I was in Singapore a week before Christmas, and Orchard Road is definitely a place not to be missed during this festive season.
I remember being there last year and the Christmas decorations weren't that great. However this year, it again lived up to the expectation.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend about "Yes Man". I am sure in a way or another, we know what this term means and probably also guilty of accusing someone else as one. Most of the time we would say that about a person mainly because we have this impression that they just accepted whatever directive given to them by their bosses.
"Can you do this?". "Yes boss".
"Can you do that?". "Yes boss".
I then thought... can you afford to say "No" when your boss asked you to do something? Of course you can tell your boss the reasons/excuses/whatever to say that you cannot do it, but if your boss insisted that you HAVE to do it, again my question is... can you afford to say "No"? Remember, not all of us have nice and understanding bosses.
I guess it boils back down to how much we want to impress our bosses. After all, we have all these appraisal stuff every now and then where the bosses would tell you how well or badly you have done.... and I am sure your "Yes"es and your "No"ness would be accounted into those evaluation.
So if you are hoping for a good salary increment, bonuses and promotion, can you afford not to be a "Yes Man"?
A few weeks ago, a friend and I was asked by another friend to be the witnesses for her will. So we made plans to meet at Sunway Pyramid. She wanted to "belanja" us and chose Pasta Zanmai.
The place was really cosy and the food was very good. It's like a fusion of italian and japanese. After the whole will witnessing thingy, we had a very good time chit chatting and of course, gossipping as well.
I had insomnia last night and when I finally fell asleep, I had this dream where I was lost walking around this small town. Although I have asked for directions from the people there, they were just pointing me to the wrong places. Funny how I didn't think of using my Garmin GPS on my phone though.
When I woke up, I quickly checked the internet for my dream's interpretation. The interpretation...
one word...
"Frustration"
How true!
With the coming government's implementation of RM50 service charge for every credit card next year, I made the necessary steps to cut down from my 4 personal credit cards to 2 today.
First up is my Citibank Visa Clear card. As I have had this card for ages, I managed to accumulate up to 50,000 points. Not wanting to have these points wasted by cancelling the card straightaway, I redeemed it first for a nice looking laptop bag by calling the Customer Service just now. This will just be perfect for my new Dell laptop which I am praying hard that it will reach me soon.
The bag will take around 3 weeks and I will still get enough time to cancel the card by then.
Then there is my Public Bank Master Card which I have applied solely to get the 0% installment plan (Public Bank called it ZIIP) for my first ever PDA phone, the O2 Mini, also many years ago.
That was the one and only time that I have used that card. During that time, the card came with a 8 years annual fees waiver.
I called up Public Bank's customer service to ask how can I go about canceling the card and after what felt like incubating an egg, someone finally answered my call and told me that I can do so by just emailing them at custsvc@publicbank.com.my. That's convenient!
I immediately emailed them and I am pretty sure I will be receiving a call from them soon to ask why I want to cancel my card bla bla bla. I would probably tell them to go ask the government.
So what about you? Keeping all the cards?
I went back to my hometown last week to attend a cousin's wedding. As my parents have already migrated to Klang Valley, I do not have many reasons to go back except to throw in my votes during the election period. Come to think of it, I seldom went back even when my parents were still living there, hehehehe.
Anyway.... I went back to Raub with my mom, sis and niece last week. The wedding dinner was at 5pm and we reached around 3pm. So we took our sweet time to do some shopping. Raub is a small town with no shopping complex, so what is there to shop for?... Food lah!
There is this very famous "char koh" (dunno what's the right term in english - "dessert"??) place in Bukit Koman and you need to get there early when they open their shop, else there will be nothing much left... which we did.
So many varieties of "char koh" and they tasted very nice... unlike most of the ones you would get in KL.
We bought so many as if we were stocking for winter, and they were really really delicious. I am starting to salivate just by thinking about it.
Although this may be one reason why I should go back to my hometown again, but unfortunately I am not really a foodie. So it didn't work on me. :-)
Axel turned 4 years old (human years) 3 days ago. I was too swarmed with work to do a post on that day.. and I forgot to get him special treats. :-( Baaaaaad daddy!
Anyway, I gave him a bigger portion of his usual morning and evening meals.
Happy Belated Birthday, Axel!
