Jackson YWL

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Before I watch The Odd Life of Timothy Green, I thought it appears boring or just plain fiction, nothing exciting. I have it in possession for a couple of months until yesterday that I suddenly decided to go for it while I was having lunch (yes, I usually have lunch and dinner in front of my dual-24"-LCD).

All I can say is, this is the type of movie that will cause you to change your mind about what you said or what you thought, at least to me it did. This is not Disney-like movies that is supposed to teach you some kind of "meaning of life". I think this is something between pure romance and family.

I think it is really interesting, nothing worth pondering, but the story itself is very interesting to me.

Have you watched "Nothing but the Truth" or "Sunshine"? Those are definitely a must-watch recommendation from me. There's really only several movies that, when I am to introduce movies to friends or family that I will go "you must watch this"! Sure, Iron Man, The Avengers, they are all pretty awesome for one looking for action or cool ideas, but its not really something you tell someone that it's a must-watch.

Looking for private tutor at your location?

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:53:00 +0000

One very obvious difference between Malaysia and Taiwan is that, Taiwanese loves tuition! Okay, I did not intentionally mean it in a sarcastic way. What I mean is that Taiwanese attends tuition a lot, from maybe primary school all the way to secondary, and what differs them with Malaysia's situation is that, they have tuition in tertiary too. By tuition, I don't mean you attend university class where you pay the "tuition fee".

Then again, Taiwan does have a higher education standard than Malaysia. In Malaysia, we are still facing crisis (the government issue, if you know what I mean), and the real revolution are probably just about to happen to the country, let aside the education. That explains why Taiwanese signed up for a lot of tuition compared to Malaysian.

There's really infinity subjects which one can sign up for, ranging from science, language, religion and whatnot. Sure, you can search for those well-established (or not) tuition centre and inquire for tuition class, but what if you are looking for a private tutor? How do you manage to find one effectively in a short time? Well, you can definitely check out Tutorspree. Here, you can check and browse Alpine tutors or any other kind of tutors you could possibly look for, and watch the magic happen! I am not sure whether it is available everywhere in the world, but for USA this could be so very convenient. Preparing for exams? In need of a better set of study skills? There you go!

For more information about Tutorspree, click on the link!

Blockbusters awaiting!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:26:00 +0000

Several movies I wanna watch!

Yeah, they are all action movies........ which is awesome! I watch to awe!

G.I. Joe 2

Olympus has Fallen

Man of Steel!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:41:00 +0000

Kids nowadays don't know what is Ninja Turtles. They grew up with Angry Bird (its not even a cartoon/animation, I don't know what's the fuss about), Ben 10, and what else? I can't really remember much.

Anyway, I remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), or just Ninja Turtles, is among my childhood memories. Animation cartoons of this sort are usually aired on Saturday and Sunday morning, and I grew up in a strict family, meaning to say we have to wake up earlier than many other kids of our age, say, 8a.m. After our breakfast, me especially, will rush in front of the TV and watch cartoons, among those are Dragon Balls, Justice League, and of course, TMNT.

Don't ask me why a turtle can fight, cartoons are supposed to be fictional. But anyhow, those 4 turtles can fight, and they have humors too.

The picture on top is one of them, Leonardo. He is the leader of the turtles, one that always abide the rules, a strategic commander. Fun fact: the turtles are named after great artists. Leonardo (Leonardo da Vinci), Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni), Donatello (Donatello di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) and Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino).

The reason I thought about Ninja Turtles is that I encountered a website that sells Ninja Turtles costumes, and if I was young and wild and rich, I might just buy one, but now, off to studies..........

Cloud storage - COPY

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:26:00 +0000

Just found out that there's a new cloud storage service, something similar to Google Drive and Dropbox, it's called "Copy"!

Compare to Dropbox where every free account gives you 2GB of free storage, Copy gives you 5GB!

What's more, every referral to Copy gives both the referral and the referent/referee another 5GB free!

If you are someone like me who needs a lot of Cloud storage for traveling or portable purpose, this one is for you!

Copy's registration form

ADD (ADHD) and Pomodoro

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:56:00 +0000

I think I have serious ADD (ADHD) issue. I am 24 years old, and I have finally come to realize this fact, that I cannot properly concentrate reading something without it being close to deadline (or having serious pressure, which is rare to occur until last minute).

Knowing this, I found a way to keep me concentrating, the Pomodoro technique. Quoting from Wikipedia, The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down periods of work into 25-minute intervals called 'Pomodori' (from the Italian word for 'tomatoes') separated by breaks. The method is based on the idea that frequent breaks can improve mental agility.

