So it happened. The darned invalid node structure error when I verified my Macintosh disk in an attempt to repair it. This happens to many Mac users whose computers are playing up, and is a fairly serious error seeing as Disk Utility itself cannot repair the error. Neither can the fsck command. And for many users, one cannot boot up their computer again under this error, so if you have attempted to repair it in vain from booting up with the CD/fsck, you're pretty much screwed.


However - you don't need to erase your disk or buy Disk Warrior to fix it. I was in a perilous situation, where I had not backed up anything on my disk and, well, was not really in the mood to fork out money on Disk Warrior or a technician.

With the help of Simon at Devlab, the problem was solved!

Now, as I mentioned the fsck command won't work on its own. However, this command does;
fsck_hfs -rf /dev/diskxsy - where x and y are unique to your computer, but range between 0 and 4 usually

How do you go about doing this for the layman?
1. Restart your computer and immediately press and hold Command-S

2. You will soon go into the console command view.


3. Type in the fsck_hfs -rf /dev/diskxsy command

4. Remember to experiment with x and y, mine ended up being disk0s3. To find out for certain the x number, you have to boot up with your CD (insert your Mac OSX installation CD, reboot and press and hold C). Then, choose the first language option and go to Utilities and Disk Utility at the top menu options. Click on the disk you are having trouble with and click info. Disk identifier will give you your x number.

5. If you get something along these lines:
#: type name size identifier
0=apple_partition_scheme *26.6gb disk0s0
1=apple_partition_map 31.5kb disk0s1
2-apple_driver43 28.0kb disk0s2
3=apple_driver43 28.0kb disk0s3
4=apple_driver_ATA 28.0kb disk0s4
5=apple_driver_ATA 28.8kb disk0s5
6=apple_FWDriver 256.0kb disk0s6
7=apple_driver_IOkit 256.0kb disk0s7
8=apple_patches 256.0kb disk0s8
9=apple_hfs Tiger 26.4gb disk0s10
After running your command line I get this message;
Usage: fsck_hfs [-dfl m[mode]npgruy] special device
d= output debugging info
l= live fsck (lock down and test only)
m arg= octal mode used when creating lost+found directory
n= assume a no response
p= just fix normal inconsistencies
q= quick check returns clean dirty or failure
r= rebuild catalog btree
u= usage
y= assume a yes response
THEN, you need to keep experimenting with you x and y values

5. Once the computer accepts your command, it will start attempting to repair the disk. The command will look something like this:
magneto:~ root# fsck_hfs -rf /dev/disk1s3
** /dev/rdisk1s3
** Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
** Checking Extents Overflow file.
** Checking Catalog file.
** Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.
Invalid node structure
(4, 75586)
** Rechecking volume.
** Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
** Checking Extents Overflow file.
** Checking Catalog file.
... and so on.

6. Once it is finished, the command will either say:
The volume X was repaired successfully.
or Cannot repair drive after 3 attempts
If it is the prior, hell yes. Time to type in the command exit and reboot (or hard restart if this does not work).
If it is the latter, you can still be happy. Why? Well, some people who attempt this method usually rerun the command until that "Cannot repair drive after 3 attempts" disappears. However, myself and some other people exited the console and rebooted with the startup CD in in order to run Disk Utility. Once we did so, we were able to repair to drive whereas we could not before! Unbelievable! Once this was all over, we were able to start up our drive as per normal.


Please note that these steps will differ amongst computers, so follow them as best you can and improvise where necessary. But at least you will have an operational computer at the end of all this!

Now this is my favourite thing about Twilight; the soundtrack.



The music really is excellent so I decided to compile a playlist of my top twenty songs. It's in order from the Twilight soundtrack to the more recent Eclipse soundtrack, no particular ranking order

1. Spotlight - Mute Math
Twilight Soundtrack
"You know the one thing you’re fighting to hold
Will be the one thing you’ve got to let go"
Such a catchy upbeat song.

2. I Caught Myself - Paramore
Twilight Soundtrack
"Don't know what I want
But I know it's not you
Keep pushing and pulling me down
But I know in my heart it's not you"
The progression in my song is awesome. She acknowledges in the beginning that she doesn't know what she wants, but then admits that deep down she knows it's not him, despite her desires.

3. Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation
Twilight Soundtrack
"Shuffling the cards of your game
And just in time, in the right place
Suddenly I will play my Ace."
Really haunting melody and vocals.

4. Never Think - Robert Pattinson
Twilight Soundtrack
"I ain't got no fight in me
In this whole damn world
To tell you to hold off"
"Girl, save your soul
Go on save your soul...
'Cause without me
You've got it all"
Ah Patty. I actually enjoy his guitar playing and mumbled vocals. The mumbling makes them more tender and heartfelt. And I love the lyrics, as y'all can see.

5. Friends - Band Of Skulls
New Moon Soundtrack
"I need love
Cause only love is true
I need every wakin' hour with you"
Ah such a catchy song, quite cheeky in fact.

6. Hearing Damage - Thom Yorke
New Moon Soundtrack
"They say you're getting better
But you don't feel any better
...But at least
You can do no wrong
In my eyes"
Edgy synth rocks.

7. Possibility - Lykke Li
New Moon Soundtrack
"So tell me when you hear my heart stop
You're the only one that knows
Tell me when you hear my silence
There's a possibility I wouldn't know"
The simplicity in this song absolutely tears at your heart.

8. A White Demon Love Song - The Killers
New Moon Soundtrack
"He isn't coming after all
Love this time
She likes the way he sings
White demon love songs in her dreams"
The intro is my favourite with the magical sounds. The quote I have put above, to me, refers to "he" (Edward) not coming back to her, and how she dreams about the "white demon's"(vampire's) love songs and sweet nothings. Perceptive, I know.

9. Satellite Heart - Anya Marina
New Moon Soundtrack
"I'm a satellite heart
Lost in the dark
I'm spun out so far
You stop I start
But I'll be true to you."
Another simple song that works really well. Love the guitar melody and Anya's voice.

10. Roslyn - Bon Iver
New Moon Soundtrack
"Up with your turret
Aren't we just terrified?
Shale, screen your worry from what you won't ever find."
This song makes you feel so vulnerable and so at peace at the same time.

11. Monsters - Hurricane Bells
New Moon Soundtrack
"Deep into the darkness where I hide
The monsters are buried down deep inside
You never know when they're satisfied."
This is another catchy, happy little song. Was singing it for days after watching New Moon.

12. The Violet Hour - Sea Wolf
New Moon Soundtrack
"Your lips are nettles
Your tongue is wine
Your laughter's liquid
But your body's pine
You love all sailors
But hate the beach
You say 'Come touch me'
But you're always out of reach"
I adore the imagery in this song. Look up the full lyrics to see what I mean.

13. Thunderclap - Eskimo Joe
New Moon Soundtrack
"Call the sunshine to my soul
I'm just an empty boy
Whose soul's growing cold
So bring your love light to my door."
His voice sends thrills down my spine! And this song is so uplifting.

14. Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) - Muse
Eclipse Soundtrack
"I was searching
You were on a mission
Then our hearts combined
Like a neutron star collision."
For me, this is my favourite Muse song on all the Twilight Saga soundtrack CDs. Simple, compelling, fantastic.

15. Ours - The Bravery
Eclipse Soundtrack
"After tonight
This will be a lifetime ago
So let's stay up until the sky bleeds red."
"This time is ours
If I could hold this moment in my hands
I'd stop the world from moving
I'd stop the clocks from turning."
Maybe I'm predisposed...eeep...because I love The Bravery. Great song, especially for graduations.

16. Heavy In Your Arms - Florence And The Machine
Eclipse Soundtrack
"This will be my last confession
'I love you' never felt like any blessing"
"I was a heavy heart to carry
But he never let me down
When he had me in his arms
My feet never touched the ground"
Again, a favourite artist of mine. I love how she plays on the concept of a "heavy" heart.

17. My Love - Sia
Eclipse Soundtrack
"My love, leave yourself behind
Beat inside me, leave you blind
My heart, you have found peace
You were searching for relief"
"Now I am strong
You gave me all
You gave all you had and now I am whole"
Heart-wrenching song. Sia's delicate voice is perfect for this.

18. Chop And Change - The Black Keys
"She found no love in this town
So she'd never mess around
Had no luck, but ain't it strange
The girl knew how to chop and change."
Such an urban-vibe this song brings through. Caught myself singing to it many times!

