Bits and bytes that bug me

I have been busy today, doing some housekeeping. Well, I’m not really keeping house because I’m not at home and I’m not doing housework. Not cleaning or dusting or sweeping or mopping. Just ‘housekeeping’ as in tidying up my PC.

The whole housekeeping shenanigans started when I got this message on my PC monitor stating something like ‘not enough memory’. I tried getting the technician to help me, but he says there’s nothing he can do. He looked at my PC and shook his head. He explained that if I continued to run several windows simultaneously (like I usually do) I might see that message more often.

Now you must understand that technology, especially of the PC kind, might just as well be Greek or Latin as I really now nothing about them. Yep, I am still one of the toads under the coconut shell. I know how to switch my PC on, know well enough how to use it to surf and send email and such, but ask me about the goings-on behind the whole process, and I go blank. Start talking about bytes and memory and gigs and what-have-yous and I’ll go cross-eyed.

In simple terms, he said that I couldn’t have an Explorer window open, my Netscape Messenger open, my Yahoo Messenger active and my Real Player going on at the same time, while trying to use MS Word to do my work.

And why the hell not? That’s how I used to do work at my last department? How come I never had any memory problem thingamajig plaguing me then?

He pointed out that my PC was an Intel Pentium II with 128.0 MB RAM.

Uh-huh, go on…

And it was running Windows 98.

Uh-huh… And??

And so, it’s not powerful enough to do what I want to do. So maybe what I should do is try to delete some unwanted files, and free up some space and don’t open too many windows.

Hmmm, I doubt this will work.

So, I have cleaned up my hard-drive from all useless clutter. Yup, including deleting photos and some pieces of music which I hardly listen to. And still, STILL I get the same message sporadically. I think the only solution is to get me a new PC. Which of course would only happen when giraffes can talk.

So until then, I’m just gonna have to ‘play nice’ with this PC of mine.
Unless anyone has any other suggestions….

Roti bakar and teh tarik

I have just finished a meeting with the other assistant managers. And now, since we have a very generous associate dean, we will be having a late tea break of roti bakar and teh tarik. I am so looking forward to sinking my teeth into the slices of toasted bread and sweet butter and kaya. Mmmm, yummy….

Excuse me while I have my tea. Ta-taa….

Wish I were a cat

It’s raining now in Cyberjaya. And it’s so cold here in the office. Plus I have a tummy-ache, no-thanks to the monthly visit from my ‘friend’. I just want to have a hot drink and cuddle up in bed. So what’s the next best thing? Getting hot Milo and just tuning my brain off work for the last half-hour of today.

Yesterday I was in TGV KLCC, and hubby and I watched Memoirs of a Geisha. It was beautiful. The costumes were so dreamy. The beautiful kimonos were just so luxurious. I wish I had a pair. Not that I’d know how to wear one, or if I could even walk in one. But just the thought of those beautifully embroidered and artistically designed clothing makes me salivate…. However I felt that the movie was a bit incomplete. Probably because I’d just read the book and was imagining certain scenes in my head. I don’t know, I just wished that there were more to it. Nevertheless, it’s a charming movie and is highly recommended.

My tummy is aching again. I should concentrate on doing nothing now….

My love-hate relationship

Tomorrow I have an appointment at the hospital.
I hate going to the hospital.
I hate waking up and realising it’s a day for me to miss work so I can see the doctor.
I hate driving in the morning through the congested road to get to the hospital.
I hate waiting for the clinic to open.
I hate getting my appointment number from the nurse.
I hate waiting and waiting and waiting until it’s finally my turn to go in to see the specialist.
I hate lying down on the examination table.
I hate the horrible gooey stuff that is smeared on my abdomen.
I hate the echo thingamajig prodding me.
I hate seeing my heart go thump-thump on the screen.
I hate the silence and the way the doctor registers no emotions in his face.
I hate waiting quietly while the doctor writes his reports.
I hate asking for an MC slip from the doctor, eventhough he knows I need one.
I hate waiting for my medicines and my bills.
I love going home.

The R3 that nearly wasn't

When I arrived home from work yesterday, I saw my brother inspecting his car with a washcloth. I thought he had just finished washing his car, as he often did. That boy sure had lots of energy washing his car after a heavy shower. Plus he’d just returned from work, so wasn’t he the least bit tired? I thought.

As I approached him, I saw my mom outside too. Then my mom told me. My brother was very nearly involved in an accident. He was on the Kesas Highway on his way back to our house in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, when a car driving on the opposite direction slammed into the divider. He saw parts from the car flying in all directions and debris hitting his windscreen. He didn’t even manage to see what car it was, as he had to swerve and try his best to not ram into the lorry that was smack right in front of him.

