Nissan I-key Owners ~ please Hold on dear to your I-key

Officially drove home my Latio babe on 19 April this year (2009).
I wrote..
Still have yet to work out a 'idiot' proof system. I bet you....the day will come where I will be writing here on least one clumsy incident about yours truly here..locking myself out of the house without the I-key or leaving the I-key in some other place or bag..whatever...(MORE)


Seven months later...I lost one of the I-key! Arggh.

A complete I-key looks like this.
(explanation about I-key from Nissan is available HERE)

I almost dropped dead when the service centre told me that a new I-key would cost a whopping RM900!!!!

Seriously, if my heart was a little weaker...it would have stopped.

The sales advisor whom I was dealing with wasn't very helpful nor sympathetic.  You know..typical Malaysian standard of customer service where they just as a matter of factly tell you..the standard procedure i.e. I will have to come back in the morning cos they will need :

..a whole day to re-programme the entire system,

..cos they need to send the existing key back to the plant too

..at the same time order a new one

..blah blah blah

..and yes lor.."it is that expensive ..with that "WHO ASKED YOU TO BUY SUCH A INTELLIGENT CAR" look on her face

@#@!^&*#

I was so angry~

Angry at myself for being such an idiot.

Angry at the the stupid woman for being no help.

Angry at the salesman who sold me the car.

So angry ..that I called up the salesman to complain.  My exact words.."you told me the key costs a few hundred..but you didn't say it's gonna be $900!!"

Obviously..he didn't and doesn't know the actual cost but he promised to help me check for alternatives.  ..that's what service is all about.  We don't expect miracles..a little bit of compassion and human touch are all we are asking for.

To my relieve....there is really an alternative to cut down the cost.

He found out from another service centre that..I can actually ask for only the remote for the time being..since I still have another I-key and a Master mechanical key with me now.

How would that work?

The remote only functions to arm/unarm the central locking system...i.e. if *touch wood* I were to lose my other I-key again..I still have a remote to unlock the car and use a mechanical key to start the car (the unintelligent way)

The remote (without) the i-key costs RM405 (after RM50 discount).  There's another RM50 charge to reprogramme the new remote.

This is how it looks like (with a missing i-key)

Yupe..the i-key itself is 50% of the cost. All because it's INTELLIGENT.  Without the i-key , the car doesn't 'work intelligently'.  Meaning..

..we have to press remote normally to unlock car instead of just pressing the button at the door (without taking out the key)

..we have to insert the mechanical key to start teh engine instead of just turning the knob (with the key still in the bag)

So...is it worthwhile..to own an Intelligent Car?

Christmas Shopping almost done!

Yes..I'm ahead of time this year.
Thought I'd better do it today since I was quite free & next few weeks I'd be quite bz at work.

I was expecting One U's carpark to be congested and packed ...yet..I decided to take a risk and headed there after lunch.  I was so in de mood to shop ma..and was desperate when I suddenly discovered I'm free for the whole day!
Fortunately, I found a parking lot in less than 5 mins!

Unfortunately, Christmas deco at One U isn't up yet! wth!



Very happy with my achievement :)

What I have now:

..one each for MK's kids..yes..this year..they have one each ..instead of my normal One For All style

..for Ash & mommy

..for AST

..Angie's b'day & Christmas pressie

I'm broke!

Still have a few more to go:
..Danial's Christmas pressie
..Nic & daddy's
..cousin's kids' --they are all grown now..getting more difficult ..may be I'll just get them some nice chocolates


That's about it...I think.

Gosh..I still can't believe it's year end already.  I'm so not ready..

Two O O Nine

January
Found new love -  RPM
Met new love -  the Nissan Latio Sport

February
....nothing worth mentioning...

March
was at BKK for SIL's mom's passing
gastric problem
ankle problem
New toy - this HP notebook

April
reconnected with some old friends
played Futsal!
New car - (Latio Sport WSL XXX)!

May
.. sad month for a close friend

June
MJ's passing


July
Sad month for another close friend
Did some good for the evironment..very small effort..but still an effort
Yasmin Ahmad's passing

August
Participated in some martial arts event @ Dataran Merdeka representing the tai chi assoc.

