For this semester, I am only taking one class. However, in an attempt to restructure my life and its priorities, some things have changed to move towards the goal of better academic performance.

I started to get restless over my mediocre grades sometime between the break, considering how most of the people I know get fairly decent grades. By decent, I mean that their GPA is at least above 2.4. I am pretty sure it’s not because I am a poor academic by any means. At this point in time, however, after reflecting on just what I have been doing in the past few years in university, I have concluded it might just have been my lack of focus on school and too many other things to do, which contributes to stress levels that get me burnt out to do well.

So what I am trying out this semester is a strong focus on school with ample amounts of time to destress to prevent the burn out. Unfortunately for other commitments, this just means less time for those. After all, personal/professional development tops my list at this time, given my desire to get some unique experiences in before graduating, like international co-op opportunities like Coop Japan or various co-op experiences in government and public service in places like CSE. Places outside of Vancouver and outside my comfort zone. Places that challenge me in various ways and give me opportunities to be truly independent, fending for myself and such.

I don’t exactly want to continue being in the CS academic probation either. Despite our academic advisors being awesome people, I don’t want to have to talk to them every semester just to register in upper division CMPT courses because it means there is a chance (although admittedly a very low one) of not being able to register for the courses I want. But yet, having mediocre grades (C range) keeps me nowhere near getting out of CS-based AP. Hopefully my greater focus on academics would help with getting myself out of this and towards a better GPA.

As for the one course, this of course is CMPT 419, Special Topics in Artificial Intelligence, with the topic being machine learning. It’s been quite interesting thus far and I hope to be able to maintain my enthusiasm for the course throughout the semester so I can accomplish my goals as stated above. Greg Mori stated quite clearly that this is a math heavy course, which would be something to focus on, since my math marks have not been stellar in any case.

Luckily, there are opportunities to review with a math review session tomorrow and a bunch of free time brought about by the single class.

Now, people might now go “Dom! You have so much free time now! Go do X for Y!” I am going to be clear right now and say “No.”. I need my free time to do various things that fit in with my goals for better academic performance and professional development, so see me either studying or working on some projects that either have been hanging back or learning new skills that would be useful to achieve my career goals. Some examples of such projects include:

• Get more practice in writing C
• Learn how to reverse engineer things through crackmes
• Finish my Scout group’s website
• Create a badge administration web information system for Scouts
• Online game

Of course, life will need to be kept in balance, so efforts will also need to be made to go out and have fun with friends more, which is also something I have not really done much of, but absolutely necessary to keep me sane, as I have discovered as of late.

Co-op finished last Friday. The week included a farewell lunch at Himalayan Peak, the Indian restaurant on campus, as well as four classroom visits in one day, which was quite exhausting to do. No matter how hard I tried, it was a struggle to get work done during that last week.

Outside of work during that week was Anto’s going away dinner because he’s going off to Waterloo to work at RIM for four months. After dinner, our group of people headed over to CHQ to play around in the arcade, which included playing some vertical shooter (never caught the name) with Anto, Initial D with Amy, Time Crisis 4, Taiko: Drum Master with Amy, some other rhythm game involving three buttons with several people, House of the Dead 4 with Anto, and Ghost Squad with Tadashi. Turns out I’m really bad with rhythm games. I also tried out that tank driving game based on World War II. I ended up calling an air strike on myself because I’m such a noob >_<, but it was fun nonetheless.

Once I got home on Friday, I found a Steam message from Dan telling me that Civilization IV was 33% off on Steam. And so, I bought the Civilization IV Complete Pack for USD $39.95.

However, I could not really get any rest for that weekend. That is because on Sunday, we had the 12th Annual General Meeting and Anniversary Dinner for the 99th Saint Francis Xavier Scout Group. Being the project coordinator for this meant that I was pretty much running all over the place on both Saturday (to rehearse and prepare) and Sunday (to oversee everything to ensure that the event ran smoothly and assist if something did explode in our faces). Surprisingly enough, the event ran quite smoothly, despite the last-minute nature of many things in the planning and preparation process. I did not really start the planning process until a month or so before the actual event, things got delayed and pushed back (mainly due to poor management from yours truly), and various other things.

Mom left for her pilgrimage on Monday, so I basically did the driving for the day. Woke up early, drove out to Richmond, had breakfast, saw her off at the airport, then dropped off dad for work and went home. Pretty much, the day was a maintenance day. Fixed up my bike so I could actually use it, then I started to try to fix that computer that was mentioned in the to-do list post. That in itself was a challenge because it’s got Chinese Windows XP installed, and I don’t really read Chinese all that well, even though I am Chinese. Basically, the problems with the computer mainly revolve around errors popping up when the system boots up (and from the looks of it, these are the application encountered an error and crashed type messages). Usage history from the users states that the errors started when they tried to install the TELUS eProtect software. I think I am going to toss it out and install AVG instead. Might as well go with what you know works for things like security. They are also using Spybot Search & Destroy for their anti-spyware needs, which I will keep around because it works. Haven’t done that yet because I wanted to actually spend the week enjoying life and taking a break from things.

