No Graphics Card = Miserable Life...

I miss my graphics card...
Ever since it died, my old computer has become a useless chassis.
I can't do ANYTHING on that computer!

My life has been miserable.
So miserable, in fact, that one day, I became "desperate"!

My brother discovered a "Game Boy Emulator" program on one of our DVD game folders.
Once on the computer, it allows you to play "Game Boy" games on the PC.
Magical, no?

So, since the emulator is on the PC, he also downloaded some Star Wars GBA games from the Internet.
These include ( in chronological order ):
1. Star Wars Jedi Power Battles - Episode I
2. Star Wars Episode II Attack Of The Clones - Episode II
3. Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith - Episode III
4. Star Wars Trilogy Apprentice Of The Force - Episode IV, V, VI

To be honest, they were kind of boring.
I went through the whole Star Wars saga ( Episode I, II, III, IV, V and VI ) nearly 7 times over already!
But I told you, I was "desperate"!

I took some screenshots of the game using something called "CamStudio" ( another one of my brother's downloads... ).
Again, I arranged them in chronological order:

STAR WARS: JEDI POWER BATTLES

Woot! I chopped the battle droid in half!

STAR WARS EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Look at the way Anakin is staring at the laser. That same laser actually managed to hit him a few milliseconds later!

STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

Everybody loves Kung Fu fighting! Especially Anakin!

STAR WARS TRILOGY APPRENTICE OF THE FORCE
The duel between Luke and Vader on Cloud City. Not that big of a deal, actually...

I played the four games above over and over and over again.
I find them real sickening because of the horrible graphics quality, the repetitive, non-sensical and redundant gameplay, and the midi-audio ( It's terrible )!

But I've got nothing else better to do.
Not even "Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition" works on that old computer anymore!
At least it can handle GBA games, but only in a small sized window - Anything larger will cause even the low-resolution GBA game to run slowly! Ugh!

Well, honestly, my life sucks right now.
I've lost contact with most of my friends...
I can't play my favourite computer games anymore because my graphics card is dead...
[ sigh ]

I hope I get a replacement for my old "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" soon.
I don't know how much longer I can last...
Honestly, I've been using YouTube and Wikipedia WAY too often!

Well, I guess that's it for now...

May the Force be with you...

Back From Malacca...

Hey, guys!
I'm back from Malacca!
Yes, I'm tired, but I have just enough energy to update my blog, like I said I would in my last post...

Well, in one of my recent posts, I mentioned that while I was playing "Star Wars: Battlefront", my monitor just froze, and then blacked out.
I told my father the problem, and he told me to check the Internet for solutions.

I did. But what I found was discomforting.
There is no problem with the monitor at all. It's the graphics card that's on the fritz.
It was something I honestly did not want to believe. It was painful, actually...

I decided to carry out a test to determine if what I discovered was true.
I unplugged my old computer's monitor and hooked it up to my new computer's CPU.
It's a standard test - If the old PC's monitor manages to show the start-up process of the new PC's CPU, then there is something wrong with the graphics card in the old PC.

I carried out the test, and the old PC's monitor actually worked - I was able to use the new PC's functions, and it all showed up on the old monitor.
That proves the fact that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the monitor.
The monitor is directly connected to the graphics card. If there was something wrong with the graphics card, it would affect the monitor too.
Therefore, there HAD to be a problem with the graphics card.

I told my father about this, and he told me to open up the old PC's CPU chassis.
Well, I saw him open it up before, so it's no big deal actually...
The last time we opened it up, it was with the intention of getting rid of the dust in the chassis, because the dust could actually cause the internal systems to overheat.

This time, however, I had to open up the chassis, remove the graphics card from its slot, and inspect it for signs of damage. And give the innards a good dusting as well!
So, the next day, I opened it up and got rid of any dust inside the chassis using a fine brush.
After that, I gently removed the graphics card from its slot.

Here are some pictures.
I took them using an old camera I found in my cabinet.
Here they are:

The good ol' chassis of the "HP Pavilion t210d"...[ sigh ]

Here's a closer look...

The two most difficult parts to clean - The graphics card and the processor fan.

The hardware - My beloved "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 AGP 8X"...

Well, I inspected the graphics card, and I found something on it that could be the possible cause of the graphics card's malfunctioning.
It was a rupture on one of the pixel pipelines of the card.
It wasn't very big, but even a little bit of damage can cause the whole the card to cease functioning.

