Hehehe, I'm feeling giddy today, and it's not 'cause I've been sick from Friday night. Yesterday I went into a real Burberry outlet, for real. If you know me well, you should know that I'm a HUGE fan of Burberry, though I have no real reasons why. Maybe it's the iconic checkers that had me.
I only went in 'cause I have two friends of mine from college with me, and one of their boyfriend works there as a temp in the Pavilion outlet (you know, a part-timer as we call it here). Without those boost of faith, I wouldn't have dreamt of going in that holy place (ok, so I'm getting a bit overly-enthusiased).
The smell of leather attacked our sense of smell as the doors were pushed open. Friendly smiles from the employees reassured me that I'm not too out-of-place in this high couture place. Anyways, my target is a Burberry trenchcoat (hey, that's what Burberry's famous for). I need to know the price of one.
The good stuff is on the second floor. I walked up the stairs with my friends following me not really close behind (they're not as excited as I am. They're the normal ones). Lo and behold! there hung the glorious trenchcoats! Heading straight towards a beige-colored, magnificent-looking one, I ran my fingers across the soft silky texture. So this is what sweetness feels like. I pulled the price tag out and squinted for the numbers but embarassingly couldn't really locate them, haha. I didn't want to look too obvious checking out the price so I asked my friend to spell it out for me. "I see a 1...0...5...4...5." Great. My dream is worth at least 10k. That would amount to...I don't know...half a year of bread crumbs and no shopping trips ever?
And to think the most expensive merchandise in the shop is worth RM 24,000. Bloody hell. I wish I was born with a silver spoon. I hope I don't sound too shallow by saying that :P I could buy all the Burberries I ever wanted.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Reasoning
Have you heard of the saying, that for good luck's sake, you should never tell people your dream? I'm going to do the opposite right now. I'm going to tell you a dream I had during my nap.
Apparently this dream had me so perplexed that it got me dazed for a few moments. I have dreamt of people chasing me, monsters ravaging the cities and a few other worthy of an Oscar best script award. No matter how weird the story would seem, it would still be logical. At least it would seem so to me.
In this illogical dream, my colleague, who in real life doesn't drive and has no car, was driving me home from work in her car. Being too busy on the phone talking to my hardly intelligible mother (probably 'cause she has the flu), we past my house a few roads ahead. Figuring it would be easier for me to just walk back, I said goodbye and got dropped off beside an apartment garden.
Surprised to see something like a monorail station, I walked up the stairs and found it was only some shops built up high on a bridge. Suddenly remembering my mom mentioned about buying something on the phone while in the car, which despite her efforts to scream into my ears what it was, I still couldn't understand. I got to a platform with some chairs and decided I need to call her back and ask what it really was that I should buy.
As I put my bag on the chair and dug for my handphone, somewhere a bus stops and strange enough, me on the platform felt the motion and was pushed far away from where I was standing. Just like how it is when the bus stops suddenly and there wasn't time to grab hold of a pole. In fact, I was pushed so far, I dropped down in the middle of the road. Lucky there weren't any cars then! Then remembering my bag and my precious handphone left unguarded on the chair, I race ahead of two guys and then, I woke up.
This got me thinking. Why the heck am I so bothered by this dream? Perhaps it was a prophetic dream? I then went Freud on it. I couldn't hear my mom properly, I tried to call her back but was pushed back and had to run a long way back. Does that mean, due to miscommunication, I'm going to be pushed away from my goal and had to work hard to get back at it?
Oh screw it. It's not like I have to give a reason to everything. Learnt that from a famous French director, Francois Ozon. We humans have tried to give reason to everything. Not content to it just being a fireball in the sky, the Greeks created the god Apollo, riding his fiery chariot across the sky. To rationalise the fear, some people believe that bad things happen to good people because of the bad deeds they did in their past lives, karma. Not just happy about a free apple falling from the sky, Newton went on to discover gravity. Wait. That last one was a GOOD thing. Oh well.
Maybe I should be content to just think of it as random thoughts produced by my stimulated brain cells while the rest of my consciousness is asleep. Or I could indulge myself into thinking I have sixth sense after all.
