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Toys I Want for Christmas

Vincent Kong — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:28:19 +0000

Christmas is less than a month away, and for this year I’ve decide to make a list of all the toys I would like to have for this holiday season. Maybe Santa will stumble onto this blog and get the message. =P

Small Factor Desktop

I’ve been looking for a small factor desktop replacement since my K45 Shuttle died (the motherboard overheated). The first option that came to mind is the Mac mini. This compact system can be used as media center while showcased as an attractive piece of decor in the living room. My only hesitation is it’s an Apple device; something I don’t want to get into yet as I’ve seen the addictions you can have: buying one thing from Apple will lead to buying everything else from Apple. An alternative would be the Dell Zino HD which looks almost as nice but costs less than the Mac mini. The only thing I’m skeptical about is the AMD processor, since I’ve always been an Intel guy.

The Dell Zino HD starts at $449.99 at Dell.ca

Android Tablet

When the iPad came out, I was thought it was a great concept running the iPhone OS inside a full size tablet. The 10″ screen was large enough to work as a e-book reader and surf the web without squinting my eyes, but also portable enough to carry around. The best part is, like the smart phone, it turns on instantly when I want to use it. No more waiting for the stupid OS to boot up!!

Unfortunately, the 1st generation iPad was missing some critical features e.g. Flash, and multitask, as well the price of $499USD for a 16GB is a bit pricey for me. Recently, a lot of companies have announced that they will be bringing Android tablets to the market. My choice is the Archos 101 internet tablet. It has all the features I want, and cost $349USD for the 16GB version. Yes it lacks 3G, but adding another data plan to my monthly expenses is something I want to avoid.

The Archos 101 (16GB) is available at B&H $343 USD.

Compact Digital Camera

It’s not all the time I can or want to bring my DSLR with me. This is where I missed having a compact digital camera. The Canon PowerShot S95 is my choice with a wide 28mm focal length and aperture range of f/2.0-4.9, make it a small camera that packs a lot of punch. Why not get the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5? Although the LX5 is the better camera, it’s not very pocketable, and that’s the first reason I wanted a compact DC.

btw I got this already at The Source for $379 but it still counts in my wish list.

Lenses

My list won’t be complete if it didn’t include any new glass for my Canon T2i DSLR. I’m already an owner of the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, and the cheapo Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Here are 3 more lenses I would like to add to my artillery:

Wide Angle

I like taking shots of architecture buildings and landscape, and the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM will do the job for me perfectly.

The lens is available at B&H for $720USD; photoprice.ca

Macro

Taking shots of things up close and personal is also something I like to do, and the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM can definitely do that. The 100mm focus length will let me take very close up shots of subjects without actually being very close to it.

The lens is available at B&H for $509USD; photoprice.ca

General Purpose

The Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS was my first lens that I got along with the T2i body. I really like the lens for it’s versatility, working incredibility well as a travel/general purpose lens. However, the aperture range of f/3.5-5.6 is sometimes not enough which is why I’m considering an additional lens for general purposes. My considerations are: Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. This is pretty tough choice since for $300 more gets me a L lens. However, the 17-55mm f/2.8 is no slouch and takes very high quality pictures, as well comes with IS, which is lacking on the L lens. Lots of rumors are flying about a version II coming out for the 24-70mm f/2.8 L which includes IS. I’ll probably wait on this to see what happens.

The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is available at B&H for $990USD (photoprice.ca) and the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM is available for $1280USD (photoprice.ca)

Bonus

With Windows Mobile 6.5 lifespan coming to an end, moving to an Android phone would make the most sense for my next smart phone and I have my eyes on the HTC Desire. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very happy with my HTC Diamond 2, that’s why I’ve mention this as added bonus. So why the HTC Desire and not the HTC Desire HD? While the 4.3″ screen would be nice to have, but probably won’t be necessary once I get my hands on the Android tablet, as well due to the large screen battery usage for the HTC Desire HD is absolutely terrible.

So, dear Santa if you are reading this, then these are the toys I want for Christmas this year. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

DigitalRev TV Video Reviews

My Old Drawings

Vincent Kong — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:45:18 +0000

Last weekend I was doing some house cleaning and I found a file folder inside a dusty box. Inside were many pictures which I drew in my past; some of them were even more than 20 years ago! I took photos of them all, kept a few of my favourites, and I threw out most of the others.

