Mystery of Riccardo's Toshiba Satellite's "cock-up"

THE PROBLEM:

Recently I have been experiencing start-up problem with my Toshiba Satellite A105-S4014 laptop brought just 1 month ago. Everytime the system boot to "WINDOW XP" loading screen, it suddenly flickers to the Blue Screen Of Death and the whole system restarted itself from the BIOS. This problem repeat itself for don't know how many donkey times before the laptop finally boot into the OS.

Upon shutting down and turning the laptop back-on, the problem occurs again much to my frustrations. This prompted me to buy an external harddisk, the "Western Digital MyBook 250GB Essential Edition", just to back-up approx 30GBs of documents, videos, photos and illegally downloaded PC games before I attempt to restore the laptops to factory default using the provided Toshiba Recovery Disc.

Much to my astonishments and surprise and another round of frustrations, the blue screen of death appears again upon loading the recovery disc. The saving point this time is that instead of only blinking and rebooting the laptop, the "Blue Screen Of Death" froze on the window, giving me the oppurtunity to read the error text which simply summarize as "There is something wrong with the drivers of your hardware, please restart and boot to SAFE MODE".

SAFE MODE is neither save at all. It was still plauged by the same problem mentioned earlier, blue screen of death and restarting. I can't boot into the OS, I can't recover the laptop and I can't go into SAFE MODE. The last option is to let the professional at the warranty center do their jobs and survive the next one week without my source of entertainment, news, music and pure boredom killer machine.

I resort to putting the laptop to SLEEP mode instead of shutting down the moment I manage to boot it into Windows XP. This actually safe me the nightmare of experiencing the "rebooting" routine. However its really a temporary solution and does not tackle the root cause or solve any mystery at all.

THE DIAGNOSTICS/SOLUTION

Unfortunately, the SLEEP mode does not help. On few occasion I bootup the laptop from SLEEP mode, the Wireless Network/ LAN system fail to work and I have to do a fresh power restart unless I forgo using the Internet. This bring everything back to square one, back to the problem again.

By some miracle intervention, the thought of disabling the "Built-In LAN" option from the BIOs came into my mind. Surprise to see that by disabling it, I actually could go into Windows with a single boot. Just to be sure that this is the right medicine to the illness, the enable the "Built-In LAN" option and boot up the laptop. 3 times it fails to enter Windows XP and that Strike 3 and a OUT. Disabling the Built-In LAN, the laptop sucessfully went into the OS on 3 seperate Power On boot. The fault can now be simulated and it can be terminated. Strangely, I am still able to use the Internet despite turning the LAN system Off in the system BIOS.

Now the Toshiba Laptop works as smooth as the first time I got it. However a shroud of mystery still exist as to-

Why the fault existed (was it a hardware, software or BIOs problem)?

Why the disabling of the "Built-In LAN" option effectively ends the problem?

Why am I still able to connect to the Internet wirelessly despite disabling "Built In LAN"?


Thus I am sending this blog entry to Toshiba Technical Support for an answer.

Why I am so tired and why I am piss off

SUPER DUPER SHAG week this is… I was literally the One Man Show, One Man Soldier, Lone Ranger and I don’t know what else. Feel really lonely working alone, how I wish there was some one to talk to all the time during work. Sometime, one can over focus on his work and miss out the details around him. Its like driving on the expressway at 160km/hr., your vision becomes narrow. Having someone beside you will be helpful in warning you that you are going too fast, alert you of the danger, caution you of your mistake. To be frank, my experience level is still 60/100, and I do hope that the seniors can tag along with me during work more often.

Shag I might be, but the weather was super fine today! Cloudy summer sky brings the temperature down to 32 degrees and its breezy out there and me hungry to job along my favorite route. So I hydrate myself, took an energy filling Bananas and off for the 2 miles run. Thanks to the years of running training, I manage to complete the run despite having only six hours of sleep yesterday night. Next, I join in the Basketball games with Edwin, Eric and my room mate, Ricky. I like to keep the momentum of the games in a fast pace thus I was literally running and falling around the basketball court making the fast breaks and sneaking a steal here and there. I must say my shooting skill is totally “Lao Ya” most of the “near the hoop” shot did not score a goal at all. Whatever I score on that day was purely luck or “Tai Go” as the Hokkien like to say it. I think I was going too fast for the game and for my own Situation Awareness during the game cause Eric ask me to slow down my pace, think before making the run and passes.

By that time I was totally shag out after 3 rounds of game and obviously my pace have slow down a bit. That’s when I learn,

Sometimes its not about going fast in life cause it make you tired easily, its about slowing down sometimes and think before you act. Its about efficiency in playing the game and not wasting the energy running around like a Duracell Battery Bunny.

