QUIT SMOKING.

Don't kill yourselves. You are not only killing yourselves but also the others around you!

Compaq laptops

Compaq is not a brand that you can rely on for long term use. I have had so many troubles with it. Most annoyingly the problems start to play up only when I need my laptop the most. Had troubles with charger last year, around the same time.The battery would not charge, I kept on repositioning the charging pin and finally had to use a tape to stable it in one position to charge. Still it completely gave up at one point. And it was the 3rd new charger at that time with the same problem. And then I had to find a shop that opens on Sundays and had to pay a ridiculously high price for a charger. It was a Universal charger and now I am having the very same problem when I have serious things to do.
I have changed 4 different chargers so far but surprisingly the problem is not the charger but the laptop's pin or the charging circuit inside. I don't know how but it works with new charger only for a while and it loosens. Whatever, this problem is with all Compaqs so that should tell you something.
Secondly, Compaq's DVD ROM is bad too. It hardly worked properly since the time I had bought and had to replace it with a new one. However, I should agree with the fact that I have had it for 5 years now and it is working reasonably. Other brands may work better but this battery problem is not safe as it really messes everything last minute. Think twice when you go for Compaqs!

Kidney Cancer drug, Everolimus not recommended for NHS

A drug used for the treatment of a form of advanced kidney cancer is not being recommended for NHS-wide use, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said.

Issuing its final guidance, Nice said Everolimus - which is marketed as Afinitor and Novartis - "does not provide enough benefit to patients to justify its high cost".
Everolimus is used for the second line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma - a kidney cancer which starts in cells lining the small tubes which help to make urine.
Around 4,000 people are diagnosed with the advanced condition every year and not all these would be eligible for Everolimus, the institute said.

The institute accepted, though, that although research evidence into the effect on survival times was not conclusive, "overall survival gain would be likely to be more than three months".

From Yahoo News.

I wonder if private patients will be allowed to get it. I guess there is a list of drugs that the NHS cannot afford to give all their patients and quarrel between the NHS and some patients desperate for these drug continues... no one can be blamed.

Happy Tamil/Sinhala New year / Happy Vaisakhi

Wishing everyone a very happy Tamil/Sinhala new year. It is also today that the Sikhs are celebrating their new year. :) So wishing you all Sikhs out there a Happy Vaisakhi!!

I wish you all for a relaxed mind, a healthy body, peaceful soul and a joyful spirit. Wish you a happy new year!

Who can you blame?

I have paid so many penalty notices and this time it is three in one week. A big lump for the council. I can't imagine the number of staff this council has employed to check the parking times everyday, in every street. I wish I could earn like that.

Road tax, MOT, Insurance, Parking permit at the residence...already to many to pay for to when owning a car and adding to that is Parking penalties. There is enough paid already to the car every year/6 months/weekly, so why not have flexible rules for parking? 

This might sound silly, but the pain of finding a parking place when you go to a hospital for an appointment, where you don't know how long they would make you wait, is not deserved. If it is costly to miss an appointment with a dentist and you are fined for that, then calling names late at the appointments should be compensated. If they can fine for turning up to an appointment late, then we should be able to claim the parking cost/penalties caused by them. The appointments are only for 10 mins and the amount of time you would have to waste more than necessary for is hours and hours.

If the road tax should be paid on time, the roads should be potholes-free. During the snow time there are much more potholes and people have to go to the mechanics often because the tyres get damaged and the wheel alignment changes. Do we get paid for this by the government? No. Why we pay a fortunate for the road tax then? Where is the council tax going? What could they do if there's a pothole related accident? The potholes are fixed or not, they have enough resources to employ a huge number of staff to stick the parking penalties!

It will be no surprising if the pedestrians are asked to pay a "road tax" in the future!

I agree we won't have the roads, street lights or traffic signals if we don't pay the tax.But we have the rights to expect quality. If the tax can be raised, why not the wages? The tuition fees are doubled, and what's the difference to be seen in the Universities? I bet there will be none.  

