EPTAnyway, I'm currently enrolled in a masters program for Advanced Information Technology (AIT), which I started in my 6th semester of undergrad (currently in 8th and last semester of ugrad). The track is broken up into three sections: 5 classes that everyone in AIT take, 5 classes unique to your particular track (there are 3 tracks within AIT), and then two capstone courses. All of the generic 5 are online, while the track-specific ones are in a classroom.
My first experience of a graduate class being in a classroom was in my 7th semester (my 5th grad course of 12). The professor in this class was one of those real laid back kind of guys that's pretty outgoing, but he was also a part of just about every user group he could find (mostly of Microsoft products) and as such got a ton of free swag to give away (the kind of stuff they give away at job fairs, only better). Day 1 of class: ask a question, get a random piece of swag.
Me? I got a flying monkey.
This monkey is about as baller a flying monkey as you can find: he has a cape -- A CAPE -- as well as a mask and elastic arms (you heard right!) with pouches in his hands that you can slip a finger into. The end result? You basically get to slingshot this guy across a room. The best part, though (second to the cape, of course), is that when you sling him across the room he makes a flying monkey scream. I'll post a picture of him tomorrow.
Why'd I name him Doug? Well, Doug's been my roommate for four years and for two of those years we shared the same room for better and for worse. Anyone who knows me also knows that I can be a bitch to put up with sometimes, so my hat is off to Doug for all the good times we've had, and even for some of the bad ones. Usually, you hate your first college roommate, or even all of them. It's not often that you get someone who you'd still room with even after 4 years. I'm gonna miss the guy when we graduate in about 5-6 weeks.
But yeah, we poke fun at him all the time, so this is more of that, too
. Speaking of which...+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ayZp2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hJDwH.jpg)
Picture 1: left door is Doug's, right door is another roommate's room.
Picture 2: the bathroom directly across from doug's room
In a nutshell, there was so much resistance on his door that it was impossible to open. I ended up taking it off because I was afraid the handle was going to break off (it started to give a little lol).
But, I know; you're here for the kpops. You guys don't event come to my stream for BW anymore (or for me!); you come 100% of the time for my kpops.
Fine.
So a little over a year ago, my roommate bought me some legs for my birthday, which I posted about here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=98009¤tpage=430#8591
This was at about the end of SNSD's peak (and oh what a fall they've had), but at least they're (mostly) hot here. Bonus points to whoever spots the glaring photoshop error! But I digress. (Left to right: Sunny, Tiffany, Sooyoung, Seohyun, Yuri, Yoona, Jessica, Hyorc, Taeyeon)
Since then, I've acquired more legs (and some abs!):
SNSD's Yuri:
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![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/j00Xw.jpg)
After School #1
This poster still confuses me. Soyoung decided to leave in late 2009 (~October), while Lizzy joined in March of 2010, yet this poster has both. Moreover, there's a conspicuous absence of Gahee (the leader of the group, even though that doesn't mean much). I'm pretty sure left to right is: Lizzy, Jooyeon, Jungah, Bekah, Nana, Uee, Soyoung, Nana, but I'm not 100%).
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/1t8JU.jpg)
After School #2
So around Christmas time they came out with a mini-album (2 songs, iirc), but a damn nice poster. This one is pretty hard to beat (Left to right: Uee, Nana, Lizzy, Gahee, Jooyeon, Raina, Jungah).
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2iiWr.jpg)
Kara
Haraaaaaaaaaa
I still pick Han Seungyeon as my overall #2 (and if you don't know my #1, SHAME ON YOU!), + Show Spoiler +
My #1 is Hyomin from T-ara.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qIU5l.jpg)
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AItA9.jpg)
Other miscellaneous tidbits:
People ask me where I get kpop, especially videos. Pretty much any popular album or song can be found in a single Google search -- it really is that simple. Lives are generally all available on Korean torrents, and music videos are also there, as well as some blog sites. Learn to Google! (Alternatively, learn to read the file name of the video when they're being played!) Don't think TL wants me to be any more specific.
A reunion with KPF?
No. Never. I don't plan to elaborate or answer any questions regarding that, either.
OGN/MBC streams?
I've had an OGN stream for awhile, but it's simply just the OGN free stream run through VLC player, which enables me to increase the buffer size (I use 6 seconds, but that's probably overkill for any appreciable effect). In any case, it's hit or miss on how stable it is. Interestingly, it seems to work better at home than at school, when literally everything else from Korea is usually better at school. It's possible that it was simply a case of less interesting games at less ideal times, so the stream wasn't quite so loaded. During the SWL playoffs was pretty bad and for OSL finals was unusable.
