Smileys

I don't know why I suddenly thought of this, but I've come to a decision. (lol, don't worry, it's nothing serious) I've decided to stop using the "-" when I type smileys. Up till now I often type :-) ;-) :-P etc... now I've decided that I'll stop doing that; I'll start using :) ;) :P or maybe :p. After all, it's the same thing ;)

Hmm...I don't know how long it'll take for me to get used to it, though (haha)

Anyway tomorrow is my last day of exams, only Physics left to go! At 5pm tomorrow I'll be on holiday! (if you don't count my one-month practical...) So tomorrow night we'll be having a barbecue to celebrate! :)

The Service des stages (the office taking care of our contracts for the practical) here is terrible in organising, though. I mean, I'm starting my practical on Monday, and they say they will give us our contracts tomorrow (Thursday) For those who are starting later, it's okay, but if we're starting next Monday, we hardly have enough time to contact the company and ask what time we start, etc... And they didn't even tell us that they would give us the contracts right after our test (we found out only because we went to ask), some people might be going home right after the test, maybe take their train at 6pm, and they wouldn't have time to hang around after the test! Duh...lousy organising, I call it. :-/

Blunders...

Here are a few real quotes I came across, enjoy! ;-)
(the remarks between [...] are from me :-P)

"Smoking kills, and if you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life."
-Anti-smoking spokesperson Brooke Shields
[Agreed!]

"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas"
-Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
[Yes, that sounds logical to me.]

"They're multipurpose. Not only do they put the clips on, but they take them off."
-Pratt & Whitney spokesperson explaining why the company charged the Air Force nearly $1000 for an ordinary pair of pliers.
[Oh, that's wonderful! What I wouldn't give to be able to put on clips and take them off!]

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it."
-A congressional candidate in Texas
[Go ahead, it's nice to see a jackass so enthusiastic for the job.]

rotfl :-D

After ten 15s...

I got a 14! While listening to Robbie Williams' Something Beautiful. It is something beautiful :-P

A little trivia

Did you know that the sum of the first n odd numbers equals n squared (n²)?

Examples:
1+3 = 4 = 2²
1+3+5 = 9 = 3²

It's just something I came across while revising (a part of a programmation question) Interesting, huh? ;-)

Exam week!

Here we go, it's exam week! One test a day, for 4 days, then it'll be over! After that I'll be moving into my new apartment (hehe, rented, not bought :-P) and Monday I'll be starting my practical. During that time I don't know whether I'll have internet access, so who knows, my blog might go into hibernation. But then, if I have internet access, I might just write a whole lot :-P

I must say that writing that "about me" post did me some good, it was nice to put everything down in words. And it allows me to put a permanent link in my profile ^_^

About me?

I didn't know what to write in the "about me" part in my profile. The thing is, I can't be summarized in a few words. I'm a complicated person, I guess. But then, I'm also quite simple. (get ready for paradoxes, there just might be more to come)

Actually I feel that there is no one in the world who really knows me. Some people know me better than others, of course. But there are just some sides of me that show more when I'm with certain people. I don't try to be that way, it's just, well, that way.

So I decided to write a post about me. It'll be a post that I can edit and add to from time to time, 'cos I'm sure that I won't be able to put everything down in one sitting (there'll surely be stuff I haven't thought of) I just hope that in the end it won't get too long :-P

(okay, it turned out to be quite long, read it if you like, haha)

Where shall I start? My blog, I guess. It's as good a place as any. I kinda like writing. I like putting my thoughts into words. But then here comes the paradox (again; I warned you! :-P): with a blog I could put all my thoughts into words, honestly, without holding back. But do I really want people to read all my thoughts? The problem rests here: some of my thoughts are okay to be shared with certain people, but not others, especially when it concerns them. You could say that a blog can serve as a site to vent anger on. (haha, now you'll say that I never get angry anyway) But when you're angry at someone, are you going to yell it on your blog so that that person can see it? I don't know, but I don't think I can do it. I am honest on my blog, but I also keep it slightly toned down, so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. So, whatever you read, don't take offense.

