Friday night started out a bit disastrous when I realised that there was probably going to be a lack of games equipment available – and compounded a bit more when we heard the news that our Guest Liaison was involved in a car accident that put his car out of commission – but all managed to eventually get back on track following a quick trip home to Dunboyne to pick up things, as well as a quick purchase of some new TVs in town!

I had to go back home as I had gone in that morning with just myself, my laptop, and a few small things I could fit in my bag, which turned out to be socks+jocks, my LAN switch, and chargers. So when I heard about the accident, this meant I had to leg it onto the next bus/train home to pick up the rest of my things and equipment (including extra clothes, costume, Xbox, monitor, games and other stuff) I was going to bring and ferry them over in a taxi. So I managed to lose of a couple of the early opening hours on Friday, but the other Games guy Conor, and our assistant Sairus (who might I add is a bloody machine at all of this!) covered things brilliantly.

One of the very few decent images of me from the weekend...

The rest of the weekend worked grand, with the only niggling issue being that my Keyblades had still been in an International Hub in Coventry on Friday morning. I only found out that they weren’t when I checked the tracking during the middle of the day on Saturday to find it had updated during the night to show that they had arrived in Dublin mid-Friday. Annoyingly I had found this out after 1pm when the delivery office in Dunshaughlin had already closed for Saturday. So unfortunately, there was no panicked phone call home to say “Go Dunshaughlin, get package, bring to Helix, kthnxbai”.

Another fact was that as I was working most of the weekend, to wear the wig I had got for my cosplay would have been a very bad idea. The heat in the games room alone was… well, suffice to say it was rather toasty and you could have probably cooked some eggs and sausages on top of the consoles. This explains why I looked rather half-assed for most of the weekend, and also why I’m definitely going to have everything sorted out and looking proper at Akumakon in January.

One thing that still baffles me a bit about conventions are the drink-fests, especially on Saturday night. I swear it took about an hour from the first time the bar announced they were closing to the time everyone actually left campus. 20 minutes to clear the bar, another 20 to leave the Hub, and the final 20 to get to the Ballymun Road. Being one of the few non-drinkers, it is a bit perplexing, but still can be fun nonetheless. Until random photos start happening that is.

Don't ask, and I won't answer.

Sunday was probably the real testing sort of day, primarily as it consisted of mayhem, nerves, exertion and… well, it’s hard to describe. Combining having to go back out on-stage for another closing ceremony games awards ceremony, with the long-lasting fear of last year where I utterly froze and choked up just trying to say stuff… In the end though it wasn’t as bad, particularly as I had to rescue Conor from reading out the slightly cryptic page of winners after he had started to screw them up. I can definitely say one thing though – the bright lights of the Theatre do help the public speaking as they blind you so much you can’t see half the crowd!

And then there was the rush of putting Games Soc’s equipment away since they couldn’t arrive to help do so, which was not helped by the Helix staff practically heaving out the last few stragglers in the room by 6pm (even though we weren’t set to close until 7.30pm) and then what I can only assume was them making the volunteers there move all equipment out of the room and into the foyer…

Yea, I had a couple of run-ins with the Helix staff over the weekend with regards to closing times, but apparently no-one else had any problems, so I guess they just need to work with us a bit better in the future with regards to timings and whatnot.

Anyway, I’m off back to trying to find any pictures of me that may have floated up on the Internet somewhere. I always need to go see how shit I look in them…

I’m not going to post the link here, because the entire thing is purely fabricated, maybe for comedic effect, but the point still stands is that what is written is libellous towards me.

I’m aware that I’ve never been the best people person during my life, it is something that I’ve had to work on since a young age, and only a few short years ago did I properly find out the cause and have it officially diagnosed. So there have been a few hiccups along the way with me trying to co-exist with the rest of society. But to read shit like that written up, particularly when it is grossly over-exaggerated, and written from the point of view of someone who is either not fully aware of my situation, or does not fully comprehend it, is practically insulting me.

What makes it even worse is the specific thanks given to that post by a few people I know from college, even more so those I thought I knew fairly well and were good friends with.

Pretty bloody glad I’m probably not going back there now, at least not this year.

No. All right then.

I hate exams.

