Dec
16
Talking About Computer!
Filed Under Daily
I had a very late discovery of computer and internet. I had my very first pirated version of Star Wars,The Phantom Menace in 1999. I was so excited then when I hold 2 CDs of a very very crappy CAM version of the release. Funny though, I will never forget this moment. I still remember my very first time cracking Microsoft Office premium. I did crack the code completely by myself using a debugger written in C. I went through the checking process and I read the code between the lanes of symbols. Computers are my friends! Nowadays when I talk to other people, I realize how far I went and the huge gap there is between my current knowledge of computer and internet in general and the common knowledge. I tried to help Chebet, Rafiq, Hassan and Amy with their computer problems. It was so simplistic to me but to them, it was like if I was talking Chinese.
All they do with their computers is checking email, using Facebook or Myspace and reading news. I tried to mention about games, software, etc… The hardest thing they’ve ever done is to install a torrent software and search for a TV show to download. They are all surprised to know that I do not use Facebook. I told them I have my own blog that I modify at will and that I do not like letting third party software or sites controlling my data. I want to be the only person controlling my database.
I am currently using Rapidshare to download anything I want and to store some programs I might need later. It is faster than torrent and I do not have to upload anything to anyone. It takes less than 10 min to download a full CD of 700 Mb of data at the speed of 1.1 Mb/sec. I pay 17 Euros for 3 months to Rapidshare. Google is the search engine and the keywords are NAME + Rapidshare and VOILA! I use WordPress to write my blog. There are other programs but WordPress is the most popular and it is regularly updated and improved! I bought a one year subscription to Flickr, 25 US dollars. These are the only things I need to be like a fish in the sea on internet.
Dec
15
Tired Already on Monday!
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I had a short sleep, I stayed up to watch the movie: The Day The Earth Stood Still, it was a pirated telesynch version. Keanu Reeve is really a bad actor but the story was excellent! Of course, it was an adaptation of a classic, so no much risk, as long as the script sticks to the story. I will try to put my hands on Inkheart, the preview looked really good. The swim was excellent, I was almost all the time with only one other swimmer and the dude is a very good swimmer. People were well coordinated and they stayed in the lane corresponding to their level. One girl tried the fastest lane but she quickly changed her mind. She was not too slow but she was not fast.
Dec
14
A Seemingly Quiet Week!
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Someone died at Tesco, a supermarket, yesterday. They had to close the store for few hours. I learned about the news in Lidl, its competitor next door. The staff was talking about it.
Not having class/seminar nor having a hike give me a lot of free time in the next month or so. Time to concentrate on the most important events to come: my exams and a job!
The movie, the Dark Knight, was canceled last Friday and replaced by a Christmas party to which I gave no interest nor attend. I gave two pounds to a homeless dude and he was happy! Funny thing is, after the generous event, I went to buy a Subway sandwich and they were on a “half price deal” so I got my two pounds instantly back! Also I did not have to pay the bus fair yesterday on my way to the city for unknown reasons. I bought a roasted Chinese duck and rice to eat and the Chinese dude still doesn’t understand English! He gave me a take-way menu instead so I paid 50 P less.
I kept on saying cents instead of pence! Here they have funny expressions for money: 1 GBP = 1 Quid, Pence = P! So between friends, it costs 50 QUIDS, and the bus driver will ask for “80 P” and not 80 pence!
Dec
13
I went to the pool for the first time on Saturday. It was very nice. Only me and another person in the lane for a whole hour or so! Looks like British people go out on Friday night and they would not go to the gym early Saturday. I will attend Saturday sessions more regularly then.
My computer crashed. Nowadays, I am so used to store my data on the USB enclosure HD and the 2nd partition that I do not loose anything during these tragic events.So it was quickly reinstalled after 30 min. I do not have a hike tomorrow which is very good also. A whole weekend by myself!
Boshit gave me this very nice song: Human by The Killers. I kept on listening to it.
Dec
10
Angry at 4 am!
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One of my flatmates had the bad idea of having guest over and they went to have a very late snack at 4 am. I was very angry when I went out and asked them to go to their room. In the night, every little move people make are like a bang for me. It was very inconsiderate, I do understand they needed to have something to eat but staying there and having a chat like if it was daytime was a very bad idea! I do not have a swim today so I could use an extra hour or two in bed due to the stupid interruption.
