Same age old question when it comes to my first class honours possibility. First of all, my list of things to do
1) EE4217 TDE Project 2: integration with EON which does not want to play properly. The game server works fine by itself but when imported into EON as a DLL the server’s receiving thread just dies or something. It’s hard to debug because it just runs in the background with no console output or anything. Maybe I can write to a file but still I dont have the slightest clue why it doesnt work the way it should. Project due 5th May
3) 2 EE4217 reports due 23rd April
4) Touch up my thesis and upload. Deadline 13 May
5) Study for exams. Deadline 24th April for Financial Accounting and 26th April for Advanced Operating Systems.
So I’ve been trying to get my TDE project working for the past 2 weeks. The game server and client in C and OpenGL are all done. Working fine to my testing. Integration with EON is screwed up and the project is sapping up all my time and energy. Point to note that the project is worth 40% of the grade and I actually like the project…. Well at least the part that I’ve already done, the game server and client side. Want to add more features to the game and get a bit of eyecandy but where’s the time? I have 2 exams to study for AOS I’ve barely touched the book that is to be read. Skipped the last few lectures and the course is just a haze to me right now. Financial Accounting is kind of better as I have background in accounting and I’ve been trying my best to at least do the tutorials before class or during. Went to all tutorials save the last 1 because I was rushing the TDE project…
And so now brings me to the point where
1) I have no energy left
2) I have no mood to study
3) Questioning whether trying to maintain 1st class honours is worth it
I need food. Craving McDonald’s for some reason… Think will have to go out and study… Maybe McD maybe somewhere but bleh.
Incoherant thoughs jumping all over the place. Thats my mind right now. Think of 1 thing and jump to another.
Final month of NUS. Utterly the most stressful time I’ve had in my whole University life. And the funny thing is its not even because of my FYP. Well at least I dont think. Speaking of FYP, presentation on 10th May for the Philips competition, preperation which will start after exams. And after exams is supposedly finishing up TDE project as well.
28th April – 2nd May TDE Project 2 with EON (deadline for USP students we are working with is 2nd).
2-5th May TDE Project 2 touching up and adding eyecandy
5-10th May Philips Competition: shortlisting round preperation. I’ve supposed to finish the PDA application and some other stuff I want to see implemented. The presentation is 10th May in the morning in NUS. Morning.. bleh
20th May Final round of Philips Competition IF we make it through the short listed round. Content or flash? Feel there’s not much content left in my project so just add flash. Wont hurt right? I mean at a chance to win S$5000 for 1st place, $2500 for 2nd and $1500 for 3rd it wont hurt right?
Bleh… back to studying.
In a while….
On a side note. I dont think I’ve been in a project group that I was completely satisfied with. Or at least mostly satisfied with. Meh….
Bleh.
Study
Now
McD

Been a loooong day. Stayed up all night last night trying to get something done to show for a presentation. Despite getting an extention due to the fact that my group is working with some USP students from a different course I still wanted to show him what’s been done and basically I just wasnt happy with what I presented. The feelings got worse on seeing what other students had done and that all the work I’ve done for the past week is more or less in vain as I couldnt show what I wanted to show. Still compare myself to what others have done and what they are capable of. And it just emphasizes to me that I’m not smart just hard working and that can only get me so far. So just thought to myself what if hard work is not enough?? Depressed with comparing myself to others. Something I just need to work on so help me God. Honestly how far can you go by yourself? By your own strength? From what I’ve done from the past week and past experiences I know I cant do much by myself. Just need to trust God in all the turmoil. There’s a reason for everything. I guess the experience is just making me learn about my life and what I need to do and how to handle things. Trust in God. Trust……

And times seem like I’m not going to make it.
Great…
Wallow. Hug pillow. Program. Drink coke. Eat ice cream.
Lather, rinse and repeat.

How life makes things happen. How things make you want for something more. For “something else” out there. And how to me its bringing back to God.
Problems coming up here and there not just for me but for people around me as well. How unhappy with life and such. Just reading the blogs of people I know of and such. Seems to be a sad fact of life. Or is it?
Just kind of randomly reading stuff and ended up here. Lifted my spirit up and I know I’m not on the right terms of God right now. There are a few things in that post that I wish I could say. But just feeling unworthy right now, picking up the pieces of my broken life. Nobody knows it but me…. and God.
Sorry for my disappointing behaviour as I know it hurts You. Forgive me dear God for the way I let things happen in my life that displeases You.
I thank You that You indeed are always there. Waiting to pick me up when I fall. To forgive me no matter what I’ve done. To love me even though I don’t deserve it. So dear God I just cry out to You for forgiveness… and strength to carry on for the next 3 weeks.
I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

CA3 for FYP is confirmed to be in 2 weeks time. That means…. this weekend will be busy studying for TDE test on Wednesday that accounts for 20% of the grade. The next weekend will be busy doing preparation for CA3 and final testing and debugging. And I have yet to really start on TDE project part 2. God give me strength, in Jesus name :)

