Daily // May 2006


 

May 31, 2006

Reading all my entries this month, I'd say that the quality is the highest among the past few months. The contents are rich and entertaining, and the new Lightbox system certainly helped in the visual area. That brings me to the next point: various improvements on this site in the past month has been really successful. Given that, should I finish the anticipated but not-fully-developed infinix layout or launch a slight facelift of the current version as a phase? I promise to have the answer tmr.

I've decided to write an article reflecting my career at Taft. That is, once I've settled the layout dilemmas.. As for now, I look forward to Martina's second round match in the French Open.


May 30, 2006


What is that? That's exquix.com graphed. To be more elaborate, the html code of this page is plotted as dots and linked together. For example, <a> tags are blue while <table> tags are red. You can make your own here: http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/.

Meanwhile, Hingis cruised past the first round of French Open, after a comfortable win against Lisa Raymond by 6-2 6-2. Good nite for now.

May 29, 2006

Last night, I was too tired from my flight back. The six hour flight from Hartford to LAX wasn't really that bad, since snacks were provided. But when we arrived, it was already 9pm pacific time, which means 12am in eastern time.

So, what did I do on my first day of holiday? Well, I woke up at 6:30 and turned on the tv. Voila! French Open was on. I was hoping to see Hingis' first-round action, but soon discovered that she's playing tmr. What outfit will she wear? I hope it's not this rumored one..it looks like the pregnant-Sharapova outfit..

  

Hope you like the new bg music, too.

Click for lyrics


May 27, 2006
Graduation


Last night I was too tired from the faculty-parent dinner dance to write my would-be last entry at Taft. Anyway, now, lying on a bed in Holiday Inn, away from the place I've come to love and hate, I guess I could reflect on this memorable day.

I woke up around 8:30, which is rather early, since I wanted to do some final laudrying. An hour later, I went to Centennial Courtyard to collect my graduation gown. Believe it or not: they actually have them all ready and marked for us and no measurements were needed. Maybe they guessed our sizes from memory.. I also reserved some seats for my parents and my american parents, who traveled all the way from Victor NY (seven hour drive). They arrived at 10:45. Around 11, graduation began.

The entire class of 06 gathered on the dirt road beneath the tennis courts and walked down the hill to the courtyard, with all faculties smiling/grinning and students cheering along the way. Since my last name is YOUNG, I had the 'honor' to take the last place. We were seated in the middle front of the crowd. Then sun was shining hard then and I felt like I'm being baked alive.

Speakers spoke and awards..blah blah blah..were handed to their recipients; then suddenly, a dark cloud floated by and it started to drizzle. The rain drops were rather large, I thought, but it was soothing since it cooled me off. It stopped in 5 minutes and the sun appeared again, this time not as hot as before. Afterwards, diplomas were conferred and once again I was the last person to get it. Does that mean I'm the last the graduate from the class? Anyway, I also noticed more clapping and cheering when Mr. Mac handed the diploma to me. Graduation ceremony came to an end here.

We then headed for lunch in a big tent in the soccer fields. As always, my dad dragged me to take photos with everyone. I also say my goodbyes to many people, including but not limited to: WilsonY, Chris, Lee, M, Palm, WilsonW (and maybe you). It's always sad to say goodbye, but memories always stay, right? Thank you to everyone who was involved in my life at Taft, and may the best be with you.

After lunch, my dad and I immediately went back to my room to gathered my remaining baggages. The elevator was broken down so the staircase was jammed with people carrying bags, lamps, trays of laundry, and even couches. We managed to get through. Our car past through the main gate and I looked back - sometimes I passionately hate Taft, but this is not one of those times. Instead I feel empty, deprived of expressions or words, and I just wanted to sleep and dream away..

After a nap in our hotel room, we went our to dinner in Carmen Anthony, together with Jeffrey's family. The food was superb - I ordered the 'Surf n' Turf', which means it comes with steak and lobster tail. Then suddenly, I was dragged back to the Taft bubble..

