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60km, S$90, 2 Toilet Seats I Installed With My Bare Hands

August 13th, 2010 by wilfrid
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This post is dedicated to Mark’s Warden.  For she has showed me the way when no others could.  So, thank you.  This post, I hope, is the first and last time my toilet bowl is featured in my website.  The story begins with the heavy drilling noise from one of our neighbors one morning, when I was nursing my flu and onto the second day of my anti-biotic medication.  Another apartment bought and sold, another renovation to take place.  The dust that we had borne when the family next door had their home renovated, the incoming mess is going to be all over again.  And now, someone somewhere was hacking the floor, hacking the wall.  Two drillers at least.  I could feel the vibration.  The mechanical pulsation that no music regardless how loud could overcome or conquer.

The intense drilling sound did hit me with something else other than distraction.  It focused onto an inspiration that was incepted into my mind: Time to replace our broken toilet seats.  To do that, I had to remove the part of the seat that appeared to have glued to the toilet bowl.  I tried to remove it by brutal force with the back of a hammer.  It would not budge.  I then Googled for a solution.  Lo and behold, there are more than one YouTube videos on this very topic.  And you would think, who would spend time making such a trivial video?  Well, I thank the dudes who make them.

To uninstall a toilet seat, all you need to do is to unscrew two bolts from directly underneath the hinge.  You can even use your bare hands.  After I did that, I took some scientific measurements on every dimension I can think of, and then headed off to the address provided by Mark’s Warden.  I felt lifted as I sped away from the deafening drilling sound.

A toilet seat is just a toilet seat, yes?  Not so.  There are different brands, different shapes, different models from different eras.  I walked from shops to shops showing them the measurements.  But no one could understand.  No matter.  I had lunch around the area, much delighted by the delicious wanton noodle at Balestier Road.  After lunch, I drove home, Googled the address of the toilet distributor, and I headed to Balmoral Plaza carrying with me the broken toilet seat.  If there is one place I can replace my MaClaire toilet seats, that has to be it.  Yes?

Not when the office does not exist anymore.  Fortunately, Balmoral Plaza was not far from Balestier Road.  I walked into the first shop at Balestier Road with my decade old toilet seat.  One young and pretty girl with strong Thai accent greeted me with a smile and said, “Eeee, yours is so small!”.  I was taken aback as that was a comment I seldom encounter.  I replied, “Well, it is six and a half inches.”  “Really?” replied her.  “Yes, hole-to-hole,” I added.

Matching the hole-to-hole dimension is the first step (the distance between the bolts that hold the seat in place).  Unfortunately we could not find a matching shape.  “It is better if you can find the same brand,” she offered.  And so I attempted.  Walking from one shop to another, holding the toilet seat with me, like a detective, I was hunting for the MaClaire toilets.  Finally, I got a lead that a shop called Lookz carries the brand.  The good news was, I found the shop.  The bad news was, the car park was not nearby.

I parked the car, opened the car boot, and took out my old toilet seat.  Sigh.  So I was going to carry a toilet seat, through the public housing estate, and through the bus stop and row of shops full of people.  Look at the bright side, I saw a thick blanket of dark cloud forming from a distance.  If it rained, I could use the toilet seat cover as an umbrella.

Yes, I found the MaClaire brand selling at Lookz.  No, I could not find the exact match.  The friendly staffs were helpful in showing me that the difference was not significant.  They removed one of the display unit and set my old toilet seat onto their new toilet bowl.  “You see, it is just a bit wider.  Wider, more shiok!” the young handsome tall man said with a genuine smile.  The word shiok did it (shiok means extreme pleasure I think).  “How much does it cost,” asked I.  “S$55,” he replied.  “S$55?!  Best price please!  I am buying two.”  “Erm.”  “Cash!  I pay cash!”  A minute later, he returned with a discount price of S$90 for two and a smile, “This is soft closing.  Better than yours!”.

Looking back, I have no idea if I have paid too much or just about right.  I am happy that the seats are now fixed.  And I managed to sleep for an hour with the stereo symphony of the dual drilling machines from our neighbor upstairs or downstairs, I do not know.  I am unable to figure out.

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Categories: Diary
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Stand A Chance To Win A Norton Internet Security Software Today!

