2012

 

I know it’s late but it all depends on how you look at it…

2011 is finished and in a couple of days, its year of the Dragon in the Lunar Calendar.

Heineken Beer Can Speaker

Just got myself a Speaker from Heineken!

Actually I was buying beer from our local shop when I noticed a pack of 9 box which includes another can which was actually a portable speaker.

This speaker can connect to your device through USB or a 3.5mm jack.

Sadly, Heineken did not give any instructions about this speaker so everything I’m sharing here is actually based on experience.

The speaker looks great, it actually feels like a normal beer can. I heard/read that its actually made of aluminum so be careful not to drop this as it will surely have dents.

Cable can be found underneath the speaker, DO NOT TWIST the bottom cover as you’ll break it. You can open the bottom cover by just pulling it off (its a bit difficult at first but you’ll get used to it.)

The speaker also requires 2 AA Batteries, the battery slot is a bit tight and I was not able to use my regular rechargeable batteries.

It also does not have an on/off switch dont forget to take out the batteries after use as it will surely get drained.

Tried the sound quality on my iPhone while inside a reasonably sized room and the sound was ok. I would suggest that you do not expect too much from this speaker since its almost free.

Its fun to own and maybe it will start a funny conversation someday… Of all the promotional stuffs I have seen/received, this is definitely better than a beer mug/glass and cooler

Pirates of Silicon Valley

I was walking around HMV when I noticed their display for Top Selling DVDs.

So I guess after Steve Jobs passed away everything that has something to do with him just got sold.

Apple products, a book and now Pirates of Silicon Valley…

I just hope they make a new movie which is about his return to Apple…

Apple and the person behind it…

Before owning my first ever Apple product, I only knew Steve Jobs as the CEO who earns USD 1.00 per year and as the guy who started Apple through “Pirates of Silicon Valley“.

Then by 2006 my wife received a Second Gen iPod Nano…

I’ve always believed that the iPod were overpriced MP3 players, although they were easy to use, iTunes was such a pain and I was not able to manage my music using our office PC since we did not have it installed.

To even show my wife that the iPod was such a waste of money, I bought a cheap Chinese iPod Nano clone which I used in my car’s audio. (I was using my Asus P525 and Motorola BT Headset as my primary MP3 player.

After 6 months of using the iPod Nano and comparing it to its Chinese Clone, I suddenly realized which of the two was the true waste of money…

My Fifth Gen iPod Classic was my first own Apple product. I received it as a birthday gift from my wife and it still works up to this time. Although both iPods were such scratch magnets, they never failed and were always performing what I expected from them… keep me entertained during long travels.

My first experience with OSX was when I bought my white Macbook last 2007. I was new with OSX and I still do not know why I chose it over Sony’s Vaio (my wife made all the convincing).

As I had very little knowledge on what the OSX can and cannot do, I started playing with Safari first and browsed the Apple Website, there I found details about their products, the funny Apple Ads which featured Justin Long and Steve Jobs’ Keynote.

Steve Jobs way of presenting amazed me, he was so relaxed and he always explained why the “Apple Way” was always better than what we’re used to doing, a good example of this is the multi-touch trackpad and just resently, the “natural” way of scrolling.

Although I always question the products they release, Apple always had a way to look at the bigger picture and plan ahead of their competitors, I do not know if Apple was making decisions as a team or is it all Steve Jobs. The only thing that I am sure of is that Steve Jobs will never release a product that does not work!

This made me confident of spending a little extra for a product that works.

No need to worry about support, firmware upgrades and hardware issues. Apple products works as advertised… that’s all I need to know.

Maybe my trust in the company grew after watching Steve Jobs present their products confidently. He was always relaxed and proud of their new products.

Now that Steve Jobs is gone, will I stop using Apple products? Only time will tell.

I buy what I need and it’s based on use and reliability, if a company can offer the same thing with the right price, then maybe I can see myself jumping to another brand in the future.

But as of now, I am confident that Jobs has approved at least 2 more generations of their current product line.

I keep on telling people that I am not an Apple Fanboy, I am just one of those guys who owns an iPod, an iMac, a Macbook and an iPhone, it all just happened because during my time of purchase, they were the best products available.

Now that Steve Jobs is gone, I keep wondering what he could have done if he stayed a little bit longer, life is short and for people like Jobs, it even felt shorter.

I guess all things come to an end and this time, I will have to use a different Halloween costume since I cannot use my black turtle neck and jeans anymore.

local grocery finds… Serangoon (near Marine Parade Town Council)

Check out this photo!

