Droideka

The Samsung Galaxy S. Hailed as one of the best android phones around. With a processor out to kill.

When the time came to renew my plan, I was initially thinking of getting a Blackberry, but eventually I was... convinced to get the Galaxy S instead after hearing that blackberry accessories are some of the most pricey around, since the price plans cost about the same anyway.

But it kind of slipped my mind that for the same monthly figures the purchase price of the iPhone 3GS would be 50 bucks cheaper than the Galaxy S.

ANYWAY...

So here I am, with my first ever Android phone. So far I'm happy with the whole experience.

The lag was minimal, and happened solely during loading times (sometimes even while loading messages), and none for the animation and transitions.

A certain web review pointed out a few 'bugs', one of those being the contact list showing both contacts from SIM and phone after the SIM contacts transfer, but I found out all you need to do is go to the settings, and uncheck some checkboxes :)

One rather serious 'bug', whose occurence I can't replicate, unfortunately, was that the SMS text box sometimes "remembers" the intended recipient even after I've switched to a separate SMS thread, so I ended up sending a message to the wrong person. Since this error wasn't reproducible it might not have been a bug, but instead the product of my own first-time-user folly.

Thank God it wasn't a message to my girlfriend.

After frequent 'trips' to the Android Market, here are some of the apps I've downloaded so far that I'm completely happy with.

Paper Toss. OK maybe I just wanted to feel like an iPhone user at that particular moment... anyway, this popular app works just as well with the Galaxy S, with zero lag.

BatteryTime Lite. One-stop app for all the info you need on what exactly is going on with your battery now, since the user interface of the Galaxy doesn't present me with a way to find out even the percentage of my battery life I have left.

The brilliant part is that it can run as an ongoing application so the battery life is ever present on my status bar. Then again this might have consumed a little more of my battery in the process, but I never bothered to find out :)

Facebook for Android. Nuff' said.

Smooth Calendar. True to it's name, this is one smooth app. It shows as a widget on the main screen. Compared to Samsung's very own Daily Briefing widget, this baby occupies less space and pulls a lot more information from my calendar. Less is more.

Sticky Note. How I missed the days of ol' school Sony Ericsson where I was actually allowed to post notes on my home screen. With this app I can do just that. A small post-it carrying the title as an icon on my home screen, maximising to show the contents of the note upon a tap.

Best is, I can post multiple notes at the same time. Useful!

Scientific Calculator. You need this when you're dating a Maths Major. Or so I thought :)

Yahoo! Mail for Android. I can now manage my campus fellowship's official email account on the go. And the UI is not too bad!

The Straits Times. Works and loads a lot better than the Channel NewsAsia app I tried downloading before this.

SG Buses. My Iris clone army :D Allows bookmarking of bus stops and buses. Asking Iris no longer seems a chore.

Jsandbox. Japanese input program. Comments on the Android Market says it's useless and it needs kanji input. Turns out it's both useful and can input kanji. All this app needs is for an instruction manual to come with it, because I only figured out how to use it at the very moment before I gave up.

Thrilled that I can finally type messages in Japanese!

Chio slip-ons

The looooong wait at Science CBLC these days due to the supersized lecture notes prepared by lecturers who paste high-res pictures like no-one's business.

And my 2-page tutorial is finally out.

During which I grew bored and looked online for slip-ons to feed my fantasies, and indeed I have found some of note :)

the Supra Cuban Black. It's the bling, seriously.

DVS El Gringo. Smooth.

Match

Damn Chapter 13! Damn Equilibrium!

Tml I shall squeeze-dry Huachuan's Organic Chem expertise LOL.

I've always been looking for a suitable alternative to my black Timex watch (to match my T-shirt + loose-fit cargo berms) and my sliver Adidas analogue watch (to match my shirts). Up till now I've been settling for wearing my silver watch when I'm wearing T-shirt + Jeans, but there's gotta be a better option. One fine evening, looking around on the MRT, I found my answer.

Got it this afternoon :D

Chemistry

What happens when a chemist buys a new water bottle?

Cool. Such a turn-on. Go google hexagonal water. I can only wonder how much the turnover is for the catalytic inner coating. That's something which cannot be easily found out by titration...

Bites

I want one of this.

I've decided to invest on nice headgears recently, and the easily identifiable Domo-kun might make a nice addition to the collection. Hmm...

