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January 15 Nokia phone in deep doo doo?New York Farmer's Wife Touts Nokia Device as "Miracle Phone"
Recently a consumer sent this testimonial via Nokia's Internet site:
"Dear Nokia, My husband is a farmer and depends on his Nokia phone very much. We recently started to call his phone the miracle phone after all it's been through! First it dropped in the pond last summer. My dad showed him how to open it up and dry it out and it started up again. Next it fell in the manure pit and wasn't fished out until 48 hours later. The best happened a couple of weeks ago. My husband didn't realize that the phone slipped out of his holster and got run over by a bulldozer! Besides for a few scratches it works as good as new! How do you like that!?! Of course none of this was done on purpose! I've heard of test drives for cars; do they have similar ratings for cell phones? Yours would take the cake!"
January 14 I wasn't going to blog about it, but......there's almost no way to avoid hearing about the new iPhone. Well at least if you're working in the mobile technology industry and keeping up with CES and other techie news.
It certainly has the "WOW factor". Even I had to take a moment and go... wow. It does have an impressive UI, which is what people see first. The all important first impression. But as you check out what's under the glossy exterior, you'll find that it's lacking in quite a few areas: 3G, OTA music downloads, expandable memory, removable battery, Exchange/Office support, 3rd party software support, WiFi, ... many of which are standard features on current Smartphones (e.g. Nokia N-Series phones. ahem.) Then again, majority of casual cell phone users won't care too much (or even know too much) about such features. So maybe it still has appeal to the masses, but I hope the general public won't fall for the claim by Steve Jobs that this phone is "5 years ahead" of the competition. If anything, it is so 5 years ago! And, it's $499 with a 2-year Cingular contract! No wonder places like Japan is yawning at the news.
Well ok, so it's not the latest technology. Still, it looks darn cool. When can we get our hands on one? Apple has a target release date of June 2007 for the iPhone. With only 5 months to go, that usually means the product is somewhat mature and their engineers are busy working on the final touches and ironing out the remaining nasty bugs. Lucky guys, eh?, working on a product that's generating so much buzz. But hey, you still have a chance to be one of them. Apparently, right after the announcement, 30+ jobs openings for the iPhone team appeared on Apple's career site. To quote Sandeep, how far behind are they, really? I'd be surprised if the phones are on the shelves before year end. Or..... maybe they are really targeting the Christmas market? Think Wiiiii...
To top things off, Cisco has formally filed a lawsuit against Apple for trademark infringement. For those unaware, the iPhone trademark is owned by Cisco since 2000, and before there were iMacs and iPods, they have already shipped the iPhone products for years. Wonder how this drama will unfold. Maybe it'll end up as the iPodPhone, or iPone, or iPhod, or iBod... yeah, it's kinda sexy after all. And in this society where appearances are, while not everything, pretty high up on many people's priority list, it is important to put out a product that looks good. Why do you think the RAZR with its sub-par software and features sold like hotcakes? Plus, there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? So the Cisco fiasco might actually help instead of harm. Hey, I'm contributing to all these by blogging about it as well. Oops.
So as we await further news on iPhone/phone-by-Apple, let's hope that Apple will be more environmentally responsible with their products, perhaps improving on their last place finish in the Green Electronics Guide. And while I certainly want Nokia to maintain the lead in the "green" poll, I also wish we will come up with more head-turning designs. Let's move from being the Toyota of phones to the Lexus of phones! (The Vertu can remain the Lamborghini of phones :))
January 09 New Nokia N-Series devices @ CES 2007 There's a wild party going on in Las Vegas right now: the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show! Sigh... wish I was there. I'll be like a kid in a candy store, wanting a taste of everything in sight. It's a BIG store though, something like 1.5 million square feet of exhibition space. Definitely wouldn't mind getting lost in there.
Nokia unveiled three new N-series devices at CES. I haven't even seen these in person before (well maybe a glimpse of a prototype of one of them...). They sure look yummy!
First up is the N76 "multimedia computer". Maybe it's inspired by the RAZR, but oh so much sexier both inside and out! Yes, I'm biased, but hear me out: brilliant 2.4" screen delivering web pages, pictures and videos at high resolution; 2MP camera with convenient capture key, as well as dedicated music keys on the cover, so you can take spur-of-the-moment pics and listen to music without opening the device. Quad band EGSM, plus WCDMA. With the usual functions of email, PIM, ... and before I forget: making voice calls! All bundled up in a pretty package made of premium materials.