August 11th, 2010 by wilfrid
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Avid readers of my website by now should know that whenever I host a simple contest here, you stand a very good chance to win.  Personally I like this contest because the underlying message is good.  If I have kids, I would dive straight into the free Norton Online Family, which I am going to share with you briefly in a moment’s time.  If you like what you read here, please share the link with your families and friends.  Meanwhile, email to me the answers to the following three questions by August 20, 2010 and stand a chance to win Norton Internet Security 2010 (upgradable to 2011).  Winners will be notified by Norton directly the following week.

  1. Have you had a negative online experience?
  2. What is your greatest fear when you are online?
  3. How do you keep yourself safe in the cyber world?

You may ask: what is a negative online experience?  Generally speaking, it falls into the following categories.

  • Downloaded a virus
  • Responded to an online scam
  • Saw violent /nude images
  • Someone they don’t know online has asked them to meet them in the ‘real’ world
  • Receiving ‘sexts’ from someone they don’t know

If you have kids at home, or know someone who has, you ought to check out the free Norton Online Family.  It helps you to understand what your kids are doing online, down to the search phrases they enter.  It also helps you to block sites of certain categories and limit the number of hours your kids spend online.  Alerts can be sent to you when there are activities that require your attention.  Where applicable, you can relax certain rules such as the number of hours spent online for that day or unblock a certain site as requested by your kids.  I believe it is less about control but more about being able to manage with the right information.

The immediate benefit I can think of is that you do not need to watch over the shoulders of your kids all the time.  Besides, survey shows that 6 in 10 parents do not always know what their kids see online.  With Norton Online Family, you can manage your kids’ online activity from a safe distance.  I reckon kids would appreciate parents who exercise transparency, interest in them, as well as good intend, yes?

Click here to visit the Norton Online Family.

Before I close off this entry, below are some advice for parents shared by Norton.  And don’t forget to send in the answers.  If you like what you read, do share the words.

  1. Regularly talk about online activities and show an interest
  2. Encourage your children to come to you if they experience anything unpleasant online
  3. Maintain up to date security software to protect your computer from any malicious software inadvertently downloaded
  4. Prepare kids for good or bad experiences
  5. Highlight the importance of thinking before clicking and downloading
  6. Use a browser search advisor to identify safe/unsafe sites
  7. Children need to know that their parents will listen and not blame or punish them when things go wrong online

External Link: Norton Online Family

Note: This contest is opened for those who are living in Singapore only.

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Categories: Announcement
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Salt – It Is Angelina Jolie! Gasp!

August 10th, 2010 by wilfrid
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What’s there to like about Angelina Jolie, Cynthia would ask.  Sigh.  Need I say, really.  Her lips?  Her sexy back?  Her Lara Croft come alive body shape?  Her guns and ass kicking action takes?  Well, none of the above; all of the above and more.

So I dragged Cynthia to watch “Salt” at our favorite cinema at The Cathay, with our friends, over the long weekend.  I love “Wanted” and in a strange way, “Salt” reminds me of that movie.  Must be the gun fight and action (and more).  I was genuinely led confused throughout a good portion of the movie.  “Salt” is action packed, from the very first frame.  It is a film about CIA and spy, Korea and spiders, US and Russia, nuclear war and a dog inside a backpack (OK, it is not that abstractly artistic, just in case you get the wrong idea).  Some parts of the film do not seem to make sense.  But it has sufficient feel good factors to keep us entertained.  And there are sufficient moments that move.

Yes, “Salt” is about vindication.  Bad guys must die.

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Categories: Action & Thriller · Movie Reviews
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Does The Single-player Aspect of StarCraft II Worth Your US$59.99?

August 9th, 2010 by wilfrid
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I am not that into multi-player, as far as real time strategy games are concerned.  Even if purchasing directly from Blizzard Store means spending less, Starcraft II does cost more than the average PC games today.  So, is the money well spent?

Many friends asked me: Does Starcraft II play the same way as the original game that is 12 years older, merely as a graphic update?  For a start, this sequel does play like the old game.  But in a good way.  Playing Starcraft II is like cycling.  Once you are on a bicycle, even if you have not cycled for donkey number of years, when you start paddling, it is the good old feeling once again.  If you are new to the game, there are in-game tutorial videos to guide you through.  There are also an in-game reference guide listing of all the units, what their strength and weakness are.  If you have played the original game 12 years ago, in no time, you would start labeling your units and structures, issuing build and kill orders, and building up the defence and a balanced troop – much like a second nature to you.