Tomatography

I can't tell you how much I love tomatoes.

Tough love, that's what they call it.

"我已不能多爱你一些~"

Revenge of the Splurge

I regret to inform you (yeah right), that

.

What with my recent purchases of

The Force Unleashed, for PSP

Yeah that same bag

Audio Technica ATH-SJ1 headset

iPod Classic, 120GB

The Splurge has begun, indeed!

New

"Wow, neeewwww bass ah?"

Yeah, I was at the Yamaha Clearance Sale with Kelvin, who intended to buy the DT Express electric drum set (only one in stock, offered at a damn good price!). Kelvin was saying that there'll be people queueing there damn early, so we'd better be there about-

3 a.m.

"Siao ah?"

Not really. The moment we reached there we're surprised to actually find-

people.

The guy in the first place had been there since 4 p.m. the previous day. All right the drum set's yours. You deserved it.

It wasn't that bad actually... Kelvin and I got 5th and 6th place respectively, behind a few guys from NUS Kent Ridge Hall and an ex-TJCian.

The original plan was that he'll get the drum set and I'll get something I can resell and make a profit.

Plan B? We've already been pushed to Plan Z!

Which more or less translated as random grab. And I was so all over that emo song I was listening to, I almost decided on a set of bongo drums.

In the end Kelvin got the Yamaha S08, a synthesizer with semi-weighted keys. I got a bass guitar, a Fernandes FRB-40 at $400. Considering its usual price of over $900, it's indeed quite a good deal!

Cool, huh?

~

I finally got my new specs!

This time I decided to go for a thick-rimmed frame. Kai Guan's first reaction was that it might look obiang, but I think that's the result of the media's over-stereotyping.

Usually in movies or dramas people on the geekish side will be seen wearing thick rims but, well I'd say that's actually a lousy way of character development. Much like Shana's "Urusai Urusai Urusai!!!".

But I digress.

I reckoned that thick rims can actually make my face look less plain. I don't exactly have very sharp facial features, so frames on the verge of invisibility probably won't help much.

Retail Therapy: Dec 07

Isaiah (Level 25) is on a SHOPPING SPREE!!!

Again.

This time, I was going by Peace Centre to get my keyboard soft case since they're having a Christmas sale at City Music.

It's indeed the case for the X-50. It fits snugly.

A trip to Peace Centre means a trip to Sunshine Plaza across the street as well. Duh. Got some Eva figurines there, and ran into Kwok Onn at Nandemoya. The number of Anime shops there have decreased to such an extent, I think Sunshine Plaza has already lost it's uniqueness.

~

They say God helps those who help themselves. The wiser few say God helps those who help others. The latter's probably right.

Dropped by Funan to pick up the X-mini portable speaker for Jon (one for him and one more for Peng's ORD gift). It's really selling like hot cakes as it has a very mature and trendy design compared to most portable speakers. Ended up picking up loads of other good shit. Happy treasure hunting.

My own X-mini connected to my iPod-

"Black?"

Yes... my, erm, black iPod Nano... haha-

"Something's amiss. The click wheel!"

Ah yes yes... it's still my good ole' 4GB Nano... with a new case!

Meet my iPoser!

Not bad... it's quite a good case compared to my $10 one, flush-fitting and all. Just that the stupid finish makes it look like that fake iPod we see on the market nowadays... remember, mine is original iPod OK? Got cover flow some more haha!

Got to thank Chris for introducing the X-mini to us.

~

Besides that I found a good silicone case for my DS!

Original product huh!

~

Was helping Kai Guan look for Hero DVD (he loved the drama after I lent it to him!) and at the same time I found the DVD for Hana Yori Dango 1. A rare find as they now package the 2 seasons together, but I want to buy season 1 first to make sure it's good before I buy the 2nd season.

And yes, Hana Yori Dango is your "Meteor Garden".

I reckon it will be good. Watching Hana Kimi Jap version taught me a lesson: The Japs can do their own versions of f___ed up Taiwanese manga-adapted idol dramas really well.

X-man

After selling my Triton LE, I finally got myself an X-50!

The reason why I wanted an X-50 was because of the light weight... it's about 4.5 kg, so it's less than half the weight of my Triton LE.

I can hold it this way! That's how light it is!

Also it was clearly a keyboard engineered for portability. I fell in love with it's trademark side handles the moment I first saw it.

