The End of the Fall '06 Semester

First things first. I would like to take this time to apologize to any of you that I may have "pissed off" in the last few days. Even though I am saying sorry don't think for a second that I am going to take back what I said. I still stand be my belief that I was not at liberty to share that kind of information with others. If you still do not agree well then I suppose we have no other choice but to agree to disagree (I hate the way that sounds).
Well this post isn't going to be the most interesting thing you have ever read. Basically I am just going to list my classes and what I thought about each one.

Physics with Calculus 1: A class taught by two different professors really isn't a good idea. Especially when it is clearly obvious that one is a much better teacher. The material was not hard but it was difficult to pay attention because most of the days we had lecture with the shitty teacher. If it were not for the graduate student that was in charge of our discussion sessions I don't think that I would have ever had much desire to do all of the homework. In any case I am pretty sure that I got an A in the class, or a B+ if I didn't.

Calculus 3 and Analytic Geometry: The professor was pretty cool. I liked that he would take the effort to provide us with proofs, different from those in the book, of almost everything we used. This was a good thing for me because I didn't ever open the book except when I had to help someone else on their homework. The quizzes came from homework questions so it was in your best interest to actually do the homework even though it was not count towards your final grade. So not doing any homework I still managed to get an A average for the quizzes. The test were pretty easy also, of the three test I didn't miss an entire question. I am not saying I got perfect scores on them all. This is because I would occasionally lose point for not showing all the steps or for a small mental math mistake, which is understandable. Overall I got an A in the class.

Physics Lab: Sucks ass. That is all I need to say. Grade: B+.

Microeconomics: Most of the material seemed to be very trivial if you ever sat down and thought about it. I didn't ever open the textbook, but did use the study guide that the professor wrote. This was an online class with an amazing professor so really the book was not over need. Both test I got A's on and I am pretty sure that I got an A on the final. In any case I am 98% confident that I will get an A.

The Grandeur That was Rome: Awesome professor. I'm not the kind of person that is really interested in learning about the history, culture, or literature of of ancient civilizations, but I have to admit that this class was very worth while. If it were not for all the reading that would be required for any higher level classes in this concentration, I would love to take another class taught by the same person. I am pretty sure that my final grade will come out as a B.

Grade recap. (grade:number of classes with this grade)
A: 3
B+: 1
B: 1
C-E: 0

Video time.
Song: Heart of a Champion by Nelly

National Events Are Just More Exciting

I know that I have not updated in a while but that was mostly due to the fact that I have been studying and that nothing worth mentioning has happened until now. As many of you know I took the Putnam last Saturday. The test was not as impossible as people hype it out to be. In each section there were either two or three questions that I was able to attack and make progress. On the A section I was able to do A1, but unfortunately I made one crucial mistake thus causing my answer to be light years away from the actual answer. The A2 problem was not that difficult, most likely the easiest problem on the whole exam, however, since it had to deal with a topic that I personally don't like (game theory) I chose to skip it and move on. There was a problem about permutations about the elements of a list. This seemed some what simple. I planned to prove it by induction but was unable to find a formula to go with, thus my plan was failed. The first question I tried was A5. This was a trigonometry question. I knew i would have to use either complex numbers or some slick trigonometric reductions. I chose to try the latter since when I work with complex numbers things tend to get a little (well more like really) messy. Overall the problems were quite difficult to do in the alloted three hours, but looking back on them they really were not all that difficult. If I remember correctly you didn't need anything beyond Calculus 2 and some skills with logic.
The B section was actually easier than I expected. At first when I read through all the problems my first thought was, "Damn this is going to be impossible." However, once I settled down I realized that they weren't so bad. The trick to B1 was to notice that

x^3 + 3xy + y^3 =1 is the same as

(x+y-1)(x^2 + 2xy + y^2 + x + y + 1)=3xy(x+y-1)

*It helps to know that (x+1)(y+1) = x + y + xy + 1.
This is know as Simon's Favorite Factoring Trick, to us math-leets.

One solution is the line x+y=1 and the other is the point (-1,-1). During the exam I was able to find the point but for some reason the line was just out of my reach. This was not the whole problem but only a crucial part. Question B5 was surprisingly easy for a number 5 question. I was almost just the fundamental theorem of calculus. I however, did not do this problem because I thought I would have more success doing number B3 instead. Luckily I was able to provide an ok proof for B3 so I don't feel so bad about making this decision.
Overall I am expecting to get around a three, but I will not be shocked if I get a zero.

Just thought I would mention this, even though it is not related. Tony has an amazing apartment.

I am sure that this is the first Sunday of the year that I did not watch a single NFL game. At noon I met with Gillian so she could help me with my studying for my Grandeur That was Rome test. After this I went back to my dorm and did some independent studying and finished the economics that I had started before I met with her. Just a note to those of you that plan to take phy2048, the review sessions for the test really suck, don't waste your time with going you would be better of studying on your own or just asking a friend to teach it to you.
Before I forget. I can not wait for January 8th. Ohio State vs. Florida. Yeah that's right, we are playing in the championship game.

