Squelch

so they have this magazine here written by students, its supposed to be funnny, and it is mostly, i dont get all the jokes, but heres a post.

Internationally renowned impersonators The Yes Men revealed at a press conference yesterday they have been impersonating internationally renowned impersonators The Yes Men for the past ten years.

"No one in the organization had any clue," said Yes Men spokesman imitator Mike.

"I think we've done a good job of exposing The Yes Men for what they are: a bunch of frauds," said imitation Yes Men spokesman imitator Mike.

The Yes Men are expected to release a video of their exploits later this year, which is certain to discredit The Yes Men while finally giving The Yes Men their due acclaim.
-Max Ebert

Anyway, they give them out free in the middle of campus, so take one if you want a laugh, all tho warning, not everything is funny, some stuff is just sick, others are dumb enuf to tickle.

new plan

i dont know if this will work, but from monday to friday, i now plan to set aside

a hour for each of the following
-math
-cs
-econ
-reading news/practicing chinese/spanish

i dont even know if i have that many hours a day, but ill try and see how it goes.

half the semester is over and im floating, if i wanna do really well......


unrelated-
i was looking thru the list of majors and the only majors that look interesting
-cs
-econ
-mayb psych



so i think ill take a psych class soon to see if i enjoy it, but for now gotta do well in econ and cs, lay a strong foundation so i can build on it easily

drama

so, u watch tv, and there is so much drama in high school,

she likes the guy i like, he is dating a few girls, shes flirting with him........

yeah it seems that it doesnt change in college, well at least not for freshman.

kinda sad, some ppl just fall in love? and cant focus on studying,

one theory is a lot of ppl are not used to seeing the oposite sex everyday and living so close to them,

another theory is ppl who didnt go to co-ed schools were never exposed to the opposite sex and now........

i think both theories r true, and now im so happy that i went to a co-ed high school and have been on so many camps with girls. so for me, nothing feels strange and im free to focus on school,

i like my life

concerts at berkeley greek theater

so, every now and then, they have concerts at the berkeley greek theater, and friday they had a jason mraz concert,

no didnt wanna spend 60 bucks, so we went onto a balcony nearby and listened from there (foothill dorm, they r kinda lucky, they can hear every concert for free)

speaking of lucky



and then he was like this is a happy little hippy song




these of course r the pirated videos, there r better ones taken by the ppl actually in the theater, just look for them thru these videos

poker

so, i have most of my fun from playing poker at the moment.

i play soccer IMs twice a week, and ref 2-3 times a week, but poker seems to give me the most fun, i think its cuz it goes on for a while, like risk.

anyway, so far, played 3 times for real (money), won (means left with more money than i put in) twice and lost (means lost all the money i initially put in) once. so net profit so far, pretty good.

gota get better at the game so i can enjoy(win) it more tho, gota start reading ppl and acting so ppl who try to read me get thrown off.

haloween comin up, darn i wanted to dress up as the joker, but there is a christian fall conference at the same time :( mayb ill dress up as the joker at the conference, would that be weird?

midterm 1

so, midterms for math and cs r back,

math 23/35, average 20, median 21. standard deciation 6, 350 ppl in the class. so above the average, good enuf cuz i didnt do enuf work, gota make up for it on midterm 2.

cs, 34/40, not too bad, only 1 person got full marks, average was 30, so im doin ok.

econ is the problem, not sure of my grade yet, but 600 ppl in the class, test is out of 100.

today professor came in and said, i like it when the median is 40, cuz then we can differentiate the A and A- !!!!!!!!!!

he wants us to fail almost, basically, well now i am even less optimistic about doin well, well, gotta get ready for the next one.

game day

so, i watched my first game as a berkeley fan (kinda, im not that much of a fan yet)

disapointing.

i should have just studied instead of trying to multitask.

ending score USC 30, berkeley 3. pathetic

this was the first game i watched, now i am happy i didnt spend $80 on season tickets, ill prob go check out the mens and womens soccer teams, at least they wont lose by 27 :p

anyway, moral of the story, i dunno no moral, but basically we dont have as good a team as everyone seems to think

we did show signs tho, there were some 30 seconds in the game where we played ok, but that was it. well maybe next year.

i should get back to what really matters, my studying.

work

so, im too busy to blog much, but now i have a schedule, and am settled down for the semester.

cs midterm was yesterday, very tricky. econ and math midterms on monday, well c how it goes.

anyway, i got hired to be a referee for IntraMural soccer so I have been a referee for a few games now.

It is pretty fun, other than standing in the cold, i quite like it, watching soccer as a job :)

and, i get a bit of excercise as well as a study break.

Plus you meet new ppl, and they all are like thank you ref after the game.

Last night, a team came with fans, and they were crazy, I think they were drinking before the game, anyway, they were shouting and chanting (it was 11 at night) and yelling. Then at half time, they pulled a radio out of somewhere and blasted music which they proceeded to dance to. I enjoyed watching, it was fun.

Then they scored.... hahah

they all started doing cartwheels and stuff, (im pretty sure they had something before they came)
but yeah, its nice to have a job i enjoy, now i just need to pass the math and econ midterms......

classes

so math 1b, blehhhhh

its actually fun so far but i say bleh cuz its one of the most failed classes in berkeley,

and i just got C+ for 1a, the class b4 1b.

anyway, my roomate got an A last yr, hopefully i can get tips.

then we have CS :) im enjoying it so far, programin is fun

and econ, im enjoying that too, my discusion has bout 30 students, wat r the odds, in the 30 theres another malaysian n a singaporean

my prob. of gambling class im goin for in an hour, still deciding if i like the class.

gym n voleyball r both nice, cuz its fixed schedule, so im getin some exercise (soon ill b a pro at voleyball)

thats it for now

lounge

so my lounge is supposed to be a study lounge, but so far its been a happenin hang out spot.

ppl from all over come hang with us, and we have been playin a lot of bang, mafia and poker, besides just talkin and hanging.

but we should be studying......

so yesterday i got ppl to vote that we have study hours in the lounge.

they voted after 9pm monday thru thursday and after 10 sunday.

i dont think its goin to work, i think well have to push it all back an hour and mayb.

anyway, well c how it goes, my floor is cool like 30 of us here and most of them r cool, yesterday is was someones birthday and we all signed a card.

this sunday they r plannin on havein a party, sound like trouble.....

so far

ok, so first thing to say, college is bustling n busy.

theres always somethin to do, too many events to attend/ check out.

last friday night, i decided to skip inter varsity large group because i wanted to check out a chinese group, i think its Chinese Students Association.

so i checked it out :) it was game night, we played poker and by the end when i was leaving, this guy was like hey wats ur number, ill call u to play sometime.

anyway, then i hung out with IV ppl, we went to surprise someone whos birthday it was.
then i went to hang in my study lounge but just as i was sitting down x(guy from my floor) came back from a frat party.

he just returned when he said he had to go back and get the others (half the floor went to party together) because some of them were too drunk

so, i went with him to help, fun :) drunk ppl are

so, there was crying, whining, a lot of laughing, and a lot of patience required, but in the end we had everyone back on the floor without anyone gettin in trouble for public drunkeness.

anyway, most were pretty sober, just 3 of them were off. anyway, after convincing them to go to bed, (yes it took a lot of effort), i went to bed.

the next morning 2 of them said there not goin to drink for 3 months :) well c how long that lasts.

anyway, that was friday night, prob goin to be a repeat in the coming week.

mayb i wont drink at all while im in college, since there are so many who could do with a 100% sober friend hanging around waiting to hold them while they stumble home

schedule fall 2009

...........M...........T...........W.............R............F......
8-9..math.....econ.......math........econ..................
9-10.math...................math......................math....
10-11............................................volybl..............
11-12.............gamblin..................volybl..............
12-1...gym.....gamblin...gym................................
1-2.....econ....................econ...............................
2-3.................CS.............................CS.................
3-4.................CS.............................CS................
4-5.................CS.............................CS................
5-6..................................CS.................................

thats my schedule, math, econ, computer science, probability of gambling and PE

first week of college

so wats it like, well all the clubs set up booths most of the week, they give us flyers n stuff.

the dorm has different activities like free icecream n stuff. i met almost everyone on my floor, forgot all their names tho.

my roomates r nice, both sophmores, we get along fine (so far at least). my room is bigger than i expected. Bathrooms r coed (yeah kinda sad for the girls, but most guys lift up the seats now)

berkeley= liberal, no christians?