19. Let's Get Lost - Bat For Lashes and Beck
"Touch me I'm cold, unable to control
Touch me I'm golden and wild as the wind blows
And tumbling tumbling, don't go fascination."
These girls have incredible voices! Appropriate sexytime-music for E + B.

20. What Part Of Forever - Cee Lo Green
"If I had a heart heart heart
And we could go go go
And never look back on now
I’d give it to you you you
If I had a heart heart heart."
His voice is so lovely! Darn these males with their alluring voices. This song could chill anyone out.

So I've never really gotten into the whole Twilight fan thing. I read the books, and I enjoy Meyer's style. What never jelled in my mind was the whole vampire thing. And werewolves. Don't dig it really, and in that aspect I'd rather hear about magicians at Hogwarts.

Yet I watched Eclipse last night at the movie theatre, and I suddenly realized the value to the whole Twilight enterprise.


For those unenlightened souls, Eclipse literally refers to the "eclipse" in Bella's life; continuing to decide and choose between the love of her life, Edward Cullen (vamp), and her friend Jacob (werewolf) whom can give her a happy, human life. Jacob thus "eclipses" Edward in this story. Furthermore, the story is about an army of vampires who are coming after the Cullen family and Bella, and so the Cullens and werewolves must band together to fight evil.



In all honesty, all us ladies know why the movies got drastically better after Twilight; the introduction of Jacob Black as a love interest, and an illegitimate one at that (and Taylor Lautner's body, but I digress). And things certainly heat up when Bella and Jacob share a couple of intimate moments. As Jacob himself aptly puts it in the movie; "Let's face it, I am hotter than you."



Yet Eclipse stood out for me not because of Lautner, or the moving cinematography, but because the simple message of love resonated throughout the movie. Even the fight against the vampires showed love in the sense that these forces acted together to protect Bella.



Bella chose Edward not because he would give her an easier life, but because it was always him. She admitted to loving Jacob, yet even though he could give her almost everything she could want in life, and would be ten times better for her in anybody else's eyes, he would not be able to be Edward.

Is that not love is all about, really? Sacrifice for the one you love? If we are no longer willing to make sacrifices for someone, or the sacrifices outweigh the positives, then it is not love. I'm not even considering the whole weird vampire/werewolf thing in this equation, but rather the universal idea. Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. Not always. But we know in our hearts when it is the case.

Just because someone has everything you could ask for, doesn't mean you should be with him.

This is old news, but an event that really struck me during this 2010 World Cup was the disallowed British goal, during the England Germany game. And thats saying something for a rugby woman, usually I couldn't be bothered about soccer's little qualms. Yet this time, I myself was aghast.

The ref of the E-G game, Jorge Larrionda has a 70% yellow card dispersal during his games, so the British did expect a bit of a tough ref. Yet when Lampard scored a goal that hit the top of the goal posts and clearly rebounded to pass the goal line (to all those viewers watching at home). This goal would have equalized Germany and Britain at the time with 2-2.



Yet after the goal was disallowed, the game seemed to simply go downhill for the British. Eventually, they lost to an embarrasing 4-1.



Would the allowed goal have changed the dynamics of the game? Perhaps. The team was disheartened and unfocused. Whether the equalizer would have upped their moods is something no one will know. In my opinion, Germany is the better team by all accounts, yet its the question of fairness, and correct treatment.

Now this is the part that annoys me. FIFA says that they kept the decision of the ref to disallow the goal on the grounds that it comes down to "human error."

Human error. That was something that is acceptable in the years where there was no technology. FIFA has all the capacity and more to implement technology! Yet they remain stoic in refusing to implement anything. If rugby can keep up with the times, then hell, FIFA can too. A worldwide sport on such an international level cannot become so suddenly archaic.

There is a solution, FIFA says. For the next world cup they have decided to fix the issue by appointing no, not just one assistant referee, but a few more. That, they reckon is going to solve every intricate problem.

As the English would say, it's bollocks.

The ramblings of an...er, European-African



The name is Ashley, and I'm a South African with European descent. Despite my roots; I am an African. I was born here, raised here, and have never seen or known my European ancestry. Follow my struggle with blending into the diverse culture of South Africa

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