Tuesday, November 14, 2006
911 is one of the best boy bands I've ever known. Where have they gone? Here is a compilation of my favourite songs... Enjoy!
The Day We Find Love
All I want is You
How do you want me to love You
The Journey
Body Shaking
Party People Hey it's Friday Night
Don't make me Wait
Saturday, November 04, 2006
EPISODE 1: The Phantom Menace
EPISODE 2: Attack of the Clones
EPISODE 3: Revenge of the Sith
Before you start, this isn't my house. I got the video from Youtube.com, which is an awesome site for all kinds of videos. Here it is, the PS3 demonstration!
Easily one of the best RPG games ever created, here are the trailers for Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, the Sith Lords:
KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
KOTOR2: THE SITH LORDS
David Copperfield has been a favourite of mine ever since I was a child. His illusions are often refreshing and entertaining. Here's one that blows my mind away!
David Copperfield can fly.. - video powered by Metacafe
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Learnt this off the internet sometime last year. Had lots of fun showing my friends and family because of the response I got. That was hillarious!
It's a simple and short clip of me levitating in the room. No props needed. This video is unedited.
Balducci's Levitation - video powered by Metacafe
Bookmark the page and check back every now and then as additional sections will be available in time. PS3 is shaping up really well...
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
An office manager was given the task of hiring an individual to fill a job opening. After sorting through a stack of resumes he found four people who were equally qualified. He decided to call the four in and ask them only one question. Their answer would determine which of them would get the job.
The day came and as the four sat around the conference room table the interviewer asked, "What is the fastest thing you know of?"
Acknowledging the first man on his right, the man replied,
"A THOUGHT". It just pops into your head. There's no warning that it's on the way; it's just there. A thought is the fastest thing I know of."
"That's very good!" replied the interviewer.
"And now you sir?" he asked the second man.
"Hmm.... let me see. A blink! It comes and goes and you don't know that it ever happened. A BLINK is the fastest thing I know of."
"Excellent!" said the interviewer.
"The blink of an eye, that's a very popular cliché for speed."
He then turned to the third man who was contemplating his reply.
"Well, out at my dad's ranch, you step out of the house and on the wall there's a light switch. When you flip that switch, way out across the pasture the light in the barn comes on in less than an instant. Yep, TURNING ON A LIGHT is the fastest thing I can think of."
The interviewer was very impressed with the third answer and thought he had found his man.
"It's hard to beat the speed of light" he said.
Turning to the fourth and final man, the interviewer posed the same question. The last man replied,
"After hearing the three previous answers, It's obvious to me that the fastest thing known is DIARRHEA."
"WHAT!?" said the interviewer, stunned by the response.
"Oh I can explain." said the fourth man.
"You see the other day I wasn't feeling so good and I ran for the bathroom. But, before I could THINK, BLINK, or TURN ON THE LIGHT, I had already shit in my pants."
And we see the full fledged Venom as it emerges from Eddy Brock:
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
It's just around the corner. This is definitely worth a play through. The violence, the different character classes, the gameplay.. they're awesome!
Here's what Star Wars games will look like on the next gen consoles!
Can't wait for this one to be released in November 2007!
Monday, October 23, 2006
I really like how it turns out in photographs. It has that deep red colour just like in the movies.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Ever since the first X-Men movie came out, I've been wanting to own a pair of glasses which was worn by Cyclops (James Marsden). A little bit of research and I found Oakley's Ruby Juliets. A few years later (2006), I finally am able to own a pair!
Ironically, Oakley cannot produce ruby iridium lenses consistently, so while the majority of the lenses are orange-reddish, only a small percentage of those produced are purplish. The one that I managed to obtain has a fair amount of purple in them, so I'm not complaining - much. Here are some pictures:
This is the one I have...
Here's one that is a DEEP purple. This is owned by one of the forum members in O-review.com, B_ryo.
For comparison's sake, this is a pair of orange-reddish ruby iridium lenses. Big difference eh?
And finally here's a picture of cyclops himself... just for kicks:
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Since I was young, my parents have always taught me that I should always drink warm water whenever I'm not feeling well (i.e. cough, flu, etc.). Recently I got a terrible gum ulcer and it sure hurt bad!
