Last thing you'll ever read…again
Posts tagged Rant
It’s just the way I are!
May 19th
So this morning I hopped on a train to work and began going through facebook on the iphone. I should probably stop doing this as it’s killing my data usage and I’m not even stalking remotely attractive looking girls!
Anyway, facebook brings a face to what would be trolls on internet forums. I read one post that aggravated me. It’s one of those “Look at me I’m posting something that most people would have seen anyway AND I’ll add my own obnoxious opinion about it!” Then of course you’d have the minions that follow that go “oh yes, this is so true”. Fuckers.
Basically, the feed was regarding Portugal and same-sex marriage. That’s fine. We’re in the 21st century, if a man could be forced to marry a goat, I don’t see why a man can’t marry another man or woman with another woman. Fair’s fair. I do, however, have a issue with the statement that came after “…congratulations to another country far more civilised than our own.”
Excuse me?
Whether or not same-sex marriage is allowed does not determine if a country is “civilised”. It just shows that the Portuguese government has an open mind to these kind of things. Australia is great, maybe the technology isn’t up to date with the rest of the developed nations, maybe the transport system is a bit poor, maybe we have a government that promotes internet censorship, maybe we do have egg laying, duck like mammals with poisonous spurs, but honestly, every country has their problems and I think we can tolerate our problems. In fact, isn’t that why most Australian’s are immigrants in the first place, sick of the problems in their home country to come to a country with lesser problems? Hmmm.
Though I do not understand why there are so many rallies for same-sex marriages in Australia. Sure. Gays want equality. I understand that. I want them to have their equality. But maybe wait a generation? Think about the people in power right now. What era were they from? Thought about it? Do I really need to explain why they will never give in to your demands/requests? These are the same people trying to censor our PORN. Personally I think that the next generation of government will be absolutely revolutionary. Having said that…the generation after will be epic fail. The prime minister will most likely be some epic troll, trolling the entire country by adding rick rolls to his/her speech. I’m lolling just thinking about it. I can’t wait to troll my kids.
Any who, I think I’m done in terms of ranting. You can probably stop reading here as I’ll be talking about something else now.
I thought that my day would be slow, boring and tedious. But it wasn’t. Manager was away so I got to sit in the same row of desks as my team. Worked on a relatively simple problem that took the entire day to implement.
Basically I had to implement a form for uploading multiple files. Simple right?
Well…yeah…it is pretty simple but I wanted to do it elegantly and either there’s a gotcha that I didn’t know about or it’s just Spring being a whiney little bitch that it is. Basically I have 5 input fields and I wanted it to bind to a File array, except, it would only bind the first input field. Googled a lot, didn’t turn up with anything. So in the end I gave up and did it in a not so nice manner.
File file0, file2, file3, file4;
File getFile0()…
void setFile0()…
You get the gist of it.
In addition to that…because it didn’t bind properly I couldn’t use an index to look up the corresponding “description” that correlates to the file being uploaded.
So I had to do something like
if i == 0 getFile0()…
Yuck.
My manager arrived as I was about to leave so I showed it to him…the form that is…not the code and he was like “Perfect, that’s exactly what we want”. Well, just shows, as long as the end result satisfies the client’s requirements nothing else really matters.
So the day ended on a positive note.
Any who it’s taking me forever to write this blog >.>
Comment so I feel loved!
Random stupid things and ramblings
May 13th
First, I’m sure everybody hates those stupid Q&A facebook apps that posts the following shit on your wall:
1:Do you think John Jiang is a virgin?
2:Do you think John Jiang is hot?
3:Do you think John Jiang is attractive?
4:Do you think John Jiang is cute?
5:Would you hook up with John Jiang?
Sigh.
Second, I really hate how I ask people that I meet “Oh so what do you do?”. I cringe when people ask me that question yet I do it myself. I find there is no “correct” response that I would like to hear. Even if they are doing something remotely interesting they’re probably not that passionate about discussing it.
I find I have absolutely NOTHING to say after hearing that someone is doing law. It just tells me they had a high ATAR/UAI and used their “points” wisely.
“Oh…um…that sounds great…law…another Asian…doing law”
Third, I fail at playing “Have you met John”. *shudders* Can’t believe I said what I said.
Fourth, I have an assignment due tomorrow and I don’t plan on finishing it properly. Instead I went to games night with chopsticks, got back home to write up another stupid blog whilst drinking the last “Pure Blonde” in the house. I also think I may have inadvertently given myself a reputation for drinking.
Fifth, I’m also sick of seeing the following crap…”X liked if he/she tells these lies, 99% chance they are cheating on you on Facebook and suggested you like it too.” Similar to how I don’t need a personality test to tell me about my personality I don’t need facebook to teach me life lessons. I’m sure life teaches me these things just fine.