Because this was such an unforgettable weekend, this post will have 2 videos.

"Camping"

Friday November 15th, a day that few will ever forget. If you had seen the news in the last two weeks you are sure to have heard about it. This is such an important moment in history, people were killed in its honor. At this point you should be wondering what I am talking about. Well for those of you that did not know, the Playstation 3 (PS3) hit American stores on the previously stated date. For the past two week there have been stories all over the news about people camping outside of stores, some had been there for weeks. Sony only sent 400,000 PS3s to the US. As you can imagine the demand if far beyond this. On the day of its arrival there were reports of shootings and muggings at stores that were about to open their doors to those who were dedicated to wait outside for so long. Now some of you might be thinking that a video game console is not worth dying for, but you must remember that it cost anywhere between $499 and $600. This system is supposed to redefine the way that we perceive entertainment. Now I wouldn't know about this first hand, it is just what all the online articles are telling me.
Now this is where I am affected. Should I get the PS3, get the Xbox360, or wait for the Nintendo Wii. I have my reasons for wanting all three, too bad there is no way I will ever be able to afford that, I can barely afford to get one of them. Right now I have an Xbox so I am leaning more towards getting an Xbox360 if for no reason other than I will not have to go and "restock" on games. The Wii has me curoious to see just how the new control will be for games such as Madden and SuperSmash Brothers. Nintendo as of now has the advantage when it comes to new games that I desire since there is the new Zelda game and SuperSmash. The only new Xbox game that I want is Halo3 and this is mainly for the reason that Halo2 left me wanting closure to the story line. The Wii will be the cheapest by far but still it won't cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
What I think I will end up doing is waiting and reading all the positive and negative reports about each system. Basically about how they overheat, start to lag, have unbelievable graphics, and so on.
Really I don't know why I am even making a post about this.
Well I dedicate this post's video to those brave persons that gave their lives fighting, just so that we may be able to one day have our very own PS3s.

...I Can't Stand General Education.

There are a few things that I would like to make clear before I continue. First, for those of you that will be viewing this on Facebook please do not leave any comments that can potentially be reworded to, "What video are you talking about?" or "Where is the video?" I will make it say this for the last time, YOU HAVE TO GO AND VIEW THE ORIGINAL POST! Second, before I say anything worthwhile I will take this time me talk about just he pointless general education requirements are. Sure I can understand the university wanting to have "well rounded" students, but if you were to even think about this for more than five minuets you realize that this is not the way to go about it. Really if you are forced to choose a class to take in order to meet some requirement most people will choose to take the easiest class that is available. Why put yourself through hell for a subject you don't give a flying fuck about? Another problem I have with this is that when you think of all the "professionals" that you know, how many of them are well versed in more than three areas. If you can even name one then you have been more fortunate that I have been these last eighteen years. Well I just had to get that out of the way.
Well registration for the spring semester starts this week. My registration date is set for November 9th. What I find confusing is that almost everyone else that I know is set to register for the 10th. I know that National Merit students get to register first and the seniors and down the line, but what makes me different from the other freshman? The world might never know. The classes I want to take are; Elementary Differential Equations, Numbers and Polynomials, Age of the Dinosaurs, History of Jazz, and Financial Accounting. Age of the Dinosaurs is one of those classes that I am taking because I need to meet gay (that's right I said gay) general education requirements, as you can imagine I have been told that it is an easy A. History of Jazz will also fulfill some general education requirements but I have been told that the teacher is sensational and that it will be one of those classes that I never forget. The remaining classes are for my major, so naturally I find them to be interesting, or to help me prepare for an Actuarial exam. This semester has thought me that I should never take a class before 9:00 in the morning because I will either sleep through it or just not care about it. My grades aren't that bad, actually I quite happy with them. I am expecting an A in Calculus,Microeconomics, Physics, and maybe Physics Lab. If I don't get an A in Physics Lab then I will have a B+. As for the Grandeur That was Rome I am sure that my final grade will range somewhere from a B+ to a C, and really I could care less.
It is almost Putnam time and I feel as if I have not improved enough to get a positive score. Sure the median score is a zero, but I would like to get full credit for one question or at least partial credit for two. Since my last update I have been looking mostly at calculus problems since there usually tend to be around two analysis questions on the whole exam. Despite all of my preparation the one thing that I lack is the most important skill of all. The ability to write a well thought out proof. I have some experience from doing USAMTS (United States of America Math Talent Search) which was a proof based contest (I didn't perform that well because of my lack of geometry knowledge but other than that I was fine) and reading other people's proofs. Hopefully this will be enough in order to get partial credit if I am able to even attack one problem.
If anyone out there needs any good luck while playing poker, just call me. Jameson and I have just discovered that I am good luck. I'm serious, the last week he won $100 with my help. This was after he lost about $30 because of Wade. I have started to become interested in playing poker. Right now I am playing on yahoo so as to get a better feel for the game. Later I will probably start playing online for real money, playing with real people however, is something that I will almost certainly never attempt.
Some of you, actually just a little over 50% will find this offensive. This is what I have learned this week. When a girl just starts bitching about something that is completely irrelevant all a guy need to do is say, "You don't know what you are talking about, your penis envy is clouding your judgment." I hope that I have not caused anyone to want to find and kill me, if I have all I can say is...

