Well, well, well.
I never really thought being no. 1 means miles of difference against being no. 2 in tennis. It’s just points, right? Apparently not.
Seeing recent Rafa pictures, with him looking really dapper, I realized being no. 1 is really a huge deal in terms of celebrity status, hence publicity building. So that’s why Roger Federer is for the longest time the most stylish baller around. Hey, look who’s stylin’ now:
Way to cover the biceps for a change, huh?! I actually kind of like, heh. That’s his girlfriend Xisca with him in the last photo. I wonder if she’s athletic, too. Maybe using Astro Phex to keep in shape? Maybe not.
I’ve been using my sister’s laptop for almost a week now so my desktop computer finally got to rest for a while. Trouble is, it makes me want to buy a laptop for myself; mine was stolen from my room in our previous apartment more than a year ago and I opted to replace it with a desktop, first because I download things online a lot (laptops tend to easily heat up) and second because I was a traumatized by the loss and thought that a real computer will be harder to steal.
Brings me to the new Credit Card Offers I’ve been receiving in my cell phone. I usually just ignore them but the many installment offers in stores make them all the more inviting. I bought my sister’s Compaq with my card so my limit’s pretty much covered. She doesn’t have one of those Student Credit Cards, so. Anyway, I just have to let it out. It’s not practical and I don’t have a real need for it, yet. Maybe better if I instead make travel plans. A Travel Rewards Credit Card may be the answer for that. But, no, I’m not getting another credit card. I really need to learn to live without those.
You know her, right? The singer formerly known as Beyonce…
Above is a promo photo of her latest album - I Am … Sasha Fierce.
I like Beyonce Knowles better. But that’s just me. Here’s what the singer/actress said about changing her name:
An alter-ego I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am. Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage.
This makes me think about a name I’d like to change into. Hmmm.. I’ll get back to you on that; this would take time.
My friends and I were brainstorming about possible gifts for kids this coming holiday season. Surely parents and ninongs and ninangs will be raiding the toy stores at malls in the next couple of months. I’m not really good at gifts, admittedly and quite embarassingly. If it’s for kids, I’d go for something cute, although I’d still be scared that what’s cute to me may not be appeal as well to a child. If it’s for adults, I usually go with personality quirks when deciding on potential presents. Sometimes, I fall to the trap of buying something I would like, hence my tendency to give away books or notebooks, or anything that can be bought either from the bookstore or the coffee shop.
Thinking about your recipient’s hobbies may be a very good place to start. So if anybody’s thinking about a good gift for me, you can look for The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, translation by Stephen Mitchell. I’ll be hitting the big three-O in a few weeks’ time. Well, if you’re feeling really generous, I’ll be more than happy to have an Armortec 900. Really, more than happy.
I was watching this TV show earlier where there’s a family picnic scene by the lake and it occurred to me that kids combo rods for fishing may be a good gift for outdoorsy youngsters. Family out-of-town trips can be so much fun and wouldn’t it be a cool sight to behold having your kids learn fishing rules and try to catch a fish or two? Of course it may work only for certain ages and for specific tastes. It’s a good thing my most pressing gift-giving plans are for newborns. That shouldn’t be too hard.
Once, I got a text message that says something like this:
“Don’t forget to feed the children, Bea. Have you had your lunch?”
Thinking that it was an important message sent to the wrong number, I dutifully replied and informed the sender that he or she had the wrong number. I regetted doing so at once when the unknown texter sent this back:
“What’s your name? Can we be textmates?”
I didn’t bother to reply to that one but for some reason it only encouraged the increasingly annoying texter to send me a barrage of messages, all nonsensical and all provoking me to reply. I had to shut off my phone for a while just so I wouldn’t lose my temper.
On a really boring day, I may have wasted SMS charges to amuse myself - I onced exchanged text messages with someone I don’t know when this person sent me a quote I’m familiar with (from a favorite book). I never knew who it was or if it’s someone I actually know.
Maybe these instances don’t matter nor merit enough attention to seek for the identities of the people behind the messages. We don’t really have a service to look up National Phone Numbers more so cellular phone numbers. I know landlines have a directory assistance, but I’m not sure about Reverse Phone Number Lookup. This is especially hard for prepaid numbers; for post-paid, I don’t know if the operators would be willing to provide their subscribers’ personal details.
There’s an online service in the U.S. that serves as a “phone detective.” You just have to enter any active U.S. phone number and you can get very specific information on any individual. The site says that “You are not limited to just to name and address. Instead, you will have access to detailed background information on almost every aspect of this person’s life.” It’s a little stalkerish but what if you really need to and your reasons are valid? Well, whatever the motivation is, it is a useful tool. But gaining full access to the service has an equivalent price, of course.
Here’s the official successor to Nokia N95, the latest Nokia smartphone in the Nseries range. This model started selling last September. I’ve “played” with an acquaintance’s N95 before and if this is indeed a marked improvement, then this upgraded model (N96) should be another winner. Of course, Nokia is probably the best-known name in mobile phones so there’s no need for me to vouch for the product quality.
