F*ing exams

I been busy with exams. Just a quick update. My latest upgrade adds a new lcd screen on the front panel of the pc. It looks so badass that picture just doesn't do it justice. So I recorded an video and posted it on youtube.



Another news. 30 Seconds to Mars just released their newest album. Their third album titled "This is War" sounds good. But I just don't love it as much as their last album -"A Beautful Lie"-.

Next week something big is gonna arrive. I'm definitely gonna post an update next week.

Furuta Pendulum

This is a video from my Digital Signal Processing lab. It was suppose to be a very happy day to see it working, but it turned out to be a very tiring day. In the end we’re just glad it worked.

Dragon Age: Origin

Normally I'm not a fan of role-playing-games (RPG). The kind of games that starts with customizing the character's features, attributes and class, followed by a lot of dialogues and leveling up process; you'll need to talk with a lot of people to gain information needed to progress and get quests. They just consume a lot of time and unless the game is really good, it's gonna feel like torture. The last memorable RPG I played in a long time was Diablo 2, in 2000. What does Dragon Age: Origin has in common with Diablo? For me it is the great story, random encounters, solid game mechanics and massive area to explore.

It's not the first time Bioware releases a hit. Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Mass Effect are just a sample of their highly successful games. However, I never played more than 30 minutes let alone completed any of them. Not that I never gave them a chance. I played the aforementioned games for a couple of minutes and lose interest really quick due to the boring first mission or slow progress. That is not the case for DAO though.

After just 10 minutes of gameplay, I thought that this is just another fail attempt to get me to play RPG. Then suddenly the character's home got attacked by demon hordes; his family murdered and brother lost amidst the entangling battle. The game mechanics was easy to learn but hard to master. Unlike most RPG where you just click around the map hoping to hit something, DAO requires micromanaging the battle with tactics. Heck, you can even let the character finish the fight without you if your tactic is robust enough. They'll choose the spell based on the situation, take health potion when needed and even run if they are outnumbered.

The story is engaging and complex in good way. You are required to make simple good and bad decisions, however the outcome is never as you would have expected. Sometimes the effect is only seen long after the decision was made. An example is: after saving one helpless enemy, he/she may return to assassinate the main character really late in the game. The character's relation with others should also be noted. Since this is an M(mature) rated game, and coming from bioware, you can expect lots of gore and a couple of interesting sexual scene. If you ever wondered how a dwarf and an elf can mate, look no further. You may even get lucky and force a gay elf and human girl to fight for a dwarf's love. It's just hilarious.

All in all, this is a must get game. A 5* game with lots of playtime. A friendly warning, don't get too intimate with Morrigan or you'll get heart broken.

Atreyu - Storm To Pass

One of my favorite band returned with their newest album Congregation of the Damned.

My hobby

From morning...

till night..

Arch Enemy - Dark Insanity

It's been a while since I've post something about music. Well, good news. Here's the new music video from Arch Enemy's new album, "The Root of All Evil". The video was released today, and the album is already available since last month.



I got a lot of respect for the vocalist, Angela Gossow. Not even most males can make their voices go as low as hers.

How to improve your GPU temperature

This is a guide on how to improve the temperature of your GTX 260 graphic card. It is also applicable to other nvidia graphic cards since the cooler is pretty much the same. If you don't know the temp of the card chances are you don't need this guide. However if you feel that the card is a too hot or needed to get it cooler so you can overclock higher, read on. This guide will teach you how to change the old thermal paste on the gpu so you WILL need a replacement, hopefully better thermal paste.

First off, the tools needed:

1. Air canister. Just required if the card is dusty.
   
2. Cotton swabs
   
3. New thermal paste. I used Arctic cooling MX-2 bought from newegg. Also called TIM (Thermal interface material)
   
4. Thermal paste remover. You can just use water, but this thing will make your life a lot easier. Also bought from newegg.
   
5. Small phillip screwdriver
   
6. Time. I manage to finish and took pictures at the same time in around an hour.
   

Find a clean non-static surface. Wooden tables works. Don't do it on a table with plastic table cover or rug for example. Also to avoid damaging the processor, never touch it directly with your hand/fingers. Thats why we have the cotton swab. Remove the graphic card from your pc. In my case, it's the GTX 260 core 216 from evga.

