Starting Early this Year
I have lost an biological assault on my body. Three weeks ago I felt quite good because I managed to ward off a potential disease, but in the dying days of the summer I have taken ill. It was mostly due to ignorant negligence on my part, so I guess I had it coming. Last year I was ill for a record three times and it looks like this year might be a repeat. I attribute this to my immune system suffering because of the work I have to do – I have never worked as hard as I do in university. School was a couch to be lazy in. Bleh.
The past two weeks my attention has been focused on only one thing: Computation Physics. CP was my diversion from the set plan for my course and was suppose to be only a sideline subject. Turns out it claims more than it’s fair share in the end. My other subjects are suffering: I have no idea what is going on in the Calculus class and I’m slipping in the Linear Algebra class. By Monday I need to know Java for CS. Haha. Anyway, the CP is really bugging me, but after tonight I can start breathing again: I only have a few pages to add to my notebook. It isn’t very difficult (although we continue to steadily climb the difficulty ladder), just time-consuming.
What exactly does CP encompass? First the lecturer does a tiny bit of theory with you. Then you get a tutorial which has to be done by date X. The tut has problems that need to be simulated on a computer (I’m using Matlab, the preferred language of the class). First you don’t exactly understand the questions, so you ask the lecturer who tells you exactly what to do. All good and well, but then we arrive at my favourite part of the Physics experience – write reports! Well, the tuts only need to be done in a notebook. Projects, done at the end of each quarter, however, need to be of publication standard. Our projects must be presented like a Physical Review C article. It really isn’t that bad, but the writing-up was the part of Physics I really wanted to escape last year. C’est la vie.
The following conversation that I overheard sums up the last three weeks the best:
“So, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing quite well. I haven’t spoken to a B.Com or BA student lately. If I run into anyone on campus, however, I’ll be depressed again.”
BA needs no explanation. The B.Com students are flies in our ointment: always skipping lectures and not missing anything. One of my friends started a subject late and had his first class on Wednesday. In this ‘first’ class, they received their time-table and a short introduction. Then they were given the class of the next day off. The class started three weeks ago for crying out loud!! Grr.
On a completely different note, I saw something this week on the news which I haven’t seen in twelve years! In another part of the country, black university students rioted due to an increase in tuition. The video insert covering the riot featured black students throwing rocks at a police rhino (armoured vehicle) while being hosed down. This was a common sight on the news more than ten years ago. I remember news stories like these being on the television when I, as a small child, use to climb into my parent’s bed in the morning. Ah, the memories...
The past two weeks my attention has been focused on only one thing: Computation Physics. CP was my diversion from the set plan for my course and was suppose to be only a sideline subject. Turns out it claims more than it’s fair share in the end. My other subjects are suffering: I have no idea what is going on in the Calculus class and I’m slipping in the Linear Algebra class. By Monday I need to know Java for CS. Haha. Anyway, the CP is really bugging me, but after tonight I can start breathing again: I only have a few pages to add to my notebook. It isn’t very difficult (although we continue to steadily climb the difficulty ladder), just time-consuming.
What exactly does CP encompass? First the lecturer does a tiny bit of theory with you. Then you get a tutorial which has to be done by date X. The tut has problems that need to be simulated on a computer (I’m using Matlab, the preferred language of the class). First you don’t exactly understand the questions, so you ask the lecturer who tells you exactly what to do. All good and well, but then we arrive at my favourite part of the Physics experience – write reports! Well, the tuts only need to be done in a notebook. Projects, done at the end of each quarter, however, need to be of publication standard. Our projects must be presented like a Physical Review C article. It really isn’t that bad, but the writing-up was the part of Physics I really wanted to escape last year. C’est la vie.
The following conversation that I overheard sums up the last three weeks the best:
“So, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing quite well. I haven’t spoken to a B.Com or BA student lately. If I run into anyone on campus, however, I’ll be depressed again.”
BA needs no explanation. The B.Com students are flies in our ointment: always skipping lectures and not missing anything. One of my friends started a subject late and had his first class on Wednesday. In this ‘first’ class, they received their time-table and a short introduction. Then they were given the class of the next day off. The class started three weeks ago for crying out loud!! Grr.
On a completely different note, I saw something this week on the news which I haven’t seen in twelve years! In another part of the country, black university students rioted due to an increase in tuition. The video insert covering the riot featured black students throwing rocks at a police rhino (armoured vehicle) while being hosed down. This was a common sight on the news more than ten years ago. I remember news stories like these being on the television when I, as a small child, use to climb into my parent’s bed in the morning. Ah, the memories...
posted by phantom-99w at 19:23
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