Another reason to use simple language

Why on earth do so many people use the word "revert" when they should be using "reply"?

Trying to use big words, that's why. Trying to use a "classy" word, but ending up using a wrong one.

(I know, I've ranted about this kind of thing before...)

The thing about having a 07 IC

Yes, 07. Not 007, the special agent.

I was born in Penang. So my IC has a 07 on it, for the state of Penang.

When I was in school in Kuantan, almost everyone else had a 06 (for Pahang) on their ICs. And each time someone new saw my IC number, they would ask, "Eh, why 07?"

And now I'm in Penang...where 07 is the norm. But then...I'm not a local. So the question now is "Eh, 07?" ("I thought you weren't from Penang?")

And today at the bank...it became even more complicated. "They" have an account in Kuantan. I'm opening another, in Penang, jointly with my father. So the person there asked some stuff...I can't remember what exactly. I told her I was staying in Penang. Then what about "them"? They're staying in Kuantan. I told her, I was staying in Kuantan too, before this. So far, so good...Kuantan people can come to Penang to work, right? Then she says, but your IC is Penang. (or more like "your ICs are", because my father's is too). There I went "Er..." (It's complicated^TM, I wish I could have said). So I said, my father went to Kuantan to work. I guess it is quite simple after all...just that people don't usually do Penang-Kuantan then Kuantan-Penang. (Everyone goes to KL. :P )

What a complicated life I lead. So am I from Kuantan or from Penang?

How Marilyn Monroe scared me

I found this article through Google Reader's recommended items. There is an image generated so that you can check whether you are nearsighted. If at a normal distance from your computer screen, you see Albert Einstein, you're fine, but if you see Marilyn Monroe, you've got a problem!

When I first saw the picture, it was on Google Reader's miniaturised view...so I saw Marilyn Monroe! That really shocked me, because hey, it's REALLY bad if my glasses aren't correcting my sight well enough! But then I opened the actual webpage and saw Albert Einstein instead. Whew!

So actually it's not the distance, but the size of the image that counts. (since the further away you get, the image looks smaller)

Then I showed this to WW. When I asked him who he saw in the picture, his first reaction was, "That is, that is...that fellow...that Chemistry guy!" And after I got him to look from a distance, he said, "It's...the girl whose skirt terbang!"

-_-

That he didn't know Marilyn Monroe, okay, I can understand...but ALBERT EINSTEIN?!?!

Even dogs know how to chill with a drink

There are several stray dogs over here in Relau. Today I saw a few at the roadside as I drove home. At first glance one of them, lying down with its head up (you know, like when dogs are trained to sit and lie down), seemed to have something like a piece of cardboard standing up in front of it.

I took a second glance, and there it was, with a Yeo's drink carton standing between its paws, like it was drinking from it. It was a pity I was driving...if I had been walking I would definitely have snapped a photo. As it was, I even contemplated stopping the car at the roadside and walking back to take a photo...the dog seemed contented and I don't think it was going to move for a while!

No, I didn't notice what drink it was. And no, I didn't notice whether there was a straw coming out of the carton either! :P

Birthday steamboat

Last Tuesday was Yong Hooi's birthday, so we had a steamboat dinner on Monday night.

The table is set!

Time to eat (Oh well, it's really hard to get a candid photo...)
The one posing for the camera is our host and my software sifu, Jonathan.

We even had fruits! I didn't touch the durians, only the mangosteens. The durians smelled really good, though...I'm just not a fan.

Julius who brought the durians, mangosteens and beer (did you notice the beer in the previous photo?) He arrived late so most of us were already done eating by that time... Here I'm not sure what he was doing, probably slicking back his hair for the photo :P

At midnight we brought out the birthday "cake" (actually it was ice-cream...that no one ate later :P You can see that there's quite a lot of leftover food)
(I think this photo was taken when we were singing Happy Birthday)

One of the iPhone fanatics posting to Facebook on the spot. I believe they were tagging people.

He must have tagged someone wrong... :P

And finally, a group photo. Alfred didn't want to be in it, so he took the photo for us.

From left, not including yours truly: Peter, Jamie, Yong Hooi, Pat, another Peter, Julius and Jonathan.

That's all folks! I might post photos of the barbecue I mentioned in a previous post...maybe. :P After all, I have to get them first...they weren't taken with my camera!