Remove the screws at the back/bottom of the card. Only remove the big ones that you can see clearly. Also remove the 2 small ones on the side of the card near the output connections. Once you removed all the screws, gently pull apart the plastic cooler from the circuit board(pcb). You may have to twist it a little since the thermal paste may glue the two sides together.

You'll get a similar configuration as in the picture. The thin board is the one that cost 90% of what you paid. The big second half is just the cooler with the heatsink and fan.

As you can see, the gunk is what they use as their thermal paste. No wonder its ineffective.

Take caution not to accidentally remove/tear the small thermal pads. These are use to cool the small ic's on the circuit board that does not generate much heat.

Remove the old thermal paste from both the processor and the cooler using dry cotton swabs. The second pic shows how the processor looks like without the gunk.

Next use the thermal paste remover and cotton swab to remove the excess gunk. You may use water, but it might not do as good a job. This is how the processor looks like cleaned and dried. Notice the difference?

It's time to reapply the new thermal paste. Since the chip is a big one, I prefer to use the 3 line method to apply the tim. Then I just press together the two sides to get a well covered area. You may also use a card to manually cover the whole area of the chip. But from my experience it doesn't really make a difference.

Once you place everything back together, you're ready to test the new temperature. Sometimes, the new thermal paste need a couple of hours to completely cure and reach its' max potential. I manage to decrease the temperature by 10C the first time through. If you see an increase instead, the thermal paste might not be enough or the chip surface doesn't meet the cooler. Here, I place the core 216 card at the bottom since it's cooler and also I prefer the old GTX 260 backcovered version of the card.

Ps: I use Office 2007 to write this blog and office just published it straight to the web. I don't need to copy /paste. cool

a broken finger. awesome!!

I've never broken any part of my body in my life. I always thought I have strong bones. But it maybe also because I never go to see the doctor once injured. In this current case, it has already been a month since I broken my finger before going to the doctor. The broken finger was cause by a bullet pass from my qb during a flag football game. I continued playing and scored 2 rushing TD's.

The only reason I went to have the xray was because the swelling worsen after playing football again in the weekend earlier. The doctor told me I may have a fractured finger and I can do the xray if I just want confirmation. So I did the xray and waited for the result the next day. I got a surprise call at 9am in the morning from the health center to hear that it was worst than expected; I had a broken finger all along.

Today I went to see a specialist, an orthopedic. He was surprised that I never went to see the doctor earlier since the incident must be really painful. It should have needed surgery if I were to see him earlier. I told him I never broken anything before, and the pain was normal to me so I assumed it was just a dislocated finger. I even continued to play flag football and guitar hero with the finger.


The orthopedic was even more surprised that the bone did not slip even with a big chunk missing at the joint. He was afraid that it may happen during the healing process. So I have to wear a splint on my left middle finger for a month. That means no computer gaming, guitar hero or flag football for that period. Bummer. But at least I can still play my xbox with my controller. I even won an online match earlier on Madden 10 with a splint on my finger. The other guy sucks anyway.

Nothing Much

Unless you've just arrive at my blog, you would know that I upgraded my desktop like every month. Sadly my laptop did not receive the same kind of attention. You may be shock. I got a laptop??!! Yes, I do. I've been using it for 2 years actually; without upgrading a thing.

To clarify, when I bought it, the thing is still called a laptop. Nowadays, it has a different, more popular name. A netbook. And I was one of the early adopter of netbook since I have the earliest version of EEEPC. The Asus 701 EEEPC. It looks crude I should say. Without the glossy screen, the multitouch pad, the colorful casing, who would wanna buy this thing these days. But it was a different story then.When I bought it, netbook was not the norm yet. Every time I display it in public, people would turn their heads toward that cute little thing. A couple of people even ask me where to get it and how much it cost. Believe it or not, I bought it for $400 and that was already considered cheap considering a full laptop cost ~$800. Now, you can get an even better ones at half the price.

Anyway, back to the upgrade part. I've been using it just fine with its' 512MB ram and preinstalled Linux OS. I never really needed to upgrade it since it's been working perfectly as it is. However, as RAM prices drop significantly this couple of years, upgrading to 2gigs of ram looks even nicer. Also, I got myself a free windows XP Pro from the engineering department of the university. So upgrading the OS is also at virtually no cost at all.

