Too Many Things to Blog

Blogging is never as hard as this time because there are just too many things to write about over the past few weeks. I do not know how much longer I can keep myself awake.

It is going to be more than forty hours since I last have a couple of hours of sleep. I’m not feeling tired now except for my back injury.

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Starhub is Crap

This article is specially dedicated to all Starhub users.

If you are using both Starhub Max-online and mobile service together, you may be one of the fools around.

Starhub mobile line is known to be less stable than both SingTel and M1 services; in fact, it has ridiculously weak reception at many areas. If you are using their line at Tanjong Pagar, you may be finding yourself being in a lost world at certain areas. Starhub’s explanation is that their stations, which produce and receive the signals are far apart just enough to lose coverage of the area. You may imagine yourself standing at a point where ten metres away from the west has a piece of shit, whereas ten metres towards the east has lay shit, and you are just in good distance to avoid the smell, except for a little pungent which strong wind manages to blow it over occasionally. However, if the same situation happens to the mobile phone, the reception is also an on and off situation.

If you are subscribing to the SCV Cable TV or the Max-Online service, you can apply for free home telephone service. The phone line will be connected to the modem itself and all communication will be via the same medium, and Starhub does not get to lose much. By offering this extra service, they can probably attract more users to subscribe to their services. SingTel owns most households’ phone lines since it has started since before I’m even born. The subscription fee together with the count-by-second call rate are wastage of consumers’ money since they can easily get everything for free. Not many people know that by porting over from SingTel to Starhub, they can still keep their home number without extra charge.

However, if you are subscribed to the above services from Starhub, you may face this problem of when the Max-online or Cable TV is or are down, the phone line is being cut off as well. At this point of time, you can only use your mobile phone to call up Starhub customer service care centre.

For English, please press “1”
For Starhub Mobile service, press “!”
For Starhub Cable TV, press “2”
For Starhub Max-online service, press “3”
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..
..

The long flow goes by. When you opt for the technical issue, using recorded voice, they try to tell you to check your modem for problems. You are already so agitated and you still have to wait for the craps to finish off before they let you know you have to press “0” to speak to the customer service officer. In the midst of waiting, the recorded message suggests that you can leave your number and name with them through fax machine and then you realise most households in Singapore do not own a fax machine. Another suggestion from them is to email to them via customerservice@starhub.com.sg and you probably feel like screaming to tell them the freaking internet service provided by them is down; but too bad they still do not pick up the call. Ten minutes later, someone finally picks up the phone and the line cuts off because you are using Starhub mobile phone line and the reception happens to die off totally. You have no choice but to call back and the same process happens again. Another ten minutes later, a woman picks up the phone and you know obviously she is not from Singapore for her accent and mumbling that it kills lots of brain cells and saliva to get her repeat her words. Then, she says they need around three hours more to fix the problem, or rather, she is saying other things, which cannot be heard.

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Tempted by Mini Laptop

There are many things to worry about if you are living in a poor family. The lack of financial support poses great restriction in things that you want to do. Let alone that you cannot have a desired working environment at home, spending on essential items is sometimes refrained as well.

There are times you wish to help others but you have to look into the mirror at your own image and consider how shabby you are. Do you have the ability to help? Will reaching out your hands land yourself in greater trouble than ever?

Often, I wonder how most people of my same age would survive in future. Unless they are making big bucks, the normal spending trend has been too big. Standard of living has improved too much over the years that everyone is actually spending much more than ever. Overseas holidays, computers and cars are liability to financial status.

The recent temptation from Daniel and my lecturer, Dr Loo, to get a mini laptop is great. I will not receive a new laptop to replace my snail crawling one in the office and that new design work will come in soon, while the old freak has not passed me the recovery CD for the desktop on my desk after a month of polite request. I would need a laptop to do my assignments during lessons with guidance of my classmates and I just need one badly to work away from home.

Daniel’s new system cost around $600. It is much cheaper than what I have expected and is definitely within budget if I were to continue to work after March. The size is small and thus not bulky nor heavy, which is very portable. However, the small screen would definitely affect design work and that the system can never match a normal sized laptop. Would I get sick of working with a tiny screen?

I hate making big decisions. I hate the fact that everything I do now will affect my life greatly in future.

