lucky guy on the way to France!

@ Friday, 31 July 2009

I mentioned in my blog many, many month ago about this fabulous senior. Who else? Caesar Chin Wai Cheung, of course! Bangga ia if he knows I blog about him. Hahaha.

Anyway, I regret to say I wasn't at Brunei International Airport to see him off just now. Sad. He said he wanted to pass me some Korean movie, but but BUT I'm such a bad junior I didn't even see him off! Gah!

Just dug out the links to my previous posts about him and where he is heading to now...take care Caesar! See ya...soon! :)

Me congratulating him: link
His life story from Brunei Times: link

By the way the picture is stolen from FaceBook, featuring his unique small eyes smile! :) I hope whoever who uploaded the photo won't suddenly saman me. That'll be bad. D:

Another CCWC post!

Labels: random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 3:25 PM | 0 Comments

The top secret earthquake

@ Thursday, 30 July 2009

I know I haven't blogged for a while and my best buddy Yamin is already whining about it, so I think I'll just post up something random here so I can get it off my mind.

I've recently got addicted to YouTube-ing. It was during my many YouTube sessions I discovered how good Wonder Girls are. They are, after all, produced by JYP who also produced Rain.

iHeart Rain's small eyes. That's what make him so irresistible. Anyway, I'm getting off topic here.

Wonder Girls are so damn good. I can't stop listening to Tell Me. Oh yess, I so want someone to tell me, but that's not the point. At least, not now anyways.

Now about the top secret earthquake, which is not really an earthquake but my first YouTube video open to public viewing. So yes I do have a YouTube account under reporter, LOL, I suppose I can call myself that? I've disabled embedding because I find the idea of my face being pasted on websites I don't know uncomfortable.

So here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aZ1yDCDSUI
This is the link to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/xinping2016

I hope Yamin is happy now. Another random post.

Labels: JYPE awestruck, random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 2:24 PM | 0 Comments

bored randomness

@ Thursday, 23 July 2009

Would your parents be mad if you were in a relationship? - were. Yes.
Person you last sent a text to? - Seize.
What's irritating you right now? - His battery is low, but I know he'll leech power from somewhere! =)
How many kids do you want? - Three.
What were you doin' to at 11pm last night? - Watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles.
What happened at 10:00 am today? - Just woke up, haha!
How many hours did you sleep last night? - 8 hours.
Does anyone call you baby? - My father and seize.
Did you hug anyone today? - Geh. No.
Would you get married if you could right now? - NO!
Are you in a good mood? - I'm OK.
Who was the last person you cried in front of? - Can't remember =S
What are you listening to? - Lady GaGa - Beautiful Dirty Rich
Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? - Yes =)
Do you wear glasses? - Nope.
Do you get 8 hours of sleep everyday? - Almost, I think.
Are you a forgiving person? - Most of the time. Depends.
How is life going for you right now? - Pretty cool.
Do you believe what goes around comes around? - Think so?
Who was the last person you ate with? - My mom.
When was the last time you saw your dad? - This morning.
Are you mad about anything? - No?
Do you miss anyone? - Hahaha. Adalah.
What was the last thing you did? - Reading. I was and am a boring person.
Do you hate being alone? - Sometimes.
Do you drink more water or juice? - Juice.
Are you the same person as you were at the beginning of 2008? - Yes and no.
When was the last time you felt like your heart was actually breaking? - April 08'
Looking forward to something this weekend? - More like next Monday actually =)
Do you hate it when people smoke around you? - I HATE SMOKERS.
Is there someone you will never forget? - Actually, everyone.
Where’s the guy/girl you love right now? - Gadong? LOL
Do you like waking up in the morning to find that you have new texts? - Yes =)
Are you a morning person or a night person? - Night
Do you like someone right now? - Meh, maybe? XD
Can you keep a secret? - Most of the time, yes.
Are you open with your feelings to people? - Maybe a bit too open at times.
What are you thinking right now? - I need to learn more HTML codes. Aarrgghh.

Labels: random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 5:46 AM | 0 Comments

DST or b.mobile?

@ Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Since I came back from UK my father had let me use his DST broadband. It was fast, and initially quite reliable, though I was unable to update my antivirus software.

Then suddenly it refused to work. Please bear in mind the broadband is unlimited. Or does 'unlimited' actually mean 'limited, but not many people will use this much MB anyway so we'll just call it unlimited'? Sounds very Bruneian, don't you think?

