Apparently, it's not Crysis's fault. My Vista required a brand new nVidia drivers. Finally I can play in native resolution with low or mid details... Overall, no more serious jerkiness and feels like at least 10fps increase...
For you all with nVidia cards running on Vista, go get it at http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_163.75.html
We had a small gathering last Friday to celebrate my birthday. Juls and Corra had organized it, and we were suppose to go to some Chinese dumpling place at Mid Valley. Instead, thanks to Juls' nose, we ended up at Mr. Ho's Fine Foods for the best dinner I ever had for my birthday :)
And here is a quick pic to prove it...
Pictures courtesy of Corra's mean ass 50mm http://yoyyo.multiply.com/photos/album/52/Johns_burfday
I tell you har, the sausage will turn you guys gay. Literally. The sensation of having a thick, juicy piece of sausage exploding in your mouth is no kidding man...
And the bacon is fried to perfection, and the first thing I said that "I would die for the fact that if I can eat bacon and eggs every morning...".
Anyway, thanks everyone for coming! It's going down in my books as one of the most (juicily) enjoyable birthday's ever. Other than that time back in SS2 when I discovered that I was....
The question: Should I replace my car?
The reason: My car is in half good condition (in another words, half gone).
The struggle: (I should be grateful that I have a car, although it's a 10 years old Proton) vs (As natural human being strive to further better one's life living standard, and safety, therefore a family person like myself should get a least a reliable Japanese car).
OK, more description.
My Wira works for me now. If I get a new car, I would need to work *for* my car. You all understand what I mean right? My current car is fully paid for in loan, and for me to get a Japanese car, I would have to get myself into a huge debt, which would cause the following side effect:
On the flip side, (or devil side, if you would)...
So what do you all think?
Recently, a couple of people asked me what would I have done if I were not in the IT industry. Everyone else have an idea what they would want to be, or what other course they would have taken they hadn't chose C&IS or IT.
Now that I think of it, I don't think I ever thought of doing anything else other than this. Actually, even after graduating from Secondary School, I am the only one that was so sure on which degree course that I wanted to take.
You ask why? I tell you why.
It all started with this:
OK, I guess 90% of you all are lost. The pictures are:
A Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ with a joystick adaptor with a joystick (of coz) and tape recorder and Sony color TV.
The tape recorder was the storage device, ala floppy disk. The TV was the only output (other than the many fond memories) and most of the time we have to write our own games.
If you are remotely interested, read here => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zx_spectrum
So anyway, the Spectrum broke down a lot, but while it was working, it was a fantastic device that helped me greatly with computer programming.
Oh, did I forget to mention that I was 6 years old then?
Anyway, all those quickly moved onto the great AT era (circa Primary School), also known as 80286, with whopping 2MB of RAM, 20MB of HDD, and 5.25" floppies! You should check out my collections of floppies. We had at least 2 full boxes of them. It was truly our first desktop (not in tower form, mind you).
We missed 386s and 486s, and our next one was the all mighty Pentium 60!!! It was touted to be the same processor that went up on the Space Shuttle! We were really psyched when we got this one. It was an Acer Aspire unit, came with Sound Blaster 16 kit set which included a 2x CDROM! Full multimedia man! That was still when the days where everyone was playing *toot* *toot* sounding games using PC Speaker... Anyway, when we got the Acer we were the only family in town with a Pentium! (mind you, was a very small town...) Too bad I can't find any pictures of it on the Internet.
The Acer went thru numerous upgrades, even lasted me till college. Which is when I got myself a generic Pentium 233 MMX. Justin and me hand pick and built every component from PC Fair. We were surveying for days and almost all the components were bought from different shops! This was our first home brew computer. Luckily everything worked. The default graphics was not satisfying enough (was something from S3), so I saved up for months to get myself a Creative 3D Blaster Banshee!! It's based on the (then) greatest graphics accelerator company's 3dfx's Voodoo Banshee. Taa dah! Here's a picture from Amazon:
Next was another clone build from Compu-Zone. These were the days when Low Yat Plaza was new, and everyone else is still going to Imbi Plaza. It was a Duron 600 and I remembered when we bought that PC, it was the big Taiwan earthquake, and RAM price was high high high! This PC came with a Samsung 753DF, which IMHO is the best 17" Flat CRT ever made. Basically, the computer is still with me, (albeit a motherboard+CPU change to Athlon 700), acting as my download PC.
