At last

Finally.

New Toys. I Has It.

WOO! The Canon Powershot SD940 IS!
Quick Review: It fits in my pocket, takes incredible pictures and HD video, goes from pocket to picture taking in seconds, unfortunately doesn't have manual aperture or shutter speed controls, and is under $200.
HIGHLY Recommended for anyone wanting a tiny camera but can live without those manual controls.

So with this new camera, I will show you the rest of my new toys.

But first-what I did last Sunday!

Last Sunday, I attended the MIT Alumni Club of Northern New Jersey and met some Alums of the past. Some were engineers, others were chemists, others cooked great burgers, and they all greeted me and the 3 other 2014's with open arms and advice. The other 2014s with me, all girls hehe, seemed pretty cool. All-in-all I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of my class.

Though some of the Alumni spoke of internships or their fraternity or how most engineers usually end up not doing engineering, they all agreed on one thing:

"You're not gonna know what hit ya."
-_- I'm hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. See, this guy, a Sophomore now, video documented his Freshman Year at MIT. Let's just say he did a lot of homework. And not too much else...

I got a sick frisbee! It collapses into that pouch! And they had MIT logo balloons and napkins!


Then they had a contest for a door prize, given to the person with an X on their frisbee. Too bad no one had an x-ed up frisbee xp. So instead, they gave it to the 2014 who had the nearest birthday, and it happened to go to K (lemme keep people Anonynmous). Now, K opened up her box to reveal an adoreable plush Beaver! It wasn't Tim, just a regular looking beaver.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Within the box were TINY BEAVERS! 3 more to be precise, so all of the 2014s left with a Beaver. It's the perfect excuse to show off my camera's macro lens, so BAM:


And here, to show how small he is:

Woot. Nother post on packing for college, coming soon!

Youtube: Life in a Day

Youtube!

The world's best provider of lulz, fails, how-to videos, music videos, scene queen vlogs, and innernet drama has begun an epic undertaking: They plan on documenting a day in the life of humanity.

I say again, they plan to make a moviefilm. Featuring Youtubers.

Cue Adam West saying: my GOD what have we DONE?!

Here's a quick list of Youtube stars that better NOT be on that film:
Fred, Annoying Orange, Ya Dun Goofed dad, These guys, and Hitler.

On the flip side, there's been some sick submissions, including a beautifully done day in the life of a goldfish, a korean kid who plays a mean acoustic guitar, and this... erm flamboyant scene guy who seems nice enough. Except he filmed himself in the bathroom...

Anyways, the film is produced by Ridley Scott
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Ridley Scott is up there in my fav directors/producers/movie men with Chris Nolan, JJ Abrams, Spielberg, James Cameron, Howard Hughes, and those crazy Wachowskis. He basically invented the scifi genre and action heroine in one movie: Alien. He also did Gladiator, Body of Lies, Black Hawk Down, yeah.

Anyway, he's producing this movie, so I thought I could contribute to it.

Here:

I ALMOST FORGOT!

AP SCORES! =D

AP Calculus BC: 5
AP Computer Science A: 5
AP English Literature and Composition: 3
AP Studio Art 2D: 3

Hey MIT, you like apples? You like making good students wait a while to get in?
WELL HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES! >:D

(PS. I didn't let you down, MIT admissions. You won't regret admitting me =])

And here, have some lulz!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1nnG9cZHBo&playnext_from=TL&videos=ZYzIYLbiFDU

Summer is a trap.

I miss school.

*GASP!!!!!!11*

There, I said it. Shoot me.

I don't miss the place itself, the homework, the notorious one-way rule, all guys, and the no facial hair rules (Catholic Prep School). What I do miss are the people. Friends. Teachers. My chill English teacher, my Borat Calculus teacher, my nerdy Computer Science teacher. The Office workers, custodians, guidance counselors, all those cool people.

I also miss the rhythm most of all.

See, in the summer, what I have most of is free time. Time is money, so I must be rich, but when you have abundance, you don't appreciate every penny as much. Likewise, when I have all the time in the world, it's so easy to waste it. Work has helped consume some time so I can appreciate the time in between, but I still miss being busy.

During the school year, I am under pressure. There's classes to go to, jazz practice, this practice, that meeting, friends who want to chill, music that wants to be listened to, video games wanting to be played, homework needing to be done, books begging to be read, yeahh. When there is little free time, it's value goes WAYY up and you plan it out better. I'd rather spend a little time well than have all the time in the world and waste it.