I faithfully consumed warm water far almost a week and there was no improvement at all, if not worst. After this I started to drink cold water. The ulcer was gone in two days...
I am not a doctor, so I'm not sure how well this works. Give it a shot!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
I had the flu recently and I found out an interesting remedy to blocked nose - LAUGHTER! (It's gotta be genuine though, I did not fake it).
Give it a try and post your comments. Do you agree or disagree with me?
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
I've found a site which has some really cool wallpapers. It is really hard to find wallpapers that impress me but this one really does it. It is more orientated for guys...
Link: http://gcn.perso.ch/images/Girls/index.html
http://www.cnet.com.au/laptops/laptops/0,39035649,40059621,00.htm
http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/review.php?reviewId=1423
There are many specification possibilities for the A6J, but the one I am having has the following specs:
Intel Core Duo 2.0GHz (T2500)
1024MB DDR2 RAM100GB HDD
ATI Mobility X1600 512MB RAM (Hyper memory)
DVD Super Multi Drive
15.4” Widescreen WXGA (1280x800)
Wireless IEEE 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Integrated Webcam and Mic
Card Reader: SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO
DESIGN
It has a simple and elegant design, nothing fancy. Below the keyboard are some playback buttons which will allow you to enable the Audio CD playing function without turning on the computer. There are buttons to play/pause, stop and change tracks.
One problem is that there is no external volume control. Adjusting the volume requires a button combination of the Function key and F11/F12, so we can forget about listening to CD’s with the lid down. Another reason why you would want your screen up is that when the music is playing, heat is being generated. A suggestion to this is to keep the volume at max and control it using external speakers. In the upper right of the keyboard are some buttons. In order, these are the power scheme chooser, email program, web browser, enable/disable touchpad, power button.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is pretty much standard for notebooks. However, instead of the Control (Ctrl) key, the Function (Fn) key is located at the far left of the keyboard. This will take some getting used to because on conventional keyboards, the Ctrl key is at the far left. Not a very good move IMHO.
The feel of the keyboard isn’t exactly comfortable when compared to other notebooks (i.e. Fujitsu, which feels soft and effortless). I’d say that the keys are a little stiff and cheap. Also, the spacing between the keys and the ‘base’ is quite noticeable because when you have a key pressed and when your fingers move to the next key (e.g. from “j” to “u”), in some instances my finger got stuck/wedged under the next key.
For precautionary measures, you might want to make sure your hands are clean and oil free because heavy use of the keyboard will wear off its coating. The WASD keys and a portion of the keyboard are already shiny with use.
BUILT IN WEBCAM & MIC
There is a built-in webcam and microphone on top of the monitor. The camera quality is not very impressive, but it is good enough for video conversations. It works best for indoor use, which I will demonstrate in the following shots. It has a mediocre auto-brightness control, so pictures outdoor will look white. Here are the examples:
The microphone works very well. I tested it with Sound Recorder and I was surprised that it still could pick up some sound waves even though I stood around 6ft away. A downside to this is it will pick up any background noises with ease. (Note: for the microphone to work properly, you will have to disable the mic volume and line in volume in the Realtek Audio Manager and use Windows Volume Manager instead).
PERFORMANCE
With Intel’s Core Duo, I was able to run quite a number of applications at the same time. I could download things and play games at the same time; I could have 4-5 Internet Explorer windows on without any problems. I did experience some lag when it comes to DVD related programs, i.e. burning, copying data, reading, etc.
GRAPHICS
With ATI’s Mobility X1600 256MB, I was able to play a majority of games with almost full settings. You may be able to max everything out except Anti Aliasing, which is acceptable for me. I can play Need for Speed Underground 2 at 1280x800 with everything up except AA and V-sync. I turned off motion blur as well to get a few extra frame rates in. Other games that I could run without a problem included Half Life 2: Episode One (1024x600). For a notebook, this graphic card is really impressive.
ATI’s control panel also has an option for Power Play, this option lets you determine how much power is used for games when the notebook is running on batteries. The default is full performance when on AC power, and balanced performance when on batteries. For me, I disable Power Play because I find playing games a bad experience as there will be a noticeable lag. With a full charge, I was able to play Need for Speed Underground 2 for approximately 1hr 30min. Depending on the game, the time span could vary.