While most of my friends and family would consider me to be an intelligent person, I am absolutely horrendous when it comes to doing exams. Why? Well, whatever the subject matter is, I tend to learn better by actively doing it and gradually figuring things out by myself, and being judged based on how I’m actively applying it to something in real life that is of use. Emphasis on the “of use”, as I find that assignments aren’t really of great use as generally whatever it is that you’re doing for them you won’t end up doing in real life, and as such is wasted just so you can be given a number showing what one person in particular thinks how good you are.

It reminds me of the second semester in first year (however long ago it was that I actually did that…) when there was the Web Design module. After having already managed to pick up some rudimentary HTML, PHP and SQL from playing around in the backend of things like WordPress and forum software – I absolutely blitzed that module completely. However, I’d say that if I were to have to learn it from scratch in that module and be examined on it afterwards in a test, I’d probably have had no chance.

Also, studying is never one of those things I’ve been able to do properly. Most of the time it’s just read in through the eyes, and almost straight out the back of my head. People used to tell me to take my notes and condense them down, highlighting key parts – I ended up with practically my entire set of notes on that subject highlighted…

Hopefully all this crap will be over soon. Maybe it is time to seriously consider a change of course to something I’m probably better suited to and isn’t as massively “cram and regurgitate” heavy as what Computer Applications currently is.

I had this bizarre idea for a new society, along the lines of an investment society. That is to say, all member’s membership fees are basically shares in the investment fund of the society, and the entire society as a whole votes and decides on where and how to invest the fund. During the year there are regular meetings to discuss how well the fund is doing, and whether any changes want to be made. And at the very end of the year, the fund is redistributed back to the members based on how many shares they come and claim – this rewards those members that stick with the society throughout the year and actually claim their part of the fund back, whereas anyone who doesn’t bother has their share instead shared amongst everyone who does claim. To try and show signs of activity as well, there would be talks organised with people such as investment bankers and those who deal with shares, stocks and the like throughout the year.

So, am I clinically insane yet for coming up with such an idea…?

Other than the con, there’s also a bit of work we on the Games Soc committee will be doing to get ready for the BYOPC LAN the weekend after. So the majority of Friday will be spent in the Helix checking out the space that we have (which, rather handily, is known as the space ) and just making sure that everything is running fine. Most important thing is to check the Internet connection and to make sure that all the ports are available for use, as we can’t have people arriving with their machines and then finding that half of the competitors haven’t got all their games and Steam up-to-date. And there may also be a general issue of overall room, but that really does depend all on numbers and whether we get them or not. Still it should be a good weekend, as this is the first LAN we’ll have had where I have an actual decent computer. <3 TheAlmightyBear!

If you’re looking for specs of the machine, apparently Xfire has them.

As for the con itself, I should be there for the whole weekend. I’m definitely going to be there Friday night for the quiz (since I’m around campus that day anyway!), although whether you will see me as Hibiki like you will both other days, I’m still not sure about. But yes, I’ll be there the whole entire weekend, from opening Saturday to closing Sunday. How long I spend in the middle is the real question, although I think one of my friends who lives nearby is loaning me his couch for the night so I don’t have far to go after whatever trip out Saturday night, and I can actually make it in on time Sunday morning

I still have a couple of things I need to do for my cosplay, but for the most part things are done. I say for the most part, because I’m not entirely too sure if I can be bothered to finish it off – and it’s not like I’m going for full-blown accuracy or anything. Then again rushed jobs never hurt people. No sneaky previews still (because I’m not arsed trying to photograph myself), but no recoiling in horror when you do see me. One problem with trying to do a circa ten-year-old kid is that your body’s physiology is much different.
Brrr, my legs are cold

One good thing that I did manage to come across yesterday, while in Penneys exchanging down a size for my costume (while the size I had was fine for me personally, it didn’t work too well for the actual costume itself) was in Smyths with a whole bunch of little plastic Pokémon figurine sets going on BOGOF. So, now my con bag is filled with them, just in case people still have no idea who I am. Also, I think Fiona is loaning me her Togepi plushie for the weekend (that she had when she went as Misty for Halloween), which will definitely help! Now, I just wonder whether or not I’m going to make the bear into a Teddiursa or something…

Starting this week is the RedBrick Halloween Intersocs Ball thingy. Tbh I’m really not sure what point there is to it other than to go to a bar, get buy one get one free drinks all night, and have an excuse to wear your Halloween costume again. None of which really helps me since I don’t drink, generally go to bars unless they serve good food (like the nuBar!), nor did I have a Haloween costume, since I laid low this year. Well, technically I could go in the costume that I’m planning for…

