Rank, Seniority, Superiority

Just because you are older than me, just because you have superiority to me, just because your rank is higher than me DO NOT AT ALL mean that what you think is always right; it's even far from right when you are saying what is right for me without you even knowing what I am, who I am, what I want and what I have gone through!

Losing out a debate due to the superiority is more shitty than any suffering one can possibly endure. I really hate it. I just wanna say "f*ck it"! (Sorry about the language, but I'm really hurt.)

DAMN IT! and I HATE IT! on facebook all come from this. Words are just words; they can never express what one really feels deep down inside. Languages are not just expressive enough to convey human feelings; not just suffering or anger, but love as well :)

Falling Asleep

It's fortunate to get a seat on the train. But, on the other hand, it's not so fortunate to miss the stop!

I don't know why I usually fall asleep (deeply) just around the stop I'm supposed to get off, to wake up suddenly to realize that I have to reverse. =X

Laughter Guaranteed

In case you need a laugh: Remember, it takes a college degree to fly a

plane but only a high school diploma to fix one.



After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a 'Gripe

Sheet' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft.

The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the

form, and then pilots review the Gripe Sheets before the next flight.



Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humour. Here are some

actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots (marked

with a P) and the solutions (marked with an S) recorded by

maintenance engineers.



By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never, ever, had

an accident:



P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.

S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.



P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough

S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.



P: Something loose in cockpit.

S: Something tightened in cockpit.



P: Dead bugs on windshield.

S: Live bugs on back-order.



P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute Descent.

S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.



P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

S: Evidence removed.



P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

S: DME volume set to more believable level.



P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

S: That's what friction locks are for.



P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.

S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.



P: Suspected crack in windshield.

S: Suspect you're right.



P: Number 3 engine missing.

S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.



P: Aircraft handles funny...........

S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.



P: Radar hums.

S: Reprogrammed radar with lyrics.



P: Mouse in cockpit.

S: Cat installed



And the best one for last..................

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget

pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

{Thanks Jo}

Getting Things Done

GTD is pretty much an interesting topic and a lot of people have written techniques for getting things really done.

I have tried several of their techniques. All of them worked. The only time any of them didn't work is when my mind is not working. It's not the techniques that is mostly helping me to get things done, it's more the mentality, the enthusiasm, the passion, the mood, and the energy that keep me getting my things done. Once I lose any of these factors, things become harder to get done.

Imm...what's my point writing this? I just wanted to say "Don't try to adopt or experiment with too many ways to get things done. Stick with one and try to keep your energy level up to a level consistently (which is quite hard, I admit)"

Nothing really. Just a random note.

Three-Day Weekend

This is probably a good read and also a good thing to try. Work 10 hours a day for four days a week and take a three-day weekend.

Certainly, the environment would be greener. Hopefully, people will be happier that way as well since a three-day weekend can well be used for short vacation trips where a two-day weekend is just good for a short party probably.

IMO, I would enjoy that and I welcome it positively.

Apple Blocks Google Voice [News]

Why does Apple get to decide what applications your iPhone can run? That's a question on customers' minds today after Apple rejected Google Voice as an iPhone application, apparently to protect AT&T's lock on iPhone users.

Google Voice offers features that AT&T couldn't, but it's not morally right for Apple to block Google Voice.

I'm not directly affected though: I don't have an iPhone and Google Voice is only available in US so far. =D

News at http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/169179/apple_rejects_google_voice_iphone_app.html

Happy Birthday to Me

After so many days, I finally have taken time to write this photo post for my 23rd Birthday!

Thank you a lot for the friends who came at Sakae and celebrated it with me. I really love the lamp. Thank goodness I didn’t get one earlier. =D Oh ya…I gotta get a new bulb coz my smart friends thought it has only two bulbs! LOL! But, two bulbs is still good enough for me. So, I’m not gonna rush for the third.

 

Super nice Ko TLT!

This is a nice Cryonox also. =D

As someone noticed, it’s strikingly similar!

This is not the kind of candid shot I would love. =S

I’m not gonna comment on who looks better.

Thank you to TLT who took a lot of time to write two lines!

Thank you the TSKs for the celebration and the WII games!!! I loved the cheese cake! Sorry Evie who had to bear with the lunch. =P The Wii games were really really funny. I felt like a kid again then! It’s been more than half a decade I haven’t played a console game!

