Erkhyan's ramblings

A few things acquired!

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:16:06 GMT

I've spent quite a lot this month.

First, I had huge problems with my computer: even with an additional power unit, it would randomly crash and/or freeze, when it even booted to begin with. After narrowing down the symptoms, I figured that either the power unit or the graphics card was the culprit. Just to be safe, I decided to replace both. Except, the card was an aGP one… meaning that I needed to replace the motherboard if I were to get a new (PCIe) card.

So, I just went and replaced most components, since the computer need an update anyway. I got a new motherboard, CPU, RAM modules, graphics card, power unit and even a new DVD burner. The computer is now still kinda on the low-to-mid end by international standards, but it's much steadier and much more powerful than the previous one.

I'd also wanted to replace my 9-year-old Microsoft SideWinder Joystick for a while. It had already broken several times before, and I always managed to fix it. It broke again last week (trigger stopped working), and I can probably fix it again anyway, but what the heck… I went and bought a Logitech Attack 3. Note that, due to importation taxes and various factors (and the shop being dishonest), I bought it at almost 4 times the price listed on that site.

Last but not least, I got myself a custom-made drawing table. ( Photos under the cut )

The carpenter made it in about two weeks, which isn't bad at all considering that I had no plans to begin with.

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I hate housecleaning

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:55:25 GMT

On Mom's insistance, I spent the afternoon cleaning and tidying up my room. I should really have worn something against dust inhalation *cough*. It was also a tiresome enough task that I unexpectedly found myself taking a one-hour nap. Oh well. Need a shower now.

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Personnality test

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:07:20 GMT

Okay, for the sake of posting something and not letting this account sleep for weeks again, I took that personality test that’s been going around.

( Have at it. )

Test link: http://www.signalpatterns.com/psych_central/

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I sense a pattern here…

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:46:39 GMT

I let almost two months pass by again >.<

Nothing more's changed here, sadly. Stress to the max.

Also: spambots. Their "Nice post! Please write more!" comments would be annoying on their own, but they get really annoying when they keep showing up on all of my most depressive posts. I hope I'm writing this right (if not, blame Google): Пошел на хуй, спам!

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1461

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:42:29 GMT

Eek, two months since I last posted here. Truth is, I could never write more than a few short sentences at a time during that period, and I always found these more appropriate to Facebook more than Dreamwidth (or Livejournal).

So what's been news in these two months? Well, mostly, a slew of potential health problems, be they physical (need to get checked for diabetes) or psychological (I might be depressive). Also, spectacular bouts of bad luck ranging from getting all the tricky projects at work, to serious problems erupting on all four family computers in the space of two days, to missing an occasion to reunite with former classmates due to freakin' passing out at work.

So what's with 1461? Well, it's just that, as of a few minutes ago (around 14:30EAT), worksinreallife and I have been an item for exactly 4 years, or 1461 days. The fact that it's our fourth anniversary on opposite sides of the world might have played a role in my psychological state… I really hope things get better soon.

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I need a break, or I'll break

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:14:42 GMT

The last weeks have been difficult. I've been overworked, had a lot of unexpected and unwelcome expenses. I've seen my best chance at moving in with worksinreallife vanish for this year, with my only remaining chance being a lottery with a 2% chance of succeeding.

Nick's computer died, which means he's been invading my room daily to use my computer instead. Last sunday, my nap was interrupted by the arrival of his metalhead friends. Then the night after, the karaoke next door played until well into the early morning, which wrecked my sleep schedule. I've been pretty much physically KO-ed since.

Then I worked a full 12 hours today despite feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Then the ride home didn't quite reach home, and I had to walk some distance under the rain, sans umbrella, while looking out for possible attacks by a pack of dogs that's been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while.

Then I got told that Blotchie had broken my nightlight. Not too bad, I guess? But then I realized that Peluche had completely chewed through the expensive, less-than-two-weeks-old network cable I used to get online with the laptop. And to add to injury, he also shat on what remained of the cable (and on the carpet too).

At that point, I snapped. I just had enough energy to fetch the last reserve network cable I had, and only because I needed to talk to worksinreallife to avoid completely breaking down under the pressure.

I'll still probably cry myself to sleep or something, but I'm glad I could catch him online between two classes. As usual, we didn't talk long enough for each other's tastes, but well... I needed that.

Now to focus on surviving until I'm allowed to take some time off work in ten days.

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What goes up... still goes up.

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:21:24 GMT

As of last night, gas prices here have reached $5.91 per gallon (I did the conversion for you US folks). Now, I'd actually like to hear again about the people who complain about $3-$4 prices while living in a country with standards of living an order of magnitude higher than our own.

