My new sayang...

.. is just effing gorgeous.

Yes, you are babe.

ehem2.. Before i start rambling, may i request a moment of silence for my beloved VAIO C i christened Chiigo-Chan (2007-2009).

...

Thank you dear, for two lovely years of joyful service. Though your video card may have melted and fallen into decay, memories of you are forever. You will be sorely missed. Hopefully you'll have a good home on top of Aie's desk at Clifford School Kuala Pilah.

'Nuff of that, let's move on to my review of the 13-inch Macbook Pro by Apple Inc.


First Impressions
OMG.Words simply can't describe the way i feel when i first say it at OU's Machines.
God...It's.just.so.beautiful. No laptop can even compare to it. Yes. Bar none.

Well, maybe the Air could, but its specs are rather weak for the king's ransom it's demanding.

i have a confession to make. Before this, i always felt that Macs are just for rich people who don't know better about good computing. God, how wrong i was. Heh. Did You really have to make me eat my words like that?

Sorry for rambling. anyway, first impressions. Sexy, solid and(emphasis here!) powerful, certainly a must-have for me.


Design
Here is really where the people at Apple have outdone themselves. The esthetics of it is just so, compelling. The idea of making the lappie using only a single piece of metal is genius. No loose parts or pieces that can snag somewhere and be torn off. The aluminum unibody feels light and solid. I certainly don't have to worry much of scratches on the body (just in theory- i worry everyday for my babe).

The lappie is quite mobile, with dimensions of 32.5 x 22.7 x 2.41 cm making it quite thin for a laptop of it's class and specs. It weights a tad more than 2 kg.

The 13.3-inch LED backlit display, with a native resolution of 1280 x 800, is backed by claims from Apple of having 60% more color gamut. Basically, it means richer colors and deeper blacks. Using LED on the display also equates to a thinner display, lesser power consumption and instant maximum brightness. Simply put, the display is out-of-this world, though Apple could've made the resolution more or incorporate HD to it. Just a suggestion. For me, it fine how it is. Stunning.

However, the display is enclosed with edge-to-edge glass, while it looks damn great, can pose some reflective issues in high-lighting situations. Fortunately, the brightness of the screen is more than enough to cover this flaw. Putting that aside, the display screen is simply brilliant.

And the lit-up Apple logo on the front? Sweet.

Features
The lappie is generous in its offering, though nowadays the level of technology in the world is just expanding so rapidly that any gadget bought today will simply be outdated in a week or so. Industrial revolution, thank you.

Anyway, i opted for the 2.53 Ghz Intel Core Duo configuration with 4 GB of DDR3 (lord!) RAM and a 250 GB SATA hard drive spinning at 5400 rpm. The lappie is powered by Nvidia 9400M integrated graphics with 256 MB of shared memory. A rather moderate collection of traits for the price, but it's enough for me to do my school work and the bit of amateurish designs whilst still be able to lug it around campus.

Another plus that attracted me to it was that Apple has revamped the Pro line with integrated batteries with ungodly (7 effing hours???) extended hours on the go. Though indeed it would be tough to not be able to swap the batteries on the fly and, once dead, the battery can only be replaced by an authorized Apple Rep, but Apple claims that their new batteries would last for 1000 cycle of charges, which equates to around 5 years, give or take.

If i were to just pick one word for the trackpad, it would be huge. The pad, made entirely of glass, simply dominates the lower half of the lappie. At first sight, the lack of proper buttons might cause alarm, however Apple made an innovative (not to mention cool) move by making the whole trackpad itself a button. Incorporating multi-touch technology made famous on the iPhone, the trackpad features several finger gestures like pinch to zoom and two-finger scrolling that had proven quite practical to use, if not extremely convenient. Though, admittedly, it did took some time to get used to.







