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Thursday, October 31, 2013

My birthday! ...and stuff

Soooo.... today's my 23rd birthday.. yay!

Somehow, to me, it seems like as one gets further away from university days (a.k.a. younger days), the drearier one's life is. I could just remember how my birthday was like when I was in Foundation. I was tricked by my pals to go sing k, then bam! I didn't expect to see a cake there. Nearly cried from being so touched at that time :') Those were the days I suppose. 

However, this may just be my depression speaking lol - not that I think I have depression at the moment. I'm pretty content at doing nothing... lol. The depression of inactivity (or of no progress in one's life)... who'd heard of that?

Oh well, enough of the gloomy stuff - it's my birthday after all! :P Well, my only wish is for everyone (myself included) to be happy :) A simple hug from a love one or a small, handmade gift from a child; a smile from a passing stranger or a tiny 'thank you' from someone whom you had just helped today - these are just some of the stuff that can make someone... anyone happy :) Money may rule how we live our life to some point, but most of the simple stuff that can make us happy comes from ourselves. Just think about this for a bit. 

Anyway, sorry for the lack of updating on personal posts for such.. such a long time.... I guess I was too caught up in all the games and stuff lol :P I will definitely post more from now on - especially game reviews [proper ones if I can put enough time into it... lol] and transcribed lyrics. Perhaps I will make another typography video... hmm... a lot of work though - I've forgotten most of what I've learned for my previous typography project :P

But I guess that's it at the moment. Will be absent for a few more days still, but don't worry, I'll be back latest by this saturday. Stay tuned! ;)


P/S: Oh and if you've noticed the lack of personal (written) works these days... well, actually I do still write from time to time, but, at the moment, I really needed the cash, so I'm trying to get these works sold to publishing companies. I'm so, so sorry about this. I suppose I can put some small pieces up from time to time in the future. 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Aarklash Legacy review and walkthrough

Review


It's a special game of its kind. If you're a fan of PvE in MMORPGs, then you'll feel right at home with playing this game, though there's a slight difference (perhaps a bit easier IMHO) - you get to control all the characters in your 4-man team (1 tank, 1 support [which technically is a healer most of the time and a dps if the fight's easy] and 2 dps - you can choose either ranged or melee) and you get to pause the game whenever you like to issue commands.
Your 4 starting team members

Don't worry that you'll get stuck with only 4 fixed characters throughout the game though - you can swap team members with other characters at the beginning of each new sub-chapter of the game. The characters each will have their own skill trees (to upgrade their skills), but are limited to 4 skills each. 
My tanker's skill tree - all into self-healing, coz survivability's very important, you know :P
Like any good PvE, the mobs/boss fights are not exactly straight forward tank-and-spank 100% of the time - your characters will definitely die that way. Instead, you'll need to do some strategy thinking - like how to position your characters, which boss spells to interrupt and which ones to just endure it, when to pop reduction spells onto the boss/buff (with limited duration) spells onto your tank.

There are also several (compulsory-in-order-to-proceed-in-the-game) puzzles within the game as well that are fairly easy if you get what's the pattern that keeps the puzzle ticking.

An example of the first puzzle :)
There's also a unique crafting system whereby you recycle all the unwanted/unused gear (jewelries mainly) and when the recycle box is full, you will get an epic item that is fashioned after the last item you've recycled.

However, on the downside, I personally think the dialogues are choppy (or, in other words, seems laggy, although it's not an online game and it's not my computer's problem either) - I think they designed the 'pause' between dialogues to be slightly too long, so it looks like each character is waiting for the other to speak lol. Moreover, the dialogues are mostly crap (IMHO) - I prefer some friendly and funny banter from time to time but then in this game, you can actually identify which part of the dialogue the game developers want you to laugh at and somehow, those parts are just not funny (enough). 

General tips for character survival


One major tip that I find is particularly useful is saving - save after every fight! Seriously, just do it. Some times, you'll find yourself facing new mobs that somehow managed to occupy your attention so much until you forgot about some of your other characters (I'm too used to MMORPG where you just have to know what to do with your character without needing to care for the other members of your team and their respective roles too much)... bam, total wipe! Unless you fancy starting all over again every time you 'accidentally' wiped out your team, it's always safe to save.

Next major tip is read the enemy details - Every one of them (if there are various types of enemies). Why this is important? Well, firstly, you will know who your tank should taunt, who your dps should kill first or how you should position your characters (ranged have to be x metres away from mobs to avoid silence or the certain-spells-blocking aura? When should melee dps run from boss to avoid devastating AoE? etc). For boss fights, if you don't read the details, you'll probably get wiped over and over and over again. I've mentioned before right? It's no tank-and-spank. Once you know the enemy, then you plan your strategy. :)

Furthermore, in this game, you don't get to use potions (as there are no potions), so that does toughen up the game a little. So, remember to manage your healing spells well - some of them may have a long cooldown or some of them have a long incantation time. Note that you won't be able to ask your healer to heal her/himself unless it's an aoe heal.

