think.dan

It's coming

2008-01-04T19:39:00.000-05:00

That's right, danhadi.com is coming soon! Stay tuned...

RhettandLink Songs

2008-01-04T10:43:00.001-05:00

I decided that I didn't want to spam everyone's facebook minifeeds with my youtube finds, so I've decided to post them here! On teh blog!

The Facebook Song:

New Year's Resolution Song:

Why Star Trek Should Stay Dead

2008-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

The new sci-fi blog, io9, has posted an interesting article about "Why Star Trek Should Stay Dead". I admit, I got caught up reading the comments of all those nerds. It's nice to reminisce about the good ol' days of Trek, but it doesn't seem like the formula has been working for many years. The last movie, Nemesis, was a complete flop. I remember my buddy actually falling asleep during it! Nowadays I get my sci-fi fix from Battlestar Galactica, but I dont know how much longer I can hold out for the next season!

eeePC

2008-01-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Wil Harris does an excellent review of the Asus eeePC [unwired.com].

So... still debating on whether or not I should get one... Maybe I should at least wait until MacWorld in a couple weeks as there are many rumors about an Apple Ultra-Portable.

Song requests

2007-12-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

Why would anyone bother to call in to a radio station to hear a song when they could just queue it up on the internetz download?

Channel Surfing

2007-12-17T19:41:00.001-05:00

I was about to switch the slingbox from Jeopardy to something else
when.... THE STAR TREK CATEGORY CAME UP!!!!! Boo Ya!!

ps: I'm Done!!!!

Of Exams and other Things

2007-12-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

It seems that everyone stresses and everyone worries. But in the end,
it always turns out OK.

On the other side of frosted glass

2007-12-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

I've often spoke about music and how it can act as a soundtrack to our everyday lives. It can make a sunny day even brighter or add an orchestral touch to a magnificent winter scene.

Today, from the warmth of the library, I gazed out onto the slushy roads beside Davis Centre. Students walked by with their heads buried in coats, trying to escape the icy wind. There was a young couple talking. As I watched on, it was not only talking but arguing. It seemed as if I was watching a movie.

As the girl started to walk away, the boyfriend grabbed her arm - pleading with her. But she pulled herself away. They began to argue more. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could tell that voices were being raised. Unable to listen in to the drama unfolding infront of me, I fired up my soundtrack box and added in a serious piece of music from the "Children of Dune" soundtrack.

It really felt like a movie- in real life.

In the end, the couple walked off together, girl in tears. But together.

Interesting. Maybe not so much the event itself, but the act of adding a soundtrack to life.

PC World - Hacker Uses Sony PlayStation 3 to Crack Passwords

2007-11-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

Very interesting article about using the ps3 for cryptography purposes. Main point: in an intel architechture, the upper limit for a brute force crack is 10 to 15 million cycles per second. But on the ps3's cell architecture, researchers were able to push the brute force cracking performance to 1.4 billion cycles per second.

Wow.

Google Mobile Maps Finds you without GPS

2007-11-28T19:37:00.000-05:00

Google released a new version of their Map software for Mobile devices today. Now you can find your location without the need for GPS! It uses cell-phone towers to triangulate your position and give an estimate of where you are. I downloaded it on my blackberry (no GPS) and so far it seems to work pretty well!!

SWEET!

Our Lady

2007-11-27T19:35:00.000-05:00

I think it was probably around 1997 when the Canadian band Our Lady
Peace really came into the spot light. I don't know what it is about
them, but 10 years later I still like hearing them when they pop up on
my playlist.

Blog

2007-11-27T16:54:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about buying my own domain. That would be cool.
And maybe I should syndicate my posts on facebooko.

My christmas wish list

2007-11-27T16:19:00.001-05:00

This list isn't so much of what I want other people to get me as much as things that I am looking into buying/would like to have.

-a new backpack with laptop protection: my friend got a nice bag from the apple store online
-a new casual winter coat: something that has more style than my ski jacket :s
-unreal tournament 3 for ps3
-rock band for ps3 (already on preorder)
-ipod touch/iphone
-eeePC (?)
-a new macbook pro

More updates to come.

Last week of lectures

2007-11-26T13:56:00.001-05:00

And I don't want school to end!

Fydp presentation

2007-11-23T20:26:00.001-05:00

Our design project presentation was today. And like I said to alex, it was a killer! Shatshat even said he wanted a copy of the slideshow! I guess now that video of sherman will be forever immortalized by the ece391 website.

Monday morning

2007-11-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

Its been a very long long weekend full of stress and project and coding. I'm walking to class this morning knowing that this long stretch of work and deadlines is not yet over.

today

2007-11-16T13:50:00.000-05:00

Feeling pretty shitty today and out of my element. Need to return to my nerd cave.

Leopard spots

2007-11-13T13:17:00.001-05:00

So for some reason my powerbook won't charge my blackberry over usb!
Sobz

Facebook App for Blackberry Launched

2007-10-24T17:47:00.001-04:00

RIM has just launched a Facebook app for BlackBerry!

You can download it at

Facebook.com

Congrats to all the people involved!

Connect

2007-10-03T22:01:00.001-04:00

I realized today that friendships are things that you really have to work on to keep alive. I've let too many wither away...

Mobile studio

2007-09-24T11:36:00.001-04:00

This guy beside me brought his whole graphic studio and more to msci class. Complete with wacom tablet and all. Hahahahahaha.

In our own Backyard

2007-09-22T16:27:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, RIM held a huge recruiting event at Fed Hall. Mike Lazaridis even gave a talk about the company and his views on the industry. It was really interesting to hear him talk about the opportunities co-ops have at the company. With over 500 students working there this term, and over 90 job postings on JobMine this Saturday, it's no surprise that the company places a lot of value in its students.

What appeals to me about the company is the fact that they make everything inside their BlackBerry. From the hardware to drivers to OS to apps, it's all done in house.

My last work term at RIM has shown me what a great company it is, and it amazes me when people say they are reluctant to apply for a job simply because it is in Waterloo!