WRONG, they had this massive event JESUS in Berkeley.

26 differnet clubs organised it together and more than 500 ppl showed up.

we had worship, n then were introduced to each group, some other groups exist that were not part of the big event, some of them a bit sketchy tho.

so anyway, there is a big community of christians in berkeley even tho it might not seem so.

i went to a welcome event from the Chancelor, seems like a nice guy, doin his job like he means it.

thats it for now, everyone is tryin to meet each other.

I like the dining hall right below my dorm, im actually enjoyin the food, like its not ok, its good.

and im stealing my next days breakfast when i go in for dinner n lunch, so i enjoy it all the more.

thats all for now, i felt guilty for not postin for so long

summers over

so fall has begun, summer ended, i got a C+ for math after doin all my work and studyin, looks like i gota do extra work just to get a B.

spanish i passed so thats good, but wont be continuin on just yet, have more pressin matters.

I just decided im not goin to worry bout a job in the fall, cuz its too stressful.

so, im goin to try n become a refree for the intramural but thats it. unless i find some super nice job.

im taking 2nd part of calculus, economics 1 and CS 3.

after first 2 days of class, i have homework from all 3 of them.

math well c how it goes, its the continuation of my C+ grade.

econ 1 i liked the first class, its lookin more n more like a posible major.\

math 24, its a 1 unit seminar on probability of gambling

CS, i jst got back from the class............

everyone else in the class almost has done programin b4, so thats bad news for me.

monday to thursday im booked with classes.

friday 9-10 then i have the weekend. but i was goin to work friday saturday, church on sunday

that wouldn have given me any time to do anythin.

i decided if i wanna have any chance of goin for bible study and doing well in college and still enjoy myself (vs hating college), i had to forget bout workin on friday n saturday.

so now, i feel much better, i have time to study and relax (play).

i hope i get the refree job tho, that will b nice to get mayb $20 a week or somethin while enjoyin myself and being outdoors.

im also takin a weights class and a voleyball class so i prob dont need any more exercise unless i am done studying (not goin to happen)

but in the end, im happy cuz now im not workin, big burden gone.


that wouldn have worked

first college credits

WOOOOHOOOOO, i passed :)

thats it, i managed to do spanish 1 while taking math (altho math might not b a very good grade, im hopin for at least a B)

but, the good news for now, i passed my spanish, job half done.

It was really, I just signed on to bearfacts, and under academic records, summer 2009 there it was waitin for me.

Ah it feels nice to have my first 5 college credits :)

summers over

so just like that the summer session flew by. It was kinda sad to realise spanish n math class were over, but instructors were really cool, and the classes were fun. n guess wat i also learned stuff :)

well, math final went sorta bad, cuz i was hoping for an A, but i messed up 10% (one of the questions) sad part, i had done that question b4 and got it right. well lifes tough i guess.

spanish was ok, cuz i just needed 70/100. The hard part was I only studied 2 hours for the final. The good part - all the work i did durin the 2 months paid off.

Overall, it was a good semester, I got used to college sorta, kinda know how to get around if i need to.

went to 2 intramural finals :)

finished my first 9 units of class.

Well, now i have 1 week off b4 i start again, ahhh time to relax b4 i take the plunge again.

Summer 2009 Acounts

so, i decided to keep a pretty acurate account of how much the summer session costs me. I will try to not spend any xtra money on things i dont need, and well c how much it costs.


So, so far we have.

Room and board at the I house -------- 2300
Tuition fees ------------- spanish --- 1270
-------------------------- calculas -- 1016
campus fee --------------------------- 0092
transit fee -------------------------- 0034 (wow i better use the transit system)
textbooks --------------- spanish ---- 0252
------------------------ calculas----- 0060
Rec center --------------------------- 0010
IM soccer (2 diff teams, 25 X 2) ----- 0050
Food --------------------------------- 0106
Alcatraz tour ------------------------ 0050
Trips to c bro ----------------------- 0040
Entertainment ------------------------ 0020
Weekend trips ------------------------ 0060
Vegas -------------------------------- 0400
clothes ------------------------------ 0030

total : ------------------------------ 5790


Thats it, looks like the total cost for 8 weeks of college in the summer was just less than 6000 (with a trip to vegas though :) )

well i had a good time, n i passed spanish, prob got a B in math, got off to a good start, I think it was kinda worth it, especially since 2000+ was in scholarships :)

FINAL week

wow, crazy week,

monday- morning had to check on mr Finanacial Aid, at 6 pm had the IM 11 on 11 corec semifinal. We werent supposed to be playing but another team got disqualified for fielding players that didnt sign up. So, we were back in the competition, and the worst team, so we we had to play the best team. Well, WE WON!!!! hahaha, yes thanks to me :P i made a pinpoint cross that our striker headed in, then i scored the second goal. So just like that from team that wasnt supposed to be in the playoffs (thats wat they call it here, everythins playoffs), were in the finals!!!

BUT, thats on wednesdat at 6, 5 to 8 i have a math review class, sad huh, gota run back n forth.

tuesday- this mornin i had an oral exam for my spanish, i dunno how i did, not great for sure.
in 2 hours i have a semifinal game fro the 6 on 6. if we win the final for that is thursday at 6.

wednesday- final quiz for math, then review and 11 on 11 final.

thursday - probably dont have a final cuz i think well lose today. so i can study the whole day :)

friday- 8-10 math final. 12-2 spanish final. then im done, just have to pack up my room, have to move our b4 10am on saturday.


So, yup this weeks goin to be busy, itll fly by b4 i know it.

wed, week 7

wow, my final is next friday. The summer session flew by so fast.

Spanish we finished the sylabus, not good. theres just so much we can be tested on durin the final.

math, still moving along, everyday learinin somethin new that makes u forget wat u learnt the day b4.

n the countdown to the final has begun, gotta hit those books.......wait but thats wat ive been doin for the last 6 weeks.........

registration block released

ah, finally, after geting my transcripts delivered from another country and submiting them in person,

my registration status has been unblocked. Im now a normal student again :)

that was kinda scary bcuz it almost seemed like they were looking for ways to find a problem with my transcripts.

But, good thing I submitted everything honestly when I applied, everything is back to normal now.

Kinda sad tho, the admin here, I was talkin to someone else who said received an email saying they hadnt received his transcripts. N he said they were rude to him, which is the same feeling i got.

So, if ur dealing with the admin staff at Berkeley, if they r rude to u, dont be alarmed, its not u, its just how they roll.

International House Fire drill?

So, at bout 3 pm the fire alarm went off, but everyone assumed it was a drill, so a lot of ppl didnt go down.