I only needed a couple of hours, and a little patience; since I have gotten used to my god-dayuuum fast desktop. Upgrading to 2GB of ram really makes a big different on this little netbook. Since it has a slow processor, having a bigger workspace really helps speed up the processes. And I installed the lite version windows XP pro. Before installing, I removed all the unnecessary drivers and application like movie maker, file sharing, IM, media player etc. I have my desktop and my phone to handle my musics. That also makes the Xp more responsive and faster without all the bloatware.All in all, the upgrade was a success. And it only cost me $30 for the duration of 2 years. The old has gotten an internal boost. My EEEPC is gonna serve me a couple more years for surfing and reading documents on the go.

Another semester with a lab

Yes, it's another semester with a lab. Actually make that 2 labs in a week. Both are time consuming and energy draining labs.

First one is the Digital Signal Processing lab. 3 hours per session and that's still not enough time to finish all of the works. I just went over the second lab doing stuff like programming a couple of leds to spell my name in morse code. So much fun that was *sarcasm*. Well, if things go well, the last lab would be building a mechanical arm that can balance a stick. Much like you trying to balance an upside-down broom on your hand. Or like a segway balancing its passenger while motionless.

The next lab is the Instrumentation and Test lab. It sound a little boring but actually it's a lab where you get to destroy and blow stuffs up. Imagine taking a concrete block and compress it (with a machine of course) until it blows up into pieces. Or take a steel beam and twist it until it snapped. The only problem is the lab reports take a considerable time to finish. My labs from previous semester may take as long as 6 hours to finish. However this course lab reports needs at least 10 hours of work in it. For a 1 credit hour lab course, that's just too much.

Well, that's it for this week update. I'm gonna be buried in lab works soon.

A letter from court

Today I received a letter from the Champaign County Court. Damn, I was so freaked out that I may have done something wrong to get another citation or fine; even though I cannot think of any at that moment. Besides, my driving probation period was over 2 month ago. Yeah, I got on probation for going through a red light in from of a health clinic before.

Anyway, when I open the letter, a heading in bold reads "JUROR QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE". It's a questionnaire to see if I'm qualified to be a juror at a later date. There's even a warning that if I failed to complete and return it, I'll be summoned to court.

So half-heartedly I fill in the form. After completing the form, I'm going to post it tomorrow hoping I wont get called. I know it's an obligation, but it's a p.i.t.a having to go to court and listen to the trial and all. I know since I've been there.

Moving out sucks

It's that time of the year again; Where we have to move out from out comfortable old apartment to a new one. Hauling ass and stuffs to the new apartment was tiresome.

But it's not over yet. I'm currently without a home since I'm only allowed to move in on the 20th. Till then I'm a homeless guy living in a friends' house. The process of moving into the new house is gonna be the same tiring stuff all over again.

Luckily I don't have that much things to move. Since I keep my shopping for new clothes to the minimum I only have 1 luggage of them. All the others are electronics, games, computer parts.

Hopefully this new apartment has better beds than the last one. For more than a year I had to endure sleeping on a bed that was broken right in the middle. My back can't take it any more. So does hers'..haha

Mayhem Festival 09!!!

Another great day to update this dusty blog. This is gonna be a looong one. So many things to write, and share. So bear with me.

As you may(or may not care to) know, Mayhem Festival is here again. It's one of the things I look forward to during this boring summer break. I went to last year's mayhem with Slipknot and Disturbed headlining them. It was a blast, but child's play compared to this years'.

First and foremost, there's a lot more of my favorite bands. That includes Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, God Forbid and All That Remains. One time or another, their songs were featured in my blog post. If you're interested, (who am I kidding) you can use the little search bar up there to find their respective post.

Anyway, the concert/festival was held on sunny Sunday at Tinley Park near Chicago. Since the others are fainthearted with these kind of concert, I traveled alone to the concert to join my metalheads brethren. I drove in a fast and fun Mazda 3, only stopping once to fuel the car an my stomach. I had a Double Whopper w/ cheese and that was the only meal for my whole trip.

