Instructions: How to repair your laptop (for amateurs) !

In order to give my post a little more structure I will use bold headlines this time: nice, he? :)

Dadj vs. Laptop
Well.. the last week was a huge fight between me and my laptop. I bought this Sony-Stuff almost exactly 3 years ago and after 1 year Sony already repaired it for me because I always got blue screens... If I remember correct it was something with the 3D card at that time.. and it is the same right now.

It started one day during the last week when playing bubble Island on facebook (I love this game, thx Hanna for introducing it to me ^^,  - but I hate what it did to my laptop :( ) and suddenly my screen got black. Windows told me something about "Anzeigefehler"..

Well so I tried to solve the problem - and this may also be a useful instructions guide for you too:

1. re-start, re-start, re-start
Just try restarting the laptop as often as possible, a few times you probably just can enter windows accidently and it works (at least for a few minutes) - use these minutes wisely: you dont know when you can access windows the next time!

2. Make use of the Windows-Starthilfe (starting help?),
When the laptop does not allow you to enter windows, it sometimes offers you to use the Starthilfe, there the laptop checks your system and tries to repair it.
Once again: if he is able to repair the system: be thankful and use the time you have, you never know when the next crash comes..

3.Tell everybody about your problems
A collegue at work explained this strategy to me: Instead of trying to figure out problems on your own..just tell everybody about your problems.. there always is somebody who can give you serious advice (besides the typical suggestions like: "Did you try to restart it?" or "Buy a new one!", bla bla
As a personal tipp: Crying and looking really desperate might help you ! Girls could also probably just wear a top with a big cleavage?!

4. Figure out what the problem is
This step goes hand in hand with step3, as you tell everybody about your laptop-problem in order to figure out what the problem is. In the ideal case: just hand your laptop over to this person and ask him to repair it for you. If you dont want to come across to rude offer something in exchange: eg. people like to eat, so cook something (only if you can cook!!!!)

5. Shout and Scream
Shout and Scream towards your laptop.. even a slight hit on the keyboard can help - not to rescue the laptop but to get ride of aggressions. Please be aware, that if you are too rude, this could already be the last step for you and you do not need to continue reading this instructions.

6.Trial & Error
6.1.Advanced options

If not even the Starthilfe can help you anymore, go to the "advanced options" that are offered to you, when the Starthilfe tells you "We couldnt repair your laptop: do you want to send a message to the Windows headquarter to avoid such situations in future?" (HaHa, this is btw the best part: How can I send a notification to the Windows headquarter?? I dont have internet - I can not even access Windows..haha.. this option is really hilarious! :)). Anyway in the advanced options just try everything to rescue the laptop. Even if you figured out your 3D graphics card is damaged, just try to repair your hard discs. It can (like in my case) give you 2 extra days of laptop usage! Again my advice: use the time your windows is working as good as possible, you never know when he crashes again!

6.2. Safety-Mode Reparation
In some cases even though your laptop does not allow you to enter Windows, you probably can acces the Safety-Mode. If you can, try to repair everything you can. If your 3D graphic card is damaged just deactivate it, and try how far you can go without it.
*This is the step where I am right now, so far (oke it's only been 1,5 hours) Facebook, Skype, Itunes, Youtube + Ally McBeal is working - I dont need more right now. So thats fine even if the graphics are not perfect :)

6.3 go back to 1.re-start, re-start, re-start
Luckily I am not here yet. But if there will be problems again even with the deactivated card, I will just start all over again trying to repair everything


6.4 Living in Safety-Mode
Just live here and try if this is sufficent. Btw: of course its not!

7. Steal somebodys laptop
The headline says everything, try not to get caught..

8. buy a new laptop
Either from friends, from a dutch Media-markt or go to Bremen and buy one with a german keyboard there.

I hope this instructions will help you the next time you have problems with your laptop. If not you can of course always ask me for help - haha !