My current laptop, Dell Inspiron 6400 is already more than 3 years old. I bought it via Dell online and I remember the order processing was done very promptly and I got it within a week. I felt that this was very impressive and so, I always have this confidence with Dell's services ... until now.
You see, to make use of the tax relief for computer's purchase (every 3 years), I decided to get a new laptop. Initially wanted to go for a netbook but after getting feedbacks from some people who use them, I deduced that a netbook may not be suitable for me. So I was thinking of smaller screen laptops (13.3 inch). After searching for a while, I decided to go with Dell again based on the pleasant experience I had with them. My eyes were on the Inspiron 13z.
I placed my order online on the 29-Oct and was really excited anticipating for my new toy. Unfortunately that was as far as the excitement go.
After 3 days, I checked my online order status and it was "Order Received". I was supposed to know the delivery date by then, but that wasn't available.
The next day I checked again, and the same screen greeted me. Then again and again.
As you see, there are quite a few processes to go before it's finally delivered to me... and I am not a very patient guy when it comes to my toys. Doesn't help when the status is still stuck at the first process!
What the hell is going on? I am thinking if there is any glitches with my payment of something, they would have called or emailed me, right? So far no news from them and my status is still the same!
I tried calling the Customer Service one working day at 4pm and was told their office hours were closed. I specifically saw this information before:
Is Dell running like our government offices nowadays???
What is happening to Dell? I thought they have the reputation of providing good services before and after the sale. Apparently that has been going downhill.
This is really disappointing. All this frustration in waiting is really killing my excitement.
Axel the pug used to have some problems with his skin some time ago. After trying various brands of dog food, I came across this brand called Avoderm Natural. Actually this brand was introduced to Gan's mom and sister by a petshop when they were dogsitting Axel during that time. The petshop recommended Avoderm Natural Vegetarian Adult Dog Food to help with Axel's skin.
I was rather uncomfortable with feeding my dog (a carnivore) vegetarian. You see, I am very much a "carnivorous" person and couldn't imagine going on fulltime vegetarian.
When I got Axel back, I still would like to try this brand to see whether it makes a difference to his skin condition. However as I did not want Axel to be fully on a vegetarian diet, I mixed it with Avoderm Natural Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Adult Dog Food.
I will buy a 2kg pack of each and mix them together. 2 packs will usually lasts about 3 weeks - 1 month. So these have been Axel's food since then.
I have to say that Axel's skin condition improved tremendously since switching to this product. In fact when I brought him out for all these pug meetings, many have complimented his nice coat. So I am really thankful to Avoderm. (FYI, I am not paid in anyway by this brand. Am just sharing the experience).
Recently when I went outstation, I boarded him at this nice petshop that we always go to. The boarding place fed him some other brands - mixture of NutriEdge and ANF. When I took him back, Axel refused to take his Avoderm. I guessed it must be that after having full meat diet at the boarding place, he didn't like the taste of semi-vegetarian anymore.
Anyhow, he adjusted himself and started to eat them again. Well a pug will always be a pug.. they can't be choosy about food for long.
Anyway I am now thinking to switch him back to full meat products, but definitely staying with Avoderm. Probably fully lamb and rice or maybe we will try the trout variety. Lets see how much the trout variety costs. Lamb or trout, I am sure Axel will still prefer them than the vegetarian one.
I was just told by a friend on how I offended him 10 years ago with what I have said to him. 10 years!!! Poor thing... he had to carry that grudge for so long!!!
What happened was that 10 years ago we were working in the same company. He was being made fun of by all the other guys in the company for being effeminate. They also made many unkind stories about him.
As he's my friend and I hated how they made him into a joke, I told him about this and asked him not to flirt around with them. I guess perhaps the way I said it to him was harsh and I didn't know that affected him so badly. :-(
Anyhow, he said he's going to forgive and forget about this. I have apologised profusely when he told me just now. I felt so bad that whatever I have said had affected him for 10 years. 10 years!!!!
I am so glad he can now put that behind him and move on.
Last Friday during lunch with my colleagues, our conversation came to the topic about laptops. A colleague said that he's thinking of getting a laptop as there will be tax relief for the purchase of computers.
That got me thinking. I already have a laptop which is more than 3 years old but still in working condition. So I don't think I want to get another one.
Then I thought, hmm... perhaps I should get a netbook instead. A netbook is like a scaled down version of a laptop, with smaller screens, keyboards and processing power. Well, the price is very much scaled down too! That thought actually got me feeling very excited as I am this semi-gadget crazy kind of person. I kept telling myself that on top of getting a new toy, I will get tax relief too!
