kathryiel

i tried to change the ram on this 4yo tablet ... to no success.

with its tiny 11" screen, the memory and everything is located behind the monitor. so the keyboard is pretty flat. so the back is divided into 4 quarters. on the top left, we have the batt pack, the bottom right has vents and is non-removable aka no screws. i removed the bottom left panel and found the hdd. took that one out and couldn't remove anything else. so that leaves us with the top right panel. ANd I CANT REMOVE THE STUPID SCREWS ON THAT ONE. i think they have either rusted into it, or its just that no one has removed it before so its stubbornly stuck in there.

my tiny screwdriver is now a little spoilt due to my attempts at brute forcing the screws out. the screwdriver head has chipped off slightly near the tip so they probably aren't as strong as before. if i attempt to brute force out some other random stubborn screws, i'm afraid that i might just end up balding the entire screwdriver tip. and then it will not be a screwdriver anymore -_- some nice screwdriver. some nice effort.

And SO It is, i can't remove that panel. and so i can't change the RAM. what the hell. those rams in there clearly are never gonna see the light of day at this rate. and come to think of it, i don't even know if this com uses ddr2 rams. boo

Currently listening to: indian summer sky - U2

kathryiel

oops i got a little too carried away with indulging myself. dropped by nsrcc and the first thing i did? bought myself a new pair of gloves. even though that isn't really on the top of my list. i'm more desperate for berms esp since i don't have one now. i need the spf cover! and my pocketss. and a new bikini top. aiyee. one at a time.

also checked out laser rental rates at nsrcc. they're ridiculously expensive. they provide rental to both members and the public. the difference is miserable. public rates are something like 32 for 1h, 54 for 2h and a staggering 80 for 3h. that's just blowing way too much money on one tiny afternoon spent on the water. windsurfing rates aren't any better. in fact, for some reason they're even more expensive. 38 bucks for 1h, 70 for 2h!! of course these are hard sails, but i think i'd rather go for a clubsail at pa.

anyway that's constant wind rates now that they've taken over the entire of nsrcc water sports area. i wonder if they are gonna organize the cups as well? hmmm

another reason why i feel like i'm spending alot of money. even though the $ isn't mine.. i finally got down to purchasing the new laptop today, online. i'm pretty pleased with the package and price. also thankful for those who played a part in my decision haha. decisionssss. thanks for pointing out what i need and do not need. i only just realized what great advice i received. i tend to get a bit overwhelmed by everything that's available in the market. excessiveness. heh heh. now to wait for it to arrive. i really do need a new com pronto.

i'm effectively maimed with no printer, no office, no nothing, aka facebook and msn Only everyday. esp since this laptop i'm using has 256mb of ram (i don't believe anybody else is as hampered as i am in this aspect), and no optical drive so i can't install anything. hopefully my ddr2 ram works on this thing. it really is pathetic that i can't do no more than 2 tasks at one time. and even then the lag is tremendous. hiiiiii

more spending to follow...  $_$ one at a time.

kathryiel

windsurfing was great today. i'd like to think i was less slack than usual, although of course i did spend some time sitting with my toes in and just staring at the water all around me, and being pushed around by the breeze and the current. i think its my favourite way to waste time. if only i could anchor myself to a spot while sitting on the board. then i won't have to bother about the current taking me further and further away.

the wind was quite strong today. gusty in the early afternoon, together with strong current made surfing quite fun. and fast. i suppose i dislike light and shifty winds, which entail landing in the water more randomly, and boards that don't go anywhere fast enough. i suppose 5m is a matter of getting used to. though i need more time on it. more time to train, and more time to slack. which adds up to alot of time required. i need alot more practice, and a lot more strength as well :s it only takes a few rounds up and down the course in strong wind before i can feel my arms burning with acid. gah!

but im definitely enjoying wsurfing more and more. why do i have to be this sloww. it took me all this time to enjoy it! it would have been better if we started this wsurfing business earlier. i.e. immediately after the time we first picked it up, as opposed to more than 2 years after. hah, but better late than never.. so says the optimist.

