Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Seeing Red (Pink).

Phew. Rummaging through all my computer softwares and hardwares sure wasn't an easy task. Especially when I'm in a hurry to install something and I have to look for a single CD above all my software CDs which are stashed away in a box in the cupboards above my bed. Was sweating all over until I managed to let go a handful of CDs off to switch the air-conditioning on.

I was busy replacing my monitor when I got a phone call from Carina asking if the Chinese character writing program was usable on my computer and that she would like to come over tonight to use it to complete her work. My monitor screen (the traditional big, fat one the size of a TV) has been giving me a tint of pink these past couple of days. Yeah, PINK. A whole tint of pink, screwing up my eyes. I've gotten so fed up - with the endless banging of frustration at the monitor itself - that I decided to go hunt for my old one (much smaller but same traditional one) to replace it with this pink screen, thinking that by doing so, it'll eat up the whole afternoon of mine. I got the phone call as soon as I switched on the computer to see if the old monitor was still working.

A couple of years back, mom spent almost a fortune to purchase this thing called 'PenPower Handwriting' for Edmund to practice on his Chinese calligraphy but he never used it. So it's stuck with me. I never use it for calligraphy writing, but for the occasional scribbles on Paint when I'm bored. Carina used it once for her work and it worked beautifully!

So she came to me (almost pleading-ly), hoping to use it tonight and my first answer was a NO. Since after my major reformatting of the computer somewhere in December, I wasn't bothered to reinstall the 'PenPower Handwriting' program, since noone ever uses it.

Carina : Hey, Matt, is your Chinese writing program still working?
Matt : Yeah, but it's not installed.
Carina : Can I come over tonight to complete my work? I have some Chinese writing.
Matt : Uhh, I dunno, it'd be a trouble for me to install it and fix it and...
Carina : Nevermind. Fine. It's okay.
Matt : But if you still insist, I'd have to install it for you.
Carina : No need. No need.
Matt : What other alternative do you have then?
Carina : Don't worry!

And then she hung up on me. I was still busy adjusting the contrast of the monitor screen and I coldn't be bothered about someone else's problem at that time. After a few minutes of contemplating about how selfish I was and what a jerk I was towards her, I decided to call her back. There wasn't any pick up at the other end. I wan't very proud of myself and I desperately try calling her back. But she kind of reached me at the wrong time. It's always wrong time when a guy is repairing his computer and when everything in a big mess in the room! I was still selfish and inconsiderate. Dad's words came haunting me for the next few minutes I tried to reach her, "When people come to you for help, you should never say no, cause that someone might have seen that you're capable in helping them in a particular matter. For your case, it's usually computer related. Always offer a helping hand."

I was freaking out until I called kai ma. When kai ma picked up, I quickly told her that Carina can come over anytime and I'd be ready to help her out. She said ok and that she'll bring her over after her tuition class. Upon hung up, I immediately went to search for the program that I hardly use to install it back again and fill up the already limited space in my computer. With the word 'family' etched across my brains all the time, I pulled through the installation. It was all in Chinese for God's sake! I clicked away blindly!

After a few hours of installation and seeing through that tiny screen of my old monitor, I got fed up once more and decided to switch back to the pink tinted one. I did, and now, I'm typing through pink tinted screen. That monitor was far too small for me to handle. I'd rather see a pink screen than to see a small, tiny screen.

Carina's coming over anytime soon. Hope she's not mad.

By the way, it's raining now and the sky is so very dark.

And my mobile's broken again. The cheap replaced batteries aren't half as good as the original one. It's so infuriating just thinking baout it!

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