you have a virus!

Boy I'm so out of it right now. Struggling to finish off this cover letter and then heading straight to bed.

Just something I forgot to post a week ago. A call for me came the other day, from some indian fellow who is part of some company that is with Microsoft. And he was there today to talk to me about my computer. Interesting. How did he get my name is a bit scary, but I suppose that kind of information is easily found nowadays.

He then proceeded to tell me about a malicious (nice word) virus had infected my PC. Zomg! However, I already knew this was a scam, and he was interrupting a movie I was watching, so I was a bit over aggressive with him. I demanded to know how he knew there was a virus on my PC, how I got it when I 'hadn't touched the computers for days', that I would know if I had a virus cause I'm actually an employee of Microsoft myself. At that point, he actually said I'm not putting up with this and hung up. Which I thought was a bit odd, as he was the scammer.

Anyway, I've researched this before, cause my friend Elisha told me she had the same kind of thing happen to her a few weeks ago. It's a known scam, and they try and instruct you to install some kind of program on your computer.

Sigh. So people, tell your parents, cause this is obviously targeted to people who have no idea about computers. Fact: no anti-virus company, Microsoft etc. will ever contact you directly unless you have first contacted their service desk.

I wish I had controlled my frustration and strung him out a little long for fun.

teoh,

this strange feeling...

so I've been using a itrip that my friend greg at work gave me (so generous even if he doesn't use it anymore) and I use the station 99.9 cause it just looks cool on my radio. Niiiiinety nine, oh yeah. Kinda James Bond style. Maybe I should get some matching James Bond music...mmm. 

Anyway, I've discovered a strange alien broadcast on 99.9 just past the stud road and high street intersection. I drive down stud road everyday to get to uni via ferntree gully, and without fail, my music starts to crackle and fizz, like you usually have when another device near by over rides yours. I guess the experience level of my itrip is not high enough. Maybe I need to equip it with better items (like, not my sister's old ipod?). Or maybe itrip is weak to belkin-type. I digress again.

So this particular area seems to have a broad cast on going all the time. I can hear the faint thump of drums and murmurs, but I can never quite hear what it is. Sounds alien like to me. Maybe they're not building houses in that construction lot at all. Maybe it's a government cover up for alien landing zones and you need the decryption to understand the broadcast.

So yeah, when you take a drive down to knox via stud road, switch your radio over to 99.9 and join the mystery fun.

(picture of starcraft 2 carrier unit =] may or may not be real.)

On a more realistic note, here's a fun fact: we're running out of helium (via gizmodo):

Apparently, the world is running out of helium. Robert Richardson, a Nobel Prizewinner, believes that helium supplies will run out in 25 years. And since no other substance has a lower boiling point than helium, this could be a problem.

I guess we’re wasting helium by throwing it into birthday balloons because Richardson thinks that “helium is far too cheap and is not treated as a precious resource.” And he’s right, when you inhale something for the sole purpose of talking in a funny voice, you’re not exactly treating it as a precious resource. Helium, because of its low boiling point, also makes for a great cooling source and is used to manufacture fibre optics and LCDs. So it’s actually kind of important.

Yeah I bet you regret those happy moments with those balloons that you probably accidentally let go of anyway and let it flew away. Now our children won't have floating balloon. sad. =[

teoh,

all in a day's work

alright, update finally. today will be a general update, movie review and laptop review, so prepare yourself for a long-ish post.

For some reason, university has been quite light on work so far. Mind you, I'm not complaining, but I'm getting a little paranoid. Everyone else seems to have work, where's ours? It could be that they are giving us time to do our vacation work, but surely they can't be that considerate

I've been putting my free time to good use. I've done a lot of research for my dream job at GHD, and applied to a few other companies. Speaking of vacation work, congrats to Amanda, who secured a internship at KPMG, way to go. Proud of you.

I've also been dabbling in a bit of Starcraft 2 now and then, which has been good fun. I hope to get good enough to do a bit of competitive gaming, if time will allow. It's also a nice workout for my graphics card, which I haven't really used that much. A game review might be in order later on.

A few 21st coming up, September has always been a busy birthday period.

Work lately has become a bit dull, as a lot of the regulars have left, which is disappointing. Not as fun as it used to be, but I'm glad that my friends have moved on to new places. Good for them.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

For starters, this movie is based on comics, which is based on games. So it's obviously a nerdy movie, but oh it was so much fun to watch. The opening Universe logo was displayed in retro 32-bit graphics! How awesome.

The general plot is about a boy who falls in love with this girl, who has 7 evil ex-boyfriends he must defeat if he is to go out with her. There isn't a lot of reality in this movie, with characters suddenly gaining the ability to fight, surviving being thrown into a castle, coming back to life, pulling a sword out of your chest etc. But what reality was taken out, is replaced with sheer nerdy awesomeness. Watch the trailer, and you'll know what I mean.

As movies go, it was very enjoyable to watch and worth my money. The acting was nothing special, although the dialogue was quite entertaining. There were a few special effects that were very cool, but nothing Avatar-like. If you didn't like the trailer, chances are you won't like the movie.

Laptop: Toshiba T130-0E1

So that dead pixel I had awhile ago? The whole laptop was replaced thanks to my Dad, so this is officially my new laptop. Specs: 13", dual core 1.4, 4gb ram, onboard Intel graphics, 320gb harddrive. Nothing that wow, but the laptop itself is quite light (1.7kg I think) and quite portable.

The only faults I have with it are: glossy keys get dirty really fast and not sure if the wireless is slightly worse than normal. Seems to have a hard time picking up wireless signals unless close to the router. Otherwise, it's nice fit for my purposes, mainly doing work at university and work.

teoh,

Meat & Wine Co Review

It is my dad's birthday on Tuesday, so we decided to go out to celebrate at a fancy place in the city.