To say that Starcraft II plays merely like the old game in all aspects is grossly a misconception.  There is a robust achievement system that encourage you to replay each mission with a harder setting or harder goals that are clearly defined .  In turn, achievement scores are earned.  I like this aspect a lot because getting through the plot is rather easy.  Playing a beautiful game is not.  While the achievement score means little other than an overall sense of satisfaction, there are mission credits that you can spent on permanently upgrading your units and structures and hiring mercenaries to fight with you.  There are also Zerg and Protoss research points for you to unlock useful abilities.  Abilities that require you to carefully decide based on the trade offs.  If you are not that into micromanagement for instance, go for passive benefits.

Starcraft II is an accessible game (which reminds me of World of Warcraft).  On normal setting, most of the campaigns are forgiving, except the time critical ones that may require you to up your thinking and execution speed.  There are often main objectives that you must achieve in order to progress.  And there are bonus objectives that are rewarding, but not a must to complete.  If normal setting is too hard for you, you can lower it to casual.  And if normal mode is too easy for you, there is a hard mode.  And there is a brutal mode too.  Completing the entire game in brutal mode will earn you a Sarah Kerrigan online portrait (and a lot of respect from the Starcraft gamers).

There are often multiple strategies that can lead to victory.  Each campaign showcases a new unit.  I must say, I only get to use that new unit a lot on that particular campaign.  Thereafter, I usually stick with what works best for me.  In my case, air domination.  I do at times feel bad that there are so many units that I don’t get to use besides that one campaign when they were introduced.  Perhaps single-player campaigns are training ground to the multi-player games?

Another point to note is that there are rare occasions that you may make a plot related decision that opens up a new mission while closing off another.  But fear not, you get to play these alternative missions after you beat the game.  Instead of progressing the plot in a linear manner like the original Starcraft, you get to take on different mission chains in the order you prefer.  Having said that, you must complete each chain before you can head for the final plot.  In that sense, the plot is still linear.  Just that you get to – most of the time – choose which mission comes first.

It is true that majority of the time you play as a Terran.  Starcraft II is in no way lesser than the original game in terms of the number of missions.  I enjoy the deeper story and character development.  On that note, I can understand why some may wish that the story develops in parallel with the other two races – Zerg and Protoss.

I in particularly enjoy watching the cut-scenes prior and after each mission.  Good story development remains as the strength of the Starcraft franchise.  The cinematic clips are beautiful.  And you get to watch them again and again once you have unlocked them.  The music is beautiful too.  There is a jukebox and it plays some Western music as well as rock music in the 70s (I think … and my favorite track is “Raw Power”).  There is much humor in the game.  I like that anything-but-unbiased UNN news broadcast a lot.

Depending on how good you are with this genre, total play time may vary.  I am not so good at real time strategy games.  I reckon I may have spent about 20 to 30 hours to complete the game in normal mode including reloading the mission in order to try another strategy.  Now that I have completed the game, I may spend some time to collect the missing achievement points on normal mode.  Unsure if I would try the hard and brutal mode but if you do, be prepared to put aside more time and effort.

Does the game worth my US$59.99?  Without a doubt.

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Categories: Game Reviews
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Cruising At The Speed of Snail, Lately

August 8th, 2010 by wilfrid
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Lately, I find myself cruising at snail speed, on almost everything that I am doing, that I am planning to do.  Perhaps August is the month that is at the tail end of a summer holiday, but not quite near to the year end events such as Christmas celebration.  Or perhaps, I am feeling blah hit by cumulative blocks of things-not-moving.  When things are not moving, there seems to be a lack of liveliness.  Where there is a lack of liveliness, things do not seem to be as interesting.  Hence, blah.

Lately, I am reading a book on how to appreciate novels.  While the narration is lively, the topic is heavy, especially for those who are not trained in literature.  But I want to finish reading the book.  Because one day I may write a novel.  And I feel that this book is talking to me, on what to look out for, and how to construct certain things.  Things!  What things?  It is quite an ambition to cramp semesters worth of content into a book.  And therefore, I am reading it slowly.  At snail speed.

