Exceptional Murmurs

Gatsbiiii! (Gatsby) Commercial Funny Commercial

2008-06-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the funny commercial :P

Kit Kat & Snacks from Japan~! And a chocolate I found in Singapore

2008-05-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

A colleague of mine just returned from Japan and brought a whole lot of snacks where they can only be found in Japan. So witness the truly unique snacks! Before that, a picture of how cute a cake wrapper from Japan looks like.

First up, Kit Kat Green Tea. Yeah it tasted a little bit like tea leaves squashed up with chocolate :)

Next, Kit Kat again but with a strawberry twist. Well I didn't really like it as it tasted a bit like really cheap strawberry flavored chocolate.

And followed by Kit Kat Minis (didn't know they have minis), in Banana flavor~! This actually tasted quite good with the aromatic smell and taste of bananas which is not too heavy.

Okay enough of Kit Kats, there was also a sweet which tasted like Ice-Cream Soda. Thing about this particular sweet is the filling actually fizzles in your mouth just like a soda would, so yeah that was definitely a surprise.

Lastly, not too exciting but I really like it, it was a Cadbury Chocolate in Lemon Cheesecake flavor which I found at a Singapore supermarket and along with it...........you guessed it Kit Kat again! Caramel flavor :-) ah the sweetness :P

Singapore Night Stroll

2008-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Was feeling boring the other night so ventured down into City Hall in Singapore to have a look at the Esplanade, pretty interesting with everything related to arts being down there. Quite a magnificent view, just too bad I had to take it with my phone's camera.

Then decided to just walk all the way down where there were noises to be heard from, and to my surprise it was where the iconic Lion of Singapore was located :)

Then just ventured adventurously down the roads and got myself at the Old Parliament House, it felt pretty nice to know that I was probably standing in the same place where prominent figures who shaped the future of Singapore worked during the 80s and early 90s. Was really nice immersing myself with the historical facts of Lee Kuan Yew, Dr. Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee and Goh Chok Tong. For those who are interested in politics, I was surprised that most of the pioneering members of the People's Action Party (PAP) of Sngapore are actually Malaysians! Well have a look at the old parliament house.

Singapore Toy Museum, Pity The Older Generation For They Had Such Ugly Toys

2008-05-12T08:10:00.001-07:00

Last week on Sunday, I needed some peace and tranquility coupled with some amusement so I decided to just have a visit to the Singapore Mint Museum of Toys near City Hall (opposite Raffles Hotel) thinking how cool it would be to look at a 5-storey building filled with toys and just spending the whole day there. Boy was I wrong on so many counts!!! Read on to find out, this post's gonna be filled with pictures and interesting ones too! Forgive me for the picture quakity as I took it with my mobile phone.

Alright, first up the building. I was expecting a museum to be at least as big as a bungalow in Malaysia but instead I found a five-storey building 'squashed' next to a coffee-shop. Well okay I told myself maybe good collections await.

Really small building huh? Anyways, I proceeded to pay my fee of S$15 and made my way to the 5th floor as directed by the staff whom advised me to start from the top to bottom. So there I went to 5th floor themed Outerspace. Walked out expecting big area and WHAM! WTF!??? A tiny small hallway with cabinets of toys?

Okayyyyyyyyy, maybe the toys will do the hallway justice. First up, some aluminium made robot toys which were quite nostalgic (reminds me when I was a kid and I used to play with my Strepsils aluminium metal case).

Moving on, some Star Wars poster and toys, nothing special so I just snapped some Star Wars toys. Hello Yoda and Darth Vader! :)

The 4th floor was themed Characters (Batman, Superman, etc.), this should seem interesting since most of the action heroes were all good when we were young. Perhaps it won't be too bad, let's have a look. Oh oh! Cute, short and fat Batman!..................My GOD! When did Batman became like that!!! Maybe he's fit today because of the proliferation of fitness gyms or maybe it's just Christian Bale but anyways good enough, at least I am begining to see things I haven't seen before.

From here on I totally forgot about all the floor themes because everything caught my attention from here on. Let's start with the good part, just look at the nice remote control peacock....