Eirtakon – the weekend after next. Otaku and other anime, manga, and possibly video game nerds congregating in the Hub to do what we would usually do, parading around pretending to be people we’re not, and making the place smell so bad that everyone will notice it on Monday morning

I’ll hopefully be there for the whole weekend, or at least that’s what my pre-registration ticket is saying to me. I actually found it a little scary that my reference number was number seven, and I’m not even a bigger nerd than some of those who frequent the Eirtaku forums, and IRC channel that I always lurk in when I even get the chance to connect because the server the channel is on doesn’t like so many connections from Redbrick at the same time… No matter what, I’ll be going as Hibiki from Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, even if my costume is half-assed and nowhere near as accurate as some people have managed to do.

Please no glomping, as I may be carrying my laptop in that bag, as well as having my DS in one hand playing some Pokémon game, and my internet tablet in the other tweeting my way through the con via LapLan. That is, if they keep LapLan on. They better fucking keep LapLan on, else I’m breaking into either Clubs and Socs or the Mezz and then tweeting my way through.

Then the weekend after that again is the Games Soc BYOPC LAN, which will be the first one I’ll have attended with an actual desktop computer of mine that can actually run Source! Sure, it’s not going to be the most blinged out thing there (I’m looking at you, you Alienware-purchasing knobheads), but at least it’s something half-decent. Don’t expect much tweeting as I’ll be too busy gaming

And finally in the last weekend of the month, several of us from Games Soc are going to Video Games Live. It will be epic. Maybe I’ll se some of you there, provided you’re going on the 29th?

Anyway, I’m off to go source out a supplier of very cheap energy drink, since I’m going to need a hell of a lot of it to keep me awake this month…

Although tbh, there’s not really much to talk about. Monday was spent sitting around while the Registry fished me out of the lake somewhere somehow. Tuesday figuring out what I need to do in order to get enough credits to be able to officially complete second year. Wednesday abusing the LapLan. Thursday actually going to an actual lecture. Friday hanging at home since I had nothing. I feel just like a CA1 with the Fridays off, but then again like so much more since I’m a CASE2 and I technically have Tuesdays and Wednesdays free

Although Wednesday is the big technically, since it’s my job to be in college setting up the consoles, seeing as I am Console Ents for the year. I’m just hoping that we eventually manage to sort out a room, after whatever Slowpokes moved the Mezz into the seminar room, thus forcing us to look elsewhere. Made even worse by the fact that at this point in time, all that’s there is a bunch load of spare tables, the center area installed, and a bunch-load more crap just stored there. If you weren’t going to complete it in time, why’d you even fucking start

The Dunboyne motor festival took place last weekend, which I went to for a little bit. I briefly presented myself at the barbeque Saturday night before heading back with Chinese food instead, seeing as I was there by myself in a crowd of about four hundred people enjoying themselves together (since when could you fit so many into Brady’s backyard?!?!), feeling a little awkward and out of place. I missed the bike run on Sunday as I left the house quite late (damn you F1 re-run!), but made it in time for the car run. Managed to record all the cars as they went around Mulvaney’s corner and I really should actually go make that into a video, but that’s for another time when I’m not so busy.
Oh, and the bear got a snap with Niall. I’ll definitely have to upload that soon

This week has been really tiring and busy so far. From discovering that the main teacher of Languages and Computability really had said in the first lecture: "I’m your teacher, but I’m a lazy ass, and as such I’m forcing these postgrad slaves to teach you instead while I go sit in my office and torrent the entire Internet while playing Spider Solitaire", or something along those lines, and that one of your teachers is a Chinese postgrad who can barely speak English (snore-fest tbh – needed an insane amount of Lucozade to keep me awake…), and then the madness that were Clubs and Socs days (that’s for another post!), I’m absolutely wrecked. A 10am lecture in the morning doesn’t help, especially as that means I need to be up at about half seven and out on the 8.15am 70A to even have a remote chance of making it.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to bitch about the lack of 70 from town between the 2120 and 2320 each night. I want to be home at a reasonable hour after traditional gaming (and maybe some other stuff) in the evenings, and although the 2120 gets me home around ten, I would prefer a 2220 service to get me home around eleven. While I may not necessarily get it on trad gaming nights, it would be brilliant for lab gaming, film nights or anime nights so I don’t have to up and leave in the middle of something epic… Sake, Dublin Bus, do you ever think of the people in Dunboyne rather than just your profits?