Next, we are introduced to N93's slimmer sibling: the Nokia N93i. Like the N76, it also has a 2.4" display plus a whole plethora of features, but the main selling point is the camera/camcorder. Taking after the older brother, it has a 3.2 MP Camera with Carl Zeiss lens and 3x optical zoom that captures photos rivalling stand-alone digital cameras. The camcorder can record MPEG4 VGA videos at 30fps (DVD-like quality), and the media player can play H.264 (AVC) clips! Connectivity support on this baby include WLAN and TV-out, in addition to Bluetooth, infrared, USB etc.
To round up the trio, we have the N800 Internet Tablet. Is this Nokia's take on the UMPC? All I know is that it's making me drool. Linux based, it keeps the Internet at your fingertips, literally, with the touch qwerty on-screen keyboard. With automated connection features, you're always connected either via WiFi or Bluetooth (to phone). A nice widescreen 4.1" display renders webpages for your viewing pleasure in the Opera browser with Flash support. There's even a webcam for video calls! And, it's also a media player and image viewer supporting many different formats of audio/video/image ... plus, with two memory card slots, there's plenty of storage options as well.
Lastly, Nokia is also partnering with various companies to integrate popular applications and services into the N-series devices. We already have Flickr on N70/N72/N73/N80/N93.... and now we'll also have Vox on the N93i and Skype on N800. I believe they'll be available on many more N-series phones in the near future. So exciting! Now I need to go find a way to get my hands on a N800....
January 05 Snow White QueenWas listening to this song (of Evanescence's TOD album) and it conjured up images of snowy wintery places... but instead of white and bright, it was really more gloomy and dreary. Cold. Bleak. Maybe it's just the song?
It doesn't get too cold during winters in Dallas (although for me anything below 60F/15C can be considered cold. My body grew up in Singapore afterall.) And it almost never snows! So with the aforementioned imagery in my mind, I tried to find some photos I've taken that reflect the scene, but not much turned up from around here. (This is pretty close though.) Instinctively I gravitated to the pics I took on my two trips to Finland. First time was in a November, the start of winter, with the first snowfalls. Just below freezing and quite pleasant actually. The picture below left was from the second trip in a February. Full blast of cold and snow at 0F/-18C.
   It stopped snowing enough for us to take a walk (during lunch break) and snap some pictures. I was ironclad with a cashmere sweater and long wool coat plus snow boots and a really warm fuzzy hat that kept my ears covered (although they still felt like they were going to fall off).
Then I was reminded of another February trip taken four years back. That was to Las Vegas, and while it wasn't freezing, it was cool enough to warrant a medium jacket. But for a couple hours there I was completely unaffected by the temperature and was sans outerwear/sweater etc. Why? I was getting married, and didn't want anything to cover up my beautiful wedding dress! Look, my arm was blue from the cold, but I really don't remember feeling it. Perhaps it was adrenaline, or maybe just my memory failing me....
No? I didn't fool you with the blue arm? Darn, that would have given me the "something blue" that I think I lacked. Not to mention a kick-ass gown with black tulle. But it worked out well... I adore the lilac, and was actually kinda disappointed when the photographer's pictures came back depicting it as light blue instead! Dude, learn to adjust the white balance! He was still using film, so no instant feedback about the results, but still no excuse for a professional right? The above photo was taken after the event with my own (and my first) digital camera: the Oly UZi (2100). Till this day I miss it. It was faithful... especially in color reproduction. Sure, I've had 3 more digital cameras after that, including my current one with bigger zoom and more megapixels and all that jazz, but the first one will always have a special place in my heart. Along with my first cell phone, first laptop, first PDA, first computer, first car.... huh? What do you mean those are not the first loves people usually talk about? Oh ok now I remember, my true first love is the one I met back when I was a teenager. Before I had all the hi-tech stuff above...
... how excited I was when my dad (of all people) introduced him to me. On my 15th birthday. How hesitant and nervous I was during the initial getting-to-know-you period, but as time passed I grew bolder and took him everywhere with me, proudly showing him off. I fondled him whenever I had a chance, not caring if anyone was looking. In fact, he is living under the same roof with Bruce and me. He is.... ok ok ok IT is.... my Minolta 35mm SLR!!!! What a wave of nostalgia (and maybe a sigh of relief from my readers?) -- now I want to load it up with some film and play with it again. There's something magical in the anticipation of getting your film developed and having to wait to see the results.
Guess I have to thank my dad for turning me on to photography. And, well, thanks to our wedding photographer for giving me "something blue" after all. As for most of the "something new", hmmm maybe all of it, I got them on ebay. Seriously... from my dress to the veil/tiara/accessories. My husband-to-be on the other hand went into a brick-and-mortar store to get his suit! And he got it fitted and altered. Who's the bride here now? It's a long-running joke between us that "beauty and the geek" refers to him and me respectively. He wanted to get me an engagement ring with the antique mine cut (in case you didn't know, Bruce is kinda old..... fashioned), and I showed him how to research online, and we ended up getting one on, where else but, ebay! I did the research and booking for the rest of the stuff online too: chapel, photographer, air tickets + hotel, show tickets, Megan and Marc ;) We might as well have had the whole wedding online.
