Sunday, August 26, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 8:52 pm
What's the sudden Singapore post? Well, it's time for me to take a break from my usual self post and go for a commercial break. Get it? Commercial break? *ROTFL*

Anyway, I'm sure most people who went to singapore had difficulties finding place to stay. You know, a small island with a dense population, unless you already have a home in Singapore, it would take you hours just to find an apartment or a condo. It's not like you're gonna live in a hotel all the time you're working or studying in Singapore right? Now, under the advertising scheme between RoomsDB and Advertlets, they are trying to help you solve your dilemma! This advert scheme is basically write a review about RoomsDB, and earn money! yup, that simple.

Ok, back to the main thing. like I said, renting a room in Singapore is not easy. Don't worry, here comes your help:

roomsDB.net - rent a room in Singapore

This room rental web provides those who wanted to rent with good quality rooms in an HDB apartment or a condo. Never heard of RoomsDB before? Come on, you should read more newspapers, they even made it to the Straight Times!

If you want to save cost, you can always get a common room. If you're already used to a luxurious style of living, a master room will satisfy your needs. And if you wanted the whole place for yourself, don't worry, roomsDB also offers a whole flat for you. These flats are also situated in well known places like Tao Payoh, Tampines and Bukit Merah.

One good thing about RoomsDB compared to other room rental websites is that RoomsDB do not charge you for agent fees, because the deal made is directly between the buyer and seller. Plus, you don't even have to register with RoomsDB.net when using their service.

Afer the success of RoomsDB in Singapore, roomsDB.net is now available for Kuala Lumpur as well, although it's still in a beta version. You can check it out here:

roomsDB.net - rent a room in KL


So, for those who intended to study or work in Singapore, this is a great and easy chance for you to rent an apartment with the most minimal cost available.
 
Friday, August 24, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 9:16 pm
When it's raining heavily like this, and you need to cross the road, what will you do?



















For those who always carry an umbrella around, lucky you. At least you can cross the road slowly. If you don't? then maybe you'll find a shop which sells an umbrella, and buy one. Or maybe you're not really in a hurry, so you can wait at a nearby coffee shop until the rain stops. Of course, if you had a copy of newspaper with you, maybe you can use it as a shield.

As crazy as i am, THIS is what i did when i was caught in a heavy rain.
 
Tuesday, August 21, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 7:42 pm
Ever watched dramas and animes and wondered how did those guys do the subtitles? Wanted to know how to hardsub a subtitle into a video? Wanted to create your own videos with subtitles?

If you answered yes to all the three questions, then u will probably be interested in this post. You see, i always wondered how are subtitles created. How did they put the subs into the movie? I know there is a soft sub, which means opening a video with a .ssa(or any other subtitle formats) in the same directory, then you can watch a movie with subtitles. But how did they actually get the wordings into the movie itself?

As i searched around, i finally found my answers, and after wondering for so long, the answer is just too simple. The only 2 software needed is a subtitle creator and a video editor. So, now i will introduce all the tools i used to create a hardsub:

Xilisoft Media Converter: I had been using this product for like the past 2 years. This software enables me to change media files into other formats, such as MPEG to AVI, 3gp to MOV and stuff like that. This software also allow me to change the bitrates and framerates of audio and video files, so I can enhance the performance or reduce the size.

Kate's Video Cutter: Only one function- CUT!! Enables me to crop videos out of any movie. Although there are many versions out there in the net, i prefer this one because it's simple and efficient.

Aegisub: The subtitle creator. This software allows me to time my subs according to the video. Although subbing can be done manually (opening a .srt file using notepad and edit the time and wordings) , this software makes ur job much much more easier. With this software, I can also change the fonts, size and colour of my subs.

VirtualDub: The ultimate software for hardsubbing. Using this software, I can do numerous video editing functions, but as for now, i only used it to hardsub my videos.

So, here's my step of subbing a video:

First of all, cut the part of a video you wanted to sub. Or maybe you wanted to create ur own vidoe by joining them, then you'll have to use other software.