Sixth, I think I’ve become extremely confrontational which may or may not be the smartest thing to do.
Seventh, remember back when my blog was hosted with MSN Spaces? God, that feels so long ago. Anyway, remember how it had a Windows Media Player plugin and I would put up songs that represented how I felt at the time or simply because I was really into it? I was on the train yesterday morning and “In the end” popped up. For some reason I thought about that WMP plugin.
Off-topic, thanks for the emperor puffs…well…the ones you thought about getting =D
Edit: 14/05/2010 12:03AM
I just thought of something else to rant about.
Jase, if you’re reading this, your friend is retarded. Okay, retarded is probably too harsh and I really shouldn’t be so worked up as I am. But she (yes SHE) turned a perfectly nice analogy into something that makes absolutely no sense.
Basically a friend of mine quoted a line from “When Five Fell” a video by Wongfu Productions and it goes like this:
“She tells me she wants to be a raindrop. She doesn’t mind falling, as long as she’s not alone. And raindrops are never alone.”
In which one of his friends replies with ”yeah… they drop like chopsticks… and chopsticks are always in pairs.”
Now if I actually knew this person…I’d rip them apart so hard. But since I didn’t I added a slightly “cheeky” comment. Okay okay, you’re probably thinking “Jesus John…take a chill pill, it’s no big deal!”. Fair enough, it may seem childish to get worked up at something so insignificant…but hey…this is entertainment for you right?
Any who, where to begin?
I tell some very bad analogies, but I usually do it on purpose…to be humorous and this is definitely not one of those analogies. This was just BAD. Raindrops do not drop like chopsticks. Chopsticks are not known to “drop”, you use them to pick up food and place it in your mouth. Even if they do drop, most of the time only ONE of them drops. Even if both happen to fall off the table you should have the reaction speed fast enough to catch at least ONE chopstick. Unless the chopsticks are connected (like those ones n00bs use) I don’t see them “dropping” in pairs. Not to mention the fact there could be ODD numbers of raindrops when it’s raining. Also, the original quote was an analogy for what she represented. You don’t turn an analogy into another analogy! Fail on so many levels. I know I shouldn’t take it so literally but it’s just hard to comprehend metaphorically. It makes little to no sense. When I read it my immediate reaction was “What the fuck is this shit? Girl are you trying to be deep cause it’s failing.”
Sorry. I’ll stop now.
Yes this is the douchebaggery that is me.
ML
Aug 22nd
When last semester began I was offered some job working for a start-up company that was interested in having “university-ties”. I thought it would be a pretty good opportunity. It involved using web technologies and python. A month after the offer, I still didn’t hear of anything, I wasn’t too phased about it. The excuse was “investing company haven’t put through the project yet”. I went through 4 whole months of unemployment, living off youth allowance.
Thank god for youth allowance and the stimulus package. Don’t know how I would survive uni whilst maintaining some sort of social life. Most of it went towards the ski trip and it was also meant to pay off my old iphone contract (which for some reason they still haven’t charged me for).
I applied for another job through the same job agency for Intersect (a not-for-profit organisation). I blogged about it as well few posts back. I was pretty hopeful, the Director of Engineering and Senior Developer seemed to be pretty happy with my performance. I thought “Finally, I can make some money and actually buy things without having to worry about whether or not I can afford it”. I got pretty excited when I got told that I would be starting work on 5th August. I even bothered to go shopping at Tarocash and bought myself 4 shirts, pants and a belt. All up around $250 (last minute sale ftw). I was pretty damn excited.
Days came and gone with no response. The excuse this time was that the HR manager is apparently “sick”. Well, fair enough. It’s flu season after all. I even caught the cold the weekend before I was meant to be working. Since I didn’t get any responses I decided to call them up myself. Apparently the person that’s coordinating my job with the company is also sick. How convenient. I had to call up somebody else that said will try and get in contact with me with the situation.
Days later, I got a call from that person telling me that the CEO of the company decided to not go ahead with the recruitment. At the time I didn’t really feel anything. I didn’t really care, I can’t get emotional on the spot when it comes to these things.
A week later, I decided to contact Intersect. They told me that because I was referred by SydneyTalent they cannot hire me. I thought fair enough., I’ll contract SydneyTalent instead. So I did. I got a reply the next day saying that I’ll receive a follow up email. I didn’t. A week went by and I sent another email asking for the status of the situation. I got a reply within a few hours telling me the same things that I already knew, however with one extra piece of detail, they told me:
“As with all students you are free to look for work as and where you see fit – SydneyTalent is only one avenue available to you.”
So I got in contract with Intersect again explaining to them they shouldn’t have any problems with hiring me. The person on the other end doesn’t seem to know what to do, she told me that the positions have been filled up but told me that I would be considered for future roles. Bullshit. There will be no future roles and if there are I won’t be considered.