"But I want to try Google, or Micrsoft, or Apple..." Well sure those are good companies, but don't over look our favorite BlackBerry maker! Over the past while, I've been hearing only good things about the company in the news. perhaps more publicity than some other tech companies.

Really, RIM is a great place to make a difference.

Test post

2007-09-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

Testing

In these EOT times

2007-08-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

Somehow it feels like the end of term, but for me, I've still got three weeks to go. I guess with the university kids finishing up their exams and moving out, the whole area has that 'end-of-term' feeling.

This is the first weekend I'm spending in Waterloo by myself. Up 'til now, I've made the trip home to Pickering on the Friday, and come back on the Sunday. It's a little strange to be here all by myself, but I guess it will give me sometime to start the dreaded work report. Actually, I'll start the report AFTER I come back from an outting with my sister. Can't let this beautiful day go to waste, after all.

I'm really looking forward to school this time, or at least the end of the work term. Got a vacation planned with Jen and the my family, and then its moving into my new single apartment! Yay!

iPhone Musical

2007-07-12T19:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, Okay, so iPhone day has come and gone, but here is a great iPhone song by NYTimes' David Pogue.

My other car is the Enterprise

2007-07-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

Today I was walking through the parking lot and saw a car with the license plate "NCC1701D". Haha wicked.

"NCC1701D" is the number for Star Trek's Enterprise-D.

Tumblr

2007-06-21T11:34:00.001-04:00

I wonder if I can merge my tumblr feed into this thing

Leopard Pricing

2007-06-11T16:39:00.001-04:00

Steve Jobs on Mac OS X Leopard pricing:

"We've got a basic version that will cost $129, we've got a Premium Version which will cost $129... We've got a business version! $129. Ultimate version! We're throwing everything into it, it's $129. We think everyone's going to buy the ultimate version."

haha, hilarious.

Hey hey hey

2007-06-05T21:43:00.001-04:00

Testing out some neato stuff with blogger.

Blogsville

2007-05-14T18:16:00.000-04:00

Well! I logged into blogger.com for the first time in a very long time today. Yes, I logged in to find that my log in doesn't work!!! I had to switch everything over to a gmail account, due to google's take over of blogger (which actually happened many years ago... wow I feel old saying that).

I also just found out that the 3rd party commenting system that I used for this site has just gone kaput! Well, thats great. Yay! Transitioned to blogger comment system.

Back in the Poo Loo

2007-01-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

It feels a bit strange to be back here on campus. I feel like I've been away from school for so long. I'm sitting here in the SLC a day before lectures start, working on my work report, and watching people trickle into this place.

Hope everyone has a good term!

What's the .DLL, yo?

2006-12-18T21:35:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of .dlls? Likely you have, if you use Windows. You've probably seen it in an error message because one of those dinky .dll's is missing and you can't run one of your precious little programs.

.dll's are evil! I hate them! Whos stinkin' idea was it to have different programs share functions through Dynamic Link Libraries anyway?! It's the stupidest idea EVER!!!

Try developing using those stupid .dll's!!! You'll go insane! "Which .dll is this project referencing?" "Oh, its that .dll? I thought it was this .dll!"

Oh, and I forgot the most fun part of it all! Application deployment!!! How the heck do you know what frackin' .dll's your users have?! Huh!? And how do you make sure that installing your new .dll won't frack up their system!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE!!! MICROSOFT!!! AND VB DEVELOPERS--- STOP USING .DLL'S!!!!!!!

A blog!

2006-10-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's about time to write a post. I feel like I'm always so busy to blog nowadays, but really... I'm not. hahaha. My days mainly consist of going to work, having a not-as-productive-as-I'd-like day, come home, eat, watch Star Trek/X-Files/Battlestar, call Jen, sleep. Pretty busy, eh? I don't know if anyone actually reads this anymore since I've left this space abandoned for months at a time. So anyway, working at Rothman's now. Oh, you never heard of them? They make cigarettes. Yup. The job itself is alright, but boring most of the time. Maybe that's because I take FOREVER to complete tasks. But my supervisor never gives me any deadlines, so it doesn't seem like they need any of the stuff urgently.

It's 2:23PM on Friday. I'm heading off to Hamilton this weekend to see Jen which should be fun. She's been coming home every weekend since she started working there, so I guess it's about time I made a visit.

I miss being in Waterloo...

Another semester done

2006-08-12T10:52:00.000-04:00

This term was perhaps the toughest and busiest of them all. Those late nights working, the endless hours in the lab, and the 36 hour marathon in the library all happened not too long ago. I have to say, I wouldn't have been able to get through it all without my compeng friends. We've endured it all together, and pulled each other through it.

Trying to do multiple projects at once, studying for tests and exams, trying to get a job for the co-op term, all the while holding dearly onto our sanity. We've pushed the bar further, and we've worked harder than ever. Now it's finally time to go home.

Top 10 Goofs Interns Make

2006-06-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Found this article, Top 10 Goofs Interns Make, and thought it was an interesting read, especially since we all are going on co-op again in a couple months.

"Out of the Box" Apple Ad

2006-06-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

I especially like the ending :p

i like this song

2006-06-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

All American Rejects - Move Along

Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone sins
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along

So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong

Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)

When everything is wrong we move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along

When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
[x3]

(Move along)
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Right back what is wrong
We move along

Funny Clip Of the Day

2006-05-28T19:59:00.000-04:00

Crazy Asian Mother

Begin Again

2006-05-05T09:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the first week of school is almost over. It's good to be able to see all my friends again and laugh at each other. Haha! It's definately a change from the work term. Looks like there isn't going to be much spare time to relax this term. It's go go go, ya know? 2B or not 2B.

Jen and I had a talk about my dilemma of whether or not I should go back to OPG. Well, we established that the reasons that kept me connected to my old work term were all about convienence. I don't really see myself learning many new things from a returning term to OPG, even though it would be a good place to work. So it looks like I'm gonna be in the JobMine this term -- just like everybody else.

Beautiful British Columbia

2006-04-27T02:24:00.000-04:00

Flying over BC was breath-taking.

