What's with all these good, heroic friends out there silently helping and doing things for me without asking for anything in return?? Appreciates it but feeling real guilty from all the loves everyone showered me.

The time has come again.

It's the time when your phone can't match up to primary school kids.
It's the time when you see the kopitiam uncles become cooler than you.
It's the time when your friends exclaim, "Wah this phone still exist ah!"
It's the time when museum curators approach you to donate the phone to their museums.

Wow, mobile blogging!!!!11

... Right. That's my current phone. Ok, maybe I have over-dramatized but the point is my phone is really old. My dad changed it for me when I was still serving NS. Back then the telcos are weeding out stupid 2G SIM card users (like me) who still haven't upgrade their SIM cards. They threw in a promotion to upgrade it for free and bundled it with a lousy free phone on a 2-year plan. I was actually reluctant for the upgrade because I was a year away from ORD so upgrading means I will be tied to the plan a year into civilian life... which did happen. You might say "Hey, there are always early upgrade offers!" While that's true, I am not a mobile freak and definitely not a fan of paperwork. I guess you must be surprised that a technophile like me doesn't use much of a phone but that's because I am surrounded by computers most of the time and most of the mobile tasks were replaced by my iTouch.

In any case, my current mobile plan will be ending in a couple of months time. However, today finding a new phone can be a major headache because of the myriad of models out there. In view of that, I am putting on my thinking cap (whoa finally!) in my quest for a new phone. The idea is simple: To get a phone that complements my lifestyle based on my current tech gear.

I have been a simple phone user in the sense that I don't call or sms much. I am also not concerned about camera qualities since I have an LX3 (definitely can't beat that muhahaha) and I don't forsee myself treating it like an MP3 player since I have an iTouch. The one thing that I need is good mobile internet access and a decent web browser. Currently I can only tap onto WiFi with iTouch and it doesn't load flash! I will also want a nice sleek looking phone that doesn't look too complicated. Lastly, being an interactive designer means I need to be constantly updated with the newest interactive innovations so there should be a constant flow of new apps for me to use.

Some technical requirements:
HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) for internet access
WLAN (Wireless LAN) for internet access
Expandable Memory (SD/microSD Card) for extra data backup
WVGA Display (Wide Video Graphic Array) for web surfing and using apps

My preference is leaning towards touch-screen phones. They have bigger screens, sleek & clean exteriors and more user-friendly at web surfing as well as gives more room for interactive creativity when it comes to apps. However I am also aware that it's harder to type on a touch-screen phone in the absence of a physical keyboard but most sources (friends & articles) say it's a matter of getting used to. As an owner of an iTouch, I haven't had much issues with an onscreen keyboard. Another criticism is the phone is will be practically worthless should the screen spoils; with any other phones (clamshell, candybar, etc) you will still be able to make/accept phonecalls. Well I don't make much calls and all the phones I used before are still working now so the probability is pretty low.

My source is from asia.cnet.com because I find the contents reliable with comprehensive reviews from the editors and numerous input from users. Without further ado, let me present my findings:

	HTC Touch Pro2 CNet Rating: 7.7 Users Rating: 8.7 Likes: Qwerty keyboard, lots of cool features & 3.6" display Dislikes: Thick, big, fat, heavy!
	Nokia N97 CNet Rating: 6.7 Users Rating: 7.8 Likes: 32GB onboard memory & a qwerty keyboard. Great preinstalled programs that I will use. Dislikes: Unstable, dated S60 software; unexciting design
	Samsung Omnia II CNet Rating: 7.7 Users Rating: 7.7 Likes: Task switcher to optimize performance. Massive 3.7" display. Dislikes: Interface and supporting programs issues; no stylus slot when the phone needs it. Prone to smudges.
	Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 CNet Rating: 8.4 Users Rating: 7.8 Likes: Qwerty keyboard, nice design Dislikes: Complicated, slow interface, poor battery life

Anyways my phone contract will end in roughly 3 months' time so I am also going to include upcoming models in the list below:

	Nokia N97 Mini No info at the moment.
	Nokia N900 Designed to surf web and good processing speed.
	Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Looks promising, hopefully, it's much better than X1.