That brings me to another point. I'm too good for my own good. Not all the time, but still a bit too often. Take the getting angry part. I seldom show my emotions, and that means anger included. That's why quite a lot of my friends would say that they have never seen me angry. (not my family, though! lol) But there have been several instances when I have been boiling mad at someone, but I didn't show it. Sometimes I get mad over little things. But being logical, I know that they are little things, and so I don't make a fuss. And that's also why no one know's that I'm angry.

Now, logic. That's one of my most prized possessions. (lol) I have a very logical mind (at least, I think so) Logic helps me get through a lot of things, including my studies (or should I say, especially my studies?) Anyway, there you go, it's one of my most prized possessions ;-)

I am maybe slightly weird. Normal, but weird (I told you to get ready for paradoxes, remember?) I have a weird sense of humour, for one. I don't know of anyone else who really shares my sense of humour. I don't even know how to describe it. One of the things I like is wordplay. I like playing with words, twisting them so that they can have two different meanings (or more!). That's why I also like paradoxes :-)

I am also particular. Only in certain things, though. I am very particular about language and spelling. (hehe, in this case I know of at least one other person who's like me, though I don't know if it extends to all languages :-P) To me, a word is unique because of its spelling. I can understand that sometimes typos happen, but there shouldn't be too many either. I'm also particular about using capital letters for names. Most of the time I try to use capital letters for proper nouns, but sometimes I get lazy and put them all in small letters. But I am very very particular about NAMES. The name of a person is a proper noun. If you write it in small letters, you are reducing the person to a common noun. And that's not very nice, is it? (you'll say that I'm exaggerating, but then, that's me!) That's also why I put WP as my name on my blog, instead of my whole name. It's because I had already seen that in comments, the name always comes out in small letters. And I don't want my name in small letters. That shows you how particular I am. (wp is still acceptable) Also about language, I like originals. I prefer books and films in their original language. Of course, for books, a translation is acceptable if i don't understand the original language. For films, well...I would try my best to see the original (subtitled, yes, but not dubbed!)

Another thing is that I don't really like "needless" abbreviations. I feel that if a word is short enough (by my standards lol) then there should be no reason to use an abbreviation. Which is why I don't use abbreviations for "got to go" and "be right back" but I use "lol" :P Maybe it's weird, but that's the way it is. [Paragraph added 30th Dec 2006]

So here comes the next thing (or actually the same thing, in different words): I'm a stickler for details. Spelling and grammar, as you have already seen. But there are other things as well. I can't really think of any right now, though. Oh yeah, I just thought of one: in my pencil-case all pencils and pens have their points facing the same way. A negligible detail for those who don't know. ;-)

And here you go: I am proud. I am extremely proud (but I can listen to reason as well, and I'm proud of that – go figure! lol) As I said in my quotables, pride is a virtue, excessive pride is not. ;-) I am proud of who I am. And it brings me to: who am I? I am the result of my parents' upbringing, first and foremost. I believe that one's childhood is one's basic formation, you can't take that away. However, I read a lot, and from reading, I have formed thoughts and opinions, and that is who I am today.

Now this is for all of you who already know me and have formed an opinion about me. I don't know whether your perception will change with this blog. I would just like you to know that this blog reflects me. The "me" that you know is also me. I am exactly as you know me (note that I said know me, and not think), yet here, you might find some aspects of me that you didn't know. (but don't worry too much about my particularities, if we got along till now I don't see why we can't go on getting along :-P)

So you see, I can't be summed up in a few words. :-P

Oh yeah, I also place a lot of importance on loyalty and trust. [added 12th June; the post is labeled 12th June as well, but that was last night...]

I've got a soft spot for cute and cuddlies...:P [added 31st Dec 2006]

I’m more of a listener, not a talker. I don’t like interrupting, so I only talk when no one else is (and when I have something to say, of course) Which probably explains why I am more lively online. [added 5th Jan 2007]
To quote from my quotables: I don't talk, I write. ;) [added 24th April 2008]

An egg. Hard shell, tender yolk. But it’s gonna be hard to break through that hard shell and get to that tender yolk.

Some amusing articles

I just visited Kenny Sia's blog...and found a few nice articles:
Talking soccer with a girl (actually what's really worth looking at is the 2nd picture, with its caption :-P)

Next is his Kolo mee article...actually I don't really see what's the difference between that and wantan mee... anyway I'm sure that I agree about one thing, it's that we eat them with cut chillies and NOT sambal!!!