What happened? Well, Jeffrey insisted in going to the senior party, something I never thought of attending. Seriously, our head mon. sent out an email stating "what we're doing is illegal". So anyway, it was 9:30pm when we finished dinner, and the party had started for 2 hrs already, but Jeffrey still wanted to go. His parents drove us to the Ski Lodge and dropped us off, telling us they'd be back in an hour since they were protective as normal parents are. Upon entering, I felt like I was entering a social event I stood up against my whole life..

People were drinking, smoking, and walking around. I met Vanessa, Michelle, Justin, Mendez, Top and Canary there, and it seemed that they were all equally surprised by my arrival. All of them had to stay there tonight - god knows how many car accidents there would be if the gate is not locked. Jeffrey and I were sort of glad to leave, around 11:45.

Memories linger on. Through time, good memories always cover the bad ones. I will miss you guys.

      

Eugene Young
Class of 06

May 25, 2006
Senior Party


We had another social event tonight - senior party. Around 6:40, we walked up to Mr. Mac's house and took our class photo in the fields. So where did we have dinner - in his house? No. There's actually a tent set up right outside his house, and I just can't believe how he found room to put one. Anyway, it was kind of like a cocktail party, with waiters carrying large, silver plates of shrimps, rolls and sushi. Dinner was served later and both Hydrox and Oriocos performed. After their performance, it was once again dancing time. I just sat around for a while and left at 10.

Traditionally, senior run-through happens after the party at about 11. You may ask, what the hell is senior run-through? Well, as its name suggests, seniors run through all the dormitories and scream and knock down stuff and bang on doors and throw things at underclassmen. It was the craziest thing I've done at Taft (still can't believe I actually joined them), and it's also the event I'll remember the most about. After half-an-hour of hyper madness, I went back, took a shower, and jumped to bed.

May 24, 2006   Office 2007 Beta 2

Today we have an early entry (9:52am). Why? Partly because I want to introduce a new song. I can't guarantee that there'll be another song change before graduation, so this may be the last one I play at Taft. Another one by Sarah Brightman, joined by a tenor this time. You know, Jackie Chan sang it with Sarah when she toured Hong Kong in 2004.. You can watch it on youtube.

So, enjoy the music for now. I might be back tonight.

More..[11:20pm]
Office 2007 Beta 2 is officially released. And guess what? You don't have to be a beta tester to try it. You can get it for free here. Download is extremely fast (since it's directly from microsoft) and installation was quick. Mind you, if you have a previous beta installed, remove it before installing it. It'll remind you to do it anyway..so why not do it when it's downloading? Here's some screenshots.





Click for lyrics

May 23, 2006
Senior Cruise


Stepping on the rather-tiny cruise (1/5 of the size of Star Leo), I knew a boring evening was coming. We got our tables, then walked up to the top deck for random photo taking. But how can you taking photos for an hour?! I just want to eat dinner and get back.. So dinner came, but after dinner it was..dancing time. Well, I then stared at the wild people jumping up and down, bumping each other, and I had a faint desire of jumping the cruise. It's worse than formal; in formal at least you can leave early. Here, you have no where to go!

But then later I discovered another lonely person so I approached her and talked. I never knew we have so many things in common. Thanks for a fun night.

  

May 22, 2006

Well, for those who don't know, today is senior skip day. What does that mean? Simply put, it's a holiday for seniors. So what did I do? I woke up at 10 and went to Brassmill Mall to watch The Davinci Code with Jeffrey. It was boring (the trip), but I thought the movie was well-made. Some say it's not fun to watch if you've read the book, but I think the director still tried to emulate the masterful deceptions to cover up the antagonist.

After coming back, thirds tennis had a short team wrap up. Then, I returned to my room and watched another movie - The Fantastic Four. It was actually better than I expected.. It leaves us thinking what would happen to the four of them. There's definitely a sequel coming.

Senior cruise takes place tmr night. Anyone know if the cruise actually cruises around? Or does it just stay put?