My Honda Fit’s First Accident

Vincent Kong — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:26:22 +0000

After enduring a 2 hour, early Saturday morning course at my church, I went to get my car and was ready to go home. As I walked closer in the freezing cold parking lot, I saw something very unusual on my front bumper; there was a clean spot that distinguish itself from the rest of the dirt. A look closer, and I realized that apparently someone hit my bumper, try to inspect if there was any damage, and then just drove off. Well, there you have it, my Honda Fit’s first accident. It’s ironic because the course I was attending is title “Men’s Fraternity – The Quest for Authentic Manhood”; all I can say is whoever did it must be sleeping through the course so far…

1 Litre of Tears

Vincent Kong — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:49:58 +0000

I recently finished watching “1 Litres of Tears” a Japanese drama about a 15 year old girl Aya Kito, who is just begun high school. She is smart, talented, and had a bright future ahead of her, until she’s been diagnose with a degenerative disease.

I shred many tears while watching the drama, and it’s not because I sympathize her. It is because I can relate to the suffering and pain that she is going through. Although, I haven’t been through a life threatening disease, I can understand the questions she faced: “Why has this happen to me? “, “What purpose does life have if you are suffering through it?”, “Why can I go back into the past?”, “It is impossible to accept this.” I can understand how tough it is to wake up everyday and know that the pain and suffering is still there. I can understand the agony of waiting, and knowing that worse has yet to come.

It’s not because of the sadness that made me want to continue watching the drama. I admire the inner strength which Aya has; the strength which many people would probably lack. She insists on walking until she’s physically not able to, she continues writing until she no longer can hold a pen. She goes through life knowing that something will be taken away from her everyday. However, she still lives on holding her head up even though it is very heavy. She learns to cherish the things that she still has around her, the support that is given to her, and realizing she’s not the only person to suffer. She learns to accept the pain that has become part of her life. “It doesn’t matter that you fall down, you just need to remember to pick yourself up”. It is not easy, and she had to shred many tears, but in the end I can see that she was able to find peace and enjoy her life.

When I first watch this drama, I didn’t know anything about it, I couldn’t even read the title. I just randomly picked something to watch. However, somehow it after finish watching this drama, I felt that a message has been delivered to me, and it has been delivered just at the right moment of my life…

My Honda Fit 2009

Vincent Kong — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:40:06 +0000

During my trip in Japan I was really attracted to the cars people drove there; they were small but could seat a family, looked very sporty, but at the same time cute. When I saw the Honda Fit 2009, it was almost like love at first sight. I recently came an owner of the Honda Fit 2009 sport, with manual transmission. Here’s my first impression: I’m no car expert, and I won’t talk about the features it comes with; those can be found in the Honda.ca website. As well, most of my opinions are compared with the Honda Civic 2006, because it’s the only other manual car which I have driven before.

The exterior

The sport edition had everything which I wanted to give it the sporty look: alloy rims, spoiler, skirts, and fog lights. The only thing missing was the tinted windows, but I resolved that the very next day.

The interior

The dashboard looked very sleek, and didn’t look cheap when compare to other cars in its class. Unfortunately, there was no room in the instrument panel for me to put my Windows Mobile phone in (which I use for GPS navigation). The same couldn’t be said about the side door panels, which looked very plastic and cheap. The shift knob looked distasteful and felt like rubbery ball, but I can easily replace it. The seats were comfortable and was able to provide me with the lower back support I needed, and the fabric was smooth.

The driving experience

The clutch for the Fit was very light, and virtually gave no resistant when stepping on it. This made it harder for me find the right acceleration point when taking off from 1st gear, however made gear shifting to be less jerky. When driving, the engine was really loud, and the ride was more bumpy than the Civic, as well gear shifting wasn’t as smooth and a clicking sound could be heard with each gear shift. Of course, making comparison with the Civic was probably unfair since the Fit is a lower class car. However, I found the Fit’s handling was better, and could turn the corners more tightly. I haven’t tried doing any hard accelerations, since the car hasn’t run in yet. Yes, I know I’m old school.

Shopping Frenzy

Vincent Kong — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:28:50 +0000

During a week of vacation without traveling, I went on a shopping frenzy, and got myself a lot of new toys. The vacation is almost over, my addiction has settled, but I don’t even want to think about my credit card bill next month. Here’s all the toys I got:

My first item was a Samsung 21.6″ Widescreen LCD Monitor from Futureshop. It was glossy black and on sale for $200, and would replace the old Samsung 15″ LCD in my evening room.