BATTERY LIFE
This brings me to the battery life, it is not very flattering when compared to other notebooks which are capable of running up to 3.5hours. At full charge, this notebook can only last around 2.5hours. To increase battery life, you can dim or turn off the monitor (yes, A6J has that option), or put it in Battery Saving mode, which reduces your performance; however, I don’t notice any noticeable improvement in battery life.
HEAT GENERATION
It’d be best to use the A6J in a ventilated or air-conditioned place because it does generate a lot of heat with use. Take this extreme case, I was in the car outside Starbucks using the internet (before we got broadband), I was sweating away and the windows fogged up. There is an air ‘exhaust’ on the back of the laptop and it will really blow out hot air especially when you are playing graphically intense games, which is a good thing, as it gets rid of the heat inside.
SOUND QUALITY
I am not too happy with the sounds. The sound is loud for some file formats and then barely audible for others i.e. DVD playback it is extremely soft. You are not able to hear anything if you are in a living room. The notebook speakers are not very good because at higher levels it will sound scratchy and get a little distorted. Plug in a pair of good headphones or some good speakers (i.e. like me, the 2.1 Altec Lansing speakers) and the quality is superb.
OTHER STUFF
There are other bonuses included in the A6J. The integrated card reader makes it simple to transfer pictures from your digital camera/phone without any wires. You can sync your Bluetooth capable mobile with the PC. Power4Gear gives you multiple schemes, including a battery saving function. You can even connect the laptop to a TV using an S-Video cable or DVI-port.
WEIGHT
Weighing at 2.8kg (including the battery), the A6J is not a featherweight. Put it in a bag with all the accessories i.e. power adaptor, your backup cd’s, etc. it will be quite a chore to lug it around. But that is the price to pay when you’ve got a notebook with such high specs. To be fair, it is considered relatively light when compared to other desktop replacement notebooks, which can go up to 3.6kg.
CONCLUSION
To conclude this, I am happy with this laptop because it is powerful enough for my needs. I am a PC gamer and the graphic card performs satisfactorily. I do understand it is not able to play graphic intensive games, i.e. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, at full graphic settings, but at least I am given the option to do so. I hope this helped you in your decision in purchasing the Asus A6J. If you need to know anything else, please feel free to leave questions/comments. I will answer the best I can. Cheers!
Friday, June 09, 2006
A talanted girl that I know, Sarah See, added something to this picture. I think it is rather well done, despite its simplicity...
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Toby, our dog, passed her Pre-Novice MKA trials! She was tested on various things such as:
- Heel on lead
- Stand Stay
- Recall
- Sit Stay (30sec)
- Down Stay (1min)
Here's a link to the score breakdown, and the MKA website, if you are interested. My exhibitor number is 15: http://mka.org.my/sport_results02.htm
Thursday, May 18, 2006
I bought this in Simply Toys (Singapore) and 20% off! Looks really beautiful in the cabinet with a spotlight...
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Only one more mini lightsaber to go and my collection will be complete. I will have the lightsaber for each character in Star Wars. Actually there are different variations for each hilt design in each episode, so I went with the best looking one. Wednesday, March 08, 2006
This is from the Master Replicas newsletter...
"For 2006, Master Replicas currently has 7 categories of products:
Elite Editions (EE)
Limited Editions (LE)
Collectors Editions (CE)
Signature Editions (SE)
Studio Scale
Force FX (FX)
Scaled Replicas (minis)
We'd like to clarify the difference between the Elite Edition, Limited Edition, and Collectors Edition. Here's a quick summary:
Elite Edition (EE) - Available to Collector's Society members only and will be constructed from the most premium materials available.
Limited Edition (LE) - Available through http://www.masterreplicas.com/ and will have a numbered plaque with an edition size cap. It has the same construction as the current Limited Editions. Select International Distributor partners will be provided with a very small quantity of the Limited Editions to help reduce some of the international shipping costs.
Collectors Edition (CE) - In response to our customer requests for a less expensive/ "costuming"/more youth accessible prop replica. Available through our retail partners and will be unlimited. Collectors Edition replicas will uphold the high quality appearance but will use slightly different materials so that they can be priced lower.
