Jansepar.com

When the summer started, I decided that I would post once a week.

Clearly, that didn’t happen. So, I’ve decided to post my weekly goals on this blog, so that way, everyone knows about my goal, and if I fail to meet it, it won’t just me myself who is disappointed, and thus I might manage to meet my goal!

I will have a new post every Sunday by 11PM. Next post: EA Co-op Review!

I’ve also got a new theme, the old color scheme was garbage. I’m sure you all agree.

So, I’m sure most of you know, Rogers announced a 6GB plan for the iPhone for $30 a month. I’d say that’s pretty decent. Although its not unlimited, apparently AT&T caps people at 5GB a month south of the boarder, so really this price is quite fair. Now, although this is a great step in the right direction, it just shows you how much of an greedy company Rogers is when they boost there equivalent data plan from 400mb to 6gb. Its clear they had more bandwidth then anyone could imagine, yet they still decided (initially) to try to squeeze us out of every dollar.

So, I was going to get an iPhone, but there is a little problem I have, which is the fact that I’m going to Europe for 8 months, and thus would need to pause my account if I wanted to get an iPhone on a (ridiculous) three year plan. I assumed this wouldn’t be a problem, as I would request the payments to pause, not skip out on 8 months of payments, I know Rogers wants every penny of those 36 months that I would be signing up for. So I phoned in today, just to make sure they would be able to accomidate such a request, but apperently, this is a “feature” that they aren’t able to accomodate. What the fuck are they talking about? How can you not pause an account for a certain period of time? Its not like they are going to lose any money at all. Apperently my only option would be to pay for the bare-minimum each month while I’m gone, even though I’m not using the phone. What kind of bullshit is that? Once again, fuck you Rogers, you are absolutely fucking useless.

For those of you who haven’t seen:

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/iphone_voice_data_packages

Who’s the idiot that decided that these prices are justifiable? I would like to meet this person and tell them that a retarded dog could make a better decision.

As you can probably tell, I’m frustrated about this, and that’s putting it lightly. Why? These prices are rediculous. Rogers is the number one reason for why Canada is the most well-off country with some of the worst technology in the world. Why should we have to pay $60 dollars for a plan that comes with 400mb of data, when if I lived just south of the border, the same plan on AT&T would cost me the same price for UNLIMITED data? We aren’t very far from the border, are we?

Rogers consistenly disappoints me, and the rest of Canada. This company is the reason we have phones that came out two years ago in China, they are the reason developement for the mobile platform in Canada is extremely low, and they are the reason for us falling back in competition with countries such as Japan and Germany in the fastest growing industry.

You can’t place the the blame soly on Rogers though, a huge reason for the failure we see is due to the Canadian government, two dictates which companies can provide us with telephone services. Now, don’t be fooled by companies such as Koodo, Fido, Bell, and all those other phone companies. They are all either Rogers or Telus. Koodo? Telus. Fido? Rogers. Bell? Telus. When is the government going to wake up and realize that this socialist bullshit is hurting both the consumer and the industry to a point where our technology is vastly inferior to most of the worlds leading countries.

I was going to buy an iPhone, but after seeing these prices, I can’t bring myself to pay such vast amounts of money. $60 dollars, and another $15 to essentially get call display, and the bullshit system access fee, and then tax. ~$100? No thanks. It is an amazing product, but if the USA can do the pricing right, why can’t we? I’m hoping that the iPhone sells so poorly that they will be forced to change their rates, because at this point, I won’t have an iPhone in the foreseeable future.

That’s right Rogers, I hope you fail. I hope you fail so hard that you’re CHILDREN will feel it. And THEIR children! Oh wait, we’re talking about a company here. Whatever, go burn Rogers, you bastard.

I guess my goal of posting once a week failed. I don’t know why really, I have a lot more free time now that I’m working full time without having homework.

In case anyone is wondering, so far EA has been great. The people are fun to work with, they are quite easy going and willing to help me out with any problems or questions I have. I was concerned for the first couple of days because of how little experience I had compared to the people I was working with, but that worry has been put to rest. They really encourage me to learn as much as I can, and I’m definitely all for it.

Now, the question is, what do I prefer, working an 8 hour shift and going home with no immediate responsibilities, or going to school with a pile of homework? Whats more appealing? Well, to tell you the truth I dont have an answer to that question, at least not at the moment. They both have their ups and downs. One of the obvious benefits of working an 8 hour day is that when I come home, I can do whatever the hell I want, without having to worry about finishing off my math assignment or reading a million pages from some history book. But when it comes to school, there are days were the homework won’t be so bad, there will be long stretches of not much to do at all, and then you’ll get hit by a tsunami of homework and studying for two weeks straight. It all depends on what you want, and how highly you rank consistency in your life.

