1 May Notes

AI – Authorized Institutions

Information Security – CIA
Confidentiality – protecting information from being disclosed to unauthorised parties.
Integrity – protecting information from being changed by unauthorised parties.
Availability – to the availability of information to authorised parties only when requested.

Take first step to change

by DARREN LIM TAI AN
IMAGINE if American astronaut Neil Armstrong did not take that first step on the moon on July 20, 1969.
How much knowledge would still be lost to us?
I have come to realize an important fact of life recently: If no one takes the first step, nothing would be done.
The mission to put man on the moon, once thought to be an impossible dream, was realized by the group of scientists, engineers and astronauts involved in the Apollo 11 mission, who truly believed that man could walk on the moon and were determined to make it happen.
Four decades later, we have gained mush more information about space and the moon.
Now consider American athlete Tom Burke, who ran 100m in 1.8sec in 1896, thus setting the first 100m-race record and was hailed as the fastest man in the world.
Imagine if nobody had broken that record – would there be so many athletes running 100m under 11.8sec with ease today? More than a century later, many sprinters have broken the “impossible” timing of 10sec for the 100m race.
The fastest man in the world now, Jamaican sprinter Usian Bolt, holds the record at 9.58sec.
This shows that something that is seen as “impossible” must first be achieved by someone before others will follow suit. And years later, we may ask ourselves: Why did we even think that it could not be done int he first place?
The reason is simple: Because we are afraid to take the first step.
We frequently set hurdles and build obstacles for ourselves in the pursuit of our goals. We live in a fear created by our negative thoughts.
However, it takes just one step forward to begin on the path to our destination.
If everyone changes the way he sees the world and believe that he is able to make a difference, the speed of progress could be so much faster.
All we need is to take that first defining step to make a change. Let’s not underestimate our potential to make a difference in the world.
The writer is the creator of the Facebook group, Changes (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120086398003189), an online campaign which aims to motivate people to make changes to themselves and the environment for the better.

My Second Laptop, First Mac Book Pro 15-inch

Talk about the history, I am using the Microsoft product since Windows 3.11 (1995) up to Windows XP Professional. It’s about one half decade, I’ve been stick to MS Windows. Slowly I got the exposure to learn, use, support for other operating system such as Ubuntu, Fedora and Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

13″ Mac Book Air (1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB memory) is the first laptop which I used. Then I start fall in love with the keyboard layout, unibody, Mac OS X.

Price: S$2942.50 (NUS Staff Bundle package deal)
Date of Purchase: 11 April 2011

MacBook Pro 15″ 2.0GHz (precision aluminium unibody)
15″ widescreen LED-backlit glossy widescreen, 1440 x 900 resolution;
2.0GHz Quad Core Intel Core i7;
4GB (2x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
500GB 5400 rpm hard drive;
8x SuperDrive with double-layer support;
Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory + AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB of GDDR5 memory; 6MB shared L3 cache;
One Thunderbolt port, two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one SDXC card slot; Gigabit Ethernet port;
Built-in FaceTime HD camera; Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Full-size, illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor, Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with support for inertial scrolling;
85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter;
2.54 kg;
Built-in lithium-polymer battery. Up to 7 hours of wireless productivity;
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac;
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Web Premium;
3 years International and Local Warranty (1 year on battery for international warranty);
Carry bag

Retail Price: S$ 2,488.00
Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 Web Premium S$ 3,255.00
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Home and Student Edition S$ 188.00
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro – S$ 548.00

List of Places for Picinic and Camping

Just noting down for my own use.

Bottle Tree Park
Labrador Nature Reserve
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Singapore Sights
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Marina Barrage
http://travelerfolio.com/marina-barrage/

Chinese Garden, Singapore
http://www.newasia-singapore.com/places_to_go/parks_and_nature_reserves/chinese_garden_2007053171.html
http://joyloh.com/blog/?p=198

Tips for visitors to the shores
Bottle Tree
Bottle Tree Village

SUNGEI BULOH WETLAND RESERVE

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

Cambridge ESOL

Key English Test (KET)
KET is Cambridge ESOL’s exam which recognises the ability to deal with everyday written and spoken English at a basic level.

There are two versions of KET available: KET and KET for Schools. Both follow exactly the same format and the level of the question papers is identical. The only difference is that the content and treatment of topics in KET for Schools have been particularly targeted at the interests and experience of school pupils. link

IronKey

It is a program for encrypting files that you can safely send over the Internet. The encrypted file is a self-extracting executable – your correspondent must run it and enter the right password for decrypting. No crypto software needs to be installed on the receiving side!

Download here

Chek Jawa

The place which I visited recently.

1ha intertidal flats with sea-grasses, sand flats,
coral rubble surrounded by coastal forest and mangroves
with visitor centre, boardwalk and tower

Chek Jawa is an intertidal flat on Pulau Ubin, an island just off Changi Point.

Useful links:
http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/cj.htm
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/

Man jailed again for attacking mother

A YOUNG man with a history of assaulting his mother was yesterday sentenced to 30 months’ jail and six strokes of the cane.

He had slashed her on her head and hand with a 19cm knife in March, after arguing with her over washing his cup in their Jurong East Street 21 home.

So it will be back to prison for Koh Kim Swee, 23, who had just earned his freedom last September following a 15-month jail term – also for attacking Madam Lee Yoke Kuen, 49.

That time two years ago, he hit her with hammer, giving her a bruise at the back of her head, for asking him to turn off the fan.

