topcoder first-timer

right now, i'm going through my virgin experience in TopCoder Single-Round Match (SRM) competition. at this very moment, SRM 299 is being held online. we're all at round 1, but there's nothing else i could do, since i already finished all three problem sets they gave. according to my current summary, i'm number 45 in division 2, out of almost 400 competitors from all over the world. right now, i'm also a room leader in my competition room. hahaha! well, that doesn't mean i'll still be number 45 later. my solutions might be proven wrong during the challenge phase or the system test phase. but oh well. no point worrying now. just relax and wait for challenge round (in another 20 minutes).

first question was unbelievably easy. convert a temperature from one temperature scale to another. nothing can be simpler than that. hmm. oh well. i guess i was slow programming in Java. my points weren't high enough. they timed the time you finished a problem and give us a rating based on that. my rating is 245.21/250 for that problem. quite sucky, considering that the question could be so easily solved. it's a one-liner, btw.

second question was okay. i managed to score quite high for my standard. not bad at all. third problem set is more challenging. it's after all a 1000-point problem. anyway, i was stuck as i was using wrong loop variable in the middle. didn't manage to spot that fast enough. at the end, wasting quite a bit of time debugging. sigh. next time, must remember what loop variable i used. (the thing is, i use the same loop variable for two loop, one nested in the other, wth! damn!)

well, it's over now. shall just wait 'till the challenge phase in another few minutes. hahaha! six more minutes to go. shall continue blogging later, after the challenge phase.
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hmm. waiting for systest (system test) now. sigh. i just discovered a method to solve the 1000-point question. a method that's very easy. chey. sigh. that might mean that my solution is invalid. heh heh.
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expected. i failed the systest for the 1000-point problem. yet i passed the other two. i'm ranked 73 now in division 2. but damn! i just realized that my rating is 1366! which means that i'm promoted to compete in division 1 next SRM! aihh! div 1 problem sets are hell! they are just crazy! i think i'll get demoted quite soon. maybe in the next few days or weeks. sigh. i'd have to become that much better to remain in div 1. but well. for a first-timer, being promoted to div 1 is rather surprising. i feel quite honoured, however short-lived that feeling may be. ;)

well, i guess i've to start learning more programming techniques. maybe next time i'll do better, even if i am in div 1. well all right. i guess that's all folks. my virgin SRM is over. wish me luck for the next one.
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