If you’re ever in Orange County with a decent bike and a couple hours of free time, go for this ride (if you do go, bring a good amount of water and a snack).  I went today, and it was the best ride I’ve been on since I started riding around Irvine last year.

Tags: Life

So, I’ve been keeping busy in school while still looking for a job. I spent the majority of today doing complex analysis homework (a 17-problem set, which is basically unheard of around here; most problem sets are 4-7 problems and take 6-10 hours to complete), but I managed to get in a tiny bit of job scouting.  I have a few leads around here that I’m hoping will pan out…craigslist and CareerBuilder have been helpful in finding new possibilities (thanks to Mike for the craigslist lead).  I’m staying pretty positive about this whole situation (thank you all for the encouragement), and I feel like this will end up being for the best.

In other news, I’ve been occupying my time engaging in conversation about political issues (both online, and offline), and reading things online (and in Time) to stay updated on what (in my opinion) is going to be one of the most important elections of our generation. I think the outcome of this election will shape our nation (and the world’s relations with it) for decades to come, and the changes made (or not made) will have very lasting effects on not only our lives but the lives of future generations.

On a semi-related note, if you are a California native (which I assume most of you are), I encourage you to vote yes on Prop. 1A, which if passed will allow the funding of a high-speed rail network similar to those found in Europe and Japan. You can research the details further yourself, but I have done a lot of thinking about this one and in my opinion this railway would provide a great all-around stimulus (economically, environmentally, infrastructurally [is this a word?], etc.) to California.

In closing, I recommend to all my readers to ride bikes more often, attempt tough math problems, stay informed on political issues (at least for this year), and listen to more Coldplay.

Tags: Life, Politics, School

With regard to last night’s post, I’d like to point out that I’m not the only person who has been put in this position.  Over half of the second year students that took the exam failed.  Several of my friends have already left the program because they can’t afford to pay for this year or they chose not to.  The ones that are staying are searching for some source of income in order to support themselves.

The outcome of this exam affected a lot of people, so please keep them in your thoughts as well.

Thanks.

Tags: Life, School

Well, it turns out that I did not pass the all-important test I took a couple weeks ago.  What this means for me is that I can no longer continue in the mathematics Ph.D. program here at UCI.  However, I’m in the process of petitioning the school to stay on campus until the end of the year to get my Master’s degree.  From what I understand, most students are allowed to stay through the end of the year, so I’m not to worried about the appeal process.  Unfortunately, failing the exam means I lost my department funding (which came in the form of a teaching assistantship and fee fellowship), and the university will not offer me any other financial support.

So, since I don’t have any funding but we still want to stay on campus, I’m currently looking for a way to pay for a year of school.  This kind of responsibility is really making me feel independent and maybe a little worried, but I think that a lot of good can still come of this.  Namely, I’m hoping to find a new job that will hopefully help me decide what I’d like to do for the rest of my life.

Irvine is a good place to be for someone with my background, because there are a lot of tech companies in the area: Google, Broadcom, Microsoft and Blizzard all have a major presence in Irvine.  Hopefully, one of these places can provide me with a part-time job to at least sustain us for this year.  And it would really put the icing on the cake if I were offered a job that I’ll enjoy.

Keep us in your thoughts.

Tags: Life, School

Today I took an exam that will effectively determine my eligibility to remain in my Ph.D. program here at UCI. All I can say is that I hope I passed, but since completing the test my mind has been racing with possible scenarios and situations that may come up if I failed.

However, rather than listing them here, I’d rather not think about them. If I failed, perhaps I will revisit the subject. Otherwise, I will congratulate myself and continue this chapter of my life.

Tags: Life, School

I bought a road bike last July, and since buying it I’ve been pretty happy.  This year I mostly used it as transportation to and from school, but recently I’ve been riding it a lot more as a recreational/exercise activity.  Irvine has a great network of bike paths, and I’ve had a ton of fun exploring areas of town that I wouldn’t normally see in a car.  It is also extremely exhilarating to see how fast I can go down some of the hills around the area.  Also, after a short morning ride (5-6 miles) I feel better throughout the day than I would if I got no exercise.  On weekends it’s pretty fun to see how far I can go before I get too tired and have to turn around.

As far as upkeep goes, I haven’t taken care of it as much as I should have, but fortunately when you buy a bike from Performance they give you free tune-ups for the lifetime of the bike.  As far as overall customer care goes, however, I would recommend other local bike shops over Performance, since Performance is such a large corporation.  It often seems that they don’t really drive home the importance of good customer service to their employees.

Anyways, getting a bike was one of the better decisions I’ve made this year, so I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Tags: Life

I got married three weeks ago, and I highly recommend it.

Tags: Life

The Dark Knight is easily the best film I’ve seen since The Departed last year.  Heath Ledger gave the most convincing performance I’ve ever seen in an action film.  Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman’s role reprisals were top-notch as well.  I can’t wait to see this film again.

Tags: Film

GET IT. You won’t regret it.

Tags: Music

I’ve recently acquired The Alchemy Index, Vols. I-IV by Thrice, and I am amazed at the diversity of this collection (thanks to Jason and Zim for the recommendation). Each volume (they come in two sets of two EPs each) is themed according to one of the four basic alchemical elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. After listening to each one a few times (see my Last.fm chart from a couple weeks ago), I’ve picked out my four favorites – one from each volume:

Fire – “Burn the Fleet” – This song is just so evocative. The images which the lyrics produce vividly describe the true desperate spirit of battle and victory, and the consequences of failure.

Water – “Open Water” – This is a mellow song that has some seemingly theological implications. The way I interpret things, this song compares the ocean to God, because “it gives and takes away.” The accompanying music does an incredible job of providing the listener with a sense of depth – as though the song itself is being cast up from the bottom of the sea.

Air – “Daedalus” – This song revisits an older Thrice song (“The Melting Point of Wax”) and an even older story – the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus. The song is heard from Daedalus’ point of view as Icarus’ father, and it brilliantly uncovers a parent’s inner hopes and desires for the life of his child.
(Honorable Mention – “A Song for Milly Michaelson”)

Earth – “Digging My Own Grave” – I love this song simply because it is so far away from what I normally would expect to hear from Thrice. This was one of the first songs I heard from the collection (during a random sampling), and it struck me as being wholly original and beautiful.

Even if you’ve never listened to or enjoyed Thrice before, you should still check out The Alchemy Index. The group truly pushed their limits making this collection: each volume has a distinctive style and each song fits its corresponding theme, but the entire collection can be viewed as a whole, with each element complementing the others. Each song in a volume achieves a different result than the last, and each EP displays a different aspect of the band’s technical prowess. They definitely played up the dichotomies between these four fundamental media – and the result is an amazing journey through pure audio bliss.

Tags: Music