You see, there is this really tall guy who's got a room in my corridor. I've seen him several times.
And today when I reached downstairs in the lift, there was a very tall guy waiting to go up. Being short, in these cases I see the person waiting there, but I don't see his face (it's not at eye level, I'd have to really tilt my head!)
So this guy said bonjour to me, and I replied the same...and that was when I realised that it could be that guy from my floor! But then, I'm not sure, and I will never find out for sure...
Tall guys are so inconvenient.
(no offense to the tall guys reading this!)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Breaking news
For those of you who follow my minesweeper journey, I just got a 13 on intermediate, a valid one this time. The earlier one was on a 3bv less than 30, 22 I believe. This one was on a 32. The exaltation has worn off a little since I screamed it on Yahoo and Facebook, mainly because I have always considered my high score 13 anyway...though it wasn't that great not to be able to submit it for rankings, and now I can! :D
So there ya go, the sidebar's updated! ^_^
So there ya go, the sidebar's updated! ^_^
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bangau oh bangau
Last night I was listening to an episode of Penang Hokkien Podcast about kindergartens. They were talking about a song they sang in kindergarten, Bangau Oh Bangau. Here's a video they found on Youtube:
Besides, I learned something about BM contractions...I think everyone knows that tadika is a contraction for taman didikan kanak-kanak, but did you know that pawagam is also a contraction? I believe I've heard about it before, but I had completely forgotten...and in the episode they mentioned it, it's actually short for panggung wayang gambar! So how's that for your culture générale (general knowledge)? ;)
Besides, I learned something about BM contractions...I think everyone knows that tadika is a contraction for taman didikan kanak-kanak, but did you know that pawagam is also a contraction? I believe I've heard about it before, but I had completely forgotten...and in the episode they mentioned it, it's actually short for panggung wayang gambar! So how's that for your culture générale (general knowledge)? ;)
Two strangers and a neighbourhood map
Last night I had a rather lousy badminton session (I won't go into the details, suffice to say that I didn't really get to play properly) While walking back home, as I passed by the tram stop I saw two girls looking at the neighbourhood map there. No one ever looks at this map, so I knew that they had most probably just arrived by tram and didn't know which way to go. So somehow I got it into my head to go and ask them what place they were looking for. It turned out that they were looking for the Rotonde in INSA, and I was able to give them instructions how to get there (but then I'm pretty lousy at giving instructions when it's more than a few "go straight"s and turns, so I hope they found it all right!) Just after helping them out, I felt better...though only for a while before the memory of the lousy session came and drowned it away again...
Why am I writing this? I'm not really sure...I think that it's a little to remind me why I help people...why I go on doing so. To remind myself that it's worth it, 'cos, even if it's only for a while, it makes me feel good. Not worthless. Comme quoi je sers à quelque chose.
Also, I think that in a way, those girls there reminded me of myself sometimes, when I take public transportation to a new place, reach the stop and find myself at a loss as to which way to go. And it costs nothing to help.
[the post title is a play on the song title two beds and a coffee machine by Savage Garden]
Why am I writing this? I'm not really sure...I think that it's a little to remind me why I help people...why I go on doing so. To remind myself that it's worth it, 'cos, even if it's only for a while, it makes me feel good. Not worthless. Comme quoi je sers à quelque chose.
Also, I think that in a way, those girls there reminded me of myself sometimes, when I take public transportation to a new place, reach the stop and find myself at a loss as to which way to go. And it costs nothing to help.
[the post title is a play on the song title two beds and a coffee machine by Savage Garden]
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tic tac toe
Played tic tac toe in class today. Oh gosh, I haven't done that since...since... I don't know when. Thierry's fault :P
Goodness, this year's classes are such a bore...especially Telecoms! Really...it's horrible, I feel like I learn nothing in class. It's going in one ear and out the other, really. Even in ETEP (electrotechnics) most of the time it's really boring, though at least I manage to grab a few important points sometimes. (and mark them down before I forget them again)
It's awful...and we have so little tutorials, we don't even see how we use what we learned in lectures. (or maybe, more like what we didn't learn :P)
Oh yeah, the tic tac toe was in Telecoms. I think practically no one was listening.