I’m not pissed that I have to spend another year in college (it’s still a fucking blast) – I’m really just pissed as to the way the Registry handled me last year. Why I have to go through the entire process again is a little annoying, but it is a "formality", and also the course has slightly changed since I originally took it, with the module for Networks having been removed and instead the Computer Architecture module has been made from 5 credits into 10 credits. That’s on top of being told that SE may not be being done anymore. Seriously, WTF?

And the big unknown is the €2500 I paid last year. Where is that now? Will that be put towards my fee liability for this year since it never got used? I can’t afford to pay ever half that amount this year if they don’t carry it forward. And it will almost definitely be more than that since the base registration fee has increased as well.

I’m really hoping for the best case scenario of being able to repeat exactly what’s missing, and my money paid last year goes forward, so I’ll only have to pay around a few hundred to make up the difference. Then I can be a proper student again, no-one will keep asking me what the story is, and the committee’s I’m on will be able to stop pestering me for my situation so we can get on with activities rather than them having to worry about getting a new committee member before Clubs and Socs day…

I only have a week of freedom left, so I guess I better make the most of it. Kinda.

Obviously the most important part is figuring out what to do for the rest of this week. At the moment it’s been roughly pencilled in as:

• Tuesday: Go to GAME in Blanch (yes, all the way from Fermoy), get ODST.
• Wednesday: ODST
• Thursday: ODST
• Friday: ODST
• Saturday: ODST
• Sunday: Fucking panic because I’ve just realised the place is a tip, and I need to get all my crap back up to Dublin (hopefully Dunboyne – however temporary!) by tomorrow.

All the meanwhile recording, editing, uploading that Let’s Play Pokémon SoulSilver I’m doing. Also scribbled down in that imaginary calendar sort of thing I like to call… well, the Calendar part of Windows Live Mail – is the Dunboyne Motor Festival spirit thing the weekend after next (after being originally pencilled in for this weekend, but while I was up last week I found out that it was pushed back a week). Must go arrange to see if I can meet up with Niall at some point…

As well as that next week should see me properly taking up my tenure as Console Ents for Games Soc for the coming year. I can only hope I don’t screw up shit. I mean it’s not as if the task of getting the consoles and other equipment from the equipment room and bringing them down to whichever room we’ll be stationed in this year (fuck them and that idea to move the Xbox part of the Mezz into the Seminar Room ), as well as making sure rooms are booked, extra equipment is put aside, refreshments are provided, and any possible new games for the year are bought, and clearing away after we’re finished is that much of a taxing job. I mean, I’ve kinda been doing a good bit of it for the past two years despite not actually being on the committee…

Oh, and one more thing that I found as a bit of a shock last week – apparently I am registered to vote as my polling card arrived while I was there. I seriously never remember registering to vote at any point, so unless it was automatically done with all the dealings I’ve had with other governmental bits over the past couple of years, or I’m starting to get a very juvenile case of Alzheimer’s. Either way, I’m still none too pushed to actually go out and vote on this Lisbon referendum thing. Both sides seem to have been doing nothing but mudslinging for the entire campaign. Although when I brought up the subject of my polling card with my mom, she did inform me that I was the only member of the household who was actually going to be able to vote since she never registered. Also, over the summer there had been canvassers calling to the house specifically looking for me, obviously to try and convince me otherwise to vote in some way or another.

Hmmm, this gives me a thought…

Will? Can I come crash down here during all future voting seasons?

Mainly it means that the Domino’s in Glasnevin have a LOT of business. Usually, they have a decent amount of orders from the college (all thanks to that €18 Student Crowd Pleaser offer – large pizza and two garlic breads), but this week the kitchens are producing pizzas like crazy, in full demand. I find it hard to fathom how they can cope with so much…

For example last night, Poker Soc had a pizza fest for anyone turning up to the last event of the year. Some of us in Traditional Gaming were coming back from the trip to the chinese, and as we were walking up the stairs we were met be a slew of people, apparently all eating pizza which we left on the sofas on the landing there. Later investigation showed that about 50 people were devouring twenty large pizzas, all in the space of a quarter of an hour. That’s just how much pizza you get this week.