Oh ya…I love the backpack a lot! Jo was really quick to get the hint from my frustrated complaint about my old backpack! The slippers? I was really thinking of getting one for myself pretty soon! It’s just at the right time!!!!! The bottle? Oh well…it should have been replaced. I like the new one better coz it can hold 1L! LOL! Just nice for someone who drinks frequently! The shoe bag is just nice also! :)

Now that Jing told me, they were planning to get me the table from IKEA. If they really did, then I would be getting presents for my birthdays from IKEA. The lamp was from IKEA also! =D

 

I can’t find a better example of impulse buying!!! The first moment I saw them looking at the hats; just a few minutes later, I was amazed that they have bought them already! Congrats ladies!!! But, it’s really a good buy! Looks nice on you two!

By the way, I just remember someone was really loving her new bag! Every other minute, she would take it out say “I really love my bag!”

We are at the Wii station now. =D

The tix for Wii =)

Jo was the best plumber! :P

But, she runs pretty slow!!!

Was Evie out to find the lens cap that was deemed lost but has always been in the bag?

Oh ya…must really thank someone special for the Birthday wishes and the card! I sure love them!!! Thanks for making my day and night and everything! :)

Harry Potter

So much enthusiasm for this. A last minute arrangement to get a good timing for the movie.

But, the movie was just so ORDINARY. No excitement and no suspense. I fell asleep twice during the movie. =S

Maybe I was pretty tired that I fell asleep, but it was no understatement that the movie was just ordinary.

Thanks go to the friends who came and another who helped us book the tickets and another who helped us change the movie time.

Alright

Took last whole night to relax and reflect. Now feeling better. :)

Thanks to you and you.

Untitled

Another night I don't know what to do but to stare at the screen sitting at my desk.

I don't know where my mind is drifting to. Too much to say but no words to describe.

The Justin at work and the Justin at home are two different persons. I wish I could afford to never come back home. [Don't know why I lose all my abilities once I come back home.]

Getting real drunk

How does it feel like to really get drunk?

A liberation? A mind state where you forget everything—responsibilities, plans, your life and everyone else's life?

If that's the feeling you get when you get drunk, then I wanna do it too. After all, what better does it do to have a mind so confused and unusable when I'm not drunk? So, maybe it could do me better when I get drunk and forget the whole world and my existence on it (without any thought).

Not that I've totally broken down and got lost. I just imagine if it would help me. Coz I want a day or two without any thoughts and I know that would really help me to again think as clearly as I normally do. Now, it's like whenever I think of something, some outdated junk thoughts would also come up and get me confused and keep me distracted all the time. So, I think a period without any thought would probably help me "delete" these outdated thoughts. That's just pretty annoying actually. =S

Oh ya...why did I forget meditation? Maybe I should resume it after forgetting it like a year or so.

Well...this is CRAP. Crappy thoughts and crappy solutions when there is something that proved me useful after all.

I know I'm talking just non-sense whenever I talk. =S I will change it. Pretty soon (coz I can't afford to let it go on). =)

PS: What little is left of my still-reasonably-good thinking must have been supported by the daily caffeine intakes. =D

Don't know

I really don't know what to do. Just sit here and thinking about what to do now. Not a thing comes up on my mind. =S

What's going on?
Yeah...I wanna know also. :s

Audit

I just saw my previous post on Audit.

Haven't really finished the audit on myself. But, some parts are pretty much done and some have been initiated. Not bad. At least better than completely disorganized. =)

Quote

The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.—Joseph Conrad

Hmm...this is a bit too far? Not all humans are wicked anyway.

Birthday

Oh ya...it was such a pleasant day today. Received Happy Birthday wishes from friends and colleagues. =)

Choco from the teammate who sits behind me.
Cake and Marshmallow (and delicious cereals) from May, a very very nice PA of PH.
And, a Birthday lunch at Swensen by my closest colleage—Jo! It was a pity we were rushing to finish the ice-cream. LOL! It was a nice discussion over lunch with you actually!

This Morning

There was a very fine shower this morning. Everything was green and moist; it was a refreshing morning. Once I stepped out of the house, it reminded me of the old days in Burma.

Not that I have a particular sweet memory to think of. Just that it reminds me of the "relatively" very little stressful days. I could afford to spend such a day in Burma just "like that". Now, I really look forward to a day where I could fully take a rest without any business; if I were granted such a day, would I feel like I've retired? :-s

Oh ya, I know someone's really enjoying some such days these days. ;) Please do more for my behalf also. LOL!

PS: Yes, I was writing this from work. Blogger is not blocked. =)

Untitled

It’s been so long since I wanted to write about this. But, there were really so many things (one is something that you know ;) that’s keeping me from touching my blog at all.

Well, not that I’m suddenly free from all the things that’s been keeping me busy. But, I think I should take some time (at least on this special 22 July) to give myself a break and let myself do just random things.