So for dinner, I made plans to meet a friend around Ikano Power Station so that I could do some survey at the Harvey Norman store there. The average price of these netbooks are less than RM1.5K... and they are really cute and mobile. There is a 0% installment plan at Harvey Norman as well!
Based on my survey so far from Harvey Norman and websites, I have my eyes set on these 2 models:
1) HP Mini 1000 - ~RM1.3K from Harvey Norman
2) Dell Mini 10v - ~RM1.4K from Dell Store
Both these models have very similar specs except that in Dell, it's a 6 cell battery (last about 6 hours) whereas in HP, it's a 3 cell battery (last about 3 hours).
So will I get one of them? I really do not know. I have this emotional side which kept telling how much I want it (new toy mah!) and at the same time, the rational side kept saying that I do not need it.
Time will tell...
Finding a good boarding place for Axel has always been a headache for me. At times I know I can depend on Gan's family to help take care of him whenever I need to go overseas, but I also get "pai seh" to disrupt their daily routine whenever Axel is there.
Disrupt their daily routine here means that they will be vacuuming much more when the fur shedder is there, and waking up much earlier than usual with the 5am automatic alarm a.k.a Axel the pug.
I have tried a few boarding places and researched a few, but none which enticed me to be a regular customer... until recently. I guess as all pet lovers would know, your pets are as precious to you as an offspring to a parent. So you will want to be sure that when you place your precious at a boarding place, they are being well taken care of.
I found that in this shop called "Poochie Poochie Pet Centre". I have to admit the name is a bit funny but it's from the word "Pooch", okay?
This shop is rather new and simple, very much a shoplot with some rooms, product shelves and enclosures. They do grooming, provide boarding and sell various pet products and home bred puppies.
I guess most petshops are alike in terms of the things that they sell. What distinct them apart is the level of service and the relationship fostered with the customers. I have to say that these are the things that Poochie Poochie Pet Centre is able to provide me. When you talk to the couple (Anne & Keith) who owns the place, you will know straight away that they are genuine pet lovers.
I have been boarding Axel there for a few times now. He was very much let to roam free within the shop. I think he may have made some friends there as well. The icing on top of the cake is that the boarding fee is very reasonable and does not cause you to bleed.
If you would like to check them out, here's the information:
Poochie Poochie Pet Centre
No.39, Ground Floor,
Jalan Puteri 2/3,
Bandar Puteri Puchong,
47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Tel: 03-80635061
When I was checking-in at the AirAsia counter in LCCT to go to Singapore yesterday, the counter guy there asked me whether I mind assisting this old Indian lady who's travelling in the same flight as me.
Well, I thought that's not a problem and so I said yes. This Indian lady was with her daughter waiting beside the counter, and she has this hand carry luggage bag with her. Her daughter thanked me and told me that her mother couldn't read, so she needed someone to show her where the terminals were, where to get on and off. I also found out that there would be someone waiting at the arrival hall to get her and that she couldn't converse in english.
So I accompanied this old lady to the immigration, boarding area and into the plane. Throughout this time whenever I spoke to her in Malay, she would just smile and nod. I really had no idea whether she could understand me. Anyway I managed to get her on and off board the plane, and finally getting her to the arms of her son who was waiting at Changi airport, so I must have done a good job. :-)
However during the whole process, I left her with carrying her bag. I helped in situations like carrying it for her up the stairs to the plane, putting it into the storage compartment, taking it out when we arrived and carrying it down from the flight to the terminal.
When we got down from the plane, she just walked ahead of me assuming I would take care of her bag for her. I was thinking she would stop at one juncture to take it back, but she just kept walking following the crowd. I chased after her and told her to take it back, while walking beside her.
Not very "gentleman" I know, but this is a stranger and I had no idea what's in the bag. With all the news about various ways of drug trafficking, I decided better be safe than sorry.
Well turned out she wasn't a drug trafficker as she passed by the custom and got to her son. Anyhow, I still think that although we want to be nice, we have to be careful as well.
It has been a while since I rode a bike. I wonder whether it's like riding a bicycle where people would say that once you learned it, you will never forget.
I remember when I first started working in KL, I did not have a car and had to depend on my Yamaha bike to move around. As most of you would know, the roads around KL were/are full of potholes and I tell you, I think I could have died a few times accidently running into them on my bike.
