3 H2 and 1 H1

I am taking 3 H2 subjects and 1 H1 subject for A' levels!

H2 - Economics (yay!), Chemistry and Physics
H1 - Math (yay!)

I chose H1 math because I hate math! I cannot stand doing so many math problems and sums, and there seems to be no logical reason for me to take H2 math as Economics/BA in university only requires H1 Math OR O' level A math. However, I chose to take H1 math instead of no math at all because I need an easy A for my A' levels. H2 economics and H2 chemistry were what I wanted since the start. As for H2 physics, I had to think between H2 Bio and Physics. Despite getting A1 for Bio and A2 for physics at O's, I took H2 Physics as I was more interested in it.

Just sharing some of my thought processes in choosing my subject combination. It all boils down to interest and whether it will be of use in the future (in University perhaps).

Today was just another boring day with several talks related to P.E in AC. There's mass PE (a.k.a. Hell) where everyone will just die during that 40 minutes of P.E. Then there's swim P.E.

Guess what, I lost 2 kilograms and gained 1 cm BUT I AM STILL OVERWEIGHT.

Oh well, guess I am in ACtive (a nicer name for TAF club in AC.)

Do something with your computer series #7

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #7: Learn how to play almost all video/audio files

This is already the seventh part of this series, and I hope readers have picked up something from this series. In this part, I will teach you to play almost all video formats and audio formats easily without any incompatibility problems and codec errors.

It is actually very simple. What you need is the required codec for the file format you are attempting to play on your computer. Codec is actually short for compression-decompression, which actually decodes the file format you're trying to play. Hence, without the proper codec, you cannot play that specific file format.

To allow playing the file format, you must have that codec for that specific file format. Hence, a good place to look out for codecs is http://www.free-codecs.net.

The site may seem a little scary at first, as there are many available files to download. Here are some files you might want to consider.

K-Lite Codec Pack
This codec pack allows you to play almost all video formats on your PC. Just download, install and restart your computer.
http://www.free-codecs.net/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm

Media Player Classic
This is a free video/audio player which has built-in codecs to play various videos and audios. Just download, install and play a file using that program.
http://www.free-codecs.net/download/Media_Player_Classic.htm

Now you can finally play everything without problems!

ACJC Orientation

I think I should start blogging something about Orientation. Well, today was day 2 of our epic-high plus epic-mad plus epic-crazy orientation. Let me talk about day 1 first.

Well, school was supposed to start at 7.25am, and we had to assemble by 7.15am. I woke up at 5.30am and started packing my stuff, bathed and got ready for school. I left at 6.20am to meet An Hua at Boon Lay interchange. We took bus 198 from BL - and this was the WORST moment and decision made in the day. 198 got stuck along the road of Hua Yi secondary in Jurong West, and at around 7am, we were still at Hua Yi! School was supposed to start at 7.15am and it's at Buona Vista.

We couldn't make it on time. So we got down the bus, took a cab and rode it there. The cab was also stuck initially along the same road (the road was bloody packed). Finally, when we got to AYE at around 7.10am, we heaved a sigh of relief. The cab fare amounted to $14 including peak hour surcharge (there goes my pocket money) and luckily we split the cost.

Though we weren't the last ones, we were relatively late. (We reached at around 7.27am). First day of school and this had to happen. Anyway, we had an introduction to the school via various speakers - the Principal, Vice Principal, Level head and the acting Discipline Mistress. Following that was the orientation introduction.

I was posted to Voda (a clan in ACJC) out of the four clans available. My OG group was Nam. At first, we weren't very enthusiastic, but it became better after rounds and rounds of ice breaking and cheering.

There were many many many many cheers learnt and several games played during the first day. We had an entire day of orientation (7.30am-6pm). Got to know a few friends there from my OG - with people from ACSi, Gan Eng Seng, Methodist Girls, Crescent girls, SJI, Jurong West Sec, Swiss Cottage sec, Commonwealth Sec, TKGS and GMSS.

What a mix!

I started day 2 off by meeting Karen at the MRT station (YES, I LEARNT MY LESSON)

Day 2 was not as exciting as day 1 as we had introductory lectures on GP, KI, Math, Economics and Chemistry in the morning. Each introductory lecture lasted for an hour. After some deliberation, I decided to take the following subjects - GP, PW, CL, H1 Math, H2 Chemistry, H2 Physics H2 Economics.

