iWant, iOrdered iPad

After so much contemplation and with the "blessings" from Wifey, I finally ordered an Apple iPad 2 tonight.

The first batch of iPad 2 that was launched in Singapore received an overwhelming response. I was sold out in the stores within the same day, similar to other parts of the world, I read.

Contemplating on purchasing mine online for a few days was not to my advantage. After getting Wifey's "permission" to invest on one, and with Sonny's more than enthusiastic support, I finally logged online to Apple's local website to place an order for one... only to find that the "Select" button was disabled... then totally disappeared from the website.

It finally was sold out online too! The website then indicated that it was no longer taking orders. A very sad outcome for my few days hold-off... hesitance.

That led to the frantic search by phones to all the major and authorised Apple distributors for an iPad 2 Wifi-3G 32GB configuration. 16GB was just too little a space while 64GB, too much.

The primary choice of the white colour was chosen but we came to compromise for black, if it was available anywhere on this island. He could not find any.

Weeks past but the desire to own one never simmered. Sonny called one Friday to inform that Challenger IT shop at Tampines 1 was still selling but the ones available were of 16GB capacity. That call started the "frantic" search, this time on foot, all over again.

All three of us went on our search for the 32GB version on foot. As suggested by Sonny, we left for the hunt after lunch at Al Salam, right after casting our votes on Polling. Funan IT Centre did not bear any "fruit" and so we went to Sim Lim Square, the notorious electronic shopping centre in Rochor Road.

There, we found so many of the exact model that we wanted. Only catch was, most shops there prized it it ten to 30% more... before GST or Goods & Services Tax of 7%!

The only decent one, the last shop before actually gave up, was charging it at S$980.00, just over a dollar from the actual retail price by Apple... but before 7% GST. It would have cost S$978.00 with free delivery from Apple Store, we would need to fork out an extra S$70.00 more if we were that desperate.

Fortunately that time, Wifey talked me out of it and we went home empty handed and defeated!

A little patience go a long way...

Apple Store is now taking orders again and this family finally will own one white iPad 2 Wifi-3G 32GB together with a green Smart Cover when shipment arrives end this month! Yes!

I'm Going Wireless

After more than three years, the mighty mouse that came with the iMac had finally picked its last straw that breaks my camel's back.

Well, enough about these animals. It is my Apple mouse. Its scroll function which stopped functioning for the past few months has made me frustrated enough to call it quits. It was just too cumbersome without the scroll function to do anything from surfing to actual work on my iMac.

I finally made up my mind to replace the mouse with a wireless one... a wireless Magic Touchpad. With that significant change, I decided to replace the white, transparent-bottom keyboard that came with the iMac with its new equivalent, wireless one too.

So off I went with Wifey to Nubox at Tampines Mall to get the sleek appendages for my white iMac and blew off S$240.00 for both wireless keyboard, touchpad and a rechargeable battery charger.

Come to think of it, I have been updating my iMac to keep up with the times, it seems...

I maxed out its onboard RAM from the original 1GB DDR2 667 SDRAM MHz to 4GB. Bought the pair at Memory World in Sim Lim Square for S$65 each and self assembled it at home. That was when my prized possession had become sluggish when I ran my iPhoto or Aperture. That was less than a month ago. The problem has since been resolved.

l aso upgraded its original Tiger OS to Leopard. I spent S$248.00 for that last December. The many features and improvements over Tiger were just too wasteful if I had not upgraded. I treated myself that with my year-end bonus money.

With the new keyboard and touchpad, I finally have peace of mind... no more little irritable here and there. I feel the same rush I got when I first got my iMac out of the box and turned it on. Everything works fine again!

A perfect end to Labour Day celebrations.

Little Sound Blasters

Wifey tagged along with me when I told her that I was shopping for some techno gadgets at the Harvey Norman Expo Sale on Sunday morning.

Since I gotten a company issued Lenovo T410 notebook for my work, I needed a mouse as I could not get use to using the touch pad after using it for a whole week. I was totally handicapped by the touch pad and it has affected my work to an irritatingly slow pace.

I also needed a portable speaker system... loud enough for the whole classroom to hear other than the soft and muffled notebook speakers.

And yes, I needed a new shaver. The one Wifey gifted me had its protective grid shield broken at some spot and would cut my skin.

Wifey wanted a new pair of earphones for her music listening on the iPhone. She also wanted to gift Sonny with a new set of PC speaker system and replace his wireless keyboard and mouse he had been complaining were intermittent even after changing to new batteries.

So off we went to Singapore Expo in search of our techno needs with good bargains.

I was quite surprised that the sole company was offering good bargained prices. Everything were selling cheap enough that if I was not with Wifey, would have bought other "non-essential" stuff just because they were dirt cheap.


My best find was the TravelPac Mushroom Speakers sold for S$26.90. Surprisingly, the small package packed a punch. A resounding delight to listen to its sound clarity and loudness without breaking up when I fixed it to my iPhone and notebook.

I am so happy that I will recommend it to my friends! A delight to have it when travelling as it is ultra compact and delivers more than expected from its small size.