May 21, 2006
Hingis crowned for the 41st time


Hingis earned her first comeback title after a 6-2, 7-5 win over Safina. Besides winning her 41st title, this victory also signifies her #502 career win (111 losses). She won this same tournament eight years ago, in 1998, beating Williams in the finals. She will now take a break and attend the French Open which starts in two weeks.

I updated the feature music and added a play/stop button above the image. Now, you can stop the music (why would you though?) by clicking it or, if you like the song, play it again without having to reload the entire site. So anyway, this time it's more of a classic. It's good to broaden our perspectives, right? Sarah Brightman's voice is always so mindblowingly beautiful. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Click for lyrics

May 20, 2006

Martina Hingis recovered from a 0-6 first set deficit and won two straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to beat Venus Williams. She will play Dinara Safina in the finals tmr. Go, comeback queen! Get your first comeback title!

Today was rather boring actually. In the morning, we had Collegium Revisited, where alumni came to sing with us (it's Alumni Day today). And to think, within a week, I'll be one of them too.. Then, in the afternoon, we played against Choate, and lost 5-2. It may not be the best way to end the season with, but I still think that our overall 5-2 record is great. I guess my job is done. May thirds tennis continue to thrive next year.

    

May 19, 2006
WMP 11


WMP 11 Beta was officially out this wednesday. After two days of testing, I still don't notice any apparent speed increase from WMP 10, but I'd say overall it works okay for a video player. I said "video player" because I mainly use it for videos; for music, I use iTunes. Anyway, if you'd like to try it out, go here.

Does my desktop look cluttered? I generally prefer a desktop with no icons on it, so that I can fully appreciate my wallpaper. The files you see are related to my course selections next year. Some dedicated students at Hopkins filed a course-selection-guidebook that has students' reviews of the classes, materials and professors etc. It's a helpful guide.

Yesterday it was sunny, today is was pouring. Will our last match with Choate tmr be canceled? Hopfully not.

P.S. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Mum.

May 18, 2006   Monitor exchange..redux

A few days ago, my brother told me that our new monitor is malfunctioning (flashing periodically and turns itself on and off). Well, I told him to install the driver..and he ignored me. What happens now? Just now, he told me he brought the monitor back, got a refund, and bought a better one in another store. It left me completely speechless. Here's what he got this time: this.

If you follow the site, you'll see that it has a special Xbrite coating. I actually recommend against it. Yes, the glossy surface increases contrast ratio and brightness, but in exchange your eyes get tired easier. So, you're forced to turn down the brightness so your eyes don't hurt. Then why did you pay for the extra brightness in the first place?


May 17, 2006

The reign of HK people in Taft's Internation Club has ended. Today, the new presidents and vice preidents are announced and they're both from Thailand. For the past three years, we had Jason Lee, Jason Lam and Vanessa Kwong - the three of them demonstrated contrasting leadership styles, but all did quite well. Let's hope that Pongsak and Oat will continue their legacy.

We actually have some post-AP math problems that have to be handed in tmr, and I spent the entire night doing them. They're all related to center of mass and are actually quite hard.. I've decided to give up on the last two problems (we have five) - maybe I'll get a 3 on this assignment.. Now I feel so frustrated that I could really use the dish-throwing-service-buddyInspire-cafe-provides (remember that?).

I have an advisor lunch tmr, and that would probably be my last one. Looking forward to escaping from Taft's food once again..

May 16, 2006   IE Tab

Firstly, happy birthday to Steven! I guess 19 signifies some kind of milestone in life, but it's different from turning 18.. What kind of milestone? Maybe I'll find out next year.

Thirds tennis practice today has again been canceled due to rain. Actually, we were required to meet around 3 for a short workout, but I didn't go. Sometimes coaches have to take some time off, right?

If you have regular listening abilities (assuming that you're using IE), you should hear the new bg music.. For those Firefox users viewing this, please install IE Tab. This extension is crucial for reading (and listening to) this site. You can click the pix for lyrics too. Enjoy.