I'll keep Eric’s advise in mind. In any case it was really a fun and lots of laughter games but do like to apologize if I cause any aggressive harm to the opponents. Ha ha. After the game, I was so tired that I literally just sad down in the living room, quietly, drinking a bottle of Gatorade. Totally lost all of the strength to even walk to the bath room...

Sometimes people in your life can really piss you off like shit. I always attempt to tolerate certain people piss off behavior, faces and words because I believe that there are always some good in them and it just take a little bit more patient and tolerance just to know them better. You never know, the guy you hate or feel disgusted in the beginning might be you best of friend or colleague or buddy after a while. HOWEVER, there are just some people that always try to break you tolerance limits and threaten to flare that temple in me. This kind of people you really need to go home everyday and meditate just to cleanse those “Piss Off” juice in your body to prevent a serious volcanic eruption the next day you met him/her. My volcano have not erupted yet but don’t tempt me to do so man. Sigh….temple flaring again with those words I type, better go read my Buddhism books to gain some PEACE.

Hokkien Songs

Hokkien Song remind me of my young-kid times when I sat in my father's Honda Civic and he was like blasting Chen Lei songs throughout the trips. There is actually lots of nice hokkien song that we thought are just plain noisy in the past. Now, listening it on the road, blasting like those Ah Bengs, make you feel really different from the mainstreams youngsters. Hokkien song can give you that very mature uncle look.

Ha ha My favourite is still this one... (click on the link for the songs)

爱拼才会赢 lossly translated as "Love to push the limits, and you win".
风很好 means "Weather is F***ing go0d".
有影无 I guess means 'Wu Yia Bo" / "Are you sure? "

Imagine the look of those Ang Mos, especially the Blacks who like to pump up those rap music on the road, when a old car stop besides them and blast Hokkien Song.... ha ha

Chef of the day

This is how he look like if he goes University and cook in a dorm.

We draw straws and Ricky picky the shortest one. That make him Chef of the Day!!! I tell you man, Ricky is really a miracle boy when it comes to kitchen. Ching Cai Ching Cai cook also can come up with something that really capture the taste buds. To be frank, I am not fussy with what I eat but I swear he got that natural talent in him! Ha ha...super flattering...

Although there is no 色but 香and 味 is still there, pretty enough for guys like us who don't have our mum, wife or girlfriend cooking for us plus the kind of tight schedules we have in PP Det. In any cases,

Not matter how good we guys cook,
nothing beats a women's food.

Superman! Wheres your clothes??

Just finish watching Superman Returns but discovered not much of an insight of how Superman was born or how he was created or grown up in the farm house to be the Super hero everyone knows about. I expect the movie to show the birth of Superman just like how Peter Parker become Spiderman in the Spiderman movie. Guess everyone have to instead watch Smallville to know those stuff. Anyway, kind of adorable to see a man in a 80s (or was it 70s) super hero suits. I reckon no superheros will consider wearing underwear on a mission in our current context. Something well armored will be prefered.

An interesting thoughts I have about the movie.

1) Superman have a wardrode malfunction
Notice that everytime there was a Call of Nature, erm...sorry Call of Emergency (but it occur naturally to Superman anyway) He just rip off his clothes in a telephone booth or maybe the toilet and just took off! I am sure he is not wearing any expensive designers brand but I'm sure he just drop off his ripped off shirt and pants than took off without returning to pick it up. He don't get paid for his super hero moonlighting and he work as a nerdy reporter thus conclusion is he never wear expensive designers brand since where can he get the money to find the replacement?

Back to his house, he must have big wardrode to place all his replacement clothings brought cheaply from Walmart or JC Penny or Giordano or even Pasar Malams. He need a big wardrode cause with all those trouble going around the world, our superhero just can afford to go shopping like us every weekend.

2) Superman suit is also "SUPER"
In the name of science, how come the mini guns bullet does not create burn mark on his suit and poke holes in his capes? See how he fly faster than the speed of sound and those red capes does not tattered? I understand Superman is a man or an Alien beyond Science but hey man....he drop from Space in a capsule totally naked in the beginning scene and now he dones a blue suit with red capes and underwear. SUPER sure that those suits are home made and not of Batman's armored grades causes he is not like batman who have a scientist/Engineer to built his equipment. Those suit must be cloth! The director of Superman Returns is still stuck in the 70s/80s mood deciding that people not only will believe in an invulnerable hero but also an invulnerable clothings. Mr Director, this is the 90s please have a bit more consideration...we don't mind Superman and his dorky Underwear,....at less make his suit less than "SUPER". Or just tell us those colors are just his skins.

