Category: Diary

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Diary

Nokia N96 Test Drive Episode 4 – Satellites Watch Me Jog

Sport Tracker on Nokia N96

The Nokia N96 is without doubt more than just a phone and yesterday, I took it for a jog, with the satellites behind me.  I have stopped jogging for more than a year after I have hurt my knees at the Mount Kinabalu.  It is hard to describe the fear of not being able to jog again for those who love to jog.  Avid readers of my site may remember that I do love to jog, even with my injured knees I tried.

Sport Tracker Route

18 months have passed and I have decided to give it another try.  To see if I still can jog.  Of the many applications that Nokia users can download (many are free), I love the Sports Tracker by Nokia a lot.  There are in total 7 live views for any outdoor activity.  Once the phone has locked onto the GPS coordinates, the main view (as seen in picture above at starting position) has a mini map that outline your route live as you jog, walk, cycle, ski, and etc.  Besides the mini live map, this main view shows the pace in min/km, the distance covered, as well as the time lapsed.  I found it very useful to monitor the pace as I jog.  I can easily tell if I am slowing down or doing well in keeping pace.  The sweetest of all data is the distance covered.  I often wonder how far I have jogged and with the satellites watch over me, I no longer need to guess.

Switch to other views there are useful information such as average pace, altitude (!), speed in km/h, and exact GPS coordinates in latitude and longitude.  Also, there are live graphs on speed versus time, speed versus distance, as well as altitude versus distance.  Finally, for the curious minds, there is even a view on how many satellites are above you and how many the Nokia N96 manages to lock onto (note: one wise man told me that we need at least 3 satellites to tell us the exact position).

Sport Tracker Results

After each workout, the application stores a full report in the Nokia N96 and tags it to the internal Sports Tracker calendar.  There are different options to export the reports in various formats.  In this example (on the left), I exported a screenshot of my jogging result to Cynthia’s Nokia 95 via Bluetooth.  There is a function to export directly to Nokia’s OVI but I don’t seem to be able to get that to work for now.  Other formats such as Google Earth, GPX, XML, CSV … Gosh, I think I will stick with screenshots for now.

I guess there must be some sort of connection between my bio-data entered (such as gender, age, height, and weight) and the amount of kCal burned.  Is 254.4 kCal a lot?  I have no clue.  And it seems that I have covered 4.12km in 22.47 minutes.  I think with practice, I shall do much better than this.

I have tried turning the tracker on when I was driving on the highway today for testing purposes.  Shall I say … it is a good estimation!

Other Cool Applications I Frequently Use on my Nokia N96

Besides Sports Tracker, I use Facebook Mobile and Fring (messenger equivalent) a lot.  With these two applications, I can keep in touch with my friends via my favorite social networking application as well as to be able to chat with my friends online anytime, almost anywhere.  Most of the hotels I have visited lately provide free wi-fi connection.  Communication via SMS cost me up to S$0.61 per message sent and received when I am overseas.  Communication via my Nokia N96’s wi-fi capability is free when network is available.

For those who love to have their emails pushed into their phones, you may wish to try out the Nokia Email application.

In Closing

My knees seem to be able to take the impact.  At least for this first run.  With Nokia N96, new ideas and opportunities have opened up for my passion in jogging.  No longer do I need to stick to familar routes for the sake of tracking my progress (I have this 4.5 km route that I once measured using my car’s meter).  Now, I can jog to the reservoir and back and I can proudly note it somewhere that I have jogged X km today and burned Y kCal.

Sweet!

Related Tag: More Nokia N96 Test Drive Episodes

External Link: Sports Tracker by Nokia

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Diary

I Faced the Moon As My Block Leave Began

Camera : Nikon D700 Lens : AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED Exposure : M mode, 1/1000 second, f/4 Sensitivity : ISO 200

I have been holding back on writing the crazy drama and frustration I faced at work questioning why some people have this lens that see the perspectives in life that is so different from mine.  But I choose to focus on the happy things in life.  It was hard till the very last few hours countdown to the start of my compliance leave and it is all worthwhile.  I always see my work environment like a game of survivor.  Season 2 begins unexpectedly even before I wrap up this meant-to-be a wonderful year at work.  I still hold firm to my belief that do the right thing and I will be taken care of.  So I do just that and the moon has smiled at me tonight.