Return of the Trekkie

2006-04-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

OMG OMG OMG, did someone say STAR TREK MOVIE?! Apparently, an 11th Star Trek movie is in the works. Now, the last movie, Star Trek: Nemesis and the most recent series Enterprise have all been flops, but we'll see how this new movie goes. One thing that worries me though: Prequel. Yup, looks like this movie is gonna be another one of those oh-so-popular prequels that the movie industry keeps giving us. Didn't they learn ANYTHING AT ALL from Enterprise?! Star Trek prequels don't seem to go over well with the fans. In attempts to make things interesting, the Enterprise series really screwed up the Star Trek timeline! Anyhoo, we'll see how it goes.

Agenda

2006-04-09T17:57:00.000-04:00

Things to do:

Tax returns
Pay Bills
OSAP forms
PDEng Resubmits

Things to look forward to:

Easter weekend - Jen's coming home!
April 22 -28 - Vacation in California
School!

...Yes, I have to admit, I'm looking forward to going back to school. It seems that the co-op life has a cycle of stages: during school, you wish you were on work term and during work term, you wish you were at school. I guess it mixes things up a little, you know? You're never in one place for too long. And near the end, you're looking forward to where you're going next.

You can't hide from it, School will find you

2006-04-09T17:50:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday, the day before my supplemental exam. That's right, even though I'm on work term and I'm not AT SCHOOL, I'm studying for an exam. How lame is that? Lol, I guess I should be thankful that I've been given the chance to take this calc exam again.

And don't even get me started on PDEng! I submitted that final cumulative assignment 1 minute, 40 seconds before the deadline. NEVER leave anything 'til that late. I was about to submit my file, and my wifi cut out!!! Scary. But luckily I got in on time. Oh, and that's not the end of it. I still have to do MORE resubmits on the assignments that I thought were already done with. According to the PDEng staff, "resubmissions are a regular part of the completiong process." WHAT!? KHANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

Lyrics of the Week

2006-04-03T20:59:00.000-04:00

It's a pretty good song. Go ~~download~~ oops I mean "buy" it. ;)

No Way Back - Foo Fighters

Lately, I've been
Livin' in my head
The rest of me is dead,
I've dying for truth.

Make me, believe,
No more left and right,
Come on take my side,
I'm fightin' for you,
I'm fightin' for you.

Pleased to meet you take my hand,
There is no way back from here,
Pleased to meet you say your prayers,
There is no way back from here,
But I don't care,
No way back from here.

Wake me, I'm ready,
Somethin' don't seem right,
I was dreamin',
I was talkin' to you,

Memory, mend me,
No one's seen my share,
Things I can't repair,
I'm breakin' to you,
I'm breakin' to you.

Pleased to meet you take my hand,
There is no way back from here,
Pleased to meet you say your prayers,
There is no way back from here,
But I don't care,
No way back from, here.

Truths I've Learned from this Weekend

2006-04-02T21:31:00.000-04:00

PDEng - the Destroyer of the Work Term
Facebook - the Tool of Infinite Procrastination

Old Friends

2006-03-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever wonder about your old friends? The ones you haven't really kept up with, or the people you knew in high school? It seems like we've all gone out in a million directions. Yesterday I was looking at pictures on facebook. It's interesting to see what people are up to now. I seem to have a tendancy to lose touch with people as our lives go separate ways. That's something that I need to work on. Being able to see my old high school friends at my party was really good. Thanks, Jen! But now we've all gone our separate ways again. Hopefully we'll all be able to keep up with eachother...

This post seemed to turn out differently than I had intended.

Nanticoke Generating Station

2006-03-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a break from the usual office life as we had a student trip to the Nanticoke Generating Station on Lake Erie. It was interesting to see this other side of the industry. Nanticoke is a coal burning plant and we were able to tour the facility and check out the control room. The first thing that I noticed was the very lax security around this plant. I guess being around Nuclear has made me accustomed to bomb-sniffers and metal detectors :p .

We had to get on the bus at 6:30 this morning to make it to the station in time. Arg, and after THREE hours of bumpy riding on a yellow school bus, we arrived. Being on a bus for three hours each way is not fun. But for the most part, it was an interesting day. We'll see how our trip to the Niagra Plant goes.

Twenty

2006-02-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

My Birthday! It was the big 2-0 this year, and I thought that I would be having a quiet celebration with my family and Jen. But things weren't going to be as quiet as I had thought. Jen, Steph and Mike planned a big surprise party! I had no idea and I was totally caught off guard. I walked in the door and was attacked with silly string, streamers and friends! It was really good to see everyone that night. Good times were had by all. Thanks Jen, Steph, Mike and my Parents for the surprise party!

SOMEONE'S 20!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-02-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're 20!!!! You're a MAN!!! ;) ;) oooh la la.

Jen and Dan in Ottawa

2006-02-13T19:28:00.000-05:00

I went up to Ottawa to visit Jen this weekend. We had an amazing time at the Winterlude Festival. Jen has already written about this weekend, so you can check her blog for the details. Click the picture for photos!

2006-01-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

I'm giving you a blog, because I'm sitting on my ass with nothing to do. I don't wanna go grocery shopping in that blowing snow! So let me tell you how I got lost on my way back from Bayshore. It seemed like as soon as I got off the phone with you, everything went into chaos!!! I was on the bus, and I was watching for my stop. . . ya know, Tunney's Pasture. Well, I was waiting for Lincoln Fields because I knew that stop was before it. It never came. And before I knew it, I was at like Parkdale/Bayview! WTH!! So I got off at the next stop, which was right in the middle of like the highway stop!!! I was so scared. And I couldn't cross to the other side, to jump onto the oppsite bus, because there was this huge sign saying "$50 FEE FOR PEDESTRIANS CROSS!" and cameras plastered all over the poles. I was so lost! I didn't know what to do. And I couldn't walk back, because it's not like I could walk on the highway! So I got back on the main roads and walked around, and just found a bus that went to Tunney's Pasture. hahaha. Man, I told you, I'm not ready for the real world. I still feel like that little fish. lol. anyway, see ya. I hope I entertained you and your fellow blog readers.