The four days without internet connection was unbearable. I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking, 'Gosh! I must have tons of emails in my inbox. And there'll be lots of notifications on FaceBook. Not to mention I wasn't online at all, he'll think I'm mad at him! This is not good!'

Unable to bear this torture inflicted by DST broadband any longer, I went to TelBru today and got myself a b.mobile broadband. Unlimited. (I hope they know what unlimited really means.) B$60 per month. HuaWei HSDPA broadband modem.

Back at home, I stared at the b.mobile broadband. B$60 per month is roughly the same price I pay for my 3 broadband back in UK - £25 is around B$63. A level scholars like me who own a 3 broadband will know it's a HuaWei HSDPA broadband modem as well. Only of a slightly different model.

I plugged the b.mobile broadband in, and the whole installation process took about 20 minutes (I even have lunch in the mean time). Then, the moment of truth.

In less then 15 seconds, I was online on MSN.
Then I tried to update my antivirus software.
"Downloading 156.76KB of 58.49MB..."
OK so the antivirus software is updating. Let's not jump up and down yet.
Google Chrome. How long does it take to load Google UK? (Sorry la Google Brunei)

Answer: less than 10 seconds.

So I actually like b.mobile broadband. I might change my mind, though, if their 'unlimited' turns out to be 'not-so-unlimited'.

Labels: random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 10:14 AM | 0 Comments

should we or should we not worry?

@ Wednesday, 15 July 2009

There have been lots of on-going debate on Global Warming. A report from Science Centric might make the environment-conscious think twice.

Global Warming: Our best guess is likely wrong
No one knows exactly how much Earth's climate will warm due to carbon emissions, but a new study this week suggests scientists' best predictions about global warming might be incorrect.

The study, which appears in Nature Geoscience, found that climate models explain only about half of the heating that occurred during a well-documented period of rapid global warming in Earth's ancient past. The study, which was published online today, contains an analysis of published records from a period of rapid climatic warming about 55 million years ago known as the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum, or PETM.

'In a nutshell, theoretical models cannot explain what we observe in the geological record,' said oceanographer Gerald Dickens, a co-author of the study and professor of Earth science at Rice University. 'There appears to be something fundamentally wrong with the way temperature and carbon are linked in climate models.'

During the PETM, for reasons that are still unknown, the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere rose rapidly. For this reason, the PETM, which has been identified in hundreds of sediment core samples worldwide, is probably the best ancient climate analogue for present-day Earth.

In addition to rapidly rising levels of atmospheric carbon, global surface temperatures rose dramatically during the PETM. Average temperatures worldwide rose by about 7°C - about 13°F - in the relatively short geological span of about 10,000 years.

Many of the findings come from studies of core samples drilled from the deep seafloor over the past two decades. When oceanographers study these samples, they can see changes in the carbon cycle during the PETM.

'You go along a core and everything's the same, the same, the same, and then suddenly you pass this time line and the carbon chemistry is completely different,' Dickens said. 'This has been documented time and again at sites all over the world.'

Based on findings related to oceanic acidity levels during the PETM and on calculations about the cycling of carbon among the oceans, air, plants and soil, Dickens and co-authors Richard Zeebe of the University of Hawaii and James Zachos of the University of California-Santa Cruz determined that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by about 70 percent during the PETM.

That's significant because it does not represent a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Since the start of the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels are believed to have risen by about one-third, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels. If present rates of fossil-fuel consumption continue, the doubling of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels will occur sometime within the next century or two.

Doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide is an oft-talked-about threshold, and today's climate models include accepted values for the climate's sensitivity to doubling. Using these accepted values and the PETM carbon data, the researchers found that the models could only explain about half of the warming that Earth experienced 55 million years ago.

The conclusion, Dickens said, is that something other than carbon dioxide caused much of the heating during the PETM. 'Some feedback loop or other processes that aren't accounted for in these models - the same ones used by the IPCC for current best estimates of 21st Century warming - caused a substantial portion of the warming that occurred during the PETM.'

Source: Science Centric

Labels: environment obsession

Jolene Wong blogged @ 6:39 AM | 0 Comments

My Weird Taste in Music

@ Tuesday, 14 July 2009

This is the playlist I listen to most on my black and beautiful Samsung i8510. I (a) have a bad taste in music, according to Fauzan, (b) am only interested in dirty songs, according to Ili Aqilah, and (c) have a great taste in music, according to Ain who listen to the same type of music I listen to. So let's kick dumbasses like Fauzan and Ili aside and rock along with my playlist!

