Lament of the Lost Angel

Loiter fail

2012-01-26T11:06:00.001+08:00

First of all, my first unofficial meeting with a client with no adult supervision!! So yay to me! I was quite scared actually, but this was something uncle entrusted to me so i cannot let him down on principle. Boss asked if i wanted her to join... but i said no. I doubt i will be doing much talking if i didn't do this.

So it was at orchard... and i think it went reasonably well. So phew... though i was a bit overdressed considering he was in jeans and tshirt. Lucky i didn't wear suit haha.

After the meeting... i thought i wanted to sneak like half an hour to check out games just because the game shop is so near. So i went over to orchard central hoping to loiter for a bit. But the shops were closed... sobs...

Dejected, i went to the taxi stand and am on the way to office. Sigh... why can't i be a bad girl for once...

San Francisco

2012-01-04T00:41:00.001+08:00

I realised i haven't really talked about San Francisco, the city itself. Just as well since i did quite a bit of exploring today.

I really like San Francisco. It feels really peaceful and quiet. Modern but with splashes of retro in between.

The one thing i'm a bit put off about is that the road gets pretty dark at night. I walk a lot in general so it feels a bit scary. And not many people walk in general... i suspect they mostly drive since it's a pretty big city.

I guess it's pretty common in the US but it was my first time experiencing the grid system. I do feel that it makes understanding the locations much easier and the public transport is pretty organized too. I used the Muni a lot. It took a bit of getting used to but after a while it is pretty straight forward especially because of the grid system. No turning at obscure roads. Stops after every junction or two.

The locals are nice too. There was this girl who helped me out on my first Muni ride. I generally don't see any angry or racist locals so that's awesome. Although it sure comes with having a large Asian population.

I guess the feeling of the city is pretty similar to Manchester... quiet... peaceful.

Food is generally reasonably priced for me, coming from a pretty strong currency though so i don't speak for everybody. And i didn't eat anything extravagant anyways. There sure is plenty to choose from so no worries.

The cable car ride was something. It was so fun! I didn't get the most ideal seat... but at least i got to sit outside, which is where all the fun is, really. Getting windswept, nice view, looking at the people walking or driving, buildings. And San Francisco is really hilly too, so it was so fun when the cable car hits the down slope.

Shopping is awesome this time of year. They slash the price left and right. I got a good set of suits for 50 bucks!!! And i got 2 so my 13-something kg luggage is now a lot heavier. There are a lot of winter clothes but if you search enough there are plenty of summer-worthy clothes too, and they're usually on sale. Yay. I love Macy's!

The weather is pretty crazy though. Some days i got clear blue skies throughout, some days it is so foggy you can't see anything. I was lucky that both my Alcatraz and Yosemite days were excellent.

There are a lot of dogs here and the owners love to take them for a walk. I went to Lafayette park and saw a lot of these, playing catch etc.

And surprisingly, not many people smoke! I am very surprised indeed. Especially during winter i thought a lot of people smoke for the heat... although i guess drinking is more effective for that.

I went to Japantown too and it was so fun. I went a bit early so there weren't that many people yet but it got more in the afternoon. Lots of food, gift shops, snacks... and kinokuniya. And i saw a whole section on yaoi stuff @_@ that was sooo awesome!

I didn't buy any to save kgs and space although i was SO tempted, seriously. There were these two girls who were like ewww-ing as they approached the yaoi section and it was so funny because i was hovering there for a bit.

All in all, i really loved it here. It has been a really good 4.5 days. Thanks San Francisco!

Yosemite

2012-01-03T06:01:00.001+08:00

Luckily i felt much better after sleeping from like 2pm. I was so looking forward to this especially because i missed going to muir woods.

At 5.50 the bus promptly arrived at the hotel, and after that we went around to pick up many others before finally starting the arduous long journey to Yosemite. It was such a beautiful day too!

It took about 4 hours to reach. But in between we stopped at Oakdale's Raley's supermarket for a quick toilet break and grocery shopping. The supermarket is amazingly posh!!

Then on the way it got really foggy that you can't see anything. Luckily that was around the town so it wasn't so dangerous. If it had been at the highlands i would have totally freaked out. The highland road was seriously windy and scary.

But all of it was worth it. At the first point when we could actually see Yosemite's amazingness, literally the whole bus was gasping and wow-ing. It is just so beautiful.

At the first stop we went to see the giant sequoias. We could do that because even though it was mid-winter there was no snow and it wasn't that cold, really. The guide said normally in January the snow would be as high as the bus so the giant sequoia trail is a big no-no. I guess i was slightly sad i couldn't see snow, but i still have salt lake city so it should be alright.

The trail down was easy of course, although long. There was a giant tree which had fallen down and it is kinda hollow inside... and i actually went in!! It was very narrow, mind you, and i barely squeezed through T_T if i had gotten stuck it was seriously not funny. There was another guy adventurous enough to join me too though, so that was a big support. But i managed to do it! It was really once in a lifetime opportunity. Especially since i don't think i would be able to come again when there is nobody around. It was amazing having the place to ourselves.

After that maybe because of the adrenaline i became so out of breath especially since the air is so thin up there. And the path back was uphill and so long, it was so painful!

Then we went to the actual valley to take pictures and roam around on our own and have lunch etc. I grabbed a burger and took it on the road to maximize my limited exploration time. There were 2 suggested options, either to the waterfall view or the river creek view. I ended up at neither T_T.
I had wanted to go to the creek, but i got lost and i ended up at the camping ground. Went past that and saw some giant boulders which aren't all that interesting to be honest. Especially one of the guys managed to saw 3 deers at the creek!!! Sucks! I saw a puny squirrel and i was too slow to take pictures... and saw a lot of crows which are like... wtf... at least compared to the deers. Ah well. It was still kinda fun

The way back wasn't so eventful because i was so sleepy that i mostly slept. I bet the rest did too.

All in all, a really good day despite the 8 hour bus ride. Yosemite is obscenely beautiful and i am so glad i spent 170 bucks to see it even for that short period. Although i was lucky that there was no snow so we had no problems getting there so it was really really great.

Alcatraz

2012-01-01T16:32:00.001+08:00

The trip to Alcatraz went fine although my head was pounding hard so i didn't enjoy it like i should have.

It took a 15 mins ferry ride to get to the "Rock". The island was pretty big. With a small village essentially for the officers' settlement.

The tour inside was very interesting too! I don't get to see prisons much even during tours. You can see the cells, the rooms... and how the prisoners used to live. Just 15 mins away from San Francisco... it must have been painful.

But unfortunately i wasn't feeling good. So i sadly decided to skip the muir woods/sausalito/golden gate tour to go back to the hotel and rest. And it was such a good day too!

Got a clam chowder on the way back but didn't eat it until like 10 pm after i woke up from a long slumber. Wanted to get room service but they were already closed. So had to make do with cold chowder. Ah well tomorrow i hope i will be better. Yosemite here i come!

Sunrise

2011-12-31T23:22:00.001+08:00

<p>I can't seem to sleep, i don't know why. Until i manage to see some sunrise at 7 =( head aching but cant sleep now.</p>
<p>Yesterday was fun. After Chinatown i went down to union square where quite a bit of shopping took place. Bought something at coach that a friend asked me to get... bought 2 sets of suits at Macy's at 50 bucks each omg! And then some groceries before walking into a random cafe and had steak dinner.</p>

Today is supposed to be the Alcatraz tour. I hope everything will work out okay.

Looking for lunch

2011-12-31T07:28:00.001+08:00

After i got my t-mobile number my next mission was to look for lunch because i'm so hungry!

A little disappointed because the Greek restaurant near the hotel was closed =(

And i walked around for ages but no restaurant in sight! Hungry...

Until i reached Chinatown. Haha doesn't feel much like US anymore.

So look where i ended up... a

Official blogger app!!

2011-12-31T06:53:00.001+08:00

Finally! This app costs me thousands of dollars to get haha.

Photo op!

Foggy San Francisco!

First time in Taiwan!

2011-12-29T18:12:00.001+08:00

Although sadly i am just at the airport. So it doesnt really count haha. Managed to get free wifi so... Yay!

The airport is surprisingly old. India airport at new delhi is way way more modern, and of course because it is way newer.

But there are some fun little touches here and there, so cute! Like the waiting lounge being decorated and all. And hey that's my ps3 @_@

Off for another adventure

2011-12-29T12:12:00.001+08:00

My last bit of local food for the year 2011...

No the empty cup isn't mine.

Before i wander off to... The land of the freeeee and the home of the braaaveeee.

A bit of kerfuffle last night when i didn't realize that i will gain a day traveling there. Scrambled to get hotel. Sigh. It was so messed up.

So now i have an extra day... Not really sure what i'm gonna do, really @_@

Third party app number 2

2011-12-27T21:22:00.001+08:00

Now testing another app called blogger Droid. The previous one got the job done but I'm a bit disappointed at how I can't upload picture I am going to take while writing the post. This one seems a lot simpler... I can do italics underlining strike through with just a tap! Oh this is good!

Picture time!

That is the reality distortion field of India!

And now with camera...

Watching eureka.

Ah drats! This one was sooo good. But I think the picture isn't sorted at all and will just appear at the end or sth. Bloggeroid was good at that point. Sigh...

Google dear Google just give me an app that I can use to write edit publish post picture at a specific location and from camera and I'm happy as a bird.

Then again I'm heading to the country where the official blogger app for android is available in a few days time...

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Google where is my blogger app?

2011-12-27T21:04:00.001+08:00

I don't understand why blogger app for android is not available here. Only in US probably. What can be <<so>> US-centric about... blogging? Yeah a lot of bloggers are from US but I really don't see why the app for <<Android>> isn't available... and I'm having a hell of a time finding an apk to sideload. Like wtf? Fyi, the app for iOS is available.

So I'm now testing a third-party app bloggeroid. I will see how this performs. ~~it's a bit like writing a code~~ ^{this is superscript} I can't remember what this does

And... picture time!!!

My winter avatar.

Nostalgiaaaa

2011-12-27T20:02:00.001+08:00

I cannot believe what i found while i was supposedly hunting for shoes for my traveling later this week!

Rose of Versailles manga compiled in 2 big volumes!!! Omg! Brings back soooo many memories =D

Of course i got both volumes... And they're in japanese. Cool!! I will die reading it, but i'm so happy!!!

P.s. i did get shoes and socks

Die SingTel Die!

2011-11-29T22:30:00.001+08:00

I'm very very disappointed at Singtel right now. So so disappointed.

I'm on my way to India for 3 days and I thought I would go for the unlimited data roam for 3 days which is just perfect.

So I applied for it through the android app at 10 pm just now... And without no warning whatsoever after the subscription was processed it told me that thee expiry date was the midnight of the 3rd day... Which means thursday night... So means I only effectively only get 2 days use, which is crap and so unfair.

So I called Singtel up to ask for some flexibility because I am clearly still in Singapore and won't use the stupid roaming until tomorrow. And it was a failure. They either wanted me to pay double to change the date which is nonsense and I just wanted to tell the guy to go fuk himself, or wanted me to extend one more day for 14 dollars, which I will probably do anyway but i didn't get him to do it on principle.

Stupid.

He asked at the end if there was anything else he can do for me.

And the only satisfaction I got from that call was when I answered, "clearly not" and hung up.

Nerdgasm: Unboxing of my long-awaited PS3

2011-11-23T23:12:00.001+08:00

My PS3 has arrived!

Oh what a jolly day it is! Auspicious! You name it! Here is a snapshot of my gold PS3 with the box.

And this was my day's haul. What a crazy shopping spree!

The console comes with the game in the white box. I got a HDMI cable for 20 bucks which came with the game in the middle. I got a move + camera which comes with the demo game on the far right. I bought the move especially for Child of Eden on the far left. And finally... Sengoku Basara Utage.

Sigh.

That cost me like almost 700 bucks. Who cares. That's my birthday present this year. Well deserved after a long year of hard work... and sadly no other birthday present =(

I'm supposed to "work" tonight... and finish my installed base. Or study. I skipped yesterday's study session, darn. But of course none of those are happening. My exam is screwed. I have about 10 days to study, 5 of those I will be traveling. LOL. I suppose that 5-7 hours waiting time can be well-spent studying =)

Anyways, I'm so happy \^o^/

Where is my ps3?

2011-11-18T15:37:00.001+08:00

The launch date of my long-awaited golden ni no kuni ps3 bundle hath cometh and goneth, but there be no news of its arrival into my bedroom. Sad... Well in fact there be news, though it be that it in fact hath not arrived...

Arghh noooo!!! After my plot to make this weekend a long weekend with no leave deducted?! Darn.

But on second thought, I may in fact have next weekend to play anyway, considering... I'm going to India!!!!

Now it depends on the visa application, but it's certainly looking good. Awesome!

On jet pack

2011-11-16T20:46:00.001+08:00

Jet pack-y December and January. Well none of this is confirmed but I'm already squirming with fear and excitement all at the same time.

End of November - India for a client event. Early December - Thailand for a client event. Mid December - Malaysia for uncle's birthday. End December - US for CES until mid January. Mid January - home for lunar new year. End of January - UK for training.

Holy shit.

But totally awesome.

India and US! That is totally rad!!!

And I need to get visa for 3 of those btw... Awesome.

February - heaven/hell/limbo world?

Siri-ously fun

2011-11-16T00:28:00.001+08:00

I finally got my company phone. One guess what phone I chose. Well the torch was a company phone of course... But that's all it ever was... A company phone which happens to have bbm.

I've only been using the iPhone 4S for one day, haven't had much time to play with it. But I must say it certainly is impressing me very well in many aspects.

Yes I am still using my nexus s as it is still my primary phone although a colleague of mine was bewildered at how a person can get an iPhone and not use it as a primary phone. Well... That's me, I guess =)

The phone is very pretty. I got the white version which is incredibly pretty. Yes I know it looks exactly the same as the iPhone 4... But it's still one of the best looking phones around. But strangely I find it a little bit too delicate and kinda too flat. I am a really big fan of the curvy nature of the nexus s as it feels really comfortable in the hand even though the nexus s is totally plasticky and doesn't have the premium-ness of the iPhone. Also, I'm a big fan of headphone jacks at the bottom like the NS. I find it a lot more natural to just slot the phone into my pocket after I play with it and therefore bottom jacks make a lot more sense. But maybe that's just me. So in terms of design NS surprisingly wins.

In terms of keyboard, the iPhone wins hands down. For some reason it is really really accurate. I think all my friends and families can give testimonies as to how awful my virtual keyboard typing is. This post (and the previous) was typed on the iPhone with minimal correcting and I must say it turned out pretty good. And I'm typing pretty fast, no reserves.

One thing I find really annoying is how frequently the phone asks me to log on and type my password for apple ID. It is extremely extremely annoying. Why would apple think I will just simply hand over my phone to strangers? And I don't know how to change this setting, or even if I can change it at all.

It was a marvel watching iTunes transfer my considerably big music library just like that. And the playlist is compatible with a few that I already have in my vlc player so that was totally awesome.

I like how iOS has a blogger app. I find it puzzling that android doesn't. Isn't the service owned by google? I really really wanted a blogger app, obviously I am already using it now, so I'm totally psyched. I sure hope the android version will become available soon. Obviously there are already third party clients, but I still want google's.

I've been browsing the app store too and wow there sure are a lot of good looking games on it. It sure isn't fair that we don't get as much on android...

And of course Siri. It's surprisingly fun to try it out and I can see that it can be a sustainable technology and not just a novelty. Sure it won't give good response of you ask too complicated stuff or plain stupid questions, but in general it works quite well. It is really good at helping you set up alarm and reminders and appointments and such and to help you quickly search for stuff on the web and call someone when your hands are kinda tied up. I haven't used it in a lot of situations yet but so far I am quite pleasantly surprised at the outcomes.

I sure can't wait to twiddle with my phone more and I can't wait for my NS to get ice cream sandwich... Come on google, gimme gimme gimme ICS.

Ok my hand is totally cramped now because the iPhone is not the most comfortable phone to hold for a long time... But anyway, it's amazing I can type this much this fast on a phone. Nice.

Webcast

2011-11-16T00:08:00.001+08:00

I did my first webcast! @_@

Uncle was unavailable so I was involved in the webcast... Although uncle did give me mental preparation 3 months ago... It was scary, but strangely satisfying. I even did 2 slides, one on Korea and one on Japan hehe. My 2 favorite countries.

And a few days later I also presented in front of clients. Still had my notes, of course, but I was told I did reasonably okay, so i'm glad =)

Of course the eventual goal is to just look at a slide and start spewing vomit on it, something that the big bosses and uncle can do very well... I know quite a bit of my stuff but I sure have a lot of problems getting them across.

In any case, I'm certainly glad. It's almost the end of the fourth leg of the hell period. I seriously can't wait to res.

iPhone 4S: Beauty is not just skin-deep

2011-10-05T17:43:00.000+08:00

This was the title of my report on the newly announced iPhone 4S. Well, it's all the thing of the past now, as I was outvoted in terms of the message that we want to convey. I think people in general are disappointed with what Apple has announced and some people do not dare to go against public opinion.

Well I disagree.

Okay, first let's get the negative points out of the way - because there sure are some things Apple could have done better.

1. Apple made a blunder in terms of managing expectations around their launches. First they delayed the event which is normally held in June - making people think that there is something really special... like a new iPhone 5. And Apple's policy of absolute secrecy can't help to dispell the rumors of the iPhone 5.

2. Bigger screen, please? Ok, this is quite a disappointment - because if the 4S has a 4-inch screen everyone will kind of shut up. 3.5 inch is too small unfortunately, especially with all the things the iPhone can do.

Hmm.. that's pretty much it, really. Of course, I would have preferred if the 4S doesn't look exactly like the 4. Change the design a bit, and it's an entirely new phone. I mean... how is 4S to 4 any different from Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S, or Sensation to the Desire HD. They've all got new dual core processors, better camera. The latter two have better screens, I suppose, but can anyone really say the Retina Display sucks?

So really, in terms of specs that REALLY matter (and no, LTE or WiMAX do not count because 1. You need to be in the US or Norway or Sweden or Japan or Korea and 2. The data plan is a lot more expensive (I wonder if those bashers considered that before bashing the iPhone)), iPhone 4S is up there with the best. I'm not saying it's the best - obviously there are better ones. But it's competitive enough for the moment... for most people anyway.

A disclaimer... I'm not even an Apple fan/user (although I sure wish sometimes that I have an iOS device to play all those delectable iOS-only games). Read my posts and you can tell I'm pro-Android. I'm just disagreeing with all the negativity around and the bashing of iPhone 4S.

Dual-core - for me this is one of the biggest selling point of course. SOME people may not think it matters - but for gaming you gotta have a good processor and graphics processor as well. How many iPhone users play iOS games? I'm betting there are a lot. Okay, obviously there are a lot. There are loads of good and yummy-looking games on the App Store which requires significant processing power. With dual-core, you can expect the iOS games to be even better than ever, and I'm just drooling with envy.

Bye-bye PCs - Apple has made it so that with the iPhone 4S (and iOS 5) you don't need your PCs anymore (to do iPhone-related stuff, at least). You can activate it over-the-air (finally! thank goodness!) and you can edit pictures and videos on the phone itself. Nifty. With iCloud, you can store your documents in the clouds and seamlessly share it to your other iOS devices. iMessage brings uncomplicated messaging... also across iOS devices - so you can start a conversation on your iPhone, ditch it in the bedroom, and continue it on your iPad in the living room. Eat that BlackBerry and your PIN and BlackBerry ID system.

To be fair, a lot of the features were already available via Apps - but new users will definitely welcome the simplicity of it all.

As for Siri, I can see that it has potential. But I can't say too much without seeing it used in real-life. But from what I've seen, it looks awesome. And Apple has made the interaction more natural and conversational so that even if you are Siri-ing on the bus, people will just think you are talking to someone on the phone. At least, that's what I hope. I do wonder though, how accurate Siri will be for people with ermm... accents? Texas accent, British accent, Scottish accent, Irish accent, Australian accent, European-English accent (well the French and German can use their local language), Japanese-English accent, Korean-English accent, Chinese-English accent... Tee-hee.

In conclusion, I do not think the iPhone 4S is revolutionary in any way - no. But it will be a good upgrade for iPhone 4 users looking for that extra oomph, or iPhone 3GS users looking to upgrade, or for Sprint users.

And what I thought was one of the best announcement, was the price cut of iPhones 4 and 3GS. It might be cheap enough to tackle that lower-end to mid-end consumer segment, which Apple just can't do much at. And no one argue that these are old phones and wouldn't be attractive since they are perfectly good phones and will be attractive for new smart phone users.

I guess Apple is so harshly judged because it is Apple - and people just hold Apple to a different standard. Which is probably fair... because it is Apple. But what I'm irked about is that people forget that Apple is not a product-oriented company. People only look at the raw specs and design and do not see what is beneath. Apple is a consumer-oriented company (for marketing students, think of 4Ps of marketing versus 4Cs). And in terms of pleasing the consumers, making the products as easy as can be to use, Apple wins hands down. And no amount of comparison table can put a value to that.

Hanging by an avocado

2011-10-01T01:34:00.001+08:00

My previous... avocado... My lifeline... for the next few days at least. As I brave this insane job alone, at least I will have some moral support from this avocado.

Ok I was told to eat this avocado. But I can't seem to. I will when I no longer need the avocado perhaps.

Although, this "insane" job is pretty rewarding...

http://www.zdnetasia.com/android-eating-ios-away-in-apac-62302306.htm

Tee-hee. Masterminded by uncle, of course. But I'm still so proud ^^

Although the article is a tad misleading. Android is not exactly eating iOS away... more like it's eating Symbian away. iOS is still bloody growing.

Man... I can't believe I haven't had any posts since August. Well I went for a grand holiday and all, but still. I would usually ramble on about my holiday here. But I guess I just haven't had any time to do so. Anyway the holiday was great, and I was so happy.

Although it's been hell since I came back. Work, work, work and more work.

And so many enquiries @_@

In general, I have nothing against enquiries. I enjoy them sometimes even, especially those thought-provoking ones, and those that triggers me to learn more about some stuff.

But not when it's this many... or when the deadline is crazy. Ermm.. hello... we have a lot of other work too...

Yeah, I currently have a sidekick. But he's a young part-timer, which means I have to spend time to show him the ropes. And when he's all learned up and independent, he's going to leave, and I will need to do all the stuff on my own again. Bummer. He has been really helpful though. Very bright and meticulous young man. =)

NFC is a mystery

2011-08-20T01:23:00.000+08:00

As an analyst I'm a total failure. I thought I understood what NFC is, albeit not the technical how-it-works portion. But I thought I understood what NFC could be used for and all that jazz.

