Jf Kinetics

Tech Blog: Apple – will you take a bite?

I was watching Steve Jobs' keynote video clip on iPhone’s launching during MacWorld 2007 and what I first noticed was the apple’s logo in shadow effect behind him. Then I surmised, “I think the reason they called their company Apple ('just my opinion btw, I dunno the real reason behind, hehe) was because they aim to build a product that consumers will, for sure, not be able to resist, that some might even break their piggy savings just to get a taste of their product.” Just like Eve in the Garden of Eden.. sooo tempted to get.. just one… succulent bite.. oohhh ;-)

Anyway, back to my gadgetry-opinionated-self, apple have finally ventured into mobile telecommunication bandwagon – iPhone’s debut, that is. Speculations about how the iPod+Mobilephone device will look like are finally over. The CEO himself have flashed and demonstrated his so-called revolutionary phone. He said it would change the way people uses a mobile phone. Just like how iPod have impinged our lives with mp3 music? :)

Well, as I used to express, different people have different preferences. But talking about gizmos, more often than not, what’s hip and what’s hot will surely influence what majority wants to have. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard of this iPhone. I even commented in one of review-site that it’ll just gonna be more of a trendy and for a showoff device than having it for productive use. But after seeing more of it (in video demos), I was also astonished. The multi-touch is awesome! The cool design and intuitive interface will surely compensate for its lack of 3G capabilities, simply irresistible. So the question is, are you after “having more features with better-than-average design?” or are you after “average features with super duper cool aesthetics?” (I think I'm the former)

It’s really difficult to sacrifice something for another. But for me, the bottom line is, as long as it meets my needs without bringing much trouble then I think I could live with it =)

Check out this video demo of Apple’s flagship mobile device and tell me.. will you take a bite?

ciao! c",)

[+/-]

Life Blog: Decisions

This we make each day. In all facets of life we will always make choices. There are simple ones, but a lot of times it’s complicated. You may find it easy to make decision sometimes, but the intricacy lies in putting it to work.

As you get up in the morning you are already tested to make simple decisions, such as what to have for breakfast or what to wear for the day (unless you’ve already planned these ahead, in which you still dealt with decision-making task). Even if you’ve listed all grocery items to get (well, most of us list ‘em just to help manage the budget apart from making sure we don’t forget buyin replacement for that heavily squeezed toothpaste, hehe), more often than not, we’re still caught in a tight spot on what to throw in our cart. Or perhaps you’re wedged in a dilemma on which gift to buy for your special friend’s birthday. These are just plain and simple day-to-day decisions we do. But what if it’s a life changing decision? Ahh.. spare me some time to think things over please! :)

It’s tough, it’s disconcerting, it’s bloodcurdling, it’s tiring (esp. if you’ve spent several sleepless nights thinking haphazardly about the best choice to make), and it’s as if you want to pull someone and hurl it over to that person so you can break free your mind from it. Decisions like opting to work abroad away from your family and friends, or resigning from work, or settling down, or filing a divorce can be very stressful. These are examples of life-changing decisions. And these requires careful thought, your family & friends’ advices, and Divine intervention. A sound decision entails facts as well, that’s why listing the problem and all your options down really help a lot. In court, the Judge, Attorneys and the Jurors conduct several sessions until the person being tried is proven guilty (or not), then the verdict is carried out.

What makes it difficult, I suppose, is that most of us are afraid of what will be the consequences if in case the end-result is the opposite of what we’re expecting. We normally call this “bad decisions”. We are prone to making bad decisions if we decide too quickly -- doing it without carefully spending some time assessing the situation (or probably when we’re under emotional stress). Some blame themselves for making an awful choice while others just tries to live on with the choice they made and noting that they don’t plummet on the same trap if they stumble upon similar circumstances. On the other hand, it’s easy to say if you’ve made the right decision because you’ll definitely find yourself giggling with satisfaction and utterly proud about the outcome. Putting our decisions to work requires faith, which we seriously doubt oftentimes as we are filled with “what ifs”. I believe our decision-making principle somewhat defines our maturity. Yes we make wrong choices but we can learn from them. And if the choice we’ve made turns out to be okay, we gain extra self-confidence. =)

Why am I writing about this? Because my job contract will end soon, and I have been asking myself how should I decide. Yes this is one of the life-changing decisions for me because I need to consider my family and depend my future plans on it. Although I know my priorities and I have identified the problem (the stress factors at work which almost led me to resign a few weeks back), my options aren’t clear still. Also, I’m still contemplating on what I might be leaving behind and what lies ahead. It’s challenging and at the same time nerve-racking.

Truly, it’s easy to give counsel to a friend asking help in coming out with good decision, but when you’re the one in the situation of making a life-changing choice, I would definitely say it’s tough and troublesome! Do you agree?

c”,)

[+/-]

Life Blog: Thai A Yellow Ribbon

Yellow (or golden yellow) is the common color you’ll find in Bangkok, Thailand. My friends and I recently visited the city for a common reason: enjoy the privilege of travelin' while working abroad and to escape from the rather demanding job, hehe.

As we arrived at the airport, this guy carrying a placard bearing our names greeted us. He took us to our hotel. It was just a 3-star hotel I suppose. I believe when traveling for short period and looking for cheap hotels, there is no time to be nitpicking, as long as the air conditioning works (unfortunately, the aircon in our room is not powerful enough to sustain our body heat). Nonetheless, the place is neat and the location is perfect. It was already late in the evening when we checked in, then immediately we went out to welcome the atmosphere. The hot temperature is nothing new to us. However, we were surprised to see how busy the streets were when it was already past 12mn (considering they were under martial law, haha). Every corner was filled with tourists.

Bangkok is the cultural and economic centre of Thailand. They really are rich in cultures. (Also rich in cultured worms, beetles, grasshoppers, mantis, frogs, scorpions – made crunchy, hehe). My friends said I should try it, they told me it tastes good, just like the typical street foods. But I never dared to try, not even a single bite.

Thais give high regard to their King. This is another common sight you’ll discover in Thailand -- picture of their King all over the places. Thai people are also nationalistic. I remember when we were in the market, all the people stopped suddenly because their national anthem is being played over the air. (I noticed even the street dog stopped sniffing around – no kidding! hehe). Some Thai people we’ve stumbled upon were very nice. Even those people at the hotel and the drivers were all very accommodating. Although some hardly speak English, they could still interpret somehow what we were trying to say. So we never had much trouble askin' around for prices and places :)

Our 3 days were spent on visiting some of the temples, trying out the floating market, goin' for an elephant ride through a jungle trail, watching cultural shows (both day show and night show, haha), and shopping. There’s nothin' much to see in Bangkok actually, but we enjoyed our vacation. We enjoyed taking snaps everywhere. I hope in our future travel adventures I already have the dSLR I’ve been eyeing for. Oh, I almost forgot, we weren't able to watch live Muay Thai fight (though we've seen similar acts in the cultural show, fair enough, hehe)

Sawat dee! c",)

Here are some pics I took:

(outside the temple)

(@ the floating market)

(one of the many golden temples)

(some tourists shopping for souvenirs)

(the reclining buddha)