Reasons to love geeks

For the geeks out there, here's something that you might find interesting.

Here are some of my favourites ("some" turned into "several" after some time :P ). They're from both the article and the forum thread it links to.

(I've highlighted the comments in red, while my own comments are in blue)

First, some simple ones:

//When I wrote this, only God and I understood what I was doing
//Now, God only knows

// drunk, fix later

// Magic. Do not touch.

//Code sanitized to protect the foolish.

return 12; // 12 is my lucky number

// TODO: Fix this. Fix what?
(I'm guessing that the "Fix what?" was added by a different person...)

// Author: If this code works, it was written by Paul DiLascia. If not then I don't know who wrote it.
(seems that this guy is famous)

// (c) 2000 Applied Magic, Inc.
// Unauthorized use punishable by torture, mutilation, and vivisection.

Some funny comments from frustrated programmers:

// John! If you'll svn remove this once more,
// I'll shut you, for God's sake!
// That piece of code is not “something strange”!
// That is THE AUTH VALIDATION.

/*
This isn't the right way to deal with this, but today is my last day, Ron
just spilled coffee on my desk, and I'm hungry, so this will have to do...
*/

Comments that go well with the actual code (my favourite type!):

} catch (PartInitException pie) {
// Mmm... pie
}

long long ago; /* in a galaxy far far away */
/* Halley's comment */
(like the comet!)

public boolean isDirty() {
//Why do you always go out and
return dirty;
}

if (/*you*/ $_GET['action']) { //celebrate

$you = live("free") or die("hard");
(I'm not sure about this one...it's really a valid code, I think.)

Catch (Exception e) {
//eat it
}

// some sport psychology
if (!focused)
Focus();

raise InvalidChild() # e.g. no legs

Then there are those who tell stories:

/* Emits a 7-Hz tone for 10 seconds.
True story: 7 Hz is the resonant frequency of a
chicken's skull cavity. This was determined
empirically in Australia, where a new factory
generating 7-Hz tones was located too close to a
chicken ranch: When the factory started up, all the
chickens died.
Your PC may not be able to emit a 7-Hz tone. */
(I love the story! :D )

int MyFunction()
{
// There once was a man named Dave
int Result = 0;
// Whose code just wouldn't behave
MyObject *Ptr = new MyObject();
// He left to go to a meetin'
Result = Ptr->DoSomething();
// And left his memory a leakin'
return Result;
}

// //3.4 JeK My manager promised me a lap dance if I can fix this release //3.5 JeK Still waiting for that dance from my manager //3.6 JeK My manager got changed, the new manager is hairy, dont want the dance anymore //3.7 Jek Got that dance, yuck! //
(Not sure whether this is a true story :P )

A "scary" one:

From the 2004 Windows leak,

__inline BOOL
SearchOneDirectory(
IN LPSTR Directory,
IN LPSTR FileToFind,
IN LPSTR SourceFullName,
IN LPSTR SourceFilePart,
OUT PBOOL FoundInTree
)
{
// // This was way too slow. Just say we didn't find the file. //
*FoundInTree = FALSE;
return(TRUE);
}

Ouch! So the file was actually there and Windows lied to us?!

Then this is not quite a comment but a goto label:

ICantBelieveImUsingAGoto:
(and a comment recommended this xkcd comic: GoTo (saying "Look out for the raptors.") )

An anecdote someone shared:

An old boss of mine was always going on about how we had to use our own products internally i.e. "Eat our own dog food..."

Many years later I found embedded in some source that a temporary coworker had done, every function he touched is tagged with:

/* NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION */

Then there is the safety pig.

Some of these people love drawings...there are lots of comments about dragons (which seems to be a common joke to refer to an awful piece of code) and even a dragon drawing. But...the dragon comments get stale after a while.

Of strange laws

I saw this article in The Star last Thursday.

I'm not writing this to share the article's talk on Malaysian outdated laws, but the funny US and UK laws mentioned.

But first, a comment on "grammar". (Sorry, I've been grumbling about that quite a bit lately, haven't I?) The article starts with

"THE phrase “the law is an ass” is attributed to Charles Dickens.

It originates from Oliver Twist after the character Mr Bumble is told: “The law supposes that your wife acts under your direction”.

What one of the foremost classical writers of English literature actually wrote was: “If the law supposes that, the law is an ass, an idiot.”

