sakoikai's Xanga

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Wed, 26 Apr 2006 03:21:31 GMT

I have posted on here for a long time. Sorry!

I've created a blog on my network a while back, and even though I don't update as much as I did before on xanga, I feel that I can express more personal thoughts on the blog than here. I suppose it's because I have such a large list of subscriptions here that it's hard to get to know every one of the people.

However, I will still keep this xanga account, and return once in a while, to visit those few more familiar friends here. Also, I will continue changing the xanga layout just to keep it alive. I suppose I will still post random thoughts and rants from time to time.

But for now, please redirect to K-Reative for my new blog.

P.S. I think I'll start working on a new layout for this account in two weeks, after my Finals are over. =)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 19:27:46 GMT

Your Five Variable Love Profile

Propensity for Monogamy:

Your propensity for monogamy is high.

You find it easy to be devoted and loyal to one person.

And in return, you expect the same from who you love.

Any sign of straying, and you'll end things.

Experience Level:

Your experience level is medium.

You probably have had a couple significant loves.

And you may have even had your heart broken.

But you haven't really dated a wide variety of people.

Dominance:

Your dominance is medium.

You tend to be the one with more power.

You aren't a total control freak in relationships..

But of course you don't mind getting you way!

Cynicism:

Your cynicism is medium.

You'd like to believe in true and everlasting love...

But you've definitely been burned enough to know better.

You're still an optimist, but you also are a realist.

Independence:

Your independence is medium.

In relationships, you need both "me time" and "we time."

You usually find it easy to be part of a couple.

But occasionally you start to feel a little smothered.

The Five Variable Love Test

Valentines Day was somewhat fine -- though I had classes all day from 8:30am to 5pm, and also an exam.

Though, I got chocolate for the first time =)

There was also a chocolate fountain at the MarketPlace (Duke freshman dining hall).

For some reason, I really miss home, I want Spring Break to come soon...

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 04:53:42 GMT

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 05:59:39 GMT

There are many ways to gain popularity -- be extremely rich, very good-looking, have a friendly and outgoing personality, be a genius... However, in the environment of a prestigous, private university, where a majority of the student population are from upper middle class families, and whose parents are great people in society -- most of the above options won't work at all. What will always make one the center of conversations, though...however somewhat -- well, absolutely -- on the negative side, is to be a overly-curious and annoy questioner.

I will never forget a fellow freshman I've encountered in my first year in college. She was in three of my above-average courses: two of which we shared the same lectures, and one I was in the lecture section after hers. At first glance, she appeared to be an intelligent person -- if somewhat strange -- though such abnormal cases are common in a college like mine. She always set in the front row. Attended every lecture, took notes on everything the professor had said. Studied periodically -- more likely constantly. A passionate student she was, one could say. However, the day when she opened her mouth -- everything changed.

All professors encourage students to ask questions in, before, and after lectures. However, when the questioning gets to an extend of annoyance and way overly done -- there clearly is a problem. My fellow first year student couldn't not stop asking questions...and note, those questions were in most cases irrelevent to the lecture, or so strange that no one have ever thought of -- in the context of: "Why do you even bother to ask that question?"

The first professor got so annoyed by her that he completely ignored her after a while, or seemly said that "The answer to the question will be cover in later topics" (which is mostly true). The second professor, poor him, had to stay later than usual in the classroom to offer her explanations, until the next class came and kick him out, and still had the girl following him out with more questions. The third professor, whose course I'm in right now, had just discovered the horror of having a student like her...

Well, at least she proved a way to be popular in the student population -- even though people disliked her. It was funny how after the first lecture I had with the third professor -- in which, of course, she asked one or two questions -- everyone in that course section seemed to know her. When I went to the course Discussion section this Monday, and the TA there was saying something that I cannot recall.

One student replied: "Well, there was this little **[censor]** who kept asking those stupid questions..."

Conversation revolving around that certain **[...]** person started.

Sometime later... TA: "Some people like that may happen to be your boss in the future..."

Student: "Some people may just be too socially awkward to be promoted."

I do feel sorry for that fellow first year student, however, at times it just became too much for me to handle -- I'd rather get through a lecture peaceful, without anyone interrupting the professor with pointless questions...

