During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, I bought a shiny new DVD recorder with a 160GB hard drive. Just in case you didn't know, DVD recorders with hard drives can pause TV while you are watching it - which is an absolutely fantastic feature (the DVDR automatically records the TV onto RAM that is cleared whenever you switch off the DVDR).
The result is that while watching the Olympics, I could take a break at any moment and, say go to the washroom, and not worry about missing anything. I would just pause the TV and then restart it after I got back. Then during the next commercial break, I could catch up to the live TV feed. Awesome!
I have to say, this really revolutionises the way that you watch TV. No longer will I have to put up with shitty commercials when watching my favourite TV show. If the show starts at 10pm, I can simply wait until 10:20 before starting to watch the replay. By the time I finish watching, and after skipping all the ads, I will have caught up with the live TV feed again (most American TV shows only last around 45 mins with the rest of the time being ads).
As I said - Awesome!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Deal with the devil
Gerry has been sick for the last week - fever and diarrhea. On Monday morning, he finally decided to share the love and passed it to me. I say Monday morning because I was fine on Sunday but had fever and diarrhea when I woke up on Monday.
Unfortunately, I had an urgent project to complete at work which was already late by virtue of the thunderstorm that hit Hong Kong last Friday. So, despite being feverish, I went into work. And boy, was it tough. Being sick, it was really hard to concentrate. However, I eventually finished the project and headed home. Of course, putting in a day at the office didn't exactly do my health any good.
Monday night was really bad in terms of my fever (I hit 38.5 centigrade at one stage). The really funny thing though, is the images your brain conjures up when you are semi-delirious.
In my fevered state of mind, I imagined the devil showing up and offering me a deal. I won't go into the details of the deal except to say that it involved Gerry and me sacrificing all videogaming for the rest of my life. Even in my delusional state, I knew it was a bad deal - after all, what deal with the devil isn't? However, despite this, I still found myself tempted (for Gerry's sake).
I can't remember if my deluded mind actually accepted the deal or not. Possibly, my fever broke before the scene got that far or my feverish brain moved onto another dream. In the cold light of day (and with my full faculties), I can see exactly why the offered deal was a raw deal. Still, it does make me wonder - how much would I sacrifice for Gerry?
Bonus question.
As a self professed agnostic, I find it interesting that my feverish mind conjured up the image of the devil. Can I still say I'm agnostic in this case (assuming, of course, that the devil has a counterpoint - ie God)?
Unfortunately, I had an urgent project to complete at work which was already late by virtue of the thunderstorm that hit Hong Kong last Friday. So, despite being feverish, I went into work. And boy, was it tough. Being sick, it was really hard to concentrate. However, I eventually finished the project and headed home. Of course, putting in a day at the office didn't exactly do my health any good.
Monday night was really bad in terms of my fever (I hit 38.5 centigrade at one stage). The really funny thing though, is the images your brain conjures up when you are semi-delirious.
In my fevered state of mind, I imagined the devil showing up and offering me a deal. I won't go into the details of the deal except to say that it involved Gerry and me sacrificing all videogaming for the rest of my life. Even in my delusional state, I knew it was a bad deal - after all, what deal with the devil isn't? However, despite this, I still found myself tempted (for Gerry's sake).
I can't remember if my deluded mind actually accepted the deal or not. Possibly, my fever broke before the scene got that far or my feverish brain moved onto another dream. In the cold light of day (and with my full faculties), I can see exactly why the offered deal was a raw deal. Still, it does make me wonder - how much would I sacrifice for Gerry?
Bonus question.
As a self professed agnostic, I find it interesting that my feverish mind conjured up the image of the devil. Can I still say I'm agnostic in this case (assuming, of course, that the devil has a counterpoint - ie God)?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Espana - el video
As you know, I recently went to Spain. While there, I took a lot of video. At least, I thought I did. When I finally sat down to edit the video into something watchable, I realised that I didn't actually have as much footage as I thought I did.
Anyway, despite the fact that I didn't have enough footage, I'm still quite happy with the overall results. Or maybe I'm just biased considering the number of hours I put into editing this!
Anyway, despite the fact that I didn't have enough footage, I'm still quite happy with the overall results. Or maybe I'm just biased considering the number of hours I put into editing this!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Gerry the gymnast
We've been watching a lot of the Beijing Olympics over the weekend. This is rare for us as the TV is very rarely switched on during daylight hours - we normally don't allow Gerry to watch TV as we really don't want him addicted to it at too early an age. However, seeing as the Olympics is just sport, we decided it would be okay for Gerry to watch with us (or did we just use this as an excuse to justify us watching the olympics?).
Anyway, we were watching the gymnastics, in particular the Floor Exercises event. Gerry seems to really like watching the Floor Exercises as he was glued to the sofa during most of the show. This is actually quite rare for Gerry as he likes to run around a lot (he is very active which is probably why he is quite skinny despite being able to eat a lot). After a while though, he got off the sofa and I started to think that he had lost interest in the gymnastics.
Not quite.
The reason he didn't want to watch anymore was because he wanted to join in! A section of our living room floor has been covered with plastic floormats. Gerry goes up to one corner. Then he starts running across the mat until he reaches the middle at which point he starts doing rolls on the mat! After doing a couple of rolls until he reaches the corner, he gets up and then repeats the process - except this time, heading back to the original corner.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any pictures or videos of this - something I will probably regret for the rest of my life considering how cute he was.