Then open Aegisub, and start your timing and subbings. Opening the video might help, but you'll need Avisynth plugin for this function. Export the softsub copy into .ssa files.

Next, open VirtualDub and open the video you wanted to sub. then under Video tabs, select filter, and add "subtitler" ( also a plugin, have to download subtitler.vdf file) and insert the .ssa file you've created earlier.

Save the video in AVI format.

Depending on your needs, change the video type using the media converter.

That's all. Sounds simple, huh? For me, to sub a 1 minute movie takes me about 10-15 minutes, especially the subtitle part. So dun expect me to sub an entire movie for the time being. Plus there sure will be errors here and there for the first few times you're doing this, but the fun is in the trial and error part, right?

I know this post has been very dull with all those very technical words, so here's my first ever subbed video using the ending part of Rush Hour 3. For those who haven't watch the movie yet and do not want to see a spoiler ( it's not) , then dun watch.



So any comments, please dun feel shy to drop in, since this is my first time and needed to learn more about it.

PS: Don't blame me for the crappy video, what do you expect from a downloaded version of movie? :P
 
Friday, August 17, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 8:19 pm
After much difficulty and postponing, i finally got the chance to watch the third sequel of Rush Hour.

On Thursday, we made a booking at Golden Screen Cinema(GSC) at Shaw Centrepoint, and everything seems fine. But today, when we reached the cinema at around 12.00, they said "the server is down, so we can't print tickets".

WTF!!! Just because the computer server is down, you can't print tickets? Blardy company thinking they are so advance by using everything computerized, but doesn't have a backup plan in case the server is down. Even the small cinema back in Bintulu using manual tickets have no such problems. I hope their server was down the whole day.

But our problems are not solved yet!!! No, i will not let a stupid cinema ruin my I-must-watch-Rush-Hour-3-today mood. So we decided to go to another cinema-Tanjong Golden Villaga(TGV) Bukit Raja. This is a beter cinema than the one at Centrepoint, and i personally think so too, because they dun have a server down error when i want to watch RH3.

Since there is no direct bus reaching that place, we had to stop by the highway and cross it. Yup. not a small road or street but a highway.



















After avoiding getting run over by buses, lorries and cars, and some distance of walking, we finally made it to the Bukit Raja Shopping Center at around 12.30pm. We did not waste any time making our way to the cinema, to get ourselves the 1.00pm ticket. Looks like we don't have to worry after all, coz there are like 90% of seatings left. So we went for a quick lunch, and then make our way to the cinema.

The popcorn at this cinema costs RM4.20 for a regular ones...Damn, i can get the same amount for RM2 at any other shop. But at least this popcorn is nice, with caramel, not some low quality salty ones...

So we sat comfortably and i managed to watch the movie i've been anticipating for a very long time....



















Hope nobody will sue me for piracy.

Oh, btw, i've noticed that my blog looks like a piece of crap in IE. So i advice you guys to download Mozilla Firefox, coz not only you can get a view of a better looking Da Club, it's also better than IE based on a few reasons. No, this is not an ad for Mozilla.
 
Wednesday, August 15, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 4:13 pm
It seems that the blogger-advertiser thingy is hot right now. From local advertisers to international based ones, bloggers are sticking them to their blogs like wallpapers. Well, i am one of them too. Hey, who doesn't want money?

Recently after visiting a few blogs, it seems that most of them had PayPerPost ads on their blog. So i give it a try. Registering and stuff, i finally became a member of PayPerPost. Then i pasted their ads on my Ads section (the brown and maroon coloured one, if you dunno which one). That time, i still dunno what to do, since i did not meet the requirement for any of their opportunities.

After a few days, i received an email from PayPerPost, stating that my blog is approved by them. Nice...

The difference between PayPerPost and other ads providers is that PayPerPost offers money to you for writing a post for them. Other ads need visitors to click them to earn money. But for PayPerPost, the money earned is solely on the blogger's effort (and also if the blog meets the requirement for the post).