I thought it would be neat to be able to share with someone an interesting URL that you found.. or to pass your contact details so seamlessly with just a tap. Or to get detailed information about a NFC-tagged poster that you found interesting =) or of course.. to be able to pay for your train tickets and mcdonalds..

Ok I thought I understood NFC. But I've been trying to work out the NFC btween the nexus S and the Dakota.. both of which are supposed to be able to read and write NFC tags. But uncle and I just haven't been able to figure it out =( I can write tags.. but can't seem to be able to read them. And so seems the Dakota.

Mystery, NFC.

Anyways, gotta go. Flying off to Dubai now-ish for my longggg deserved holiday. yippeee

Long live Android! Thoughts on Google's acquisition of Motorola

2011-08-17T08:54:00.000+08:00

Hmm. As an analyst, I'm very biased. Although this is just my personal opinion, so I don't give a damn.

To be frank, I was very worried about Android's future, since those big meanies were suing Android and partners left and right - to gain some profit from Android's huge success, and for some, to stop Android's massive dominance. Legal issues take a long time to sort out, of course, but it doesn't mean that in the mean time Android vendors would not have run away to another platform =(

But with the announcement of Motorola's acquisition, I am now hopeful. Ok, I'm not a fan of Motorola - and I sure do not hope that they will be the exclusive maker of the Nexus line, but they sure have a lot of patents. So yes, I am hopeful. Hopeful of Android's continuous growth. Hopeful that the vendors can continue to innovate without (much) fear of being sued left and right.

Sure, 12.5 billion dollars for a company that is making losses is probably very extreme - but I still think that Google only dived in for the patent pool. Google would probably keep an eye on the hardware business for a little bit, and if it doesn't make any money... you never know, do you =) I don't think Google would want to venture to the hardware business, at least not via Motorola's assets. Come on, the company is strong in 2 markets (US and China, maybe Latin Americas), and pretty much low-profile elsewhere. To be a successful contender globally Google-rola will need to work on its channel partners globally, as well as needing loads of marketing investments to improve Motorola's brand (and/or to establish Google as a credible hardware vendor). That said, Google should have probably been prepared to pay more money for the Nortel patents - maybe 6 billion. It's much easier - without all the baggage, seriously, granted Motorola comes with a lot more patents. Now Google has to think about Motorola's 20,000 or so employees before making any... ermm... drastic action.

And, of course, the most important thing, is that Google can't - they just can't - afford to piss off its partners like HTC and Samsung - and drive them away to... windows phone -_- Not after Android's success came from its hardware partners anyway. And it will be insane to think that Android will have enough volumes from Motorola for Google to make the same amount of money that they can, even taking any possible profits from Motorola's hardware sales into account.

Me, a taxi, and a different dimension

2011-08-11T21:14:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, I got a very amusing lecture from uncle during tea time. Well, it's amusing, but it was still a lecture nonetheless.

So he likened me to a taxi. He said, I was like a taxi, because I was driving non-stop. And he said, if a taxi continues to drive non-stop, sooner or later the engine will break. So he told me that I must learn how to "switch off" the engine.

Ok that was a very short version of the lecture - but that was the gist of it. He knows I have been working... until inhumane time. I know I need to stop, but it's harder said than done, which uncle himself acknowledged. A lot of people have also told me so =(

Although it was a lecture, I still found it amusing. Especially at how uncle used a very roundabout analogy to say just one simple thing.

Then afterwards, uncle, korean and I were discussing HTC's acquisition of a record company, which involved Dr Dre. Of course, being me, I have no bloody idea who that is. I have heard of him of course, so it sounds vaguely familiar... Dr Who I know... or Dr Seuss... But anyway, they told me Dr Dre used to be the producer of Eminem. That, I know... sort of.

And then a lot of my... obliviousness just became apparent. They were both very surprised that I don't know much if at all about that world. They likened me to be from a different dimension... or even meaner... from a generation before generation X (I should be, technically... beyond generation Y, really) -_-

Korean made a comment that there should be some overlapping between the pokemon fan base and the eminem fan base. In what world, I wonder? I am a bit out of this world most of the time though.

I finally bought Zelda Ocarina of Time - but still waiting for it =(

I only have 1 more level left in Mercenaries, so it was about time to get a new game, hehe.

Smart opinionated guys are yummy but obnoxious self-proclaimed know-it-alls are not

2011-08-08T21:15:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm just ranting, really. Currently having dinner in a restaurant alone. And this couple next to me... one of them is a really, really obnoxious guy. The tone of his speech just sounds like he is undermining everybody - especially the poor girl he is with. I sure hope that girl isn't his girlfriend - he looks a tad old for her - or she will probably kill herself soon.

Then again, she might like such obnoxious guys. Talking about all sorts of things one doesn't really care about, e.g. how sound can break kidney stones, how the Nando's in KL is SOOOO much better than the one here, how the food at this restaurant is just so-so.

Yeah it may not be the most delicious food in town. But so what? Nothing is. Unless you want to pay 500 bucks for a meal.

I'm a sucker for smart people. As shown by my track record anyway =)

But not obnoxious know-it-alls. Especially those self-proclaimed ones who, after listening to them talking, you can find that they're not really talking about anything much at all.

On a side note. I am epicly failing to set up my email on this new blackberry device. Sigh. What the hell am I going to do without you uncle? T_T

Or this bloody thing is just too complicated - I don't know.

2 down, 2 more to go

2011-08-06T12:48:00.000+08:00

Week 2 of hell is finally over!

Well to be fair, the new system made yesterday's data a lot easier to do. Even uncle commented so. Especially the two of us have been very diligent and have been making necessary changes throughout the quarter really. Well, more him than me - and he pesters me a lot to make changes immediately lest we forget. Which I am now totally grateful for. Yesterday's data was very regional so I don't really know what's happening on the other side of the globe. There was some mishap with the model, but me and my counterpart got through it fine =)

Yesterday was the global webcasts. I listened in to our APAC webcast - though more as a background accompaniment while I was reviewing slides. But somebody pointed out that the first webcaster says umm a lot... like really a lot - and it totally distracted me and I can never listen to the webcast the same way again -_- Uncle says um a lot too, and omg I fear for myself now T_T

But I had a good time teasing a certain somebody about the possibility of him being involved in the webcast next time - seeing that we had randomly included a slide on his service. Well, don't know if anybody has given him 3 months mental preparation notice - probably not. We'll see...

I didn't listen to the EMEA webcast live (although I did eventually) but I heard there was some typo and errors and whatnot. =(

I dialed in to the Americas webcast - and poor CJ had no one else to support him =( He asked me to do QC for him - but locked the chat function - and there was a problem T_T Well, not a big one, but still...

I also dialed in to CJ's next webcast because I was still up at 3 am doing slides (kmn!) and got to morally support CJ. I did notice that he really made use of the notes I sent around on APAC slides - he used the exact same wording "South Korea went crazy on dual core phones!", which I wrote actually half-jokingly - I mean, the fact is correct, but I thought the phrasing and tone was funny - although it did deliver the message =)

But yeah, all's well so far. I got 2 clients on the bloody IM now. Phew. At least it's not 0.

Next up is crystal ball gazing. My last one was so horrible I was out by nearly 30% -_-

Well, it was my first time... and the market is just crazy erratic.

Week 2 - still surviving...

2011-08-05T00:42:00.001+08:00

Week 2 of peak data period... still hanging in there. Although I'm coming home so late everyday - so much so that my brother in law who's usually so quiet actually asked why I come home so late everyday... That's really something. Also, something very random today, while I was going home (yes it was 11.30 pm) I met this man in the lift who also works on the same floor as me - and he commented on the ermm... lateness of the hour and the fact that I was working until then. It must be some kind of sign...

He also asked about dinner, and so did NP (also another sign). Yes I have been neglecting my dinners this week even though I stay really late in the office. Uncle has been hounding me about dinner too... So anyway today I was a very good girl and got proper dinner. Although a lot of people were still pestering me about staying so late -_- whoopsiee~

Today was really crazy though - we had to discuss the slide for the webcast tomorrow, finish the slides with the weird new template, send it off to uncle for review, send it for publishing, do customized databases, do enquiries, do channels stuff. OMG.

Tomorrow we will be hosting the webcast - globally on the same day but separate of course. Ours in APAC will be the first - which is why I was so under pressure to finish off my slides T_T But that means I can hear uncle's pleasant voice... and CJ's overly-soothing voice hehe. Ok I hear uncle's voice everyday (how can I not?) but he speaks to me in extreme Singaporean slang so it's different.

And talking about webcasts... Uncle has given me a 3-month mental preparation period. @_@ Ok I have to be honest I am totally excited - and scared at the same time. And my admiration for uncle had just been boosted a few notches. Just to show that he is not like... ermm... other people.

My Korean colleague has sent invitation for his house party - finally, after we teased him about it a few weeks back. But nobody from the office is going - as far as I know anyway. To be perfectly honest... I'm curious to see what these parties are like. But I absolutely don't want to go alone - and I hate crowds in the first place... so I don't know...

Anywho... going to watch the yummy Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro this Saturday. I hope there is subtitle. Or not - I can just stare and drool at the guys hehe. So, something to look forward to after Week 2 of Hell. Shall we buffet again, CCh?

I got a new nickname: Geek

2011-07-22T21:20:00.000+08:00

Me, the geeky smart phone girl from C******.

Well, I've always known I'm a geek. I never denied it. But lately, my colleagues have been very active with calling me geek. It all intensified after uncle talked to someone from S******, who said that Nexus S is a really niche phone, priced high up there and only geeks would buy. Uncle was like... Yeah... I know what you mean...

I don't think I have done anything particularly geeky on my Nexus S - it's not even rooted!

Although...

1. I have done a manual software upgrade for 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 which involved downloading the tool, loading it up into my Nexus S, booting the device, going into some folder... I can't remember now, I need to follow instructions... so minus geeky points for that. But plus geeky points for doing them successfully anyway =)

2. I have installed applications not from Android Market.

3. I have heavily customized and widgetised the home screens - and it feels very very tidy now =)

Well those aren't very geeky. Although there are many definitions of a 'geek', really.

But my favorite is this (from Wikipedia):

Julie Smith defined a geek as "a bright young ~~man~~ woman turned inward, poorly socialized, who felt so little kinship with ~~his~~ her own planet that he she routinely traveled to the ones invented by ~~his~~ her favorite authors, who thought of that secret, dreamy place ~~his~~ her computer took ~~him~~ her to as cyberspace—somewhere exciting, a place more real than ~~his~~ her own life, a land he she could conquer, not a drab teenager's room in ~~his~~ her parents' house."

That is totally me. Maybe not cyberspace... but I do wander off a lot... to Pokemon world... to my own fantasy kingdom... to other anime/game kingdom...

Bloody hell it's data period again

2011-07-22T21:00:00.000+08:00

Data data data.

It's fun to see the vendors performances though. For instance, this quarter, for the first time in a really long time, Nokia will not be the top smart phone vendor. Apple is. Bloody hell, this world is absolute madness.

And that totally screws up my forecast. Well, to be fair, I was already a lot more harsh in APAC but man, poor Nokia. I really hope the N9 will bring life back to Nokia - I might get one of that for myself actually. Because at the current rate... Windows Phone won't do much to help Nokia.

Okay, maybe a little because Symbian really annoys the bejesus out of me. Yes, I am referring to Symbian Anna. On the X7. On the bright side, I have totally memorised my home Wi-Fi password because of Symbian. But that's really looking at the glass half full.

Well, to be fair Samsung hasn't released its results yet. Although I seriously doubt it will hit the 20 million iPhones Apple shipped. My prediction is 17-18 million smart phones for a comfortable second place.

Okay, these are all publicly available information so I'm not breaching any company policy =)

Oh, the late nights.

BTW, uncle, I don't (just) need you alive for data.

Oh, I tried the video chat on playbook earlier today. It's still a bit unstable even though uncle and I were basically sitting next to each other, and we were on company wifi. But it was fun - and it was pretty easy to switch between back and front cameras =) Be wary of stray hairs though because it's quite.. umm... obvious.

And the weird thing was... well, we had to exchange blackberry ID's to add each other on the video chat contact. I used my gmail for my BlackBerry ID, which is... ummm... a tad not mainstream (a tad? probably not since it has the essence of atheism, satanism, etc etc). Uncle just said, "oh..." and didn't comment. LOL. I wonder what went through in his mind when he saw that. XD

Lunch today was great. Not the food, the food was pretty standard. Although it was the second friday team lunch in a row that was less than 5 bucks (not counting dessert and drinks after the lunch). But we were teasing one of our colleagues like mad - he had just come back from Korea after like 2 months - so he gets all the love these days. Fun.

Nintendo launched Nintende 3D TV and Video!!!

2011-07-14T18:52:00.000+08:00

Yeah, right. It's just for Japan. Who am I kidding? Doesn't matter if you have a Japanese version of 3DS - you won't get the service unless you stay in Japan. I thought it was all through the Internet, so it's a bit weird.

What I'm most irked about, though, is that Nintendo kept shoving these delectable apps that I can't use down my throat. Hell, if I can't use it, don't notify me, don't prompt me to download it only to find that... Oh sorry, you're out of the supported area so you can't use this service. Bloody hell.

Wanted to smash my 3DS to pieces after that - but realised I had to get a new one then. Hmm... maybe that's why Nintendo did it - as replacement seems to be the only way the 3DS would sell. Too bad. Glad you region-locked the bloody thing, Nintendo? Yes, I'm still pissed about that.

Aaanyway, another weird thing happened yesterday. For the sake of being cryptic... I will therefore be cryptic. It all began with a discussion of a Dell laptop promotion by two people - which led to a misleading MSN tagline - which was misinterpreted by another important person - which we all thought was funny and therefore started to follow suit. And it became a trend...

Basically it involved wants and wishes. Some of them wrote, of course, the Dell laptop... a MacBook Pro... an iPad 2... an Aston Martin... a McDonald sausage and egg breakfast LOL... I didn't put anything because I couldn't think of anything. But then there was a comment about wanting to hold someone's hand and to go to lunch together. Heck, I want that.

Don't leave

2011-07-12T13:12:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I had another dream(s).

At the first part... he mentioned about leaving... to which I kept my cool at first, but when it was just us I didn't. Man, I am a mess.

The second part... totally unrelated to the first part... was about the bombing of the building that I work in - which looks nothing like where I work now LOL. The bomb was placed in our office @_@ but I was late that day so I didn't know about the fire drill mayhem that was happening. Then I got a call from office, asking where I was. At that point I was very close to the office, and I was told to run away as fast as possible.

I can't remember the end, but I think the bomb had gone off... affected where I was, but I don't think I died.

I don't know... weird dreams...

Region-lock, I have had it, Nintendo!

2011-07-02T01:55:00.000+08:00

Okay, I have had it! Nintendo is very, very stupid!

Why the hell do they region-lock their consoles for?! The Wii, DSi, 3DS, and most likely the Wii U will suffer the same fate. It's just plain stupid. No end users like it - and Nintendo is not listening. And Nintendo is going to fall because of it. Just how many companies have seen demise because they do not listen to what people actually want?

So what if users buy games from other regions? I don't see how it can hurt sales volumes. Using their worries about trans-shipments to region-lock a console is just plain stupid, because it only encourages people to hack the device and use pirated copies, which translates to no software sales whatsoever.

Yes, piracy is rampant. But speaking as an actual paying customer - region-lock is definitely not the way to combat it.

I am really annoyed. I am comfortable with both English and Japanese so I do purchase both types of games - Japanese more so than English. My console is English, which means I have my console hacked. Buying 2 separate Wii consoles is just stupid if you have the option to jailbreak it. Yes, that translates to me having pirated softwares - although I don't really use them much (I mostly use my original games, seriously).

But I have been having problems with some games lately. First is Ikenie no Yoru - which my hacking software doesn't quite support - so that is 100 bucks gone, unless I change the software. Then I bought Wii Sports Resort - which is US version - just like my console. And both the hacking software and my Wii software can't read it - using the Wii software just makes the console freezes. That's another 100 bucks gone, because I actually bought another set of Wii Remote Plus so that I can play the game with someone else.

I just want to hammer my Wii to the ground right now.

But I won't. Because I'm going to get it hacked and modified so bad. Hey, you asked for it, Nintendo!

And this is probably my last Wii game. Screw Pandora no Tou. I can't buy that anyway unless I settle this idiot of a problem.

I will probably stick to 3DS for a while because there are some interesting games there - and I don't expect to have problems because my console is Japanese. Although there are many times I wish I can buy US games... which are a lot cheaper, especially for games where the language doesn't matter... like Biohazard Mercenaries 3D!

Just a piece of advice to Nintendo. "Innovation" doesn't sell. Usability sells. Look at Apple's products. There isn't anything THAT innovative about the iPad 2 (the smart cover? come on...), but it's just such a polished product and people find it so easy to use that it just sells. Just look at your original NDS! So easy to use, no region-lock whatsoever (that I know of), and it sold like hotcakes. Look at 3DS. You try to sell on 3D more than anything. Yes, I was one of the people who got sold - but more for the games than the "3D", really. But nothing else has really improved since the NDS era. Now I feel the 3DS is a pretty lazy effort. Yes, you need to differentiate - but the uninspired UI, the shit apps from the eShop and the region-lock has translated to not-so-great sales. Well, can't say you don't deserve it.

I have been firm in Nintendo camp - but I doubt I will much longer. The Sony camp looks pretty darn good right now - for one thing PS Vita is not region-locked (thank you for listening, Sony!). Although I have to say so far Sony doesn't have as much products that appeal to me as Nintendo. But hopefully that will change.

No, I will not move to Microsoft camp. Out of pure spite.

Although, Sony is part of the "consortium" that bullied their way into getting the highest bid for the Nortel patents. I bet none of the companies are actually prepared to pay more than Google did - which I think is totally not fair - because they should have announced beforehand that they were going to gang up - to give Google a chance to find other partners to boost their own bid (I bet people like HTC, Motorola, Samsung would jump at the chance - if they just have to contribute 200-500 million). I just don't think that was fair at all. I hope the authorities see it that way too and reject that auction result.

Right now, I am more entrenched in the Android camp more than anything else. So I fully hope that Google will not lose out on the patent portfolio. I think if a company can do really innovative things that people can use, it'll be Google. And I hope to keep seeing them develop Android even more.

Whew, I digressed for quite a bit there LOL. Anyway, in essence, region-lock is stupid and I hate Nintendo for it. It's just hurting users like me and I'm most definitely not grateful for it. It's probably time to sell off my DS Lite and DS LL. I don't want to have so much to do with Nintendo - and I certainly have no use for them now that I have 3DS... and of course I still have my DSi, which I won't sell for its sentimental values.

Ebay, here I come.

Toilet chatter-ers

2011-07-02T00:02:00.000+08:00

For the life of me, I SERIOUSLY do not understand why some women (never been to the gents toilet so I don't know what's happening there - could be similar) likes to hang out and chit-chat in the toilet. Well, not exactly inside the cubicles (although some of them do... and some actually make phone calls - gross!!!) but like... outside, where the sinks are. They chat and take a really long time to leave the toilet. I really don't get it. And frankly, I'm kind of annoyed by them. Could be just the women in my office floor. Just really, really annoying.

Especially if, you know, you have to do number two... and you can't get the disabled toilet (which is private)... all you wish is for the people to do their business quickly and go the hell away so you can do your business more pleasantly. And they go on and on and on about their personal life, their plans for the night. Like anyone cares! Well, maybe their friends do actually care. But I certainly don't, especially at that point in time.

Toilets should be a place of efficiency. Go in, do your business, wash, go out.

Simply strange, these people...

Team-building day @ Universal Studios

2011-06-17T19:40:00.000+08:00

We had the team-building day today, at Universal Studios at Sentosa.

I had a dream... that I would be late for the team-building, seriously. I remember in the dream I woke up at 1pm, and then panicked but saw that no one has called my BlackBerry, so it felt very surreal to me. Then I realized it was a dream... woke up... panicked again, and saw that it was only 7 something. Phew!

Anyway, for some reason, I took very long to get ready, mainly wardrobe-oriented reason though. I reached Vivocity with 5-10 minutes to the meeting time, which I thought I could make it just fine. Until I realized I went up the wrong escalator... at the other end of vivocity. T_T So I basically ran across the rooftop with 2-3 minutes to go. Lucky I made it on time. Otherwise it would have been pretty embarrassing, considering I live the 3rd closest to vivocity.

Anyway, I made it right on the dot. And I wasn't the last one!!! I'm pretty amazed, there were still 2 others who had not reached. Yayyy. Then we went to the express train to Sentosa. And finally, after living in Singapore for 4 years, I finally can say I have been to Sentosa. It is kind of embarrassing that I haven't, after 4 years, but after you live in one place a while, you kinda take these touristy spots for granted... granted there were some class gatherings at Sentosa which I declined... hey, I'm just not a beach, or any kind of outdoors person, okay...

Then we were divided into 2 teams of 4, just nice with the 8 of us. I had with me MD, TCh and JO. I'm pretty sure I was in the same team as MD and TCh last year. But no complaints... I like them all =) Except... they immediately wanted to go on the extreme rides T_T Hello!!! I need adrenaline warming up first, okay! Sobsss. But nonetheless I was outvoted... and I never waste such an opportunity (we got express passes!) so of course I went. First to the Mummy Ride... which wasn't very extreme, but actually pretty darn scary. That backwards drop was cheap!!

And then we conquered the two biggies - the Battlestar Galactica roller coasters - the both of them. The red one is a pretty standard roller coaster, but the blue one is a bit different, where you are basically hung from above and there is nothing below you. Yes, the blue one is a whole lot scarier. But we went to the blue one first, and met the other team there! Or at least 3 of them, because they had been to the red one and one of their team members (who was the event organiser!) had given up. Kinda wasted - but wouldn't want her to have a heart attack or worse, throw up.

I have to say I wasn't mentally prepared for the blue ride yet (with only 1 ride worth of adrenaline...) and DC was so mean he pointed out he wanted to see my poor terrified face and the aftermath. T_T But what the hell, I went for it... and basically hung on tightly to the contraption for dear life from start... and had jelly legs afterwards. I wasn't sure what happened in the middle there, but I definitely didn't close my eyes. It was over really fast, although I have to say... THAT WAS AWESOME! YEAH!!