I arrived quite early at 1.00pm. After standing in line for half and hour just to get pass the gate item check, I was free to roam around. The first thing in my list was to buy a tshirt. However, I bought two: a Trivium and a Killswitch Engage shirt. There were 3 stages; two small ones and the main stage like every other year. Last year I wasn't interested in the small stage acts since they mainly new and upcoming metal bands. But this year was different, all 3 stages are filled with respectable experienced bands.

While wandering around collecting free items, I saw that there is gonna be a signing session with Trivium. My heart jumped. I was so excited more than the time when I saw my first porn. I can't be more obvious; circling the tent waiting for a sign of queue line to form even though there was 1 more hour before the session starts. Fast forward 1 hour, I was about to get their autographs. I was thinking of what to say to them. I ask Paolo why he'd shave his awesome hair. He said he was sick of long hair. When it was time to meet Matt Heafy, the vocalist and guitarist of the band, I was lost for words.

Here was the scene:
Matt: How you doin'? (shake hands)
Me: Err, good, good. I love your songs. Can I maybe take a picture with you?
Matt: Sure. Let that guy hold the camera. (take this awesome pic).
Matt: So, what ethnicity are you from?
Me: I'm Malay.
Matt: Great to see another Asian Metalheads! I'm Japanese.
Me: I know dude. Thanks.
It was one of those memorable moments that I won't soon forget. Right after taking Trivium's autographs, God Forbid performance was almost over. While the stages is set up for the next performance, which was All That Remains, I managed to snake my way into the middle of the crowd.
As soon as the band started to play, the crowd went wild. I was thrown around in the sea of people. I was so tightly squeezed that I was sure that if I jump, I'm gonna pop on top of the crowd. While watching the band I was also busy protecting my stuff. I had a bag filled with tshirts, free stuff and autographed posters. Too busy was I that I wasn't aware that a mosh pit has formed around me. A mosh pit is a circle where people slam each other just for the adrenaline rush. Google it if that doesn't make sense. I did managed to get out with my limbs still intact.
Once All That Remains performance was over, there was a 30 minute break for the roadie to set up for the next act. It was gonna be none other than TRIVIUM! This time I got even closer to the stage. I was literally within 3meters of the stage. This time I was not gonna budge. Two guys beside were holding tall beer cans in their hand. I had a feeling they were not gonna finish them in time for the performance and I was right. When Trivium entered the stage, everyone was jumping and pumping their fist in the air. Before anything else, I was wet with beer.
But I was not gonna let that stop me from enjoying my self. Matt Heafy was awesome. His singing is even better live. They're guitar works were not lacking from the recorded version. That's a good thing since I hate bands that cannot perform as well as their recorded act.
Trivium played 5-6 songs. I remember them playing Down From the Sky, When All Light Dies, Pull Harder on the String of the Martyr, and finally Throes of Perdition. Once they're finished, I was soaking wet with my own sweat, other people sweat and beer. I went to the bathroom to clean myself. It's now 6:30pm and the performance on the Main Stage is about to start.

This is just the half way point of the trip. There was alot more happening. I'm just gonna continue at a later time.

The perfect beauty

Hey kids, it's time again for another episode of "upgrade my pc".
This is my biggest upgrade yet this year. And the most expensive. This time I changed my computer case and power supply. Both are least look upon when buying a new computer, yet play an important role nonetheless.

Enough chitter-chatter, time for some pics. Let them explain whats the fuss is about.

The front looks mean, muscular and yet sexy in black

The side also looks muscular, and the HAF label adds class.

The inside of the case as you can see, is very roomy. It can fit full size graphic cards and still have a couple of inches to spare. In my previous case, the cards would hit the harddisk cage.

These are the two GTX260 in SLI. That's a lot of graphic processing power.

You can see the Megahalem cpu cooler in push-pull configuration. Meaning there's 2 fans working together to drive the heat away from the heatsink. The top fans is a HUGE 200mm fan.


In the dark, you'll notice the red front case fan. There's also the blue motherboard LED and green Razer sound card. Not really a light show, so they won't disturb me from sleeping.