No, he wasn’t using grammar akin to the Manglish being taught in our schools today. It was just that the rules of the language were not quite defined during his era."

I don't understand. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT SENTENCE? The grammar looks perfect to me. After all, the "that" in "If the law supposes that" refers to "your wife acts under your direction”.

Okay, grumbling aside, here are a few funny laws mentioned in the article:

In New York, adultery is still a crime and one can be fined US$25 (RM75) for flirting.

I'm guessing that the fine for flirting only applies to married individuals?

It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing body-hugging clothes but she can go topless in public, provided she is not doing it for any business.

(That's still in New York)

In Denver, Colorado, the law states that dog catchers must notify dogs of impounding by posting for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park.

Now this is a good one :D

Apparently it is also unlawful to lend one’s vacuum cleaner to a next-door neighbour.

This I do not understand...

More than eight women are not allowed to live in the same house in the state of Tennessee because that would constitute a brothel, while Encyclopaedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Now that second part sounds a bit like something that could happen in Malaysia :P

In President Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois, it is now illegal to wear sagging pants. A new law requires pants to be “secured at the waist to prevent the pants from falling below the hips, causing exposure to the person or the person’s undergarments.”

A new law?? How new? I thought sagging pants were the new fashion...

And in the UK:

[...] it is illegal to die in Britain’s Houses of Parliament and sticking a postage stamp bearing the Queen upside down is deemed an act of treason.

I can sort of understand the second one...but the first one is ridiculous. By the way, I would like to know what the punishment is for dying in the Houses of Parliament :P

In Liverpool, where footballers and fans tend to strip off their shirts in celebration of goals, it is illegal for a woman to be topless – unless she is a clerk in a shop selling tropical fish.

Why a clerk? And, WHY tropical fish?? Hahaha...I really wonder since when this law has been around. Probably before the footballers started stripping off their shirts?

All this as an introduction to criticism of certain Malaysian laws. If you want to read more about that, go and read the article...I'm only sharing the feel-good stuff ;P

(Though how true these are, I have no idea...)

Tolong bagi sayap ayam satu...

This morning I went to buy nasi lemak at this Malay stall for breakfast. There were two pieces of chicken left, a wing and what looked like the breast part. I wanted to ask for the wing, and my brain told me, wing is sayap. But somehow that didn't seen right. I dug around for the right word but couldn't find it. In the end I just pointed to the piece, because I didn't dare to ask for the sayap. :P

It wasn't until I got home that I found the word. What I should have asked for was kepak ayam! Haha...good thing I didn't ask for sayap ayam...

My five stages of ulcer

Lately I noticed a certain pattern to my ulcers. For those who don't know, I am highly prone to ulcers...and all the remedies I have tried have failed. I have practically given up on trying to find a cure, and I usually let the ulcer run its course.

But lately I have heard of two possible remedies. One is a certain mouthwash (I shall only advertise its name here if I find that it works), and another is a leafy herb (same thing, as long as I have no proof that it works, I'm not going to advertise it here).

So each time I got an ulcer, I started wondering whether I should do something about it. It happens like this:

Stage 1
I get an ulcer.
Reaction: Oh no, another ulcer!

Stage 2
It gets a bit worse (actually starts to hurt)
Reaction: Maybe I should put something on it. ... Nah, just let it be...

Stage 3
It gets even worse (it really hurts!)
Reaction: I should have put something on it earlier! Now...nah, it's too late anyway, it'll get better soon.

Stage 4
It gets progressively worse
Reaction: Ouch ouch ouch... Repeat stage 3 as many times as necessary. (usually at least 5 times)

Stage 5
It gets better!
Whew... *relieved*

There you go. This time I have bought the recommended mouthwash. Last night I used it and the tip of my tongue was numb for hours. As of now my ulcers (I have two at the moment) don't seem any better...if anything one of them seems to have gotten worse (not sure if it was going to get worse anyway, or whether it was the mouthwash). But it's not a problem if it gets worse more quickly and heals more quickly. (I would actually welcome that!) I just hope it's not going to get worse than it usually does. I shall give the mouthwash another go tonight...

Edit: Argh, I usually try to only schedule posts that don't have any time references (like today, tomorrow, yesterday...) in it. My brain must have been too tired last night when I scheduled this one; I totally forgot all about that. So...for all time references, this post was written last night.

