little miss may

Just when I thought upgrading to Mac OS X Leopard was going to be a breeze.

I picked up my copy (together with a brand-spakin’ new wireless keyboard) on Saturday afternoon. Came back home and after a few checks that I had the proper system requirements, on with the show! The video on Mac.com did say that it was going to take about a couple of hours, so I patiently waited for it to complete its magic whilst cooking and eating dinner.

B U T . . .

When it came to the part where it said, “Installation successful. You will need to restart your computer.”, that’s where it all went downhill.

I got what was nicknamed as the Blue Screen of Death (or BSoD for short) — the OS won’t restart properly, and although I could see the mouse cursor and move it about, there wasn’t anything else except for that BSoD — AAACCCKKKK!! What to do, what to do?!

Saturday, 27 October
8.55 PM: Initiated emergency call to Apple Guru, LB.
*toot *toot*
Weiiiiii?
Weiiiiii! Jousun! Hey listen… could you do me a big favour? Get online to Mac Support and see if there’s anything on Leopard installation that went wrong…
(conversation continued… tried this… tried that…)
Didn’t work?!
Nope, didn’t work… *sad*
Ha, see? Don’t do backup summore…
*sulk* *sigh*
Delete all and re-install?
Nah, I’ll try the Mac shop tomorrow, maybe they can help…

Sunday, 28 October
10.24 AM: Bus down to the city. Got to the store, but they were closed! $@#*$…

11.00 AM: Bus up to Chatswood. There’s a Mac store there, maybe they can help.

11.31 AM: Sorry, we’re only a reseller, you’ll have to call Apple Support.
What?! $@#*$…

11:44 AM: Paid $4 for 1.3 hours of surf-time at an Internet kiosk. Changed Gmail settings to save whatever emails I could, just in case. Started searching frantically in Apple Support’s troubleshooting tips.
And searched some more…
And more…
And more…
Ack!! Out of credit! *popped in another $2*
And more…
Jotted down some notes, crossed eyes and toes that the solution posted would do the trick.

2:04 PM: Alamak, no more credit again! And desperately needed to pee, too. Ok, time to go home and try it out.

2:58 PM: Back home. Alright, the moment of truth. Here goes nothing!
*Ctrl-S while starting up*
*Typed out some unix commands*
*Waited…*

*tik tok tik tok…*

3:23 PM: WAAAA!! IT’S ALIVE!!!
Quickly backed up everything and anything possible!
Mental note to self: Never, EVER laugh at computer geeks. EVER.

After almost 24 hours of heart palpitation, sweaty palms and cold feet, my Mackie’s pulse is back to normal again. I haven’t really fiddled around with the new features after that resuscitation except for a quick email to LB to say thanks and all’s well. Besides, with all that stress I had to go through, it was quite an anti-climatic sexperience for me — so the very potong stim already.

Lesson learnt — always get rid of third-party software before any upgrade.

And backup, backup, BACKUP.

Gotta go get me one of those 1TB external harddisk drive now… *super-duper kiasu*

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When you get tagged 5 times within 4 days on 1 topic, it’s not something you could roll over and play dead with. Oh no, that just won’t do. Gotta get on it before I get hit a 6th time! Although that wouldn’t be too bad, I’d have killed 6 birds (and have 12 mini drumsticks for lunch) with my 1 big rock, eh?

The Sam Pat Five:
21 Oct - Everydayhealy
21 Oct - rinnah
22 Oct - ParisB
24 Oct - doreen
24 Oct - Chen

And so the inquisition begins…

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night. I have such short memory, I can’t quite remember. But my colleagues made me laugh earlier this evening.





2. What were you doing at 0800? Hurrying out the door, before I miss the 0810 bus.





3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Showering. Wait, that was 2 hours ago now…





4. What happened to you in 2006? Decided to get on with it and quit my (then) job. Made lots of friends, a couple of enemies, the usual.





5. What was the last thing you said out loud? “Bye!”





6. How many beverages did you have today? TwoThree - water and green tea and coffee. How could I forget coffee?! Thanks for reminding me, ubisetela!