Wifey is more than happy to get her Sphere Sound Earphones from the same Singapore brand. I got my Honovo Wireless Mouse finally, though a bluetooth one would be even better but too pricey. The nano USB adapter that is paired with the mouse is practical and true to its slogan "plug it & forget it."

Once plugged into my notebook, I am all set and my hands are once again liberated from the touch pad like they have turned into a pair of wings and fly as I do my work on it. I begin to love my notebook, thanks to this plastic roden of an invention!


Got my S$15 Philips Shaver and I can put my fears to rest. No more painful cuts in the morning when I shave!

Wifey bought a set of Microsoft Wifeless Keyboard and Mouse for S$25 from the usual S$79! I would have bought a spare set if I had my way.


Her priced possession is when she bought the Altec Lansing PC Sound System for S$39 down from S$99! We were fortunate that we were among the 50 customers the sets were on sale at the price for.

Overall, we consider ourselves very lucky to get all the gadgets we needed at bargain prices.

Great Singapore Sale!

Sold! Sold! Sold!

That was what happened most of time today.

All three of us went to "Licensed 2 Play" sale at Singapore Expo to get two electronics items we already eyed for some time but only got the opportunity to buy it because the prices have become rock bottom at the annual nation-wide Great Singapore Sale.

Wifey wanted a new camcorder... something that is light and virtually with no techno hassle to remember. There are many choices but we did not narrow down to one until we saw the two-page advert in the newspapers.

The one we bought in year 2000 for our family vacation to Europe was a JVC GR-DVX40. It was costly then as we splurged a S$1,990.00 as an investment for our family moments posterity.

A wonderful and still working camcorder that uses a MiniDV cassette tape. Its decade-old technology has served us well. The camcorder has tagged along and captured many happy moments during our yearly faraway family vacations throughout these years.

Sonny needed a new laptop. Conveniently, the last one he got, a Packard Bell ALP Ajax C2, broke down several times before it finally gave way for good a few days after its warranty of 3 years expired!


We have the option to send it for a third party repairs, after the official recommendation by Packard Bell's service centre to scrap it and get a new one since it will cost a little over S$700.00 to replace its motherboard... essentially the major part of the whole notebook.

The third party repair at Sim Lim Tower will cost us S$200.00 with a month warranty. I guess that is the best bet to have it working again at least than chucking it down the rubbish chute.

As for me, there was nothing techno to buy, only organic. My beloved Durantas have been displaying beautiful velvety-purple flowers and attracting many sunbirds throughout the day for its orange fruits. Unfortunately, it also attracted white mealy bugs that infected two planters.

Many attempts to rid it off the plants proved futile. It then infected other neighbouring plants as well. It saddens me to see the state now from the once striking blooms in the whole block to one with is full blown infection!

I want my beautiful corridor garden back. I want to feel happy and relaxed whenever I reach home! My garden at my front door is the first thing I see when I reach home. I consider it a symbol of serenity... home is where the heart is.

We stepped into the event hall at Singapore Expo just half hour after it opened at 11am. Already hordes of bargain hunters were already there!

True to its intention, the place was loud with hour sales and knockdown prices promotions announced by the numerous booths.


We checked out Acer i3 330M laptops that went for S$799.00 but the limited number of sets was already sold out! The current offer price at the fair was S$1,099.00, lower than the usual price outside the fair.

We went around the hall several times, searching for our target items with our bargain prices in mind. We found many other better configurations with prices being offered and worth considering.

We completed our scouting phase but left confused with the many options that were opened to us, we had to take a break for lunch before we making our decision.

A Burger King meal later, we continued our shopping with our buying phase...

Wifey got her lightweight and petite camcorder, a love at first sight for her!

Not larger or thicker than a cell phone, she settled for another JVC CG-FM1 HD Camcorder that can slip into a pocket easily. A high-definition video that uses Secure Digital Memory Card and doubles as an 8 megapixel still picture camera was selling for S$199.00.

It was bundled with another piece of 8GB SD card, mini tripod and a set of cleaning kit.

After ten years, all is miniaturized to 1 tenth of its original form... from the larger size to a cell phone type that fits right in your palm, so too is the price.

The weight has trimmed to about the same amount too. The hand needs to be strapped on to the camcorder strap with the palm supporting its weight. The hand will get tired and shaky after operating it for longer periods. This new camcorder needs only fingers to hold and operate.

What remained about the same is the hours of video recording both has... about 2 hours on a single charge.

What is larger though, is the video resolution. From the pixilated movies when viewed from our Sharp Aquos 32 Inch LCD TV we had for the past five years.
Next was Sonny's laptop.


We decided on Lenovo's i7 720QM Game Laptop instead of the Acer i5 550M that was selling for S$1,398.00, simply because its CPU set is the latest and fastest. With dedicated nVidia GeForce GT240 1GB graphics card, it frees up further its already bloated 4GB DDR3 SDRAM onboard.


A large capacity 500GB harddisk and a high-definition display screen of 15.6 Inch packs a hefty weight, tipped at 2.5 KG. Its IT Sale price was a surprising S$1,299.00 from the usual S$2,499.00... a "S$1,200.00 cash off" offer!