I took my camera, went to the bathroom, then went down.

anyway it was super loud, but basically we went down n were told to stand at one corner on the sidewalk.

Thats it, they didnt tell us anythin, just go stand there pls.

I was like im sure its a drill, so i went to ask them if i can call the firemen :p but it turns out they were coming anyway.

so bout 20 minutes later they show up, n walk casually into the I house.

Were outside so we cant c anythin, but it didnt seem like anything was wrong.


15 minutes later they let us all in again. n i ask if it was a drill


LOL! they dont wanna admit it (or somethin really went wrong)

but they were like no its a fire alarm not a drill.

Im hopin its not a fire alarm, cuz the way we acted we would have been swallowed up by real flames.

Thats the downside of having so many firedrills (there were 4 last semester i heard), ppl just tend to think everythins a drill.

so i basically took pics while i was waitin outside.

- i think it was a drill cuz the firetrucks took so long, n they didnt have their sirens on, and when they got there, just calmly got out n walked in.

Fall 09

So, I just signed up for the rest of my classes, this is wat my schedule looks like, for now.

Weekly Class Calendar
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:00	MATH 1B DIS 0075 EVANS	ECON 1 DIS 0087 EVANS	MATH 1B DIS 0075 EVANS	ECON 1 DIS 0087 EVANS
8:30
9:00	MATH 1B LEC 0105 STANLEY		MATH 1B LEC 0105 STANLEY		MATH 1B LEC 0105 STANLEY
9:30
10:00				PHYS ED 2 LAB RSF FLDHOUS
10:30
11:00		MATH 24 SEM 0939 EVANS
11:30
12:00	PHYS ED 1 LAB 0125 REC SPRT FA		PHYS ED 1 LAB 0125 REC SPRT FA
12:30
1:00	ECON 1 LEC 0150 WHEELER AUD		ECON 1 LEC 0150 WHEELER AUD
1:30
2:00		COMPSCI 3L LAB 0273 SODA		COMPSCI 3L LAB 0273 SODA
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:00			COMPSCI 3L LEC 0004 LECONTE
5:30

Calculus 1b, the second part of wat im doin now.
Intro to Econ to see if i like it.
Basic programing to c if i like computer science.
Math 24 im not in yet, im on the waitin list, but i wanna do it. Its a class bout the odds of gambling.
Physical Ed 1 is about weights so after I learn that i can practice it for the rest of the 3.5 yrs.
Physicak Ed 2 is volleyball :) sound like fun.


The labs/discusions are smaller groups.

Lectures can be up to 300 ppl in a class, so every lecture breaks into smaller groups that r led by grad students normally.

Berkeley Bureaucracy

Welcome to public school.


2 months ago i hand-delivered my high school transcripts. I checked with them to make sure they had got them, they said dont worry, theyll tell me if they dont get it.


2 months later i get an email from them,

The Conditions of Admission accompanying your admission offer indicated that final transcripts and/or other documents must be received in the Admissions Office by July 15th.

As of the date of this message (shown below), all documents have not yet been received. Therefore, you have not satisfied all of the conditions of your admission. If we do not receive all required documents within ten calendar days from the date of this notice, your admission and registration will be subject to cancellation.

We have blocked your registration for the fall term. In order to be officially registered, you must not have any blocks against your registration.

The block will be removed once we receive the required document(s).


MADNESS!!!!! and thats wat happended when i hand delivered it. wat happens to all the ppl who send it in the unreliable mail?

week 6

phew, done with the the 2 midterms, now i just have the finals to prepare for, in 2 weeks. then the summer is over, thats it, flew by at an alarming rate.

yesterday our corec soccer team drew 1-1, so we didnt make it to the playoffs, today i hava a game with the 6 on 6, if we win well make it to the playoffs, but well prob lose.

But ever if we lose, we might make, im not sure how many teams make it to the playoffs.


Anyway, it was fun, i enjoyed myself and am lookin forward to next season.


Im lookin at prices to c if its posible to go to hawaii durin the short holiday br the fall starts.

physical education classes

so it looks like they have quite a few PE classes that interest me, I think ill plan to take 1 class every semester if posible.

Each is only .5 units and 1 or 2 hours a week.

ATM im eyeing

swiming
tenis
weights
judo
volleyball
badminton

:) sounds like a nice way to relax n meet new ppl. How nice if u relax by takin a class, ahhhh thats the life.

DeCal classes

So, decal classes r classes normally that r 1 or 2 units n taught by students. Anyone can start a DeCal by finding a faculty to be their sponsor.

So, this fall there r a few im looking at.

Come Out and Play: Designing and Playing Games Outside

You've been playing games since kindergarten (tag, capture the flag, hide and seek) and chances are good that you're still playing games as a college student (beer pong, poker, Final Fantasy, flip cup, "walk in a straight line on Saturday night")

We'll explore the newly emerging field of "game design" by designing and playing our own original games around the UC campus and investigate our relationship to the campus architecture itself - is a game of tag on Sproul Plaza different from a game of tag on Memorial Glade? (Hint: YES.)

Were you a student in Spring 2009?

• Did you ever see people running around like fools, conga-lining across Sproul, growling? That was us.
  
  
• Did students rampage through your discussion section on the 2nd floor of Dwinelle Hall to throw things off the balcony and distract the opposing team? That was us.
  
  
• Did you see people riding on sleds pulled by teams of toddlers in front of Tolman Hall?... Uhh that wasn't us. And quite frankly, that sounds a bit silly and cruel.

Combinatorial Puzzles and Games

This is a hands-on mathematics course emphasizing combinatorial methods for solving Sudoku, investigating a variety of other types of puzzles, and winning two-palyer games. This is an introductory course, so no knowledge of Sudoku or Sudoku-solving methods is required. In class, students will be given the resources to complete puzzles and play games, and will be given the chance to practice these methods with peers in class.

Pretty much, what's gonna go down is I provide you with the resources, you make it happen. Most learning will happen through discussion and hands-on activities. I'll just lead you in the right direction :)

We're going to have a kick ass time.

theres also a chess class taught by ranked ppl. 1 hour lecture, 1 hour play. sounds interestin, but not this sem for sure. But mayb sometime in the next 4 yrs.

week 5

hmm, wats coming up......monday math midterm, tuesday spanish midterm

sounds fun huh? well i know wat i will be doin this week.

Yesterday the I house had a big party in their cafe. Students from all over came, but it was really cramped (100 ppl stufed in a cafe that normally fits bout bout 30.

N of course everyones drinking, u paid to buy the drinks but u didnt show id, interestin set up.

well i just checked it out, wasn interested, to me it looked like a mess of bodies trying to dance while holding drinks that were constantly spilling. Except there wasnt any space so by dancin it was more of bumping into ppl in circles.

fun. :) so, i went to bed to wake up early today to catch Manchester United beat a Korean team.

Oh, and i found out u need to have eyewear of some sort to play squash in the gym! y??

well, im goin to go with my sunglases n c if that works.

Some of Berkeleys interesting classes

Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ on TV Judge Shows

Not quite what one would expect, the professor of this course emphasizes repeatedly in the course listing that this class is "NOT a course about law or "legal reasoning." It is instead an exploration of logical fallacies that are often presented by defendants and plaintiffs on court television shows like Judge Judy and The People’s Court. Seems right up the alley of most college students, as they are squarely in the demographic of afternoon television programming (which also targets the elderly and unemployed).