This video is the best waste of five minuets and ten seconds that you will ever find on the internet.

Too Many Options...

So I have started to worry about stuff that I know I should not even be thinking about at this point in time. To begin with I started thinking about where I would apply to graduate school if I decide to get a PhD. This of course leads to other issues such as what classes should I take, what kind of nonacademic activities should I participate in, etc. Then there is the, "What do I really want to do for a living?" So far I have narrowed it down to two choices, but the paths for each are vastly different. For one I will almost certainly need a PhD from a prestigious institution, while for the other I need to pass a series of test so my degree will have little if any impact. For some reason I have also thought about what I would like to minor in since I do not really feel like double majoring in any of the other fields that interest me. At this point I am thinking that I will most likely pick two of the following; physics, economics, actuarial sciences, or statistics. I am leaning towards economics and actuarial sciences mostly because they are more directly related to my desired career choices. I do find the other choices interesting it's just that I am not sure I would gain as much from them.
As previously stated, I should not be worrying about most of these things. I should really be thinking about actually learning physics and passing the grandeur that was Rome. Try not
to misinterpret learning physic as, I don't know physics, because I actually do, I would just like a deeper understanding that I currently have. My classes this semester have not in the least kept me "entertained", by that I mean I have no strong desire to learn the material. Hopefully this will change next semester or next year when I get to take upper level math and economics classes.
Well I have been dwelling on my problems for too long, I feel it is time for a change of subject. So I have started downloading music once again. This might seem like no big deal but I haven't done this since the end of high school. Most of the music has been coming from albumbase or googletalk. The music I've been listening to has made me just how important orchestra was to me back in the day. Surprisingly I really miss being able to play my violin or guitar. Hopefully my parents have kept the violin and Roland hasn't lost my guitar. I would really love to go to a concert. Live performances are altogether on a different plane than recordings. If you were wondering what kind of concert I will make it less ambiguous, CLASSICAL MUSIC!!! There now there should be no confusion as to what I expect.
I have been rambling on for a while now, if you are still reading then I must congratulate you for making it this far. As you reward here is the video that comes with every post.

Why Math...?

So as you have already guessed the first thing that pisses me off is when people ask me "What is there to do with a math degree other than teach?" Now this is somewhat understandable because the image that we seem to get from others is that your college major defines what you will do with your life. I would know about this since my mom majored in an agricultural field while in college and now she is working for the government and her work has NOTHING to do with agriculture. Well here is why I want to major in mathematics. First off you can do just about anything, since employers will see that you majored in math and realize that you have strong analytical skills. Now what kind of company doesn't want an employee with analytical skills? Personally I want to pursue a career that will in some way be tied to the financial world. Honestly all you need to do is take finance and economics classes to show that you have some understanding of the topics.
As for the careers that interest me you are almost required to take a large series of mathematics and non-mathematics classes. One choice I am considering is becoming an acuter (to learn more about this profession visit www.beanactuary.com). In order to be an acknowledged acuter there are a series of rigorous test that one must pass. Most of these test have a passing rate that is no higher than 30%. Another option is trying to become an Quantitative Analyst. (This is comparable to a trader in many ways) For this it is very beneficial to have "some understanding" of economics and computer programming.
If for some reason I change my mind about what to do there is always the ability to use knowledge gained from my other non-math classes. Sure I could be a math teacher but really I do not have the kind of patience to teach kids, and as for being a professor I would have to teach an upper level class so that I am teaching only people who actually want to be in the class or can at least pretend to find it interesting.
So I guess the next time someone ask me "What can you do with a math degree other than teach?" I think I will answer with "What ever the fuck I want...now that I think about it I think I will take the job that you want."


Now for the video:

Typical Weekend

Well it was another typical weekend, the usual home football game I didn't go to because I didn't feel like buying a ticket and in my opinion it wasn't a game with going to. So I just watched it on TV. As you have guessed I am talking about Saturday so it means that I had an economics lecture to watch, nothing I wasn't able to handle. I am really hoping that Alli was right about microeconomics and macroeconomics being completely different. I thought about doing some math but decided not to because there is ALWAYS something worth watching on TV, and there weren't any classes that I needed to study for.
Sunday I woke up, turned the TV to FOX, watched the Bucs game, and it was at the moment the game was over that I knew just how horrible the preceding day was going to turn out. Once the game was over I somehow managed to summon the will power to get up and get lunch, it was only about 4 o'clock and I had not eaten breakfast. Once I was in the dorm again I talked to Bethany for a while and then watched the second economics lecture that I had left, I normally leave the lectures from Wednesday and Friday for Saturday and Sunday. The part of the day that I had been most looking forward to, the season premier of Desperate Housewives, was to some degree a major disappointment.
Well tomorrow I will be heading back to Tallahassee after classes are over. However, I will not be able to spend time with any my friends there because I will be getting there a little late. The reason I am there is for a dentist appointment, typical adjustment of the braces, at about 9 o'clock in the morning. After this I head back to Gainesville in oreder to attend my 5 o'clock class.