So I am happy, very happy today.  I can’t tell you too much about a Singapore entity I am involved that is officially registered today, nor I can tell you too much about the fruition of this global initiative that I have poured in 18 months of blood and sweat.  Just take my word.  I am a happy man.

My brother-in-law-to-be called me if I would be his best man for his wedding with my sister in Hong Kong.  Certainly I am honored to be.  I have known him for so many years ever since I have stepped into Singapore.  I can’t think of a better man on moon earth to marry my little sister.  That reminds me.  Wasn’t I the emcee for my guitarist’s wedding with my band manager just earlier on this year?

Life is good.  I am happy.  By the time you read this, I shall be inside a jeep taking pictures of the wildlife in an Indonesian Safari.  I still want to see the volcanoes although Cynthia told me that recently, these volcanoes have coughed out poisonous gas.  Some tourists have died.  Maybe we could … wind up the windows and hide inside our jeep?

I will have Internet access, however limited it is going to be.  So, do keep the comments coming.  This is going to be an exciting block leave.  All the way till Jan 4 next year.

~ 12/12/2008

PS. A casual picture taken from my window.  No post production work has been done to the … moon.  Actual image resolution after cropping.  The picture of the moon does look better on a Google browser, less jagged than on IE.  I wonder why.

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Diary

First Ever Singapore vs. Malaysia Blogger Challenge by BRANDS® – I Will Be There

Out of millions of fans Singaporean blogger EastCoastLife has, exactly why she picked me as her teammate for this first ever BRANDS® blogger challenge between these two friendly countries, I have no clue.  Of course I am honored to be part of the ‘Team Singapore’ for this unique blogger event come next Wednesday (Dec 3).  Wish me luck in helping Singapore to score better in Mental Performance.

Exactly why the PR folks at Burson-Marsteller agreed to pick me, I also have no clue.  Interestingly, I do genuine love the taste of BRANDS® Chicken Essence.  Maybe I am a Cantonese who is used to take in essence of this and that; or maybe since young, my mom has been feeding me with BRANDS® Chicken Essence during my exam period; and even when I was studying in UK, I had got to stock up the same Chicken Essence only available in Chinatown; I simply love to drink the stuff from these cute little glass bottles.  In fact, I often find that one bottle is hardly enough to satisfy my craving.  I wonder if I would overdose on Chicken Essence if I take more than one a day.

As though I could afford this would-be lifestyle.

This little experiment I have signed up for reminds me of something.  Last year I agreed to be an experiment for my sister’s boss in one of the Singapore Universities to analyse my strengths.  I sat through a 3 hours long online examination (or call it survey) and was told that I did well in the IQ section.  Till today, I have yet to read the full report as promised.  Dear Lora, if you happen to read this entry …

Back to the countless bottles of green fuel that were sent to my office (and caused a small commotion), inside that cute little transparent box that I am going to reuse as a container to carry my makeup and cosmetic to the plane (kidding!) there is a briefing pack.  Inside this briefing pack there is a set of mental exercises that I will have a go once my chicken essence level in my blood stream is high enough.  And I am given a highly encrypted BRANDS® Asia Mental Performance Survey Fact Sheet too.  I really should be worried if I can’t even figure out what the report is trying to say.

It appears to me (from reading the fact sheet several times) that the participants from both Singapore and Malaysia are satisfied with their mental performance but Malaysians are the ones who are more actively seeking ways to enhance their performance.  Such as the usage of health supplements.

How I am reading this is that if Singaporeans are to be more proactive in enhancing our mental performance (like drinking BRANDS® regularly?), we shall end up way more satisfied with our mental performance than our friendly neighbor.  And how I am reading this is that since ‘Team Singapore’ has been injecting chicken essence into our blood stream, we are destined to take the grand price of S$1,500.  That would make a lot of sense.

Interestingly, according to the report, people from Hong Kong are not as satisfied with their mental performance as the Southeast Asians and they are not as actively seeking ways to improve either.

That is a strange finding beyond my comprehension.  Maybe the environment in Hong Kong is more demanding and people have a higher expectation of themselves?  For sure, from what I know, people in Hong Kong are seeking ways to enhance probably through the traditional channels.  They have 101 types of soup for 101 different purposes.  Perhaps the report has normalized all these external factors behind the scene.  I have no clue at this moment.