Meat & Wine Co is located on Southbank, just near MacDonalds, on Queensbridge street. It is famous for it's wide combination of meat and wine. It features a restaurant with two levels, and a lounge bar which sometimes holds special events.

The Restaurant

I've actually been in this area a few times from crown, and was surprise to find it was not a fancy dress place. No one wore anything more fancy than my own outfit that you can see in the pictures, so it's a very casual restaurant. The restaurant itself is very nice, the bar is quite comfortable, dining tables are spacey enough. The restaurant actually extends out onto the footpath, but you wouldn't be able to tell thanks to tight plastic walls and heaters.
Make no mistake though, the prices are not casual. As you would expect from a meathouse, the prices range from entrée dishes for fifteen dollars to steak and chips for as much as fifty dollars. Sides extra four dollars. Not a place for the tight budget.

Service

The night started off terribly. My brother told them his name and the time he booked, and they could not find it. The lady then proceeded to tell my brother that it was booked for 6PM, not 730PM and quote "you must've misunderstood me". She then rudely gave us a look of 'you are so inconvenient' and told us to wait in the bar while she sorted something out. No apology. No when she'll come up and tell us. Just shoved us aside. I was ready to let loose some Teoh rage at her.

Thankfully, that was the end of bad service. 10 - 15 minutes later, we got a table, where we were served with one of the friendliest waitress I've met. She took care of us like a waitress should, inquiring if we were celebrating and arranged a birthday scoop of ice cream for my dad (then again this could've been a trap: see below). All waiters and waitresses were very polite, with sir's and lady's. Food came at a respectable duration of around 20 minutes.

The service at the table was very satisfactory. Front service, look out.

FoodThe prices drove my expectations quite high, and I can say that they were met in some regards. I had a rib platter ($50), containing beef, lamb and pork ribs and chips. It was huge. 1kg of meat. I managed to get t hrough most of it and it was delicious. The sauce was nice, and the meat was really tender; very easy to eat off the bone. However, it was a bit disappointing that salads were not included in my meal. I felt a bit sick after a while just devouring a whole plate of meat and fried potato chips.

My brother's steak was delicious, the meat was so tender and he got 600g of it. It also cost fifty dollars. I had a nice chunk of it and enjoyed tearing through it like an animal (I used my fingers cause they were already dirty from the ribs). Overall, I think my family was pleased with the food delivered.

The dessert was an apple and rhubarb crumble, which was satisfactory but not outstanding.

Verdict

I would like to re-experience this place again, maybe next year. There's no doubt it is expensive, but the food and nice table service makes up for it. However, the trap I mentioned before: the ice scoop that my dad got for his birthday surprise? They charged us for it, $3. That's just wrong in principle.

I will probably never take my high school friends, as they are both pov and not used to eating that western food. But my workmates might enjoy it. 21st possiblitiy? Only with a few people.

Recommend for steak enthusiasts and those who can afford a nice night out.

teoh,

undercover boss

I have recently just watched episode 4 of undercover boss, and I must say, I really love it.

I know, it's mostly television-ised and there seems to be a lot of set up scenes and such in there. But a little part of me really hopes that some of it is true. Because I believe so much in the concept behind it.

I've only had 3 part time jobs in my life, but in all of those jobs I have experienced some awesome co-workers. The work environment is the easiest by far to make new friendships and become close with one another. You support and work together all the time, share the same issues, connect in a way unlike any other I have yet to experience. I have been lucky to have had 3 awesome part time jobs, and even luckier to meet the people that I have.

There are so many great people out there, and so many of them are found right down in the labor front lines. The positions don't have to be respectable or high class for people to be the same. The front line is one of the toughest positions there is and you have to work so hard to do your job well, and receive almost no recognition for it. The amazing people do it anyway.

My workplace is a good example. It doesn't take too much to do my job properly. As long as you meet certain targets, you're considered a good worker. However, I know many of my co-workers who go the extra extra mile. Will they get recognition for it? Not really. So why do they do it? Cause they're just decent people. You know who you are.

People like them deserve to be recognized and rewarded. I love watching the CEO meeting amazing people in their company, and then speak to them afterwards. I look forward to watching more of these inspiring stories.

Some day, if I'm ever a manager, or who knows, a top boss, I hope I will remember these stories.

teoh,

long and let live

okay, time for an overdue update:

Mum's birthday

It was my mum's birthday last wednesday - happy birthday mum! my brother came home and we bought her a cake, magazine subscription, flowers and hairspray tickets. the cake was a hazelnut flourless cake and was quite nice!

Vacation Work

I've been stressing a bit about vacation work, cause I'm slowly coming to terms about how competitive it is out there. My top preference company (see I won't say due to paranoia that you will go apply - like it'll make a difference) is quite elite and I'm not really sure of my chances with pretty average marks like mine. Fingers crossed for me please! I'm doing quite a bit of preparation, even signing up for mock interviews and such, so I hope it pays off.

Technology

Currently in the market for a new laptop, and almost got one today! Toshiba T130 is quite suitable for my uses and it was on sale at harvey norman for 1000! Unfortunately I found a dead pixel on mine and it was the last one in stock. Ah well. Hunt continues.

Also quick review, I finally replaced my old harddrive with this! I do love my tech toys.

Lacie 500GB rugged, USB 3.0! For those who don't know, everyone is universally using USB 2.0, so this is the next gen stuff. My computer thankfully is next gen, so I already have a USB 3.0 slot. So testing it out, I get rough speeds of around 78MB/s, which is triple the usual speed. Nice! It did, however, cost me a little extra than usual ($210) and are only available online shops so far.

teoh,