Friday, October 23, 2009

ACM-ICPC Regional Programming Contest in Indonesia

我回来了!!!
带着疲惫的心和脑袋回来
很失望自己在Jakarta的表现
很失望自己部署的strategy

虽然知道这次比赛是注定输的
可是就希望自己能尽力
这次比赛的问题并没有想象中的难
但就是表现欠佳
我知道输了比赛自哀自怨是无补于事的
我是不会做这种傻事的

到底是什么原因导致自己的表现欠佳呢?

一、缺乏比赛经验是这次失败的主要关键
看看其他比赛队伍-中国、台湾、新加坡等
他们都有着一套完美的strategy
这都是需要参加过多场比赛、队伍的默契和长期的训练
才能培养出来
这些都是我们缺乏的
1week的intensive training和他们的几个月甚至一两年的training比起来
算是小巫见大巫了

二、漏洞百出的strategy
我们的strategy有很多弱点:

2人一起solve同一个问题
advantage :
1. 减少抢用电脑的机会,因为只有1台PC is provided
2. 加快solve一个问题的速度,减少careless mistake的几率

disadvantage:
1. reduce brain utilization... 2个脑袋无法fully utilize,2个头脑合起来变成一个头脑了
2. 浪费时间-很多时间都花在沟通上和同一个问题上了。会有一段时间其中一个人会处于idle状态
3. 互相影响-当其中一个想到了idea, 另一个就会被影响到去想那个idea行不行得通,而无法继续再去想另一个idea。如果看起来行得通,那么2个人就会一起从这个idea出发去找出solution。所以如果这个solution有问题的话,不管再怎样改,都还是会从这个idea 去改solution。因为2个人的头脑都被“pollute”。

2人program,一人define问题和test case
advantage :
1. 减少抢用电脑的机会

disadvantage
1. 2个人会处在busy状态,而另一个会经常处在idle状态
2. PC也会经常处在idle状态
3. reduce brain utilization
4. 当2个人筋疲力尽的时候,另一个无法补上。要知道5个小时的比赛是很累人的

实力不平均
这导致当其中有人stuck着的时候,较弱的无法补上。其实正确的做法是当想了很久都无法找出solution时,应该把那个问题pass给另一个队友。因为可能自己的idea已经出错了,这时需要的是另一个人的idea。所以每个人的实力不能差太远。就像是中国天津大学的那支队伍,其中一个人是曾经进入世界级ACM比赛的参赛者,但其他2个是新手,所以他们还是无法进入前10强。

三、环境压力
由于有六十多组参赛队伍,所以被分在不同的lab
而我们被分配到和多数中国和台湾队伍一起
而且许多都是上届10强人马
比赛时每完成一题会被奖励一颗balloon
而当天我们感觉周围都被balloon围绕着
或多或少都会被压力影响

所以希望在1个月后的national ACM contest不会再犯同样的错误
当然在这之前,我们必须加强实力。做到每个人都能独立完成问题
因为接下来的比赛是一场还没开始,对方就已经占了优势的比赛
programming environment竟然是eclipse 和 Netbeans 的IDE
而对方又是JAVA guys...
JAVA配上这两个IDE简直就是绝配
再加上身为主场的他们
可算是占尽了天时、地利、人和。
而我们的主要对手就是他们-IIUM的队伍
在这次的ACM比赛中被他们超越了
而他们其中一个就是上次打败MMU拿下第一名的postgraduate student
希望这次能够一雪前耻!
加油!希望一个月后IIUM见!

The one and only one... :(









Friday, October 16, 2009

1 week of Intensive Training

Yea~~
1 week of intensive training finally over already...
Wow~~
can say gain a lot ba...
but the more I gain, the more tiny I feel abt myself...
before this I still think this week I will feel very bored since I'm alone at cyber
But I'm absolutely WRONG
I'm damn busy!!!
I never think I will keep programming over 12 hrs everyday
after training we still gather and tried to solve more problems
Yet it is also a good experience also...
since everyone exchange opinions when solving problems
And I also learn many things from them...

And one more thing...
During this training, we also invite Dr. Ng come and teach us about numbers theory part
he is really pro in maths
and he also made me feel that the maths that what I have learnt is really nothing
After his teaching...
I really feel that I'm really noob in maths
yea~~
Now I still got that kind of feeling although many people said my maths is good
So, after this week, I do not dare to admit it anymore....
I can just say that I still got many things to learn...
The world is so big, but I think I might not able to fully explore it....

2 more days to go...
I think I haven't prepare enough...
But this is a good chance for me to gain some experiences
and set our target on national ACM-ICPC contest...
MMU must get top 3 in national contest!!!

Friday, October 9, 2009

My First Client

Last weekends
I went back for celebrating mid-autumn festival with my family...

On the last day before I came back to cyber
My best friend - Ah Lu asked me out for celebrating my really belated birthday
He said he haven't give me present for this year
Coz every year I will receive present from him
So he said this year cant be excluded..
Haha... Got a bit touched loh...
But this year he didn't prepare any present, he just treat me Sushi King...

Then he seems like got something need for helps
Since he is my old + best friend, so I wont pretend not to know de...
Then I asked him, he said he wants me to write a software for him and he will pay me...
I gt a bit shocked lo..
Since I'm still not a professional software engineer yet..
And he said he asked those professional programming company
It's cost thousand ringgit...
It's over his budget...

So like that... Ah Lu become my first client before I become a professional software engineer
Now what I need to write is a real world software
Not an assignment anymore
It's much different between them

I have to consider all the possibilities of how user will use the software
And make it wont crash
And also provide as much as functionality as I can
Although I know he wont demand so much
But I really hope I can make it as professional as possible...
Hehe....

Oh ya... it's related with income tax de software...
Haha.. this is my another " First time " !
it seems like I have a lot of first time during this year - 2009
^^

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Get ready for ACM !!!

9 more days to go...
ACM-ICPC Regional Programming Contest in Indonesia...
I believe it will be a memorable experience in my life...

First time represent MMU to take part in programming contest
First time visit an internatinal company - IBM, our sponsor for this contest
First time go abroad
First time take flight
First time meet other programming expert from other country
and I believe there will be a lot of first time that I cant imagine...

Although we know it's impossible to win
Since we have limited time for training compared to other contestants
They really spent a lot of time ( 1 sem, 1 year, even a few years ) to prepare for this contest
But we only have 2 hours per week for training in this sem
Moreover, tons of assignment and mid-term exam made us really no time to bother the preparation for this contest.

No pain no gain...
So we have to sacrifice our coming 2 weeks sem break for 1 week intensive training
T.T

I hope after this intensive training, our main weak point - Graph Theory can be strengthened
and also our logical thinking as well...

I just hope that we manage to solve 1 question during the contest
and this is also what our coach told us...
Since MMU sent many teams in this contest during last few years
But the best result was 1 question solved over 6 - 10 question I think
and after solved 1 question, the rank will be raised to 15th - 20th
So we can imagine how tough the contest is...

I know we are using the eggs to hit the rocks (以卵击石)
But I think I will enjoy that kind of feeling...

Looking forward to the day...
^^