Others Plus Training Log - Up to Oct 3, 2009

IT stuff:

Just recently I installed Snow Leopard (SL) on this and my father's computer, as well as maxing out all of the computers in the family by buying 2 pieces of 2 GB laptop RAM (Abah 2 GB, Adib 4 GB, and me 3GB). I have to say that I very much like Snow Leopard, especially with the maxed out RAM. Performance is fast throughout, and the computer has remained relatively cool; i.e. the OpenCL must be diverting a lot of the processes from the computer. I've done some experimenting compiling Wesnoth (I'll take a bit further later), and I have never yet seen the CPU go 100%, ever. Anything that keeps the computer cooler is better in the long run, as the hot weather of Malaysia can definitely fry more than 1 computer with heavy usage (my late PowerBook).

In line with the almost ready 64-bit-ness of SL (only the kernel is 32 bit default), I tried to do some Wesnoth compiling for 64-bit. Not a good idea. Most of the open source software is not that prepared for 64-bit, and I encountered problems in the first hurdle with SDL. Wesnoth uses SDL 1.2, which is from my research not compatible with compilation for 64-bit systems. SDL 1.3 is, but I'm not sure if it's compatible with Wesnoth. Once I have more time, I'll try experimenting again.

The new ClickToFlash for SL is more than amazing. It automatically detects Quicktime movies from Youtube even when viewing outside of it, which is amazing. It even has a download movie option displayed below the embedded movie.

But on the bad side, HP has abandoned scanning support for my HP Office Jet5510 AIO since Leopard, and temporarily did not support printing for it when I installed SL. Now my what was once upon a time a RM600 all in one can only print and no scan (still and forever) since about a year ago. F*ck, I'm changing brands when I get a new printer in the future.

Another bummer is that I forgot to make an archive of my Address Book and iCal stuff from my Leopard installation to use in SL; I elected to do a completely clean install of the system - I zero'ed out my HD, and installed SL, then manually brought back stuff from my account as well as apps. That was followed by erm, deleting my Time Machine backup before I realized what I did wrong. Oops. Lesson learned. It will take forever to replace some 4** something of contacts, as well as my comprehensive calendar. I'm not depressed even though I should, which is probably a good thing.

On Raya:

I'm still getting money, even though I probably look like I'm already stressed out by life, wife and kids. Need I say more?

Them IIUM medical batchmates forced me to wear baju Melayu for the Raya celebrations, which was a torture. Luckily I used a lot of deodorant/antiperspirant/whatever you call that shit, as so it wasn't too bad. Not using my T-Rex car did help. Anyone who complains of a hot car should take my car for a spin. Bring your bottled water to bathe while driving.

On Medicine:

It was 8.30 AM, and I saw a few sisters around a patient. Initially I thought they were my batchmates, but on further look, it turned out to be 3/4 housemen clerking a patient together! One did the clerking, one was the "supervisor" (with crossed-arms), while another appeared as the disinterested medical student. With 8 houseman per ward, it is pure heaven in Kuantan (about 6 on-calls per month in Surgery currently). Just 2 years ago, houseman had to come at 6.15 AM to cover the wards, as there weren't a lot of HO's. Now I've heard of HO's coming at 7.30, and still managing to cover the wards before the MO's come.

Any person who's ungrateful enough to not serve the country after seeing how it is so much easier now for doctors deserves a roundhouse to the face. Thank you Chua Soi Lek (but not for that accident though).

I still don't like general surgery after 3rd year and almost halfway through the posting in final year. I don't know why, but I hope it won't affect my efforts to study it. So far it's at par with Pediatrics, which is very poor at this stage of the posting, and so I'd say it's not too bad. Need to shift to second gear.

Random Thoughts:

At what stage is narcissism pathologic? Is it when someone has the nerve to say, "I don't lose; I just let others win"?

I'm not a fan of Man U, but they'll win, again. All because of a nasty son of a bitch named Ryan Giggs. You think he's playing like a man in his late 30's?

After Malaysia (again) helping out Indonesia, will the fanatics calm down already?

Too many people are obsessed with their weight. Try to eat healthily, and live healthily (aka get your ass of your chair) and things will sort themselves out. A "fat" but fit man is always more useful than a skinny weak sickling.

Training:

Training has continued as usual, with some bodyweight stuff during the Raya week to maintain strength, and this week, doing a proper 5/3/1, after only partially doing it before the Raya break. This particular cycle is just to get rep PR's - last half cycle I aimed for +3 reps in the final sets, and this cycle I'm aiming for +4. So far I'm getting them (last week was at-least-5-reps-week-at-85%1RM). I have also simplified my training further, giving me conditioning work within the 4-day a week setup. This gives me more time for stuff that matters, like wasting time.