And we have good old nice vintage cars, yeah.

Who could forget our good old spinning top :) our time had musicals not flashing lights like now.

Of course the more traditional kite, 'guli', and that onion shaped spinning thing (gasing if I am not wrong) which I used to play it in kampungs I visit during when I was a kid.

Hmmmm Hot Wheels match-box edition? :) But hey small toys with these kinda details were hand-made then!

Thereafter the horror began! You call this Mickey Mouse ? I pity the kids who were playing with them, they look so.................evil............

And this is Felix the Cat? I don't know if something is wrong with me but I felt that it really looked like voodoo dolls.

And Chinese propaganda toys? Yet they complain about Grand Theft Auto games on PS3, this toy practically had a person's head being stepped on and another being bashed, while another holds a machine gun.

Okay Donald Duck and Popeye wasn't too bad here.

Barbie wasn't that happy during hte 60s and 70s I guess due to suppression by men and having to just stay home without partying and shopping?

And why are toys from the era so creepy? Eye popper dolls and IT clown? Maybe that's why we have so many sick adults these days due to their childhood?

These teddy bears seem like they could pounce and kill anytime (not cude and cuddly at all, and why on earth of all colors are they red like stained blood???)

Didn't know racism was well present in toys too...

Okay I know so far I have been criticizing these toys a lot, but I did found a ray of hope in these other toys like Betty Boop ( a little muscular back then ), most of them are of Asian origin and they were really beautiful, especially the Cinese wooden dolls which were handcreafted meticulously.

Okay although it may seem like the S$15 wasn't worth that much of it, in fact if you have seen my blog you have seen 60-70% of the most interesting items. Nevertheless, i still recommend that you have a look at it yourself, when you see the items in person I guess you will appreciate that there have unique individual traits which signify a particular culture compared to today's mass-manufactured toys which all would probably come from China. Back then, you could most probably guess where a toy originated from based on its design cues and materials. It's easy to criticize but I keep in mind that back then they didn't have the technologies we have and if it wasn't for these pioneers, we might never have the cool toys we have today.

I'll let Mr.JFK save the day by injecting some seriousness of reading a newspaper (now I wonder why wasn't Bush and Clinton there with him too)

Nice Things in Singapore

2008-05-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in Singapore and I was visiting Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Orchard Road. Singapore is just a great place for different varieties of food. In fact, I would just like to go straight to the point and show you some of the food which captured my attention.

Japanese desserts with their quirky yet meticulous designs.

Below is a cherry in Jelly
And Mochi created with such attention to detail that it looks like a work of art rather than food.
And though it may be common but it's my first time seeing an automated Teriyaki meat frying system, just look at the meat dipped into the Teriyaki sauce.

Drooling for ice-cream

2008-04-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

In the past month or so, I've been having a gastronomical affair by trying a lot of different food. Bu let's start with my favorite, desserts!!! first up admire the beauty of Baskin Robbin's ice-cream cakes (you never know how beautiful they are until you put them in pictures :D)

And after that, here are a few other dessert from the Zen by Secret Recipe. The passion fruit and mango dome looked unique so I gave it a try. Perhaps the texture was a little dry and the bitter taste of the passion fruit was too overpowering, however the mango and chocolate topping fusion that came out of it was still quite enjoyable.

I guess I saved the best for the last, and it is the Chocolate Glateu (required 20 minutes in advance to be prepared). It came with a choice of raspberry or chocolate, I chose chocolate. And the taste was just like heaven~! Imagine a soft moist chocolate cake with such fine texture that you would mistake it for eating smooth tasty silk :), and after that dipped with dark and white chocolate sauce which gives the utmost balance in terms of bitterness and sweetness. There you have it!

Will post other delicious desserts in my next post :P

Good Old TVB memories

2008-03-17T20:24:00.001-07:00

Recently I've been watching a DVD of TVB's Once Upon A Time In Shanghai, the 1996 remake on the original TVB series "Shanghai Bund". Actually kinda funny how I found the DVD, it was in one of the 'popular' DVD hawkers in Summit USJ as I was just browsing their bargain tray of old movies going at really low prices.