But that isn’t the worst of it. This Wednesday we’re probably going to see Glasnevin explode with pizzas, as there’s going to be major orders from the Student’s Union general meeting, Console Gaming and probably Traditional Gaming as well. And that’s just from the societies I know of. Who knows how much else will be ordered by all the other societies in DCU that meet on Wednesday afternoons…

I am going to be so put off pizza after this week. Probably won’t touch the stuff for all of two weeks until the exam period begins, when the only edible thing will be pizza as everyone will be too busy to cook.

I can see myself to be quite a bit more bloated by the time summer comes around. Although it should help my BMI to float further away from borderline underweight…

Tuesday

The main thing about this week had to have been the SU elections for next year. Unlike last year, there was quite a bit of a contest for most of the high-profile spots (i.e. the sabbaticals!) leading to a lot of canvassing. This meant campaign t-shirts for all those involved; the creation of posters, some with fancy Photoshop work (Andrew the “Anchorman”), some just plain and boring (humanities guy); the guillotine was overworked for the first time in forever, chopping up all the pages into leaflets; and an insane amount of lollipops, sweets and other things filled with sugar that would have made all the ladies from the health fair look on in disgust.

Not to mention the fact that I apparently wasn’t in the database this year and so wasn’t able to vote – thank you again, you fuckers in the Registry… :angry:

Wednesday

The second day of voting for the SU, thankfully saw the place quietening down a bit. Posters were already torn down and the place was turning back to normal. At least until Clubs and Socs days next year :S

The afternoon was one of the more hectic ones, with both Airsoft and Games Soc having their AGM’s on at the exact same time. After hanging around with Games Soc for a bit until after 2 (AGM hadn’t started as for the lack of quorum), so for a quick run down to the Airsoft one, take a few show of hands votes, give Ordinary Member a shot and not win, then leg it back up with everyone to the Games Soc one as nearly all of them are members.

AGM was brief enough. Every position bar two went uncontested, and the only reason those two were contested was because of our nooby first year meaning just a little too well. Needless to say he didn’t make it. Oh, and I’m Console Ents for next year. Woo. To quote Robby: I finally made it. I’m not going to delve into how badly our resident noob lost in both his attempts, but let’s say it was near-unanimous.

And Games Soc won Best Society and the Clubs and Socs Awards. Epic win

Thursday

Thursday was mainly spent recovering from the night before. Lab gaming was a very subdued affair seeing as how firstly very few people were there, but also as the lab would be closing way earlier than usual because of a scheduled power cut the following morning. No matter, there were SU election counts and recounts to enjoy.

There was a good bit of tension as the Education and Welfare candidates were all around for the results of a recount which increased the winning margin from 3 to 4 votes. Apparently a future recount increased it even more to 6 votes! It was one of the tighest elections ever. I wouldn’t like to have been one of the candidates for that. I would have had to take out all my stress on Super Smash Bros. which the guys set up in the Clubs and Socs office…

BTW, we finally unlocked Toon Link, and thus all characters on the Games Soc copy of Brawl

Friday

Sleep. That’s all I can say. Oh, and Elly’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy party. There were a lot of white mice eaten

Saturday

A1 qualifying is the main thing that kept me up on Saturday. Starting third and second bode very well for the championship with Switzerland starting last and third. Also, Man U barely winning was not nice, particularly with Ronaldo only playing 22 minutes and thus wasting my captaincy choice for the week in the Fantasy league. :angry:

Sunday

A1 racing, more footy. A1 stewards are a bunch of fags. Filipe Albuquerque cannot drive.

Plus, I was invited home to Dunboyne by Aoife so that we could spend Easter Sunday as a family for dinner. It was nice to be able to go back home legally for a while and see everyone again. Aoife was especially pleased. Also, I found out that my mom was heading out to the US for another business trip the following morning, which did lead to a hectic night of packing… I did get to stay the night, so yay for sleeping in a familiar bed with comfy sheets

I managed to bring some more of my stuff with me to Santry as well, and with a little bit of playing around, managed to get my 360 connected to Live via my computer, so yay for being back on Live presence again! Not sure if the connection is ideal enough for playing on, so maybe we could test it out in a few custom games on my new Halo 3 map I’ve been forging in Sandbox?

While I have lived away from home before, during my first foray into second year, this will be different given it will be my actual home for the year (and hopefully longer!). At least I already know what it’s like to live on my own in on-campus accommodation and survive for at least most of the year without getting my head ripped off by roommates who don’t understand what my lifestyle is like.