OK.  I must be thinking too deep.  Anyway, I am popping one bottle of BRANDS® Chicken Essence a day and now, we shall be on a leveled ground with the Malaysians!

So who will be there in the ‘Team Singapore’ besides the Singapore blogger megastar EastCoastLife?

Mr. Endoh will be there.  I met him a couple of times in a social setting.  He is a cool guy and is recently featured in our newspapers.  Aaron Ng will be there too.  I haven’t met him in real life.  From what I read in his blog so far, he seems smart.

And the popular blogger Sheylara will be there too.  I met her in person during one of the blogger events.  These days I think of X-Box, I think of Sheylara.  Her face is on the covers and posters everywhere.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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Diary My Hobbies Photography

Clarke Quay is Lovely – Project Experiment with Nikon SB-900

Clarke Quay holds a special place to my heart, it has always been since I first visited Singapore more than a decade ago.  The vibrancy, the color, the tourists, and when I was toying with a location for me to experiment my new flash unit Nikon SB-900, I thought of Clarke Quay.

To tell you that I know how to operate that flash unit would be a lie.  Half an hour before we stepped out of our home, I was busy going through the manuals and tips-and-tricks the first time.  I got the essential information – pretty much like most that I do in my life – and reckon that the best way to learn is to go out to the field and experiment.

This Nikon SB-900 is a large flash unit.  Attached it to my already monstrous tool make me look like an alien walking on earth with a huge laser gun.  When TK joined us, he was shocked by the size of my tool.  Oh well, I was shocked too.

So we had a Spanish meal – my first – at The Tapas Tree.  One of the staff whom we have not met before is a teacher from Las LiLas School, where Cynthia and I learn Spanish.  Cynthia was shocked that I initiated a Spanish conversation with her.  I was shocked that the lovely Spanish lady understood what I said.  And she gave us a 10% discount.  How nice.

We bumped into a couple who asked if I could take a picture for them.  I offered to send them the photo via email but I guess they were too drunk to response.  I think I got a bit better with the flash unit towards the end.  Keep practicing I guess.  If all (pictures) fail, at least we’ve had a lovely evening.

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Diary

So I Bought A dSLR That Defies All That I Was Advised Upon

It is probably one of the most breathtaking decisions I have made lately when I got myself an early Christmas present for the next 5 years combined: an entry level full frame camera.  To my dear friends whom I have been bugging for months asking the same set of questions in 101 different ways, thank you for your patience.  I really appreciate it.  Though my final decision is probably not what you would have imagined, your consistent answers have lent me much clarification.  Or so it seems.  I am certainly not as rational as what some friends of mine would think.

OK.  I am most definitely not the smartest dude in town.  I got a shock when I saw the 70-liter dry cabinet delivered to my office.  It is bloody huge!  Big enough to fit a baby inside!  I swear I thought I’ve ordered a 60-liter.  And I got a shock when I held my camera.  So bloody heavy!  Unlike my friend Mark who has also got himself a Nikon camera on the same day (how excited and productive he was!), my accomplishment for day 1 was as follows.

  1. Fully charged the battery!
  2. Took me a long time to tie the stripe.  Really, Nikon should just attach these stripes for us.
  3. Took me a long time to figure out how to attach the bloody heavy lens to the rather heavy body.  I swear I saw virtual dust going into the body while I was holding my breath throughout the nerve-racking process.
  4. Spent a long time staring at that heavy beast pondering: What shall I do next?
  5. Took a picture of Cynthia while she was sleeping.  Then decided against keeping that photo.

This morning I woke up and made some progress.  I managed to set the time zone, date, and time and … time to go to work.

So, why a Nikon D700?  Here is the secret dream world of a simple guy.  The irrational bits first.

  • I love a bigger size, a hand full.  One friend of mine suggested that I should try these bodies before putting down my hard earned cash.  I would agree with her.  Not sure why I trusted my visual instinct so much.
  • Somehow the point-and-shoot picture control dial bugs me.  The one that comes with the landscape, portrait, night scene, and etc. icons.  So I picked D700 as it doesn’t have that dial.  To me, I want the hard way.  Except, now it is so darn hard that I don’t even know how to take a picture.

