California!

So I am finally in California. I'm soo tired (most of you guys have already heard this from me 100000 times now!)... but in any case, it's just tiresome.. I donno why... I guess it's because in APL we're not exactly SITTING by the computer all day long, but instead jumping and running around the lab!!

and then we go downstairs to get some coffee, go to Sam's office to make some tea, laugh a little bit, and come back, and then it's not like we've already wasted so much time and we want to actually get some work done! NO! we're still running around the lab, and finally when we sit, we start sending msgs on msn and gmail! :D

Well, all the same, we still got work done, and in fact learn a lot (using caffeine and working our asses off at nights!)

Here, I'm sitting by a computer and I'm not exactly bored (!!), but just tired. You know, I feel like I want to go somewhere and sit there and just do what I wanna do for like half a day or a full day. I mean, I don't want anyone talking or interrupting or anything. I wanna do what I want to do! and then inhale some fresh air, get some energy, and get back on track.

At the same time, I am excited about all the new people, the environment and everything else. But I just feel like I'm overwhelmed right now... need to relax a little bit.

I rented a car, guess what? A red malibu!!! [;) I didn't ask for it! hehe!]

And once again:

Propaganda!!!!

I had to make a one-day trip from Toronto to LA. First off, there was the fingerprinting. That's a given considering the high correlation between being a terrorist and one's place of birth!

Later on, while waiting for my flight, I heard this on the CNN: "Are Iranian spies watching New York?" PROPAGANDA!!! And this was announced in the headlines section without further explanation! Ten minutes later, further explanation followed, only to prove that the headline was, expectedly, nothing but random guesses!!! All they knew was that maybe someone was watching some tower, and this may or may not be related to the Iranian government actually spying in New York, which is obviously, for nothing but to plan a terrorist attack!!! Of course this news, or shall I say gossip wrapped with mystery, is announced in the early morning headlines!!!

A few hours later, on the way back to Toronto, I noticed there was a code on my boarding pass, indicating "SSSS". And this is not the first time I have seen this on my boarding card! No! This has happened every time for the past couple of times!! Now what does this code mean? This means that we have been selected for a "Random" security check (Everyone that is marked with this code must be physically screened and have all their belongings searched thoroughly). The selection process was in fact so random that everyone in the special screening area spoke Farsi! (Using the ECE lingo, I guess if the countries were listed on the x-axis, the PDF of this random variable would be a delta function!)

Discrimination, disguised under America’s deep concern for the security of this great nation, and of course world-wide peace…