September
Generally a happy month:
Two very close friends became mothers
Had a blast in Redang to share the joy of another close friend's marriage (& lost camera)
Hiked Broga Hill
Got a new Ray Ban

October
Participated in a mixed doubles badminton competition!
"Challenged" RPM Challenge
Fun Diwali with old friends

November
New camera - Panasonic Lumix LX3!
Glad to be part of the success of the M.A.D.E charity sale
more gastric problem
more ankle problem
potential eye problem
Lost pouch n some valuables..



Oooh..what an interesting Life -.-

Lot's to say but..

There are (were) a few things I wanted to blog about..somehow didn't get around to do any.  Many reasons.  Internet was down for two nights. I was 'down'..too tired.  And donno what else.

If you've been following previous posts, you will know that my life was kind of thrown off track a liitle when I clumsily lost my pouch that was carrying my wallet and phone and the so called intelligent car key.

If..(again) you've been following this blog for some time..you will know that these things are quite common for ME.

And so..I had a pretty busy week running around (in between work) getting my life back on track...e.g. applying for new ID, drivers license, re-programming the car intelligent system and get a another spare remote, trying to get a new ATM card.  All but one of the above are settled.  Guess which ~ Malaysia's Largest Bank!  Yup..I'm still without an ATM card!

I've bits to say and share about each of the above :

..how impressed I was with the two government depts..I was truly delighted & satisfied. really.
..how did the M'sia's largest bank handle my problems with the lost credit and ATM card.
..how I almost dropped dead when I heard how much a new iuntelligent would cost...and what was my eventual solution.

At this point..I've spoken about most of the above many times..verbally to several individuals that I met personally over the last few days.  Don't think I want to repeat myself all over again....in writing.

I may write about ther Intelligent Key though..for the benefit of random visitors googling for the relevant topic.  but not tonite.  Tired as usual.

And then..I have this litttle problem about my eyes..that I ponder and worry about on and off.  I thought I saw 'flies' today.  Spoke to Jane ..and CN..same advice lor..pls go see the doc if there are lotsa 'flies'.  Discussed with Mag..she claimed she oso sees 'tiny flies' especially when she is tired :-D

sigh.. i'd be lying if i were to say that I'm not wrried at all...that I've not wondered why oh why..do I hv such 'colorful events' to deal with.  of course..of course..there are many out there who are 1000 times less fortunate.  so..no complains.  jus deal with it. 

Ever Garrison quoted : "Adversity enhances this tale we call life"  ~ How so very true =)

I had a great day..yes..could have been better..but..heck I won't ask for more.

Day time was work as usual..pretty productive..but as I said..could have been better.
Went for a short work out at the gym in the evening..before meeting up with Jenny n Chris for FOOD.

Argh...we..or rather I ate loads!

Claypot loh see fun, Siew Yuk Noodle, Stuffed Foo Chuk, Beef Noodle...

Was actually thinking about skippin gym tomorrow today ..but..after having all those sinful food....I think I better not skip.  After all I need to get back to the office to get some work iron out.  It's a public holiday by the way.  Don;t intend to work too long...a couple hours..I hope.

All in all...it was a good day for me.  So good that..I don't wanna g to sleep...you know..just like when kids were having so much fun..going to sleep means end of fun.

haha..but I'm really dead tired.  too old for staying up all night.


zzz...

time-out

Day time I was flat out. Physically & mentally drained out.

It's Night time now...feeling much much better now after a bottle of chix essence, after a good lunch, left office early, had tea, bought 'something', had dinner at home with dad and..found that ...home internet is still down..to make things worse..Phone line is down and out. That means no internet access for a longer time :'(

I'm at my brother's house now getting my fix.

Not really in a mood to blog...but I promise to sit next to lil Danial while he does his homework.  Poor boy..so much to do.  Pretending to 'work' while he works too.

Unfortunately..batt's running low..I better post this before it shuts down.

trdfser4de3wde2swq3e3w4tr ----THAT'S FROM DANIAL!

and here's him..looking so diligently @ work (in actual fact...he wasn't):

good nite..

Almost all done but one

Mykad done...luckily was not fined as much as I expected :-)
Drivers licence done ..queue was long but they worked through lunch! And ..I didn't have to pay anything ^.^

I'm very very impress with the efficiency the two departments.  They were very friendly too..except for this nicely dressed man at JPJ whose job was to hand out queue numbers and answer queries .

Unfortunately..I'm extremely disappointed by the Nissan Service Centre. Too tired to write now.  I have to be there early tomorrow morning.  I'd better go to bed now.  Will write about them SOON!

