What else can I say about this wonderful recurve bow? I wish I could spend a bit more time with this bow... and maybe add 6-8 lbs draw weight on it!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Random Picture of the Week
What else can I say about this wonderful recurve bow? I wish I could spend a bit more time with this bow... and maybe add 6-8 lbs draw weight on it!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Some Unspoken Rules...
1) If you're really waiting for a call, it will come under one of the following conditions: your phone loses reception, you desperately need to use the bathroom, someone else is bugging you, or you have to go into class or take an exam.
2) If you're waiting to talk to someone about something important, they will always show up right when you have to go to class, take an exam, use the bathroom, or are about to pass out from hunger. If the person is allergic or offended by a particular food, s/he will come right when you're eating exactly what they can't be around.
3) The expensive carbon arrow with a fancy light-up nock, 5" shield-cut barred fletching, and glue-in points will be destroyed by being Robin-Hooded by a home-made cheap arrow that's on its last legs.
4) Most hits on a 3-D target will either be hit by another arrow (see #3) or fall off when someone else hits the target. Misses will either land in the brush or in the one patch of poison oak.
5) The more antisocial you need to be, the more people like to crowd around you and harass you.
6) If there's a textbook you desperately need, it will cost about three times as much as normal. If you don't need a textbook, prices will drop to about one third of the normal price.
7) The more disgusting a bird's diet is, the more likely you have to park under its nest.
8) The rock you sit on while hiking on a trail is most likely a "p-mail" spot for dogs.
9) The taller the building and the slower the elevator, the more likely it is that you'll be trapped in the elevator with the flatulent person who ate bean burritos and sulfur-rich foods for breakfast/lunch/dinner... or the person who's wearing perfume/cologne that could kill anything with a sense of smell.
10) The probability of encountering bratty, screaming, outright disgusting children with retarded parents increases exponentially when carrying a strung bow.
2) If you're waiting to talk to someone about something important, they will always show up right when you have to go to class, take an exam, use the bathroom, or are about to pass out from hunger. If the person is allergic or offended by a particular food, s/he will come right when you're eating exactly what they can't be around.
3) The expensive carbon arrow with a fancy light-up nock, 5" shield-cut barred fletching, and glue-in points will be destroyed by being Robin-Hooded by a home-made cheap arrow that's on its last legs.
4) Most hits on a 3-D target will either be hit by another arrow (see #3) or fall off when someone else hits the target. Misses will either land in the brush or in the one patch of poison oak.
5) The more antisocial you need to be, the more people like to crowd around you and harass you.
6) If there's a textbook you desperately need, it will cost about three times as much as normal. If you don't need a textbook, prices will drop to about one third of the normal price.
7) The more disgusting a bird's diet is, the more likely you have to park under its nest.
8) The rock you sit on while hiking on a trail is most likely a "p-mail" spot for dogs.
9) The taller the building and the slower the elevator, the more likely it is that you'll be trapped in the elevator with the flatulent person who ate bean burritos and sulfur-rich foods for breakfast/lunch/dinner... or the person who's wearing perfume/cologne that could kill anything with a sense of smell.
10) The probability of encountering bratty, screaming, outright disgusting children with retarded parents increases exponentially when carrying a strung bow.
Friday, June 16, 2006
...and the warrior passes the trial of fire...
In the last few days, I have...
1) Defended my thesis (e-mail me for a copy) before my thesis committee
2) Made revisions to my thesis and turned in the final copy
3) Finished the last revisions to my submission to Remote Sensing of Environment for the SpecNet special issue.
The thesis defense didn't feel so much like an actual presentation, given the large number of interruptions I got from my committee, but rather an exam to see if I understood what I did. To those of you who will have to do a thesis defense presentation/Q&A session, I have a few words of wisdom:
1) Coffee is your friend, but only in moderation. Same goes for Mountain Dew or Red Bull.
2) Eat a bit before going into the defense. Something like a piece of fruit or something else that's easy to digest is really good.
3) Reheasrse the day before and then relax the day of unless you're someone who can really improvise and/or know the material better than the back of your hand.
4) Committee members can ask some of the most random of questions. Prepare accordingly.
5) Tae Kwon Do forms, especially the Taeguk ones, can be comforting in times of stress, but don't get caught doing one right before the presentation.
1) Defended my thesis (e-mail me for a copy) before my thesis committee
2) Made revisions to my thesis and turned in the final copy
3) Finished the last revisions to my submission to Remote Sensing of Environment for the SpecNet special issue.