Anyway, we were watching the gymnastics, in particular the Floor Exercises event. Gerry seems to really like watching the Floor Exercises as he was glued to the sofa during most of the show. This is actually quite rare for Gerry as he likes to run around a lot (he is very active which is probably why he is quite skinny despite being able to eat a lot). After a while though, he got off the sofa and I started to think that he had lost interest in the gymnastics.
Not quite.
The reason he didn't want to watch anymore was because he wanted to join in! A section of our living room floor has been covered with plastic floormats. Gerry goes up to one corner. Then he starts running across the mat until he reaches the middle at which point he starts doing rolls on the mat! After doing a couple of rolls until he reaches the corner, he gets up and then repeats the process - except this time, heading back to the original corner.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any pictures or videos of this - something I will probably regret for the rest of my life considering how cute he was.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Beijing 2008
Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that the Beijing 2008 Olympic games kicked off on Friday night (it was very cleverly timed to start at 8:00pm on the 8th day of the 8th month of 2008 - 8 is an auspicious number in China in case you hadn't guessed). And if you have been living under a rock, how come you can read this?
Admittedly, I have been very critical of China in the past (is that why my blog is blocked in China?). However, I have to admit that the opening ceremony was nothing short of spectacular. It was highly entertaining as well as extremely creative.
I was told that a lot of the dancers have been rehearsing for over a year. Wow. Having said that, the practice clearly paid off. The performers were not only in sync with each other over long periods of time, they were also in sync with the stadium. I remember one scene in particular where an army of taichichuan practitioners formed what looked like a perfect circle - I can only imagine how difficult that is to achieve!
Update - Just read about the "fake" fireworks. Although this is a shame, I won't be amending the above post as I believe the comments stand.
Update 2 - Just read about the fake girl singer. Talk about a scummy thing to do. Considering the amount of fake shit thats coming up, I'm really evaluating my above post. On one hand, its a shame that the achievements of the dancers is being overshadowed by idiots and morons. On the other hand, am I really comfortable praising the opening ceremony when it is so fake (just like the rest of China! - I know, Iknow, that is low - but I just couldn't resist).
Admittedly, I have been very critical of China in the past (is that why my blog is blocked in China?). However, I have to admit that the opening ceremony was nothing short of spectacular. It was highly entertaining as well as extremely creative.
I was told that a lot of the dancers have been rehearsing for over a year. Wow. Having said that, the practice clearly paid off. The performers were not only in sync with each other over long periods of time, they were also in sync with the stadium. I remember one scene in particular where an army of taichichuan practitioners formed what looked like a perfect circle - I can only imagine how difficult that is to achieve!
Update - Just read about the "fake" fireworks. Although this is a shame, I won't be amending the above post as I believe the comments stand.
Update 2 - Just read about the fake girl singer. Talk about a scummy thing to do. Considering the amount of fake shit thats coming up, I'm really evaluating my above post. On one hand, its a shame that the achievements of the dancers is being overshadowed by idiots and morons. On the other hand, am I really comfortable praising the opening ceremony when it is so fake (just like the rest of China! - I know, Iknow, that is low - but I just couldn't resist).
Friday, August 8, 2008
Gerry's first concert
The nursery school which Gerry goes to recently had their annual concert. This basically comprises of all the kids in each class lining up for a song and dance routine.
Gerry has been practicing for this concert very hard. The school gave us a CD with all the songs on them and we've been playing it at home for him to practice with. And on the day of the concert, the practice really paid off!
Here you can see a video of his performance. The performance doesn't start until about two minutes in - before each performance, the school would show a video of that particular class in the classroom.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Why I don't want to go to the US
Stuff like this is why I no longer want to go to the US.
Apparently, when you go through customs in the US, federal agents have the authority to take your laptop, or any other electronic device, for an unspecified period of time without any indication of wrongdoing. Not only is this possible, but the quote below (emphasis added) indicates that it happens increasingly often:
"Civil liberties and business travel groups have pressed the government to disclose its procedures as an increasing number of international travelers have reported that their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices had been taken -- for months, in at least one case -- and their contents examined."
Quite frankly, I don't want to put up with this kind of shit. Statistically, I will probably be able to go through customs without any trouble (unless the DHS reads my blog!). However, statistics won't be much comfort on the off chance that my PC gets effectively stolen from me for several months.
To the US, I have only one thing to say - No.
Update - Can anyone tell me if this article is serious or tongue in cheek?
Apparently, when you go through customs in the US, federal agents have the authority to take your laptop, or any other electronic device, for an unspecified period of time without any indication of wrongdoing. Not only is this possible, but the quote below (emphasis added) indicates that it happens increasingly often:
"Civil liberties and business travel groups have pressed the government to disclose its procedures as an increasing number of international travelers have reported that their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices had been taken -- for months, in at least one case -- and their contents examined."
Quite frankly, I don't want to put up with this kind of shit. Statistically, I will probably be able to go through customs without any trouble (unless the DHS reads my blog!). However, statistics won't be much comfort on the off chance that my PC gets effectively stolen from me for several months.
To the US, I have only one thing to say - No.
Update - Can anyone tell me if this article is serious or tongue in cheek?
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