Within Temptation - What Have You Done
Canberries - Zombie
Linkin Park - Faint
Linkin Park - One Step Closer
Linkin Park - Papercut
YUI - How Crazy
YUI - Jam
YUI - again
Will.I.Am - I Got It From My Mama
Blue - Fly By
Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
Britney Spears - Break The Ice
Britney Spears - Candy From Strangers
Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U
Britney Spears - Radar
Britney Spears - Toxic
Britney Spears - Womanizer
Cassie - U Got Long Way 2 Go
Coldplay - Trouble
Crazy Town - Butterfly
Frankie J & Baby Bash - Obsession (remix)
30 Seconds To Mars - Was It A Dream
BoA - Eat You Up
BoA - Obsession
BoA - Touched
BoA - Hypnotic Dancefloor
Lady GaGa - Beautiful Dirty Rich

Labels: random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

nightmare for the environment-conscious

@ Monday, 13 July 2009

Greening the Internet:
How much CO2 does this article produce?
By Lara Farrar for CNN
(CNN) -- Twenty milligrams; that's the average amount of carbon emissions generated from the time it took you to read the first two words of this article.

Now, depending on how quickly you read, around 80, perhaps even 100 milligrams of C02 have been released. And in the several minutes it will take you to get to the end of this story, the number of milligrams of greenhouse gas emitted could be several thousand, if not more.

This may not seem like a lot: "But in aggregate, if you consider all the people visiting a web site and then all the seconds that each of them spends on it, it turns out to be a large number," says Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross, an Environmental Fellow at Harvard University who studies the environmental impact of computing.

Wissner-Gross estimates every second someone spends browsing a simple web site generates roughly 20 milligrams of C02. Whether downloading a song, sending an email or streaming a video, almost every single activity that takes place in the virtual environment has an impact on the real one.

As millions more go online each year some researchers say the need to create a green Internet ecosystem is not only imperative but also urgent.

"It is part of the whole sustainability picture," Chris Large, head of research and development at UK-based Climate Action Group, told CNN.

"Scientists are saying to us that we have 10 years to take some serious action to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change so taking some sort of initiative is absolutely vital."

A number of studies have highlighted the growing energy demands of computers. A 2007 report from research firm Gartner, for example, estimates the manufacturing, use and disposal of information and communications technology generates about two percent of the world's greenhouse gases -- similar to the level produced by the entire aviation industry.

Anti-virus software firm McAfee reports that the electricity needed just to transmit the trillions of spam emails sent annually equals the amount required to power over two million homes in the United States while producing the same level of greenhouse gas emissions as more than three million cars.

"Most people don't appreciate that the computer on your desk is contributing to global warming and that if its electricity comes from a coal power plant it produces as much C02 as a sports utility vehicle," said Bill St. Arnaud of Canarie, a Canada-based internet development organization.

"Some studies estimate the internet will be producing 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gases in a decade. That is clearly the wrong direction. That is clearly unsustainable," added St. Arnaud.

What do you include when working out IT's carbon footprint?

Calculating the carbon footprint of the entire web however is not as easy as measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of a car.

Data centers -- massive buildings housing hundreds, if not thousands, of power hungry servers storing everything from Facebook photos and YouTube videos to company web sites and personal emails -- are often labeled as the worst offenders when it comes to harming the environment.

In 2002, global data center emissions amounted to 76 million tons of carbon dioxide -- a figure that is likely to more than triple over the next decade, according to a 2008 study by the Climate Group and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI).

The footprint of network infrastructure, which is responsible for transporting information from data centers to personal computers, mobile phones and other devices, is harder to pinpoint.

However the same study estimates fixed broadband accounts for around four million tons of carbon emissions and could account for nearly 50 million tons of emissions by 2020.

The manufacturing, transport and use of personal computers and laptops also has what some say is the most significant impact, producing roughly 200 million tons of emissions in 2002.

As millions of people buy new laptops and computers every year, this figure could triple by the end of the next decade, according to the Climate Group report. And it is also true that, like driving a car compared to taking public transportation, some online activities produce more greenhouse gases than others.

More electricity is needed to store, transmit and download a video compared to a simple email, for example. A single search using Google releases 0.2 grams of C02 into the atmosphere, according to Google.

"And what that includes is the energy that we at Google use to be able to receive your search, process it and then send it back to you," Erik Teetzel, one of Google's "green" engineers, told CNN.

