Avenue Odd

Oh the CLUTTER.

In my search for a thumb drive that would appreciate an experience that is an intimate peek into the life of a tennis ball on the Wimbledon’s Centre Court on match day, the Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 16GB, trapped in its little plastic enclosure, winked at me.

I thought to myself, a 16GB thumb drive? What on earth am i going to put on it? For a moment (something like two seconds, to be precise), i had an inkling doubt.

Now, this thumb stick has (still is) worked hard for me, enduring seemingly endless lectures without failing, and keeping a small collection of my favourite applications at my fingertips, Over the months, I have assembled a little plethora of portable applications that I simply cannot live without. Considering the widespread use of USB thumb drives nowadays, i thought perhaps i would share my little selection.

Firefox Portable

Firefox is, hands down, the best browser i have ever used. In terms of speed, it is but a tad slower than the simple-looking-but-downright-mean-under-the-hood Google Chrome, but the addons! Oh the addons, what would i do without them. There is nothing worse than getting to say, an internet cafe, and realising that it has only Internet Explorer 6. This is by far, the most used application on my drive. Click here to download.

 

Screamer Internet Radio

For access to tons of internet radio stations, this is my application of choice. Click here to download.

GreatNews RSS Reader

You don't tear newspaper into pieces to read them. Why should reading rss news articles be any different? GreatNews is optimized for full page reading, so you can scan through rss articles quickly. Combined with functions like "Open Next Unread Channel", you don't need to waste any time to find where all the unread articles are.
GreatNews is extremely fast. Even with hundreds of rss feed subscriptions, GreatNews's response is always instantaneous. You can opt to show news from all channels on the same page. And you have full control over how many articles can be displayed at once. Click here to download.

WordWeb: Free English Dictionary/Thesaurus

WordWeb is a one-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows that can look up words in almost any program. It works off-line, but can also look up words in web references such as the Wikipedia encyclopaedia. Click here to download.

Foxit Reader 3.0

For all the times you need to view a .pdf file and realise that the local computer does not have Acrobat, there is Foxit Reader. It is a small and fast PDF viewer. 50 million users can’t be wrong. Okay, sure they can, but this would be my PDF reader of choice anyway. Click here to download.

7-Zip

 

Many computers are not capable of opening .zip or .rar (both relatively popular formats). 7-zip is the Open-Source (read FREE) alternative to propriety software such as Winzip and Winrar. A portable version is available specifically for carrying around in a thumb drive. Very, very handy. Click here to download.

All of the above software are available for free, do feel free to comment with other portable applications you cannot live without!

At the time of this publishing, the Bush administration would have transited out of the White House to live their post-presidential life.

The inauguration of the Obama administration would mark the start of a new chapter in not only in the United States’ history books, but in those of the the world over.

The African-Americans of the United States have played such a large part in shaping the country’s history, but never once, a role as powerful as this, never, as the President of United States. Never, the leader of the western world.

May the world listen, to this man who promised change, and give him what support we can. Daunting would be his task, in these times of political and social crisis. May he rule with a clarity of mind that many before him lacked, guided by the vision of the late Martin Luther King, and the collective wisdom of his predecessors. For he will need all of that, and then some.

For all that he was, President Bush was most remembered in the role of Commander-in-Chief. His strong stand of Good versus Evil constituted the making and breaking of his administration. There really is nothing above or below the war in Iraq.

The inauguration speech by Barak H. Obama, was peppered with words like prudence, humility and restraint. He makes clear that America is not entitled to do as it pleases. Which is in stark contrast with all that was the Bush administration.

May Mr. Obama bring the United States, and with her, the rest of the world, to a new era of peace, prosperity, and above all, justice. Quoting his words, “so help me God”. So help him God.

diz cat ownz.

So someone took the half-full half-empty argument and brought it up a whole new level.  Love it!

Which is Worse?

Apathy or Ignorance?

Best answer?

I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Picture taken off Flickr.com. Originally Uploaded on September 4, 2008 by BB (O.ö)

Ten Simple Rules for Dating My Daughters

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose his compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early."

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Picture taken off Flickr.com. Originally uploaded on November 22, 2008 by popartdks

Spent some time at the jetty off East Coast Park, thinking.

Something came to mind, and never left, all the way till now, 4:36AM 3rd January, 2009.

maybe if i “pen” it, i might finally get to sleep.

Here goes.

I thought of all the important people in my life, the bonds made, ties broken, and bridges that have long been burnt to the ground. Fortunately, the bridges are few and far between, and the bonds, many and intertwined in a web that would make the average brown house spider proud.

Often, these people are taken for granted, and for that I do not apologise, but express my utmost gratitude. I do not apologise, because there are times, when i know that the same thing is happening to me.

There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken for granted relationships. For most, that would have to be their parents, and the few truly trusted, dependable friends. These are the people who will be there no matter what happens, and more importantly, you KNOW that they will be there when you need them to be. They might be continents away, but they will always be there in spirit. They will support you, no questions asked.

Humbly, I dare say that I play that role for a few people and they too me.

Many people complain about being taken for granted, and yes, my thoughts do tend to go there sometimes. “Yeah, call me whenever you need something.” Rings a bell? “Why doesn’t he call to like, say hi or something?” Those are questions that often bounce in my mind, and I know, there and then, that I am being taken for granted.

Sitting on the jetty, i came to terms with it. If we look deeper, and past our selfish interests, being taken for granted is really, a compliment. It means that you’ve become a comfortable, trusted element in another person’s life.

As with all affairs in life, it is always good to hang a little question mark on everything that we have taken for granted, and be thankful that we can behave as we do. For it takes more than an average person to be able to take up that mantle and be, not that knight in shining armour, but simply, the strength for us to carry on when the going gets tough. 

Here’s to all the extraordinary people in my life. Cheers.

Picture taken off Flickr.com. Originally Uploaded on February 19, 2008 by vaneska~tHOmz

Here’s wishing everyone a great 2009 ahead!

Never been a believer of so called New Year Resolutions, if there is something you want to do, i say, JUST DO IT! There’s no better time than right there and then. Why wait till the beginning of a new year, when all is chill and relaxed, is the prime time to take a good break.. Hardly the time to start doing something..

Set goals, and get going! Happy New Year one and all!

Picture taken off Flickr.com. Originally Uploaded on January 1, 2006 by asmundur