What annoys me is the fact that I wasted one whole month chasing this up to find out that NOBODY can help me. The people who wanted to recruit me couldn’t any more. The people who was trying to help me get recruited wasn’t considerate of my situation at all.
I guess there is one thing I’ve learnt from this experience. Don’t sit back and let these corporate dogs shit all over you. Chase things up if you don’t hear back for a few days. Get both sides of the story cause chances are it’ll save you from losing a job.
Another rant at Optus
Jun 22nd
I’ve talked about how fail Optus is before, this will be another one of those rants.
Well, Optus released pricing and release dates for the upcoming iPhone 3GS but it didn’t say anything about upgrading from an existing iPhone plan. So I decided to call them up instead.
I was greeted by the usual computer. My question is this…why is it that Optus have 5 different numbers registered for different departments but they all get redirected to the same computer? I mean, I dialed the number for sales why the hell should I go through the process of telling the computer…again…that my enquiry is about sales?
So I was greeted by a technician called “Roy”. He sounded Aussie so I was rather relieved. I explained to him my enquiry, once I stopped talking, it was obvious that he wasn’t Aussie at all. Here’s my theory…these techs from India probably practices an hour each day on how to say “Hi this is the Optus Sales department, my name is <blah>. How can I help you?” in an Aussie accent just to trip me out. I know you’re trying to make the customer experience better…but you’re really not.
Anyway, the conversation went something like this:
Me: Hi, I’m John and I would like to make sure enquiries about the upcoming iPhone 3GS
Tech: mhmm
Me: I’m just wondering if there are any plans to upgrade to the new iPhone 3GS for existing iPhone 3G customers?
Tech: Yes there is, it’s already on the website. The website contains all the plans and prices.
Me: Yes, I know…I’m asking if there are any plans for existing iPhone owners which is not on the website.
Tech: You can already upgrade your phone. You just have to plug it in and then download the latest version.
Me: Okay sorry, I meant the iPhone 3GS not the software.
Tech: Yes…the iPhone 3GS is the software.
Me: (At this point I start laughing) Nonono, 3GS is the physical phone…not software
Tech: If you want to upgrade to another phone you have to wait until your contract ends
Me: Okay…that’s all I wanted to know
Tech: If you want to upgrade your iPhone you can do that already
Me: (Laughs again) Yes, I’ve done it already, anywho…thanks for your time, bye.
Hilariously…within 2 hours of making that call I got sent an email from Optus regarding the new iphone. It read…
Existing Customers
If you are an existing Optus customer, and you want a New Apple iPhone 3G S, make sure you open the emails we send as there is a special offer just for you coming soon.
Thanks Optus.
Geek VS Geek
Sep 12th
There’s one thing common amongst geeks, the need to be right…amongst other geeks.
You put a geek in an unfamiliar circle and they will twiddle their thumbs, and possibly do nothing else but think about how much better they are. They’ll try and make it seem like they know something, and desperately try and put together something they read on the internet or heard from a fellow geek just to impress this group of outsiders.
Put a geek in a circle of geeks, however, you will find an argument will erupt within 5 minutes as everybody attempts to become the “alpha” geek. The geek that knows everything about everything. What I’ve noticed personally that within geek circles…surprisingly…it’s not so much about putting through a logical argument…it’s more about putting through what others perceive to be a logical argument. One common technique is begging the question…”it must be true because wikipedia says so”.
Even with the internet being literally EVERYWHERE, geeks fail to lookup supporting cases for their argument until the very last minute. This phenomenon probably occurs due to the fact that geeks like to prove that their are correct on their own accord rather than using secondary sources to prove their point. Some things can only be proved by demonstration.
Such great debates like the Aeroplane-Treadmill argument have caused hundred page long threads developing on forums. Arguments, counter-arguments, counter-counter-arguments were brought forward but nobody actually put it to the test. Perhaps people just enjoy a great debate where the whole aim is to shut the other person down. If a conclusion was drawn, they’d have to think up of something else.
Perhaps its not a characteristic of geeks but that of humanity. The need to be correct. Maybe we just all need to loosen up a bit, admit to the fact that we may actually be wrong.
Take a look at the Michelson–Morley experiment. They tested the existance of the Aether for 50 years. You’d think after the first 10 years of experimentation, they would have just given up and thought of something else, but there would always be somebody else to carry on the legacy.
Here’s a note to all the geeks out there, before starting any argument, be prepared to be wrong, that way you won’t act like such a jerk.
Edit: 15/09/08
Yes, yes, Mythbusters conducted the Aeroplane-Treadmill theory, I was just highlighting that people are lazy and prefer to just sit on their lazy asses. I probably should have added that it was tested, just search for it on youtube.
To save some trouble, here’s the video.