"If people are counting things outside the activity that we do, then we don't have control over that so we don't factor that into the equation," said Teetzel.

"We can measure exactly the number of queries that we service and come up with a very accurate estimate and answer from measured results of our actual emissions or energy use per query that we serve."

The drive for energy efficiency

Citing competitive reasons, Teetzel declined to divulge Google's annual power bill, yet he said the internet company has been taking steps to make its main six, five megawatt server farms green as well as the other, smaller data centers it has around the world. It is doing this by using more renewable energy, recycled water and efficient software that requires less electricity to run.

"From a business perspective, it makes sense to get the most what you want to call useful work done using the least amount of resources," said Teetzel.

"Our energy efficiency efforts really did stem from us making our business more competitive."

A number of other companies are also working to take the various pieces that comprise the infrastructure of the internet in a more sustainable direction. Wissner-Gross of Harvard has a company called C02Stats that enables businesses to monitor and manage the environmental impact of their web sites and then purchase renewable energy certificates based on their sites' monthly carbon footprint.

Netherlands-based Cleanbits lobbies web sites to go green by either by purchasing carbon offsets or switching to green hosting providers, like AISO.net, a solar-powered data center based in California. And, like Google, Yahoo also incorporates renewable power and other efficiency measures in its data centers.

However as more of the world joins an age characterized by global flows of information and communication, some say the role the internet plays in making the lives of millions not only more efficient but also environmentally friendly should not be discounted.

"I don't think we've done a good deal with articulating the fact that IT is inherently an efficiency tool," said Teetzel. "That is why you and I use the internet now to find out a lot of information that would have previously been found by us getting in a car and driving somewhere."

"It is a little bit unfair to say that you have this huge carbon cost of the IT industry without articulating the fact that in many, many cases it offsets what I would call heavier, more carbon intense activities that we do in our daily lives," he added.

"Moving electrons is far more efficient than moving atoms. It is actually a paradigm change."

Source: CNN Technology

Labels: environment obsession

Jolene Wong blogged @ 4:58 AM | 0 Comments

trading? What trading?

@ Wednesday, 8 July 2009

So pissed off right now.

I ordered this YUI porter off eBay several weeks ago, and to my horror, it came in the worst possible condition: damaged.

I was horrified. How could anyone treat YUI merchadise like this? I immediately sent off an e-mail to the seller asking if a refund is possible. Actually, I don't see why not.

The seller replied soon after, asking for an image so he can see how much damage was done. I did just that, and he asked for a trading.

Trading? Huh?

He wants my entire collection of YUI pictures in exchange for a damage-free poster.

Why not, man. Over my dead body. You had probably spent off my money buying otaku goods. No way I'm gonna trade.

A-hole.

Labels: explosive outrage

Jolene Wong blogged @ 3:03 AM | 0 Comments

H1N1 affecting everywhere

@ Monday, 6 July 2009

Swine flu (also Influenza A or H1N1): Country by Country

Source: BBC News, last updated 06.07.09

You might also find Fergus on Flu quite a read on all things H1N1.

A really bad joke with bad timing: Relax, fellow Bruneians! We are having our swine flu moment!

Labels: explosive outrage, random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 10:59 AM | 0 Comments

stop blaming us! H1N1 NOT our fault

@ Thursday, 2 July 2009

It makes me angry that the people from my countries, those people calling themselves Bruneians, are shrinking away from us overseas Bruneians, blaming us for the spread of H1N1 in the otherwise peaceful country. I am aware this post only apply to a handful of those Bruneians, can I make my sarcasm clear, you guys are the sickest person ever.

I was aware of H1N1 when it first broke out in Mexico, and when it spread over to USA and the first case of H1N1 in UK was in Scotland. I knew there was a case in Bristol, and various dotted places in London, so can you blame us for taking the precautions more seriously than anyone else?

Face masks are TOTALLY UNEFFECTIVE against H1N1. It's expensive, it's ineffective. No point getting them. No vaccine for H1N1 is available yet - at least not until September anyway. We washed our hands with soap and water diligently, we used those antibacterial hand gel over seven times a day. I bet some Bruneians don't even wash their hands after visiting the toilet, let alone use antibacterial hand gel.

We are doing our best not to travel, but that's like asking a growing baby to stop growing. Travel is essential. As scholars we need to frequently travel from one part of UK to another. My school is in Wiltshire - Brunei Hall is in Greater London. Don't travel? OK, I'll just stay here and most likely when I got back to Brunei, I'll still be quarantined anyway. This world has long been an unfair place.

