YOUKOSO!

Most anime lovers (including those who find themselves sliding into the "Otaku" area) would immediately know what I’m talking about, when I say the Law of Equivalent Exchange (or Equivalent Trade, take your pick). But for those who don’t, it’s a fictional law from the anime Full Metal Alchemist (FMA), that is used to describe alchemy (and transmutation) and most closely resembles Antoine Lavoisier’s "law of Conservation of Matter".

For me, it’s a common reality of life, in a way. What you want, you must give up something of equivalent value to have it. Take, for example, buying a TV. The desire to own a TV would need the surrender of an equal level of monetary resources to actually bring about owning a TV.

Which was why I wasn’t suprised that it applied for the desire I had to attend her uncle’s wedding. In a strange way, for the chance of going, I had to give up the job I had - without any choice in the matter.

Okay, this is what actually happened. I went to work last Wednesday, my mind all worked up on how to apply for leave on Sunday. Only to be told, a few hours into work, that I won’t really be needed after all. Somebody else is there for the post, and even though I’m not technically needed, I can come over as a part-timer on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, starting June.

12 hour per day, 3 days per week. That amounts to: RM250 per month.

Yeah, I noticed. The pay is getting sadder and sadder.

At least I was able to attend the wedding, which was yesterday (and her whole big extended family got their first introduction to Eirak).

At least I got to meet her.

Surrendering RM300 for that, I guess it’s equivalent trade.

Goodbye dreams of owning the W810i within this month…. T_T 

 

As noted in my previous Welcome to… "… the freedom of choice", I am in the process of gathering the necessary monetary resources to fund my latest quest: getting a brand new Sony Ericsson W810i (refer to that post to see just how hard it is for me to decide on getting it).

I’m currently short by RM400 something, and so, to cover the rest without resorting to the (shameless) action of requesting funds from the great big bank of My-Father’s-Money (when he returns home from Turkmenistan later this month), I was forced to look for work.

I spent almost a month drifting from one food outlet to another (why food outlets? more about that later) trying to find job vacancies, to no avail. That was, until I was called up by the nearby PappaRoti outlet, on Wednesday last week.

FYI, PappaRoti is a pseudo-breadshop that sells mainly one type of bun: PappaRoti, which is a version of the ever popular "mexican" bun; which can be seen everywhere nowadays in this region. The "just-baked-and-still-piping-hot-mexican-bun-thingy" craze itself started in 1998, when RotiBoy was founded. Now, everybody’s jumped into the bandwagon. Sales are no longer as steady as they were before nowadays, though. Guess everyone’s gotten tired of the bun thingy, no wonder the catalyst of this craze, RotiBoy, had long branched out into other bread-related stuff.

Which makes me wonder how PappaRoti is going to survive in the near future. When I was there last Thursday for some impromptu training, the customer stream could be described as, well, slow.

Really slow. 

No wonder my sempai (senior) at the shop told me that things were kinda going slow lately. Add to the fact that, other then the PappaRoti bun, there weren’t that many other buns available on sale (there were, 6 other types), complemented by a soft drinks freezer and an ice cream bar.

 

Not that I’m gonna be there long enough to be concerned about the financial stability of the company. But, its just sad to see another foodstuff company that I’ve worked for fold in front of my eyes (the first place I worked at, a Long John Silver’s outlet nearby to my house, went bankrupt a few months back).

Maybe I’m just attracted somehow to low-volume foodstuff outlets, as all of the places I’ve worked at (Long John Silver’s, Secret Recipe, and the upcoming - if everything goes on well - PappaRoti) were/are all low-volume outlets. Granted, the pay is sad, but there’s not that much work involved, as well (compared to another line of work). AND you get to meet all kinds of people.

Yes, meeting all kinds of people. Working at a foodstuff outlet, low-volume or otherwise, grants you numerous chances to engage in interpersonal interaction (even more so if you’re working on the front/ service section rather then the back/production section). 

Then again, at PappaRoti, the front and the back are not distinctly seperated: as in the same person is responsible for production as he/she is for service. So, it’s a new experiance for me, a guy who had only worked as kitchen crew personnel before this.

I start work on Wednesday. 1 month period, 26 days, 12 hours per day. RM550. A bit sad, but who else wants somebody who would work for only a month on such short notice?