If your tank is down and his/her corpse is not in any harmful circle on the ground, get one of your dps (preferably the one with lower aggro) over to the tank immediately and try to revive him/her. The other, higher dps should already have aggro on most of the mobs and should start aggroing mobs off your healer (by dealing huge dps on the mobs). Heal your ass off on your other dps that is suffering most of the damage (and since the healer cannot heal him/herself, unfortunately). Usually, once your tank is down, it's really hard to recover - but it is still possible! I've done it. So, try, before loading your last saved. :) Once your tank is back up, use him/her to re-aggro the mobs back from the dpser who is acting as a temporary tank (more like a scape goat :P).


Additional tip: Typical mobs-killing order

1. Kill anything that heals FIRST - if it can heal a lot without incantation time - then it should be the top of your list of things to kill.
--- If it can ONLY self-heal, then it's not very important.
--- If the heal can be intercepted, then it is not important as well (but you'll need to position your character accordingly).
--- An example: Son of hydra
2. Kill anything that has very long crowd control (CC) spells - like charm, knockdowns, etc
3. Kill anything that has buffs that will cause major disadvantage to your team (excluding slowing movement speed, reduced heals -- these are not really important) - such as silence, cast invulnerability to other mobs, block support spells etc OR has AOE damage/ can damage more than 1 target at a time (you can handle damage but can you handle huge damage to ALL of your characters at the same time? I think not :P).
4. The rest of the mobs in whatever order you like

And the usual advice still stands - DO NOT stand in anything that damages your characters, use pause to avoid pass-through projectiles (these spells can cause a lot of damage) etc

(P/S: Stuff like damage is not really important most of the time. Keep a vigilant eye out for your characters' health bars and heal appropriately)

Stats tips

Stats-wise, I suppose you should already have a general idea of it, using common sense.

Generally, tanks would need +HP, +% healing received, + magical or physical armour, -xx control/reduction effect or + resist, but if there's an occasional +%physical damage, that's fine as well (note that although most tanks use physical attacks as default, some of them will have a magical skill instead).

For dps casters (casters who causes only damage), %magical damage should be your priority, unless their health is too low, then you should add +HP. Second priority should be %mana regeneration. The rest are optional, but ofc having %healing done or %physical damage is totally useless on these guys.

For melee dps/ ranged physical dps, %physical damage should be your priority, +HP or critical hit chance secondary. As usual, the rest are optional, but ofc having %healing done or %magical damage is redundant. Some may consider melee dps as second tank, but in this game, although some dps do have +dodge skills, these guys are still pretty squishy - My advice? Just consider these guys as dps as what they should be. 

Lastly, for healers (or support, as the game calls them), %healing done is a priority, with +HP a second priority if their health is low. If not, then the second priority should be %mana regeneration. The rest are optional. Naturally, having %magical damage is pretty useless since most support characters are physical damagers by default, but may or may not have a magical damaging skill.


Skill tree tips

I'm too lazy to write this out, so yeah, do check this out: http://adf.ly/qwE2Z :)


Grouping tips

My advice for this is go with whichever classes that you feel most comfortable with (but you should at least have 1 tanker and 1 full-time healer).

I myself is a caster type person. I don't like melee as much or getting the killing done up close and personal - except if I get to stealth kill the mobs (1-shotted!). Anyway, as you can see from my screenshots, my favourite grouping is

Wendaroo (Full-time healer), Nella (mainly single-target dps, with off-heal duties), Loch (Full dps, specialised in AOE dps) and lastly Knokka (Tanker, coz of her self heal skill).

Some may choose to swap out Loch for Motcha (since he has an ability to remove cc which is superb for when your healer is getting charmed by the enemy lol), but then your grouping will have lower dps.

Walkthrough

This is just a simple walkthrough for boss fights and puzzles only. Mobs you should be able to handle them on your own. Just remember, taunt any mobs off your healer if you can; and if you cannot, get all your dps on the mob attacking your healer... don't let your characters stand in anything that harms them, avoid projectiles that can be avoided (use pause game to your advantage) and don't forget to heal!

**Note: I believe I must have skipped a boss (the first one) but anyway, I'll just label the first boss fight that I remember as the 'first boss'.
** I've organized them in terms of the order of encounter. 

First boss fight - Elemental of Light

There are 2 stages in this boss fight. The second stage only happens after the boss hits 50% health.
(I'm so sorry for the lack of screenshots, I've played for some time - like after 3 bosses and 4 puzzles, before I've decided to do this pictorial walkthrough [instead of a youtube video - coz my laptop does not have enough memory for all those Fraps footages])

For this fight, you are still using your starting team members so you should have 1 tank, 1 support, 1 ranged dps and 1 melee dps. 

First stage
My strategy map for the first stage :)
Second stage
When the boss hits 50% health...