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 23:34:47 GMT

I've been eating a lot in the past few days...like right now, I just had dinner one and a half hours ago, and yet I'm making a big bag of popcorns. =P Well, popcorns ARE good! You can't argue that. =P At least I don't have to ever worry about my weight -- because I'm trying to gain weight. Though I suspect that I'll ever be fat, I was always a skinny kid since I was born. I probably inherited it from my dad -- he eats sooooo much, but he's still skinny...

College's been OK so far. Since the classes just started, we don't have much works to do, yet -- GOOD. I don't like my schedule though. It's hard for me to change my classes, all the classes that I want to take conflicts with my current schedule... grr. So, I ended up taking some not-so-easy classes. For instance, I can't switch out of Computer Science 6 and into Computer Science 1 (intro course). I don't know much programming, other than HTML, and that doesn't really count as a computer programming, so I'd be lost during the first half of the course --- well, actually, I'm already lost on the first assignment...lol.

Anyways, I'd better get back to reading my Computer Science book (at least I'm somewhat interested in it so it won't be too boring). And Oops! I think I just over heated my popcorns while typing this post...Hehe.

Oh GOd, I think I'd have to make a new bag of popcorns =( This one is all black now...

Monday, January 09, 2006

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:00:43 GMT

You scored as Chemistry. You should be a Chemistry major! As if that isnt clear enough, you are deeply passionate about Chemistry, and every single chemical reaction and concept fascinates you. Pursue that!

Chemistry

92%

Philosophy

83%

Biology

83%

Mathematics

75%

Theater

67%

Engineering

67%

Art

50%

Psychology

42%

Dance

42%

Sociology

42%

Anthropology

33%

English

25%

Journalism

25%

Linguistics

What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)
created with QuizFarm.com

Imagine that! I actually got Chemistry, which is, so far, my intented future major... Though I was hoping to change to Biology instead, since I didn't do well in my first semester Chemistry course... Well, either way, I will definitely focus on cells and cellular process / mechanisms, and genetics --- I'm most interested in sciences regarding things at or smaller than the scale of a cell.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Sat, 07 Jan 2006 01:53:36 GMT

*sigh* I guess not many people are interested in math or have learned algebra/pre-calc yet... Well, I will stop posting those little math stories...

I've started an account on LiveJournal, and after a few days of testing it out, I don't think LJ is boring anymore -- it's actually pretty fun, though I don't have any friends on there yet. =X

Oh, I thought that I should share my course schedule for the spring, click HERE to see! If I don't take the Philosophy class on M/W/F, I'd basically have those days off! Tuesday and Thursday are horrible, though.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:18:47 GMT

Half-mad, and ecstatic, Pythagorean thought offers us the chance to peer downward into the deep uncouscious plaace where mathematics has its origins, the natural numbers seen as they must have been seen for the very first time, and that is as some powerful erotic aspect of creation itself.

"Number," the Pythagoreans wrote, "is the essence of all things."

Greek historians tell an odd little story. A ship is sailing across the Aegean Sea, the sound of the waves slapping against its wooden hull, the rowers chanting. On board are a number of mathematicians, Pythagoreans all...

The Pythagorean theorem dooms any naive version of the Pythagorean program, the denouement taking place on board that sailing vessel just recently seen leaving port. A mathematician named Hippasus of Metapontum has just drawn a right triangle whose sides are one unite in length on the dusty surface of a ship's plank; throat cleared wetly to draw attention, he observes that by the Pythagorean theorem, the length of its diameter must correspond to the sqaure root of two.

Now suppose, Hippasus continued, that the square root of two is a number or that it may be represented as the ration of two numbers. In that case, √2 = m/n. The steps that follow have a concision suggesting the taps of a telegraphic key:

Tap. Suppose that m/n has been reduced to its lowest common form by division.

It follows that either m and n are both odd, or that m is even and n odd, or, finally, that m is odd and n even.

Nods all around. It is a find thing to be on board a ship.

Tap. Squaring both sies of √2 = m/n, it follows again that 2 = m^2 / n^2.

Tap. Then 2n^2 = m^2, so that m^2 is even.

If so, then m = 2x, where x is now some number. This is, after all, what it means to say that m is even.

Tap. Squaring things lavishly, it follows that m^2 = 4x^2 = 2n^2...