Anti-climax Mode

Ok.I admit I'm not in the best emotional state right now..in fact kind of depressed.  As if I'm not down enough, I was trying to clean up the SD card before retrieving a photo I wanted to post here and I accidentally CLEANED the entire SD Card.  Genius.

...what I'm going through now is probably some kind of anti-climax effect...or may be the the reality of the losses is finally kicking in? I don't know.  Oh..may be I'm just upset.. that I keep allowing these things to happen.  Grrr...

Can't help but feel that part of my life had been erased.  I only have five friends in my phone list :`( 
I'm without ATM access to my 'richest' bank account.  I'm without a driver's license and ID Card.  I'm short of cash.  Found $20 in the gym bag this morning.  Was so happy. 

Angpow money came in useful too ^.^

Well..talk about blessing in disguise, it ain't all bad actually.  Luckily I was only carrying the smaller weekend wallet with only the essential ID and main cards. And I didn't lose the still very new Radley purse along with other cards ...all kinds of cards...phew!  And luckily...as Elena said.."oh ThankGod your newer & bigger camera cannot fit into your pouch!"  Yeah man!

Ya..so..I still have the other bank cards with me..but no money in those. lol.  Transferred some money over..should be there by tomorrow.

As for phone numbers..guess I'll have to wait for my True Friends to slowly get in touch with me again.  It's like a cleansing process.  So..don't bother texting or calling me to let me have your number if you don't think it's important for me to have your number in my phone >.< 

I'm using the old phone now.  

I think I'm loving it all over again.  Old faithful...I'm sorry I dumped you.  I didn't like the new one that much anyway..so..I think I will keep Old Faithful for a little longer :-)

I'm trying to avoid thinking about the cash loss. 

Okiee..think I've said pretty much all I want to.  Quite tired and having a bit of a headache.  Hope to take at least half a day off tomorrow to get my life back in place:

..apply for new ID card
..driver's licence
..go to car svc centre to re-programme intelligent key..and get a replacement as spare

Which shall I do first?

If there is extra time..may be I should go buy a new pouch...to make myself hapy again ^.^

Happy but Sad

Happy that the sale went well. Very well I would think.
Happy that everyone worked together so well.
Happy that everyone were such good sport.

Happy that the crowd turn out was overwhelming.

Happy that the books sold like hot cakes..!

Happy that even the cheap cheap section sold very well.
Happy to see that Msians have a good heart and good reading habits.

Happy with these beautiful n cool M.A.D.E bookmarks ..they should be in the homes of many by now.

Happy with my RM5 book

But..sad that I was such a silly arse.
Left my pouch hanging in the toilet cubicle.
Lost a couple of hundred bucks in cash, intelligent car key, ID cards, credit card, bank card, PHONE, phone numbers :``(


...
..
.....

3in1 trash post

Just realised that I've been blogging about rather serious topics these days.  Lemme try and lighten things up abit.  Trash post ahead!

How was your day?  Mine was quite eventful. 

Woke up feeling pretty happy...had breakie, got ready for work..late as usual...rushed to work..arrived and was surprised to see so many police personnels hanging around the area but went ahead zooming up to the 7th floor parking ..only to find thick smoke engulfing almost the whole floor!  The car in front of me who went ahead into the smokey zone..disappeared from my view.  I reversed and made a split second decision to go up to the 8th floor instead.  8th floor was better..I had no choice but to park cos heading down again...will have to go through the thick smoke.  I panic a little bit when I saw panicky cleaners 'running to safety'. ..they also disappered into the thick smoke.  Luckily..there was these two other guys who also just parked.  I waited to see what they will do.  One cooly stayed in the car to chat on the phone.  Another one cooly walked out...and said.."may be fire drill"  He disappeared into a door..which I beleive is a staircase. I stil didn't know what to do.  Moments later the same guy appeared again..to put his bag back into his car. He confirmed it's fire drill and we have to walk down to the ground floor. @#$! ai ya..fire drill..then shouldn't allow us to drive up ma.  Walked all the way down....my ankle was quite painful after the walk.

We were only allowed to go back to the office at 10.30.  Time cost!

Rushed off some work for about 2 hours then off to a yet another unhealthy curry fish head lunch with WK and Geetz.

Oh..I went for my second RPM Challenge class just now...yay! Much better then first one ler.  Much much better.  I'm so proud of myself.  Endorphin dosage to the max!  If my ankle is 100% well..i think it will be even better.