Half-boiled eggs

The Star takes letters from readers asking about grammar. Today this was the first letter:

IN his story "Good excuse for indulgence" (Sunday Metro, May 15), Kevin Kam drew our interest to the Kemaman Kopitiam serving a breakfast set "comprising hot crisp toasts slapped liberally with homemade kaya and butter, and half-boiled eggs".

I have two questions. Were the eggs still whole when served? If so, which half of the eggs were actually boiled? Kemaman Kopitiam must be unique because elsewhere I am served soft, medium or hard-boiled eggs. – EZA

Well, excuse me, EZA, I don't know whether you're a local or a "native speaker", but I do not think that this column is for sarcastic e-mails asking rhetorical questions. I'm surprised The Star published it at all...but then again, The Star is getting stranger and stranger...


For the full article, go here.

Bad customer service

I just found out something strange last night about the iPhone. It turns out that there is a lamp inside the iPhone you buy, but to switch it on, you have to go and download an app (which is free).

I think that if I buy something with a lamp, I'd like the lamp to work right away...


The circumstances of this discovery? We were having a barbecue. It was rather dark and A and B were taking photos of food with their respective iPhones. A has a light on his iPhone switched on to shine on the food. Suddenly B exclaims, "Hey, how come you have a light?" (Okay, I think what he actually said was "How come your place is so bright?" :P )

And then...after B downloaded the app, we had several moments of brightness as he shone it over everyone, just to make sure everyone noticed that he had a light too!

A list with two heads

An article in The Star today was titled "Two head Sultan's birthday list", referring to the Sultan of Terengganu and current Agong.

But...how can TWO head a list? There is only one person at the head of a list.

The first sentence of the news article reads: Rural and Re­­gio­­nal Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ibrahim Muha­mad and Malaysian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Moha­med head the list of award recipients in conjunction with the 49th birthday of the Sultan of Terengganu Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin today.

Now this I agree with. A few people can head a list, but only if we say who they are. This would mean that these people are the first few on the list. But the title of the article doesn't make any sense...in a list of 10 for example, we can cite two, three, four or even nine! (if we want to be really particular :P ) people who head the list. (Though saying "Nine head the list" would really draw raised eyebrows...)

The second sentence reads: They received the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Terengganu (SPMT) which carries the title Datuk.

And then: Four others received the Darjah Dato' Setia Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Terengganu (DSMZ) which carries the title Datuk.

Ah...clarification at last! So the two who "headed" the list received the highest award?

*groan* I really don't like this title. It just contains practically no information at all. "Two receive highest award from Sultan" would be clearer.

Oh, and I get the feeling that The Star tries a little too hard to inject puns into its titles. They try so hard that I've gotten tired of seeing their (stale) puns. (there's at least one every day!) Puns work best when they are almost accidental and really fit the situation.

Is it really fasting?

...if someone has to stitch your mouth shut to prevent you from eating?

The other day we heard that Kedah wants to close down all entertainment outlets during Ramadan. Of course, people complained. And now they say that the outlets will remain open but Muslims cannot be allowed in.

I wonder, is there any need to enforce laws to make sure people do as their religion dictates? If you don't sin not because you do not want to, but because you are prevented from doing so, is that any good?

I don't know much about religion, but isn't it generally better to be able to resist temptation, rather than to have someone remove that temptation for you?

Any thoughts?

Suspicious advertising

You know how radio stations get singers to say stuff like "I'm [put celebrity's name here], and I love [put radio station's name here]" ? Lately I noticed something peculiar, though. (The last I heard was on Red.fm, though I'm not sure whether I also heard it on other stations) Instead of having the celebrity say the whole sentence, they have the celebrity saying everything up till the station's name, which they insert in a "special", advertisement-style voice.

Does this mean that the celebrity was actually saying something else? And they cut out the voice to insert the name of their radio station? Are they allowed to do that kind of thing??

But if that's not the case, and they actually asked those celebrities to say that...it's really dumb to insert the station's name like that. It just lacks authenticity...and you get people questioning whether you didn't steal the voice from somewhere else (like I'm doing :P ).

How to kill a butterfly

Last Thursday a butterfly flew into my living room. I had seen it on the mosquito net (sliding door) to the balcony, and I told myself, when I go out later, I must remember to scare it away before opening the door.