Mon:

Deadlifts - Up to 100 kg x 9 reps

SLDL - 3 x 6 x 50 lb each leg

Front Plank with Salutes - 3 x 10 salutes

Active scapular depression on the dip station - 3 x I don't remember, 13 maybe, just as prehab

Wed:

Bench Press - Up to 61 kg x 9 reps

Pushups with 2 sec pause at bottom - 3 x 10

Inverted Row - 3 x 10

Conditioning - Alwyn Cosgrove style (f-you, Alwyn for making a good complex), with an empty Olympic bar (45 lb)

Yesterday (Fri):

Front Squat - Up to 69 kg x 9 reps. I divided these into a few "minisets" (5-3-1) as I couldn't control the bar for multiple reps using the clean grip. The lifts themselves didn't near failure.

Pistol squats - 3 x 6 each leg

Pallof Press - 3 x 5 each side with cable at 29 kg

Face pulls - 3 x 10 at 11 kg

Today (Sat):

Standing Shoulder Press - Up to 37 kg x 9 reps

DB Shoulder Press - 3 x 8 x 35 lb. Too heavy as assistance, and I will lower the weight to 30 lb for the next 2 weeks.

Chinups - 3 x 5

Conditioning - Alwyn Cosgrove complex like Wed

Tomorrow I'll hopefully be joining others in climbing Bukit Panorama at 5.30 AM, followed by a deadlift session on Monday, up to a target of 7 reps with 106 kg, not to mention that I did some light (60 kg) deadlifting for reps to demo to some fellow gym members. Let's see if the Raya dinner with the batchmates help me recover in time!

Sitting Toilets and Pea-Sized Brains

We Malaysians have got to be one of the most effingly stupid people on this planet.

Look, I understand that sitting toilets aren't the greatest gift to Southeast Asia. Sure, Westerners have the leg up in body size. But there's one thing we beat them hands down: hip mobility. Anyone from babies (well, toddlers if you want to nitpick) to grannies can squat ass to heels, on flat feet no less.

But ask any westerner to do this who is not an athlete, and he will end up falling back, standing on his head with his girlfriend's high heels stuck in the back of his neck (not a pleasing sight). Their hips are as stiff as a piece of wood. And sitting toilets promote this, by promoting sitting instead of squatting, which leads to inhibited glutes (hence needing high heels to achieve the nice butt look in their girls). Thus sitting toilets are a threat to our "athletic" advantage.

But but but this is not a reason to treat sitting toilets as squatting toilets. Stop squatting on the sitting rim, especially with your filthy shoes on, you morons! Sometimes I wish that the toilet would just break under your weight, with the ceramic acting as a knife to cut through your flesh, and if needed, bone. That might teach you a lesson. Learn to use the sitting toilet correctly. Cars and motorcycles achieve the same objectives, but do it in different manners, and thus are used differently with their own separate advantages and disadvantages. In the same line, don't treat different toilets in the same manner. And since we so love squatting toilets, keep at least 1 at your home so that we can keep using what we prefer.

The sitting toilet is staying here for a long while. Learn to live with it.

Crappy TMNet

Turns out that there was a reason why I (and my father among others) could not send out email via our desktop email clients using non-TMNet email providers (including Yahoo!, gmail, etc.). Turns out that  TMNet specifically blocked the SMTP traffic and port 25 for clients using such non-Streamyx email providers (as a spam-blocking measure as they claim).

Really stupid and annoying, as I never knew that it was the problem until I googled it.

Fortunately, there's a way to solve this provided by adding smtp-proxy.tm.net.my to your list of SMTP servers. This is how you do it in Mail 3.0 (Mac OS X):

Step 1: Go to accounts and edit your outgoing server information

Step 2: Add the additional server and related information.

Step 3: All should be okay from there

Everything else should be similar with other desktop email clients.

Abdullah Badawi Surrounded by Hungry Falcons

It's good to see Malaysia in the news, especially the Economist: it means that the country is significant in a way. 

It's not good when the news is about Abdullah Badawi's struggles in holding on to power. It's a safe bet that he'll be gone in a year's time. Among those aiming to unseat him from UMNO are Ku Li and Najib. A remote possibility is seeing him replaced by Anwar Ibrahim, assuming at least mass UMNO defections from the Parliamentary Seats to the Alternative Front. The future of Malaysia will not be stable/assured as even during the 1999 period, at least until Pak Lah confirms his hold to power. But it's interesting nevertheless, as Malaysian politics is moving forward progressively to one that is more dynamic and balanced. This is despite the mainstream press being biased to the core, adequately compensated by internet news available to the Malaysian youth who are quickly becoming the majority of the Malaysian population.

Total disclaimer: I am against Najib as PM, regardless of who are the alternatives. This excerpt from the linked article says it best as to why:

Mr Najib, however, has challenges of his own: his political adviser and two officers from a police unit that reports to him are on trial for the murder of a Mongolian fashion model. Though not accused himself, Mr Najib's prospects may be fatally damaged by the case.

Read the comments too, as they're quite interesting as well.