Stronger than Steel, and so is his suit.

Saturday activities

1-- Morning. Teach Cpt Bertrand driving.

2-- Go scout for a new (second hand vehicle) for Dave Lim. He is still pretty handicapped in Dallas without his car.

3-- Grapevine Mall for shopping. Shopping for new shorts. Old ones shrink in the dryer. Look really gay when I wear it.

4-- Evening. Head to Arch Stone Apartment to fish at the river. Hopefully catching that elusive Bass.

My Work

My Aircraft Work is as tiring as BMT
But...Signing 1400 is as easy as PSLE
However...Audit is as scrutinizing as DEGREE
So... PP2 Career is far BEYOND me.

Sunday fishing and Cabela Shopping

I head out for another weekend fishing trip to Marshal Creek at 6am in the morning last Sunday (yesterday). This time I'm sure I am going to catch my first Bass cause its a known fact that fishes like to swim inear the surface of the cool early morning water. Its summer right now and only time the water is ever cooler is the early period of sun rise when the water have not been expose to the the strong day time heat since dusk 6 hours ago.

Either the summer was just too hot to allow the river to cool significantly or I am just not lucky enough on Sunday. A side from the sensation of fish bitting away at the "PowerBaits" plastic worms, and numerous fish poping up the surface right before my eyes, I caught nothing at all for this trip and lost 1 Spinner Baits (the US$1 I got from Wal-mart). Same goes for Siew Siew who see score zero for this fishing trip. You Cai was pretty satisfied with his palm size catch late into our fishing trip. It was the only catch of the day and was safely release back into the while, surviving another day in the hands of the Angler and probably growing to 20inch long in months to come.

Its so small, you hardly see the fish in the pics.

We headed down to Cabela "The World Foremost Outfitter", a huge outdoor sports shop where you can find anythings on Fishing, Hunting, Archery, Water Sports, Camping...anything that Americans need to get to satisfy their crave for the outdoor life. Americans LOVE the outdoors, this super store is just one of the many around USA that stock up outdoor stuff. Others name I can remember of are SportsMan Warehouse, Sports Authourity, Academy, OutdoorsMan warehouse.




I really went "WOW" and "WILD" when I entered Cabela, just look at the size of it! Its like the size of Suntec City's Carrefour. And besides shopping, they got a walkthrough Aquarium, A mini Gun Museum, Hunting Museum with those signiture Dead Animal head hanging on the wall and a life like replica of the different forest with really cool looking, man-made, popularly hunted animals displayed in natural poses. This store consist of different zones related to outdoor life, the fishing zone, archery zone, hunting zone, clothings, Guns and rifles.

This is truly a place where you can't afford to window shop cause there is surely something for to buy. Lets put it this way, people are travelling miles away just to get to this store located away from cities and towns. Absolutely cannot go home empty handed. I spend a modest US$18 on fishing lures and lines. Could have spend more to buy a bow, some arrows, a rifle and a Glock pistol if I lost my shopping discipline.

Highlight of the day was the 1.oopm Bass feeding session. Althought I did not catch any Bass today, it was really fun to watch the Cabela's Staff diving into the Aquarium and feeding this fierce fish with goldfish. Watching him releasing the goldfish one by one and letting those bass chase after that poor thing really make the kids right here all excited and chatty about it. Man....those Ang Mo kids really went through a LIVE lesson on preys and predators...poor Goldfish, living their moments in chases and ending in the mouth of the Bass, probably still alive, for a few seconds.

Don't mess around with this fierce fish, except with your fishing rods.

Video of the feeding session

Great SAF promotional Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5JZAX_mLQM&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fAb7syHHmY&search=saf

What a great way to show the real and fun side of the SAF! Kudos to this guys.

好人有好报。Good deeds create good karma

Do you believe in Cause and Effects, Good Karma and bad karma? I read few books on Buddhism and I have choose to believe it and also diligently practice good deeds that will bring good Karma not only to me in the present life but to my next reincarnation. GoodKarma is like an investment bank, the more you invest good deeds in it, the better future rewards you reap, not alway $$$ but things like a Happy family, love life, a rewarding job, a healthy body, less sickness, less anger, more good and helpful people around you...etc etc. However, good karma like any good money investment in real life may not always seem so easy at first, especially for grown up adults like us who have went through much mental pollution through out our 20,30 or 40 years of life. Pollution like Greed, Lust, Anger, Gossiping, is easy to get into our body system than it is to purge. In other words, this 3 element are the basis to the creation of Bad Karma.