New Year

2006-01-03T14:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone's had a great break! Now it seems that many people are back to school or work. But I'll still be bumming around for another week since I don't start work until Jan. 9th. Yay!

Today I was looking at some used car ads. I'm going to need a car now that the Audi is almost out of commission. That means saving up some money too. Gah! Anyway, I hope everyone's work/school term goes well.

HEY DAN!

2005-12-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

MUHAHA Now I got access to your Blog! I feel powerful!!! ALMIGHTY!!! Too bad you can't get into mine. . .

JibJab: George Bush's 2-0-5 Year in Review

2005-12-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest flash cartoon from JibJab: George Bush's 2-0-5 Year in Review. Cartoon Bush dances and sings about events over the last year "2-0-5".

MIT Mario Hack

2005-12-17T00:09:00.000-05:00

Some pranksters over at MIT turned one of the buildings into a level of Super Mario Bros! This is actually pretty cool! It's too bad we don't have pranks like this at UW.

Howling

2005-11-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

With everyday that passes, it seems to get colder and shitier. Yesterday it poured, and today it's howling. Cold. Well, even though it may be crappy outside, life is actually going alright.

So midterms are but a distant memory, and last week's busy-ness with coding and labs is now over. I'll be able to relax a bit for now, and even try to catch up (haha yeah right). Next week it all starts again though. But hey, that's life.

I posted the ad for our sublet a week ago and we've had much interest in it. So many people have come by and told us that they'd take it. Excellllllent. Katherine has met most of them, and I think it's only fair if she decides who takes the rooms, since she will have to live with them over the winter. Ahhh, but at least this business will not cause me much worry.

Yesterday we watched Remember the Titans as part of a group project for our organizational behaviour class (yes, my only easy course). It's a really good movie. I noticed though, that sports movies always seem to turn out really good. And I don't even really like sports. These stories always seem to come across with a some sort of moral that almost brings a tear to your eye...Almost!

Anyway, now I shall try to fight off falling asleep by doing calculus. Hmm... hahahahaha.

16 days remain.

A look back on The Week of Hell

2005-10-31T17:16:00.000-05:00

7 interviews, 4 midterms, 1 week.
...Not so hellish, surprisingly.

W00T! My interviews and midterms are all done! A total of 12 interviews and 5 exams. Wow. I think I might have failed Calculus though. But then again, me and calc never really got along.

Interviewer:"Your marks seem good overall -- except calculus. What happened there?"

It's been stressful and it's been busy, but I've managed to survive. By the end of the all those interviews, I think I'm probably an Interview-Pro.

When the rankings opened on Friday, I found SIX (6) JOB OFFERS waiting for me! Wow. That's a real change from last term. It's my turn to choose the job! So, after a lot of thought, and debating over different companies, I've decided to go with Ontario Power Generation in Pickering! Haha! Close to home too!

And get this: Jen is going to OTTAWA! ... How ironic. It's okay though. The job is really good, she's working for Health Canada. Wow. Congrats Jen, and congrats to everyone who's got a job.

Lame

2005-10-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

I just realized that I haven't left the house all weekend.

Cold and Wet: Sunday

2005-10-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

Well, it's another one of those nasty days. The sky is gray and it's cold and wet outside. I just want to stay in and curl up into a ball. Ahhhhh!! But that won't be happening, because it's everyone's favourite time of year again! CRUNCH TIME!

7 interviews, 4 midterms, 1 week. Will Dan survive? Tune in this week to find out!

WTF? No Hello?!

2005-10-15T22:58:00.000-04:00

Well, here's another post -- written in an attempt to put off doing homework.

I'm someone who likes it when people say hello to me. Whenever I come home and I see my housemates, I always say 'hello', even if I don't feel like saying anything else. Its a common courtesy, if anything. And I get really annoyed when people don't say 'hi' to me. Maybe that's just the way I was raised.

So Steven comes over to the house every weekend -- he's Katherine's boyfriend. And the guy NEVER says 'hello' to me unless I say it first! I mean, I was at my desk in my room, and I hear someone just outside my door plugging into our internet router. And the router is RIGHT outside me room. 'Hello'? 'Hi'? 'Sup'? No, nothing! WTF? Its annoying!

He probably thinks, 'Hey, it's some kid who lives with my girlfriend, I don't have to say hello.' WTF, man, that's rude.

Busy Busy Busy

2005-10-14T20:40:00.000-04:00

The compeng gang was over at my house today to do some programming. Well, at least we tried. Haha, some of them were playing computer games and I don't think any of us got much done. Well, s'ok. We still got time, and if not, we can always pull another allnighter.

At least it's Friday.

Just gonna hang out tonight, and tomorrow it's down to business. The outlook for next week? Interviews! Yup. This term is a nice change from the number of interviews I was getting in 1B. Hahaha, now maybe I have some choice as to which job I take...instead of ranking everything 1. ;P

In other news...Video iPod! Video iPod! Video iPod! COOOOOOOL! Even though Jobs said that Apple wouldn't make one...well here they are! I want one! Dammit. Why does Apple always have to make such cool stuff?!
I mean, I've already got an iPod, but now I want another one!

Geez man..!

Original Intent

2005-10-13T19:26:00.000-04:00

It seems like this page never gets updated, eh? It's ironic that I was the one to get so many of you guys to blog, but now I hardly write anything myself. I'm not sure what the reason is, it seems like I just don't have the time (?) or don't feel the need (?) or just don't have anything to say. Who knows. My life has become so busy, but that doesn't explain why the bloggings stopped. Didn't blog much during my summer in Ottawa, and I had SOOOO much time on my hands then. Or maybe (like Stan said) you become a worse blogger when you've got a girlfriend.

Hey PHS kids, I still keep up with your blogs just to see how you guys are doing. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you guys! But it is sad how it seems like we've all fallen apart... or at least gone our separate ways.

Is anyone up for a reunion?! ;)

Running

2005-09-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

It's the end of September now, and it seems like the term is in full swing. My class schedule is excellent: I get off at 12:30 everyday! But none of these classes really interest me at all. In fact, they're outright BORING. Good thing is that I've been able to stay awake in my lectures until now.