Simpsons and Philosophy

This one is probably predictable as you’ve got a twenty year old show with plenty of rich fairly intellectual material and a main character with the name of "Homer". UC-Berkeley claims this isn’t at all a dumbed down class, but a fairly rigorous philosophical course. The text of the class is the book "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh of Homer," edited by William Irwin and features weighty questions such as "Can Nietzsche’s rejection of traditional morality justify Bart’s bad behavior?".

The Strategy of StarCraft

I’m sure that in South Korea one could major in StarCraft, but it’s a bit strange seeing a college course about the game here in the US. The class uses StarCraft to teach the art of war, discussing strategy and tactics in the famous game. This is actually a student led program in Berkeley’s alternative education program, but we give it major props for creativity. The class has even received a fair amount of publicity with GamePro documenting the first day of class. >>> Official Class Website



There r others i dont know about, these i just stole from some online college website. But yeah, some r pretty interestin.

changing grade to pass fail

so, my spanish class pass is above 70, and A is above 92.

Theres no way ill get an A, n prob not a B (>80)

So, i changed my grade from letter (A/B/C/D/F) to pass/fail

So, now all i gota do is get 70 and it will say i passed.

All i did was sign on to telebears and changed it. 2 minutes was all it took to get rid of the evidence of a posible C/C-

Berkeley to San Francisco

So, theres basicaly 2 ways of public transport from Berkeley to SF.

one, the bart (its the bar area rapid transit i think), takes 10-15 mins to walk to the station, but then it takes bout half an hour to 45 mins, n u have a few choices of stops.

or a free bus. Bus F. It leaves from in front of Neds bookstore, if ur a UCB student, just show ur small AC Transit sticker on ur Cal ID (yes thats wat the stickers for) and u get to ride for free.

So, I took the bus today, went to SF to roam. It took bout 1 hour to get to the Transbay stop in SF (a big bus station, u can catch greyhound buses there to LA n other far away places)

Anyway, I walked from there to fishermans wharf, bout 30 mins walk. walk along The Embarcadero I think its called, then u pass all the piers and sea the bay the whole walk there, almost like walkin next to a lake or beach.

Anyway, basically if u go to fishermans wharf on a weekend, u should either expect to wait or to walk. cuz if u dont wanna do the 30 min walk, u can wait for the bus, but its normally full on the weekends and hard to get on.

So, i personally think walkin (good exercise) is the better option. (Warning, it might take longer, i walk fast) but go with friends and talk and time will fly.

Anyway, I took the same bus back, but while I was waiting for it at the station, a homeless man offered to sell me some coke or acid. So, yeah thats actually wat SF is like, well at night at least.

Homeless ppl wandering around, a lot of areas smell of pee, so be careful altho most of them are not at all harmless, their actually very nice if u give them money, which is all they want from u anyway.

roaming - AC Transit bus 51

So, for 30 bucks (its included in our registration fee) we get this pass that allows us to get on all the buses in the area for free. its called the AC tracsit.

so, i havent used it all, wat a waste, so today i hoped on a bus n just saw where it took me.

So it was one hour to the end, n almost one hour back. But now I know how to get to Oakland, and a bunch of shops n grocery stores.

:) next week im goin to hop on a different bus.

theres also one that goes to San Francisco.


Anyway, I took bus 51 which went on (some of the stops u can stop at)

-college (unit 1, underhill, unit 2, rows of restaurants and shops, 24 hour Safeway, trader joes, another bigger safeway)

-Broadway (oakland, YMCA, paramount cinema, bart station, small chinatownish place in oakland)

-Webster (public storage, fast food)

-Santa Clara (public library, shops and restaurants)

-broadway (end of the line, stops in front of a big square of shops)

Ihouse summer nights

phew, im not sure if its just my room, or if its every room.

but the last few nights ive been sweatin in my sleep. the room only has a heater, no fan or aircon. so, we leave the windows open, but thats just not enuf, its surprisingly hot inside.

Well, the good side is i dont need to exercise as much if im sweatin so much in my sleep (like i wake up n my shirt is wet, thats how much.

n if i dont weat a shirt, the bed sheet is wet.

def a new experience for me, now i apreciate the fan.

Crazy Calculus

So, theres 30 ppl in my calculus class.

I just got this email from my teacher.

I graded your quiz. Problem 1(a) on the quiz was a problem directly from the
homework. I even provided solution for this problem. Only 4 students got
part (a) correct. Everyone else screwed up the definition of absolute value
and how to write limit of absolute value.

Those of you who missed 1(a) got a 0 for this past quiz.

Good luck studying. I'll give you another chance to show me that you
understand this problem and the definition of absolute value on tomorrow's
quiz.

WOW!!!! darn, i prob messed up, but seriously 26 ppl got 0......

Interview tips

An interview is a verbal cover letter, a conversation about why you're so
great and why you'd be great for the job. And like a cover letter, sometimes
the interviewee focuses too much on "why this job would be so great for
me..." we interviewed someone and when I asked "why do you want this job?"
they replied,

"I don't know...I think I want to learn something different...I'm bored
where I am..."

While honesty is a valued quality, another interviewee, just as honest, will
answer,

"well, I've got the qualifications that you're looking for, particularly in
regards to customer service and analytical skills. This position would
further develop my career, I'm an excellent, personable co-worker, and..."

Both honest, but the second person addresses the question directly in
relation to the job. Which is always good if you want the job!

In response to the question "what do I do in an interview?" we've put
together the following tips based on surfing the web, talking to students
about how their interviews went, talking to employers, and our own
experiences as an interviewer/interviewee.

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT be late for your interview! No matter what excuse you
have, somebody else showed up on time.

Conversely, do not show up 45 minutes early. If you arrive and you're that
early, take a walk around the block/campus building a few times. Go in 15 or
10 minutes early. If you're nervous, don't have any caffeine before the
interview and walk awhile before the interview to relax. If offered, turn
down soda during the interview, you don't want to burp in the middle of an
answer. Best to stick with water.

Make sure your cell phone is turned OFF!

Body language is important. Slouching in a chair will have the
interviewer(s) counting the minutes in their head as to how soon they can
politely show you the door. Sit up straight and occasionally lean forward
(it shows interest). I know, I know, these tips can sometimes seem a little
ridiculous, but hey, it works.

Not too many "um's," "like's," "you knows," or filler words such as
"Basically,." If you have to pick one of these, and it's natural as these
moments are just a way of pausing before we go into our next statement, pick
the "um's," probably the most discreet.

Another habit to avoid is prefacing an answer with, "It was just," or "it
was only..." which says, "what I'm about to say isn't very important, so you
can zone out if you want." Being humble is nice, but let the employer decide
what's important or not, don't inadvertently cut down yourself or what
you've done.

And here's an odd intro, "to be honest, I..." which implies that you might
ordinarily lie, but this time you'll tell the truth. Again, this is just a
way for the brain to have some time to formulate an answer, but it's just a
strange way to begin a sentence.

Ask yourself when getting ready for an interview, what, deep down, do they
want? Simple, yes? Take a Security Monitor position in the Residence Halls
for example, they want someone who is easy with the public BUT!! a stickler
for the rules.

EVERYBODY shows their id's. NO EXCEPTIONS, even friends, even people you
know by sight. Why? Because if you make exceptions for them then the
stranger behind them can say, "but she/he didn't have to show an i.d., why
do I?" Suddenly you're in a time-wasting debate that holds up the line and
causes bad feelings.

The interviewer(s) may give you a hypothetical situation, like someone comes
running in and says that while they don't live in the Residence Hall,
they've got Johnny's medicine and must get up there without being signed in.