More..
St. Paul's School (where Alvin is) is currently experiencing catastrophic flooding due to heavy rain. You can see pictures here: http://mistoverfm.org/sps/flood/. And yes, school is now suspended there. International students are being sent home.

Click for lyrics


May 15, 2006
Martina Hingis


If you ask me which female tennis player I like best, I will say Martina Hingis. What's so special about her? Well, she won her first Wimbledon title when she was 16, won three of the four Grand Slam titles in 97, and kept her throne as world's no.1 for 209 consecutive weeks. Besides her impeccable court craft and skill, she is smart, confident and radiant, always carrying that big, wide smile. Unfortunately in 2002, persistent ankle injuries forced her to leave the tennis tour prematurely. While she enjoyed her off-court time and pursued multiple hobbies, she realized that she can never do something as good as she plays tennis. Last November, she announced a fulltime comeback in 2006.

Till now, her comeback has been exception. From virtually no ranking (9999) in January, she climbed to 117 at the end of Jan, to 48 in Feb, to 26 in March and now she's at 21. Out of the ten tournaments she played, she has reached quarter-finals (8 players left) or better in six of them. Today, in the first round of "Internazionali d' Italia" (most people just call it Italian Open..), she demolished a qualifier by 6-0, 6-1. She plays 15th seed Nicole Vaidisova tmr. To get her latest news and results, go here.

Lastly, I finally decided on my rooming options next year. I requested a double in Wolman Hall. Want to look at Wolman's floor plan? Check April 17's entry. For greater covenience, you can go to archive.php for a clear listing of old dailys. Btw, I got this in the housing packet:


May 14, 2006   CSS Layouts

Those of you with knowledge in html probably squinched your eyes when you read "pure css layouts" on my 3rd anniversary entry. Isn't css (cascading style sheet) just an extension that specifies certain fonts and behavoirs for a website? The answer is not really. This great article "briefly" backtracks to how conventional web design is supposed to be like.

But of course, no one could read such a huge chunk of text..which is why I've summed it up for you.

Hope this synopsis helps. Honestly, I've just started reading into this topic.. One last thing: this youtube video deserves an honorable mention..

有了你, 為你鐘情 Live - 容祖兒
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK06wtqpEP0

May 13, 2006   YouTube

As an oversea hk student, fueling myself with hk culture is very important. Recently I've become quite obessive with youtube videos.. Let me show some of my discoveries today:

情歌的情歌 MV - 容祖兒
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3rMHN9ZKQM

Loving You - 張靚穎 (amazing voice!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brr61iOMw0M

TVB 一觸即發 再生緣版 - w/ Myolie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqYUFZpg4aE

Bad Day - feat. Samaire Armstrong (very enlightening!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7vBiYXn8aA


This afternoon I received a message from my brother saying that our monitor is broken. "Broken?!" I shouted angrily. He then boldly proposed that we get a new one. That's not a bad idea..I said. I recommended this to him. (I really did want to get that.) But he, being such a little me, actually wanted a sony. Then five hours later he told me he got one..

Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little, but in the end we decided to get a 17" sony over samsung. It's a good choice, right?



May 12, 2006
3rd Anniversary Special


Ladies and gentlemen, today is the 3rd Anniversary of Login U. On this special occassion, I'd like to tell you more about my site's past, present, and future.

The Origin

It all started in year 2002. Back then, I was a form 2 (grade 8) student still learning about the basics of html and flash. Remember Style Builder - my first website that displays my photoshop works and wallpapers? Friends surrounding me were all riding this trend. However, we were merely creating basic websites that look good, but didn't have much substance in them. They exhibited style and design, but not content. That summer, while Gordon and I attended summer school in Berkeley, he bestowed on me some useful knowledge in php, and it was the basis of this site.

