Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Brand New Day

Hmm.. A Brand New Day.

No, not the song by Sting. But a brand new day for me, in many, many ways.

First of all, I have finally reformatted my com and cleared it of its cluttered mess. This despite many unforeseen delays on the way. First up, Installers are either screwed or missing (after loaning out to people who dun have a habit of NOT returning?) Took me considerable time and effort to gather all required Installers.. sheese.. Next, after the first reformat, my com is subjected to a unprecedented violent attack of viruses, adwares and wat-not. 256 infections found in ONE scan. Nice. Decided to reformat again, rather den fix it. And hence, more delays. But nevertheless, all's over. Now I have a brand new com, in a way.

Bought a new phone, Motorola E398. Brand new phone, no doubt. But I'm not exactly pleased. Sure, it boasted of many new features dat my old Nokia 6510 can only drool at, but heck, it's one tough phone to use. The message part is the most annoying. If you are one of the few unfortunate souls out there who either got a msg dat got axed rite in the middle, or one dat seems to take forever to ever get over, you now know why. And it's supposed to be a damn cool mp3 player, but wait, I can't save files on the memory card provided. Great.. nice white elephant. And bluetooth? Bite me. It can't even detect other phones with bluetooth on. (God, keep me sane!) For the record, upgrading the software does no good. (And the staff at Motorola's doesn't even know how to operate the damn thing!)

Coming Monday, 28th March 2005.
Yes, all important day for me.
Finally, the big day is coming.

The real, Brand New Day.

I await the arrival of that day.

Cre8tivesparks at 3/22/2005 09:17:00 PM

0 gave a piece of their mind

Thursday, March 17, 2005

sibelius

Finally learned how to use the Sibelius software!

Been quite impressed with the colleagues in my unit dat can come up with arrangement after arrangement effortlessly, with just a few hours of clicking in front of the com using the Sibelius software. The software is not only capable of playing out your composition in midi format, it can also be used to arrange complex full orchestra pieces with tones of different instruments, and subsequently auto-generating the scores for individual instruments. Very impressive!

I made up my mind dat I must pick up the software from my peers prior to my posting back to Bands. And so, today I set out on my first Sibelius exercise- to retype the 'Salutes' march card for both snare drum and bass drum.

Apparently, I chose too hard a score to start with. My frens were complaining when I incessantly bombarded them with questions as to how to make the software yield to my bidding. The main problem was that the march card consists of 7 different salutes, each of differing tempos, time signatures, number of bars etc.. and to ensure everything is aligned to each other in a neat and presentable manner, dat is something that's way too advanced for a novice user like me, according to them. However, I managed to overcome the difficulties, after spending almost the entire day trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of the Sibelius software. Some solutions to my problems dat even my peers couldn't answer were solved after endless hours of 'trial & test'.. and eventually, I managed to pull it off!

Been quite satisfied that at least I din waste my time away, though I'm in possibly one of the slackest unit in the whole of SAF. =P Hope I can make full use of another slack day tml~!

Cre8tivesparks at 3/17/2005 12:29:00 AM

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Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Zhanxin's Com

Super duper tired!! But also feeling super pleased to have accomplished so many petty tasks within the last 24 hours. Right now as I'm typing, my eyelids are feeling damn heavy and my body is feeling a li' overworked.

Din get anything more den forty winks within the last 24hrs, as I have been summoned to save a hobbit in distress, who apparently bought individual computer components with no idea of how they'll come together. Ha.. though it's tedious work.. and I sacrificed an entire night of peaceful sleep, I nonetheless quite enjoyed the process of assembling the com, as it provided me with another chance for me to hone my skills in assembling a CPU from scratch. Ha, and of course I enjoyed having a hobbit at my beck and call while I try to look busy assembling the unit.. hee hee.. (K.. the maggie mee supper tasted.. errrm.. unique. Maybe I'm just not adjusted to hobbit fare..) And someone owes me a nice treat for dat huh! (Hee hee~ Lemme see.. a movie cum dinner treat shd suffice.. or an all-expenses-paid ktv session?? =p )

Was quite amazed actually, dat other then the initial trouble of getting the NEW motherboard into the darn, accursed OLD OLD OLD casing, and the problems arising from the alignment of PCI slots with the OLD OLD OLD casing's openings, the entire process went on without a as much as a hitch. From the moment where the power switch is flicked on, the process thereafter went on with such ease dat I was left truly amazed. (I thought I'll need like at least 2-3 times to troubleshoot and correct minor wiring errors but there was none!! Lucky me. =)

It was a great morale booster for me and thus greatly increased my confidence in my ability to assemble a com from scratch. Ha.. great dat someone actually dare to entrust me with the fixing up his $700-800 worth of investment, with the prior knowledge dat I have one such experience in com assembly. (K lar.. he was a little paranoid, a little naggy, a little irritating too when he kept asking me to be gentle with the stuff. =p but I was like dat too when Alvin helped me with my com. So all's forgiven. =) Well, at the very least, he din behave like I'm obliged to relieve him of all his technical woes; like I'm his employed technician dat is to be then and there, as and when he feels like it. Talk about being appreciative.