Anyway bikes have evolved so much since then. The bikes now are so cool and cute, not like the traditional boring type that I used to ride.
In my recent trip to Bangkok, I saw this new scooter roadshow by Suzuki at Siam Paragon. The model's name is Jelato and I have to say, it really looked very cute! Kawaii ne!
Usually when I do not have any after work plans, I would just go and pack my dinner at this foodcourt nearby my office. There is this malay chicken rice stall that I frequently patronise, just because I know I wouldn't need to wait so long for the chicken rice to be prepared.
This evening, I went to the same shop but decided to order fried rice with chicken instead. With the buka puasa crowd, I had to wait for a while. So I chose to sit at one of the benches by the side of the chicken rice stall.
As I was looking around at all the people eating there, I suddenly heard the malay lady from the chicken rice stall asking another lady. "Mana uncle itu ah?" (Translation: Where is that uncle?)
I immediately felt my stomach being sucked in and prayed that she was not referring to me. I actually avoided eye contact with her! I am sorry but I really couldn't face it when some strangers start calling me uncle!
I could see her holding this polystyrene meal box and I was like "Sh*t! she is really looking for me!" and decided there and then that I would never again return to this stall.
I saw her eyes scanning around and finally noticing me..... and then continued her search. I was like "Phewwwwww". Not long after, this uncle with a lot of plastic bags came by and took the meal box from the malay lady.
I smiled to myself and knew I need to blog about this. I had almost a similar incident with an economy rice lady not too long ago. I guess when my age is climbing up and my hairline too, you can't blame me for being so sensitive about this.
When it came to my turn, the malay lady called me "boss"... which sounded like music to my ears. I may have tipped her 50 cents for that! ;-p
A window display at CentralWorld, Bangkok.
Yes, I went to Bangkok again... and like many of our previous trips there, we basically hung out at the shopping complexes for shopping, movies and food. Not forgetting to do some praying and get some relaxing massages too!
I miss my vacation... :-(
Time to restore and reinvent my motivation to work.
Normally one would be so excited thinking about their coming vacation. I should be too as my vacation starts in a few days time. However I am not feeling that.
Work been crazy and on top of the project assignments that I need to finish by this and that date, there are also all these meetings and planning sessions that I need to attend as well.
I wanted so much to complete my assignments before I go for my vacation... even by working from home during the weekends but with hiccups here and there, looks like that may not be possible. Funny how when you are rushing to finish off the things that are on your plate, there are just more stuff dropping onto it. I just hate to come back from a vacation and see the whole pile of tasks waiting for me.
Sigh... guess I need to just let go, forget them for a while and enjoy my vacation first. I am sure it will do me a lot of good as I am really exhausted. Perhaps I will be fully recharged by then, and have a whole new energy to ride the waves again.
Hmm... I can feel a bit of excitement now. :-)
My Omnia case (Samsung i900 Omnia Rubberized Back Hard Case, Product Code: SOTCA004600 from shop.brando.com) reached me today! Not bad considering that it took only 4 days from the time I placed my online order.
I understand now the excitement of buying things via the internet. When you place your order, you could only base on the pictures to have an impression of how the product looks like. You can't be sure until you actually see it physically. So would it be the case of WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get), or is it going to be "indah khabar dari rupa"? I guess that's where the excitement is, cos when I got the package, I couldn't wait to start ripping it up... and here's the content.
Frankly speaking when I saw the box that the case came in, I was disappointed. The box looked so cheap.. like something that you buy from "pasar malam".
Then I took out the case and the feeling improved slightly. The case is actually plastic but felt a bit rubbery to the fingers. If it was packaged with a nice looking box instead, I would think that it is "branded", you know like Krusell or something.
The case is slightly longer than the phone (0.8cm to be exact). I guess the extra length is to provide space for the stylus. As for the thickness, I don't think it made much of difference to the actual phone's thickness.
Omnia fit into the case snugly. Installation is not too difficult. You just need to fit in the right side of the phone (where the camera and volumn buttons are) first, and then snap the other side in.
With the casing on, I did not encounter any problems accessing the buttons. I thought it may affect the clarity of voice as the mic is partially covered by the bottom of the case. To test this out, I called a few friends and asked "Hello... can you hear me clearly?". They immediately thought I got a new bluetooth handsfree. :-) Anyway they gave the same feedback i.e. there wasn't any problem hearing me.