my berms finally tore a nice big tear down my left butt. i mended the tiny hole on the right side the other time, but since a new gimongous one has appeared, i'm not gonna bother patching that one up. time for new berms and time for new gloves. and definitely time for a new bikini top. at least, one that doesn't stain my nice grey rashguard red :\ the price to pay for being attracted to bright colours...

now, i feel worn all over and sleepy earlier than usual. but its a good feeling. i can't quite decide if my limbs are aching dully or full of adrenaline. there's this low hum, a light and not so foreign feeling all over. oh well. hopefully i get a good night's sleep tonight.. not that i don't every night, but it always feels better when i'm worn in the day.

all in all a good day. the satisfying dinner wrapped the day up nicely. now if only i can get down to ordering my laptop. then it will really have been a productive day!

kathryiel

the end of exams bring on a terrible period of spending and nothing but spending.

yes, right after my paper today i burnt a big hole in my pocket. i feel broke enough for the next month already. good thing i'll be spending lots of time in the lab.. not doing various other activities which require more spending. (of course there'll be those, but less for sure.) however, doubt i can take things easy for the project though. i have a feeling my prof expects us to be in the lab from 10-5.30 everyday. woohoo working life. without actually getting paid.

anyway i'm glad that all the deadlines and whatever not are over. now i can toss the procrastination saying out of the window. no more eternal hanging on of any more tasks! looking forward to reading and random things other than lab...

though, strangely enough. i don't feel particularly emancipated from anything, neither can i smell this sweet smell of freedom in the air. i did smell it yesterday, after my first paper. maybe that was the real killer i worried about the most this time round. or perhaps its also cos i never built up steam in the first place, so there is no real release. either way it almost feels as though the end of exams is a little overrated (of course, it never will be overrated!). or am i getting Too used to this exams thing, being a student and all...

now i sound & feel like a true blue science student. i dunno, tossing a 'lab' here and a 'lab' there makes me feel like one. that, and my entry feels rather singlish/singaporean today. ahem, not that i'm saying that these are characteristic of the science student, but u know, just a general feel.

Currently listening to: viva la vida -- coldplay

kathryiel

if you like watching mandarin period dramas (haha) or novels adapted into tv shows, u ought to watch 鹿鼎记 (2007).

lovely cast, nice set, great plot (but of cos that should be to jin yong's credit). but anyway i think it is well paced, with lots of funny moments. currently showing on channel u, and that's why my weekend evenings have been spent in front of the tv for the past few weeks.

wei xiao bao (played by huang xiao ming) & his 7 wives

him and the emperor

and the boys who acted as their younger selves, those 2 were great!

as you can see they really spent quite a bit of money on everything, incl the costumes.

all in all very fun to watch. go catch it if you can!

kathryiel

so i'm contemplating a new phone, for no good reason at all really. its only because my contract's almost up; i've completed 20 months and a few days of it, and i only need to complete 20 mths to be eligible for an upgrade! not that my current one is in a bad state or faulty anywhere. ahhhh consumerism. all the better for us, more so in these times, yes?

hmm, and so i was thinking of trading in my old phone. funny thing is, despite being 2 and 4 years old respectively, they're each worth the same trade-in value - $50. pleasant surprise, despite my 6230 being 4years old. either the 6230 was seriously too bloody well built (well i suppose, after all they did release a 6230i) or the 7390 just couldn't compare to the other phones that were released at the same time (though i clearly thought otherwise). well, the $100- trade-in value list was populated with N-series phones under nokia anyway. guess i might try my luck at trading-in at the smaller shops, maybe they might give me a better value. think i better trade the 6230 in before it declines to be worth... $10 in value.

so i'm contemplating the nokia e71. although some people have advised me otherwise (symbian- can't install any and everything you want, qwerty- what use would you have for that?, stainless steel backing- gonna get bloody hot, and it goes on.) well actually before this i was seriously considering the e66 and e71 together, considering how they were released at the same time and only differ in manifestations. they're by and large the same with regards to content/functions. but i clearly prefer the landscape-oriented screen. who needs the accelerometer and/or portrait view for that matter when you've got landscape? and as for qwerty, i guess it will require a little getting used to, but nothing i can't overcome. besides the e71 has lovely springy responsive keys- go try it to see what i mean.