Everybody left the hall happy with his or her own new toy.

I, for one, just want my garden... we left for the nursery near Tanah Merah MRT station but that is another post entirely because it will be beautiful when I am done with it and be very happy with my accomplishment.


Well, the garden and my own techno gadget. I did not get any today but am just happy that mine will come eventually... the Apple iPad Wifi-3G! That will be mine when it is launched in Singapore in July 2010.

Black Box Found!

I have been contemplating for so long now...

Should I invest on a NAS drive or should I just get an external harddisk?

Network Attached Storage can do wonders... home network data storage and sharing, data backup... something you would not really bother until your PC's internal harddsik makes a clacking and you realize it finally is too late to save your precious data from being lost entombed forever in the metal casing.

I have always fancied Apple's Time Capsule. A 1TB network drive, coupled with dual-band wireless N connection and a Print Server to boot... but that will burn an asteroid-size hole in my pocket.

Or, maybe just a simple external harddisk that connects directly to my PC for local use...


NAS sounds wonderful but still will leave a big hole in my pocket because if I were to get one, it should at least have 2 harddisk docks for mirroring or redundancy... so much to think about before I can comfortably sink my money in to one of these options.

Well, last weekend had made my decision simpler!

The Courts Megastore advert in the newspapers of an external harddisk with a gigantic 1 terabyte capacity was on sale for S$109.00 from the usual S$169.00. I think it retailed initially for a S$199.00 when it first came out.

The Acer Aspire EasyStore 1TB, a 3.5 Inch external harddisk with its sleek, black, clean-cut casing had won me over when I first laid eyes on it early Saturday morning.

Since the store carried limited stock, with Wifey's blessings, I bathed quick-time, got dressed and left home a good hour before the store opened at 10:00AM. Normally, I would have my tech-savvy Sonny whenever we shop for techno-gadgets, but he was still in blissful slumber after a late night finishing his homework and revising his studies for his upcoming tests.

Already there, was a queue of about 40 odd people at the entrance when I reached the store 20 minutes later. I had to join the queue that led all the way to the store's main entrance.

"Those buying electrical products, please come to me to get your coupons," the Courts sales person called out, waving the stack of coupons up in the air, "and those buying S$499 notebooks, get your coupons from my colleague here." Pointing to the lady beside him who was waving a stack of coupons in her hand up in the air too.

"We can only give one coupon per adult." The salesman continued, "Children under 12 years old are not allowed to get a coupon... we are sorry, we have to be fair to everyone here."

Yikes! "Can I get my harddisk this time?!" I asked myself... not after I queued for a good 40 minutes! 40 minutes! What is wrong with me?!

I missed the opportunity to get one the last time they had a sale just like this. That time, I came with Sonny when the store was already opened for 20 minutes . It was all sold out... that was several months back.

"Those of you buying other IT products, please proceed directly to 3rd floor," the sales person hollered to my delight, "no coupons needed, just ask the sales persons there."

Yes! The queue going into the store was still intact, no rushing or pushing occurred when the main door finally slided open at 10:00AM.

This time, I brought the newspaper advert with me and showed the first sales person I saw on the 3rd floor. He showed me to the shelve where the 1TB harddisks were on sale. There were about 10 boxes and I was the first person to buy it.

I bought 2! One for Sonny and another for me.

We both need lots of storage for our ever expanding valuable data... mine are mostly photos, more so now with every photo taken with my 10 megapixel Canon E450 dSLR while Sonny's are songs, photos and his fractal art creations.

My iPhone rang while I was in the store. It was Sonny. He was excited to learn that I was out buying the long awaited data backups. Wifey told him when he woke up late that morning and realized I was not in the house.


"Please get one for me," Sonny sounding excited, "I need to move my data off my internal harddisks because my PC is getting sluggish."

I was afraid that I could only get to buy only one - one per customer. I would have to think hard on how to share the harddisk space across our home network but fortunately not the case this time.

True enough, Sonny greeted to open the front door when I reached home. Without wasting time, his new harddisk was already hooked-up and data flying off into it as soon as I went to his room after changing my clothes!

Sonny converted the FAT32 format to the faster NTFS hours later. He made his 2 old IDE harddisks from the old PCs to become back-up harddisk while freeing some data off his 500GB Serial ATA C:\ drive.

"My game PC can fly now!" Exclaimed Sonny after he did a Windows 7 performance test. He was in cloud 9!

I connected mine to my iMac without a hitch... only drawback, I discovered that it did not support Mac OS. So the harddisk was just... well a large storage without intelligent backup software. Acer's SoftwareSuite auto-backup feature was not able to work. Oh well!

Sonny helped to convert my Acer harddisk to NTFS format upon my request. despite his warning that it may not work with my iMac. He was right. My iMac detected it as not supported and auto-triggered to format it.

Fortunately, Sonny's quick thinking saved a lot of frustration for me. He downloaded MacFUSE and Tuxera NTFS programs to make my new external harddisk to work seamlessly again, and faster too... not that it matters. It is just human nature to want to since it is available and doable.

Two happy geeks with our own little black boxes, for our own peace of mind...