Second boss fight - Chimera

My bad - the 'red pie chart sort of stuff' should be named as 'casting time countdown' 

Elite fight - Necromancer 

You'll meet him at the second skeletal bones arena. 

The first part is straight forward, but once the adds were spawned... (Edited. Just realised my text somehow gotten jumbled up lol :P)


Puzzle 1

The red boxes will make your character jump 3 boxes  forward
The purple boxes will make your character jump 1 box  forward


Aarklash Legacy: Puzzle 1 guide

Puzzle 2

Puzzle 3


Third boss fight - Lord of Pain


Puzzle 4

This one's pretty straight-forward, but you'll need precision and good timing :) So, what you'll need to do is to get each of your characters down each lane and step on the stone plate at the end. How to do that?

- First, AVOID THE BLUE STUFF - they teleport you back to the start of each lane.
- Note that there's a BLUE STUFF patrolling the stone plates at the end of each lane, so you DON'T STAND YOUR CHARACTER ON THE STONE PLATE unless you have ALL characters NEAR to the plates (refer to screenshot below).
- Optional: I'd recommend you to SAVE before attempting to step on the stone plates. Just in case your timing is off and your character gets teleported to the start of the lane.
- Then, one by one, stand your characters on the plates, the last one might be a bit tricky - you'll need to be fast.
- Once all characters are in place, the door will open! :)

If you don't want to redo, save before your characters step onto the stone plates. Just in case... you know :P

Puzzle 5
This is pretty straight-forward as well. Pull the lever according to the symbols that the game wants and you don't even need to pull the levers in any order. 

There are 3 rounds.

Puzzle 6

This one's simple :) Just step on the stone plates according to the guide provided below and you're done! :)

Here's a screenshot of the puzzle after you're done :P

Fourth boss fight - boss is the same one from the First boss fight.

However, the fight mechanisms here are a bit different - there are other mobs in the vicinity that you'll need to kill first. Follow the instructions below and ignore other mobs. If the other mob (excluding black priest and sparklings) is doing too much damage to either your dps or healer, use the tank to taunt it. 

- Tank should taunt the boss (don't taunt the black priest!!) and keep the boss at 6M AWAY from the rest of the DPSers/HEALER. This is because the boss has a spell that will blind whoever within 6m vicinity of it.
- Start off by killing Black Priest (Elite) first! Full dps on this guy with Denzil 'tanking'.
- Position your characters so they can intercept the Sparklings' heals by standing in front of the path of the heals.
- Kill both Sparklings next.
- Then it's free kills - you can kill whoever you want first - I'd go after the most damaging mob - the boss doesn't really hit very hard :P

A simple strategy map to help you understand better.


Puzzle 7

This one's similar to Puzzle 2.- the crystals light up in the same order. However, this time, there are several crystals that are already lit.

The puzzle... before I started solving it :P
The step-by-step guide for Puzzle 7 :)
If you're rushing for time, check out this summarized version. :)

Puzzle 8

It's similar to puzzle 3 except that this time, for the stone plates in middle, two reference symbols will light up.

Puzzle 8 guide :) Finally got this to work :)
So, in between puzzle 8 and 9 I've noted that there's another elite Necromancer fight. I'm too lazy to draw this out but the mechanics of this fight is the same as before - get the necromancer away from the mobs that you want to kill or vice versa and then kill them. Use your tank's taunt to lure necromancer away + some mobs, then lure the mobs away from the necromancer one by one using your DPS. The necromancer should be the last to die.

Puzzle 9
Just do it like this. I have absolutely no idea why this is so. I just try until I get it right :P And I got it right on my second try hehe...
Puzzle 10
This one's an easy one, just pull the respective lever that correspond to the correct reference symbol shown. You don't even need to pull the lever in any order.

Puzzle 11
Similar to puzzle 8 but this time I forgotten to jot down the reference symbols. I only have the answer though :P A note: do use this guide with caution. I suspected that I've messed up the number orders somehow.



Puzzle 12

Credits to zhuge tzarn xing. Thanks! :)
It took me ages to try (with no luck), but in the end, you just needed 2 steps to complete the puzzle. Garh... why am I so stupid?! goshdarnit

Puzzle 13
Am solving the puzzle mid-way :)

Fifth boss fight (Act II) - Flesh and plague golem
2 bosses here - Flesh golem and plague golem. As usual, read their skills first before engaging. If you did that you'll quickly realised that

1. Due to the skill 'association from the deep', you'll need to kill Plague golem first
2. Flesh golem can heal the plague golem (not much though - a few hundred health) and will cause 100% reduced healing received (4m around boss)
3. Flesh golem has a very devastating spell that will boost its spell damage by 2000% (called 'heritage of abyss') and unleash a sure-kill on the character that it is targeting.

There are 2 ways to tackle this IMHO.