Taxes are wasted on too many trial-schemes that are dropped after a certain period of time. Is there anything that is not being taxed? You open the newspaper and the words that flash at you are credit crunch, tax rise, recession, job cuttings etc.

I just realise that I started writing this post about my "parking penalty" rant and it has come way too far and this will be endless if I continue on. I wish there will be a time when there are tax free zones made in every country ( like Dubai) ......and I know this can only be a wish. And I just move on with a huge sigh.

And it is India!

I was hoping for Sri Lanka to win the world cup but also happy that India won at the end. Both teams played very well and it was one of the most interesting matches so far, with being unable to predict until the end. Mahela Jeyawardane did a great job and so did Dhoni. All the Indian fans here celebrated by honking for a long time that night. Lots and lots of honking and screaming. I was asked a lot of times by strangers whether I had watched the match and they started dancing bale bale when I said Yes, I know India won. LOL. I loved the way the Indians cheered their team and how they celebrate the winning. 

Well done India, You did well! :)

Aus Vs Pak

Australia really did surprise me today! Pakistan playing really well in this world cup is a different story but Australia, what happened to you! If you play like this with Sri Lanka, it will be sweet! Well, although the 2nd innings is a choice left for Aussies to get back to 'the Australian team', I am still shocked at the runs they've got in the 1st innings. Okay, let's wait and see!

PS: Just read that this is the lowest score (176/10) for Australia since 1992!

Update: So finally, Aussies lost this game as anticipated. I was hoping for them to win but just thought if Aus had won today, AUS and PAK would have been the first two in team standings. Because PAK has won, SL now holds the second place. All is because of that abandoned match between Aus and SL! It was a much expected match and sadly stopped because of the rain! Ah well, fingers crossed for the upcoming games for Sri Lanka.

Random rant!

I was just going through some of my old posts in this blog and remembered how interactive they had been before. Lots of people stopping by, reading and commenting. Which made me happy :) It is not so like that anymore, I suppose everyone has gone into the busier life that does not allow blogging like a couple of years back. Although I have been doing a lot more things compared to before.Life is getting more and more tougher and busier that I want to go back a few years, but, in terms of achieving, can't wait to get out of Uni and start working. Have been seeing a lot of my school friends working or hunting for jobs already and I am like, I am studying. In another sense, it makes me happy to hold less responsibility at the moment because all I have to do is study. I don't really want this studying phase to end soon (as just a student occupation and must study while working is another story). And, I am not so happy about the fact that I haven't worked anywhere in my life so far that I may have to struggle when I enter the working phase. Ah well, long to go for that and I will face it later. Whatta procrastinator I am. Phew! I am amazed at people who work, study, publishing a lot of papers, doing this, that and everything they can. I wish I get rid of my addiction to procrastination.

I want one of those Bernard's watch! I would just pause the time and smile at the deadlines! and not let them looming close and horrifying me. It also means I will be doing all the things that I have no time to do. I will read all the books waiting on the shelves, I would make a quick trip to home, would get mummy's food, Oh my god, How I forgot - I will surely do so much more shopping!! My God, that will really give me a good break! Uherrmm...okay, I should come back to reality. Got a long list of things to do! Okay "End Rant".

The new invisible iPhone 5

Hilarious!!

Japan Tsunami

My prayers go out to those in Japan. It is a huge disaster although I had heard that Japan is used to the earth-quacks. Something sweeping away without warning is a shock! And the whirlpool was incredibly enormous and amazing to see. The people in Asia seem to be the unfortunate in the world in terms of all the natural disasters they face. Now that there is a nuclear radiation or the risk of it, too.
I pray for all those affected and involved in Japan to get through this. May God be with you.

3 Years of blogging!

It is my three years blogoversary!

Today my blog is three years old and it does strangely feel so long.  It was three years ago this day, I started this blog. Thanks to blogger I have found good friends and writers through this.
Not much to say other than...I just wish I keep writing. More and well.