Lately, our Spanish teacher has moved onto another school, teaching younger children.  We had a farewell dinner at Bussorah Street.  It was my first time visiting that part of Singapore.  At one end of the street is a majestic mosque.  What a beautiful sight!  I wonder if this mosque allows visitors to enter, like the churches.  On top of my dinning table today are two Spanish exercise books that Cynthia and I have purchased.  They are still good as new.  Because they are new and untouched.  I know we have to find a way to make some real progress in our Spanish study, lest we may lose our momentum.  And I have been thinking lately.  Perhaps all we need is to write some crazy Spanish, speak some crazy Spanish, make some mistakes, a lot of mistakes, and learn from them.  It is hard to learn how to cycle if we are trying too hard not to fall, isn’t it?

Cycling in Singapore outside the designated areas is a crazy idea.  I have friends who are passionate in cycling, who think that it is OK to cycle on the roads here.  I too am passionate on cycling but I treasure my life.  Rarely do I see cyclists here giving hand signals when changing lanes.  Or turn on the lights – front and rear – in the evening.  If the Singaporean drivers cannot even take care of the motorcyclists on the roads, what make anyone think that it is safe to cycle on the roads that are meant for automobiles?  One evening, as I drove from my workplace to town, I saw a SUV blatantly went through a red light while the rest of the cars were waiting patiently for the green light.  A few junctions later, I saw a cyclist going through a red light when the light changed from green to red.  After making a turn, I saw a big truck crashed onto a yellow taxi.  All within no more than 2 kilometers.  Tell me, is it or is it not crazy to cycle in town?

Oh, one day, while I was driving, I saw a cyclist climbing the up slope of a slip road and that slip road would eventually lead to a highway.  I think there is a fine line between bravery and insanity.

Lately, I have not had the opportunity to jam.  And I miss my band.  Commitment is often not something we could demand from others, or even ourselves.  I get that.  It is because grown-ups have different life priorities.  Cynthia and I have been watching a Japanese anime series called “Nana”.  Yes, we can relate to the challenge of regrouping, or the desperation of finding a drummer.  I wish I could say in conviction that if Nana can do it, we too can do it!  But I am not a teen no more.

While the band is put on hold (or on a very slow progress, like sub-zero), I still have the desire to do a demo recording on the songs I wrote over the years.  I know in certainty that slowly, I will forget the songs bit by bit.  I suspect that like many things in life, this would probably take lesser time than I have anticipated.  So why not start now?

Lately, for some strange reasons, my life has turned geek.  Gaming aside, I had this huge episode with my network storage device that I have promised a friend who has helped in our rescue mission to write an entry here in order to commemorate our victory against all odds (I will, buddy!).  I have also bought a docking station that allows me to swap the hard disks with a push of a button, which I am still trying to get it to work the way I desire.  And I have bought a multimedia card that turns my computer into a TV console, which I am still unable to record the HD content (I doubt that I could).  And this evening, my friend has passed me this really funky, this expensively funky device that does more than merely a HDMI switch for trial, which I am digging deep into the features that suppose to enhance the picture quality while satisfying my explosive need of more and more HDMI inputs.  At times I wonder, when I get to the age of my mother today, would I be staring at the pieces of technological devices and ponder: What the heck are these things for?!

Lately, I have started to think about how much money I would need to put aside for a comfortable retirement in Singapore.  I think the calculation slows down to a snail speed when the figure reached six digits.  Like before and the rest, that calculation has to be put on hold.

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Categories: Diary
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Digesting The DBS and IBM Detail Findings Of 5 July Outage

August 4th, 2010 by wilfrid
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I work in a bank.  Prior to that, I have spent more than a decade working as a IT and management consultant serving primarily the financial services industry.  I am also a customer of DBS.  Certainly, I have high anticipation on the detail findings on what went wrong on July 5th when DBS suffered an unprecedented systems failure which prevented its customers from using the ATM or accessing their accounts (quote from The Straits Times).  A month has passed and the report has been made public.  Before I go on happily talking about what I think, here is a disclaimer (required by the one who pays my bills).  This entry – and everything you read in this website, really - represents opinions in my own capacity.  And I am not a spokesperson for any entity.

I have gone through the detail findings a couple of times (click here to view).  I would have thought digesting the findings should be cake, given my background.  But the findings, to me, are far from detail.  Confusing to read.  As far as the story goes, one fine day, IBM had detected an instability in the communication link between DBS’s mainframe computer and its storage system.  And because of that, an engineer was sent to DBS site to replace a cable.  This happened on July 3, 11.06am.  Here is a rundown of event anointed with my thoughts.