Omnia came with a hideous stylus and without a stylus slot. So this case compensate for all that as it has a better looking stylus IMHO and a stylus slot. The stylus is thin though but I still prefer this anytime than Omnia's original one.
Overall, I thought this is a good buy. The phone + case felt good to the hands and it does look expensive unlike the box that it came in. What bothers me is the extra length.. but to gain some (i.e. the stylus), you have to lose some lo.
As for the question "Is this the perfect Omnia case"? Well, maybe not to me but it will have to do for now. After all, it cost about RM51 after conversion. Me no rich man leh!
Recently my colleagues and I went to this Hainanese Restaurant for lunch and found that the food there was rather sucky. We were complaining about it among ourselves and one thing led to another, and we had this hearty discussion on giving feedback when it comes to food.
Although I think this is not very much a Malaysian culture, more restaurants nowadays seek to provide better service for their customers. So at the end of a meal, they would ask the customer on how the food was. Malaysians being Malaysians, I think we tend not to want to offend anyone... so most of us would shyly say "Err..okay lo" although the food tasted like feet.
So back to the discussion I had with my colleagues about this, one of them actually said that once when he was asked this question, he bluntly answered "None of the dishes we ordered tasted nice" and the restaurant owner's face immediately turned black.
Some of us there did not agree with this colleague for being so bluntly honest. "Why would we want to offend people like that?", someone said.
I on the other hand, thought it's a right thing to do. I mean if you can't take negative comments about your food, then you shouldn't pretend and ask your customers for their feedback, right? If you are asking for feedback, then you should take them constructively and find out what's actually wrong with whatever that you served!
So I think as a consumer, we have every right to provide honest feedback when we were asked for it. Perhaps what we need to be careful about are the intentions of these feedbacks and how to "refine" the way we present them.
As I said, I think this is not a very Malaysian type of culture to begin with. Like it or not, people still can't take the fact that their food sucks!
It has been a long while since I bought anything from the internet. Actually come to think of it, aside from Skype where I bought some SkypeOut credits, I haven't been using my credit card to purchase anything from any other online stores..... until 2 days ago.
You see... I have been searching for a perfect case for my new toy, Samsung Omnia. I haven't had much luck in that. Currently I have this standard black pouch that works fine for it.
However if you are a gadget lover like me, you will know that we will not stop until we find the "perfect" accessories... well that or until we got tired of the toy.
So anyway when I was browsing around, I came across this beauty - Samsung i900 Omnia Rubberized Back Hard Case:
I thought this looked great on my Omnia. The red may not go with my black colored Omnia though but nevertheless, I loved it.
It is being sold at shop.brando.com and the cost is USD14.50 plus shipping. I guess after conversion, the price is almost at par with any decent cases that you buy from all those handphone shops.
Anyhow I hesitated for a while...you know the worry of putting your credit card info into all these sites that may turn out to be fake. So to put my fears at rest, I googled the site and the product, and read some reviews about them.
After feeling slightly better with what I found out, I decided to take a calculative risk and proceeded to get the "perfect" case. I also checked that it's a secure site (https as opposed to http) when keying in my credit card info.
The case comes in 3 colors and I chose the black one as I thought that is more matching for my black themed Omnia.
Omnia doesn't have a stylus slot, and so this case is just great as it comes with a stylus and its slot!
After all that done, I guess I would have to leave it to take its natural course. The last time I checked via the Order Tracking feature at the site, they have already shipped the product out from HK on the 25th Aug. I guess I need to wait for a few more days for it to arrive.
Frankly speaking, I am actually very excited waiting for this "perfect" case. Hope when I actually get it, it will still remain "perfect". We shall see...