Maybe its just me, but in the last 5 semesters, I’ve constantly had courses that I’ve had to do, and I’ve constantly have had homework piling up, and its started to become routine. My first two semesters were hell, but I’ve become used to the structure of the university life, and frankly, its quite a different experience only having to work. One of my major concerns when starting at EA was adjusting to a full 8 hour work day. Back in the day when I worked at Wal-mart, I worked all the time, because the job required my constant attention, but when I got my job at SFU, very little work was required. I’m expected to do my job when I need to, and when there is nothing to do, I’m not expected to do anything, nor do I seek it out. I’ve been doing that for a good year and a half, so I feared that I wouldn’t be able to work for 30 minutes without taking a break by finding the latest funny video, reading a new article on digg, or chat on MSN. Luckly the transition wasn’t very difficult, because I’m motivated at this job.

The question is, how long will it be until one runs out of motivation. EA might be a bad example, because with the way the company is structured, and with all the great benefits they offer to their employees, it seems like it would be hard to run out of motivation. But I’m sure that if I was to do another coop at some other company (unless it was Google), then it would be a big step down, and maybe school would seem a lot more appealing at that point. Its all about how well a company motivates you without pushing you over the edge. Its a good thing I don’t plan on working for anyone when I graduate ;-).

While it is nice to come home from work and have nothing to do, being at school forces you to have lots of things to do, things that usually force people to interact with one and other, and since it starts over every 5 months, you’re constant meeting new people. That’s generally the part I like more about school then work, the fact that interaction with a lot of DIFFERENT people is a lot more frequent, which can be scary for some people, but its something that I enjoy. And this isn’t saying that I don’t meet people at EA, because I’d say each day I meet as many new people at EA as I do at SFU. But the thing is, the people I meet at EA are generally all of the same type, and lets just say there is a significantly smaller ratio of men to women then there is at SFU. Now, if you’re the type who just goes to school, does there homework, and nothing else, then I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that work is definitely your preference. But if you take advantage of what your post-secondary institution has to offer in terms of getting involved with the school, then you’re going to miss these things at a company (unless the company has a great culture that allows you to get involved). At SFU, I get envolved with societies and clubs as much as can, whether it be running my own club or working with my department’s student society, and its these kinds of things that I would miss from working at some run of the mill company.

At the moment, I love working at EA. I love what I do, I love what I’m learning, its just an overall great place to work. The question is, will there be a day when I go to work, and I feel like I’m not being challenged enough. When it comes to a full time job, the day you step into that facility, and you are no longer being challenged, you better either find another project to work on within the company (EA actually encourages this, which is a great benifit), or find something you’re passionate about. Basically, the reason I can’t answer the question at hand is because right now, I’m feeling more motivated and challenged then ever. But I could see that changing, and not specifically with EA, but with any nine to five job. I’m getting a taste of real life right now, and while its great, I’m guessing that when its all said and done I’m going to look back s and realize that those carefree days of sleeping through lectures were the best of my life.

I guess we’ll see ten years from now if I’m right.

So, today was my first day of work, although it wasn’t really “work”, it was an orientation to get us started with everything. One of the first things we had to do was sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (sorry everyone, that means I won’t be dishing out any inside secrets!), and a bunch of other minor details, such as getting paid and such ;-). The people there are pretty cool, and I ran into Curtis there, which was unexpected. The majority of the co-ops there are from UBC and Waterloo, there was only about 3 SFU students out of 30 co-ops, which is surprising since I thought SFU was a better CS school then UBC…

The campus is one of the most amazing buildings I have ever been in. Foosball, pool, soccer, hockey rinks, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, you name it, its all there at my disposal. And there are games everywhere, on every floor, free arcades and everything. I’m really looking forward to playing NHL 2009, I hope its playable right now! I also get games for $20 bucks, and I think I can get some for friends, so, any requests?

The most mindblowing thing for me was the fact that the gym is open 24/7. Thats right, its open all the time, and I THINK they said I can get a pass for one person (or it might have been for regular employees, not 100% sure, I’ll have to check on that). Not sure who I’m going to give that to, I want to give it to someone who would get the most use out of it.

Besides all that, we got an extensive tour of the whole building, as well as some manditory presentations about policies and practices, nothing too exciting. Tomorrow all the co-ops have to do a Software Engineering information session, and then Wednesday I finally get to meet the team I’ll be working with! I’ll post about that stuff at the end of the week. I would post every day, but I’m lazy, so I won’t make that promise.