In fact, I think that the only class which has managed to be interesting every time (or almost) is SED (discrete event systems), where we're doing Petri nets (heard of them?) Somehow they're like some kind of "toy" to me, so it's not too bad learning how to use them! :P
Then there is signal processing (TS) and computer studies by the same prof...they're pretty much okay, and the prof is pretty fun, interesting...the way he teaches, I mean (I just can't explain it properly) But there are still certain parts of the syllabus that are rather a bore.
The good class would be sport...where I'm doing badminton. It's cool 'cos we play mostly with people of our level, which I don't always get to do in the badminton club.
Really, 4th year is one packed (I will refrain from saying action-packed since it isn't really, it's packed but we mostly sit unmoving in the lecture hall! :P ) semester! Yes, semester. 'Cos in the second sem we will be off somewhere doing our internship.
Just read through what I wrote...and really, what am I doing in GE? (aka Génie Electrique aka Electrical Department) The elec part (main course) bores me and it's the side dishes that I like. lol (but maybe it's because we're not doing electronics this year?)
Goodness, this year's classes are such a bore...especially Telecoms! Really...it's horrible, I feel like I learn nothing in class. It's going in one ear and out the other, really. Even in ETEP (electrotechnics) most of the time it's really boring, though at least I manage to grab a few important points sometimes. (and mark them down before I forget them again)
It's awful...and we have so little tutorials, we don't even see how we use what we learned in lectures. (or maybe, more like what we didn't learn :P)
Oh yeah, the tic tac toe was in Telecoms. I think practically no one was listening.
In fact, I think that the only class which has managed to be interesting every time (or almost) is SED (discrete event systems), where we're doing Petri nets (heard of them?) Somehow they're like some kind of "toy" to me, so it's not too bad learning how to use them! :P
Then there is signal processing (TS) and computer studies by the same prof...they're pretty much okay, and the prof is pretty fun, interesting...the way he teaches, I mean (I just can't explain it properly) But there are still certain parts of the syllabus that are rather a bore.
The good class would be sport...where I'm doing badminton. It's cool 'cos we play mostly with people of our level, which I don't always get to do in the badminton club.
Really, 4th year is one packed (I will refrain from saying action-packed since it isn't really, it's packed but we mostly sit unmoving in the lecture hall! :P ) semester! Yes, semester. 'Cos in the second sem we will be off somewhere doing our internship.
Just read through what I wrote...and really, what am I doing in GE? (aka Génie Electrique aka Electrical Department) The elec part (main course) bores me and it's the side dishes that I like. lol (but maybe it's because we're not doing electronics this year?)
What is marketing?
Well, after that rant, why not share a joke? I just got this from Ying Sim, I've already seen it before but I still find it funny! And what's more, it teaches me about marketing... ;)
1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: ' I am very rich. Marry me! ' - That's Direct Marketing'
2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: ' He's very rich. 'Marry him.' -That's Advertising'
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call and say: ' Hi, I'm very rich. 'Marry me - That's Telemarketing'
4. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a
drink, you open the door (of the car)for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say:'By the way, I'm rich. Will you 'Marry Me?' - That's Public Relations'
5. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says:'You are very rich! 'Can you marry ! Me?' - That's Brand Recognition'
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: 'I am very rich. Marry me!' She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. - ' That's Customer Feedback '
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: 'I am very rich. Marry me!' And she introduces you to her husband. - 'That's demand and supply gap'
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say anything, another person come and tell her: 'I'm rich. Will you marry me?' and she goes with him - 'That's competition eating into your market share'
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: 'I'm rich, Marry me!' your wife arrives. - ' That's restriction for entering new markets '
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ripped off
Note: this is a semi-rant. As in, it's not a rant where I yell and scream, but a rant nevertheless. Comprehensiveness not guaranteed.
