Burning Midnight Oil

It's been my favourite activity for the past few weeks. I can bet none of you work at odd hours like me. My normal working time is between 8.30 at night to 6/7 in the morning. I find it easier to work in a quiet environment when nobody's in the computer centre.

Just a clip of what I'm working on today. Yup, you bet, my dissertation. Now I have to freaking find a way to draw out all the triangles, all these just to make the animation nice to the eyes. And of course allowing one to understand what my function does. Halfway there now, hopefully I can get it done by tonight.


So any helpers? Anybody out there who is fluent in Mathematica? Please...... pretty please......

Job to do:

1. Arrayplot of the Potts model


2. Plot of barycentric coordinates


3. Combine both side-by-side


4. Explain the whole method out(typeset in TeX)
   

Chap Goh Meh

My flatmate came in to ask me what should we do for Chap Goh Meh(well, I've actually forgotten about it but luckily he reminded me) today. Maybe I should cook a feast? It's really funny because what's the point of cooking a feast when there's only 2 person eating, namely me and my flatmate. Pointless really......

Anyway, Chap Goh Meh is the last day of the Lunar New Year. It's really amazing why the chinese has 15 days of new year. It doesn't make much sense but I guess it really meant a lot to the chinese back in ancient China.

I realise that in Malaysia, we also take Chap Goh Meh as the Chinese Valentine's Day. So now we have 3 Valentine's day in a year in Malaysia, namely 14 February, Chap Goh Meh and Qi Xi(7th day of the 7th Lunar month). Correct me if I'm wrong and left another Valentine's Day out ok? The point is today is rather bleak for me, since I've just gotten into a fight with my girlfriend and we're still mad at each other. Silly reasons to argue really, but it just escalates, I'm sure most of you would understand how things can get from really small to really big.

Back to Chap Goh Meh, I believe in Penang, ladies would throw tangerines into the river/sea and guys in their sampans with nets would go net these tangerines. One question I would like to pose to Penangites though, how in hell would a person knows that a certain person picks up her tangerine? Or am I missing the point that all these should be random, and let fate decide for her? Weird eh?

Anyway, to all those couples out there, yet another Happy Valentines Day.
To all the bachelorettes out there, Happy Fishing-for-Future-Husband.
To all the married couples out there, Happy Bai Tou Xie Lao(白头偕老).
Now, faster FedEx me those Ang Pows before Chinese New Year ends.

Elections? I want to vote!!!

I had waited many many years(let me think..... I'm 23 now) for this. The only happy thing I got out of my 21st birthday was the thought that I'm finally able to vote in the upcoming General Elections.

So as usual today, while doing my work, I got a little bored and started visiting Malaysia-Today when I stumbled upon RPK's latest article in "No Holds Barred".

According to him, the following dates are the dates Pak Lah's Feng Shui Master gave him to hold the next general election:

19 May 2007
25 November 2007
15 December 2007
15 March 2008

If the GE is held in any of the above 4 dates, according to the Feng Shui master, BN will score big. Just like the last time around(Remember the last time the word landslide was used?).

I think the biggest problem with the above date is...... HOLY CRAP!!!! I might not even be in the country for the above dates. Can someone please brief me on the procedures of voting, and the procedures of registering as a voter?

Can I register online? Oh well, guess not, so much for Malaysia Boleh.

Why not allow us to register online? Besides, they should make it so that every citizen above 21 years of age automatically be registered for the elections. What's the logic behind "prove you're a Malaysian" when the govt already has our records, that's just pointless right?

Anyway, I think they are a bit scared of taking the war online. *Giggles*


Side talk: Where should I vote? Where's the nearest voting station in Subang Jaya?

Gimme the money

Race for PSD scholarships on again

PUTRAJAYA: The race for the prestigious Public Service Department overseas scholarships is on again.

Applications from students who scored 10 1As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination and those from households earning not more than RM1,500 a month will be given special consideration.

This means that when it comes to deciding between a poor 10 1As applicant and a well-to-do 12 1As scorer, the department will pick the former if he or she has fulfilled all the other requirements and pass the interview.

Interview? What interview? To be honest, I've been to one of these interviews and sadly I didn't get the scholarship. But thinking back, WHAT INTERVIEW??? I don't call that an interview, it's just 20 people in a room, supposedly discussing something. I recall doing my best by being active in participation but some of the others didn't even utter a single word.

Result, I didn't get the scholarship. Again, I think PSD has to rethink whether it is necessary to conduct interviews because it is simply impossible to do it in just 1 session. Think about how many students are applying. Unless the interviews are conducted in a series of sessions, with a chance of each student getting a one-to-one interview, like how Petronas does, please just scrap the interview part.

Then again, the question is "is selection solely based on meritocracy and household background?".

I think most of you out there know the answer to this question.

Education woes

Higher Education Min: 'We will hire the best' for public universities

Higher Education Min: 'We will hire the best' for public universities
KOTA BARU: The hiring of academicians for public universities will be based on meritocracy to ensure high standards, Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said.

Hello YB, are you sure you're gonna do that? How about promoting them based on meritocracy? What about the higher positions in these universities?