I am so contradicting, I scare myself = =
Apparently this dream had me so perplexed that it got me dazed for a few moments. I have dreamt of people chasing me, monsters ravaging the cities and a few other worthy of an Oscar best script award. No matter how weird the story would seem, it would still be logical. At least it would seem so to me.
In this illogical dream, my colleague, who in real life doesn't drive and has no car, was driving me home from work in her car. Being too busy on the phone talking to my hardly intelligible mother (probably 'cause she has the flu), we past my house a few roads ahead. Figuring it would be easier for me to just walk back, I said goodbye and got dropped off beside an apartment garden.
Surprised to see something like a monorail station, I walked up the stairs and found it was only some shops built up high on a bridge. Suddenly remembering my mom mentioned about buying something on the phone while in the car, which despite her efforts to scream into my ears what it was, I still couldn't understand. I got to a platform with some chairs and decided I need to call her back and ask what it really was that I should buy.
As I put my bag on the chair and dug for my handphone, somewhere a bus stops and strange enough, me on the platform felt the motion and was pushed far away from where I was standing. Just like how it is when the bus stops suddenly and there wasn't time to grab hold of a pole. In fact, I was pushed so far, I dropped down in the middle of the road. Lucky there weren't any cars then! Then remembering my bag and my precious handphone left unguarded on the chair, I race ahead of two guys and then, I woke up.
This got me thinking. Why the heck am I so bothered by this dream? Perhaps it was a prophetic dream? I then went Freud on it. I couldn't hear my mom properly, I tried to call her back but was pushed back and had to run a long way back. Does that mean, due to miscommunication, I'm going to be pushed away from my goal and had to work hard to get back at it?
Oh screw it. It's not like I have to give a reason to everything. Learnt that from a famous French director, Francois Ozon. We humans have tried to give reason to everything. Not content to it just being a fireball in the sky, the Greeks created the god Apollo, riding his fiery chariot across the sky. To rationalise the fear, some people believe that bad things happen to good people because of the bad deeds they did in their past lives, karma. Not just happy about a free apple falling from the sky, Newton went on to discover gravity. Wait. That last one was a GOOD thing. Oh well.
Maybe I should be content to just think of it as random thoughts produced by my stimulated brain cells while the rest of my consciousness is asleep. Or I could indulge myself into thinking I have sixth sense after all.
I am so contradicting, I scare myself = =
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Websites to pass time on the internet
Extensive list that I will keep on adding and updating.
Games
1. Friv
http://www.friv.com/
A site jam-packed with flash games to play to your heart's content.
2. 1980 Games
http://www.1980-games.com/us/
Games from the 1980, such as Super Mario Brothers 3, Donkey Kong, Mega Man etc.
3. Eyemaze
http://www.eyezmaze.com/
Another flash games website consisting games made mostly by a Japanese game designer known as ON.
Videos and Pictures
1. I Can Has Cheezburger?
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
A laugh-out-loud site with cat pictures and hilarious captions in broken English.
An alternative dog site would be I Has a Hot Dog!
www.ihasahotdog.com
2. Crunchyroll
www.crunchyroll.com
There's youtube, and there's Crunchyroll. The difference is I can find a lot more anime in Crunchyroll, plus play games on the website.
Manga and Novels
1. Kuku DongMan
http://comic.kukudm.com/
Manga for your heart's content! Chinese translation. Careful not to click on the links as some are baaaaaad. Just click on the mangas and you'll be fine.
2. FanFiction
www.fanfiction.net
The ultimate website for fanfics (fiction wrote by fans). I contributed a few stories of my own there as well XD
3. Everything2
www.everything2.com
The name says it all. A mind-boggling website full of articles of EVERYTHING. Well, almost. From poetry to fiction to serious discussions; from serious titles ("Religion") to the funny ("Bathing Cats in the Toilet"). What I like most is to get to the end of the article, then have a whole list of other related topics to choose from. I would pick the most interesting title and go from there. It's a bit like lottery. Either you hit something hilarious or something as dry as cardboard. But it's the adventure that counts!
Games
1. Friv
http://www.friv.com/
A site jam-packed with flash games to play to your heart's content.