Instead of responding to the interviewer(s) with, "because a resident must
sign in a guest, and because Johnny can't do that, then Johnny can't receive
his medication," see if you can think of an alternate solution, like calling
the RA on duty to escort the person or letting the person go up but
contacting the RA to meet up with the individual on their way to Johnny's
room (that way you don't leave your post). There are times when you have to
think independently and logically.

Also, and this can apply to many jobs, they want someone who will try to
work or find things out on their own, but not to the detriment of their
duties. In other words, won't be afraid to ask for help if stumped on a
problem.

As to questions, they're all variations on one theme: "why should I hire
you?" And indeed, some employers will ask that question directly.

They may ask you "what do you consider one of your strengths, one of your
weaknesses?"- very common question. Observe your body language as much as
your answer. If you stiffen up and look uncomfortable, they may think you
can't handle pressure. The best, immediate response to this is to smile, and
then go into your answer. Smiling tells them they didn't throw you.

Come up with a truthful, reasonable answer for each. Try to avoid the
"weakness" answer that really sounds like strength, such as, "I'm a
perfectionist." They probably hear that one more than any other. I've heard
a student say, "I'm stubborn." We asked her, "what do you mean by that?" and
she smiled and said, "ask anyone in my family." -Honest and won't keep you
from getting hired.

The other aspect of the weakness question is the follow-up. For example, "My
weakness is I sometimes focus too much on one task" followed up with, "but
with my classes at Cal, I'm becoming good at multi-tasking and time
management..." You address the weakness question by moving on to why it's
rapidly disappearing.

About the direct "why should I hire you?" question. Again, BODY LANGUAGE
COUNTS!

This is also where you need to address the job description and how your
experience relates to it. Tell the employer of the traits directly
attributable to the position you're applying to. Remember, it's a verbal
cover letter and you need to focus on why you're great for the job, not why
the job would be great for you.

Dress nice but don't wear an itchy outfit. The formality of outfits varies
throughout the bay area- from our casual campus to the power suits in the
Financial District of SF. Even if the dress code is casual, never dress
sloppy for an interview! (Wait until AFTER you get the job! Hey, we're
kidding. The best way to know how to dress on the job is to look around and
see what others are wearing.)

No chewing gum. No sob stories. Don't look at your watch. Where do you have
to go? What's more important than this?

I'd advise against addressing the interviewer as "sir," or "ma'am," it
usually makes the interviewer uncomfortable. Also, if you can smile now and
then, that puts the interviewer at ease (and may help you relax as well).

Make eye contact, don't look at the floor. If more than one interviewer,
make eye contact with each of them. Avoid simple "yes," "no" answers, but
don't ramble. Be prepared to discuss at length ANYTHING on your resume
(review your resume before the interview). If this department/company is in
an area that relates to what you plan on majoring in, let them know that but
work it in smoothly, otherwise it might look like you're just
saying it to get the job. If this job is NOWHERE NEAR what you plan on
majoring in and they ask you, don't burst out laughing or give them an
emphatic "no!"

If nothing else, you can say that as a student, and especially as a
freshman, you're still deciding what field you wish to pursue and hoping
that this will expose you to more possibilities.

If they ask what your interests are, give them a brief description but
again, don't ramble or talk about what a lousy roommate you have. If you're
nervous you're nervous, they'll understand, they were once in the same
situation, just concentrate on your answers.

See if you can find a friend to look over the job description with you and
try to come up with questions that relate to it. It's always good to review
your skills out loud with someone and brainstorm about hypothetical
situations the job may encompass. Also, have them count how many times you
say "like," or "you know." Many people say those phrases without even
realizing it.

At the end of the interview, an employer may say, "do you have any
questions?" And we know it looks better if we have a question to ask.
Instead of asking some generic question, follow-up on a question you've been
asked during your interview at the end of the interview (it's not a bad idea
to take notes during the interview. Not to the point of distraction, just
jot down some points that you can return to, particularly for the "do you
have any questions?" question). Two great reasons: one, you don't look like
you went to interview school by asking the generic question, and two, it
shows you've been paying attention.

Do not volunteer information that could hurt your chances. I'm referring
specifically to the fact that most of you will be elsewhere during Winter
and Spring breaks. Better to have them hire you and be wildly enthusiastic
about the great job that you do. Then when the time comes, they will be much
more likely to try to work something out and have you return in January and
April. If you say during the interview, "uh, you do know that
I'm going to be out of town for a month beginning in December, right?" that
may end your chances right there.

But if asked, be honest and follow-up with, "and I'm hoping, if hired, we
can work something out." Both campus and off campus may want break
availability.

Treat everyone you meet nicely, both on the way in and on the way out.
Sometimes the receptionist wields all the power. DO NOT, AT ANY POINT, ASK,
"So, do I get the job?" If they want to hire you on the spot they'll
do so, but that question usually ends your chances. It's the kind of
question that makes an employer uncomfortable by putting them in a very
awkward position.

Do not run for the door after the interview, but don't camp out either.
Thank them for giving you the opportunity to meet with them. Even if you
don't get the job, a good interview may get you a call later if something
else comes up. After the interview you might email the supervisor of the job
(or whoever ran the interview) thanking them for giving you the chance to
meet and discuss your qualifications. Always keep it short and upbeat.

And of course, don't wait to hear back from that employer to apply to other
jobs. Nothing's better than having to agonize over two job offers!

Primarily because of the web, interviewers are coming up with more
off-the-wall questions. For 98% of the jobs you might interview for on
campus, it'll probably be mostly about your skills relating to the position
and your availability. BUT! Just in case, here are a few more "put the
interviewee on the spot" questions:

"Tell me about a time when you had to break the rules."
"What color is your brain?"
"If you and a fellow employee went to a convenience store on a break and you
saw them steal a candy bar, what would you do?"

And if you can stand some more (just 115), take a look at these, and watch
for those questions that are just aching for you to go off on a negative
tangent (something to avoid). Numbers 5, 6, and 7 for example. In
criticizing your past job/employer, you make your potential new employer
wonder if you have a difficult time following job duties and might
potentially speak about them the same way?

Also, below these questions are 34 common mistakes that hurt interviewees.
Enjoy!