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Public transportation in Antananarivo is dangerous

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:21:38 GMT

This morning, the bus I was in decided to suddenly start up while people where still boarding. The driver then raced to catch up with a colleague of his and, very willingly, almost rammed the other vehicle. Only quick reflexes from the other driver avoided the collision, and I swear I saw that wing mirror flash a couple of feet past my face at 35mph. Why did the driver do that? Well, he wasn't too happy the other bus got ahead of him, so he endangered the lives of three dozen passengers to let the other driver know.

The same bus then proceeded to stop as often and as long as possible to gather more passengers, doubling the duration of the trip and understandably making a lot of people late for work.

And during that trip, a clumsy old man boarded the bus and dropped his bag next to me. The machete contained within burst out and almost stabbed my leg. Who the hell boards a bus with a machete?

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Puppy pics, batch 2

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:55:12 GMT

Enjoy!

( 5 more photos under the cut )

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Where I thought no man had the right to go before

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:51:24 GMT

Well, I might be late to the party, but:

I'm trying to decide whether I should laugh or cringe.

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New pup

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:18:49 GMT

Meet Peluche, the new pup we brought home:

( 3 more photos behind the cut )

He's small enough that I'm not too sure he's weaned as we've been told. And Blotchie, of course, is terribly jealous.

P.S.: That's Nick's bed and my hand.

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Absence

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:52:33 GMT

I'm gonna have to apologize for not updating my blogs more often. The last weeks were rather stressful, I barely felt like writing anything at all, and the little I wrote was on Facebook. Ooooh yeah, Facebook is an evil time devourer, that's for sure...

I'm currently dealing with what I think is flu. Feeling heavy and tired, constantly sneezing and sniffing when I'm not sleeping. Add to that an hyperactive dog and you get a pretty annoying day. Oh well.

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BRB, breaking down

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:34:44 GMT

Thank you, family and IRL friends, for not realizing how stressed I am, how close to a mental breakdown. Thank you for blaming me for my mental state, instead of helping. Thank you for ignoring me when I need your support. Thank you for giving me more work and stress when I need rest and relaxation.

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C'm'on, what the FUCK?

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 20:19:16 GMT

What the ‎#@%$£¤, it's just not my week, isn't it? I went to the kitchen to drop a box in the garbage bin and the freaking light bulb EXPLODED above me when I put my hand on the wall switch! For a moment there, I even think I saw a bright spark inside the switch itself...

Power went down for a tiny fraction of a second, the two UPS-es beeped once, and Mom and Nick came out of their rooms to check that I was okay. My loud cursing proved them I was all right, just very surprised and VERY pissed off.

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PICKPOCKETS RUIN IT FOR EVERYONE

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:49:01 GMT

A pair of pickpockets tried to snag my headset, hoping that the phone would follow it. They hit fast, so I wouldn't have time to react.

The final result: the phone stayed safely in the deepest reaches of my bag, but the headset snapped in two unusable, irrecuperable halves. They got away with one half. I threw the other half at them a pair of seconds later. "HEY! YOU FORGOT THAT!"

Hey, they ruined my headset, ruining their favorite spot by drawing attention to them was only fair.

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"Restore our Constitution", they say. Well, here are 29 ideas.

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:11:07 GMT

I keep hearing Tea Partiers who want to "reclaim the U.S. Constitution". So far, I've seen attempts to the contrary: candidates from the Tea Party advocate the repeal of key Amendments to the U.S. Constitution that are at least 60 years old, but well.

Anyway, there are 29 recent modifications to State Constitutions that I'd like to see gone, if they don't mind:

Alabama Amendment 774 (2006)
Alaska Ballot Measure 2, Joint Resolution 42 (1998)
Arizona Proposition 102 (2008)
Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 3 (2004)
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Colorado Amendment 43 (2006)
Florida Amendment 2 (2008)
Georgia Constitutional Amendment 1 (2004)
Idaho Amendment 2 (2006)
Kansas Proposed Amendment 1 (2005)
Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1 (2004)
Louisiana Constitutional Amendment 1 (2004)
Michigan State Proposal - 04-2 (2004)
Mississipi Amendment 1 (2004)
Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2004)
Montana Initiative 96 (2004)
Nebraska Initiative Measure 416 (2000)
Nevada Question No. 2 (2000 & 2002)
North Dakota Constitutional Measure 1 (2004)
Ohio State Issue 1 (2004)
Oklahoma State Question 711 (2004)
Oregon Ballot Measure 36 (2004)
South Carolina Amendment 1 (2004)
South Dakota Amendment C (2006)
Tennessee Amendment 1 (2006)
Texas Proposition 2 (2005)
Utah Constitutinal Amendment 3 (2004)
Virginia's Marshall-Newman Amendment (2006)
Wisconsin Referendum 1 (2006)

If they're willing to see these gone, then I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll just call it hypocrisy.

