Windows Won't Boot Due to a Missing DLL File

Two days ago, my computer wouldn't log on to Windows. It would go as far as the "Welcome" screen then a notification window would pop-up saying "This application has failed to start because SCESRV.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may  fix this problem."

Since it wouldn't go as far as that pop-up, I couldn't do anything else but to restart the PC and hope that the notification would not appear on the next boot. But, of course, it appeared over and over again, with me already feeling hopeless.

I wouldn't wanna resort to reinstalling Windows and all the programs on the PC. That would be so much work on a Monday. Lucky me (and bless my searching instincts) that I found this simple instructions on a certain forum that I couldn't remember anymore.

The instructions were so simple I closed my netbook's browser and turned to the "malfunctioning" PC the minute I read it.

It's like this (given that your PC's first boot device is your optical drive):

1. Insert your Windows CD installer to your optical drive.
2. Press any key on the prompt: "Press any key to boot from CD..."
3. Press "R" on the first menu (which asks you if you want to Repair or Install a fresh copy).
4. Type which partition you'd like to repair. In my case it's "1" since I only have one partition.
5. On the DOS prompt, do the following:

type cd c:\windows\system32

press <enter>

type expand d:\I386\LSASRV.DL_

*replace .dll of the filename with .dl_
*change "d" to whatever letter you optical drive is

6. Type "exit" to reboot the computer and your done.

If new notification pops up and your PC still won't boot, just take note of the new .dll file on the notification and replace LSASRV.DL_ on Step number 5 with it, noting that .dll on the filename should be typed as .dl_

For the Love of Lomi

The first time I had a taste of a Batangas lomi was when Danilo and I traversed Mt. Maculot last year. We arrived so early in Cuenca, and with grumbling stomachs we walked inside the only open karinderia at that time. The lomi wasn't so nice, though, at least according to my taste buds. Thick, thick soup topped with big pieces of chicharon baboy wasn't really my type.

So when I attended a wedding in Rosario last April and the group I was with decided to try the lomi at the karinderia near the church while waiting for the wedding to start, I refused to order upon seeing that it was the same as the one I have tasted in Cuenca.

It was a different story in Anilao, though. I actually Googled about the place the night before I went there and read about how good Anilao lomi was. And since I was going near Philpan Dive Resort, someone recommended that I try the lomi of the karinderia to the left of Philpan. Knowing that it was different from the Cuenca and Rosario lomi, I ordered a bowl for P35.00 and was surprised.

The "presentation" made it look tempting, and the taste was as good as it looked.

Eggs, pork liver, veggies, chicharon... I was even surprised to see of hotdogs on it. The lomi came with slices of calamansi which you could use as much depending on how asim you prefer your lomi to be.

My small appetite wouldn't usually finish a bowl of noodles that big, but this one I almost did. And it was so heavy in the tummy that I passed on lunch that day.

Savoring the taste of Anilao lomi beside the window with billowing curtains overlooking the sea on a rainy Friday morning is something I would like to do over again.

And I guess I would really be coming back that part of Anilao someday soon. For the lomi, yes, but also for something else I failed to do while there.

PS:
Happy end of Ramadan to my Muslim friends and to all the Muslims out there!

Mt. Maculot: A Not-So-Pleasant Surprise

Last week of July, I learned that my young friends in MLQU Stallions Outdoor Club (MSOC) were planning to do a Mt. Maculot hike on the first weekend of August. I get invited to MSOC climbs most of the time so it was kinda automatic (especially with these young members) that I would be joining them on this one.

No one among those climbing that time had been to Mt. Maculot before, while I already did a traverse of the mountain September last year with my friend Danilo. So I was immediately appointed as the guide.

It was my first time to ever guide a group of climbers in the mountains, but as they say, there's always a first time for everything. My knowledge of the route, though, was Brgy. Pinagkaisahan – Grotto – Summit – Rockies – Brgy. Tiko. They were planning on a night trek to Rockies but I remember the trail as very easy so I agreed.

K (who is a member of MSOC himself) and I met the other members of the team around 9 PM at the Buendia bus terminal. We took a Lipa-bound bus cuz a road restoration was going on in Cuenca and no bus would go directly to the town.