Other than that, it seems Apple have finally decided to listen to mac users and put a SD card slot onto the 13- and 15-inch Pro models, which for me is really useful since i have a couple of gadgets using SD cards- namely my DSLR. The lappie also have (just!) two USB 2.0 ports, a ethernet port for wired connectivity, a Firewire 800 port, Apple's now standard Mini DisplayPort, a single audio in/out jack for your headphones, an iSight camera and a standard 8x speed slot in superdrive able to read and write CDs and DVDs, both single- and double-layered formats.


Oh, and i almost forgot. The lappie also features a backlit keyboard that enable users to type in low light conditions. The keypad is really bright making it very useful when i'm working in the dark, so kudos to Apple for that.


Final Word
Truly an amazing piece of machinery.


Specs on-the-go
> 13.3- inch display, 1280 x 800 resoultion 16:10 aspect ratio (not HD sigh...)
> 2.53 ghz Intel Core Duo processor
> 4 gb DDR3 RAM
> 250 gb HDD
> 2 USBs, Firewire 800, Mini DisplayPort, SD card slot
> RM 6,498 (+ 3 year Applecare Protection Plan) from Mac City One Utama

...

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

hahaha..

6 effing months? And here I was rambling bout pace changing.

way to kid yourself izzat...

A few words to summarize everything that's been happening.

> Lone ranger.

> Migration complete. Fitting in Shah Alam quite nicely.

> Acquired a bunch of great n wacko (kidding guys!) classmates.

> Gets a bit lonely sometimes. heh.

> Busy. Rarely had time for anything other than work3. haih.

> Chiigo-Chan (my 2007 VAIO C) bit the dust. somehow managed to melt her video card. why art thou hast to die, my dearest??

> BUT... I did get my precious new sayang - a 13-inch Macbook Pro (review coming soon) courtesy of Abah. Thanx a bunch n will keep up my work, sir.

> Did i mention how alone it is? lonesomeness....

That's basically it. If I somehow feel the urge (very unlikely) to ramble on bout certain miniscule details that happened, will update this post later.

Will post the review of my sayang after this. Hmm... have yet to find a suitable pet name to call her by. Any ideas, folks?

Change of pace...

...i hope.

I've always been somewhat of a lazy blogger due to the apparent lack of internet connectivity in sleepy Lendu.

(and fate is indeed such a cruel temptress that they've finally decided to put up the FREE WIFI just DAYS before my permanent exodus of Lendu...sigh...) 

So..

since my time there is up..

perhaps..

i shall be more..proactive in blogging..

perhaps.

God-willing.

P.S.

Sigh..one week down..and not one day without the thought of u.......

pathetic, isn't it?

note to self.get busy!

Is this how u really feel?? ...

...haih...

PETERPAN/Ku Katakan Dengan Indah 

kukatakan dengan indah
dengan terbuka
hatiku hampa
sepertinya luka
menghampirinya

kau beri rasa
yg berbeda
mungkin kusalah
mengartikannya
yang kurasa cinta

* tetapi hatiku
selalu meninggikanmu
terlalu meninggikanmu
selalu meninggikanmu

** kau hancurkan hatiku
hancurkan lagi
kau hancurkan hatiku
tuk melihatmu

kau terangi jiwaku
kau redupkan lagih
kau hancurkan hatiku
tuk melihatmu

back to *

membuatku terjatuh
dan terjatuh lagi

** membuatku merasakan
yang tlah terjadi
semua yang terbaik
dan terlewati
semua yang terhenti
tanpa kuakhiri

My newest beau...

...to ease the pain of losing my darling Wiie-Chan (W800i).

Truthfully, I've been (silently) hoping to change phones sometime in the near future, but what I pictured was nothing as drastic as actually getting mugged by miscreants and viles of Earthly scum whilst vacationing in Bandung.

Talk about taking the fun out of...having fun. Sigh.

Oh well. As they say, time heals all wounds - for me, it was less than a week.

The first time I'd seen the SE W980i was from a cinema ad just before the premiere of Twilight. As soon as it went on screen, I held my breath for a whole minute.