Next, I hope you notice how clean and organize the components look inside the case. I spent 2 hours hiding unnecessary cables and routing it through the back of the case. Luckily, the case has a great cable management system with holes in perfect spots to slide cables through. Keeping the cables unseen is really an art combined with skills. It's like rearranging the furniture in your house to make it look roomy and easier to navigate.

Finally, I ran 3Dmark benchmark programs to see how the computer performs. There's huge improvement from my previous score. Also, the cpu runs cooler with a drop of 4C in temp just with the change of case. That's a lot since I said in my previous post, every degree counts.

3dMark Vantage score P20675

3dMark06 score 21492

Prototype

After 3 weeks of playing on and off, I finally finished Prototype. This is a really great sand-box action game. You take on the character Alex Mercer, who lost his memory but found out he has incredible superpowers. He can manipulate his body into weapons, change his appearance and run up buldings. But that's just a tip of the iceberg for the cool stuffs he can do. The story is so convoluted that I will not even try to explain it. Just watch this awesome trailer to get the basic idea. Owh, and I bet you can guess why this game is rated mature from the trailer.

I took more time to complete the game than intended since the PC version of the game suffers from really bad glitches. From the moment I first started the game, there was already a sound glitch. Then there was the random crashes. I was so frustrated since the reason I bought the original game was for the sake of not to have any problem playing the game. There is still no patch posted by the programmer. However, near the end of the game the glitches lessen which was odd but good nonetheless.

But don't let the glitches deter you from getting the game. It is still a blast to play. There's nothing a small patch can't fix (hopefully). Seriously, fans of open-world action game can't let this get away,

Delight and Angers - In Flames

My current favorite song


Everyday takes figuring out how to live,
Sometimes it feels like a mistake,
Sometimes its a winners parade,
Delight and angers,
I guess thats the way its supposed to be...

Please heal me, I cant sleep..
Thought I was unbreakable, but this is killing me,
Call me, everything...
Make me feel unbreakable, lie and set me free!

I feel the fear takes hold,
Afraid this hell I create is my own,
Calm my franticness, I cant take it anymore,
This used to be my own world, but now I've lost control..

Please heal me, I cant sleep..
Thought I was unbreakable, but this is killing me,
Call me, everything...
Make me feel unbreakable, lie and set me free!

Chasing leftovers,
Under the fading sun,
Searching for shelter,
I feel my time has come

Please heal me, I cant sleep..
Thought I was unbreakable, but this is killing me,
Call me, everything...
Make me feel unbreakable, lie and set me free!

Another upgrade

So, I did another upgrade on the already powerful computer. This time it's the cpu cooler. Like the name imply, its job is to cool the most important component: the processor; the thing you paid most for when buying a computer. Cpu coolers are mostly overlooked by people building/buying a computer. It's no surprise since the stock cooler is already sufficient enough to cool the processor. However, for hardcore overclocker like me, every degree of cooling is important to overclock the processor higher.

My last cooler was the Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX. It was a great cooler and had served me well for 2 years. It's keeps the processor cool and quiet at the same time.
My new cooler is the Prolimatech Megahalems aka. the Megatron. I got a great deal and can't let it get away. Currently selling like hot cakes, the Megahalem is sold out in most stores. The retail price is currently $65; and that does not include the fans. The fans will set you back another $15 for a good one. Wondering how much I got them? $45!!! and that includes 2 Scythe fans worth $30 alone.Up close, the heatsink (aka metal part of the cooler) look a lot like transformer's sign. The fans spin at 1900rpm. Moving lots and lots of air to dissipate heat from the heatsink. FYI, I installed 3 of them in the pc. The noise from the fans is not a problem since I listen to my musics far far louder than that.
Now the result...
I'm finally able to reach 4.1GHz and not break 70C. Previous cooler would have reached 80C especially during the summer. As a conclusion, the upgrade was worth it. I'm still pushing for the limit of this cooler. Congratulation Prolimatech. Megahalem is the best.

ps. my next upgrade would be the case. got my eyes on the Coolermaster HAF 922

Things to look forward to

Can't wait for 2 new albums coming this summer. One is from Killswitch Engage and the other is from Devildriver. Killswitch Engage new self-titled album is going to be released on 6/30 while Devildriver's Pray for Villains on 7/14. Please enjoy the singles from both albums:

Free Food!!