Haven't decided what we're going to do for our 4th anniversary, although I have something in mind to wear, and guess what, I got it on(dotted)line!
December 31 My Personal DNAAccording to the personality assessment by Personal DNA, I'm a:
 They don't give a list of the possible combinations, but after some googling, I found the following (not exhaustive) -- for "how you relate to others", you can be {Advocating, Animated, Attentive, Benevolent, Cautious, Concerned, Considerate, Dynamic, Encouraging, Faithful, Free-wheeling, Generous, Genuine, Independent, Reserved, Respectful}; and for "about you", you might be a/an {Agency, Analyst, Architect, Artist, Builder, Creator, Designer, Director, Dreamer, Experiencer, Idealist, Inventor, Leader, Realist, Thinker, Visionary}.
I think my results are for the most part accurate, although there are some contradicting areas. Oh well, it's just for fun. I still think MBTI is one of the better type assesments...
Anyway, here are some of the details from my report. If you take the test, please let me know, and maybe we can psych each other!!
You are a Creator
You are Considerate
December 27 Two RGS SongsSome of the best years of my life were in Raffles Girls School (my parents would probably beg to differ, as I didn't do very well academically during that period). Many fond memories including band practices and performances; being part of the "clan of the back row" with Alicia, Olivia and Frances (weren't we kinda rowdy?); and even conducting the school while singing the National Anthem during morning assemblies.
I usually have a hard time remembering lyrics. Take for example the National Anthem, even though we sang it everyday for years, I still don't quite know all the words (perhaps the fact that it's in Malay has a part to play as well...). When I listen to a new CD, usually by the third or fourth round I can hum along to most of the songs, but it'll be a miracle if I caught more than five lines of lyrics.
This morning I was going through some emails where my ex-classmates were discussing about the RGPS school song... but I didn't go to RGPS :) Although I think the tune of the SMPS school song is coming back to me in bits and pieces (and that has to happen before the words will come). But when they talked about the song "Dedication", WHAM, the melody hit me - WITH THE LYRICS - and rang clearly in my head! For one reason or other, these words stuck with me through the years, impervious to my otherwise failing memory.
Along with this, I started to remember another song, the "motto" song. So here they are, dedicated to all (ex) RGS girls who might come across this blog entry. I'll post the tunes later when I hunt down a nice music notation software.
Filiae Melioris Aevi!
Dedication
We have shared our morning days
And gone through all rainy nights
Even in the darkest of nights
Stars still light up our way
Tomorrow is a beautiful dream
A dream that will be fulfilled
Cross the bridge of rainbow
In search of the gold
For here we stand
Our dearest friend
Sincerely from our hearts we wish
May streams of sunlight
Shine like rays of hope
Hand in hand, we'll work and strive
For the best things in life
Filiae Melioris Aevi
Now as we remember
Strains of our school song
Call to mind our motto
Filiae Melioris Aevi
Filiae Melioris Aevi
Daughters of a better age
United by a common goal
Filiae Melioris Aevi
December 25 Christmas and other celebrations Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
You can help a child in need by sending Season's Greetings E-cards! For each card sent, Nokia will make a donation to UNICEF.
Recently, my sister and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary... of living in Dallas that is. Wow, time flies. Hmm, what have I accomplished in the past decade? Two degrees, an interesting job, a wonderful husband, close to 50 trips, around 30 performances, more than 12000 pics with 4 digital cameras (from the last 5 years or so), and 25 extra pounds (mostly from the first 5 years here). Sure there were many frustrations, heartbreaks and other setbacks along the way mixed in with sweat and tears, but at the end of the day, I look back and remember mainly the good times.
Most of all I'm grateful for having the greatest friends and family to share my life with, through ups as well as downs, no matter they're here in Dallas or Taiwan or Singapore or cyberspace... thank you, all of you.
I'm happy for my sister as well, as she finally got her work visa approval letter the same day as the anniversary. Double celebration! Next on the list: find her a nice boyfriend... ;)
What are my goals for the coming decade? Hopefully finishing my PhD, advance in my career, get my pilot's license, and see more of the world while always keeping and strengthening the ties between me and those I love. Oh, and maybe losing those extra pounds...
  For Christmas, Evana gave me something to start the ball rolling towards one of my goals! And in return is a gift of happy feet - gorgeous Coach boots. Aren't they hot? I'd probably have kept them for myself if they were in my size... well, let's hope the boots bring her luck in her (love) life!
