Applications

So I was figiting with this touchscreen monitor at work, getting it hooked up so the physicians can draw various colourful circles (in the profession, it's called segmentation) around left ventricles to apply Simpson's rule (ie reduce life into rectangles. Add up the rectangles. Simple guessimation at its best). This physician came into the room and started poking around with the MR software. Then he asked me about my background (and so we got into the whole "I'm a engineering student from Waterloo..." routine)...then he did something totally unexpected. He went to google, typed in "electromagnetic spectrum" (I cringed a little) then produced this EM spectrum graphic. Then he asked me to explain it to him. I was like...uhhhh...okay...

So I launched into a discussion about how E = hf...wave-particle duality...photoelectric effect...electron excitation in semiconductors...the Uncertainty principle...and all the other random EM and quantum physics I learned in high school (and forgotten) and university (seriously. quantum physics wasn't built for normal human consumption)...to me, EM physics was just a handful of facts. Something they taught at school. Not much more thoughts after that. But to this physicist, who's apparently never learned any of this (I suppose UK education system doesn't dab in the incomprehensible physics areas), it was like a new world opened. He was asking me questions that I had no answer for (how does one explain that light wavelengths isn't actually...physical?)...then it hit me.

Maybe it is just school mentality. But after a good three years of Waterloo education, I've realized that I've begun to treat physics, a field that I was once facinated with, has become just another topic. Another thing I need to learn. In fact...I've consistently perfered my electives (KIN160, PSYCH101, KIN255, BIOL273...and now pending SYDE573) over my core engineering courses...why? It's different. It's fresh. It's new. It's cool...

Campus Challenge 2008 was last weekend. It was alright. To the people who asked how it was, my typical reply was "good reflection time"...and it was. As I sat there, listening to the speakers rant and the Bible study (was totally hardcore. The sheer amount that Al Anderson knew was amazing), it reminded me to start reading again. But as I picked up my Bible...I realized that perhaps, just a little, I've applied to this same mentality. As we talked about Acts...Romans...the only thought was to pour out knowledge. Thus underlining the gap between theory and application.

I remember back in high school, I used to have non-nonsensical arguments with people applying for the Sciences. The argument was...without engineers, scientists are useless, as it is engineers that make their work meaningful (ie, taking the theories and making it practical). Ironic then, that an engineer would forget how to apply the practicality, the application that is Christian living.


On another note, here are my current identified perks at work:
- Half off on crutches (anyone broke their legs recently?)
- 99% of erasing my TTC metropass every time I step into the 1.5T magnet room... and no, I didn't actually do it. I almost did. Oops.
- Windows in my office. Windows!

Week report, Toronto

I've officially been in Toronto for a bit over a week now. All the paperwork at work is finally done, and I'm now an official employee of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Alot of random running in the first few days (In fact...I was at the NTCBC building four times in my first two days in Toronto...wasn't bad. I saw a few people from Calgary too, so that was rather amusing.

Face in the sea of faces
Once thing I noticed is that...it feels so much easier to "get lost in the crowd" here. Not that I always saw people I'm familiar with when I was in Waterloo, but I suppose the fact that there is simply more people here, in Toronto. I think that's why little acts of kindness stand out so much.

I was getting on this TTC bus...since it was the first time I was taking Bayview North, I asked the bus driver if this was the bus I wanted...he said it was, so I sat down, and promptly fell asleep. Shortly before Bayview Village (I told the bus driver I needed groceries, so was going to Loblaws), he woke me up (in between comments of how bad some Toronto drivers are -_-), then drove me to the closest entrance to Loblaws, even though everyone else got off and the driver's route technically ended 3 or 4 stops back. I suppose it's little acts like that ... keeps the city from feeling just like a sea of faces.

Names
So apparently I acquired the nickname of "Grasshopper" from NTCBC's Josiah (University) fellowship, due to my noob-ness at sushi rolling (hey...just cuz it was triangular...). I'm mildly amused at the fact that my list of names seems to grow, whereever I go. I suppose, for the sake of straightforward communication, me having such a common name =P.

Toronto "to visit" sites...
And so one of my housemate composed a "to visit" list for me when I'm in Toronto. Among it includes the Science Centre and the Toronto Zoo, as well as the habourside downtown. The weather is getting nicer. Maybe I'll rollerblade around one of these weekends...

SLC Reflections

I thought it'd be amusing if I answered the grad interview questions with the things I've seen from SLC, over the last little bit of endless studying there. I think I've clocked more time at the SLC than my ECE222 assembly lab room...haaaa...

What is CCF?

