And So It Begins

My final Finals start tomorrow.

It looks to be a jam-packed schedule. One tomorrow morning, another on Monday afternoon and two on Tuesday. Not much time to prepare in.

After that, no more exams... ever. At least... I think so :D

Strangely apathetic though. I don't feel much about it one way or the other. I should be elated that there'll be no more stressful exams but, when I look at what's up ahead.... honours and so on, all very unknown, I wonder what it'll be like. Don't know if it'll be much better than exams really.

Oh well. Best buckle down to it and cram.

Until next time.

Spotlight - Nation

One of my favourite authors, Terry Pratchett, brought out a new novel last month. Nation is about a young boy from an island in the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean and a girl shipwrecked on the island who work together to reform the Nation after a tidal wave and which marooned the girl, destroyed the entire community on the Nation and its surrounding islands. Along the way, after some communication issues, they pick up additional survivors and learn some lessons (including how to make beer - by spitting in it and singing Baa, Baa Black Sheep sixteen times) as well as uncovering the shocking history of the Nation and a face-off with cannibals.

Despite not being one of Pratchett's famously witty Discworld novels, Nation more than holds its own in the satirical humour department as well as introducing the reader to some novel concepts and ideas. All in all, a really good read.

The End Is Nigh

Seems like I'm stuck in a once-a-month rut. I get bored... but not bored enough to blog. Just lazy I guess.

Almost to the end of the semester. Just this week and the next to go, then I'm free for the rest of the year. After exams of course. What fun.

My exam timetable? One on the 7th November, then the 10th and two (one's a practical exam) on the 11th. Interestingly, this'll probably be my last formal exam ever, unless of course I need to take IELTS again next time (I don't really count that as much though, seeing as I don't study for it). Can't say I'm sad to see the end of it though.

I'm doing well assignment-wise. Most of them are completed and handed in, save for one lab report and a "Product Development Proposal" that's really complex. Luckily I'm doing the Marketing part which is not too bad, compared to the other sections at least.

Work's been not bad these past few weeks. Been having more fun nowadays after a short 'blah' spell.

Well, enough about the current issues.

Signing off.

Respite

It's been a while.

Been busy. Somewhat. Assignments... work... etc.

Time off now though. Year Three teaching free week. Although not really teaching free as somehow we still have a solitary lecture on Thursday. Also got a couple more assignments to fit into this week and the midsemester break next week. A thousand five hundred word essay and a product development proposal. Not very simple tasks. I'll get it done somehow though.

Weather's getting warmer here... Not fun. Starting to feel sticky and uncomfortable, especially in my room. Don't know why but it's especially warm in there.

That's it for now. I think. Don't mind the terseness.

The Last Lecture

I've just read 'The Last Lecture' by the late Randy Pausch (26 October 1960 - 25 July 2008), based on his last lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. This is made all the more poignant by the fact that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and shortly before the lecture, was told that the disease was fatally malignant.

The book is pretty insightful and witty, not morbidly so but more light-hearted, detailling several of his childhood dreams and how the achievement, or not, provided several life lessons to the author. 'The Last Lecture' was written, somewhat, as a means for the author to leave a legacy to his children but everyone can benefit from the insights he shared.

Utter Mundaneness

Well. I guess I should update after a month of inactivity.

Nothing much has been going on around me. A life of normalcy.

Day in day out, the same old, same old.

Very boring, or so I've been told.


That's it. No more typing in verse. I'll just be terse.

Until there is hue and cry. Goodbye.

Gen Con™

So last weekend was The Best Four Days In Gaming™ at the South Bank Convention Center.

I attended of course. Didn't find out about it until the day before it started, but luckily I had Thursday off and a late shift on Friday.

So I went... wandered around the booths. They had so much cool stuff there... games, books, DVDs, toy models. They even had a six-foot model of the Battlestar Galactica. Price was AUD180 though.... so tempting... but well... I did get the SOUNDaround box thingy though. It's quite good. Amplifies the sound from DVDs etc. and simulates surround sound from just a couple of speakers. One of the stall-holders even invited me to compete in a Rummikub competition, although I couldn't seeing as I was working Saturday.

Slightly disappointing that Jamie Bamber and James Callis couldn't make it for the convention. The Stargate: Atlantis stars that they brought out to replace them just didn't make the cut. I didn't even bother going to see them as I had no idea who they were.

Wizards of The Coast had a stall there as well... giving demo sessions of games. I tried a demo of Dungeons and Dragons. Was a bit hesitant at first, it took me halfway through the game before I actually got into it and my rogue took a pounding at the hands of some giant scorpions. I'd also tried a Magic: The Gathering demo there. Seeing as I hadn't playing in 4-5 years, I would think that qualifies me to be a newbie... somewhat. Anyway... played a match with the instructor there... and surprise surprise, I won. One of the veteran players there even gave me a free theme deck (rare and foil removed of course). After the demos, WOTC gave out free showbags with stuff in it. I got a Lorowyn theme deck and several D&D miniatures... which I'm not sure what I'm going to do with.

Next day (Friday) I decided on entering one of the tournaments there... play a few rounds of Magic again. So I signed up for the Grand Prix: Auckland trial. Sealed tournament, meaning that they gave a tournament pack and a couple of boosters and you construct your deck there. I made a black/green creature deck. Bad move though. The deck was too slow. In hindsight I should've gone with a red/green deck... cos I had better red cards. Oh well. Anyway, I lost horribly (9 games out of 10). To be expected I guess... seeing as I was really really rusty. Forgot a lot of the rules and so on... so I made so many mistakes that the veteran players had to correct. Still.... all in all it was a fun experience. Nice to play again after so long.

I didn't attend on Saturday and Sunday because I had work going. Very full weekend, cos I swapped half-shifts for full shifts. Had a bit of a disgusting situation on Friday night though. A customer, ran into the shop, up to the first floor (which was where the toilets were). She then headed to the DVD section, proceeded to drop trou and peed on the floor. She was drunk of course... but well... ugghh. And then she raced out the door when one of my colleagues caught her in the act.

And that was it for my Gen Con™ experience. Maybe I'll have a better chance next year... if I keep in practice.