Really loved this show as a kid, as I used to remember watching it on TV every night the series was running on our local television NTV7 or was it MetroVision? :D

Anyways, the 2nd time watching this show was really good because I had a better understanding of the matters in life compared to when I was a kid watching the show just because I knew there were a lot of witty characters in there. Hui Man Keong, the main protagonist is my IDOL!!! The principles and ideals that he surrounds himself with is just so...............SOUND AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING! (maybe more in a future post :D as I would really love to share his memorable quotes in the movies)

For those who have no idea about the show (which I doubt if you are a Chinese), the story revolves mainly around a young man named 'Hui Man Keong' and his rise to fame, fall from grace, revenge, love life and death in Shanghai. He started out as a student campaigning for the rights of China until he was put into prison and upon his release he came to Shanghai to start a new life as a new person with newly found life principles of self-preservation before the nation's interests.

For those who would like to know more read on but beware minor spoilers!!!

He always tells his long-time friends who comments that he has changed from being a nationalist to a capitalist mob, that 'the world is constantly changing, as do people do too'. In his rise to fame, he relentlessly outsmarted a lot of people, switched sides to whomever gave him the most benefit (but with a conscience of what is right and wrong) and even came close to 'betraying' his own country by co-operating with the Japanese on war weapons import. Despite that, at the end he gave into his own conscience and stopped the trade by killing a top-ranking Japanese militant and ended up a fugitive in Hong Kong and being pursued by mobs in the process. When his wife, unborne child and her family was killed, he swore revenge and headed back to Shanghai!

His love life was even more complicated as the one he loved was Shanghai's top mob's (Foong Keng Yew) daughter Fung Ching Ching. He initially refused to start a relationship with her even when she was in love with him, as he predicted anyone with him wouldn't be happy and there would be misunderstandings with her father but in the end he gave in to his feelings. They arranged for a marriage eventually but when he sabotaged a trading deal with the Japanese, he had to escape to Hong Kong and leave Ching Ching because he was being hunted down by her father. Although he married another woman in Hong Kong and came back to Shanghai for revenge, you could see from the portrayal that his love for Ching Ching never died.

'Captivating' Crabs

2008-03-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

Well nothing captivating about the crabs, but rather the state in which they are captivated~! Just look at how they tied up the crabs in a neat, nice and fashionable manner (they are still alive!). This way the customers get to pick crabs at their whims and fancy, without any worries of getting messy or even clamped by the crabs.

This goes to show that some aspects of China might be better compared to Malaysia, if i am not wrong live crabs being sold in Malaysia still have to be picked from the 'aquarium' and they just wrap them in plastic bags in the end.

Iron Buddha Tea

2008-03-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

Yes you are correct, for those who drink the chinese tea 'Tit Kun Yam' in Cantonese or 'Tie Kuan Yin' in Mandarin (pardon my pinyin hahaha). Well we have a direct translation and it's by Lipton too! But only found in China :)

I'm just surprised that the name of the tea was a direct translation of the Mandarin words, I thought Unilever (Lipton's brand owner) would have more creativity than this. Maybe 'Traditional Buddha Fragnance" or something might do :)

I dunno but if anyone has suggestions, why not post it in the comments :)

Adult Expo in JAPAN!!!!

2008-03-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hahaha this I had to share with everyone, watch the gadgets, genius of MANkind and BABES at work :)

The dolls seem pretty good, I'd get one if they didn't cost at least USD8000!!!

All thanks www.kanojotoys.com for the update :)

NOTE: Video may have some sexual content, view at own risk!

New Comic Blog

2008-02-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is a new site created by me and a colleague of mine named Ee Ling, the comic strip zooms in on the typical woes which are faced by executives in today's world. The inspiration came from a fellow colleague sharing his grievances when we were having dinner. Do have a look at it, at http:\\executivewoes.blogspot.com. Image below is the one of the many strips available at the site.

Chili Ice-Cream!