2. 1980 Games
http://www.1980-games.com/us/
Games from the 1980, such as Super Mario Brothers 3, Donkey Kong, Mega Man etc.
3. Eyemaze
http://www.eyezmaze.com/
Another flash games website consisting games made mostly by a Japanese game designer known as ON.
Videos and Pictures
1. I Can Has Cheezburger?
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
A laugh-out-loud site with cat pictures and hilarious captions in broken English.
An alternative dog site would be I Has a Hot Dog!
www.ihasahotdog.com
2. Crunchyroll
www.crunchyroll.com
There's youtube, and there's Crunchyroll. The difference is I can find a lot more anime in Crunchyroll, plus play games on the website.
Manga and Novels
1. Kuku DongMan
http://comic.kukudm.com/
Manga for your heart's content! Chinese translation. Careful not to click on the links as some are baaaaaad. Just click on the mangas and you'll be fine.
2. FanFiction
www.fanfiction.net
The ultimate website for fanfics (fiction wrote by fans). I contributed a few stories of my own there as well XD
3. Everything2
www.everything2.com
The name says it all. A mind-boggling website full of articles of EVERYTHING. Well, almost. From poetry to fiction to serious discussions; from serious titles ("Religion") to the funny ("Bathing Cats in the Toilet"). What I like most is to get to the end of the article, then have a whole list of other related topics to choose from. I would pick the most interesting title and go from there. It's a bit like lottery. Either you hit something hilarious or something as dry as cardboard. But it's the adventure that counts!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Windows Fix
Safe Mode
If Windows fails to load, restart the computer and just after the Bios finishes loading, keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration. If Windows starts up properly, remove any programs you installed or undo any changes you made recently.
If it still won't start properly, reboot and go back to the Advanced Options menu again and choose Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows will automatically skip loading programs and hardware components which in 99% of the cases should make it start.
System Restore
Next, if you have installed a program that has made your computer unstable, the best way to recover is to use System Restore. System will not delete your data files such as Word and Excel documents, e-mail messages, browser history and such. However, it will remove the programs that were installed at the time the restore point was created.
It's in Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to select a restore point. At the end your computer will auto reboot to complete the process.
Windows Repair
If even that doesn't solve the problem, your last resort is the Windows XP CD which has a very useful tool called Recovery Console. First insert the Windows XP CD and reboot the computer. When you come to the Welcome to the Setup menu, hit R to start up the Recovery Console and press the corresponding number to select the operating system (usually 1 if you only have a single operating system) you wish to repair. At this point you will be expected to enter the administrator password.
The partition boot sector and the master boot record are essential for Windows to boot. If they become damaged by virus or configuration changes, Windows won't start up. To fix it, type "fixboot" and press Enter and wait for the process to complete before you restart the system. This will help you write a new partition boot sector and overwrite the existing one.
If you suspect the master boot record is also damaged then you can also fix it through another command, "Fixmbr". If you only have one drive, type "Fixmbr\Device\HardDisk0". Hard Disk zero.
Reinstall Windows
If all fails, then you have no choice but to reinstall a fresh copy.Reinstall Windows back to the original folder should solve your problem but you will lose some settings and some programs may have to be reinstalled to work properly. However, all your personal data should remain untouched.
Just insert the Windows CD and repeat the process above to get to the SEtup screen. Press Enter to initiate Windows Setup and agree to the licence by pressing F8. Setup will detect an existing copy of Windows installed on your hard disk. Install a fresh copy of Windows to the same directory by pressing the Escape button.
Bad Start
If Windows crashes after you log on, then chances are a program that is automatically starting with the operating system is unstable. As soon as you type in your username and password, and hit Enter, hold down the Shift key. This should prevent programs from starting automatically and hopefully not crash Windows. The next thing to do is to find out which program is creating the problem and fix it.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
If Windows fails to load, restart the computer and just after the Bios finishes loading, keep pressing the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears. Use the arrow keys to select Last Known Good Configuration. If Windows starts up properly, remove any programs you installed or undo any changes you made recently.
If it still won't start properly, reboot and go back to the Advanced Options menu again and choose Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows will automatically skip loading programs and hardware components which in 99% of the cases should make it start.