Started getting lazy on Tuesday and lounged around for a quite a bit. Had a meeting at night though for more program planning for the next two months of Scouts. Not going to post details here because I know some of them read this blog. You’ll find out tomorrow what to expect!

There was a SFU Open House meeting on Wednesday that I went to because I am coordinating stuff there for Computing Science. Since my bike is ready to be used, I took the bike out for a spin. Good weather out too, but I just am not in good enough shape to bike much, which kind of sucks considering how I could actually do the distance from school to home (a 45 minute commute by bus/foot) back in high school by bike. As a result, I cheated quite a bit, and only biked the distance from home to Commercial Skytrain Station and from SFU to Sperling/Burnaby Lake Skytrain Station. Turns out it’s really beautiful at Burnaby Mountain Park. I should head over to that field more often – it doesn’t take long to get to from campus.

Went out to Havana for dinner with a few people from the co-op job on Thursday, which was pretty good. We then went all the way across town to Sweet Obsession for dessert. Very, very yummy cake (I had the White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse). They also have an interesting tea blend called the Sweet Obsession tea blend, which is basically an Earl Gray with jasmine.

After I got home, I finally started to play my recently purchased Civilization 4 with expansions. My God is that game addicting. I ended up playing from 9-10 PM until 4 in the morning because I did not look at the clock. >_>

Not really looking forward to going back to school so soon, but the time is coming. At least I’m only there for two days a week. I should get some golfing into the week at the nearby pitch & putt course at Kensington Park..

I just wish I had a longer break.

Yesterday was FAS Formal.

Originally, I was not planning to go. Reasons from things like “I don’t have a date to go with.” to “I’m at camp on the weekend, so it would be crazy for me to go there after.” to “I have time constraints.”. But in the end, I still went.

The reasons were all still there. I went dateless, but tagged along with a bunch of friends. I still went to my camp beforehand and got my Woodbadge II for Troop in the process. I still managed to get all the things done within the small amount of time I had between after the training camp and the formal, which includes going home, cleaning up, getting dressed for the night, and going to Mass. Did I regret my decision to go to FAS Formal? Not one bit.

It was unexpectedly fun! It gave me an opportunity to unwind, which was something that I realized now was badly needed. My focus has just been work, work, and more work with no breathing room to go out and have fun with friends. I really need to make time for more fun social events.

Still too self-conscious and too reserved though. I didn’t ask anyone to dance, but peer pressure kinda got me out there on the dance floor and ended up dancing briefly with two female friends. All the other times, we just stood around in a circle and just moved about. I’m pretty sure I “danced” (if you can call it that anyway) like a fool, but whatever. It was fun.

Also, Curtis Lassam: I still can’t believe you rickrolled the formal, but kudos to you my friend.

After the formal, our table of 7 decided to head out for drinks, namely bubble tea at the Bubble World by Metrotown. We talked about stuff, joked about, and generally had some fun.

Finally got home at 2 AM or so. Sure, I have work today, but I still woke up (and earlier than normal, which is mind-boggling) and wrote some good amount of documentation for my work project. I am working unconventionally though; my co-worker Santi is attending a talk about international studies, but we have a visit in North Vancouver as well. I spent a good amount of time working at a coffee shop by remote desktop and enjoyed a somewhat endless amount of tea.

Throwing this here just so I remember to do these things. Quite a few things that really need to be done, and then there’s the things that I’ve just been itching to do, but haven’t done yet.

In no particular order, categorized by when it needs to be done, by weeks relative to now:

By April 20:

• Pack bag for Wood Badge II second weekend trip, happening this weekend (April 18-20) – done hours before going
• Do writeup for Wood Badge II homework – done April 17
• Get a meeting date decided for Troop planning and misc. issues for the coming months (May till June/July) – delegated to another Scouter (the one in charge of the months)
• Send out this week’s announcements for the troop – done early April 18
• Get number of confirmed participants for Nite Hike – found a sad number, but done nonetheless April 17
• Get people in on the stage crew team for the AGM on the 27th – got two people on board for this April 22
• Make sure all teams are on schedule for the AGM planning stuff – kinda done..
• Check on AGM booklet team on their status – technically should be almost done at this point if we are to meet the print deadline – done April 16 by another leader
• Get Nancy to fill in the Supervisor Evaluation for co-op – done April 15
• Hand in work report – done April 15
• See if I can get off work earlier on Friday so I can get down to Langley for Wood Badge II training – done April 15
• Determine Scout of the Year – done April 16