• people that bike from home to give us bread at 12.30AM at the SLC
• people that shove over to cram absurd number of people at a desk
• people that stay an extra hour or two to keep others company
• people that walk around to all the tables whenever someone is walking down 2 flights of stairs for Timmy's
• dinner plans are made 10+ and where the runners spend 1.5+ hrs waiting for food to be prepared

Looking back

• Three hour discussions about anything but school, especially two days before two exams
• Running off to V1 to abuse frosh meal plans and return ice cream back to the SLC, where it is eaten communally, passed around a circle
• Encounting a particularly large piece of "ginger candy" in a random box of food, and ranging through a large amounts of facial expressions before deciding it was not edible
• Messaging other people at my table, down the hall or downstairs in the SLC
• Intensive discussions about Pikachu and Pikachu related objects
  

Growth and Learning

• Praise and worship on Fridays
• Setting time apart, even when there is no time to set apart

Pathfinding

• Random little encouragement notes
• All the Timmy's trips
• And all the plaza trips
• And the seat reserving

Unity

• Making fun of froshes. Especially ones that is doing anatomy and plays Starcraft all day lon
• Long discussions about what is CCF
• Running around with CCF-branded shirts (you can still order!)
• Listening to random concerts
  

Passing on the torch

• Yes, I know I can't spell
• Studying at SLC seems to be the best community that CCF offers =P
• If you want tons of work done, don't do it. Otherwise, SLC is good times

3A, final stretch

Apr 10, Thurs - ECE 222 (Digital Computers)
Apr 17, Thurs - ECE 309 (Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer)
Apr 19, Sat - ECE 370 (Electromagnetism...oy...)
Apr 21, Mon - ECE 342 (Linear Signals and Systems)
Apr 22, Tues - ECE 309 (Probability)

Mmm. It began. And it goes on. I need to do my end of term reviews soon -_- ... how did this term go so fast?

Work starts on Apr 28. Sunnybrook Hospital, programming for the Cardiac MRI interoperative team. Should be interesting. First time in Toronto...a bit excited, I suppose. I think, growing up in Calgary, it doesn't really feel like a big city, when you spend all your time in the NW quad. Then in Waterloo, where you can really just walk to campus and whatnot. Now I get to play with buses and subways and all sorts of fun. Need a "to do" list for TO...hmm...

CCF Sharing Night

Okay, so I'm going to cheat a bit with this entry. I was sitting in CCF sharing night and was transcribing to Vanessa Li, who was at home in Richmond Hill. And since I written all that up somewhere already, might as well push out the comments of people. I've realized my transcription skills suck, so I guess, all I'm going to put here is the main ideas of things. Here we go (loosely categorized)...

CCF At Large

• it's hard for you (CCF) to approach new people...but it's also hard for new people to approach CCF...so...
• a fellowship that is so open and caring...quick to forgive, and accepting of each other...
• sometimes, its hard to notice when people are struggling. if you're struggling, go ask about it. people arin't always attentive enough to just notice that something is off. approach people. we have a big fellowship...thus a large experience base
• CCF isn't about the leadership, the committee...it's about the fellowship, about the people, about the members
• when the fellowship knocks, open the door

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

- Revelation 3:20 (UWCCF term verse)

Serving

• step up and serve each other ("CCF Congee Team")
• share your vision -> unite people -> something awesome about being united under one banner
• don't be afraid to serve. none of us are especially qualified. we're all searching and learning ourselves
• it's easy to make easy to make excuses to avoid serving and leading and whatnot. use the people around you as encouragement

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

- Philippians 4:13

Encouraging and Sharing

• share and pray. it's good. accountability, to encourage.
• preserve through struggles. everything happens for a reason. God works in mysterious ways. God will use everything
• be encouraging. every little bit counts. you never know how powerful a handful of simple words can be
• encouraging to hear other people growing
• just because you don't feel that you can talk good (Moses) ... it doesn't mean your words don't matter
• talk to people. everyone has a story. there's more than what meets the eye. go talk to people
• have deep, strong and meaningful friends who will tell you brutal and honest truth

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

- James 1.2-5

God with us

• prioritize well. where is God in the little things in your life?
• Read the Bible. It's awesome
• God has a plan for everyone. even you
• work as if it all depends on you, pray as if it all depends on God
• we don't have to do anything, God will take care of it all
• have faith. Christ has already won

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it...

- Psalms 24

Bits of life

• try your best
• offer and receive kindness
• never lose hope
• work diligently, through even the most mundane tasks
• everyone has trials. you're not alone
• experiences and situations is what you make out of it
• have substance -> 2 Peter 1.5 (why is kindness so far removed from knowledge)...knowledge without kindness causes destruction...but kindness without knowledge is just as effective -> temper knowledge with kindness ... God is love
• spend more times with people outside of CCF. you may be the only Christian in their life (anti-bubble mentality)
• physical, mental and spiritual balance -> join CCF hockey!
• smile

Special thanks?

• to the grads
• to the fellowship
• to the CCF congee team
• to all the "mentors" of CCF
• to the bible study leaders
• people who shares timmy win tabs

And Victor advertised his blog. So I'll put it here.