2008-01-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

That's right! I was shocked too the first time I saw it on my trip to China, but this is a true 'gelato ' with chili flavor :) In case you are wondering how it tastes like, I can only give you a description, it starts off with something like a very very light vanilla taste and slowly thereafter you'll experience some spiciness in your mouth. Very unique indeed :)

Now I wonder if there will be a market for it for the Malay and Indian audience :) I'll keep the blog updated with my other items from China.

Downfalls of the MacBook AIR

2008-01-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Well not really downfalls, but perhaps unspotted weaknesses at first sight?

Alright after sleeping on it for a day, and when all the hype and sex appeal of the new MacBook AIR has finally died down and where my logical brain steps in to mitigate the effect from Steve Job's reality distortion field, there are actually a few quirks about the MacBook that bothers me a little. They are:-

No Ethernet port and 1 USB port?
Hopefully, all offices phase out Ethernet ports and adopts WiFi in Malaysia, otherwise you're out of luck for Internet connectivity. As for USB, guess you'll have to keep a USB hub nearby because if you're gonna plug in a mouse into it, then say goodbye to your Flash Drive.
Puny 80GB hard disk?
Goodbye to loads of MP3s and videos. MacBook Air is just for documents! :P
2GB RAM?
Am I suppose to just really treat this as a business only affair with the MacBook? Anyways, 2GB with no expandable option doesn't really bode well considering Vista alone requires a minimum of 2GB
Built-in battery?
Somehow I have a feeling that the battery is going to go kaput real soon this way, and when it happens you're out of luck if you think you can pop in another battery and just continue your work.

At this rate and price, maybe the Dell XPS laptops still look like a better alternative considering its price tag. But then again my lust for form over function may kick in when I see this thing physically :)

MACBOOK AIR !!!

2008-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

Apple just announced its latest laptop, the MacBook AIR!!! OMG it's so thin, I just love the design! It's so thin it fits into a manila envelope!

Some key features:-

Built in isight camera;
Full-size keyboard;
Black keys on white;
Backlit keyboard;
Generous trackpad;
Multi-touch gestures on he trackpad.
Rotate a photo;
Next photo;
Pinch and zoom;
1.8″ ipod drive;
80GB HDD;
64GB SSD option;
Intel Core 2 Duo;
1.6GHz standard 1.8GHz option.

How to IM and get Microsoft to Donate to Charity Organizations~!

2007-11-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

I really think this program organized by Microsoft should be publicized more. You can now help the world by just chatting using MSN Messenger! It's easy, you just have to do your part to 'change' (you are really just adding text) your nickname to incorporate Microsoft's text code and it will appear an 'i'm' logo in your nickname. That is all you have to do and Microsoft will share its advertisement revenues from MSN Messenger to the organization in which you have chosen in the text code. The minimum an organization gets is USD100,000!

For more details on how to do this and help do your part to contribute to charity, read on for instructions, or just click on this link.

If you think this post was great, do leave a comment ;-)

Click here for the text code

Jay Chou Potato Chips & Icy Mint Sprite

2007-06-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

Was at Carrefour again shopping for food and lunch too. Grabbed a pack of Jay Chou endorsed chips! :) (Talk about celebrity power eh? Almost everything in China is celebrity endorsed). There's also a Jay Chou endorsed eye drops, I'll see if I can get that on a picture or video :)

And then here is my first Icy Mint Sprite, the packaging was absolutely eye-catching interesting but when it comes down to the taste, it totally turned me off. Yeah, it had a hint of mint but overall it tasted like medicine with mint flavoring! I think I'll still stick with the lemon-flavored Sprite

And as for the last photo above, although it may seem like a usual Carrefour Supermarket but what's special about it is that all these people are queuing up for rice! Carrefour started a promotion here which goes something like RMB1.00 for 1KG / 500g of rice (can't remember which one exactly) only on designated times of the day. So, if you happen to be there at that time, you will usually see a very long queue at the rice counter.