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OF COURSE.

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:20:01 GMT

When you have a project at work you're late for, when you're sure you'll be out of work real late due to it, when you're rushing to get it done, what could possibly happen?

Bingo: a power outage. Well, fuck YOU, fate.

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Grasping at the threads of my own sanity

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:10:04 GMT

Yesterday involved a(nother) coup attempt, a brawl amongst our neighbors that threatened to end with our house torched, and a karaoke bar that was still fully functioning a full 2 hours after normal closing time (i.e. at 2am).

I think I slept 4 hours at most, and still have a long, stressing project to work on.

Here, have a cartoon to lighten the mood:

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Need a pause

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:27:09 GMT

Okay, I feel the need to state it. Due to droves of work-related stress, I put several projects on hold for now (I'll pick them up again as soon as my mind's clearer).

These include:

- a request from wolfbrothersong for his roommate

- editing ziabandito555's story

- most of my writing, actually, besides a ridiculously ineffectual attempt at participating in NaNoWriMo (i.e. less than 1000 words in 8 days).

Hopefully, this won't last too long. Maybe a few days more... It's come to the point where I was unable to dedicate the last week-end to anything else than relaxation.

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Warship?

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:31:12 GMT

According to a local newspaper, frigate PNS Shah Jahan of the Pakistan Navy has recently docked in Toamasina. According to the same newspaper, teh city is in high alert. Why is that? Wasn't the arrival of the ship known beforehand? And by the way, why did the ship dock in a large civilian port instead of the more military-oriented port of Antsiranana, several undred miles north of Toamasina? Why do I even ask these questions and what does it matter?

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She annoys me, really

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:51:00 GMT

You know, I haven't talked about Miss Giggly Bubblehead in a while. It's not that she stopped being annoying and irritating with her mediocrity, it's just that recounting all of her antics would be tiresome.

Sometimes she gets really close to the limits of my tolerance though. Like this morning, for example, when she wondered out loud what was the use of even predicting astronomical events after 2012 anyway, didn't scientists predict the end of the world for that year? Or when she treats anyone above 40 as "old fossils" (ironic as she's the oldest of her colleague and will reach her 40s long before any of them).

But I'll tell you what in her irritates me most. It's her homophobia. I might be biased here, but it's practically the only subject on which she's constantly trying to be serious. Too bad my parents insist on watching the show she's in, because if by chance someone mentions anything LGBT-related, she'll openly and loudly voice her disgust, and that'll ruin a good start for a day (more than her tendency to let out shrill giggles).

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Guh

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:22:57 GMT

People will say I'm stressing myself for nothing again, but heh. worksinreallife is going through a hard time right now, and I'm agonizing over not being able to do much from here, besides being present as a non-physical entity on a screen. So, yay feeling useless again, despite what everyone says.

If there was but one way I could be there for him right now...

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Paaaarched.

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:07:09 GMT

Hmmm, between the heat and the thick obnoxious smog, everyone here (including myself) seems to be gulping down astronomic quantities of water. Geez, that's what, my third liter today? And... I'm still thirsty as a dried sponge. Yay.

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Malagasy are wise, respectful, honor-bound people... NOT.

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:01:19 GMT

While coming home earlier, I noticed a large firefighters' truck occupying one of four lanes on the road that bisects Anosibe. Apparently, there was a fire nearby, and a large one by the size of the firefighting contingent.

The group extended a large pipe to access the only water source, amidst the market, some distance away. So, what did I notice that made me wince?

All along the pipe, where the firefighters weren't looking, kids started poking holes into the pipe in order to have fun dispensing impromptu showers to passing cars and buses.

Where were the adults, do you ask? Well, most of them were gathered around the truck, ostensibly to watch the firefighters work. But in practice, the numbers just kept the firefighters from working efficiently. And they were also almost blocking the road's remaining lanes. And those who weren't busy sabotaging the firefighters' work were having fun and laughing every time a car or a bus's occupants received an unwanted, unplanned shower.

Madagascar: where people will have fun stopping the firefighters from saving your burning house!

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Those are my shoes...

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:03:14 GMT

I bought one of those on thursday, for $25. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first owner, hence the price. These shoes look a bit battered, but heck, they're comfortable. And I'm glad that I was lucky to get real Timberland shoes, because all the other ones I checked were branded as "Simbaland".

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