This week was filled with disappointment, consolation, enjoyment and foremost: free food; lots and lots of free food. Long story short, Midwest Games 09 was canceled, a bbq was held, then a treat from MSD, then another "makan2" at Asma's and finally another bbq. Maybe that's just how people are. Foods and friends can really cheer up the situation.

Then there was also the movie. I watched X-Men origin: Wolverine with Resty (not much sense in hiding it anymore) on Friday night. The movie was great. The company was even better.

All in all, this week started with a sad story but ended with happiness. At least that's how I feel. Hopefully no one is still grieving about the stuff that could have happened. Just be thankful of the happy things that came true in the end.

A Rite of Passage

This is the new music video from the Metal Gods of Dream Theater.

Dream Theater is one of the seasoned Metal band out there. They're about to release their 10th studio album called Black Clouds & Silver Linings. The single from said album is A Rite of Passage. Enjoy.

I have forsaken thou long enough

Finally an update. First post in the month of May and it happen on the 15th.

Just so busy with the final. Now the semester is over I can get to game again. Haven't touch the xbox 360 and ps3 for quite a long time now. Need to practice my guitar hero and drumming skill after abandoning them for too long.

Need to update my movie list. Can't remember the last time I went to the cinema (actually, I can but it's just a metaphor). I really wanted to see X-Men Wolverine and "Angels and Demons".

I'm taking Summer classes, and summer 1 term is going to begin next week. At least it's not gonna be too hard. At least I hope so.

That's all for now. I'll think of something more to write later.

next best thing to going into heaven

Is going to the Mayhem Festival 2009. Every year, only the best metal line-up can make it. This year is no different. The name Trivium alone is enough to make my eye tears in happiness. Add them with Killswitch Engage and Bullet for My Valentine, there's no way I'm missing this event. Owh, remember God forbid that I missed because of final exams? They're gonna be there too.

The ticket arrived today and it looks like I'm gonna go there alone. Unless there's someone brave enough to join. Let me warn that this is gonna be loud, fast and full of drunk people.

Another thing. Last Sunday was the grad nite for the seniors. It was a blast. I've decided to post some cool pics.

Slipknot - Sulfur

A new video of Slipknot was released last weekend. The song is called Sulfur from last year's album All Hope is Gone. All I gotta say is, being under water with the mask on must have been scary. Enjoy it.

Slipknot - New Music - More Music Videos

Crazy weekend

Yes it was. A lot happened.

All of 'em was great. Some more wonderful than the others.

One was especially awesome.

It seems that a rumor started going around. Whatever it is, I can only say it's most probably untrue. I sense that it is going to hurt some people. And I hate to see any of them feel uneasy around me. Please stop it.

False Alarm

Went to see an optometrist today. I really felt like my eyesight was deteriorating. I was so worried that I had nightmares that I have to wear this ugly and thick eyeglass. So I went to Illini Eye Care to have an eye exam.

First off, they asked a lot of this bogus medical questions that for me, personally, has nothing to do with the eyes. Anyway, on with the actual test. The optometrist told me to read the letters across the room with each eye and I can read the lowest one, although not as clear as I used to see. He then turned off the light and use this scope with light thingy and check the inside of my eyes. He said it was perfectly fine.

Then he used the machines with the rotating lenses while I say which lenses makes the letters at the far end of the room look clearer. However I just needed 1 click to make it all better. He then gave me a pair of lenses with -.50 power and brought me outside to read the door sign (with is small as hell) from across the street. FYI, that was farther than across the room before. I can read it clearly with the glasses on.

So what's the conclusion? He said I can make a pair of eyeglass with power 50 (it was soo damn thin), or wait and literally see if it gets worst. He recommended that I just stop stressing my eyes by not sitting too far at the back and eat more vegetables to improve them.

All in all, it was just a false alarm. I still have great vision. Although not as perfect as before. Gotta start eating more carrots to get them back to 20/20.

This sucks. That too, but in a good way

It's hard to update when the pc broke down. Anyway, I still took some time to write something on a borrowed laptop. It seems that the motherboard just went kaa-put. And at an even better time during the week that I have 3 exams. Well, on the bright side, I wont be able to play games. Hopefully that'll lead to more study time.

