Photography | Gadgets | Anime - SerSiTiv.com

Tomorrow is the day, I’m not sure anymore, at least not anymore then when I asked for the prospectus. Oh yeah, for those wondering, API is not Application Program Interface, something which I studied for a 1/4 of my life is now going to change and API be to me Asian Pastoral Institute from tomorrow onwards.

Someone did ask me the other day why am I going for API, I really did not have an answer. Perhaps out of pressure or own willfulness  I decided to enter the next level of education, the education of spirituality. For whatever it’s worth I think I’ll just pray about it and see how things go tomorrow, perhaps I’m really not ready for the leap of faith. Just thinking about the sheer amount of work I’ll have to complete and making my already busy life busier. I really do need the strength to carry on forward, listening to the lives of others I just wonder why am I placed in such a situation having to carry such a “burden”.

Well let me solve tomorrow’s problems tomorrow, nothing cannot be solved, it’s just a matter of perspective.

There you go that’s how much my alias is worth.

[via pricemyname.net]

Today I was at the “Sneak Preview” of Ratatouille with a childhood friend of mine. I decided to catch the show at Cathay Cineleisure cause they were airing the show in digital, the images were suppose to be sharper and more detailed then the conventional film.First of all I want to say the show is great for everyone, food lovers would love it when Remy (The Chef who incidentially is a rat) rattles off the wonderful the names of herbs and foods that get our taste buds working while at the same time introduce the casual diners to the wonderful world of flavour perhaps closing the divide between the two. What stands out in this show is the message on the importance of “understanding” what you eat and as the phrase goes, “you are what you eat” does show through the characters in the show.

As the movie progresses, the show starts to weave the most impossible of stories of how a little rat can become a chef. A nice lesson to take home and perhaps even teach the kids who watch the show is the importance of resilience about how the future is within your graps, believe and have guts to do what you love doing. No one can steal that passion, and in this case is really the passion to become a chef. The rat is only so small but yet he braves the difficulties and eventually “wins” the hearts of his father and the colony of rats which symbolizes to me people who will eventually turn up to help when traveling the tough journey to fulfill that dream and emerge victorious.

Overall I would say this is an interesting concept by Pixar and they have never stopped at exciting movie goes with their various animated films. The minds behind these stories are pure genius and they never stop to put in important life lessons for the young. I’m looking forward to the next animated film by Pixar soon. Oh and for those who do not know, pixar did a hilarious short animation before the start of the film so remember do not be late for your movie!

Recently a Singapore based Anime distributor Odex, started serving “lawyer letters” to Anime downloaders and did so by obtaining the personal information of subscribers on Singnet and Starhub. These two ISPs were served court orders of which they had to cough up the information for Odex.

23rd August 2007, Pacific Internet, a third ISP in Singapore manage to protect their subscribers and won the case preventing their customers information to reach the hands of Odex. Pacific Internet lawyers walked out victorious and Odex was ruled out based on the following.

Only copyright owners - that is, the studios that made the anime - or an ‘exclusive licensee’ for the anime being downloaded, can take legal action under the Singapore Copyright Act.

Odex is a sub-licensee and had letters from rights owners authorising it to take action on their behalf, but the firm was neither a copyright owner or an ‘exclusive licensee’.

An exclusive licensee has the sole right to distribute a product in a certain market.”

So what did the other two ISPs do to protect their customers? Singnet, one of the largest ISPs in Singapore simply could not be bothered and submitted without contest!

It was also noted that Singnet lawyers were not present at the hearing.

I mean this goes to show how much your ISP serves you, in fact I do not find broadband prices in Singapore exactly cheap, protecting online privacy is the least your ISP can do for you but this was quite incredible to hear they did not even try to argue. Even Starhub made some arguements in an attempt to protect the interest of their customers.

This is really a PR nightmare, now with such bad press I wonder who wants to sign up with Singnet, who probably just lost customer confidence after this whole saga.

*Post based on facts provided by Online news articles.

[Source: Straits Times Article 1 , Straits Times Article 2]

Director Royston Tan has done a production on the local Getai and fusing it with his fabulous directing created something close to everyones hearts. Synonymously related to Movies and Singapore, he has captured the young because we just love watching him present his ideas (he marketed 15 though a short clip which he uploaded on the Internet) and the old as most of them just adore Getais during the 7th Month.

Already it has gained strong viewer ship and has raked in decent earnings, I’ve even heard that tickets were not available during the first week after it’s release. After all the reviews, I’m really looking forward to watch it tonight.