There's something rewarding about collapsing in bed at the end of your day, after waking up early, going through your classes, blazing through some homework, hanging with friends, catching up on email before crew practice, eating something yummy for dinner and then plop. You're sleeping like a baby.

It's nice being used to something, that's why I'm usually so lazy in the summer, there's no set rhythm, no planning out. I'm going with the flow, but I just can't wait til I get my college schedule handed to me and free time is once again scarce, thus making it so much more valuable. And I can start managing my time better under the pressures of school

I guess I'm just weird. Or a nerd. Or both?

As my beloved English teacher told me recently, "I expect that you will be ass high in alligators once the term starts"

Pce, luv and all that 60's crap.

-D

The Listening List:
Mr. Hudson-Straight No Chaser
Eminem-Recovery
Drake-Thank Me Later
Parkway Drive-Deep Blue
blessthefall-Witness

I'm running out of room on my iPod. Gotta delete some music...

Summer: tales of chlorine, swimming, music, and weights

Life's hectic.

Two amazing proms, a sick Nerf gun (will post later!), and a graduation later, I'm glad to be in the rhythm of summer. Not as much to do, but I like to keep myself busy.
I've recently joined a gym and have been going with a friend pretty often. Working out for the first time in a while feels great, and I'm glad I got this membership.

I've been working a LOT, which is good because my job always seems to jip me on hours. I teach four classes in a row, four days a week. In addition I've started teaching private swim lessons in the area again.

My job is pretty awesome. I started lifeguarding in the summer of 2007, and started teaching swimming shortly after that. Since then, I've loved my job, hated it, and everything in between. Right now I absolutely love it, since I don't even lifeguard, just teach lessons straight through.

My students lately have been young, from 4 to 7 years old. Though I like teaching older students and the more advanced ones, (Deep end swimming, swim team training, diving, woohoo!) I have been enjoying teaching my younger students, too.

Most first-time swimmers have this gripping fear of the water. I'll pick them up and they will cling on to me for dear life rather than let go and let the water pick them up.

Eesh.

I have to slowly work the ways of the water into their system, which sometimes involves scaring them into tears for a second, but ultimately ensues in the empowering sense of "Oh shit, I can do this! :D".

Just this session, I have had a girl who's never swam in her life. 7 years old I'm guessing.

Ill call her Kimberly for privacy's sake. Because I like the name Kimberly.

Kim was scared of the water. With a noodle around her for support, I'd hold her hands and her death grips would turn mine blue. I told her to kick her feet, and she embarrassingly moved little water. I told her to SPLASH and she moved a bit more water. Within a few days, she could support her body by kicking, and she eased up considerably with her hands. Then I taught her how to paddle in order to support her torso, and she eventually (frighteningly) swam herself around with the noodle for support. Through games of sharks and minnows with the other little kids, she fortified her strength and grew more confident. She then saw some other kids swimming without a noodle, and she asked why she couldn't do the same.

I told her nothing was stopping her from trying, so she removed the noodle and by God she swam by herself.

5 days with her, and she can swim by herself.
Damn I'm good.

Some other first time swimmers, though (usually the ones exposed to water VERY early in their life) are fearless to a fault. These little swimmers will run and gun into the deep end (Mind you, they do not know how to swim on their own) and make you dive in after them. They come out happy, all smiles, as if their swimming prowess really saved them from a chlorine-y depth (pun).

Le sigh.

Music!

I've picked up guitar again, and though I won't be recording much until I get my new laptop, I've been playing and practicing and recovering some of the skill I've lost due to time. I will be jamming with some friends and probably starting a band soon.

Ever since I got a car, I haven't been listening to my iPod as much, and more CDs (higher quality than the FM tuner ipod thing), so any new music I've gotten I haven't been able to give a good listen.

So, now that I have free time, I've been checking out some new music that's come out, is coming soon or that I've discovered!

-D

The Listening List: (I'll probably add one of these after every blog of mine now)
As I Lay Dying-The Powerless Rise (purchased)
Whitechapel-A New Era of Curruption
Architects-Hollow Crown
Architects-Ruin
Veil of Maya-[Id]
Parkway Drive-Deep Blue (coming soon!)
Paul Anka-Smells like Teen Spirit (They played this during my girlfriend's prom and it was AWESOME!)
As Blood Runs Black- New Album Previews (Here and Here)

Random Photo Update!

Random Picture Update, Spring 2010

Six Flags Great Adventure: First time on Roller Coaster!

I rode everything but Kingda Ka and Nitro. First coaster ever was El Toro.

I painted my 360 in AP Studio Art, and it came out pretty sick.