專屬天使 by Tank
Pinyin lyrics:
Wo bu hui guai ni dui wo de wei zhuang
Tian shi zai ren jian shi gai cang hao chi bang
Ren men yu chun lu mang er ni xian xi shan liang
Zen neng rang ni wei le wo bei peng shang
Xiao xiao de shou zhang hou hou de wen nuan
Ni zong neng ping fu wo bu an de ye wan
Bu gan xiang de meng xiang tou guo ni de yan guang
Wo cai kan jian ta yuan lai zai qian fang
Mei you shei neng ba ni qiang li wo shen pang
Ni shi wo de zhuan shu tian shi
Wei wo neng du zhan
Mei you shei neng qu dai ni zai wo xin shang
Yong you yi ge zhuan shu tian shi
Wo na li hai xu yao bie de yuan wang
Xiao xiao de shou zhang da da de li liang
Wo yi ding ye kuai xiang ni yi yang fei xiang
Ni xiang qu de di fang jiu shi wo de fang xiang
You wo bao hu xiao rong jin guan can lan
Mei you shei neng ba ni qiang li wo shen pang
Ni shi wo de zhuan shu tian shi
Wei wo neng du zhan
Mei you shei neng qu dai ni zai wo xin shang
Yong you yi ge zhuan shu tian shi
Wo na li hai xu yao bie de yuan wang
Yao bu shi ni chu xian wo yi ding hai zai chen shui
Jue wang de yi wei sheng ming zhi you hei ye
Mei you shei neng ba ni qiang li wo shen pang
Ni shi wo de zhuan shu tian shi
Wei wo neng du zhan
Mei you shei neng qu dai ni zai wo xin shang
Yong you yi ge zhuan shu tian shi
Wo na li hai xu yao bie de yuan wang
Health products are so in trend nowadays. There seem to be so many new brands coming to our shore under the ships of MLM.
With the current economic situation, I guess more people are jumping into these ships hoping to get extra pocket money or to take the opportunity to have a business of their own. Although currently I am not into MLM but who knows, right? Desperate times call for desperate measures.
I do have friends or relatives who have gone or are going into this type of business. It can be funny at times cos I always notice very similar traits about them after they got involved.
Firstly every of your conversations with them always tend to evolve into a sales pitch. It's like every topic that you talk about will slowly have a relation to their products be it from talking about your working life, love life, friends, family or whatever.
For an example, someone would say that they are really becoming old cos they are slowly becoming long sighted... and the other person would start to say how their products can reverse the signs of aging; or when someone talked about a friend, and the other person would say how this friend or that friend have used the products and felt or looked so much better than before.
It's as if whatever void you are experiencing in your life is because you did not discover the beauty of their products!
The products also tend to be like miracles. It could be just one single product but it is able to cure all sickness - cancer, diabetes, stroke... just name it. If you have pain in your neck, it will cure that. If you have growth coming out somewhere, it will make it smaller. I am not surprised if some of them are saying how their product can cure H1N1 as well.
It's like the product is a highly intelligent substance that when ingested, would scan your whole body for non functional parts and automatically fix them!
I do agree that all these health products surely have their very own benefits... but the ability to cure all sickness???? I am really very very sceptical about that! If that is true, then I would say that they are not selling a health product... They are selling miracles.
Well perhaps all these are part of the sales strategy. Perhaps one day if I ever join MLM, I would be doing and saying all the same things too. However for the time being, I will just sit back and have a smile thinking back of my encounters with all these miracles sellers.
Some friends who recently switched to PDA phone have requested for me to share with them the applications that I have installed in my Omnia. I understand that it is really difficult to know which of the applications that work for you, and having to do the trial & error type of approach.
So hope this helps.
Freeware
s2u2
This is a replica of iPhone's lock/unlock phone application.
http://s2u2.ac-s2.com/
Mdict
Free dictionary reader. Need to download the dictionary files (also free) separately
http://www.octopus-studio.com/product.en.htm
Metro
A very useful guide to check which public transport you should take going from one location to another. Comes with many databases for different countries. I just use the one for Malaysia & Singapore.
http://metro.nanika.net/MetroA-en.html
Facebook Mobile
Facebook application for PPC. Need I describe more?
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-facebook-app.html
Not Freeware
For these, do check out the respective sites for the screenshots. Too much work to put all of them here, hehehe.
Spb Mobile Shell
A nice user interface
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/
Spb Pocket Plus
In WM devices that doesn't come with similar tool, when you press x to close a program, it just minimises the program and runs at the background. This will eat up your RAM causing your device to slow down or even hang. SPB Pocket Plus has this feature where you can configure that pressing x to close a program will actually CLOSE it.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en
Spb Insight
This is a RSS reader.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/insight/
Spb Phone Suite
I am using this for phone profiles i.e. different loudness for different profile, what time to automatically switch to which profile.