All in all, I have only managed to shortlist 7 models which I deem promising to buy. Each phone has its own pros and cons and it seems like everyone has mixed opinions on every phone. However, I have noticed the same issues like battery life, interface and lagness across all phones. I guess I will be deciding which phone to buy based on its flaws! I still have about 2 months left in my contract and should be finalizing on a phone based on the list above. Well but then again, should you have any good phones to recommend, do let me know!

New skin for the blog! It's been over a year since my last design and I think it's about time it gets a facelift! The colour scheme is still the same and the general idea is to clean up the layout. One major difference will be the conversion from the 3-column system to 2-column system. This gives me more text area to play with as well as reduce the clutter. I have also tried to replace some text with graphics and reduced the use of dividers so it looks cleaner. Tried and tested to be compatible with Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 3 and Google Chrome 1.0. Minimum resolution 1024x768. Enjoy~

Note: Users viewing with older browsers might encounter issues with viewing some graphics.

Apologise for the lack of updates for it seems that I haven't have much inspirations to blog recently. But anyways, wishing all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Below is simple ecard I made for my previous company a few months back. As usual in the Pixelshocks fashion, it's a game! Enjoy =)

I have seen many self-proclaimed perfectionists who recounts how they persevere to achieve what they want. It seems like they are really proud of their feats and it always look desirable to be a perfectionist. After all, it seems like all the successful people are perfect and the mass media portrays perfection as the way. It's only until recently I found out that perfectionism can be a disorder:

Normal perfectionists "derive a very real sense of pleasure from the labours of a painstaking effort" while neurotic perfectionists are "unable to feel satisfaction because in their own eyes they never seem to do things [well] enough to warrant that feeling". Burns (also in Parker & Adkins) defines perfectionists as "people who strain compulsively and unremittingly toward impossible goals and who measure their own worth entirely in terms of productivity and accomplishment"

-- Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectionism_(psychology)

After reading it, I realize it speaks my mind and I think what it says looks really bad!

Perfectionists often exhibit some or all of the following personality traits: emotional guardedness; a need for control; fear of making mistakes or errors; thrift; need to be above criticism; tendency to be stubborn or confrontational; and so on. Most of these traits are used as criteria to diagnose Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD).

Have you ever had times when everyone praises you for doing something really fantastic but you feel that it's just not good enough? I never realize it an issue until my friends tell me that it is really wrong. All along, it is something so innate to me that it seems mundane and natural to be. Perhaps it started out as a desire to achieve but eventually it turned out to be a constant struggle to achieve more and every achievement I made must be surpassed by the next. It was a self-stoking fire, feeding itself with a growing appetite. I still believe in achievements though, for they are the testaments of my capabilities. However I have been obsessively skirting impossibilities for as long as I remember and have lost count of how many 'impossibles' I have encountered. Coupled with the tendency to emulate the successes of all the great people out there, I guess I made myself a recipe for disaster.

Anyways, I have not gone mad in any sense but this is just something I feel that I need to share. Sometimes, working hard just doesn't pay and achieving the best isn't everything. It'll probably take me a long time to grasp this idea but I think I need to come to terms with myself and change.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Jun, Mund and Kev. It's the first time I found a place with everyone of my skin colour and some tourists actually mistaken me for a Taiwanese at the subway station! I have to admit Taipei is a really nice city, the sprawling night markets, the vibrant city life and most importantly, the really nice people.

- There were times when we couldn't find some places and passer-bys actually came forward to help us. We didn't even ask!
- Shopkeepers are extremely courteous and helpful; they greet you and assists you as far as possible. I almost believed they will die for us if we asked them to!
- Taxi drivers are very conversant and they are quite curious about life in Singapore. One thing I learnt from all the taxi-ing is they will ask what is the population of Singapore!
- Train commuters are orderly and reserved seats are really reserved! Everyone keeps right on escalators and they will wait for all the people to alight before boarding trains.

After I returned to Singapore, we were greeted with shabby treatment at the DFS. Kinda realized how lousy Singapore's service is despite all the international standards that the government tout. Aw, how I miss Taiwan!

