War of the Worlds

Am uber excited today. I finally installed Windows XP Professional on my Macintosh using VMware.

I researched about the programs that could give you the best of both worlds and I came down to these three guys: Parallels Desktop, Crossover and VMware. I checked Parallels at an Apple store but it was expensive. Tried running Crossover but it was looking for a certain file that I don't freakin' know how to get. So I said, screw it. Lastly, I decided to try out VMware. I wasn't new to this virtualization software so I was hopeful.

And now, here's the outcome of my perseverance & hard work.

An Apple a Day

Ever since I got my MacBook Air, I've been spending countless hours learning about its nature, attitude, and quirks.

You'll notice right away that the interface is very simple and clean. You don't see much of the unnecessary files lying around. A+ for organization.

Normally when I boot up my other laptop, I'd go to the pantry, make my oatmeal brekky and fix my hot chocolate and when I come back, it would be just about done with the startup. It takes quite awhile. With my MBA, it's really fast startup.

Am introduced to the DMG format. It's the counterpart of exe in Windows. You just double-click it and your installation will be on the way. On the other hand, if you wanna get rid of an application, you can just drag it to the waste basket icon and voila! You have uninstalled your program by that simple step.

There's an extra key called Command. It acts like the Control key in PCs.

The graphics is totally amazing. Can't wait to do some illustrations & photo editing here. I personally love the screen savers, Flurry & Arabesque (and yet I only heard of this term in my aerobics class).

In Apple, you can use the four corners of the display to do some stuff. This is where I set to minimize all windows and startup/disable the screen saver.

On to the functionalities. First I checked is the Quicktime. I was shocked when I tried running my divx films and all I got was sound. Went to the Apple site and downloaded the codec. After some tinkering here & there, I can now watch movies with my MBA. Yay!

I tried accessing my other laptop's CD/DVD drive. I just turned on the CD sharing in my other laptop and I could easily see the contents of the drive in my Mac. I just saved 99 dollars. I don't need the SuperDrive anymore.

Am currently working on having another OS installed in my Mac. I wanna run some Windows programs to get the best of both worlds.

Now let's talk about the quirks. When you press delete, it asks like a backspace. So be careful. You must press Function along with the Delete key.

To capture the screen, you must press the following keys: Shift+Command+3. There ain't no single button for it.

That's all I can share for now. More stories next time.

My New Baby

More than a decade ago, I've been introduced to the Mac world. I really love the graphics capability of this other computer brand. I swam in the ocean of Adobe products. I remember when I first opened my mini iPod several years ago. It's like a reunion with Apple.

Fast forward to 2008. I just can't buh-lieve I bought my very first Macintosh laptop. This is the bag & box that it came with. Simple. Nice packaging. Opening the box is like opening a present from Santa on Christmas eve ;oP

The MacBook Air is wrapped in plastic. When you lift the MBA from the box, you'll see the all-too-familiar-white power cord and a black envelope containing the manual & the Mac OS installers.And these are all the junk inside the box. In the lower right corner are DVI cords and a soft cloth for cleaning purposes. Sweet!Even though it's already past 3 am, I still went through the setup process and all that intro stuff. Can't wait to install stuff here for my personal enjoyment/entertainment. Uhm, you know, my music, movies, illustrations, and blog stuff. More Mac stories coming up.

It's in the Air

Tomas woke me up with some nudging on my legs. It's already past 8. We need to leave early if we wanna make the most of our remaining time in NYC. Ogz had already taken his shower.

We bid goodbye to Tita Mel & Letty. Rode the N train going to 59th street. Ogz & Tom went to do some more shopping at H&M.At the Apple store, I tried to cancel my online order. Spoke to one Apple Representative and told him about my purchase. But when I went to the counter, I got declined. Crap! Not again!

 

I called my bank using Ogz's cellphone but it kept on timing out. That stressed me out. I asked one Apple Rep and he told me that I could use any iPhones around. So I called Chevy Chase and they told me that my credit limit has been increased already.

Went back to the counter and tried my card again. I could see the package already but I couldn't get it until I pay for it. Extremely frustrating!

For what must've been the nth time going back and forth, Chevy Chase advised me to tell the Rep to try my card manually. Meaning, they need to enter the card number on their system instead of swiping it.The gods must have given me a break for finally, the Apple Rep handed me my first Apple laptop. I asked if she could give me another bag for it doesn't look sturdy to me. I don't want the notebook to fall when I'm carrying it.

It's already almost 1 pm when I met Tomas and Ogz at a Chinese resto. I lost my appetite already. They had buffet but didn't enjoy the food. So stay away from Midtown Buffet, guys.

We walked back to Port Authority and got our bags from Greyhound storage. You can leave your stuff there for 5 bucks each item. Very convenient if you're carrying lotsa stuff.

We bid goodbye to our friend and boarded the bus. It left earlier than the scheduled time. But we hit traffic on our way to DC. Reached the terminal around 6 already.

Rode the Metro to Franconia-Springfield. It took us about 30 minoots to get there. Then we rushed towards the parking lot hoping that our car is still there. I've never been so happy to see our car parked there all alone.

Then we travelled towards Sully. Unforch, the directions that I got from Google maps weren't that good 'cause we got lost. Ugh! We missed the 170B exit. Anyhoo, I kept on driving and noticed that we're going back to Maryland. Turned back and got lost again. We then stopped by a gas station and bought a map. 

Drove around DC for a while. Then we decided to take 50 W. That led us to Chantilly eventually. It's almost 10 when I swung by Ruby Tuesday for dinner. We're tired and hungry. We just wanna go home. I had shrimp with pasta. Ate only half of it.

After a few minoots, we finally reached 28. Oh my god! So happy to be back home.

Drooooool

Ah, it's so nice to dream. Too bad, with the setup that I want (DVD drive & graphics software), the thinnest notebook would cost more than 2K =o(

If you want the song featured in this commercial, listen to the full version in my cassette player to your right. It's "New Soul" by Yael Naim.