I know I know … what can I say?!  OK.  Now comes the less irrational bits.

  • I know wise man says “invest in the lenses and not the body”.  I am certainly investing on lenses (got myself a decent Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8) but I am also very hung up on one obscure and basic requirement of mine ever since the day one I started to research on which camera to get: full frame. 
  • This is a baseline requirement for me because I can safely say that I will keep this body for quite some time.  I am not into the mega pixel race.  That is silly to me because it is highly unlikely that I want my photographs to be printed in an exhibition size.  Not now, not for the next decade.  And since I am happy with the mega pixel and the full frame sensor size, what else would I want from the future upgrades?  Perhaps a video function?  Perhaps a better frame-per-second?  Perhaps a Wi-fi connectivity?  Nah, not for me.
  • I don’t see camera sensors can be larger than the 35mm full frame ones that I have.  Lenses will have to be much bigger than what they already are today.  Nor do I see that sub-frame will be the de facto standard for the professionals.  Hence, I prefer to collect lenses that are made for full frame cameras and not to think of the crop ratio that keeps screwing up my brain.
  • I am aware that sub-frame camera has a perceived farther reach due to the crop ratio.  But I am also aware the advantages of a full-frame that I am happy with.

I am so glad that the days of debat is over.  Next step, figure out how to take pictures!  Stay tuned.

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Action & Thriller Diary Movie Reviews

Prefer Casino Royale to Quantum of Solace – My Quantum of Mad Rush from 1450 to 1658

I think I had my fair share of action packed excitement prior to the five o’clock movie “Quantum of Solace”.  At 1450 (timestamp from one of my messages to M), I stepped into my Aston Martin (OK, more like a … whatever) with one hand on my Nokia phone doing last minute checking on my GPS ordinates (I did turn on my Nokia Map because I couldn’t afford to make any error and you will see why) …

OK.  If you are here for the movie review, please skip to the next section.  

Now, back to my quantum of mad rush … I am usually quite good at working backward and estimating what time we shall leave our doorsteps.  Today, so much needed to be done and … I gave up planning.  1450 was terribly late, that much I knew.  Tailgated the first car I saw on the quiet road of our neighborhood, I overtook it over a hump.  My car’s engine went vroom vroom vroom and … oops, the car belongs to the Colonel whom I just greeted at the lobby, whom was my client back in my consulting life, whom must have thought who this mad man on the road was.  He must have been shocked that I was that mad man on the road.

Sir, sorry Sir!  It was mad rush time!

I am terrible in road direction and I relied on my Nokia Map in times like this.  Spun the car to YCK Road, drove up the Lornie Road, turned right into Holland Road, exited into Holland Avenue, and as I negotiated a sharp right turn into the car park, I was greeted by the sign …

Car park full.

Uh-huh.  Parachuted Cynthia out of the car with an encrypted message “6 Dim Sum Dishes, Crystal Jade”, I patiently waited at the entrance with a path that slopped upwards.  My phone rang just when that dude from the Mercedes-Benz CLS in front of me let go his brake and gravity pulled this huge German machine towards my car.  NO!  I furiously slammed my honk while Cynthia was on the phone asking me which of the two Crystal Jade restaurants we were supposed to meet.

Handbrake Sir … please!  How would the insurance agencies know who hits who in situation like this?!

As I was waiting for our dishes to arrive, I was so happy to see the ATM machine right opposite the road.  In such a high tech city like Singapore, you would have thought that cashless payment is the way to go.  Apparently not for where I was going to visit, Sim Lim Square (amongst many places here).  One time, I literally withdrew S$1,000 notes over-the-counter so that I don’t need to bring a briefcase of S$50 notes to buy electronic gadgets.  Paid by Credit Cards I will need to add 3%.  Paid by NETS I will still need to add 2%.  You know what?  Our supermarkets should follow suit.  Imagine a 2% discount on grocery bills if we pay by cash.  Why not?  I would.  Especially now that we are in recession.  Any saving counts.

I had a vague memory on where M’s client site is at, theoretically a 5 minutes drive from Holland Vee.  I did get lost and I managed to get back on track thanks to Cynthia and Nokia Map.  M must have forgotten how impressive my driving skill is and as I was waiting and waiting for M to appear, I calculated the route to my next destination, Sim Lim Square.