Specifications:

Model: SyncMaster 2253LW
Resolution: 1680 x 1050
Brightness: 300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio: 8000:1 DC
Response time: 2ms

To go with the monitor I got a new Vostro 200 Mini Tower desktop computer from Dell which I spotted on sale at RedFlagDeals.com. I plan to use the computer as a media center and hook it up to my TV and home theatre system. After doing a few customizations to the system the final price tag came to $359.

Specifications:

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600
Windows Vista Home Basic
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
230GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW

The Dell computer didn’t come with any speakers. I wasn’t looking for something fancy since I already hook up the computer to my home theatre system, so I got the Logitech 2.0 Stereo Speaker System LS11 which was sale for $20 at Futureshop. As expected the sound quality wasn’t that great but at least the glossy black face matched with my Samsung monitor.

I’m one of those people that collect a lot of stuff on my computer, and previously I owned 320GB external hard drive. However, I constantly find myself burning DVDs because my hard drives are always running out of space. Even though, my new computer had a 230GB hard drive, I knew it would not be enough, so I got myself another external hard drive: Lacie 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive. There was no sale, but was $170 at Futureshop, which was a reasonable price compare other external hard drives, and it was glossy black as well.

Specifications:

Interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Cache: 8MB or greater
Transfer rate: Up to 480Mbits/s (60MB/s)

Getting one new computer wasn’t satisfying to me. I always wanted to replace the old IBM NetVista which I use as a server at home. There is a saying that a server is suppose to be a “black box”, and that is exactly what I got from Canada Computers for $219; the small form factor Shuttle KPC K45.

Specifications:

Intel Celeron Dual E1200
1GB DDR2 667Mhz
Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
80GB 7200rpm SATA

Finally, since I had two computers but only one monitor I needed to get a KVM. I got the IOGear 2-Port Compact USB VGA KVM with Built-in Cables GCS42UW6, even though reviews say that people had problems switching from PC to PC. I decided to take a chance and get it anyways because it was the cheapest KVM I could find: $20 at Dell and it was glossy black too . I had no major issues with it, however flickering can be seen in the monitor if the screen is displaying black.

Specifications:

One USB keyboard, USB mouse, and VGA monitor control two computers
Max resolution: 2048 x 1536, DDC2B

Lakers vs Celtics the Best NBA Finals of the Decade

Vincent Kong — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:57:06 +0000

Since the finals in 1998 with the Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz, I don’t remember a match up that looks this exciting on paper. I personally don’t like watching the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, which meant 1999, 2003-2005, 2007 were no good. For the years 2000-2002, when the L.A. Lakers took on the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Jersey Nets respectively, the Lakers were already sure winners even before the finals started. As for 2006 with the Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks, there wasn’t anything wrong with the teams and the series ending up with the Heat getting an upset, but when looking at the two teams there wasn’t any WOW to it.

This year’s finals it looks exciting, not only because it reminds me of the Laker/Celtic classic rivalry of the 80s, but also because of the players involved. We have Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and the Celtic Big Three: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; four athletic NBA All-Stars who can drive, shoot, and handle the ball well.

My Prediction

Lakers in 6. Boston is a great home court team, but I feel that the Lakers will be able to steal the opener in Boston. Even with The Big Three, none of them have been to the finals, and their nervousness has already shown in their playoff games against Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit where only Paul Pierce show signs of being able to carry the team. I feel the Lakers will lose one game at home simply because I don’t remember any team being able to win 3 in a row at home since the finals have changed into a 2-3-2 format. Kobe Bryant has already won 3 champions, and thrives under the spotlight. After a huge turnaround season from last year, being the best team in the western conference and winning his first MVP, I feel this is Kobe’s year and winning the NBA champion would be a fitting end to what he already has accomplished this season.

Back to My Weight in Highschool

Vincent Kong — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:47:18 +0000

135 lbs, I remember the last time I saw that figure on the scale was back in the early 90s when I was still in highschool.

Early in March, I saw a photo of me taken on Feb 23rd; that was I was going to lose weight. I was 155 lbs with an approximate 19% body fat. My goal was to drop 20 lbs and 2.5 months later I’ve succeeded (135lbs, 14% body fat).

I followed a simple plan to lose weight: eat less, eat healthy, and exercise daily.

Eating healthy meant no more chips, and fast food, and for the first month, I was a vegetarian. My 3 meals a day would consist of crackers for breakfast, cereal (no milk) for lunch, and salad for dinner. For the 2nd month, I started eating some meat again because I felt dizzy when playing basketball, but I still ate salad for dinner most of the time. I also changed the way I ate; apparently chewing your food makes you eat less, because it gives time for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. It seems to work, because even though I ate much less than before, I never felt hungry like the grapefruit diet plan I tried.