And here's a link from the 1st article: World Cup rules for girls
Hehe, in Malaysia I'm sure the TV is off limits from 12am to 6am though :-P

Enjoy! ;-)

Languages...

What language do I think in? Now that's an interesting question. I don't really know myself, it seems to me that I think in whichever language comes my way. Part of it depends on what I'm doing at the moment, if I'm speaking in a certain language I'd think in that language, but at times a saying in another language may pop into my head (especially if the saying doesn't exist in the language I'm using at the moment)

Why did I think of this question? You might have noticed that a few posts back I wrote in French. On this blog I try to write in English, so that everyone can understand. But then when I was thinking of that (what I wrote, I mean) the words came to me in French since I was with friends to whom I speak French. And being a stickler for originals, I decided not to translate it. ;-)

So tell me: what language do you think in? (since Malaysians are almost all at least bilingual anyway)

How many letters are there in the answer to this question?

Yep, it's another post for today. I'm kinda free to do what I want (it's revision week, remember?) so I can just come and post something when I feel like it. Here's a riddle I just received:

Q: How many letters are there in the answer to this question?

A: Four. It's the only number that describes the number of letters in its own name.

Not bad, huh? It's something we don't notice in everyday life :-P

15, for the tenth time!

I just got my 10th 15 on intermediate. It was quite an easy board, if I had been in better form I could have broken my record (yes, 15 is my record) I got a 13 once, but it was on a really easy board (3bv<30) so it's not officially accepted. This board has a 3bv of 32...*sigh* I really wish I'd been in better form.

Quelle déprime!

C'est déprimant...tout le monde travaille sans cesse...je voudrais bien aller faire du ping pong, mais il y a personne avec qui jouer! C'est de la folie totale, on a une semaine de révision, moi j'en profite pour travailler à des horaires que je veux, non imposées par qq'un d'autre! Alors qu'eux, ils travaillent toute la journée, bien plus que quand on a cours! Bon, on a pas les mêmes façons de travailler, c'est certain!

Pas de ping pong (jouer toute seule c'est pas marrant), donc au démineur! Espérons battre un record! (franchement, c'est déprimant quand même)

Okay, it's just a couple of paragraphs saying that it's kinda depressing in INSA right now, and guess why? It's revision week, and everyone is studying 24 hours a day (okay, I'm exaggerating, but it's almost that) Some don't eat, some don't sleep, they just don't stop studying! To me, a revision week is when I can study when I want to, take breaks when I want to, since no one's making a time-table for me! Well, I admit that we don't all have the same ways of studying, but still, seeing them study, it's total craziness (makes me feel so lazy)

Goodness, I CANNOT study all day without taking breaks! It's crazy!

2 new links

For some time now there has been a new link on the sidebar: My quotables I created this blog just to put up some of the nice little phrases I come up with ;-)

And today I added another link: PostSecret People send in postcards with their secrets on it, and the postcards are posted on this page. The page is updated every Sunday. I have been visiting this site regularly for some time, but I just never thought of putting the link here. Hope you like it! ^_^

Like maths? ;-)

Here's something interesting to check out, and you can even try to find out how it works! I assure you that it's not impossible, I found it! :-D

And if you don't have a Malaysian handphone, if works with any 7 digit number! ;-)

The following test is dedicated to all Malaysians who own a handphone. If you are the person, please do the following test:

1. Key-in your first 3 digits of your handphone number (not the prefixe - 01X number).
2. Multiply it by 80.
3. Add 1.
4. Multiply by 250.
5. Plus last 4 digits of your handphone number.
6. Plus AGAIN your last 4 digits handphone number.
7. Minus 250.
8. Divided by 2.

And what do you get? Amazing isn't it? It's your full phone number! Enjoy!