The one main difference should be on the society side. While this year I’ve just sat and milled around in Clubs and Socs, this year I can actually say I have some sort of work to do there. Earlier today there were a couple of AGMs to attend, with both Airsoft’s and Games Soc’s taking place at the exact same time (and very nearly the exact same room). While I didn’t make it onto Airsoft’s – although I wasn’t exactly expecting to – I am now, eventually, Console Ents for Games Soc next year

I’m not sure how much of that is down to people wanting me for the job, and how much is down to the fact the only other choice was the newbie first-year I’m mentioned so much. While he does mean well, I think that he needs another year to… "mature". That’s probably all the detail I’ll go into since anymore and I may start to seem stalker-ish.

Hmmm, I was expecting more to be in this, but I guess it’s just not coming out at the moment. Ah well, there’s still a while to go until this year is over, let alone worrying about next year

The Links

Again, DCU SU elections are this Tuesday and Wednesday – go vote for Andrew and Alan! And choose your favourite of either John or Padraig

Guinness and Zaytoon food… Does. Not. Go!

Oh. Dear. Lord.
And. Dear. Lord. Some. More.

The Pics

You really need to watch what you put in those answers…

But what were we supposed to do if our query was longer than the field?

Very, very true.

I wantz to bee that hoomin…

The Vids

I still think the VIPs are harder…

More microwavy goodness, and more microwaves dying…

Anyways the foiur of us (yes, I said four! Cream Babe even came alomg, alrhough r\ther reluctantly) were aound the /Clubs qans Socs yesterday and we decided tp pick one guy who wqas running and give them our personql endorsememnt. So, after some deliberation, by threataning Clean with dirt, telling wrong he was right to do so, and just starin gdown Cream long eniugh to gwt him to agree with me, we now officially support Andrew in his queast for the Xasmpains and Information job thuingie. Woo!

1368

Now all we have to do is get some student cards ansd learn how to write, so we can axtually vote…

At 6pm this evening the Students’ Union Elections Returning Officer officially announced the candidates for next year’s elections. They are as follows:

President
Cillian Byrne
Alan Keegan
Conor Mortimer

Deputy President: Education and Welfare
Mark Egan
Leeanne Heneghan
John Murphy

Vice President: Campaigns and Information
Melanie Farrell
Andrew Harford
Alan McHale
Michael Mone

Clubs and Socs Officer
William Coyne

Equality Officer
Cara Murphy

Humanities and Social Sciences Convenor
Derwin Brennan
Dara McGann

Science and Health Convenor
John Devine
Jenny Quigley

Engineering and Computing Convenor
John Needham
Padraig O’Connor

Business Convenor
MD Sharif Hossain

Uh, huh. So as you can see, the three sabbatical positions of President, Vice and Deputy are hotly contested. Last year was nothing like this, with almost all the positions I can remember voting for being a simple Yes/No vote as to whether we wanted that person elected or not. Also, as I am (at least I think I still am) part of CA, then the only Convenor position I vote for is the Engineering and Computing one.

While I’m no pundit, here’s my view on the elections. Note, that most of these people I’m trying to figure out who they are only using a simple tool and their DCU student webspaces! Which means sweet feck all info!

President

First off, I only properly know one of the three candidates: Alan Keegan. Cillian Byrne is either the one from BSI4 or EPL3 – as such not a clue. Meanwhile Conor is from SSH4. Again, no idea.

Deputy Pres

Don’t know any of them. Mark is from CAIS2, which means I really should recognise them from the labs, if I actually hung around there… Leeanne from BNID3 and John could be one of eleven people, so safe to say I haven’t a clue.

Vice Pres

Andrew Harford, aka receive. Melanie (CS3), Alan (MMA4) and Michael (CAIS4) have not the foggiest of clues.

C&S

William Coyne (PEB2). I’m sorry, who?

Equality

Cara Murphy (CCS1). Again, who? Also, a first year going for the SU – now that’s interesting…

Eng + Comp

This will be a tough battle. Both John and Padraig are well known (from what I can tell) by most of the CA students. John is a former class rep (he probably still is!), while Padraig formerly held the Convenor position, I think two years ago, and has gone for it ever since. Plus he’s in charge of the Mezz. It should be a clash of the titans!