I got ripped off by a salesman. That's the simple, straightforward way to say it. This guy came during my lunch break, and told me that he was here to see whether I could get a lower tariff for my electricity. At first I thought he was from EDF (the national electricity company which, it happens, has been privatized, hence this mess) but he was in fact from another electricity company (Direct Energie). He asked for my electricity bill, and I was like "okay, here you go". Then he checked and said that I could, and he offered me a tariff at 18€ a month, which was cheaper than what I was paying right now. So I said okay and signed, etc.
It's too complicated to explain, but the low-down is that he wasn't very honest about the whole thing (like several other salemen from the company, as I found out from my online searches) In fact he told me that I was going to pay less, because the tariff per kWh is lower. But what he didn't tell me was that the monthly subscription was higher. And looking at my old electricity bills (and checking the number of units I use over a year) I made a rough calculation (thank you Excel!) of my yearly payment with EDF and the payment with this new company, it turns out that I would save 3€ a year on electricity, but 15€ a year in subscription fees, so a net loss of 12€! (whatever, I should have done accounts, I know :P)
The problem with these salemen is that they don't give you time to think. Next time I'll know better, and not agree to a thing, just ask him to leave me the documents so that I can read them slowly at my leisure. (and do more internet searches for information)
So after signing the contract, I didn't have much time to read the contract or anything (yeah, I know, we shouldn't sign before reading) so I only had time to look at it tonight. So I searched online and found a whole lot of bad reviews about this company. (there were a few good ones, however) After going through that, I was half-thinking of giving this company a chance, but then I checked the tariffs and that argument just went bust. The good thing is that in France, when you sign a contract, you have 7 days in which you can change your mind. (at least I believe it's for all contracts) So I believe that in one or two days I will send the cancellation form back to them... the downside is that it needs to be sent in registered mail, and that costs money. So I guess I shall be paying for my carelessness...
The thing is that at first he presented himself like he was from EDF, or someone working with EDF, whereas they are actually business rivals! In the information he gave, it was like it was just another type of subscription, a new one where you pay less. Oh well, it's difficult to explain. End of rant.
Edit:
Oh yeah, I'm not saying that this company is all bad, I saw more bad reviews than good on the internet, and a lot of complaints about the low-handed ways their salesmen (or women) work to get you to sign their contract. But hey, if you use a lot of electricity you might find that you save money with them...
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that he took my latest electricity bill as well. He said it would be returned. Whatever...at least I noted down the amount already.
(seems that it wasn't the end...well, never say never! :P)
2nd edit:
More.
You see, that guy was a sweet-talker. He was made for that job. He didn't stop chatting away as he filled in that contract for me, asking me about what I was doing in France, how long I'd been there, etc. That's actually one thing I don't like... It's like the guy at my bank. When we meet he will ask me how I am, how are my studies...and I'm like "hey, is this any of your business anyway?" But it'd be impolite to refuse to answer, so usually I would answer as shortly as I can. I mean, argh, can't they just do their jobs and leave the "friendly chat" to my friends?!
I got ripped off by a salesman. That's the simple, straightforward way to say it. This guy came during my lunch break, and told me that he was here to see whether I could get a lower tariff for my electricity. At first I thought he was from EDF (the national electricity company which, it happens, has been privatized, hence this mess) but he was in fact from another electricity company (Direct Energie). He asked for my electricity bill, and I was like "okay, here you go". Then he checked and said that I could, and he offered me a tariff at 18€ a month, which was cheaper than what I was paying right now. So I said okay and signed, etc.
