Random Thoughts for Today

In no particular order:

• I have seen three people in my class who have my former netbook, the Acer Aspire One.  I say "former" because it failed on me and scared me given the amount of lecture notes I had on it.  I did get it fixed with Acer's warranty within 6 days of sending it in to their service centre (that's a quick turnaround time).  Everytime I see them, I am compelled to warn them of the problems I had.

• I have upgraded to the Asus N10 and I am loving it.  I was going to get the Eee 1000H but decided to spend $200 more for the longer warranty, fingerprint sensor, and the Geforce 9300M GS dedicated graphics card.  Now, why does a 10" netbook have a dedicated graphics card that can decently run Call of Duty 4?  In case I ever want to watch 720p movies.  It does have an HDMI out after all.  Haha.  Diverging away from the Eee PC brand, Asus is marketing this as a "corporate netbook" as part of their new N-series of laptops.  It also has face recognition to log in but opted not to use it after I realized how anyone can easily pull a picture off Facebook or here and get into my computer that way.

• I pray for the victims of the recent heinous crime that occurred in the neighbourhood I live in.  As someone who isn't strongly religious, I hardly pray.  I could not pay attention to last night's 24: Redemption cause all I thought about was how I could help.  Turning to the Lord is something I do as a "last resort" sort of thing because I believe in human capacity.  But it's times like these where I feel helpless and powerless - like there's nothing I can do to make it all better - is when I pray.  Like I said, I hardly pray.  But when I do, it's the real deal.  I give it all my heart and soul.  And remember, what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

• Day one with my new Timbuk2 Original Commute messenger style bag was a GREAT SUCCESS.  This bag has made carrying my things a lot easier.  I can carry with me in the bag: Asus N10 laptop, AC adapter, a binder, a clipboard, a digital camera, an umbrella, a cell phone, a water bottle, and a Starbucks travel mug.  This bag keeps me so organized.  I love it.  I am actually willing to not use the paper cups since it's so convenient to carry a travel mug now.  So that's a win for Earth.  This is what it looks like:I've kept an eye out for what the common "functionality" bags people use around campus and the big one is MEC.  Today, I saw only one person with a Timbuk2 bag and hers was custom made with her own chosen colours.  She seemed surprised to as I walked by.    This was surprising since they shouldn't be too common in Canada.  They are made in San Francisco and sold through the states.  A Canadian has to import them or choose from a limited selection.  I know MEC.ca sells a few.  Anyway, this bag kicks total ass in functionality and it looks slick too.
• In the words of Benjamin's Automotive's billboard in Scarborough: "Friends are like money: Easy to make but hard to keep."  This goes back to the idea that my iPod playlist is a list of memories as well where every song I play conjures up an associated memory and the deeper I go, the further back into the past I travel.  The words on the billboard rang true for me.
• Reflecting over the years as I flip through the playlist, I realize people have built up preconceptions of me and it has been extremely difficult for me to change relationships for the better or for progress.  Yet I find it's so much easier for someone who hasn't met me to act or do something I've never done before in the past - things that existing bonds would feel too awkward.  It's kinda like getting stuck in the "friend zone" with someone you like.  So yes, things are way easier at first with a clean slate.  I have changed a lot as an individual but it's hard to show those differences within existing bonds.  I act "new" in the new bonds but pigeonholed into acting "old" (and fake) in existing bonds for fear of being awkward.  The awkwardness stems from the unwillingness to see something new and the desire to keep things the way they are.  And thus, the old bonds tend to suffer or never grow.I guess John Mayer is right in saying, "You have to work just to get people back to knowing nothing about you."
• And lastly, the craziness starts with something due on the 2nd and ends on the 15th.  Just FYI.

As with any exam period, just remember a popular Japanese expression: ganbatte.

Weekend in Recap

Saturday, I saw Quantum of Solace with my best friend (Yes, I said it AGAIN) who I appreciate for making time for me out of a busy schedule to go see it with me.  It was an alright movie but the plot was a little too complicated to follow on the first time watching.  A little Wikipedia cleared things up but it shouldn't have to be like that.

Then I went for some shopping and bought some things before the retail stores raise their prices due to the weak Canadian dollar.  On the way home, I found a Motorola RAZR lying in the snow and I could tell it was a girl's by the fobbish thing hanging off the antenna.  I picked it up and flipped it open in the hopes of calling this girls's home.  But, the interface was all in Chinese.  I get a phone call and instead of a cute girl's voice (haha), I heard a guy presumably asking for his daughter.  I give him the story how I found the phone and my current location.  Within 10 minutes, he came in an SUV and got his daughter's phone (I think he was the father given his appearance).  He proceeded to hand me $20 and a "xie xie".

I felt warm and happy knowing I probably made some teenager's day but I then, having been educated for so many years, I began think if what I did was truly altruistic or inherently self-interested.  Yes, it is this age-old debate but before I could begin this philosophical debate with myself, I rather hurried on home before I froze my ass off.    I just hope I brightened this girl's faith in people but also hope I didn't make her naive in the process.

Sunday was just annoying.  It's something about supposed "relatives" or "friends" I haven't seen ever in my life and expecting me to give them my "all".  It's also something about the inability to use indoor voices.  This is one big pet peeve of mine when you're in my house - do not yell unnecessarily.  I get a headache.  When I get a headache, I walk away from the causative agent - the person that's loud.  Yet, there's something about most Chinese traditional women who just LOVE to talk loudly indoors and outdoors.  And then there's Chinese way of comparing children's accomplishments.  This is Canada, not China, and I hope our generation does not continue the trend of belittling our childen.  I don't have to get into this one further but I was definitely annoyed by the obvious insincerity of being asked "What are you doing now?"

Sunday night - Greyhound ride.  I took this time to just relax and listen to my iPod.  Now my iPod playlist is in chronological order of when I added songs.  During the ride, I went deeper and deeper into the playlist, which meant I was going deeper into the past and with each song came a memory of the past.  This was a totally unintended effect but now I acknowledge my iPod as a record or "soundtrack of my life".  However, I am running out of room (used 3.7GB of 4GB) so it's going to be time to upgrade if I want to keep this record going.

Case in point: Daniel Powter - Bad Day - A song added during my second year where I wasn't doing well on my exams and I found it difficult to find meaning in what I was doing.  It was a year I learned of my failures (and lessons) in a relationship and a year I put away the ridiculous misconceptions I had developed in high school.  This song brings back images of me crossing the street with my best friend (and still is to this day) to Medway to get food from the snack bar.  The song was playing as I crossed the snowy street.

Puddle of Mudd - Blurry - This song brings me to grade 9, when my whole world turned dark with teenage angst and drama.  Everything did become "blurry" hoping for someone to "take it all away".  A time when "everyone was changing" and when "everyone was so fake".  I wonder how I would have turned out if things didn't happen the way they did.  If I simply didn't "look" the way I did.  If I trusted the right person.  Then this song ends and I am brought back to the present - happy where I am now.

So, that was my weekend.