Oh did I mention, Royston only took 22 days to produce the film and two weeks to write it!

I’ve only got one thing to say.

SEXY…..

Don’t you just want one? Get it at the Apple shops more information via [apple.com]

Was at Ang Mo Kio hub for dinner, went exploring a little taking a look around, see what I found! It’s coming, it’s coming, Ratatouille is coming! It’s a really good animation, I’m so going to catch it in the cinema. In the mean time do take a look at the nice pop-up standee displayed outside the Cathay cinema.

Check out Ratatouille here.

I saw her all so pretty and in my face! Felicia really does look quite good ya? I took a picture of her on my way back to office just now. Hehehe

Ok, got another new toy today from Ikea, was playing around with it at the main showroom area where I sat and was pleasantly impressed with the built quality of the chair but priced at SGD$169 it took quite some consideration so I walked on and just did my shopping for stuff at Ikea in Tampines.

I guess everyone knows about this little treasure cove in Ikea called AS-IS. At this little treasure cove you can find showroom pieces, slightly damaged products and other nick nacks. So I found the EXACT Chair in the showroom in very good condition, I mean the fabric is all wrapped up and stuff sitting there and it was at SGD$119, savings of SGD$50. So after some contemplation I decided to purchase it and it’s now siting in my room comforting my back.

I guess it is worth spending some money to ensure that my spine will last me till my old age, so I leave you with a more professional shot of the chair which I got from their website.

Borrowed the acronym from my good friend over at itnetwerk.com, he started this NTOTD thing which actually stands for New Toy Of The Day. Not that I get new toys every day but well it’s just a way to share joy.

Today I got the E65 from local telephone operator Singtel mobile, my first line with the Red guys. The whole thing started as I was shopping to get my E65 on SingtelShop.com as it was going at a really good price, after all the discounts and such I only need to pay SGD$276 for the phone cause it is National Day. So with the celebration they lowered the price by SGD$42 and the in store promo made it an addition SGD$30 less which gave me a saving of $72.

So what happened was that Singtel also offered a new service called Broadband on Mobile which was also offering SGD$100 off and 3G handset and so I did the purchase on line and called the help desk to find out how I could enjoy the offer. Note that at that time of ordering my phone would only arrive on 16th August 2007 which was quite a wait. Help desk got back to me saying that in order to enjoy this I had to head down to Singtel shops to get it. I was like “GOSH!”, so they canceled the online order, waived the cancellation fee and then referred me to the appropriate Singtel shop where I could enjoy the offer.

So I made my way to the Singtel shop at Compass Point and queued, yeah that is the con of getting stuff from the shops but of course it is great to be able to get my phone on the same day as well. The service staff was great but there was this rude guy who was demanding to see the manage and stuff, quite a scene but of course I cannot comment on who is right or wrong but the “shouting” was quite a distraction. I think they should get a room to do such crisis control. So at the end of the day I made off with my new toy at SGD$176, everything in, new SIM card, registration etc.

I’ve yet to test out the phone fully but say hello to VOIP, Broadband access, E-mail and much more. Oh Singtel was giving this Sweet Treats, which are really Jelly beans but I think I prefer the ones sold at Candy Empire.

This is like so cute, it’s quite yesterday… Seriously. I remember when is cost me like $24.90 from Action City and was this cute little head that moves from left to right in a “smooth” manner really quite soothing when watching this fellas. I saw a fake one before where the head moves really quickly and it kind of screws up the vibes totally. Anyway this is the limited color release for their 5 mil sales achievement so do check it out and get yourself a companion.

Available at play-asia.com

[source]

Lets start slowly and build a disciplined life, reason being I think there are things that I need to do in order to glorify God and at the same time keep myself in good shape. Even the small little things like keeping fit and looking good are things that signify Godliness as it reflects from your character. I mean think about it this way, would you rather believe someone that Christ is doing a work in their life if they appear sloppy, sleepy and always carrying a “sian/bored” look on their face or someone whom is bright, cheery and full of energy?

Thus I am documenting down my journey which I will take henceforth and using these “rules” which will continue to increase in numbers to be my milestones in making myself a better person both in Christ and to others. I hope that one day I can look back and see what I have achieved and not be ashamed of what I did not do.

So for today this is my RULE.