Literally.

My first thought was effing S-W-E-E-T. I've always had this unexplainable attraction towards flip phones. There's just something undeniably alluring about them. When i finally held it in my hands, it was like a dream came true for me.

As you can see, the W980 features a sleek clamshell design that is oh so easy on the eyes, if I do say so myself. To put it plainly, it looks hot with its glossy front, making it both classy and intimidating, which suit it as it is intended to be a high-end phone. It is medium-sized, with dimensions of 92 x 46 x 16.9 mm and a weight of approximately 100 g, as SE opted for plastic rather than metal for its body. 

Though I must say that the phone handles very nicely, fitting perfectly in my (rather small) palm. No qualms over the build either as the phone feels quite solid, unlike many previous flip phones. When closed, it could be mistaken simply as a bulky mp3 player, especially if the front touch-sensitive, walkman-specific controls are active.

 

The modest OLED front display blends effortlessly with the shiny exterior of the phone, making it invisible unless activated. This system, called the Walkman-on-Top, allows the phone to access the walkman player without having to flip open the phone itself.

At the end of the front there's a see-through plastic that houses four LEDs that will pulse in sync with the rhythm of your music, a rather cool yet useless feature offered by SE. Behind this plastic end is a silver walkman logo.

A flattering 2.2 inch display (resolution 240 x 320 pixels) beckons immediately at you when you flip the phone open. That coupled with large circular keypads lends the phone an imposing look. Personally, I love the keypads as they are very responsive and are ideally apart from each other, just enough to offer a comfortable, one-handed texting experience free from any unnecessary typo error.

 

However, the six buttons surrounding the D-pad is different matter entirely. They are quite small and cramped, not to mention awkwardly positioned for those with larger fingers. A welcome addition to the phone is the ambient light sensor, which will automatically adjust the display brightness according to the current lighting conditions, thus saving battery life. There's also a secondary camera for standard video calls and a walkman-dedicated button. 

Flipping the phone over will reveal the rather poorly placed 3.2 MP camera right where your fingers will rest when you're casually holding the phone. True to its identity as a music-oriented phone, the camera is mediocre with no autofocus or flash. It's almost as though the camera was thrown in at the very last minute by the designers just as an afterthought. 

Snapshots aside, let's get to the heart and soul of this 'lil hottie - music.

SE incorporated the W980 with only the best of the best in audio experience. Along with Walkman 3.o and 8 GB of onboard memory, it uses two revolutionary technologies; Clear Stereo and Clear Bass. Add on the premium HPM-77 earphones and the result is simply music that stays true to the sound of the original recording. Moreover, a unique feature of the phone is the FM transmitter that allows you to broadcast your music to FM radios around a limited radius.

Too good to be true? 

Hey, you just don't get hailed as the World's Best Music Phone for nothing.

Indigo Child...

...according to answers.com.

A New Age belief, Indigo children are highly sensitive with a clear sense of self-definition and a strong feeling that they need to make a significant difference in the world. They are strong-willed, independent thinkers who prefer to be self-guided rather than directed by others. 

They are empathic and can easily detect or are in tune with the thoughts of others, and are naturally drawn to matters concerning mysteries, spirituality, the paranormal and the occult, while opposing unquestioned authority and contradictory to convention. They tend to think outside the box, and are often referred to as 'system busters.' Indigos allegedly possess wisdom and level of awareness 'beyond their years.'

They are also said to have a strong feeling of entitlement, or 'deserving to be here.'

Some beliefs hold that they are often labeled with the psychiatric diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dyslexia, and also Autism, and that they become unsociable when not around other Indigo Children. They are also believed to be prone to depression and sleep disorders such as insomnia and persistent nightmares.

Indigo children also possess defining characteristics in learning; indigos tend to be more visual, kinaesthetic learners so remember best what they can picture in their brain and create with their hands.

There is no scientific evidence to support this New Age belief. Yet.