System Restore
Next, if you have installed a program that has made your computer unstable, the best way to recover is to use System Restore. System will not delete your data files such as Word and Excel documents, e-mail messages, browser history and such. However, it will remove the programs that were installed at the time the restore point was created.
It's in Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to select a restore point. At the end your computer will auto reboot to complete the process.
Windows Repair
If even that doesn't solve the problem, your last resort is the Windows XP CD which has a very useful tool called Recovery Console. First insert the Windows XP CD and reboot the computer. When you come to the Welcome to the Setup menu, hit R to start up the Recovery Console and press the corresponding number to select the operating system (usually 1 if you only have a single operating system) you wish to repair. At this point you will be expected to enter the administrator password.
The partition boot sector and the master boot record are essential for Windows to boot. If they become damaged by virus or configuration changes, Windows won't start up. To fix it, type "fixboot" and press Enter and wait for the process to complete before you restart the system. This will help you write a new partition boot sector and overwrite the existing one.
If you suspect the master boot record is also damaged then you can also fix it through another command, "Fixmbr". If you only have one drive, type "Fixmbr\Device\HardDisk0". Hard Disk zero.
Reinstall Windows
If all fails, then you have no choice but to reinstall a fresh copy.Reinstall Windows back to the original folder should solve your problem but you will lose some settings and some programs may have to be reinstalled to work properly. However, all your personal data should remain untouched.
Just insert the Windows CD and repeat the process above to get to the SEtup screen. Press Enter to initiate Windows Setup and agree to the licence by pressing F8. Setup will detect an existing copy of Windows installed on your hard disk. Install a fresh copy of Windows to the same directory by pressing the Escape button.
Bad Start
If Windows crashes after you log on, then chances are a program that is automatically starting with the operating system is unstable. As soon as you type in your username and password, and hit Enter, hold down the Shift key. This should prevent programs from starting automatically and hopefully not crash Windows. The next thing to do is to find out which program is creating the problem and fix it.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
Hardware Fix
This is another of those computer-related articles that I read about, summarized, put up and edit from time to time. I shall name this article, "Hardware Fix" (pretty self-explanatory XD)
If the computer fails to start up normally and makes beeping sounds, then there is hardware problem. This website lists down the beeps and the explanation.
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
If it's memory or graphics card related, try removing them and then putting them back as they tend to become loose over time.
If there's no beep, then it's time for some detective work. If possible, find a working computer to swap the components and find out which is working and which is not. Remember to make sure you are free from static by grounding yourself.
1st scenario: You push the power button and nothing happens. No sound from the speakers, no fans spinning and nothing appears on the monitor.
1. Make sure the power cable is not loose and the fuse in the plug hasn't fried. (Surprisingly a lot of people tend to forget this step :P)
2. Make sure the power outlet is working by plugging something else to it.
3. Listen closely to the hard disk. If there's no spinning, chances are the power supply or motherboard is dead.
Borrow a power supply from a friend to check if this solves the problem.
4. If it doesn't, then the motherboard is probably not channelling the required power to the other hardware components.
If the computer is new, have it sent to the computer shop to fix it. If it's several years old, it's time for a new computer, whoo-hoo!
2nd scenario: The power supply is ok, fans are spinning, LEDs have lighted up or you hear your hard disk spinning but nothing appears on the monitor.
1. The graphics card, video cable or monitor has gone kaput.
Take out the graphics card then put it back again. It may have become loose.
2. Borrow a monitor and try again. If there's still nothing on the screen, then chances are the graphics card is dead. Check the monitor status light. Green or blue means the monitor is receiving signal from the video card and it is sufficiently powered. Orange means the monitor is on standby mode because it is unable to receive video signal. This should only happen when the computer is off.
3. If the monitor is powered on (check all cables and make sure the power button is on) and there is no status light, the monitor is dead. Just to be sure, try connecting the monitor to a different power outlet and switch it on to see if it goes into standby mode.
3rd scenario: The monitor is working but the image is garbled.
1. It's either a faulty graphics card or RAM.
If you have two sticks of RAM, remove one and restart. If it works, and you want to be really sure, restart again with only the other RAM (the one you took out earlier).
