The Chronicle of Buying a New Computer, Part 1

Some time earlier this year, I decided to start a project: I wanted to buy my own PC. I had already bought my laptop a year ago. It can pretty much run any game from circa 2006 and before. But I was becoming envious of my friends being able to run the latest games while I was stuck with Red Alert 2 and Warcraft 3 (the latter had to be at the lowest setting as possible).

Unlike a PC where you could pretty much remove and install new and better components whenever you had the budget for it, laptops aren't as flexible. The only thing you could really improve is the RAM. And although it made my laptop run faster than before, it still isn't enough for me.

We have an old computer, a Pentium 4 that we bought 5 years ago. It's still faster than some computers I've used at the office which are dual core PCs. But I wanted MY own computer, bought with MY own money and has all the features I want. It's pretty much the same reason I bought my laptop. Because I didn't want anyone else using it but me.

See, our old computer - let's call her Sally (it was the first name that popped in my mind) - was a wreck. We don't know what happened but she just wouldn't turn on. Before she stopped working, she made this weird clicking and whirring sound that I hadn't heard before before she finally gave up and...died.

Well, she didn't really die. She just needed a transplant. Turns out, her motherboard got fried. So we bought her a new one that caused one major incident - it stopped working. Good thing the store replaced it, no questions asked.

It took almost 6 months for that to happen because all the computer stores we went to told us they didn't have a compatible motherboard for a Pentium 4, LGA 775 socket.

It turns out they didn't know shit. It turns out that almost ANY motherboard that has a LGA 775 socket can run our processor if they had bothered to read the manual that came along with it. It turns out I know more about computers than they do.

See, I had actually done some research. I acutally read up on processors, motherboards and GPUs. I actually looked up what chipsets do and who makes them. I bothered to read articles on what teraflops, clockspeeds and die-size were and how they affected performance.

And that, my dear reader, is one of the most important lesson in buying anything:

Do your research. Find out what you want and look for the product that has it. Make comparisons so you know which is more value for your money. Finally, ask questions and find out who knows more than you do.

Because you're the one who is going to end up paying for it. Literally.

Season of Turns

It's been a while since I've written here. I usually write on impulse because I find that words flow more easily when I do. When something hits me, I can't let it go until I've given people my two cents. Not that I care about who reads it but I have to put it out there.

There's been a lot of things going on since my last entry. Things that have changed me; my family and friends have noticed it. I can't really point out what it was but I do have some ideas.

It all began at work. Well, most of my issues usually start at the office. Recently, a lot of changes have been going on that have made working at my current company...difficult. So difficult, in fact, I've taken steps to look for another job. I've only been with my current company for 8 months but I don't feel like I belong there.

Don't get me wrong, I like the people I work with. Well, most of them. But the recent changes make me wonder why I'm working for people who don't seem to know what they are doing. No, that's not precisely true. They know WHAT they are doing, they just DON'T CARE about the consequences of their actions. Mainly, who gets the pick up the pieces.

But the fact is, no matter how hospitable they are, I so out of place. The culture is different from what I had experienced in my previous line of work; I feel that I am at a disadvantage there. Professionally, I don't think they like me very much. I don't want to talk about the specifics because I feel that it is...unethical for me to do so. But I think you get the idea.

The other thing that happened was looking at my paycheck and finding it...insufficient for my needs. The truth is, I took a significant pay-cut when I took my job. I thought that I would be earning the same amount as before after I got regularized but it turns out I didn't even get more than a thousand pesos.

I've been penny-pinching a lot. I've skipped lunch most of the time and have forgone eating out with my friends. I've started budgeting my money - which is a good thing - but it just shows how low my salary is for the work that I do and the trouble it causes me.

Now, I'm resorting to other means to supplement my income. I've thought of selling some of my old stuff but there just isn't anything worth putting on sale. Unlike my brother who likes to buy gadgets that can be sold again, I don't have anything like that. I have books and comics but that's about it. I've checked eBay and found that they don't really sell for anything.

So I've applied online for a job as a writer. I don't know what that's going to get me but I do hope it's something I can do and earn some money on. It would be nice for it to tide me over, especially if I decide to quit my current job.

I've also started betting on the lottery. I thought to myself, if some stranger can win it big, why not me? I pretty much know what I'll spend that money on: my family, my friends and myself.

I've also gotten obsessed with getting a new PC. It's part of the reason why I've started looking to get more money. I think I've pretty much started bothering people with questions about FSB, G-stepping and DDR3. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't hit yourself over the head. I didn't know what those things meant a month ago.

Well, there you have it. My first three months of 2009. Enjoy!

My Pillow, My Chocolate Chip, My Fudge

...I'm running out of things to call you.

Pretty soon, you'll be my everything. :)

Why do Relationships Fail?

Sam and I had an interesting conversation the other day. It's a common topic: why do relationships fail. We both agreed that communication is the key and that by not talking about what people want in a relationship, they end up making mistakes that ruin it.

But the question is, why don't people want to talk things out? I believe it's because people are afraid. Talking can lead to honesty and honesty leads to vulnerability. People, for the most part, don't like being vulnerable because they get hurt, more often than not.

It's also about pride. To have that "conversation" means that there is something wrong and that's something most people would not want to admit. They don't want to think that they or their partner might be doing something wrong. They'd prefer to live in ignorant bliss than admit that what they have is less than perfect.

But just because relationships are not perfect, it doesn't mean that they can't work. You just have to understand whether or not it's worth the effort of maintaining. There are some relationships that are harmful for you but there are those that help you grow. And just because the relationship stops or changes, it doesn't mean that it failed.

A lot of us have a preconception of what a relationship is or how it should work. Take romantic relationships. A lot of us want our significant other to be our everything and vice-versa. Yet, have you ever really thought what that means? It means making that person depend on you. What happens when you go away or when the relationship works? What happens to your everything?

I'm not saying it's wrong. I'd congratulate any couple who could be each other's everything and stay together. But I've realized how much you are depriving that person of who they are by wanting to be so integral to their lives. Wouldn't you rather see that person live and grow and be everything he or she was meant to be? To be connected and yet be two separate beings?

The Best Title

So what should it be?












"Gardening with style?" or "Where does a brother get a woman?"

If you got something better, let me know.

Is this what highschool should have felt like?

Before there was an "us"

I'm feeling better now.

I can think about you without feeling a cold emptiness in my heart. I can even smile when I remember those moments you made me laugh or those times when the world was just you and I. I don't feel bitter at all. Why should I? The wonderful thing about happy memories is that they can never be tainted by our present.

However, like all mistakes, there's just the tiniest twinge of regret because I know that I'll never have memories with you like that again. They become missed opportunities, like forgetting to bring a raincoat when you knew it was going to rain today.

But then I realized I'm not alone. A friend comes to the rescue, ready to share an umbrella. It's not big enough for the both of us to stay dry, but it's not so bad getting wet together.

So forgive me if I delete your old messages, hide away our pictures and keep to myself for a while. We can still be friends but I think I should keep my distance. There's just not enough room in my life for you right now. And I don't want to stay where I'm not welcome.

In time, things will go back the way they used to be...

Before there was an "us".