So far, the few people i've seen using PayPerPost is Sherp and her few cousins. Hopefully someone who read this post and interested in this blog ads thingy will join PayPerPost too. I'm supposed to Spread The Love anyway... =)

So give it a try. Get paid for blogging.

Btw, i'm donating the money earned to charities. I'm a kind person after all....







 
Saturday, August 11, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 7:37 pm
Exactly a week ago, i went to the annual TechARP BBQ, coz Max asked me to go. So at 4.30 pm on the 4th of August, both of us went down to Kelana Jaya, where TechARP's Big Boss, Dr. Adrian Wong is staying. So we use our normal route down to KL- via the local bus and RapidKL bus. So after an 1 hour journey, we arrived at KL Sentral, waiting for Max's friend, Chai to pick us up. As i was waiting, i went over to a big fish aquarium, to see fish swimming around.




















As i was looking at the fish and corals, i noted something peculiar:



















Eh, nowadays fish can also do backstroke swimming.

As i looked closer, to my horror, it's not a fish with talent, but a dead fish!




















WTF!!! A dead fish inside a big and eye-catching aquarium! what is the management of KL Sentral doing? The fish has holes in its body ( i assume nibbled by the other fishes), and even worse, one of it's eye has come out of it's socket, dangling and swinging around as the fish is "backstroking".

But i have to say, the dead fish attracted more attention than the other alive fish.

So when Chai arrived, he sent us to Dr. Adrian's apartment, where the BBQ was held. When we arrived, i was looking at everyone, wondering who they are. I only know like 5 of them, which i met only once before. So i sat down and waited for them to start the BBQ. As expected, their convos are mainly on computer hardwares. What do you expect from members of a hardware enthusiast site?

So most of the time, i just sat there, listening to the 50% of things that i actually knew, while enjoying my meals which consists of hotdogs and chicken meat.

















Picture taken by Chai.

For those who haven seen me or forget how i looked like, i'm de one on the far left, dun get confused.

After that, as usual, after every gathering there will be a mass group picture.

















Picture taken by Chai.

After most of the guys went back, the few of us hang back, drinking vodka while chit-chatting about movies that we watched recently. We went back to Klang at around 11.30, reached at 12.00 midnight.

For those who are interested in hardware stuff and other computer stuffs as well, you might wanna visit TechARP.com or if you have any questions of things to share, TechARP Forum will always accept new members.

Hhmm...i wonder whether i will get paid by TechARP for advertising them...
 
Thursday, August 09, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 1:24 am
It's 1.30 AM now, so i wont make a long one. Anyway, recently i stumbled upon a website that allows u to transform yourself into a Simpsons character. Basically it means you can see how you will look like if you stay in Springfield.

So of course i give it a shot. At first, i cant enter it, probably server cannot stand the millions of people trying it out. Finally, after a few times refreshing the page, i finally made it. So i took a pic of myself:



















Ok, stop giggling.

Then, upload it, press this and that, and BOOM!!! Pyroboy the Simpson version is created.
























At first i look something like this. Do i look that childish? So i edited it a bit, add a more suitable hairstyle, and now i look like this:

























Ah, this looks much better. Now i'm part of the Springfield community.













Dont be surprised if this screen appears in one of the future Simpsons episodes.

Try it. Simpsonize Yourself.
 
Wednesday, August 01, 2007, Blabbered by pyroboy1911 at 6:21 pm
If i'm not mistaken, i started my school life at the young and innocent age of 4. And if not mistaken, my first school is the Ming Ong Methodist Kindergarten. You know, the school with the green coloured uniforms. not much memories there, i cant even remember how it looked like. I only remember it's not so much as a school, coz the only thing i remember doing there is playing Legos and eating biscuits with Milo in a small plastic cup.

The next thing i knew, i'm in St. Anthony's Kindergarten. I remember more clearly about the stuffs they teach here, books like General Knowledge and Chinese Language and Bahasa Melayu were one of the few I'm studying that time. Homeworks include drawing patterns on a 3-line exercise book and writing chinese characters repeatedly without knowing much of the meaning of that particular character.

