There's no cure

For every computer virus, there's a patch, an anti-virus protection, a form of solution designed to counter or prevent it.

For every idiot who clicks on a link he/she receives on MSN without first wondering if it is a potential threat, there is simply no cure.

It sounds very harsh, but if a person at my age and living in this era still doesn't know better than to click blindly on a link, that person is really dumb.

The best virus protection software in the whole world won't be able to help such a person.

Standing on my own 2 feet

Literally.

I'm going out today and I'm going to walk around without crutches. Even if it means I have to take a break every 10 minutes.

Come one day, I'll be able to run and jump just as most people can.

Especially to Minz: Thanks for coming to visit me whenever I had an operation.

Blogging while on hospitalisation leave

Days are passing by.

I keep count of them by noting the recovery progress of my knee. 7 days since the operation, the internal bleeding had spread so much that it seemed as though I had bruised an unbelievably huge region of my leg.

Spending 24 hours a day at home didn't give me more things to blog about. I was computer-chair ridden - my knee had to be maintained in an elevated position as much as possible.

Being in that position means I can only do the following if I wish to be able to stay there for long:

1. On the couch before the TV
2. At my computer desk with a leg rest
3. On the bed... ZZZ

The choice is pretty obvious for me. Only the computer can entertain me for the whole day. Even cable TV can't last me that long.

With my recent upgrade, including the operating system to Windows Vista, I realised my knee wasn't the only thing turning blue. My monitor would suddenly turn blue and then my computer would restart itself.

Coined by computer geeks as the 'blue screen of death', this symptom means the computer is dumping its physical memory and there's nothing you can do but to reboot it. I have condemned Windows Vista to death.

When I'm well, I'd like to go for KTV.

Hopes for the new year

Back to blogging in the office, because I found a way to access the banned websites.

Well, I'm no saint so I don't quite care about whether it's morally correct or wrong to do so. As long as I'm not letting it affect my work, I don't see why I can't blog.

My 1st ligament reconstruction operation is due early tomorrow morning. I have no idea how my movement would be affected after the operation, or how many days of MC (technically it's hospitalisation leave) I'll be granted.

Experience from my last operation tells me that my waist will expand after being immobilised for some time. As such, I really need to control my diet. The last expansion almost cost me my pants - I had difficulty buckling them around my waist. Thank goodness for my belt.

Also, this time I've prepared some entertainment for being grounded at home for days. 3 new computer games. More than enough to last me for a minor operation.

I'm taking this as a little break. Hopefully, after my 2nd ligament reconstruction operation, I'll be able to do sports as before. That will be a dream come true for me.

CNY 2008

Life has been pretty mundane all these while - working, playing computer games, sleeping - except during the Chinese New Year.

This year's Chinese New Year is pretty different from the previous years too. Biggest difference is that I don't feel the mood for it anymore.

Maybe it's because my grandfather passed away just before the Chinese New Year eve (according to the lunar calenar), and that was the 1st time I totally didn't celebrate. The words 新年快乐 has changed from a greeting to a commonly used pet phrase.

The other difference is that I went back to Malaysia instead of staying in Singapore as I used to. It was like about 10 years ago since I last went back to visit my relatives. The city changed so much I had difficulty recognising some places.

Same goes for my cousin. I was almost afraid to call out his name when I first saw him. Afraid to embarrass myself for mistaking him, that is.

I'm too lazy to list out all the changes one by one (that's one thing that hasn't changed), but witnessing all of them reminded me how time flies. Just like the secondary school class gathering I came back from a little earlier. I haven't seen most of them in 10 odd years, though somehow everyone looks almost the same.

These little reminders seem to hint to me: as time moves on, so should we. Stop living in the past. Stop wishing we can turn back time. Start thinking of how to better spend the coming years ahead before there are no more coming our way.

Newbie attempt at event photography

I'm going a have an attempt at event photography, 2 days later, during my company D&D. It's my first try, and I sure hope I can pull it off.

Event photography is very differnt from my usual photo shoots, because it doesn't give you the luxury of time to compose your shots. Things will keep occuring and you have to capture them as quickly as you can, and at the same time you have to look out for details such as lighting, angle, etc.

Furthermore, I have to use a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera to be able to shoot decent indoor photos, and I've never owned one my whole life. Fortunately, a colleague was able to lend me his and I had only 1 weekend to practice with it.

I have to admit it wasn't much of a practice. Good luck to me when the actual event comes.

It's so late, but...

...I still had to complete my work before I leave the office.

...some motorcyclist still met with a fatal accident on the road despite the lack of traffic.

...passing vehicles still slow down to get a glimpse of the unfortunate accident

...I have yet to eat my dinner.

...I switched on my computer to do the usual checking of emails and chatting

...I still blogged this entry.