So, my fifth consecutive semester at SFU has come to an end, and its time to reflect.

MACM 201 (Discrete Math) - This is the perfect example of SFU hiring teachers who can’t speak english to teach a class that defines a lot of concepts we’ll need to know for our future classes. I had no idea what was going on when the guy talked, and thus, I didn’t go to class. Ever. Everything was pretty much self taught. But then again, the same goes for all my classes this semester.

MATH 232 (Linear Algebra) - Now this was a good math class. It was to the point, made sense, and there was NO proofs. Hey, if its been proved before, why prove it again? It was “applied” linear algebra, by the way.

CMPT 275 (Software Engineering) - This is hands down one of the worst classes I’ve ever taken. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Software Engineering, its actually what I want to specialize in, but this class has taught me next to nothing. This class was piled on with a ton of bullshit work that was nothing more then work for the sake of work. Everything I learned that was valuable was how to work with a bunch of people on a peice of software, but that part lasted only two weeks. We would be marked down for the most ridiculous things. How can someone take a mark off for bad grammar when their comment is something like “Makes sense not”. If you’re going to dock us marks for English, then learn2english. Seriously.

I came into this semester with excitement, I expected that I was going to have tons of free time, considering my schedule was 10:30 to 1:30pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I was wrong. Both math classes had an assignment due every week, and both of them had two midterms. And besides that, we had “deliverables” for my software engineering class, which were segments of the project due on average due every week and a half. A month into the semester, I pretty much stopped going to lectures, half because my teachers were useless (MATH 232 was decent), and because most of the time I spent that time in the math labs trying desperately to finish my homework. It was the most grueling, intense semester so far, and the only reason it doesn’t seem as bad as the first semester at SFU is because I’m used to the punishment.

So, for those of you who go to SFU, and are looking for some advice, then NEVER take two math classes at the same time. I did it in the first semester, and I did it this semester, and it did not get any easier. Another thing that I learned was that you should really spred out your classes. I was so excited to just have three hours straight of class, but really, it sucked. I had no breaks, so there was nothing forcing me to stay up there and hang out. I would just come up, and leave, and what made my other semesters at SFU so awesome was hanging out with people during the breaks. So what it really comes down to is, if you want to enjoy your time at SFU, don’t just come up the hill for class and leave, you’ll regret it years down the road.

On the bright side, I’m almost done all my math classes, I just have to finish one more (although, its the hardest one), and then I’m done with pure mathematics for the rest of my degree! In the fall, I’m taking MACM 316, ITAL 100, CMPT 320, and I’m considering ECON 103, would that be too intense of a semester?

And now, it’s finally over. After my last final, I got a donair with a friend, and then I did what I do after I finish every semester; a couple of hours of doing nothing, without the lingering feeling of guilt creeping up on me. I’m sure everyone can agree that its the best feeling after finishing your last final. The greatest feeling for me right now is the fact that I won’t be going to school for the first time in five consecutive semesters. I’m really looking forward to just going to work for eight hours and coming home without having to worry about anything.

There are so many things I’m looking forward to this summer, I’d list them all but I’m sure I’ll blog about them eventually.

So, the Canucks were put out of commission yesterday, losing to a team we haven’t lost to in regulation in 12 games. I was there, live, and let me tell you, we played with no skill, and worse, no heart. The Canucks have been a team that has been dominated as of late, giving up two goal leads too many times to count. The fact of the matter is, we did not deserve to even make the playoffs, and in the long run, not making the playoffs might be better for the organization as a whole.

But despite all that, I still wanted the Canucks to make the playoffs. Sure, we probably would’ve gotten swept by Detroit in the first round, you have to agree that playoff hockey is one of the most exciting times of the year in Vancouver. It just brings something to this city, it brings people together like nothing else. Its always the number one priority around here (like when I had a calculus final exam the day after the first Dallas playoff game, and sayed for the whole thing). The games are always more exciting to watch, and I love seeing the city decorated in Canucks merchandise, I’ll especially miss seeing car flags everywhere.

What should be done in the off season? I’m not sure at this moment. I’m hoping for a top 6 forward who is Canadian, that would be ideal, but there aren’t many options out there. If you guys want to see a good unrestricted free agent list, check it out: www.hfboards.com.

Lets all hope Nonis can pull another Luongo-esk type deal

So, today I got a job offer from Electronic Arts!

I’m pretty excited, working at EA is something that I’ve always wanted to do since, well, I can remember really. I’m going to be working for the EA Sportsword team, and which develops the EA Sportsworld website.