However, I have a new OGN and MBC source. I have some options with them, but it's basically a direct trade between quality and stability. I don't know how well they'll work during actual games, so I'll be experimenting in the upcoming days. I haven't actually slept since 8pm last night, so there's a reasonable expectation that I'll pass out soon and be awake in time for some MST. That said, I'm procrastinating finishing a paper that's due by midnight. Ever heard of a Request For Proposal (RFP)? If the answer is no: GOOD. These are documents of frequently more than 100 pages that basically say "we want something that does all of this, offer us stuff." I have to sort through three of these, pick the best candidate, then do a 3 page writeup.
.Related note: I have a LQ stream with Own3d now that I use to simulcast BW matches. The end result is to resolve the issue that some people have with viewing ustream streams, as well as to help people with poorer Internet connections (I'm lookin' at you Australia!). You'll see this as "Craton LQ" under an event I'm streaming. I do have a chatroom on Quakenet that is linked to the Own3d stream, but I really don't use it. If you want to talk to people (or me), pop out ustream's chat and go there.
IRC information:
UStream
Server: chat01.ustream.tv
Port(s): 6667
Channel: #Cratonz
Quakenet:
Server: irc.quakenet.org
Port(s): 6667-6669
Channel: #Craton
WHY DO I ALWAYS GET LIGHT-HEADED DONATING BLOOD?!
I've given blood 8 times in the last 4 years and I believe at 5 of them I got light-headed. The first time I ever gave blood I decided I wanted to use my left arm, so my mouse arm would be less impeded. Naturally, they couldn't get blood to flow and so we used my right arm (you're given the option to switch or to just stop and leave). That time I got through it just fine, no light-headedness. My 2nd or 3rd time I gave blood at my local high school during one of my vacations (summer break, I think). That also went well, although the nurse told me she'd never seen the bag fill so fast before. I was at least 2x the speed of the guy beside me today, as well.
Anyway, the other 6 times (plus the first) were all done on campus and during about about #3 through #6 I got light-headed during the process. For those who haven't had this experience, they tilt your bed/chair backwards, take a papertowel and dip it in cool water (not super cold) and put it on your forehead. They do the same on your neck to cover (I believe) your carotid and jugular. End result: you get wet. If you pass out, you get a hell of a lot more wet because they have to wake you up and cool you down at the same time; I only saw that happen one time, but it was kind of amusing when the guy went to leave looking like he lost a water balloon contest.
Okay, so after all this lightheadedness, I decided I knew the solution. Normally they give you this tiny little juice thing (like 6oz tops) that you down in under a minute, but if only you had something cold the whole way through, you'd be fine! So #7 I brought some drink and it worked like a charm, although I came kind of close to lightheadedness. The room was kind of warm during most of the times that happened, though. Anyway, so today was #8 and once again I brought a drink, but this time they told me I couldn't drink it while sitting there. I'm not really sure why, and I'm not sure why I didn't ask, but they offered me a drink in basically the same breath as saying I couldn't drink what I was drinking. In retrospect, I think they had the impression that I had a mug of coffee because of the container I was using.
Anyway, everything went smoothly: there was no wait, the room was cool, even the finger prick seemed to hurt less. I finished the donation without issue, then sat down at the "cantina" where they have drinks/snacks and ask people to wait for a bit before leaving. For whatever reason, bam, the lightheadedness hit there and I could feel my senses dimming.
Cue the nurse, cue the wet paper towels, cue the "can you walk over to this bed/chair."
The second the wet towels hit you everything comes right back into focus and you feel good to go; I'm not sure if the whole leaving it on you for x amount of time is even necessary, but they always take that precaution. Anyway, I ended up having to sit in the chair soaking for like 20-25 minutes after I was already done before they let me leave. When it had happened in the process (#3-#6) it had ended up being maybe 5-10 minutes before they shifted me off to the Cantina. The most amusing part of this was that they carried one of their dividers across the room and sort of cordoned me off. I say sort of, because the only people that couldn't see me were the people in the bed/chairs (at this point, you're already giving blood or about to be stuck w/ a needle). Everyone else, including the doorway, could see me fine (it really didn't bother me; I was bemused).
I have one other humorous story related to blood donation; during one of my middle ones (idk, maybe #4-5) they brought me over some soda to drink during the process. The nurse tried to hand it to me, but it was wrapped in a paper towel and she had her hand on the bottom, so when I tried to grab it on the side I felt the soda slipping from the paper towel and out of reflex grabbed at it a bit too fast and a bit too hard.
Well, let's just say that a soda shower was one of the perks of giving blood that day.
.So that's the abridged life of Craton involving the last several months or so. With my parting words, I'll pitch my League of Legends referral link some more: if you're planning to try the game, ask me for a referral or just grab it from my stream topic. Game's free and the referral costs you nothing (I just eventually get free stuff in the game). TL frowns on referral links, so I'll leave it there!
I'm always idle in my ustream and quakenet channels and I respond to most of my PMs, so feel free. Just if you ask me what song is currently playing (excluding videos), I'm going to shoot you. My Last.FM page that's linked in like 15 different places will always tell you.
Anyway, if anyone has questions about the above, feel free.
<3