This video is thanks to Elias:

Thoughts on Video Games

Now I know that not many females play video games. Of the few that do they probably don't need to read this post.
Before I get started I think it will be necessary to define a few terms for those of you that are not 1337 (that means "leet" as in elite)
RPG: role playing game, you develop your character as the game devolves
FPS: first person shooter, think Halo or Halo2 or Half-Life 2

Well I was checking my Youtube account and saw that there was a new Final Fantasy AMV (animated music video) so for some strange unbeknownst to yours truly, I decided to watch it. About one minuet into the video I realized why I did not really enjoy playing turn-based RPGs, it is just unrealistic. Honestly have you ever seen a fight were the combatants take turns trying to hit each other? Didn't think so. So this got me thinking, "What good RPGs are out there that are not based on a turn based combat system?" Guess what the first game that came to mind was. FABLE! This games is amazing. I will admit that once you have beaten the game going through it takes about one fifth the time of the original pass through. This is partly due to the fact that you know what needs to be done and how to do it, but you then have to consider that normally on the second or third time through the game you normally do more side quest that you normally do on the first pass. If there is ever a sequel to Fable I know what I will be buying. Another game that I gave some consideration to was Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic. This game is a must play for all Star Wars fans even though it employs the o so hated turn based system. I was about to get Knights of the Old Republic II, but decided to buy Soul Calibur 2. Now if any game company comes out with a game that lets you fight like you do in Soul Calibur, while at the same time retaining that RPG feel I will be their biggest fan. Some of you are probably thinking, "There already is a game like this! The Legend of Zelda!" The only reason I would disagree with this is because in Zelda there is no way to customize Link. All you really have to look forward to in the game is new weapons but no new attributes.
Well I just thought I would share some of my random thoughts on RPGs. If you have anything to add or disagree with something I have said please feel free to leave a comment.

Great Labor Day Weekend

So the weekend started with the first UF home game. Really it was not as loud as I had anticipated. For your information I live less than 500 yards from the loudest NCAA stadium. Since I did not see the need to buy tickets to attend a pointless game I stayed in my room playing Maple Story and walked around campus some.
Sunday was filled with great new adventures. However, during my "quest" I had put off doing my laundry, but this will be covered in Monday's story. Sunday I woke up and played some Maple and ate breakfast. Around 3:30 I went and played ultimate Frisbee, which left me covered in sweat and an unpleasant odor to say the least. After taking a bath I went to the Episcopal church which is withing walking distance of the dorm. Service was mediocre, nothing special but familiar in some ways. Now the highlight of the day, DINNER! Well mainly because I do not have the patience to sit here and type the whole story here is the general idea. I met three people; Sarah, Andrew, and Jarrod. They reminded me of some my friends in high school at first, but were really nothing like them once I thought about it for a while. After dinner we went to Ryan's dorm-located in Hume-I met even more interesting people. When it was getting close to midnight we started to play poker and then Hoopla, both great games. Well at about 2 in the morning we decided to call it a night. Myself and 4 other guys walked Sarah back to her dorm. At the current moment in time it is beyond my powers to remember the name of the dorm but I know that I have walked past it on my way to Beaty Towers, as a matter of fact you could say that it is right across the street form Beaty.
Monday capped off the best weekend so far. So when I woke up I realized that I still had to do my laundry and listen/watch my microeconomics lecture. After completing both of these task it was about 2:00. If you noticed nowhere did I say that I had eaten breakfast in this time so by 2:00 I was starving to say the least. Well while eating I ran into Ryan, John, and Peter (more people I met on Sunday). Then went to John's dorm played cards for a while until his friend, whose name I cannot recall right now, invited us to play Halo 2. As you have guess at 8:00 we watched the FSU-Miami game. AMAZING, and FSU won which was an added bonus for me. 13-10.
Well those were the highlights of the weekend.