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/pocketpc-software/phonesuite/
Pocket Informant
PIM (Personal Information Manager) for your calendars, contacts, to do list and notes. They provide nicer interface to the default WM's PIM.
http://www.pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pocketinformant
Coreplayer Mobile
To play movie files. Support a lot of file types.
http://coreplayer.com/content/view/28/45/
SKTools
General management for your device's resources
http://s-k-tools.com/index.html?sktools/m_feat.html
Resco Photo Viewer
Can view and edit pictures.
http://www.resco.net/pocketpc/photoviewer/
Twikini
Twitter application for PPC. I got this free by doing a blog post about them.
http://www.trinketsoftware.com/Twikini/
One of my greatest weakness is .... gadgets, well specifically PDA phones. Almost every year I would get the itch to get a new phone... the new features, new looks, they are all just too tempting.
This year is no different. About a month ago, I started "itching" again. iPhone 3GS coming... ooooooohhh...how exciting! Omnia 2 coming....ooooooh...how exciting. The temptation was just too much!
However I was controlling myself pretty well... at least that's what I thought until I saw the current price of last year's Omnia.
Last year when it came out, it was retailing at RM2799 for 8GB and RM2999 for 16GB. I already noticed this model then, but being a sour grape, I just dismissed it saying that it's no good bla bla bla. The actual fact was that it was too expensive for me.
As Omnia 2 is coming out, Samsung slashed the price of last year's model to around RM2000 for the 8GB version. I thought it was a good deal considering that Omnia does have quite an impressive specs. At that very second, I knew I was defeated.
So 2 weeks ago, I got my new toy. Although it's no perfect (and I doubt there is any phone out there that is "perfect"), it has very much what I wanted in a phone...for now. I installed Garmin XT and discovered the beauty of GPS. Funny how I still turn on my Garmin although I was just driving from home to work and vice versa.
It just seemed so "magical" that this thing can actually show you your actual location and tell you where to go. I know, I know... as someone who is in IT line, I should know better... but the "magic" of technology can just be so mesmerising at times.
Besides that, net surfing is so much more convenient with a bigger 3.2 inches screen. Watching movies on it too became more exciting.
Although it's no iPhone, in my opinion this is the nearest to iPhone that I would ever get. Hmm... come to think of it, I have an iPod Touch, so that should be the closest to iPhone that I would get, hehehe. Well anyhow I think you got my point. iPhone is just too expensive for me considering its specs, although the interface and responsiveness are very much left uncontested.
So far, I am really happy with my Omnia. Perhaps I will sing a different song a year later when another overpowering temptation comes.
As for my last year's temptation... LG KS20, I have already sold it to an ex colleague.
I believe all good things should be shared... and LG KS20 has served me wonderfully for the past a year and a half. It's time for it to bring joy to its new owner.
I tell you.... this song has been very hot on the radio stations many many months ago and I had no idea what's the title and who sang it although I liked it very much. That's the problem with being a "banana" person.
Finally I found the title and the singers.
Title: 我的回憶不是我的 (My memories are not mine)
Singers: Hai Ming Wei & Vincy Chan
Pinyin lyrics
seung sam dik jung wooi yam sing
fooi sam dik jung wooi yung hei lik
jeung jui ho dik gwoh hui
jeung jui doh dik sai sui
soh do
suk yue nei dik ngaan jing
sat luen dik bat gau noi sing
sat luen dik bat sun si jue ding
yue jui hak dik sai gaai
yue jui gwong dik saat na
gam do
suk yue nei dik hei sik
jik si han doh yat hei gwok dik
seung hei dik tung tung nei dik
wai juek si long maan dik oi ching
tung tung do hoh joi gin
daan sing nok hoh joi ting
sam moh hoh bat bin sik
oh baby
dong maan yue nei gei jue po gung ying
gam maan pin pin seung hei fung dik ching ging
wooi yik bat joi sau jai yue ngoh
ngoh sing ying
wooi yik ya hui nei dik
dong maan yue nei gei jue lau sui sing
gam maan jaam joi daai dei ji gei king ting
naan do sung bit nei
wooi tau jung si kin sing
sui nang gwaai ngoh
jung si taai gam sing
sat luen dik do yah doh sing
sat luen dik do gei jue yeuk ding
dong lei seung dik sai gaai
dong lei seung dik saat na
yan oi
mo fan nei dik ngoh dik
jik si han doh yat hei gwoh dik
seung hei dik tung tung nei dik
wai jeuk si long maan dik oi ching
tung tung do hoh joi gin