Bad Karma is just like the casino, you take a bet on things in life hopping not to get caught or just have no care at all about what will happen to your Karma (money in casino term). As you know, gambling is mostly a sure loss situation thus making bad deeds or commiting adultery, stealing, quarreling, cheating bound to bring you retribution, result of bad karma, in times to come. Kind of complex and complicated, you might say. So lets have a bit of a real life example.

Yesterday, a young man approaches me at at Automobile accessories shop and ask if I was Vietnamese. This guy looks like an Afro-American (black) guy but don't speak like a "brother" at all. I just replied that I am a pure kampong born Singaporean from a land far far away that was once called Temasek and ask him what I could do for him. He speak neither Texan English nor International English thus it was hard to know what he needed from me. It took sometime for me to tune myself to his style of broken English. Apparently, this guy was a mix Vietnamese and Black American, his Vietnamese native mum came to US with his G.I Joe dad, and together with the divination of God, they created him who is now having a bit of a trouble cause his car is screwed up by a unprofessional Mexican car mechanics who forgotten to tighten his van engine oil reservoir. The mess= An overheated car, empty engine oil reservoir and no money to buy any engine oil.

No wonder he approaches me, I am the only Asian guy in the store and the rest of the people aroundis either white or Hispanic. Probably thought that if I was Vietnamese, it will be easier to get help from me instead of the white who probably might bias againts mix race people. At first I just pretend that I do not understand him and apologize that I could not help him buy 2 bottle of Engine oil which only cause 4 bucks, I thought he look like a bad guy who might just want to lure me out of the store to rob me. However a few mins later, I saw him still in the store, looking pretty distress and trying to get help from the automobile accessories shop staff. Recalling how the 2 ladies from the UPS store helped me jump-start my car 1 month ago although they were busy at work and I was a total stranger to them, my selfless instinct took over from the cautional side of me and I approach him again offering to help him purchase 2 bottles of Engine oil on my account. I watches as those Golden fluid enters the smoky van engine and the vehicle coming back to life despite having to crank the engine many times. I could almost spot those distress emotion disappearing from his face with a glimpse of smile and relieve.

He shook my hand tightly and said thank me so many time that I lost count.Althought those hands were covered with dirt, you could really feel the sincerity and gratefulness in it. I watch as he drove out to the main road, before heading back to the store, back to another my own world again.

Today, it was the other way round, I was in distress... I was desperate....I thought I lost my apartment remote control which cause me US$30. I thought I left it in the gym but it was not. I search the entire car and my entire apartment....the washing machine, my dirty laundry... its still MIA. Than I called Leng Chuan and ask him to search the drive way in front of his garage.... in vain. I resigned myself to faith, decided that it lost for good. Than Hwa Chuan called me to ask about some computer question and as the usual Riccardo will do, tell him about what happen. Coincidently, Dave drop his remote control in his car just now when we went out for dinner together, and Hwa Chaun found not one remote, but 2 remote controls. Wow....since when did my remote control appear in his car miraculously? I never keep it in my pocket...its either in the car, or at home or in my hands when in use.

I think its karma at work....

The two "Chuan" from my section,
Lin Chuan on the left and Hwa Chuan on the right

Dave, acting blur...

ME!!!

Today's Dish and my Playseats...

--Minced Meat Bean Paste Fried Toufu with Clams--

--My Racing Simulation Project--
What I still need here is a good set of TV, LCD ideally, 2 Speakers and a Subwoofer to finish my Home Entertainment Project.

Read and Understand than do

Whats wrong with the education system? Whats wrong with people who are good at memorizing the entire text book and go for examination without missing a single sentence, word by word? Why are people stuck in dead-end jobs, earning the salary but doing meaningless stuff? Why are people taking certain action and got no desireable outcome? Why do we feel that some jobs are "Sai Gang" (Shit job?)

People simply did not follow the 3 simple step of "READ", "UNDERSTAND" and "DO". This 3 steps brings meaning to things that we do, job that we take and education that we undergo.

READ=Finding your new job, new task, Finding your new girlfriend...
UNDERSTAND= Are you qualified for and like the job? Is she the right women?
DO= Sign up for the job. Getting Married.

"READ" without "UNDERSTANDING" is useless. A waste of your time in-front of the book when the time can be spend on something else more meaningful, like exercising or just spending time doing something else that you have already "UNDERSTOOD". UNDERSTANDING is the "Why" of READING. Ask yourself, do you even understand what does our National Song, Majulah Singapure mean? There is no "UNDERSTANDING" of it but most are still doing it.