I GOT THE NEW ALBUM SIGNED!

One Sentence Review: Shadows are Security was better, but this beats An Ocean Between Us, so BUY IT!

My drawing of MIT Building 10, part of AP Studio Art Portfolio

RUTTS HUT! =D Best fried Hot Dogs EVER!

This is what I'll miss most about NJ. That and broken tables in Ortley Beach ;).

Driving Home from School

Georgia Snake Striking a Violent Pose

CS Building at Georgia Tech

Sesame Workshop Field Trip, some top secret Sesame Street toys.

Coin Counter lulz: 1337

My Hobby: Admiring Custom License Plates

Many people have strange hobbies. This is one of mine! =D

Who knows if this legal, but I took a picture of these license plates for your viewing pleasure.

All these are photos I, or mostly my car passenger, have taken in the past 2 months.

ELITE 111

A1 PRIME

T WOLFE

A JAY G

NEOTEK

BLAZE 10

Random Ghetto Hydraulic Car near Georgia Tech

DOOM BUGY

DVNMRCY

GLITER

POLOBOY

BIG GENT

SPRCUTE

PNLTBX

QUAILMN

HOLY SHIT I GOT INTO MIT!!!!!!!!

I GOT IN! I GOT IN! I GOT IN!!!! OMFGGGG!!!!!!!

So, I applied to MIT Early Action (EA) in fall 2009.

MIT has always been my dream school: The students are a bunch of nerds who have PERSONALITY, who work damn hard, who have a passion for what they love to do, and who want to help change the world for the better. The faculty are just ridiculously good, and many conduct research, some swing from the ceiling, and others are Nobel Laureates.

Plus, Tony Stark (my IDOL) graduated from MIT. For a fictional degree in Mechatronics.

Guess what I'M going to try and major in? =]

I hope to do Course 2-A. (Majors are numbers at MIT. Deal with it.) Course 2-A is a subset of Course 2 (Mechanical Engineering) which allows you to scratch the ME-specific classes and take electives instead. The elective choices must come together into some crazy frankenstein animal resembling a coherent major, and must be approved by the department heads.

Thank God my choice of concentration is pretty coherent! =D

Mechatronics is the marriage of Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Systems Design, Controls Engineering, and any other cool techy computer/hardware/robotic field you can think of. Think Ironman's suit. The term was coined by some Japanese guy. And it's usage has grown ever since.

So yeah, MIT.

Holy shit xp

After applying EA, I got deferred to Regular Action (RA). I got a 75 for my first quarter AP Calculus BC grade. I think that might be why...

I worked harder and harder, stayed after school, lost much sleep, and pulled my grade up to an 83 by the second quarter. It was good, but not good enough, because on Pi day, March 14 at 1:59PM, I watched my desicions.mit.edu screen in horror as I was waitlisted by my dream school. My parents lost hope, and kept pushing me to pursue my other college choices.

I refused.

I knew the people who would get in from the waitlist would be those who:

1. Improved from the time they were waitlist
2. Showed a significant interest to go to MIT
   
3. Would really get involved on campus and enrich it.
   

First, I improved. My third quarter calc grade was a 89. My fourth quarter calc grade was a 97.
No, the material did not get any easier.

Then I showed my interest: sent a letter saying how much I wanted to be a Beaver, how much I wanted to tool at MIT, that I've walked too many Smoots to turn back now, that my mission was MIT's mission. I sent in some of my artwork, contacted an admissions offer I had met on a campus visit, had an additional recommendation sent, and waited it out.

As for the whole enriching the campus thing, I said I would DEFINITELY do research, I said I knew exactly what major I wanted to do, and how MIT was the ONLY DAMN COLLEGE who had it (2A), and they already knew I not only liked to engineer, but draw, paint, play guitar, be in metalcore bands, row boats on the Charles, maybe even be an Admissions Blogger.

Chicka Chicka Yeah

Wow, looking at that it seems like a lot, but there's a difference between sending a good lot and a being freakin creepy and rediculous.

DO: Send any significant updates. Like joining your highschool's first crew team. Like being in charge of the first Battle of the Bands at your HS in a while. Like getting a 97 in Calculus BC. Like helping start your highschool's tutoring program by tutoring 8th graders in math.

DO NOT: Go to campus and demand an interview. Send chocolates every day. Send the same damn update TO EACH INDIVIDUAL ADMISSION OFFICER!

I pulled the weight, examined my profile, saw that calculus grade was my weakest point, pulled that shit up, and BOOYAH!

I'll let the shirt do the talking:

Hell f**king yess!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Pce