There has been a lot of concern regarding the new Limited Edition/Collectors Edition strategy. Here are some key things to know regarding why we have a new Limited Edition/ Collectors Edition strategy:
- When the Limited Edition version of an item sells out, then it will be gone for good. Through the Collectors Edition, new collectors will be able to still collect popular character's prop replicas for many years to come, long after the Limited Editions have sold out.
- Collector's with a Limited Edition will have a collectible that's part of a capped edition run. We hope to keep the edition runs for the 2006 products tighter than 2005 and hope that this will help maintain and improve the value of the Limited Edition replicas.
We hope that this will help clarify the new Limited Edition/Collectors Edition strategy for 2006, and provide our customers with the greatest amount of choice when purchasing their favorite prop replica."
Anyway, when I do decide to get one, my first target would be the Obi Wan lightsaber used in The Phantom Menace (or) Attack of the Clones. The difference is barely noticeable, so either one would be good. Here's a picture of the hilt. This is NOT the CE though and if I'm not mistaken, it is the Elite Edition, which uses premium materials in construction.
I've got to wait about two weeks for the other minis, namely the Obi Wan, Darth Vader, and Mace Windu, to arrive. Longer still for the Qui-Gon Jinn lightsaber because that one is a new release. But anyway, I'll post a few photographs to give you an idea of how the sabers will look.
Obi Wan - Revenge of the Sith
Darth Vader - Revenge of the Sith
Mace Windu - Attack of the Clones
Qui-Gon - The Phantom Menace
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
After a few days, I finally decided to indulge myself and get the Master Replicas Mini Lightsaber (.45 Scale). I plan to get ten of them and here's what I have in mind:
1. Anakin ROTS (bought)
2. Obi Wan ROTS (ordered)
3. Darth Vader ROTS (ordered)
4. Count Dooku ROTS (ordered)
5. Master Yoda ROTS(bought)
6. Darth Sidious ROTS (bought)
7. Mace Windu AOTC (ordered)
8. Darth Maul TPM (bought)
9. Luke Skywalker ROTJ (ordered)
10. Qui-Gon Jinn TPM (ordered)
ROTS = Revenge of the Sith
AOTC = Attack of the Clones
TPM = The Phantom Menace
ROTJ = Return of the Jedi
So I currently have four of them at the moment. When I see the pictures of the mini scaled ones on the internet, I thought the size was pathetic. But after I got my hands on them, I take it back, I think they are awesome. The quality is good, it feels solid and very heavy for something so small. And I got all this at a price of $399 for all ten.
One reason I decided to go for the minis is because they are 
cheaper than the full scaled replicas (which cost $375 each!). The cheaper Collector Editions (CE's) are also full scale replicas, but is cheaper ($199) so that the more common folk will get their chance to collect these stuff. But the material used in CE's are not as good in quality as the Limited Editions (LE) and the Mini.
For all you know, I might even start a collection of Collector Edition Lightsabers! Just a thought...
Thursday, February 09, 2006
I'm not one to write a lot on blogs, but I'm doing so now because I can't sleep and it's 1:30 in the morning. This time I will tell you about this AWESOME site that I stumbled across - NOBLE COLLECTION. All the while I thought Masterreplicas (http://www.masterreplicas.com) was cool because it made replicas for big hits i.e. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and the latest Chronicles of Narnia. How wrong I was to assume MR was the only one.
This company makes LOTS of cool stuff. These categories include Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Batman, swords, daggers, jewellery, sculptures and so much more. You'll have to see it to believe it. I'll post a few pictures to give you readers an idea of how cool the products of Noble Collection are. But a warning - those stuff will cost you.
LORD OF THE RINGS
The One Ring - 18k Gold
The Crown of Elessar (Aragorn)
Narsil (Aragorn's Sword)
HARRY POTTER
The Time Turner
Tri-wizard Cup
Gold Plated Gryffindor Ring (also available for other houses)
Harry Potter's Wand (available for other characters too!)
BATMAN BEGINS 
Miniature Batman Cowl
Gliding Sculpt