Paper-Thin Video Display

2007-06-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Came across an article by USATODAY, which reports that Sony has developed a paper-thin display screen. Makes me wonder what kind of gadgets will be available once they get this technology into the mainstream market.

More at this link :- USATODAY : Paper-Thin Display from Sony

McDonalds China Style! (Part 2)

2007-05-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

Continuing with McDonald's China Style, I bring to you their version of our Quarter McPounder (don't really recall the exact name except the Pound part). I don't know what they call it in Chinese but for those who can read Chinese please be my guest to leave the name in the comments. Pay attention to how thick their beef patty is! Malaysia's McD really needs to BEEF UP!!!

And then there is the Sweet Taro Pie (sweet potato). I don't really fancy sweet potato but those who do should find it really tasty, and the color looks appetizing too :). I still love the orange pie though.

Lastly, I'm not sure if we have it Malaysia but even if we did it was only during some promotion period, but the Pineapple Sundae is part of their standard menu here in China. I think I better stay away from this, the pineapple cubes tastes more like plastic cubes and the syrup tastes so diluted

Will leave you all with so much for now, till next time then.

KFC Zinger : Big Mac Style!

2007-05-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

While I was walking in a shopping center in China, I saw this ad for a new burger for KFC and it's really BIG! I'm gonna try it some day when I have the time and tell you all what I think about it but for now, have a look at the sheer size. I think one serving without fries will do it for my breakfast AND lunch. By the way, it's considerably cheap at RMB11, which works out to be around RM5.50.

Dim Sum Galore

2007-05-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

As promised earlier, today I had a chance to take pictures of all my Dim Sum endeavors :). I'll start off with my all-time favorite, the Eggyolk Bun (they call it 'Liu Sa Pau' in Mandarin).

If you have a sweet tooth then this is definitely the one! Hot steaming sweetened egg yolk oozing out from the bun, and once you taste it, it starts off with a savory taste and ends with a sweet aftertaste.

Besides the Eggyolk Bun, I had a chance to try another bun, which if I am not wrong is called the Oatmeal Bun. It basically tastes like steamed buns with Horlicks (not to my liking).

Well, all was not sweet in the morning. I guarantee you'll be full if you just have the steamed buns for breakfast! Now, what we need for this Westerner is a steak! And a Miniature Steak it is! China's not famous for their beef, so I can't compare it to Australian and American beef, but I guess it's still OK.

Next up, SPARE PARTS! (YUCK!). Not a fan of spare parts, but all the Chinese here seem to fancy them, on top you will see a bowl of COAGULATED PORK BLOOD and also BEEF INTESTINES (Gotta find a better name for it, but they call it 'Niu Bai Yeh' in Mandarin).

Will sign off for now, meanwhile I will keep the blog updated with more China experiences. Have to get back to work right now (thankfully I am enjoying the food here so I can keep my mind off work for a while at least).

McDonalds China Style! (Part 1)

2007-05-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

Since McDonalds is one of my favorite fast food chains, it would be a sin not to visit them in another country which I am in. Among the variations that I have seen in China, I will document each of them when I have the time to try all their offerings.

For now, I will show you 2 different things that you will most probably not find (if you have then lucky you, though I know Malaysia won't have it anytime soon).

First up, ORANGE PIE! I was so excited at the sight of an orange pie when I was there for a 'to-go' order. My first thoughts on cooked orange, was "Wouldn't it taste bitter, as oranges usually would after they are heated up?". But because orange is one of my favorite flavors, I decided to just try it out. To my surprise, it was sweeeeeeeeet and really tasty! Not only did that manage to maintain the orange taste but you can feel the texture of the orange peels, a definite must-try for those visiting China. Hmmmmm, now I'm wondering do they have a MdDonalds strawberry pie somewhere around the world?

Secondly, is really nothing special. In Malaysia, we call it Spicy Chicken McDeluxe (most probably you have other names in different places), a simple fired-chicken fillet with spicy flavoring in burger style. But the reason I highlighted this is because its fillet is so much bigger compared to the ones I have in my country! It's at least 2cm bigger in length and width, and its thickness it most probably 0.5cm more then what I have in Malaysia. Too bad I don't have any pictures of the Malaysian version for comparison but for Malaysian pals, judge it for yourselves from the picture.

