My recent work with Loyola Robotics as a mentor gave me a sneak preview of what the future might be like. In those commutes to Loyola Robotics, I sort of see new dimensions.
9:03PM Friday night, I walked out of Loyola Robotics lounge. I tapped my STM pass to get in the Metro station, bumping shoulders, squeezing through the gaps between commuters while voicing a series of "Excusez-moi". Sitting down, I turned on my laptop to do a bit of really unproductive programming as my mind was occupied with...stuff.
* * *
Thought #1
I can't wait to open that bottle of cold beer sitting in my fridge then go out for a cheap bite to release build-up of the day's stress.
Thought #3:
Those who say "high school is the best time of your life" have certainly not gone to college.
Besides the 8AM labs and the 11:59PM CAPA assignment, there's also time set aside for lectures, walking to lectures, lunch, an afternoon snooze. But what makes college different from high school is the power to choose WHEN (if I decide to) to do them.
Thought #68:
I like how learning is no longer focused on the textbooks and grades are just capital letters ranging from A to F, which has less variability on the future than they did in high school. Aside from cracking books every now and then, I am spending more and more time out in the city or taking a weekend trip somewhere.
Thought #79:
Being put in college on a full-scholarship certainly has created a disillusion of the value of money. My bank balance has been on a steady decline to keep up with the Montreal-style of life. They say that's exactly why idiots go broke after they win the lottery. I'm glad this part-time volunteering has made me conscience of my spending.
Thought #104:
Just look at all those people around me taking this train. There's a mother and her daughter on the other side, sitting safely on her mother's laps. There's a middle aged man to my left; he looks like he has a lot on his mind. There's a group of teenage high school girls to my right, dressed very well, and they are probably discussing Edward Cullen and the New Moon...now enters a business man in suit, he's certainly dressed to impress. At the other door, an old man enters, he looks like he's been out too long in the cold. I stood up, gave him my seat.
Thought #105:
No wonder 'college' isn't just an extension of high school; not only is 'college' spelled differently, it attaches an identity beyond the definition of "a learning institution". If I were to define 'college', it is a lifestyle set on that fine boundary between being a student and a citizen enjoying the full responsibility of himself and his role in the society.
* * *
"Station Magiiiiiille" the speaker announced, in French, as the train pulled to a gentle stop. The doors open. I stepped out. Doors close. I turned around to look back, a few pairs of eyes looked back. We had taken a part of journey together, but now we're off to different paths.
The beer is just up the hill.
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