The big question is, what’s new about this model? It has a 2.8-inch display with 16 million colors (N95 has a 2.6-inch display). It has a double LED flash for the 5-megapixel camera, which uses Carl Zeiss optics. Internal memory is 16 GB, expandable up to 48 GB using 32 GB microSD/microSDHC cards. Of course, there’s still the VGA camera in front of the phone for 3G video calling. It’s also said to be thinner and lighter than N95.
Here’s the full list of features of the N96 from its Wiki entry:
Are you ready for this? Sony Ericsson is all set to release the new Cybershot phone (Sony C905) on October 22. This new range supplants the earlier “K” range camera phones. So what’s so great about this phone? You mean besides it’s sleek look? Well, it comes in three colors - copper gold, ice silver, and night black.
Not impressed? Here’s the deal: It’s an 8-megapixel camera phone! I’ve been using Sony Ericsson phones for the longest time so I’m pretty excited about this new model. It’s a casual photographer’s dream! The phone memory is 160 MB and is bundled with a 2 GB Memory Stick Micro that is expandable up to 8 GB. Now that’s something I like because that means more space for not just pictures but also songs. It also has support for photo and video blogging but I guess that would require use of the phone’s internet connectivity options. Speaking of connectivity, C905 is also the first Sony Ericsson mobile phone to support the DLNA sharing network.
Here’s the full specifications of Sony C905 taken from the Wiki entry:
Screen
QVGA (240×320) 2.4″ 18-bit colour LCD screen
Scratch-resistant surface
Camera
8.1 megapixel CMOS (3264×2448, 7.99 effective megapixels)
Autofocus lens
Xenon flash, 3-LED videolight, focus assist lamp, self portrait mirror
Image stabilizer
Face detection auto focus up to 3 faces
Auto Rotate
BestPic
16x digital zoom
Video recording: QVGA (320×240) @30fps
Dedicated camera still/record/review key
Dual Function D-Pad
Mechanical lens cover
Photo Album
Connectivity
Blog link
GPS with A-GPS, with picture geotagging support
WLAN 802.11b/g, DLNA technology
NetFront 4.5 web browser with Autorotate
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Apple iSync supported
Audio
Media player 3.0 with MegaBass
MP3/AAC ringtones
FM Radio with RDS, GraceNote Track ID service
PlayNow 5.0
Design
Three colours: ‘inca’, ‘ice silver’, ‘night black’
160MB internal, 2GB M2 included, up to 8GB max
I was transferring some pictures on a memory stick and I can’t help but be amazed by how far we have come in terms of technology. Ten years ago, taking and keeping photographs is a very expensive hobby and usually only for very special and rare occasions. You have to get it right the first time- no margin for error on taking shots, which normally is only limited to a mere 36. Of course digital cameras are starting to come out then but it wasn’t for everyone. These days, everyone has a camera phone. You can virtually take any picture of any moment, be it worth remembering or not. I don’t know if that’s a good thing but nobody would argue that that is a lot of fun.
I remember those times when i have to run to the nearest developing center, get excited and at the same anxious at the possibility that the negatives got damaged somehow. Remember how your mothers will forbid you to touch the prints? They have to be kept in an album, each page with a plastic protector, for posterity, and then when people go to your homes they will look at those albums and you’ll fondly share the memories? There’s not much need for that now. Everything’s kept digitally. It’s lasting (at least as long as you don’t accidentally delete the files) but somehow less personal. It all comes too easy now. It’s all cool; I’m not complaining. Maybe I’m just missing how things have more worth when they’re not that easy to acquire.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both lost their semifinal matches at Madrid Masters yesterday,and that means Nadal will become the first Spanish player in history to end a year holding the no. 1 ranking. To put it another way, this will be the first year since 2003 that Federer will not end his year as the top guy in tennis.
Andy Murray exacted revenge from his loss to Federer at the U.S. Open and has set up a final clash with up-and-coming Giles Simon, who beat Nadal.
I wasn’t initially keeping my hopes high about a possible Nada-Federer final but then both men reach the semis, only to be eliminated so close to another epic match up. Oh, well, these months after the U.S. Open and before the Australian Open in January is usually called the dead zone of tennis. The Shanghai Masters, where only the top 8 ranked players will be invited to play in a round robin format, may still pose some excitement for tennis fans but the Grand Slam events are always what attract audiences. There’s nothing like the big leagues.
So maybe Roger needs to continue that self-imposed rest after all. Reaching the semis isn’t too bad at all, but at this point in his career many say he’ll only be interested in winning majors and regaining the top spot. On another note, this week he surpassed Pete Sampras as the guy who won the most prize money in tennis. He’s now at $43.29 million and he’s still far from retiring. That’s a lot of money and that doesn’t even include his sponsorship earnings. He better go on a holiday, relax his feet a little, perhaps go to the beach or do some Key West Fishing. Maybe he needs to bring Nadal (I read the boy loves to fish), get into his head or something and figure out how he can beat him in Paris come June.
Two new albums I’m currently listening to
Review [Metro Spirit]
In a still indefinite time, Sarah McLachlan will release an all-new-songs CD. I’ll be waiting for that no matter what pace she choose to take.
A Record in Two Parts: Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Review [NYT]
On her debut album [this blog]
