Yay for Darius!! Graduations is so bittersweet. Congrats to all of my friends who walked the ever so daunting stages of various university. I'm excited and curious to see where life will lead everyone.
A few days ago, I went on an exciting journey through Pottermore, JK Rowlings site for die-hard Harry Potter fans like me. Unfortunately my sad journey ended at book one when I miserably discovered book two hadn't come out yet. No more revelations of exclusively released details from the author until another time for me I guess. I was sorted into Ravenclaw which took me not too much by surprise. We are described as at times odd and eccentric, eager to learn and never prone to turn down intellectual challenges. I suppose that could be me.
In the last Harry Potter book, requested in Dumbledore's will, Harry receives a golden snitch, a game object that recognizes the touch of the first flesh to come in contact with it. Dumbledore enchants the snitch so that it displays this message upon Harry's touch:
"I open at the close"
Interesting words. An upon that cryptic note...
"...many places you would like to see are just off the map and many thing you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you'll reach them all, for what you learn today for no reason at all will help you discover the wonderful secrets of tomorrow." -Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Feels Good
Recently I finally became owner of two new electronic products.
1) Smartphone
Yes I have crossed over to the darkside. An incredibly enticing, socially ruining and addicting dark side. Within a week I had already transferred the entire contents of my life into this 5.5 X 2.5 handheld device. Its an HTC One S by T-mobile and I fell absolutely in love with it the moment I began to customize all of the settings, homescreens and features to accommodate my oh-so-busy life. Already I had been accused by D-dawg of becoming One Of Those incredibly rude, nose-cemented-to-phone snobs who have better things to do than pay attention to their present company because of facebook's more enticing notifications. ): Of course that is that LAST thing I want to be. I will never forget one sunny day inside yogurt world when all three people I was there with sat wordlessly texting, words-for-friendsing and instagramming while I stared uselessly and smartphone-lessly into my diminishing yogurt cup.
2) MY BEAUTIFUL SAMSUNG SERIES 9 NOTEBOOK
...costing me and arm and a leg but still gleaming like a gem under my furiously typeing fingers this very moment. There's nothing particularly special about it in terms of the actual inside of the computer. But....oh it's so pretty!!!
Prior to my decision of purchasing an ultrabook, I had debated long and hard about getting a macbook pro. I finally decided with fluctuating reluctance in April that yes, I will drop some serious $cha-ching$ and convert from windows to mac when (if) I receive an acceptance letter from any grad school. Well, three acceptance letters came and went but I still didn't have enough balls to purchase the macbook pro. Then on one no so particularly special day, I met with some fellow math friends in UCLA (on a weekend when I visited Darius) and the convinced me within half an hour, that I was meant all along to own an ultrabook. I had seen and heard of ultrabooks since they are fast becoming the next overpriced eye-candy electronic. But I had never actually considered getting one for myself. So the moment I talked about them to someone else (more like let them persuade me), I knew instantly, this was it: the answer to all of my first world problems. Now I don't have to betray my PC loyalty.
My dad of course blanched at the site of the receipt i presented him when i spontaneously came home from the microsoft store in Costa Mesa grinning from ear to ear. He then went on to complain about all of this laptops shortcomings. He asked why i couldn't just something cheaper with equally decent if not better interior features. I tried to argue that i plan to use this laptop for different things than he uses his laptop for. But I stopped realizing that the things i hope to use this laptop for are things he and to be frank most people don't care for.
First and foremost, I hope to use this laptop to write and stimulate intellectual thought. I intend for this laptop to undergo lots and LOTS of typing. This includes the millions of papers I will mostly certainly have to write at UCLA and of course, blogging. Secondly I wanted something light and portable but with a large screen for my worsening far-sighted eyes. This 2.88 pound machine is exactly that. I do have a 200 dollar netbook that has served its purpose, but I absolutely detest its tiny screen and shrunken keyboard. UCLA will undoubtedly require several presentations from us. Plus, isn't it most known that intellectual thought is often stimulated in a coffeeshop? Can't let that be stifled by a bulky 10 pound monstrosity of a laptop. Portability is a necessity. It's time for an expensive change.
Lastly, something surprised me more than anything else but is a pleasantly added perk to my new ownership of this laptop. Ever since I began using this laptop, I haven't spent an unhealthy amount of time streaming TV show after TV show and wasting away hours of potential productivity. This I'm sure will prove to be helpful and needed when I begin my studies at UCLA. Admittedly, this behavior came mostly from my fear of plaguing my new laptop with unwanted malware and bugs that likely debilitated my previous laptop. But it has proven useful. Within a week I've ventured to the beach, signed up and attended yoga classes everyday, probably developed a cavity from eating too many homemade ghiradelli dark chocolate covered strawberries, read 3 new books (working on that new years resolution!), gave myself a pedicure (feet scrubbing for hours and all), researched med schools (for darius), and many many more electronic void things.