  • July 3, 7.50 pm –  The IBM engineer, as per the instruction given by the IBM support center, replaced the cable.  The report claims that the instruction is incorrect but appeared to have solved the problem.  I deduce from the report that the correct way is to use the machine’s maintenance interface (which I can understand).  So what did the engineer do?  Did he just yank out the cable?  As a IBM certified engineer, would he have known what are the steps involved to replace a cable?  I have no idea.  The report does not say much.  I can only speculate.
  • July 4 – 2.55 pm – All of a sudden, the problem reappeared.  This time, both the cable and the associated electronic cards had gone unstable.  The IBM engineer then escalated the issue to the [IBM] data center.  I suppose that was a logical thing to do.  Because replacing the cable did not seem to fix the problem.  Something else must had gone wrong.  The report does not go as far as to say that if the cable was to be replaced correctly in the first place, the issue would have been fixed for good.
  • July 4 - 5.16 pm -  After more than two hours of, I suppose, deliberation inside the support center located outside Singapore, the instruction was to: try reseating cable (my wild guess is that reseating means unplugging and reconnecting the cable).  So the IBM engineer did just that and the problem seemed to have gone away.  So why did the problem appeared to go away in two counts?  Nobody knows.  This detail findings report does not say.  The support center might have deduced that the problem was due to a loosely connected cable.
  • July 4 – 6.14 pm – Again, all of a sudden, the problem reappeared (by the way, I have worked in the technology line before and I know very well never to celebrate too early).  This time, the support center spent more time analysing the problem and appears to insist that it was still a problem with the cable.  So the IBM engineer reseated the cable.
  • July 4 – 11.38 pm – This time, the problem did not go away.  So as per the support center’s instruction, the IBM engineer reseated the cable again.  It did not work.
  • July 5 – 2.50 am – DBS was contacted to authorize a cable replacement at a quiet hour.  Previously, the cable was changed at 7.50 pm.  So I can only imagine that there may be some batch programs running during the midnight window.
  • July 5 – 2.58 am – The IBM engineer replaced the cable the same way as before.  And unlike the last time, the storage system detected a threat to data integrity and had stopped working in order to protect its data.  The million dollar question is: Why the storage system did not cease to work when the cable was replaced using the so called incorrect steps on July 3?  Something else must have killed the system but the report does not say.  What exactly did the engineer do that was different from before?  Why did the problem seem to have gone away after the cable was replaced the first time, reseated the first time?  Why did the problem reappear?  I am not convinced that these incorrect procedures have caused the outage, as quoted from the report.
  • July 5 – 12.30 pm – The banking services were fully restored.

Half a day to bring the system back up?  Procedures aside, what happened to the disaster recovery system?  You mean, there is none?

We can only read the clues by decoding the extra steps MAS has asked DBS to take.

When I read action items, I often examine the rationales behind each item.  More often than not, gaps are identified and in order to close them, action items are derived.  I doubt if the public would ever know what has gone wrong.  Looking at each item, it seems to me that MAS is concerned on the single points of failure (exactly my thought), not happy with how DBS managed and handled the situation, and above all, not happy with IBM.

It does not come more obvious than this:

diversify and reduce its material outsourcing risks so that it does not overly rely on a single service provider or a single vendor’s products and services

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Categories: I See I Write
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YUI – Holidays In The Sun – A Pleasant Album, Still Same Style

August 2nd, 2010 by wilfrid
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Nowadays, I seldom write about the music I listen to.  Not as often anyway.  With legal and unlimited music download, it matters little if it is a good album, or a bad one.  Because worst case, I delete the album off my digital storage.  On average, I listen to an album once, or twice, and then move onto the next one.

Once in a while, there are still albums that cannot be downloaded.  The charm of opening the case of a new album, savoring the artwork, listening to each track with such an attention and anticipation, all because I have paid twenty bucks for the entire package.  One of my recent purchases is YUI’s fifth album.  YUI tends to release plenty of singles (5 from this album so far) without an album in sight.  Imagine how ecstatic I was when I found her new album in store.

