Looking Better...

Things have been getting better these few days...

Have been thinking if I should switch to physics, and talking with people about it.

Got to know a few people in the process...

Victor, a Malaysian, doing Part III Maths, who did Physics at Imperial, has been very very helpful! Met him another few more times since I first got to know him last Saturday during frisbee... Once at the Archim's maths competition on Sunday, and today at the CMS. He's introduced me to a few books, and talked through some topics with me. Feels really refreshing chatting with him... And he's applying to do a PhD at the Cavendish next year, so if I do physics, I'll get to meet him more often!

Switching to Physics
Just came back from a 'Tea and Cakes' session at my college common room tonight. Met another PhD student at the Cavendish. Told him my situation - that I found the physics lectures I attend very stimulating, have been feeling utterly lost in my own maths lectures. And that I have a problem making sense of all the different definitions and symbols I meet each time I face a new maths question, and that I require something which I can visualise, and imagine, to work properly.

He kinda assured me that I'd be happy doing physics, if what I said were true; and told me of what I'd need to catch up on: Fourier Series, Wave Mechanics, Special Relativity, etc. And that theoretical physics will not be entirely out of the option, as there was a very close link between the Part II Theoretical Physics and Part III Applied Maths Course.

Then while we were talking, there was this first year comsci seating next to us, called Dan... I had seen him around, but never really spoke with him before. When he overheard our conversation, he told us that he was considering doing physics next year too! And that there were a few other people in the college who might be doing physics, among them is Jack. So if I do change to physics, there'll be a whole community of people over here in the same course!!! Which would result in a big improvement from my current situation! Dan mentioned that he would organise a get together for the potential physicist at the end of term party this Friday... Something to look forward to :P

Current Maths Matters
Also met up with the study group for a second time on Tuesday... Went ok, did 2 dynamics questions in 2 hours, which is quite an achievement considering it was dynamics... I'd scarcely be able to achieve that on my own...

And had decided that the best way to know mathmos would be to work with them. So I volunteered for a position in the Archims' math society... I'm now the Archims' Registrar! Basically I'd be handling membership matters, organising the Fresher's Fair, puting together the Fresher's Guide, and helping out with the website :P

Serene, Kendice, Lionel...
...are planing to come in June!!! So exciting!!! As well as my uncle and cousins, among them would be the grace who's been spamming the tagboard ;)

Tentatively, we'll be meeting on 20th June, leaving on the 23rd for Italy, returning to London sometime the following week, and flying home on the 3rd or 4th of July.

While you guys are here, I've thought of 10 things you could do:

1. Crash Balls - there'll be fireworks and all.
2. Punt, and feed a variety of avian species inhabiting the river, if the bird flu doesn't hit Cambridge, that is...
3. Visit the Museum & Observatory.
4. Come help me pack up,
5. and see my room at the same time,
6. I'll demonstrate the culinary skills I've acquired in the year I spent here...
7. Have a taste of the (junk) food I've been subsisting upon throughout term,
• i.e. Sainsburry Basics x, where x =
• "Chocolate digestive biscuits",
  
• "Milk Chocolate",
  
• "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
  
• "Custard Cream Biscuits",
  
• "Jaffa Cakes",
  
• "Hot Chocolate",
  
• "Vanila Ice Cream".


8. Come watch me collect my results from Senate House - It'll be a great incentive for me to do well!
9. Tour round the colleges.
10. I'll bring you to see the statue of Isaac Newton, and show you Stephen Hawking's pigeon hole and office, and maybe if he's in, we can knock on his door and say 'hi' :P

* In the unlikely event that we run out of things to do in the afternoon, we could take a walk down a scenic part of the river, to a place called Grandchester.

Also, regarding accomodation in Cambridge, there's a youth hostel near the rail station. It'll be very convinient if you guys were coming by rail, and it's not too far from my college!

Here's the website: Youth Hostel in Cambridge

It costs 224.00 pounds for 3 people for 4 nights. This works out to less than 20 pounds per person per night. I'll also check if my college has rooms to rent out during this period...


Academic Ennui

en·nui

n. Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom

On a different note, just wanted to record the condition which could be used to diagnose the problem I was facing...

Since I begun relating this problem with others, I've discovered that it isn't uncommon to experience this condition:

• My tutor, Dr Franklin felt it;
  
• an engineering PhD student was facing the same problem;
  
• so did a few other people in my college doing a master's degree in various fields;
  
• and a friend who reads this blog also related his problem with me. And he was the one who introduced me to this term...

I guess this is a problem I might face if I did research in a field hardly anyone cares about...

So perhaps God is showing me what I'll be in for should I chose the academic path...

I'm also thinking, if I were to switch to physics, I might as well go into teaching, or something more vocational, like engineering. Might consider trying for a PSC scholarship if I decide on teaching. Having said that, I'm not rushing to get a scholarship! (can hear my mother violently objecting to it now).

While relief teaching in SAS, I've also seen how teachers can grow tired from dealing with children that are so difficult to control... I guess every profession has it's cons... I'll just need to find an area that I enjoy, and can handle the cons the best... Perhaps switching careers every few years would be a nice way to live. I've actually met people from my college who have lived like that!

I guess university is the best time to explore what one likes, and allow one to gain the neccessary experience, to aid in making the major decisions later on in life...