Archive for the ‘life’ Category
It’s been almost two months since I last wrote anything here. Quite frankly, I have no idea that people still visit this place, nor do I think that anyone cares if I’m still around or not. The recent shortage of resources barred me from actively participating in a lot of things I love, such as photography and blogging, and therefore a forced, unannounced hiatus was therefore automatically in place.
Until now.
Still, it won’t be easy.
I left some unfinished business for a new position just to take care of the difficult situation I am in, and now that I am committed to this new position the unfinished business is still left unfinished. Should I want to attend to the unfinished business, which by itself would require a lot of my time, I would have to abandon this new position I have. But I need this new position for self-sustenance and independence. To dedicate my time to both these things would require me to be in two places at once.
Sometimes I wish there were two of me.
Imagine being able to be two persons doing two different things at two different locations.
Oh, I don’t need to imagine. Michael Keaton. Multiplicity.
Maybe it will make things easier and simpler. Or harder and more complicated.
Until we can figure out instant cloning of human physiology and memory (not to mention the human soul), I guess my occasional wish for having two of me would just remain a wish (more like a rant).
The next best thing? Wishing for a servant who can do stuff for me. That’ll work. Someone like Dobby, the elf-servant, who’s always obedient and can appear anywhere anytime to attend to your every whim.
Oh wait, elf-servants don’t exist. *sigh*
Just listing what I’m currently having and will be having in the next few days…
Work Related To-Dos
Finish writing up the first draft of the paper for FEOFS 2010 conference (deadline tonight)
Prepare for pre-viva presentation (deadline Friday 12 January, 3pm postponed to March)
Search for local experts on genetic algorithm (deadline end of February)
Prepare a journal manuscript for a high-impact applied mathematics journal (deadline end of February)
Prepare a preliminary draft of Master’s thesis (deadline end of February)
Perform more analysis on fatigue data recently acquired (by end of February)
Prepare slides for the paper to be presented at the conference in Cambridge, UK (by this weekend)
Other To-Dos
Attend wedding of Baizurah and Solehuddin (Saturday 13 February)
Photography assignment with Fahmi and Syazwani (Sunday 14 February)
Pay electricity bill at TNB Subang Jaya (Thursday or next week)
Deliver Wacom Intuos3 to Mailal (Friday night 12 February)
Have-Dones
Air-conditioner repair, power steering and engine maintenance for the Waja (cost: RM1600)
Replace burnt out lightbulbs in the Waja (cost: RM40)
Integrate a population diversity analysis function into the GA clustering method (cost: a headache)
Prepare slides for GUP research progress report
Life’s hectic, but I guess it’s less mundane that way. Still, I need more spice in my life, in my opinion. Maybe a return to playing basketball? It’s been quite a while since I last went shooting hoops. I miss it terribly sometimes.
Lots of stuff coming within the next few days and in the coming weeks. So much stuff to handle.
Especially the possibility of working 4 part-time jobs. That’ll keep me busy for a while (as if I haven’t been busy all this time).
Wish me luck, y’all!
Greetings, dwellers of Earth, third rock from the Sun and so far the only known celestial mass to successfully harbor a great diversity of sentient and nonsentient life.
pic from csa.org
Yes, change is inevitable. What defines change? Any difference in defined state, be it infinitesimal or astronomical, from the previous state, relative or nonrelative, can be called a change. Be it a different pair of clothes after a day out in the beach, or that fistful of coins you get after paying the hotdog man with a 5 dollar bill.
pic from freephotosbank.com
Change can be good, and change can be bad (for lack of better words). In fact, the ‘goodness’ and ‘badness’ of change can only be defined from the impact the change has on the things change affects. For example, one can say that winning a billion-dollar-jackpot in a lottery may improve one’s quality of life, but some may also think that such sudden increase in personal wealth and earthly belongings may corrupt the soul. Or using corn-derived ethanol for powering consumer automobiles may decrease dependence on fossil fuels, but it may increase the global price (and decrease the affordability and availability) of corn-based food, which is actually staple in some developing and undeveloped countries.It is high time for us, as willing or unwilling permanent residents of this planet, to open our eyes and see before us the change that has affected, in good and many bad ways, quintillions of interdependent organisms.
image from askehbl.wordpress.com
Of all the changes that has happened on the face of this planet, none has been as meticulously observed, recorded, and experienced, as the ones that were made by the hands of Earth’s dominant sentient species: human beings. It is very hard to deny that most of the change we see in this world was made by sweat, blood and brainwaves of the upright-walking homo sapiens sapiens. While most species adapt to the environment they live in, we humans adapt the environment to suit our personal needs. We change the landscape in milliseconds while the same amount change can only be done by nature in thousands or millions of years. We make sure our way of life is preserved yet the natural way of life of other creatures, or maybe even entire ecosystems, are sacrificed.
By now, even though I have barely scratched the membrane on the surface of climate change, I most probably have bored you enough with my annoyingly everchanging tone and I may seem to have never driven you to the point I’m probably trying to make. Well it’s time for a change then. I’ll go straight to the point, and let others who are more qualified to illuminate you instead of myself.
With that said, here are some links I would like to suggest you to visit and have the contents digested for today:
Climate Change 101: Understanding and Responding to Global Climate Change. A series of brief reports with facts and figures by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
The 15 Best Carbon Calculators, by Mother Nature Network. Understand the concept of ‘carbon footprints’ before you analyze the mark you made on the ecosystem.
The Top 100 Effects of Global Warming by the Center for American Progress. Contents of this site apply mostly to residents of the United States and their way of life, but since American culture significantly influences the way of life in other parts of the world as well, I’d still recommend you give this site a visit even if you are from the The Gambia or even Norway.
350.org is organizing the International Day of Climate Action on October 24 2009. Find out what people all around the world are going to do on this day to take a stand on the safety of climate future.
Hopenhagen.org, a site where you can sign a petition of hope for the world. This site is made in with reference to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, hence the name Hopenhagen (thanks to Mae for pointing me to this one).
Oh, and also to join on this bandwagon, go to BlogActionDay.org today (October 15) and be united with other bloggers all around the world in sparking international discussion on global climate change. Most of the links I provided above was suggested to me after I registered my blog on the site.
With that said, please do join me in the discussion in the comments section below!
Anyone who has been with me for the past few years, or at least have read this entry of mine last year, would probably have a bit of an inkling of how I’m feeling right now.
Yes, that feeling of uncertainty has struck yet again.
Caused by almost the same problems as before.
And some additional ones.
I have yet the emotional security nor the mood to divulge entirely the sources and causes of my feeling this way.
And yet, as before, I shall go through this difficult time with whatever time, energy and financial means I have at my disposal, hopefully with help and assistance from family, friends, and loved ones.
Your thoughts and prayers are welcome and are truly appreciated.