Lastly..I ate this in the evening before going to RPMC.

http://www.kfc.com.my/menu-jomjimat.html

Quite nice la.  Perfect snack when you don;t need like having all chicken..nor burger.  This is something different,.  Quite filling too.. Give it a try.

Ok..both my own batt and notebook batt's running low. Gotta go.

Nitez.

About Helping Giving Out

When I was talking to ML about the upcoming charity books sale, she made a remark ~ "WSL is not the type to be active is such work, WSL seems more like the type who will just donate cash and done"

I have to admit she was quite right there.  I really don't and never do much apart from making monthly contribution  via credit cards to selective organisations. 

I got involved with M.A.D.E by accident actually.  Was snooping around FB as usual and stumbled upon this group that Elena just set up...asked about it...found out about the plan..decided to donate some stuff...and suddenly found myself in the team!   lol~

Todate I still have not attended any of the meetings :P.  All I've done were merely collecting books and sending word out via FB, this blog and emails.  I've improved by leaps ok.. At least I check Gmail more often for updates from the team :-P   Oh..I distributed flyers too..insert into mail boxes and on cars to be exact.  Was at as far as Bukit Rimau to collect tons of books from PPL .  Of course..the incentive for going all the way was..a good meal of bak kut teh :P and catching up with a good friend.

My dad had been complaining that my boxes are attracting termites :D

Meeting with Geetz and WK tomorrow for lunch to collect books and pass them some flyers.  We are taking this opportunity to go eat the infamous fish head curry too.  haha..yes..we take every opportunity to eat...good stuff.  Btw..WK and Geetz do not know each other..but they have something in common ..a good heart :-)  MK also came last week to drop some good books.  We ate fish head curry too.  Before this..there were YHL, LSL, Chris....I think...on all collection ocassion..there were some element of food that came together with the main purpose.  All work no play (food) make me a dull person ma. 

Anyway...not that I'm doing a lot...the others in the team had done lots more. Sourcing for venues, endless meetings, endless efforts , taking leave to get things done, volunteering to be sandwich man,  etc etc etc.

Look..they got it into RED.FM's bulleting board!  Great work eh?

JH ..another friend also volunteered to help on the day of the sale. Actually she said that her underlying purpose is to check out the Kamasutra book .hahahha. Ahem..I didn't say anything.

And oh..how can I leave out super angel WK who insisted on buying brand new books worth a couple of hundreds for the sales.

Basically..it is refreshing...to be exposed to such heart warming gestures......kinda feels like..there is so much hope and love outhere in humankind.

Like tat lor. Lost my momentum a bit.  Not too sure what I'm arriving at.  Had some ideas earlier in the evening but I went out to the gym. Was caught with replying gmails and sms...then lend a listening ear (via gtalk) to a friend who was ahving a tough time at work...and here I am still here...lost in my own blog.

Too sleepy now to make any sense out of all these paragraphs.
Just wanted to record down this a little different experience for myself...since ...as ML rightly pointed out I don't usually do such things seriously ^.^

See you at the MADE Sales !

no mood. emo.

Started this last nite..but didn't get around to finish it. Try again now..

Emo wor.
Donno why.
May be because it's P time. 1st day somemore..and had to be on my favourite super Tuesday.
Firstly, Couldn't go for RPM...only went to BC class.  On top of that, ankle wasn't doing well at all :( Net net..didn't get to sweat much.  End result..lack of happy endorphines..thats why ..not happy lor.

Today, I also suddenly thought of CK..a friend who suddenly passed away some years ago.  He was such a bubbly guy.  The world needs more of such people.  Why leave so soon.
Can't help but wonder...never mind..donno what I'm talking about.

Ok..the above was written last night.

Still abit emo now. Really don't have anything to ramble.

Stumbled upon a quote today.."When life gives you lemons, please, just don't squirt them in other people's eyes"... by J. Andrew Helt

Quite right isn't it?

Pink Nike Eclipse @ RM179 now!

It's cheaper!
Retail price was at above RM200 when I first saw it few months back.

http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?11090909630706

Whilst I still find it so cute and cool, I can't visualise myself wearing it.  I'm not cute enough :-P 

I've spent too much lately..so I'm not gonna spend on something I don't really need.

I've combed almost all sports and / or Nike outlets in town...only the Nike store on the Mid Valley's 3rd floor has it.

Go get it..before I change my mind!