If all go according to plan, mid next week, M and I would be two very happy men on Earth with our two new cameras.  So today, we went for an accessory shopping trip.  To help some of you to relate, imagine you have ordered a beautiful pair of earrings together with a matching necklace from Tiffany & Co.  While waiting for these lovely items to arrive, what would you do?  Yes, go shopping for some new dresses to go along, correct?

We entered into Singapore River area and have to pay S$2 ERP road charges (on a Saturday?!).  We turned into Rocher Road and paid another S$2 ERP road charges.  Good gracious me!  No wonder I love to stay at home during weekends.  And when we reached Sim Lim Square, we saw the sign …

Car park full.

Uh-huh.  Parachuted M out of the car to kick start the purchase process and when we reached the basement, I parachuted myself out of the car and handed Cynthia the car key.  Time was 1620 and it was running out.  Ran up to Alan Photo and M was happily holding his new lens.  I asked for the UV filter, no stock.  Battery, no stock.  Dry cabinet, no stock but I could place an order that comes with free home delivery.  OK, at least I got myself a rather expensive memory card.

Jumped back into the car at 1640, I paid another S$1 ERP for entering the Orchard area.  By the time we arrived at the 6th floor of Cineleisure, it was 1658.  TK greeted us with the popcorn set that Cynthia has been talking about for the whole day and … time for “Quantum of Solace”!

Quantum of Solace     

To the character James Bond, “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” are separated by merely an hour.  To some of the audience who have caught the previous installment, that is a 2 years wait.  If I was to watch “Casino Royale” right before “Quantum of Solace”, I think I may be more sympathetic over Bond’s grievance towards the quite possibly love of his life Vesper’s betrayal and death.  This chapter of James Bond starring Daniel Craig seems like part of a trilogy.  I made such a guess because there are some loose ends and in the end credits, it says something like “James Bond will be back again soon”.  If so, that may explain this mid episode syndrome when the majority of the plot is to provide answers to the lingering questions from “Casino Royale” but yet, the climax has to come from the next episode.

I prefer “Casino Royale” because I like the storyline better, because the Bond girl is more intelligent, has more air time, and because I get to see James Bond having fun, falling in love, rather than feeling so heartbroken.  Besides, I think the villain of “Casino Royale” is a lot cooler.

If you like Daniel Craig role in the Bond franchise (like me), you would enjoy “Quantum of Solace”.  There are some breathtaking action sequences and certainly, refresh your mind with “Casino Royale” prior to watching this one will help to understand James Bond’s state of mind better.

PS. I like Olga Kurylenko better in Hitman.

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Diary

My 4th Book Review at McGraw-Hill Education

Thank you McGraw-Hill for posting my book review on “Crucibles of Leadership” to your website, unaltered.  Ever since April this year, it has been an exciting and rewarding journey.  Though I have been writing reviews of all sorts for years, writing for a much wider audience adds a whole new level of experience.  And to my readers, thanks for all the comments and support.  I am still holding onto two titles by McGraw-Hill and I aim to get the reviews out before the end of the year.  Stay tuned!

 

 

Meanwhile, please check out other book reviews listed at their Business & General Reference section.

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Diary

I Picture Myself As a Surfer

In as much as I wish to follow closely the exciting world news these days, I feel isolated working in a city out of my home country.  Having to face a relatively large group of people – that if to double count the country of birth and of work, they whom literally come from all continents of the world – the interaction and the so-called rollercoaster politics is enough to make me forget about the third debate of Obama versus McCain.  Almost.

Menara Axis – where our workshop is – is merely a stone throw away from the hotel I am staying in.  Yet on the first day of work, my colleague and I were trying hard to figure out how to get to the other side of the highway.  Very much like The Amazing Race (see pictures above or click here for the slideshow).  Looking back, after spending the past four days trekking those concrete jungle trails, it is really not that harsh.  Just that, there is no zebra crossing (actually I told my overseas friends not to trust the zebra crossing here with their lives), no traffic light for the pedestrians, and we simply have to watch out for the motorists as we enter the mini-intersection above the highway.  The experience reminds me of that one time (and obviously last time) I was trying to take a public transport from PJ to KL via the new transit railway.  No wonder there are so many cars here in Malaysia.