I did a summary of my finance and things are okay. I force myself to do it regularly even though it hurts to see my savings decrease like this :(. I also have to force myself to study hard for the exams in January. It is a good thing that I do not have hiking again because it does take a whole day off and one more day to recover. I checked the time table and it looks like the pool has the 50 m setup on Sunday between 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm. I might just go there on Sunday to have my extra workout of the day. So I should have a full month of study without any event to disturb me in between.
I hope my flatmates will all go away! That would be the cherry on the top of the cake. Since Amy left the flat has become very quiet already. “The Dark Knight” is scheduled for the movie night. Excellent choice!
Dec
9
Compliments Always Work!
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I am very quiet most of the time and I attract attention because of my unusual look and behaviors. After the hike on Saturday, I went to talk to the other photographer in the bus and I complimented him about his beautiful pictures and asked him about his filters and everything. He was delighted!
Today, I have also spoken to Jane, the fastest girl in the pool. I complimented her about her technique and her speed. She was all smiling and happy. After I left the pool she approached me in the shower and gave me tricks to go faster. I told her I am only swimming to relax, that is why I have a regular speed and I do it for a very long time. Anyways, the compliments work great on people. I should do it more regularly 🙂
I checked the other day my passport and I realized it will expire in 2014 and not 2010. For some reasons, I stressed out about it when I was in Dublin. Stupid me!
Dec
8
My Last Hike
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It was a nice hike to end with, the last one of the year! The weather was bad and I made the mistake of using a polarizer which made the pictures even darker: Ambleside.
I will try to go by myself now that I know most of the area. I already went to the remote locations with the club, now I can explore the more accessible and maybe more touristic ones all by myself. The weather is getting worse so maybe a long break before though. It is all snow and fog nowadays no matter if it rains or not.
I am still sick, I could not sleep yesterday. I barely had 4 hours of sleep so I am walking like a zombie today. I tried to take a nap after the pool but again no long lasting recovery sleep. I will probably have a better sleep tonight. The pool was frozen. They do not heat it anymore and it is like if I jump into the cold water straight out of my shower.
I saw Eagle Eye, what a crappy long movie…to avoid!
Dec
6
The best part of being sick!
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It’s when it’s over. I had to struggle two nights, I was sweating like a pig but I knew that only the heat can speed up my recovery so I stayed in my clothes and under the bed cover even if it was uncomfortable. This morning, it was as if everything was gone. It’s not completely over but I know the worse is behind me, the good side is that it only took two days!
Amy had bad news and she was crying yesterday. It seems that something happened to her boyfriend. They do not know yet what but she is going home early. She is leaving tomorrow instead of Thursday. She still will go shopping with me at Salford. I think it will do her good before she leaves Manchester.
I did not attend the movie night yesterday because the movie was really bad: the love guru. The stats on IMDB were really awful so I did not want to give it a chance. I think the stupid ass who is responsible for this should at least check the movie before renting it.
I wanted to warn Chebet yesterday about her dreams after her graduation. I simply asked her two questions: Can you legally work in the UK? Can you support yourself for about 6 months if you do not have a job? I told her that she will have a hard time finding a job if she does not have an answer to my questions. It is extremely hard if not impossible to find a sponsor especially in this recession time. Many students are from China, Africa and other parts of the world. They have a lot of dreams but I think many of them will go back home.
Dec
5
Buy One Get One Free!
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I love this deal! I bought tons of good stuffs, razors, shampoo, conditioner, after shave, etc…Amy is leaving next week on Thursday. She is going back to Greece for a month and maybe a week more. I will miss her even though her phone conversations are a bit loud for my sensitive ears. I really had the impression she did not do much this year and wasted a full year here and paying the fees. She can afford it.
There is a trip organized by the students in my building to Chester, an old city with roman history. Amy asked me f I wanted to go and I proposed to go shopping in Salford instead. It is shorter and it is only 15 min away from Manchester by tram. I have one last hike for this year this Sunday. I will not join them on their next hike by train and the New Year trip to Scotland. It sounds painful and not very promising. Also I need my owm room and a shower at the end of the day!
Dec
4
Frozen Pool!
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The swimming pool was cold the last two days. Maybe the heaters need to be repaired. It always happens in winter time in Australia. I do not complain but I think I got a cold. Let’s hope for a quick recovery. The thermal base layers I bought are very good and keep me warm even though I do not wear lots of clothes or heavy ones.
I saw the other day a young beggar in the street, he was happily sitting there eating his food. At that moment, he was a happy man, strange but I wanted to know what it feels like to be content to eat food in the cold and being happy!
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