I showed the damaged graphics card to my father, and he asked me to find out more about the damage on the graphics card via the Internet.
All the websites I found all repeated the same thing: If the graphics card is damaged, then the only solution is to replace it.

So, finally, I helped my father find the information and specifications of my old PC.
We would have to replace the old graphics card. Apparently, there's no other option...
To be honest, I'm actually gonna miss that old graphics card...[ sigh ]

Well, I guess that's it for now.

Oh, and Jannah,
welcome back from wherever it is you were...
We thought you were dead! [ stares wide eyed ]

May the Force be with you...

Off To Malacca...

Alright, I'm here again...
And this is my 140th post on Blogger!

Oh, and the picture I used in this post IS considered a Star Wars picture, for your information.
It's Ben Kenobi, once known as Obi Wan Kenobi before the formation of the First Galactic Empire.
So, for those of you who really don't know, it's not just some picture of an old man pointing, alright?

Anyway, I won't be around tomorrow.
I'm following my family to see my grandparents in Malacca.
I'm leaving at 8am and won't be back until Thursday.

I actually planned to blog about my old computer, which is having some problems regarding the monitor and graphics card.
Normally, I don't blog about this kind of hardware problem, but this time it's serious.
I'll blog about this on Thursday, when I come back from Malacca...

Well, I've gotta go pack...

May the Force be with you...

Malfunctioning Monitor! Ugh!

Right, I'm here again.
Well, I wasn't really planning on blogging today.
I didn't have much of a choice!

Here's what happened:
I was playing a video game on my other computer - "Star Wars: Battlefront".

It's an awesome game!
And yes, it's a Star Wars game.
I enjoyed playing it because I just recalibrated the graphics settings of the game to its optimum level.
So the performance was unparalleled! [ smiles ]

Anyway, I was about to shoot down a Separatist Super Battle Droid when suddenly, the screen froze.
Then the speakers started to emit some sort of weird noise - I recognised it as my Republic Clone Trooper's blaster rifle being shot successively, like some sort of malfunctioning machine gun.
It was weird...

Then the screen went blank.
I could still hear sounds coming from the speaker. The battle was still going on...
Then I heard a Super Battle Droid blaster shot, immediately followed by the dying shriek of the Clone Trooper I was controlling...

It was then that I realised that the CPU and the other systems were still working normally.
It's the monitor that's malfunctioning...
I restarted the system twice, but to no avail. The monitor just remained blank, even though I clearly heard the Windows start-up sound coming from my speakers!

My father wasn't around to take a look at the monitor.
I still haven't identified the source of the problem - Why on earth is the monitor not showing anything?!
Then I decided that I should just leave it be and return to it later.

So, I shifted to the computer I'm using right now and started blogging.
And so, here I am!
[ sigh ]

You know, what I've said above represents the ONLY interesting thing that's happened to me so far!

Well, I guess that outgrowing my shoes yesterday could be counted as "interesting"...
I mean, I could wear my shoes yesterday, but I can't wear them today!
Strange, no?
Oh well...

Alright, I guess that's it for now.

I won't even bother typing "comment me, kay?" anymore because no one seems to be commenting anymore!
What a bummer!
I'll just keep blogging for the fun of it - I have to keep my blog alive no matter what, right?

May the Force be with you...

Life Is Dull...

Alright, I found this picture on Facebook. I took it from either Kamal or Hannim's profile.
It's a picture of 3 Omega!
But some people that are supposed to be in 3 Omega are missing...
Oh well...

There are a few students from other classes, too...
Matthew is a prime example ( he's between Amir and Hari ). He's from 3 Zeta.
And there other students whose names escape me - they come from other classes as well.

And I think you should be able to spot me in the picture, right? [ smiles ]

Anyway, I just posted this picture here for fun.
Because truth be told, I've got nothing else better to do.
I might as well update my good ol' blog, right?
[ sigh ]

Well, I'll blog again as soon as something interesting happens.
Which will be soon enough. Hopefully...
Life is getting duller and duller by the moment.

Even the weather right now is so dull and gloomy...[ stares out of the window ]
This could be my shortest post ever since my last shortest post.
Ugh, I don't care anymore!

Until the next time...

May the Force be with you...

The "2012 Phenomenon"?