You know how it is like that you are aware that something big and exciting is coming you way and you thought with all that you have seen and done in the past, you can do it.  Yet when that something big and exciting hits you, you have a challenging time trying to remain standing.  Imagine yourself on the surfboard with the blue sky as the backdrop.  Perhaps because no two waves are the same, the surfers love what they do waves after waves.  Perhaps to those who sunbath by the beach, looking at the surfers and the waves, it is just another surfer, another wave.  And to me, as the ”˜surfer’, in these couple of days, I see crucible moments.  One day I may look back, at a particular juncture in life, and say, “I am who I am because of those particular days.”

Passed the halfway mark today and four more working days to go in help handling this workshop, I am so looking forward to a restful weekend.  I wish to catch up on what I planned to do.  And my plan has not been carried out as planned, yet.

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Diary

With the Humdrum Sound Of the Unseen Rotors I Continued to Wait

I lost track of time waiting for the luggage to appear at the convey belt. The humdrum sound of the unseen rotors hidden underneath and the perpetual counterclockwise movement of the rubberized pieces stitched together for that one single purpose, it is as though even the mechanical being is waiting for something to happen. One airport staff wheeled out my Spanish classical guitar. The human being has won as I continued to wait for my luggage to appear.

I lost track of time waiting for my turn to purchase the taxi coupon and I lost track of time while driven in the dark from the airport to the hotel. The Malaysia airport seems so far away from town. Door-to-door from my home in the north to the Singapore airport in the east took 30 minutes. Add another 30 minutes, the bowl of warm Tom Yum soup appeared at the dinning table, in a restaurant inside the airport. 30 minutes later I was sitting on the plane, reviewing training pack that I am suppose to present.

I tipped the taxi driver and he was shocked at my tip; I was shocked by his reaction. At the hotel reception, I was told that there was a package waiting for me. What was the package about, naturally I asked. Over at the concierge you shall find out, he replied. Who sent it to me, I inquired. No idea, he replied. This is so double-o-seven. I like.

By the time I reached my room, it was near midnight. I felt hungry so I called for a light snack. The housekeeper arrived to take my shirts for pressing and before she left, she found that one of the windows was open. No wonder the street noise was so audible. I can’t imagine what a potential consequence would have been if I was a sleepwalker. Minutes later, the engineer arrived and fixed my floor-to-ceiling window.

Now feeling safe, warm, and well fed, it is time to go to sleep.

PS. Click here for photo slideshow.

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Diary

Bringing Along My Spanish Guitar As I Fly Off For a 2 Weeks Business Trip

So I am bringing my Alhambra Spanish classical guitar for my overseas business trip, that surprises people around me – friends and colleagues.  Maybe unlike golf, there is no association to business with music hobby.  A golf set is bulkier, heavier, but not necessarily more expensive than my guitar, with case.  I have to change the world.  Business people should start to talk business over a music jamming session instead of playing with such a small ball in such a vast perimeter.  One day if I do rise above my rank of a corporate coffee boy to a see-what-oh, I will only sign deals inside a music studio.

This year has not been a productive year for me, in terms of my music creation journey.  12 is my target and I only have written one song this year.  Maybe I have been busy practicing for our live performance, maybe this year has been a busy years for me with these extra-extra-curriculum-activities, maybe I am less artistically inspired this year.  No more excuses.  I am bringing my guitar to PJ Malaysia as well as my handheld recording device for songwriting.  As an added bonus, I am going to meet with our drummer now guitarist to practice our set over the weekend.  She too is bringing her Yamaha guitar for her business trip.

When life hands you a durian, you hit people with it.  I wish I could as I have to sacrifice my Wednesday Spanish class for this trip.  Argh!  On a more positive note as in what to do with this lemon durian, I am going to …

  • Catch up with my old friends in Malaysia
  • Finish reading a non-fiction book
  • Write a book review for another non-fiction book (McGraw-Hill)
  • Read a fiction (yay … good to have indulgence at times)
  • Write a few music reviews that have been delayed for a long time
  • Complete that few blog ideas that have been in my mind for so long
  • Dream of what else to do within the 4 walls of PJ Hilton

Stay tuned friends.  It is business as usual here in my webbie.  Now, back to packing!