The jobhunt is on and competition is quite fierce. 40 applications for one opening? Ow. I've been trying to target my apps to jobs with fewer applicants, so we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll even get to live at home this time!

Sorry I don't have much to post for now!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!!!

2005-08-26T07:23:00.000-04:00

=) Guess who's coming HOME tonight!!! ;)

=)

2005-08-21T00:08:00.000-04:00

I'M COMING HOME!!! Aren't you all excited? I'm leaving Ottawa on Friday, just in time to make it home for Jen's birthday. Great present eh? Me! Hahaha jk. I just can't wait to be outta here!

So I guess summer is over eh? It feels like it's gone by so fast. I can't help but feel cheated by living so far away from home. I didn't get to spend much time with Jen, or friends, or family. It's like what Shelley said "When you start off working here, you only get 3 weeks vacation for the year [compared to having whole summers off as students]. You're not gonna like it, but you learn to live with it." Ah well. I guess so. Summer may be over, but I finally get to come home! That's good enough for me!

A Co-op's Nightmare

2005-08-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

Some people say I have some artistic skill! Others say I can only draw stick people...

The Final Cry

2005-08-16T23:22:00.000-04:00

My landlords brought their grandkids over for the week. And the baby WON'T STOP CRYING!!!

Burnt Out

2005-08-15T18:48:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's something about Mondays. Or maybe it's homesickness. Maybe its being stuck in front of a computer all day, who knows? I've just been feeling all burnt out today. So tired, kinda irritable, feelin' lousey. Bleh. Not fun.

Another 10 days to go (not counting today)! I'll be glad when I leave this city. I don't think I'll miss it either. Sure, my work experience has been good and all, it's just after work, I've got nothing to do. And I've discovered that boredom is extremely draining.

On another note, I FINALLY found an arcade with DDR yesterday! I headed over there after church, and played for 2 hours! hahahaha! It was only 50 cents per game too! Cheap! So I got to play my little heart out. Man, I was soooooo sore after. I need to get in shape. "Let's D-D-R!"

End of Term is Near, PDEng Sucks

2005-08-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

It's AUGUST now, can you believe it? It seems this summer has passed by so quickly, and now it is coming to an end. Just 2.57 weeks to go! I guess it's about time I get started on my work report too. I've had to change my topic and I'm STILL not really sure what I'll be writing about. Looks like the rest of my nights here in Ottawa will be spent doing HOMEWORK! Homework? in the summer?! That's outrageous! On top of that, don't forget that we all still have to do that stinkin' PDEng work! I know, I know, even though the modules are all complete, I'm betting a good many of you have to do the make-up assignments. Because I will! FUN!

Apparently, some keener (or group of keeners) has posted a petition to remove PDEng. Last time I checked, it had over 800 signatures. Here are some of the reasons why they think the mandatory co-op course should be wiped: "Unneeded stress at the end of the workday, Infringement on... our time away from school, Assignments... requiring a mark of 75% or higher to pass , PDEng will deter candidates from attending the University of Waterloo".

Ha! Okay, I don't think this course will actually STOP people from coming to UW, but okay. Sure! I haven't signed this, but feel free to do so if you agree.

Technical problems...

2005-07-21T15:28:00.000-04:00

dan says: guess what
j e n says: what?!
dan says: i broke the intranet again
dan says: well...not the whole thing this time!
dan says: lol
j e n says: AGAIN?!?!

PDEng?!!!!!!!!!! GAAAAAAAH!

2005-07-12T22:59:00.000-04:00

Will somebody PLEASE finish this module for me?! I hate PDENG!!! Who came up with this bright idea?! Man, by the time I get home from work, after walking 30 minutes on the steaming concrete, I'm too frickin' TIRED to look at PDEng. Gahhhh!!!!! And now I have this 4 paragraph assignment due tomorrow night?! Man, I wish I had started this a week ago >.<

yay.

2005-07-10T19:36:00.000-04:00

Well, one week is over and another is about to begin. Yay. I wish you could hear the sarcasm in my voice. I'm SOOOOO bored here. And lonely. I hate it. I really want to go hommmmmmme =( . It's tough, you know, being out here. Well, most of the term is almost over, and I've only got a month and a half here in Ottawa. *sigh* Where is summer?

My Name Is

2005-07-06T13:46:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone, I just came back from a student pizza lunch in the other tower. I didn't really feel up to going, but what they heck. Grish convinced me, so I went over with him while Ryma stayed in her cube. The WHOLE way over to Tower A, I see Grish looking at his reflection, fixing his shirt, checking himself out in the elevator mirrors, and I just couldn't help but laugh to myself. LOL. I met some computer people there: LAN guys, programmers, etc. Jen was surprised that "girl coders" even existed! :p

Adventures in the Woods

2005-07-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

I had a great time camping with Jen and her friends this weekend. On Friday, we headed over to Darlington Provincial Park which isn't that far away (this turned out to be a very good thing!). We got to the gate and met up with everyone else. I waited in the car as they went to check in, but when I got out, there was this huge puddle of green liquid underneath the Audi! CRAP! The car was leaking engine coolant! CRAP CRAP CRAP. No worries though. Since we weren't that far from home, I called home, and my Dad came to the rescue! lol! The Audi got towed away, but that didn't ruin our weekend at all.

We set up our tents, BBQ'ed some food and even got to see some fireworks from the beach. It was nice. Saturday we hung out on the beach and we went canoeing! Jen and I in one boat, and Ev and Alyssa in another. "The boat is NOT going to flip over, Jen!" lol!

Anyway, later Jen and I went to gather some wood, and we struggled for a good while trying to start some fire. Note: using butane is NOT recommended while doing this. We started to spray the wood with butane cans that we had (for the gas stove I believe), and I gingerly approached the fire pit with the starter flame and... BOOM! The pit explodes and a flame about a meter high catches my HAND for a bit. That was scary! Luckily no one was hurt. But still, we had no camp fire. So we just gave up and went to the store to buy some firewood.

