Tuesday, January 06, 2009
back
arrived in cambridge at slightly after 11. came up to my room and went straight to bed. it's quite comfortable now with the addition of the pillow and blanket from the plane.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
going back for the very last time
yep, a post to jot down my ultimate trip back to Cambridge. facing exams and the cold when i return. hope supervisors will be approachable too. sigh...
on another note, hch, this link is for you. :D
on another note, hch, this link is for you. :D
Monday, December 29, 2008
palestine
A documentary about life in the Palestinian territory... My heart goes out to the kids in the video. without a future, and in such a claustrophobic place. the video lets one into the psyche of the Palestinian people, and why they behave the way they do.
Also read about a physics professor, Ghassan Andoni at bir zeit university
It's impressive that they have such a decent maths and physics program despite being in the midst of the conflict and isolation.
Also read about a physics professor, Ghassan Andoni at bir zeit university
It's impressive that they have such a decent maths and physics program despite being in the midst of the conflict and isolation.
Friday, December 26, 2008
why hughes hall sucks
because when I am unable to derive a and a+ when it is stated in a book that "the inverse expressions for a and a+ in terms of phi and pi are easy to derive but rarely needed", I have no where to turn to, and despite having taken the course the entire term, I do not yet know the answer, and it turns out that I require it to prove a set of important equivalence. damn it.
Interview with David Marhsall
just stumbled across an interview with David Marshall on the web. Looks like minister's pay was already an issue way back in 1994.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
you know i'm bored when...
i start youtubing 'jingle bells' and posting the result here...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KeyVQN2YUnY
but that guy's kinda goood.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KeyVQN2YUnY
but that guy's kinda goood.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
sick. and miserable
arh down with fever and headache just when i could least afford it. not able to sleep, yet not able to work.
left with two example classes and the project plan, and found that my supervisor is away in pueto rico. man. need to discuss the project with him and get him to sign the project plan.
plus trying to run the simulation on my own computer, as the simulation room is always locked. but having some difficulty setting it up. arh.
lord, when will i finally see rest???
left with two example classes and the project plan, and found that my supervisor is away in pueto rico. man. need to discuss the project with him and get him to sign the project plan.
plus trying to run the simulation on my own computer, as the simulation room is always locked. but having some difficulty setting it up. arh.
lord, when will i finally see rest???
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
why hughes hall sucks
because i get stuck on trivial matters like converting from SI units to Natural units, and there is no one that I can turn to to confirm, and I spend the whole night stuck at this when there is an entire particle physics example sheet i need to complete for tomorrow.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The term gone by
Wow, into the last weekend of term already.
Will be a really hectic end to the term, after an uncharacteristically relaxed 5th week with a few lectures canceled. Making up for it now with 4 supervisions to complete before I leave. But that's not all.
Stuff that needs to be done next week -
1) project proposal, bu 5 Dec
2) collecting payments, and tidying up cf accounts, including arranging for word alive payments and possible alteration of booking
3) planing games for houseparty
4) changing flight dates, maybe.
Work this term
Work has been good - it's not that I'm coping any better, but I am at the very least progressing through some parts of the course. Found several people to ask when stuck at stuff, and have very helpful supervisors. Would really like some time during the holidays to work and have them around, but I dont know if I might be in the mood to work when it's so cold, and when meals won't be that regular at college. Also there may be a fee for changing flight dates, will have to weigh these factors.
QFT, QCMFT, and particle physics are really nice courses. have really good lecturer for particle physics, and awesome supervisors for QFT and QCMFT. Glad to be given this opportunity to learn these subjects with the resources available, but kinda feel like I'm not making the most of it. I feel the urgency to learn as much as I can here while i have access to these resources, before I have to do it on my own if I go back home after this.
On the other hand, I can't wait for this hectic lifestyle to be over. Hope to enjoy the comfort of staying at one place permanently, and feel at home in it. Though I fear that the lack of resources may stifle, and that I'll miss the things I take for granted here when I'm back home - the space, freedom, and managing my own life.
yeah, just reflection arising from the anticipation of impending doom of the last week...
Will be a really hectic end to the term, after an uncharacteristically relaxed 5th week with a few lectures canceled. Making up for it now with 4 supervisions to complete before I leave. But that's not all.
Stuff that needs to be done next week -
1) project proposal, bu 5 Dec
2) collecting payments, and tidying up cf accounts, including arranging for word alive payments and possible alteration of booking
3) planing games for houseparty
4) changing flight dates, maybe.
Work this term
Work has been good - it's not that I'm coping any better, but I am at the very least progressing through some parts of the course. Found several people to ask when stuck at stuff, and have very helpful supervisors. Would really like some time during the holidays to work and have them around, but I dont know if I might be in the mood to work when it's so cold, and when meals won't be that regular at college. Also there may be a fee for changing flight dates, will have to weigh these factors.
QFT, QCMFT, and particle physics are really nice courses. have really good lecturer for particle physics, and awesome supervisors for QFT and QCMFT. Glad to be given this opportunity to learn these subjects with the resources available, but kinda feel like I'm not making the most of it. I feel the urgency to learn as much as I can here while i have access to these resources, before I have to do it on my own if I go back home after this.
On the other hand, I can't wait for this hectic lifestyle to be over. Hope to enjoy the comfort of staying at one place permanently, and feel at home in it. Though I fear that the lack of resources may stifle, and that I'll miss the things I take for granted here when I'm back home - the space, freedom, and managing my own life.
yeah, just reflection arising from the anticipation of impending doom of the last week...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Online Condensed Matter Field Theory Textbook
Kleinert, H.: Gauge Fields in Condensed Matter,World Scientific (Singapore, 1989)
Singapore? 1989? Gauge fields in condensed matter? hm...
Singapore? 1989? Gauge fields in condensed matter? hm...
Monday, November 24, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Schizophrenia that is America
I dont know about you, but while watching scenes of jubilation all over the world (even my friends at home are holding a party to celebrate Obama's victory) that the election of Obama into office has ignited, I can't help but wonder at the phenomenom of the schizophrenic organism that America is!
One moment, they elect a warmonger into office that carries out the collective desire of the people to unleash hell on their enemies, but alienanates the country from the rest of the world; and the next moment they elect a black man who becomes the darling of all the alienated people around the world.
I am astounded at my own enthusiasm for Obama becoming president, and I reckon that is how many people in the world feel. I am personally hopeful that the progress of science will be facilitated with Obama in office, and I reckon that people all over the world have their own individual reasons for being enthusiastic at Obama being the president. It seems like he stands for the opposite of everything that is bad about America (and there are many things going wrong in America today), simply because he is black and having a black person as president itself represents such a radical change.
It will be interesting to watch which of these expectations come to fulfillment in the end. It's not that I'm sceptical, but it is just inevitable that not all the expectations will be realised.
Nevertheless, let's toast to the president of the world!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Election Fever
Whoa, I'm actually anxious about the US elections - anxious for Obama to win... When the first of the numbers showed Obama behind, I actually freaked at the thought of McCain being the next President. But the numbers has since changed, and it looks like Obama's now comfortably ahead.
The figures as of 0105 GMT 5 Nov 08
Here's to the first Black President of the world's declining superpower!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
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