Jelly legs... walking wobbly to the red ride. Which, after the blue one, seems very tame actually, it was just really fast and kind of make you want to throw up. Not me, but MD wasn't feeling very good after the red ride. Then we went on 2 mini rides... one was a mini roller coaster... for kids, basically... and the other one was a relaxing/sleepy boat ride on the Madagascar. And then we walked around, took some pictures with hats (I made TCh wear the King hat!), met the other team, went to Steven Spielberg's place, which was quite fun, but bizarre at the same time, because you see walls torn away by the tornado but not the TV. Probably deadbolted to the floor or something. But the effect was good. And JO got splashed quite a bit. I almost got hit by the falling pillar. Fun!

And then it was so hot so we decided to go directly to the lunch place. Yes, the weather. Oh my god. Hot hot hot hot hot!!! Crazy!!! Lunch was fun and awesome - we had a little game in between about Universal Studio movies... which we got hints from the Steven Spielberg thing. I surprisingly remembered quite a bit. And of course, I had meat! Which is always awesome.

And then we rushed to the Water World show... which was okay, I guess... nothing special. And it was hot... like burning hot... so I didnt really care about what was going on on stage, really. Get me out of there!!! The place was so remote that getting there was very painful. Then we went for the Shrek 4D thing. Which was surprisingly quite nice. Especially it's got aircon! But seriously, the 3D effect was one of the better ones I've seen. And getting splashed is always a plus!

Lastly, we went for the big one... The Lost World... water ride! Yes, while we were queuing we saw many of the people in front of us in the express lane were using the poncho/raincoat. But looking at the people who had arrived back, they didn't look too wet... so we thought it wouldn't be so bad. Anyway, the ride was pretty fun for the first 5 minutes, you just get splashed a bit here and there. And then you get lifted up by an elevator... and dived down, and got really wet. Our boat really had it bad! I don't know why - although perhaps it is the all adult thing which makes the boat heavier, and thus splashier. I got off easy, but 2 of my colleagues got splashed really badly. TCh was wet all over, but JO looked like she had taken a swim with her clothes on. =D Funnn!!!

Then we ended the really fun day - and basically the lot of us walked back together to Vivocity, then split up. I went to see Galaxy S II prototype - which I thought is really blocky/rectangular and too light. I know being light is a plus for gadgets - we don't want the oldies phone definitely - but GS2 feels reaaaally light... too light! A lot of people will definitely like it. But it's a bit too light for me. It's a silly reason to not like a phone, of course, especially considering GS2 is a powerhouse! And, oh the screen! OMG it's totally awesome!

Then I went to Guardian to look for my Rene Furterer shampoo... and yippee, discount!!! Almost half off! Usually one bottle is like 40 bucks. But they offered 2 for 50 dollars. I bought 2 of 2 =) That should last me 4 months =D

My feet is still really hurting from all the walking. According to my 3DS I walked 11000 steps - although it should be a lot less than that. Maybe 8000-9000.

And for those thinking to go to Universal Studio, I advise to get the pass if you have a bit more money to spend (and if you're going on peak period!), or if there are just 1-2 of you. I know it can be steep for large groups. But paying 30 dollars is definitely worth it to beat the queue in the blazing hot weather. I can just see the resentment on their faces when we walked at the express lane... Muahahaha!

Epic dream - zombie apocalypse

2011-06-02T10:30:00.000+08:00

I had a dream last night - although it was more like a movie. I don't remember much, but I will put down what I can.

First I remember the heroine on those firefly airplane with another person - I think a servant - to a swampy... wilderness area. I remember lots of ponds or just reflections on water. It was an unfamiliar area, so the heroine was looking for any sign of humans/civilization to ask around. After some searching, the two of them found a decently civilized town. Then they had to register as guests and fill in all the personal particulars, including, highest education -_- Ok the town looks like it came from the 1400s, I don't really know how to describe.

Then I forgot what happened in between, but I remember suddenly there's a scene about a guy - seems like a high-ranking person, could be a prince - was making advances at the heroine in the bathroom while she was going to shower. So he got kicked out. Then again while she was asleep - and this time he was successful because he was very powerful and ruthless...

Then again I forgot what happened in between, but it's suddenly Resident-evil chaos. Yes... zombies... XD

So the heroine and some allies (don't know where they came from!) were defending against zombie attacks, including the evil prince. Then he said that he wasn't himself while in the above two scenes (yeah, right!) and he has some kind of dual personality or he was possessed by something.

Then the heroine walked around to patrol the city, could see those motion-triggered bombs (RE-style) planted on trees and walls around the area, but they weren't active yet. But suddenly one of the bombs activated and exploded while the heroine was walking by. She wasn't hurt, but realized that meant the zombies had reached the town, and she was armed (blimey!). I think the only thing she was carrying was a kind of scissors... but big...

And then the zombies came in droves... For some reason, the heroine can fly... or float/levitate from the ground a little (about 2 metres) so she used that to get away from the zombies and back to the line of defense where her comrades were. Of course on the way, she managed to stab a few zombies. But not on the head, for some reason she has terrible aim.

But of course, once in the battlefield, it became clear why she wasn't armed, and has poor stabbing aim. She's a frickin' magic user! So her first magic was a power up magic, that boosted the allies' bows, guns, swords, etc. Then the rest seems very random to me. There was some magic spell with green glowing effect on the allies - I suspect it's some kind of status boost. Then there's also meteorite spell where small meteorites... or very big rocks, fell onto the battlefield, flaming hot, which also injured the allies. Nice. But her casting takes time, so she's very vulnerable while casting.

After some intense battling, they managed to annihilate the zombies, but not without casualties. =(

Then I woke up abruptly because I thought I had overslept. It was 7.49 am.

Adulthood. Or slavery.

2011-05-14T02:30:00.000+08:00

Welcome to adulthood, me.

Adulthood is the time when one work their asses off to earn a living. And I do mean work their asses off.

I've been going home late practically everyday for the past... 6 weeks or so. Today was actually the first time that I had gone home at 6. The second earliest was this tuesday when I went out for hotpot with my sister at 7.30, as well as yesterday, around the same time because I was too zombified to work anyway.

Yesterday was really bad. I went back late... like 12 am... and then fell asleep right away, and woke up at 4.30 am, and realized I hadn't brushed my teeth and washed my face. So I went and did those, which was probably a mistake, because when I went back to bed, I couldn't sleep... Or was sleeping very intermittently until about 8 am, after my brother left the house. And it was surreal... I was thinking about... things... but it felt like I dreamt about thinking about those things... but being very conscious... I don't know. It was just weird.

But I felt so much better today. Maybe it was helped because of a particular person. =)

But then I was very upset about the extra work that I had to do even though no client asked for it... and we've never done it before, so I really don't see the point of doing that because it will take too much of my time that I'm supposed to spend forecasting. And I wasn't very happy with it, and I was just clarifying the scope of thing that I have to do... and I got told off -_- Oh come on, when have I said no to a task before? Doesn't it mean something that I think I cannot cope with it, especially with forecasts, which SHE obviously wasn't of much help during the brainstorm - and she's leaving for the whole of next week. Great.

Sigh...

I wouldn't complain if I was paid... like a lot more than what I am paid now. But it's just pathetic now. And I don't even have time for French class anymore, which is sad, really. I'm just too tired on weekends to do anything.

But I want you

2011-04-29T17:11:00.001+08:00

"What do you want? Ice mocha? Tea?"

LOL

Can I say you?

I'm guessing not.

But damn, I'm so tired. 4 consecutive days of staying late. I can't wait for the weekend.

Partying, partying. Fun, fun, fun.

@_@

Hang-fest!

2011-04-18T00:18:00.000+08:00

So my final fantasy VIII disc has given up on me. Well, the disc 3 anyway. I think there are so many cutscenes in that disc that the 12 year old disc has finally thrown in the towel. Anyway, pretty good run back there. I will have to resort to the digital game available in PSN or something. Sigh... all that time spent drawing magic... =_="

It turns out I may not have needed 50-60 more hours to finish the game. It has just been one week (didn't count hours) and I was effectively almost at the end of Disc Three. With only 4 more GFs to go (Cactual, Bahamut, Doomtrain and of course Eden). But anyway, that's over =( Now pondering if my FF9 disc will still work...

After some investigating, it turns out my Ikenie no Yoru can indeed work, just not on my console LOL. So I will have to go around to "upgrade" my Wii soon =)

And since the FF8 failed, I've been doing a lot more KH2, which is awesome! I've also enlisted FFX as my next PS2 game. Final Fantasy rocks!

I started Dissidia earlier... there is the "RPG mode" style of battle, but I think it's quite crap, and still prefer the action style battle which is really fun, to be honest. I still dread playing in English... scratch that... listening to English-dubbed voices... but I'll deal, I suppose.

Layton is still so much fun, and the storyline is just intriguing. (And the 3D is so pretty!!) Although I'm playing it at a very slow pace... only 28 puzzles so far. Of course it is more difficult solving puzzles in Japanese... but so far so good =)

For some reason, Ni no Kuni is taking a kind of hiatus at the moment... although I know what the reasons are. It's not very mobile... because we depend on the Magic Master book a lot - so I have to carry that around too, which is not very ideal, although it definitely is an interesting way to play - makes the player more actively involved... check magic and information here and there... which I think is brilliant, just not very mobile.

Games aside, another of my colleague has announced that she's leaving the company - and it's the colleague that I thought would be helping with data. Gasp. There's only 2 analysts now in the mobile team... and the other guy is part enterprise. More gasp. Kill me, kill me now.

Yes, I have just been majorly promoted, in terms of workload at least, but without the accompanying pay raise unfortunately =( at least not until July. Yes, I asked. I'm quite amazed, myself. If I do well this quarter, things should be looking better in the future. *crosses fingers*

Just to be completely random, another of my colleague was diagnosed with H1N1 last week. That's like... the bird flu right... Super random. But the doctor said it's not the life-threatening kind, although it seems a few people in my office has been coughing and sneezing a lot more... Mass hysteria or actual infection?

My goal this week: Finish Nokia and Huawei classification by tomorrow... Do estimates for Samsung, Sony Ericsson, RIM, LG. And call up people. That's always hard -_-

Oh, the late nights...

Game Marathon Schedule~

2011-04-11T02:25:00.000+08:00

Well, now that I have given up on JLPT, at least for July, I decided to focus my attention on... you guessed it, games =D

This weekend (last weekend?) I finally took out my totally unused PS2 and set it up on my TV. Yes, now that I have bought a HD cable for Wii (which, IMO, doesn't make any difference whatsoever!), I can set up 2 consoles without having to change the cables when I want to change consoles. How lovely! So the Wii HD cable has some benefits after all =) (Although that will change if I decide to get another console, LOL - but I probably won't for the next few months anyway - name me a PS3 game that can make the deal).

I've also done a major cut on the games and anime discs that I have. From 4 CD books, I now have just 1 - a combination of PS2 games and anime. Just PS2 though, since Wii games are on a different location. Still, I think it's a pretty big thing, it's like letting go of 3/4 of my childhood. Of course I'm still keeping my favorite games, but the ones I won't ever use I'm letting go. I guess it's also teaching me to buy selectively - just the ones that I will absolutely play. And I will try to limit a game purchase to 2 per month for all platforms combines (my current active roster is 4 platforms - Wii, DS, 3DS, PSP).

This weekend has been amazing - full of games, and no money spent. I re-started (for the umpteenth time perhaps?) Final Fantasy VIII just for the heck of it. I can't believe how much fun it still is, considering the game is like 14 years old!!! I am just so impressed. And I've decided that I should keep this up in order to save a lot of money. I still have a lot of games up my sleeve =)

1. FF8 - approximate 50-60 more hours of gameplay... that will take me about 3 weeks. A bit long, but I like to do the side quests... and ermm... the card game is so fun...

2. I also restarted Kingdom Hearts II, in Japanese, because I'm curious about the story, and I remember the game is so much fun to play. I expect about 30-40 hours of game play... about 2 weeks.

3. After that I may want to restart the Xenosagas, which can take about... 200 hours...? That's at least a whole month dedicated to the saga.

That's at least 2 months just getting high on PS2 games. I still have Wii games... The Last Story, Xenoblade, Basara 3 (which has lost its novelty by now), Fragile Dreams (still!!!). Still trying to figure out if my copy of Ikenie no Yoru can work... sigh...

And for PSP, I have Togainu and Dissidia 012, being the highest priority at the moment. April should also bring Patapon 3 on the table - and Patapon is by no means a short game.

For DS, I still have Pokemon Black... which has totally lost its appeal because I can't figure out how to get my SoulSilver Pokemon on board, and ditch the current ones.... some of them anyway. There is also Re-coded... but I'm more interested to play 358/2. I'm still wondering if I should get Layton 4 - which is in Japanese. Might be worth it, but I'll see how my Layton 5 goes (which is my only 3DS game at the moment). And of course, there is Ni no Kuni. Which is a totally awesome game. It's like RPG with Pokemon combined - you have the amazing story, pretty neat graphics for a DS game, awesome music, novelty way of playing (using the Magic Master!), and there is the taming/collecting of Imagens (monsters) which can help you battle =) I think it has definitely pleasant-surprised me, that game. I think it'll be a long one too, I'm glad =)

So frickin' annoyed

2011-04-05T12:52:00.000+08:00

Why the bloody hell is it so hard to register for JLPT?!

Ok, so I wanted to register for N3 in July. I didn't even know our dear Singapore was holding the July test. And when I found out, the registration period was over. By ONE WORKING DAY.

Dammit!

I tried calling another country which I could take the exam, possibly, but that's even worse, I am already late for a week.

F F F F F!

Stupid stupid stupid!

Why is it so hard for me to actually take the exam?! I was so roaring to go last December... company event. This time... missed the bloody registration.

It's like this test is telling me to give up Japanese. Fuck it.

Loving the new TV

2011-03-28T18:46:00.000+08:00

It has been a few weeks since IT fair, and I am simply adoring my new Samsung LED TV =)

I set up the bloody thing by myself, too, which makes me all the more proud. Although it is a bit wobbly... but who cares, right? It's not wobbly enough to fall anyway.

Playing games on the TV feels so good. I mean... compared to the good ol' Akira... it's definitely much better. So PS3 is a definite possibility now =D

I've been crazily playing Sengoku Basara 3, which looks gorgeous enough on the TV =) Hot guys... in HD-ready resolution...

I don't even know what that means... HD-ready versus full-HD. My Sengoku Basara guys still look damn hot in HD-ready, so I don't really care, really...

Of course, the nice thing about having a technologically up-to-date TV is that now I can watch all my lovely shows on TV, and not on the tiny tiny 13-inch laptop. Albeit, not all format is supported...

Play-Asia is killing me!

2011-03-28T17:36:00.000+08:00

I made 4 purchases this week. FOUR. From Play-Asia. Oh gosh.

1. They had a sale for Halo: Reach for $14.90 (USD), which is a total steal. It was for Xbox. So I bought it (Huh?!?!). Well, there is an Xbox in the office, which I never use because the game selection is pretty negligible. So heck, a 20 buck Halo: Reach is surely more interesting than those games, even though I may not be able to expense it off. Who cares. It's 20 bucks! I also bought a Wii charging dock that was on sale for USD 14.90. Totally random, although I do need a Wii charging dock because my last one broke a few months back.

2. I bought Ikenie no Yoru... a totally random horror Wii game. I was really attracted by the trailer and the fact that it's a horror game (my kind, obviously). So I bought it even though I'm not sure what the gameplay is like. I read somewhere that it's compatible with the Wii Board, hopefully it can be played through other means because I do not have the bloody board. And I hope there is some fighting back involved, and not just running around like the latest Silent Hill, in which I died so fast and I refuse to touch that game again.

3. Nintendo 3DS got some major price cut. Like... really major. I think it was listed as USD 440 when it first came out (Japanese version), then it kept reducing, until this morning I saw it was at USD 279, which is lower than the 25,000 yen it was selling for in Japan, albeit I expect the price would have reduced substantially since then (it HAS been over a month...). Still. No second thoughts. I bought a 3DS. Finally. Should arrive in a few short days because it's shipping with FedEx. And the best part is... I don't have to pay GST! Because it's finally less than $400, including shipping =)

4. And of course, with a new console, I need a new game. So I bought Professor Layton, which was also on sale (WTF?!). I haven't played the fourth game though, so I don't know how lost I will be. But still... I think I will enjoy it very, very much.

3DS~ I can't wait~~

The shock of my life

2011-03-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

I hear stories about people joining and leaving companies, but I never really took it seriously since I didn't think it will affect me so much. But my life was just turned upside down today. Although more like, my life is still in the process of turning upside down at this very moment... because I am still trying to digest the revelation... and how it will affect me from this moment.

One thing I know for sure. Everything is going to change.

Oh God. I don't know if I can do this...

Smart phone showdown: LG Optimus 7 vs Google Nexus S

2011-03-03T23:30:00.001+08:00

LG Optimus 7 taken with Nexus S camera Google Nexus S taken with Optimus 7 camera

I am currently trying the LG Optimus 7, so I want to try to compare it with my dear Nexus S. Although I can't use a SIM card (yet) with the Optimus 7 since it is tailored for Vodafone Germany (yeah, it's just amazing how the LG people sent a locked phone over -_-). And I'll probably be totally biased but I'll be as fair as I can, obviously.

Part 1: Specs

In terms of specs, I believe the two phones are similar. 1GHz processor, HSPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 5MP rear camera, front-facing camera, gyroscope. Nexus S has slightly more screen real estate (4 inches) and of course it has Super AMOLED display. But to be fair, the colors on Optimus 7 is really nice and crisp, so super AMOLED or not it doesn't really matter, in my opinion. Nexus S of course has NFC capabilities, tethering and portable hotspot, the latter two which possibly Optimus 7 has as well, but I just couldn't find.

Part 2: Hardware, build and design

Optimus 7 has a slightly sturdier build, thanks to its metal casing. But it also makes the phone to be significantly heavier than Nexus S. I also prefer Nexus S curvaceous nature: rounded corner, curved back, etc, so even though it is very plasticky, it also feels very comfortable to carry and it feels really right at home in my palm =)

Nexus S is really, really simple. It has the power/lock button on the right and volume button on the left. The rest of the buttons are capacitive. Apart from that, it has the USB and earphone jacks at the bottom. Optimus 7 has the standard 3 Microsoft keys (Back, Home, Search) at the front, power key at the top along with the earphone jack. It has the USB jack and dedicated camera button on the right and the volume keys on the left.

I like how Nexus S is really, really simple and uncomplicated. And I'm one of the weirdos who actually like the earphone jack to be at the bottom, because I do listen to music a lot while walking and so I like to just slip the phone in while holding it. With that said, I have to give credits to the Optimus for the dedicated camera button, which sure as hell is handy. Also the capacitive buttons at the front can be very annoying at times, so actual buttons might suit some people better.

Part 3: Keyboard

One of the most important things I always check out for touch-screen phones, is how comfortable are the virtual keyboards. It can really make or break a phone, in my opinion.

So here's what I came up with, for both phones, vertical and horizontal. The methodology is basically to type with two hands at my normal reasonable pace, without auto correct, swype, or manually correcting accidental typos.

1. Optimus 7 - Vertical: One of the most important things i always check out for touch svrwen phones, is how clnfpetable ate the virtual keyboards. It can really make or break a phone in mu opinion.

2. Nexus S - Vertical: One of the moat imoryant things i always check out for touch screen lhobes, is how comfortavle afe the virtual keyboards. Ir can really male or break a phone on mh opinion.

Okay, it seems that both are pretty similar in terms of accuracy. But I have slight preference towards Optimus 7 actually. I mean, considering I only started twiddling with it today, I think the accuracy is really awesome. I also like that it has a dedicated comma button!!! Yes, that's very important to me. Also, when typing email addresses, the keyboard changes to include @ and .com, which I think is quite useful =)

3. Optimus 7 - Horizontal: One of the moat important things i always check iut for tiyxh screen ohibes, is how comfortavlw are the vurtuak key iards. It xan really make or break a ohibe in my opinion.

4. Nexus S - Horizontal: One of tge most impirtant thibfs i always check out for touch screen phones, is how comfortable are the virtual keyboards. It can really make orbreak a phone in mu opinion.

For horizontal, Nexus S wins hands down. Putting it in horizontal gives a whole lot of keyboard real estate. The buttons are wide and comfortable enough to use. Meanwhile the Optimus keyboard doesn't really differ from its vertical position.

Part 4: Camera

Again, I like Optimus 7 having a dedicated camera button, and also, you can take pictures even though your phone is locked. I think that's a neat feature. Also, Optimus 7 actually has zoom! I am still flabbergasted that Nexus S does not support zoom. Like, WTH?! And comparing the pictures above, the Optimus camera seems to be more crisp. The picture taken by Nexus seems a bit dull for some reason.

Overall so far, I prefer Nexus S, of course. But there are some areas that Optimus wins over Nexus S.

I can't really judge the insides because it's only been a short time with Optimus. And I certainly can't judge the apps, because stupid Optimus doesn't let me download any apps/games for some reason. Ok, so I'm not using a SIM card, but it didn't stop me from going crazy over NFS Shift on N8. Yes, an N8!! So no reason I shouldn't be able to download with Wi-Fi only. But one thing though, it's quite neat that Facebook is so easily integrated, so one can actually get all the contact information from there - but of course that's only if other people put their contact information on facebook, like phone numbers, which most likely they wouldn't.

Android game: Missing

2011-03-03T12:40:00.000+08:00

So I've been trying this game for a few days now. Amazingly some of these apps are so small in size but support multiple languages. Can't big game publishers learn something from this, really?

The basis of the game is simple. You wake up in a locked room, and you need to find and use the items in the room to find your way out. And to do that you need to solve a few puzzles along the way.

There are currently 3 versions in the Android market. Missing 1 is a free app but it consists of only one level. Missing 2 is a paid app, priced at 180 yen. But strangely I am having quite a few problems with saving the progress =/ Although it does have better graphics and 3 rooms. Missing 3 is currently a free trial version, so it's only one level. But I expect more rooms to be added in Missing 3.

I have been scratching my head to solve the puzzles, but the game is so addictive, although there really isn't much replay value, unlike something like Angry Birds or Game Developers Story. Obviously when you know the solution, you can get out of the room in seconds LOL.

So maybe I wouldn't recommend paying the 180 yen. But the first version is definitely worth trying, and if you like it, maybe it's okay to pay for version 2 then. Version 3 is currently on free trial, so grab it while you can!