New mobs in Act III

So, you'll be getting new mobs for Act II but don't worry! As long as you follow this, you should be fine:
1. Kill anything that heals FIRST - if it can heal a lot without incantation time - then it should be the top of your list of things to kill.
--- If it can ONLY self-heal, then it's not very important.
--- If the heal can be intercepted, then it is not important as well (but you'll need to position your character accordingly).
--- An example: Son of hydra
2. Kill anything that has very long crowd control (CC) spells - like charm, knockdowns, etc
3. Kill anything that has buffs that will cause major disadvantage to your team (excluding slowing movement speed, reduced heals -- these are not really important) - such as silence, cast invulnerability to other mobs, block support spells etc OR has AOE damage/ can damage more than 1 target at a time (you can handle damage but can you handle huge damage to ALL of your characters at the same time? I think not :P).
4. The rest of the mobs in whatever order you like

(Stuff like damage is not really important since your healer should already be decked out in great gear and is high level)

And the usual advice still stands - do not stand in anything that damages your characters, use pause to avoid pass-through projectiles (these spells can cause a lot of damage )


Sixth boss fight (Act III) - Hydra

For this boss, you'll need to do plenty of running. The boss has 4 skills, but only 3 are really important (the other 1 you can handle the damage, it's no biggie): Note that ALL of these spells are not-interruptable due to its passive skill.
1. Chaos bombardment - There will be a red circle with a skull - STAY AWAY from the red circle (it can be anywhere around the boss so keep your eyes peeled!).
2. Chaos crush - There will be a red circle with a skull 8m in diameter around the boss - STAY OUT of the red circle.
3. Anger of hydra - Kills all if not in the marked zone - RUN into the MARKED ZONE ASAP (it can be anywhere around the boss so keep your eyes peeled!)

For this boss, you mustn't hesitate! When you see a circle, act immediately or you may run out of time

All of these spells have the same red casting circle, so pause the game, mouse over the circle to see what spell it is casting and then act accordingly. There are circles on the ground to aid you too.

Furthermore, since you'll be running around, positions are not really important. As long as your casters are all bunched together (so they can move together) and the tank is near the boss, you should be fine.
Read all the skills the enemy has! I simply cannot stress this enough.
 Puzzle 14

This is not really a puzzle I suppose, but meh, I'll just put it up here.... later :P


Seventh boss fight (Act III) - Lord of Pain

Same strategy as the third boss fight. Lots of running around.... so use PAUSE to your advantage! :)

A few simple rules
1. When you see a green circle, run all your characters towards it. Then after that, move your characters back to original positions.
2, if you see a red circle with a skull on the ground, get away from it! BUT, if the circle follows your character, then leave that character be and move the rest of your characters away from the red circle.
3. Sometimes you just cannot hesitate or finish your channeling or something, just run!

My characters' positions - positions aren't really important here as long as you keep your characters slightly away from each other.
Same strategy map as for boss number 3 :)
Puzzle 15
A new kind of puzzle! It's very simple actually, you need to lead the ball of blue light from one face-mask thingy to the other face-mask thingy, but the tough part is how? :P



Please take this with a pinch of salt... might have gotten the numbers wrong somehow. Sorry!



Puzzle 16
It's a new kind of door-and-switches-based puzzle.



Puzzle 17
A more complex door-and-switches-based puzzle.





2x Elemental of Light

When fighting these mobs, you should
1. Kill all the sparklings first
2. The rest of the more annoying mobs


Puzzle 18

This one can be a bit tough, but I got it in the end. You'll need to track the ball of light and at the right moment turn on/off the switch. So, in this case, you could stand your character beside the switch at ready, and then turn it on/off by moving the character onto the button at the exact time.

Diagram pending*

Then, you'll reach a 5 portal room.
You can complete the first 4 portals in whichever order you like. I had to label the order that I did it, so that it's easier for you to refer to my solution diagrams for the puzzles in each of the portals. :)

PORTAL 1 puzzle 

Diagram pending*

PORTAL 2 puzzle



Diagram pending*

PORTAL 3 puzzle

Diagram pending*

PORTAL 4 puzzle

Diagram pending*


PORTAL 5 - Final boss battle: Lockshy
This boss is a real piece of work... expect plenty of dying and resurrecting for your first time lol. Right, down to business! Boss skills:

Lockshy has an unknown passive skill and 4 known skills:
1. Laceration (1000 dmg over 20s) -
2. Opal whip (3s incantation, 800 dmg) - I didn't bother to interrupt, just keep your fellow characters at least 6 m away from the BOSS. The tank, however, will have to bear the damage - it's not worth it to run your tank away from the boss and back again... it's better if you keep your eyes out for craters and for casting instead.
3. Opal menace (3s incantation, 300 dmg) - I didn't bother to interrupt, just keep your fellow characters at least 6 m away from each other. This makes getting a full caster team (excluding the tank) an advantage, since the boss is stuck in its position and you have only limited space for melee characters.
4. Opal crater - use pause to your advantage and move your characters AWAY from any crater IMMEDIATELY (though it can be a bit hard to spot initially). Note that the craters DO NOT disappear so position your characters carefully and don't get your characters trapped by being surrounded by the craters. If you want to move your characters away from a crater, I would suggest moving all of them in the same direction.