My telegraphic taps now end just before the final tap; but like a newspaper announcing a great victory in headlines with details to follow on subsequent pages, this message is realy complete. To get to those subsequent pages, the reader need only see that n^2 = 2x^2 so that...

But if my taps have come to an end, Hippasus kept right on tapping, point out with evident satisfaction that a contradiction had been reached, and that -- tap, tap, tap -- it consequently made no sense to suppose that the square root of two corresponds to the ration of two numbers, and that -- tap, tap, tap -- it follows that certain distances cannot be measured by the natural numbers at all, and that -- tap, tap, tap --

But here the story really ends. The Pythagoreans pitched Hippasus overboard hwere, still tapping, he perished ignominiously.

It is said that at some point in his mathematical career, Pythagoras proclaimed himself a god.

He was right to do so.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 03:59:25 GMT

Last Wednesday I met a family friend at the local library. She was one of my aunt's good friend, actually, and had nothing to do with my family. I did not even recognize her in the first two minutes of our conversation. She was a mid-age mother of two childs (one in middle school, one in medical school) -- exactly like my aunt. Upon spotting me, she came forth and started asking me questions regarding my college life,
my experiences in getting in a good school -- my opinion on whether such thing is nessecary, and how did I get into a good college anyways -- what did my parents do to help me, what did I do...etc. She went on and on -- kept me standing in between those bookshelves for hours -- destroying my hope for a quiet and productive afternoon.

Of course, it would be rude to express my impatience. Thus, I went along with her and tried my best to help her by answering those questions.

It turned out that she was worrying about her younger son's future. She hoped that he will be able to give more advance education than her older daughter, who went to a normal college and a normal medical school. She admired my aunt whose children are very smart, went to good schools, and "have such bright future waiting for them". She wanted her son to be like that too, however, she's unwilling to spend time on helping (or in the case of most traditional Chinese parents, forcing) her child to achieve those things. As she's getting older, she hoped to just have a good time the rest of her life and not worrying too much about her children. I understood her feeling; it's hard for parents with children who have large age differences in between -- after the tiresome experience of raising one kid, they have to do it all over again... So I started telling her that she should keep up with some ocassional encouragement for her son, but let him study independently, just try to get him aware of the benefits of a good education... Since that's what I went through as a child -- my parents had stopped caring about my academic life since I was in 4 or 5th grade...

After listening to the mother for more, I finally realize the main reason she wanted her son to go to a good school -- and it seemed, surprisingly disturbing to me. She cared far more about the crowd her children are hanging in than their academics. She told me about her daughter having a best friend whose parents got divorced, and how she thought that because of the divorce, that girl must be somewhat psychologically affected and thus must have problems. She went on saying that the girl has piercings (for instance, on eyebrows) and tried to convince her daughter to get some too. Because of these reasons, the mother was sure that the girl is abnormal and such must be a bad person whom her daughter shouldn't associate at all. She also dislike homosexuality and asked me (with a disgusted expression on her face) whether Duke University has gay students... I was very opposed to her views and tried to explain to her that children with divorced parents, orphans, homosexual or bisexual people, and other seemingly uncommon people, aren't bad people at all, and they often do not have pschological problems... In fact, in a country with high divorce rates such as the U.S., children with divorced parents are often more independent and mature, and have strong personalities. Yet, I could not convince her that those kids are not abnormal in a bad way, but unique...

I cannot believe that in the current open-minded society, there are still parents who think like that. Not everyone we encounter are perfectly normal and good. Abnormality is not necessarily bad -- for often people benefit from it. After all, isn't life about meeting new (and consequently, different) things?

Pass experience and outer appearence don't always define a person, it's what inside matters. I know that I have made the right choice in befriending the people around me, even though they may be considered abnormal by certain people.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 03:36:25 GMT

Brilliant Story

When the great Indian prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan lay dying in a London hospital, the cold English winters eating his lungs away now ending his life, his friend, the mathmatician G. H. Hardy, paid him a visit. Paralyzed by his own reticence, Hardy could think only to blurt out the number of the taxi that had brought him to the hospital -- 1729, as it happens.

"I don't suppose it is a very interesting number," he added.

"Oh, no, Hardy," Ramanujan replied at once, "it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways."

And so it is: 1729 = 1^3 + 12^3 = 9^3 + 10^3. No smaller number has this property.