Slightly Worried

sigh. I have not even decided if I should go back to the clinic about the stomach discomfort..now there's something else to worry about --__--

My annual checkup at optimax revelaed that my optic nerves are slightly thicker than normal and it s now even thicker then the previous year.  Thickening optic nerves can eventually result in glaucoma

Secondly, checks also detected that my retinal is relatively thinner than normal.  Thinning retinal may eventually result in detachment or tear of the retinal.

The lattter is less worrying as I have not experience any symptons like seeing flashes, spots..the common symptoms of retianl tear or detachment but was advised that I should go to the clinic immediately if I experience any of the symptoms.

As for glaucoma...it is not confirmed yet..need to schedule for further test. 

sigh.

Buy Books > Donate / Gift > Tax Relief ?

I almost fell off my chair when WK told me what she wanted to do for the MADE book sale.  She told me that since she hasn't use up the book purchase RM1,000 limit for 2009 tax relief, she might as well buy some brand new books and donate to them to the MADE charity book sale.

I must have asked her "Are You Sure" for at least 10 times cos it's not a direct deduction..it's just a relief / reduction on the taxable income amount hence slightly lesser tax payable.

There are several ways / methods to capitalise on for this purpose:

Make direct contribution to approved NGOs that provides tax exemption receipts.

There is no amount limit so you can donate as much as you want to or can afford to. 

The above is a bad example.  Firstly, I filled the amount into the wrong box - lol!  Secondly..the amount is way too little.  I could have done more. But..sometiems I have doubts on how the funds collected are being used or..abused.  So..I tend to hold back a little until I am somewhat convinced.  GHY just shared with me another good way to contribute ..will share if I eventually get around to do it.

Of course, there are other items like :

• 
  
  The default RM8,000 personal tax relief  that everyone gets
  
  
  
• LIfe & Medical Insurance
• Parents medical bill

Read more about How to Reduce Tax - HERE


BUY MORE BOOKS. READ MORE BOOKS.  can also help reduce our taxable income.  Bear in mind that the amount spent will not be deducted Directly from the tax payable.  That's why I asked WK several if she is sure about buying the books for MADE purposes.

A quick calculation as follows:

• Assume total taxable income for Y2009 is RM100,000
• Assume full entitlement relief from EPF(RM8,000), Insurance(RM9,000)
• Total Taxable Income = RM83,000
• IF...we spend up to RM1,000 on Books
• Total Taxable Income is reduced to RM82,000
• First RM70,000 will be taxed RM7,275 based in the fixed rate from IRB of approx 10.4%
• The balance RM12,000 will be taxed 24% = RM2,880
• Total TAX PAYOUT = RM10,115

If the RM1,000 books purchase releif is not utilised, the total TAX PAYOUT will be RM10,395.
In other words, Tax savings is only around RM240.


So..it is not really savings if one purposely goes out to use up the limit unless the purchases are necessary for shildren education, gifts, etc.

In WK's case...she has a big huge heart :-)  THANK YOU on behalf of John Paul!

Great books!  You can get these at discounted prices at the MADE sales.

BE THERE:

21 November, 2009, at Centre Point, Bandar Utama. 

From 10am to 6pm

(Note time changed)

Oh..look ..I also did my small contribution :-) Was thinking....WTH la....what's hundred over bucks,.when I can spend same amount on a pair of jeans for example.  hehe.

It feels real good to be able to GIVE...

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank a few others who took the trouble to scan through their shelves to pull out books for the sale ~ Thank You Very Much PPL, Chris, YHL, MK, LSL :-)

As they see it

I couldn't decide whether I should blog about a kiddie blog or my new buy :-p Yes..I spent again. Will leave that for next entry..if I don't change my mind.

As We See It is a blog from four adorable kids, my friend's children.

It's been founded for about a week now and I find it increasingly therapeutic to read.  The blog is shared by the four siblings aged between 7 to 12.  Haha...ya..quite a wide range.  So..it can be quite challenging to the mind especially when you have to read four different entries (at one go) written by a seven, then a nine, then a ten, then a twelve year old.  Basically one has to adjust the mind set accordingly when reading different entries.

Click on it..you will know what I mean :-)

Quite a fun 'place' to visit after a long day in the adult world.  Brings us back to kiddie land where FUN is all there is ...ahhhh....bliss.