Dinner Outing in China

2007-05-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in China and on my second day of arrival I was greeted with a lavish dinner of 'exotic' and rare food. I forgot to bring a camera during breakfast and lunch so i can't share with you the wonderful 'dim sums' yet, but don't worry I'll definitely show them once I have a chance to. Meanwhile enjoy the following:-

1) Fried Chicken - Plain old ordinary chicken but fried to perfection with fattening high cholesterol pork oil :) (YUM YUM!) HAHA!

2) Roasted Goose - I initially thought this was roasted duck (similar to those Beijing roasted duck) but turns out when one of my friend pointed out to me that it was a goose and not a duck. DELICIOUS as you can see from the picture, its texture is akin to silky smooth skin and when bitten the juices that flow out of the meat simply fills your mouth with the tantalizing herbal juices used to marinate it. Definitely on my favorite list of Chinese delicacies.

3) Shark Meat Stir-fried With Vegetable - As for this dish, the only unique part was the fact that it had shark meat in it! Never thought that they would make a dish out of shark meat but I guess anything goes in China right? (I mean since they are killing the shark for the fins, why not utilize the meat too so that it doesn't go to waste). Well, if any one of you reading this wants to give it a try, I strongly DO NOT RECOMMEND it. It resembles your familiar taste of the ordinary fishball except with the difference of a very high price tag.

4) Duck's Feet Webbings - Initially this dish wasn't on the order list, but when the people on the table realized that my tolerance of alcohol was higher than they expected, they did not hesitate to add on another few rounds of liqour with this dish to serve as an 'appetizer' to the alcohol. I have to admit that it wasn't really spectacular, given that it feels more crunchy than anything else.

5) Duck's Intestines (I don't know how else to describe it) - For the finale, like the name suggests, we had duck intestines. I usually don't take animal's 'spare parts' but in this case I was in China and everyone on the table was urging me to try some..........so in the end I obliged. To my surprise, it was actually quite nice when dipped with a sauce which tasted similar to your salsa sauce. Although it looks kinda soft, but it's actually crunchy when you take your bite on it. So, for all those 'spare parts' lover, this is a recommended dish.

Massive 64GB Thumb Drive !!!

2006-05-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was just reading through the tech articles and saw that there is now thumb drives with capacities up to 64GB!!!!

God! That is nearly 80% of my 80GB hard disk space. Makes me realize how far we have come in just a few years when I am now still using my 128MB thumb drive :P

Well see for yourself how small the drive is in the picture attached.

It's been a while

2006-05-01T01:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, like the title states, it's really been a while since I have updated my blog on any issues. In fact, I am so busy with my ongoing project at the hotel that I don't have any time for myself either.

And to make matters work, a team member has been hospitalized so now it is up to the remaining of us to get work done. Recently, there hasn't been anything that significant for me to post, so hope you all will be patient.

Meanwhile, let's stray away from technology and let me show you my country's latest mini car. Not exactly my country's invention but rather a Chinese design locally manufactured, anyways give some comments on it. I felt that the front was a pretty nice touch but the back is really UGLY!

Windows on Mac! Finally!

2006-03-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

At long last, Windows can run on an Apple Computer (the new Intel Macintosh). The solution was found by a contest winner from a contest held to find out the solution for running a Windows on a Mac.

The person walked away with $14,000. Well worth it I say, as now all people will get the best of both worlds with MacOS and Windows :)

Now windows can run on something more stylish hehehehe :)

If you want to learn how to do just that, they have published software required and with the instrcutions too. Just goto www.onmac.net

Hope everyone is happy with the finding.

Been busy lately but here's some Vista

2006-03-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy lately and will likely be the same in the next 2 months as I have a project to undertake in my work (find ways to increase efficiency and/or revenue of a 5-star hotel) in Malaysia.

But I have a special treat for you guys who wants to know how the next version of Windows called Windows Vista will look like. I included one screenshot at the side.