I’m not sure if I want to give my views on who to vote for, mainly because they would obviously be biased due to the fact I know very few people. At the very least just vote for Alan and Andrew! And toss a coin for Eng+Comp!

So here’s how my week is laid out so far.

Tuesday

Afternoon – XNA talk

Originally the main reason I had planned to head to the XNA talk was because there was a promise of free games being given out. then I found out subsequently that it was none other than the Twitterati community’s own Martha Rotter giving the talk! So not only is it going to be a brilliant talk, but I have another blogger/Twit to add to the Baby Bear wall

Evening – Airsoft in the Warehouse/Airsoft Reloaded

I don’t know what exactly the place is supposed to be called these days, it was originally going to be the Warehouse, but the name may have changed… Anyway, it’s a new indoor airsoft place that opened up around Malahide somewhere, and this will be Airsoc’s first trip there. The handy part about indoor play is no trudging around murky fields and woods to play, and no being limited by the amount of actual light! I just hope I can apply some of my CoD4 recon skills to it…

Wednesday

Afternoon – Console gaming, Demonware talk

Consoles is almost like normal, except it only lasts from 1 to 3, because the talk starts then. Plus, it’s a Mario Kart DS tournament this week. Yes, the DS version. I haven’t played since my flash card last decided to feck up and lose almost all data on the memory card, and thus I lost a fully legit completed game… I’ll try not to have my “Always have Star” cheat enabled…

Plus, straight after consoles is the Demonware talk. I went to it last year, but there’s nothing wrong with going again! Plus, there may be more famous-esque people to add to the wall

Thursday

Evening – Q-zar or Lab Gaming

I’m not too sure which to go to. Q-zar is being done by Redbrick, and I haven’t played it in ages (actually nearly 9 years to be more precise!), but then again I’m heading airsofting on Tuesday, so they can be quite similar… All depends on who’s going, and also if there’s room. If not, then it’s the usual dose of lab gaming in C204. Although hopefully this time the new graphics card will have been installed and we can get some proper games on like CoD4, or some TF2

Friday

Evening – Bodies trip

Art Soc are arranging a trip down to Bodies on Friday night, which thankfully is also available to non-members. Plus having most of the committee as regular hangers-out in the Clubs and Socs offices is über win! Should be a good exhibition, according to other bloggers on the subject. I just hope that they do allow cameras – I would like to get a couple of pictures (not everything now, I’m not greedy!)

That’s most of the week, although things might still pop up even now. This is actually one of the more packed weeks I’ve had in college since, well probably since I started back in first year. You can see why I’d like them to be spread out quite a bit to stop all of this “clumping together” in one week lark from happening again! Especially when it will burn through the wallet faster than… ummm, insert your favourite quote involving something burning down here. I’m fresh out of ideas

Now, of course €100M is an insane amount that you would never be able to spend, even in you tried your hardest – or you were completely fucking stupid on the stock market. Heck, you probably wouldn’t even manage to spend a tenth of it. But still, you have the spending power, so what would you do…

Housing

Step 1 for me would be to buy a place for myself. I know I’m not being particularly “fun” here, but I would remain in Dunboyne. First step for me would be to find out if one of those apartments here in the estate are still on sale, and then grab one of those. If not, then one of the two-storey terraced houses, or semi-detached around the area.

Why would I not head somewhere else in the country? Well, I’m already settled into Dunboyne. It’s a much nicer area than Blanchardstown was, which is one thing I can say for sure. It has the size to be a town, but also keeps the old village feel. You can easily walk down through the village and not have to worry about being jumped upon by teenagers (although they are still fucking annoying when they crowd around outside Spar…), all the while greeting people as you walk by, even if you don’t know them.

I would probably also find a place around DCU as well, as I’m not entirely sure I’d want to stick with the annoying commute in and out every morning and late night. This way I would be close to campus, so I can wake up at ten to nine and still be in for 9am lectures (it’s not five to nine as it was in on-campus accommodation, but it’s close enough!), and I can actually stay behind and take part in the really late society events like STOCS (I really can’t get used to calling it the "Traditional Gaming" branch of Games Soc), or Lab Gaming, or films etc. etc.