The thesis defense didn't feel so much like an actual presentation, given the large number of interruptions I got from my committee, but rather an exam to see if I understood what I did. To those of you who will have to do a thesis defense presentation/Q&A session, I have a few words of wisdom:
1) Coffee is your friend, but only in moderation. Same goes for Mountain Dew or Red Bull.
2) Eat a bit before going into the defense. Something like a piece of fruit or something else that's easy to digest is really good.
3) Reheasrse the day before and then relax the day of unless you're someone who can really improvise and/or know the material better than the back of your hand.
4) Committee members can ask some of the most random of questions. Prepare accordingly.
5) Tae Kwon Do forms, especially the Taeguk ones, can be comforting in times of stress, but don't get caught doing one right before the presentation.
Monday, June 12, 2006
A Few More Random Top n
So I'm on a brain break from prepping for my defense... and I suddenly felt the urge to add a few more random Top n lists.
Top 10 Bows I've Shot Personally, * indicates more than 10 shots on it, c indicates custom-made
1) c* Chek-Mate Hunter I (take-down recurve, my absolute favorite by a long-shot!)
2) (tied) c Chek-Mate King's Pawn (recurve) and c Chek-Mate Crusader (longbow)
4) * Martin Mamba (recurve)
5) * Martin Vision (longbow)
6) * Ragim Little Hawk (longbow, only complaint is I always hit my ceiling with it)
7) Bear Montana (longbow)
8) * Internature Viper (longbow)
9) Bear Super Magnum 48 (compact recurve)
10) c* Black Widow PSA (take-down recurve)
Top 5 Bows I Want to Try
1) Chek-Mate Longhorn (Turkish-style flatbow)
2) Saxon Hawk Signature (Turkish-style longbow)
3) Chek-Mate Raven (compact recurve)
4) Martin Serengeti (recurve)
5) Magyar Sport Vazul (Hungarian-style horsebow)
5 Least Favorite Bows I've Shot
1) Mathews Genesis (very light-draw compound in horrible colors)
2) Hoyt Gold Medalist (Olympic-style recurve in horribly bright colors that wake the dead)
3) Hoyt Aerotec (see #2)
4) Samick Mizar (see #2)
5) PSE Spyder (compound)
Top 10 Bows I've Shot Personally, * indicates more than 10 shots on it, c indicates custom-made
1) c* Chek-Mate Hunter I (take-down recurve, my absolute favorite by a long-shot!)
2) (tied) c Chek-Mate King's Pawn (recurve) and c Chek-Mate Crusader (longbow)
4) * Martin Mamba (recurve)
5) * Martin Vision (longbow)
6) * Ragim Little Hawk (longbow, only complaint is I always hit my ceiling with it)
7) Bear Montana (longbow)
8) * Internature Viper (longbow)
9) Bear Super Magnum 48 (compact recurve)
10) c* Black Widow PSA (take-down recurve)
Top 5 Bows I Want to Try
1) Chek-Mate Longhorn (Turkish-style flatbow)
2) Saxon Hawk Signature (Turkish-style longbow)
3) Chek-Mate Raven (compact recurve)
4) Martin Serengeti (recurve)
5) Magyar Sport Vazul (Hungarian-style horsebow)
5 Least Favorite Bows I've Shot
1) Mathews Genesis (very light-draw compound in horrible colors)
2) Hoyt Gold Medalist (Olympic-style recurve in horribly bright colors that wake the dead)
3) Hoyt Aerotec (see #2)
4) Samick Mizar (see #2)
5) PSE Spyder (compound)
Friday, June 09, 2006
Random Top n
For some reason I just feel like posting a random set of Top n lists now that I've got a bit of a break from my thesis while waiting for my committee to give me more comments... so here goes.
Top 10 Warriors
1) Drizzt Do'Urden (R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Series) -- Dual scimitars, renegade dark elf, ranger... all-around favorite!
2) Catti-Brie (R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Series) -- Awesome archer with a really cool bow and sword, human girl raised among dwarves, lots of brains and personality... need I add much more?
3) San (Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke -- Warrior-princess raised among wolves, she's definitely not your dull princess who just looks pretty! Best moments: when she first shows up leading a raid against the human settlement with the wolves and when she's covered in blood.
4) Nausicaa (Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind -- Pacifist warrior-princess but there's a really cool scene where she goes beserk and kills a whole bunch of Torumekian soldiers. Oh and she's also a scientist too, both in the movie and the manga :)
5) Artemis Entreri (R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Series) -- Dual-weapon assassin with a darkly fascinating style... quiet, efficient, deadly.
6) Aragorn (J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings -- Quite a sight in combat... and quite the survivalist!
