Thursday 22nd June 2005

desktop-anal

I recently realized that I am extremely anal when it comes to the computer desktop (The one in the monitor, not where it's sitting on). I find that some people (my investigation found that these are mostly the male species) just love filling up the desktop with so many icons, that more than half the wallpaper or whatever background they may have is mostly covered up. I mean why? why? Do u fill all the wallspace in your home with pictures? Do u fill up your entire desk with papers and junk? Have u ever heard of minimalism (o.k., so, that is over-rated but,...)?

Everytime I see a cluttered desktop, I have the urge to make a folder on the spot and throw all those excessive(documents,.pdf file) stuff inside. I like to believe that the polite and proper number of columns at any time should be 2 or less. Anymore, and u should really consider packing them away. That said, the XP prompt to file away unused icons can sometimes be quite annoying too. Haha, I guess there is no way of pleasing one, when he/she is being prickly.

By the way, how do u guys like the tune I added in lately? Hehe, extremely grateful to vii coz I got the html code fm her blog. Thnx vii. Try singing along with it (the lyrics are somewhere down here, if u scroll down to the Baudelaire Children blog). Guaranteed to bring out some groans or rolling eyes in neighbouring chums. And if u r sick or it, turn it off (bottom of right menu).

Thursday 16th June 2005

blogging everywhere

Recently went to this panel discussion and one of the panelist, who's a member of the Sun Microsystem Inc, mentioned that his company recently encouraged 3100 of their employees to blog. To write anything that they may fancy, as long as they oblige and acknowledge the 3 following rules: (1) They don't put anything tht's against the law (2) Don't be stupid when blogging (3) If they do any of the first 2, they will be fired. (haha... sounds threatening, but is actually quite logical)

The panel generally talked about where internet is headed. However, the discussion was so dynamic, it sort of slide from one topic to another. First they would be discussing the notion that recent law has allowed recording to be done, but, since it is all encoded, you end up not getting to record anything. Another then said, the only way u can record is then to put a recorder in front of the tv, which, it turns out, is against the law too. This came from discussion of intellectual rights and stuff.

Then they were discussing about how one teacher is more useful than a thousand computers when u plan to educate a 3rd world country on internet, and touching too on the music industry. One of them noted that the music industry is always afraid that it will cease to exist. The paranoia started even as early as when the telephone was invented.

Hehe, in short, just wanna say it was all pretty cool.

Although these four individuals are so uniquely different, they have a few similarities. (a) They are all involved in the internet business, in a way, (b) they are of course, brilliant, and (c) all share a common dislike of Bill Gates,*haha*, and (d) lastly, they were all involved in music.

Wednesday 15th June 2005

Thr3e

Recently finished reading this exciting book called Thr3e. It was sooo cool, I retold the story to 2 of my friends.

All thriller cum psychology seekers out there, do try this.

currently reading: The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams (About a man that goes to the FairieLand. Very draggy and confusing travel details, but also extremely imaginative.)

Just finished reading: Thr3e by Ted Dekker (*gush gush*) & Too Good To be True by Sheila O'Flanagan (most memorable part of this story is the fact that the lady in the story has 56 pairs of shoes. SF is only halfway there. *lol*)

Friday 10th June 2005

The Baudelaire Children

Violet Baudelaire - Emily Browning, Klaus Baudelaire - Liam Aiken, Sunny Baudelaire - Kara & Shelby Hoffman (ya, they just love casting twins into a role)

I have friends who hated this movie and friends who loved it as much as myself.

I enjoyed watching all three of the Baudelaire children immensely. Loved this movie so much, I tortured my housemates the whole nite through trying to sing one of its songs 'Loverly Spring' by Thomas Newman & Bill Bernstein, over and over again, failing miserably to reach those high notes, and ending up transporting all listeners to the chicken slaughter house.

Will definitely dig up the sountrack for this movie, even if it's just for that crappy & mindless chirpy tune. haha... here are part of the lyrics...

