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The Paradox of Our Time

So much on my mind these days. Tired from getting up too early. Heh, I sort of sleep the same hours as when I sleep much later at night but probably because I start the day earlier, I feel tired earlier. It’s weird.

Was just thinking to myself. Life at school was much simpler, and as much as I don’t miss studying (the exams and assignments), I do miss the actual quality of life I had back then. Goals were geared to single semesters. You could put all your efforts into a short span of 3 months then take a break and forget about everything. I remember how I could just put down all worries about school work and go for a holiday, as time would seem to stand still for you.

Now it’s welcome to the adult world. Everything is a continuous cycle, sort of like a rat race. You constantly worry about stuff that you hadn’t bothered about before. There’s taxes to worry about, insurance, mortgages etc etc etc. Do we have to worry so much about our future security now that we have stopped thinking about cherishing the present? It’s not to say I’m a person without ambition, but luxurious cars, property and lifestyles don’t really convey a sense of living. People become too attached to their ‘things’ and forget about the things that are truly important in life, like I’ve mentioned before, the relationships we have with friends and family. Even with your Mastercard, you can’t buy those funny and candid moments in life. I really prefer to just spend time with people, even if all it ends up to be is a memory, at least it will be a good memory. Material things come and go, but memories last a life time (heh, sounds real cliche but it’s true).

Here’s an email I was sent a week or so ago. It’s written by George Carlin, an article called the Paradox of Our Time (or so states the email). I will quote the email here in its entirety.

Read the rest of this entry. »

Bit Off More Than I Could Chew

• Listening to: T.M. Revolution - Invoke

Ouch.

Have a one page spec document in front of me. Seemed simple enough. Until I started doing it.

Offered to help a friend who was going on holiday to take over one of his web application jobs. It was a small database driven content management system. Something I’ve sort of done before, although not to this magnitude of scope.

It’s amusing at times, what I learnt at university is so trivial compared to what is required in the outside world. It’s also weird at times. I can do all that web designing and build a computer from scratch and even troubleshoot problems when I hear it (was diagnosing someone’s problem with a video card while chatting with other members in Guild Wars, all the same while killing monsters. Heh…) but I can’t figure out simple logical problems with a lousy web app.

Did a little thinking and figured out why. With web design, I know where to look up answers for certain techniques and effects. Everything is well documented. With hardware problems, I have plenty of hands on experience, a forum I know where I can get experts and gurus who will give sound advice. Again, everything is well documented.

ASP is a dying language, already overtaken by ASP.net. It’s still popular because it’s simple to code for (which is true, if you know all the commands). My problem now is I’m trying to paint a picture without even knowing the names of the colours I need to use or the type of media etc. Googling is no help, I can’t even find examples of code I can use and I don’t know what search variables will turn up the information I need. I know all the basic stuff already. Really feels like an exam where you remember all the formulas but going into the exam, you have no idea how to apply them at all. It sucks.

Now wondering how to get myself out of this mess.

When Unsure

Words of wisdom from Gundam Seed Destiny:

First you must decide, then you must follow through, this is the only way to accomplish anything.

said by the girl with the pink hair whose name I can’t spell

Life is like that at times, when choices are difficult and you don’t exactly know what is the right thing to do.