Monthly Archives: August 2005

Past Midnight

★ Posted on at 10:09 pm ★

Today is one of those odd days. One of my bills slipped my attention and is overdue. Fixed that up. Light bulb in my room died on Friday. Fixed that up and the kitchen light that’s also been dead for like a year now. Heh. Really, when push comes to shove, especially when you are desperate to fix problems, you are more inclined to take an interest. I still recall trying to fix the kitchen light, but was afraid of bringing the ceiling down. Hence I let that slide until today. It’s not that hard really, so you only require ONE computer geek to fix the ceiling lightbulb (these are halogen lamps by the way, so it’s not just a matter of screwing it clockwise to put it in).

It’s odd that I feel a sense of achievement from actually replacing a lightbulb. Sometimes you feel more useful when you actually accomplish something tangible.

Mom called from uncle’s place back home. They’re having a party to celebrate a birthday. Heh, I can picture it in my mind. My uncle’s fish pond, his massive kitchen and all my relatives eating to their heart’s content.

Been reading a lot about other people’s sentiments towards home in Malaysia. I don’t know why we have to go through these feelings, of wanting to stay in the country we were born and grew up in, yet not feeling welcomed and secure in the very country we were born and grew up in. So I might earn a higher salary here, and there is the standard of living that’s so tempting, but is it really worth being away from friends and family just for the sake of choosing a better future? For your kids maybe?

Sometimes I’m very reluctant and feel we should do a lot of things for the here and now. People sacrifice their lives for a career, wanting to climb to the top. I don’t know if it’s for stature or having an income to do whatever you feel like doing. Everyone has their own choices. Human beings feel so cold and distant these days. I only know my immediate neighbours and chat them up on occasion, but have no idea on who the rest of the people staying in this apartment block are. This behaviour is reflected a lot in society. People can attend classes together for 5 years and not get to know any of their classmates at all. We have grown so used to this metropolitan lifestyle, we hardly have time to slow down to just pursue human relationships anymore.

It’s just me, having had some time to think in between the lapses while I’m doing everything else. We want things to tangible, so that you can feel and quantify it. Maybe there’s a greater sense of security in doing things that you understand the outcome of.

Computer Parts List – August

★ Posted on at 07:32 am ★

For lack of something better to update, I’ve decided to put together a post on what parts I’d spend on a *decent* PC these days. Heh. I’m thinking this can be something I’d do once every few months just as a history marker to see what I thought was hip at that time frame.

I’ve always had a passtime for calculating the total cost of an entire PC system (especially prior to spending money buying SOME computer part, ahem). It’s usually the best bang for buck ratio for a system that I can think of for the time being, sometimes it includes things I want and I know it’s surely good for system performance.

So here’s the list.

  • Athlon 64 X2 3800+
  • Thermaltake Silent 939 Quiet CPU Cooler
  • DFI Nforce4 Ultra D
  • 2 x 512 OCZ Performance PC3200 DDR Ram
  • 128MB Sapphire X800GT
  • 74GB WD Raptor SATA
  • 300GB Seagate SATA 8MB
  • Pioneer 110D DVD-RW
  • 20″ Dell 2005 FPW Widescreen LCD
  • Microsoft Keyboard and Mouse OEM
  • Antec Super Lanboy
  • SilentX 520W PSU
  • Creative Audigy 2 ZS

The above specs come up to the grand total of AUD$3,466. It goes almost the whole nine yards of my dream system. However, no way am I going to spend that kind of money on a system like that without feeling guilty about the funds for it. This system is a bit of an overkill and is more expensive than my usual calculations, however, it’s quite futureproof. My current system is decently fast enough (heck, it’s faster than a lot of people’s PCs I know, he he he…) however it’s still a tad noisy. Some of the parts above are meant to reduce the noise of the PC and it makes a big difference especially when you sleep in the same room as your PC and leave it on 24/7.

Heh, just realised I did not include a speaker system on this build. A set of Logitech 5.1 speakers (priced at around the sum of $330) would complete the set and has enough bass to bring the house down. Personally, I’d usually build something that’s 1/2 that amount, but since I acquire some of these parts over a length of time, the expenditure doesnt’ feel as high. Heh, which makes my wallet and conscience feel less empty and guilty as well.

Style

★ Posted on at 06:05 pm ★

Work is still taking some getting used to.

I’m not the very inquisitive type. I like to observe and listen, slowly making progress in my own way. I don’t say very much at all, so people wonder whether I understand at all what I’m doing. I do provide results, sometimes maybe feeling a little pressured to perform from the very first time I’m taught how to do something.

Sometimes it’s about being comfortable with your surroundings. Even if they are not ideal. People usually work out a compromise. If you can’t, you just have to adjust. Sometimes adjusting isn’t as easy. It is preferable to just be able to click.

It’s just not my style, but I know I’ll get used to it. Somehow.