I went to school in a carpool. Yea, an auntie picked me every afternoon with some other kids in her red Proton Saga. I'm in the same class with a few people i currently knew, like Damien Ting and Timothy Yek ( correct me if i'm wrong). The rest, hhmm....not so sure...Ah, a funny incident in that school would be the time when one of my "friend" had chicken pox and the others are like avoiding him, but more of like avoiding contact with him only. I don't know whether it's out of curiousity or stupidity, i just went over and pat him at the back. As a result, i'm being avoided too. But i think it only happens for that few minutes, after that we're happily playing with each other again.

After kindy, it's time to move to primary school. In the first day of school, Everyone is either:
1. Very quiet, looking around curiously,
2. Still holding onto parents' hands,
3. Cry.

As far as i remember, i sat quite in front, and i guess i'm de No 1 group. Hey, i noticed what others did, right?

And the first lesson of class was: Copy "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWYXZ" from the blackboard. I also remembered Davis sitting behind me, and he asked me in chinese " Do you have the Mathematics book?"

And i go "??????". Hey, i only knew plus and minus, what is mathemethasuthemsitic???

Halfway through the year, our form teacher was going to have a baby, so i ended up in another class. not much of memories from there, but after our teacher came back, the pupil from 1 Hijau was "reunited". I also remember my english teacher, Mr. Fiedlis (spelling?) . Until now, he still recognizes me.

Then it's time for primary 2. nothing much happened in this year, except i've grown 3 cm taller than the previous year. Heck, i dun even know which teacher taught me that year. Most of us knew each other already, plus a few new students.

But i know 1 single incident in this year that had leave an impact on my head ( literally). You see, i was a good boy then, doing our weekly chores. i was sweeping the drain outside the class. It was a hot day that day, not even a single signs of raining. But suddenly, BONK!!!

Something damn hard fell onto my head, and landed near where i was standing. An ice cube. On a hot day. In a place called Malaysia. I looked up and guess who i saw. Yes. You. I know u're reading this. No, not you. the other you. Yup, dun give me that innocent face, Mtv. Dun say u din, coz i remembered very very clearly, and i'm as sure as my name's not Michael jackson.

To inform other readers and to refresh the memory of St Anthony's students (especially Mtv), remember the packet Cola drink that the canteen sells for like 50 cents? the Cola plastic bag with 2 ears to carry.

As i was saying, i looked up, and i saw her. and guess what she was doing. Yup, drinking that packet of drink. Din look down summore, keep on enjoying herself. I should have hurled that ice back at her. I think that's my first bump on my head. Thanks for that, Mtv.

And no, i did not see anything i shouldnt have seen since i'm down here and you're up there wearing the skool's dress. Or at least i din have that memory.

Primary 3 was next, not much memories from there also. That's the year of PTS, the IQ exam that we students have to take. That time, for me, it's like a big exam, my parents bought lots of work book for me to practice on. In the end, i din get top skip primary 4. Now, come to think of it, it's just a stupid IQ test.

Next came primary 4. The time when i started my first morning classes, and also the first time i used the famous yellow "Bas Sekolah". Also nothing much from this year. One of them would probably be the station games, with each stations having tasks for us to complete, like to put an egg through an empty bottle's mouth, or setting up an apparatus of a pendulum. As usual, representatives from other classes includes ppl like Joseph Lau, Le Ju Ye, Eric Egong, while from my class, the top student is a small thin boy. But as far as i remember, my class always gets top 3, with a few occasions the champion.

After 4 is 5. Oh yea, at first i thought Sherp will join my class since she passed the PTS exam (congratz! I'm not too late, am i? =P) and skipped primary 4. U see,she's from 3 Hijau, so should jump according to color rite? but Sherp ended up in 5 Biru, making Hijau the underdogs again. Oh well.

This is also a sad year for me. The year i lost a classmate. Mohd. Farid, a small fragile kid, smaller than me back then. One very fateful day, a friend of mine told me that he was involved in a car accident the previous night, he died on the spot. i dun think i wanna give the details, u might end up having ur meals on your computer. Some of my memories with him including accidentally met him at the swimming pool, and trying to catch peanuts with our mouths after tossing it up. We're cathing our own peanuts, not jostling for one, mind you. I dunno the exact date, but i'm sure it has been more than 7 years ago. R.I.P, my friend.