Going out in Groningen:
The first two real party-nights in Groningen are over... One night with some studenthouse-collegues going to Backhuis, a really really nice alternative-rock disco. The Killers, The Hives, Mgmt, Kings of Leons, Gossip, hard-fi, etc etc were just desytroyed but a little bit too much of 70ies-disco-stuff; but yeah nice night! I didnt drink too much, because I was afraid of riding the bicycle home. :)

"Alleen n klein biertje" was responisble for a long Monday-Night with some Aiesecers at the Rumbar. Proving my dutch skills was nice, but I hope this wont make every monday night that long - more self discipline is necessary! :) The Club was not that awesome btw. A little bit too much people for too less space. This time I was a bit drunk, and still I was able to ride the bicycle home - yesssaa.. so this won't stop me in future :)

Yesterday I was first time eye witness at the Powerhour. 2 Guys from my studenthouse, one of them was Daan de Vries (he wanted to be mentioned in my blog :D he would also be pleased if you add him on facebook - haha; btw: did you know that: "de Vries" is the 2nd most common surname in the Netherlands after Jansen (Jensen?)) were drinking for 1 hour every minute one shot of beer! Ziehrer Creek: we have to adopt this drinking game, in 2012 :). Yesterday, the funny thing about it was that they went to bed short afterwards as they had to study the next day ^^

Aiesec-Livestream
Last but not least a few words about the Rewards & Recognition Award on Thursday, where Aiesec Vienna honoured some people for their performance during the last term. I won the matching competition award, for having been the person that first found an internship in this term. During the ceremony in Vienna, we had a short livestream-skype talk (luckily my laptop worked that night :D). As a price I will get an Ipod-shuffle - yippieyippie, so thanks to everybody who made this possible and who supported me while I was searching for an intership. No names here, people that helped me, know it anyway... :)

Allright.. looking forward to next week! : )
Dadj

How to name my bike?

Well the main issue for this week's blog entry is to find a name for my new bike! :)
But before that, lets "shortly" summarize what has happened during the last week... okay if you are too curious about how my bikes look like, just scroll to the end of the post ^^

Weekend was funy, after going to the Noorderslag-Festival (The next day, I found out that Ginga had played on the day I was there, but I didnt see them - daaaaaamn) on Friday, I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant on Saturday with my Aiesec Family.. after that I explained some of the guys how to play "Waterfall".... well and then I was forced to demonstrate it x). Btw this is my 2nd culture shock here in the Netherlands: You only get 0,25 beers in a Pub!!! That's perfect for Boat race but not for partying :/ and you pay ~ 2,50 for them.. wtf.. I want my Krügerl !! :(

During the weekdays, besides working (I still really enjoy it going to work every day, and now by having a bike, getting up at ~ 8.15 is not akward at all!) the main focus was to manage all the administrative stuff. Here is a short extract from my conversation at telfort (mobile phone provider like telering, etc...). In order to make it as funny as possible, probably not everything was said with exactly these words ;):

sales man (S): Hi, how can I help you?
Darius (D): Hi I am from Austria and I need a mobile phone here in the Netherlands.
S: Do you want prepaid or a contract?
D: I think I take a contract, prepaid cards are only for pussys.. I dont want people to laugh about me ;)
S: Okay, *explanation of the product..blabla*. In order to check if your bank account is valid and active, we have to charge 0,01€ right now on your bank account.
D: Oh, I just opened a bank account. Here is the contract, but I dont have a bank card yet.
S: Oh sorry, we need a bank card, otherwise its not proven that this is your active account.
D: But, here is the contract with my name and my account number, is this no proove ?
S: No sorry.
D: Well they will only send the card within the next 1-2 weeks, there is no chance I can get a contract now?
S: *asks for the store manager - he explains the same lame stuff to me*. But what I could offer you is that you take a prepaid card now and as soon as you have your bank card we can change it to a contract and  you can keep the number.
D: How much would this cost?
S: 7,75 for the sim card and then it depends on how much you use your telephone.
D: How much is calling for 1 minute?
S: 0,35
D: wow thats expensive! *I asked several more questions, about how to check my balance, what the minimum amount is, costs for keeping the number, which numbers are available at the moment and blaaa blaa...After beeing in the store for ~20 minutes I was finally convinced that I would take the sim card now, and change it to a contract in 1-2 weeks*
Okay I take it..
S: So this would be 17,75. 10€ for your prepaid card + the simcard
D: Alright. *taking out my purse, looking for 20€*
S: Oh sorry, you can not pay cash here!
D:I can not pay cash here?
S: No, sorry
D: Can I pay with mastercard?
S: No sorry, only with a dutch bank card!

HAHAHAHHAHAHA - most stupid sales man ever - I left the shop and will start a contract when I have my bank card!! :D so I am still waiting for the card and my dutch mobile phone number... But I already have an Albert Heijn bonus card - I think this was most important to me.