7. What color is your hairbrush? Black.





8. What was the last thing you paid for? $6.00 for a small sushi pack. A rip off, really.





9. Where were you last night? Attending Day 2 of the Film Makers & Directors Course. Caught a late train and then a bus home.





10. What color is your front door? Dark brown.





11. Where do you keep your change? In my wallet.





12. What’s the weather like today? Max 21ºC, now 17ºC, wet, sad, and grey.





13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? I could never decide. Anything sweet, sometimes nutty, with caramel, not necessarily chocolate. Toppings are secondary, fudge would be good.





14. What excites you? When I have something to look forward to like a trip, or a surprise in the post box that’s not a bill or junk mail.





15. Do you want to cut your hair? Eventually, but not right now.





16. Are you over the age of 25? Yes. You wouldn’t have believed me if I said no.





17. Do you talk a lot? Depends on my mood. Sometimes I’m relieved when someone else does all the talking. Save saliva.





18. Do you watch the O.C.? Wanted to at one time, but I got lazy in downloading the episodes, and now totally forgotten.




19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes. misti’s partner-in-crime.





20. Do you make up your own words? Nah, I’d rather leave it to the Ork Kai Experts™.





21. Are you a jealous person? I don’t deny that I am at times. Totally dislike it, but I accept it at the same time.





22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Azli, my ex-colleague. Also known as Ah Yue. Still starts with ‘A’… sorta.





23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kelvin, a brilliant designer whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with. And stroking hairs.





24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? My aunt from her mobile (listed as #1), and my aunt from my uncle’s clinic’s phone (listed as #10). My aunt lah.





25. What does the last text message you received say? This is a wu liao msg.it’s just a surprise msg hoping that when u see this,u’ll SMILE! =P u must!n..g’nite!hehehe:)from the cute one,ehon da Great! xoxo





26. Do you chew on your straw? No. Maybe just a tad, though not fervently.





27. Do you have curly hair? Not like instant noodles, but I do have natural waves.





28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? In the next 4 weeks, hopefully on a camping trip with my colleagues. In the next 10 minutes — the toilet.





29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Oh, I could name a few, but let’s not point fingers lest those fingers point back at me!





30. What was the last thing you ate? Yoplait no fat strawberry yoghurt.





31. Will you get married in the future? I would, if he’ll have me. Having said that, do you need to be married to have babies?





32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Crash, courtesy of Uncle Joe. Absolutely brilliant. I also recommend the Last King of Scotland.




33. Is there anyone you like right now? Yes.





34. When was the last time you did the dishes? About 3 hours ago.





35. Are you currently depressed? No. Haven’t been awhile. But sometimes the mood hits when I least expect it.





36. Did you cry today? No.





37. Why did you answer and post this? When 5 people tag you on the same topic, it’s a record. How not to do it? How come?





38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey.
cheepeeone, Yvy, Leonard, Consuela and eastcoastlife.

A very short and sweet (some early, some belated) H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y to Giddy Tiger, Helen, ParisB, Wennnn, and Eve Lengleng! Happy Happy Merry Merry Joy Joy!

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A Very Happy Merry Birthday…

…to kat! Many happy returns to a wonderful mother and friend, fabulous baker and cook. May you have lots of joyous times, lots of merry-making in your new home, and plenty of interesting stories to tell your grandchildren in many years to come!

 

…and a Tag

Now, how long ago was this? Back on 16 August 2007, everydayhealy gave me some homework to do in 555 and some years ago. Looking through the questions, I thought there was a familiarity to how they all sound. And whaddya know, poking and prodding in my archives, I found that this was the FIRST EVER tag I did! What a discovery! Want to take a guess as to who passed it on to me?

Ha… It was none other than LB in Tic Tag Toe, about 1 year and 10 months ago. OMG, has it been that long?! That was when we were both still on Blogger before Fatt-Hao-ness took over and we jumped ship to our own domains.

So, getting on with the show… How different are my answers now compared to then?