IT Fair is coming

2011-03-01T13:30:00.000+08:00

Oh yeah, the IT fair is coming next week. Should be a pretty good time to shop for more electronics, as if I don't already have so much T_T

One of the things I need to get... or together with the family... is a bad-ass external hard drive. At least 1 TB. To store all our... ermm... awesome collection of, you know... goodies. My 500GB is totally full now T_T

The other thing that I will most probably get is of course a nice TV. I have even put off playing the lovely Last Story until I get a nice TV. Currently it's definitely too small and of not-so-awesome quality. Well, the TV has definitely earned back its worth and more. Thank you, Akira. I just hope there are some nice deals next week =)

The other thing I might get is of course a PS3. Really depends on the attractiveness on the deals. But the other day, ET and I went to this game shop and browsed through the PS3 game selection... and I was asking myself again... Why did I want to buy a PS3 so much? Just because I'm a PS follower? The games didn't look that enticing then... Sure I'll probably get things like FFXIII, Star Ocean...

So now I'm trying to convince myself about the purchase. I'm already doubting the 3DS now because of the region lock and because my colleagues who just came back from Japan told me that it sucks... which is quite the opposite of the reviews I've been reading though. But seriously, the games on 3DS are waaaay more attractive (to me) than the PS3 titles. Professor Layton (although now I have to consider playing Layton in Japanese...)... Ace Attorney vs Layton... OMG... Resident Evil... Kingdom Hearts 3D... and of course, I bet anything that Pokemon will eventually be in 3D as well. Ok, I'm re-sold on 3DS, so long as it's not above 450 bucks.

Ok, back to PS3... I'm still a bit skeptical. Move is pretty similar to Wii, so to me the value proposition of Move isn't that high. Of course there is Child of Eden, which looks amazingly gorgeous. Yum.

Another one is this game that I've been eyeing for a while now. It'll only be available through the PSN, so I'm not even sure if I can get it since I've never used PSN before. I have an account, and have like 30 bucks stored, but I couldn't use it since my PSP isn't exactly compatible with PSN.

Anyway, the game is called Journey. I've no idea what the game is like. But looking at the site here: http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/ I'm totally attracted to the sentimental/melancholic value of the game. I think it'll be really different, and seriously I don't think it'll be too expensive either, so I am really really looking forward to it =)

The other reason was of course Resident Evil 5. But I've seen my bro finish the game on PC (played on our great big TV) so again, the value proposition has largely diminished. Another one is Heavy Rain... which I have, by the way, but ET and I have finished the storyline once, and even got the good ending for the main character. So playing beyond that isn't all that big a deal anymore.

I'm not the FPS/stealth/hard-core action type of gamer. I can deal with something like RE because it feels easier to play. I'm definitely not a fan of first person anything, but the big titles nowadays are first person stuff. Someone please recommend me something to convince me to buy T_T

As of now, if 3DS is priced at 450, PS3 also at 450, I will totally go for 3DS.

What is wrong with me? Or is it Sony?

The Samsung family

2011-02-17T17:54:00.000+08:00

With the addition of little Nexus, my family has just become one of the Samsung model families in the world. Okay, maybe not THAT extreme...

My sister uses a Galaxy S. My brother in law is using a Galaxy Tab. They bought a 40-inch Samsung LED TV. I just got a Nexus S, and although it isn't strictly speaking Samsung-branded, it is still from Samsung. I intend to get a Samsung TV for my room soon, as long as it's within budget. My brother is going to get the Galaxy S 2 when it's out here. Also the Galaxy Tab 10.1 assuming there are enough upgrade eligibilities to go around. My brother back home is also looking to get the Galaxy Tab although I've been telling him to wait a little for the other tablets to be launched, and yesterday my other sister and brother in law have also expressed their intention to get a Galaxy Tab, using my contract -_- (heck, they didn't even ask if I would want to get something using the contract - they just assumed I wouldn't because of Nexus).

Samsung, samsung... Just how quickly are you going to take over our lives.

I'm still a Google girl. But the Samsung domination is just crazy in our family - it used to be BlackBerry (still is) but BB is so yesterday, really.

Nexus S after a few days

2011-02-14T16:40:00.001+08:00

So I've had the Nexus S for a few days now, and I just can't get enough of it =P That just shows how have been deprived I was of a proper smart phone. No, the stupid curve does not count as I consider it as more of a messaging and email phone, really. The application selection is simply pathetic.

But when I got into Android, everything changed. The whole ecosystem seems to be so much wider, so many applications to choose from. I would say the operating system and the UI is very intuitive, because I've never used Android before, except for occasionally playing Angry Birds on my sister's Galaxy S, and I was able to do a lot after just a short time with it. E-mails, marketplace, even language and keyboard is easy enough to set-up. And yes, Japanese is supported out-of-the-box, and I can even type Japanese after some simple downloading and installing, so I'm over the clouds about that. Eat that, Blackberry and your East Asian Language (Non-)Support!

Ok, hardware wise, the phone is pretty simple. No branding at the front, which makes the phone kind of plain. But just as well, since the display (Super AMOLED) is really gorgeous. So nothing to distract away from that =P I also like the curvature of the phone, which I think makes it really nice to hold. When I got the phone, it was covered with this stupid GMask sticker - supposedly to protect the phone from scratches, fingerprints, blah blah. But it made the display really sickening, so yesterday I went to an accessory store to get a crystal clear screen protector, and basically rip the whole GMask off. It had a warranty by the way, for 30 days (and the phone doesn't even have warranty LOL). But it's stupid, and I'm so glad I got rid of it. When the accessory store lady was finished, the Nexus S looked like a totally different phone (in a better way, obviously). The display is awesome, and there's no dizzying design at the back. Just pure Nexus S' awesomeness.

To be fair, I had some touch-screen glitch a few hours after I got it, and I was scared to death. But it hasn't happened again after I restarted it, so it should be a one-time thing. Otherwise the phone works awesomely. It's quick, simple, snappy.

I'm not the biggest fan over the phone not having a default file manager - I would so much more trust something the Android team has cooked up rather than a third-party, especially in terms of managing my files. But ah well. The default applications already has some great control over the files, like music playlists, pictures, and although I have yet to try it, I would assume the videos would be fine as well.

The Marketplace is alright. Nothing mind-blowing there. I got the applications that I had set my eyes on, and that's that. I even bought one game which I have really wanted - the Game Developer Story - and it was easy enough to pay. And it's really really addictive so I think I definitely got my money's worth. It cost me 210 yen to purchase.

The camera is a bit strange. It's of good quality, especially considering it's only 5MP. But it has no zoom. Neither does Galaxy S, I think. Which I found really strange, as Samsung is quite big on their digital cameras.

All in all, it's obvious I like it a lot. And I can't refute the fact that I'm SO happy to be one of the first-batch (I must say) owners/users of Nexus S in this part of the world =) Kinda boostin' up my ego a lot =P Although it is a pain to look for accessories now... because there aren't any T_T

Finally! I am a Google self-proclaimed ambassador that actually has a Google phone =D

No self-control

2011-02-11T23:12:00.000+08:00

OMG I have absolutely no self-control. A stack of money near me is dangerous. Very dangerous.

I just bought myself a Nexus S. I still can't believe it. I have it now. Finally!

It costs like 800 bucks. But I haven't regretted my decision... yet. I'm on cloud nine~

And I'm loving the phone so much =D

Upgrading phone

2011-02-09T21:54:00.000+08:00

The past few days I've been mulling over whether or not I want to buy a Nexus S. I still do, but currently my only option requires me to pay at least 950 dollars. Which is expensive.

Anyway, I just found out that I'm eligible for handset upgrade in 2 weeks. 2 weeks!! Okay, so that's good riddance to the 1000 bucks Nexus S. Currently my only option is really only Desire HD. Which will cost me about 350.

Or I can wait a bit more for Xperia X12 or the Nexus S assuming it will be offered. Sigh. Just how long do I need to wait for a nice phone? I estimate X12 will only come around April. Maybe I can get the Xperia Play by then. Nexus S is question mark. Don't really know if it will come around and when. Sigh.

Well, I have 2 more weeks to think. I hope a good phone comes out by then. Or at least announced to be released soon... like real soon.

Loving Bara no Ki ni Bara no Hana Saku...

2011-02-07T21:34:00.000+08:00

Smiles. So I found this "gem" the other time for PSP, and I've been playing it ever since. I'm quite the completist, so I attempted to go through all the stories as much as I can. It's not difficult, but it takes time. A lot of time. Especially since I wanted to read the story properly, which I did. So it took a loooong time. Probably a month to where I am now. I've gotten what I think is the best-est ending, so I probably won't play anymore to try to unlock some of the scenes/stills that are still locked.

Yes, it's totally BL and it's just a visual novel. But I love how the stories interweave into one. And whenever I discovered something from another story, I just can't help but smile =)

One thing I am quite disappointed about is that the PSP version is very much toned down in terms of... graphicness. So they're all totally PG-stuff, really. The pictures I saw for the PC version is so not PG. So that's unfortunate. And also, they removed the age-inappropriate content, which means there is only the love routes. No humiliation routes (which was what I was looking forward to, kind of =P), and that means all I have to do is pair them up each day. Sigh.

But the story is worth all the effort, really. Especially the best-est ending and some of the characters. Of course, the best-est ending was really touching, and it was all I could ask for. I went through SO MANY routes and Mikihiko always ends up dead. Which is not what I want. Because I have a thing for saddists. But the best-est ending... well, it speaks for itself, really =P Not only do I get stills with Mikihiko, he gets to live! ^^

I also like Norizane's story, which I think is really sweet how he swears to deliver that Kuchinashi everyday to prove that he kept his promise to keep quiet about the incident. And beneath it all, Norizane really lusts after Kaname. The ending was... I should say predictable, but one of the most touching. I don't really fancy his voice acting, though. It's a bit hard to hear, like Mikihiko, but I'm partial towards Mikihiko, and when he really gets down to it, the voice kills.

I like Mitsunobu's seiyuu. I think he's very colourful and enjoyable. I'm a bit confuzzled about the uke/seme switching ability. Of course, I'm happy that I get more stills... but some are just so unnatural...

Oh yes, the stills, gosh, there's a boatload of them! Which I'm perfectly happy about. Although most of them are just kissing/non-kissing variants of each other.

Now I feel kind of lost as to why I'm blogging. I wanted to write down the story... but I'm too lazy, really. In short, I enjoy the game, and kind of sad that I have "finished" it. Time to move on to another.

Next up on...
PSP - Togainu no Chi
NDS - Ookamiden, Black, Ni no Kuni
Wii - The Last Story!!

And oh my god, the pikachu charger is so cute.

It's a (Pre-)Lunar New Year Miracle!

2011-02-02T12:37:00.000+08:00

My flight is in 3 hours. The package I was expecting forever has been knocking at my doorstep since monday. But sadly I was never home. Yesterday, after a late night of data, I was told I can work from home today, after all it's only a half-day. So I did.

I have been anxiously waiting for it even today. Should I go to the bathroom? Should I bathe? What if the parcel comes? Blah blah.

And just 5 minutes ago, it came! While I was holding moisturizer in one hand -_-

Still, it's so great. And it's so big!! It's really a big box, totally unexpected. I immediately grabbed a knife and tore the damn thing open. So it was the charger that was the culprit. You really can't tell from the pictures, but it's really huge! And I have to admit it's pretty cool =D

And the game - The Last Story - had more surprises with it, in the form of a CD soundtrack (albeit just a few songs), and an Illustration mini-booklet. Which I didn't know. And which I thought is really really awesome! Now that's what I'm talking about! It's these kind of things that makes buying genuine games worthwhile =D Other companies should really take notes.

I'm so happy =D

And happy lunar new year, everyone!

Pikachu Transformation Series - updated

2011-01-26T00:35:00.002+08:00

I have just obtained my complete set of Pokemon Series in Japanese. OMG I can die of happiness LOL. After all that hard work and patience... finally... I at least have a complete set of the Kanto series, Orange Island, Johto series, Advanced Generation... and Battle Frontier =) And of course Sinnoh series... so that makes it about... well everything that has been aired LOL. Happy happy happy. Hopefully my Hard Disk doesn't crash or get lost T.T maybe I should make a back up copy LOL.

Anyway to celebrate, I'm going to post a series of Pikachu's transformations - apparently Satoshi's Pikachu is talented not only at battling =)

1. Habunake aka Seviper

2. Fushigidane aka Bubasaur

3. Dogoomu aka Loudred

4. Dogoomu again

5. Achamo aka Torchic

6. My personal favorite - Juptile

7. Heigani aka... ermm... Corphish

8. Hassbo!! aka Lotad

9. Hassbo #2

10. Habunake #2

11. Nyaasu aka Meowth

12. Mizugorou aka Mudkip. Cutieee!!

13. Kootasu aka Torkoal LOL

14. Kimori aka Treecko

15. Subomii aka Budew

16. Soonansu aka Wobbuffet LOL

17. Sabonea!!!! aka Cacnea, OMG this one is so cute!

18. Mimiroll aka Buneary

19. And finally... Takeshi! aka Brock.

I love Pikachu! And I love Pokemon. If you've got a problem with it, I don't give a shit.

Update: Found 2 more pictures, courtesy of SimonSays and Bulbapedia. I had been looking for Satoshi's imitation, but Naetle's was a nice surprise =D

20. Pikachu as Satoshi. The hair is just classic =D

21. Naetle-chu! Those ears are just so physiologically impossible, chu!

Hope to add more in the future =)

Major purchases roadmap

2011-01-21T15:40:00.000+08:00

Man, this year looks like it's going to make me spend a whole lot. Cries.

January: In-room TV. Budget is 600. Current choices are 32-inch LCD by Palladine or 26-inch LED by Palladine. Going to see if there are other brands within that budget that can playback USB stuff.

February: Nintendo 3DS with some of the launch titles. Budget is 500.

March: PS3 with some games. Budget is 650. Kose stuff also looks to be depleting at this point.

April: Kose if not allocated for March. Major titles to buy.

May: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, possibly? Or the PSP Phone.

Also, a tablet sometime next year, and a whole lot of games from NDS, 3DS, PSP, PS3 and possibly smart phones. Thank God I don't have an iOS device. Yet...

Chicken Soup for the Week

2011-01-21T12:17:00.000+08:00

This week I've had the whole house to myself. Which is pretty nice. I'm not really scared about being alone in the house. I never had, even back when I was in high school living alone. But then again, this week I've been so swamped with work (and yet, here I am, blogging away at work. It IS friday...) so I haven't been at home that much anyway.

But what I love most about it is that I've been cooking this week. Of course I cook the same stuff every day in an attempt to perfect my dish, which is basically just boiling water and putting all the ingredients (mushroom, chicken, egg, seasoning, macaroni) mindlessly together and waiting for the chicken to cook because it will cook the last.

The great thing is that I don't have to care about the taste. Yeah, it's a bit bland most of the time because I don't really put salt in there (don't know where the salt is, or if we actually have any...), but the macaroni's are soft, the mushroom gives additional sweetness and crunch, the chicken is sometimes undercooked, but I don't really care unless it's really really undercooked (which did happen) then I boil it again.

Yes, it's chicken soup. You can't really go wrong with chicken soup. I'm too lazy to make anything else. But I'm pretty happy with the outcome. With some luck, I may be able to cook again tonight =)

Salary blues...

2011-01-20T13:15:00.000+08:00

Today was my review, and I am just so blue right now. The performance part was okay, except I obviously need to call up more people. Sighs.

But I'm just not happy about the "increment". Why bother calling it an increment at all? 50 dollars per month. That can't even buy me a game =/ I'm amazed.

I know I undercut myself when I applied for this job. I'm probably the least paid person in this company. The guy who joined after me have just moved to a posh place, albeit with a few of his rich friends. I know he has work experience and all, but it just doesn't seem fair, especially for the amount of work that I'm doing.

I'm so de-motivated right now, it certainly is not a good idea to have reviews before the busy cycle, especially since I'm reflecting non-stop that the crazy amount of work I put in doesn't even earn me what I deserve.

And I'm not even paying rent yet.

Sigh...

It's not like I want to complain... but I'm just so blue =(

Drools @ Nintendo 3DS and then screwed over

2011-01-13T03:13:00.000+08:00

It turns out... the more I hear it, the more I want it. I really really want it now. Never mind I just bought a DSi XL less than a month ago. I want me that 3DS goodness no matter what!

I guess one of the most appealing things is the awesome graphics, albeit in a small screen. But from what I've seen, the graphics, even in normal 2D looks pretty awesome. And of course, the addition of the analog stick is a huge plus. I can just imagine how much easier it would be to play Okamiden with the analog stick! Too bad I don't have it now =(

And the launch and other upcoming titles are just so drool-worthy. I've already mentioned Kingdom Hearts 3D. Yum. Riku in 3D. I'm going to die of happiness. TWO resident evil titles. Awesome! Zelda, Super Mario, Mario Kart, Chocobo Racing, Dead or Alive! WHAM WHAM WHAM!! What's with all the cool titles?! You are killing me Nintendo! And one of my most anticipated is of course, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, having been a Layton convert myself. But the greatest surprise I just found this morning is that a game is going to be released that is the collaboration of Konami and Level-5 (the maker of Layton series), and yes, it is Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney (the less hyped/selling detective/lawyer game from Konami). I could not believe my eyes. It's just brilliant! And I'd had a look at the trailer as well, and the graphics and animation looks gorgeous, and the story just as interesting. Who ever thought we'd see the day where Luke will work together with Phoenix Wright, and where Professor Layton gets told off at last.

It looks a lot like the DS family so I'm not going to comment there. But it's launching with just 2 colours?! What happened to you, Nintendo? And the poor battery life? That's a big letdown. I guess it's a trade-off for a much higher performance, but still, 3-5 hours is pathetic in terms of portable consoles. Unless the 3DS can be charged by motion, that's not a good thing, really.

And last, and I assume not least, is the rumour of the region-locking of the device. OMG, that is a complete nightmare. That effectively means if I buy a US region device I can only play US 3DS titles. I don't even know what region I am currently under. While that effectively means I need to get a Japanese device, I do still want to play US games for games like Layton (where it will take a miracle for me to play in Japanese, admittedly). While I have no problems importing Japanese games, it's just a big big setback now. Should I get a US console and just wait for all games to be translated to English, which also means I have to bear with all the dubbing that comes with? Or should I just get a Japanese console, which means I have to import every single game? That costs... well, a lot. And mind you some games might be too difficult for me to understand T_T even with my level of proficiency.

Or I could just wait for somebody to hack the bloody thing and play region free, cost-free. How would you like that, Nintendo? I was going to continue my very good behaviour of late, at least for the deserving games, but it seems Nintendo is kicking gamers like me around, and that's not a very nice feeling.

Sigh. What the hell. One minute I was super excited about it. Another, I'm just down the drain.

Gakuen Heaven Portable

2011-01-09T17:08:00.000+08:00

I have just finished playing Gakuen Heaven Portable on PSP. Yes, it's very much long due considering I got the game like half a year ago as a present for getting a job. Anyway, a couple of weeks back I started playing it and resolved to finish it then. And I did. Well, sort of, anyway. I didn't go through Umino's story, because I don't feel like it, and I'm not exactly a fan of Kawakami Tomoko as a male =/

I LOVE that it's fully voiced (eat that, Haruka!), like, even the minor-est characters have voices, including the cat. And of course, the seiyuus did a great job of making the characters so drool-worthy, especially Nakajima, although I am not sure if that is because of the seiyuu (Morikawa) or is it because I have a thing for saddistic men -_-

But what I hate is that even though it is blatantly a BL title, it is SO PG STUFF!! Hello?! The most they got to is kissing (at least in terms of the graphics), the more explicit scenes are just implied by the dialogues. So I pity all who bought the game without understanding Japanese, because they wouldn't get any action, in a way. Well, except for Nakajima's story, which I must say, is ermm... the most action-packed, for lack of a better phrase. The rest is truly PG-stuff. Why do they even bother making a BL game, really? It just stumps me.

So it goes without saying, my favorite story arc is Nakajima's =P The rest didn't stand out that much, except obviously Endou's. But I did like Iwai and Saionji's stories. I didn't care for Naruse, Taki and Shichijou, the last was a big surprise (and disappointment) because the ending is so wtf. And even though I was alright with it, Niwa's story was also a disappointment just because I expected so much more =/ Sigh...

I also didn't complete all the scenes and graphics because I can't bother anymore. I guess really, the highlight of this game for me are the wonderful seiyuus (Morikawa, Jun-jun, Sakurai, Okiayu, Kamiya, and I kinda forget Ou-sama's Seiyuu's name -_- sorry) and Nakajima.

Ahh... I love Nakajima...

Haruka 5 is with a whole new cast?!

2011-01-09T12:52:00.000+08:00

Man, got my surprise of the year so far this morning, when I realized I haven't checked out the roles for the new Haruka. Thinking it will be the usual guys, I got the shock of the year (so far) when I saw that the cast has been totally revamped.

Courtesy of myneoromance forum, here's the cast:
Seiyuu (character name)
高橋美佳子（蓮水ゆき役）
鈴村健一（坂本龍馬役）
寺島拓篤（桐生瞬役）
安元洋貴（高杉晋作役）
阿部敦（チナミ役）
岡本信彦（沖田総司役）
立花慎之介（小松帯刀役）
竹本英史（福地桜智役）
斎賀みつき（八雲都役）
下野紘（桐生崇役）
諏訪部順一（天海役）

Holy crap, it is totally revamped. Even with my decent-leveled seiyuu-craze, I really only know Suzumura Ken'ichi and Saiga Mitsuki there. Even though I'm willing to give Koei the chance, it still doesn't feel like Haruka anymore without MikiShin, Inoue Kazuhiko, Ishida Akira, Miyata Kouki, Okiayu Ryoutarou, Seki Tomokazu, Hoshi Souichirou, Nakahara Shegeru and most importantly, TAKAHASHI NAOZUMIIIII!!!! Soobs. I'm all for replacing the heroine. I think Kawakami Tomoko has outlived her compatibility since Haruka 3 anyway. The voice just doesn't match!

And, what happened to all the "extra" cast from Haruka 4?! I thought at least those roles are like teasers for bigger roles in the next installment. I've come to like them so much (Toriumi Kousuke, Nakamura Seijirou, Nemoto Masakazu) but they're not even mentioned in that cast list. Why did I even bother?

I do hope at least it is fully voiced. Come one, Koei can't be so stupid. Almost all the other series are fully voiced. Even professor Layton 3 has a larger proportion of the game voiced than Haruka 4! And really, why bother promoting your seiyuu cast if you are not going to make full use of them?!

But alas, it's true that the developers would be facing some serious budget problems. After all, the game genre is very much not mainstream. Even it took me a year or so to buy Haruka 4 on Wii (and a year later, it came out on PSP, dammit!). But still, seeing that I paid quite a lot for Haruka 4 and Yume no Ukihashi (almost forgot that I bought that!), I do kind of expect that Haruka 5 would be good (and fully voiced, dammit!) or I would not buy it again.

Come on, Koei! Make me a believer again!!

