So I recently finished up my first year of university, ending with exams. I got my grades back and barely passed two of my courses. I also found out that I failed my calculus course.... badly. And I thought I would be done with calculus for good. Looks like I will have to retake it next semester because it's a requirement for my program.
However a great weight has been listed from my chest and I feel better then ever. Although just writing this post, and reminding me of my failures has brought down my mood.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The State of Progress
Some random ramblings while I am way stressed out and suffering from lack of sleep due to exams, a stupid body, and just all around poor sleeping habits.
While waiting for my windows updates to configure (finally! I had been putting them off for like 2 days seriously. I know it's bad. It was my computer freezing that finally made me reboot), I had some sudden revelations I thought I would share with you.
First of all, I've realized I prefer the percentage completed to just stay at 0 % then to slowly (very slowly!) increase 1 % at a time. At least if it stays at 0 % I can feel like I'm not getting anywhere, but if it increases 1 % at a time at a very slow rate, I feel like I am actually getting smoewhere when in reality I am no better off then if the progress were not increasing at all. My rationalization behind it: in both situations it will still take an eternity to get to 100 %, so I would rather not kid myself into believing there is any real progress there.
Second of all, the most annoying thing is when it hangs there at 100 %. It feels like finally reaching your destination, only to realize that wasn't where you needed (or wanted) to be in the first place. It annoys me to no end, since if the update configuration is 100 % complete, there shouldn't be anything left to do.
The same thoughts can be applied elsewhere in life too. When someone says they are almost finished when the only work they have done is the trivial stuff, it's like the slowly increasing progress. They still have a long way to go, and they really haven't made any progress in the first place. The 100 % complete thing, is like anytime someone says they have completed something but can't show you the completed progress or there is something left to do. "I have it finished I just need to send it to you, it's done I just need to file it". If the last step isn't done, then you really aren't done and shouldn't claim to be done.
And those are my random ramblings on the state of progress.
While waiting for my windows updates to configure (finally! I had been putting them off for like 2 days seriously. I know it's bad. It was my computer freezing that finally made me reboot), I had some sudden revelations I thought I would share with you.
First of all, I've realized I prefer the percentage completed to just stay at 0 % then to slowly (very slowly!) increase 1 % at a time. At least if it stays at 0 % I can feel like I'm not getting anywhere, but if it increases 1 % at a time at a very slow rate, I feel like I am actually getting smoewhere when in reality I am no better off then if the progress were not increasing at all. My rationalization behind it: in both situations it will still take an eternity to get to 100 %, so I would rather not kid myself into believing there is any real progress there.
Second of all, the most annoying thing is when it hangs there at 100 %. It feels like finally reaching your destination, only to realize that wasn't where you needed (or wanted) to be in the first place. It annoys me to no end, since if the update configuration is 100 % complete, there shouldn't be anything left to do.
The same thoughts can be applied elsewhere in life too. When someone says they are almost finished when the only work they have done is the trivial stuff, it's like the slowly increasing progress. They still have a long way to go, and they really haven't made any progress in the first place. The 100 % complete thing, is like anytime someone says they have completed something but can't show you the completed progress or there is something left to do. "I have it finished I just need to send it to you, it's done I just need to file it". If the last step isn't done, then you really aren't done and shouldn't claim to be done.
And those are my random ramblings on the state of progress.
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