December 22 Northwest storm, neighbourhood fireBruce and I returned happy and tired from our 4-day Seattle trip late Sunday night on the 10th. For one reason or other, we didn't watch much news in the days following our return... when I heard about the "Mt. Hood" incident from a co-worker, I didn't think much of it. Last weekend, when we finally resumed our CNN habit, I found out about the three climbers trapped on the mountain by the storm. And what a storm it was... the worst in more than a decade for the Pacific Northwest, causing a huge power outage in Washington and Oregon affecting millions of people, including Microsoft which had to shut down part of its Redmond campus. To think that if we had a slightly different travel plan, we would've been caught right in the middle of it all... either stuck at the airport with flight delays or shivering in a hotel with no power and heat. Instead, the weather was pretty nice during our trip - kinda cold but not biting; not much rain (we only used the umbrella once throughout); and it was quite foggy when we landed which worried me some (as I'll be driving) but after we got our rental car, the fog cleared and the sky remained only slightly overcast for the rest of our trip.
Around the same time the storm hit the Northwest, one of our neighbour's house burnt down. Luckily they were not home when it happened, plus the lack of winds and the quick response from the fire departments helped contain the fire and prevented it from spreading to other homes. However, their loss is still devastating, and one firefighter was badly hurt while battling the blazes.... This was a "3 alarm fire", and a total of 23 units responded to it. As I was driving home, blocked roads and flashing sirens greeted me. I couldn't bring myself to check out the scene until 2 days later... kinda have a phobia of fire and the damages it can cause.
Narrowly missing a wind/snow/rain storm (in time) and a fire (in space). Elements from opposite ends but equally powerful and potentially deadly. While I count my lucky stars, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected by these events.... as well as my family and friends, hope everyone is safe and happy. I know I don't say this enough: I love ya'll! December 07 Green Nokia phones!We make green phones! Not so much the color green (thank goodness...) but rather "eco-friendly" devices. Greenpeace sez: Apple sucks, Nokia rules. Nokia tops the list of leading electronic manufacturers on how environmentally responsible they are. Here's how the companies line up, with Apple and their iPods dead last (by a wide gap too). So please think twice before shelling out your dough on one of those ubiquitous white gadgets, and consider some of the greener options instead. (No, one of those green iPod nanos doesn't count.) Do you know that most current Nokia phones play MP3s? As well as AMR/AAC/RA/MIDI/WAV etc. On the video side, many support 3GP/MP4/RM formats with H263/MPEG4/RV/H264(!!) codecs. And several of the new S60 phones have screens bigger than the displays on iPods. You can take pictures, record videos, surf the net... my primary mode of checking personal emails is using my N73. Oh, here's the kicker: you can make and receive calls too!! Doing all this while not harming the environment too much. What more could one ask for (out of a phone, that is)?
Leaving for Seattle in less than 5 hours... guess I better go finish my laundry and start packing! Will blog from Seattle if I find the time and energy. November 27 Dotty and friendsRecently through Friendster, I got in touch with one of my GEP classmates from RGS, Jeanette (my "twin" actually, we share the same birthdate). And through her, the rest of our GEP classmates. These are girls (now ladies) whom I have not seen for ... almost 15 years! For the past couple of months, I've been lurking amongst their blogs occasionally. I remember most of their names and faces, but sometimes can't put a specific face to a name. It's interesting to read about their lives, so different from mine. Several of them are now mothers with blogs dedicated to showcasing their beautiful kids (nope, no maternal instincts rubbed off on me through cyberspace). Some with "united nations" marriages (Aussie, Swiss, Korean...). While others are happy, swinging singles (ok, maybe not "swinging"....). Living in a myriad of exotic locations like London, Zurich, New York, Australia, Noumea, and of course, Singapore (which is exotic to people like my husband!)
And all these from just a handful of blogs that I came across. Can't imagine what other surprises I might find if I dug deeper. Anyway, in keeping with the fashion theme in my last couple of posts (enjoy it while it lasts!), here's introducing Dorothy's Dotted Line. Puiming (name I remember her as) put her 7-year stint of a career in banking behind her as she picked up fabric swatches and fashion design. (Wish I had her courage to make a drastic change like that!) The result is a line of elegant and stylish fashion pieces that is professional enough for work, yet fun enough for social engagements. I'm tempted to get some of the pieces (especially the neapolitan skirt), but she has them only in smalls and mediums. While I can fit comfortably into a US size M, I find that in Taiwan and Singapore I almost always have to go up a size to.... LARGE. So Puimin if you happen to read this, please please consider making a few larger ones for those of us who have succumbed to American-sized (more specifically, TEXAS-sized) food portions and daily dose of Krispy Kreme donuts! Haha, I don't actually have KK everyday, maybe once every couple of months when someone brings a box to work, but it seems like Singaporeans have a fixation on these sugary treats, at least from the SG blogs I've come across.