I decided not to take four H2 subjects as I didn't want to study like mad again (actually I was quite a slacker in Secondary school but who cares). I chose H2 Economics over H2 math because I was more interested in Econs than Math. Moreover, Business Admin/Econs in NUS/NTU/SMU requires only H1 Math knowledge.

In the afternoon we had the same old cheering lessons, learning how to cheer clan cheers as well as AC cheers. I screamed till I am running a sore throat now. We also learned the moves for the mass dance, well not all. At least the dance moves are pretty solid but easy to learn.

Hopefully orientation doesn't get too boring with the repetitive cheers, dance and games. How I wish school and lessons (tutorials+lectures) start soon!

P/S: I am starting to like ACJC a lot! THE BEST IS YET TO BE!

Tutorial: How to fold CNY cards in bulk

I was a little bored in office today and I came up with an idea of teaching people how to fold Chinese New Year (CNY) cards in bulk. Basically, it is just folding the CNY cards for people (very simple) but I am showing you how to fold many at one go and keeping everything tidy along the way. The normal way of folding one card at a time would take a long time to fold about 250 cards, hence, I thought of showing you how to fold about 10 cards at a go in less than 15 seconds.

This is not an official tutorial, so do not ask me for concrete explanations. I just merely took pictures of myself doing it with one hand. So, without further ado, let's get started.

Grab a stack of Chinese New Year cards (about 8-10 cards)

Start by giving the cards a bend in the center with two hands. I showed the bend in one hand because I was using the other to photograph this

Apply enough pressure with your hands to arc the cards

Hold the cards in your right hand and use your left hand to peel off one card at a time

Use your thumb and left forefinger to pinch the card that is peeled off from the pack. This creates a crease on the card

Another angle (Of course you will still be holding the stack of cards with your right hand)

Continue sliding your thumb and forefinger down the card to crease the center of the entire card

Once the first card is completed, use your other fingers to peel the second card off the stack

Finger positions to peel cards off

How to hold your cards you've already creased

Complete creasing the stack of cards

To get this

Holding the cards from the crease, you'll get this

Drop the cards one at a time into the first card (just drop, it will automatically sit into place)

Like this! It's magic!

Arrange all the folded cards in order to complete

Review: X-mini portable speakers

I don't know why I have this craze on posting reviews. But let's just go right into the review on these wonderful portable speakers. The X-mini I am currently reviewing and using is an old version of X-mini.



AESTHETICS

The X-mini is a very small gadget which is about the size of a ping pong ball. It fits into any bag and pocket (well not really) perfectly and is a breeze to carry around with its light weight. It weights less than 500g on my hand. It comes with a wire which outputs to two ends - one as a USB port for charging , while the other outputs as a 3.5mm audio jack. The X-mini is stylishly simple and easy to use - just twist the capsule and the vacuum part will pop out, which will produce the bass.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound produced is very powerful - almost as good as a 2-channel speaker. At that size and portability, it is really something worth considering. The sound produced though doesn't have that extreme clarity, it still is a good supplement for your bulky speaker at home. It is good at parties when you need to have a portable speaker around to blast music. The sound output is actually from the top of the speaker hence it gives a very wide range of audibility.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well worth it for the price, especially useful when it comes to parties and gatherings and when you don't have a full-powered speaker around. Very easy to use, very portable, quick charging available. X-Mini 2 is also out to link the X-minis together for a greater surround sound effect. A must-have for those yearning to blast music everywhere they go.


RATING

8.5/10

Headphones Review: Creative HQ-1900

Hello audiophiles out there, here is my simple and short review on the Creative HQ-1900 headphones. I know this is a relatively old pair of headphones, and I bought it more than a year ago. That means I've done enough breaking in with the pair of headphones and I can give some decent review and comments on it!

AESTHETICS


The looks of the headphones are slightly above average, with rotatable cups for DJ use and storage. I find the storage option for this headphones quite impressive as it is able to half its size to keep in the cabinet / bag. The headphones is made up of plastic and it's rather durable after repeated drops on the floor. The plastic doesn't come off despite repeated drops. The earmuffs are quite long-lasting, but mine has several holes in it after months of usage.



