gets up and grabs one, and another...
Sugar to keep awake during class, he says. In reality, I'll need this stuff to keep awake at night while studying before finals, that's more important.
Each item, save music instruments, are raffled off.
This banquet - not like any other. Unlike last year, it has more interclub students than new members (at least 2:1). It occurs in Grace Covell, but in a different room. (At first sight - it was a dark room, yule log, was it really a nice party going on? Nope, it was actually in another room.)
Good to see there was another historian - it seems like they must have dSLRs, but I was dissuaded in the past to carry one due to its large weight - a hybrid like the Sony DSC RX-100 would suit my needs perfectly - provided I can afford it, of course.
Events:
Note: I will be unable to make it to the next day's event (Santa's Gift of Service), due to lack of transportation options* and as such the related blog post will be unavailable.
When the CKI Flyers layout looks like Pac-Man.
In my viewpoint, things change dramatically after the time when I would (normally) graduate. During my freshman year, The UC was completed, changing the dining option (previously a buffet style, it was now pay as you go). At the same time, the library back at my old college was being renovated as well.
Now, not only did they change UOP as well (by including a new staircase in McCaffery and an additional lounge area), but things also changed back at CKI:
Sometimes tough choices have to be made, and there are times when you do something, not because you know friends who are going to be there, either holding the signs up or watching you from the stands... but as a personal interest, for self-satisfaction.
A final decision was made to head over to Davis for the run, however only close friends (and viewers of this blog) will only know about this - I want my appearance there to be a surprise (as in running, not volunteering), just in case Davis CKI happens to be present.
The EYH Earthquake Structure Test.
I've heard of the Expanding Your Horizons events from my science teacher back during my high school years, and they still have them today. No interest because they were for girls only. However, I had the chance to see what it was like being on the volunteer side.
Basically, girls from across schools in various regions (including Downey High) attend this conference to interact with things geared more towards mathematics and engineering, with professors doing most of the teaching.
Volunteer and CKI Tasks
We, however, were presented with this for the day:
But as a side bonus, CKI events always has fellowship afterwards. Which of course happened to be Sushi Buffet and a sushi-eating contest (record at 16). Good stuff - haven't been here for at least two years.
Here's a literal definition of a "Physical" Network Model: When you're working on wiring in a networking lab with hundreds of wired connections and have bits and pieces left over. You then use the remains to create stuff. And either sell them or leave them there for others to see.
Tips: When dealing with a bunch of Ethernet wires, best to label each wire and test them before mounting them on a rack - If you don't do this and something goes wrong you're gonna have a bad time.
Design: This would normally fall under the 'Designed' category, but I didn't make it. Credit this to P. Miller and V. Tachkov instead.
The University Lofts (aka University Plaza Waterfront Hotel) is part of the Sheraton Hotel, one of the new hotels on the skyline built a few years ago next to the Stockton Arena. It was quite impressive, noting it as one of the most modern hotels I've seen here. Since then, it has changed owners quite a few times before it was split between hotel use, condos, and University Housing. I got the chance to see what it was like to live on one of these 'apartments'.
The glass windows and huge common area make it look spacious and perfect for parties, as well as providing nice views outside (they're located on the top floors, though you're paying more to get a room the higher up you go), but the bedrooms themselves have yet to be improved space-wise.
Its official site is here.
Pros:
Cons:
In my grad course lab today: Untangling wires. They're a lot of hard work, but are necessary to keep things organized when later using them.
This is probably my first grad course where it involves some hands on lab work. In this case, creating and setting up a networking lab that UOP uses for related lab courses. (This includes setting up the lab policy.) I finally learned that networking is much more than just simply connecting stuff with switches, routers, and networking cables.
Learned: Even though large switches still use jacks, on the back, you have to disassemble the Ethernet cable on one (or both) ends and manually connect the twisted wire pairs - Things like this were not done in the Computer Networking class. I have previously seen these in data centers, but have not worked with them.
Four long years - and it's finally here: Graduation Day.
More specifically, Commencement, but why not, given that many people posted that they graduated. Anyways I've completed all of my units for my BS, but I've still a co-op to go before I obtain my master's degree. (On a related note, for those who were wondering, my original FB post about this is here. It has the most likes out of all of my image / status posts to date, at 19.)
Graduation in relation to MCHS: I know at least one student from class of '08 (my class), the class of '09 and '10 from my high school also graduating this year.
Location: Alex Spanos Center. This was taken seconds before coming out to the crowd. And I heard in my head this music playing (not graduation music).
I've received an email in my inbox saying that a UOP student, Robert "RJ" Barry, was killed last night via an accident.
I don't know him at all (the first time I've heard about his name was the slideshow presentation going on during the Senior Banquet which happened last Saturday), he's still important. Why? He was part of my graduating class of 2012 (in the same engineering school) and was set to graduate this coming Saturday.
Because of this, I'll remember him when someone talks about my grad class.
The Senior Graduation Party occurred today. In addition to a free Alumni T-shirt and food (for up to 500 people, but it seemed like it fed a lot less than that), there were a few games as well as raffle prizes (which of course appeared to be horribly rigged as two people won two raffle prizes.)
Note I had to resort to my cellphone camera for this image - it helps to bring a camera, but not if you forgot to put your SD chip back in.
What drew people in: Free beers. Two of them. Quoted by a student on the event page: "How could I say no?!" *(Note that I don't drink beers or any other alcoholic beverages myself)
There were three icebreaker minigames during the end of year banquet at UOP - one being ipod wars, two being Hagoo, and the third being a drawing contest. (What is hagoo? Look it up on Google. Or on Urban dictionary...)
Minigame: Hagoo: Form two teams of people and get a person from each team. Walk over from one end to the other after saying 'Hagoo', staring at the person at the other end, and don't smile. Some people may find it easy, others, difficult.
I was surprised that Davis arrived due to a previous conversation from a friend there that there was an event over there the same day that would prevent Davis from attending, but still happy to see those that came.
Post-Event: Links released as part of images over to blog commentary prove rather ineffective. Also, it appears that it's better to focus posts that were intended for CKI members towards a more general audience, so I'll go ahead and make all the changes as mentioned in my closing statement.
Capital Film and Media Crew: After hearing about the recent successes and productions from the UNLV Film and Media Crew (like an Asian Drama), a new team was assembled in order to compete with the Desert Oasis school. By request of the new LTG, Fiona Cheng, filming and production started as early as this.
If you want something good, it's best to start early. I should probably allocate more time to presentations... it's costing me quailty points on my grad work.
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.
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...
Chambers 114 today. Two things I would like to know:
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.
[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.
"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)
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.
Even though it's finals week and people are studying, I think it's more appropriate to see this as a first world problem - being unable to stick the AC adapter in the desk outlet. (No, it's not that I could plug it into one of the wall outlets, as it's a bit too far away to reach and poses a trip hazard. The problem was later resolved somehow.)
Thankfully, I do have a netbook and not a large power-consuming notebook, so it should last me six hours off a single charge. Or not...
It's the day before finals - I'm helping both Tim and Cecilia with review material from COMP 51, and managed to solve a few of their problems they were having. In the end: exhausting, but at least they reported the test wasn't that hard.