This is also the year i won the Best Maths Award for primary 5. Probably due to my consistent 90+% for tests. I still remember the final exam, when teacher give back the objective papers, calling names. Mine was not called, until when he asked me to come to the front. then in Malay, he said "Look at his paper". As he was holding it on top of me, so i couldn't see. I tot i'm dead until he said "40/40" . Everyone goes like wah and ooh. I get back my subjective paper, also full score. 100% for my final, thanks to Betho's mum's tuitions. As a reward, the teacher always give me reference and work books for me, coz he's in charge of the school's library, and also a shining tranparent best maths award, which i dunno what had happened to, since my family moved already.

Primary 6 would be the best year in my primary school days. The school is having night classes for us to prepare for UPSR. Of coz, everyone tried to go as early as possible before the class starts, to play with friends. some of the games are like police and thieves, WWE(on top of the assembly stage) and who can shine their torchlights the furthest. Mine can go all the way to the front gate of the school from the primary 6 block, which is the furthest block from the gate. This is also the year of the dreaded UPSR, luckily i managed to get straight 5As.

A new chapter of my school life unfolds, as i enter Form 1. I was placed in class 1B, coz 1A is for those who come from Islamic school. Meet more new friends, more chinese students. Now i'm placed in the same class with people like Joseph and Azrul, and also students from other school like Mark. My no1 days are over. One funny memory was when Azrul and i was looking outside, and i said "wah, the sky is very blue today". As soon as i finished my sentence, this girl from 1C walked pass us. So, whenever we saw her, then we'll know the sky is very blue. Subjects like History and Geography came out, stupid stuff. Oh yea, this is also Sherp's last year studying in Malaysia. I guess no more blue sky.

Form 2 is the year i changed quite a lot. This is also the year when the formation of our group of friends started. There is also this guy who was so naughty that the discipline teacher placed him in our class, hoping all of us can influence him to be good. But it backfired. I dunno whether i'm influenced or it came naturally, but i'm becoming naughtier and naughtier. i guess my laziness starts to set into myself. No more timid boy. I have to be the joker of the class. If not, everyone will freeze to death because of the coldness of those study freaks sitting in front of the class.

Form 3 came after that, the same me from form 2 is back. Never throw away the chance to vandalize something, from the table and chairs to the notice board at the back. I spend most of my "no teacher" time sitting at the teacher's place. There's also a drawing of the word "BUSTED" beside me on the wall. I was busted when the teacher told me to rub it off although i told her it's not my masterpiece. PMR came, and i'm lucky for the second time to get straight 7 As.

Entering form 4, that's when the 4S4's 7 guys were formed. Specialize in making trouble and have-fun attitude. We used exams as a competition, so we din reli slacked off in our studies, although we would never miss a chance to go out of the class. when teachers need students to go and get something from her table in the teacher's office, it needs 7 of us to go. It's also a coincidence all 7 of us always have the urge to go toilet at the same time. If not mistaken, this is also the year when Sherp visited the school right? told you, you'll cause an uproar in the school whenever news about u are present.

Form 5 is not much difference from form 4. still the playful me, but the teacher's table is not my hangout place anymore. Rather, it's the back of the class now. Our Further Maths teacher always tried to have quizzes between the guys and the girls, and ended up her always saying "why the girls always lose to boys?". How can the guys lose, with Joseph and Mark guys themselves, and me who most of the time solved probability questions the fastest.

SPM is the mark of the end of mandatory school life. Also the end of uniform wearing. Alas, no lucky no3 for me. i din get straight As for my SPM, although i never expect that to happen.

And now, I'm in my college life. It's not over yet, so no need for me to be nostalgic about it. This is the end of probably one of my longest blog post so far. So, how's your school life?

Now, who says i never blog about myself or other sentimental stuff?
 
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