I decided to keep my old PC instead of buying a new one.? The C: drive is totally dead, I can’t even format or partition the disk.? Luckily the drive is still under warranty from Seagate.? I just have to mail it back to get a replacement.? Since the turn around time of Seagate is at least a few weeks, I have no choice but buy a new harddisk to get myself going.? So I bought a new 320GB harddisk for just $120 after work tonight.? Unhook the old drive and hook up the new one takes no time.? However, my Windows XP CD seems has some scratches and some files are corrupted.? Luckily the CD works fine afte I burned a new copy.? After I booted into windows, I am horrified that my other two hard drives are not accessible, in which I have all my data.? The XP can recongize the drives, but show the file system as foriegn.? Google saved my day, so I foud ways to mount the two disks back to my XP.? Right click “my computer”, go to computer manager, then disk manager, select the foriegn hard disk and choose the import option solve the problem.? Having all my data back is just the beginning, it is still a long way from install all my software.

This week’s Super 7 lottery has a jackpot of 27 million. As usual, I would by a ticket if the jacket is over 10 million and I happen to stop by the lottery booth. I mentioned I bought the ticket during lunch, one of my friend promptly asked me to buy him a new car if I won the jackpot. I thought for a while and refused him. He complained that I should be more generous since it brings good luck. I responsed him that winning lottery has nothing to do with luck, it is an independent event that is unaffected by anything you do. Moreover, if I promise to buy a new car to one of my friends, then I would have to be fair to all my friend and buy them new cars as well. The number of my friends and Pat’s friends combined is quite large, that would be unfeasible even with a large jackpot. Although I promised to treat all of them a really fancy dinner if I won the jackpot. Those people who lightly promise new cars to their friends if they win the jackpot, don’t really believe they can win. If you do the math, you will find buying a new car to each of your friend would cost you almost 10% of your jackpot. You have to think positive if you truely believe in mircale can happen. The money could be better spend elsewhere if I really can’t keep it to myself, say donate it to a charity of my choice. How much happiness can you buy by giving your friends new cars? How much happiness can you buy by knowing you can make a life difference to hundreds of people? It is obvious that buying your friends new cars is not a wise investment. Treating all of them to a nice vacation with me would probably maximize my happiness from sharing my good fortune with my friends.? Just for your information, I didn’t win the 27 millions jackpot, but I already bought a new ticket for the 30 million jackpot next week.? It is pointless to ask me for new cars, but suggestions of vacation destination are welcome.

Tonight is PMC’s X’mas party, or I should call it winter party to be politically correct. The politially correct thing is just totally bullshit. Who would be offended by calling X’mas X’mas? I suggest if X’mas is too religious, we can call it the Santa party, better than the lame winter pary. Everyone loves Santa Claus and he is not a religious figure. Actually, I think Santa is more important than Jesus in Christmas. Santa brings gifts to every good child, while Jesus just give us back the salvation that originally belongs to us. The company cuts back in X’mas party this year. Instead of buffet dinner, we are served a four courses meal. The food was ok, but the portion was too small. There was casino and dance following the dinner, but both events are kinda boring. Since Pat was tried, so we went home early after socializing a bit on our way out. To my surprise, Pat met a highschool friend, who is the date of a legendary guy. Pat forbids me making fun of him so that I won’t spoil their not yet started relationship. Pat was laughting all the way home, thinking it is really funny that somehow all the dates that guy ever bring to the X’mas party are her highschool friends.

My PC is dead.? Somehow the partition table of the c: drive is corrupted.? The good news is c: only store program executables.? All my data are intact in d: and e: drive, plus all my files are backed up in my linux box.? I am glad that I took the trouble to setup the backup utilities.? I can still do my daily works using my laptop, which only has minial installation.? Now I face a delimma.? Should I spend my time re-install the old computer or should I simply setup a new machine.? My computer is over 2 years old, almost time to retire.? Anyways, I won’t do anything about it until I finish my exam on wednesday.? It bothers me a bit my main computer is down, but it is not a show stopper.? I can still do 80% of my daily task as usual, except I can’t download BT.? Sigh…? I feel some unfortunate today.

Today I don’t have to go to work.? Instead I have a training session in SFU downtown campus.? The training is paid by the PMC but offered by a 3rd party training company.? The title of the course is working smart with Microsoft Outlook, which is a bit misleading.? This is actually a course about time management techniques and how to apply those techniques using functions in outlook.? The theory part is mostly common sense.? I have heard those time management rules of thumb many times already.? Sort the tasks into four corners of urgent/non-urgent and important/unimportant, then take difference action from act on it immediately, pospone it, let someone do it or simply ignore it.? The course also teach us how to plan our day around the calender and task list, stay way from the in box, etc.? The instructor showed us are some neat tricks in Outlook, which can be quite handy.
However I won’t force myself to follow those rules.? I believe in fun and flexibility is more important than pure raw productivity.? Productivity is a hygiene factor in overall evaluation of your preformance.? As long as it is above the reasonable standard so that it won’t drag down your rating, any marginal increase in productivity has diminish return.? Anyways, 3rd party training is a free employee benefit, so I gota take it to get most worth out of my work.? Having a day in a classroom with free breakfast and afternoon cookie, chatting to different people from different companies and learning a few somewhat usefull tricks always beats being chained to your cubicle at work.