Loch is not properly positioned, but wth, my Wendaroo is awesome and can heal almost anything (with Nella as backup heals)

Run AWAY from any craters. Try to spot them as they are forming in order to avoid taking any damage (or at least minimal damage). These craters hurt real bad!

Craters don't disappear... at least not for a very long time. Plus, the proper position of Loch is depicted here :)


So, thanks for the help with puzzle 12, I've finally finished the game! :) Now, onwards to newer games lol :P Stay tuned for more game reviews (and if I have the time, walkthroughs) for both popular and obscure yet rewarding games!

UPDATE: If you love Aarklash Legacy, you should definitely try Pillars of Eternity. It's not as detailed as Aarklash and is more similar in some ways to Dragon Age, but it's pretty fun. Beware of several major glitches in that game though!

P/S: I hope you can understand what I'm trying to convey through these maps/drawings :) Have fun!

I would love to make video walkthroughs for you guys but my computer cannot handle all the Fraps footage (1GB plus per video of a few minutes? WTF...) Real sorry. I hope my strategy maps/guides help :P

You can buy Aarklash Legacy at Amazon here.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Dungeon Siege 1 review

Dungeon Siege 1 is very much like Diablo with most of my time spent at finding places that I have yet to explore and ofc, managing my overwhelmed inventory hehe. Some parts I missed out stuff (like narrow tunnels and levers on walls that open up to new rooms) or got lost (in the eastern swamp lol) and hence, I spent way too much time circling the area. The graphics is acceptable for me - it's an old game so don't expect top-notch graphics ;)

Oh and just so you know, having 3 pack mules and 5 characters works just fine - 2 tankers (with shields and will attack first at all times; 1 more tanker is as backup, but if you think you don't need a backup, you can get another archer), 1 archer (my character :P; they are like the best character in-game, no mana hassle with never-ending arrows and, when properly geared, can deal more dps than a combat mage lawl), 1 combat mage (for dps, you can have all archers if you want) and lastly but yet most importantly, 1 nature mage (for healing and dps - don't put him on full healing duty. Let him dps when you don't need the heals - like for small mob groups, so he can level faster).

My tip is don't waste money on buying the services of NPCs. You can simply add anyone to help fill in the spots until you get the best NPC for the job (of healing/dps/tanking, I mean :)). Just get the free ones - Merik is a great nature mage (Chapter 4), the daughter of Nong (forgotten what's her name; Chapter 4/5) is a great combat mage, there's a lady archer who just had her archery competition ruined (also forgotten what's her name), she's a great archer, for tanking, I'm using the old guy from Chapter 1 of the game and the dwarf from Chapter 3 (I think) - but you can swap one of them for the knight who came later in the game (like in Chapter 5/6). Buy pack mules early on - they get more expensive later on... and rarer.

I really dislike having to go back for my mules some of the time. They tend to stand there doing nothing even though I've selected them to move along with the group lol. Oh and not to mention, sometimes, in rather enclosed places (like right after you stepped off a lift and right into an ambush of mobs), they like to act suicidal (and ignoring that they are carrying gazillion worth of goods) and start kicking the mobs using their back legs. So, it's better to disengage the follow option, then clear an area with your 5-man team before moving your mules to the area. This includes lifts. You can get one of your characters back for them (to operate the lever for the lift).


Epic music :) Peter Crowley - A Celtic Journey compilation


There are plenty of great composers (on YouTube) that I know of but this one is beyond that :P

Not only the composer, Peter Crowley, made this album available for free... it's one of the best celtic pieces that I've heard :) Trust me, I've listened to Adrian Von Ziegler and Brunuhville and am a fan of both as well, but this one is pretty top-notch.

Link to his bandcamp to get this album for free (and other albums for a price): http://petercrowley.bandcamp.com/album/score-to-a-new-beginning

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Daughtry - Waiting for Superman


Lyrics:
She's watching the taxi driver, he pulls away
She's been locked up inside her apartment a hundred days

She says, "Yeah, he's still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape"
She's just watching the clouds roll by and they spell her name like Lois Lane
And she smiles, oh the way she smiles

She's talking to angels, counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers, falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
Waiting for Superman

She's out on the corner trying to catch a glimpse
Nothing's making sense
She's been chasing an answer
A sign lost in the abyss, this Metropolis

She says...Yeah, he's still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the Five and Dime saving the day"
She says...If life was a movie, then it wouldn't end like this
Left without a kiss
Still, she smiles, the way she smiles, yeah

She's talking to angels, she's counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers, she's falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
She's waiting for Superman

To lift her up and take her anywhere
Show her love and climbing through the air
Save her now before it's too late tonight
Oh, like a speeding light
And she smiles

She's talking to angels, she's counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers, she's falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
She's waiting for Superman

To lift her up and take her anywhere
Show her love and climbing through the air
Save her now before it's too late tonight
She's waiting for Superman

Unable to load Facebook on Google Chrome?