As for comfort and ease of use, I personally feel that the earmuffs are painful on the ears after a while. They press on the ears quite tightly and with my spectacles on, they can really hurt the side of my ears. The extension of the headphones is quite generous as it is able to cover my big head. The cables are also long enough for daily use. With a 3.5mm audio jack, it can fit into most players.

SOUND QUALITY

The bass of this headphones isn't very superb after breaking in, but feels decent. Vocals and trebles are very clear, without any EQ adjustments. The instruments can be clearly heard of some of the songs I tested this headphones with.

When playing Counter-strike: Source with this headphones, footsteps could be clearly listened from all directions, hence allowing me a high accuracy of predicting correctly where the opponent was. Sound quality is still quite decent despite several months of using it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I would say this pair of headphones is worth a try on a moderate budget. However, it isn't really comfortable for extended periods of use.

RATING

7/10

Do something with your computer series #6

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #6: Deleting locked files

Sometimes when deleting a file or a folder, the error "cannot delete Folder: It is being used by another person. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again"  will appear.

This occurs frequently when you try deleting a file or a folder that is in use (perhaps by Windows). One way to delete the file is to close the application that is using the file by ending its process in Task manager. The other, fuss-free method is using Unlocker.

After installing unlocker, simply right click the file or folder you wish to delete, and click Unlocker. Click Unlock all and then choose Delete. This will delete the file without you having to end any process. This way, you also do not risk ending the wrong process.

You may download Unlocker from here:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/Unlocker.shtml

Do something with your computer series #5

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #5: How to toggle USB port On/Off

Some people might find their USB port(s) locked or disabled. Here is one way to resolve the problem.
It is simply done by editing the registry value.

To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP and 2000, follow the steps below

Click start, and run
In the Open box, type regedit and hit enter
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
In the right pane, double-click Start.
In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal and then click OK.
Quit

To re-enable a disabled port, follow these steps above

But, enter the Value as '3' instead of '4'.
Quit.

eight.

L1R5 = 8 - 2 for CCA = 6

A1: E.Math, A.Math, Chemistry, Biology, Comb. Humanties

A2: Physics

B3: Chinese, English (LOL) 

Not really impressed with 6 distinctions though, since I had aimed for 7. Something happened to my English and I got a B3. Killed my straight A's. I thought I would get a B3 for combined humanities and A1 for English, but it happened the other way round. How unexpected.


Anyway, 6 points after deduction is still quite a good score. I plan to put NJC as my first choice just to try my luck . Second choice would be ACJC. Going for the open house tomorrow to check out the school.

I also plan to reward myself (for playing and studying). Probably an iPod touch! Congratulations to those who did well for the O' levels including Ruth (8 A1s), Leonard (6A1's 1A2), Daniel (7 A1s), Junyan (5A1s, 3A2s), An Hua (6A1s 1 A2) and many more which I've forgotten.

10 things I learnt from working

Tomorrow will be my last day at work, before I collect my O' level results. I'll then decide whether I should continue working or not after collecting the results. Good results then I'll continue working. If they're bad, then I'll have no mood to work.

So what have I learnt in the 2 weeks in my aunt's office? Well basically it's some accounting/admin work that teaches me business admin, collate data, file data, input data and so on. I find my job very interesting, and I've learnt a lot of things about banking and business from it.

1. The bank is a sucker. It sucks all your money. Every transaction you make, the bank eats up some of it. For example, for a fifty thousand US dollar transaction you lose about two hundred to the bank - as commissions and some other charges. Hence, be a banker.

2. How to use Microsoft Excel more efficiently.

3. How hard it is to work and yet not get sick and tired of your job.

4. Credit advices; debit advices; bills of laden (BL); letters of credit (LC); taxations; cheques; transactions; indents; invoices; GST; tally bank statements of account; filing; prices of metals; type packing lists, enclosures, invoices.

5. How to collect official documents from banks and companies (in areas like Keppel Tower) while carrying a document worth half a million in your hands.

6. How to take good care of documents as losing them means making a police report and losing money.

7. How the business world is like; how people get cheated; how people make mistakes; how business contacts are made; how business is maintained.

8. How to work with your fellow colleagues and how to get along with them.

9. How the business is like, how to buy/sell (trade), how a business works and flows.

10. How important a typing error is. One error can mean a loss of one million.