Challenging the Mantra

Silly, I know, but this has helped me.

* Some other "procrastinator phrases" include:[2]
o "I just don't really feel like doing this right now. I will do it later."
+ Say instead: “Even if I can’t get the whole thing done right now, I can start on this part.”
o "It's no big deal if it doesn't get done."
+ Say instead: “This is important to ME, so I choose to start now.
o "It won't take me that long."
+ Say instead: “This may take a long time, but I choose to start now and get part of this done right away.”
o "It's not fair."
+ Say instead: “I choose to do this”
* Taking on a second-person view can also help. Tell yourself: "You know you’re just putting this off. Take the time right now and get started on this part. You’ll feel better and then you can take a break, or start on another small part."[3]

Ripped from Wikipedia:

Translations in widespread use

Most of these variants are usually found in lowercase.

* lal or lawl: can refer to either a pseudo-pronunciation of LOL, or the German translation (although most German speakers use LOL). Saying "lawl" is sometimes meant in mockery of those who use the term LOL, and not meant as serious usage.
* ｗ: used commonly in 2channel, a Japanese equivalent of the acronym. 'ｗ' stands for 笑う (わらう, warau), which means "to laugh" in Japanese.
* lolz: occasionally used in place of LOL.
* lulz: A corruption of LOL. Often used to denote humor at another person's expense. Can be used as a noun — e.g. "for the lulz" ("for laughs"/"for the hell of it"). According to a New York Times article about Internet trolling, "lulz means the joy of disrupting another's emotional equilibrium."[24] It is derived from the 4chan community.
* lqtm: Because often when behind a computer screen, one will find something funny, but not actually laugh out loud, lqtms or simply lqtm can be used, which stands for "laughing quietly to myself."[citation needed] This term was coined by stand-up comedian Demetri Martin.[citation needed]
* mdr: French version of the expression LOL, from the initials of "mort de rire" that roughly translated means "dying of laughter".
* חחחחח: Hebrew version of LOL. The letter ח is pronounced 'kh', and it is common to put a group of them together (the longer the group, the greater the amusement) to transcribe 'khkhkhkhkh' (a sound of chuckling). The word LOL is sometimes transliterated, but its usage is not very common.[citation needed]
* 555: The Thai variation of LOL. "5" in Thai is pronounced "ha", three of them being "hahaha".
* asg: Swedish abbreviation of the term Asgarv, meaning intense laughter.
* g: Danish abbreviation of the word griner, which means "laughing" in Danish.[citation needed]
* rs: in Brazil "rs" (being an abbreviation of "risos", the plural of "laugh") is often used in text based communications in situations where in English lol would be used, repeating it ("rsrsrsrsrs") is often done to express longer laughter or laughing harder.[citation needed]
* mkm: in Afghanistan "mkm" (being an abbreviation of the phrase "ma khanda mikonom"). This is a Dari phrase that means "I am laughing".[citation needed]
* In Chinese, although 大笑 (da xiao; "big laugh") is used, a more widespread usage is "哈哈哈" (ha ha ha) on internet forums.

Other languages

Lol is a native Dutch word (not an acronym) which, coincidentally, means "fun" ("lollig" means "funny").

In Welsh, lol means "nonsense" – e.g., if a person wanted to say "utter nonsense" in Welsh, they would say "rwtsh lol".[25]

and...

English: lol
Welsh: loll
French: lél
German: lähl!
Dutch: looijl
Swedish: löl
Scottish: lael
Greek: lollas
polak one is lolsk
Turkish: Lallah

Some random info on foxes from the Wiki
"Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of yōkai, or spiritual entity, and the word kitsune is often translated as fox spirit. However, this does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes. Because the word spirit is used to reflect a state of knowledge or enlightenment, all long-lived foxes gain supernatural abilities.
...
Physically, kitsune are noted for having as many as nine tails.[12] Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 1,000 years.[13] One, five, seven, and nine tails are the most common numbers in folk stories.[14] When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold.[12] These kyūbi no kitsune (九尾の狐 ?, nine-tailed foxes) gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales attribute them infinite wisdom
...
A kitsune may take on human form, an ability learned when it reaches a certain age — usually 100 years, although some tales say 50.[13] As a common prerequisite for the transformation, the fox must place reeds, a broad leaf, or a skull over its head.[16] Common forms assumed by kitsune include beautiful women, young girls, or elderly men. These shapes are not limited by the fox's age or gender,[4] and a kitsune can duplicate the appearance of a specific person.[17] Foxes are particularly renowned for impersonating beautiful women. Common belief in medieval Japan was that any woman encountered alone, especially at dusk or night, could be a fox.[18]
In some stories, kitsune have difficulty hiding their tails when they take human form; looking for the tail, perhaps when the fox gets drunk or careless, is a common method of discerning the creature's true nature.[19] Variants on the theme have the kitsune retain other foxlike traits, such as a coating of fine hair, a fox-shaped shadow, or a reflection that shows its true form.[20] Kitsune-gao or fox-faced refers to human females who have a narrow face with close-set eyes, thin eyebrows, and high cheekbones. Traditionally, this facial structure is considered attractive, and some tales ascribe it to foxes in human form.[21] Kitsune have a fear and hatred of dogs even while in human form, and some become so rattled by the presence of dogs that they revert to the shape of a fox and flee. A particularly devout individual may be able to see through a fox's disguise automatically.[22]"