Wanna know how it works? It's actually quite simple:
Any number multiplied by 80 and 250 is multiplied by 20000 (80x250=20000) So when the result is divided by 2 we get the original number multiplied by 10000. Add the last 4 digits and we get the phone number! Steps 3 and 7 just add to the magic! :-D

And so this works for any number, you just have to take all the digits before the last 4 digits instead of only the first 3 (lol, I hope I'm making sense)

Thanks to Alex for this mathematical trick ;-)

Ah...the morning sunshine... :-P

Well, here's a photo I took from my window this morning, the sun was reflected by the little plastic disks on the bicycle wheels. It was kinda bright and shiny, we don't see that often ;-)

How obedient are you?

Look at this signboard:

Are you a good citizen? Would you do as it says?
rotfl! :-D

What a day!

I just saw a 3 x 4 block of mines! It was one of those games that you lose in the first few clicks, and I clicked to start a new game right away, so I don't even have a screenshot, and that also means that I can't even verify it! But I'll say that my first instinct was right, that it WAS a 3 x 4 block, and I'd better write it down quickly before I start doubting myself!

Okay, now for the details. An expert board. The block was on the top left corner, I just caught a glimpse of it while I clicked on the smiley face.3 mines across and 4 mines down. If I'm not mistaken there was an extra mine on the 1st row, making it
XXXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
But I'm not sure, the extra mine could have been on another row. When I think of it, it WAS probably on another row. (see? I'm doubting myself already)

(Okay, I was talking about minesweeper, in case you're lost :-P)

And earlier I was playing badminton, and one of my friends managed an amazing feat - THREE times! He smashed the shuttle, it hit the net, just slightly below the top, and flipped right over! THREE times! That's just crazy!

I managed something like that as well, but the shuttle hit the top of the net, so it was much more probable that it would go over. And I only did it once.

Lyon weather sucks!

Goodness, I hate the weather in Lyon. Mainly it's because when it rains, it rains the whole day long, and you can't go out without getting yourself soaking wet. But this week takes the cake.

On Monday it was HOT. It was all summery. Then on Tuesday it was co-o-old. Wednesday? Even colder. And today? Kick someone from the past or the future into today, don't tell him what date it is, and he'll say it's winter. No snow, but the wind was so darn cold! (and strong too, I might add)

So there you go. As my friends put it, it's the 1st of June, but the weather's more like the 1st of March.

Tribute to our Physics teacher

We had our last Physics class yesterday.

Our Physics teacher was actually kinda weird, during the first semester he hardly (or didn't?) smiled at all, he had always the same expression on his face, and it was quite "sad", if you know what I mean. But during the second semester he started to smile more often. In part I think it was because we got slightly wackier in class, a few times we did such crazy things that he started smiling (we still haven't had the chance to hear him laugh) If I'm not mistaken the first was when one of us was doing a question on the board, and when she had finished, the teacher said: "There's something wrong. Do you see why?" Then one of the other girls said "It's because [the name of the girl who did the question] did it!" I think that was the first time we actually saw him smile :-P

His class was always from 4-6pm, Wednesday and Friday. Once one of my friends said "Can we stop here?" when it was nearing 6 o'clock, and he let us leave early, so the Friday before the Christmas holidays, we signed a "petition" asking to go back a bit early (actually it was just a paper with a smiley face on it, and the words "can we stop here?"). That worked (even without looking at what was written, the teacher knew what we wanted :-P) Then the Friday before the April holidays we each held up a piece of paper with a letter on it, spelling out "can we stop here?"

So I come to what happened yesterday. One of my friends (yes, yet another one, none of the above, since the wacky people in my class are many and varied) comes often to class with a parcel, because he receives stuff from his parents and he has to go and get his parcel before 6pm. This time he came in with an enormous box, and the teacher asked him (calmly, because he doesn't ever get excited, but he did have a little smile on his face) whether he could know what was inside (usually the parcels he brings are relatively small), and my friend handed him the parcel, saying "oh, sure, it's for you" (unfortunately we didn't really get to see his face at that time, since he was turned towards the door, but I think that if he was surprised, it wouldn't have showed) And well, it was a t-shirt with "we could (maybe) stop here" written on it. Unfortunately no one had a camera with them, so I don't have a photo.

Another thing I have to say is that this teacher is always in a black sweater, and the t-shirt was white, so we don't really think he'll put it on! :-P We even considered getting a bright pink t-shirt at first! lol

"On va (peut-être) s'arrêter là" (we could (maybe) stop here) --courtesy of B.Sixou