"READ" without "UNDERSTANDING" than "DOING" it is senseless and dangerous. Its like riding a motorbike, knowing the look of a clutch, throttle and brakes but can't figure out if the left lever is the brake or the clutch and the next thing you know, you hit the car infront of you because you pull the clutch instead of the brakes.

Imagine getting to know this new girl in town, without even going through thick and thins together, you and her went ahead to hear the church bell ringing, the pastor greetings and your future suddenly become gloomy. Thats lack of UNDERSTANDING... and leading cause of divorce and mistress.

The wise guy never eat the wild berry straight away just by READing its color and texture... he dig further and UNDERSTAND about it, recalling lessons, taking a little bite of taste and poison test. Only when he truly UNDERSTOOD about the berry, will he than satisfy his hunger with a big bite.


Looking down from the cliff is the deep blue sea, or was it just shallow water dyed in blue? Dive or not to Dive, thats the question. How can we UNDERSTAND what lies beneth the cliff, when we are up here READING it? Simply READ and UNDERSTAND than DO.

End of Monday

Nothing can end a day of work better than a plate of home cooked spheggetti icook tomatoes, onion, garlic and canned luncheon meats. And for dessert....I got my all time favourite BEN & JERRY ice cream! It cost S$9~$11.50 per pint in Singapore but only cost me US$2.50 right here!!! I could literally eat this everyday and grow fat, if I could.

Mmmm..... Ice Cream..... nice ice cream....from BEN & JERRY




Once you start eating it out of the pint, you really got to have great discipline not to finish the whole pint and leave some for tomorrow. This ice cream is pretty special but I am not gonna dwell into details on its texture and taste which is EXCELLENT and beyond what ever supermarket shit you can find in Singapore. SPECIAL FEATURE= Does not harden when you place it in the freezer... the ice cream looks kiddy in packaging but thats exactly one of it attraction point in Supermarket among hundred of other brands that just look too original to stand out for attention at all.

Keeping those used pint container for my balcony garden project coming spring.

Fireworks Video and more pictures!

Sigh.... realise the video link in my previous "Firework" blog entry was not working. I actually thought that by directly linking to my Yahoo! Briefcase, I could actually let you guys view the firework videos. Somehow it does not work. Than I found www.box.net, which gave me 25GB of online storage space FREE when I sign up for a file storage account. So here again are the links to not just 2 but 3 videos of the firework we have on 4th of July. Unfortunately, I am not able to upload other more exciting videos because the free account only allow me to upload file that are 10MB or less.

FIREWORKS 1

FIREWORKS 2

FIREWORKS 3

4th of July Fireworks!!!

Our firework adventure on the eve of Independence day was both exciting and pretty dangerous. Apart from the aerial displays, we nearly burn the entire ground!!! I was really dumb enough to recon and find a nice spot for firework away buildings but full of short dry grasses. 2 firework did not launch properly and caused a mini bush fire on the ground. The only thing that redeemed me from Full Stupidity was my intiative to bring along a few bottles of water and a pail and also choosing a spot near the river to release fireworks. Thanks to two of our "Fire Gods" Dave and my roommate Ricky for the gift of fire, it took the full effort of 6 strong man to smoother those flames and embers.

Luckily we did not have to call 911 or resort to desperate measure "跑路”. However 2 Encik decided to "跑路” halfway through the fun, probably scared off by the 2 mini-inferno. That, I could not blame them, their pension is at stake and their 55 years old career could come to an abrupt end from the action of a few crazy kids. Anyway, a thousand apology to them. Sometime losing a job is worst than losing your life. Edwin, although securing the second half of his RSAF career was courageous enough to stay on for the night, and it was all fun and GAIR-Free (our air force term for non flying related accident) for the rest of the night. We fired so much shots into the sky that we ought to be hanged if it was done in Singapore.

We could have stay on longer to finish up all our fireworks but the area was already infested with Mosquitoes. We were concern about having 80% of our section manpower on MC due to Malaria or Dengue fever, thus we called it a day.

Here are some of the photos I took from my camera... more to come soon when I get the rest from my colleagues.

Weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION

Kids just love fireworks.


Fire God Dave



Fire God Dave Level 1 Blaze spell

Supervising Officer ensuring tubes are lock and loaded

Ignited with pin-point precision.

Prelaunch photo taking.



The firework show (and the Chao Ta grass) was brought to you by P P Det Firework display section....

...together with Safety Office of the day, dressed in standard yellow.

....And here are a couple of LIVE fireworks video taken from my Sony Ericsson W800i. You got to turn you head to view the video cause I accidently took it the other way round.

FIREWORKS BARRAGE

SPARKLING FOUNTAIN

Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park