In addition, my staples of jeans and t-shirts are more than adequate for my geeky job, so I may have become a bit complacent in the choices for my wardrobe. This might be a good chance to add some style in it. But enough about my lack of fashion sense. Back to the bit about twins. Looks like Karen's Alicia and Megan's Amber have the same birthday: November 18, 2004. Happy Belated Birthday to the two cutie pies! Really admire you working moms... because one can take a vacation from work, or take a break from school, but one never takes a day off from being a mom. Hmm, wish my mom was here so I could hug her now.
Drats, supposed to use this long weekend to make some progress on my doctoral research, but instead spent my time dreaming and blogging and vacuuming (it's been a while...). Gotta get my act together.
November 26 Thansgiving dreamsI must have eaten too much on Thanksgiving. That night I dreamt that I was sleeping and woken up by my cell phone ringing around 3-4am. The caller ID showed the name of my boss... I was hesitant to pick it up, wondering if he was calling to ask me to go to work (coz they don't have thanksgiving holidays in Finland and it's possible that there's some crisis from there or another site and we had to fix it here, holiday or not... but 3am??)
Then I woke up (from the dream, not in the dream) and checked my cell phone (which is usually beside me) and it was around 5am, but no missed calls. Whew. Back to sleep. Woke up again (in another dream) by cell phone ringing. Ahhhhh.... this time it was 5am in the dream. My boss again. I should answer it, perhaps something was horribly wrong. I started to get really worried.... "Hello?" "Carol.... help..." The line went dead. What the...? What's going on? Help what? Work? Save his life? Save the world?
This time I was awake for good. Scrolled through the list of missed calls on my cell phone again. The most recent one was indeed from him, but that was a few days ago, on a work day, at a decent hour. Just another one of those dreams...
Speaking of saving the world, the next night I had one of those "end of the world" dreams, as I like to call them. (I've had a few of them, all different scenarios...) It was very dark, literally and figuratively (guess I'll save the details for another place). This time, I had some special powers that I could use to save people. But because my powers were limited (starting to sound like a SciFi story now...), I could only save a few at a time, and not quite fast enough, so there were people getting killed. I was really torn between who I needed to save. Cries of help from all around me, pulling me in every direction...
All these just from eating turkey???
November 23 Pet peeve, happy feetQuote: "If drivers approaching from opposite directions reach an intersection at about the same time, a driver turning left must yield to approaching traffic going straight or turning right."
So many times when I try to make a right (at green light, not red), there'll be someone who's making a left (from the opposite direction) cutting me off, giving me a "what are you doing in my lane" look. Don't they get it? They are in MY lane! Urrrgh. One of my biggest pet peeves.
Onto happier thoughts. I did end up buying the two pairs of boots a week later. Add to those another pair of boots plus a pair of sexy pumps from Ebay. Presenting my extravagant purchases costing me a whopping total of ~$100...
 Aren't they cute? Aren't they sexy?? Ahhhh I'm being so frivolous obsessing over shoes like this. Not quite my usual style, but maybe the stress is getting to me. I decided on the boots while I was at work on a Saturday, and went and bought them right after work. Thought of wearing them to work the next day but didn't (yeah I was in office that Sunday too...). Anyway, soon after I made up my mind about the purchase, I came across my horoscope for that day:
"Fascination with the shallower things in life -- fashion, celebrities and gossip -- is a great way to waste time, but not a great way to enrich yourself. There is room for both fun stuff and serious stuff, but you have to make sure you keep a good balance between triviality and substance right now. After all, you don't want people to get the wrong idea about who you are and what motivates you. You are deeper than your current interests might indicate. Start stimulating your mind more."
Wahaha... how appropriate. Or perhaps not. My mind has plenty of stimulation already... sometimes I think it's overly stimulated. More like fried. That's why I need to stimulate the other end, my feet. Make them happy. Speaking of "Happy Feet", I'd like to watch that movie too. Looks like a cool movie, although I'm more interested in the Harry Potter trailer. There, I said it, I'm a Potter fan. Even though I've only read the first book -- in Chinese. But I'll get around to reading all of them... one of these days. Maybe when I'm retired.
November 10 Looking back on 1999Found this "quiz" thingy I did for Rhetoric class (of all things) back in 1999. Interesting to read my own responses and uncover my previous thoughts. I don't think I've changed much... (fundamentally. Superficially, yes, like growing horizontally.) Did you know me back then? How do you think I've changed? (No need to remind me of the extra 20 pounds.)