Now comes the conflict part. 

 
On the 28th of this very month (yes, this Sunday), I was supposed to attend her uncle’s wedding ceremony. With prior knowledge that the Boss at PappaRoti is a bit particular about the staff (and everything else, to be exact), asking for an off day 3 days after starting to work does not really leave a good impression.

Me not coming to the wedding, on the other hand, well, just feels like it’s gonna somehow leave a mark on her. 

Damn. The phone or the wedding. I hate decisions like this. 

While trawling all over the net quite a while back, I happened to come by the extremely comprehensive freeware list eConsultant has whipped up (450+ items, not counting the OpenSource entries, available on a seperate page). Its a bit old and countless other blogs/site have quoted it, but if you somehow missed it: YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.

While we’re on the subject of Freeware, contrary to common belief, freeware and open source programs are not at all crippled or not as useful when compared to Payware / Commercial programs. Some of them are real gems, that work just as, if not even better, then their commercial counterparts 

Here are my own personal freware/open-source recomendations (not as comprehensive as the one above though):

1. ANTI-VIRUS = Avast!- Free, and extremely reliable. Hasn’t let me down yet, although the full scan speed leans on the slow side (ok, extremely slow side).

2. BROWSER = Lolifox -  An optimized version of FireFox tailored for anime-loving web community members.

3. IMAGE EDITOR = The GIMP - A bit hard to configure and use, it seems. But in my opinion, anyone with a basic grasp of computing can get this thing running. Some research required to bring out its full potential though (which in my opinion, is close - if not equal - to that of PhotoShop or any other comercial product). Those migrating from PhotoShop should can also try out GIMPShop.

4. PICTURE ORGANIZER = Picasa - Easy to set up, use and blessed with a splendid user interface.

7. OFFICE SUITE = OpenOffice.org - The one, the only (and the somewhat bloated), Microsoft Office compatible free office suite. Impress (the PowerPoint alternative in the suite) could use some help though.

 9. MEDIA PLAYING = CCCP + RealAlternative, QuickTime and WinAmp - Technically, CCCP (and RealAlternative) is a codec pack and QuickTime/WinAmp are not freeware/open source.

CCCP, which only the codecs you need without installing other stuff you don’t even understand (subsequently ruining your computer; K-Lite and the others seem to do that sometimes) also comes with two of the most flexible media players on earth: ZoomPlayer and Media Player Classic. Add in the fact that Media Player Classic can even handle DVDs without any hiccups and (with the addition of RealAlternative) any RealMedia files, and you’ve got everything.

The inclusion QuickTime is to handle the various QuickTime streams you’ll find all over the web, and WinAmp, well, is WinAmp. The only MP3 player you’ll ever need. ‘Nuff said.

For those of you who prefer to have it all in one program can also try out VLC, which plays everything (yes, everything) under the sun.

There we go, my quick recommendations, which are, in my opinion, the  programs you NEED to get. I still don’t have the time to review all of them them yet, so why don’t you go check it out yourself?

Maybe I’ll cover some more programs on another post.

Till then, ja mata!

Yay, the third post! Never made it past the second one in my previous blog. But this time I’ve spent a little bit more time on the darned blog itself to make it somewhat post inviting to my sorry self.

Or at least I hope.

At least it’s got a pretty header (which I racked my brains out for hours with Mr. Google trying to find out how to put the godforsaken thing up there in the first place. Thank god for css). There’s even adSense ads all over the place, my tribute to my long suffering buddy and tireless helper in the realm of information gathering: Mr. G ^_^ .

It’s 2.30am where I am right now, and again I’m feeling the drug-like euphoria of sleep deprivation (not to mention the nausea) besides this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that this blog looks a bit empty… Oh, well, nobody to blame but me there, it’s not like I’ve written a thousand stellar, controversial, interest-inspiring posts.

Now, while my brain is still working, lets think of things to do next to make this place a wee bit more, shall we say, inviting (following the current trends in web publishing):

1. Put some more pictures. That always works (especially half-exposed Moe loli anime characters like Mikuru-
chan! Seriously).

2. Put in some background sound. If possible midi music. Annoying midi music.

On second thought, no.