Well, the picture says it all - Where will you be in 2012?
Is it true?
Is the world really going to end on the 21st of December 2012?

I'm only 18 years old by then!
And my brother would only be 14, which means he won't have to suffer the hardships of preparing for his PMR Examination if the world really does come to an end!

So I did some research on the topic via the Internet.
And I found an article in Wikipedia named "2012 Phenomenon"...

Based on what I found, the "2012 phenomenon" comprises a range of "pseudoscientific" beliefs and proposals positing that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur in the year 2012.

These beliefs are based primarily on what is said to be the end-date of the "Mayan Long Count calendar", which is presented as lasting 5,125 years and terminating on December 21 or 23, 2012.

All predictions about how the world could end in 2012 have been rejected as "pseudoscience" by the scientific community since these claims would violate the laws of physics and are contradicted by simple observations...

Hmmm, I think I'm just going to sit back and wait for the year 2012 to come and go...
If it happens, it happens.
If it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. Simple!

There are several theories on how the world will end ( again, from Wikipedia! ). I'm just going to list them down for the fun of it...
1. Geomagnetic Reversal ( Polar shift ) - possibly triggered by a massive solar flare. This belief is supposedly supported by observations that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening, which indicates an impending "reversal" of the North and South magnetic poles.

2. Planet Nibiru - a planet, called Nibiru or Planet X, will collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This particular theory has been widely ridiculed, but is considered plausible.

3. Black Hole Alignment - An apocalyptic reading of "Jenkins's hypothesis" has that, when the galactic alignment occurs, it will somehow create a combined gravitational effect between the Sun and the "supermassive black hole" at the center of our galaxy ( known as "Sgr A*" ), creating havoc on Earth.

Of course, the first theory involving giant solar flares and the reversal of the North and South magnetic poles is the most believable and relevant theory. It even came out in the movie "2012"...
I'm still 50/50 on this one, but for you skeptics and believers out there, there's no need to convince each other to believe whatever you want them to believe - If you think the world is coming to an end on the 21st of December 2012, so be it. And if you think that everything is fine and dandy, that's okay too.
There's no need to start arguments and controversies over this topic.

That's right, I'm looking at you two, Justin and Amelia!
( There was a heated argument in Facebook, originating from a wall post by Ivan Joseph about the movie "2012". Of course, the two main characters are Justin, the believer, and Amelia, the skeptic. )

Oh well...
Let's forget everything that I've typed above, alright?
There's no need to worry about the Apocalypse just yet!

I guess that's it for now.

Comment me, kay?

May the Force be with you...

3 Omega Tribute!

Alright, I'm back from the last day of school!
My poor brother still has to go to school tomorrow. Poor fella!
In fact, he still has to go to school for this whole week!
Pity him and his friends...

He's going to school while I'm relaxing at home!
He has to wake up at 6 am and I don't!
[ sinister smile ]

Anyway, since it's the right thing to do, I've decided to give a little "tribute" to all my fellow friends / classmates in 3 Omega this year...
And this time, I have pictures, unlike last year...

I took these pictures when my beloved Sharp GX27 handphone was still functioning.
That handphone had such a good camera. It's much better than the camera on my current handphone...
[ sigh ]
Well, it's gone now...

Right, let's begin.
Remember, these are the photos of my friends that I took, with my own camera!
And notice that Lee King's first in line - I uploaded this picture first because it's so comical!

LEE KING!
HAZWAN!

ASHMAN!

HARI!

AMIR!

AMIRAH alias "Mora"!

THEEBAN!

KAMAL! ( The one on the left, holding the cup, duh! )

EE LYNN & JANNAH!

JASLYN!

And last but not least, HAZIQ!

Erm, I still have many, many other friends in 3 Omega, but I didn't manage to take all their pictures.
My handphone died before I had the chance...
But they're still my friends all the same. And I respect them just as much!

Finally, to ALL my friends in 3 Omega, thanks for being so awesome!
2009 was a great year for me, and I owe it all to you guys!
And I hope we all get straight As for the PMR Examination! I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Farewell, 3 Omega!

May the Force be with you...

"2012"!

Alright, my Internet speed has slightly improved, thank God.
Notice that I used the word slightly, which means that the Internet can still get quite slow and sluggish at times.

But it's improved since the past few days, at least.