It was a fun trip all in all. Jen, you have weird friends! (Just kidding!) I had a great time! Thanks Jen for planning it!

Why?!

2005-06-29T09:41:00.000-04:00

Why is it that the one day that I want to listen to music, I forget my headphones?!!!!! WHYYYYY!!? WHY?!!! Oh it's a cruel, cruel world!! CRUEL I SAY!!!

Your Music in Colour

2005-06-28T09:13:00.000-04:00

Oh...my...God. Apple just released a 20 gb iPod with a colour screen. Me and my 40 gb monochrome iPod are getting more obsolete everyday! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN!

One-on-One with the Director

2005-06-27T16:11:00.000-04:00

I just came back from my meeting with our new director, Shirley. Two o'clock rolled around and my heart really started thumping. What should I expect from her? I was really nervous while making my way over to Tower A. When I found her office, the door was closed. Should I knock? What if she's meeting with someone and gets really annoyed with me? No, I'll just wait outside. A few minutes passed by and the director's assistant came by and told me that Shirley was still in a meeting, so I could wait in the lounge area. Okay. Cool. Thump Thump. Thump Thump. "It's an informal meeting, so just relax! Put your feet up!" the assistant said.

So I waited.

Well, when I finally did get to meet with her, she turned out to be a very nice person! She was interested in my studies, and my work here at SDC. In fact, she told me that she's already heard very good things about me! She was interested in the possibility of me coming back to work for the government. "Is the work you're doing now directly related to your studies? What kind of work would you need to make it more relevant?" I told her that maybe something more challenging in the programming area of things. Hmmmm, this is interesting. I might actually entertain the possibility of returning to SDC if I could do some more "computer programmy" work. An interesting possibility! But I don't think Jen would like that... lol

Jobs Conducts Ironic Firing.

2005-06-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

Crazy Apple Rumors always has hilarious commentary on real AND fictional Apple-related stories. Here's one I found kinda funny (as in, bored at work, and trying to stifle my laughter funny): Jobs Conducts Ironic Firing.

"Firing people is my signature move," Jobs said "and I savor them all. So I try not to pick favorites."

@work

2005-06-21T15:29:00.000-04:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! When does the boredom ever end?! Seriously now, I'm soooooooooooooooooooo bored here at work. Save me now! I finished testing a few things that I was working on yesterday, and I've been twiddling my thumbs ever since. Bah.

Dan: Hey guys, check it out, satellite images of Place Vanier (where we work)
Ryma:WOOOOOOOOW Good job Dan, keep on looking for cool stuff on the internet ;)
Dan: Lol, that's what they pay me for! hahahaha

*Update*:

(Bei logs on with screen name: "831 - gov't gave me 10 bucks for doing nothing?")
Dan: gov gives you $10 for doing nothing?
Dan: they give me 400$ a week for doing nothing...
Dan: lol

Awesome

2005-06-16T17:54:00.000-04:00

Today was such an awesome day! I got to tell the team about my recent accomplishments in the briefing this morning. I had solved one of the problems that we've been seeing on our intranet pages, and the solution seems to be working good! It felt really good to be able to share my progress with everyone and actually bring something substantial to the team.

Later that day was the HRDC-SDC BBQ! It was great. Grisch and I crossed the road to the park by the Rideau River. There were sooooo many people there, and it was great weather. There were carnival games and big inflatable slides, and some 'shakey-ladder' thing and cotton candy, and slushies and popcorn and, and, and, it was cool! Me and Grisch were talking to these two other students there: Tara and Moreen. It was cool. Hahaha, 2 hour lunch break! So much fun.

You'd think the day couldn't get any better. Well, Shelley came into my office and told me how Dave and her thought I was doing a great job on the team and she asked me if I'd like to stay when September rolls around! I feel sooooo special! Lol! Well, I told her that I couldn't for September, but I'd 'think about it' for my winter work term.

Even though I don't plan on going back to ESU-ISP-SDC, I really feel honoured that Shelley asked me if I'd like to. Wow. What a great day.

Downtown Bytowne

2005-06-14T22:34:00.000-04:00

Tonight was fun. Got to meet some people, and hang out with my buddy Grisch and his friend Carole. It was cool. After dinner we walked around downtown and over to the canal beside Parliament. Then it was over to the Bytowne Market, which was full of people. Haha, we started to see all these people passing by eating ice cream, so we had to get some. Pretty good, pretty good. The weather seems to be going just perfect after that big storm today. It's finally starting to cool down. Things are going good. =)

Concealed Blade

2005-06-13T18:00:00.000-04:00

I was walking to the grocery store after work, and I saw this guy in all black, with a bullet-proof vest, and gun holster and everything. He was walking on the street beside a car that was pulled over. And I swear, this guy looked EXACTLY like Wesley Snipes. But not *JUST* Snipes, this guy was Blade! Haha, you know, Blade: vampire slayer guy? Half-vampire, half-"kick some ass" guy? Yeah! HIM! Lol! He was walking back to his black SUV with flashing "discrete" strobe lights. Okay, okay, it wasn't really Blade, it was a cop in an unmarked cruiser. And what was funny was Blade's uniform was unmarked too, which is why I turned the corner and was like "IT'S BLADE!". Hahahahaha. Well, actually, when I got closer I saw that his uniform did have all the badges and stuff. They were just sprayed black. But I swear, this guy could kick some serious vampire ASS!!

Face-lift

2005-06-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

Hey hey hey, what do you guys think of the new splash pic at the top? I made a few changes to the site, and cleaned up my code (a little). Eventually, I'll want to do a whole rewrite of this blog. The stuff I'm learning at work is finally coming in handy! When I have time, I'm planning on taking the comments hosted by 'blogextra' and creating my own commenting system. Well, I'll need to move everything over to a different server for that. Needless to say, I don't have the patience for that right now. I've been meaning to change my commenting scheme for a while now, and there's another option: Blogger.com's system. But doing that would cause a loss of all the comments over the last few years! We can't have that now. Luckily, the service that I use now lets you export the data as an XML file. So if I ever get around to writing my own Feedback code, I'll be able to save everything! ...key phrase: "If I ever get around to it"

Weekend in the Heat

2005-06-12T17:33:00.000-04:00

Saturday was an interesting day. I woke up, went for a run in the hot hot heat, then went canoeing later that afternoon! It was the first time I've ever been canoeing and it was really fun! We paddled along the river and saw all sorts of animals. We came right up to a beaver before he flapped his tail at us. We drifted along side huge swans, and we even saw a big snapping turtle! hahahaha cool cool.