and then i also considered the blackberry bold. looks gorgeous as hell, with a nice screen to boot. totally different os (i'm used to symbian, and am not inclined to try something new), but it still isn't windows mobile. oh yes and the very damn flexible trackball, that's got to be the most superb idea ever, why hasn't anyone else tried that idea out? but i suppose i'm ultimately a nokia fan, and not intending to stray from that unless i simply have no other choice (like, for example, when nokia extinguishes itself, though i don't see that coming anytime soon). but anyway, with regards to the blackb bold, currently only singtel is offering it. and for some reason, i can't find it on the singtelshop site atm, wonder if they have pulled it off their shelves or something? that, and the blackb costs almost as much as the iphone, another singtel exclusive product. boo m1 why don't you try something more fascinating! and why are your prices so uncompetitive.. besides, not that keen on touch screen (check out post title) either right at this moment [iphone or similar gadget]. nor paying so much for functions that will bowl me over, but have no real applications in my life right now [blackb].

so i suppose, the e71 it is. although there are rumours of nokia coming out with a revved up version (content/function-wise) of the e71 (aka e75?) but with plastic covering. looking good (who can resist red?) but i'm not keen on waiting until they put it on the shelves to get a new phone. (are you freaking kidding me?! wait that long to hold a new gadget in my hands?!!) i hardly am this anxious with regard to other things, but who can resist gadgets! but maybe its also cos i've already made up my mind!

kathryiel

ergh, this is really not new. but i found it quite interesting

"If you think of two babies born on the same day. One cries a lot and so people don't really want to pick him up a lot. Then you have the other baby who is one of those cutesy things.

"You can see that children create the environment that they are influenced by. That's where the genetics and the environment come together. Those two babies actually have different environments, but that's partly a function of who they are.

"You could argue that the genetic component that makes temperament difficult and hard to cuddle emphasises those elements of their personality that might later turn out to be difficult or aggressive," she said.

Mothering may prevent aggression -- bbc.co.uk, 2004

clearly i'm doing everything except dealing with my immediately due deadlines... zzz. it also helps that i don't know how/where to start.

Currently listening to: everything -- misia
Currently feeling: sian

kathryiel

damn it, had caffeine just now (milk tea! at hk cafe). now i'm feeling slightly panicky... and even though its freaking 0321, highly doubt i'll be sleeping anytime soon. actually, everyone in my house is awake. my mom just finished baking some muffins at like 2am++, my sis is doing random things as usual. house of nocturnal creatures, we are, clearly.

and so it is, we're back to old ways. have an assignment due on tuesday. freaking literature critique worth 30% of my grade for this module, got to review a recent journal article in the form of a write-up. and even though i can say i've been fairly good all semester, what with starting on my assignments real early, getting at least half of it done about 1 week to deadline and then slowly reviewing it along the way until i finish it... this time i kept putting it off until now.

since i've to critically review it i can't be bullcrapping (especially since this is science). have to read at least 20 references so that i can get the background info to critique it. so its sunday today, i'm not sleeping, and even though its public hol on monday (no lab! no school! no need to do monday's homework!) i REALLY AM KIND OF SCREWED... now this is where i start regretting. why didn't i bloody start earlier...

now i hate the feeling, which is what got me doing my assignments early this semester, that is, until this one came along ... or at least, until this week came along. this has been an awfully distracted week, i haven't been productive at all. randomly shopping, surfing, looking at things, wanting to buy things, NOT even glancing at all the work piling up. gahh. and so, its at times like these i think, if i can get through this week SAFE, i think i will have reached a new level of enlightenment in the long road of life. but wait a minute, haven't i felt this way many other times before?

clearly, i'm losing sight of things again... my determination never stays for very long :\ either that or i get complacent somewhere in the middle. how wonderful.

Currently listening to: bullet proof -- goo goo dolls
Currently feeling: frustrated