"Kitsunetsuki (狐憑き or 狐付き; also written kitsune-tsuki) literally means the state of being possessed by a fox. The victim is always a young woman, whom the fox enters beneath her fingernails or through her breasts.[27]In some cases, the victims' facial expressions are said to change in such a way that they resemble those of a fox. Japanese tradition holds that fox possession can cause illiterate victims to temporarily gain the ability to read.[28] Though foxes in Folklore can possess a person of their own will, Kitsunetsuki is often attributed to the malign intents of a hereditary fox employers, or tsukimono-suji.[29]
Folklorist Lafcadio Hearn describes the condition in the first volume of his Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan:
Strange is the madness of those into whom demon foxes enter. Sometimes they run naked shouting through the streets. Sometimes they lie down and froth at the mouth, and yelp as a fox yelps. And on some part of the body of the possessed a moving lump appears under the skin, which seems to have a life of its own. Prick it with a needle, and it glides instantly to another place. By no grasp can it be so tightly compressed by a strong hand that it will not slip from under the fingers. Possessed folk are also said to speak and write languages of which they were totally ignorant prior to possession. They eat only what foxes are believed to like — tofu, aburagé, azukimeshi, etc. — and they eat a great deal, alleging that not they, but the possessing foxes, are hungry.[30]
He goes on to note that, once freed from the possession, the victim will never again be able to eat tofu, azukimeshi, or other foods favored by foxes." - Not the tofu!

Move over McDonalds, there's a new quisi-American Embassy

[00:40] calvmari@gmail.com: we found starbucks
[00:41] calvmari@gmail.com: for a brief moment while I ordered my java chip frappacino from the fluent english speaking barista, I forgot I was in brazil
[00:41] calvmari@gmail.com: in that moment, I was so happy, I almost shed a tear
[00:41] calvmari@gmail.com: (no offense against brazil)

and they gave me a metal spoon instead of the cheap plastic spoons they give at uci too

Submitted first real paper!!

Alright, so my first real paper is off to be published!!! The writing process was crazy. The first paper I wrote with Alex was mostly layed out by him, and we worked together every step of the way, so it was really a good bit of hand holding. This paper was a bit tougher, but much more entertaining. I'm a bit sorry towards friends for neglecting them for the last week, but hopefully things will come back together in a bit. I can't wait until I can build a good bit of strategy so I can write my own papers by myself. It's a bit unbelievable how much my own writing gets changed after I send it to Andre. Seems he takes the nugget of my idea, and spits out a torrent of words that flow like a river (at the best of times). To get to his point I need to build up my own corpus of information and story telling strategies. In good time =).

For now, I'm doing my happy dance and keep taking my car on drives. My god it's so beautiful. Part of me is really happy I switched vehicles, but the sad truth is I'm totally responsible for the truck going down hill. It's so sad, it's been so good to me, and in a critical moment I didn't sense that it was in need of help. Had I taken it to the deal when my instinct told me to I'd still have a truck. Had I immediately stopped when the engine light came on, I would still have a truck. The poor thing and I have been through so much. We got through two bachelors together, was along for the ride for several first things I did, and was with me every day I went to the beach. For a long stretch of time it was just me and the truck going places. Just me and the truck staring out into the ocean, just us cruising through foresty roads where the overhanging trees form a tunnel with the road, and just the two of us singing bad karaoke while stuck in traffic. It was just a short time, but it's been a wonderful 5 years together with it. It breaks my heart to sell it away to a junk yard where it'll get gutted up. Thanks Tacoma, you've been there for me in the best of days, and endured the worst of days. I'll always remember this summer as the halcyon days. Heading to the beach 4 times a week, surfing for hours, and laying on the beach with food being the only thing on my mind. There isn't much that can top it, I can't wait to head back to that life style. Unfortunately, I think my life is taking me elsewhere. For now, there is no person I'd rather be than myself right now =). Tacoma, this is how I will always remember you...

Anyhow, on to current times!! I've got a new car that I've fallen in love with. It's my first stick shift. It was a hard choice between this and the scion box car. I almost did go with the scion box car, but the reality was I really liked the original scion box car that a friend has, not that wannabe PT cruiser that the xB is right now. Also, the little zippy car I got has more personality in person, better fuel economy by 5 mpg, and handles like a dream =). I'm finally getting used to the stick shift, I should be zipping around corners in no time. I hope the monthly bill won't be too bad. I'm not looking forward to taxes this year. The university doesn't take taxes out of my check, so this is going to hurt pretty bad. Ah well, I've got a car harrr.

Now, for the immediate reason to celebrate: I've put out my first paper!! I'm sure this one is going to get accepted. It's really well written compared to what we put out before. The theory has matured and the software has actual functionality. I think it's time to celebrate!

Happiness =)

Ungardia Leviosa!

So while working on an ICSE workshop paper, I decided it was time I learned how to levitate. What follows is a documentation of what could rock the way we perceive this world.

We're going for a launch!

Hooooold it!

Ahhh, we've achieved lift off.

Might as well rock out while I'm up here.

Isn't life grand.

Take a chance

Sometimes you've just got to take a blind jump and see where your feet land.