And my current PC.... the Core 2 Duo with GeForce 8600GT (which is due upgrade to 9800GTS?).
So, now do you understand why I don't have a lot of career choice?
I tell you har, this Facebook is like my baby at home. Every 3 hours, need feeding (approve). Then randomly, will ask for this and that which you cannot understand (what da hack is Pet Dragon Request???).
Hey, don't get me wrong, I love my baby as well as you guys as friends, but just sometimes...sometimes... it needs too much *attention*.
Check this out:
How to cope??
那天跟几个女人去吃午餐， 无意间谈到孩子和事业的话题。群中，有两个刚怀孕，一个刚生，一个就要结婚。我蛮惊讶四位都异口同声说明不会自己带孩子，所以都在烦着找保姆的事情。
Anyway, 故事重点是在于当她们知道我老婆是full time mommy时，都有很矛盾的反应。有少许羡慕，有“舍得meh?!”的反应，也有多少妒嫉（她们以为我薪水很多）。最好笑的一点就是，她们越讲，就越矛盾。“全职保姆很贵啦！我的工钱都给完她，等于白做。。” “一整天都对着baby会变黄脸婆的。。” “会没有朋友了的。。” 等等self contradicting的话。
饭后，我突然间感觉到很感激Jo.
以前我都铁定认为在我们夫妻俩中我牺牲比较大，因为为了这个arrangement我必须离开我很喜欢很喜欢的公司，必须一个人承担家庭负担，必须独自承担在外的压力。
现在我才明白，原来她付出更大。因为full time mommy不是每一个人都做得起。也不是每一个人都要做。而且先今社会，绝大多数妇女都不肯做。
所以，我要在这里炫耀。。。
As part of my (non-existence) series of getting Lost... The "dude! where's my car" syndrome had been hitting me pretty hard nowadays.... so I have learn that the best way to combat it is using my Phone.
Some of the examples, see whether you can guess where are they all from:
The customer that I am working at had recently received some high priority customer visit. Which is great for their fledging business, but, for some reason, some special "preparation" was done prior to the visit. And, it's circled around the toilet. Hmm. Does the VIP really such a small bladder that they cannot hold it in for just an hour?
Anyway, here are the overkill of signboards that I found.
Specimen 1: Watch your step. It's an actual picture taken of the bathroom floor! Talk about originality.
Specimen 2: Urinal. As you can see, no automated flushing system.
Specimen 3: Another one just in case you are using the bowl.
Specimen 4: Just to let you know where to find all the other signboards...
There are actually more, but these are the only ones that I managed to snap without being seen as too weird. So, I guess an overkill of signboards with different color scheme and design does really help to bring awareness huh (and to bring value to the company..hmm)?
Shucks. It used to be:
Me: Ooi. Dinner.
He/She/Something: OK. Where? (No need to ask what time la idiot. When else would you eat dinner? 12pm ar? or 12am ar?)
Me: 1 Utama.
He/She/Something: OK, call you when I reach.
Nowwwww-a-days har.... (with a lot of sarcasm)
Me: Wanna catch dinner?
(You, yes you who are reading this!): Ahh... when/where/who/(eat)what? (Lucky minus How to go niah.)
Me: Ah... 1 Utama, Saturday? (BTW, this conversation took place a FEW days ahead ar!)
You: Hai yah. What to eat in 1 Utama? Sian la. Parking susah oso. Many ppl oso. Expensive but not good food.
Me: Er.... like that ar. Go to xxx (as in some fantasy place not in any shopping mall one), very cheap and good. OK?
You: Har? How to go? Need to check with my BF/GF/Mom/Doggie first. Come back to you later OK?
Me: Grrrr... sure....
So there you have it folks. But I do have theories on why this is happening:
Don't you agree?
Following chleong.net's Targus Saga, I am running into some warranty issues with Oakley myself. Anyway, a year plus back me and Juls bought a pair of Oakley each after being sick and tired of wearing other brand of frame that kept getting crooked or broken all the time.
So we both went to this shop at Sg. Wang, which seem to have much better Oakley prices than anyone else. While Juls manage to find the frame he wanted pretty quick (he more leng chai ma... any frame also look shock...), I could not find one that suits me there. Jo wanted me to get a pair of Rayban frames...but... being the pussy that I am, I ....I ....*also* wanted an Oakley.