Just click on the link below and you will be directed to ZDNet which has tons of the new Windows Vista pictures.

Link : http://news.zdnet.com/2300-9590_22-6043696-17.html

New Apple for 2006

2006-01-11T01:33:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 10th January 2006, a new tone was set for Apple Computer at the annual MacWorld Expo. It is official, Apple computers are now all loaded with Intel processors (dual cores too!).

They also unveiled a new notebook called the MacBook Pro, previously known as Powerbooks. Not much the change here for the new Powerbooks besieds the new processors used but there is a little nice touch called the MagSafe, which is a power plug which easily detacches off the notebook if the plug is pulled or jerked (especially useful if people keep tripping on your power plug :)). Click on the picture to see the animation and you will understand more :).

Well I guess for hardware enthusiasts like me, the rel deal here for Apple's 'new' products are not so much the revolutionary hardware or software but I will be really interested to see if we can be running Windows on these machine and if they can, boy !!! If I get my money I will be sure to get one of these to run my Windows. You can be sure I will update evryone on the possibilty of Windows on a Mac :)

The Google Pack

2006-01-10T00:34:00.000-08:00

I am sure all of you know Google and all of its other offerings like the ubiquitous Google Bar (the add on to your browser) and the less known but truly amazing Google Earth (you guys should really check it out, it's really amazing as you can view anywhere int he world from this software, think of it as your own personal satellite).

Earlier this month, Google unveiled the Google Pack at the Consumer Electronics Showcase and I personally think it would be quite useful especially for those who have just formatted their computer and want things to be installed all at one go.

In short, the Google Pack is a downlaod package offered by google which includes the following software from Google :-

Google Earth
Picasa (photo organizing software)
Google Pack Screensaver
Google Desktop
Google Toolbar

Besides offering Google stuff, they are including other software which you would need for your typical PC and also to protect your PC. Guess Google's trying to distribute utilities to us then. Some of the note-worthy utilities are :-

Firefox browser
Norton Anti-Virus 2005 Special Edition (with 6-months subscription)
AdAware SE Personal (adware/spyware removal utility)
Adobe Reader 7

Besides those mentioned there are other non-essential stuff that some may need like a Trillian messenger or Google Talk which you can easily add to the pack.

If you decide to check it out, here is the site : http://pack.google.com/

Truly Exceptional Cell Phone

2006-01-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many people actually know about the first mobile phone named Serene from Bang & Olufsen (a popular consumer electrics company in the US), its design is pretty amazing and the ringtones are definitely much more refreshing and captivating compared to other phones (YES! Including the V3 by Motorola).

It definitely scores in terms of design and its unique keypad but one has to wonder hmmmmmm...waht good would a flipphone be without an external display to show who's calling?

I guess style is enough to justify this phone :P. you can find out more at the Bang & Oulfsen website http://www.bang-olufsen.com

P.S : Just so you all know, it's designed by Samsung.

New 2006, new blog ?

2006-01-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Fine, fine, fine! First of all, Happy 2006 to all of you. Now I have been running this site for a year now with actually quite little enthusiasm as compared to others, so what i am going to do this year is to spice things up by introducing to ya all high-tech new gadgets!!!

Hope this drives more people to my place :) , well gotta go ask favors from a few of my friends now to link them to my blog I guess.

We will see how it goes then.

Intrusive Advertising

2005-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Obviously we have been seeing all sorts of advertisement in the last decade, from the evolvement of the television to the radio advertisement and also now to the internet medium.

Advertising has served its purpose of providing information to the consumers and creating awareness, and at times providing a community service to the public. For example I really appreciate the advertising companies in my country, Malaysia which beautified the a whole train station and a bridge which was made out of ugly concrete, transforming it to the whole theme for a telecommunications comapany.

But isn't it too much of 'intrusive' advertising lately? I mean having them on tables and public transports are all fine, they do subsidise some of our expenses and occasionally we do get worthy freebies from the advertising.