I have start applying this method by forcing myself to do nothing but study until the time (25 minutes) is up. Whether I decide to take a break or not depends on my current study momentum, but through this 25 minutes time frame, I manage to give myself some sort of short-term goal, which can keep my ass (and my mind) from being distracted by something else. Compared to having no goals and just tell myself to 'study as long as I can possibly do', this 25 minutes short-term study time frame has managed to pushed me further. Before this, despite my best (lazy) efforts, I think I only achieved less than 2 hours of study, with the 2 hours being quite inefficient as I probably stop-and-resume for more than 100 times (no shit).

I am probably not doing the Pomodoro thing the right way, trying to improve the mental agility or whatnot, so I think my way of doing it is more like a short-sprint method. Anyhow, it helped, and so I decided to write this experience given the fact that I keep abandoning my blog and written nothing good all this while.

Pomodoro is a productivity/time management technique, and there are several PC/Mac small-sized software that can help you with it. I have tried Pomodairo and Focus Booster, both are free and is available on PC and Mac. Focus Booster is even available on web.

Pomodairo

Focus Booster

I forgot to mention the fact that my particular ADD issue happens mainly when I am close to a gadget (such as my current dual-24"-LCD-PC, iPhone 4, ASUS N45J laptop or brandless-9"-Android-tablet). I am pretty sure if I have none of these around me and just a book, I will read it thoroughly even if it's in a language I don't entirely understand. That said, if you are having concentrating/focusing issue like me (in whichever situation, surrounded-by-tempting-gadget or not), try the Pomodoro technique or the short-sprint technique. Good luck!

Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Weather in Taiwan is certainly cold during this time of the year, but I think its getting warmer and warmer, indicating that spring and summer is coming soon...

p/s: hope I chose the right topic for my dissertation ..

Penny stocks

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:38:00 +0000

Interested in making huge money in a short amount? Try TimothySykes advive on penny stock trading!

A little about Timothy, he made himself a millionairse at the age of 21, all by trading penny stocks. He turned $12,415 into $1.65 million in a couple years! He was also featured in several well known TV program such as CNN, CNBC, Wall Street Warriors, The New York Times and so on. You may read about his biography here.

Well, just by this little facts, I bet you are getting curious to know how he did it? Check out his website where he offers to teach you his simple-to-learn strategy.

Simple enough, there are several learning program that you can subscribe to, ranging from $49.95/month to $99.95/month. You may also apply to Tim's Challenge where you will be able to get the chance to talk with Tim himself, learn Tim's secret strategies and become a success stor featured on his website!

If you are seriously interested in making big money, you might really wanna consider TimothySykes.com where a small learning investment can get you to more than hundreds of traders discussing session, gain experience and knowledge and whatnot! And you know what, you can even get started with the 7 free video lessons when you simply signup!

Check out his Facebook fanpage too at TimSykes fanpage!

Last day in Malaysia for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:41:00 +0000

3 weeks has passed, just like that.

This Chinese New Year is pretty awesome, almost each of every day is filled with activities, be it with family or friends. Couldn't manage to meet everyone though.

Last night in Banting, Malaysia for the year of 2013, my heart is full of unspoken sadness, knowing that I won't be back soon, not at least for a year. I hope everything is fine when I am away, family and friends.

離別的不捨...

Food for your Pets!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Recently I have been noticing a change of trend, maybe I was not paying enough attention before, but it certainly has gone impossible to not notice. In Taiwan, I often encounter baby-strollers which isn't carrying a baby, but a dog! Apparently, dogs (or pets, in general) has a higher status than human nowadays. It is not up to me to say its a good thing or bad thing, but it certainly is worth a mention.

Anyhow, for those with pets (I am too lazy to take care of one), dog for example, dog food or dog supplies is the headache question eh? I used to feed my dogs with leftover food, and those stray cats, we fed them with leftover bones and stuff, but I reckon "high-class" pets don't eat those stuff. They need high quality pet food!

If you are one interested in getting your pet some extra supplies or toys, why don't check out PetSupplies.com? They are selling almost everything you possibly need for your pet such as bird cages, bed, carriers, grooming stuff, toys and whatnot.Varieties are not what's interesting, they offer various discounts too, as well as free shipping! Auto-schedule is also available for those who wants to purchase fresh supplies monthly, straight to your doorstep! I think its pretty awesome, seeing as how people nowadays treat their pets better than they treat themselves, so check it out!

"What Would I Do Without You" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbours

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:56:00 +0000

In How I Met Your Mother Season 8, episode 14, there is a short tune of a song, and although the song was like less than 10 seconds, I got caught instantly.

