-= SONDAMBI =-

What do you get when you put a Korean chio bu together with some others plus catchy/funky music? SONDAMBI!! And very entertaining MVs :-D

iPhone 3GS

I was looking around for a phone for some time since a couple of months ago. My main criteria was that the phone must allow me to enter data fairly quickly and have a large enough screen for surfing the net, so I narrowed it down to the Nokia N97 because it has an external keyboard.

In the end, curiosity about the new iPhone 3GS got the better of me, and now I am the owner of a 32GB 3GS ... and a SingTel contract.

I've been using the 3GS for nearly a month now. My phone is not "jailbroken" and is currently running on OS 3.1. This is what I think:

Likes:
- fast and smooth user friendly interface
- a whole lot of applications available
- Huge built-in memory for all kinds of stuff
- keyboard in landscape mode works better than a physical one (I can type almost as fast as if I am on a full sized keyboard now!)
- Location based services aplenty, and current location is determined quite accurately
- many accessories in the market

Dislikes:
- iTunes not exactly very zippy or user friendly. Not used to their "sync" concept.
- Battery power lasts about a day (less if you use Wifi and 3G data)
- Proprietary OS imposes restrictions on developer's apps (e.g. developer's applications are single threaded and not multi-threaded) I used to have a timer application running on my Nokia to remind me when to put my eyedrops. The iPhone has a similar app but requires it to run in the foreground. If you close it, it doesn't work anymore.
- A number of restrictions on the OS, most noticeable is the lack of Bluetooth file transfer (i.e. I cannot send files or pictures to someone else using Bluetooth)
- You cannot replace the built-in Calendar application with a better third party application
- There is no TASKS and TODO lists available on the iPhone
- The battery is part of the phone and not user replaceable.

I'm sure there's more but these are just the main ones which I can think about right now. Overall it is a good phone, but does it live up to it's hype? Well almost ...

Updates

A friend told me that my blog has not been updated for some time now. My reply was that there was either nothing to blog about (totally unbelievable) or most of the recent events are more private and not suitable to be posted in a public blog. It is actually more the latter.

Anyhow, this is my first post after a long break (skipped the whole of September in fact), just to say that I am still around. :)

Lunch @ Vanilla Pod

Decided to try out Vanilla Pod for a nice quiet Saturday lunch as it was near our place. When we reached there just after 12pm, it was quiet. Wandered around and found the restaurant after asking the staff. The main restaurant is hidden behind the garden. There is also a cafe/bar at the front with nice cosy sofas (maybe next time can try chilling out here).

Anyway, we weren't big eaters so we ordered soup and shared a plate of pork knuckles which we almost couldn't finish. Overall the ambience was really nice and peaceful. Good place for a stress free lunch or chit-chat.

Will probably come back here to try other stuff on their menu like pasta, pizzas and dessert.

Trabeculectomy

Most of the people whom I know who have recently gone for eye surgery were to improve their vision, and I will be going today too, but it's to save mine. Yes, the right eye which has stabilised for the past year has gone hay-wire again. The IOP (i.e. eye-pressure) spiked again, even when I am on 3 types of meds. This leaves me not much of a choice but to go for a Trabeculectory to relieve the pressure.

The op is this afternoon and I am supposed to fast from 10:30 am. I just finished my last sip from my Slurpee about an hour ago and I'm already feeling a bit thirsty :P. Anyway, hope this op will fix this problem once and for all.

---[Updates]---------

30 Jul 2009:
Reached early for surgery. Drove myself and Dad there. Wifey would be driving us home after the op. The surgery went pretty smoothly although it was kinda scary at times. Especially when injecting anesthetic near the eye and during the surgery itself. The entire duration was about half-hour, and near the end it was a bit painful as I can feel the stitching done near the cornea as the anesthetic was wearing out.

31 Jul 2009:
First review at the doc went ok. Doc said the op went "uneventfully". Did some cleaning up of the eye and Doc said pressure was at 8 mm/Hg (Ideal is about 10-12 mm/Hg).

3 Aug 2009:
Second review at the doc. Doc measured pressure and it dropped to 4 mm/Hg. Was told to reduce frequency of medication to help increase the pressure. Next review on Wed.

12 Aug 2009:
Third review at the doc. Doc measured pressure and it was still at 4 mm/Hg. He did not seem too concerned as he is confident that the healing process will eventually bring up the pressure. Further check on the retina and vessels did not show any bleeding or wrinkling so everything seemed to be fine. Next review will be 2 weeks later.

24 Aug 2009: Fourth review at the doc. Eye was feeling prickly and the surface of the eye seems to have some wrinkling whenever I look to the centre. So went to see the doc earlier to see if anything is wrong. Thought I would have a long wait since I didn't have an appointment but surprisingly there weren't much patients. Doc checked and said it was ok, the wrinking was caused by excess fluid being filtered out and showed that the Trabeculectomy was working fine. Pressure was up to 6 mm/Hg, just out of the official hypotony range. Vision has improved slightly and the next review will be in mid-Sep.

Orchard Central

Yesterday was wifey's facial appointment again. So I was a CentrePoint kid for an hour or so. Was a bit lazy so spent some time in the car listening to music before heading out to the mall to take a walk around. Didn't manage to buy anything during that half hour walk though.

After wifey was done, we went over to the new Orchard Central mall just across the road from CentrePoint. It was an interesting experience. Designed by DP Architects and developed by Far East Organisation, it is touted as Singapore's first "Vertical Mall" at Orchard. The building is narrow and tall. Even though not all the shops were open, you could get a feel of how it would be like when it is fully "operational".

The building has lots of steel and glass. Glass lifts and plenty of escalators. They even have a rock climbing area at the long and narrow atrium. Yesterday, they were playing jive music and some shoppers (not sure of they were really shoppers) were dancing the jive at the atrium!

The shopping area is divided into various clusters. There are 12 floors in total with about 8 floors of shopping. All the levels are longish in design. Some of the shops are "open concept" and you actually walk through them without knowing where is the actual "entrance". Most of the retail shops are fashion with some sports shops on the 4th and 5th level. Although the concept is refreshing, it could get a bit confusing trying to navigate through the shops.

The highlight of the day was the rooftop garden at the 11th and 12th floor. Although not officially ready, we managed to walk through the "construction area" and got to see the view from the top floor of OC, nice! I think the view would be much nicer at night. I am also guessing that there is going to be some restaurants on the roof garden when it is complete. Too bad I did't bring my camera along. Will definitely come back again to take a look next time.

Comparing Home Loans

If you are looking at financing (or re-financing) your property in Singapore to save $$$. Check out this website => SMARTLOANS.SG

Has a cool wizard to perform calculations for you, and you can see what the various banks are offering before contacting them for more details.

Sanctuary

Everybody has their little space in the world. Some find comfort in a little place at home, some at the poolside, at the beach or even (yes) in the bathroom.

Mine just happens to be in a little portable 1.5m x 2.5m space behind the steering wheel. Yes, it's the car.

It's where I spend 2 hours a day (or more), and I enjoy the time when I am driving alone on the way back home. Whether I'm sad, stressed, angry etc. a slow drive home with the appropriate music usually fixes things.

Even during the day, this little private sanctuary provides comfort during lunchtime or when I need a break from the office. Because it is portable, I can choose my environment and ambience depending on my mood.

Anyway, today was no exception. With several things on my mind, the usual 20 minute drive took me twice as long, and the music twice as loud. Surprisingly, I wasn't even bothered by all the inconsiderate drivers...