Instructions:
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:
1. Wuching
2. Ehon’s Rojak’d Life
3. Rinnah
4. Everydayhealy
5. little miss may

Choose 5 people to tag:
1. kat - ‘cos she’s the Birthday Girl
2. LB - to repay back the old tag favour
3. Ah Boy - ‘cos I miss you lor
4. Zara’s Mama - I’m sure it’s different now with Zaria
5. LaundryAmah - do laundry later, ok

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Started my first full-time job with a (then) Big 5 Co. October would’ve been my 5th month.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Wishing Kat a happy birthday, rambling incoherently in short takes 19.10.06.

Five snacks you enjoy
1. Gummy bears (yup, still here)
2. Crisps
3. Bananas
4. Chocolate (this too)
5. Gelato

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to
My memory fails me these days. Honestly. But I think I could do karaoke justice to:
1. Home (Michael Buble)
2. How Deep is your Love (Bee Gees)
3 Fallen (Lauren Wood)
4. I Turn to You (Christina Aguilera)
5. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
1. Invest and let money work for me
2. Donate to charities and the needy
3. Spend on my family and friends, and myself
4. Sponsor a child, or two, or a few
5. Finally get the Ho Kwai Fann Resort™ going for all of us, and the iPort too

Five bad habits
1. Over-spending
2. Over-eating
3. Procrastinating Big Time
4. Feeling insecure
5. Nose-picking in private

Five favourite toys
1. MacBook
2. iPod nano
3. Palm Tungsten T5
4. Nikon D50
5. Pooch

Five things you like doing
1. Spending quality time with friends and family
2. Reminiscing good times
3. Snuggling up next to the Warm Body
4. Keeping my plants alive
5. Going places

Five things you would never wear again
1. Fur (never ever!)
2. Chunky bling-blings
3. Fake nails
4. Bright pink lipstick
5. Platform boots ala Spice Girls

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~ Wordless Wednesday ~

30 comments

Some centuries ago, both Everyday Healy (on 21 Aug) and Giddy Tiger (on 5 Sept) tagged me on 8 Facts About My Mom. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite going to do this tag until much, much, much later on when I was in the mood to write, but my paternal Granny’s recent fall and hurt rib got me thinking about my own Mom a little more often. And also ‘cos she sent me an SMS this morning…

So… 8 things about Mother Dearest!

1. Green Little Fingers
She has knack of keeping plants alive. Whenever my brother throws out half-dead seedlings which he had given up on, Mom would save them from the trash can, nurse them back to health, and grin with satisfaction when they sprout new leaves.

2. Technically (un)Challenged
She may be from the “old era”, she’s a fast learner and knows how to send text messages by phone, operate the DVD player and email. I think I’ll hold on teaching her about instant messaging… for now.

3. Vitamin M
She’ll always joke about being in need of more Vitamin M i.e. Money, but don’t let that fool you — she’s the wisest investor in the family, having made all my (and my brother’s) university fees from the stock market.

4. Four-Legged Foe
I’m afraid of cockroaches. Mom gets rid of them for me, and laughs in my face when I squeal as scurry past me. I do the same to her about lizards. I say we’re pretty even.

5. And Who is That?
Mom actually met LB and Cocka Doodle last year. You should’ve seen the look on her face when Cocka wound down the car window and greeted her at 6 a.m. in the morning, after dropping me home from an EFND™ drive up to Genting and back in under 4 hours.

6. The Liu Communicator
This may sound strange, but I don’t talk to my brothers or Dad much. They don’t talk to one another much either. But every one of us talks to Mom. Want to know what’s happening in another sibling’s or Dad’s life? Ask Mom.

7. Personal Taxi Drivers
She’s never owned a car in her life. Despite having a driver’s licence, she’d rely on us to bring her around — Dad to the market, Sons to restaurants and orchid farms, Daughter to shopping malls. Why have your own car when you have 4 personal drivers at your beck and call?

8. Long (and only) Service
She’s only held one salaried job in her life. Having no education further than Form 5, she stuck to a (then) decently-paid job in a bank… for 37 years.

 

I Heartchu, Mom!

49 comments