2. If it still doesn't work, then it's probably the graphics card.
4th scenario: The monitor is working, the Bios routine is running, but the computer still won't start.
1. Probably the hard disk has crashed. Or it could be due to software problem, which I will post in the article.
On a relevant topic, if you tweaked with the Bios and killed your computer, reset the settings again by pressing the appropriate key when the computer starts up, then choosing the default factory setting.
If you fubared it (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition - I love this word) that you can't even get into the Bios screen, it's time to perform some surgery.
First check from the manual to see if your motherboard comes with a special jumper setting that you can change or a button you can push to cause the Bios to reset automatically. If not, follow the next steps.
Turn off the computer and remove the power cable from the wall outlet. Remember to ground yourself to remove static. Open the PC case and locate the rechargeable battery on the motherboard, which is usually about the size of a 20 sen coin. Remove the battery carefully. Wait for an hour or so for the board to loose all trace of the Bios setting. Replace the battery and the case cover and power the computer up. The Bios setting would have automatically reset to the default setting.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
If the computer fails to start up normally and makes beeping sounds, then there is hardware problem. This website lists down the beeps and the explanation.
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
If it's memory or graphics card related, try removing them and then putting them back as they tend to become loose over time.
If there's no beep, then it's time for some detective work. If possible, find a working computer to swap the components and find out which is working and which is not. Remember to make sure you are free from static by grounding yourself.
1st scenario: You push the power button and nothing happens. No sound from the speakers, no fans spinning and nothing appears on the monitor.
1. Make sure the power cable is not loose and the fuse in the plug hasn't fried. (Surprisingly a lot of people tend to forget this step :P)
2. Make sure the power outlet is working by plugging something else to it.
3. Listen closely to the hard disk. If there's no spinning, chances are the power supply or motherboard is dead.
Borrow a power supply from a friend to check if this solves the problem.
4. If it doesn't, then the motherboard is probably not channelling the required power to the other hardware components.
If the computer is new, have it sent to the computer shop to fix it. If it's several years old, it's time for a new computer, whoo-hoo!
2nd scenario: The power supply is ok, fans are spinning, LEDs have lighted up or you hear your hard disk spinning but nothing appears on the monitor.
1. The graphics card, video cable or monitor has gone kaput.
Take out the graphics card then put it back again. It may have become loose.
2. Borrow a monitor and try again. If there's still nothing on the screen, then chances are the graphics card is dead. Check the monitor status light. Green or blue means the monitor is receiving signal from the video card and it is sufficiently powered. Orange means the monitor is on standby mode because it is unable to receive video signal. This should only happen when the computer is off.
3. If the monitor is powered on (check all cables and make sure the power button is on) and there is no status light, the monitor is dead. Just to be sure, try connecting the monitor to a different power outlet and switch it on to see if it goes into standby mode.
3rd scenario: The monitor is working but the image is garbled.
1. It's either a faulty graphics card or RAM.
If you have two sticks of RAM, remove one and restart. If it works, and you want to be really sure, restart again with only the other RAM (the one you took out earlier).
2. If it still doesn't work, then it's probably the graphics card.
4th scenario: The monitor is working, the Bios routine is running, but the computer still won't start.
1. Probably the hard disk has crashed. Or it could be due to software problem, which I will post in the article.
On a relevant topic, if you tweaked with the Bios and killed your computer, reset the settings again by pressing the appropriate key when the computer starts up, then choosing the default factory setting.
If you fubared it (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition - I love this word) that you can't even get into the Bios screen, it's time to perform some surgery.
First check from the manual to see if your motherboard comes with a special jumper setting that you can change or a button you can push to cause the Bios to reset automatically. If not, follow the next steps.
Turn off the computer and remove the power cable from the wall outlet. Remember to ground yourself to remove static. Open the PC case and locate the rechargeable battery on the motherboard, which is usually about the size of a 20 sen coin. Remove the battery carefully. Wait for an hour or so for the board to loose all trace of the Bios setting. Replace the battery and the case cover and power the computer up. The Bios setting would have automatically reset to the default setting.
Compiled from The Star, InTech, 29 April 2008
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