So we went shopping in other shops around Sg. Wang. And finally I found one that looked good on me. It was the Box Spring 4.0 (Rust). But the 2nd shop that had stock was selling way too expensive and was reluctant to reduce the price citing that "Oakley have controlled price, we cannot give discount lah!". So we went back to the first shop, pointed to the model that I wanted on a catalogue, and we both paid for our frames and prescriptions.
Anyway, 3 months down the road, the paint on my Oaks started to chip. First it was a small dent. Then the coating on the Oakley logo came off. Dan old me that Sydney Optical SS2 is one of the Premier Oakley Reseller and they handles warranty on behalf of Oakley, so I dropped my frame with them. Since it was within one year of purchase, 3 days later I got a brand new frame! Yay! (It even looked "newer" then the unit I bought, especially on the rubber parts....hmm...)
Then another few more months down the road, the same thing happened. More or less same places got the same paint chip, and again the Oakley logo coating is gone. Unfortunately it happened during one of the busiest period of my life (NextG+Iz), and up until last couple of weeks I had a chance to pay Sydney Optical a visit again.
The guy Marcus, apparently still remembers me (from the free service he *had* to render the last round) and this time around, he told me that the old policy of RM60 for frame replacement (post 1 year warranty) is no longer available, and I had to leave my frame with them to send back to Oakley to "value" the damages and cost of repair. Normally would be at least "RM100 plus plus".
Wa lao eh. Oakley is like car repair on insurance meh??
Anyway, I declined, because I smell something fishy.
So just now I manage to call up the official representative in Malaysia, which is Revelstoke Sdn. Bhd. The helpful lady June, explained to me why the policy change, and the transition period (which ended at 1 Jan 2007), and assure me that it's a fix price of RM175 (with original warranty card) and RM225 without for wired frame (non Titanium). I gave her the model number and color, and she said they are out of stock for that color, but she is more than happy to change to another color, which she has stock on hand. And the best thing is, I just need to drop by the office and she will give me the new one on the spot! No waiting!
So guys... Which of the 2 color should I go with?
Black Ice, ...or
Pewter?
And just to compare, here is my old Rust:
I'll update how it goes when I had a chance to go back to KLCC. And in case you need the contact, it's:
Revelstoke Sdn. Bhd.
A-3-1, Block A, Megan Avenue 1
189 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 603.2166 1799
Fax: 603.2171 2799
info@oakley.com.my
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30am - 1:00pm, 2:00pm - 6:00pm
This had happened to me on two occasions on two separate lappies, so I think it's worth of a mention.
Anyway, it's when for some reason down the road, Virtual PC 2004 and 2007 Console will go missing after a while. Although you can still use the VPC icon on the taskbar to manage it, who wants that?!
So I came across the post from http://msmvps.com/blogs/benwalters/archive/2007/09/04/missing-virtual-pc-console.aspx
In case the post gets missing, the steps are:
Back to the living.
Anyway, it seem that for some reason the position type properties got screwy, and ended up with a crazy value of 8348387783, 298348343, which means that VPC didn't know where to draw it on the screen.
So there you have it folks, hope you'd never had this problem, but just in case....
Seems like the few blogs that I had been following lately has grown a bit more quiet than usual. I normally follow around 10-ish lists, which I open via Firefox's "Opan All in Tabs" feature... (thank FF for that..)
Anyway, there are generally three categories of blogs I visit. There are the friend's blogs, friend's friend's blog which I found interesting, and then random blogs that came across. The later usually has a more stronger "flavor" to them... (aka political oriented).
So a couple of reasons that I can think of why the bloggers are slowing down are:
So, something to ponder about.
I so want this one! URGH! As some of you would have known, I have bought the n52 not too long ago. Some more if was one of the only two units which have been sitting on the racks in IT Supermart in Low Yat for ages.
At least its good to know Belkin is still serious about FPS gaming accessories, and this time around they have partnered with Razer for the superb software.
Now...I just need to find an good excuse... :P
I had always wanted to write about my college days, and as of lately the urge has been stronger. Why? Maybe is because I realize that the older I get, the more forgetful I become. Great memories are slipping past in a rate that it starts to trouble my soul...