Sample Interview Questions
1.Tell me about yourself.
2.How successful have you been so far?
3.What would your previous employer tell me about you?
4.How would you describe your personality?
5.What did you like most/least about your last or current position?
6.Why are you leaving your present job?
7.What was wrong with your last company?
8.What would you do for our company?
9.Tell me about a time that you've worked under pressure or met a deadline.
10.What are your career goals?
11.Why did you choose this particular opportunity?
12.Why do you think you might like to work for our Company?
13.What do you know about our company?
14.What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be
successful in your field?
15.What do you think determines a person's progress in a good company?
16.Can you get recommendations from previous employers?
17.What contributions to profits have you made in your present or former
position to justify your salary level there?
18.Can you take instructions without feeling upset?
19.What is your major weakness?
20.Are you willing to relocate?
21.How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies?
22.What types of books do you read? How many books per year?
23.Have you saved any money? Do you have debts?
24.What job in your company do you want to work toward?
25.What jobs have you enjoyed most? The least? Why?
26.What are your own special abilities?
27.What types of people seem to rub you up the wrong way?
28.Define co-operation?
29.Do you like regular hours?
30.What have you done which shows initiative and willingness to work?
31.Tell me something about yourself that goes beyond your resume.
32.What do you think of our company?
33.Tell me about your perception of this position.
34.What would you do if someone asked you to do something unethical?
35.If you saw a co-worker doing something dishonest, what would you do
about it?
36.Have you ever made an error in judgement that you had to address with
your employer or client? How did you handle it?
37.If you took out a full-page ad in the newspaper and had to describe
yourself in only three words, what would those words be?
38.What motivates you the most?
39.Do you consider yourself a risk taker? Describe a situation in which
you had to take a risk.
40.What are two examples of tasks that you do not particularly enjoy doing?
Indicate how you remain motivated enough to complete those tasks.
41.Tell me about a work situation that you found annoying.
42.Have you ever had to resolve a conflict with a co-worker or client? How
did you resolve it?
43.Have you worked as a member of a team in the past? Describe your role.
44.Tell me about some of the groups from whom you've needed assistance or
cooperation. What did you do?
45.As a manager, have you ever had to fire anyone? If so, what were the
circumstances, and how did you handle it?
46.Have you ever been in a situation where a project was returned due to
errors? What effect did this have on you?
47.Tell me about the best boss you every had. Now tell me about the worst
boss. What made it tough to work for him/her?
48.When was the last time you were criticized? How did you deal with it?
49.If you could change one managerial decision you made during the past
two years, what would that be?
50.What have you done that was innovative?
51.Has someone ever brought you a new idea, one that was odd or unusual?
What did you do?
52.What is the most difficult decision you've had to make? How did you
arrive at your decision?
53.Describe some situations in which you worked under pressure or met
deadlines.
54.When taking on a new task, do you like to have a great deal of feedback
at the outset, or do you like to try your own approach?
55.How do you measure your own success?
56.Why should we hire you?
57.What responsibilities do you want, and what kinds of results do you
expect to achieve in your next job?
58.How did the best manager you ever had motivate you to perform well? Why
did that method work?
59.What is important to you in a job?
60.What do you expect to find in our company that you don't have now?
61.How would you describe a career in this industry?
62.What would you like to be doing five years from now?
63.What are your biggest accomplishments?
64.Can you work under pressure?
65.Why should I hire you?
66.How do you take direction?
67.What is the most difficult situation you have faced?
68.Do you prefer working with others or alone?
69.How do you determine your priorities?
70.How do you plan your week?
71.How do you plan your day?
72.What special characteristics should I consider about you?
73.Why are you interviewing with us?
74.What have you done that shows initiative and willingness to work?
75.If you were hiring for this position, what would you be looking for?
76.What was the job's biggest challenge?
77.How many levels of management did you interact with?
78.What kind of work interests you most?
79.How would you describe the ideal job for you?
80.What happens when two priorities compete for your time?
81.What's the toughest communication problem you faced?
82.When have your verbal communications been important enough to follow up
in writing?
83.Tell me about the time when someone has lost his/her temper at you in a
business environment.
84.Have you ever worked in a place where it seemed to be just one crisis
after another?
85.How did you handle it?
86.How did you feel?
87.What do you see as some of your most pressing developmental needs?
88.What quality should a successful manager possess?
89.How have past managers gotten the best out of you?
90.Describe the best manager you've ever had. Describe the toughest
manager you've ever had.
91.For what have you been most frequently criticized?
92.What are your salary expectations?
93.Sometimes we have to make decisions quickly. Tell me about a time when
you had to make a decision too quickly.
94.What presentations have you made? Give some examples.
95.What are some recent responsibilities you have decided to take on? Why?
96.Describe a time when your workload (or class load) has been heavy. How
did you respond?
97.How does this position fit into your career goals?
98.What has been the biggest challenge you've faced and how have you met it?
99.How will you contribute to this organization?
100.What do you expect from a job?
101.How do you organize and plan your projects?
102.What's a typical day like for you?
103.When have you shown initiative and willingness to work?
104.How would your boss describe you?
105.What do you know about this organization?
106.What interests you in our products/services? How would you improve them?
107.How do you manage stress?
108.What style of boss do you prefer?
109.What motivates you?
110.What did you like most/least about your last job?
111.How would you describe your work style?
112.Describe your biggest accomplishment.
113.What have you learned from your past jobs?
114.How do you manage stress?
115.What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Ten years from now?

__________________________________________________________________
34 COMMON MISTAKES MADE DURING INTERVIEWING (keep in mind not all of these
will apply to you, as they relate to career, not part time jobs) (Based on
Reports from 153 firms) 1. Poor personal appearance.
2. Lack of interest and enthusiasm: Passive and indifferent.
3. Over emphasis on money: interested only in best dollar offer.
4. Condemnation of past employers.
5. Failure to look at the interviewer when conversing.
6. Limp, fishy handshake.
7. Unwillingness to go where sent.
8. Late to interview.
9. Failure to express appreciation for interviewer's time.
10. Asks no questions about job.
11. Indefinite response to questions.
12. Overbearing, over aggressive, conceited with superiority or "know it
all complex."
13. Inability to express self clearly: Poor voice diction, grammar.
14. Lack of planning for career: no purpose and goals.
15. Lack of confidence and poise: nervous ill at ease.
16. Failure to participate in activities.
17. Unwilling to start at the bottom-expects too much too soon.
18. Makes excuses, evasive, hedges on unfavorable factors in record.
19. Lack of tact.
20. Lack of courtesy: ill mannered.
21. Lack of maturity.
22. Lack of vitality.
23. Indecision.
24. Sloppy application blank.
25. Merely shopping around.
26. Wants job for short time.
27. No interest in company or industry.
28. Low moral standards.
29. Cynical.
30. Lazy.
31. Intolerant: strong prejudices.
32. Narrow interests.
33. Inability to take criticism.
34. High pressure type.

cover letter

i have not read this yet, just copied n pasted for other ppl to reference if they want.

Okay, now to the cover letter.  Even though it should only be about 2/3rd's
of a page long, most everyone, student and professional, hates writing a
cover letter because you have to compliment yourself. Here is the secret
formula for a perfect cover letter:

Part I:  This is why I'm so great.--Relate your previous experiences/jobs to
the current job listing. "When I was at blah, my responsibilities were very
similar to your public relations duties..."

Part II:  This is why I'd be so great for you.--Talk about what you'd bring
to the position. "You would find me a particularly conscientious employee,
understanding that customer service response time is the most important
aspect of this position."

And if you want, you can switch the order of parts I and II (exciting, eh?).

A cover letter lets you do what you shouldn't do in a resume, use subjective
words. In a cover letter you can show some emotion or enthusiasm. It should
be 2/3-3/4 of a page long and THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GENERIC COVER
LETTER, it must always be personalized and mention the position you're
applying for by name. So you merely alter your existing cover letter.

Easy, yes?  Here's an example, this student added what we dubbed, "goals and
aspirations," which is fine because you're students, and then Part II.
___________________________________________________________________
April 24, Year
Company Name Here
Their Address Here
Attn.:  Name of Recipient Here
Re: Financial Planner Internship

Dear Name Here,
I am very interested in the Financial Planning Internship for several
reasons.  As a University of California, Berkeley student with plans on
majoring in business, I hope to obtain experience in the world of market
research and portfolio assessment.  My background in business includes
helping my father run his business, participating in the Asian Business
Association, and the courses I've taken at Cal.  I am eager to obtain more
practical experience and gain further knowledge in this field.

During my senior year of high school, I interned under Franklin Minty, of
Reliable Motors of America.  I worked assisting him with marketing
strategies and campaigns.  The information he provided me was invaluable,
and I was fortunate to accompany him to various meetings with ad agencies,
board meetings, and observe the product design process as well. I enjoyed
learning these aspects of the business world and believe it to be a good
foundation for expansion.