Now this weeks video, if only Roland were this good:

First Week of College

Well as the title indicates this post will be about my first week of college.
I moved in on Saturday and spent that day and Sunday with my parents getting things for my room and setting it up. Not really that exciting. As of now not having A/C is not causing any major problems. However, my mom really wants me to try and get a room change. As I said previously, I do not have a problem with it so I think I will stay in Thomas for the rest of the year. Truly most of the time I will not be in my dorm so it will not be a major issue, and most of the school year not having A/C will not be bad since it will be cold anyways.
Classes started on Wednesday. They don't seem to be that different from how things were at Chiles. Sure I know that the material will be more difficult and that I will actually have to study, but as far as teaching styles there seems to be no difference. So far I have only had Calculus 3 and Physics w/ calculus 1. Calculus is really boring since we are going over topics that I had learned for MAO precalc year. Physics is interesting, it seems that we will be covering the same topics that Harvey covered just at a higher level. I am truly grateful that unlike most other people that got A's in that class, I actually bothered to learn the material and not memorize test questions/answers.


And now here is the random video for this post, hope you like Dragonball Z/GT.

Zelda Video

This is most likely my favorite video on all of YouTube. This may be a result of me now just starting to use it but still.




This video has reinforced my desier to get the Nintendo Wii and the new Zelda game.

...As Summer '06 Draws to an End

Well in about 12 days I will no longer know what it feels like to have A/C. Some people might find this depressing but really I dont mind as long as I have a fan. Honestly in my daily life I normally find it way too cold in my house and the temperature in my car is pretty nice, to me at least. Something I did not think about before was how I would be getting to my dentis appoinments. This really sucks because really the way I made my schedule really isn't good for my parents at all. O well I'm sure we will figure out something.
Well work is almost over, somewhat depressed because I will no longer have a reliable high speed connection.
As summer comes to a close I really wish I had gotten a real job and had spent more time with my friends. At least I will have that one week when some of them go back to Chiles to hang out with them during lunch, so it's all good.

Last MAO Trip Ever

I feel somewhat obliged to update. I have been back from MAO nationals for a week now. Thank goodness it has not sturck me how much I will miss MAO. I am not sure if it is because some part of me truely will not or if I have just come to terms with the fact that it would have to end some time. Either way I find this to be quite astonishing. Nationals this year was just as much fun as it has been every prior year. Not to mention the added bonus of doing quite well, concidering the lack of studying on my part. Hanging out with Alli, Lauren, Sean, Michael, Patrick,...,Will,Gaku, and those of you that went to Hawaii is something I will always remember. However, if there was anything I could change about nationals it would have to be the fact that my favorite Asians were not there (Kevin, Roland, and Clara). MAO just isnt the same without them. Well its about time I say how I did.
Individual: 12th place
Ciphering: 8th place
Geometry: 15th place
Sequences and Series: 5th place
Hustle: 4th place (if we had gotten 6 more points we would have been 2nd)
Calculus Team: 7th place (even with the poor performances by Ashley and Alli and somewhat Sean)
Well next year I know I am already going to one MAO competition (the Janruary Invitational at Chiles) but I would also like to go with them to nationals, so I can spend time with Ashley before she goes do Duke, get to talk to Lauren in person (if you don't know how comforting this is you should really try it), and Roland befor he takes over MAO or the world...his call.

Work and my final MAO nationals

Well so far work has not been all that I have been expecting. However, I realize that it could be much worse, and on the upside some of the problems are interesting (Just ask and I'll give and example or 2). The only major complaint that I have so far is that our work day has been extended from 3:00 to 4:00.

As for MAO nationals I would like for people to know that I have done nowhere almost as much preperation as I did last year. Don't worry though, all is not lost for I plan to study for the Individual and Ciphering on the plane and during the downtime we will have until I actually have to take those test.

YAY FLORIDA!!! Thank goodness they did not let that class action suite against the tobacco company go completly through. I myself find tobacco completly revolting, but honestly if people don't know by now that it is bad for their health then I guess they deserve to die...or live with the other side effects. Thinking about this has caused my mind to wander to another topic, legalizing marijuana. Sure the people that say it should be legalized and then taxed to high hell have a point. However, it is these people that also say that if it were legal then its use would decrease. Now let us think about that for just a moment...THAT IS THE FUCKING DUMBEST THING I HAVE HEARD IN A LONG TIME. Let us compare this to prohibition. I admit that during this time that there were people that illegally comsumed/produced alcohol. But look at the world today, do you honestly mean to tell me that since alcohol has become legal thats its use by society has decreased...(if you just answered yes you are more wasted that I have thought possible). So just legalizing marijuana will have the same effect. The people that already use it will just continue to and it will also become attractive to those who were affraid to use it befor for the sole reason that it was illegal. Now I don't know about you but when ever I have been around potheads, it has NEVER been a pleasane experience. Not only do they smell but they are just dumber than they were before they got high. O well I guess God needed a way to kill dumbasses, since appearently diseases and natural disasters just don't cut it any more. Also I think that the punishment that the government gives for possiession of a controling substance (for you potheads out there that don't remember what this means: "having weed on or within your reach) or use of such a substance, are way to light. I find it comparable to just giving a person who has confessed to first degree murder a literal slap on the wrist. Well I won't continue because I have divered way to far from the intended topic of this post.