daan sing nok hoh joi ting
sam moh hoh bat bin sik
oh baby
dong maan yue nei gei jue po gung ying
gam maan pin pin seung hei fung dik ching ging
wooi yik bat joi sau jai yue ngoh
ngoh sing ying
wooi yik ya hui nei dik
dong maan yue nei gei jue lau sui sing
gam maan jaam joi daai dei ji gei king ting
naan do sung bit nei
wooi tau jung si kin sing
sui nang gwaai ngoh
jung si taai gam sing
dong maan yue nei gei jue po gung ying
gam maan pin pin seung hei fung dik ching ging
wooi yik bat joi sau jai yue ngoh
ngoh sing ying
wooi yik ya hui nei dik
dong maan yue nei gei jue lau sui sing
gam maan jaam joi daai dei ji gei king ting
naan do sung bit nei
wooi tau jung si kin sing
sui nang gwaai ngoh
jung si taai gam sing
My poor little boy (Axel the pug) hurt his left hind leg falling off the couch yesterday evening. He cried like I never heard him before and when I lifted him up and put him back on the floor, I noticed he couldn't move his left hind leg. I panicked thinking that it must have been broken! I was so worried and as it was a Sunday evening, all the vets were already closed. I called a few friends asking whether they have any emergency vet numbers. Either the vet was too far away or they didn't answer the phone. I was really panicking like crazy then.
After a while, Axel regained the control of his left hind leg and I could see him walking on his fours. Phew... that gave me a bit of relief. However he seemed to be limping a little bit on that leg. As I couldn't get hold of any vets and Axel seemed to be okay, I thought I would only send him to the vet today after work.
This morning when I woke up, I wasn't greeted by the usual excited Axel. In contrast, he was very lethargic and was even refusing food. I panicked again! After feeding him a piece or two of his dog food, he started eating again. Then I noticed that he was shaking a little... and I know I couldn't wait for tonight to send him to the vet. I called my boss and told him I needed to take half a day EL. I wondered whether my boss has ever heard "sending my dog to the vet" as an EL's reason.
So we waited until 10am and I sent Axel to Saint Angel Animal Clinic, his usual vet. Dr Ding who treated him kept commenting how "round" Axel is. I told him what happened and he inspected Axel's legs. He found nothing wrong and said that it could be due to muscle sprain. So he prescribed some pain killers, asked me to monitor him for a few days and sent us home.
I accompanied Axel for a while at home and then I went off to work. I tell you, I now understand the feelings that parents feel when their kids are sick or hurt. There was this worry hanging on my head throughout the day.
When I came back, Axel was still lethargic. I gave him some food which he reluctantly took, and administered the pain killer. He is now sitting by my side, looking miserable. I hope my little boy will get well soon. Looking at him now made me feel so guilty and sad. :-(
After what felt like forever, I got my Matrix back today!!
The workshop's claims executive picked me up at my office in Damansara Utama after work and sent me to the workshop in Jalan Ipoh where my repaired car was.
Weird though that I wasn't asked to sign any documents. Come to think of it, I don't have any records whatsoever on the whole thing - I wasn't asked to sign anything when they towed away my car, I was not given a copy of the police report and I wasn't asked to sign any document when I collected my car. Is this normal? Seemed a bit fishy to me though.
Well whatever it is, the cost of repairs is supposed to be claimed from the other party's insurance... so as long as it stays that way, I don't care whether the right processes have been followed or not.
The past few days when I was car'less had been so inconvenient for me. Modes of public transport in Klang Valley are very unreliable. Thank goodness I have kind colleagues and 2 of them (husband & wife) are staying near to my place. So they have been picking me up in the morning and dropping me back after work. I am truly grateful.
Anyway now that I have my car and my "life" back, I will make sure I park my car at more "secure" places i.e. not near to any ramps. Till now, I still couldn't believe that a properly parked car can still run the risk of being knocked.
I came across DiGi's roadshow at Midvalley Megamall this weekend. I thought the booth's setup was really interesting... as if you're in a very YELLOW cartoon world.
Sorry my phone's camera didn't do the booth justice.
This is Axel. He was born on the 11th Nov 2005. He used to have his own blog Axel the Pug but as his daddy (me!) found it hard to maintain 2 blogs, his stories is now a part of fishdiary resurrection.