The kids lingered for a while at McDonalds Lipa so we got to Cuenca a little past midnight. I had to ask someone from a Karinderia on how to get to the registration area cuz there were no tricycle that time of the night.

It drizzled on and off since we got to Lipa up to the time we got to the Rockies campsite. The trail was easy enough especially that we walked in a very easy pace. The kids wanted to enjoy it. It was, after all, their first climb since they graduated from the MSOC training.

I was surprised to see the camp site so different from what I saw last year. The lone small hut last year was now three big huts, and the small pile of garbage multiplied a hundred times. And that's not exaggerating because in one hut alone, we found two sacks full of garbage, not to mention those that were strewn around and plastic bags left hanging on roof of the huts. One simple word to describe the campsite of Mt. Maculot these days: kadiri.

I just wish all of us who love to admire the beauty of nature are all sensitive enough not to do the things that we know would harm what we enjoy seeing.

And then again that differentiates someone who loves to climb mountains, from someone who loves the mountains and nature in itself; a mountaineer from an environmentalist.

“This is not to suggest, however, that the mountain areas are free of environmental problems, notably deforestation. The more pragmatic view is that while there are inevitably conflicts between man’s activities in the mountains and the natural ecological balance, it is the extent of the resulting problems that has been overstated.” - Tourism Development and Environmental Management in Nepal

Back to the climb, the weather had not been so friendly even after sunrise. K and I attempted to climb the Rockies while the others were still resting but K wouldn't even attempt to go up with the thick fog and howling winds.

A few hours after, though, the fog had lessened and the wind became bearable. We attempted to go up the Rockies even if we couldn't even see a trace of the Taal Volcano through the fog. But then I thought it's better than to not bring them to the Rockies at all.

It was a great climb with the kids. I was also kinda pleased that they were careful not to leave any of our garbage behind. After all, that's what MSOC had taught them to do – to "Leave No Trace."

*On how to get to Mt. Maculot, please refer to my first blog of the mountain by clicking here.

Just Like a Real Bottle

This Vapur water "bottle" comes in other colors and I don't really know why I chose purple. But, anyway, this water container caught my fancy because I can easily flatten and roll it up once empty. That way, I won't be "displaying" an empty water bottle at the sides of my backpack when going home from a climb.

Despite the 2-liter bladder I recently bought, I still bring water bottles along because 2 liters ain't enough. LoL! A 3-liter bladder is on my to-buy list but I'm still waiting for Sandugo Market! Market! to have one available. I don't feel like buying cheap bladders because I read somewhere that some of them are made of materials that mixes with your water and makes it quite health hazard.

Sandugo's bladders are the cheapest branded bladders I could find, and until they have 3-liter ones available, I'd just use my current bladder and this Vapur foldable bottle.

By the way, Vapur stands like a real bottle when full.

My Beloved Flamenco

My guitar and music stand was brought out of hiding last week cuz I couldn't find a karaoke of the song I had to sing for my friend's brother's wedding. It was a good thing I've been interacting on Facebook with a neighbor who is quite known for his guitar skills.

The wedding was Thursday afternoon. Diego was so kind to study the song Wednesday night. He didn't wanna perform with me at first because he hasn't mastered the song yet. I was only able to make him say yes around 11 AM of Thursday.

We met around 2:30 PM that day and went straight to the reception venue, simultaneously sound checked and practiced for the first time. He's a pro. But he didn't wanna use his guitar so I brought mine. Plus the music stand.

Guests arrived around 3:00 PM just when we were finished practicing. We performed in the early part of the program with a little glitch from me (I forgot a word LoL!) and from Diego, but it was fine. The song, by the way, was Brian McKnight's Marry Your Daughter.

Pocket Eating Utensils

I've always wanted to buy a pocket set of eating utensils. It's a great thing to bring when climbing cuz regular spoon and fork are too long to bring along.

I was tagged on Facebook by a random online seller one time and I found the item so cute I didn't untag myself. I ended up messaging him for the price and was glad to know it was cheap. The seller lives in my area so we just did a meet-up and I saved some money from paying for shipping.

It's a spoon, fork, "knife" with bottle opener combination. So cute. But I'm always careful with the orange case. It's made of cheap plastic and I'm sure it would break in two when dropped.