The iPhone Family

It is official, the iMran Family is now iPhone Friendly!

All 3 of us now own an iPhone each after we re-contracted with our long-standing telco, Mobile One or M1 for short for a 2-year plan.

Another island's telco, Starhub also launched its iPhone plans the same time as M1, but alas, M1 plans are still superior to that of Starhub's. It is even far better than the major telco here, Singtel which had sole rights to sell iPhones when the 3G model was released many months back.

Which is why we stick to M1 because it leads the other players with far better and numerous innovative options in its offered plans. A very aggressive and competitive company... and we love it because it makes the other, cheaper options and plans available to the public.

Starhub is great too, I was considering "jumping ship" to sign its iPhone mobile plan if it offered some kind of bundle with its cable TV plans. We are already their customer since cable TV was available in Singapore.

Along with it, after several years later, we also signed up with its home broadband plan from Singtel's dial-up plan. And last year, its land-line VoIP phone. The only thing left was its mobile plan. I waited patiently for its iPhone plans but M1 takes the cake... still.


Since all 3 of us have completed our 2-year plan with M1 months back, we held back the many tempting offers M1 made to lure us to re-contract. We waited patiently for Apple's iPhone to be available and offered in its plan but it never materialised until now!

Wifey and Sonny took the older version 3G 8GB with a S$36 per month plan and paid S$398.00 each for the phone. Sonny gets an extra perk of unlimited free SMS and MMS for being a student.

A very well-received perk for me as teens tend to talk with their friends more with SMS and MMS than just talk like we adults normally talk to one another over the phone.

I took the iPhone 3GS 16GB with a S$56 per month plan and paid S$298.00 for the phone.

In all, I spent S$1,044.00 for all 3 phones for my family and will fork out about S$128.00 per month for the 3 mobile plans.

Several perks makes me happy to not reach too deep into my pocket...

The Multi-line Saver package makes all 3 lines we have into one consolidated plan which earns us a 25% monthly discount on our monthly bill. That will mean I will only need to fork out S$96.00 monthly for the plans, knowing that we will not exceed on the talk time and text messages.

Another good perk is the free-calls to 3 M1 mobile to M1-mobile persons. We just nominate 3 M1 mobile numbers to enjoy the perk. Wifey, Sonny and I nominated each other which leave each of us with another number.

I nominated my Elder Sis' since we talk to each other often, while Wifey nominated her sister. Sonny has yet to nominate a friend or cousin. He is still contemplating.

I am already an iPhone fan when I had my 2G 8GB I bought from a friend who got it from the US. I had been using it for many months now and have never been bored with it even once.

Along with its free-incoming-all-day perk, we can now check our e-mails, online utilities and internet on the go. We can do so much more now, yet each of us pays S$32 per month which is lesser than our previous plans combined.

As I had mentioned before, after experiencing iPhone, I do not care for any other newly launched phones anymore. So far, nothing ever beats the intutitive and ease of use of the iPhone. Software is everything, yet the iPhone is so classic with its stylish, clean-line design.

For this family, combining iPhone and M1 makes a better day, everyday!

Now Sonny and Wifey are enjoying the many free applications they each downloaded from their own PCs while mine is on iMac. iTunes is being used by this whole family now for song plays apart from syncing our iPhones.

Sonny is busy playing Tap-Tap Revolution while Wifey is navigating her 3D RollerCoaster game. Life gets a little more fun now

Back In Focus

I got my zoom lens from the old Canon Film Camera back from cleaning service and am very happy.

It is quite fortunate that the old lens can still be compatible and used on the new Canon EOS 450D dSLR I purchased a while back.

Since I first brought back my dSLR camera home, I discovered that the two old lenses fitted nicely onto the new camera and its auto-focus mechanism responded exactly as the new one. I was ecstatic!

The 2 old lens - an EF35-85mm and EF75-300mm Zoom Lens did burnt quite a big hole in my pocket back then. I was quite sad when my most trusted film camera was rendered obsolete when the digital era began.

Since I first invested on a full-fledged digital camera - a Panasonic Lumiz DMC FZ10, the old camera and its lenses sat in my desiccator and became untouched for years... until now.

My Lumiz became my trusted new friend, yet I missed the old one because it could do just as good. Only drawback was the absence of the MegaOS or anti-shake function as compared to my fixed lens Lumiz and the new EF18-200 USM Lens.


After months of research and comparisons between brands and models, I decided that my next upgrade was a Canon EOS 450D dSLR. The good comments and researched comparisons made by a very good website called DPreview.com reaffirmed my choice.

The compatibility that Canon gives for the old lenses with the new dSLR body was a pleasant surprise for me. I have no idea how I could have missed the feature that was definitely a decisive factor I would have wanted.

After months of saving-up, the opportunity to own one came at a perfect timing. I got to own one at a promo price at the quarterly Computer and IT Show.

The two old lenses worked with the new body but were all fogged-up. There was no escape from fungus attack even when I stored them in my desiccator.

Again I saved-up to realize a budget and had both lenses cleaned. I logged-on to Canon Singapore for such service and was happy to receive their call the next day for a pick-up arrangement from my home.