The gorgeousness that is Xperia Arc

2011-01-06T18:15:00.001+08:00

I must say, Sony Ericsson really impressed me with their latest Android goodness, named Xperia Arc (or Xperia X12 or Anzu) which was introduced earlier today/yesterday at CES, Las Vegas. Just look at how sexy the phone is...

It has a curved/arched back, and it is extremely thin (eat that, Apple!), and just admit that the phone is really really gorgeous.

I had almost written out Sony Ericsson in the smart phone race, of course, I mean, considering their "flagship" phone looks like this...

And not to mention it is plagued by unresponsive and dreadful software. I wonder how it sold so well in Japan in the first place (probably the only country in which it is a significant seller).

And of course, SE tried to dig out one of their major weapons... the PSP, to come up with the not-really-rumoured-anymore PSP Phone (dubbed Xperia Play, or just Play, or whatever). Being a PSP user, I must say I was looking forward to this phone as well. But after the first possible images of the PSP phone appeared on the web...

Yeah, it's probably not the prettiest phone out there... I'm a sucker for pretty, so this was a huge letdown. Then again, I should have expected that the phone would have a PSP Go phone factor.

So, when people are saying that the Play, due out around April, will take the thunder from 3DS, due out in March, I don't really agree. I mean, the Play will be download-only like the PSP Go, and we all know the PSP Go was a disaster in terms of sales. 3DS is a totally new (well, not really, it's still touch-screen - non-touch-screen combo like the DS older siblings) device altogether, at least with a new concept... which is 3D. And yes, I have been saying that the "3D" is very much a gimmick, especially for those tiny screened phones and consoles. But still, I'm very curious to know, and wouldn't mind paying 400 bucks for the sweet 3DS.

In any case, the specifications of the Play is actually decent, so it may hold its own as a smart phone. But I don't think it will be that big as a "gaming phone" especially since PSP is almost synonymous with pirated games. But now that I mention it, with hacks and roots, the phone might actually sell well. The softwares, not so much. And if SE try to lock the phone down that securely, it won't interest the gaming community. But still, I do hope I am proven wrong =) I want to see more competitive devices out there!

ANYWAY, back to topic, the Arc sports Gingerbread, 4.2 inch screen fitted with BRAVIA technology that makes it so drool-worthy, along with other decent specs, although admittedly not mind-blowing. I am totally wishing I can try out the phone right now, but alas, I'm not fortunate enough to be at the CES event at this very moment. I am salivating though. It will be shipping this quarter globally, so I look forward to when it touches down here.

Games I look forward to in 2011

2011-01-05T15:49:00.000+08:00

Just trying to list down the games that I'm interested in this year. It'll be interesting how it will change at the later part of the year though.

1. The Last Story (Wii)
2. Patapon 3 (PSP)
3. Gakuen Heaven Okawari (PSP)
4. Fatal Frame II remake (Wii?)
5. Professor Layton 4 (3DS)
6. Catherine (PS3)
7. Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (Wii)
8. L.A. Noire (PS3)
9. Haruka 5 (!!) (PSP) and I just saw that there is Haruka 4 for PSP! Dammit. PSP is a much more sensible option than Wii for this kind of game!
10. Saigo no Yakusoku no Monogatari (PSP)
11. Child of Eden (PS3)
12. Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)
13. Kingdom Hearts (3DS)
14. Journey (PSN/PS3)

Total tally: 4 PSP, 3 Wii, 3 3DS, 4 PS3. Sony is winning the game war! Then again, I have yet to buy a PS3. And I have 2 NDS games I haven't touched yet, excluding Okamiden and Pokemon Black. Also, not very sure if FFII remake will actually come out this year.

Still, looking forward to it! Not a very long list, but then again, it's probably incomplete. There should be a lot more unannounced titles or those that I haven't heard yet. And also, not to forget last year's titles that I've missed (e.g. FFXIII). Looks like it's going to be another great year for games =)

It's a new year!

2011-01-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

Happy new year! Welcome to 2011, I guess. Although time is soooo... subjective. I mean, watching Fringe, and learning the concept of people who does not see time flowing, but looking at the whole space of time (I have no idea how to explain it, obviously) aka the watchers, make me feel so insignificant, really. We are just like some little people trying to play a role in the big picture. But of course, that's just Fringe. I still enjoy the present because life is too short.

111 post in the whole of 2010. That's a new record for me, I must say. And I hope to do better yet in 2011. That just sounded like a new year resolution. Might as well get to it!

New year resolutions!
1. Pass, or at least, actually physically take, JLPT N2.
2. Get a raise!!! LOL!
3. Go to a snowy country for winter holiday and preferably new year. Hopefully Japan, at last, because nobody knows what might happen after December 2012. My, I'm really kind of superstitious, eh?
4. Finish the whole lot of games I listed in the previous games, and a whole lot more.
5. Get a PS3!
6. Get a 3DS!!
7. iPod Touch, maybe? Or perhaps Nexus S?
8. Take the tea class.
9. Finish French elementary course.
10. Try more dodgy food!
11. Blog more? If that is possible.

Eh. I don't really understand what new year resolution entails. Are they goals that I hope to achieve? Are they things I hope to buy or will happen? But whatever. The list doesn't look so ambitious. Maybe that's just who I am =/

Over the weekend, my bro hijacked the huge LED TV for his laptop, so he could (and we could watch him) play his PC games. He had trouble setting up the Resident Evil 5 at first, so we tried Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Man, that is one over-hyped-up game. Sure it's slightly creepy. But the combination of nauseating movements, unclear path, lack of battles left me unimpressed and nearly dozing off. Then again, it was almost 2 am when I nearly dozed off =P But the sound was pretty awesome, I must say =)

Then on Saturday, he finally managed to set it up, so he basically played nearly the whole day. Man, it was so awesome. Excellent graphics, totally action-packed, and really bad-ass action at that. I was so jealous, but I knew I wouldn't last the first area if I was playing. I wanted to join his game because there is the co-op feature, but that means I have to set up the game in my own laptop... which doesn't have any more space. So that's a no-go. So in the end, I just watched and metaphorically drooled. A colleague of mine rightfully suggested, just get a damn PS3. Ok, maybe he didn't say damn. But that's pretty much what he meant.

Funny, when I think back, the main reason (game) that I wanted a Wii was Fatal Frame 4, which I have totally milked of whatever it's worth, except maybe the Nightmare mode, which, after 4 playthroughs, becomes a bore, really, and I'm not really motivated to finish. So now, surprisingly, the main reason(s) I want a PS3, is not something like Final Fantasy XIII or End of Eternity, but something like Resident Evil 5, which is a grandfather in game years by now, and something like Heavy Rain (which I totally have, by the way, as crazy as it sounds). Am I growing up as a gamer? Or is it just the 2 platforms offer different types of gaming? The latter sounds more likely though, since I still play Pokemon and things like Professor Layton and not to mention Okamiden in my DSes.

So yeah, that's a good argument for buying a PS3 - after all, the games don't clash with Wii. The only game I know that is really multi platform is... Sengoku Basara 3... I'm sure there are others, but not that many.

So it seems like I am going to get a PS3 after all, although not sure yet when. I just don't like the fact that even if I bought the PS3, I can't keep it in my room unless I buy a separate TV. I have no money for that T_T

Tired Eyes

2010-12-29T13:07:00.000+08:00

... and yet I'm still blogging...

I fully attribute the tiredness to Sengoku Basara 3 game, which, it turns out, is a lot of fun to play ^^ Man, killing 500+ of silly soldiers has never been so satisfying, just saying.

I've only tried playing 3 characters, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Mitsunari (kinda forgot his name) and Saica Magoichi. My favorite (so far) is of course Magoichi, because she is so cool, kinda reminds me a little of Lightning (hmm, I just realised, Square Enix tends to give awful names to their characters... Lightning... Cloud... Snow... which parents in their right minds would actually give these kinds of names anyway?! Unless these are spy codenames -_- the coolest names I can think of are of course Sephiroth and Genesis ^^ and Chocobo) and she uses guns, so I can blast people from faaaar faaar awaaaay. And by guns I mean I can change between shotgun, handgun, machine gun, grenades, and get this, bazooka! She's badass.

I do not like using Tokugawa because he's a close combat fighter, and it's just not badass enough. The other guy is not too bad, but his combo so far is a bit hard to control and not as cool as Magoichi. I tried Date and Sanada of course in the previous installments.

But anyway, the graphics is awesome, especially for Wii standard. The opening movie is really smooth and of very high quality, and there are a lot of extras that we can explore.

I like that it's in English so it's less of an effort to understand, but the voice acting is really sad. Luckily there aren't that much voice acting anyway since the game is not that dialogue focused. Or I will die. It's been quite a while since I am that immersed in a game that is in English with dubs (Fragile Dreams is technically English but I can opt for Japanese voice, and so do the Castlevania series, bless them). Oh, Professor Layton is English, and the voice acting sucks too, actually, but luckily there are not that much voiced scenes and the rest of the game more than made up for the awkward and pretentious (as in, trying to sound British... unsuccessfully...) voice acting.

Maybe I should try to become a voice actor. I'm sure I can do a decent job, actually, and I can do dual language =D

Christmas spirit

2010-12-26T19:30:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Kind of late, but it's still technically Christmas in... err... California or something.

So everyone's been in a Christmas mood the past week, including myself, and didn't feel much like working. Unfortunately there is a very annoying enquiry from a client, which will involve a conference call on Tuesday to sort out T_T But since they are a big client... ah well... Most of the people in the EMEA office has gone for holidays. So it's kind of lonely these few days. Granted I only talk to a handful of them.

The Christmas period has been eventful. On the eve we had a friend came over for dinner/feast. We had KFC, veggies, etc, and watched The Big Bang Theory for 10 or so episodes. On the next day, we had another feast in the afternoon, with pasta and roast chicken =D and then I had a friend came over from Malaysia to play for a little bit. During dinner, we watched Percy Jackson. Well, it wasn't very Christmas-y, but it was quite fun anyway.

I've been playing Gakuen Heaven, because I can now (yay!), and... well I've only finished Naruse's story, because I want to get rid of all the less important ones first (Shunsuke, Umino) but maybe I will play some of the more interesting ones in between so I don't get bored. It's so nice that all the characters have voice acting, even the main character, which is usually a rarity for such games. But the stills are a bit plain and repetitive, which is a major step down compared to some others, like Haruka. My PSP definitely got some major points for coolness, especially with Birth By Sleep, and some of the PSX games =)

And I've finally finished Professor Layton and the Lost Future. I must say, the storyline is very impressive, it is movie-worthy, definitely, although I'm not sure how the puzzles can be incorporated into a movie without leaving the viewers puzzled (and bored). But as a game, I think it's amazing. Maybe it's not for those hard-core shoot 'em up players, but I think it's awesome. Storyline, check. Music, check. Fun, check. =) Too bad it's over, and I've finished all three Layton games, so I need to wait for the next one, which is for Nintendo 3DS. =(

I also tried playing Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney the other day. It isn't too bad. But I feel more like a detective than a lawyer, really hahaha.

So it's time to take out my precious Ni no Kuni. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Because the book/bible that came with it seems amazing.

I have yet to finish (apart from NNK):
1. Okamiden
2. Haruka Yume no Ukihashi
3. Haruka 4
4. Fatal Frame 4 nightmare mode
5. Fragile Dreams (-_- oh dear...)
6. Xenoblade (T_T)
7. Re-coded (yet to start)
8. Birth By Sleep (yet to start)
9. Gakuen Heaven
10. Pokemon Black (sigh, this pokemon installment doesn't really spark my interest. Sure there are some interesting additions... but... ah well...)

Oh my, that's a lot of games. I also tried Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes. Unfortunately it's the English version. I'm thankful for the English text, but the voice acting shuddered me. But still, it's quite fun to play. Not sure why there are only 6 characters though -_-

Jules and the early Christmas present

2010-12-21T17:54:00.000+08:00

My nephew is just so adorable. It was the first time I saw him in ages. The last time I saw him, he just started standing/walking, I think. Now he runs around, talks, and everything. The father probably isn't too happy with the fact that he doesn't speak much English or his native language, but instead speaks our native language. Well, who can blame the little guy, if he spends 85% of his time with the babysitter who speaks our language.

But anyway, when I arrived, he was totally cool. Probably because he didn't really recognize me (even after the high fives, the pikachu impressions), and that went on quite a while T_T

They didn't stay over, but on Sunday, my parents and I went to visit them at their place. My nephew was asleep at first, but woke up later. My mom got him new toys so he was very enthusiastically playing with them. For some reason, he kept passing me the helicopter. I guess I was happy to be acknowledged at last =D

Then I blew on the rotors and it turned, so he was very happy and tried (unsuccessfully) to repeat the action. I wanted to make him that spinning wheel, but don't know how to do that with limited materials. He seemed to like blowing things... the helicopter, my parents, me, everyone, really.

There was a time when he was reading alphabets with my sister. I was really impressed that he knows quite a lot of words already. But at W, he said "baju-you", which was sooo cute. But we were wrong to laugh, because he was too shy to attempt a W again the next time we asked.

And when he left, he cried. Probably mostly because of my parents. But awww... But my sister said that he was looking for his aunt that night... and specifically mentioned part of my name. T_T *dies of happiness*

On another subject matter, I got a few Wii titles. Should be able to keep me going for a few months. I also bought, no surprises here, a DSi XL. Couldn't get the LL version, unfortunately, but ah well. Anyway, I'm totally loving it. The screen is soooo much bigger it's pure awesomeness. Bought the red one, so it's not the same as my DS Lite (White) and DSi (also white) and PSP (again... white...) and Wii (White) and PS2 (err... white...). Oh my god, I'm a white freak (not the racist one, mind you)!

Some of my colleagues got stranded in Paris because London Heathrow wasn't equipped for snowstorm. Poor them. I kind of glad I didn't take my holiday after the winter party after all, or it would have been me there... all alone... panicking T_T I would so panic in that kind of situation. So yeah, I'm glad I got my snow fix without the breakdown issues. But anyway, they arrived back today. Kind of think they wouldn't have to get to the office today because the two of them looks extremely dead.

Christmas seems to be looking pretty good. I got my DSi XL. I got my Ni no Kuni, which arrived yesterday. I got a friend potentially coming over on Christmas day from Malaysia to play.

Oh, on the subject of Ni no Kuni, it really is a 1 kg package. Kind of surprising. Inside the packaging, there was this book... creepy-bible thing. Inside, is a lot of pictures, text, so it's really like a Ni no Kuni bible/encyclopaedia. The pictures are really nice, and the paper itself is of really nice material. That was surprising. But I'm glad I got it.

Can't wait to start playing it this weekend. I want to finish Layton first =)

The last day, and the weeks after

2010-12-19T01:57:00.000+08:00

From the hotel, we then took a taxi to Paddington station, and it cost 100 pounds to get there, but since it was shared among the 4 of us, it should be fine. We dropped our luggages at the luggage storage place, and went on an adventure in London. At first I thought I would go alone, but in the end I decided to go with MD, and it was a pretty good decision, so then we could take each other's pictures =)

We started at Piccadilly Circus and walked all the way to the Waterloo station, passing quite a few notable places in between, like the Parliament house, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc. For lunch, we had this Chinese noodle in a box thing that I always see on TV, and so I was very curious to see how it feels like. The taste wasn't great, but it was nice to experience eating out of the box thing =)

Then we went to the bridge area, walked across the London bridge, and raced to the Tower Bridge because the sun was setting (at 4!!!) so we had to hurry if we wanted to take pictures (because neither of us brought a tripod). In the end, we didn't make it to the bridge itself, but we did make it to the square where lots of people take pictures of the bridge. So that wasn't too bad. By that time, MD was dying to go to a toilet, because we haven't been to one since... probably Farnborough... Poor him. I made him walk all the way and forbade him from going to toilet =D But anyway there was a toilet there, good for him. Then we went to the gift shop, and I saw this gorgeous goblet/chalice, and I couldn't help myself. MD wanted it as well, and at first I thought he can have it but I didn't let go of the goblet. So in the end I bought it hehe. I Love It! It looks so... gothic and everything. ET seems to think it's evil and is the kind that is used to drink either wine or blood. Well it does look kind of sinister. But I wouldn't call it evil... =(

That was probably my purchase of the day, really. After that we went to Oxford Street, but unfortunately, I took the wrong side and went to all the crappy stores. And by the time I realised my error, it was almost 6 and the stores were closing. Crazy! But I did go into a really huge and brightly lit toy store filled with all kinds of toys, plushies, etc you can think of. I could only explore one level, there are more. That was quite nice. Then I took another wrong turn, and ended up at a very dodgy alley, with all the night clubs and sex toy stores T_T By the time I realised the dodginess I had walked for quite some time so I thought turning back was a waste of time, so I continued on. But I walked and walked and it doesn't seem like I could see the main street anywhere. I was getting kind of worried there. I was pretty confident that my bearing was at least correct, so it was weird that I still had not reached the main street. I felt like turning back, but I was curious to see what lies ahead.

In the end, I reached the main street, obviously, met up with MD, and went to Paddington. We rejoined HT, boarded the Heathrow Express, and suddenly, it was goodbye London. I can't believe it was over, really.

When I arrived back in Singapore, I was moving into the new place for the first time. I still didn't have the key, so had to go to ET's place to get the key from her (thanks!). Then went to the new place. Luckily there wasn't much problems. The next day I went to the office (pretty late) and didn't have much problems finding the way to the office. But I had loads of problems finding the way home T_T

On the first day, I didn't know the shortcut way, so I walked ALL THE WAY to the entrance near Outram Park, and it really was quite far. The second day, I finally learned the shortcut way, and when I tried retracing my steps when I went home, I ended up at the supermarket ET was telling me about (which isn't the shortcut way), and I had no idea how to reach home from there so had to call my sister to ask, luckily she came back that day. The next day, I finally got the shortcut way, but it was kinda late so the gate was closed, so I took another route, and unfortunately it was a very long route back to the supermarket route.

That week was quite hectic at work as well. I was struggling with the report which had to be done by Friday. I worked late the whole week, but luckily I managed to get it done, thanks to all the support by everyone in the team =) Phew, so I will have that OTD bonus in February (albeit it's really really peanut - it can't even buy me half a DSi LL).

Some folks came over from Malaysia in the weekend, so it was a busy weekend. They stayed with us because they couldn't stay at their relative's place, which was totally fine with me, because my room is big enough to accommodate them anyway, and they came all this way really because I requested it. It was my uncle's birthday on the Sunday (which is same with my sister). Previous years, I went back to KL to celebrate his birthday, and therefore missed my sister's celebration many times. This year, I decided to stay, but I asked them to come if they could, because I didn't want to miss my uncle's birthday too =( Well, I am glad they did =) even without the chicken curry. I also introduced them to... Wii... and they seemed to really enjoy it, and even had plans to buy it in KL =D I told them if they thought it was too expensive, they could wait for another 2 or so years and they could probably have mine. Don't think they would wait though. I saw them really enjoyed playing, especially Wii Sports =)

The week after was a lot more relaxed, and I ended up working on a totally new database. At first I thought I was stupid to do it. But the guys from a client came on Thursday and said that they were looking for something very much exactly like what I was doing (without any mention of what I was doing, of course), and then I felt a lot less stupid and a lot more proud =)

On Friday, it was my sister's birthday celebration, so we went to ION for a nice Chinese dinner. And then walked around Orchard, took pictures, etc. Then we went back to Chinatown, and suddenly my sister suggested Karaoke (which was 5 mins away). Amazingly, there was a room available on a Friday Night (which I didn't think was possible), so it was totally meant to be. It was just the 3 of us for 3 hours. Awesome. I could hear everyone's voices straining at the last hour, but it was so fun.

I was hoping my Ni no Kuni would arrive yesterday, so I could bring it to play over here at my hometown. Kind of unfortunate. But I can live with it.

The Winter Party

2010-12-17T14:58:00.003+08:00

Hmm... if DSi LL costs about 250, and PS3 costs about 550, no reason why I can't get both, really. I'll leave the PS3 outside, not buy a new TV for now, and keep the LL close =) Maybe when I go back tomorrow... The problem is getting the LL version and not the US XL version. Hope it is still being sold, otherwise I will have to order from Play-asia.

Anyway, that Saturday, I woke up reasonably late, just because I can =) And then took a shower, and packed, and checked out early because I didn't want to have to go back to my hotel room at 2 to pack and check out. I wanted to dedicate the time to going around, shopping, etc.

There was really not many places to go to. I walked around, map-less this time, and ended up at the other shopping mall, which is crap. But I had Burger King for lunch, which was quite good. The BK's there seem to be pushing their Angus burger lineup. I always thought Angus beef is quite a premium beef. If it's used by BK, probably not so much then.

In the end, I didn't buy much, because my luggage was full and packed. But I did end up with a lot of Arsenal goodies (jersey, scarf, keychain, etc), 3 packs of tea, and 2 games - Heavy Rain for PS3 and Professor Layton and the Lost Future for DS. I was highly tempted to by the DSi XL then, but I refrained (and it seems I'm going to give in to the major temptation after all anyway -_-). Then at 3.30 we went on a bus to The Aviator Hotel in Farnborough, the venue of the winter party. It took more then an hour. And the place is really really in the middle of nowhere. At one point during the journey, I saw a football field, and it was all misty/foggy, and it looked so mysterious and cool, too bad I couldn't get a picture of it =(

Anyway, we checked in, met some of the colleagues and family, and had time to rest. I decided to take another shower, then got ready. I was still dilemma-ing over which outfit to wear, but I decided to go for the safer, more appropriate outfit. After all, I brought it all the way from here, might as well use it.

Went down, and a lot of people were already gathered. Like... really quite a lot. Kind of overwhelming for someone as autistic as I. But quickly located the more familiar people and just hung. I also recounted my adventures the previous night to some people who knew that I was going to London. Other people were showing the magic tricks they got in their hotel room, which was pretty neat. I got a card, and I have absolutely no trick up my metaphorical sleeves, so I just said we can just play and gamble or something =)

Then we went to the dinner table, and everyone was already allocated seats. I sat next to Emily, whom I've never seen before, and is very friendly, fortunately. Also next to me was Nils, who is quite chatty, but speaks a bit fast -_-

Before the dinner, there was the speeches and awards thing. SB welcomed the newcomers (and new partners), but mentioned my name last, which was weird, because if based on alphabetical order, I should come somewhere in the middle, and based on the time I joined the company, I should be the second to last. Hmm, maybe I think too much about trivial things sometimes. Then we had the awards, congrats to all winners. Then Jo did some "silly" moments awards for the APAC team. And Ian did the same for the other teams, just in a much grander scale. Some were quite evil, such as making 2 housemates brokeback, animal porno. Some are just hilarious, like making one person who just dyed her hair black a star of Twilight. Ian's very good with graphics, obviously, but I felt he's sooo soft-spoken. Aww. Well, I normally talk to him on IM, so I was kind of surprised.

