Break.

No. Not from work. From blog.

Found this really good paper, so I'm just going to sink into that and get the implementation done ASAP. Wish me luck :)

Medical Journals

It's time to go into the company that sort of funds my project, so I'm reading medical journals again.

It's interesting, I went into engineering instead of medicine because I can't stand biology, not to mention I thought 7 years in training is a wee bit too much. Here I am, my 7th year in university, still got another 2 year or so to go, reading medical journals as my research. I suppose sometimes you just don't know what would happen.

Life's funny like that.

/back to slaving and reading journals.

Come again??

This is just getting absurd. I suppose I don't need to state here that the rest of the world dislike America. I'm using the word dislike because "hate" is such a strong word, and there are definitely intelligent beings still trapped there, because sadly that's where the money and market is. Okay, enough intro, here's the story for today.

Instead of coding this morning, I decided to seek "inspiration" by checking slashdot. There was an interesting article on global warming and how we would reach "the point of no return" in ten years and catastrophic disaster would occur. (Link for the slashdot entry and article) Granted there is a chance that it might have been a bit over the top, but it's still a problem that needs to be acknowledge and to be seriously thinking about. And while I'm reading about people's opinion on the issue (hoping to catch a few academic to see their view on this) and then I read this gem.

For those of you who can't be bothered reading that (and I won't blame you because it's a load of crap), it's basically saying that people are only doing this to force people to side with the Kyoto Protocol to screw US over.

WTF?

Let's see: the treaty was there to stop CO2 emission, if US is as clean a country as the submitter claim to be, why should that screw US over? And you gotta love this golden comment:

Ironically, countries like US today tend to be moving away from an industrial production based economey that uses heavy environmental resources to an information based service one that tends to be more efficient. Kyoto would do allot to help dying industrial rellics lock in high prices to live a little longer, but nothing to promote such a service based economy or the environment.

Yes and that's why they outscource the heavy production side of business in Asia, because we all know so long as it's not produced in the country, it's not really the country's fault. They're still the one of biggest consumer last I checked anyway.

It's this sort of attitude that really gets me about some people in US. Wake up, there are actually more people on this planet.

A few good comments on that thread in respond to the Kyoto Protocol comment though. At least some people can think...

As for me, I'm going to try to figure out how I can do my little bit of saving the planet. Probably gonna take a long time though... but I'll manage...

Heat wave

Okay, maybe it's not really a "heat wave" as such. But it certainy has been ridiculously hot these few days. And it's kinda annoying, considering I'm still trying to found a sunscreen I'm not allergic to. That and I have tons of work waiting for me to do. Not to mention this stupi heat is headache inducing, which means it's even harder to think.

It's not all bad news I suppose. I'm actually enjoying the thing I'm doing now, which is refreshing. It's frustrating coding work but at least I dont' hate it, and it's A LOT more interesting than reading article and doing not much at all.

Anyway, All this time I'm still trying to find time to sketch and paint. Now THAT's a joke for you...

Sudden sense of isolation

I would've thought it's mainly a teenager thing, but it's not. It's just the fact that I just don't understand the rest of the world. Some people is just beyond my comprehension, especially those who just, I don't even know how to describe them, I won't really call them stupid, but dense in a way I guess. Close minded maybe.

There's a reason why engineers tend to have problem trying to fit in with the rest of the world, it's not that they don't have people skill or that they are boring. Most of my mates from engineering are really interesting people. Although what I do find is that engineers like to hang around with other engineers because they think alike, and it's this no nonsense sorta attitude. That doesn't mean we don't joke around, but when we organise things: we go the most direct way and actually "plan" and "organise" rather than chaotic throwing ideas. We also hate things that makes no logical sense, which, unfortunately, seems to be the main ingredient in this world.

Stupidity frustrates me. It's not like I want the whole world to be Einistein, but honestly, it doesn't hurt to think a bit, surely. But alas. I think the problem most engineer has with the rest of the world (and I suppose I'm feeling it a little too, if not a lot) is that we don't understand WHY they can't understand simple things. For some of us things are so bleedingly obvious that it can get frustrating to see why no one else gets it.

And then the isolation, self-induced as it may be, is there.

*sigh*

/at least some of my mates understand me. *sigh*

Rich people

Okay, I know it's hard to get this idea for some people, but some of us are actually quite broke. We can't afford to go overseas every year. Why the hell would anyone want to organised a group trip within friends to go overseas is beyond me: overseas trip aren't a group thing. Chances are people can't agree to go to one place, and it's bloody expensive that people can't afford to just "tag along" because everyone else is going. Research student don't have that much money. *sigh*

If a group of friends wants to go away, do something "normal" like somewhere within the friggin country. Once in a while it's okay if everyone can go away, but an overseas trip every year? What are you, Bill Gate? o_O

/sticking with conference trips

The Generation Gap?

I was going to go into uni for work today, only to find my office covered with holes because the constructions are still going on. So I decided to come back home to work.

BAD mistake.

I just finished lunch, and listened to dad going on and on about how Chinese soup can cure everything, how cheese make people hunch, how the rest of the world is slowly finding out the secret of Chinese medicine. Oh and that antibotic won't help anything, and the theory that my brother is ruined by antibotic. (what?)

It's not so much the whole "us Chinese know all" thing that annoys me, more of the stubborness to reject anything else that gets me. If there's one sort of people I can't stand it's people with a narrow mind, and even so sometimes I still have very interesting conversation with them because of the way they present their case and the ability of sitting down and listen to a logical rebuttal and carry on the conversation in a civilised manner. (Okay, so THAT doesn't happen too often) But the whole "Them white people don't know anything." or "Them white people aren't as cunning as us Chinese"... I mean, come on! If you think they're such low life don't send me to be educated by them then. And the thing is it's not like the arrogance is justified. It's not like he even know their culture or anything (well, he thinks he does).

*sigh*, of course being a Chinese it's like the single biggest sin to go against one's parents. So there I was, nodding, adding the occasional "uh-huh". I give up. I tried to talk some sense into him but it's a fruitless presuit. Really. He can think whatever he likes to think. So long as he would stop trying to get me to think like him I'll be fine.

I'm trapping myself in my study to work then.