Birthday Smatterings

Hi Readers,

TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm 22 now. SO OLD. Ugh.

Anyways, here is just a short entry about recent happenings and plans, along with a short political note.

Politics first. I hold no grudge toward Republicans that are jumping on Obama's statement about the unconstitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the fact that the government will stop defending it in court. However, those Republicans that are flat-out LYING and saying that Obama is not enforcing the law can go to hell. Boehner, this is looking at you.

Obama is required by law to enforce the law until it is repealed by either Congress, or ruled unconstitutional by the judicial system. He is doing exactly what he is supposed to do. But I know that conservative news networks are going to spread this lie like all the other lies, under the guise of the freedom of speech. This supposed "freedom of speech" is what grates on my nerves about the US, and probably the biggest deterrent to me settling down long-term here in the US.

Ok, now updates. First, grad schools:

I found out that I was rejected by MIT, which was not a big deal for me. Actually, it came as more of a relief, because now I won't be plagued by the "California or Boston" debate. It's settled: I'm going to California for grad school. Now, as for where...only time will tell. Apart from Stanford, I've also heard back from UC San Diego (accepted with 1 year fellowship), which I'm 99% sure I will decline. The only way I'll go to UCSD would be if I visited (unlikely since their visitation dates conflict with Stanford's) and fell in love with it. Highly unlikely, especially since the only reason I applied in the first place was because my friend MW at UCSD encouraged me to do so.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and Caltech. At the moment, assuming I had gotten into all of these schools, I will probably choose between Stanford and UCSB. But honestly, I'm not sure which one yet, but I'll have to see what their offers are.

Now, onto plans.

I'm planning on visiting Stanford during Mar. 10-11, for their DiscoverEE days. I'm so excited! I last visited California when I was 7, and I have long since forgotten that experience. My only knowledge of California right now is LAX, and transferring from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. Horrible experiences there, bleh.

A mere week after the Stanford visit, I'll be heading to California again, this time during spring break. The ECE department is sending 2 students (I'm one of them) to the Google headquarters in San Francisco, and Microsoft headquarters in Seattle, for alumni events. Since that's taking place from Monday-Thursday, I'm hoping to squeeze in a trip to Santa Barbara before it, and an EWB conference in Louisville after it. Here's to hoping everything works out with the trip!

That's all right now. It's 6am. It's my birthday. I've spent 8 hours working on homework today. No parties. I need to go home to sleep ughhhh. Tomorrow will be a tiring day.

-FCDH

The Supreme Court's Impartiality

Hi Readers,

Recently, the Supreme Court has been embroiled in a controversy over the impartiality of two of the Justices on the Court - namely, Scalia and Thomas. What were their crimes? Scalia held closed door planning meetings with Tea Party activists, while Thomas failed to report on 7 years of income for his wife, who had worked for Tea Party activist groups and foundations and earned quite a bit of money from it.

Why are so many people up in arms over it? Because the Supreme Court holds immense power in the US. These powers can be both reactionary or revolutionary. Reactionary means that they can react to anything that has happened - meaning they can overturn any law that is passed by the Congress, or any judicial ruling of any lower court (should they accept the writ of certiorari decision to review the case). Revolutionary in the sense that they can create any precedents they choose, in the forms of their rulings, which will be afterward used as the de facto law of the land in the eyes of the judicial system.

In a sense, the Supreme Court is an authoritarian element, present to counterbalance the democracy that is prevalent in the US. They are the guiding forces of Congress, and sets limits on what is constitutional and what is not. Though the constitution does not seek to intrude into the lives of the individuals, the Supreme Court has the ability to extend or diminish the reach of government as they wish.

It is common for the Justices to have political views - indeed, they are usually categorized by whether they are in the "liberal" or "conservative" bloc of Justices. However, the rulings of the Justices must always be in the best interests of the people, which should always be solidly backed up by their written concurring or dissenting opinions at the end of a case. Because of this immense power, many politicians in the US are worried about Thomas and Scalia's actions, because it brings politics and political games into the neutral ground of the Justices.