Recently, it is more of a invasion of priacy in evry turn of the corner. You can see them in handle bars on the commuters, milk cartons, restaurant napkins, public mirrors and worst of all, in lavatories !!! Wake up advertisers, you get the consumer's attention but you annoy them as well and to the companies who approve as such advertising, have some sense !!! Do you want your brand names to be tarnished?

Case in point, i recently was in the lavatory of my college and while i was taking a leak and staring at the wall; WOW!!! An ad for a book which says Dare To Fail :), later as I washed my hands and looked up to the mirror, to my dismay and shock i am suddenly wearing glasses and have grown a moustache with flies hovering around my hair. No that was not me! It was some stupid graphic pasted on the mirror which advertised the Clorects fresh mints saying your breath matters first before your looks!!!

What I am trying to say here to the advertisers is "DON'T GO OVERBROAD!". Give the consumers some space, advertise in a savvy way, one which the consumers appreciate. A very good example would be the ads which advises cinema-goers to switch off their cell-phones, and they know it's from Nokia. Yeah, you may get our attention but if it backfires by annoying us, the brand name you are advertising for gets tarnished!!! So brand name companies, look out because it's your brand which gets shown not the advertising agency's.

EPT : Error Prone Team or English Placement Test ?

2005-01-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

You really can't blame people for the English Placement Test acronym EPT as the Error Prone Theme, but all in all it shows the inefficiencies of a large department like SITM in Sunway College. What am I exactly talking about ? Read on, I will explain.

Recently it seems that SITM has been more strict with its intake of students, requiring them to take an English test as an assessment on their English language proficiency. It seems that it is required to enter a course and if you fail in the exam you will be placed under a 3-month English course. So far so good, as I definitely see this as a start for ensuring better quality courses from the department of SITM (the college as well) while it strives to improve assessment of its new students.

The problem here is that lecturers and coordinators says that it is COMPULSORY for all students while the brochure that the college distributes varies widely.

In the brochure it states, "Students are required to take an English Placement Test (EPT) except if the have the following results". This statement is then followed by a list of examinations and their minimum required marks, in which the student has to fulfill any one of them to be exempted form the EPT.

Picture scan of the particular part on the brochure.

Now, I and along with a few of my friends who have gained distinction in our SPM/O'Levels English subject was still required to take this exam. Why? I assume this would be the inefficiency of communication between the department of SITM and the marketing department. God knows.

At the very least when you place standards or regulations, adhere by it. Or at least if you do not plan to do that, do not advertise it to the public. While it was alright for me to take the exam but I wonder what inconvenience it would have caused those who really had important arrangements at that particular time? Maybe the programme is still new and in time they will slowly enforce it correctly. Only time will tell.

Document Scans (Click on link to view)
Complete brochure :
http://server2.uploadit.org/files/lordshadow-brochure.jpg

Timetable stating EPT is compulsory :
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/lordshadow-tt002.jpg

Confusion

2004-08-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a week since we resumed our studies in this compurting course in Sunway College Malaysia. Unfortunately, we are in the School Of Information Technology, Telecommunications & Multimedia.

Why do I say that? Well consider the following :-

Time-tables for every intake weren't out until the first day of the start of semester itself and they expect every student to be on time !!!
There were confusions on the elective subjects as to which major will be taking on what subject. (They eventually sorted this out, guess it was a god thing as students were able to have time to cnsider what subject they would be taking)
Practical classes are still not divided up until today.

Well, I guess all these faults aren't too bad but considering this is the School of IT, t is a bit of a disgrace when all is amock and the administration is divided up unto so many levels. This isn't so much more of a complain ut a plea to ask the department to evaluate itself and improve.

Buck up people !!! You are going for a university status and an ISO certification and you are all stll uncoordinated and what more the department full of paper work ????

Though I may give them the benefit of the doubt that they may not be solely responsible for this and the uper management is. Let''s just pray hard that they will do something about this.

The Birth

2004-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

This will be the begining and mark the hallmark for all comments to come on this blog. Look out for exceptional and controversial comments, information and insights on matters that you will not even begin to imagine yourselves.

Embrace yourselves for the future!