MP3 Player - The In Thing. For Now.

I remember those days when Walkman was in, I was in elementary school. I had one. Used to listen to Backstreet Boys songs on it... Got a problem with that???

Then Discman came around some years later, when I was in high school. I had one too. Used it a lot less though cuz it was bulky and CDs are soooooo fragile to carry around.

When I was in college, MP3 player was the in-thing. By this time, too busy to get one but not too busy thinking about getting one.

I - FINALLY - bought an MP3 player two days back, after centuries of thinking of getting one. Using a portion of my this year's angpow collection. Haha, this time I am behind time. People are getting MP3/Video player and I am just with my first MP3 player.

The problem with the intense competition and advancement in technology these days is that we consumers are really spoiled for choice. For the past years, it's always been like "I want to buy but I don't know which model to get" dilemma.

Sony came to our campus this week. Which was a good thing cuz since I had no time to travel all the way down town purposely to hunt and buy an MP3 player, for them to come to me that's a brilliant marketing strategy. University students are always too busy to make time and too tired when we have time. Especially the ones with no life stuck everyday in the lab like us.

Presenting my new baby, Sony NW-E010 Series,

... The light blue one (extreme left). Without the sequins. Damn, I want one with sequins but they didn't sell it here.

If you set it to shuffle mode, you can choose the shuffling to be totally random, or your 100 favourites, or by the years.

When playing a song, you can click to see the song title and the title.

There are even sound equalizer presets to choose from, as you like - Live, Studio, Club, Arena, or if you don't like all these extra fancy stuff just switch it off.

One thing that sucks about it is that they can't read Chinese/Korean characters. So I had to romanize all my non-English songs one by one. Good thing I read Chinese pretty OK so I was done without much hassle. But still, it was a tedious process because half the songs I want in the player had non-English titles. Who likes to right-click and rename files after files lah?

Hmmm. My next technology-item purchase target would probably be handphone. Mine is seriously injured here and there with it slipping out of my butter fingers every now and then, although it surprisingly still functions fine. It just feels like it's time for a change. You get what I mean? No? Doesn't matter.

Now here's another dilemma caused by the intense competition and advancement in technology... should I stick to Nokia? Or switch to Sony Ericsson or Samsung? And what phone series to get? Choices. When you want them, they're not an option. When you don't want them, they're all over the place. Any advice?

4000 words in 4 days

So.
Just last week I had an assignment called literature review to pass up.

Topic?
Anything. But preferably (they all say) something related to your field of work. And for the record, I hate free topic.

How long?
3000 to 5000 words. So to be on a safe side, around 4000 words should be just right.

What happened?
Did quite a chunk before heading off to a super-last-minute CNY holiday in Genting. Came back and found my journal articles which I thought I saved in a folder missing. Not only that, my LitRev word document was also unsaved. Sheesh man. Had to re-find my articles. And retype my assignment. ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

What I think happened?
Could have been the virus that was in the computer, brought in courtesy of my neighbour's pendrive which was infected in her college computer. Looks like the AntiVirus isn't so great after all.

What else could have happened?
Someone really hates me enough to break into my house during CNY to wipe out my files from the computer. Must be kinda smart to be able to browse through my files and figure out how I store my files. But of course, this is a little far-fetched :P

Anything else that could have happened?
I carelessly forgot to save my work. Which is unlikely given that I press Ctrl+S after every 2 sentences I type.

Consequences?
Stayed at home the whole bloody week just to rush through my literature review. Couldn't let my supervisor have a look at it either. No time. Typed 4000 words in 4 days, while researching journals at the same time. Which is a miracle to me. And this was nothing compared to Suzan's 4000 words in 2 days. Siao zhaboh :P

Conclusion?
Monash's Bachelor of Science graduates major in biotechnology (or medical bioscience), minor in typing skills. If we are ever not able to get a job in Science field, we could opt for clerk or typist or sexy-tary job positions.

I think the sole reason that I lost joy in online chatting is because I've gotten sick of typing. Assignment, type. Research, type. Report, type type type. Practically anything that brings stress necessitate typing. So once I'm done with an assignment, I never wanna de-stress via typing. EVER. How's life? Life has been going on without us. Somehow I prefer face-to-face interaction than online chatting these days.