Democratic lawmakers are now in the process of introducing legislation to counter this perceived politicization of the court. However, I believe that no matter what Scalia and Thomas does, the Supreme Court must remain impartial and free from the influence of government. Justices will come and go, but the structure will always be there. It is important for the structure to remain untainted by government, or we will be setting a precedent outside of the intent of the Founders.

Now with that being said, I think what Scalia and Thomas are doing is despicable. They are totally dragging the Supreme Court's impartiality through the mud. Imagine if Sotomayor's husband worked for the ACLU, or if Kagan held closed-door meetings with worker unions - the Republicans would be 100% guaranteed out for blood. In addition, their "impartiality", or lack of, is very visible.

The Democrats want to change the ruling on the Citizens United case, which opened the doors to political donations to political campaigns. I don't blame them - I see it as a disgusting intrusion of corporations into government, completely bypassing and eliminating the opinions of the people. As if corporate political lobbies were not enough, corporations can now directly control political campaigns.

I place the blame equally on the shoulders of the conservative justices and the liberal lawyers at the ruling. In my opinion, the defining point was when the justices baited the lawyer with a question involving content regulation, twisted so that the lawyer's response seemed like he was supporting censorship. But regardless of the outcome, the process is done, and we will need to wait until another ruling comes to overturn it...if it ever comes. In another decade or so, the American president could be a simple puppet of corporations, or not. Only time will tell.

-FCDH

Stanford!

Hi Readers,

I got exciting news yesterday! A day after posting that last depressing post about not hearing back from grad schools, I got the good news from Stanford!

I was sitting in my digital signals processing class when I opened my email and saw the innocuous-looking email, titled "Stanford Electrical Engineering - (name)", and immediately though "oh crap, I got rejected from Stanford. No big deal - I wasn't expecting it anyways. My application was kinda crappy. Maybe if...." All these flashed through my mind as I clicked the email open, reading to be disappointed.

At the first word, "Congratulations!", my heart jumped. I was like "omg, I got in!" As I began skimming farther, the next thing that caught my eye was the word "fellowship". My heart jumped again - did I really get a fellowship? The answer - YES!

Apparently I was one of the lucky students to be awarded with the Stanford Graduate Fellowship, which will support my work at Stanford for three years. It's the highest fellowship that they can give out - so I was, and still am, extremely excited about it. Now I know what option I'll probably take if MIT turns out not to accept me!

More to follow! Just wanted a brief update on grad schools. So excited!

-FCDH

California

It's a beacon

Brightly lit, throwing harsh shadows

On the field

Surrounded by a gnarly forest

Centuries old

Scarred by fires, and ravaged by famines

Yet teeming with life

With laid-back squirrels and stylish woodpeckers

The dawn

Canaries stream toward the field

Ravenous yet orderly

Drawn to the beacon as a moth is to a flame

Outnumbered, out-maneuvered,

Scarecrows debate

About stopping the unstoppable tide

Time stops for no one

Awoken from slumber

In its peaceful nest in the midst of the corn

A canary looks toward the commotion

The beacon beckons with open arms

Across an abyss

It divides the field

It spreads across the ground, like a pestilence

The scarecrows are oblivious

The canary is pensive

Will the abyss reach the beacon?

Will the abyss reach the nest?

Time never stops.

The abyss reaches the canary's heart.

Time never stops.

-FCDH

02/14/2011

Tomorrow Can't Come Any Faster

Hi Readers,

I'm totally crashing right now. I think I'm in denial over the amount of work that I have. This semester sucks so much. I hate my life right now. I've got my 536 book open, but I've only managed to read like 5 pages in the last hour. It is incomprehensible. Why do I do this to myself?

I just want out of here. I just wish I had a concrete yes or no for either grad school or full time work. Two of my friends got acceptances today, to Stanford and Columbia. I've gotten nothing, heard nothing.