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I’m Not Interested in Oracle

SET ECHO ON
SET FEEDBACK ON

CREATE TABLESPACE [space1] SIZE 5M MAXSIZE 5M;
CREATE TABLESPACE [space2] SIZE 20M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 48K MAXSIZE 20M;
CREATE TABLESPACE [space3] SIZE 10M AUTOEXTEND OFF NEXT 128;

CREATE USER [user1]
IDENTIFIED BY [pass]
QUOTA 5M ON [space1]
QUOTA 500M ON [space2]
QUOTA 10M ON [space3]
DEFAULT TABLESPACE [space2]
GRANT RESOURCE, CONNECT, CREATE TABLE, CREATE VIEW TO [user1];

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Valentine’s Day 2009

My mum went on cruise last Friday and thus, my meals were affected badly. Saturday afternoon saw me fill my stomach with cornflake and milk.

I was a lazy bum as usual.

I pinned high hope for Irwin to get back to Singapore early and he returned in the evening as planned, however, he did not want to risk queuing up with the crowd outside any restaurant since it was Valentine’s Day.

We went for golfing instead and I bought some finger food at the cafe. The crispy lemon chicken pieces were disastrous. It was not very safe to get such food from small cafe because the food may not be fresh enough. Whatever the case, some parts were not well cooked enough.

I strike many air balls before beginning to do the swinging in more an appropriate way than ever – that was to use the left hand’s strength instead of both. I could not get the ball far until I got bored and started to use my waist when I decided I had enough of practice with the “P” instead of “7 Iron”.

We went to Bugis to meet up with Eugene before proceeding to TCC. I was right that the waitress, Charlene, was not around. Anyway, the inside seats were all taken and thus we sat at the non air-conditioned place. We asked for ice water while we were looking through the menu but the waiter claimed that it would be served only when we placed our order. It took them some time to attend to us to take our order later and even longer to bring the water over to drench our thirst. We did not like the attitude of the waiter at all. We were interrupted twice in the midst of enjoying our chat for they brought drinks over like as if we would order new ones before finishing ours.

We went over to a pub at Suntec City where we were questioned of our ages. I was not fan of alcohol. Since there was no backrest and the recent relapse of my worsening back problem put me in sweat. I knew I probably looked pale if it was in the daylight.

Eugene took a cab home. Irwin and I walked towards my place but stopped at a prata shop near Clarke Quay to have our dinner. Irwin’s briyani rice turned out to be just plain white rice, whereas my two plain roti pratas were hard. We were served can drinks without ice and cup.

After we reached my place, Irwin took a cab home. It was around four AM when I reached home.

I had never been through a Valentine’s Day with a girl before but it did not affect my mood.

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First Presentation and Assignment

The presentation crushed with the first assignment; both modules collaborated well to tease me and jeer at my mess.

It had been too long since I last studied and things could not go into my head. It had something to do with my ridiculous sleeping habit definitely and I longed to visit the doctor.

The topic was given but it was quite broad and I could never figure out the intention, thus, could never focus. I made days of wasteful researches and finally, spent too much time in touching up. I was too sleepy to think but I proceeded on to kill more precious time. In the end, I could not finish the assignment.

The terrible lack of sleep massacred my brain cells and on the actual presentation day, I did far worse than I had expected, and to think that I was so used to standing in front of so many people put me in shame.

Alas, I got to know who the true friends were as they stayed behind to help me when they were already exhausted.

There are definitely many things I should improve on.

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Viewing in Different Angles

A blood donation ambassador walked in; she was not attractive in her physical and the worst thing was that she sounded too inexperience and definitely not good in expressing herself.

As she tried to explain that anyone might probably be involved in accident any time, situation heated up for not everyone appreciated her effort.

The focus was on how she had cursed everyone, which was not the actually meaning, and definitely not on the intention.

If someone has an evil heart to curse others, why would she be involved in the blood donation and why would she even bother to make the extra miles to persuade more people to donate?

It is shameful enough that we have not done anything to assist in the event and that we are probably too afraid of needles.

Some people see things in negative angles.

Some people think too highly of themselves and disregard others.

Some people follow the crowd.

Nevertheless, Confucius’ teaching simply mentions that if anyone refuses to listen, do not force it on him because it would probably bring shame on ourselves.

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Tell Me

Will you cry to my shoulder and tell me you have been longing for me since the day you met me?

I will be there for you, holding you in my arms, telling you, “Baby, it’s not too late to start feeling my love now.”

I will be standing here for you, until you are tired, and slowly put you down to sleep.

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