This week is gonna be a hellish one. But heaven is just at the end of it. Have a plan with a certain someone at a certain place. Hopefully I still remember how to do it right since if I remember correctly, the last time I did it was almost 2 years ago. HEHEHE*evil laugh*

ps: dont let your mind wonder too much. it's not what you think. well maybe it is

Looking for -> End of a Heartache

This is an oldie but goodie song from Killswitch Engage (KSE). They're one of my alltime favorite band. They're currently on tour preparing for their upcoming 5th album. Their last album, I thought, was a disappointment. Hopefully they will redeem themselves with the upcoming album.

This song is call 'End of a Heartache' - Killswitch Engage. FYI, I even have a sweater of KSE with a picture of a heart punctured with needles. I was surprised when my rhetoric lecturer, Ezra Claverie knew instantly that it was Killswitch Engage's sweater. I thought the name was the only thing we had in common.

This song tells about a guy that is currently broken hearted; maybe from previous love. He's waiting for a girl to heal it. To end his heartache, so to say. Does it has anything to do with me? Maybe.


Seek me, call me
I'll be waiting

This distance, this dissolution
I cling to memories while falling
Sleep brings release, and the hope of a new day
Waking the misery of being without you

Surrender, I give in
Another moment is another eternity

(Seek me) For comfort, (Call me) For solace
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart
(Seek me) Completion, (Call me) I'll be waiting
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart

You know me, you know me all too well
My only desire - to bridge our division

In sorrow I speak your name
And my voice mirrors my torment

(Seek me) For comfort, (Call me) For solace
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart
(Seek me) Completion, (Call me) I'll be waiting
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart

Am I breathing?
My strength fails me
Your picture, a bitter memory

For comfort, for solace
(Seek me) For comfort, (Call me) For solace
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart
(Seek me) Completion, (Call me) I'll be waiting
(I'll be waiting) For the end of my broken heart

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X

When I'm bored playing Team Fortress 2, this is the next game that I'm currently addicted to. It's a fun aerial warfare game. The game really pushes the processing power on my pc. That's obvious, considering the great graphics the game has.

You can't play driving games (in this case, a flying game) with a keyboard and mouse. You need a controller for the precise movement you cant get with a keyboard key. Luckily I have an extra xbox 360 controller that is connected to my pc.

The game is set in the future; when PMC ( private military corporation) is a lucrative business. As a retired air force jet pilot, the player joined a PMC cause it pays better. Since PMCs are not affiliated to any country, we'll be fighting for the ones that has the most assets. Example of tasks are protecting an Iraqi oil rig from the attacks of their enemies or stopping a missile from hitting a client aircraft. A great game to pick up if you're not easily disoriented with flight simulations.

Priceless

I should have post this in the my previous one, but I just got this pic from my brother. It seems that he found it in the album and thought it was cool to scan, edit and sent it to me.

ps: this was taken at my kampung in Melaka.

Papa Roach - Hollywood Whore

Papa Roach was the among the earliest rock band I listen to. In 2000 my friend gave me Papa Roach's 2nd album, Infest, to listen to. It was a great album and I listen to the whole album over and over again until my friend was mad at me for not returning it.

They're about to release their newest album at the end of this month. Titled 'Metamorphosis', it looks to be another great album. The single for the album, "Hollywood Whore" was released since last year. Here's the music video:

The song has some great guitar riff. You have to see the video till the end. Not to spoil it, but starting 2:50, it starts to get reaally messed up.

Owh, an update on my bathroom. It's finally fixed and repainted/plastered. It looks better than before. Now, I just have to clean the excess paint on the floor tiles.

the (w)hole experience

(sing to the tune of London bridge)
toilet roof is falling down,
falling down,
falling down,
toilet roof is falling down,
my fair lady.

You got to see it to believe it..So yea, there was a leak on the bathroom's ceiling of my apartment. When I noticed it, the ceiling was already soaked with water that the plaster/wood had started to deteriorate. I called the owner yesterday, and this morning the repairman came to fix the problem. It's still under repair, but it seems that the leak is no more. Tomorrow, the repairman is gonna plaster the ceiling like new again. And that may take another 1-2 days to dry completely.