Yes, I also registered here in Groningen, I realized that I dont have an health insurance yet and I filled in the form for registering at Fit4Free (not registered but almost ;), I signed my contract in the student house, I watched a lot of TV with my awesome student house collegues (greetings to all of them that are reading this ;)) and I started watching the 2nd season of Ally McBeal.. Thanks Sevi :)

On Monday I also attended the LCmeeting of Groningen. I got to know the whole LC and the LCP who seems like a really cool guy. I had a short presentation about myself, Austria and Vienna.. Although, the OPS seminar at "future" in November was useful, I didn't use any of the information from there ^^.. I more provided some funny facts about Austria/Vienna.. there is one I dont wanne keep from you:
At the cemetery of Vienna there are 2.5 million tombs! As the population is ~ 1.8 mio people, there are more dead people then people alive in Vienna.. quite scary actually xD

Oh yeaah and my dutch is really improving.. A PONS audio-cd+book for Beginners really was a great investment.. I guess the people here are a little bit annoyed when I am always telling them how late it is.. but I am really good in telling the time in Dutch :)

I dont have any philosophical thoughts this time... I will try to think about something for my next entry, if you miss this input..

This weekend, is not so much of a party weekend, unfortunately most of the students here are totally busy with studying so I will have to wait until approx. February to introduce DrunkenDadj to them :)

Oh well yeah and I had 2 blue screens on my laptop while writing this post.. I am afraid he wont last for long anymore :(

So that's it for this week

<3 Darius

just joking ;) ...here is the long desired bike-story: On tuesday I went with two friends to Damsterdiep, a street somewhere at the other side of Groningen.. It was a 40 minutes walk (but my last walk!!) from my studenthouse. When we came there a sympathic guy, that reminded me of "Baloo the bear", called Hank brought us to his private garage where he keeps his bikes... well, in the end I got this cool bike you can see below and so far it really is working fine. I just realized that gloves are totally necesarry!!
Sooo please everybody, help me find a name for my bike:
By now I have 3 ideas for a name:
Hanky (because of the seller), Gazelle (as thats the brand of the bike) or Gisela (as that almost sounds like the bike's brand).. please like the names on my fb status or provide other ideas... the name with the most likes will be chosen (unless the name is too akward for me xD) :)

first week@work

Just before I open the mozilla firefox, I see the i-tunes button in the taskbar, and I suddenly realize that I haven't listened to any music on my laptop here in Groningen so far. I am wondering if it is because I was too busy or because I just didnt feel like listening to music and double click on "Serani-romance" while I start my 2nd post.

The music has already switched too some shuffled Dirty-Dancing song I once downloaded for the 60ies party at LK, while I upload a picture of PromoBears. Unfortunately my internet-connection is very bad here, so that I already hear Beenie Man and later on Akon and Eminem when reflecting about the first week at work. Well at PromoBears I am as a sales rep responisble for the UK market and also supporting the german-speaking market. Moreover I will have diverses tasks like market research or creating a sales-plan. My collegues at PromoBears are all really nice (I totally enjoy playing table soccer in the lunch-breaks ;)) and so has also been my first week with different tasks in generally. The main purpose so far was to get a detailed understanding of the products and service we are selling. I am really looking forward to this one year of working there.
As I got as a feedback from my application interviews especially at the Graduat Management Programs, constantly working on a full-time basis is exactly what has been missing in my CV and what I can now add in Groningen.
For more information on the company and my tasks: http//www.promobears.de or http://www.promobears.co.uk !
 
During this first week I also read some Sales books and for some side thoughts (although "alors en danse" is probably not the right music for such thoughts) here a quote that really stayed in my mind:

"Das, was sie auf dem Weg zum Erreichen Ihres Ziels lernen und erleben werden, ist wertvoller als das Erreichen des Ziels" [Umberto Saxer - bei Anruf Erfolg]

While Lady Saw sings about "thug loving", I feel supported and confirmed as the above statement somehow reflects the ideas that I had in the previous months. I am a little afraid of setting too precious goals and making plans as I dont want to get to concerned (and I tend to do so) about achieving this goals, and thereby forgetting that the way to achieve this goals should be enjoyed - cause you never know what happens tomorrow.

Okay, after this side-thoughts, back to real interesting issues: My first week of work did of course not discourage me from going to a pool-party in the "flat bar" in the basement of our studenthouse for playing some different version of "Mäxchen" (max).  My flat-mates were impressed how far I was able to learn about their drinking game - well I am looking forward to play the Ziehrer-Creeks-Version of KingsCup soon x). A strange guy from another floor really jumped in the little pool, which they put in the pub - haha - reminds me of the HelloKittyPool-Party in our WG and in Somo last summer ^^

While Chico sings about "thug life", Danny English about "Michelle" (Williams? Dawsons Creek rulez! ^^) and Buju Banton about who will be his love tonight I remember my first going-out in Groningen-city yesterday. Lucky for me within the last days there was a big festival in Groningen: Eurosonic Noorderslag (this should mean sthg. like North-punch in englisch - hahah xD )Festival - http://www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/.
I heard some cool dutch bands and had some beer in diverse Pubs in the city.

