"Gifts are most special when they're given on a NOT-so-special occasion. :)"

Today, I received something totally unexpected from someone totally unexpected. I'm not gonna disclose names here so it's up to you to keep guessing who exactly I'm referring to. Nothing could describe stuff better than photos so I'll skip all the chit-chat and jump right to them:







It's the 3rd book from the Airhead Trilogy by Meg Cabot! I've already read the first book. I've already downloaded a copy of the 2nd one and I'm about to read it. The only thing missing is the 3rd. That is, until now. I am just so so happy! What can I say, the timing is just too perfect! :)

I've been waiting for this for quite some time already. I know you spent a fortune on this. Thank you so much! You know who you are. :)

Labels: gifts, happiness, new

***, these past few days, it seemed as if my entire world revolved around you. But I'm glad everything between us will be over by tomorrow. At exactly 11 in the morning. Thank you for the memories...the experiences...I'll never look back. No bitterness. No regrets. Just a feeling of relief that once and for all, the agony you've imparted to me, will no longer be anything but a memory. 

[letter to four one one]

Keypad Decoder with LCD Control

LCD showing the output

Control unit of the circuit

                                                                       

Labels: academics, college, pressure, project, school

• Google - I know! Too obvious. And too popular. But it's just too useful not to be included in this list. So...here it is. At number 1, even.
• Gigapedia - almost every book you need is in this site! Their database contains mostly educational books. But a lot of teen fiction books can be downloaded here as well. You, however, need to have a Google Account to register. Best of all, it's free!
• Academic Earth - contains a fairly prodigious amount of video courses from leading universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, etc.). View them all for FREE! (A great academic replacement for YouTube. HAHA.)
• uTorrent - best torrent downloader! a very lightweight application. search torrent files (ANY FILE TYPE) from torrent websites and download them here. Best of all, you can pause, resume, and allow files to be automatically downloaded at startup! :D 

• OneNote - a member of the Microsoft Office collection. It's like a notebook only you can do a whole LOT more. It is most especially interesting for tablet pc users as it has full tablet functionality. You can write mathematical formulas with your own handwriting, record lectures while typing/writing, capture screen clippings in a few clicks, organize your notes like in a binder, convert tablet-written text into typed text, draw stuff, paste pictures in your notes, search for text in pictures or words in notes, create diagrams/flowcharts, share notes, password-protect notes, and so much more! What I like most about it is that I can rearrange my notes by simple "dragging and dropping" according to my liking. Like when I mis-estimate the amount of space I need for a particular note. Most importantly, you'll never run out of space! No need to buy notebooks, papers, nor bring several different notebooks to class! You're saving mother earth and at the same time, saving yourself a lot of effort and time! Note: OneNote now supports mobile devices like iPod Touch, iPhone, Android-powered devices, Windows Mobile devices, etc. The only drawback is that it's NOT for free.
• Notepad++ - WAY better version of notepad. Try doing your programming stuff here and you'll never look at programming the same way again. HAHA. That's not entirely true. But whatever. HAHAHA.

• Box - A very reliable and secure file hosting site. You get 1Gb of free space upon sign up. Direct linking is not allowed, however. 
• Skype - it has better video call functionality than the Yahoo Messenger. Plus, it has several other features YM doesn't have. One is the capability to share your desktop to the other person. Quite handy, I should say, especially when you'd like to show something to the other end.
• Dropbox - (this I came across just recently.) UGH! I seriously wish I'd known of it sooner. Best for group projects. Reduced our project-making time in half, if not more. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THING! Upon signup, you get a free 2Gb of space where you can store, sync, and share your files. The thing is it automatically backs up any file you store in the "My Dropbox" folder in your PC. You'll never find yourself doing the following ever again:
• drive back home to retrieve documents you accidentally left
• scream in anger because you accidentally deleted or edited a file
• use USB flash drives to transfer files
• use email attachments to save files
• use email attachments to share files
• schedule and do manual file backups
• inform your groupmates that you've updated a file and sent it to them.

• TeamViewer - another application I was able to use just recently. It allows you remotely control the desktop of another user, view their desktop, transfer/share files, and a lot more. Granted you have their permission of course.
• MyPhoneExplorer - (for Sony Ericsson users only) A great tool to control your cellphone through your PC. Connection is established through bluetooth, usb cable, or infrared. You can do almost anything you'd be able to do on a phone such us compose and send messages, make calls, and manage files. You can even backup up your messages, notes, contacts, files, etc! :D I find this especially useful when dealing with groupmates without internet connection while doing our projects. Typing my message thru my laptop instead saves me a significant amount of time.

Labels: academics, college, cool, new, pressure, problems, project, school