Being a Japanese artist who writes and performs her own songs, it is expected that “Holidays In The Sun” would sound much like her previous albums.  And it does.  In addition to her playing guitar, in this album, she plays the piano too for the opening track “to Mother”.  It is refreshing.  And it is also the only song in the album that features her piano track with no guitar overlay.  I wish that “to Mother” has as much of an impact as her other slow songs from her previous albums such as “Tomorrow’s Way” or “LOVE & TRUTH”.  Hence, on first listen, there seems to be something missing.  Something like a “LOVE & TRUTH” would be nice.  Then again, the overall mood of this album is upbeat.  Memorable upbeat tracks like “es.car” and “I do it” can easily please a live audience.  “Holidays In The Sun”, as a whole, is pleasant to listen to.  Fans would be pleased, for sure.

Her songwriting is not perfect.  At times I think she may have squeezed in one too many syllables into a sentence.  Her singing is not perfect.  At times I think she has gone out of breath trying to deliver what she envisions to deliver.  But what transpires, to me, is her being genuine and sincere and trust that her fans would appreciate the purity within.  I wish I could share a video of hers to demonstrate my last point.  Perhaps the one with her siting near the edge of the stage singing to a concert audience with only her guitar, in candle lights.  Just like how she is used to sneak through the streets, find a quiet spot, and start singing with her guitar to initially nobody and soon a gathering crowd.  Even the music video of her latest single “to Mother” would have proved my point.  The good news is, if you purchase “Holidays In The Sun”, it comes with a DVD that contains 6 music videos, “to Mother” included.

And so, the waiting of her yet another new album continues.  I hope it would take less than 2 years this time.

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Categories: J Pop · Music Reviews
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Au Revoir Taipei – Comically Cute

July 31st, 2010 by wilfrid
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Friday evening.  Time to celebrate the end of a rather long week of work.  I picked a Taiwanese romance comedy.  Cynthia wondered why the randomness of my choice.  Because we seldom watch Chinese movies.  At the end of the movie, Cynthia was pleasantly surprised.  And I was pleasantly surprised by her not hating it.

I did not pick “Au Revoir Taipei” by random.  It says: winner of the Best Asian Film at the Berlin International Film Festival 2010.  My only concern was that this movie would bias more to art than entertainment.  OK.  Some parts are pretty slow.  Mostly filmed at night, the lovesick character Kai wanting to leave Taipei in order to meet his girlfriend in Paris.  And here comes the gangsters, the cops, his friends, and Kai meeting Susie who works in a bookstore he frequents.  For most parts, there is a certain honesty in the overall performance that reveals the raw essence of comic without pretense.  There are enough character development opportunities that however brief some are, it is hard not to feel for them.  As for the story development, “Au Revoir Taipei” reads like a chapter from a short story (the direct transaction of the Chinese title is “One Page of Taipei”) that leaves us wanting more.  “Do you think there will be a sequel?” asked Cynthia when the credits rolled.  That would be good, I think, to see closure to many of the seemingly unresolved plots.

The main actress Amber Kuo is also a Taiwanese singer (if you have not already known).  I have downloaded her three albums from Nokia Music Store.  Sounds decent so far.  Below is the movie trailer.

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Categories: Comedy · Movie Reviews · Romance
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Flip Video – A Video Recording And Sharing Device That Fits Into Your Pocket

July 29th, 2010 by wilfrid
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It is a coincidence that most of my recent entries are technology related.  I promise I will go back to my write-ups on outer-V and mascara, eyeliner and angled brush in no time.

One evening, I have attended a blogger event hosted by Cisco in one of the restaurants at Vivocity.  Centered to this event is a new video recording and sharing device called “Flip Video”.  Do I take videos?  Of course I do.  I have a camcorder that takes video during my holiday trips.  I have a digital camera that takes video during some of my oil painting and music playing sessions.  I have a mobile phone that takes and shares video on the go.  So, how would a “Flip Video” fit into the picture?

“Flip Video” is tiny, simple to use.  In fact, the moment I got hold of the test device, I was taking video straight the way.  Each device can take up to 2 hours worth of video in 1280 x 720 resolution (30 frames per second), which is more or less how long the battery would last as I was told.  There is an HDMI jack for you to output to your television.  And it can be plugged directly into a computer via USB without the need of a cable.  Once the device is plugged into a PC or Mac, as I have seen at the demo booth, uploading video clips for online sharing is a breeze.  There is a software called FlipShare that converts the clips into an optimal form and size and uploads the clips directly to Facebook, YouTube, or MySpace with just a few clicks.  If you are concerned about privacy, there is a FlipShare website for you to share your videos privately with your friends and family.  You can perform some basic editing within the application as well.  Sounds good so far?