Only facebook, other websites are accessible. Facebook is loadable up to the point where you can see the news feed (they are not jumbled up or anything/ looks like it loaded incompletely) but somehow, the loading circle kept on moving and you cannot click on anything on facebook. You can only look at it...

So far, I've not yet found a credible solution. At first, I thought it was because somehow, for one of my other tabs, I've accidentally adjusted the zoom settings. Just reset the zoom settings to default (100%) and everything turns out fine. However, today, it acted up again and no, I've not accidentally zoomed in/out on any of my other tabs. I'm totally at lost as to what to do.

Will post a solution here once I've finally got it running normal again. I suspect it's because of a malware targeting google chrome - I've scanned it through and yep, I've got a hit on a malware (a rootkit to be exact) sitting in my google chrome.... Am getting rid of it ;)

C:\Users\*computer username*\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\File System\000\t\00\00000000 (PUP.Optional.InstalleRex)

FYI, I'm using a freeware anti- malware called 'Malwarebytes Anti-Malware'. It works very well and does not bother you insistently with updating it every time you start up the computer. You can choose to only update when you want to use it for scanning, but it may take sometime for the accumulated updates to get downloaded lol :P

Updated! Yup, I believe it is that malware that is messing up my facebook on G Chrome. :P Remember to restart the computer after you've removed it with Anti-Malware in order to properly remove it. So far, I've not experienced that problem for quite awhile now, so I think it's safe to say, the problem is gone! :)

Daughtry - Long Live Rock and Roll


Lyrics:

Well I was born
The year that disco died
And you two were in high school
Thank the lord that they survived
Got my first taste, on a cigar '45
And since that kiss
I rocked all day, and partied every night

We still argue about who's better
Elton John or Billy Joel
We still wonder if Kurt really wrote the song she's sung in Hole
No one ever stop believing
This the journey of our lives
So won't you help me pour some sugar on these memories tonight?

Sing it

Long live rock
Long live roll
Long live big guitars and music for the soul
Sing it
Don't give up, don't grow old
Long live crazy nights and records made of gold
Long live rock.. and.. roll...

Summer of '96, I got my first guitar
I played it till my fingers said, "You're gonna be a star"
Groundels everything, at least, it was to me
A martial in my Chevy sprint
Just winding down a dream

We still argue about who's better
Martin Crew or G & R
We still can't believe Ben Helen, turned into Ben Hen Gar
Now the record shouts and gon' put
And no one seems to care
But me and you, and all our friends
Keep living on that prayer

Sing it

Long live rock
Long live roll
Long live big guitars and music for the soul
Sing it
Don't give up, don't grow old
Long live crazy nights and records made of gold
Long live rock and roll

Went to be in Cleaveland
Woke up in Tenessee
No matter where I'll roll tonight
I'm chasing history

We still argue about who's better
The Beatles or the Stones
They're forever 27
Jimmy Janice, Ride and Jones
And we're standing in that memory
'Cause their songs, they still survive
So throw your lighters up
And darling sing with me tonight

Come on

Long live rock
Long live roll
Long live big guitars and music for the soul
Sing it
Don't give up, don't grow old
Long live crazy nights and records made of gold
Long live rock.. and.. roll...

Long live rock
Long live roll
Long live big guitars and music for the soul
Sing it
Don't give up, don't grow old
Long live crazy nights and records made of gold

Long live rock and roll......

How to display source code on blogger?

I've used this personally and I gotta say, I'm surprised at how easy it is to use this. :) Okay, as usual, I write instructions for noobs (since I was a noob myself) - baby steps alright?

1. Go to https://gist.github.com/ (You don't need to register to use this, but if you want to register, well, it's free :) )

2. Type a description for your code (will later be displayed at the bottom of the github box).
3. Paste your code into the box below the description box.
4. Then click 'Create Public Gist' at the bottom. (You can choose Secret Gist instead but well, you're posting it for free viewing on your blog right? So, it's better to put it as public)
5. Now, you can either link to the code (Easiest method, but no display in blogger) or you can embed it into your blogger (there will be a display shown in blogger). Since this is a 'how to display'-kind of blog post, I'll be teaching you how to embed the github box.

  • Copy the embed code (the highlighted one) and then paste it in the HTML section of the blog post that you want to display the code in.

Copy from here...
Paste to the exact location where you want it to be displayed in. As you can see, this is from my blog post 'How to add Feedjit to your blogger'. :)
6. Voila! You're done! :) Go to preview to see your handiwork before updating/publishing.