But I forgot. And it was the one that gave me a scare when it fluttered at my legs while coming in. -_-

It stopped near my living room lamp. A pretty specimen it was...the type that has "eyes" on the backs of its wings to scare off predators.

I think that was the first time I actually saw this kind of butterfly.

I didn't think of it at the time, but of course it couldn't get out after I had closed the door again.

On Friday night it was on the ceiling. I wanted to let it out, but I didn't want mosquitoes to come in in its place, so I decided to leave it till the next day, when I would be home in the daytime.

Saturday morning I opened the door for it for a while. It was on the wall quite close to the balcony...but it didn't go out :/

Then I had to leave for badminton, so I closed the door again. By the time I got back later, I didn't see the butterfly anywhere. I left the balcony door (it was always the balcony door that I opened for it) for a while, but since I didn't see it anywhere, I later closed it again.

And this morning it was lying on the floor near my bedroom door. I swept it up and put it on the balcony...and even poured some water on it in case it was just dehydrated. But no, it hasn't gotten up since this morning, so I guess it's really dead.

dead body on my balcony :s

So...I guess it was dehydrated or starved to death. Most probably dehydrated...don't blame me for not wanting to breed aedes mosquitoes.

Fool! You shouldn't have come in in the first place!

Moths (or butterflies) don't fare well on my turf. The last one desperately tried to drink poison to survive (I found it in my dishwashing liquid).

And this reminds me of the rabbit-killers...maybe I'm turning into a moth-killer. :s Though I wouldn't mind if I could kill other disgusting bugs. And lizards.

Strange happenings

There are a couple of things I really want to blog about. And no, it can't wait :P

Tonight after badminton I went to eat with a fellow badminton player. (that is a common occurence, by the way :P )

We chose a table, and I left immediately to order my food. When I came back, there was a middle-aged lady (I say lady, but...not for her classiness, okay?) sitting at the table. Facing away from us, watching the TV that was at the coffee shop.

At first I thought, okay, she probably just ordered something for take-away and was waiting for her food. But as we sat there longer, eating...she didn't move away. I was thinking, what on earth did she order? Did she order something or is she waiting for someone? Or is she just here to watch TV? ('cos her eyes were glued to the TV...it could be boredom...or interest!)

Later she got up and left the table. I thought her food was done...but turned out that she had gone to sit at another table (an empty one this time). So I think she really was there to watch TV. lol

But you know, I think there were other empty tables around earlier. I don't know why she didn't sit at one of those...maybe ours was the best spot to watch TV :P

The second anecdote is simpler. We had ordered drinks, and then my friend went off to order his food. Then the drinks arrived...and the guy just walked off without asking for the money. (that has never happened before as far as I can remember) He even came back to a table next to ours to wipe it clean, and I had to ask him "How much?" I kinda wonder...was he waiting for my friend (a guy) to come back before he came asking for the money? -_- (it's true that he usually pays and then I pay him back...)

The journey: Year 2

Read Year 1 here.

October 2004: Barcelona


I have no idea why we decided t go so far away...but like the Italy trip, I was only following the others. It wasn't until later that I actually had ideas about where I wanted to go :P

(The Sagrada Familia would be an appropriate photo here, but I think it's really ugly so I'll put this one instead :P Not that it's much prettier...but it's a lot more unique ;) )

January 2005: Bretagne (Dinard, St. Malo, Mont St. Michel, Rochefort-en-Terre)

Bretagne is actually a region in the north-west of France. (It is called Brittany in English) I can't remember why, but we asked our teachers to organise us a trip to Bretagne. (maybe we learned about the region in our lessons?) I am glad they did, because some of these places would be rather hard to discover on our own.

We visited Mont St. Michel and St. Malo, two very touristic destinations in the region. We also went to two small towns (or more like villages), our teachers saying that they wanted let us see the smaller towns instead of the larger ones like Rennes or Nantes. (I did go to Rennes later on, but that'll be in another year ;) )

Dinard, a small fishing village

St. Malo, a fortified city. The ramparts here surround the whole city.
(I tried to look for photos of only scenery for the purpose of this series of posts, but unfortunately I have no suitable photo for this town :/ )

Mont St. Michel

There is one road that goes round and round, right to the top. And then we walk the same road down.