People always say that I will get into anywhere I want. I used to believe it, but now I don't anymore. I wish I had spent more time on my grad school applications, maybe made them better. Or perhaps if I had started interviewing for full time jobs in the fall instead of waiting until now.

I can't go out anymore on the weekends. I have gotten no work done over the last 3 weekends while I had fun. I'm paying for it right now, but I've almost used up all my credits.

I feel so happy for my friends who have gotten into their dream grad schools.

I no longer know if I will even go to grad school. What is the point? Everybody I know is more miserable in grad school than they would be working in industry. So I'm interviewing for full-time positions, to the shock of my friends. Some of the jobs seem like a step-down for the skills I have developed doing research. Should I care that anyone could do this job? Should I settle for less?

I no longer know. What is "less"? How is it even defined?

Why am I even speculating when I know nothing? I hate the wait. I need to stop checking facebook and seeing other people's happy statuses.

Tomorrow will be better. I hope.

Hotel California just came on my iTunes. Fuck yeah. I can deal with the damn waveguide physics now.

-FCDH

Music Holier-than-Thou-ism

Hi Readers,

First, an update. I'm sick =( boo. Unfortunately last Sunday night I began to cough a lot, and this entire week has been in the cesspools for me. Good thing that the sickness looks like it is subsiding. The only thing that remains is the periodic coughing to clear the phlegm. Eww. Anyways, one thing that I thought I would start writing about is music. Since I've had a lot of music background, I wonder why I didn't start writing about it earlier.

One of the funniest cultural phenomenons that transcend cultures is that of music. It is prevalent over most of the world, though the style and characteristics of the music varies from place to place (obviously). Why did I say "funny"? Because no matter where you travel in the world, people everywhere have strong opinions of music and music styles. And when I say strong, I mean judgmentally-strong.

A generational gap seems to be the most common factor that defines music groupies. Grandparents often like operas and classical music that would induce z's amongst most everybody else in the family. Parents tend to like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or Europop style old-ish rock songs, but hate the new pop songs. Teenagers tend to gravitate towards pop songs like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber (ick), and Ke$ha and the likes. The funny part is that each older generation will say, "What the hell happened to good music? We had it so much better back then."

Each group will always defend their turf when they feel intruded upon. Go to an LGBT party and declare that you hate Lady Gaga - it's an open invitation to be banned from the next party. Ask a music hippie what their favorite bands are, and 99% of the time you'll be treated to a list of obscure indy bands, and while you nod and say "cool", you're pretty sure 99.9% of the world has not heard of them. Want to piss off country music folks? Tell them their music is always about them driving their tractors or their wives leaving or their dogs dying. Want to piss off other music folks? Tell them that country music is better than their music. It is like trolling in real life, but you troll at your own discretion.

Part of this is of course related to the associations of the music genre. Many people feel that their music collection is an extension of their personality. In my opinion, what a person likes to listen to is a pretty definitive guide to their lifestyle and their beliefs. For example, if someone likes dance-y music like Rihanna or Kesha, then I'd peg partying and clubbing as one of their hobbies. Indy fans tend to come across as kinda pretentious and rebellious at the same time, since they almost always reject mainstream music for "better" stuff that's not well-known. Classical music people claim that all other kinds of music are lame and less sophisticated.

In a sense, all of these observations are kinda correct. I personally like alternative rock better than all other types of music, and I tend to identify myself better with those that listen to the same type of music. I think it's a matter of personality. In general, people who like Radiohead or Coldplay or other alternative rock music are more chill and relaxed, while those who like Katy Perry or Rihanna tend to crave social interactions like bars or dancing or partying. I'm sure people have noticed this about other people, and even use it as a judge of the other person's personality before even getting to know them. For example, looking back now - I'd say my initial judgments on my first roommate was pretty accurate, based upon his posters of Incubus and Rage Against the Machine.

Ultimately, I think the big arguments that always come up during music bickering extends out to a bickering of what type of personality is better. It's not about whether the music is better or worse, but rather about which personality is better or worse. And when the issue at hand touches your own personality...well, it's expected that people would claw each other's eyes out over it.