Also, you can go ahead and register yourself as a github user. It's free. :)


Oh and also check out my How to add Feedjit to your blogspot. ;)

Tyler Ward - If I'm Being Honest



Lyrics:

I remember the first day
You and I were perfect
Parked out in the driveway
With our favourite song
We were so invincible
The two of us together
But now it seems so far away
Where did we go wrong?

Did I let you down?
Did I let you down?
Are you listening now?
Are you listening now?
(Are you listening now?)

Cause if I'm being honest
Honestly I never wanna give up but it's hard sometimes
There's gotta be a reason
Even if we're too messed up yeah we've got to try
You're the fireworks at night
That colour in my black and white
And if I'm being honest
Honestly I'm never gonna give up,
I ain't leaving without you

(I ain't leaving without)

I remember summer stars
Can't forget the feeling
Laying out in the backyard
With you in my arms
We could talk for hours then
The time it never mattered
But now it feels so far away
Is yesterday gone?

Did I let you down?
Did I let you down?
Are you listening now?
Are you listening now?
(Are you listening now?)

Cause if I'm being honest
Honestly I never wanna give up but it's hard sometimes
There's gotta be a reason
Even if we're too messed up yeah we've got to try
You're the fireworks at night
That colour in my black and white
And if I'm being honest
Honestly I'm never gonna give up,
I ain't leaving without you

Those nights when we came home wasted
No one says my name like the way you say it
Those nights in the pouring rain
When you didn't need to say, "No need to explain, no"
Those days with the, "Where have you been"
When you try to put a smile and you try to pretend
Sometimes it's just the way that it is
But I'm not getting go, no, I'm not giving in

Cause if I'm being honest
Honestly I never wanna give up but it's hard sometimes
There's gotta be a reason
Even if we're too messed up yeah we've got to try
You're the fireworks at night
That colour in my black and white
And if I'm being honest
Honestly I'm never gonna give up,
I ain't leaving without you


Taken from YouTube Originals.

Malware detected! - heh false alarm

Sorry about the malware detected stuff that you guys probably see when you entered my blog.

Somehow, one of the widgets that I use have gotten itself listed in Google's suspicious list and hence, the malware alarm. No worries, in order to soothe your and my own minds, I've removed the said widget (the digital clock) and now everything is A-okay.

Now, that was a fright lol.


Oh and if you have experience these sort of stuff for other sites and want to check for malwares, you can use this - it's free and rather effective. Check for malwares in/on websites: http://sitecheck.sucuri.net/scanner/


Malware detected in blogger:

Made, Saved, Achieved - Resume Writing

I've just read about this new concept to resume writing. It should help you when you want to start writing that resume. I've realised that despite choosing only the selected few accomplishments to put into my resume, I'm still listing stuff and not actually promoting myself - I really need to rewrite my 'personal characteristics' part. No wonder I hardly get any interviews...



The Microsoft Jobs Blog had an interesting entry that I thought was worth sharing for those who are always looking for ways to improve their resumes.

The point of the resume is to communicate exactly what the job seeker has to offer the employer in a way that really speaks to the employer. Highlighting accomplishments is one great way to appeal to an employer.

Ryan at Microsoft introduced a concept he calls: “Made, Saved and Achieved” (MSA). The point is to demonstrate how you:

• Made the company (money, sales, etc.)
• Saved the company (money, time, etc.)
• Achieved personally (awards, recognition, etc.)

Review your resume...Are you just listing "stuff" you did? Or, are you incorporating specifics that entice an employer to want to know more about you?

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/made-saved-achieved-a-way-to-help-you-evaluate-your-resume



Almost every resume I see reads like a laundry list of “stuff” the person has done at work. The problem is that everyone applying for the job you seek probably has a similar list of “stuff.” What makes you stand out? Why are you special – why do YOU deserve to win an interview and the job?

It certainly isn’t because you were “responsible for” something or that you were “recruited to” do something. No one really wants to see a list of what your “duties included.” A prospective employer wants to know what you’ve accomplished. What impact have you had on past employers? What obstacles did you overcome to achieve a positive result in the past?

Don’t forget — your job is to market yourself. The resume needs to make a reader visualize you doing the job.

Quintessential Careers compiled a comprehensive list of accomplishments employers seek.

Describe how you:
  • Make money
  • Save money
  • Save time
  • Make work easier
  • Solve a specific problem
  • Help the company become more competitive
  • Build relationships
  • Expand the business
  • Attract new customers
  • Retain existing customers

I suggest you answer the following questions:
  • What problems did you solve?
  • How did you improve your organization?
  • What innovative ideas did you introduce (and what were the positive results)?
  • How did you make a difference?

When you re-focus your resume spotlight to shine on what you have to offer instead of just listing what you’ve done, you will be much more marketable.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tyler Ward - S.O.S.