Quote that I find to be quite hilarious: "Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
-Andy Rooney

solution to last prob.

well from the Cauchy inequality we have
(a+b+c+d)( 1/a + 1/b + 1/c +1/d) => (1+1+1+1)^2=16

well for this we get

(a+b+c+d)( 1/a + 1/b + 4/c + 16/d) => (1+1+2+4)^2=64. so we are done.

Cauchy

Prove that for
a, b, c, d > 0
then

1/a+1/b+4/c+16/d => 64/(a+b+c+d).

solution will be given later.

Math for Money

I finally start work on Monday. This will put an end to some of the boredom that I have been experiencing so far. These last few days I have been somewhat occupied. My cousin came and stayed with my family last week, that was pretty cool. He is AMAZING at video games.

Saw a few movies...ok I actually saw one movie. MI3, it was better than I expected, but still not as good as that one movie I went to with Ashley.

Have been doing math again. Really should start to study for MAO. I think it will all come down to studying on the plane, and that will be studying only w/ individual or ciphering test, no topic test. I am waiting for Borders to get their shipment of Problem Solving Through Problems so I can go and get it...with a gift card of course, other wise I would have gotten it online.

I have decided that the US national team needs a new coach. Honestly! You go into a must win game and play a 5-4-1 does he not realize that in order for us to win we need to score. Personally I would have gone with a 3-4-3, but then what do I know...I mean I've never coached a team that has lost a world cup game.

Here is what is really happening

Well if you read my xanga post from June 15 and believed it then you are just plain stupid. Really how could you truly believe that I would decide to minor in English. YUCK!!

I am actually majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Actuarial Science. Just in case I decide not to become a quant I'll have some other choice and still be able to get paid well $.

As of now this is my schedule (I plan to change it as soon as I am allowed to, which is August 1)

Monday:
Calc 3 12:50-1:40
Issues in American Literature and Culture 4:05-4:55
Tuesday:
Biodiversity Conservation: Global Perspectives 5:10-7:05
Wednesday:
Calc 3 12:50-1:40
Issues in American Literature and Culture 4:05-4:55
Thursday:
Calc 3 12:50-1:40
Biodiversity Conservation: Global Perspectives 5:10-6:00
Friday:
Calc 3 12:50-1:40
Issues in American Literature and Culture 4:05-4:55

Just so that you know, I HATE this..I don't have any classes before noon...but it ends at 6 or 7 p.m. I am hoping to change it so that my classes start at around 9 in the morning and end at around 2 or 3 on most days. I would also like to mention that I am also taking Microeconomics. It is however, not listed above because it is considered an online class where it is optional whether or not you attend the real lectures, and they have not decided on the lecture times as yet. Yes! I do plan to attend that class.

Change of plans

After doing some thinking I have decided that I will try to take only 4 classes my first semester at UF. If I do take 5 classes then I would like for two of them to be math classes. Well I'll just have to see how things go when I attend orientation.

Can't wait for June 26, 2006. That's when I start to work at FSU with the statistics department, hopefully I will have somewhere to park my car.

Well after doing some more work and reading I have realized that Putnam problems are not as hard as I once thought. Don't get me wrong they are still hard, just now they seem more approachable. I was working on one problem and had the right idea to express the sides of some squares in terms of trig. functions but I however made a mistake in finding a way to add their areas and as you guessed I did not get the right answer. Well off to try and solve more problems. Hopefully I will have more meaningful stuff to post in the near future.

Tracking my future

So yesterday I sat down and planned what classes I would like to take during my first semester at UF. First I started off by looking at what credits I already had because of AP scores, yay I have met my composition requirement. Then I made predictions on what I think I will get on the AP exams that I took this year.

Basically, I am going to try and get all or most of the general education requirements out of the way during my first year. That way I can take classes that really interest me, such as more math, physics, computer classes, economics and business.

Well here is a list of the classes that I would like to take the first semester;
1) History of Astronomy
2) Analytic Geometry and Calc 3 or Honors Calc 3
3) Chinese Culture
4) Introduction to Combinatorics
5) Physics with Calc 2
If I am able to I would like to replace Intro. to Combinatorics with Numbers and Polynomials.

The main reason I am doing this is because the guidance department at Chiles was not that stellar, actually they were sub-par at best. This has caused me to lose almost all reliance on any sort of academic advisors what so ever. I am sure the ones at UF will be better, but I am not willing to take any chances.

I would like to however, take a class on Chinese language, but they were only offering this at the advanced level...not a good place to start. I want to become a quant so I will be taking a lot of math, physics, and programming courses. I would also like to get an internship at a hedge fund sometime before my junior year. So that I can see if this is something I would really like to do for the rest of my life. If not I think I will try to become an actuary. If both of these plans fail at least I will know Chinese so can possibly get a job with the government as a translator.

