Kevin Yuliawan

What's your favorite thing to do when you have a lot of free time, like the summer for example?

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:46:34 -0400

Friends, guitar, soccer, concerts, and, not gonna lie, a little bit of studying. You can never know enough, and the only truly controllable limit to how intelligent you are is how lazy you are.

Have you ever given advice to a friend in which the outcome had caused you to regret?

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:44:05 -0400

Sort of? What’s done is done and all you can do is to do what it takes in order to deal with it the best that you can.

Gettin back into it

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:29:00 -0400

I’m gonna be gettin back into Tumblr cause a lot’s been on my mind and I feel like writing it out/up is a good way of helping to clear my mind. Not that I was ever into it in the first place, but whateva.

See, I don’t even know what to talk about first. There’s so much.

How bout school, since I’m procrastinating it right now.

So I’m currently a fourth semester sophomore at UConn, studying Computer Science and Engineering, and hopefully getting a minor in Math and Digital Arts. Sounds like a lot, but for the Math minor, I only have to take two(?) Math classes that aren’t required by my major, since all the other Math ones are, so it would be sorta silly not to get it. And the Digital Arts minor requires four 2000+ level classes in the “Digital Arts” field, so it’s not too much - if I just take one class every semester starting next year, I’ll be good. Actually, it’s the first year they’re running it here at UConn, and it’s pretty interesting. Here’s a list of courses that I’m going to be able to take because I’m in the DA minor, that I wouldn’t have been otherwise: http://digitalarts.uconn.edu/?page_id=8. Electronic music techniques, physical computing, advanced web design… makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

So you might be thinking, damn that’s a lot, and it sorta is, and with my classes for my major ramping up and getting into stuff that’s new to me and deeper into actual computer science and engineering, it really makes me stop and think about it. As you may or may not know, music is also a really big part of my life and ~~probably~~ my biggest passion, thus the Digital Arts minor, but unfortunately music can’t guarantee a job as well as a degree in CSE. But the thing is, I know I’m good at music - not to toot my own horn, but I’m better than your average guitar player and I know enough theory to carry me over. And I’m honestly just average at CSE - this involves math, electronics and circuits, logic, programming, etc. Taking both of these into account, I essentially find myself in a stand still - try and go for music or try and go for the degree? UConn and school and computers will always be around, but music is hot right now. With YouTube, souncloud, Facebook… independent music is not as insubstantial as it used to be. Especially with, like I said, my major ramping up, I find myself unfortunately having less and less time for music, as it’s devoted to my studies. And even with devoting time to studies, I still quite find the time to keep with it all without pulling a few all nighters here and there. And sometimes, when I am working, I long to just stop and open up Ableton and mess around, but I know that if I do, I’ll end up “messing around” for hours and hours.

And thus, I have settled on a resolution. Getting good at music and getting good at CSE both require ample amounts of time - after all, you can’t be good at it unless you apply what you know, and this is for both of them. For music, you can’t just read about a chord shape or mode and expect to know it. And for math, you can’t just read a formula and expect to know how to apply it. You need to actually do it. So I believe that if I keep with the studies during the week, and just learn and know and apply everything, I’ll be good with my CSE. And if I’m all caught up to speed, then on the weekend, and weekdays if I can find time, I can fine tune my music abilities. For example, some things that I would like to master for both:

CSE:

programming in Java & C++/C
algorithms
software design patterns & flow
electronics/circuit design - theory (physics) and application
mathematical logic
math and its applications

Music:

learning about compression, reverb, EQ
mastering
creating a house/electro/dutch song using samples
sound synthesis
creating a house/electro/dutch song using all original sounds
jazz theory - chords, soloing
scales, modes
more theory - can never have enough
how to play the piano better

As you can see, it’s a good amount, but if I stick with it, I know I’ll be pretty good at both. And what does that mean? It means a degree and a resume that not many other people, especially here at UConn, have. A lot of the CSE majors are what you’d expect to be - well, CSE majors… a lot of programming, computer gaming, LARP’ing… not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I know that I have a special talent for music that not many others have, and if I can stay good at what I’m supposed to stay good at, and stay good at what I already am good at, then I’m hopefully going to have a lot of opportunities available for me in the future.

