Sitting around

Written yesterday:
"
Wonderland

I'm currently sitting in a garden, European style, something like the rose garden of Alice (and the roses really do look painted). That's because I'm trying to find somewhere to study. I've found that my roommate is usually doing something that, while not necessarily distracting, is annoying like listening to music or laughing at jokes posted on the internet. We get along well, but we each have our different styles, and our preferences in music are almost polar opposites. That's all fine though because I'm not usually in my room. I spend most of my time either in the floor lounge (which actually is distracting) or wandering around campus. Right now, I'm working on the latter.

I've found a nice garden, with a perimeter of probably less than four-hundred meters (the size of a running track or soccer field). There are flowers of a small variety of red and white, a few yellow, some tall trees on either side, hedges on low concrete walls, grass that looks like it shaves daily and a few constructs of wood and concrete. The view of the mountains on a clear day is fairly, while not overly, beautiful. The whole place has that sort of modest beauty, as if someone wanted a nice place for a picnic that wouldn't attract unwanted attention. I like it.

As for the studying I'm not doing, I'm trying to get ahead in class. I have an online assignment for PHYS 170 due tomorrow. It's not hard, but my numbers have come out wrong twice. After that, I'm going to work on my PHYS 153 tutorial questions, which shouldn't be too hard (although it is a new subject) and reading through my MATH 100 book. I'm not worried about my math (though I am mildly put off by my weak performance on yesterday's midterm), it's just that all of our other classes expect us to know, understand, and be able to use stuff we have yet to cover in math (even when they say they don't). I also desperately need to read through and practice CHEM 154, however our teacher provides very little incentive with no real homework, assignments, quizzes, tests or such. The only subject I'm not studying, APSC 160, is a computer programming course, and still comes with ease (I think I aced the midterm).

Before I entered university, I would constantly hear people saying how very different it is from high school. I disagree; university is harder, but it's only the next level. I have more, and more difficult work, but it's only an increase of degree, not a revolution. And I still have all my old practices and habits, they're just a bit more refined. Granted, there's a lot more focus on academia, but that's what we get for pursuing academics. I should also add that for how much harder we work, we party, play (Starcraft 2), watch, gossip, drink dance, drink, sleep, and socialize.

The other thing about coming to university, is that it has cut a lot more ties and given me more independence. I don't mean freedom, although I have that too, I mean that now I'm paying for my expenses. I pay for laundry, food, tissues, clothes, my phone, et cetera. I just got my first phone bill and my credit card, conveniently together, inconveniently five days past due (luckily they gave me some credit). Now if only I can find out how to access my credit card billing information. To keep track of all this, I've created a financial record on my computer in excel that covers every transaction I make and records what accounts were involved, what type of transaction it was, what it was for, a brief description of it and has built in redundancies and a current net balance. It also has no actual connection to my accounts, only a description like "savings." I mention this purely because I had so much fun making it and am proud of the final product. Also because I'm still doing very well financially.

I'm a bit sleep deprived and my diet seems wrong (even though I'm trying to eat healthily), but overall these aren't major problems so much as constant states for most students (and I imagine, most people in general). With a little bit of luck I might be able to finally get ahead and to some sleep. Anyways, I have more to say, but I need to get to work.
"

Now:

I had also intended to talk about why I don't spend much time in my room. For the most part, I'm quite sure it's not my roommate. It stems from when I was in Japan and Sydney (Nova Scotia). In Japan, I was often left in my room to do nothing, expected to study and mind my own business, but I couldn't stand it. It was lonely, boring, and uneventful. So I sent hours every day simply walking around the city, even if I had nowhere to go. Just to be out. It taught me a lot more than sitting in my room, and while not as productive for studying, it taught me many other tricks, skills, and facts that became very important, such as locations of shops, shortcuts, where to go when you're in a certain mood, it got me buying Gundams which turned into one of my favourite (discontinued) hobbies, and would lead to interactions with others, whether in buying some melon bread or having a chat.

When I got back, I found that Sydney was small and uneventful. I still tried walking around, but it would always be to the same places, and even just getting to the city was an eight kilometer walk, one way. Also being a year behind my friends academically, now in university, I had very little to do. And so I spent most of my time sitting in my room, doing what could be considered in almost every respect as nothing. I was hardly even able to keep myself amused. It got to the point where I hated my room, especially the feeling of sitting at my desk in front of my computer, which I was continually using, despite my distaste in it. Needless to say, I was glad to leave it all behind.

When I got here, I bought a laptop. One that works and that I can take anywhere with me. And now I spend most of my time not sitting in my room, looking for something to happen and moving freely.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned my new computer. It's a Sony VAIO, 15.5". It has a nice keyboard with a number pad (which is uncommon on many brands of laptop, and important when you're doing a lot of math), webcam (Skype anyone?), and all the other common features you'd expect. It's ten years better than my last computer, and can run Starcraft 2. I've bought a mouse for it, a backup hard drive, lock, a sleeve, and a specialized backpack. In turn, my laptop holds all my books, musics, games (Starcraft, Starcraft 2, minesweeper), school work, financial records, et cetera. If it's stolen, it could be a security risk, but with an hour of internet access I could fix that, and I'm very careful with it. Also, if it's stolen, it's most likely it'll just be wiped and sold.

Other than that, I'll write later... when I'm not in my MATH 100 class.