Rochefort-en-Terre, another little village

April 2005: Paris


Believe it or not, I did not visit Paris until my second spring in France. Of course, I arrived there at the beginning, and I went there again for my flight back to Malaysia the first summer, but I never really visited Paris. So in April that year, we decided to remedy that. (If I'm not mistaken, it was only Hidayah and I who hadn't been there yet)

I guess Year 2 was rather a barren year on the touristic side...only three actual destinations to speak of. But hang on...things will pick up ;)

Recap:
Oct 2004: Barcelona
Jan 2005: Dinard
Jan 2005: St. Malo
Jan 2005: Mont St. Michel
Jan 2005: Rochefort-en-Terre
April 2005: Paris

Of a messy story

Some time ago, a friend said that some books were written as if they were only waiting to be made into movies. I couldn't really think of a book that I could fit into that category, but now I've found one.

I just read Stephen Coonts' Deep Black Biowar. It is about a scientist that goes missing. The scientist's friend happens to be in a top secret security agency and it is this team that is working on the case.

(Warning: There might be spoilers ahead...though I don't really care if I dish out any spoilers for this book)

The book is full of action, and full of characters. My main gripe is that the whole story is really messy; the agents run here and there, and there are too many characters (good and bad) to keep track of everyone.

Most of the story consists of telling you how the agents are working. The tools and weapons they use (all very high-tech), how they get out of tight spots... this is why I think it might actually be better as a movie.

Most of the time we don't know what the characters are thinking. There are two agents who are in love with each other, and the only thing you hear them thinking about is the other person's safety (and whether their hormones are preventing them from acting rationally, but that's about the same thing) And there is one wisecracking agent...I'm not sure we hear any of his thoughts.

Then there is the "punchline", the "thing" that unravels the case. Pancreatic cancer cannot be cured. At the end of the story we find out that the scientist has disappeared because he had pancreatic cancer (amongst other reasons). His friend thought that he had been cured. But the other agent (the wisecracking one) heard from someone else that it couldn't be cured, and somehow put two and two together.

But I don't know how he actually made that connection. There are little bits of information scattered all over the book, and when you read it for the first time you have no idea whether it will be relevant later. And when you get to the part where you find out that it was relevant...you've most likely forgotten it and don't even know where to look.

In the end, the actual storyline is really very simple. There was just too much unnecessary stuff (including the action) in the way. Which made for a really tiring read.

#replaceawordinafamousquotewithduck

There is a hashtag going around on Twitter. It is "replace a word in a famous quote with duck".

Here are a few good ones I found.

Some pretty sound "duck" advice:

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a duck."
I am a duck! *pretends to be wise* lol

"Keep your friends close and your duck closer."
Saw this one a few times...I guess it fits with what some other people wrote: "Ducks are a man's best friend."

"Let he who is without sin throw the first duck."

"Ask not what your duck can do for you - ask what you can do for your duck."
Very popular, this one. I think I saw it more than 10 times.

"I Only Have Two Things In This World My Word And My Ducks And I Don't Break Either For Anyone #Scarface"
I don't know Scarface...but I like this phrase. Though why the person needed to put all those capitals in, I do not know... -_- So let's have it without those annoying capitals (and with some punctuation):
"I only have two things in this world: my word and my ducks. And I don't break either for anyone."
Great principle, huh? Let's all take a stand against duck abuse! (now that sounds good...an inadvertent pun for drug abuse :P )

There are quotes that made me wonder what the original word was:

"Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding ducks than holding hands?"
This made me search for the original phrase; turns out that "ducks" is replacing "guns" here. I knew I'd heard it before...

"Be nice to ducks on your way up because you meet them on your way down."
And here "ducks" replace "people"; I've also heard this one before, but it's rather lame, especially with ducks...

"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a duck."
Now for this one I didn't have to search...I know that it was a toilet seat! :P (took a little thinking to recall that, though)

"A woman's greatest asset is her duck." - Alex Comfort
I should get one! (but actually it was beauty. Ceh. :P )

Then there's this one, that conjured up for me an image of ducks on a hillside.
"The hills are alive with the sound of duck." *quack ♪ quack ♫ quack ♪*

There are also those from Star Wars fans:

The most popular one seems to be "May the duck be with you." But what about "May duck force be with you"? :P I think I prefer the latter...though it might not be so easily recognisable as a quote from Star Wars (and it's only from me...no one else seems to like duck force :P ).

And this one is not bad either...imagine a war between ducks and...whatever else :P
"You don't know the POWER of the Duck Side." -Duck Vader.
Haha, I like that the person put "Duck Vader"!