Still, the idea of a daily site had not emerged until 2003. On February 13, Kevin introduced his new conceptual site, and the format ignited. Unlike a xanga blog, a personalized daily site is more formal, flexible and content-based. The term daily should not be confused with the word "diary" though. Why? "Because this is not my diary; diary is supposed to be private." Instead, daily is a place for me to express my thoughts, opinions, encounters etc publicly in a daily basis. What's more, it gives me the power to review any day of my life just looking at what I wrote. It's a collection.

When my own daily fabricated on May 12, 2003, it was simple and very content based. Its name is LOGin. Three months later, it's aptly renamed to Login U. The idea is that the content is so powerful that it logs-into-you. A new layout was also revealed, and you're looking at it right now. Actually, it has changed alot. These photos will remind you of the layouts. (Move mouse to the sides of images to navigate; or use your keyboard: 'n' for next and 'p' for previous.) The codenames are the names of the projects themselves. For example, Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 has codename "Tiger".

Site Name Codename Launch Date Layout
LOGin e May 13, 2003 - July 18, 2003
Login U ultimax July 19, 2003 to present
? infinix in the near future

Today
Today, a new image viewing system is adopted - the Lightbox JS. From now on, when you click an image, there will not be any external window popups. You'll see the image hovering above the content. Obvious advantages include being unobtrusive, convenience, and no more music interruption.

Also, an improved "now playing" feature displays itself on the left. Lyrics will be shown when clicked, if available.

Lastly, all previous dailys have been moved to the new archive system.

The future
The most important aspect of maintaining a website is improvement and innovation. infinix will certainly follow this direction. Currently, the world wide web has been moving to new standards such as xhtml, pure css layouts (reduction of 'table' uses), rss etc. Websites will have to meet the specifications of W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). How will the eventual layout look like? I don't know. But it will certainly be fresh and exciting for me and all my readers.

You, my readers, are the fuel that keeps this site alive. Every one of you are very important to me. Thanks for your continual support.

Eugene Young
"Emanating exquisiteness."

May 11, 2006 1

I think I'm suffering from post-AP-sloth syndrome. (Oh no!) Seriously, I have no incentive of working anymore. We're currently reading The Clockwork Orange (extremely futuristic in a 60s way and too sketchy for my taste) for english and I'm still stuck at pg. 15 while we're supposed to be at pg. 150. I'll have alot to catch up.. As for math, we finally met today, and Mr. P announced that we only meet on mondays and thursdays, and presented a center of mass problem for us to work on. I, being such a contender and nonconformist, advised my group to do it the difficult way.. We still got it right in the end.

The 3rd Anniversary is tomorrow. I've been working on it (and the site) this afternoon and I can't wait to unveil the new features. Now, let me get back to my reading..

May 10, 2006 2   "New" Schedule

Chem was hard, but easier that I thought. The review questions in the purple book made the test seem almost unapproachable. Anyway, now that APs are over, I seem to have a revised schedule. Let's take a look.

May 9, 2006 3

Time is now..1.29am. Good nite..

May 8, 2006 4

Physics was hard today, especially the free response questions in E&M section. Thankfully I'm not only one expressing such concerns. Wilson even fatuously said that he's not sure if he'd get over 60% correct. Hell would freeze over if that happens..

I'm really tired of Taft's internet. Once in a while, the upload port just gets clogged/blocked. Maybe I should file a complaint to the IT department. The bright part is that I only have to stand it for a bit over two weeks.

Anyway, there will be some exciting features launching here on the 3rd Anniversary day, which is the coming Friday. It's so exciting that I can't wait to tell you.. But there's no fun in spoiling the surprise now, right?

More..
Oh, one more thing: check out these videos: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/. I especially recommend the 'network' one.

May 7, 2006 5

Today's daily will be short - I need to sleep early and wake up early to finish some last minute review for physics c. So, good nite.


May 6, 2006 6
frappuccino*


I always thought that these bottled, not fresh coffee drinks don't taste good. But they actually do. Starbucks' frappucino proved to my keep-me-awake-so-that-I-can-review-physics drink. If you scrutinize, you might see piles of notes on my bed..