It also gives me the ability to put friends up for the night just in case. Last semester there was a special all-nighter arranged for the Mezz for Halloween, with 360 gaming, Internet access and films all night. And at around 11.45 someone from Security came around telling us to get the fuck out all because they apparently been properly informed (in reality, they were told and the guy who was told didn’t fucking bother to tell his superiors about it). Since there were no more buses into town for me to even think of being able to get the Nitelink back (back then we still had midweek Nitelinks!), some of my friends who lived in Shanowen were kind enough to loan me and a few others some floor space for the night. Having my own place around DCU would enable me to offer the same if such a situation were to arise again.

Gadgetry

What right techy and blogger wouldn’t trick themselves out with the latest stuff now that they have an unlimited budget? I would finally upgrade my phone to something half-decent, and make sure it has 3G so that I can actually utilise my N810 outside of using a wireless access point! (Anyone who suggests an iPhone is dead!)

I’ve been planning on buying a camcorder at some point, so I can attempt to make some better videos than what my current camera can take (640×480, 4:3, maximum of around 14 minutes), and this way I’d be able to go all out and get one of the best, top-of-the-line jobs rather than trying to find the cheapest one that has a mic input jack… While this doesn’t mean I’m going to be going into the amateur video arc, at least it means I can take some decent videos for once!

The biggest purchase in this area would have to be new computers. I can finally dump this current heap of… well it’s not even metal, more plastic methinks. On order would be an XPS M1730 and I’d also either go ahead and build my dream machine, or just go buy an XPS H₂C or an Alienware. Top of the line, with as much crap shoved inside it as possible. Nothing else would satisfy me

Charity

Obviously charity would be a big part of it. Most charities would have a standing order setup for them, but two I’d have to support even more would be Barretstown and the Jack and Jill Foundation. The support and activities they offer to children with special needs gives me great pride. That and the way they have helped other bloggers and their situations would definitely make me glad to donate whatever I can (within reason).

The next thing would be to give the Student’s Union enough to be able to buy out Trispace and start running the student bar. None of us want the whole "opening once a week" thing – especially as sometimes they don’t even open on said Tuesday… Plus a good bit would go each year to the RAG week charities, whichever they might happen to be. Although I may make the college do something funky for it

I can’t think of much else to do with it, although I’m sure if I really did have the money I’d see something I’d want and buy it instantly without thinking much. Soon I’d have to buy more and larger houses just to store all the crap. And I’d probably have to hire security to stop everyone hounding me treating me like an open ATM. I wouldn’t be that much of an ATM, although I would give the odd bit to people who needed it. Like Steef and his want of airsoft equipment

The Links

A1 Team Malaysia tries to pass off the blame for their idiotic driver, Fairuz Fauzy, knocking off Ireland and New Zealand in the last race at Kyalami.

Bock is cooking up a storm of economic treason. Dare someone to feed it to North Korea

Darren, don’t go!

It started as a resolution – now it’s a war!

Ways to get traffic – basically you need to disagree with someone, use fancy buzzwords in the title and talk about Twitter.

Aislinn has determination. Certainly a lot of it.

The Pics

Can I not have pictures two days in a row? I really want to keep the ones of Niall and Michael after the charity shooting for a proper RAG week post…

The Vids

Charity Paintball Shooting for RAG week! Guess who got the most of the fire

Yahtzee on FEAR 2. Meh.

• No, a kennel does not mean you can buy pets.
• Pokémon Platinum to get it’s US release on March 22nd, 2009! I already have the date down in my calendar for getting the ROM as soon as it’s up on my… reliable source
• Ferdy debates debating – but no spillage on what actually happened in the debate against McClave…
• TeenCamp Ireland’s first camp will be located in a basement – which would be the perfect place for a talk on gaming perhaps!
• Microwaving Hot Wheels – it really is hot!
  
• Note: Teabagging is shit, people hate you for it, and you leave yourself open to be an easy kill:
  

The first ever Baby Bear Award, in the category of General Fucking Over of Students, is…

DCU Security!

I’m not sure if it’s entirely a good thing for somewhere to win an award for being shit, but there you go. That is the nature of these awards. Previous fuck-overs include locking people out of rooms containing necessary equipment for societies, or networking servers in the early evening – and kicking an arranged weekend set of activities for at least two societies out of the Hub simply because someone along the line was too lazy to go report to their superior to get the necessary clearance. So, enjoy your not-so-awarding award!

Nominating for a Baby Bear Award

If you would like to nominate someone for a Baby Bear Award, feel free to make your nomination on the Baby Bear Award page.