Back to thesis writing…

Feeling pretty hyper today. The 2 day conference at church has really uplifted my spirit and just makes me feel so hyper for God =D Guest speaker David Allbritton shared so many of his wonderful testimonies during yesterday’s message was about the power of the name Jesus. There is indeed power in the name of Jesus. Today’s message was about hell. Not exactly the nicest thing to talk about but the reality of it. God bless him for his word and may he indeed be blessed by the Lord Jesus as he continues his ministry and changes the World.
So happy. So fun. So cool.
Thank you Jesus for being a part of my life =D

And now back to FYP thesis writing. Good night all and God bless

Deadlines in chronological order:

11th March: Financial Accounting Midterm – 25%
22nd March: Technology of Digital Entertainment test – 20%
24th March – 13th April: FYP CA3 – 30%
30th March: FYP thesis + technical paper draft
1st April: Online booking of CA4 timing
5th April: Financial Accounting project – 15%
7th – 13th April: FYP CA4 – 30%
12th April: 2 x Technology of Digital Entertainment demos – 40% (inclusive of reports)
23rd,24th April: 2 x Technology of Digital Entertainment reports
24th April: Financial Accounting exam – 50%
26th April: Advanced Operating Systems exam
13 May: Final thesis

On a side note. Microsoft’s Origami is revealed: Video | Microsoft website. XP tablet edition, wifi, bluetooth, minimum 800×480 resolution and ~2lbs. A bigger PDA or a smaller tablet: either way the battery life is the most important factor I think. From the video it seems too thick and to big in general but I like the keyboard hidden keyboard with the screen swivel as you can see from the video’s 1st scene. With prices from 600-1000 it seems like a good alternative to a laptop. Seems to have usb ports as well so you could attach a keyboard and mouse to it. If you could attach a monitor to it, it could be something like a Mac mini. My initial reaction was that its just a bigger PDA (me being a PDA user) rather than a smaller tablet, but now I think of it has a smaller cheaper, and I emphasise cheaper, tablet. Now that is indeed something important as tablets to me just seem overpriced. Now its much more easily attainable and what more its a smaller more mobile device than a tablet. Now I want one :P

Anyway I better go to sleep. Hope I dont do another 3am-3pm sleep-a-thon again :P
Good night people and I’m getting baptised on Sunday at 5pm @ Church of our Saviour (map). Yay!

Been working through the night for the past 2 days. Today till 9am yesterday till 11am. Work’s been good I think. Progressing well thank God :). Still quite a lot a bit left that I hope to finish before this coming Thursday for the regualr FYP meet-ups with my supervisor.
Note to anybody dealing with strings and characters in VC++ and things that the didn’t teach you in school (well at least they didnt teach me :P) here are a few things to note when dealing with them
Unraveling Strings in Visual C++
Article 3. Strings the OLE Way

Anyway for those wanting not to study here is CNN‘s 20 great jobs that don’t require a degree. Kind of makes me wish I saw things before studying haha. Nah.. I like what I do and enjoy the days I had/have in University. So I’m off to make the best of the days I have left by:
1) Finishing up projects
2) Studying (something that is severly lacking this semester due to projects)
3) Gaming (:P haha yup still play on our IES servers along with my own sessions of Quake 3 and Counter-Strike: Source and Warcraft 3)
4) AMX mod X plugin development (I have to say that this is indeed enjoyable to me along with game server administration)
5) Enjoying as much of my church and cell here as much as I can before I go back :(
6) Finishing up personal projects (like MintyMP3 after exams finish, or as how I like to call it “when time dilates” :P)

Okay people enjoy the week ahead as I continue with my projects :P

** Updated at 17:38:30 on 2006/02/15 **
To play Counter-Strike: Source. Same team what I played iPlay with. 16-0, 16-0. 3 teams and top 3 teams get prizes. Kind of sad that nobody else is playing. Most people are playing DOTA which I doint really have much interest in. When will there be more people playing CSS? :( When most default computer systems can support playing CSS probably haha :P Anyway should be getting the prize later.1 Razer Copperhead coming up =D Thanks giving to God that I get to know people like Reuben who led us yay!!! hehe Too bad I’m graduating this semester. Can’t play more :( Sad…. Anyway back to FYP. Restructuring some code to make things easier to extend and modify. YAY!!! FYP is fun again :D

Edit: Apparently they changed the prize from the Copperhead to the Diamondback Plasma Limited Edition. Kind of sad that they downgraded the mouse but hey its limited edition so maybe I should just keep it nicely in the box and let the price appreciate? :P Anyway still happy for the mouse :D Yay!!!

Want to program. Was making a Perl script and converted it to a Windows Service over the weekend for the IES Games.net servers. Which reminds me that I need to check to check out whats wrong with my old AMX mod. Lazy lazy lazy.
Any programming done with respect to game management is fun to me. Want to do more of it. But alas FYP and TDE projects to do.
3 letter abbreviations are engulfing my life: FYP (final year project), TDE (Techonology of Digital Entertainment), AOS (Advanced Operating Systems), FNA (Financial Accounting). AAaaaahahhhhhhh school work. hmmmm could add ‘NUS’ to that list? ‘PGP’, especially PGP Block 10 TV room :P

Back to listening in lecture :P