I actually bought two pieces. My climb buddy K showed interest on the item when he saw it on my Facebook wall that he even asked for its price. I thought he wanted to buy and would pay for the extra piece I bought. I didn't know he found it expensive and didn't wanna buy. I had no choice but to give it to him as a gift.

And yea, orange is cool but I would have picked another color if I had the choice. But anyway, it matches well with my camping stove case.

Orange rules! :)

Irresistible Cuteness

I love cute stuff. National Bookstore has a lot of cute pocket notebooks that I could have bought a piece per design. But of course it would mean making unnecessary purchases.

I just picked the most appealing in my eyes. And trust me, it wasn't easy to choose just one from a pile.

It's something I can bring in my little travels; somewhere to write itineraries and important details of the trip especially that I find typing on cellphones very time consuming (as pretty as they seem, I now dislike touch screen phones).

I believe it's a scene from Venice, Italy, judging by the river and the structural design. And, but of course, the stamp says Italy. LoL!

Magnitude 5.8 Quake Rattles New Jersey and New York

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in Virginia shook parts of New Jersey and New York 1:51 PM of August 23, 2011. Although no injuries or structural damage was reported, it caused buildings in the area to sway, causing fear among the residents.

The earthquake was also felt in Washington, D.C. and North Carolina.

U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was northwest of Richmond, Virginia, about halfway to Charlottesville. Geophysicist Julie Dutton said an earthquake that big is rare for the East Coast but since quakes move more easily through the bedrock, the effects are widely felt in the region.

The earthquake was a shallow 6-kilometer deep. and the composition of the earth's surface in the East Coast is the reason why the earthquake was felt in a wide range.

There are fault lines throughout the East Coast but the location of the main ones haven't been identified yet.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Husch, chair of the department of geological, environmental and marine sciences at Rider University in Lawrenceville said that earthquakes in the East Coast are not common, but they are not unusual. The recorded magnitude 5.8 quake, though, may be the largest ever recorded in that area.

photo: usgs.gov

From Cake to Cupcake

The Firefox team received a cupcake from the Microsoft Internet Explorer team on the day Firefox 6 was shipped earlier this month. Mozilla's Firefox Engineering Director Johnathan Nightingale posted this picture in his Flickr account:

And this is the message attached to the picture:

"Every time Mozilla releases a version of Firefox, the IE team sends us a cake. They're cool like that.

"As the releases have gotten faster and leaner... so have the cakes."

"Rumor" has it that IE used to send a cake with every Mozilla version release. But when the releases became more frequent (therefore, lesser new features), the cake became... cupcake!

Tropical Depression "Mina" Update [August 23, 2011]

No storm warning signal has been hoisted due to Tropical Depression "MINA", but rains are expected over Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and Visayas due to enhanced Southwest Monsoon.

In an interview with GMA-7, PAGASA Weather Forecaster Buddy Javier said that "MINA" will possibly become stronger but based on the direction its taking, it won't make a landfall in the Philippines.

Rains are expected until Saturday because "MINA" is enhancing the Southwest Monsoon affecting the Southern Luzon and Visayas. Metro Manila rains, on the other hand, is being caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. After Saturday, good weather is expected for the rest of the long weekend. August 29, Monday, and August 30, Tuesday, are national holidays being National Heroes' Day and the end of Ramadan respectively.

In a weather bulletin issued at 4:00 AM today, August 23, PAGASA said that:

"...Tropical Depression "MINA" was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 320 km E ast Northeast of Virac, Catanduanes (15.4°N; 126.9°E) with maximum winds of 45 kph near the center. It is forecast to move North Northwest at 07 kph.

"Forecast: Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming cloudy with widespread rains over Bicol Region. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast to Northwest will prevail over Northern and Central Luzon and coming from the Southwest over most parts of the county. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough."

Wedding Invitation

I was asked to sing at a friend's brother's wedding last Thursday, August 18, 2011. I can't resist posting a photo of the invitation. It is so cute.

The motiff was green, obviously. But not knowing it was of that color, I wore a plaid long-sleeved shirt in purple and black. LoL! What's more LoL is that I paired it with a drop-crotch jeans and chucks. Oh well, I was asked to perform and I wanted to wear something comfortable.

