Who Loves Gadgets?

I wouldn't call myself a full-fledged gadget fan. I do like and enjoy funky electronics, but to be in love with them I wouldn't want to be. To me, what works is just fine, what still does the job well and according to my needs doesn't need to be replaced, and those popular gizmos so commercialised and which I know would only entertain me for a short while is off my to-buy list. That's probably why I never really drooled on Apple Mcintosh iPods, although I must admit that they do look pretty sexy. And long before they came to dominate the market, there were the discmans, mp3 players, etc. which I haven't put any interest on. Never had a PDA; was kind of passed on a brand new Sony Clie before but never really used it, it's still in the box and I think I'm ready to pass it on to my dear sister as replacement for her already expired one.

If I am to put the list of my electronic toys side by side the list of my fashion essentials, the former would probably shy away in embarrassment... or perhaps I'll just realise that my priorities are somehow twisted? Nah! In fact, I have only bought for myself one major contraption... my Fujitsu C2210; she's exactly what I needed when I needed her. Already more than 3 years old now but still svelte.. A wouldn't agree; he reckons that she's a bit overweight and that the thinner models are the products of choice nowadays. And I say, what's wrong with her if she has a bit of meat on her!... hwehwehwe!... after all I no longer have to carry her around now that I'm no longer a student. Bigger screen, and not too thin that I'll be afraid to take her on with one hand lest she snaps into two. A also thinks that it is time to replace her but I still wouldn't as she still does the job, albeit sometimes a bit slower, understandbly for something that has been working quite hard for the past 3 years. But I won't dispose off this old thing for a younger, slimmer one... not while she's still alive and kicking. Look at her, isn't she just fine and dandy?And because I have a techie beau, I probably wouldn't be so behind in terms of telecommunications and technology, not that I don't have personal interest but it does help that someone feeds information into you rather than you having to scavenge for it, correct? And so to accessorize, or should I say to add on an extra use, to my Andromeda (my laptop's given name), for my birthday 2 years ago he gifted me with an uber-stylish webcam fit to be put aside my silver friend. The QuickCam Orbit has a built-in microphone, has face-tracking capabilities, can have a dual-height position, and looks like a monitoring eyeball from an advanced planet from outer space. I laughed when I opened the boxed Orbit, so typical of A to give a useful gadget such as this. And of course, the gift package includes free installation, adjustment, testing, and all trouble-shooting services if need be, from A naturally. See, he fully understands that once he gets me these things, he automatically becomes the 24x7 tech-support for the products. Not bad To cap of the three major items I'd consider in my electronics list comes the newest addition to the family, a Sony N1 digital camera. It hasn't been out in the market for long and at first I was wary about it as there are so many choices out there and who knows which one really is the best? Who has tried and tested it? But I had to trust A's taste, after all it was his Christmas present for me... and once I started using it, all apprehension melted away. I wouldn't be getting it if my old one which is a Fuji Finepix 401 didn't die on me, ahhh also 3-4 years in service, one day sand got into it while we were at the beach and it was a goner. I still have a soft spot for it and wish that it could be fixed. Anyway, I love this new one; it has a 3-inch LCD screen which makes it so much easier for point and shoot photography. One thing I prefer as well, is one with a more or less regular thickness, not too thick but not so slim that it becomes difficult to hold and steady. This one is sized just to fit the hand perfectly. There's a touch-screen feature, playful slide and album shows feature, paint, etc. I've already started getting it into work... hard!... and for sure, it'll be travelling with me and taking in beautiful spots and sceneries (as well as people, ahem ahem!)From A I have also received a USB key, external wireless LAN card to help out my pretty weak internal wireless-ready card, amongst others. If there is a pattern in the presents that I receive, it'll be easy to predict that the next one coming might be a... uhmmm... satellite dish? I can only be thankful that A has introduced me to a wider set of product choices in electronics, because sometimes I have a tendency to stick with a pre-conceived criteria that I miss out on the other good things that may be offered with brands or models that I have already initially dismissed.

Signing off!

Reviving Soul's Whispers

And what do you know!... it's been at least a month and a half since this little baby has been left empty... and clueless? Obviously I have failed to fulfil an earlier promise to keep this up to date. I guess I enjoyed my holiday too much that although going online can be counted as one of the must-do's in my everyday life, I was able to forget about it for the longest time!... nope, no temptation to blog away at all. I suppose this can be one proof that I am still no blog addict, not that much attachment yet. See, that's the thing... I find myself mentally refusing to get tied down to a routine if it meant that I will be bothered or hindered in doing other things, or if it would mean that I'll get nagged by a feeling of obligation. When it becomes that way, I will find it a nuisance which of course, I alone would have created for myself. Therefore, it is good this way, I could put aside blogging for however long I would need to, and still easily come back to it with no feeling of guilt. Nope, there shouldn't be any guilt. In the same token, seldom do I think of what I should write. Instead, I write when I feel like writing; I write when something sticks out extraordinarily in my head... or even when I want to just type away things which only make sense to me. Spontaneity is not a bad thing.

So! Picking up from the previous posting... I probably would find it hard the remaining parts of my holiday. It'll only launch me into post-holiday blues... a.k.a. holiday hangover mode. But in a nutshell... after Manila, it's a few days in Taiwan, then a few days in Hong Kong. As usual, food is of abundance... and those who have been to Taiwan would be able to relate with me... ohmygoodness you will never run out of things to try. One note: be adventurous and try everything. Skeptical of stinky tofu before, I had a change of heart after gobbling down an outrageous number of them. Absolutely loved "fan tuan" - sticky rice wrapped around stuffing/filling of shredded pork, veggies, etc. Can't get over fresh soy milk from the local breakfast kiosk, can never get tired of dumplings... ahhh Taiwan rocks... oh the home of the first bubble tea. Mwehehehe!

Alright... knocking back self to reality. It's been two weeks and if I still haven't pulled myself out of cloud nine, then please throw some more work on my desk. Oh well... after all those above, the lesser I appreciated the humid, suffocating heat on the 6 o'clock tram on the way home today. Melbourne summer is relatively better than those of other states, but when it goes to the 30's... or 40 degrees (this coming Sunday!!!) my eyeballs start to look funny.

One thing that keeps me going (there are a lot of things which motivate me okay), but one of them which is more in my mind now... is the prospect of another holiday. Yayyy believe me, one's coming up again soon.

I'll have better, more organised thoughts... hopefully in the coming days. Better get back to watching the Australian Open. =)