the P.Pole

This was free-spoken by Shane Koyczan during the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver, Canada.

When defining Canada
You might list some statistics
You might mention our tallest building
Or biggest lake
You might shake a tree in the fall
And call a red leaf Canada
You might rattle off some celebrities
Might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie
Might even mention the fact that we’ve got a few
Barenaked Ladies
Or that we made these crazy things
Like zippers
Electric cars
And washing machines
When defining Canada
It seems the world’s anthem has been
“Been there done that”
And maybe that’s where we used to be at
It’s true
We’ve done and we’ve been
We’ve seen
All the great themes get swallowed up by the machine
And turned into theme parks
But when defining Canada
Don’t forget to mention that we have set sparks
We are not just fishing stories
About the one that got away
We do more than sit around and say “eh?”
And yes
We are the home of the Rocket and the Great One
Who inspired little number nines
And little number ninety-nines
But we’re more than just hockey and fishing lines
Off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes
And some say what defines us
Is something as simple as please and thank you
And as for you’re welcome
Well we say that too
But we are more
Than genteel or civilized
We are an idea in the process
Of being realized
We are young
We are cultures strung together
Then woven into a tapestry
And the design
Is what makes us more
Than the sum total of our history
We are an experiment going right for a change
With influences that range from a to zed
And yes we say zed instead of zee
We are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy
We dream so big that there are those
Who would call our ambition an industry
Because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow
We do more than grow wheat and brew beer
We are vineyards of good year after good year
We reforest what we clear
Because we believe in generations beyond our own
Knowing now that so many of us
Have grown past what used to be
We can stand here today
Filled with all the hope people have
When they say things like “someday”
Someday we’ll be great
Someday we’ll be this
Or that
Someday we’ll be at a point
When someday was yesterday
And all of our aspirations will pay the way
For those who on that day
Look towards tomorrow
And still they say someday
We will reach the goals we set
And we will get interest on our inspiration
Because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks
More than backpacks and hiking trails
We are hammers and nails building bridges
Towards those who are willing to walk across
We are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss
We are not the see-through gloss or glamour
Of those who clamour for the failings of others
We are fathers brothers sisters and mothers
Uncles and nephews aunts and nieces
We are cousins
We are found missing puzzle pieces
We are families with room at the table for newcomers
We are more than summers and winters
More than on and off seasons
We are the reasons people have for wanting to stay
Because we are more than what we say or do
We live to get past what we go through
And learn who we are
We are students
Students who study the studiousness of studying
So we know what as well as why
We don’t have all the answers
But we try
And the effort is what makes us more
We don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for
So keep exploring
Go far and wide
Or go inside but go deep
Go deep
As if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss
And suddenly there was this location scout
Trying to figure some way out
To get inside you
Because you’ve been through hell and high water
And you went deep
Keep exploring
Because we are more
Than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
We are more than hills to ski
Or countryside ponds to skate
We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait
We are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes
A country that is all the ways you choose to live
A land that can give you variety
Because we are choices
We are millions upon millions of voices shouting
“Keep exploring… we are more”
We are the surprise the world has in store for you
It’s true
Canada is the “what” in “what’s new?”
So don’t say “been there done that”
Unless you’ve sat on the sidewalk
While chalk artists draw still lifes
On the concrete of a kid in the street
Beatboxing to Neil Young for fun
Don’t say you’ve been there done that
Unless you’ve been here doing it
Let this country be your first-aid kit
For all the times you get sick of the same old same old
Let us be the story told to your friends
And when that story ends
Leave chapters for the next time you’ll come back
Next time pack for all the things
You didn’t pack for the first time
But don’t let your luggage define your travels
Each life unravels differently
And experiences are what make up
The colours of our tapestry
We are the true north
Strong and free
And what’s more
Is that we didn’t just say it
We made it be.
— Shane Koyczan, More (Copyright © The Vancouver Sun)

Thank you, Amy. *smooches

Today I wrote my Statistics, Probability final exam. I feel very confident, and for someone doing very well in that class already, this should not be taken as a sign of arrogance (there are many others, take your pick).