After 3 days, Canon service technician called to inform my lenses status. They could only get rid of about 70 to 80% of the fungus off my EF75-300mm Zoom Lens. It was not worth the money to save the other EF35-80mm lens as the recovery was only about 50%.

Both lenses no longer had any spares available for replacements as the lenses were already obsolete.

So, last Tuesday, 4th August 2009, the courier from Yamato Logistics delivered my lenses back. It cost me S$80.00 for the EF75-300mm Zoom Lens for the service while the collection and delivery was at $14.00. In all I spent S$100.58 with the GST included.


The first thing I did to test it was taking pictures of the full moon out from my window... zoomed in at its fullest and was very happy that it gave a clear enough photo... at least with these untrained eyes.

So now, I am happy to lug around my zoom lens in my bag when I carry my dSLR with me during outings. Besides zooming in on far away objects, the macro is superb especially with the even fuzzier background it creates to give more attention to the subject... is now back in focus.

Internet Radio Rocks!

It just occurred to me that subscribers to Starhub's Premium Broadband package will enjoy a free upgrade from a newspapers announcement a few weeks ago.

I realized this when I received an email from Starhub that my home will enjoy up to 100Mbps upgrade from our paid 12Mbps line. Yes!!!

I believe Sonny is so pleased with this as he must have noticed a much better online game experience these few days.

No wonder the internet radio I always turn on whenever I am on my iMac has continuous streaming since last weekend. I had very few interruptions and was thinking I was just plain lucky.

The free upgrade started on Friday, 17 July 2009. I am lucky... along with the other Premium Subscribers.

I am now tuned to a better sounding quality internet radio when I switched the Bit Rate, jumping to 192 from the normal 128... taken into account most radio station sources are from the United States. On top of that, the streaming is exceptional too at this higher rate.

Thank you Starhub!

It needs a competitor to increase the quality and standard of service on this island that benefits its consumer unlike another major IP that focuses much on squeezing every last penny from its subscribers.

Starhub has answered the call favorably as far as I am concern.

I am tempted to jump ship for a bundled package for my cellphone line with my cable TV with this provider as well. That should save me some money monthly and also support such provider that has its consumers' interest in mind.

Are You Game?

With lots of enthusiasm from me, instead of Sonny, he finally owns his own Gamer PC.

Since we promised him that he could upgrade from his Acer Pentium4 PC to a Gamer PC when he became first in class in his final exams in Secondary 1, he has been nagging Wifey to let him buy his dream PC during the school holidays in December 2008.

After much reminders from Sonny, we set forth in search for that Gamer PC directly at Sim Lim Square - the PC haven for all gadget-geeks in Singapore. Yes, I am a gadget-geek, Sonny is too, looks like it.

We hunted right from the 6th storey and all the way down to the ground floor and up again.

With the info of what is the best and latest hardware to D.I.Y. a Gamer PC, we finally came to a shop on the 6th floor with the right offer. That was after comparing the prices with the same configurations that Sonny wanted.

We came to TradePac with the cheapest deal at S$1,590.00. There, we also learned about the different categories of Power Supplies and DDR RAMs as true-blue geeks should know.

With only the last action to take... to say "we'll take it!" Wifey was able to dissuade Sonny... and myself, to wait and think about it further at home.

Disappointed Sonny... and me, we got home and rechecked and recalculated all the items and prices from all the various shops again from the flyers that we collected there. TradePac came up tops again and made us decide to go with it for the purchase on our next trip.

The next trip proved to be 3 months later... after months of whining and nagging between Sonny and Wifey. As for me, I had a relax state of mind after rewarding Sonny with S$500.00 for doing a brilliant job on his finals.

During the one-week March school holidays, Sonny was nominated by his school to go for numerous activities and competitions.

Him, being busy going back to school and other places for the trainings and other computer-related preparations, his holidays proved to be an extramural endeavor instead, but he liked it. So that is good.

With the most of the activities recognized as being computer-related, Wifey finally gave in to Sonny to have his dream Gamer PC to own, that would double as his tool for his related school projects.

Sonny had saved up over a thousand dollars for the hardware over the months. So, combining it with my monetary reward, he is looking at the latest, and fastest souped-up PC that rivals Acer's Predator... well, in the processing department, that is.

Acer's Predator looks awesomely alien, nothing can beat the looks, anytime soon!

Just for my own records, the following lists his Gamer PC configuration:

• Motherboard - Asus P5Q Deluxe (SLI x3)
• Processor - Intel Core2 Quad Q9650
• Graphics - NVidia Q9800 GXT Plus
• RAM - Kingston DDR2 Hyper-X 4GB
• Harddisk - Hitachi SATA 500GB
  
• Player - Samsung DVD Writer 22x 2-Layer
• Casing - NVidia Cooler Master 650
• Power - Real Power 550W

Together with the hardware installation service of $20.00, the total Gamer PC cost is S$1,600.00.

Sonny is using back the following items from the old PC:

• Windows XP Professional OS
• Samsung 26 Inch TV Monitor
• Microsoft Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

So, last Saturday, Sonny and I were busy installing the OS and updating it to Service Pack 3, along with other installation and more Windows' latest updates. That is why I am a Mac convert.