So that was what he was doing. He was inspecting his car for damages. I understand how much he loved his car. I drive a little Kelisa, and a small scratch on my car makes me tearful. My brother on the other hand owns an R3, which he has been wanting ever since god knows when. He painstakingly takes care of that black baby of his. He washes and polishes and shines and takes pride in his car. Now his Satria has scratches on the driver’s side and in the front. I feel sad for him. It’s gonna cost some moolah if he wants to fix the car up.

On the other hand, I say a silent prayer to the Almighty. I am so thankful he did not get hurt in any way. He could have been injured or worse had he gone headlong into the lorry. A car you can get anytime. Your life? It’s more precious than any possession in this world.

Nothing like milo ais on a rainy afternoon

My weekend was nothing to shout about, but I enjoyed it all the same. Just wished there were more to go on, like maybe a five-day weekend. Hah, I wish! Hubby and I went to KLCC on Saturday afternoon. The last time we went to KLCC was like heaven knows when.

We had lunch at Nando’s. I had ordered the Extra Hot Peri-Peri Flavour, but somehow, when I ate it, I felt that the chicken wasn’t that hot. Don’t know if anyone notices this, but the level of spiciness is different from outlet to outlet. The spiciest that I’ve ever had was in Sunway Pyramid. And that was only like once. The few other times, it was just hot. Hmm, thinking about Nando’s now makes my mouth water. Wish I could go for another Nando’s meal soon.

We went to hubby’s parents house after that and spent the night there. It was then that I found out that they were already playing Memoirs of a Geisha at the cinemas. And I thought it was only showing this week. Ahh… so sad. I will probably try to catch it this weekend or something. Can’t wait.

It just rained here in Cyberjaya. I hope it stops soon. I’m looking forward to going home and continuing on my current read.

Time for some milo ais!

If wishes came true

Friday. It never fails to happen. Every Friday afternoon I’d be filled with illusions of grandeur. I’d have fantastic plans in my head of what to do during the weekend. For two whole days I could do anything I wanted. Two wondrous long days filled with every kind of possibility. Two fantastic promising days offering a myriad of potential happenings.

Alas, my routine would be to spend three quarters of my day watching the idiot box and the other quarter trying to read whatever I could get my hands on. Right now I’m reading my mom-in-law’s book. I hope to finish it this weekend. All in my quest to read 24 or more books this year. Yeah!

It’s ciao time! Ta-taa….

Of Pride and Prejudice

I went to GSC MidValley to watch the movie Pride and Prejudice yesterday. I had taken the day off after Hari Raya Qurban, and went to watch the movie with mama, my sisters, Ad and Aq. It was the first show of the day, at 11.45 a.m. and the theatre was only about a quarter full. And it was freezing in there. I had my sweater with me but still had cold hands and feet.

Being an English major, with a minor in English Lit, I could not run away from Jane Austen. I first read P&P in Form 1. That was probably the abridged version. But all of us First Formers were hooked as we watched the movie version. Mind you, it was the black and white version of P&P. Then I watched the BBC version, which was pretty serious. Complete with dresses and empire waistlines. How unflattering!

Pride and Prejudice – I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was absolutely fabulous. The spirited Elizabeth takes us through her days with such wit and joie de vivre. When she is woeful, we feel her anguish. When she is elated, we can see her radiating with joy. All the characters were ‘alive’. The panoramic scenes of the country were breathtaking, and so were the sprawling estates. It was such a pleasurable to watch the movie. My sister plans on watching it at least another two times. Can’t blame her.

The movie is remarkable. So my advice is go watch the movie. You’d be pleasantly surprised.

Tagged and willing

I just got tagged by Metria. My first tag. Can you imagine? So, I guess I’ll just do this.

The Rules: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom spot.
1. My All
2. All About Zara / Mom2Ashley
3. Allyfeel
4. Potpourri of Insanity
5. Mudslinging

Then you select five people to pass the love on to:
1. The Grumbles of a Grumbler
2. Kekure’s Be Bored Stiff
3. Fashionasia
4. Fading_Sanity
5. Footsteps in the Mirror


1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I was in my second-year of matriculation studies at Uni Malaya. Was really enjoying my student days, as it was the year before we headed into First Year of Bachelor’s Degree or ‘serious study’.

2. What were you doing 1 year ago?
Recuperating from an operation. So I was at home, watching tv and reading books all the time.