Nicholas Sparks to Visit Manila in October

Nicholas Sparks, the bestselling author whose novels have been adapted into movies, is coming to Manila in October for two-day visit.

Sparks is most popular for the books "The Notebook," "Message in a Bottle," "A Walk to Remember," and "Dear John."

His visit to the country is in connection with the Manila release of his latest novel titled "The Best of Me" this September.  He will hold an autograph signing session on the two days that he will be staying in the country, as confirmed by Powerbooks in their Facebook page.

“Due to the large number of inquiries we have received, we would like to confirm that Powerbooks and National Book Store will be hosting Nicholas Sparks for a book-signing tour in October here in Manila," Powerbooks posted.

Nicholas Sparks also confirmed his arrival in his Twitter account by posting, “I don't know where my events are, but I'll be in the Philippines on Oct. 27-28th ... and yes, I'll be signing ..."

The author even made his PInoy fans more excited by twitting in Tagalog, saying that he has an aunt from Manila. "Aking tiyahin ay mula sa Maynila.Siya itinuro sa akin," Sparks twitted, then added, "I tried to say that my aunt is from Manila ... she used to talk to me and taught me to say some stuff. My aunt ... she didn't set out to teach me. I just listened to her talk to her mom and her sisters ... I know I get lots of stuff wrong ... and please, if I see you in Manila, talk slow so I can understand you ... I'm no expert ..."

Proclamation 234 Declares August 30 as Regular Holiday

There's going to be a "long weekend" towards the end of August 2011. While August 27 and 28 are weekends, August 29 is National Heroes Day and August 30 is the end of Ramadan.

Just a while ago, Proclamation 234 has been issued declaring August 30, Tuesday, a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid'l Fitr.

I'm sure a lot of us will go on a short vacay because "long weekends" like these are becoming rare. Better plan your vacation early so you'll enjoy the 4-day weekend better.

No booking is needed for me, though. The mountains are spacious enough to accommodate flocks of hikers.

Free Facebook Access for Globe and Smart Subscribers

Good news to Globe and Smart users. The two giant mobile networks have decided it's time to give their subscribers free access to Facebook. (Why not include Twitter? But no, I'm not complaining.)

Yes! We can now surf Facebook for free!

Just go to http://facebook.com/mobile to install the Facebook app on your phone. Alternatively, you can text FB to 2910 for Globe and 211 for Smart. No need to worry because with the 2,500 supported phone models, I'm sure your phone is included.

Globe subscribers can surf Facebook for free until October 31, 2011, while Smart subscribers can enjoy the privilege only until October 14, 2011.

The iPad Head Girl

Found this video of a girl wearing 4 iPads shaped like a box over her head. And the iPads are really working. Watch towards the end of the video to see a man test one of the iPads on the girl's head.

Talk about what people would do for attention.

Kid Singing in Puregold Clark

A YouTube video of a kid singing to songs like Justin Bieber's Baby and Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are is becoming a hit on the video sharing website, getting 71,000+ hits in just 3 days of posting.

The talented kid who sings like a pro was camcorded by YouTube user ryaneski saying he had seen the kid in the grounds of Puregold Clark in Pampanga numerous times whenever he gets to visit the place.

The kid sells wooden flutes for a living, as is evident towards the end of the video where he brought up the flutes to sell to the people inside the car; like he allowed them to camcord him in exchange of buying his flutes.

Ryaneski further said (through the video description) that the kid "is the ONLY singing fellow over there."

"Hopefully someday he would stop selling flutes, and start selling albums," the video uploader further said.

Watch the Kid Singing in Puregold Clark video below.

video: youtube.com/ryaneski

JanSport on Gier

The Philippine Azkals' Anton Del Rosario, Rob Gier, Nate Burkey, Simon Greatwich, and Misagh Bahadoran are the new ambassadors of the food supplement store Health & Beyond.

Brands like Levi's, Mikasa, Canon, Power Balance, JanSport, and Mizuno are used in the shoot.

And I'm kind of wondering what this JanSport bag Rob Gier is seen wearing on the vid.

The BTS video below.

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video: youtube.com/dinkikai

Coffee or Tea?

I'm not really a fan of "fail pictures" but I can't help but laugh at this photo I came across while surfing.

Herbal Tae err Tea, anyone?