"Look, Ayah!" Sonny quipped with excitement, " No lagging whatsoever!"

I have to admit, the colors are brilliant and yes, the CPU is running at less than 30% capacity with the intense graphics from the online SPORE game.

"Keep up with your good scores at school." I reminded Sonny, "See how things fall nicely into place when you balance your studies and play, right?"

He nodded, while his eyes were glued to the brilliant colors on the screen and the green, alien-like light emanated from his latest NVidia tower.

"Thanks Ayah!" Sonny's face was as brilliant as his Gamer PC.

Another happiest weekend of his life for sure!

Point Of View

Today, I finally braved myself to upgrade my camera from a point-and-shoot to a dSLR.

After great whole 8 years with my trusted Panasonic Lumix FZ10, a 4 Megapixel camera which has been my best investment to keep me happy and enthralled all these years, I have chosen Canon EOS 450D with EF-S18-200IS Lens Kit.


Wifey and went to IT Show 2009 at Suntec City late this afternoon, right after scouting for a potential shop we wanted to set-up. With Wifey's blessings, I forked-out S$1,999.00 for my 12.2 Megapixel dSLR.

We expected the convention centre to be crowded, but was totally overwhelmed at the turn-out itself right from the entrance to the exhibition hall. After we entered, the large LCD sign flashed for visitors to come back again in an hour's time. They had to regulate the people entering the hall.

"... most probably half of Singapore is here..." I overheard a group of friends in front of us exclaimed.


From the ground floor and all the way to the 6th floor of the convention centre, there were waves of people making their way to the halls while in the opposite direction, people going back with hands either holding bags of items bought or pulling the trolleys of printers, LCD TVs and iMacs along heading home.

"I thought we're in recession..." a guy who was queuing behind me started a conversation, "it hasn't hit Singapore yet, or what?!" We were queuing for payment at the Canon counters.

With the record number of turn-outs and the news article reporting that people had spent S$12.2 million on its first day alone that started on Thursday, I have to agree with the guy!


Maybe we're answering the call by our Prime Minister and the ASEAN ministers that Asian should change their mindset and spend too. Not just relying solely on the US market to move the world economy along, at least for this part of the region forward and from bottoming out.

As for me, the concept is just too complex to decipher. A simple-minded person like me, with well... complicated needs at times, just wants to take advantage of the promotion price and the normally lofty bundles they offer at the IT Shows than even promotion sales on normal days.


After 8 years of great photos churned out by my trusted Lumix camera... well, at least for me and I know the camera did most of the fantastic job itself, I have now dive into the dSLR realm of photography... the camera is, as for me, I am going to attend the free training sessions to get up to speed with the tool I just bought.

After many opportunities Wifey and I got to manhandle the actual camera at the show, we were shocked to see with our own eyes...

"Thank you. Please proceed to the payment counter... follow the queue there." The sales person pointed to the direction where we saw the line snaking around and onward, all the way to behind the large "Cathay Photo Store" counters!


I wondered there and then if I was, together with the hordes of people queuing, taking that last stretch of "good times" mile before we buckle-down and brace ourselves for the worst journey that has yet to come.

Maybe I was taking that last mile... well, I guess I will have pictures to show.

World.Without.Web

I have come to realize now that my computer is almost useless without its Internet connection!

It has transformed to become an interface tool with the cyberworld from working tool at home... and most part at work too when the server goes down.

For the past several weeks, I had little carbon footprint in the Internet realm. So no updates and no comments left by me.

Our home connection had been frustratingly intermittent. I noticed a drastic reduction of our surfing speeds and it finally came to a halt in the last few days. Totally rendered us cut-off from the world... cyberworld.

The solace I got from listening background music from the Internet radio while I work on my iMac was gone. It became an irritating noise with its frequent streaming stoppages. I turned to my own MP3 music in iTunes instead.

Apart from downloading the many photos I took with my camera and iPhone, I practically had nothing much to do on my iMac since it was without its Internet connection. I turned to the next flat screen panel that streams signals... my LCD TV. So did Sonny.

I am aware that TV has killed conversation somewhat, but PC took its helm immediately when it was brought home, powered-up and successfully connected to the Internet. It is a good thing and a bad thing inter-twined into one moral dilemma.

Anyway, my daily blogging and blog surfing was affected badly with the breakdown. There were frequent "Connection Interrupted" error prompts with the useless "Try Again Later" messages.

Not knowing the cause at first, it even shook my long-standing faith on my iMac; being impenetrable to hackers and computer viruses... or at least not a hot favourite to hackers than Windows OS.

"Ayah! My Internet connection is getting worse by the day!" Sonny hollered in frustration from inside his room. It was affecting his online homework and submission to his school... and yes, it affected his online game as well.

That go me thinking of the many possible suspects...

My first thought was that one of the other 3 computers at home with Windows XP and Vista OS might have been infected with a virus or ad-ware. It might using the PC as a server for spamming thus taking-up the bandwidth.