The handles!

Now, easy... easy...

Ahhhh...

The piano sample is also nicer sounding than older Korg keyboards, not to mention the increased user-friendliness.

---

Bernard had quite an awesome 21st birthday celebration organised by his friends. Some of us in CPC who were in his generation were invited, and I finally got to see Jimmy, whom my (ex-) colleagues mentioned more often than not.

Along with the usual card-playing + TV watching (xiao di di won Campus Superstar!), Bernard had to do this forfeit (not exactly one, actually) where he did some of the moves he picked up from his Wushu course outside school. Took a video of it, but no stills.

Jianyuan and I got him a shirt from 77th street, which, in my opinion, suits him quite well. Took a photo of it, but it was too blurred so...

Nick was late!!! Expected lah, since there was Natsu Matsuri (Summer Fest) on the same day at the Jap School. But he came with a fish he got from the fish-scooping game which is common in Natsu Matsuri.

Hmm recently Yichuan was talking about how pets can be very healing companions when you're feeling down (he 's got a cat at home). The fish episode impressed on me that it wouldn't be too bad to keep a small fish or two at home (aren't they just cyuuute?)

After a trip to the aquarium, however, I decided that given my irregular daily schedules and my short time spent at home, I'll only get a fish after I get into Uni and if I get to stay on Campus.

---

Other snapshots of my life so far...

I was at the Army Half Marathon! I didn't run the "half marathon" though... merely 6 km.

Alphonse Elric, my new handphone companion!

I guess my favourite character in Fullmetal Alchemist has got to be Alphonse... the intimidating battle armour (a temporary housing for his soul) belies the pure and kind soul within. I once read a 4-box cartoon (official one lah duh!) on what it would be like if the short-tempered (but equally likeable) elder brother Edward was the one who lost his body (therefore needing the armour housing) instead, and it certainly wasn't a beautiful picture! Hence I appreciated this story arrangement even more.

Death Note: Retold

To date, the Death Note series has undoubtedly been the most difficult-to-read series for me. If not for my having bought the whole series at one go, I would have stopped after L died (OK I've probably been telling that to almost everyone I knew). L is my hero hahaha.

Still, with Near's "Ages 2 and up" finger puppet figurines, it's not that difficult to figure (pun intended) it out!

In the beginning there was Kira, who sought to rid the world of baddies, obviously by killing them with the Death Note

Along came L, who swore to stop him

Then came Misa, who looked up to Kira and became Kira no. 2

Together, by the power of love (so-called), they barely Pwned L

Hot on their heels were M (Mello) and N (Near), who continued in L's work

Hold on, where's Takada?

Anyway, Kira Pwned M (with the help of his L337 followers) and N took Misa out of the picture.

N (& Company) VS Kira (& Company)

Kira got "wrote off" (well, sort of)

And so, our heroes L and M got avenged!

And Misa was left without a clue...

Credits: Deathnote figurines bought from Comics Connection at bargain price! Special appearance: Isaiah's finger as, erm... N's finger

All Your Bass

"How Are You Gentlemen."

It's been a LONG time since I've touched this place... lots have happened in the midst of my blog-bernation (it's mainly Pokemon)... I've watched movies, played games, worked like a madman (actually all of us in the office are, in this period).

Goodness... the busy period is far from over.

Anyway, these days I've been taking up hobbies after hobbies... from figurine collection to badminton to music... and now I've even got myself a electric bass guitar! I got it second-hand from Kelvin's band mate, whose skills on the bass are considerably good.

Haha OK this shot is a bit "poser"... I haven't even learnt the positions of the notes yet!

Hahahahaha.....

At least, with my music background it will be less difficult to get the positioning and stuff.

I decided to pick up the bass mainly because I see a lot of significance the bass line can have in a piece of music-- a bass line properly done can give life to the song.

---

Snapshots of my life again...

Spotted this mistake in some handphone shop in Chinatown...

China Square... the figurine collector's heaven!

And my puny efforts at "photography"...

Taking a photo of a certain spot at my flat in skyward view... haha looks like some "corridor" (pardon me for my amateurish way of describing it), with flash

Without flash

And lastly, one of the views in Sinnoh (region for Pokemon Diamond/Pearl) that I really love...

Note the difference in clarity of the view under the downslope bridge. Cool!