Anyway, I've just watched the anticipated movie "2012" last night at the Golden Screen Cinemas, USJ Summit.
I've even posted a "2012" picture instead of the normal Star Wars picture...

And I think it's one of the longest movies I've ever watched:
It's 2 hours and 30 minutes long!
I watched it from 8.30 pm and it ended at 11.00 pm!

It's quite a good movie, I guess.
Although some of the actors in the movie weren't that good, in my opinion.

And I'm not sure what the climax of the movie is - The destruction and mayhem actually begins somewhere in the middle of the movie.
After that, it's pretty much a struggle to survive.

But from my perspective, I think that the part where the "beginning of the end" actually starts is more or less the climax of the story, and the part where the humans try to survive is the anti-climax or something like that.
I don't know. I guess it's like that. There's no cosmic disaster or epic explosion that annihilates the world...
It's just pretty much a couple of large-scale natural disasters happening, and a struggle to survive.

And this movie actually reminds me of "The Day After Tomorrow", what with the giant wall of water crashing inland - It's nostalgic...
But I have to admit, the graphics and special effects in this movie are superb!

Overall, I think it's a very good movie that's worth watching.
However, there is a little room for improvement, and the movie could have been so much better if the developers had just pushed a little harder...

Anyway, I plan on going to school tomorrow.
It IS the last day of school!
The Form 5 students have their SPM Examination on Tuesday onward, so the Form 1, 2 and 3 students don't have to go to school...
So technically, next Tuesday marks the beginning of the school holidays!

Well, that's pretty much it.
I've gotta go and finish reading Ashman's book. I have to return it to him tomorrow!

Comment me, kay?
Seriously!

May the Force be with you...

I'm on Twitter!

Alright, I've just made an account in Twitter!

I don't know why I did it.
It could be because a lot of people are on Twitter, and that makes me feel kind of isolated.
So I made my own account last night.

So, if any of you are on Twitter, please...
Add me!

I'm having difficulty trying to find people on Twitter because of my slow and sluggish Internet connection.
Yep, it's still slow - nothing's changed since yesterday.
Oh well...

[ sigh ]
I guess that's it...

Comment me, kay?

May the Force be with you...

Slow Internet!!!

I feel so miserable today...
And kind of pissed off with my Internet.
It's so slow!

I was just listening to my Blogger music playlist ( I've added a new song called "I'd Come For You" by Nickelback, for your information ).
The music always just abruptly stops playing, then resumes, then stops again, then resumes again. And this goes on and on and on!

I've restarted my computer twice. Nothing!
I checked my computer's connectivity status, and it was quite strong!
Huh?! That doesn't make any sense!
If it's strong, why is my Internet so damn slow?!?!
Ugh!!!

Maybe it's only a temporary thing. Hopefully.
I can't live like this...
I mean, my Internet speed was blisteringly fast before my PMR Examination...
But a few days after PMR ended, it suddenly just started slowing down.

And now, it's at its worst condition.
I can't even watch a simple YouTube video anymore!
It's sickening!

Maybe I should just delete of my playlist, just to put me out of my misery.
I always feel so pissed off whenever I hear my playlist just STOP playing abruptly!
It makes me feel like just grabbing the monitor and shake it around until the damned playlist actually does what it's supposed to do - play music!!!

To anyone reading this...
Please, please, please!!! Tell me, what should I do?! I'm confused...

Anyway, on a lighter note, I went to Ashman's house yesterday.
Ummm, long story short: All the Form 3 students were required to go to school on Friday to collect the 2010 Form 4 SPBT textbooks. But my parents were going somewhere else on Thursday night. So, I was forced to go to one of my friends' house. Since, I've been to Hazwan's house before, I might as well go to Ashman's this time.

It was quite fun, I guess.
I played Chess, Scrabble, Monopoly and Twister.
I also got to use Ashman's PSP! ( It's not really his, actually... )

The next day, we woke up at 6am and got ready to go to school.
After that, we still had time to spare, so guess what we did?
We played Chess, of course!
And this was a first for me - playing Chess as early as 6 in the morning!
[ smiles ]

And as an added plus, he lent me his book "The Tao Of Chess" by Peter Kurzdorfer.
It's an awesome book! It's not like those learn-the-basics Chess books...
This book contains almost 200 principles about high-level Chessplay!
Honestly, I'm gonna enjoy reading this book!

Well, I guess that's it...

Comment me, kay?

May the Force be with you...