It's too complicated to explain, but the low-down is that he wasn't very honest about the whole thing (like several other salemen from the company, as I found out from my online searches) In fact he told me that I was going to pay less, because the tariff per kWh is lower. But what he didn't tell me was that the monthly subscription was higher. And looking at my old electricity bills (and checking the number of units I use over a year) I made a rough calculation (thank you Excel!) of my yearly payment with EDF and the payment with this new company, it turns out that I would save 3€ a year on electricity, but 15€ a year in subscription fees, so a net loss of 12€! (whatever, I should have done accounts, I know :P)
The problem with these salemen is that they don't give you time to think. Next time I'll know better, and not agree to a thing, just ask him to leave me the documents so that I can read them slowly at my leisure. (and do more internet searches for information)
So after signing the contract, I didn't have much time to read the contract or anything (yeah, I know, we shouldn't sign before reading) so I only had time to look at it tonight. So I searched online and found a whole lot of bad reviews about this company. (there were a few good ones, however) After going through that, I was half-thinking of giving this company a chance, but then I checked the tariffs and that argument just went bust. The good thing is that in France, when you sign a contract, you have 7 days in which you can change your mind. (at least I believe it's for all contracts) So I believe that in one or two days I will send the cancellation form back to them... the downside is that it needs to be sent in registered mail, and that costs money. So I guess I shall be paying for my carelessness...
The thing is that at first he presented himself like he was from EDF, or someone working with EDF, whereas they are actually business rivals! In the information he gave, it was like it was just another type of subscription, a new one where you pay less. Oh well, it's difficult to explain. End of rant.
Edit:
Oh yeah, I'm not saying that this company is all bad, I saw more bad reviews than good on the internet, and a lot of complaints about the low-handed ways their salesmen (or women) work to get you to sign their contract. But hey, if you use a lot of electricity you might find that you save money with them...
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that he took my latest electricity bill as well. He said it would be returned. Whatever...at least I noted down the amount already.
(seems that it wasn't the end...well, never say never! :P)
2nd edit:
More.
You see, that guy was a sweet-talker. He was made for that job. He didn't stop chatting away as he filled in that contract for me, asking me about what I was doing in France, how long I'd been there, etc. That's actually one thing I don't like... It's like the guy at my bank. When we meet he will ask me how I am, how are my studies...and I'm like "hey, is this any of your business anyway?" But it'd be impolite to refuse to answer, so usually I would answer as shortly as I can. I mean, argh, can't they just do their jobs and leave the "friendly chat" to my friends?!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Tribute to my classmates
An insignificant decision
made without much thought
"What will it change anyway?"
"Hardly anything."
But what did turn out
was changed beyond expectation
There is no doubt
that what was
and what could have been
could never have been more different.
What would I have missed?
This
But what have I missed?
The unknown.
Never shall we know
for it is impossible to guess
what could have come to pass
what was left behind
when we took one path
and turned away from the other.
However
when all is said and done
regret we shall not
for there are many roads to happiness
Passing by different scenery
the destination can be reached
Either way
we will have chosen.
Je vous adore mes amis
Sans cet aiguillage
purement de choix
sans nécessité
Jamais, peut-être
se serait-on adressé la parole
Jamais, peut-être
se serait-on connu
C'est grâce à la chance
que je suis là.
made without much thought
"What will it change anyway?"
"Hardly anything."
But what did turn out
was changed beyond expectation
There is no doubt
that what was
and what could have been
could never have been more different.
What would I have missed?
This
But what have I missed?
The unknown.
Never shall we know
for it is impossible to guess
what could have come to pass
what was left behind
when we took one path
and turned away from the other.
However
when all is said and done
regret we shall not
for there are many roads to happiness
Passing by different scenery
the destination can be reached
Either way
we will have chosen.
Je vous adore mes amis
Sans cet aiguillage
purement de choix
sans nécessité
Jamais, peut-être
se serait-on adressé la parole
Jamais, peut-être
se serait-on connu
C'est grâce à la chance
que je suis là.
Friday, November 14, 2008
They went to war for this?
To think that people go to war for such diverse reasons...
The War of the Oaken Bucket (Italy), 1325-37 - When a group
of soldiers from the city of Modena in northern Italy
invaded nearby Bologna to steal a brown oak bucket,
thousands of citizens were killed. Bologna became angry and
went to war with Modena to take back their bucket and
restore their pride. The two cities fought for 12 years and
thousands of lives were lost. Modena won the war; the people
of Bologna never got their bucket back.