Sometimes I wake up with a sadness
Other days, it feels like madness
So, what would I do without you

When colors turn to shades of gray
With the weight of the world at the end of the day
Oh, what would I do without you

A decade goes by without a warning
And there's still a kindness in your eyes
Amidst the questions and the worry
A peace of mind always takes me by surprise

I feel like I'm walking with eyes as blind
As a man without a lantern in a coal mine
Oh, what would I do without you

My imagination gets the best of me
And I'm trying to hide
Lost at sea
Oh, what would I do without you

The difference between what I've said and done
And you're still standing by my side
A guilty soul and a worried mind
I will never make it
If I'm on my own

So you got the morning
I got midnight
You are patient
I'm always on time
Oh, what would I do without you

You got your sunshine
I got rain clouds
You got hope
I got my doubts

So, what would I do without you
Oh, what would I do without you
Oh, what would I do without you

Cool stuff in Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:39:00 +0000

One of the really cool stuff in Taiwan is that there are plenty of promotions everywhere, and I am guessing it is because of the heavy competition in every field, including 24-hours convenience store such as 7-Eleven (vs FamilyMart, Hi-Mart, and so on). Almost (if not all) every town there will be at least one convenience store, depending on whether is is 7-Eleven or not.

Anyway, these convenience store, they usually have give-away where you will first need to collect points (through spending, say, over 70NTD). Once you collected enough points, top-up with a small amount of money and you will get the prize (such as figurines, folder and whatnot). Recently the theme is Disney vs Marvel figures of invisible-pen or highlight-pen.

Heck, I was expecting Woody or Buzz or Iron Man or Captain America, probably Donald Duck or Mickey, but definitely wasn't expecting The Hulk.

I got the Hulk.

Before this, there was the One Piece portable battery series, and it was pretty cool too.

I guess Taiwan's convenience stores really bring the word "convenience" to extreme, by being super-duper convenient, easily found, easily get, with plenty of promotions and clearance and whatnot to lure you in.

Life advice

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Saw this somewhere, and I am sharing it here, possibly to always remind me about life:

-------------------------

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles roll
ed into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Tick-Tock

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:38:00 +0000

Not that I am a believer of the end-of-the-world myth, but heck, with all the rumors going on for so long and it turns out to be utter bollocks? No, I am not fond of that. Not gonna give any speech on 'thank god I am alive'. I know I am alive and I am living my life in every possibly good way.

So, 2013 is coming up soon, which means the end of this semester, also my first year of Master is coming to an end. No, I am not graduating just yet, I still have (at least) 1 year to go, and hopefully I will be able to complete whatever research title I will be given and then graduate honorably!

Cheers, to a good year ahead! (and many more)!

How I Met Your Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:33:00 +0000

So recently, my mood is kind of on the down side. No, I am not saying that I am all blue or anything, it's just that I am feeling guilty for spending a lot of my times watching series and not doing real studies.

This drama I am currently hooked up on is the award-winning "How I Met Your Mother"! It goes way back on how I finally decided to watch it. You see, Neil Patrick Harris is so awesome you always see him on 9gag (yes, 9gag), and so I thought "I should get the series and see for myself what he's like in the show. Upon the first episode, I realized Alyson Hannigan (where I've known from American Pie) and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, etc) are also acting in the show. Speaking of which, the only time I remembered ever watching Neil Patrick Harris on the screen is on "Harold and Kumar".

Basically, the show is about the social and romantic lives of the main character, Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) and his friends Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) and Barney Stinson (NPH).

So anyway, this show is currently at its 8th season (wow!) and I am trying to take it slow (as to force myself to do some actual real meaningful things like study or homework).

Clock is ticking. December the 21st is approaching. Are we talking about +8:00 GMT, or something else?

Then again, life goes on for now.

Tax time!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:33:00 +0000

For the non-working category, yeah, you may skip ahead as this probably don't relate to you, yet. Though, you could read through since its gonna help you in the upcoming.

For other peeps, 2013 is coming, and sooner or later you gotta compile your incomes and whatnot and submit your tax bracket. For the uninitiated, filing for tax is a pain in the backside. Often, you'll be thinking, have I done this right? Anything I left out? That's where TurboTax comes in.

TurboTax consistently receives the highest marks from reviewers, making it the #1-rated tax software, year after year. It helps you by providing you steps by steps instructions and whatnot, ensuring you filed everything you need and saves every penny you are able to save. Other than that, you are also able to compare your taxes, year to year.

TurboTax also provides you with helpful tips and various information that can be accessed easily. Everything is so easy, and since you can do it online, you can do it anywhere with your leftover from before.

You know what, you can also file a tax extension! The deadline for 2013 is March 15th, but you can file IRS extension by April 15th and have until October 15th to finish your taxes. You will get notified through email from the IRS when your tax extension is approved.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 02:19:00 +0000

Oh yeah, went and watch it yesterday, the second day of screening. Before that I wasn't all that excited about the movie, but I figure I would still give it a try, coming from the director of LOTR and all. The length of the movie is more than 2 and a half hour, which is pretty long for the current standard.