By April 27:

• Clean up my desk at work – done April 25
• Do documentation for my self-initiated project at work
• Fix issues with said project as we find them
• Get student volunteers to help out with the CS booths during SFU Open House
• See if I need to contact all my teacher contacts made during my work term to let them know who to contact now that my co-op term has ended – work approved idea on April 22
• Send said email – done April 25
• AGM – make sure all planning is done, all bases covered, etc., etc. – done April 27

By May 4:

• Meeting for Troop program and misc. management issues – done April 22
• Fix a Scout’s computer – I’ve had it for a while now, but I told her I should have time starting on the 28th because work is done by then
• Clean up my desk at home
• Clean up my room
• Throw out the random junk I don’t need that I find while cleaning up my room
• Review scary math in preparation for CMPT 419 so that I will not “run from the room screaming if [Greg Mori] say[s] “eigenvector” or “covariance matrix”" (email from Greg Mori forwarded through csadvise back in December 2007)
• Buy textbook for said class – done April 16
• Pay tuition for summer

And other, no specific due date items that have, unfortunately, just hung around. Also unfortunately is that this is all the fun and/or important stuff:

• Work on my online game project
• Work on a Scouts-inspired project related to badgework management – idea from fellow Scouter in my group from his discussion with his group during Wood Badge II because:
  1. Existing solutions are reportedly bad and hard to use
  2. I would benefit from such software
  3. I can make it a web application, which makes it fairly easy to get to and use
• Finish work on my Scout group’s website (a run-away project of epic proportions.. really. If we did earned value analysis on this project, the SPI would be very, very, low, perhaps somewhere < 0.01)
• Create my website, so that the main page doesn’t suck
• Related to the above: since I will be creating something on my own, chances are I will only use WordPress for blogging and nothing else, which means I need to make a template for my website, then port said template to become a theme for my blog
• Review my commitments on things and see if I really need to start cutting back on various things. Currently, all signs point to yes.

And hopefully there’s nothing else. There’s already a huge stack here already and more would just.. well, let’s not go there. I want to go to sleep tonight right after this without nightmares of things that I have not yet done, or forgotten to do.

Well, it isn’t Archmage because MARI Telecommunications, who created the game, went bankrupt years ago.

But The Reincarnation is a fairly true clone of the original Archmage. Some positive changes from the original gameplay (such as passive research) and new units to use make for an interesting game.

I started playing last week on the Beta server with Amy, Anto, Michelle, and Min, currently in the process of researching my off-color spells. We have a guild too, so if you are interested, let me know.

So it’s April Fools today. Here’s some of the pranks I’ve seen throughout the course of the day (note: post will be updated as more stuff gets seen):

Inverted Chairs

Everyone knows that the Computing Science Common Room is one of the best places to hang around thanks to the comfy couches. I walk in today after getting my morning coffee at Renaissance to see that our beloved couches were inverted so you cannot sit on them.

Rickroll’d

People entering SFU through B-Lot today found themselves rickroll’d. The guy with the TV set disappeared after an hour or so – maybe he’s going around campus or something.

On the Internet

• Google and Virgin get together to bring you Virgle: The Adventure of Many Lifetimes. They are currently looking for users to colonize Mars. If you are interested, don’t delay and apply today!
• Viewers who clicked on YouTube’s front page links got themselves rickroll’d by YouTube
• Allakhazam’s Final Fantasy XI section is known today as Hello Kitty Online with the player of the month as Evil Hello Kitty. (thanks Anto for the link)
• Curtis makes some changes to his blog. He also has a April Fools post similar to this one.
• Now if only this was actually a film in production.. I would probably pay to see it.
• Blizzard delivers this April Fools Day with two announcements:
  • Introducing the Tauren Marine for StarCraft II
  • World of WarCraft introduces the Bard class – “only a true hero can vanquish evil with the power of ROCK!”

Like exception, this is something else that kind of slipped the cracks.

So what is 黄昏酒場～Uwabami Breakers～? (the kanji says たそがれさかば, which means something like “twilight bar room” from looking at some places online about the game). It is yet another 弾幕 (danmaku) game, but this one is about a pub crawl, where your player goes from one bar to another without getting kicked out of the establishment by running out of time.

But enough of background stories for a shooting game – the important thing really is the whole challenge of these games. On that: this is not easy, but there is one thing that makes life easier. There are no lives; instead, you have a clock to race, and every time you die, the time gets moved up. So don’t die too much, or you will lose.

However, one of the most frustrating part about the game is that there are no continues. If you die (by running out of time by either not reaching the boss before the last order time or dying at the boss when it is already last order time, therefore kicking you out), then you will have to start again from the very beginning. Luckily, the game is only three stages, but still, it’s not an easy game.