I was accompanying my wife while she was buying the regular stuff in a small grocery store in Serangoon and I noticed that this store sold Mang Tomas, UFC Banana Ketchup and Andok’s Litson Sauce!

Prices were also better compared to those shops you find in Lucky Plaza!

They also sell Datu Puti Vinegar (regular and spiced versions).

So just incase you’re in Serangoon, just drop by this store and using my photo as a guide, you’ll know which shelf to look at…

Store is near the old Serangoon bus terminal at the back of Marine Parade Town Council (Serangoon).

Food and Gadgets

When I first started this blog last March 2008, I just wanted to have a place where I can share my thoughts and opinions...

Now, I believe my blog is a mess and its time for me to create a separate blog for gadgets and food...

http://ice15toys.wordpress.com/ - for gadgets
http://ice15food.wordpress.com/ - for food

Both sites are still empty and I'm hoping to add content in the next few months...

How a Shoe’s Marketing Hypnotizes Me

I don’t know why I’m such a sucker for marketing stuff in shoes.

You see, I always wanted to purchase a pair of the following shoes:

Nike Air, Shocks, Free
Puma Lift, El Ray Perf
Reebok Pump, Hexalite, Zig Tech
Converse React
Adidas Clima Cool, Bounce

I have actually owned quite a few of these shoes…

I had 2 pairs of Nike Air Max – Penny 2 and a Nike Air Shake Ndestruct – Dennis Rodman.

Both were great, Rodman’s shoe was big, heavy and not as comfortable and its totally the opposite of Penny’s. Sadly, both their soles just burst and both were useless after.

My Nike Free’s were great. I owned a 4.0 which was awesome and a 7.0

Between the 2, I preferred the 4.0 which was lighter and more comfortable, the 7.0 had a “heavy cross-training shoe feel” which is ok because compared to the 4.0, you get better feet support on the 7.0

Always wanted to get a pair of Shocks but then I saw a guy wearing an old pair of shocks and the soles were literally falling off! I also saw this happen on an old pair of Adidas Bounce too that why I never had a chance to buy both shoes.

Puma Lift looks good and light but I bought an El Ray Perf which was sadly stolen outside our house!

My brother once owned a Reebok Pump (with Hexalite) which was a great concept for children but totally useless for adults, when our feet stops growing, we buy shoes that fit right! Why do we need to pump it just to make it tighter?

Converse React were my first pair of Fancy Shoes, I was lucky enough to own the Larry Johnson 2, it was heavy, fancy and very hard to wear!

I love the concept of Adidas Climacool but my feet easily gets wet when its raining!

And now, I am a proud owner of Reebok’s Zigtech!

I really think these shoes look great!

I’m old enough to know that the things about its rubber and technology is just the marketing people selling me these shoes.

Now, all I have to do is train with my Nike Free and Run with my Zigs… There’s always a reason for everything!

Crocs Tideline

Been very busy these past few months…

Really unbelievable!

This post has been sleeping for so long in my drafts forlder.

I am lucky enough to buy a Blue Crocs Tideline which was on sale!

This is actually my first pair of Crocs. I was never fond of Sandals and Flip Flops, the only ones I have are from Havaianas, Oakley and Birkenstock.

Havaianas for vacations at the beach and for those quick runs to the market, Oakley for short trips to the mall and my Birkenstock Boston for the office.

But when I saw that Crocs sells shoes, I started visiting their shops.

I was only this year that I actually bought something from them that I use on a regular basis…

Crocs’ Tideline comes in various colors (it even has a leather version) but the blue caught my attention.

It looked great, clean and small (it doesn’t look big on your feet like other Crocs Sandals).

White part of the shoe is made of rubber and the blue part is canvass.

The only issue I have is that for long walks (with hot and humid days), my small toe constantly rubs to the rubber and it tends to hurt.

A pair of socks is a good solution but not all people will agree.

In my own opinion, this was a great buy for me since it was on sale, if this was sold at its regular price… Then this post would have never existed.

McDonald’s Twister Fries are back…

Finally!

These are normally available during Chinese New Year (with the prosperity burger) but not this year…

Still better late than never!

As always, Twister Fries are available for a limited time only…

Enjoy!

Poppin Microwave Popcorns!

Check this out, I finally found Microwave Popcorns here in Singapore…

Sadly, I can only find it in Fairprice Serangoon Ave. 3…

If you’re in the area, it’s in Aisle 4, Baking Needs!