If I EVER hear anyone complain about not being able to finish a 1500-word assignment in 2 weeks.......... I might just smack their head. God, help me resist that temptation.

新年快乐!!!

(Shit.. I just realized that I did press not the "Publish" button but the "Save as Draft" button after finishing this entry. CNY jitters and celebration overdose I guess. My bad..)

祝大家新年快乐，身体健康，
快快乐乐，心想事成!

For those who can't read Chinese, wishing all a Happy Chinese New Year, good health, happiness, and whatever that your hearts hope and dream of come true.

I try to translate the best I can. But I do not have a strong Chinese background.

I have two horrible zits on my chin to welcome the New Year with me. Since they're both side by side, it looked like the Rat decided to give me a bite on my chin that ended up being rat-bite-like red zits. Drat this Rat Year.

I'm so in a bad mood today.

Not because of the pimples lah. Something else bothering me. Don't wanna talk about it though, not the point of this post.

There are a few things I want (push myself) to do for the new year... I won't call them resolutions though. Because resolutions usually don't come to pass. Haha. It's the reverse psychology thing whatever.
1) I want to practice a healthier lifestyle - use the stairs more not the elevator, avoid junk food and drinks, etc.
2) I want to try Detox Diet. Seriously. After reading Kenny Sia's experience, I feel tempted to try it myself. Although it is highly unlikely he and others who've tried it are lying about their results, don't you feel that sometimes you just want to try it yourself to see if it really works? Reading and believing is different from experiencing and believing. Anybody nuts enough to try it out with me?
3) I want to go on another buddies-only backpacking trip. Enjoyed myself too much in Penang with Adillah and Suzan. Really want need another round of it. Haha. Bali? Terengganu? Langkawi? Heheh.
4) I hope to see God show me an open door for this problem I've been facing for over these few years. Hopefully things will get better.
5) I want to get good results in Honours. Aim for first class. Who doesn't want?
6) I hope to finally know which direction I wanna go after finishing Honours - postgrad studies OR work? If postgrad studies, where? Singapore OR Australia OR China OR Japan? But aiyo, language problem lah.
7) I want to lose weight :P

Korean Boybands

Yes, my latest distraction and craze - sigh - Korean boybands. Si lor. Supposed to be concentrating on my work right? Now how? Got distraction. I have a freaking 4000-word literature review due in two weeks!! Bleh, seriously I am in no mood to touch any asses assignments. Chinese New Year coming leh! Anyone started their literature review yet? Oh wait WAIT. Don't tell me. I might get depressed.

Anyway, I found that this place is a very good outlet to vent all my thoughts, anger, frustrations, annoyances, distractions, et cetera, where after I would feel a lot more calmed and less distracted. Haha. Somewhat.

So to warn you all, the remainder of this post will most likely be all about Korean boybands - or more specifically Super Junior (SuJu) and TVXQ (Dong Bang Shin Ki). So if you tak boleh tahan, jangan baca. Nah, sudah bagi warning dulu ya.

Initially, I liked SuJu's KyuHyun because of the duet video with Charice Pempengco. I was watching it for her, and incidentally I took a liking to him. After watching several shows though with SuJu in it like Star King, Full House, Explorers of the Human Body, Yashin Manman, their performances, and possibly others that I can't recall, I find myself liking the group as a whole. No doubt this is the hugest boyband there is - they are 13 members in all! Which is more than twice the size of the typical 3-5 members we see!! The most alarmingly hugest band around if I'm not mistaken. I haven't seen any group bigger than 7 members (S Club 7).

These 13 members are a complete chaos. Which is their charm. Seriously. You'd think one member missing won't do much of a difference. But you actually do notice the difference. The only time you won't notice much (but you still will) is during their performances, because of their constant movements and re-shuffling of positions. These people don't even need extras or backup dancers.

Of the 13, my most favourite members with regards to singing:
- KyuHyun. I love KyuHyun's voice because I think it has an incredibly beautiful, soft, sweet tone to it but it's strong at the same time. Boleh melt the hearts of girls. Some more he's good looking.
- RyeoWook, who on the other hand, sings really good in live performances, his voice and pronunciation is very clear. He's got probably the strongest vocals among all. And he's so innocently cute. He is a good actor as well. His performance in Attack of the Pin-Up Boys surprised me. He played the comedic and geeky sidekick to perfection.