As with marketing, the value of a corporation relies ultimately on its
product.  In the area of financial planning, I believe the same holds true.
Without careful attention to detail and knowledge of the customer's
goals, the end product will not be as marketable as it could.  That is,
customer satisfaction will not be high. Currently, as a student at Cal, I am
discovering the avenues that I hope will lead to my career in business.  I
realize that my plans may change, and I hope the opportunity of working with
your company will help me decide which path to choose.

I believe my resume reflects the attitude I bring into a position of
employment.  I am punctual, responsible, enjoy working with others, and can
approach situations in need of problem-solving from a creative viewpoint.  I
focus on the task at hand, and do not let trivial disturbances hinder my
work.  I know that work is a means to further my education and career goals
and am grateful for the opportunity it provides.

I hope to meet with you to further discuss my qualifications.  Thank you for
your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________________


Is a cover letter important? Seeing "send resume/cover letter" in a job
posting may give some folks the
impression that a cover letter is optional. Great news for you! Sending in a
cover letter will give you an extra edge.

Finally, keep the "this is why I'd be so great for you" angle in mind, not
"this is why you/this job would be so great for me." A little is okay,
something about "excited for the opportunity..." but it shouldn't be the
focus.

Pretend the employer is grizzled and jaded. They have a job to be done and
quite frankly, they could care less if the job is good for you. If you write
the cover letter with THAT person in mind, convincing him or her to
bring you in for an interview, you'll never go wrong.

And, to give you a crystal ball look at the possible future, we include a
student who graduated not long ago (Business) and her incredibly
well-written cover letter (but remember, I changed the names of everything).

_____________________________________________________________________
YOUR NAME
Address, Phone, Email
Jennifer Smith March 09, 2004
Equity Capital Markets
Terrible Two's & Co.
12 New York Plaza, 60000th Floor
New York, NY 10012

Dear Ms. Smith:

You and I met during my summer internship with Terrible Two's & Co.
Electronic Commerce group this past summer.  As the only UC Berkeley student
involved in the Fixed Income, Currency, and Commodity training
program, I gained unparalleled exposure and experience to Fixed Income and
more importantly to Terrible Two's' distinctive culture.  You will need
individuals who are able to excel in such a dynamic environment to fill
your investment banking class.  I am well prepared to excel as an investment
banking intern at Terrible Two's, as my financial services background and
academic performance demonstrate.  I am excited about the opportunity to
return to Terrible Two's where the culture is challenging and demanding,
while focused on providing its analysts with unmatched development.

My excellent analytic and qualitative skills have been developed through
occupational and academic training.  During my internship with Elevated
Commerce, I contributed qualitative and quantitative analysis on developing
strategy for electronic marketing of securities and trading after meeting
with various experts, and then presenting my ideas to the group.  I was
responsible for maintaining a database of 10,000 clients, and of taking care
of two analyst's desks during their week-long series 7 & 63 training.

In order to gain greater exposure to the bank, I requested to sit in on the
Debt Capital Markets trading desk for a day.  This request was granted, and
I had the opportunity to see first hand what steps lead to the origination
of a bond.  In addition to both analytic and qualitative skills, my
quantitative skills were also strengthened this past semester at the Haas
School of Business.  I worked on a group financial analysis project, and we
examined the financial statements and ratios of Whale Oil Dynamics,
determining that investing in its stock would not be profitable.

In addition to business courses, I work at the Financial Aid Office Quality
Assurance Program where I am able to exercise my practical statistics
knowledge on a day to day basis, while fully supporting my college
education.

While my analytic and qualitative skills were developed through my work
experiences and business courses, my ability to work within a team was
refined through my involvement in the UC Berkeley Latino Business Student
Association (LBSA) as the Vice President of Professional Affairs.  Last
semester, I dedicated several hours coordinating professional and
informational events for our members, including workshops on writing
resumes, interviewing, and networking.  My efforts, along with those of
fellow LBSA members, led us to make our charter semester at Cal a success.

Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to apply for Terrible Two's
& Co.'s investment banking internship program.  I look forward to speaking
with you soon so that we may further discuss my interest and
qualifications.

Sincerely,


Enclosure:  Resume

writing a resume

nice, since ill be working in the fall, i got this email.

This is the first of three emails to assist you on developing a resume,
cover letter, and some interview tips (resume samples are attached). Should
you have any questions about the W-S process, let us know!

In the attachments, you might immediately notice "Education" is at the
bottom. And most folks who do resumes tell you that at this stage of your
life/career, put "Education" at the top. And they're right...except for W-S
jobs. Because you're all Cal students, it doesn't distinguish you from the
competition (your fellow W-S students). So our advice is, for W-S jobs, put
Education at the bottom.

In working with students, we've often heard this, "I can't get a job; I've
never had a job." Then we begin going over what they have done, and job
skill after job skill pours out relating to their outside-the-classroom
activities.

And that is the key: breaking down all your academic, community service,
extracurricular, sports, and other activities into viable job skills. And
doing so in an organized and efficient manner. Keep in mind the following
scenario: someone hands your resume to the employer. Then that someone
lights the bottom of your resume on fire.

That's how long you have to impress the employer.

Avoid phrases such as "I'm a quick learner," "I work well with people," or
"I work well under pressure."

BE OBJECTIVE! Illustrate the same conclusion through a job duty. Try phrases
like:

"responsible for coordinating and directing incoming calls/visitors in a
sometimes high-volume, high pressure environment,"

And never use the personal pronoun "I" on a resume - it's a given that it's
you. Avoid using any personal pronouns unless absolutely necessary.

Stay away from double-edged words or phrases, such as "deal with
customers...," "deal" can come across like you weren't too happy to be
there. And even if you weren't, well, just keep it to yourself if you want
the job! Even without subjective words, it's important to make sure your
resume has an upbeat, if no nonsense, tone to it.

Do not use "etc." or copy and paste the same job duties for a second
job/activity. Using "etc." says, "you figure it out" or "I'm too tired to
tell you the rest..." and copying and pasting will make the employer think
you're wasting their time. Even if the duties for the two jobs/activities
were nearly identical, you have to describe one differently from the other.

So in one you might focus attention on a particular aspect (training) and
the other on a different aspect (results).

Here's an outline:

I.        Name
Only one of each: address, phone number, and e-mail that'll be easiest for
the employer to reach you. The goal is to not confuse the employer about
anything, even in the slightest!

*NEVER put your social security number on your resume. It is not needed by
an employer until you've been hired and are filling out the payroll papers
(and never send your SSN in an email or as an attachment).

II.        Skills/Qualifications:
Be VERY specific, wpm (words per minute typing), computer programs (name of
program, version, whether it's for Mac or Windows- the two most sought after
programs are Microsoft Word and Excel for Windows and lately, we see more
and more jobs requesting Powerpoint and Access.

Data entry, filing, phone reception (how many lines?), faxing, copying,
languages, etc. Do NOT leave out any programs, including web browsers and
email programs. The more you have on your resume, the better an idea they
can get of how fast you'll know your way around.

Tense of a resume: you can use a combination of present and past tense in a
resume (present for anything that's still going on, past for jobs/activities
that are over), or present tense throughout (both still going on and over)
but you have to maintain consistency. If you use present throughout, it will
be easier to update (you won't have to hunt through previous jobs to make
sure you change the tense from present to past).