Time is really flying by here. Sometimes when things go too fast, you can't stop thinking "where did all the time go?" Long time ago, when people ask me, if I knew what Taft is like, would I still come? I always answered no, because I thought I left my entire past behind me - my friends, my school achievements and positions, my favorite lunch places (say, "small shop"..), and of course the familiar surroundings.

But now, if you ask me that question, I will emphatically say yes. It is such a holistic experience. The unfamilarity and confusion can be devasting and depressing at times, but they force you to grow and establish yourself in the community. It did not redefine me - I will never be someone who shouts out the answer while others have no clue or someone who leads a capella groups. But I believe that all of us who came end up understanding the world better. It's a long journey, my friend, but we will get there.

P.S. The visits counter shout be fixed tmr..

May 5, 2006 7

This hectic week is finally over. You would think that I could really enjoy this senior spring long weekend, but the truth is, I couldn't. AP Physics exam takes place on monday and Chem follows on wednesday. Actually, besides all the studying and agonizing, it should be "fun". Mooney invited us to his home on monday to celebrate, while Hostage will host "The Last Supper" for us on tuesday night.

A new song today - Dream Away by 側田 . It's a sunday morning song, very leisure and nonchalant. Enjoy. (*due to technical difficulties, the feature song cannot be uploaded..let's hope the internet pipeline unclogs soon..)

Btw, here's the thirds team photo:


Was I frowning?

May 4, 2006 8

Since math will not meet till next thursday, I had a sleep-in till 10:45. You know, I really enjoy skipping meetings and assemblies. Everytime Chris tell me how boring it was, I giggle and rejoice inside (evil me).

Anyway, I had been playing Mario supercart through studyhall.. Need to finish my french essay now..


May 3, 2006 9
3rd Anniversary Countdown


Three years is not a short time. It's really a right choice to celebrate Login U's third anniversary. (The correct day being May 12.) From today till May 12, the above logo will be displayed to remind you and me of this special occasion.

Today's AP Calc exams was easier than I thought - I just worried too much. Honestly, you only have to get 60% to get 5/5; 60% in Taft scale is more like a 1. We should be fine.

After the exam, I bumped into Mr. D in the hallway and was told that both today's match and practice is canceled due to rain. What are we doing instead? "Let's watch a movie!" He invited us to watch The Sentinel in Brassmill Mall at 3:00pm. Well, I declined the offer for a couple of reasons..and one is to take some time updating my site. What have I updated? The archive system. "Previous dailys" is now renamed to "Archive", and after some php tweaking, it should load much faster than before. I've only updated April's and March's, so test it and see what you find.

Review chem now. Good nite.

May 2, 2006
Babylon 6


May just started and the number of visits boosted to 17 per day?! I wonder if I'm prescient. Anyway, time is now 11:17pm, and I should sleep now. Maybe wake up at 6:30 to do some final review.

Btw, Babylon, my favorite dictionary/thesaurus/translation/encyclopedia/conversion software, has now updated to version 6. It packs an even faster engine and better spellcheck, along with a cleaner and more refreshing interface.

May 1, 2006   Start of the Month Exclusive

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of times your breath is taken away."
May. This three letter word implicates another milestone in my education career - high school graduation. In a way, things are coming to an end; but looking positively ahead (which I seldomly do and should do so more often), it's just the beginning. That is why commencement takes place when college students graduate. For us, it'll happen in 26 days.

Another thing I want to say is that this year, I've decided to celebrate Login U's anniversary. However, since I have irrationally skipped the 1st and 2nd anniversary, our first celebration will be for the 3rd anniversary. Hopefully this doesn't sound too deranged. Continue to check back - more details will be announced after my calc exam. As of now, Login U will be three years old on May 17, 2006 May 12, 2006.

Just one more thing to add to this long entry: last month's visit cut was from 10292 - 10713, a total of 421 visits , averaging 14.03 visits per day. This is actually a slight decrease from March's total visits. But, with the 3rd year anniversary and the new layout, codename infinix coming, I'm sure that a boost will take place. Thanks for your continual support anyway.