Five weeks have gone since I started internship with UBS. Really, there was nothing I really gained as for the technical knowledge. It was just an exercise. But, outside of that, it was great that I learned something even more. Something I could not learn at school. =)

These five weeks have been exceptionally busy for me; probably one of the busiest and stressful moments of life. Sometimes I don’t even know myself if I’m doing the right things; have I gone beyond my capacity? But then, if one never pushes oneself, how can one improve?

Another good thing about the last five weeks is I got a good result: I’m glad to get the outcome of something I have been doing and been worried about for a long time (about two months already). All the visits and talking and writing have finally paid off. I gave myself a pat on the back for having done it; maybe I should thank Zhong Hong for his indirect comment which got me started on that.

But, it’s just a part of the big picture, and there’s no reason why I should rest. Life is always on a bigger scale, and whatever we achieve day-to-day basis is just a small piece of the big jig-saw (equally, a failure is also just a small piece). To contradict myself, there are some pieces that are bigger than others in a puzzle, and maybe I have just got such a piece. So, I’m glad about it, and it gave me energy to keep achieving other pieces to get to an important milestone of my life.

There are some more pieces that I need to gather. I know they are not gonna be easy. Definitely not. They’re gonna prove even more challenging than some of the most challenging things I have ever done. But, there’s no other choice, but to go that way for me for the time being.

Sometimes, it needs great mentality to be carrying such weight on one’s mind. Sometimes, I feel really helpless—lonely in a barren land. Sometimes I feel like I’m desperate.

Helpless—because there is really no one but me who can help me in carrying out all these things.
Desperate—because there is really no other better choice but this one for me to continue.

I foresee that the next few months are gonna be as tough, if not tougher than, as the last few weeks. I’m gathering enough energy and encouragement to keep myself going through these tough times. I keep saying to myself that once I overcome this, it would be one of the greatest memories to look back, smile and never regret. And I believe (you) know the reasons/rationale behind all these and why it’s worth doing.

Yes, today’s my birthday. I would be making the one and only one wish to overcome all these hard times and achieve my goals.

Guitar

Really love "Right Here Waiting"! I was really inspired by it!

I gotta plan my time next semester to pick up the guitar and do practice. Really excited to learn it very soon! When I can play it well, it will be my dream come true! And I wanna play for someone you know who! ;)

Efficiency

This week and the next are gonna be really busy. It's not a bad thing though: I like the way my calendar is currently occupied. That keeps me busy and focused.

But, I still think there're yet even more I could achieve if I could just improve my efficiency (and flexibility). Also, I am still looking for a way to not get too tired after a day's work; I believe there must be a mental tweak to achieve that. Just that I could not figure it out clearly yet.

I really wanna push myself till and beyond my capacity to try to achieve more in my life. I also wanna improve my efficiency along the way as well.

So Many to Juggle

I'm doing a balancing act that I have never tried before. Probably I'm doing more things at the same time that I have ever.

I sometimes wonder if there is a limit on how many simultaneous items can be put on a person's weekly agenda. Now it looks like things are getting onto the list without any limit, and I couldn't get any of them off since they present their own (equal) importance to me or to my life (or to what I value and cherish in my life).

But, I think I sometimes become daunted by this long list of things to do. Often a little encouragement from some important persons in my life can really lift me up a lot. Maybe I'm in need of some moral encouragement to keep myself going amid a plethora of things to take care of.

It's interesting to see myself gambling against myself though. ;)

Funny Things

Two funny things happened to me this evening.

I fell asleep standing on the train. Only when I hit the pole, I was shocked and awaken. =S

I was thinking to wash my face first. So, took out facial foam. But, in a second, forgot that I wanted to wash face. I washed my hair instead. Realized immediately though. =S

What third funny thing's gonna happen later? LOL

Increase bit rate for WMA ripping

I came across this on an article online. I doubt most of us rip CDs using WMA format. But, if you happen to do that and 192kbps is not enough, the tip below might do the trick. If you rip in MP3 format, you can go as far as 320kbps that costs around 10MB per song track. (I do that anyway now that disk space is cheap.)

How to increase the maximum bit rate for WMA files in Media Player

The bit rate of an audio file refers to the number of bits that are processed per second. In the Windows Media Player, you can set the bit rate but you'll find that the maximum available for WMA files is 192 Kbps. If you want to set a higher rate, you can edit the registry. As always, be sure to make a backup before you make changes to the registry. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences
2. In the right pane, double click the item WMARecordRate
3. Choose Decimal and enter the bit rate you want to use, in bits. For example, 320 Kbps is entered as 320000.
4. Close the registry editor.

Now your tracks will be stored at the higher bit rate.

Friends

This is not about the TV series!

