Easter Break - My First $15 earning

Hi everyone..

Easter break is almost over. Did i tell you when it started ? No? It started on 21th March (just last Friday) and it should be over this Sunday (30th March 2008).Oougghh, it means i only have 3 days left. And you know what? I planned this holiday to study through all my subjects, but i actually haven't started anything. =)) So typical..

Anyway, let me share a bit experience that i had during this holiday. It all started before the break. In software agent class, my classmate, Mas Andria (who was actually my senior back in Teknik Informatika ITB, he was in class of 98) offered me to work in Victoria Market. The job desc is just we have to help a shop owner (shirts and jacket) to open the shop in the morning and close the shop in the afternoon. How much do i get paid? A$30 a day for opening and closing. Wow, not bad. i was a bit hesitated at first, but what the hell, it will start on Tuesday (in Easter Break), so nothing to lose.

Upon working in VicMart, i was introduced (via sms) to Mas Solihin, who actually has the job. So, Mas Andria was only helping him and he decided to give this job to someone else (me :D). Mas Solihin met me in the market on Tuesday morning (6 AM !! The first time i awake so early in Melbourne). We met on the spot where the shop should be opened.

There were 2 big metal boxes on the spot. One box contained the clothes and the other one contained the structures of the shop. Structures ? Yeah, do you think it would be easy to open and close a shop in the market. You have to build the shop man... Wahaha, this is why some of my friends told me that this isn't an easy job (many student do this job to earn some extra money). Anyway, Mas Solihin introduced me on how to build the structure of the shop. Basically, there were lots of poles (heavy poles i tell you...) that have to be stand and assembled.

After the shop had been built. We brought all of the clothes (from the second box) out of the big box and arrange them. I felt like a labor in Pasar baru (well i did...). The process took around 1 hour and i also helped Mas Solihin to open his shop, since he helped me with opening my shop.




The owner of the shop didn't show up until it was around 8.30. It is the time for shop opening transaction. The shop which i opened belong to a lady called Najiba. Well, i haven't known her well yet, but that day she told me that the shop would be closed by his son, so i didn't have to come in the afternoon. So, it was only 15 bucks for me. Hehehe... She also told me to come on the Saturday and Sunday to do the opening and i agreed. Why not, it won't take a long time to do this afterall.

So, instead of studying, in this easter break i have been working. I will tell you later about other things that i have been doing in easter break later.

"Window Shopping" of Subjects

Coming to all the subjects was the activity that i've been doing last week. Yup, new semester has arrived... Wuhu.. Excited? Yup.. very much. So many interesting subjects (eventhough they are too computer science). Hesitate about how i will be doing? Mm... This is actually my first time having lectures in English. So, that unconfident feeling is always there.

Anyway, let me tell you some stories about each subject that i've attented.

1. Distributed System: taught by Dr. Shanika Karunasekera. This is my first that i had on Monday. Actually, i took this subject because it is the pre-requisite of Mobile Computing Systems Programming subject which i'm planning to take in 2nd semester. So, i didn't hope that much from this subject. Nevertheless, i found this subject quite interesting (since i didn't take this subject in ITB) and i think distributed system will become a basic knowledge that should be known.

2. Cluster and Grid Computing: taught by Dr. Raj Buyya. Frankly speaking, i could catch what Dr. Shanika is saying far better than Dr. Raj Buyya. He speaks so fast in Indian dialect so that if you lose your concentration for a little while, it would be hard to catch up. And guess what? In his first lectures i have to admit that i was dozen off a couple of times. Hahaha.. In my opinion, this subject will give a great knowledge in dealing with networking stuff and since i consider myself weak in networking knowledge, this is an opportunity for me to study.

3. IT Project Management: taught by Martin Vaugh. I think he is an Australian. This subject will teach about how to be a good project manager. Well, this should gain me a knowlege about "how to be the boss", but i didn't find this subject interesting. Or is it maybe i'm too technical ?

4. Software Agents: taught by Dr Kuldar Taveter. He is an estonian. This subject closely related with Artificial Intelligence. What so funny about this subject was that the lecture give "Tamagochi" as an example of software agent. I didn't have any idea that this tamagochi stuff is still alive.
Hmm, my intereset in AI will never change. Who wouldn't be interested if someday you could program a robot?! I always interested in the concept but when i actually learn it, i usually get frustated. Well, i think i'm going to give it another shot.

5. Web Technologies and Applications: taught by Dr. James Bailey. This subject is one of my expectation in MSSE (Master of Software System Engineering). I thought that in MSSE all the subjects are about this kind of stuff plus a few analysis and designing software subjects. However, it turned out that MSSE is too computer science.

6. Human Language Technology: taught by Steven Bird. I think he is an expert in Natural Language Processing. You can find him in this video if you like. In this subject, students will have to learn about phyton language and also nltk (natural language tool kit). I found this subject so hard because of several reasons. First, the class has only few international students (CMIIW) so the lecture often talks too fast. Most of the students have backgrounds about HLT, i don't know what, but i could sense that most of the students and the lecture know what they were talking to each other about. I think it will be too difficult for me to catch up.

So, after thinking for a while, i decided that this semester, i will take:

1. Distributed System
2. Cluster and Grid Computing
3. Software Agents
4. Web Technologies and Applications

Wish me luck everybody !!