Beware of adding "ing" to everything.  It sounds like a lullaby and puts the
reader to sleep ("faxing, copying, filing, mailing...zzzz...."). And if you
remove the "ing's" you don't lose anything and it's sharper.

III.        Work Section:
(Your) Job Title, Name of Company/Organization, City, State, Dates (about
dates, it should be Month Year - Month Year), Duties: more general than
skills, but don't leave anything out, keep asking yourself, "What else did I
do?" What degree of responsibility did you have? If you worked in a store,
did you open/close the store? That's a high degree of responsibility and
trust. Did you train new employees? That's "I work well with people"
(without saying it).

IV.        Achievement Section:
The "umbrella" title for extra-curricular activities such as student
government, academic awards, volunteer experience (treat like work
experience, "volunteer" was only your salary), and sports or music. Break
these down into job skills.

V.        Education:
Don't forget Cal! That's an achievement in itself.


Things to remember: never lie, never exaggerate, but don't overlook or
downplay achievements/job skills. Be direct, not vague.

Keep the resume down to one page, not on your rough draft (include
everything on a draft and then edit down), but the final version. When
looking at any section, such as academic awards, think in terms of what a
potential employer wants to see. "The Smith Award for Academic Achievement"
by itself doesn't say much, but put a dash and, "Faculty-nominated award for
a student with the most outstanding achievement in mathematics," aha!
That'll get the employer's attention.

Stylistically, you want your name bolded and in a larger point size, 14 or
16, address/contact info in 12, and body in 12 or 10 (never smaller than
ten). No need to copy the above exactly but make it easy for your employer
to read. Easy to read means being consistent throughout, align dates (Month
Year - Month Year is better than seasons/semesters, a la "Fall" or
"Spring"), and never, never have a typo or mistake.

Side note: Don't use the function "Justify" to format all the lines even
across the page. It may make your resume seem sloppy with extra spaces.

Your resume must be a perfect, beautiful thing...Really, not a typo, not a
misplaced comma, not a correctly spelled word used incorrectly ("there"
vs."their") anything that says "mistake," or "careless..." in the employer's
mind. You do not want your resume to become a "Where's Waldo?" with the
employer trying to find your next mistake.

Paper? Heavier and off-white. But most employers are asking for it via
email.

Bullets or diamonds? Stylish, but use them sparingly. Use them to highlight
a particular section. Placing bullets next to everything takes that away.
Also, never use them if you're emailing your resume in the body of the
email, they sometimes turn into question marks on the other end. If sending
your resume as an attachment, make sure you're specific about the job in the
subject heading and in the body of the email. Because of viruses, folks are
wary of attachments so you want to make it clear you're a W-S student
responding to their job ad.

Ours is not the last word on how to write a resume. Ask five people who work
with resumes on style and information and in all likelihood you'll get five
different opinions. Our formula is based on W-S specific jobs, asking
employers what they look for in a resume, and feedback from students
regarding getting interviews.

One employer said, "if we don't see something we can use within five
seconds, we toss it." Our advice/approach is to have the resume "hook" the
employer with your skills as soon as possible.

calmail phishing

so, when u become a student at berkeley u have to set up an account @berkeley.edu

anyway, somehow, tons of ppl seem to get ur address, so ive been getin all kinds of emails from frats to join them n other stuff.

then i got an email from some unknown source

-

Attn: Faculty/Staff/Students,

This message is from calmail berkeley.edu IT Help Desk to all berkeley.edu
webmail account owners.

We noticed that webmail account has been compromised by spammers.
It seems they have gained access to webmail accounts and have been
using it for illegal internet activities.

The center is currently performing maintenance and upgrading it's data
base. We intend upgrading our Email Security Server for better online
services.

You are to send us your account information immediately to enable us
reset your account. A new password will be sent to you once this is
done.

Send the information as follows

*Username:
*Password:
*Alternate email:

In order to ensure you do not experience service interruptions,
please reply this email immediately and provide the following
information above to prevent your account from being deactivated
from our database.

Thank you for using our online services.




so, i sent an email to consult@berkeley.edu and was pleased to get a reply 2 days later.

Hello,

Thank you for the report. This is another phishing attempt. Please do
not respond or provide any information they requested of you.

We want to remind our users that CalMail never asks for passwords via
emails and we have taken action to blocked the phisher.

We are currently blocking this reply to address.

For more information, please take a look at:
https://calmail.berkeley.edu/docs/phishing.html


If you have any more concerns, questions or issues, feel free to contact
us either by phone or email.

Email: consult@berkeley.edu
Phone: (510) 642 - 8500 press opt.2 then opt.1



Not bad la, 2 days later, i was thinkin i wouldnt get a reply.





Webmail Adminstrator.

playing with fire

tonight will be the first test of how much I can do and still maintain good grades.

i have a quiz tomoro, and harry potter 6 is being released at midnight tonight.

i will only get home at 3am, class starts at 8, quiz at 9:40

so, should i go?

well, i think i will, im studyin now n theres only so much one can study a day :p

so, well c tomoro wat happens durin the quiz, the good thing is its only 1% of my whole grade.

but will i get burned?

OUCH

so i got my residency denied.

20000 more a yr.

my life is over!




hahahhahaha, no such thing, its just money right?

well, watever, God will take care of me.



“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26, NIV)


Translation- Then Jesus said to joetheundergrad, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about money, or about the EXPENSIVE interest on your loans. Life is more than money. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’”

end of week 3

so, its the weekend again, not that much spanish work, but a lot for calculus. so not sure how much ill b able to study, but not too bad, should b able to do a bit.

theres 3 guys on my floor that stop by to say hi whenever they pass by my room, nice guys, not the super party type like the rest on the floor. so thats nice, cuz im mostly in my room with the door open every night from 9-12. ones from indonesia, ones afghani but livin in holland, and ones from california, n my roomates from china.

so yeah, thats wat the ihouse is like especially in the summer. tons of ppl from france, holland, lebanon and germany. other places too, but i havent met that many ppl, n they seem to like eatin in their groups, but thats fine, part of me is not that interested cuz there all goin to disapear in 5 weeks for good.

so i just have short conversations with them.

anyway, i went to the gym twice this week for bout 20 mins each. yea kinda lazy, but at least i stoped getin fatter.

no more freshman 15 for me.

n next yr ill live one block away form the gym, so ill go every day mayb.

spanish n calculus both goin ok, spanish im still a litle lost but i think itl get better this week. calculus im doin almost as well as anyone else in class, so im good.

IHouse dining hall

so, the dining house at the ihouse has a swipe card system. u have x number of meals, n every time u go in u swipe n it takes one off.

so, if u go in for breakfast lunch n dinner, thats 3 meals.

the problem is x is only enuf for bout 2 per day, and i dont wanna spend money on breakfast, but i wanna eat somethin.

so, heres the trick, durin breakfast, u can go in to pack ur luch :) so ur suposed to swipe in bag ur lunch n leave, or swipe twice eat ur breakfast n pack ur lunch.

n if u want a bag lunch, u swipe a diff place n they give u a token so u can get a bag inside.

but, i figured out that if i just swipe the bag lunch thing, then it gives the illusion that im just goin to pack my lunch, but i ALSO sit down n eat a bit of breakfast.

heheh, so now im getin 3 meals but payin for 2, n i have a bag that i can stuff with anythin i want.

this seems to be the most effective way to almost make the meals worhth the ammount they cost.

wat? stealing? wat? cheating? nope didnt hear u, sorry its called robin hood, yes im the poor