Lyrics:

(Let it go)
Ohhhh...
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle

This is more than a problem
I’ve got something to say
But my words never come out right
If I could pull it together and just gather a phrase
This is what I’d say tonight

(Let it go)
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle

Can you help me out
Trying to find my way
Been shattered into pieces
Trying to get 'em back again
Can you help me out
Trying to find my way
Been shattered into pieces

Ohhhh....

S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle

(Cool, cool)
Thought I was headed for greatness
Collecting red letter days
Watching all the stars align
But I traded in greatness
For all their beautiful ways
Now I’m screaming, "Someone save my life"

S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle

Trying to get 'em back again

Can you help me out
Trying to find my way
Been shattered into pieces
Trying to get 'em back again
Can you help me out
Trying to find my way
Been shattered into pieces

S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle
S.O.S. can someone help me?
I need a miracle, I need a miracle

Ohhhh...
Ohhhh...


Taken from YouTube Originals.

Tyler Ward - Beginning of a Bad Idea



Lyrics:

Comfortable like an old sweater
Memorable, you just can't forget her
Starting over is the hardest thing to do
History has a way of repeating
Eventually we'll just do the same thing
Starting over is impossible with you

So don't pick up anymore
When I call you up
Cause it's the beginning
Of a bad idea
A bad idea

Loneliness has a way of magnifying this
Feeling that I'm still not, no, I'm not over you

But don't pick up anymore
When I call you up
Cause it's the beginning
Of a bad idea
A bad idea

I'm still in love with you
I'm still in love with you
Guess I'll love you from a distance

Don't pick up anymore
When I call you up
Cause it's the beginning
Of a bad idea
A bad idea

So don't pick up anymore
When I call you up
Cause it's the beginning
Of a bad idea
A bad idea


Taken from YouTube Originals.

Tyler Ward - Back to LA



Lyrics:

Was it something I said or something I did to you
Was I out of my head or was there just someone new

You hear them say, "You’ll never know until
She’s gone away"
Today it’s my turn
Now I know the heart can break... in two

All I’ll send is a simple text that says
I miss you and the way we kiss
I can’t get your taste above my lips
So come back to LA
I know that I won’t forget you quick
Hope I’m the one you always miss
If you can’t get my taste above your lips
Then come back to LA

Ohhh.... (They say I'll probably gonna miss her)
Ohhh.... (They say I'll probably gonna miss her)

We were dreaming in red this must be our big mistake
Cause forever was said, not "Hello. Love. Heartbreak."

You hear them say, "You’ll never know until
She’s gone away"
Today it’s my turn
Now I know the heart can break... in two

All I’ll send is a simple text that says
I miss you and the way we kiss
I can’t get your taste above my lips
So come back to LA
I know that I won’t forget you quick
Hope I’m the one you always miss
If you can’t get my taste above your lips
Then come back to LA

(Back to where I fell in love with you
Back to LA)

We were dancing on the rooftop
Underneath the rain drops
Whispering baby don’t you ever stop
So come back to LA
Back to LA...

All I’ll send is a simple text that says
I miss you and the way we kiss
I can’t get your taste above my lips
So come back to LA
I know that I won’t forget you quick
Hope I’m the one you always miss
If you can’t get my taste above your lips
Then come back to LA

I found out you’re harder to forget
You’re the one I always seem to miss
If you come around when you’re back in town
Just say hello cause I’ve always been in love with you
And I wasn’t meant to miss you


Taken from YouTube Originals.

Tyler Ward - Slo Mo



Lyrics:

Stop
Pause
Take a minute
Let this bring you back to a place that you remember
We were young, cool, naive
Hair was blowing backwards in the California breeze
I was smiling back at you as you were looking back at me
Driving Santa Monica your hand upon my knee
And I was kissing you
Wasn't missing you
Do you remember too

I remember talking in the dark
Until we saw the sunrise
Girl, we had a spark
We let go
Underneath the stars
Drinking up the moonlight
Taking our time
Living in slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion
Slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion

Didn't learn the lessons that they taught us back in school
Fell in love with taking chances so we broke all of the rules
And I never knew the meaning of "I've got something to lose"
Till I lost you, I lost you

So come on baby
Let's take a slow ride to living a good life
Don't say maybe
We'll take our time

Talking in the dark
Until we see the sunlight
Girl we have a spark
So let's go
Underneath the stars
Drinking up the moonlight
Taking our time
Living in slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion
Slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion

I still think about you and all our memories
Late night dancing to that Marvin Gaye
First time, back seat, Chevrolet
So can we live it, can we live it again
So pack your bags for a getaway
We take a trip back to our hideaway
Keep it old fashioned on this modern day
So can we live it
Can we live it
Can we live it
Can we live it
In slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion

Talking in the dark
Until we see the sunlight
Girl we have a spark
So let's go
Underneath the stars
Drinking up the moonlight
Taking our time
Living in slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion
Slow..oh oh... mo- oh oh... -otion


Taken from YouTube Originals.