I can't say that The Hobbit is to my exact liking, but taking a neutral side, I'd say it is pretty awesome, the scenes and the soundtracks. Its not exactly exciting, and it is about adventure, and how many adventure-genre movie do we have nowadays (other than comedy or parody)? If one takes some times to appreciate the making, feel the scenery, the soundtrack, and last but not all, the emotion of Bilbo Baggins, this is a great movie. Try to get yourself immerse, and feel the wonder that is the world of

Peter Jackson sure is great in building suspense. Starts off slow, introducing the character, getting you (or to me) a little bit bored, thinking when is the exciting adventure begins, and then yeah, the adventure begins, followed by the exciting smash this smash that. So, just a friendly warning, do not go in the theater thinking of Iron Man or Thor!

Also, I watched The Hobbit in HFR 3D! What is HFR? High Frame Rate! There sure is a big difference, but maybe I need to watch the show again in a normal frame rate to compare about the effect. Some says that HFR makes a movie not so much a movie anymore, and yes, I do feel that the movie gives the exact vibe like you are looking right out a rectangular windows with Bilbo Baggins and Gollum showcasing off.

Well, I guess that's all I have to say for now. Been a long time since I actually write a review, seems that my English is getting pretty dull, as well as my ability to narrate what I thought, if I ever have one. Ohh well.

Christina Grimmie covering Titanium

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:17:00 +0000

Noticed her strong vocal from her other covers, "Just A Dream" by Nelly.

I am officially addicted to her voice!

As 2013 (or 2012/12/21) is approaching, I am drafting my 2013 resolution, or objectives to be met. I don't usually do this, but I need to keep getting better and better in everything!

周杰倫 - 紅塵客棧

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:22:00 +0000

Jay Chou's new song.

I haven't been really updating myself with music lately, and thanks to YouTube's advertisement, I noticed that Jay's new MV is out. Unbelievably, I am instantly hooked to it for 2 days now, and at least a few days more.

Mozilla's Firefox OS

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:22:00 +0000

So we now have another new mobile platform, the Mozilla's Firefox OS.

Right now the popular mobile OS is undoubtedly a war between Apple's iOS and Google's Android, with Microsoft's Windows 8 chasing behind.

Mozilla has provide users on Windows, Mac or Linux a test environment. All you need to do is go to this website and download (by clicking on your operating system). You will get a ".xpi" file. You need to install the ".xpi" file with Mozilla Firefox. The Firefox OS Simulator will then be up and running.

Source: TechBeat

Running Mac OSX on Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 05:26:00 +0000

I am having so much fun, being able to run Mac OSX on Windows 7!

Maybe I should write a brief guide on "how-to", but till then!

p.s. Wishing that I have a touch screen LCD for Windows 8~

p.p.s. Midterms are over, but there's still several homework and project to be done, and they are not easy..

p.p.p.s. Next semester's gonna be hell.. After all the studies (mostly slacking) this year, next year will be fully research (and a lot of studies, reading, and stressing)..

Random weather in Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:50:00 +0000

The weather here is so random! One day you are standing below a blazing sun, and the next day you are shivering from heaver shower with wind!

And yeah, the whole week is gonna be filled with cold rain and strong wind!

Time to suit-up!

Midterms!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 10:36:00 +0000

Brace myself! Midterms approaching!

Aaaaaaaah!

I hate exams!

Bruno Mars saves Pandora!

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:48:00 +0000

This is too good not to share!

Leave it to Saturday Night Live to take something as simple as Internet radio source Pandora and singer Bruno Mars to make such a classic video.

This weekend Bruno Mars served as host and musical guest for the popular late night sketch comedy program. Mars did a number a funny skits but the skit of him as a Pandora intern forced to save the day when Pandora goes down was classic. Mars as the intern was asked to sing certain songs on certain stations that were down such as Green Day, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and more until they were restored.

The subtitles are in Chinese. I can't find the same full video on YouTube so I am guessing it was removed due to violation or some sort, nevertheless, internet is for sharing, and so sharing is what I am doing!

Enjoy!

p/s: I've shrink the size of the video a little, so for full entertainment, click on the second button on the bottom right to go into full-screen.

Credit to B.C. & Lowy for the video and translation!

Past, Present, Future

noreply@blogger.com (Jackson Yew) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:41:00 +0000

I can't change who I was in the past; what I can is to look back at those mistakes I did in the past and correct those mistakes in the present so to mold the future person that I am about to become. I wasn't perfect then, I am not perfect now and I certainly won't be perfect in the coming, but I am gonna do my best, to be a better man.