All in all, this post was pretty much to keep me, and possibly you, motivated. Everyone’s going to school, everyone’s doing homework and taking exams, but what sets you apart from the rest? Find that talent, that niche, that passion, and truly master it, and try to incorporate it into what you’re studying/doing, and you can’t go wrong.

too true…

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:59:34 -0400

too true…

as an engineer, this couldn’t be any more true. thank god...

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:02:55 -0400

as an engineer, this couldn’t be any more true. thank god i’m done with calculus (I, II, and III)

Tumblr & Life

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:49:00 -0400

Well, this is it, this is me saying ‘hi’ to Tumblr. Hi.

For me, this is going to be more of a blog, and of course I’m going to post (or share or reblog or whatever it is on here) funny and cool shit that I find but personally, I envision this is as being more of a daily thoughts sort of thing, where I can share what’s on my mind in more than 140 characters with more than whomever I’m just friends with on Facebook.

With that being said, I’d like to use this christening of my Tumblr to talk about the past year, specifically my first year of college at the University of Connecticut.

Damn.

I’ve learned so much, not just academically, but about myself as a person, and I know that sounds corny, but college really does do that to you. You’re forced to fend for yourself in a place (usually) far from home, and mostly everyone is in the same boat as you. Who you were and what you did doesn’t matter as much as it did in your hometown; here everyone comes with a blank slate only to be inscribed by your actions in the next four years.

That’s not the point, though, the point is that this was the first taste for me of the real world. When you move to the city and get a job, you’re not going to know every single person there, and they may not know anything about you, either, and college is exactly like that. And just like everything else in the real world, it is what you make it. I’m sure a lot of you wanna go out and party, and with your parents not being there I admit it is fucking awesome. But you also need to realize that you’re working towards your future, that this really is going down. It’s not high school, it’s college. Legit.

Therefore, here are some pro tips I feel that you or anyone else can benefit from, which I have deduced from my first year experiences at college. (I’m making this up as I go along, bare with me.)

——————

<BEGIN COLLEGE PRO TIPS>
1. Your social life at college is usually (as it was for me) separate from your social life at home. You could be the man back in your home town, but up at college no one knows who the hell you are, or might not even care who you are. That’s why you have to give them a reason to. Go out and make friends, starting with the people in your building. On the first day, go door to door introducing yourself and your roommate, make observations about their room, get a feel for people and find kids to do stuff with, whether it be playing soccer or going out.
In other words, it doesn’t matter how many friends you have at home. At college, it’s a fresh start, so you better make some new friends fast before the first few weeks are over and everyone has already somewhat established their social circles.

2. Gonna say this again, make friends. Say Hi to everyone in your building on the first day, say hi to the people in your classes (especially to the kids that have the same major as you as you’re most likely going to be seeing them a lot for the next four years). College is all about connections. Find people that are like you, but also find people that aren’t like you. Don’t judge a book by its cover, be open and friendly to everyone. I know, once again, that sounds cliche, but honestly what do you have to lose? Don’t talk to any of your friends from home for the first two weeks at least, or at least don’t spend more than an hour talking to them, because they’ll always be there and they’ll always be your friends. You should be going out and meeting new people instead.

3. Get good at remembering names. What I like to do when I first meet someone is get their name, and then associate something about them with their name in my head. Something like “Fred in red” or “Jason with the Yankee shirt”. It works, trust me. And if you ever get stuck and need to ask someone for their name again, say “Sorry, what’s your name again?” Then they answer, and then you say “No, I meant your last name.”

4. Stop being an introvert. If you feel like you make things awkward, then don’t! Don’t even think about it in your head that, “Shit, I’m an awkward idiot.” Instead, say to yourself that you’re the man/woman that everyone likes, and prove it to people! Just don’t be a jerk lol

5. Stick to your studies. For me, it came down to studies and social life. I went out and met new people, but my studies always came first. Maybe one week I’d go out to a bar on a Thursday night, but if the next week I have an exam on Friday, the bar can wait.

6. Eat healthy. Colleges usually have all you can eat dining halls and it’s easy to get carried away. Don’t, or else you’ll get fat. And I’m sure you don’t want to get fat. Trust me, I’ve seen some people get preeeetty big, and I’m sure that sucks.

6. Don’t be stupid.
</END COLLEGE PRO TIPS>

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So that’s pretty much it. Shit I wrote a lot. And I hate writing, I’m an engineer dammit!

Also check this image out for more pro tips on life in general. Take something from it and better your life, for the good of yourself and everyone around you. You’ll be glad you did. http://i.imgur.com/fSLDa.jpg