My full name is: Carol Cybette Nicole I-Yin Yiyin Chen
Most people call me: Carol
Other names people have called me: Yin, Eagle/Hawk, Math Guru
I wish people would call me: the most beautiful geekette in the world
I hate it when people call me: early in the morning (when I'm still sleeping)
My birthplace and birthday are: some hospital in Taiwan on an August day around 2:50a.m.
My colors are: blue, black and silver
My distinguishing characteristics consist of: 2 sexy moles (one above my lip and one on my neck), and a big nose
My education consists of: getting A's for subjects I enjoy and C's for everything else
In 6th grade I: was suffocating in an all girls school, that i almost wished i was a guy
In high school I: chose to study computer science to get closer to more guys, but ended up falling in love with computers instead
The names of every pet I've ever had are: black fox (dog's name in chinese), and i forgot the names of the 2 birds i had for a short while
I tend to overuse: my generosity, sympathy, emotions and credit cards
If I could switch places with anyone on earth for a day, it would be: nobody because: i love being me
Some CD's I cannot live without are: too many to list...
Some books I cannot live without are: my C++ books
To completely relax, I: listen to music and sleep face down
Some of my strange habits include: searching for myself on the web
My favorite beverages are: coke (the original, not diet or caffeine-free), coffee and long island ice tea
I am addicted to: computers and the internet
My real job is: none at the moment
My dream job is: one that pays big bucks and brings me to the most exotic places around the world
I'm deathly afraid of: not existing after death
Some things that get me all wiggly are: insects and creepy-crawlies
My real heros are: my grandparents
My fictional heros are: Hobbes in "Calvin and Hobbes"
My anti-heros are: Bill Gates and micro$oft
Something that I want to do in my life but haven't done yet is: bungee jump
My family consists of: me, my future husband, and a whole network of computers (hopefully)
Something that I lost, that I really wish I hadn't lost is: my innocence
If my house was on fire and I could only save one thing, it would be: (after saving human beings i assume) the backup of my harddisk on a cdrom, which will hopefully contain scans of photos and other memories
The way I am most afraid to die is: alone
My current theme song is: Always by Bon Jovi
One moment that changed my life was: running away from home
Something I've done since I was a kid is: look up to the skies above at night, wondering about the stars and galaxies that lies beyond
Something I want the world to know is: nobody is perfect, learn to love yourselves and others more
November 07 W00t for bootsThis year (well at least up till yesterday), I have spent less than $200 total on clothing items. And I mean anything from inner to outer wear, tops to bottoms, handbags to footwear etc. One reason is I know I have too much stuff and don't need to be adding more, another is I haven't been shopping as much as before (either online or off). But most of all, I'm afraid, is that I'm losing my femininity... I'm more excited going to Fry's than to Dillards; I peruse websites for news on latest gadgets and technology instead of latest styles and fashion; I'd rather hang a new digital camera around my neck than a new necklace.... Hi everyone, I'm Carl. I'm trapped in Carol's body.
That is, until the past weekend, when I went shopping with my sister (haven't stepped into a mall for more than 2 months **). I coaxed myself into looking at clothes again, instead of trying to find the electronics department or stores like Brookstone. My mind was drifting off to news about the latest Zune player, when lo and behold, we saw rows and rows of shoes. If there's anything that can bring me back on track, it's footwear (subtle pun noted, although not originally intended). More precisely, boots. They make up about 30% of my shoe collection, and I almost upped that ratio by buying two more pairs. However, since I don't usually impulse buy, I decided to wait and see if I still want them in a week. In the meantime, I could do some research. Like what I did for my laptop purchase a few months back, I compared brands and models and their features and prices. Digging through the virtual malls online, I uncovered more boots that I want. Must... resist... temptation... to... buy... them... all...
I'll probably get the two pairs we saw Saturday, to celebrate putting the -ette back in geekette. Yes, I'll always be a geek, but it's fun being a girl (woman?) too. I need to embrace that side of me more. Looking forward to shopping again this weekend ;)
P/S. Didn't get much time/energy to blog last week, so couldn't contribute another entry to "Texas T-bone's ExcessivelyLong Blog Post Titles That Have Nothing To Do With The Posts Week." Oh well, there's always next year, and hopefully I can get more creative the next time around!
** I take that back... I just remembered that Jessie, Gloria and I had dinner in Galleria sometime in September. But I don't think we did much shopping. I don't even remember what stores we browsed. October 31 The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house.The above quote is by comedian Jeff Foxworthy (fox... haha... see previous post and its comments on blog.cybette.com. 5 languages! can you spot them all?)