KyuHyun
Of the 13, my most favourite personalities of the group, i.e. fun to watch on entertainment shows:
- ShinDong. He is chubby. And so hug-able. And such a good sport.
- HeeChul. This guy has one of the quickest wit I've ever seen. He can tikam lidah with the MC until the MC had no comeback for him. I didn't like him at first because he really has a mulut laser (he says anything that's on his mind whether you like it or not). But after a while, he grew on me. He is the most entertaining IMHO. And also the most cheeky.
- KangIn, because he has the charms, is a practical joker and seriously, a big flirt.


Ohhh.. isn't she he the prettiest one?
One major strength of SuJu has to be their dancing and choreography. They may not be the best group vocalist around, but hell, their performances are among the best. Their dance moves are not easy and so very energetic. Best dancers are:
- EunHyuk, the one everyone loves to bully. Who is also my favourite rapper, besides ShinDong and KiBum.
- HanKyung, the only Chinese member in the group. He also has the gentlest and sweetest personality. And his heart is really pure. Just watch him talk about his parents, it will just melt your hearts because you can see he truly loves his parents.
- DongHae, whom somehow I think slightly underrated. I would consider him quite an all-rounder in the group. One of the better singers and better dancers in the group. And he raps quite well.

I think because they have so many people in a group that they really have diversity and variety. In one album (or almost every song), they fuse R&B + Classical + Rock + Rap + Dance. Somehow and in some way they managed to pull it off.


KiBum
Most photogenic, i.e. looks best on cameras? KiBum, SiWon and HanKyung. Just so happen all three of them are also established actors. KiBum's acting is quite good, better than what I had expected. The fourth part of Ya Shin Man Man's episode with KiBum and EunHyuk in it is one of my favourites (click for video where KiBum was asked about his role in a relationship - whether he is the one leading or the shy one - to which he replied that he changes depending on the girl - after which he was ask to act out with EunHyuk acting as the girlfriend.

If you wanna see a bit of SiWon and HanKyung's acting, you can see it in this music video - Timeless by Jang Ri In ft Xiah Junsu. No lines, no dialogues, just purely action and expression. I think it's a mini-movie masterpiece (OK I'm exaggerating). Sayang the video to bits. Hmmm, KyuHyun is also quite camera-genic actually. But haven't seen him acting much besides the MiniDrama series they did before the April 19th accident.


Aiyer... Why ChangMin no wear socks one??
But when it comes to SuJu and TVXQ, I would say SuJu is the performing group and TVXQ is the vocal group. I admit the first time I heard TVXQ sang live (on youtube lah, not their concert.. By the time I started liking TVXQ they already had their concert in Malaysia), it was the song entitled "One" which brought tears to my eyes literally because I have never heard anything as beautiful as that. And I've never heard better voices and better harmony than they. And they freaking blend in with each other so excellently.. perfect, if I must say. Their A Capella? Really, really impressive. I am not exaggerating.

Yes I know I'm slow. The whole world already heard their songs and became fans since hundred years ago, and this girl in Sri Petaling baru only dengar :P And when the world has progressed to listening their Japanese songs while I'm still looking through their Korean songs from last century. Haha.

And aiyoh, JaeJoong and KyuHyun's complexions are way better than mine man.. Envy-nya. I so paiseh.. let me go bury my face in the mud.


The first time I saw JaeJoong's face on TV, I thought he was so pretty (or even prettier than girl), but after a while of looking I find him more of a good looking guy than pretty boy.
When one watched the episodes of EHB with TVXQ vs SuJu, one can't help but notice that one side is a bunch of the cool men [TVXQ] and the other has a bunch of goofy guys and pranksters [SuJu]. And SuJu Brotherhood is apparent between both teams but they show it in ways which are starkingly contrasting. On one side, TVXQ are incredibly supportive of others, while the SuJu members are completely pulling each other's legs and cucuk-ing each other every minute.

Haven't watch much shows with TVXQ in it because I don't know what shows they've been on. I heard (from Phaik Ee) that they're really funny. Great sense of humour plus good looks plus great voices.. what more can you ask for? Will watch more TVXQ random videos later on after my assignment is gone.

Oh drat. Assignment.