RULE 1: Drink enough water everyday

I will drink at least 3 litres of water a day and keep myself hydrated. This is a simple challenge I set myself to do, this is the first milestone, it may sound silly to you but it is a small pebble to a great mountain. Because drinking water keeps you in good health, we are privillaged to have drinking water from the tap and it is a bad excuse not to drink and keep ourselves in health.
Read more on:
Drinking water to maintain good health

Well it’s here, a cross road in life again. The beacon is set and lit up red awaiting my attention. I know language is not my forte but please do excuse me when I’m unable to articulate well, especially in the grammar department.

So it was time for the half yearly appraisal and I’m presented with a fresh perspective of life and what to expect from hence forth. Where do I see myself and what do I see myself become? It is not a time for self pity but a time for reflection and thought. As a kid I always have dreams of being someone but I have never found myself to be resilient in what I do and always put out ideas but never been able to see them through. Things did change during my days in polytechnic and during a year in secondary school when my Maths teacher cried in front of my class. But I kind of loss this fighting spirit along the way and cheerful as I am I have eroded the very core of my being. I have lost something, someone or worse… myself.

So blame it on national service, 2 1/2 freaking years of mindless exercise and duties. It totally dulled my mind and I think I got really stupid in those 2 1/2 years. Stripped of my drive, where was the “I want to go OCS and become officer spirit”? Damn it what happened? Where did I mess up?

The stage is set for a recollection of ideas and of course the review of my life in the next few days. I just need to pray about it and spend time talking to the person who treasures me the most. I really need wisdom to carry on, I’m tired and need a break, I want to redo my room and be re-energized again.

Think a little, pray a lot and take a leap of faith.

Here goes the GST hike as of 1st July 2007, Singaporeans now play 7% GST for things they purchase rising from the previous 5%. The great part about this is the the government is very nice to give us a “package” to cushion the “blow”. Well there is the best part about this, in order to prevent oneself from paying more then what the offset package provides you can only spend SGD$10,000 so that the SGD$200 covers your hike of 2%. Well that being said, it is good as at least I can save more and spend less. Those who are poorer and do not even get SGD$10,000 a year would definately benefit from this program and it becomes an ideal situation as the poorer would benefit from this. Yay for being poor ya?

NOT…

Why do I say this? reason being the GST only went up by 2% but vendors have already started to take advantage of this hike and make ridiculous and blatant increases in their prices. I’ll cite an example, I went to Maxwell market to have a Po Lo Bao, so prices were usually SGD$1 for the bun which I felt was just okay, I mean it’s just a bun and some char siew inside it. So I paid up and was stopped by the kind auntie who said, sorry mister the price has risen to SGD$1.40. I was taken a back and being the nice guy I paid up and then started to do some maths.

The bloody bun went up 40%! 40 freaking percent, I mean come on using the hike to create an opportunity to exploit the public. If I want to pay SGD$1.40 for a freaking bun from a hawker center I rather give it a miss and just have something else. It’s a bloody rip off if you tell me, please wake up your idea and think about it. I can get something of a even higher quality at breadtalk and still show off that I’m eating expensive bread. They should be fined for making such blatant increases!
Consumer protection is really poor in Singapore and retailers will continue to do as they please. I feel that one day I’ll be one of the poor ones in this country. Prices are just going to continue rising in this cut throat society. It will just suck and suck you dry, one day GST will go up again and it’s all right because they say so and retailers will continue to play games with the consumers. If nothing is done about “controlling” the retailers the consumers will just suffer, this is one of the perhaps many other cases I have yet to encounter.

Worked late last night and hailed a cab home. Well I waited and to my delight I got a Mercedes cab and quickly hopped into the cab thinking that I’ll have a great ride in luxury and comfort but I was sadly mistaken.

Before I could even belt up the taxi uncle just sped off, perhaps the closest scenario that could come to my mind was that of the scene in the French film Taxi. Imagine for the first time in my life I actually felt and heard a cab wheel spin! Okay, it was brief but the wheels actually lost traction with the road and boy was I in for a surprise. The guy drove like Daniel, the main lead in the show taking small lanes, heavy acceleration and braking making the ride less then pleasant.

I was tired and all I wanted was the luxury of comfort or what I thought I would be getting when I hopped into a Mercedes cab at least. What good does it do when a company tells you that you should travel in style and feel comfortable when not a single ounce of my body felt so. This is a good example of a staff having a total mis-match with the prevailing brand personality of the Mercedes Cab fleet.

The worst part about the ride was that the car was never meant to be a race car and it damn well felt uncomfortable cause the spring settings and such were not developed for such intense driving. I arrived home feeling even more worn out, I hope my next experience will be a better one.