Okieee..oh..here's a sneak peek into what I bought today ;-P

XL - about being sincere when you give

This is directed to all our dear brand owners / marketeers / manufacturers ..basically all who work to build and promote brand presence via various advertising promotional activities...ok..I shall be specific ~ sponsored free apparels in particular.

I received a free WWF t-shirt when I signed up as a regular donor many years ago.  Unfortunately, the shirt came in a mega huge XL size.  I didn't even bother trying it on. I liked it too much to give away immediately..until recently I came to sense and gave it to my brother. 

In a recent badminton tournament where partner and I got 4th placing, we were given  Yonex t-shirt and towel as consolation gift. To my delight!  Once again...to my disappointment and half expected..the shirt is way too big for me :-(  The sponsor happened to be my friend's hubby.  I tried asking if he has a smaller size for female players like me.  Answer ~ "no la..sponsored gifts all standard size.."

Lastly, my recent buy, the Lumix LX3 came together with a few freebie.  One of it is a stylish Puma jacket..that I absolutely love.

Yes..you are right.  It's XL Again!

@#$%!

The shop says that all jackets came from Pana in one size..hence, no smaller size for me.  I wrote to Pana to ask politely if there is anyway I can change to a smaller size..at least a Medium size will do. 

Answer ~ "Your email is noted and subsequent to below our acknowledgment, we regret to inform that
the Puma jacket that we have are all in XL size. We apologize for the inconvenience caused".
 
*CRY*
 
I don't know what else to say but can you guys be more sincere when giving out gifts.  After all it's a way of thanking us for choosing the brand...why not go a step further by making sure we are able to use it proudly.
 

It was raining..

Really..I was plannning to go for tai chi. Missed the the whole of last week...I was quite determined to go...but it started raining just when I stepped out.  Ermm..if it was six months ago I would have gone ahead...class will go on at a shaded area..but it's rather small and stuffy. 

So..I stayed home..though I had nothing ....practically nothing to do.

So..I played with the babe....

while I indulge...

and ..irritated the cat.

...GO AWAY..she said!

LEAVE ME ALONE..

Actually..I have nothing to blog about today....just  creating excuses to post pictures from the babe :-)

Restoran Sun Ming @ Connaught, Cheras

They are famous for their roast duck but I think their char siew is the best in town!
Had this on Saturday with Chris but I think I still have the taste of the delicious char siew in my mouth now.


It's very easier to find..if I can find it..you can!  After Cheras toll..just keep left until you see BHP petrol station and many shops on your left. Turn left and immediately turn to shops on the right.  The shop is just a few doors away near a laundry shop.

Yummy..


I normally asked for some fats..it tastes so much nicer with fats....i can still feel the fats swimming in my system now :P
Boy..I ate so much in the last two days..dinner on the same day was also duck!  At another famous duckie place -- stewed teo chew duck at PJ state.


Sunday's dinner a while ago was Steamboat cum hot plate BBQ buffet.


There goes all my work at the gym :P

Why did I choose Lumix Lx3?

Just realised that I haven't really mention what made me finally decided to get the LX3 instead of say the FZ35 or Canon's G11 or Sx20 or Nikon's P90...since I was initially more interested in style.  Well..I initially thought it's so much more stylo to hold a bigger bulkier gadget.  I was actually eyeing the FZ35 since I didn't quite like the others. However..as days goes by..the practicality issue struck me harder and harder.  And of coure..I've said many times....my liking towards LX3 grew by day.

Wait..I just saw the Panasonic recently released a GF1. Whoa...looks similar to LX3 ler. How come nobody recommended to me ler?  tsk tsk tsk. 

Just found this simple yet informative review by wirefresh.  According to the article, GF1 is like a grown up of LX3.  How cool.  It's a DSLR by the way.  No wonder no one recommended to me..I was only targeting a semi-pro. lol.  So...if you are looking for a less bulky DSLR....there's an option now..Lumix GF1!

That leads me back to why I chose LX3.  Yeah..because of convenience.  I cannot imagine myself carrying such a bulky gadget with me all the time.  Especially when I'm a so called blogger that love to take candid shots of food, people, places...imagine..in the midst of eating with  friends or family..and I whisk out this this bulky gadget to take a pic of the...food for example.  I just don't see myself doing that.  In fact I used to glare at Trish whenever she takes out her DSLR and forced us to pose for her!

Jenny who owns a G10 also confirmed that she only utilise her gadget when she is out travelling...not at social ocassion. 

There you go..how I decided to go compact instead of style & size.

