I got the feeling that today's gonna be a great day!

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Juicy changes

091024.05, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

As you probably noticed that there have been plenty of changes on the layout and content of the blog in the last months. I have started using microblogging tools to update the blog mainly by using my mobile phones. The scheme were also changed and appear more streamline. The last project I embarked on was updating the commenting system.

Unfortunately there have been drawbacks. Even though I was able to see the the comments made, since injecting some root code to enable the Disqus system, I was not able to reintegrate them back into the blog. I can only do so by disabling it, and that will defeat the purpose of the update.

I was also toying with the idea of possibly putting the uploaded photos into a separate stream. However, they might be too far away from the main content as my main idea idea is to have a weblog. I will from now on post interesting links I came across into the 'Impulse Link' thread, while any writing that are themed into certain ideas, such as football, tech and photography will be posted into the 'Themed Post' stream.

As for the comments, I will write onto the relevent entries but the initial comment written prior to the code injection will not appear on the page.

The Windows 7 and Vaio X

I can't help but the admire the effort of Sony with the release of the new Vaio X ultraportable laptop series. They look damn sexy and all, and the specs weren't bad either. Still using the Intel Atom processor to save power and prolong battery life, they were clocked at 2MHz, runs 2GB RAM while using SSD hard drives as standard. I can imagine it whizzing through the usual web browsing at light speed. The performance with Windows 7 with it reduced demand on resources in the background will complement the unit nicely.

Always, the issue of vulnerability to viruses will be there and for that I am very reluctant to depend on them to hold my sensitive data - patient details, research data and even my collections of downloaded journal articles and presentations I have prepared over the years. I came to rely too much on my Mac. However, occasionally there are some software issues with the Mac especially when it comes to SPSS. I currently do not have a license on the Mac, and had to use VirtualBox to run Windows 7 on my Mac in order to do the number crunching. A spare Windows machine would not hurt I am sure, but I already have desktops on my office desk running Windows. Do I need another laptop ... be it a sexy one.

I think I'm going to go for a compromise. I might buy Anita the laptop. Therefore, I can still play around with the toy occasionally ... if she ever let me.

First to arrive!

I was going hypo all morning and had to grab a quick coffee at the end. Unfortunately all the places are already sold out and I decided to have an early lunch instead. Myself and Edmund walked across to Pak Abu's at Sixth College.

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Lousy end to a productive weekend

Yes, I am going to admit it. I am disappointed by last night's result. It seems that United lacks a certain something after Ronaldo left. It will take some time to get that back. maybe a season or two. One positive point is the effort of Valencia. He clearly showed that he is more than a squad player or a token edition to the team. Berbatov is also finding his feet although his languid style of play may not be a cup of tea to everybody.

The cake cutting at the MaxFamily gathering

The weekend started with sending Idlan off to music school on Friday evening. We then had diner at KLCC. I bought a new bag to replace my old Croc number which now have a loose strap. Then I prepared for my talk at Ampang Hospital on the Saturday morning. The talk was well received I thought, although it was a pity that I did not get the chance to spend more time with the audience during the small group discussion as I was take away for an interview. I also had to escape early as I had to give Idlan a lift.

The sketch ... need a frame nowAccording to Anita, there was a birthday party on Saturday afternoon. Instead she misread the invitation card. The party was on Sunday afternoon instead. We therefore had tea at the shopping mall. A place we only been for the first time, the AEON AU2. A decent place to have food as there were plenty of restaurant there. There is also a huge place to do groceries there. After tea, we walked around the place and came across a street sketch artist. Idlan had his sketch done there.

In the evening, I just had a quick rest while doing post-processing on the pics taken earlier. I went to bed quite early as I needed to do the rounds the next morning. I actually overslept and woke up at around 7.45. Managed to rush through and was in the ward by 8.45. The rounds was not that bad although there was some trouble accessing the blood results. UMMC upgraded their database over the weekend and most of the major systems were taken off line. We are talking about patients admissions, X-rays and lab results. I left the hospital just before midday and went straight to Low Yat.

I needed to buy a new headphones as the current one was already worn out. I decided to plump for the AKG earbuds. Still getting the hang of it since I am not used to earbuds. The trebles on the new phones were great but I think it lag bass punch. I wonder if that is because it did not fit snugly into my ears. I also bought a new 'Bluetooth' headset for my E71 since the batteries on the old one kept on losing its charge. By the time I reach home, it was already time to go out again. This time to attend the birthday party.

Chicky is in the house!The party was held at a branch of KFC there. The got the cakes and entertainment brought in, including the celebrated Chicky. Towards the end, we received a phone call from Anita's Mum that my brother-in-law just arrived from Moscow and has been having diarrhoea for the last five days after taking a meal there. Another couple of his friends were also down with it. He lost around 5 kg and was clearly dehydrated. I think he may need IV hydration and since he is a Petronas employee, he might as well make us of the Prince Court Medical Centre. You can read it from my PhotoBlogs that the place was really freaky. It was more of a hotel than a hospital, with carpeted floors in the rooms, designer toiletries, marbled front entrance, valet parking .... the works. He is spending his second night there for more tests but I imagine they will let him go tomorrow. Anita went to visit him during lunch today and just can't stop talking about the place. There was buffet at the main lobby, but Anita decided to go to the French restaurant instead. Awesome!

After everything settles, I went to pick up my tandoori chicken and donned my celebrated Veron top, getting ready for the big match. The evening went downhill after that ..... Oh the abuse I have to endure the whole day .....