The first course was a lot of beetroot and a large lump of mozzarella cheese. I had never seen/eaten beetroot until then so I was kind of curious/scared. I do not like beetroot now. The cheese I thought was fine, but others complained that it was too huge. I kind of enjoyed it, really =)

The second course was a large chunk of beef grilled with some wine, with some vegetables on the side. The beef tasted a bit funny, probably because of the wine, but otherwise I enjoyed it. Hey, it's beef, what's not to like? Unless I'm given the testicles or something, I probably will still like it. It was a thick slab though. I enjoy the portion, obviously, but others did not.

After that we took a company picture, which I think was done quite horribly. I mean, who in their right mind would attempt to take a picture of 70 people on a flight of stairs? At first it was really hectic, and I didn't care anymore, but later they attempted to improve the situation by making all the short people (aka me) stand at the front. Then I had to care.

After the picture we went back to the lounge for dessert. The tiramisu was quite tasty. And there was this street magician who entertained us with his magic. I thought that was very awesome. One of the main highlights of the day. And then went inside for dancing, photos, booze, etc. I didn't dance.. or at least attempted to, but somehow always got caught by one of the ladies who forced me to dance. So I danced... a little... and then slowly disappeared into the corners of the room. To be caught again later. And again. But at one point, the APAC team was gathered at one table, and we were playing Big 2. That was fun =)

Some people I could see got really drunk. Anyway, later I went back to my room, and rested (and Internet-ed!!) because I had an early morning the next day. I wanted to catch everyone at breakfast to say goodbye, but the breakfast room was pretty much empty... just the few of us who had to leave early and a few others. Then we decided on our next course of action, booked a taxi, and went back to pack.

I quickly packed, checked out, and went back to the breakfast area to say some last minute goodbye. Especially since I saw Ian (whom I hadn't spoken to at all at that point) up and about. And yes, I was lucky to catch him. Didn't really have time to talk, but I managed to take a picture with him =D Or two, but gave him the other one.

Although not so applicable in this case because it doesn't involve actual exchange of information, as the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words. =)

NDSi LL or PS3 for Christmas

2010-12-15T19:34:00.000+08:00

When I was in UK, I went to a lot of games/electronic stores. Surprisingly, it was the first time I saw an NDSi XL/LL. OMG, I totally fell in love with the ~~big~~ ginormous screen. It's almost twice as big as the original NDSi (extra 93% screen)... for both the upper and lower screen. I want it SO BAD.

I have also wanted a PS3. After all, I'm a Sony girl (or used to be, anyway, until I got hooked by Nintendo). Especially since I do see Wii declining and PS3/Xbox is still rising (and me and Microsoft don't exactly mesh), and I even bought Heavy Rain when I was in UK (without owning the actual console, yet) because it was a frickin' 15 pounds.

So which should I get for Christmas/New Year present?

Let's do a pros and cons list...

NDSi LL

Major con: I already have a DS Lite AND an DSi. A colleague suggested selling one, but I need the DSLite to work around the anti-piracy update, and I'm FAR too emotionally attached to my DSi. So I can't sell either of them. AND I do want to get 3DS when it's out next year. So I will possibly have 4 DS consoles. That's just plain crazy/stupid.

Another con: My Pokemon Black is already tied to my DSi. I don't know if I can undo it. Stupid new system by Pokemon, really.

Pros: I can get ermm... pirated games... I mean... who doesn't. I do buy original games, though! I can't imagine how awesome it will be playing my soon-to-arrive original Ni no Kuni. And Pokemon Black, even though that's already tied to my DSi. I guess there's always SoulSilver. I also have Okamiden, which I bet would look gorgeous on that big screen =) So yeah, compared to PS3, I already have a solid game portfolio for the LL.

Also, it is cheaper for the PS3, which means I can actually afford to buy it before Christmas.

PS3

Cons: It is a lot more expensive, which means I will probably have to wait until maybe end of January to actually buy it.

I decided not to buy a HD TV for my room because it's a waste of money. So I'll put the PS3 outside. Which means I probably won't play it THAT much.

Okay, no pirated version (yet), so my game portfolio will be quite pathetic.

The Move is rather similar to Wii, and considering I'll be playing it outside, I don't think I'll be using it THAT often.

Pros: Awesome graphics. No questions.

Lots of interesting upcoming titles.

--------

Arghh.. that totally doesn't help at all! Stupid pro and con list. Who ever says that thing helps?!

Both have lots of cons... and about the same amount of pros, although LL has greater weight to its pros.

Oh dear God.

The adventure in London part one

2010-12-15T13:12:00.000+08:00

On Friday, it was the team offsite meetings. Basically, the whole day was full of meetings, intense discussions, note takings, etc. Our team was basically the most intense. I heard other teams went for bowling, English tea, snowboarding (!!), cocktail mixing lessons, etc. Ah well. After the meetings (which ended at 5+ anyway), we did have drinks next door, and I managed to discuss about my (at that point in time was pretty much doomed) report with one of the gurus.

And then I decided to go to London to catch an opera, per my sister's suggestion. I wanted to watch the Phantom of the Opera, of course. My colleagues were very surprised when they learned I was going to London by myself. I guess I can understand why. But I liked the reply I made: "Hey, they all speak English there, how bad can it be?". Which is perfectly valid, I think. Though I had no idea what was going to happen then, of course.

Anyway, I got to Reading station okay, since it was just a 2 minute walk. I bought the ticket fine, and confirmed that I pretty much can use it to go back to Reading any time that day. I got on the train, sat down, and just enjoyed the ride for about half an hour, and arrived at Paddington station. To get to the opera, which is at Leicester square, I needed to take the Tube. That was my mistake. I should have just taken the bloody taxi to the opera house, really. Anyway, the Tube map was really crazy, nothing like what we have in Singapore. I couldn't find even Paddington station in the map for a while, not to mention Leicester Square, especially with the different, convoluted, confusing lines. Queued for a while to buy the ticket, and it was pretty confusing too especially there are zones and such T_T In the end I finally got it, but had no idea how to go to Leicester square from there, and kept walking in circle. Finally I asked a security guard, who gave me clear instructions, thank goodness. So eventually I got to Leicester Square, and my troubles were over. Or so I thought.

I got there with about 15-20 minutes to the start of the show. It was kind of rushed, but I thought it shouldn't be a problem finding the big theatre. Wrong wrong wrong. I went to see the local area map, there must have been at least 15 different theatres in the area. F**k! After minutes of searching for the correct theatre, which happened to be one of the furthest from the station, I still couldn't figure out how to get there because there are a few exits, and it was all very confusing and I couldn't think properly, really. So I just picked a whatever exit, went outside, walked, asked the people passing by, and bloody hell, none of them knew where the theatre was!!! And really, who could blame them? 15 or so theatres in the area, I would be surprised now that a normal person would actually know. So I literally ran around the area according to some of the leads I got, none of which were correct, really. I asked like an old couple, some young people, a security guard at a cinema, and get this, a person selling the ticket for the bloody opera. Some of them gave really conflicting directions. I was late, and was still running around the square. Sigh.

At 7.45 (already 15 minutes late), I saw a theatre with Les Miserables show. I went in, and asked if there is a show going on. There was. But I was too late for that, and I couldn't enter. Then I knew that I was probably late for all the operas anyway, so I just strolled around, until I saw another theatre with a crowd outside, and a few ushers ushering people inside. I went and bought a ticket, a royal circle seat no less, went inside, found my seat, and sat down. I had no idea what the show was, really. I just thought I couldn't leave London without... anything. To my surprise (horror), it was a comedy. Bill Bailey. It turned out to be alright, quite enjoyable and funny, although I would have preferred an opera a lot a lot a lot more.

Anyway, after the show, I went back to Paddington, and saw there was no more 30-minute trains to Reading. So I had to take the 1-hour one, and the ticket machine wasn't even on, so nobody really paid for that ride, I think. It was a slow ride, luckily I got my NDS. Then when I arrived at Reading, I decided I was hungry and I should get dinner. I saw a chicken place before that I wanted to try. On the way, I saw a lot of people queuing up to enter a club because it was Friday night. It had rained before so the roads were wet. And since they were salted before because of snow, they were very slippery, and I fell down. Sobs. Well, at least I got my chicken okay.

First two days in Reading

2010-12-14T14:01:00.001+08:00

I arrived in Reading to find there was no snow to be seen. It was quite disheartening. But my first worry was getting to the hotel, and I happily arrived without a proper direction or map. My colleagues said that the hotel was really near the Reading station, but I was still quite baffled when I arrived. There were a few streets to choose from so I went with my guts, and asked a passerby a few seconds later. It turns out, the hotel was really near the station, like 5 minutes away. And even though there was no snow, the temperature was probably really low, and the wind was blowing like crazy, so it was really cold =)

I got to the hotel, checked in, and relaxed a little in my room before going around. I asked the reception about the places to see around Reading, but she honestly said there isn't much to see, except Oracle (the biggest shopping mall around). But I went around anyway, saw some buildings(?), churches (?), abbey, river, but the most interesting is the park, I think. It was totally empty except for one or two passers-by, and there was this fountain in the middle that was half frozen, so I could literally see the stalactite water/ice from the higher levels of the fountain. It's not much, but I thought it was something quite interesting.

After that I walked around some more, but eventually gave up trying to find anything tourist-drool-worthy, and headed towards Oracle. I walked around, bought hot chocolate from Starbucks, and walked around outside, and it felt so good! I mean, I was freezing, but with the hot chocolate it made everything so heavenly =D So yes, hot chocolate on a cold day rocks! And then I did some shopping, of course, and added more bulk to my already very bulky luggage. I bought KFC at night, it was alright, nothing special about it I guess, and the chicken is quite tiny, 2 certainly wasn't enough for me.

The next morning it was snowing! After breakfast, I had some time and I walked around the block to enjoy the snow despite my rather light clothing (I didn't expect to go out then). Then, we went to the Reading office. But heck, it was so isolated and far away, I think it took at least half an hour by taxi, and there wasn't much traffic to begin with. When I arrived I saw there was a pony outside, and the whole place was covered with snow. Whee~ Granted I didn't really have time to play with the snow. At first there was only the early morning crowd there, but eventually more people arrived. It was so nice to meet Cornelia and Pete at last, and I got to sit between them =) Cornelia is very friendly while Pete is very... how should I say... he speaks a lot, rather randomly, but I guess it won't be boring sitting beside him. Then there are also others from the enterprise team, the operations team, like Nils, Claire. I was very sad that day because Ian got snowed in and didn't come to the office. Actually I'm not sure he would come to the office if there was no snow since I heard he usually works at home on Thursdays anyway. But still, I was sad.

There was a period of time that a few of the football lovers were gathering in the pantry to wait for the announcement of the World Cup hosts for 2018 and 2022. England was bidding for 2018 so they were all excited. I was there just for the heck of it. After long periods of waiting, eventually it was revealed that Russia and Qatar had won the bids respectively. Ah well. I wonder how the players would survive playing in the blistering heat of Qatar. Qatar has 12 years, so I suppose they can manage to overturn the weather by then? Can they do that in Singapore too? Wait, I might not be here then. Hell, we all might not be here then (2012).

Then we went to Jamie's (as in Jamie Oliver) for dinner. It was not fantastic. The others were not happy with the food, really. I can see why. I actually quite like the scallops I ordered, except it wasn't a proper dinner size. Imagine just eating 5 small chunks of scallops for dinner. I was like... okay...

All in all, a great 2 days. Would have been better with Ian and a ~~slightly~~ more upsized dinner, but still happy nonetheless.

Cheshire Oaks, Snow and Goodbye to Manchester

2010-12-07T18:49:00.000+08:00

My sister took me to Cheshire Oaks, which is an outlet kind of shopping area, where the items are a lot cheaper than the normal retail price. It was very unique, I had never seen anything like it. It was a parking lot in the middle, with the different outlets surrounding it in a square, a really huge square anyway. There were a lot of brands like Burberry, Mulberry, AX, Ted Baker, Sony, etc. I first bought something over at the sports district. And then I went to La Senza and spent quite a lot of time there deciding to get something for someone =) Then I bought a bag from Ted Baker, albeit the cheap one because my current one is breaking down. I bought something from Next, but I really went crazy at Marks & Spencer. The item were so much cheaper there, and my god, they had my size!! I went and bought like a pajama, 3 or so pants, a blouse, I can't even remember now. But pants!! They all fit! So it's totally worth it, even though it's kind of bad because now I have less motivation to lose weight haha.

We were very hungry so we ate the famous Harry Ramsden's fish and chips, which was quite yummy =) The weather there was so cold, and my sister was complaining a lot about the cold. She seemed to think I walk very slowly. She likes to walk fast probably because it was cold so she needed to move faster. But I tend to walk very leisurely, I don't know why, I just do, because it's nice to be that relaxed. Anyway, after that we went to Sainsbury to buy groceries for the umpteenth time. Fun.

I am still crazy about the Tom Yam Spaghetti my sister made. It is so good! I think I ate that like 2 or 3 times in a few days =)

And then I heard the rumours. Snow. In London, in Reading, in Scotland, in Newcastle, in York, everywhere but Manchester. T_T I spent a large amount of time staring out the window, looking up at the sky, waiting for that tiny pieces of white to fall from the sky, but it didn't happen. Until one morning, I woke up, and my sister told me that it snowed the previous night at like 3 am. Of course, by that time, all the snow were gone and all I could do was cry (metaphorically).

But a few days later, my wait was over. Snow came, and quite fiercely, I must say =) I was so happy! I remember watching the snow fall down at 3-ish am, opening the window and holding my hand out just for the heck of it (of course my sister wasn't around then or she would freak that I opened the window at all). I love it. Totally made the whole trip complete =)

Even later when we went out, the road was covered with snow/black ice. My shoes (well, technically they aren't mine) weren't equipped for snow, so man, it was scary walking on black ice, and I was holding on to my sis the whole time LOL. I was safe in Manchester, but eventually I fell down in Reading haha. Although it wasn't because of snow/black ice, I think it was a combination of the salt they use to prep the roads for snow and rainwater than made it very slippery. It hurt a little, but totally worth it! (Although I kinda wish it were snow that caused me to fall)

And then on my final day in Manchester, my sister sent me to the station very early because she had to work and I didn't want to leave the house later on my own. I had like 3 hours of waiting, but luckily there is a luggage drop. So I dumped my luggage and walked around, going to weird places (parking lots LOL). And it was snowing, at first lightly, and later quite strongly. Usually the people who are outside are smokers, but I was outside just because, people might think I'm crazy or something, really. But who cares =)

And then I went on the train, heck even the platform was snowing. Although the reports of trains to Sheffield being cancelled due to extreme weather kind of scared me a little. But everything was alright. It was snowing everywhere, a white wonderland. About 70% of the journey was entirely white, that was really something.

Thanks Manchester for the awesome memories. Thanks sis for making it cheap =D

Christmas wishlist

2010-11-30T14:27:00.000+08:00

It's snowing!!! In November! Albeit it's end of November, but still, I'm so happy. Luckily I woke up at 2.30am and saw the snow falling, and it's been falling for 2 plus hours, but I doubt it will keep snowing tomorrow morning at a more humane hour. I think it's going to stop soon anyway, and the temperature isn't really cold enough to keep the snow as snow. It's just turning into water as soon as it lands on the ground.

I'm contemplating whether or not to buy a Burberry bag. It's like 400 pounds with VAT. So I guess it's reasonable, but I just haven't spent so much money on a non-gadget... seriously haven't...

I got vouchers from Play-asia, so I'm trying to see if there are any games that I want to buy for my Christmas present, but so far I can only think of the latest Professor Layton.

But of course that will change if I decide to get a PS3 after all... and a proper TV, both of which will set me back around 1500 bucks. Sobs.

And I need to go back for a weekend. The Christmas week would be fantastic, really, although I think the ticket price would be crazy. Or the week before that works too, I suppose.

A happily frozen bundle of joy

2010-11-26T14:52:00.000+08:00

Only my fourth post in November! Well, to be fair, I have been really busy back home because I was going on holiday so I had to finish my work before which I failed horribly, and I am still stressing over the report. Sigh. But at least that's moving somewhere now so I can let out a sigh of relief. Just a little.

The temperature here have dropped a lot lately, so it's gotten a lot colder. I LOVE IT! Heck, I can never get this kind of weather back home, so bring it on, baby! I think it's currently minus something right now in Manchester (well it's pre-dawn), but I'm happily opening my window and freezing because I just love it!

Anyway, my holiday has been very lovely. We didn't do anything much really, but I'm just very happy in general, probably because of the weather. Which my sister hates. Which I don't get how she can hate it. Clearly she hasn't lived in tropic countries long enough. Really, most of the days we spend exactly like how we spent holidays back at our home. Watching movies, eating, shopping. To be fair, there really isn't much to see here in Manchester. I went to Old Trafford yesterday, but even that's nothing special, really. I bought Manchester United stuff just for the heck of it.

Earlier today/yesterday, I got a little bit of time to do some exploring of my own while my sister got her haircut. I went around the Christmas market, which is really quite something because it's really festive, so I just feel so happy. I bought a burger because I was hungry and it smelled so nice. Then I bought this Dutch waffles, which if it's the right one, I'm going to buy a lot more for people back home =D

Then I walked to the Art gallery/museum. It was nothing much, albeit I didn't explore all the galleries I suppose, but at least I've been there. Then I walked past the Chinatown and more and suddenly I was at Piccadilly Garden, near the station. There were a lot of people there. Obviously. But if I had to go there again, I probably wouldn't know the way =_= It was a damn fluke.

I love shopping here! Mostly because it's quite easy to find something my size. Too bad it's wintery here now, so most of the stuff are winter clothes, which I'll be crazy to use back home. But there have been some shopping done, for sure =D and more to come. Still yet to find something for my sister.

I've decided to skip going to Inverness/Scotland. Heck if I'm going there for the weather, I'm pretty happy with what I have now. And most importantly, this is the last time I can stay here with my sister because she's moving to Australia next year. I can always come back here to see Nessie, but I won't be able to laze around with my sister anymore. So, family tops Nessie in my book of hierarchy. And also I save 100 pounds which I can use for... shopping!

It's been so nice spending time with my sister. Luckily she's not working while I'm here. It's a weird arrangement, but I'm glad. She cooks some mean pasta and Korean dishes. Even though I'm probably among the easiest people to feed, I like what she cooks. And anyway, "local" food here basically means pub food, fish and chips and the like, which is bleh, so even when she suggests restaurants, they're like Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, which is probably not that different anywhere else.

But going to Sainsbury or Tesco to buy groceries, and then freezing later on the way back home is so fun.

I'm a really simple girl, aren't I? Happy, simple and perfectly nice. Although my sister diagnosed that I have Asperger syndrome. When I read the description earlier, I think 80% of the signs I have.

The temperature's going to dip further tomorrow and Saturday. With chance of snow showers!!! I'm absolutely in heaven =D I think I just found the second best way to die LOL. Apart from being put to sleep chemically, of course. Or to go while sleeping.

Another busy and super random day

2010-11-13T19:21:00.001+08:00

Woke up this morning at a reasonable time, so I decided to join my friends for lunch. Especially considering if something were to happen to me during my trip (*touch wood*), it would be my last time meeting them. Well, I thought I had to go out today anyway, so might as well join them LOL, especially I did want to go to Liang Court, which was just next door. =)

Ate at Waraku, super full, and then went to Haato for ice cream, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere there, or as Ally said, zen-ing, that is until two stupid people were happily smoking and blowing the awful smell in our direction. Go and die.

Then we decided to go to Liang Court (!!) and they were headed for Starbucks. I was like, "what?! Didn't we just have ice cream (and a pretty big lunch before that, too)?". Anyway, I decided to not join them for Starbucks, and excused myself to walk around to look for futon there, which was my original plan anyway. So I did, and it was a futile effort. There are many Japanese things there, but furniture is not one of them. Damn! Oh, come to think of it, I forgot to check the underground floor. Shite! But anyway I'll just assume there aren't any.

What was was a tea ceremony exhibition at the centre court, covering Chinese tea, English breakfast tea, and *gasp* Japanese tea ceremony. Had to pay 10 bucks to attend the individual performances, but what the hell. It was so beautiful and graceful, and we all got to try the tea, which was awesome. I don't know how some people can say it's too bitter. The aroma, the taste, it was all very nice to me. But then again, some people can complain that Kimchi is too spicy =_= I guess people have different thresholds. Whatever.

I am so interested to join the class. Yes, it turns out there are proper classes held here, I had no idea. I've wanted to join one for so long. But it's going to cost me quite a lot. In total, about 170 bucks each month for the classes and events. I don't know if I should join. On one hand, I really want to. On the other, the price is quite steep. On another hand, I really really want to learn, and I'm not paying rent anyway for now. On the other, my language classes doesn't even cost that much. Wait maybe French cost around that price. I forget. And it's not like I am paid a lot =_= But anyway I will have 3 weeks to figure it out seeing that I won't join right away anyway =)

Right now I'm about 75% near the "Join!" side.

Dilemma...

But I'm glad I found it anyhow. And then I walked to Chinatown area to change money in preparation for my trip, after getting lost a lot (I almost walked to SMU -_-). And while I was happily crossing the road while listening to my Pokemon tracks, suddenly this old man (read old) talked to me, first in Chinese (and I was like, "huh?!?!?!") and then in English when I assumed he realised I speak or understand zero Chinese. He asked if I was English educated, which I kind of was, and if I was Chinese, which I kind of am, and asked what I was doing, to which I replied I was just looking around (how can I say I was going to change quite a large sum of money?), and he asked if I was by myself, to which I replied yes, because I am apparently not so sharp. And one thing led to another, and for some reason, he asked if I wanted to get coffee/tea, and I was like WTF?!?!?!

Why is the only person who hit on me like a frickin' 70 years old?! As "flattered" as I was, I politely (?) declined, of course, but man he was quite persistent. But hell, that was weird...

After my money matters, I went to the MRT, and decided to go to Outram, just for the heck of it, because the weather was so lovely. And my definition of lovely is of course, cloudy, with nice breeze, and reasonable (25-ish?) temperature. And when I reached Outram, I thought I would go the the HSA to donate blood, because I just felt like it. And I had my EP, so I thought I could. And I thought it was worth checking out the place =)

So I walked and walked around the Singapore GH, until I finally found the HSA building, and there at the main gate, hung a blood donation poster, which said the place was open until 4.30 pm on Saturdays. Checked my phone, 5.57 pm. F**k.