I have given some thoughts on what I would use it for.  “Flip Video” does not replace a camcorder or even a digital camera if video quality is what I am going after.  But it is tiny and can be carried around quite easily.  Comparing the output from “Flip Video” with the same video clip I took using my Nokia N900, the color does not seem to be as vibrant and the picture does not seem to be as sharp (perhaps due to the lens quality?).  Having said that, the skin tone taken by the “Flip Video” appears to be more natural and if HD format means something to you, “Flip Video” recording comes with a decent resolution and frame rate.

One interesting point to note is that you can mount the “Flip Video” onto a tripod, or any mounting devices (one looks like a spider).  That is something – as far as I know – none of the mobile devices can do.  Use your imagination and it can be pretty handy.  You could mount the “Flip Video” onto the handlebar of your mountain bike and document those wonderful and humanly impossible maneuvers for sharing because no one can understand or visualize what you are raving about (yes, Robert, I am talking to you!).  You could mount the “Flip Video” onto the spoiler of your car and pretend that you are a F1 driver on ESPN sport channel.  You could self-directing your, erm, home movie at ease because you can mount the “Flip Video”onto a tripod and no longer need to creatively look out for where to put your mobile phone.

And etc.

“Flip Video” is made by Cisco and is selling at S$349.  What do you think?  Is it something you would want to carry with you?  What type of video would you shoot with it?

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Starcraft II Local Retail Copy S$109 Vs US Digital Download US$59.99

July 28th, 2010 by wilfrid
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Take today’s exchange rate as an example.  1 US dollar is just below 1.36 Singapore dollar.  You can do the maths and work out how much more gamers in Singapore are paying for a local copy of Starcraft II (35% extra).  I have pre-downloaded my US version directly days before the game was launched and have paid US$59.99 this morning instead of S$109.  And this is the first installment out of three.  No way I am going to get ripped off three times in a row.

Are you?

Note: You must select the US version before you begin the download.

When I first heard that Starcraft II costs S$109, I said no way.  It is selling at Amazon.com for US$59.99 (S$81).  That is a rip off.  Besides, no PC games cost that much so far in Singapore.  There is indeed another way.  Days before the July 27 launch, Starcraft II was opened for pre-download directly from Blizzard’s online store.  It took me around 7 hours to download the 7 GB game client via SingTel broadband (one reported that it would take 72 days on a StarHub network).  Blizzard has kept mummed on the price of the digital copy prior to the launch.  After the digital copy was launched on July 27 (10 am PDT), I have purchased the game key at US$59.99.

I suppose there are pros and cons of not getting a local copy.  Here is a laundry list for your consideration.

  • Digital copy does not come with a box.  I am OK not to have a box.  It takes up space and I am used to purchasing digital copies online via Steam.  If I was willing to pay more for a box, I would have imported the Collector’s Edition instead.  Besides, I am reducing the carbon footprint of PC gaming.  Good, yes?
  • US digital copy only allows you to play with the gamers within North America.  And I suppose there is a higher latency compares to logging directly onto the Singapore server.  As for me, I seldom choose the multi-player option.  I buy Starcraft II for the campaigns.  If I do want to experience playing with others, I still can.  And if I want to play with someone who has bought the Southeast Asia version, I still can.  It is because SEA gamers, as of now, are allowed to log into the US server (but not the other way round).  Why would I want to pay extra?
  • Some say support the local industry and give IAHGames the support.  I remember how they screwed up the hosting of Hellgate:London couple of years ago.  Be it as their fault or not, gamers don’t forget.  I still have the bitter taste.  If the local copy of Starcraft II was to cost the same as in America, I would not mind getting one.  Paying so much more to support a company that has failed me before?  I think not.  Some say we should be glad that Blizzard Entertainment has set up an office in Singapore and helped training the folks in IAHGames.  I have played Blizzard’s World of Warcraft on a US server for years with zero local support.  Besides the Tuesday server maintenance that happens during our prime time, I have no complain.  Donating money to IAHGames?  I think not.  But if they manage to build up a good reputation through the hosting of Battle.Net, I may re-evaluate the situation when Diablo III comes.

If you are still uncertain if Starcraft II is for you, read the game review here as I have completed the game.  Meanwhile, here is a fantastic trailer.  See it for yourself.

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Categories: For the Geeks
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