3. Put in some music video of some godfosaken teenie band, like people so like to do with their MySpaces/
Friendster pages. That works too…

…in an alternate dimension where I give a crap about contemporary music videos. Besides, I’m a firm
believer in the fact that broadband is made sorely for downloading anime/manga/music (sorry RIAA)/
programs/pron/other things you can download; NOT for the introduction of hugely irritating
video-streams that play stupid teenie music videos while I try to read something on the main page.

4. Change the page background into something that causes the text to be completely unreadable.

5. Post about Suzumiya Haruhi, on an episodic basis (unfortunately, I’m seriously gonna do this. Except for
the episodic part, that is).

6. Edit the links section to things that actually matter (like pron sites… hahahaha…)

7. Put a shoutbox in (anyone know how the heck you do this here on BlogSome?).

8. Bring the RSS Update Nexus (RUNex) Page online.

9. Bring the Freeware and OpenSource Nexus (FONex) Page online.

10. Give a personal opinion on the current crop of Anime out right now.

… and other stuff my brain is denying me access of right now (oh the pain, the painnnn). Maybe after a few hours of sleep I’ll look at this list again and do something about it…

Until then, ZZZZzzzZzZZZz….

P.S. I wonder what she’s doing right now.

In a shocking move (at least to me), Sony Ericsson announced yesterday that besides the marvellous K800 3.2 MegaPix phone that they were planning on bringing out, they would also unleash onto the world two more W series hand phones. The W850i and W710i (adding to the existing, what, 7 phones already?) To a guy desperately trying to find the monetary resources to fund his latest quest of waste (buying a new handphone), it feels a mortal combat uppercut to the jaw. I have spent almost 3 months already deciding that I would get myself the w810i by hook or by crook, these two new phones would only shake up the careful balance of reasoning that I had built to support my choice of the W810i. Let us review that long train of thought, why I decided on getting myself the W810i: W300i = Pros: Its a godforsaken SE flip phone (which I love to death, after my quick encounter with the z200), cheap (relatively), external memory expansion (even if it did use the exorbitantly expensive M2 card), available in black. Cons: No 2 MP cam (only half a MP), a crappy looking keypad (real personal opinion), low-er resolution UI, not out yet. W550i = Pros: Cheapest one out there right now, sexy swivel form factor, loud (as hell) speakers, adequate (256MB? barely) storage space. Cons: Is there any guarantee that the swivel mechanism won’t spring open in a few years (personal fear)? No external memory expension, crampy keypad, cam (1.3MP) lacks the autofocus of the W800i and 810i (but is better then the one on the W300i). Finally, my lil sis’ already using it ^_^. W700i = Pros: The long lost twin of the W800i. Everything on the W800i except the autofocus (what?!) and the colour scheme. Cons: Probably the same as the W800i. W800i = Pros: The original WalkmanPhone. Cheaper then the W810i by quite a long shot (RM200-400 here in Malaysia), autofocus 2MP cam, long batt life (in comparison with the w810i), camera cover, uses the cheap (cheap-er) MSPD rather then the M2. Cons: The infamous "joystick problems", the hissing issue with the media player (supposedly no more firmware is going to be released to fix that), not very droppable (a friend dropped a W800i a few months back and the external speaker stopped working). W810i = Pros: Everything the W810i is, but in black. BLACKKKKK!!! No joystick in sight (although some have argued that the button in the middle of the 5-way keypad is nothing more then a reduced movement joystick), probably the last W series hand phone with autofocus (now that the W700, W710 and W850 seem to have lost this ability) and therefore the last true offspring (or at least it seems so) borne out of the marriage of the Walkman brand and the SE K series imaging hand phones. Uses MSPDs. The brightest display this side of a Samsung (Loses to the ROKR E2 tho, just to be fair). Did I mention it was all black? Cons: My saving’s currently RM500 short of the list price of RM1 900++(Original Set), the hiss problem is still present (according to forums I’ve been through), shorter battery life in comparison with the W800i, no more drop-worthy then the W800i. W900i = Pros: Huge internal memory (470MB), sexy swivel form factor, available in black, 2MP cam with a combined autofocus macromode system, 3G ready, MSPD expension. Cons: Price (RM2500++ last I checked. I can get a brand new original Nokia N91 with that kind of money), not to mention it’s huge. The swivel mechanism is still worry inducing. W950i = Pros: 4GB of internal flash memory, UIQ Symbian interface, touch (not to mention huge) screen, A2DP (wireless bluetooth audio). Cons: Purely from the pictures I’ve seen, it huge-er then the W900i, which can’t be good; lack of autofocus, or for that matter, any form of imaging capabilities (no camera!!!!). One final addition: For all SE phones, there are no exchangable covers (ala Nokia’s Xpress-On system). Now for the non-SE WalkPhone alternatives: Nokia 3250 = Pros: Cheaper then the W810i, Symbian S60 interface, SDMicro expension (hugely cheaper then the members of the Sony Memory Stick family). Cons: 2MP cam without autofocus (or flashlight for that matter), most online reviews have expressed how the music player sounds crappier and the camera quality is worse then the SE WalkPhones (for the record, I haven’t tried it myself though. Maybe later). Dubious (at least to me) swing form factor, crappy phone to external (not the ones supplied) head phone connection system (again, no personal experience. It just looks like a Pop-port version of my N-Gage external headphone connectors, which is flimsy and fragile). Nokia N91 = Pros: Symbian S60 interface, 4GB hard drive, 3.5inch head phone jack built-in, music player interface and output quality, 3G, WiFi on a phone!!!. Cons: It’s a hard disk for god’s sake, imagine what would happen if I were to drop it (as I always do to every other phone I’ve ever used)? Online reviews have express some doubts about the quality of its 2MP cam, which (again) lacks autofocus. Besides, its almost as big as the W900i. Price (Last I checked, it went around at RM2500, better buy in my opinion rather then the W900i). Battery life’s a worry (it uses the BL-5C, the same battery I’m currently using on my N-Gage classic for God’s sake!) Nokia 5500 Sport = Pros: Symbian S60 interface. SDMicro expension. It looks sturdy as hell. Cons: Not really a dedicated music phone. 2MP lacks autofocus (yeah, yeah, I know that’s getting kinda old) Now, for the party crasher; the newly announced W710i (didn’t include the W850i because I’m a bit partial towards slider phones, in the sense that I hate them): W710i = Pros: A flip that is everything the W300i is not. Nicer keypad layout, external memory expension (M2), 2MP cam, new design head phones. I can’t stress enough that the keypad looks hugely better then the W300i’s. Probably cheaper then the W810i, A2DP. And one more time, ITS A FLIP! Cons: The cost of the M2, no autofocus for the camera, no flashlight either, not any more droppable then the W800i-810i, even if it is a sport-phone. Still miles and miles away from the market (I haven’t even seen the W300i yet). EDIT: I omitted another competitor by mistake. Here we go, Motorola’s lone representative: ROKR E2 = Pros: Mobile-Review.Com goes as far as calling it "the best phone of its class" (music phones), so it must amount to something? As it seems, it has wonderful music quality, A2DP, a 3.5inch jack built in, SD Card expension, THE BEST DISPLAY of its kind (beating even the Samsungs) and, get this, it runs a Linux derivative (JUIX) on an Intel Xscale processor rated at 208MHz. Besides that, it has the best UI I’ve ever seen on a Motorola yet and even has Opera Mobile 8 build in. Its expected to be affordable too, probably priced below the RM2000 bracket. Cons: The cam’s only 1.3MP without autofocus, and the cam pic quality is deplorable (hugely worse, it seems, even if compared to my sis’ W550i), personal problems with reliability of built in 3.5inch jacks (I busted all the jacks on my previous 3 MP3 players in around 4 months average, FastPort seems more reliable as in it disconnects easily) Besides, its a Motorola, and having used a Moto before (the first colour screen one, forgot the model), I’m a bit biased against them to be truthful. Now THAT’S a party crasher. A hugely capable hand phone from Motorola? Now I have TWO phones on KIV status: the W710i AND the ROKR E2. And the final verdict (once more): The W810i, basically because of the fact that it has autofocus, uses MSPDs and the screen. I don’t really need A2DP, although it’s still hard to let go of the W710i, which I’m going to keep close in view; and the music, interface and screen quality of the ROKR E2 also seems tempting, even if it is a Motorola. (Most of the info I compiled in writing this comes from Google and also my own demented mind, and represents my own personal opinions on the matter)