***
The War of Jenkins’ Ear (Great Britain vs. Spain), 1739-43 -
War was declared after Captain Robert Jenkins appeared in
Parliament holding the remains of his ear in his hand. He
claimed that the Spanish had cut it off after boarding his
ship in the West Indies, for they did not want English
traders doing business in their American colonies. The war
went on for four years, because of Jenkins and his ear.
There was no clear winner; it ended in a draw.
***
The War of the Fleeing Wife (Africa vs. Great Britain), 1879 -
Umblana, the wife of the Zulu chief Sitlay, left him and
hid in British territory. When the Zulus found her, they
shot her. England declared war on the Zulus for crossing
into their territory. The Zulu forces were crushed by the
British.
***
The War of the Stray Dog (Greece vs. Bulgaria), 1925 - When
the dog of a Greek soldier wandered across the border into
Macedonia, the soldier ran after it and was shot by a
Bulgarian guard. The Greek troops became so angry that they
invaded Bulgaria. More than 50 men were killed before the
League of Nations intervened and stopped the war.
One thing I'll have learned from this is: don't stay too close to the border! :P
(trivia courtesy of Trivia Today)
The War of the Oaken Bucket (Italy), 1325-37 - When a group
of soldiers from the city of Modena in northern Italy
invaded nearby Bologna to steal a brown oak bucket,
thousands of citizens were killed. Bologna became angry and
went to war with Modena to take back their bucket and
restore their pride. The two cities fought for 12 years and
thousands of lives were lost. Modena won the war; the people
of Bologna never got their bucket back.
***
The War of Jenkins’ Ear (Great Britain vs. Spain), 1739-43 -
War was declared after Captain Robert Jenkins appeared in
Parliament holding the remains of his ear in his hand. He
claimed that the Spanish had cut it off after boarding his
ship in the West Indies, for they did not want English
traders doing business in their American colonies. The war
went on for four years, because of Jenkins and his ear.
There was no clear winner; it ended in a draw.
***
The War of the Fleeing Wife (Africa vs. Great Britain), 1879 -
Umblana, the wife of the Zulu chief Sitlay, left him and
hid in British territory. When the Zulus found her, they
shot her. England declared war on the Zulus for crossing
into their territory. The Zulu forces were crushed by the
British.
***
The War of the Stray Dog (Greece vs. Bulgaria), 1925 - When
the dog of a Greek soldier wandered across the border into
Macedonia, the soldier ran after it and was shot by a
Bulgarian guard. The Greek troops became so angry that they
invaded Bulgaria. More than 50 men were killed before the
League of Nations intervened and stopped the war.
One thing I'll have learned from this is: don't stay too close to the border! :P
(trivia courtesy of Trivia Today)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Silent street
Yesterday morning when I stepped out of my building to go to class, there was complete silence - no one on the street, everything was still. For a moment I wondered whether it was Sunday and that I had somehow ended my weekend a little too early...but no, that wasn't the case.
Today is a public holiday in France, the 11th of November. When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, we sometimes don't work on Monday or Friday either. But yesterday in INSA we had classes...while in a whole lot of other universities they had an extra day off.
Which explained the silent street... It was eerie, in a way. Almost like everyone had just disappeared off the surface of the earth. (and I didn't even meet anyone coming down from my room on the 7th floor)
(You see, usually on a weekday there would be lots of people walking this way and that, cars moving along the street, everyone going about their working day.)
Today is a public holiday in France, the 11th of November. When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, we sometimes don't work on Monday or Friday either. But yesterday in INSA we had classes...while in a whole lot of other universities they had an extra day off.
Which explained the silent street... It was eerie, in a way. Almost like everyone had just disappeared off the surface of the earth. (and I didn't even meet anyone coming down from my room on the 7th floor)
(You see, usually on a weekday there would be lots of people walking this way and that, cars moving along the street, everyone going about their working day.)
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