As for the long title, this might explain it:
 I'm trying to wean myself from writing something that has to be related to the title. It's proving more difficult than I thought...? Alright, I'll keep it to a general theme: quotes and snippets.
"I once flew a 767 with an all-male crew of nine flight attendants. Remarkably, all the flight attendants were heterosexual and married. What made this so weird was that both of the male pilots were gay. If you know the airline business, you know that this is truly a one in a million chance." -- haha cool. Happy Halloween! For more bizarre flying stories, check out 13 air travel stories that are plane spooky.
Another "scary" story, and really scary... "Today a PhD student preparing for dissertation defense “lost” all dissertation copy because the hard drive crashed. Please make it a habit to back up your research and dissertation copies. In this particular case, the computer technicians are confident they will be able to retrieve the copy. However, we have had cases where it has been costly for the student to extract the data. This is a good habit to get into no matter where you are in your research."
Received the above in my UTD email inbox. Guess what I'm doing right after this? Yes, backup. I don't have much research to back up yet, but I don't think this is limited to research... So while T-bone encourages us to write long titles, I encourage everyone to backup your long writings.
Again, Happy Halloween and happy backupping! (or rather backing up... but then that will spoil the rhyme.)
October 29 Minun ensi-kirjaaminen suomessa(My first entry in Finnish)
Minä olen opettelee suomea. Minun nimi on Carol. Minä olin kotoisin Taiwanista, mutta olen Singaporelainen. Minä asun Dallasissa. Puhun englantia, kiinaa, ja vähän suomea. Siellä on uusi kategoria blogilla. Se on "suomi". Mikä se tehdä? En tiedä. Laadin höpöhöpö. Pikainen ruskea kettu hyppää yli laiska koira.
(I am learning Finnish. My name is Carol. I was orignally from Taiwan, but I'm Singaporean. I live in Dallas. I speak English, Chinese, and a little Finnish. There is a new category on the blog. It is "Finnish". What does it do? I don't know. I am writing nonsense. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.)
October 27 Red and white (!= Pink) gadgets   I like this color combination. The red (or maroon in the case of my Averatec notebook) is bold yet feminine, and (thanks to Apple and its iPods) white is the new black/silver for gadgets. My sister would love everything in pink but that's not quite my style. This red+white however, I dig. The first pic shows Picoblogger running on Nokia N73. This is the software that allows me to moblog on the go. The N73 is also quad-band, which means it includes Cingular's 850Mhz band, which means that I'll have less signal loss (the problem I had when I was using the tri-band 6630 / N93). Which means I have no more excuses for missing calls now. Hmm. October 26 Tell HimLove this duet by Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion. We were at a mid-autumn festival party at my co-workers place and he had a karaoke system. Everyone was trying to get my sister to sing something since I always brag to them about how good she is. She didn't want to sing any Chinese songs (most songs in the system were Chinese) and regular "pop" songs were not her style either, plus she didn't want to sing alone so we were trying to find an English duet. I was actually hoping for a guy-girl duet so that I could sing the guy part. Really, I have less problems singing most male vocal parts than female ones. My range is a low alto crossed over to high tenor. But then she found this song, which is for two SOPRANOS! Ahhh... of course she'd have no problems, she excels in the stratospheric ranges. But poor me... while Streisand's role is the "more mature and wiser" woman in the song, singing the lower of the harmonies, she is first and formost a fantastic soprano with incredible range, so her solo parts soared to the same heights as Dion's. I'm scared I've been there Tell him... Touch him (ohhh...) Ooh, I love him (then show him) Tell him... Love is the light that surely glows Tell him... Oooh... Never let him go October 23 Talking about 'Paris Syndrome'I think (some) Japanese tourists are too pampered and naive. They are probably one of the most well-travelled nations, so you'd think they will be more travel smart than most. But when the "reality" of Paris didn't match up to their expectations of a "beautiful dream city", some of them needed psychological help after their trips. Of course, I don't think this is limited to tourists from Japan. We hear of "ugly Americans" who demand the same kind of luxuries and conveniences they are used having back home. Not sure if any of them needed therapy after that, but anyway, the point is, people need to understand that things can be very different in other places, and that just because they are paying tourists doesn't mean the world revolves around them. [Before I go on, I'd better say I'm not knocking Japanese or Americans in general, as there can be black sheep in any group. I'm probably guilty of the same at one point or other.] To enjoy your travels more, do a lot of research, but don't be blinded by the glitzy travel brochures. Many times they show only the very best of what the destination has to offer. Your experience will very likely differ from the printed literature, and that's not to say it'll be bad or ugly. Make it unique. Make