I have a favourably selective memory which allows me to see the past in much more positive terms than perhaps actually existed. For school, this means the exam anxiety, homework stress, and activity overload fade into shadows whereas the bright experiences, dancing at fed hall, playing soccer, even working with friends in the computer labs, stand out.

Before everything does fade away, both good and bad, let me try to recall some of the experience. This will be the mini version of my university memoirs.

By my last year in high school, I did not know where I wanted to study, or even more importantly, what I wanted to study. The glossy brochures all showed pictures of boys and girls, older than me, of mixed race, gender, and style, smiling in computer labs, libraries, and workshops unravelling the mysteries of the world with keen satisfaction. It was obvious I would be entering a sanctuary of happiness and enlightenment. The issue was which sanctuary.

I had been taking Computer Science classes in high school and discovered that some of my good friends and classmates from that program would be applying to Computer Science at Waterloo. From an early age I had a fascination with computers and electronics that I had failed to notice as unique. When really young, I just assumed that everything that interested me would interest anyone else.

My dad had an Osborne "portable" computer. It was the size of a suitcase and weighed as much as if you had filled that suitcase with books. You would lay the suitcase down on its large side, and the top (now facing you) would detach to reveal a keyboard on the inside face. The keyboard would plug into the big suitcase part which presented you with a tiny green CRT screen (comparable to that of an old analogue oscilloscope) and two 5.25 inch floppy disk drives - one on either side of the screen. I believe it could only operate while plugged in.

The Osborne was probably my first experience with computers. I loved that machine. Bright red LED's indicated disk drive access and knobs would control the brightness and contrast of the tiny monitor. I used to use it for word-processing in elementary school. While I was not word processing I would play snake.

The first time I recall doing any programming was on an Atari 800. That device was used mostly for playing games (my favourite was Star Raiders) though I spent countless hours enjoying some of the other popular titles: Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, and of course Space Invaders.

Most people would treat that line of Atari strictly as a cartridge based console game system. My dad, however, in his geeky eccentricity, acquired a myriad of second hand, under-appreciated peripherals and software for the device from people all over town who had, for some inexplicable reason, decided to divest themselves of their precious hardware. The most useful of these acquisitions was a disk drive which allowed one to run various versions of DOS which led to a) more games, available on floppy, and b) a chance for me to program and experiment. I was always excited when Dad brought home a new stack of disks.

Dad also provided me with books and magazines on programming and the Atari. Though not as nerdy as some people must have been at my age, and therefore not too adventurous when it came to my own creations, I would copy program listings from the magazines or books into the Atari and run the programs perhaps tweaking them out of curiosity. In this way, my dad's indulgence and encouragement of my interest in computers planted the seed that would lead me to consider following my friends' inclination to pursue a Computer Science degree at university.

I received other forms of encouragement along the way. In junior high school, my mum bought a 486 SX 33, our first "PC" style computer. An expensive and delicate investment with which my mum, under reassurance from the IT guy who sold it to and set it up for us, allowed me complete freedom. I broke the sole stipulation that I "stay away from File Manager" on our first day of possession. Later that week I rendered the system unbootable by playing with the config.sys file. Needless to say, I have learned a lot since then.

When reflecting on those young interests and given my success and enjoyment doing AP Computer Science at high school, it seemed natural that I would enrol in a Computer Science program in university. My ambitious application to Cambridge University in England was rejected and my top choice became the University of Waterloo. With many friends going to Waterloo and with the approval and support of my high school teachers, I packed my bags to move East.

---

Tune in next time for Undergrad - First Year