That set the frantic checks on all PCs for latest updated virus definitions. After several tries to get the updates while there was Internet connection, a thorough scan resulted in no form infection. Hmm...

My next suspect was our 3 year old LinkSys Wireless-G Router. It was our second when the first went bonkers on us the same way it displayed its symptoms now.

Bypassing the router by connecting Wifey's PC directly to the modem alone solved the problem at first. Resetting and reconnecting it several times directly seemed to resolve the connection.


It had me convinced the router was faulty. I had Wifey accompanied me for a quick run to Sim Lim Square to buy ourselves a replacement router that same afternoon, undaunted by the crazy heavy rain. Yes. It now rains everyday... be very careful what you wish for.

The Engenius Wireless-N Gigabit Router set me back S$179.00! We got an upgrade to 3 long-range antennas. That was a good deal.

Setting-up the new wireless router was easy and painless. The Wireless-N speed was fantastic... at first. My heart was cheering "Hip Hip Hurray!" especially when my Facebook loaded in record time... but it was short-lived when the same problem crapped in the morning after.

Connecting Wifey's PC directly back to the modem finally revealed the same failure symptom... after spending S$179.00 excluding cab fares!

Nope. Not the router. I have two routers now! Sigh.

It led me to suspect Starhub's broadband line. There was that far-fetched inkling of a feeling that we might have quietly been shortchanged with our subscription of a 12MB line. I had this ill feeling that our ISP was cramping too many users around my area to the same line that resulted in congested broadband.

After hanging-on to its hotline and listening to my "call is important to us" for over 20 minutes on end, I got through to the technical support after the third call. Fortunately the person assisting was very patient and totally helpful.

It did not resolve the problem after several troubleshooting guides over the phone - "ipconfig/release" and renew, reboot and replacing Ethernet cables. A technician was finally sent to my home 2 days later.

Their prime suspect was my ageing 6-year old Motorola Broadband Modem.

Fortunately, the technician schedule in the late afternoon was the same day I took half-day leave off work to fetch Dad back from the hospital. I made it on time to be at home when the technician arrived.

The bad thing about it was that the old modem worked well while he was here for the whole 40 minutes. Not a glitch was observed, but he just replaced the splitter anyway after finding the "noise to signal ratio" a little higher "but nothing serious."


I as to pay for the new modem that cost S$99.51 if he had replaced it, but he suggested for me to monitor it for another day and replace the modem at Starhub's branch in Tampines Mall, paying the difference after off-setting my accumulated points.

The old modem called it quits 2 hours after he left. I was not pinning high hopes on the splitter anyway, but thank him for replacing a new one and the cost savings he suggested, though. That was last Wednesday.

Today, I met Wifey at Starhub's Tampines Mall branch after work.

We got our 3 week-old dead Cable Digital Set-top box and the Hub Station Remote Control replaced for free; purchased our much needed new modem for S$40.00 after off-setting the cost with redeemable 1,900 points we had.

That was after they tested and found no problem with the modem. Of course not!


Well, at least having a nice dinner with Wifey soothed my aching heart at Long John Silver.

Once at back home, I got the cable TV working again in our bedroom, the remote working properly too in the living room and especially the Internet connection lightning fast, working faster than ever now with the Wifeless-N speed!

All is well again. Phew!

The whole ordeal was as tiring as it is painful for you read this rant. Thanks for reading this far, anyway.

Continuing to post trivial stuff as usual again. Yet I am happy to be able to blog-surf to my favourite friends' once again.

I am back online... working-world-wide again!

Nokia, Connecting Parents

Wifey and I just bought Dad a cell phone today.

"Since his phone broke, he doesn't want to go out alone." Mom confided in me over the phone at the office last week.

She told me that Dad was unwilling to venture out on his own without a cell phone to call back for help if needed. It made going to the market for daily necessities a problem for both of them.

It is understandable that Dad felt that way. I would feel uncomfortable to go out without my cell phone with me too... and I am in good health. Many of us feel this way too. It is a normal for be dependent on a convenience that can also be a life saver.

Dad was right. While undergoing chemotherapy, the least he should have with him is a cell phone especially when he goes about outside on his own.

"No complicated stuff..." Dad explained, "just for calls."

With a price of S$60 given by Dad, it was a tough hunt for a new set, but for a first-hand older model, we took up the challenge...

Seven-Eleven sells basic function Nokia and LG phones for under S$70 without a plan attached, but for a cheaper price than this, I would have to bring out the bargain-hunting expert with me.

Wifey was all fired-up to shop for one for Dad. She armed herself with good walking sneakers, we went to Sim Lim Square this afternoon.

To get an even cheaper price, there will be lots of leg-work and acute bargaining skills involved. She has a this wonderful gift.

So hopping from one shop to another on the group floor, to all the shops up till the fourth floor, we finally managed to find the Nokia 1208 at a good enough price.

Yes, it is an older model but with color screen and an especially large fonts, ideal for old folks like Dad at one shop for S$50.00... down from the initial S$68.00.

If it was me, I would have settled for S$65.00.

I love you Wifey!

Dad will be so happy when we surprise him with this phone as a simple gift from us for the New Year. A new lease of life outside the four walls again for Dad.