Changing my eating habits was actually the easier part. Personally, I don’t like doing repetitive workout routines, and I won’t have the will power to exercise 45-60 minutes daily. I had to find a short, but effective workout so I would do it everyday. I found Tranz4m, a 23 minutes workout which has the following routines: Warm Up, Leg Circuit, General Circuit, and Abdominal Circuit. Although the workout is 23 minutes long, it’s very intensive, and my muscles didn’t easily adapt to the workout. This is because you do each exercise as much as you can in 15 seconds for the General Circuit and Abdominal Circuit. When i started to adapt to the routine I targeted myself to do more repetitions.

It turned out that my weight lost didn’t only made me look slimmer, but I also had other benefits I didn’t expect, for example I’m sleeping better at night and I’m playing better basketball.

Is the Wii Fit Misleading?

Vincent Kong — Sat, 24 May 2008 18:40:35 +0000

The Wii Fit, just released on May 21st in North America has become very popular, but recently it also had it share of complains indicating that it’s misleading people about their fitness. Two articles that I recently read about are:

To measure a person’s fitness level the Wii Fit uses the Body Mass Index (BMI). Not to go into great detail the BMI is a formula which uses your weight and height, and the result can be categorizes into different classifications.

In summary, the argument is that the Wii Fit misleads people because the BMI does not differentiate fat and muscle. Since muscle is heavier than fat, then a person who is well built will be misinterpret as obese (as claim in articles).

First, it should be mention that the BMI was not something Nintendo created, it’s a system that has been around for quite a while and the categories which Wii Fit uses are data coming from the World Health Organization, thus if there is a flaw people shouldn’t blame the Wii Fit but the BMI system instead.

As an owner of the Wii Fit I thought it would be interesting to test the formula out.

The argument indicates that a muscular person will be misinterpret as being obese because muscle is heavier than fat. LeBron James, is a is NBA player. With his size and power, he virtually can’t be stopped when driving to the basket and is often referenced like a tank. He is listed as 6’8″, 250 lbs and many consider him 30 lbs heavier than his peers in the same small forward position, as well his body fat percent is 6.7%.

Using the formula his BMI result is 27.52, and is classify as overweight. This does seem to give an indication that the BMI system is flawed, but considering all that muscle he has, he is only listed as overweight and not obese. I went on to calculate how much he have to weigh to be considered obese. To be classify as obese the body mass index must be least 30, and using this number I derived that LeBron James needs to weight 273.12 lbs, approximately 23 lbs more than he currently is. With a body fat of 6.7%, it would seem impossible for him to put on this additional amount of muscle. However, lets consider the impossible and assume that he does add 23 lbs more muscle to his body. With this additional muscle would he be more fit?

Knowing that LeBron James won’t be gaining 23 lbs anytime soon, I looked for another person who has experienced a similar situation. Kobe Bryant, listed as 6’6″ and 205 lbs, is currently considered NBA’s best player lost 20 lbs last summer. Kobe’s body fat is known to be under 10%, so the weight lost would mean mostly muscle lost. Doing a search lead me to an article explaining the reason for the weight lost. In summary, the article mentions that too much muscle mass can hurt an athletic abilities, and lugging around the extra weight whether it’s fat or muscle will tire a person more easily because it’s more work. The article also mentions that Kobe lost 20 lbs to improve his quickness, as well as having more energy for the entire game, i.e. making him a more fit player.

Just for the fun of doing more math, I calculated Kobe’s BMI using both his past and current weight. The results were 26 and 23.69 classifying him as overweight before the weight lost and normal respectively. Looking at Kobe’s game this year compare to last year, I would say it has gotten better.

In conclusion the BMI system may slightly misinterpret your fitness level if you are a high level athlete with a body fat of under 10% as in LeBron James’ case. However, the majority of us aren’t high level athletes and won’t be able to use the muscle mass as an excuse if we are classify as being obese. Furthermore, have extra muscle mass doesn’t necessarily make you a more fit person. Is the Wii Fit misleading? In my opinion, no!

Goodbye to My Honda Civic

Vincent Kong — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:26:56 +0000

I’ve decided to make a tough decision and sale my 2001 Honda Civic SI. With tinted windows, spoiler, and body kit, it’ll probably be the only sports like car that I will ever drive in my lifetime. After owning my car for 6 years, I’ll definitely miss driving it. I posted some pictures which I have taken just before I sold it.