When Community Court judge May Mesenas asked Koh on Tuesday why he committed the offense, he replied that it was “totally inexplicable”, and that he had wanted to kill her.

The court heard that he had been diagnosed with an anti-social personality disorder, and had said that he felt “numb” when asked whether he felt remorseful.
Koh is married to an Indonesian who does not live with him.

THE STRAITS TIMES

Get Out of Your Career Rut!

Wed, 02/24/2010 – 12:09 — Becky Lo

Do you feel like your career is in a rut and that your work is making you unhappy? You may be suffering from a mid-career crisis. What brings about this predicament and how do you walk out of it before the resentment bleeds into the rest of your life?

By Becky Lo

Feeling the blues

You’ve heard of a mid-life crisis, but how about a mid-career crisis? Unlike a mid-life crisis, a mid-career crisis is not age-related, but is about the dissatisfaction you feel about your career.

Many working adults in their late 20s to mid 30s are facing mid-career crises, or what is also known as “mid-career blues”. It usually happens after a few years working in the same field as you feel that your job is heading towards a dead-end: Your work routine is becoming boring, you see your peers edging ahead of you but realise that you are not at all interested in catching up.

You are reluctant to switch careers because stepping into a new and unknown territory is scary. The thought of starting from the bottom again or having to face a drop in income is enough to stop you in your tracks. You often feel lost and uncertain of your future.

Don’t worry, you are not alone. Mid-career crisis is more common than you think, and here are some typical reasons why.

Common causes of a mid-career crisis

Lack of meaning in work
Meaning in a job is something many people underestimate when they hunt for their first job. However, without meaning, there is often a lack of fulfilment in work and will gradually lead to a mid-career crisis as the discontentment and restlessness builds up.

Meaning can be as grand as saving the world or as practical as earning your first million by the age of 30, but meaning has to be there for work to be fulfilling. If not, you’ll feel yourself having trouble dragging yourself out of bed to work every day.

New priorities and commitments
You’re entering a new phase of your life with different focuses from when you first stepped into the working world. For example, when you were single and commitment-free, your passion and drive was enough to make up for the lack of a work-life balance and to sustain you through working till the wee hours of the night. Frequent travelling was also considered a perk.

Then your priorities shifted. You may have gotten an epiphany or gotten married, but the end result is the same: you feel the need to spend more time with your family and friends instead of all your time working. Thus, you need a job with a better work-life balance, or an industry that is slower-paced.

Need for a change
Not all jobs are stressful, in fact, on the other end of the spectrum, some jobs are too routine and not challenging enough to keep your mind engaged.

For example, you have been wandering in the administrative line for years and despite working for different companies, you are stuck in the same routine as the administrative matters do not vary that much across the different employers. Hence, you have a mounting desire to pick up new skills and experiences, like working on your interest for music and looking for a job in the media industry instead.

If you fall under any of the above categories, you are likely to be suffering from a mid-career crisis.

Dealing with a mid-career crisis

There are two ways to go about dealing with a mid-career crisis. You can either just cruise and hope you will stop feeling this way soon, or you can do something to get yourself out of the rut you are in.

But before making any hasty decisions, know this: when you make a career change, you are not only changing a job but are also switching industry. It is basically changing the whole direction of your career. As such, it takes a lot more courage and resources. Here are some of the bigger challenges you will face.

Inertia
Settling for status quo is often far easier than dealing with uncertainties. Inertia can be a big hindrance to career-switching. Before you know it, days quickly turn into years and you are still stuck in the same unrewarding career.

Keep in mind that you can’t change your life overnight: You need stamina, determination and patience. Start off with small steps and make ample preparations to reduce uncertainties. For example, observe industry developments for potential job opportunities; read up on the desired industry and improve your resume accordingly.

Financial restrictions
Money is often the biggest constraint most people faced when thinking of switching careers. Hence, before making any career changes, review your current financial situation before deciding if it is time for something new.

Taking in account your current and projected liabilities, save at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses to cushion the impact of a potential drop in income. You’ll need that money for a rainy day especially if you decide to enter a more mercurial industry.

Starting from zero
The notion of having to start from scratch in a new industry can be disheartening. Bruised ego and lower pay aside, it’s daunting to have to grapple with an alien environment and a new job scope.

Overcome this by keeping an open mind and acquiring new skills through further studies. Before diving headlong into a new field, familiarise yourself with it through freelancing or working part-time. This can save you from making the wrong decisions and also help you build up your resume if you do decide to pursue a career in that field.

Getting help
You are not in this alone. Your family and friends are likely to be able to aid in many ways from providing you moral support to introducing you to people who may be able to help you in your career switch.

There are also external help available when you need them. Online job portals like JobsCentral offer comprehensive job listings and articles on different industries and career skills like resume-writing and interviewing. There are also job forums where you can meet people in similar situations and exchange tips, advice and encouragement to each other.

This is also a good way to network and possibly making contacts with people in your targeted industry. They can help you learn more about it or even help you with career advancement in your new field in the future.

Switching careers can be a tedious and frightening journey but with some courage, initiative and determination, you may find a new career that enriches your life and make you a happier person. So good luck for the search!

How to change the default startup directory for Command Prompt?

Introduction

When you open a Command Prompt window (CMD.EXE), it defaults to your user profile home directory. If you wish to change the default startup directory for Command Prompt, use the steps listed in this article.

Set the default startup directory

* Click Start, Run and type Regedit.exe
* Navigate to the following branch:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]
“AutoRun”=”C: && cd \”

Voilà