Full Steam Ahead

Alright. My job here is done.

We got ourselves an all-in-one oven. I have just finished placing it on the kitchen cabinet and successfully operating it with raving reviews... it does what it claims to do.

Warm yet fluffy donuts and banana fritters... from the freezer to the oven, to the table!

A far departure from our previous microwave oven and the times we had to content with lately. Reheated or warmed-up food, all dried and shrank in size, with little flavor or nutrients left.


Well, it was not all bad while our Cornell Microwave Oven was in commission for the past 2 years or so. It did its job like any microwave oven out there. Considering we had it for a bargain of only S$48.00, serving us for the short period has not left me disgruntled.

Only lately though, we had to tolerate its whims as it came and went intermittently... like getting half a plate of our food warmed-up and nice while the other half never left the freezer.

Reheating it again, would sometimes dried or hardened to the point of burning the edges. We pretty much had to depend on our luck whenever it comes to reheating leftover food or those that needed microwave.

Wifey does a good job cooking, but most of the leftovers wound up in the trash bin when our microwave oven acted-up on us.


Well, not any more. All is normal again so far, these few days at least. In fact, better than that. Our newly invested Panasonic Steam Plus NN-GS597MYPQ Inverter Oven has so far exceeded my expectations.

It uses steam to cook so it preserves much of the nutrients and flavor in the food. It uses an inverter technology... beats me what that is all about, but so far the food has been heavenly resurrected from the frost it once laid in the fridge.

I think we most probably compared it to our last few nasty experiences. Maybe too, the novelty has yet to cool down... it is still so shiny and new and all.

But one thing is for sure. For a sale price tag of S$529.00 with an additional S$50.00 NTUC groceries voucher, we grabbed and took it home from Courts MegaTex sale at the Singapore Expo on Christmas holiday.

"I can now bake Betty Croker cakes again." Wifey announced with renewed zest. She was experiencing happy jitters just reminiscing the times she used to bake cakes with our electric built-in oven. It died on her while baking a Pandan Cake... we did not get to eat that desert.

Now she can start again. She was even thinking out loud what type of marinate she should use to grill a chicken with this oven. I am excited for her and equally excited to find what will be on the dinner table with this new found tool she has at her disposal.

All I can say is... Sweet!

Fussy Messy VoIP

Last Sunday was as boring as thinking about going to work the next day. Not a pleasing thought to start any week considering the negative vibes at the work place with what the management has created as of late.

To rid myself of the unsettling thoughts, I kept myself busy for the day. I took on the pending task of addressing the criss-crossing of wires and cables at the living room. Wifey hated it. I have to agree too.

It had been like that since the switch-over was made from the paid Singtel analog land-lines to Starhub's free digital voice broadband line. Well, at least do not have to be bothered with the monthly phone bills anymore... well, not for two years anyway.

The in-wall analog lines that run across all rooms in the house were rendered useless upon the fix-up of the VoIP modem tapped from the cable outlet at the living room.

Where the modem was fixed, we had to move our bedroom main cordless phone to connect to it. The other two wireless phones in Sonny's and my gym room were able to work properly.

Unfortunately, our fax-phone at the living room became useless as there was no way to connect without running a long cable across the entire living room.

Before I could think of a solution to this mess, we had to live with the inconvenience.

Not all is bad actually. The switch-over had benefited us immediate upon its connection.

We used to pay about S$30 to $40 per month on IDD calls alone to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Wifey now smiles brightly when she saw our first phone bill only at S$1.57 for a 20 minutes overseas call.

Wifey can now talk to her Mom without one eye looking at the clock or rush and cut short her conversation anymore. She can now call her Mom as often as I call my folks locally. The new IDD charges are also so much cheaper than the previous telco. It is indeed a sweet deal.


The worst part of this switch-over was the need to get out of bed to pick up a call. It was even frustrating to run to the phone and picked-up a "sorry, wrong number" call in the middle of the night. Then I had trouble going back to sleep after the 5 metre night sprint.

Nobody wants to receive a call in the wee hours of the morning. It usually means and reserves for emergencies and unpleasant news.

One time, I was rudely awoken from my sleep. I had to get out of bed and ran to the phone thinking something unsettling. Groggily, I found out it was Mom... she just wanted to chat thinking it was only going on 10 o'clock when it was in fact close to midnight.

Profusely she apologized for overlooking and waking me up, but it was better than any bad news to me. Phew!

It turned out to be a simple solution... as all solutions are.


I just had to feed the phone wire from the Modem back to the in-wall outlets. All the lines in the rooms were instantly connected to the new digital line. So too is my fax-phone. All the phones went back to its proper places. Yes!

At least some good came out of my tired mind. I got to check one item from the "things to do" list off my mind... then the SMS from ADT came again.

It requested me to call and perform a check on my Home Security System which I had been ignoring many times before... and come to think of it, since the switch-over.

I returned to call only to find out that the security system was disconnected from its analog phone line and will have to be reconfigured to digital with a fee of S$30 after they waived the S$40 transport fee.

They will have to get access to my home panel for it this Friday. Oops!

Have I compromised my home security for now?