That night I went out the church. Hmmm, I'm not sure about this church. It seems good, and the services are fun. But maybe they are a little 'too' progressive. But I think part of it has to do with making use of limited funds. I mean, who does baptisms in a jacuzzi? lol. anyway, its the only pentecostal church close to me, so I guess it'll do. Bah, back to work on Monday.

Saturday Morning

2005-06-11T10:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to go see Mr and Mrs Smith. Man, that movie was great! It was funny, and full of action too! You, go see now!

Anyway, earlier this week I was walking home, and I was passing by a fountain in the park near the place I'm staying. And as I walk by, there's this hot girl in a bikini posing under the falling water for a photo-shoot! lol, I kinda laughed a little and kept walking home. Man, it was sooooooo hot that day. So, next day I'm passing by some newspaper stands, and I see that the girl is on the cover of the Ottawa Sun. LOL, hahaha, yeah those are my adventures in Ottawa.

Apple on Intel

2005-06-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

So the rumors were true! Apple will begin its switch to intel processors beginning next year. Apparently, as Steve Jobs said "OS X has been leading a secret double life" and every major release of the operating system has been compiled for two chipsets: PowerPC and Intel. All I can say is Wow. Hell must be pretty cold today.

Work, Reports and Work Reports

2005-05-31T22:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, well today wasn't too eventful. Work is still pretty slow. So slow, I'm thinking that I might go crazy...REALLLLLLY SOON. I got an extension on that PDEng assignment about brainstorming Work Term Report Topics. I guess I wouldn't have really needed the extension, but meh. I was skimming through it and was like "extension?! Why not!" So I have about 2 weeks to come up with a couple ideas. I won't need that long, but it gives me some time to think (seeing as I just read over the assignment tonight). I'm really not sure what I could write my report on. I think I'll discuss it with my supervisors tomorrow and see if they have anything in mind. Maybe even check out reports from other students. Anyhoo... coming home this weekend! w00t!

May Days

2005-05-29T15:10:00.000-04:00

It looks like I've finally made it through one whole month here in the Capital City. It's been a good experience so far, and I can only hope things get better. On Friday, me and the other co-ops on the 11th floor went over to Hull, Quebec for a student orientation in the "Phase IV" Management Centre. Man, that place was sooooo sweet! Expensive couches, executive board tables with fancy coasters and all. Met some people, learned some stuff, basically everything you'd expect from an orientation.

Work was pretty busy during the beginning of the week, but it seems to have died down a bit as I finished up tasks and was assigned "lower priority" work. Right now I'm working with a colleague trying to iron out a few bugs in the intranet's style sheet. It's going alright.

Right. So I went to see Star Wars (again) on Friday. What happened was, I had actually gone to see it with Stan on the Victoria Weekend. BUT, the theater had a power failure 30 minutes before the end of the movie! AHHHH! And for those who have seen it, the last 30 minutes MAKE the movie. So, after Ryma was telling me how GOOD the ending was (this is coming from a girl watching Star Wars) I decided to sit through the first 2 hours again. Yeah. The ending of Revenge of the Sith was definately worth it. Hahhaa great movie.

Welcome to Wednesday

2005-05-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

Today was an awesome day! So, work started off today with meeting some new people! Co-op students! This girl and guy from OttawaU. FINALLY. So I went around with them and my supervisor introduced me to even more people on the floor. It's nice to know people's names so you can actually say 'Hi' when you bump into them in the hall. Being so isolated in my office and surrounded by empty offices, I realllllllly needed to meet some people. Especially people my age. So I went over and had a little chat with them at the end of the day, found out a few things. They're cool. Maybe now I won't have to eat lunch on my own :p . Anyhooo, got paid today. hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Yeah. So, overall, it's been a good day, my friends.

OHHH! And guess what? I'M COMING HOME THIS WEEKEND!

Allo, from Ottawa!

2005-05-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been over a week since my last post, so I thought I'd write another one so you all know whats up in the world of Dan.

Work has been pretty slow all week, but I've been working on a few things to occupy me. I'm not really a person who likes to sit around doing nothing. I need challenges. It keeps things interesting. That's why I get so frustrated in times like this, but hey, I guess I can't really complain. It's a nice place.

Fran and Eric (my landlords) have returned from Cuba. They're old, but they're nice people. Eric is a retired professor of OttawaU. He's also a professional civil engineer. Apparently, he's been to the middle east a lot, doing water work. It's kind of interesting stuff. Maybe I could learn a thing or two about engineering from him.

Right. So I was doing some PDEng course work today. "It's highly recommended that you review chapters 1-4 of the text book" they say. Well, la dee da! Thanks for telling me AFTER I moved to OTTAWA. Damn. So I read through some supplements before I took that test on Professional Engineering. What did I get? 44%. HAHAHAHA. Oh well. I'll probably be able to retake it or something. (Hopefully) lol.

That's all for now, faithful viewers. If your LUCKY I'll write you again SOON. *IF*

Lol
-Dan

4:03 PM

2005-05-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I guess I must seem pretty lame posting right after I just did. But I'm GOING CRAZY! Just 27 minutes to go. AHHHH! Maybe I should just leave early. No one would know... Everyone around me has already gone home for the weekend, and it's not like I need to 'punch out' or anything. Basically I can come and go as I please ("What kind of job is THAT?!" -Dad) Well. No. I'll stay until 4:30. I'm a professional, right? And we can't have us students leaving early and acting stupid and embarassing our school! Okay. Fine. I'll stay for another 27 minutes, but I'm warning you, it's going to be at the cost of a part of my SANITY!!!!