There are those of you I will miss and those of you I won't

Well today was my last official day of public school.
Looking back it really was not all that bad, sure it could have been better but I'm glad that it wasn't worse.
Ok Roland you are going to have to "protect" yourself from Ashley...I mean w/o me there what is to stop her from trying to kill you.
Really I think I will remain in touch with most of my friends since they are either going to Gainesville or they visit often. For those that don't do either of those...there is always Google Talk..and AIM (this is only for Lauren, Ashley, KT, Annesh, Jessie, Clara, Alli, Kavi) if anyone else tries to talk to me on AIM they WILL BE IGNORED!!!
Like I noted in the title, there are people whom I am glad to be getting away from (not family members). Since I do not want to create enimies (although this would be interesting) these people shal remain namelss...but please know that they do exist.

Now I finally have time to prepare for the Putnam exam. I plan to buy the book Problem Solving Through Problems. I hear that it is amazing at preparing students for the Putnam examination. If it is as good as I hear I will loan it to you once I an done with undergrad or maybe I'll even share it with you...if you decide to come to UF.

First things first though, I really need to catch up on some sleep, so I think I will spend about an extra thirty minuets sleeping each day. Then I will be ready to lean Analysis, Discrete math, probability, and prepare for the Putnam.

Well that is all for now.

It's almost over...

My career as a student of K-12 public school is almost over.
Those of you that complain about 13 years of school...shut up.
I had to do 14+ years (I was already in school before I came to America and started kindergarden)
I look back and would like to thank all of the teachers that I have ever had. Even those that I did not really like, they have taught me how to pretend to like people. =)

One more MAO trip...and then it is official, I will no longer be part of Chilse Mu Alpha Theta :(
better make this last comp. count.

Wallstreet...or something w/ statistics

Well sure I plan to be a pure math major...but I really have to overall favorite topic.
I mean in pure math my favorite topic would be number theory.
But in applied it is most definitely STATISTICS.
Sure having a job that deals w/ pure math would be great but to me it feels as if I would not be acomplishing much. So I plan to focus more on statistics and economics.

Well if it turns out that I do not become a Quant there is always the option of Actuary I guess =\

...one week later...

Well after my first week of AP exams I think I have done pretty well.
AP Statistics: wtf was up w/ #6 FRQ but still think I got a 4 or 5
AP Calculus BC: I would be surprised if I missed any of the multiple choice questions. On the FRQs there was only one part of a question that I had no idea about but am sure I got the rest right. However, I know that I could have written better "proofs", but an sure I got a 5.
AP Lit. and Comp.: the multiple choice got raped...the essays I just didn't care as much, so they sorta sucked.
Well this up coming week I plan to pass atlast 2 (Chem. and Econ.).
I have been told that Government was easy but I'm still sorta worried...will go over old FRQs tomorrow so I should be fine.
Chemistry I am ready to destroy...I hope. I KNOW that I will pass most likely a 3 by after the gov. exam I plan to do some last minuet review to turn that 3 into a 4 =)
Economis is the one topic of all of these that I find the most interesting. However, since Swanson really didn't teach us SHIT I am going to have to learn it all in about 1-2 days. If I was not going to be a mathematics major I would probably have decided to major in either economics or buisness.
Well back to studying...can't wait for APs to be over so that I can start to actually focus on getting ready for the Putnam.

12 Types of Girls

This was made possible by Binita.