So...do you think you can come up with some good ones? I can't...I admit it! lol

Are you a human?

I just downloaded PDF Creator. Before I could download it, I had to prove that I wasn't a robot. I was directed to this page:


I find it pretty funny...and it's quite nice of them to take the time to make this rather humourous page. There was also an audio clip being played to tell me what to do (read the text on the right).

And as for the e-mail they sent me, it started like this:

Hello WP,

You're human, right?

[the rest of the message]

I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love it when programmers (or in this case, website designers) have a sense of humour :D

More things to find space for

I finally bought a new laptop. I have been wanting to get one for ages, since my old one heats up horribly and lags a lot.

Unfortunately I am not very well-versed in computer stuff (software engineer my foot!) so I kept hesitating over different models.

So now I finally chose one and bought it (quickly), so there's no turning back. At any rate, it should be better than my old one.

I have been using Acer Aspire 5044NWLCi (whatever those letters mean), and this new one is a Toshiba Satellite C640 (it seems to be the oldest model available on the market, but whatever, I'm not that hi-tech :P )

I won't post a photo of the laptop itself, because it is a dull black :P Instead I shall post a photo of the 18 free gifts that came with the purchase, and the lucky draw "prize". (you will see why it is in quotation marks)


I'm not sure whether the free gifts were sponsored by Toshiba or by the IT Fair. (that's where I bought the laptop (by the way I really don't like the word notebook to describe laptop, to me a notebook is the paper kind, and using that word for a computer breeds confusion)) I was given a free gift voucher that I had to go and exchange at the redemption counter. The only thing I know for sure is that G-shark has something to do with those gifts :P

So, let's list them out, shall we?

1. A G-shark recycle bag
Very useful for carrying the other 17 free gifts. :P

2. Glossy paper for printing photos (5 pieces)
Useless for me...

3. Mouse pad
I'm not sure I'll use it...I haven't used a mouse pad for ages.

4. Wireless mouse
I have a wireless keyboard-and-mouse set, and I only use the keyboard because I've heard that using a wireless mouse is bad for Minesweeper. (But come to think of it, I should use the wireless mouse, and only plug in my current mouse when I'm playing Minesweeper. Hmm...that's a thought.) But maybe I can use this mouse (the new one, I mean) if I'm bringing my laptop somewhere to use. It might be easier to pack :P

5. Keyboard protector
I've never actually used one of these before...maybe I'll try it. It'll make my keyboard easier to clean. (or more like, I won't have to clean that keyboard!)

6. Headphones with microphone
Probably the most useful gift of the lot. I'll certainly try it out...headphones are more comfortable than earphones.

7. A pen
It's blue! That's a good thing, because I've received several pens of late, but they're all black. (not that I really need a blue pen :P )

8. USB LED light
I guess it might come it useful...but most probably not.

9. USB hub
I have been using the exact same type of USB hub. Except that it's purple. And it doesn't work very well (probably because it's old)...only some devices can be used on it. So I hope this new one will work fine for everything. The drawback is its shape...some bulky devices can't be plugged in. So I still need another hub.

10. Laptop lock
Again, I guess it might be useful...one day?

11. Marker straps
These aren't too bad. One of those handy things to have around the house. They're for you to keep wires from entangling themselves in each other (No mating, wires! No mingling...just keep to yourself! lol )

12. Laptop fan
I have the exact same thing, in white.

13. All-in-one USB card reader
I just bought the exact same thing, in the same colour, maybe one or two months ago. The only difference is that the one I bought has a brand on it (Pixon). (Branded goods you know! lol) Unfortunately it doesn't work too well...and neither does this new one.

14. CD-R

15. DVD-R

16. CD/DVD pouch
The CD is in one side and the DVD in the other. A 3-in-1 gift. Surprisingly, there's only one of those. I thought that with 18 gifts, there'd be a lot more of multiple-in-one gifts...

17. Network cable (1-metre long)

18. LCD screen cleaner
Like I'll use it...

When I went to get those gifts, the guy at the redemption counter pointed me to the lucky draw counter. He told me, "If you're lucky you will get a Kaspersky antivirus, but most likely you will get a book."