Enough with the rumbling.
My college days started in KDU, circa Jan 1997. Those were the days when dial up was still 33.6kbps, the concept of IM is widely introduced by ICQ, and everyone was on IRC. I was staying with my brother at a house somewhere near KDU, and I did not come with any of my hometown friends.
Gush, for some odd reason, I still remember how I looked like then. (Actually, I had a video to remind myself that, but more of that later.) Gold rim glasses with oversized lens, Brycream gel-ed hair, thick jacket (to fight against the extreme cold in Lecture Hall 1), loose jeans which are way too blue, and Spalding basketball shoes. Oh yeah, not forgetting my Aiwa walkman and my 2o bucks Sony headphones, which hung around my neck idly most of the time.
Despite all that, I managed to make a couple of friends at week 1. Mei Ling, who was slightly older than us because she studied Form 6 (which none of us did). Yuen Ling, the first Ipoh girl that I ever know, and who I had a crush on. And Pao Ling, the other "Ling" girl who always had a smile on her, and had an optimistic view on everything, and as far as I remember, she was the only other Christian in our little group.
Week 1 was pretty interesting overall, with two things that happened which I can still recall today. First, was Orientation. Erm, actually, I only remembered the last part of the session, which ended at a bar at 1 Utama, where a couple of seniors brought us for "socializing". To be honest, we were to new to the concept of clubbing (at least it was a first for me, the true blue Kampung Boy from Bintulu), and we were so awkward that I ended up ordering a weird bottle of "coke" (which I found out to be my first alcoholic pussy drink) and went home before midnight, which my brother was waiting for me, and first thing he noticed was my extreme bad breath. What a way to start day 1...
Oh yeah, the second thing was that Mei Ling, the only local, brought us up to Gasing Hill at night. Don't ask me why. Definitely not to make out. But I did remember that we all wanted to peek into parked cars, but was too chickened out...
There are many more stories involving our extended group of friends, including Chee Kong, Joe Tan, Ben Tan, Raymond, Stephanie, Wan Hwa, Annie, Foo Thye Cher, Alexi and others. I'll try my best to recall the story as true as possible... for my own entertainment.
I have recently discovered (albeit being late) a few new goodies from Live services.
1. Make your own cartoon face! http://cartoon.msn.com.cn/ ==> Here is what I got...
2. Windows Live Writer, which helps to upload pics and make posts from one single location! Even works with Picasaweb+Blogspot.
3. Live Messenger 2008... aka 8.5. I think still in Beta. Very Vista-ish look...so far so good, no major crashes yet.
So guys, go ahead and try them out at http://get.live.com/betas/writer_betas. The new WLInstaller will actually get you both the Live Writer and Live Messenger 2008. Have fun!
Here am I, working late into the night (actually morning at 3am). I have recently read some report on Yahoo news that Asians are people who really sleep late….i guess I would like to make a correction to that statement….we sleep really early!
Anyway, my brain is mushy now, and I am suppose to finish up a tender, which is due in a few more hours (5pm)…. Got to get some sleep…zzzz
Life’s gonna be much more interesting now, especially after some life changing decision needs to be made. It’s actually not that serious as it sounds, but I will let you guys know what’s it’s all about when everything is settled down.
I hope I can arrive home in one piece (it’s 20 mins drive from office to my place), and hopefully my dear roommate is sound asleep and not waken up by me.
Signing off again, and I should be posting more often from now onwards.
www.persoft.com.my - ProcureLink for automated procurement process and management
- eRFQ for product quotation on demand
- ENCORE for convenient source of products at fair prices
www.ebos.com.my - HR eOffice for online management of backoffice process
PERSOFT SYSTEMS SDN BHD (183959-D)-Corporate Technology Resource Partner
MALAYSIA : Level 13, Menara Luxor, 6B Persiaran Tropicana, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, 47410 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
SINGAPORE : 190, Middle Road, #19-05 Singapore 188979. Tel: 02-6826 3220 Fax: 02-6399 3740
Note:
This message is for the named person's use only. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended recipient. PERSOFT SYSTEMS SDN BHD and any of its subsidiaries each reserve the right to monitor all e-mail communications through its networks.
Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the message states otherwise and the sender is authorized to state them to be the views of any such entity.