There are 12 types of girls : 1. Ms. Gold-Digger Advantages a. You have some one to manage your money. b. She always looks good. c. She makes your other niggas jealous. d. She makes you look good. Disadvantages a. When you get broke she'll be gone and take what you have left. b. She makes sure she has a child by you to sue you for child support. c. Once your nigga comes up she'll be on his arm the next day. 2. Ms. Freak (secret lover) Advantages a. She knows all the right positions. b. She'll try everything more than once. c. You're never unsatisfied. d. She'll do all the things your girl won't do. e. She doesn't mind being your freak, as long as she catches one too. Disadvantages a. Eventually, b/c she's a female, she'll end up catching feelings. b. She starts to act like she's your "main". c. She fucks wit ya boy and act like you in the wrong for telling her that she's a freak. d. Eventually her shit gets old. And you need a replacement. 3. Ms. Independent Advantages a. You don't have to worry about buying her anything. She got it. b. She's intelligent, sassy, confident and determined. c. She's great for (business) conversation. d. She keeps it real and has goals. e. She knows how to please a man. Disadvantages a. She will continuously let you know, that she can handle it on her own. b. She will eventually say fuck you and get a dildo. c. She will consider you another one her play toys, or goals. 4. Ms. Dyme Advantages a. She's top of the line. b. She stays looking like a fantasy. c. She has the body of a goddess with the face to match. d. She considers herself a "model" e. Gets you on hard whenever you see her. f. All the girls envy her, but she doesn't care. Disadvantages a. She's superficial. She cares only about her looks. b. She honestly lacks confidence and will annoy you about the way she looks. c. She's probably dumb as hell and if she's not her personality is dry. d. You have to constantly keep your game up b/c every nigga is gonna try to get her. 5. Ms. Tomboy Advantages a. She's cool and laid back. b. She'll be willing to play rough with you. c. Of course, she loves sports. d. Her body is athletically divine. e. She's easy to talk to and fun to be around. f. She's a diamond in the rough. Disadvantages a. She'll remind you too much of your nigga. b. She might not want to change her appearance. c. She might actually beat you in basketball, football and track. 6. Ms. Ghetto Advantages a. She's not afraid of any other female or male. She will fight to keep you. b. She's down for you. She'll be there to bail you out of jail. c. She's always stays fresh. d. She can cook up a storm. She can make the best out of a bad situation. e. She keeps it real and keeps you satisfied. Disadvantages a. She doesn't know how to act in public. b. Your mama can't stand her. c. You get into with her every other second. d. She's willing to fight another girl looking at you or her PERIOD. e. Her weave colors are distracting and her vocabulary is minimal. 7. Ms. Good Girl Advantages a. She's always there for you. b. She's intelligent, classy, kind, sweet and cool. c. Your mother loves her. d. You can see yourself falling in love with her. e. You are her first everything. f. She makes you feel like a man. Disadvantages a. She's an A or B situation either: A. You're not gonna get any until ya'll are married or B. She said she's never done - she said she's never tried - she's sitting there telling a muthafukkin' lie. 8. Ms. Main Advantages a. She is the one you respect. b. She probably may know about the others but might not care. c. She has all the qualities you want in a female. d. You've been with her forever. Disadvantages a. She starts getting very suspicious and calls you every moment. b. She will devise a plan to catch you in your act and then kick your ass 9. Ms. Psycho Advantages a. She's fun and spontaneous. b. She's down to earth. c. She loves you unconditionally. d. Everything about her is too good to be true. So everyone loves her. e. She makes you feel loved. Disadvantages a. Don't you break up with her. She will stalk your ass. b. She keeps pictures of you everywhere and knows everything about you. c. She can manipulate the hell out of you. d. She will consider herself wifey even if she may just be that chick on the side. e. Fuckin' with her can make your life a living hell. 10. Ms. I have a Man Advantages a. She may have a man but she'll mess with you anyway. b. She looks good. c. You have an intense night of passion with her. Disadvantages a. She'll always come crying to you about the problems with her man. b. She'll get you caught up and then leave you anyway for her man. c. If you piss her off she'll get her man to come beat your ass. d. She'll unofficially make you her man once she gets pissed off at her real man. 11. Ms. Tease Advantages a. She's tempting and a nice piece of eye candy. b. She's intelligent, athletic, respectable and SEXXXXXXY. c. She knows how to turn you on without touching you. d. Everything she does is just so sensual. e. She can bring you to that point and make you wait to get it. f. Every time you see her you catch a mini orgasm. g. Every nigga wants her b/c she's so mysterious and that makes you want to get her first. Disadvantages a. NO matter what you think or do you never get it. b. She probably has a long distance boyfriend somewhere that you will never know about. c. She gets you hard and leaves you like that. (Unbearable) 12. MRS. RIGHT Advantages a. She is not sexy, fine, or a dyme she is Beautiful and therefore encompasses all of these descriptions. b. She is intelligent, sassy, funny, outgoing, determined, strong and classy. c. She can cook or at least order a meal that is just like your mother's. d. Her personality is just as beautiful as her body. e. She believes in God and follows his virtues. f. She knows that a relationship requires a 200% quota yet she gives her man an extra 10%. g. She can please her man in anyway. Mentally, Spiritually, and Sexually. h. She makes you recognize your full potential as a man and completes you. i. She's always there for, no matter what your dreams are. j. She's not afraid to tell you the truth and set you straight. k. You can talk to her and confide in her, she's your best friend. l. You love being around her more than your boys. m. You can share your most intimate moments with her without sex. n. You can have a bad argument with her and have the BEST Mind Numbing and passionate love making fest ever. o. She's always willing to find a way to work out your problems and will often take most of your *bleep*. But she's also intelligent enough to leave. p. She's nothing like any other girl you've met. She's your woman. Disadvantage a. You've probably met her, or had her in your life but got too consumed with all the other types that you let her go

AP Statistics

Today I spent atleast 4 hours studying for the AP Statistics exam.
I'm using 5 Steps to a 5. It's pretty good and I an almost done with it. I plan to stay home tomrrow and finish studying and take a few practice test.
I know that I can pass this exam without studying but I really badly want a 5 so...
Oh but before I could start studying I had to finish the stupid cumulative review for calculus. Really it was not difficult, it only took about 1 to 2 hours, but I really needed/wanted to study for Statistics so it was just an inconvenience.

-Nick

State

Just got back from MAO State. I did quite well I think, although I would have like to have placed on the individual (I placed 27th but only top 25 get trophies).