3. Five super fatty and high cholesterol snacks you enjoy:
French-fries
Keropok ‘lekor’
Potato chips
Chilli cheese fries
Fast food

4. Five songs to which you know all the lyrics off your head right now:
End of the Road – Boyz II Men
The Reason – Hoobastank
With Arms Wide Open – Creed
Last Kiss – Pearl Jam
Negaraku

5. Five things you would do if you were a multi-millionaire:
Bring all our family members to Mecca to perform the Haj
Start an education fund for the poor
Buy property everywhere
Travel around the world
Have a string of McDonalds in Malaysia – one in Cyberjaya

6. Five bad habits:
Too critical of others
Stubborn
Can be a nag at times
Don’t exercise
Tendency to gossip

7. Five things you like doing:
Reading
Watching movies at the cinema
Going to the bookstore
People watching
Eating out

8. Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
Platforms
Short shorts
Mary Janes
Gold jewellery
Tube top

9. Five favourite toys:
(I only have two that I can think of)
Care Bears
PS2

Cilok-ing my year end

Last Saturday was the last day of the year 2005. How did we wrap things up, hubby and I? We went to watch a movie at GSC One Utama. We watched Afdlin Shauki’s Baik Punya Cilok (BPC). It had to be the only Malay movie that we watched at the cinema. After watching Afdlin’s Buli on Astro during the Raya holidays, I thought we should give BPC a chance. Plus the poster was intriguing.

Well, to put it simply, it was different. It was indeed a welcome change, like a breath of fresh air compared to the run-of-the-mill Malay movies that are smothering the cinemas today. Reminiscent of Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Baik Punya Cilok tells the tale of four friends planning to steal a brooch from a pawnshop as an act of revenge against the owner, who happens to be an ah long.

The thing that stood out the most and that caught our immediate attention was the way the characters were portrayed. They were not your typical cliched characters, as they were all different in some way. Having characters that are diverse and uncanny remind us of Ritchie’s treatment of the many characters in Snatch. Well, maybe Afdlin is a Ritchie fan. Of course this doesn’t mean that Afdlin just “cilok-ed” the story line. He has a plausible plot and it’s an enjoyable ride. It’s typically Malaysian, and it’s funny. It wasn’t rolling-on-the-floor funny, but it was funny.

Maybe it wasn’t even tagged as a comedy, but because Afdlin directed it, everyone assumed it was a comedy. Was it? Films don’t have to be put into neat little pigeon hole categories, do they? But I digress…

Really, you have to watch Baik Punya Cilok, as I’m afraid I might give out too much information in trying to tell you the story, thus spoiling the whole experience. Go watch it.

Note: mudslinger supports the local scene.... sometimes....

Service charge? Sucks.

Yesterday was my sister’s 18th birthday. We decided to go out for dinner to have a mini celebration for her. Hubby could not join us, as he had to go for a business dinner thingy. So it was my brother, mother, sister and I who went to Domino’s in Subang. We had a great pizza dinner there.

When it came time to pay the bill, I got up to walk to the cashier counter. My brother then stopped me and said, “You’re paying the service charge, why don’t you call the waitress and get her to bring the bill to you?” I considered this for a fleeting moment and decided to ask for the bill instead. Crazy ain’t it? For that 8% service charge, I get to ask the waitress to do my biding.

Which brings me to another story. It was the last day of fasting or Ramadhan. My mother decided to treat us all to dinner at Pizza Hut. They were really packed that day, and could not handle the crowd. It’s crazy. They mixed up our orders, and were quite rude that day. At the end of our meal, my mother, being the hotheaded person that she was, went to pay at the cashier counter. She demanded to see the manager, and proceeded to give him a piece of her mind. She expressed her displeasure and stated that she will not be paying the service charge as the service basically sucked. They had no choice but to print out another bill. The manager apologised but didn’t look too sincere doing it. I reckon we won’t be going to that particular Pizza Hut in the future.

Mudslinger, you stupid or what?

It’s the New Year already, and it’s the second day of coming back to work. I’ve been on a long holiday from work and from blogging. My blog like nak mati already.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me these past few days. I thought with the coming of the New Year, I would be refreshed, renewed and revitalised with great ambitions and resolutions. Alas, all I feel is pooped and disillusioned. It’s depressing. I didn’t even feel like coming to work yesterday. Well, I have been on holiday since the 22nd of December, and that seemed like so long ago. Eons, ages, centuries ago! Okay, one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that I have a tendency to exaggerate.

Where did I go during my long holiday? This is the question that’s fired at me. Well, I went to the UK and then to Japan and then to Ireland. Hahaha, I wish! The answer is not that fantastic. I only went to those places through the books I’d read during my break. All in all, last year, I only managed to read 20 books. Hmm, should have gone to 24, and that would at least mean 2 books per month. But twenty? I’m kinda disappointed with myself. Fourth Day of New Year’s resolution: Read 24 books or more this year!

Speaking of resolutions let me tell you that for the past six or seven years my main resolution was to work harder. What kind of a dumb resolution is that? It started when I was in Uni, and continued all the way till last year. I still aimed to work harder. Tsk tsk, how naïve and stupid of me! My resolutions should be fun stuff to do, not stuff that will kill me! So this year, I’m gonna read more books, watch more movies, try to write more, go holidaying more (even if it’s just PD or Melaka), and generally have more fun.

I’m gonna be thirty this year. That’s right, the big three-oh. So I should definitely live it up.

Oh, better get back to work. Getting fired is definitely not my resolution. Till later….