Besides..as I mentioend numerous times here:

LX3 is cool.

LX3 is smart looking.

LX3 is good to be seen with.

Hmm....I should get Panasonic to pay me for all these free publicity.

Looks aside...the LX3 does have quite good specifications.  As you would have already noticed..I'm more a sucker for looks and style..less techy.  So..i won't try too hard to be techy here.

But over the few weeks, when I did little short read up, rersearches and window shopping on the few short listed models...comments and reviews about the offerings of  LX3 did leave me with more confidence.  Was told over and over again that it's aperture range of F2.0 to 2.8 is extraordinary and can't be found in most cameras.  This translates to better picture quality..especiall when shooting in darker surroundings.  Great isn't it.

Ok..I made my points ..I think. I won't bore you anymore with stories about LX3.  But..you will definitely see more pics ...hahah..until I get bored showing off. 

Leaving you here with a  little expriement I did today with the panaromic maker software.  Nice?

Finally Decided - Panasonic's Lumix LX3 it is!

La di da...it's finally here..with me..in my arms :-)

Deep inside I wanted it. It's just that I couldn't decide if I should have a 'gaya' (i.e. stylish) looking model like the FZ35 or a compact LX3 and the fact that EVERYONE's recommending Canon made it even more difficult for me to make a decision.

See for youselves.  Canon S90 on the right and Lumix LX3 on the left.  Do you see the vast difference?  My friend Jenny who has more experience with cameras preferred Canon after trying both.  The salesperson at the Canon booth was very convincing BUT I just couldn't get myself to own 'that thing'.  I'm not going to say more...don't want Canon to come after me ..hehe.  It's just personal..I don't like it.
 
So I was depressed.  that no one ..and nothing was convincing enough to push me to make the final decision.
 
Almost went home empty handed man..then..I told the gals to accompany me to Key Color ..a camera shop at the second floor in MV.
 
I was so happy ...I tell..you...when the guy confidently explained to us the key differences between the two models.  Don't care if he is bias or not (he's wearing a Lumix sponsored t-shirt)..though he claimed he is not from Lumix...don't care..but his explanation were clear and pretty fair for both models.
 
I just needed to hear something good for LX3 and it's MINE!
 
Some test pics I took over dinner at Spaghetti Grill.  We have re-named it to 'Chang Kam Tit"..apparently a spin-off from Chilli's..Chris who is a regular to Chilli's thinks that everything here is a 'little less nice' compared to Chilli's ..haha.
 
 

My verdict??

Salad's not bad ...

Pasta..not bad too..but Pizza..not very good..that's why no picture...even picture didn't look tasty :-D

So how..the pic quality ok or not?

Lot's more functions to learn.  I wonder if I will ever go through the manually thoroughly.

 
 
Guess what...so excited with my new toy..I forgot to take the meds -.- Only remembered to take a while ago...at 1am! 

I shouldn't have

I was craving so badly.  I was sleepy.  I needed to concentrate on work.  So I made myself half a cuppa.  I told KT that I almost immediately felt the burning sensation in the stomach.  She said I I was just thinking too much about it.  May be I was.

As I was driving home..it struck me that I really shouldn't have.  The doc said that I should go back immediately if I don't feel better after the week's medication..in fact if it works..I should feel better after 2-3 days.  So..if I continue to take coffee (with the medication) ..I will make the prognosis more difficult. Right?

Right.

No coffee..oh man!

Ok..I found the Adidas bottle..weee!
But now I hv to deal with another problem.  Went to see the doctor today for the stomach discomfort, was given a week medication and told to stay off alcohol and coffee...basically anything acidic.  Good news is gall bladder and liver looks normal from the ultra sound images but if the discomfort doesn't go away after a week..further investigation is needed ..yiiik.

But my problem now is more on ... not being able to drink coffee!  :-o :-( :`(

What is life without coffee ler.  More over now..I have a new addiction ~ this Aik Cheong all-in-one Cappucino..is really really nice!

Sigh...I don't think I can totally stay off lor.  Little sips can?

I'm so SAD MAD

It's confirmed. that my two hands and one brain cannot handle more than three items.  I will definitely drop or leave behind the fourth item.  I've mentioned before how I drop parking tickets, keys, etc...well it happened again on Sunday..I was carrying the wallet, parking ticket, a coin and a water bottle.  Very careful and consciously holding on to all items...went to the car, dropped bags in the boot, enter the car..and ping..parking ticket is missing.  Found it on the floor near the boot.  Sounds familiar right..ya..happened before.