it your own. What's the fun of having the exact same experience with everyone else anyway? A little more anticipation, a little less expectation. Lots of preparation and an extra dose of realism can help too. You can still have your "dream" vacation, but remember a dream place for you is just a daily reality for the locals there. It's not a perfect world, but it can be really really good. So what if most Parisians seem aloof and almost rude, unlike the images of the romantic French men and women that we're fed with by the media? Why not be the romantic yourself? Why not try a little harder and dig a little deeper and find out what makes them tick? I think travel shouldn't be just about seeing the sights and tasting the food of a foreign land, but also about getting to know the culture and the people. I guess the latter is kinda hard to do on a short trip, that's why I try to read up on the history and culture before I go on a trip so I don't take anything for granted. Anyway, below is the link to the article that prompted this train of thought (as well as reflections of my past trips). While I don't want to visit London by having someone steal my handbag again, I've learnt to take the unexpected events in stride and make the best of them. Travel smart, travel prepared, and you will travel happy. Enjoy your experiences to the fullest! Quote 'Paris Syndrome' leaves Japanese tourists in shock - Travel News - MSNBC.com September 30 Alliance Air ShowI love air shows. But ..... urrrgh. Horrible TEXAS HEAT. It's almost October and still blazing hot. I was soooo looking forward to having a great time, but we had to leave early because it was it was just too hot to be enjoyable. If it's so much torture, it should be work and we should get paid. Actually at my office, it's just the opposite, the air conditioning is set to Finland temperatures or something. I'm always freezing, but at least I can put on a cardigan or sweater. (Plus it's not torture.) When it's too hot, what can I do, strip? Anyway, back to the air show. While the admission is free, we had to pay for parking ($10 - on grass and took almost half an hour), we decided to splurge for Flight Deck seating ($20 - no fancy chairs, no shade), and since you can't bring in food and drinks and it's a whole day event, we had to pay for food ($$) and water ($$$ - really dehydrated!). Plus the cost of gas driving all the way to Fort Worth and back. Ok, everything would have been worth the while if I enjoyed myself, which I did for a bit before I started losing consciousness. Bruce probably had a slightly better time. He's not as bothered by the heat as I am, then again he grew up in this scorching Texas summer heat, back in the days when the cars had "four by seventy" air conditioning! (for those uninitiated, that's four windows rolled down and driving at seventy miles per hour!)
Let's see, here are some of the performances that we saw (as much as I can remember before I almost fainted): U.S. Army Special Forces "Green Beret" parachute team carrying the American flag as they descended; aerial acrobatics with all kinds of rolls and loops and climbs; the F-15 Eagles and F-16 Falcons and F/A-18 Hornets; the Russian designed Mig-17 flown by Randy Ball; Tora! Tora! Tora! ... I believe that's when we started heading out. Missed the USAF Thunderbirds, since I think they were going to fly last, in the late afternoon. There were also static displays of many different aircrafts, including two C-130 Hercules airlifters, whose large wings proved useful even on the ground: providing shade! So funny to see all the people huddled together trying to grab the last few shaded spots under the likes of the C-130's (as well as the B-52 Stratofortress and B-17 Flying Fortress), but at that time, I wasn't laughing. I was just tring to get back to my car and blast some cool air in my face.
Lessons learnt: next time, bring an umbrella! or two!! Save some money and skip the Flight Deck... we can bring our own folding chairs, or even a blanket to spread on the grass will suffice. Stay off the concrete (which unfortunately the Flight Deck is on). In fact, the only advantage of the Flight Deck is a reserved seat. (well, maybe also a better view?) But both can be obtained by going there early (which we did anyway) and picking a spot with your own chairs/blankets. Eat a big breakfast and drink lots of water first. Wear a neck cooler thing (I actually have some! I didn't think to bring them...). For those with sensitive ears, bring some ear plugs, although they do sell them at the show for $1 each (pair), the cheapest thing I saw there. Oh, and apply sunblock thoroughly... I missed a spot on my left shoulder and got burnt!! Just that little spot but it's hurting quite a bit. My right shoulder is lucky because my big head blocked the sun for it. The left half of my face seems darker than my right half... hopefully it's just my imagination.
Heat is really exhausting. While I don't enjoy cold weather, I guess can handle extreme cold better than extreme heat. I functioned ok at -18C (0F), walking around in Helsinki in mid-February. But I think I'd still rather live here, and just stay indoors as much as possible. I'm not an outdoorsy person in case you haven't figured it out. I get my tan from computer monitor radiation instead of the sun!!
P/S. I think the title of this post should be "Complaining about Texas Heat" instead of "Alliance Air Show".... |
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