Till then, taking a shower under that hole looks really safe (sarcasm). The funny thing was this happened before when I was in Alam Shah. However, the one in SAS was never noticed until the damn ceiling fell completely. And it was on top of my favorite cubicle too. Luckily nobody was hurt, at least I think so.

I'm gonna go take a shower now. Pray for my safety.

As I Lay Dying - Through Struggle

As I Lay Dying(AILD) is a great hardcore metal band from California. Their singer has a great aggressive voice and his backup vocal, the bassist, compliments him with a soft melodious voice. They are about to go on tour this Spring with Lamb of God, God Forbid and Children of Bodom. All 4 are well respected bands in the metal community. I have a chance to see them live when they reach Illinois, but alas, it's going to be during the exam week in May. Sadly, I had to miss the tour. God dammit! It's not fair; making me choose between my passion and my responsibility.

Nevermind, I accept the fate. Here's a classic song of AILD from their 2005 album Shadows are Security, "Through Struggle". This is a great example of a headbanging song. You may "struggle" to hear what he's saying. But trust me, it has some deep meaning. Owh, and I think the part starting at 2:00 is the best.

Remove from me,
This deception,
That I call love,
That I call love.

My rig

Ok. So I've shown other people's rig but never post my own. I just completed an overclock on my processor and eager to show it. SO here's my very VERY fast personal computer.

This is the setup. Most of them are black. I should've wait a while for the black version of monitor to be released, but at least the base is black.


Next, the computer case. It's an old Cooler Master Centurion 5 black case I got in 2006. It's simple, has ample space and most importantly keeps the component inside cool. Unless I upgraded to multiple graphic card, this case is perfect for me.

Here is how the inside of the pc looks like. I've labeled the cpu cooler, graphics card, sound card and HDD for easier identification purposes. The cooler is a Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX. The outward vent fits perfectly with the side hole of my case. It sucks air directly from the outside to cool the processor. The hard drive is the most expensive part in my pc for me. It's a WD Velociraptor 300GB hdd. It cost me $300 but believe me, it was worth every penny. It's currently the fastest sata hard drive in the world. A laptop drive would spin at 5200rpm, a normal desktop at 7200rpm, but this baby spins at 10000rpm. That's almost twice that of a laptop drive. The result: faster loading time, quicker access time of files, faster copying and opening of files.

The graphics card is a GTX 260, overclocked to perform similar to GTX 280. The graphics card as the name imply handles the graphic of computer. It's also the most power hungry component of the pc.


Next is the Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card responsible for the sound. Similar to the graphic card, an integrated component is enough to produce an acceptable sound. But for a better quality sound, a discrete card is required. Also the card will lift some of the burden from the processor so the pc can run faster.
Here's the monitor, speakers and mouse. Also my phone already covered in my previous post. The monitor is a Dell 20" monitor with integrated 2.0Mp webcam and mic. The webcam quality is great and the picture looks amazing. The screen is also a glossy finish similar to dell's high end laptop model. The mouse is a Razer DeathAdder on a Razer Mantis surface. A deadly conbination of speed and control that I need in my everyday computing (LoL). The 2.1 logitech speaker outputs decent sound quality. Although I'm hard pressed to replace them since they haven't give me any problem since I bought them almost 3 years ago.

On the left is the Razer Lycosa illuminated keyboard. I really like the glossy finish of the keyboard fitting with my table. The illuminated keys bluish glow looks awesome and menacing at the same time. The keys are rubber coated to prevent slipping during heavy gaming. Also, the keys are low profile, meaning only a small keypress is required to type similar to a laptop keyboard.

The media control is a plus. You can see the rubber finish on the keys from this picture.





Finally, my overclock processor. I can't actually show you the overclock processor. But below is the picture of the speed of the processor taken from a screenshot of the desktop. As you can see the default core speed reported by Windows Vista is 2.8GHz. The right shows the core speed overclocked to 4.00GHz. Since the processor is a quad-core, they can perform 4 simultaneous tasks at 4.00GHz each. The cpu doesn't have to slow down and share their speed to run multiple programs. I can run a movie, some word docs, YM, youtube video, virus scans and I won't notice any lag whatsoever. Sweet huh.