Why am i so mad now?

It's because I left my favourite Adidas bottle at the gym!  Grr...
Last time brand new GNC bottle..now favourite Adidas bottle.  I'm more mad than sad!

I was so careful to make sure I don't leave behind anything.  I was so sure I've put it inside the bag.  Looks like I didn't (unless the bag has a hole..and it dropped out..!)  And upon leaving the locker room..I had to hold on to the towel to return to the counter, the towel card, a piece of trash to be thrown away and the water bottle ..obviously..I left the bottle behind!

SIGH.

I'm an idiot.

Streamyx vs. P1

Streamyx and P1 WIMAX are recently 'at war' coming up with very creative and interesting adverts
 and I must admit..very entertaining too.  I see it as healthy competition. Only competitiveness will bring imrpovement.

Here's the latest TVC from P1..it's quite hilarious.  I was quite impress with all aspects of it..from creativity to the talents involved. 

However..Malaysian women 'leaders' ..didn't seen to think so. unfortunately.  Sunday's Star reported:

Wanita MCA chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said she would write to the company and demand that the advertisement be pulled out.


“The company should apologise because the advertisement is insulting and it discriminates against women,” she said...MORE


HUH? 

Sigh..insulting meh?  Even if we think senget (i.e. slant) abit....what's wrong with statements like...'fast and smooth'.  Discriminating against women??? I don't understand where did that came from lor.

*SHAKE HEAD*


How are we gonna progress you tell me??



Anyways..I still hope to see more fun ads like these coming our way:

PIC TAKEN FROM : http://www.p1.com.my/

We can even play the P1 Potong Now game in Facebook! LOL!

Then..I saw this print ad from Streamyx!!

PIC TAKEN FROM : http://www.streamyx.com.my/

Outright funny right!  :D  Some unfortunate P1 users will understand how this poor man feels.

Apparently..the talent here looks like the P1 CEO...hahhaaha.

Great job guys...keep it up.

Updates ~ phone & camera

Finally..I got my new phone! Those who know me personally will know that I've been having problems with the Motorola L6 and..how I have the luxury of getting new phones as easy as a phone call away..f.o.c.

Ha ha.  Yes. I could be so lucky. lucky. lucky!

So...ta daa..that's my new phone.  A Motorola ZN200.
Intro by ProductWiki as follows:

The Motorola ZN200 is an advanced slider phone offered my Motorola. There is a built in 2.0 megapixel camera with 8x optical zoom which can easily be operated thanks to a dedicated camera key to launch an imaging mode that only illuminates buttons you need for shooting, and it can also capture video at 15-20 fps. Video and images can be enjoyed on the 1.9" TFT color screen and with up to 2 GB of external memory and 30 MB of internal memory, there is plenty of space to store your media. You can easily share video and images with Bluetooth wireless2 technology and MMS. There is also a MP3 player and FM radio allowing you to listen to music anywhere with included wired headset, or go wireless with a Stereo Bluetooth wireless headset. Easily transfer songs to your phone from a PC with USB drag and drop support, which can also be used to upload ringtones, wallpapers or games. CrystalTalk technology gives best-in-class audio for phone calls, even in noisy environements.

Loving it so far.  Pic quality is not too bad too.

As for the camera.  I've more or less decided to get a bigger (gaya!) camera rather than a compact camera reason being I can always use the mobile phone as a handy camera when I need to capture candid shots.  But I still like the Lumix LX3 a lot.  Second preference is Lumix FZ35.  The two are very similar in terms of specifications. 

Both are semi-pro.  Some salesgal at an exhibition told me recently that the LX3 is better in terms of aperture...but i jsut did a quick comparison at the Lumix microsite just now - the results doesn't seem to say so though..unless I understood it wrongly.  Will have to visit more stores to find out more.  After all I have not made a final decision.  I really like the LX3 ....! Oh man..

Was also looking at Nikon...I was browsing briefly at a store in Amcorp and one or two caught my eye..I think it was the Coolpix P90 but then when I saw it again side by side with Lumix..it didn't look as nice :P

Canon?  Ya..10 out of 10 person that I spoke to recommended Canon. *roll eyes*  I really do not like the Powershot G10 / 11 (latest)..too square.  The only one that I 'like' so far is the Powershot SX20 but...compared to the Lumix range..

Don't you think so??