3:47 PM

2005-05-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

That means 43 excruiating long minutes until I'm out of here. I've been so bored these last two days, especially since I've been doing NOTHING AT ALL. :@ This frustrates me. It's just that there is no work to be done right now because we're going through a "slow-time". *Sigh* Now I know why Shelley asked me what I planned to do during "slow-times" in my interview. Man, I have enough time on my hands as it is, I WANT to be doing SOMETHING when I'm at work. Sheesh.

Turn the Corner...

2005-05-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

...And there's something new! Today I started walking down a street in this neighbourhood, and minutes later, found myself strolling across the campus of Ottawa U! It's a really nice place. Everything looks so new and clean. And I fit right in! I was a student too! No more suits and ties. Just students. Ahhh. I walked across campus and tried to kill some time in the Rideau Centre shopping mall. Yup. You have a lot of time to kill when you're done work, and you don't really know anyone around here...

So I was walking out of HMV, and I see a familiar face. No way! She's from PHS! Wow, we used to talk in grade nine but that was it. And now we run into each in Ottawa! lol that's cool.

Anyway, tomorrow is my first Team meeting. Hopefully I'll get to get to know my colleagues.

First Day: OTTAWA

2005-05-02T20:54:00.000-04:00

All dressed up in a shirt and tie, with a huge grin on his face, Dan watched the sun set on Parliament Hill. How did he get here? And why was he grinning? Well, let's start from the beginning.

It was raining lightly on my way to the federal buildings across the river. It's my first day of work! I waited at the Commissionaire's Desk, and soon enough, my supervisor took me up to my office. OFFICE! Well, actually its a cubicle, but they still call them "offices". After some formalities, and looking over documents, I started on my first work task. Some simple HTML coding for the government intranet. Not too difficult, but kind of tedious.

After work, I walked around the block, just looking around. I started to walk home because it started to rain again. But as I crossed the river, I just kept walking -- past the street of my Ottawa residence. I walked for a bit and found myself in the middle of the city. I walked into a mall and picked myself up A CELLPHONE! Hahaha Best part? GOVERNMENT DEAL!!! WICKED! Anyhoo, after walking around that Rideau Centre, I continued my stroll down Rideau St with a huge grin from ear to ear. Everything just feels right.

Ten minutes later, I find myself standing in front of parliament. Wow! Who knew I was so close? It's really cool! Snapped myself a pic and started to walk home. And here I am. Day one is over, and hey, it was pretty good. =)

Last Day

2005-04-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in my room, packing up my stuff. I'm moving in tomorrow. Wow, time passed by so quickly. I've had so much fun over the last two weeks. Hanging out with friends, family and spending time with Jen. Yesterday was declared "Dan and Jen's DAY OF FUN!" =D

Ottawa will be so new to me, but new is good! I'll be back here in the P-dot from time to time, so don't worry, your summer won't be TOTALLY Dan-less.

Conclusions and New Beginnings

2005-04-23T11:17:00.000-04:00

So it's all done. Schools finally out and everyone's going their separate ways. It's off to work for many of us. Who could've imagined all the big name companies that we're going off to? It's exciting.

In one week I'll be gone again. It's off to Ottawa for me. I'm renting a room from this elderly couple, and the house is just across the river from where I'll be working. Things are looking good, but I can't help being just a bit anxious.

Another new place, another new environment. There will be new experiences and new people, but everytime I move away, I always feel that I'm leaving so much behind. Sure I'll come back to visit on the holidays, and maybe some weekends, but things won't be the same.

Well, maybe we never really leave anything behind, because we always take the things that matter where ever we go.

Zeroday

2005-04-15T14:00:00.000-04:00

Done and done!

One

2005-04-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

My time in Waterloo is coming to an end. Only one day remains until the big escape. Tomorrow's Discrete math exam should prove to be the most difficult yet. But at least it will be the last.

I won't miss you, apartment. You and your cramped "closet office", stupid bunk bed, and your constantly blaring "Jason noise" were a pain in the ass!

I won't miss you homework, because, well let's be serious now. Who would?

Jen, Friends, other "miscellaneous, yet cool Waterloo things not including my apartment/homework", I'll miss you!

One day remains in Waterloo.
2 weeks before I leave for Ottawa.

Study Break Funnies

2005-04-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

*From the Crazy AppleRumors site:

-Crazy Apple Help Desk-
Q: Last month I purchased an Apple Cinema display and I have been very disappointed. I have the brightness turned all the way up, but the image is so dim I can't even see it. Before I return it and write a nasty letter to Apple, do you have any suggestions for how to fix this?
A: Well, this might sound stupid, but did you take it out of the cardboard box?
Q: Uh... yes. That was one of the first things I did.
A: OK. OK. The only reason I ask is because those are really hard to see through. Did you remove the Styrofoam and the plastic wrapping?
Q: Mmmm-hmmmmmmm.
A: Oh! I know. Did you open your eyes?
Q: ...
A: That was it, wasn't it?! You forgot to open your eyes!
Q: Um... no. My eyes are open.
A: SUNGLASSES!
Q: Uh...
A: GLAUCOMA!
Q: Uh... are you saying I should go with the nasty letter?
A: YOU RUBBED PUDDING IN YOUR EYES!
Q: Oh. You're just not even paying any attention to me anymore.
A: YOUR HOME IS FILLED WITH A DENSE METHANE ATMOSPHERE!
Q: Writing letter now.

Daze

2005-04-11T19:27:00.000-04:00

After a while, you begin to lose track. You no longer know what day of the week it is, or if it's the weekend or not. All you know is what exam you have next and a feeling of desperation. You study all day and all night, and you just hope you'll be ready in time. Coffee becomes your best friend, and anyone making conversation while you're studying is surely the in league with Satan himself.

It's hard. It's hard to keep going when you've just come out of a tough exam. You wonder whether you'll be alright, or if you'll be doomed to repeat the course -- maybe even the term. Well, you just got to keep going. Suck it up and pull yourself together. There's no time to sulk, there's no time to cry. Keep on truckin'. You'll make it in the end.