Bum buttery, flit fluttery,

Dum diddly-ooh

Bum buttery, bluebird is singing a tune,

Daffy-down-dillies awaken & prune

Bursting in bloom

All the flowers assume

It's a loverly, loverly spring

Chit-chattery chipmunks

All singing along

Humming their join-in-a-spring-along song

Spring is the springiest time for a song

It's a loverly loverly spring

In the forest we play with the rabbits all day

We visit the birdies & fishes

There's nary a care & there's spring in the air

The feeling is just too delicious

Rum buttery buttercups all in a row

Thrilling & thrilling & stealing the show

May is the merriest month that I know

It's a loverly, loverly, la-la-loverly, lalalaloverly spring

Wednesday 8th June 2005

Productivity issue

Over lunch today, the topic revolved around the issue of the right age of marriage. And after the complicated maths of adding and minusing the girl and guy's age, my fellow colleagues and supervisor decided that the mean value should be 26. haha, I was pretty much sweating at this point.

Then my supervisor remarked that scientists usually produce less papers after they have gotten married due to a sudden drop in the creativity department. Which sort of incurs the question of where all the concentrated creativity went to instead.*hehe*

They went on to list the examples of great men that 'fell', primarily, Albert Einstein, whose best papers were published before he got hitched.

Then, it went a bigger arc, and included the athletes as well as people who got themselves a girlfriend (namely David Beckham, Tiger Woods).

haha, I have no idea whether ladies who read this should feel flattered or downright pissed. I'd think it has something to do with 'aging'.

Tuesday 7th June 2005

XiuYuYi yu FaMouKuet

Another great show from Dicky Cheung (as XiuYuYi). And we have Nicholas Tse (as FaMouKuet) to boost. *squeal with delight*

The story, for the uninitiated, is about two twins that were brought up separately, one is the refined, highly skilled kung fu and sword wielder, FMK, brought up by men haters fm Yu Fa Kung, & the other is the tricky & less refined XYY brought up by the '10 Big Fierce Men' in some forsaken island.

Let's just say the two bros met, made friends, hung out together, had great adventures, and towards the end, everyone else pretty much died except for them. A tad sad (much crying done) but still, a rather good show. Some of the more dramatic moments involving Dicky Cheung in agony were so over the top, they were almost funny.

Seeing that both my other housemates are also pretty engrossed with the show, i guess it is a good indication that this show is a good choice.

Monday 6th June 2005

coffee search

My mom's friend recently recommended a new brand of coffee to her. Always determined to try out a new "highly recommended" product, my mom dragged me to the coffee area in the supermarket to hunt down that particular brand.

I was confronted with half an aisle of coffee brands, many of which I have not even heard of before. I don't drink coffee & my mom had always stuck to her Nescafe & Coffee-mate, other brands being a tad too strong or not fragrant enough.

After searching high and low for quite awhile, my mom finally found it. I am ashamed to say i passed the brand countless times, and somehow it did not link up in my brain, that THAT was it. That was what I was searching for. I knew the coffee had the words 21 in its name, but somehow, I just passed by cafe21 over and over again. haha... extremely inobservant, I is.

The point of this little domestic shopping tale is, 1) sometimes, u may think u've checked and investigated all possible options but maybe, just maybe, u might be wrong. 2) The truth is usually starring at u right in the face. Not hiding in a little unspotted corner, not behind other truths, it's just there. Granted, u may find it if given more clues, but, u may also find it if u were to observe, with more heart. 3)Bring my mom shopping, if u wanna look for something.

Friday 3rd June 2005

new faces

Met two junior college girls these past few days. They are part of a student programme to learn new stuff during their semester break. Both are bright students with an enthusiastic interest in learning more about photonics. I met each of them on separate days.

Funny how different people will invoke different responses from someone. How, one tends to be more talkative to one person, and more subdue when chatting with another.

Could this be because of the 'aura' or 'vibe' the person is emitting, or simply because I was personally in a more chatty mood on one day compared to another? hmm..

currently reading: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (cool guy. it's like reading an adult version of Enid Blyton. Although I suspect is was targeted for younger readers.)

Just finished reading: 1) Hosts (Repairman Jack series) by F. Paul Wilson (it was as great as previous books, but it was quite sad in the end coz the sister died. *sob*) 2)Blink by Ted Dekker (a fiction not to be confused with the other Blink (yucky self-help book))