To those idiotically paranoid Bruneians, may I present you this article:

Don't panic, urges Health Minister
"WE DON'T have to live in fear and there is no need to panic. It's not necessary."
By Azlan Othman
"WE DON'T have to live in fear and there is no need to panic. It’s not necessary." That was the message relayed by the Minister of Health in a press briefing as the country recorded 24 new Influenza A (H1N1) cases yesterday, the highest surge since the nation was hit by the flu more than a week ago, thus bringing the tally to 66.

Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Data Seri Setia Hj Suyoi also said that the pandemic is here to stay.

"According to its cycle, it can remain for two years. But within that period, there could be a lot of changes as well."

"We hope that there will be a vaccine for H1N1 soon. At the moment, we have to be very careful as such a vaccine is not yet available. It might remain mild, and patients would recover from it and the public should not be afraid," the minister added.

Epidemiological studies indicate that as of July 1, 2009 at 3pm, the flu has affected 49 Bruneians and 11 foreign nationals, with Brunei-Muara recording 41 cases, Belait 16, Temburong four, Tutong three and transit one.

As of July 1, 2009, those with travel history constituted to 30 cases, out of which nine were patients who returned from UK, Kuala Lumpur (eight), Kota Kinabalu (six), Johore (one), La-was (one), Singapore (one), Philippines (one) and Laos (one).

The Ministry also said, 24 cases were transmitted via contacts, while another 12 are still under investigation.

It also informed that there is a possibility of community transmission involving a 15-year old girl who neither has a travel history nor contact with other cases.

He also said the ministry is reviewing the possibility of renewing the management protocol. Among these would be strengthening treatment at homes for mild cases and the suitability of home treatment to ensure that there are no close contact with those who have chronic diseases or pregnant women.

Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi also said there is a possibility to turn Pg Muda Mahkota Pg Muda Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah hospital in Tutong into a full isolation centre for H1N1.

This is a control measure, as H1NI patients should be treated separately.

As an initial stage to ascertain the continuity of the service at the hospital, steps such as relocating outpatient services to Tutong Health Office and relocating physicians, dermatology, midwifery and pediatric services will also be made to Tutong Health Office effective July 4, 2009.

Specialised OMF, ENT and ophthalmology services will also be moved to bungalow B and C of the Tutong hospital beginning July 4.

The Ministry sources stated that the H1N1 cases here are mild. However, we should step up our precautions as the disease is easily transmitted and causes many illnesses, thus affecting daily activities. There is also a possibility of mutation of such virus to become more dangerous and that there is no vaccine to prevent such H1N1 yet.

Due to the surge in the reported cases, the ministry urged the public to step up precautions and not to be complacent. For those who have just returned from the affected countries in the past seven days and developed the symptoms, they should see a doctor at health centres and hospitals immediately.

The public were also advised to reduce social activities and avoid crowded places within seven days such as community gatherings, shopping centres, markets, stalls, restaurants, cinemas, swimming pools and the like.

The public should also practise good personal hygiene such as to wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water, cover nose and mouth with a piece of tissue paper when coughing or sneezing.

source: Brunei fm
Also, this email from Saidi:

Just wanna inform u guys, the plan awal2 about ke Meragang together tu, have to be cancelled. Since after every flight balik, we must stay quarantined for about a week. So, inda jua dapat buat papa kan.

Poor Saidi! Why does such a nice guy has to be exposed to the wrath of those ignorant Bruneians?

So, a message from us all. We are doing everything we can here to not contract H1N1. If we contract it, it's NOT our fault. Stop blaming us. We ARE Bruneians too, you know.

Labels: explosive outrage, random rambles

Jolene Wong blogged @ 10:37 AM | 0 Comments

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The YUI Fanatic

lucky guy on the way to France!

@ Friday, 31 July 2009

The top secret earthquake

@ Thursday, 30 July 2009

bored randomness

@ Thursday, 23 July 2009

DST or b.mobile?

@ Wednesday, 22 July 2009

should we or should we not worry?

@ Wednesday, 15 July 2009

My Weird Taste in Music

@ Tuesday, 14 July 2009

nightmare for the environment-conscious

@ Monday, 13 July 2009

trading? What trading?

@ Wednesday, 8 July 2009

H1N1 affecting everywhere

@ Monday, 6 July 2009

stop blaming us! H1N1 NOT our fault

@ Thursday, 2 July 2009