7) Eowyn (J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings) -- Not much of her fighting, but I love how she just takes out the Nazgul in the Return of the King
8) Prince Ashitaka (Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke -- Pacifist warrior prince under a curse. Most spectacular moments are when he decapitates samurai with his arrows!
9) Legolas (J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings -- Inhumanly awesome archer and can hold his own in hand-to-hand.
10) Wulfgar (R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Series -- Barbarian with that nifty war hammer that he can throw or swing at enemies.
Top 5 Mages
1) Raistlin Majere (Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends Series -- Creepy, intriguing mage who could've been a god.
2) Ged Sparrowhawk (Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea series) -- Harry Potter's precursor with much more personality and character.
3) Jilseponie Ault (R.A. Salvatore's Corona books -- Warrior/sorceress who can handle just about anything from fierce combat situations to diplomatic leadership to wilderness survival.
4) Howl (Dianne Wynn Jones' Howl's Moving Castle) -- Actually I prefer the one from Miyazaki's film of the same title. Who wouldn't envy a wizard who has a moving castle with multiple portal doors, infinite hot water, and the ability to turn into a scary bird-like creature?
5) Fizban (Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends Series -- Eccentric wizard who just can't seem to remember anything yet holds insane powers...
Oh and the picture posted on top is of my trusty Hunter I from Chek-Mate.
Monday, June 05, 2006
P(Darwin) = F(Thesis Progress, Stress)
The events portrayed in this entry are not to be attempted at home, not even by trained professionals. You have been warned.
So when pressure gets heavy and time becomes precious, especially with an upcoming defense and thesis submission deadline, mundane chores such as washing dishes tend to go undone for a few days at a time. Anyway, this time things got a bit worse than usual, as I found out when I found that my kitchen was now home to a flock of Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies, if you will. There's only one animal I despise more than Drosophila and that's the overrated, insanely fast reproducing coprophagous mammal in order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae -- namely rabbits. At least with those darned coprophages, killing them yields useful products such as meat and pelts, which can be used for nifty things like bowstring silencers and ornaments for my quiver, but killing Drosophila yields nothing beyond a split second of glee. But I digress. I also tend to keep a bit of ethanol under the sink for cleaning jobs where plain soap and hot water and good scrubbing doesn't cut it and I don't want to deal with really stinky or toxic stuff. Ethanol is a good cleaning agent and it also makes a good fruit fly killing agent too. So I was spraying the little buggers with a bit of ethanol (by the way, lab grade is best but in a pinch, according to a friend, cheap vodka or everclear does the trick too) and they're dying nicely. Actually if I still had my nice little Drosera capensis (sundew), it would've been a lot more entertaining way of killing the darned flies. But I've sprayed all their possible hideouts and the air so there's some ethanol vapors around. I was also getting hungry and I was about to cook something on the stove, which uses a flame, and I quickly decided against it because I didn't want to risk getting flambeed and ending up with a Darwin Award. So I just fixed myself a peanut butter sandwich and some fruit.
The score now is:
Me -- 1, Drosophila: 0
So when pressure gets heavy and time becomes precious, especially with an upcoming defense and thesis submission deadline, mundane chores such as washing dishes tend to go undone for a few days at a time. Anyway, this time things got a bit worse than usual, as I found out when I found that my kitchen was now home to a flock of Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies, if you will. There's only one animal I despise more than Drosophila and that's the overrated, insanely fast reproducing coprophagous mammal in order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae -- namely rabbits. At least with those darned coprophages, killing them yields useful products such as meat and pelts, which can be used for nifty things like bowstring silencers and ornaments for my quiver, but killing Drosophila yields nothing beyond a split second of glee. But I digress. I also tend to keep a bit of ethanol under the sink for cleaning jobs where plain soap and hot water and good scrubbing doesn't cut it and I don't want to deal with really stinky or toxic stuff. Ethanol is a good cleaning agent and it also makes a good fruit fly killing agent too. So I was spraying the little buggers with a bit of ethanol (by the way, lab grade is best but in a pinch, according to a friend, cheap vodka or everclear does the trick too) and they're dying nicely. Actually if I still had my nice little Drosera capensis (sundew), it would've been a lot more entertaining way of killing the darned flies. But I've sprayed all their possible hideouts and the air so there's some ethanol vapors around. I was also getting hungry and I was about to cook something on the stove, which uses a flame, and I quickly decided against it because I didn't want to risk getting flambeed and ending up with a Darwin Award. So I just fixed myself a peanut butter sandwich and some fruit.
The score now is:
Me -- 1, Drosophila: 0
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