Well, nothing I can do at that point. So I continued walking to find a bus stop. And while I was doing that, this old man on bicycle was trying to talk to me or something, I think. And he was kind of staring. T_T

I don't think I wore anything provocative. So today was just weird. Anyway, whatever, I went to TBP, bought a USB fan for my office, and then bought some pads for my sister in the UK.

It was kind of a fruitful day, really. Weird. Random. But fruitful =)

I'm officially in love

2010-11-12T21:44:00.000+08:00

with the music from the Professor Layton series.

I'm kind of surprised an NDS game could have a music this beautiful. I didn't study music so I am not sure what kind of music or fusion the tracks are, but it feels like something from old England, maybe French, Italian... I don't know, but the tracks are very very nice and pleasing to hear.

I haven't been in love like this for a long time. Scratch that, I love some songs from time to time LOL. And obsess over them, really. But Layton's music is something I never had before this, in terms of the type of music, that fusion-y, classical, european, yet palatable kind of stuff.

It reminds me a lot of Kajiura Yuki somehow, but without the frequent singings.

Visa, packing, shopping, moving

2010-11-11T01:30:00.001+08:00

With the UK trip impending, I started my visa application process a few weeks back. But I was rejected the first time, on grounds of dissatisfaction with the documents presented. And I wasn't given the right to appeal, so I had to re-apply and re-pay the application. Money-sucking bastards. But anyway, the second time around I got it, so like, whatever.

So now that my trip is pretty much confirmed, I really need to start packing for the trip. And shopping. I do not yet have a proper big luggage. CCh suggested Samsonite, I think it's worth looking at if it isn't priced exorbitantly. I am not sure if I am prepared enough for the cold weather seeing that I only have one proper winter jacket, no boots, one full-length jeans, and a few scarfs. Usually I travel to cold places with my parents so I never had to worry about cold preparations. I can stand cold, so I am not sure I need to be overly prepared anyway. Man, this is confusing.

And seeing that I have a new instant camera now, that is one more extra things to my gadgets to bring list T_T and the list isn't short. Laptop, laptop charger, 2 phones, A300 with at least 1 lens (obviously =_=), phone USB chargers, camera charger, instax and films, either NDS or PSP because at this stage I no longer can afford to bring both. I'm leaning more towards DSi of course, but I can't neglect my PSP =( Dilemma...

I coined a new term. Facestalking. I don't know how original that is. But my sister is a Facestalker. She knows a lot of things that's going on in other people's Facebook. I mean, I only go to Facebook for the games, so I have no clue. So her knowledge of other people's activities astounds me sometimes. Update: Okay, I just googled it. Apparently Facestalking has come into existence over 3 years ago. So it's kind of official, with Facebook users anyway LOL.

A week ago I was in fear of being homeless. We couldn't get a unit at the place we wanted... and we will be kicked out at the end of this month at the current place. But yesterday we finally got it (the place that we wanted), not sure how but there was one unit available, so my sister immediately took it. So yeah, I will be walking to and from work from next month onwards =)

The place is a bit small according to her, but I will have my own room. My sister will still sleep with me until her wedding. Under pretense anyway, who are we kidding right? So I will have the luxury of decorating (and spending the dollars for) my room! I went around IKEA today, because my search for a proper futon at Anchorpoint proved to be fruitless. Apparently, people nowadays just consider any lame ol' foldable mattress a "Futon". Futon, my ass!

The bed on which I slept on the first few nights at Seoul, that was more like it! If only I know where to find that here. Sigh...

Anyway, back to IKEA. I've checked out a few of the stuff I wanted, like wardrobe for clothes, drawer for some books and non-clothes stuff which means I can forgo the additional book shelf, chest for my treasures, bed frame (because it doesn't look like I will be able to get a proper futon here, might as well get a proper bed, right?), a TV rack for the not yet existing TV, Wii, PS2, the games, DVDs, not yet existing PS3, a coffee table, pillows, and a personal favorite, an armchair. Of course they're all subject to the actual size of the room which I have yet to see =P but I'm pretty certain everything up to the TV sets will fit just fine. I even have a drawing of how I will arrange everything =D Fine, it's really just scribbles from my IKEA trip just now... That'll put the cost at about 1200-1300 without the mattress and the PS3. I can still live with my current mattress, so whatever.

I started playing Professor Layton on DS. And I was so pleasantly surprised. The puzzles are very addictive, the storyline is not lame at all, and it's actually quite interesting, and this was a game released 3 years ago. I finished the first game, needless to say, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel =D And if I disregard the appalling voice dubbing, the sound and music of the game is actually quite enjoyable and beautiful. It had this olden age, english-italian feel... I don't know... I really like it...

Some of the puzzles are dead easy to the point that I was doubting myself because the answer couldn't be that easy. Some were really fun, like the sheep, cabbage and wolf problem, and also the water division problem. Some were really hard like the sliding puzzles. Man, I hate the sliding puzzles. And I also hate the puzzles where I have to visualize the positions of some 3D stuff. I think the puzzles have kind of shown me where I'm strong at, really. Maths, logic, verbal stuff. And where I'm weak(er) at: visuals, spatials, some common sense stuff =_=, SLIDING puzzles.

I HATE SLIDING PUZZLES!!! But I solved them. All of them. The last one took nearly 500 moves. (I think it could be solved in 20 something moves, the game said). But I don't care. I Solved Them! ALL of them!

My Office

2010-10-30T02:03:00.000+08:00

I had my first really really late night today. We finished at about 12, so yeah, I went back past midnight. I didn't even know how to leave the building, and there was no one around to ask, so it was kind of creepy, kinda reminded me of zombie survival movies. My boss stayed late to, but I went back first because her laptop was really slow at shutting down.

But the weird thing is, I don't hate it. I mean, if it happens everyday I probably would, very much, but it doesn't, so I thought it was alright. It was tiring of course, but I thought it was okay. Got to do the processings and deliverables this time, I feel so important =D

For team lunch we ate at a pub, but of course, nobody drank any beer, we were really just there for the food. The weird thing is, DC asked me how many times have I gone through data period, and he was surprised when I told him it was only my second time. He said I was so integrated in the whole process and it feels like it's been a long time. So that's good!

Of course, I know I have a major weakness. I am awful at calling people to the extent that I might have an actual phobia of calling people on the phone.

Totally awesome present

2010-10-24T17:59:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to share the awesome present I got from Ad, Al and You =D OMG It's so freakin' cute!!! I promised them I would wear it and take a picture of it.. so voila...

It's still so cute!!! It's kind of hot while wearing it though. Maybe it can be a good pajama in a cold country.

I think it did cost quite a lot. Thank you very much guys!!! Lovessssss!

Kind of a depressing birthday

2010-10-20T12:33:00.000+08:00

Yeap, started with my sister wishing me, and conference calling ET and sis' bf to sing me a birthday song. Which was kind of nice =D

Then I opened my Present Part 2, and it was Re-coded!!! Yayy. Well I like both so it doesn't really matter which came first (the other one is Okamiden and the Reshiram case, I guess).

Then watched The Big Bang Theory (because I have given up on studying last night) for a bit before I fell asleep, and woke up early (7am) this morning to go to the office earlier to study. Managed to study some theory, so I'm feeling more confident now. I will just boost up my vocabulary next =)

There are some people who wished me via Facebook. I have decided to ignore those and claim that I don't check Facebook posts and that I am only on Facebook for the games really. Which is actually the truth, except for today, where I do check which scums actually dare to wish me on Facebook. I think it was partly my sister's fault. She started posting about my birthday. So unnecessary.

I had some missed calls. Which were really missed calls because my phone is always on silent mode. Although I did ignore one call earlier =D

And I am currently eating instant porridge for lunch because I want to study French during lunch. I have some breads too so I'm probably settled. But it just feels kind of depressing having a lonely lunch on my birthday when I usually eat with the crowd. Damn you French exam schedule!!!

On a side note, I am making significant progress with Nokia, so I'm happy about that =D

Countdown to 20th October 2010

2010-10-19T23:27:00.000+08:00

Which is so cool for so many reasons.

First, the date itself => 20.10.2010 => it's so cool, it'll only happen once in a lifetime =D

Secondly, I wouldn't care about the coolness of the date if it was not a special day, just like I never cared for 20.09.2010 or whatever.

Thirdly, I have a French exam on said date, which is probably pretty depressing in a sense, but I will be free of French exams until at least 4 months =D Hey I really love studying the language, but taking an exam while work is very busy is just a bit evil.

Fourthly, I will also be free from classifications because I aim to finish it on said date, even though that entails me working my ass of on said date.

The part 2 of my presents has just arrived! I don't know which is it yet because I will only open it later past midnight. But still, I'm so excited! And I can't study. I am in no mood to study, dammit!

Oh, and I will finally be allowed (by myself) to read my new mangas that arrived last week =D Although mostly I have been restraining exam because of the exam than anything else.

I do not disclose birthdays on Facebook for a reason, and those who attempt to wish me birthday on Facebook can just go and screw themselves. I think it's very insincere to do so unless one does not have any other means of contacting the birthday person.

Shanghai Week

2010-10-17T18:10:00.000+08:00

Was in Shanghai since Monday. At the first two nights, I stayed at the Renaissance for the first event. The room was awesome! I got a King bed, and the bathroom was just ginormous. Tuesday's events were crazy. There were like 8 presentations, it felt like I was back to school, even the sleepiness during lecture part. Couldn't ask much questions because I still have phobia talking to big shots, although I was getting along well with some of the other analysts.

We had dinner on the first day with the executives, it was at the hotel. It was Chinese food, but there was so much food that there were loads left over. And I was seated in between two of the big shots T_T WHY?!

The next day were a lot less strenuous. Short presentation and Q&A session in the morning, buffet lunch with kick-ass ribs, and then we went to Zhouzhuang the water town. It was my second time there, but it was still quite pleasant, especially the people who went there were quite nice as well. Although there was this extremely cute analyst from OZ that went with the Expo group instead. That was a waste LOL. I managed to buy a tusk/horn comb that was supposed to replace my current one. But I didn't have much time to shop so I grabbed the best one that was offered by the shopkeeper, and it was very big. But luckily it's very nice to use, even nicer than my current one. =)

Then we had dinner at this Chinese restaurant. The food was not bad. I had my first ever foie gras (albeit Chinese), but it was so juicy it didn't feel like a liver. Not bad. But the best thing was the expensive Shanghai crab. The meat was soooo sweet, and when I ate the egg part, it was just heavenly =D And then we said goodbye to the crowd, and moved to the second hotel, The Ritz Carlton.

The Ritz Carlton was just as, if not more, impressive as the Renaissance. Had 2 beds that time, but the bathroom was just as humongous. Anyway, we have missed the main part of the second event, so the next day there was only one presentation and a Q&A session like the day before, and after that it was lunch, and the World Expo tour. Managed to tour around the Thai, Russia and US pavilions. Saw the queues were around 3-5 hours each (for the more popular ones anyway), which was crazy and definitely not worth it. We got a VIP pass so we didn't have to queue. But anyway, it was totally not worth it, the contents of the pavilion. I expected so so so much more, but it was kinda crappy, really. It's closing at the end of this month, so for those who has not gone, I suggest you don't. I still don't get what the point of the World Expo is, really. Is it supposed to introduce the country to the world, if that's the case, it hasn't done a good job, because the contents were lame and crappy. Definitely a waste of time and nor worth queuing 3+ hours before. I mean if you have a VIP pass, then by all means spend your time there. Well, at least I have been to the World Expo Shanghai 2010 =)

Then went back, and went to Mom's hotel, stayed until Sunday. Man, 1 week of hotels. That's actually pretty awesome.

New Office

2010-10-10T22:55:00.000+08:00

We moved office officially last week! Now it's really at city centre! LOL.

I like the new office. I think it's pretty big, and I pretty much walk the same amount to and from the MRT anyway, or maybe less. There is a lot of food places nearby, but they are quite expensive. The hawker centres are also relatively cheaper than previously.

Also, the Korean guy have accepted the job offer. Banzai Korean! Now at least there would be some legitimate help for (annoying) Korean websites!

OK, I should start packing for tomorrow, really =_=

Birthday present frenzy

2010-10-10T22:50:00.001+08:00

These past few days, I've been going on a(n online) shopping frenzy for my birthday present =D I am kind of looking forward to this birthday after all.

1. I bought 2 frickin' games! Both for NDS (like, I don't even bother looking for PSP games... Come to think of it, there's a rumour PSP 2 is coming sometime next year or something. I'm not as hyped about it as I am about 3DS (3DS!!!! I am SO buying that!)). One is Okamiden: Chiisaki Taiyou, which is the cute-ized version of Okami, and it should be less hassle on NDS, really. Another one is Kingdom Hearts: Re-coded. I'm not sure if this is Kingdom Hearts 3 or not, but heck, there's Sora and the gang, that should be fun. I wasn't so interested in the non-Sora and Riku character from Birth by Sleep. I like Roxas but the review says 358/2 isn't that great, so I have actually yet to start that game =_= I think I also bought a Pokemon case for my NDSi, the Reshiram one, of course. There was also the Black Zekrom one, but 1. It is not Reshiram and 2. It is black so it doesn't match my absolutely pretty white NDSi. All those is about 200 bucks. Recoded should arrive before my birthday. The other 2 should be slightly after it.

2. Thanks to a certain someone's recommendation, I bought the 4 (compressed? revamped?) volumes of Mr Fredward's Duck from Amazon. And the 2 volumes of Nemureru Tsuki (because I have been wanting this one!). That's about 130 bucks. That should arrive sometime next week, just nice!

Ok, my birthday presents from myself are totally going to kick other birthday presents' ass. I guess I was disappointed last year where I only got 2 presents (although 2 very good ones!) and none from myself. I'm kind of compensating, perhaps? But heck, I didn't earn anything this time last year. Now I have some money to spend, so why not? I just read last night from Mr Fredward's book: what use is there to save up all those money, without actually spending and enjoying them? That is totally true, I think, although some amount of saving is definitely needed =) I'm still young, I can enjoy life a little, right?

BUT!!! I need to remember, I have French test on 20th of October. So, no playing until then. And how good is that? I will be liberated that day, free to enjoy the remaining of my birthday =D (Barring work pressures LOL)

Trips trips trips

2010-10-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

Whoa, long time I haven't updated my blog. I'm amazed at how frequent I blogged in September.

First up, Shanghai trip next week! From Monday to Friday. Although it's a business trip, which is quite packed with briefings, meetings, conferences, etc, I am still looking forward to it =D I think we will get to travel to Zhouzhuang during one of the free tours arranged by the inviter. Whee, I can finally replace my sad broken comb =D

After that it would be data period. Which will be quite hectic, especially since I haven't finished my classifications. Not even close to finishing it, really. Sigh. I guess I will have to work night in Shanghai.

After data, it would be the portals again, and also another report coming out, which I have to start earlier to make room for...

UK TRIP!!!

And my first ever official work leave =D (not counting that graduation ceremony...)

I've finally sorted some of the accommodations and train stuff, and the trip is finally taking shape. At least there are some solid proof. Although I have yet to apply for the visa, which could be very troublesome. First of all, I'm not even sure I qualify for a business visa, since my non-business days far outnumber the business days. Crossing my fingers though.

I'm going to stay at Inverness for two days. Others are like, "WTF, what are you going to do at Inverness?!". But heck, if I'm going for the weather, I might as well go as north as possible. And hang out with Nessie =) And the hotel that I book looks quite nice, so I'm looking forward to that, even though there was another cheaper accommodation available. But heck, ambiance wins hands down.

The London accommodation is pretty much standard. Anyway I'll be there for only a day, I don't really mind. The painful thing was looking for a place that offer private single ensuite T_T That was not easy... and cheap...

The rest of the days I will stay with my sister, because I can save a lot of money. I've done some budgeting... and the whole trip (minus the already paid-for air ticket) would cost me from GBP 1200-1700, and that included a very generous budget for shopping (IMO, anyway). That's not too bad, I think.

Allahu Akbar

2010-10-03T23:34:00.000+08:00

If you are Muslim and religious, turn away now because this post may be insulting.

I suddenly became very nostalgic about the Islamic prayer song, Allahu Akbar, because when I was younger I used to listen to that every day, and sometimes more than once a day, really. I wasn't a fan of it of course, whenever the song plays, all TV shows are stopped so it was kind of annoying.

But just now, I was trying to sing a song in weird runs, and I was suddenly reminded of this song. And I unleashed the power of YouTube to find it.

Based on singing powers, I think the guy singing it is a really good singer. Think about it, most of the lines are REALLY long, and he does all kinds of runs up and down, and not once he takes a breather during the lines.

And also, I thought the song feels really peaceful, although kind of slow. My sister was in the room when I played that song, and she stared at me with WTF eyes. Hahaha. I guess this was totally random. But it was nice hearing that song again after a long, long time.

No I am not going to convert or anything. I am too into monsters, games, unclean stuff to be following any religion, really =)

Pokemon Best Wishes Anime

2010-10-03T22:45:00.001+08:00

OK so I finally watched it, although I still refuse to watch the last 2 episodes of DP. Oh I just realized, when shortened, Best Wishes becomes BW, which also stands for Black and White, the latest game versions. And also, the イッシュ (Isshu) in ウィッシュ (Wish from Wishes) stands for the Isshu region Satoshi is travelling now. Nice play on words.

In the first episode, we got to see the shadow of Zekrom. Which was awesome, but was really super random =_= Why does a Zekrom suddenly appear out of nowhere to attack Satoshi's Pikachu no less? Then we were introduced to the three starters. I still think Pokabu is quite ugly, but I'm becoming more fond of Tsutarja (especially its final evolved form is pretty kick-ass) and Mijumaru (based solely on Satoshi's). Kibago is pretty cute too, I can't wait to see it battle. Shikijika is also pretty cute, and so is the Meguroko. Still crossing my fingers for Satoshi to catch one - a Ground/Dark type, that ought to be awesome.

Oh and Satoshi had his first battle, but lost because Pikachu couldn't use electric attacks because of Zekrom. Then again, against Tsutarja, electric attacks wouldn't do much. I still wonder, Pikachu technically should be at level 100 based on experience (4 regions + 1 battle frontier!), and when Pikachu fires that Thunderbolt against the Mamepato, which should be less than level 5, the Mamepato should very well be fried bird. Then again, the anime doesn't take into account time, because Satoshi is STILL 10 years old, even after travelling through 5 regions, which should take about one year each. And Satoshi doesn't learn anything, he becomes stupid again whenever he starts a new journey, although I blame that on the writers who want to accommodate the newcomers to the Pokemon world. Ah well.

But to be honest, it's still good fun. The part where Mijumaru threw Pikachu off Satoshi's shoulder is epic. Mijumaru won major amounts of affection points from me because of that. And then Kibago too when it shared the apple with Pikachu, and went to soak in the sand like the rest =D Iris is still quite annoying, but she is not too bad, I guess. Although I am looking forward to seeing Dento.

Yay, now there are things to look forward to again every week =)

Loves Pokemon.

And I'm 3 badges down on Black. I must say, I love that creepy mysterious opening, and now I am wishing that Pokemon is a dating game, because N is quite hot XD (at least if we opted for the female player, or it would be super wrong, considering Pokemon's intended audience). I mean, at the current city, there was one part where N invited the player to ride the Ferris Wheel with him, how romantic is that?!

And I've decided to ditch Victiny. Victiny is good, and it has Mew-like stats, but I guess I don't feel right using a legendary in my main team. I can deal with pseudo-legendaries like Gabrias and Kairyuu, but legendary feels like cheating. ANYWAY, I found Shinpora, which is a Psychic/Flying type. Victiny is a Psychic/Fire type, but I've decided I want a Chandeler, which is a Ghost/Fire type. So type-wise, no need for Victiny anyway.

So currently my team is... Dageki (Fighting, Physical Attacker), Hahakomori (Bug/Grass, Physical Attacker... sort of, but maybe I will have it defend as well), Shinpora (Psychic/Flying, Special Attacker and I will train its defenses if possible. After all, I do not have the luxury of items I had back in Soul Silver =(). But I like that now TM's have infinite usage. So I can make everybody learn Earthquake or Psychic or Flamethrower if I want to =D

That's three for now. I don't fancy having so many Pokemon so early in the game anyway. I've ditched the starter Mijumaru. I actually wanted to restart and choose Tsutarja instead, but the game only allows me to make one save file. What the f**k?! I guess it has something to do with the Internet integration C-gear stuff. And I don't really like the menu interface. I liked the Soul Silver one, where I just had to tap something to go to the menu, and the running shoes can be equipped automatically. Now I have to press a button to bring up a menu, keep pressing B to run, and worse, when I am in dowsing mode I have to exit, then press the menu button for the menu. That is not a very good thinking, Nintendo!

The other 3 for the main team I haven't really decided. But I'm pretty sure I want Chandeler (Ghost/Fire, Special Attacker), Doryuuzu (Ground/Steel, Physical Attacker), and the last one probably Monozu-Jiheddo-Sazandra (Dragon/Dark, Special/Mixed Attacker) or Kibago/Onondo/Ononokosu (Dragon), although I'm leaning more towards Sazandra, because it can learn Naminori (Surf) - and I do not have another water pokemon in that mix, because almost all of them sucks. Okay, all of them, actually, even the starter =( But I can only capture Monozu in the victory road T_T Cries. And it evolves to Sazandra at level 64. Double cries TT_TT

Anyway, I thought that should be a pretty good mix.

Dageki - Fighting
Hahakomori - Bug/Grass
Doryuuzu - Ground/Steel
Chandeler - Ghost/Fire
Shinpora - Psychic/Flying
Sazandra - Dragon/Dark

I LOVE dual-types, and I have all the Psychic/Fighting/Dark/Ghost/Dragon combo I love in there =D

Pokemon black (5th gen) first feel

2010-09-30T14:01:00.001+08:00

My game has finally arrived 2 days ago! So happy =) But anyway, got right down to business. The starters are still as ugly as I thought. But Tsutarja admittedly has a very cool final evolution so that's a big relief. Maybe the anime can help redeem some of them. Legendaries are okay-ish, nothing as awesome as latios, regis, dogs, birds, all of the 4th gen legendaries... Although the water fighting quadruped looks interesting enough, and also the fujin raijin lookalike. The main legendaries are not bad though. Zekrom looks very badass and Reshiram is very beautiful, which got me to choose black over white in the first place. Miles better than groudon and kyogre.