According to my roommate Taylor, he has noticed that I seem to be quite moody today and, to a lesser extent, recently. He asked if it was my time of the month, and I asked whether he would like to settle the matter outside.

From past experience, I only get as described (that would be, dark, moody, etc…) over a very specific subset of things out of the larger set of Life. These would include (mainly):

• while seething over  some recent wronging
• during spells of feeling neglected
• when having trouble with girls

Now, let’s say that these three form a mean of sorts, an expected value, with variance being some expression in terms of my relationship status, proximity to other people, and how much duress I am experiencing at the moment of Great Upheavals. Possible values would thusly be varying reasons ranging from predominantly indignation-based (on our graph: left, for some arbitrary reason) to predominantly sadness-based (right).

Now, if each of these Great Upheaval events are distributed with identical underlying distribution models (I’d like to think of it in terms of some exponential distribution, where we consider only the wait time before the first event), then the Central Limit Theorem suggests that given enough observed Upheavals, the distribution of them all as a whole could be approximated by, you guessed it, the Normal Distribution.

This makes a lot of sense, since most everything in Nature tends towards some Normal Distribution model, be it the weight of individual penguins or termites per mound. Some say this is a quantifiable argument for God’s existence, but this more rationally explained by the underlying mathematics present. However, the elegance and perfection with which the underlying mathematics works out—now that is more like an argument for God’s designing hand in my somewhat educated opinion.

Also, the integral of e^(-x^2) from zero to infinity (mostly un-integrable by non-math nerds) works out to be the square root of Pi divided by 2 (i.e. √π/2) and this is where the Normal Distribution’s Probability Density Function is derived. Yeah, I know.  Calculus, meet Statistics.

I am also not feeling so great. Physically, very healthy. Otherwise, not in the best shape, as I came to realize today. I should probably seek medical attention wherever and as soon as possible.

Today, I wrote a test for Organizational Behaviour at Laurier. It went well. I went on to prove two theorems from Linear Algebra during my Accounting lecture (no wonder I have no idea what’s going on in that class).

Here’s an awesome song from Rock Band 2, Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son”. Do make sure to check the lyrics after the jump.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Continue reading

Okay so long story short, today I came home from the Actuarial Science test and reviewed a little bit for my Algebra midterm. From past experience, Math midterms have been around 7 pm at night, and I assumed the same.

I started playing some Left 4 Dead and about half an hour into it, I suddenly got compelled (I am convinced it was divine intervention!) to check my time and room for the exam. To my horror, I found that my midterm started at 4:20 pm. For some reason (probably out of panic), when I looked at my clock, it read 5:50 pm, so I thought to myself “Oh shit. I’ve got like 40 minutes to write a 2 hour exam.” So, like a bat out of linear Hell, I tore out of my house, making a mad dash for the Math building where my midterm was hosted. Continue reading

Before I start, be warned. I’ve had two ounces of hard liquor today (mixed with tonic water and citrus juices), but I feel pretty coherent. Please do read the following and love me as I am.

Firstly, this will be my third post just today–also the second filed under Emo and Downer.  It has been a long day with a wayward soul.

Secondly, I don’t feel anything except very, very tired. Okay, I’m feeling a little listlessly lamentable too (did you see what I did there?).

Thirdly, I was strangely eager to try Rafael’s gin and tonic along with his (original) almond-liquor sour creations today. They were good, and warming.

Finally, I am listening to the soundtrack from Stardust. …A-a-and now I want to disappear for a week or so.

My knight in shining whatever, if you are to strike, strike soon and with a vengeance! Save me from this villainy and tyranny of gloom! You may not know what to do, but when the moment is right, you will know. May the Spirit be with you even as I cannot. I will now brave the folds of my bedding and hope to escape their clinging, slumber-drenched grasp come the Sun, tomorrow. And as I part, I shall impart some intoxicated wisdom–that I’ve finally learned today, after so long–with you, fairest of readers: “Today will be over before you’ve known it, but tomorrow is forever.”

I ask only for a tomorrow with the Sun, the Moon, and you. You know, the one I’ve been going on about since forever.