Rushed to camp thereafter when dawn broke and thus began another slack day at camp. (K lar.. I din rush. I took my time even when I'm already running late.) Tested out some interval tuning theory dat I saw in a video on Evelyn Glennie on the timpani.. (She's damn zai! A percussionist dat plays tuned percussion instruments despite she's profoundly deaf!!) Swam with Hans and Nicholas in the camp's pool in the afternoon for roughly 10+ laps. (K lar.. no big deal actually. But considering I din sleep the nite before, it's something. Ha~) Finally tanned my skin a bit and did some physical workout (both which I have not done for ages since my transfer), and had a great conversation with Hans too.. Ha~ And dat basically concludes my day. Damn satisfying. Ha~ At least I din waste my time away.

Cre8tivesparks at 3/15/2005 07:19:00 PM

0 gave a piece of their mind

Monday, March 14, 2005

Friends are not like hotels

Came across this article while reading the newspaper today. Can't help but agree totally with the writer's point of view.

More often then not, I have had exactly the same feelings as she did, towards certain friends who just seem to take others for granted. But dat doesn't mean dat I think such friends are not worthy of us treasuring the friendship. In fact, I do hope dat somehow or rather, things can take a better turn between me and some of my estranged friends.

Yet somehow, the fear of being the only one putting in the effort to maintain a friendship just makes one wonder if it is all worth the trouble.

It takes 2 hands to clap. Any form of human relationships takes 2 parties to reciprocate before it can blossom or develop. If either party chooses to just take and not give, the relationship is bound to fail. And the same applies for friendship.

The trust and bond between friends take a long time to build up, but a split second of doubt in the sincerity of friends can cause immediate damage to a friendship, dat may even be impossible to mend.

-----========================-----

Friends are not like hotels
You can't just check out of a friendship when you enter into a relationship

By Janice Wong

SHE used to be my classmate.

We shared the same hobbies, borrowed each other's lecture notes and had long telephone conversations.

All that changed when she had a boyfriend. She would cancel our appointments whenever he asked her out.

The first time it happened, I shrugged it off and even squealed in excitement for her.

The second time it happened, I was annoyed but only remarked casually that I seemed to be on her B-list of friends.

The third time it happened, I swore never to ask her out again.

She did not make amends. I guess the growing distance between friends can't be felt when one seems joined at the hip with one's partner and have him as a companion for all of one's activities.

Then, they broke up. She called me in tears at midnight and I consoled her. All was forgiven.

It felt good to put aside petty misgivings and stand steadfastly by a friend in times of adversity. Isn't that what friends are for?

Our friendship resumed. But when she found another man, suddenly, her weekends were reserved again. Whenever I called her, she sounded preoccupied and anxious to get off the phone. Later, she became completely incommunicado.

A year later, I got a call from her; she was distraught. She told me her boyfriend had dumped her and asked that we meet. I declined and ignored her subsequent calls.

I did not say what I was thinking: 'My friendship is not a hotel. You don't walk in and out, as and when you wish.'

No matter how head over heels in love I may be - and no matter how a man's charm may make my hormones rage - it never gets to the point where he takes priority over my close friends.

It's a no-brainer. My friends have proven their mettle and stuck with me through thick and thin, while he has merely entered the picture with goodness-knows-what intentions.

Even if I were married, being with my husband would still not override time spent with my close friends. I know of people who stop seeing certain friends or resort to seeing them on the sly just because their spouses do not approve of them doing so.

A spouse will never be able to support one's emotional needs entirely and he or she has to understand that some of these needs will have to be met outside, by friends.

Friendship brings other problems. As my social circle widens, I find it increasingly difficult to discern who my real friends and fair weather ones are.

I often feel I am invited to parties and sought after as a friend for no other reason than that I am a journalist and can, hopefully, be a means to free publicity.

The more people I know, the lonelier I feel. I am a sentimental soul who prefers the comfort of old friendships which hark back to a time when I was simply Janice, minus the fancy title and trappings.

This is why I am not entirely sure that I did the right thing by quitting that friendship. Was I too demanding? Should I have given her a second chance?

After all, we really got along and it was not like she committed something treacherous like cheating me of my money, betraying a secret or stealing my boyfriend.

Still, I have had enough of being taken for granted. Being single and available does not mean my time is any less valuable than hers.

When it is consistently a case of one person giving and the other person taking, it is time to take stock of the friendship and, perhaps, call it quits.

Like courtship - or even more so - friendship requires time, effort and reciprocity.

While courting parties can demand commitment of each other directly, the expectations in a friendship are usually implicit, subtle and unsaid, and as a result, more prone to neglect.

You may love your friends very much, but if they don't hear from you for an extended period of time, it's only human nature that they wonder just how much you really care about them.

As the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr said: 'In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.'

Don't misunderstand me. Couples who are newly in love are naturally consumed by each other to the exclusion of everything - and everyone - else. I don't begrudge that. I certainly didn't expect my friend to pay as much attention to me as she did when she was single.

I also accept that when life exerts its pressures and one's career picks up pace, some friendships fade away. But I would be happy to rekindle such friendships.