Some photos to share:

Taipei 101 from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Ximending. Where our hotel is and where everywhere is an attraction.

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. This is just one of the 4 buildings to shop.(If I'm not wrong) Be warned, it's expensive!

Raohe Night Market. Lots of things to eat but not as big as the next one...

Shilin Night Market. Think Pasar Malam on steroids. Can't freakin' cover the whole place.

Really big big chicken cutlet. It's a really famous stall, because...

Really big big queue!

Shittiest food I ever ate.

This is Formosa Chang which is something like Macdonalds of the east. And we think this is cool and hip.

Mr-J French Restaurant (Jay Chou's restaurant) Food is surprisinly cheap here. This is less than S$10 and I can't finish.

NT$1,500 is about S$68. Why the government so nice??

One negative thing about Taiwan is their English.

There are more pictures but I guess if I go on and on, this entry will never end, so that's all folks, Taipei is fun!

Google has just released the beta of their wonder web browser which has an icon that looks like a pokeball. Then again, it will be great if it can catch all the bugs and web vulnerabilities out there. Check out its features at http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/.

It's a rite of passage every man will encounter. It's the day every soldier in the army look forward to. It's the day which you couldn't even start to imagine on your first day of enlistment. And that's none other than ORD! In case you are among the millions (gasp!) out there who bombards me by asking when I am going ORD, it's this coming August 5th. Yes, go ahead and laugh, that is like 6.7 million seconds away from the sacred day. As a dutiful soldier, I have drawn myself an ORD chart in camp and begun the arduous task to prepare the handing over forms. I have cleared my IPPT (Silver!) and annual live firing and going to clear my final month of duty next month. But then, where's my understudy? Probably next month? Or July? My superiors have been particularly worried about my understudy because the chances of finding another designer in camp isn't very high. Oh well, I am going leave that to the camp to settle while I wait for my pink IC!

However, these aren't the stuffs that have been tugging my mind lately. It's the ultimately question, "what's next?". Some of my friends will be going to further their studies while the rest will be joining the workforce. This is one of those 'junctions' in life and the kind of scenario that presents no definite answer. What will be in store for me? Will I live to regret? As the sacred day draws nearer, such questions rackles more in my head. Fundamentally, the question is simple, "Study or Work?".

Every mother's son in Singapore knows that paper is king in the society and therefore you must study until there's no school to study to become the king. It seems cruel but true that a fresh diploma holder will earn less than a fresh degree holder no matter how skillful he is. Moreover, what harms will it bring if you are learning more? Going to a university will also be a chance to take a break and to update and brush up my skills after my 2-year hiatus in NS. I need the knowledge in actionscript 3, AJAX, RIA and the current design trends. I have tried snooping around and found only 1 course that looks likeable. It offers both design and programming though the course drifts more to the programming areas.

The four-year Bachelor of Computing in Communications and Media aims to train students in the technological underpinnings of interactive and digital media technologies as well as the skills of media design and content creation tempered with an understanding of the artistic and human aspects. Therefore, the programme has been designed to facilitate the integration of all these aspects. Moreover, students who are passionate about games and wish to gain addition knowledge and practical experience in games development will be able to pursue a Specialisation in Games under this programme.

The downside is this potentially translate to another 4 years in school and will I be able to devote another few years away from the industry? Then again, the strange (perhaps fair?) thing about the design industry is you can forget about the paper chase because the portfolio is the ultimate tool for assessment by the industry. Furthermore, there is a risk of realizing this is not what you want when you are already in the middle of the course. Some months back when I met Mr Eric at our school's graduation show, he advised me to join the workforce first and see what I want before choosing to return to study. Joining the industry will allow me to gauge where I stand, and where I need to improve. I also need the work experience and of course, given the chance, to be part of some amazing projects. So, is it really necessary to go university now? I can't answer, perhaps time will tell.

They say you are young, you have lots of room for mistakes and trying. But who like to make a mistake? Life presents an ever-present struggle at decision making. ORD is supposed to be a merry occasion to look forward to but think again, maybe not. Oh well, I still have 6.7 million seconds to think about it.