Uwabami Breakers was made by a 同人 (doujin) circle known as 呑んべぇ会 (のんべぇかい), which roughly translates as “The Drinking Party”, again from various sources online. The group includes ZUN, who is part of (or the only member of) Team Shanghai Alice that makes the 東方 (Touhou) series. But basically, the game, and the circle, was conceived in a bar while drunk.

Kind of funny how some of the best ideas usually come from bars and drunkenness, like the CSSS Frosh Week theme for 2006.

One day, while looking around for anime/manga updates on Tokyo Toshokan, I spotted a game known as exception. Apparently the full version was posted around a month ago, but tagged as something that I have not set my filters to see, so it was ignored.

So what is exception exactly? Well, it is yet another doujin shmup game, this one produced by primitive and is the third game they released. But what makes exception special?

Well, first off, it seems to be inspired by programming, which may or may not make it appeal to people in CS like myself. Bosses are named after common things like constructors, functions, iterators, threads, and more. I would be listing off more, but the game is pretty challenging and I only got up to level 4 (with thread as the boss) before I got the game over.

The visual theme is 3D abstract, which is reminiscent of noiz2sa. However, some of the concepts are different.

For one, the control scheme is different. Players can have their ship face any direction they want, shooting at blocks on a 2D plane, so as a result, using the mouse for aiming and keyboard for movement makes gameplay quite natural.

As well, the concept of dealing damage is quite different as well. Players can dish out damage the usual way with a normal shot, which is a blue stream. You can also do a massive lock-on shot which you can hold onto to aim at enemies, then release to shoot out a lot of blue lasers to kill the enemy. Now, depending on the difficulty level, when you destroy an enemy, they leave a bunch of blocks floating around in space. The third way to deal damage, which is by far the most effective thing to do in exception, is to propel blocks at enemies at a fairly reasonable speed. However, this attack requires a charge up, which does so automatically, but is increased faster when you destroy more stuff.

The thing that really makes this game stand out is that it is something you can play with friends. exception has a co-op multiplayer mode, where a group of players can take on the game together, because, you know, Japanese shmups are insanely hard.

And here’s obligatory videos – these are the same ones that are on the exception website.

At the moment, I am only following two series:

• Bleach
• Rental Magica

The lack of disk space is the key culprit in preventing me from watching more stuffs; the absolute lack of time due to a busy life comes in at a very narrow second place.
It honestly seems that I have this thing for anime that deals with magic to a certain extent. Looking back at some of the series that I followed in the past, a somewhat large majority of it had elements of magic in it…

Bleach (ブリ－チ）

If you follow Bleach, magical elements are made obvious with dealings in the supernatural (life after death, shinigami) as well as the whole kidou stuff. Fairly stereotypical shounen series though.

Death Note (デスノート)

Like Bleach, dealings with the supernatural. The exception here is that the concept of shinigami has them carry around a Death Note, where one to “accidentally” drop one on Earth because he got bored. Very enjoyable, although some people have said they got bored with the series; too much talking, not enough action. However, the action that really takes place is psychological warfare.

Fate/Stay Night (フェイト／ステイナイト)

Well, the entire premise of the entire show is based off of magic. It’s kind of hard to miss just what the elements of it are. The Holy Grail War, where seven masters (with magical talent) face off against each other with their summoned servants for the Holy Grail.

Mahou Sensei Negima (魔法先生ネギマ！) / Negima!? (ネギマ！？)

Since I enjoyed Love Hina, I figured I should check out Negima, since they are by the same author. That was not a bad decision because the series has been quite enjoyable, with its epic parts (the various story arcs involving magical combat), the RPG references (in the current part in the manga), and fair amounts of comedic situations.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (魔法少女リリカルなのは) and sequels A’s and Strikers

I came across this series by complete surprise. I don’t even quite remember how I found it these days, but it is a pretty cool concept, with high technology as magic. The combat scenes are awesome. If you need a quick summary of what to expect, refer to this quote from an old blog post: “The best way to describe the series is that it’s like a magical girl series with various deviations into mecha anime (your typical beam attack), pretty good combat sequences, and gun mechanics (from A’s onward).” Not your typical mahou shoujo.

Rental Magica (レンタルマギカ)

Revolves around Astral, a magician dispatch company who rents out mages for various different tasks. Takes magic from so many different inspirations it’s crazy. Also quite entertaining with good op/ed music and fairly epic battles.

Now hear comes my question. What’s out there that would be interesting enough to watch? By reading an anime blog post a friend wrote, it only has one that I find interesting enough to watch, and that would be Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (コードギアス　反逆のルル－シュ R2), the follow-up to Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (コードギアス　反逆のルル－シュ).

Would there be anything that would be interesting out there?

A fairly long rant about this issue. For the curious, I want out. More after the jump.

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