What I bristle at is being relegated to a nobody when romance calls and then being treated like some sort of stop-gap measure when it ends.

So let's take some time out this week to have a drink with a dear old friend, say 'How are you?' and be sincerely interested in finding out how they are.

I have never been so busy or so popular to the extent that I have no time for an old friend.

Nor, I pray, will I ever be so.

-----========================-----

Cre8tivesparks at 3/14/2005 07:40:00 PM

0 gave a piece of their mind

Monday, March 07, 2005

Operation Computer Salvation

Saturday, 5th March 2005, 1245hrs

Met up with juniors, Tong Kent and Xiangmin, both whom I have yet to see for quite some time le. Ha~ They din change much though, except Xm being notably darker. I expected to see more visible changes, especially for Xm since he's now a recruit. (Where are the muscles?) Those pumping and tekan-ing; 5 BX-es, SOCs and BCCTs maybe just ain't strenuous enough huh? =P

Headed for Sim Lim and hence began 'Operation Computer Salvation (OCS)' codename Erratic Freedom.

As most of you have known, my computer has been subjected to recurrent attacks of erratically hanging itself (pun intended); resulting in me logging on and off Msn and inevitably irritating you guys in the process. =p Spent 104 bucks on a new 80 gig harddisk, with the original intention to backup files for reformatting. Operation met with major setback when even the formatting of new harddisk resulted in premature abortion as the subject, aka Irritating Computer Unit (ICU) ,refuses to cooperate by hanging itself yet again. Operation put on hold as the commander of the operation has got to attend a stoopid compulsory Dinner & Dance, which surprisingly was quite fun. I must emphasize, it's 'QUITE' only. Details for that will have to wait.

Operation resumed at 2300hrs, with me rushing home to rush subject ICU to Samaritan PA's hse. Spent a fruitless nite figuring out and troubleshooting, in attempt to pin point the exact causes of ICU's recurrent attacks of wanting to hang itself. Subject was being dissected, and vital organs being transplanted to see which is failing in the ailing subject. Efforts where in vain and investigations led to the findings that subject was suffering from extremely high fever (CPU temperature ever rising, even reaching shutdown point of 90deg cel), and the CPU fan organ was behaving erratically (rpm ranging from only 2000 to ZERO!!) possibly causing the symptoms noted. Urgent meeting was held with Samaritan PA, Samaritan Boquan and we decided the best course of action is to replace ICU's CPU fan organ. However, due to the lack of donor organ (CPU fan) to bring down ICU's temperature, Operation was once again put on hold.

Sunday, 6th March 2005, ard 1100hrs

ICU was rushed to Medical Hub, SLS (Sim Lim Square) with the help of Samaritan Yanxin, who responded to my desperate calls for help despite her busy schedule. Samaritan Alvin arrived shortly after to aid in the search of a replacement organ (CPU fan). Heading for diagnosis by organs supplier, we were informed that subject's failing CPU fan has already caused irreversible damage to another of ICU's vital organ, the motherboard. Visible swelling in the form of bloated cathodes concludes the findings and we were advised to do an immediate motherboard transplant in order to save ICU's life. Discussion with Samaritan Boquan results in the decision to replace ICU's motherboard.

Life's at stake. Being left with no other alternative, I forked out another 102 bucks on a motherboard and promptly headed home to begin the transplant operation. Due to the lack of experienced specialist surgeons available, and the urgency of the operation, Samaritan Alvin and I, took the risk and performed the transplant operation on our own, even though we had no experience in performing such a major operation. Time ticked by and after hours of cautious hard work, we gingerly completed the operation, with a few calls being made to Samaritan Boquan for help and guidance to carry out the operation. The time came for the final reveal. The power switched activated. We waited. No signs of life. Oh no...

Subjected was immediately operated upon again, to correct the incorrect connections of some of its nerves. (N.B. Not all manuals are entirely trustworthy. We figured out the correct way to link the silly LED wires, PWR Switch and wat not ourselves lor. Either the manual is wrong or the wires are wrongly coloured.) ICU burst into life shortly finally at ard 1800hrs.

However, temperature of ICU CPU is still rising, though the fever has considerably subsided. Samaritan Alvin and I decided that a replacement of ICU's CPU fan was still necessary after all. Having said that, we decided to head back to Medical Hub SLS again to get the replacement organ.

The replacement organ (CPU fan) burnt yet another hole in my already under-nourished wallet, costing me 35bucks. Having gotten the organ, we rushed back to complete the operation. (K lar, we stopped for dinner.. =P ) Organ was transplanted into ICU and this time round, ICU finally came round at abt 2100hrs, with a healthy normal temperature of abt 55deg cel. Wu-hoo! Finally!

Operation Computer Salvation finally came to an end and the mission proved to be a resounding success. Kudos to the Samaritans dat responded to my calls of aid, namely Alvin, PA, Boquan and Yanxin. A big thank you to you guys!!! =) The Operation lasted almost 24hrs and ripped me off a whopping 241bucks in total. (That is still excluding all the expenses on transport and food… sob sob..) But still, at least my financial tool is back, alive and kicking. Let’s hope my com can remain in the pink of health for as long as it possibly can!!~ =D