Just a bored and not-intellectual observation for this week. Till the next post!

-FCDH

The Excitement of Snowboarding

Hi Readers,

After coming back from my recent snowboarding trip to Chestnut Mountain with some friends, I thought I would write a blog post about snowboarding. I snowboarded for the first time in grade 10, and since then I have really fallen in love with it, much more so than skiing. I have my own board and all the equipment, which are currently a thousand miles away in Vancouver (grr). I really miss the mountains in Vancouver - I never thought about how convenient it was to live by so many ski hills until it was all gone, to be able to have a choice of three different ski resorts to go to within an hour's drive from my house. Now I have to drive at least 4 hours to reach a ski resort that is much less in caliber than the ones I had. Such is life.

I'll start off by saying that snowboarding is hard. Period. I haven't yet met a single person who has gotten through their first day of snowboarding without lots of bruises, sore knees, and butts. It may not seem like it, but there is a very big difference between having your body face the direction that you are traveling (ski) and having your body perpendicular to the direction your are traveling (snowboard). It makes for a lot of face plants at first, especially when learning to turn. There are two ways to orient a snowboard so that it is parallel to the slope (for gliding). The regular style means left-foot forward (so left side of body is facing downhill), and it is called regular because most people fall under this category. The goofy style is for right-foot forward, and is less common. To determine whether a person is regular or goofy, the first time they snowboard, an instructor will often shove them without any warning, and take note of which foot they step out with first. It will become their leading foot.

Unlike skiers, snowboarders do have an easier time with stopping. To stop, all a snowboarder has to do is to put the board perpendicular to the slope and push down hard on the edge, so that it pushes the snow downhill. Since there are two possible ways of putting a snowboard perpendicular to the slope, the terminology of toe-side and heel-side edges refers to the side of the snowboard that the pressure is being put on. Heel-side is the more natural way, where a snowboarder faces toward the bottom of a hill and puts pressure on their heels, while toe-side is where the snowboarder faces uphill and puts pressure on their toes to stop.

Snowboarders generally start learning with zigzags down the hill while alternating between regular and goofy style, as well as how to stop toe side and heel side. After this is done, they begin to learn how to turn. A turn is basically a move to go from toe-side to heel-side or vice versa, and when done properly, it looks like tracing a semicircle down the slope. The notion of "turning" is the key focus of snowboarders and is basically the precursor to carving. Skiers can carve by transferring their weight between the right skis and left skis between turns, and snowboarders can carve by transferring their weight between toe-side to heel-side. Snowboarders can carve simply by joining turns together to form an S-shape maneuver, and eventually by making the S-shape narrower.

It's during turns that snowboarders are most likely to fall on their butts. In the beginning, switching from toe-side to heel-side is fraught with dangers of falling, especially to knees and butts. I'm usually a regular style snowboarder, but I've been trying to learn carving goofy-style, and I've been falling as much as a beginner has. Regular and goofy style really are not transferable between each other, so I've come to love the pain that accompanies my attempts at goofy-style.

Despite its intricacies, I feel like snowboarding is really not that hard to learn. The first day is the worst. I remember the first day I learned snowboarding. Despite being tired as hell that night, I could not fall asleep because my knees and butt hurt so much. In my opinion, snowboarding is most easily learned when several consecutive days are spent learning snowboarding. That way no progress is lost and you can progress quickly to carving. Once carving is mastered, snowboarding becomes so much more fun than skiing. Plus it has the "cool" factor.

I'm pretty sure that I will not stick around in Illinois for graduate school. Wherever I may end up, I want to make snowboarding a part of my life there for the next 5 years. There's just something about it that makes it so much fun. Perhaps it's the thrill of flying down the hill on the edge of your control, while constantly pushing the boundaries of that control. Knowing that the control may disappear the next second and you might crash and generate a huge puff of snow, but living for the present all the same. It's how I want to live my life.

-FCDH