What else has happened in this week? I had a great dinner with the ICX team of Aiesec, I started learning Dutch by listening to an Advanced-Audio-CD, I finally signed my contract at the company, Albert Heijn died (rip) and I, when buying grocery, intelligently went exactly to the cashier where I can only pay with special AH-card which I of course dont have yet - so big emberassing scene - haha - and I had do change the cashier :D.

Vybez Kartel sings about a Gaza Girl and I am already starving thinking about tonights dinner with my Aiesec-"Family" in a Mexican Restaurant... they also mentioned sthg about "having some drinks later" - looking forward to that as well ^^

Plans for next week:
finally registering at the groningen-city council, buying a bike, opening a bank account, getting a dutch mobile phone number and registering at a Fitness Club (yay Sevi - I will be a "Viech" when I come back)

Damian Marley's "road to zion" as a final song, because I realize the length of this post. No place for my goals here again, well - as long as they are not written, it's anyway easier to excuse later on if I havent achieved them ;)

Dadj

take-off & landing

So here I am, in the room that shall be my home for the next year. Lying in the bed and reflecting about the last 2 days...
I am just glad, that I had a pen and paper with me at the airport, so that I could write down some thoughts I had at the probably most emotinal moment, shortly after saying good-bye to my mum - while I received so many lovely sms - and shortly before entering the plane. This also was the moment that I realized an amazing happening in me. Despite my difficulties in making decisions, my usual uncertainty and the sentimentality I felt in this particular moment, I totally, for 100% knew that this would be the right decision to make. At this particular moment, waiting for the boarding and watching all these strangers that somehow - made by destiny/karma/god/etc - where sharing this minutes with me, within me the question arose if this is end, a certain part or actually just the real beginning of my adventures?!
Speaking of adventures, I can totally include my journey to this concern. After landing in Hannover and waiting for my luggage I missed my first train to Leer (yeah - I know for german-speaking ppl. this city really sounds funny, I am wondering if the DeutscheBahn always writes "Leer (Ostfriesl.)" to make sure everybody understands that this really is a city :D) by 3 minutes and had to wait for 2 hours then in Hannover. At a really crowded central station, the DB-guy told me that if I am not able to switch in Leer to my train for Groningen within 5 minutes, I would have to spend the night there, I did some Hannover-Sightseeing and ate at McDonalds.
4 hours, and a interesting conversation concerning the train-doors later, I saw 3 lovely people running at me at the Groningen central station, realizing that Aiesecers are awesome everywhere in the world ;)

Three wonderful girls (including my supercool buddy Claire) then brought me to my studenthouse. The room (1E9 - if you wanna visit me) was already equipped with everything I need, and additionally with an austrian flag on the wall, although I am still not sure if that is not a little bit too patriotic?! Moreover it provides an amazing view over Groningen. In the living room I have so far met approx. half of my 25 roommates and I somehow have the feeling that I will need loads of self-discipline in order to not party too much in here.
After a good first night - in which only my neighbour who started watching a dutch-tv-show at ~4.30 was a little bit annoying I had breakfast at McDonalds (yeah I know its lame, but it was a Sunday -> stores closed). BTW why is there no Tomato + Salad in the QuarterPounder here in Groningen??
A cool room mate who studies something like neurology (somehow I remember what my roommates study better than there names) helped me setting up the internet so that I could do my first Groningen-facebook-post - yaaaay. As almost all my roommates are from the Netherlands it is just a matter of time, until you will also read my first post in dutch :)
In ther afternoon I had my only little cultureshock as I realized that doing sightseeing in Groningen (thanks to the Aiesecers guiding me around) just takes about 45 minutes, instead of 4 hours that I needed in Vienna to show some Munich-girls the main sights a few weeks ago.

So lying here in the bed, even more confirmed that the decision I made is the right one, I am just excited but also nervous about the last big uncertainty that expects me here: Tomorrow I will have my first day at PromoBears.

As I dont want to overlength this post I will tell you about my plans for Groningen the next time - so be excited to hear what my goals for my personal development are...

Dadj