Now I'm feeling glad about having good friends around me. Wo Hoo...Thanks a lot! :)

Audit

I gotta do an audit on myself sooner or later. I haven't been doing it for quite some time and many things come into and pass through me unnoticed.

I don't know how long it's gonna take me to do the audit and to make necessary changes. I just hope it doesn't take too long.

Better Gmail 2 Update

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addons/versions/6076

Finally there is a rescue to the horrible Gmail label update! Now I have got back the usual functionality that I have been so used to with.

Thanks to the author of Folder4Gmail!

Screwing things up

Yeah...I know I have been screwing things up. Very much.

Will I be unknowingly screwing things up until 20 July? Please...if there are anything I did wrong, let me know and I'll correct it right away. Because the things involved are so so so much important to me, and to my life as a whole and to my survival.

I feel so bad about it, but I also feel optimistic that there will be an end to the time period when I do stupid things and transition into a better moment of life. I really do feel optimistic and I do believe I can and will make sure it happens.

Please bear with me for a few more days. And please forgive me for the stupid things I did.

Being Geek?

Sometimes I wonder: have I been a geek? Or am I not?

Maybe...maybe...I am 70%. But, it also concerns which field I'm considering. When it comes to Computing stuffs (excluding Math and Probability and First Order Logic), I'm good at picking things up quickly. I can understand them more easily (in most cases). Perhaps my brain is wired for absorbing these stuffs—stuffs with little to memorize but stuffs that can be re-reasoned when needed.

Where does 30% of the geekness of me go? Well...even in the same computer science field, there are some stuffs (I estimate them 30%) that I can't just simply get easily or I could not even get after a long long time. So for them, I reserve 30%.

This is where I am good at. But, just because I'm good at CS modules does not mean that I'm the god of all. I can't be good at everything. A "B" for accounting can explain I'm as good as an ordinary students (like everyone else who are suffering from CS modules also) in other areas. More than that, my LSM modules are not giving me the best grades as well. A "C+" in a module probably explains I'm really not good when it comes to having to memorize a lot of things.

===================

Hmm...in this case, I have all along been taking a geek as someone good at something. So, I think everyone is a geek at something. If you are good at Math, you may be a Math geek; if you are good at sport, shall I say you are a, say, Tennis geek?

But, a nerd, I take, is someone who has gone extreme at something. I'm not sure if it's a right meaning, but I take it as it is. So, it's more important not to become a nerd from a geek. If you are really into DJ, then you may be a DJ geek (yeah..a geek coz you can "create" music that people just love and this is a rare ability) but when you bring that DJ thing into every word you say, perhaps you have become a DJ nerd.

So, maybe it's right to say that it's OK to be a geek at work (yeah, some work really need your expertise) or at school classes, but it's necessary (or good) to leave the geekiness behind when you are not at work or not with people with the same interest as you, or when you are people with little or no interest in the area where you are geek at.

Looking at myself, I wanna ask if I have been some percent of a nerd? Have I gone extreme at my interest? Have I been taking it so seriously? If I read on some extra computer science topics (maybe they will be useful for my job), am I a nerd?

As far as I know, I don't discuss these matters unless my colleagues are also from that field and they would like to share their knowledge or unless the other party is so keen on it. (If you ask me one thing and I answer and if you keep asking and listening, I would probably take it as you are interested in it and I will explain it at length coz I don't believe in keeping knowledge from someone who wants it. So, if you are not keen on it but happen to be asking me something and I explain at length, plz just tell me to stop at an "appropriate" point; appropriate point coz I might get awkward if you suddenly stop it.) And, I keep things personal when I am with personal friends (and close friends and a special friend), or at least I try my best to (coz sometimes I might find something is really interesting and may benefit my friends as general knowledge, and then I would share it a bit).

This is what I see myself though. But, where does the fine delineation exist between a geek and a nerd? I want some fair and good criticisms on what I have been and I will try to improve on them.

If just being good at CS modules is defined as being a geek and a nerd at the same time, I just wanna be someone who takes one minutes to get the answer of 23 * 34. Or I'd rather study a different major (a Business major perhaps) and not do well in it.

Da Au

Yanguang says:
yah, can u and da au make it on sat morning, 11am
Justin says:
yeah
can
Yanguang says:
did i get his name correctly
Justin says:
LOL
100% miss
LOL

Worst Gmail Update

Drag-and-Drop labels? What?

Rather than it fixes any issues (that are not there), the drag-and-drop labels seriously break my daily (and productive) work flow in Gmail! This time, Google didn't even test it, but just enforces it upon users in a sudden!

I really wish I could get back the old style labels!!! Or I wish someone came up with a script to bring back the Folder4Gmail functionality.