Mac myths « 5amuel personal blog

2 things I want to clear off my mind…

9
Jan/090

I need to write something fast! Its almost 3 days since my last post and who knows who will come banging at my door telling me to write something… anyway its pretty sandy in here, oh i mean dusty (If you have no idea what I’ve being talking about, its natural, this is inside joke)

So, let’s just start with my Napfa on Wednesday (7/1/2008). Napfa is like my worst nightmare. I have not being training as hard as I planned and to make the matter worst, I trained so much at the very last minute, my whole body ache(muscle).

I went Napfa with the guys(Azmi, Justin, Joshua, and The Ron). At least won’t feel so lonely and we can encourage each other. Our first station was the shutter run. One of my favorite station. The last time I ran, which was THREE years ago (and I have not trained since then), I gotten a 9.9s. Unless you want to break the 9 seconds barrier, speed isn’t the factor here(for most, fit and healthy guys). Shutter run is more about the technique. You have to practice the turning. Know which legs you are using to stretch and turn, plan ahead and practice. Most people fail to see that and think shutter run is all about speed and that they run so fast, they can’t stop and turn.

So, drumroll please… (sound effect)… my timing for shutter this time round is 9.5s, and I think I have not run my best yet =P

The next station, sit-up. I am a bit worried, since just 2 days ago, I did so many sit-up, my abdominal muscle ache. Luckily, it healed by then and I managed to do 43 in 50 seconds. Ha! Yah, I just did the bare requirement for A(42) and stop there. No tips here. No technique involved just strong abdominal muscle and perhaps stamina??

Then came standing broad jump. A real killer for a lot of guys. So if you are one of those guys(or gals), here’s a RIGHT way of doing it. Once again, there’s technique involve and I am so lucky my secondary teacher taught us this. It is really useful. Before you start, you need to at least have reasonable leg muscle. So the technique is, contrary to popular ‘belief’, not to keep swinging and bending your knee. What alot of people did was to keep swinging and thinking they are ‘charging’ momentum, which I don’t agree. The best and strongest jump, punch, kick, etc, come from the last second exertion of energy. It’s physic! Go research, do google. So just stay focus, when you are ready, swing down once(hand swing backwards) and jump (when hand swing forwards)… The moment you are about to land (stupid gravity =_=”) tuck your legs up high before you land(to ensure you travel the furthest distance) All these need to be practice.

This time round, I did not do as good as expected, I got 235 or lesser. Without pressure and muscle ache, I once jumped 250++ =_=”

Sit and reach. Again, another guy killer(girl is generally more flexible). Not much technique involve. Just stretch everyday if you are not so flexible. My flexibility came about during secondary school when I saw a classmate touch the floor with the whole palm and another classmate was able to stretch his hand so back, it pass his head… that got me ‘motivated’ and do stretching everyday. Within a half a year(I think), I can touch the ground with my palm and I can stretch my hand so back, I can clap behind my back. I scored a 53 cm (A is to be more than 43) and I feel I can still stretch a few more centimeter but I am afraid I might over-stretch and strain my back since I still have 2 napfa station left.

Pull-up, my most dreaded station. I was overjoyed when I saw that they allow un-standard pull-up(hands no need to straighten) because when you straighten your hand, it take alot of energy to go back up. There’s technique involve as well… but I am in no position to teach as I am no good in my pull-up as well… The first attempt. I can only do only 2 pull-up!!! I can feel the strain on my muscle. My nightmare came true, my muscle have not recovered! I am so dead! Figuring that this is the last station before 2.4km run. I use my secret weapon, Red Bull. Sudden boost of energy was what I needed, that’s what I thought. But for my 2nd attempt, I still failed to pull pass 2. Im so angry, not at myself, but at the Red Bull ads cause it claims that… RED BULL gives you wings.

Why can’t I fly up the pull-up bars then =_=”…

So now I feel Red Bull is more of…

I got 2 for pull-ups… all the As(5 marks each) in the last few stations wasted. I failed. I fail napfa test…

So, I didn’t really have the drive needed to run 2.4km. I ran 2.4km reluctantly with a lousy timing of 13 minutes. 2 things that also hinder me during the run is the cap I’m wearing, its so freaking hot with it on, and my number tag, which I tied so tightly I could hardly breathe. But the cap is useful, nevertheless… After I ran, someone(stranger) was looking like she was fainting and gasping for air. I literally pushed the guy standing in front of her away (oops, not on purpose) to make space for her and fan her using my cap. Ha~

I will just treat this round as a training and will go for re-test some other time…

That conclude my first thing in my head…

2nd… I was reminded of this topic when I saw this on the newspaper.

Steve Jobs did not appear on the MacWorld Keynote presentation most probably because of health reason and everytime he appear with poor health, Apple’s stock fluctuate.

MacWorld is out already? I went to take a look at they introduce iLife 09 which all the features is like blew me away and I was this close to saying, ‘please STOP OVER-DELIVERING, I can’t take it!!!’ Photo management via face recognition technology, geo-tagging and near-final-cut-pro-functionality iMovie, instrument lesson on GarageBand and more…

Sometime I would need to debate with people about the topic of Mac vs Window(or ‘Window vs Mac’ so as to not offend anyone =_=”) I really hate to repeat myself.

So here are the top myth about Mac I need to clarify for people about the common, long-held misconceptions about the Macintosh and its operating system that are often parroted by Windows users.

Myth 1: Mac and PC don’t work together.

Mac uses standards that the software industry uses. All files that can be opened in Window can also be opened in Mac. Mac also can connect to PC on network. You can transfer all your data from your PC to Mac when you make the switch very easily.

Myth 2: Mac do not have softwares.

Over 15,000 applications are available and growing, including software that enables your Mac to run that rare application only available for Windows like Crossover, Parallel Desktop, VMware Fusion and Bootcamp.

Myth 3: Mac is hard to use.

I am a very bad example to be honest. People will say the mac looks complicated when they see me use my mac because I am a Power User. I customized my Mac so much that it can do alot more things than usual. The basic Mac software you get out of the box is easy as ABC. Easy to understand GUI. Take for example installing a printer. In a Mac, go to Preference and go to Printer and it will detect(both USB and Bluetooth version) and you confirm, there… you can start using. Simple as that. For Window? Install drivers? Can’t detect Printer? Troubleshooting? Restart? Reinstall drivers?

Myth 4: Mac is expensive.

Unless you are one of those who knows how to build your own PC and source for your own parts at budget price. The same specification of a PC and a Mac is about the same price. You get it all bundle nicely for you. You will always notice Mac cost higher because their default specification is quite good already. If you ‘build’ (apple store) your Mac with the lowest spec, its possible to get below $2000 and its still quite decent =D

Yah. So don’t complain about Mac being hard to use, no softwares, or expensive… its just a misconception that non-Mac people spread around. Give Mac a chance, give yourself a chance to test-run a Mac for yourself before complaining =P

Ciao. Gotta Sleep.