Now, one would question: Okay. So why must you buy the most expensive ultrabook out there?? Unfortunately I have no good answer for this. This was the second ultrabook I ever laid my eyes on. The first one was my cousins Dell. She told me hers was a little buggy which was immediately a nono. My last laptop was very gimmicky and it drove me completely insane. When I saw the samsung series 9, no other ultrabook felt satisfying enough. This is how they get you I'm sure. After comparing all of the different ultrabooks, I knew that I would not come to love any other laptop but this one. How could I feel comfortable owning a laptop knowing that the one I really wanted was within my reach but not in my possession?
(: bottom line...I am satisfied with these things which I believe were well worth every cent I paid. and it feels DARN good.
1) Smartphone
Yes I have crossed over to the darkside. An incredibly enticing, socially ruining and addicting dark side. Within a week I had already transferred the entire contents of my life into this 5.5 X 2.5 handheld device. Its an HTC One S by T-mobile and I fell absolutely in love with it the moment I began to customize all of the settings, homescreens and features to accommodate my oh-so-busy life. Already I had been accused by D-dawg of becoming One Of Those incredibly rude, nose-cemented-to-phone snobs who have better things to do than pay attention to their present company because of facebook's more enticing notifications. ): Of course that is that LAST thing I want to be. I will never forget one sunny day inside yogurt world when all three people I was there with sat wordlessly texting, words-for-friendsing and instagramming while I stared uselessly and smartphone-lessly into my diminishing yogurt cup.
2) MY BEAUTIFUL SAMSUNG SERIES 9 NOTEBOOK
...costing me and arm and a leg but still gleaming like a gem under my furiously typeing fingers this very moment. There's nothing particularly special about it in terms of the actual inside of the computer. But....oh it's so pretty!!!
Prior to my decision of purchasing an ultrabook, I had debated long and hard about getting a macbook pro. I finally decided with fluctuating reluctance in April that yes, I will drop some serious $cha-ching$ and convert from windows to mac when (if) I receive an acceptance letter from any grad school. Well, three acceptance letters came and went but I still didn't have enough balls to purchase the macbook pro. Then on one no so particularly special day, I met with some fellow math friends in UCLA (on a weekend when I visited Darius) and the convinced me within half an hour, that I was meant all along to own an ultrabook. I had seen and heard of ultrabooks since they are fast becoming the next overpriced eye-candy electronic. But I had never actually considered getting one for myself. So the moment I talked about them to someone else (more like let them persuade me), I knew instantly, this was it: the answer to all of my first world problems. Now I don't have to betray my PC loyalty.
My dad of course blanched at the site of the receipt i presented him when i spontaneously came home from the microsoft store in Costa Mesa grinning from ear to ear. He then went on to complain about all of this laptops shortcomings. He asked why i couldn't just something cheaper with equally decent if not better interior features. I tried to argue that i plan to use this laptop for different things than he uses his laptop for. But I stopped realizing that the things i hope to use this laptop for are things he and to be frank most people don't care for.
First and foremost, I hope to use this laptop to write and stimulate intellectual thought. I intend for this laptop to undergo lots and LOTS of typing. This includes the millions of papers I will mostly certainly have to write at UCLA and of course, blogging. Secondly I wanted something light and portable but with a large screen for my worsening far-sighted eyes. This 2.88 pound machine is exactly that. I do have a 200 dollar netbook that has served its purpose, but I absolutely detest its tiny screen and shrunken keyboard. UCLA will undoubtedly require several presentations from us. Plus, isn't it most known that intellectual thought is often stimulated in a coffeeshop? Can't let that be stifled by a bulky 10 pound monstrosity of a laptop. Portability is a necessity. It's time for an expensive change.
Lastly, something surprised me more than anything else but is a pleasantly added perk to my new ownership of this laptop. Ever since I began using this laptop, I haven't spent an unhealthy amount of time streaming TV show after TV show and wasting away hours of potential productivity. This I'm sure will prove to be helpful and needed when I begin my studies at UCLA. Admittedly, this behavior came mostly from my fear of plaguing my new laptop with unwanted malware and bugs that likely debilitated my previous laptop. But it has proven useful. Within a week I've ventured to the beach, signed up and attended yoga classes everyday, probably developed a cavity from eating too many homemade ghiradelli dark chocolate covered strawberries, read 3 new books (working on that new years resolution!), gave myself a pedicure (feet scrubbing for hours and all), researched med schools (for darius), and many many more electronic void things.
Now, one would question: Okay. So why must you buy the most expensive ultrabook out there?? Unfortunately I have no good answer for this. This was the second ultrabook I ever laid my eyes on. The first one was my cousins Dell. She told me hers was a little buggy which was immediately a nono. My last laptop was very gimmicky and it drove me completely insane. When I saw the samsung series 9, no other ultrabook felt satisfying enough. This is how they get you I'm sure. After comparing all of the different ultrabooks, I knew that I would not come to love any other laptop but this one. How could I feel comfortable owning a laptop knowing that the one I really wanted was within my reach but not in my possession?
(: bottom line...I am satisfied with these things which I believe were well worth every cent I paid. and it feels DARN good.
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