So here's how the lucky draw works. You fill in your details (e-mail, phone number, probably to receive spam in the future) on a computer screen and then click on a button. There are prize icons all around the edge of the screen and the blinking "frame" will stop on one of those. And most of the time it will be the "?" picture. In that case they will lead you to a transparent booth next to the lucky draw counter and ask you to catch pieces of flying paper.

Do I hear "huh?" :P

The transparent booth is raised and there's a fan below it. The floor is like an air vent, and there are small pieces of paper on the floor. You get into the booth, they switch on the fan, and then you have a certain amount of time to catch as many pieces of flying paper as you can. If you catch more than 20, you receive a Kaspersky antivirus. If you catch less, you get a Kaspersky notebook. (which is what I did)

I have to recharge the laptop battery before using it, so I can't try it out tonight. That will have to wait till tomorrow. I hope I won't regret this purchase...and also the switch to Windows 7. :s

Fixing it

This morning I was listening to Fly.FM in the car. (I recently started listening to it, after I had to reprogram my radio channels (and reset the clock!) in the car after changing the battery -_- ) They have this program called "fix it". A caller will call up with a problem they want fixed, and the Pagi Rock Crew will try to fix it for the caller.

It was my first time listening to it, but from what I heard, I think it was a recorded program (they take a call at a certain time, they fix (successfully or not) the problem and then they air it)

This morning's problem was a girl who called in complaining about a colleague's "gedikness". (it took me some time to catch that word, I tell you!) She said that the girl went about talking sweetly to the bosses, etc. And she said that everyone at the office (I'm betting mostly girls) couldn't stand her (the Miss Gedik).

I believe the caller was called Soraya...and as for the DJs, I'll just call them the girl DJ and the guy DJ :P

The Miss Gedik in question was called Hannah, and among Soraya's complaints were that she kept telling people about her Japanese name (Akira; hey isn't that a guy's name?)

I couldn't really get what Soraya wanted the Pagi crew to fix for her...I mean, okay, you find her annoying. But...then?

The guy DJ did suggest that Soraya was just jealous. And she denied it vehemently. (I believe her, by the way) Whereas the girl DJ said that she could totally relate because she knew a few girls who were gedik as well.

Then they said they would call Hannah to "fix it" for Soraya. (Huh? Okay...) And if I didn't get it wrong, all three (the two DJs and Soraya) were on the phone together to talk to Hannah.

When Hannah answered the phone, the guy DJ (I think) asked "Is that Hannah?" And she replied, "There is only Akira here, [...]" *gag* And when she heard why they were calling, she said "They're just jealous!" "They" being Soraya (come to think of it, did they say that it was Soraya?") and the other colleagues, because they told her that "everyone" was sick of her gedikness.

Now here I got confused about who was talking (between Soraya and the girl DJ), because I couldn't tell their voices apart. So I can't be sure that all of them were talking at the same time (on speakerphone), but I base that conclusion on the guy DJ saying to them "The three of you have to calm down" several times. (the three girls did raise their voices a bit, and started talking at the same time)

The girl DJ's line (at least two times) was that Hannah was using "unfair methods" to get ahead at work while the other girls were "really working". Hmm...I don't think she can be sure about that.

And Hannah's line was "Just because I'm beautiful..." (Wow, the girl has some arrogance!) She was adamant about not changing, and the guy DJ was more or less in her defense, saying that Hannah was "just being herself".

Being a radio DJ is sure difficult...you have to make sure you keep the caller happy, even if you don't agree with them. And you can't antagonize the other party either. I guess that's why having two DJs is great, they can each take a side :P

You can probably see by now that I am neither on Hannah's nor on Soraya's side. I mean, I can understand that Soraya finds Hannah's "gedikness" annoying. But to bring it to national radio? If you find her annoying, talk to her yourself! If you need a couple of radio DJs behind you...well, just don't do anything about it, chicken! (and also, what about all those other colleagues who are supposedly sick of the gedik girl as well? Couldn't she have gotten their support?)

This reminds me of the other two radio things I've written about: what a man is really like and why do women lie about their age? The first one being similar in terms of shaming someone on national radio, and the second on DJs being forced (I hope!) to be nice to their callers.

After the call, the DJs looked at Twitter messages coming in. They read out a few that were against Hannah. What I wonder, though, is whether there were any against Soraya. Or do (almost) all people think that that's the way to "solve a problem"?

Haih. You can't "fix" things like this. By going on radio, you might just make it worse.