Kungfuice.com

Well I’m starting to get back into the swing of things at school, but I must say it’s been very difficult to actually get motivated. Classes just don’t seem to be the same anymore, and I feel myself wanting to go back to RIM. Maybe it’s because I am taking such weird courses this semester, like programming in Eiffel, but I find a lot of what I’m learning is somewhat irrelavant to what I want to do as a programmer.

I feel like I learnt so much during my time at RIM, taking so much away from those around me, and it was all very relevant stuff. I guess it’s hard now to transition back to the theoretical side of things where you don’t always see the direct application of what you are doing.

For example I am taking the Software Tools course which we learn all about Object Oriented Design, Program Verification and program in the lovely programming language Eiffel. Now don’t get me wrong I’m sure Eiffel is a great language that nobody uses, but why the hell are we learning it? It has zero application to what any of us will be doing in our real jobs and I know the second I leave this class I will totally dismiss it as an alternative to developing in C/C++/Java. I understand that it is a great teaching tool for teaching students how to use design by contract, and do proper testing for program verification, but it’s not like this kind of stuff can’t be done in other languages.

For example could the unit tests not be done in Junit which would at least teach us something we are going to use in our every day lives? Anyway I guess you can see what I’m trying to get at, I guess I’m still a little touchy about the whole subject right now.

So hopefully the next couple of months will go by quickly, I love school, and I don’t think I will ever stop wanting to learn more, I just think at this particular moment in my life I really want to get back to actually doing something productive. I want to be on the a team feeling like a productive member and actually building things I know people will use.

So I guess all I can say is come on January! So I can get back to actually working

kungfuice School

The end of the summer is soon approaching and thus the end of my Co-op term at RIM. I could never have asked for a better summer, and I can definitely chalk this up as one of my greatest summers. Being out here on my own has really changed me, it’s helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. Being out here on my own has allowed me to meet some really amazing people, and make some really strong bonds, especially with my best roommate ever Shannon. Not only has this summer resulted in me making new friends, but I feel like I’m closer then ever with my old friends and family.

RIM has been an amazing place to work, the people I met and the friends I made definitely make it a place that feels like home. There is nothing more rewarding then knowing that the work you do is being used by millions of people. RIM really lets co-ops flourish, I really got the feeling like I was a valuable member of the team, not just some guy who was there to do things no one else wanted.

Everyone always told me that being away at school and being on your own really changes you as a person and to be honest I never really saw the merits in it, but being out here has shown me what it is truly like. I appreciate things more now then ever before, and this time away from my family has only shown me how important they really are in my life. There is another kind of family though that is just as important, and those are your friends. This summer has been a difficult one, and I don’t think I ever could have made it through without the support of my close friends. The times we shared together, whether it be road tripping to London with Simran, camping with my Sister Jenni Trevor and Simran, or just chilling out in my room with Shannon for Tuesday night hat parties. You guys all definitely helped make this a summer to remember!

Life moves by fast, and I’m glad that I got to experience this Summer, and meet the people that I have out here. I really thought Waterloo was going to be a bore, and my life was only going to revolve around work, but it has turned out to be the exact opposite. I guess it won’t be so bad when I come back out here in January for my full time position. Yes that’s right I’m coming back out to the ‘Loo for a full-time position at RIM, as a Software Developer.

I accepted my offer on Friday, August 17th which means I’ll be doing this all over again in the Winter, and for a presumably longer time then that. I guess what they say is true for every closing door, there is always an one that is opening.

I guess it’s time to walk through that new opening door then.

kungfuice General

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kungfuice General

Well it surely has been a long time since my last update, but I have my reasons why I have been absent.

For starters I have been working my little butt off, and enjoying being out on my own in Waterloo. I have to say to finally be doing something I’ve been working so hard for, for so long is one of the most rewarding feelings you could have in life. Being out here on my own has definitely taken some adjustment, but in the end it has been an experience I would never change.

I guess I kind of lucked out in the sense that I wound up with some really awesome roommates, and in a job that really values it’s employees and creating an interesting work environment. Being on my own has really shown me the important things in my life, and the things that really matter, like family and friends because in the end those are the things that keep you together.

As for Waterloo itself, I have to say it’s pretty interesting place if you can find a road that actually stays straight for longer then a kilometer you have hit pay dirt. It has this weird feeling of being a city but at the same time being very country like. Drive a couple minutes West or North and magically you are transported to the country with all the farms and animals, but drive a little East or South and you are on the 401 or into Kitchener or Cambridge. It is definitely strange that way.

So far the parties have been great, the food amazing, and I have definitely made some memories that will last a lifetime, like toga partying

Anyway I guess I should get back to work

kungfuice General

I would just like to extend my condolences to anyone involved or who knows someone involved in the shootings at Virginia Tech.

I would also like to say that I wish the major media outlets would stop their extensive coverage of the shootings. Having gone through the Columbine shootings, we can all safely assume that there will probably be some type of copy cat shooting over the next couple of weeks/months. I feel that as the media coverage grows for this horrific incident the likelihood of one of these copycat shootings happening will increase.

I do not feel like the media should not be reporting about this horrific day, but at the same time seeing pictures of a crazed gunman pointing guns at the camera, and playing his video for the entire world to see. This act does nothing but remind those involved about the atrocities they have experienced and ultimately gives the gunman exactly what he wanted, recognition and fame. If the media and authorities were smart, which I no doubt believe that deep down they are, they would keep coverage to a minimum, in order to prevent people from connecting with this shooter in the same manner that he connected with the shooters from Columbine.

Again I extend my condolences to anyone connected to this shooting in anyway, let’s hope that the media learns from their mistakes and at least tries to be a little more proactive in the coverage of this event, for the sake of us all.

kungfuice General, School