I’m guessing you’re all wondering how I got the job. Well it was pretty simple actually, I just applied through my schools (SFU) Coop program and made a rediculously decked out cover letter and resume in hopes for an interview. I ended up getting a phone interview, and then they offered me a technical interview, which I accepted obviously. I’ve heard that they really grill you at there technical interviews, so I spent a good couple of days studying, which I think worked out well for me. I would talk about what was on the interview, but I had to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement), so I’m not really sure what I’m legally allowed to talk about, but lets just say, it was very difficult!

So, this morning I got the call from coop letting me know that they wanted to offer me the job!!! I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to all the perks as well, like the free gym, soccer field, roller hockey floor, vollyball court (with sand!), and a ton of other stuff. I also get games for $10 bucks a pop =D.

I’ll be working there from May 5th to August 22nd, so I’ll probably be blogging about it while I’m there (but not giving away any information that would get me fired =P).

Hopefully I’ll be able to give some people some tours, better call dibs

So, today Horatiu and I finally decided to stop procrastinating and finally fill out our forms to apply for International Exchange to attend Charles University in the Czech Republic. For those of you who don’t know (but I’m sure most of the people who read this blog do), Horatiu and I plan to go to Europe for about eight months in January 2009, first to Czech for first four months, and then travelling in the latter four months.

Here is a picture of where we will be attending class:

For those of you wondering why we decided to go on international exchange, or more specifically, why in the Czech Republic, let me explain.

This may be different from why Hora wants to go, but I am going first and formost because I feel that I never really got the full “University” experience. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Simon Fraser and I have no regrets in my choice, but by living at home and attending university, I never had a chance to experience living on your own, and more importantly, living on your own with thousands of others your own age. Living at home still definitely has its benifits, expecially when it comes to saving money, and its not so bad as my parents are pretty relaxed, but living on your own and having a place to yourself is an entirely different experience. This experience is here to make up for all the fun I could have potentially missed, and considering I’m going to be in a entirely new country, I’m hoping it will make up for it and then some.

Now, why Czech? Well, the plan was definitely to go somewhere in Europe, and we thought to ourselves, where would be the best place to go that would have Western European living conditions, but cheaper, since I am a poor university student after all. We decided on Czech because its the defining middle ground in Europe, with the cheapness and fun of Eastern Europe, and the standard of living in Western Europe. Basically, the country had to have cheap beer, or it wasn’t going to be an option ;-). Also, since Czech is right in the middle, we are easily going to be able to take multiple weekend trips to Berlin, Vienna,  Budapest, and other surrounding cities.

So, whats the next stop after our first four months in Czech? We plan to take the summer off and go travelling. So far, the path that we’ve thought up involves going down Italy all the way until we hit Bari, which is the closest place to Greece (and where my mom’s side of the family is from). From there we will take a ferry to Greece, go through that country then head on over to Turkey. After that though the plans are a bit hazy, we aren’t sure which countries to go to from there, maybe a couple Baltic countries like Croatia, but like I said, we aren’t so sure. We are definitely going to stay in Romania since Horatiu is from there. After that, we plan to go to Poland, and my friend Izabela said we could stay at her place over there when we go, so that should be good times. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know! Or if anyone plans to go to Europe that summer, just give me a shout and we can meet in some country =D.

Right now, Hora and I are in the process of applying, so far we have to get 4 photographs of ourselves, talk to the CS Advisor, talk to a bunch of other advisers to match up courses from Charles to SFU, print our transcript, make a budget, and get two professors to recommend us. We should be able to take care of most of that pretty quickly, but for now, we have filled in a bunch of paper work, and thus completing out first steps towards our great journey.

For those of you who want to keep updated while I’m in Europe, check back here regularly, I’m hoping to blog while I’m there as much as I can (and hopefully I’ll have a decent layout/ colour scheme by then…). Hora will be taking most of the scenary pictures, since his camera is so badass, so you guys can head on over to www.hhalmaghi.com for his updates and pictures. I’ll be the one taking pictures of the drunken nights out =P

Or vice versa. How can good food still taste good when you cant taste?

I pondered these questions yesterday when I grabbed a tub of what I thought was vanilla yogurt, but eventually, through the magic of my brain, I found out it was plain. Now, I didn’t find out through taste, because I was sick. I just somehow magically knew! If someone has the answer, leave a comment, because I’m quite confused as to how that plain yogart “tasted” horrible when I couldn’t taste it at all.

I also had one of these today from Donair Town :

I couldn’t taste it, but it was just as amazing and satisfying as ever.