The dragon pokemon are okayish. Ononokosu looks badass enough with plenty of attack power. And the other one with high p attack looks cool too. The awful thing is there is no good water pokemon, not at all, even the water starter sucks. I miss my Milokaross. Most of the pokemon doesn't look that great, some are okay, but haih, well...

The graphics and effects are very pretty though, so I like that. The battle animations have also changed, it's more dynamic now. But I think some are not that necessary like zooming in on the enemy and such. But I don't know, I haven't been in a triple battle yet.

The music was changed a lot too. I like the current music =)

Though I really need to finish my report first. Ganbatte, me!

The appalling and opportunistic ways of Verizon Wireless - Google please kick them in the a** or something!

2010-09-27T18:13:00.000+08:00

I read a while back that Google's good-hearted open-source nature will stab it in the back because it is too open. And it was right. The recent actions by some partners, most notably Verizon Wireless, is downright opportunistic and ugly at best. Obviously, I'm pro-Google.

Verizon Wireless has enjoyed a significant smart phone sales even with the popular iPhones offered exclusively by AT&T, thanks solely to the smart phone offerings bearing the Android platform. Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, to name a few.

And while Verizon should be licking Google's feet like anything, they decided to go another way and stab Google in the back, in many ways, and most importantly, in a way that hurts the most: Search.

Their version of Samsung Galaxy S, called the Fascinate, which is obviously sporting Android 2.1, has been so modified that Bing (from Microsoft) has been locked as the default search engine. Like, WTF? Bing on a Google phone?! I think that is just so malicious I've lost all respect for what is supposed to be the largest operator in the US.

Apart from that, they have also replaced Google Maps with Microsoft's stuff (I'm not even bothered to learn the name of that) and removed most of the Google apps, I believe. While other operators have been adding their own crapwares onto Android phones, Verizon is taking things to a whole new level.

Now, I'm all for US customers rooting their Android phones. WTF does Verizon think it is to dictate what should or should not be in a phone that is lauded for its, ironically, openness.

I empathize with Google so much. There's not much they can do while upholding their open-source promises. And while they can't lock down their OS as much as Apple and possible the new Windows Phone 7, I wish they would, just a little, at least to show these opportunistic bastards that they shouldn't mess with Google and its Android, essentially their only fighting chance against Apple (at least for now - while Symbian is more or less flat-lining, WP7 looks promising enough, although their ads so far are quite meaningless...).

Targets this week

2010-09-24T18:27:00.000+08:00

Weekend!!!

1. Make amendments to the qualitative parts of the reports. I'll leave the figures and the slide for monday because I need the double screen for those.

2. Finish French assignments. 2 essays. @_@ Dies.

3. Finish Muramasa, at least the main story.

4. Half of Mikan Jirou chapter 2. Or at least 10 pages.

New kids presentations, almost-there report, and awesome trailers

2010-09-23T21:10:00.000+08:00

New research analyst for my company needed, and yesterday and today there were 2 presentations by 2 candidates. Suddenly I'm so nostalgic, remembering how I just went through the exact same process 5 months ago =) Yesterday's candidate was an SMU graduate girl. Her slides were very good, and she impressed me with printing out slides and her resume for everyone present beforehand. And she presents very confidently. That's SMU student for you. I didn't print out anything. My slides were overtly simple. And I don't think I do presentations well. Hmm... now I'm second-guessing myself. Why was I hired again, I wonder? Anyway, it was all good, but I don't really like the way she handled the Q&A because she never seemed to answer the questions asked and went on to talk about WTH things.

The guy today was a Korean guy. I don't know his background at all though. At first he was reading from the slides, and I was like WTF. But after the second slides he wasn't reading at all =D He has a bit of Korean accent but his English is still good so it was ok. His slides were simpler than the first girl, but I thought they were still ok. The presentation was kind of short though. But I liked how he answered questions. He actually answered the questions. I mean, if he gets some stuff wrong, it's ok, since that's totally acceptable anyway. But at least he gives his opinions and such, so yeah, I was pleased with that. And come on, our office needs more guys. And I support this Korean because, then he can help us navigate all the stupid Korean sites!!!

Well, there's one more presentation to look at, and it seems the bosses liked this girl a lot from her first interview, so we'll see.

And today, I finished my first draft of my report! Finally!! CCP mentioned how big an achievement that is, to finish my first report =) But I doubt it's final, I probably will have to make a lot of changes after the first review. But still, at least I'm hopeful I can finish it next week =D Banzai!!

And I saw the new Harry Potter trailer today. Drooled over it. OMG it's like so awesome. I can't wait for November 19, or perhaps 18 in Singapore. So I'll watch that before flying off, watch it another time with my sister in UK, maybe watch it again with the colleagues. We were all very excited about Harry Potter coming out (well, 3 of us anyway) after CCh became curious about the countdown (to Harry Potter release) that I put in my MSN status. Harry Potter FTW! November can't come sooner =( July 2011 is even more dreadful =(((

Difficult translations

2010-09-22T00:36:00.000+08:00

I'm a part-time volunteer translator, for mangas anyway. For some reason, I always get projects that are very very difficult to do. Mangas have 2 types: with furigana or without furigana. The ones with furigana are generally easier, because it means they're meant for the younger audience in the first place.

The projects I have been involved with:
1. Revaival (No furigana, translation) - Revaival is the monster of all translations T_T It has no furigana, it has a humongous amount of text, a boatload of Kanji to top it off, and a lot of the phrases are so cryptic I want to kill myself over them sometimes.

2. Tokaido Hisame (Furigana, translation and proofreading) - This should be easy because of the furigana, but NO! It has a lot of text, and worse, it has many ancient Japan-related terms and phrases, so I have to google a lot while translating. Also, it has many magic spells and summons that are just so confusing to translate (and not to mention awkward! "I summon thee, White Dragon King" just doesn't have the same impact as the Japanese counterpart...).

3. FLAT (No furigana, translation and proofreading) - Considering one of the 2 protagonists is a 6 year old, you would expect this to be a piece of cake, but NO! It has a lot of text as well (seems to be common with my projects, where did all the smutty textless mangas go?), but other than that, it's not that bad, really. Except the writer likes to handwrite things, so many times it's very difficult to decipher =_=

4. Mikan Jirou (No furigana, translation) - Also a boatload of text. And a whole lot of SFXes, which I usually don't do, so it's not too bad, but it's kinda annoying. The Kanji is really not too difficult. But it really has a lot of text in there =_=

Well those are the major ones anyway. Did some one-off stuff. I guess I haven't been a very good translator LOL. 2 years. Well, to be fair, translating the 5 chapters of Revaival took me a really long time, and for good reason. Nobody else wanted to translate it (or was deemed capable enough LOL at that time anyway, when there were only a handful of Japanese translators. I'm sure now there are others who would find Revaival easy).

But when I'm really into it, I really enjoy translation =) Especially Kinky seems to always give me the good ones, Thanks, Kinky-dear!

What to buy for new room

2010-09-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

Reality check: so it seems I'm going to be moving house again, and this time will join my sister and her husband-to-be. And I'm going to get my own room! An unfurnished one... so I'm going to furniture-hunt!

1. Bed - Either a nice futon, or just a simple mattress will do I think. Not a big fan of fancy big beds, especially since my fate is yet to be determined. Estimated 100-200.

2. Wardrobe - This is going to be tricky since I can't buy from Ikea because I would have to assemble the whole thing myself. I draw my line at bookshelf. Estimated 150-200.

3. (Another) Bookshelf - Yes, I have a lot of books, and they will require more than one bookshelf so I will have to get another one. Estimated cost 60-100.

4. Small table(s) - for laptop, for meals/coffee breaks. Estimated 50-100.

5. Cushions - to accompany the table. Estimated 30-80.

6. Simple TV rack/table with compartments - for TV and my consoles, obviously. Estimated 100-150.

7. The TV - still question mark. But I probably would go for a simple 29-32 inchers. HD or not remains in question. Or I might get the current TV. We'll see what my sister and her HTB decide. If, let's say, my sister and HTB decide to get a HDTV for the living room (which calls into question the viability of the living room as a media room), I'll probably buy the PS3 =P

That should be about it. Everything shouldn't be more than 1800, preferrably 1200, or it wouldn't justify the non-furnished contract. Based on the above, I'd say I'm doing OK. I can even get a 600 dollar TV if all the rest are at the low end of my estimation.

Michiyuki - Lyrics and Translation

2010-09-19T14:18:00.000+08:00

Suddenly I want to do a translation for this song. Well, not suddenly, I've been watching Loveless today, and my love for this song is re-ignited.

Michiyuki
From Loveless
By Hikida Kaori

切なさの限りまで抱きしめても
いつまでもひとつにはなれなくて
優しさより深い場所で触れ合うのは痛みだけ
二人を結んで下さい

僕らはもう夢を見ない
とまどいながら手をとって
残酷な夜明けの方へ歩き出す

本当の言葉はきっと
本当の世界のどこか
僕らの無口な夜に潜んでる
今もきっと

寂しさを知るために出会うのだと
口ずけを交わすまで知らなくて
それでも今君と会えた
喜びにふるえている
心を支えて下さい

僕らはもう夢を見ない
暖かい場所へ逃げない
残酷な夜明けをきっと
超えてゆく

諦めてたその静けさ
本当の言葉はきっと
愛し傷つけあうために
探し出す
いつかきっと

切なさの限りまで抱きしめても
いつまでもひとつにはなれなくて
夜明け前の冷たい星
二人だけのミチユキを
どうか照らして下さい

Even if we hold each other until the limits of pain, we can't ever become one.
To touch each other in a place deeper than kindness will only bring pain.
Please　bind the two of us together...

We won't dream anymore. Holding each other's hands hesitantly, we'll walk towards the cruel dawn.

I'm sure the real words are hidden somewhere in this world, somewhere within our wordless nights. Even now, I'm sure.

We met in order to know what loneliness is, but we won't know that until we exchange a kiss.
But still, now that I've met you, I'm trembling with happiness.
Please support my heart...

We won't dream anymore. We won't run away to that warm place. I'm sure we'll overcome that cruel dawn.

I'm sure that the silence that was given up means that the real words are meant to find out what it means to love and hurt each other.
Someday, I'm sure...

Even if we hold each other until the limits of pain, we can't ever become one.
O, cold stars right before dawn, please light up the path for the two of us.

------------- Translation ends here ---------------

Hmm... I don't think the translation differs much from the already available translation. But this song is so... I don't know the english word for this, but 切ない... Painful, but touching, or something like that.

More religion madness

2010-09-18T21:08:00.000+08:00

Recently, two pastors from a catholic church were attacked by the local muslims, who apparently do not want there to be a church (service) in that area. One of the pastors was stabbed and the other injured, though not as bad.

In US, there were the threats of Koran burning. Luckily it was stopped, at least the famous one. I think there were still some minor Koran burnings in some extreme Islamophobic states. And then the mosque that is supposed to be opened near the WTC caused more controversies. And the tension over in US reverberates everywhere else, igniting all the violence.

Oh dear God, is religion really worth all the fighting?

Notice how I no longer capitalize catholic, and muslim. They don't even deserve to be capitalized.

Muramasa The Demon Blade

2010-09-16T02:20:00.000+08:00

Bought the game 2 weeks ago, and it just got delivered yesterday. It took my everything not to play the game immediately yesterday, since I had to get up early to prepare stuff. But today I can no longer hold back.

At first I was a bit disappointed at the 2D format of the game. 10 minutes into the game, I forgot the game was 2D. It doesn't even matter, it's brilliant!

First, the graphics are just lovely. Albeit it's not FF13 standard, obviously, but the colours jump out of the screen and is very pleasing for the eyes. Although the characters are anime-style, the environment is really good.

Music-wise, I'm not too sure. I've only played the game 3 hours (supposed to be a teaser half-an-hour kind of play today, actually) and I had to mute it for the better part of that 3 hours. But from what I heard it was ok, at least it was very appropriate for the theme.

The battle is basically the hack and slash type, although slightly more variety of attacks and weapons. Then again, I've only played Sengoku Basara so that's my only point of reference. Compared to that the battle system is harder, but the non-3D makes it easier.

I'm still not sure what the story is about, but the US game retained the Japanese voices, with English subtitles which I am very pleased about.

All in all, a very pleasant surprise. No wonder it was named one of the best games in 2009. And I got it at a bargain price. Sweet~

Oh, I just saw this game Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It's a survival horror, and from the trailers and gameplays it's really really scary. I want to play!!! But it's PC-based game. Meh... My laptop fulfills the requirements... but I doubt it can perform =(

How Indonesia can screw Malaysia without going to war

2010-09-15T00:02:00.001+08:00

I just thought of something that Indonesia can actually use to screw over Malaysia: Provide a safe haven and promise a fair treatment for all the Malaysian Chinese. Possibly offer them citizenship. I mean, I've been hearing about the unfairness that the minority races face in Malaysia as compared to the more ethnic race... so this seems like a good idea.

What difference would it make to Indonesia to add 4-5 more million citizens to its 240+ and growing population. They have a lot of land to spare...

But take away that 4-5 million from Malaysia, and that's probably half of the country's wealth... and we will see Malaysia slowly wither and die (assuming status quo, meaning, no additional foreign investments, etc...). So this is actually a brilliant idea.

But of course, no sane Malaysian is going to take up an Indonesian citizenship, unless it becomes really really unbearable living in Malaysia.

But still, it's nice to have a solution to something without going to war =D

I mean... what's the point of war again? 240+ million Indonesians versus 20+ million Malaysians? Fine, take away the Chinese who wouldn't want to go to war. 200+ millions versus 15 million-ish Malaysians. And come on... Malaysians are not Japanese... (neither are Indonesians, but at least they have the numbers on their side...).

Of course, on the other hand, if Malaysia want to screw over Indonesia, just provoke Indonesia into a war. Bleeding economy, multiple terrorism attacks, haemorrhaging economy, dead Indonesia.

Come to think of it, some of the most notorious terrorists are from Malaysia. Like that one who blew up the hotel(s) in Indonesia... my God, the nerve... Blow up things in your country, can? Stupid (just metaphorically though) asshole!

Moral of the lesson: Malaysia needs to start appreciating its Chinese population, yea? AND STOP BOMBING OTHER COUNTRIES!

Wishlist for birthday

2010-09-14T23:35:00.000+08:00

It is almost a month to my birthday. I'm considering what to get myself for my birthday... or what I can try to convince other people to get for me haha.

1. The new Kindle (Wi-Fi only)! I so want an e-book reader! And the new Kindle is thin and light, and it looks like it's a very good product. Unfortunately I can't buy it off Amazon and ship it here =( Wish there was someone in the US who can buy this for me and ship it here (or UK)... Well, I can probably go for the Sony E-book reader. But it's quite a bit more expensive, and feature-wise it's pretty much the same.

2. ....

Ehh... apparently there's only one thing I want. Well, I want a proper Android tablet (read Samsung Tab or that sweetness from Toshiba), but that's probably too expensive, and I doubt I'll be playing the games much seeing that I have my lovely PSP and NDSes (thus, the ebook reader).

I think my parents just got me a watch from Europe... not sure why they got it for me, seeing I never wear a watch (in front of them, anyway). Ok, that's probably why they got it for me LOL. It's true though, I don't have a proper watch, which is quite pathetic. My watch right now is a second-hand out-of-pity donation from my sister. But anyway, I guess I can let them off this birthday hahaha.

Come to think of it, I still owe a lot of people first salary treats. Sigh. Except Kok Whei. If he ever comes back I would so happily treat him. Now I'm getting off topic.

I always thought that I'll ask for Pokemon Black or White which is due out this Saturday for my birthday. But I just preordered it 2 hours ago because I can't possibly wait that long for that sweet game. So that's scrapped, obviously. Well, I bought Black... so if anybody wants to get me White... that's probably pretty wasteful though.

Last year, I got 2 things: a G2000 jacket, which I am so going to bring to the UK this November, and Fatal Frame 4 which is so awesome I have played it 3 times (or 4?) up to the hard mode. Still considering whether to play the final nightmare mode. Maybe if I have time =)

Oooh, I just signed up for another class. This time Japanese, although I'm still in the waitlist. So I will have classes for 3 days in a week. Which is probably too much, seeing that I am constantly tired nowadays after I started my French classes. But ah well, if I don't start doing it, I probably never will. And I only have just less than 3 years to be very competent in my Japanese, so that needs to be done.

3 years... I wonder how things will really turn out then. Will I, as I currently hope, be able to get a job in Japan, move and live there, and hopefully settle down there? Will I go to another country? Will I go back home? Or will I be stuck here? I can only really think of the location for now, because some other things usually just happen, so there's not much use planning them.

Hmm... I just wrote a 550 word article in less than 20 minutes. Albeit it's mostly nonsense. I wonder how many days (or *gasps* weeks) I will take to write my report which should be about 900 words. T_T Well, at least I made some good progress today =D At least the mini boss was okay with it =)

If you were a car, what would it be?

2010-09-14T12:48:00.000+08:00

Last week, this question came about last week during dinner. I was told that this was one of the interview questions my colleague came up with during recruitment.

My immediate thought was... BATMOBILE! At least, if I am allowed to use fictional cars =P My argument is that the batmobile is equipped with a boatload of functions, and can adjust its abilities accordingly, which is one trait I hope to nurture. LOL.

I thought that was a pretty good answer. It turns out the interviewer just wanted to see if the interviewee can actually come up with an answer and an argument. So it doesn't matter if you have said Mazda RX9 because it's awesome like me, or something like that. But hey, where's the fun in that?

This morning, I got another one. A TAXI! It's like me, in a way that I welcome people of all kinds (to build relationships, etc, that's very important in jobs), and turn that relationship into something valuable (could use profitable but it seems to opportunistic), just like a taxi =)

Wonder what kind of creative answers people can come up with under interview pressure.

Uber sleepiness

2010-09-13T16:59:00.000+08:00

In the office... suffering from CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome)... or just plain sleepy, since I watched Pokemon until 3 last night =P

MAN, the battle was epic. Except the last part was so predictable. But I was hoping Shinji would use his normal Pokemon, like Dodaitoise, Ringuma, Booburn... Instead we were treated to a slew of bug Pokemon of his + Elekibl and Yukimenoko. Though that Drapion is a beast like Ringuma. But still, awesome epic battle.

I need to WAKE UP!!!

Sinnoh League Suzuran Taikai: No idea what I've been missing

2010-09-13T02:04:00.000+08:00

I've just watched some episodes of DP, thereby slowly overcoming my newfound phobia, most probably will overcome it in one go hahaha. And apparently, I have no idea what I've been missing (and what I WILL be missing).

MAN, the third round matches were so awesome! Shinji vs Jun was awesome, but it was quite sadistic, the way Shinji annihilated Jun like that. Jun isn't a bad trainer, but I guess Shinji was too overwhelming for him =( But still, awesome battle. That Emperte is quite tough, although that last pose was so touching, lucky it didn't die. Usually in dramatic movies, when the fighter fights to the last and receive the finishing blow and still standing, the fighter usually dies. I guess that's a tad too cruel for Pokemon.

Kouhei vs Satoshi's battle was even more awesome!! He unexpectedly used a significantly-powered-up Yorunozuku, a pretty useless Donphan, and FUKAMARU!!! And Fukamaru won 2 matches! Against the uber-annoying Tsubotsubo, and an equally annoying Yonoir. And its wins were so epic! Especially when it chomped on Tsubotsubo's Gyro Ball like that LOL. Awesomeness!! I am just so in love with this Fukamaru. It's so sad it came to the show so late, and will be dismissed after this. T_T At least this was a proper send-off for Fukamaru. Fukamaru was used again in the match (read annihilation) against Takuto. Draco Meteor rules! Please let Satoshi have another awesome dragon Pokemon in the new season. Or better yet, just bring that bloody Fukamaru along!!!!

I haven't watched Satoshi's match against Shinji yet. 3 episodes long, that's gotta be awesome.

I've kind of fast forwarded the match against Takuto. Man, it was brutal. And it's so annoying! 2 legendaries?! Fuck it. The only redeeming point was that Jukain made an honorable appearance.

I am still not looking forward to the new season, even with all the revealed Pokemon (read. ugliness). But I won't have a choice anyway. DP has brought my pokemon fanatism to the max, and it won't be brought down anytime soon.

Just for fun, my top 10 favorites out of Satoshi's pokemon, or perhaps some of the main characters:
1. Jukain!!!
2. Hikozaru-Goukazaru!!
3. Fukamaru =D
4. Pikachu (well, he just has to be here, eh?)
5. Zenigame =)
6. Kabigon
7. After the extreme buffs, Yorunozuku =D it is the prettiest out of all the birds he has

The rest is pretty much up for grabs =) It's not like Satoshi has that many Pokemon LOL. But look, how awesome is that 2 of the DP pokemon makes it into the top 3!! I mean, nothing can beat Jukain because it is pure awesomeness, but I would say the top 3 are really really close =) I love them all! And really, only the top 3 is in descending order. The rest is not.

Pokemon Best Wishes Initial Impression

2010-09-12T12:24:00.000+08:00

Is not a good one, I tell ya.

Apart from the 2 legendaries, Reshiram and Zekrom, the new pokemon revealed so far are downright ugly =( Nothing that appeals to me like Hikozaru or Pochama, and definitely no Riolu/Lucario level of coolness. But then, there are still about 130+ pokemon to be revealed, and anything goes. But by the level of design shown for what have been revealed, I really don't expect much =(

The characters aren't that interesting as well. I am really upset over Hikari's departure. But I guess Iris deserves a shot. But OMG, what the f*** is wrong with her hair?! The gym leader guy looks interesting enough, but I'm not sure if he'll be travelling with them permanently. The new rival guy looks like a carbon copy of Shinji, though not half as cool =( I like Shinji... as a rival, at least.

And why is it the first episode of the series always involves something bad happening to Pikachu? I mean, I know Pikachu is the only pokemon Satoshi brings then... but at least in DP things were handled differently, which was nice.

I guess I'm just complaining too much. Hope the legendaries are incorporated to the story enough to compensate for the complete lack of badass-ness from the normal Pokemon (at least what's shown so far).

I wonder why the Pokemon Company aims more to appeal to new market, and by that, I mean kids who turn 10 every year, rather than ensuring that fans remain loyal to the series? I'm sure the current fan base is much larger than the newly 10 year olds. And it's not like they need to watch the whole series to understand the whole point of Pokemon. It's easy for them to start watching: throw in some cute Pokemon, some good battles, some comical moments, and voila! But for us older fans, it's harder to appeal to. I wish the company would just rethink their strategy a little. I mean, how many more annoying defeats at the league can we stand before we start getting sick of the series entirely? I know I am starting to get annoyed, especially because of the Darkrai thing. Just how unfair is that?!