Dance like no one's watching

Did you know that Windows and Nokia have come up with a Windows Live services (includes MSN, myspace, etc) for Nokia S60 phones?  It’s been around since 2008 but I’ve only just discovered it.  (Bye bye ebuggy!!).  I’ve tested it successfully with my N82.  Only drawback is that it displays contacts in online/offline lists and not your personal group lists.  Seems stable in my last 15min of using it…

Get it here:http://symbianv3.com/new-windows-live-messenger-perfect/

The other really cool app the the ‘Conversation’ app.  This allows you to view your smses in a conversation format, which is quite commonly available in other brands of handphones (e.g. HTC, Sony Ericsson).  This was first released in 2007.  Heh.  So it’s nothing new. 

Get it here: http://betalabs.nokia.com/betas/view/conversation

Update: The 2 programmes above can’t co-exist!  *Rolls eyes*.  Windows Live Msgr requires a file called ‘Nokia Contacts Services Support Package’ in order to work, but the Conversations programme needs it to be deleted…

I’ve always known that the Nokia N82 is a great phone, though I’ve never tested its limits.  My interest in applications for handphones was only ignited recently after playing with Azure’s iPhone.  To alleviate the pain of waiting for the Nokia X6, I decided to see what sort of apps are available for my N82 and found this interesting site by Nokia engineers – http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps.

The apps found in the site aren’t released yet… so think of them as works-in-progress, which you can help make available by testing them!  I thought the Nokia Conversation app was cool (the N82 doesn’t allow viewing of smses in ‘conversation format’ thought I think the later versions of Nokia hps might).

Anyway, can’t talk now… gotta go install apps.

Oops… please pardon my late news…

I hope Kobayashi finds a team soon…

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TOKYO: Japan’s Toyota Motor is to quit Formula One (F1) in a bid to slash costs as the company battles to cope with the fallout from the global recession, a newspaper said Wednesday.
Toyota will hold an extraordinary board meeting Wednesday to make a formal decision on the pullout, with president Akio Toyoda making the announcement at a news conference in Tokyo, the Mainichi Shimbun said, without citing its sources.
The world’s biggest carmaker declined to comment on the report.
The Mainichi said the auto giant had earlier planned to continue its F1 participation until 2012 but decided to cut costs by making this year’s season – which ended Sunday in Abu Dhabi – its last, the paper said.
Toyota would consider selling the team, it said.
Toyota entered F1 in 2002. It ended this season ranked fifth in the constructors’ championship.
If the company’s withdrawal is confirmed it would mean there would be no Japanese automakers in the world’s premier autosport.
Toyota in July pulled out of hosting the Japanese Grand Prix at its Fuji Speedway circuit.
The report came just two days after Japanese tyre maker Bridgestone Corp. said it would end supplying tyres to the race next year.
Bridgestone’s exit from Formula One is part of an exodus by Japanese automotive industry giants from the multi-million-dollar sport amid the worst industry slump in decades.
Honda earlier sold its F1 team as the carmaker battled with the effects of a slowing world economy.
– AFP/yb

From: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1015786/1/.html

My cellgroup is currently doing a study on spiritual gifts and one of the points the author of the book we’re covering brought up was that we shouldn’t project our gifts onto others, e.g. if you can speak in tongues, that’s good, but you shouldn’t condemn another person who can’t speak in tongues as being any less a believer.

Likewise, I think mothers shouldn’t project their love of babies onto others.  A friend who’s a new mother made this remark recently.  She said to me, “AA gave birth this year, I also had a baby, now CC is pregnant – we’re all waiting for you to have a kid!”

The thought that went through my mind when she said that was – duh?  I’m not saying I’ll never have a child but I think her statement can be construed as slightly offensive because she assumed everyone wanted to have babies, and made it sound as though you need to have a child in order to complete your life.  Well, heck no!  *Rolls eyes*. 

Although I didn’t take offence at what she said, I just hate it when people make such general assumptions.  Just like I hate it when people always ask husbands / boyfriends things like, “Did you drive?”, etc.  Duh?  Why the assumption that it’s the guy that drives or owns a car?  I REALLY hate this sort of gender biases.

So here’s my note to all mothers.  Just keep your love to yourself.  Seriously.  I’m freaked out as it is that there’s going to be strange kiddos (my tolerance and patience for children extend only to children of people I know) running around our flat during our Christmas party.  I really hope they don’t damage the paint or furniture or our newly laid parquet floor (I’m seriously considering laying a canvas sheet over the floor in the spare room and locking all the children there).  Argh.  Imagine the dirt and germs thy bring.  Eck!  Even if I’m the host, I won’t hesitate to smack any offending youngling.

Hmm… or maybe we should just lock them up in the balcony… the tiles there are less prone to damage…

If his combative performance on his Brazilian Grand Prix debut had not already done enough, it appears that Kamui Kobayashi’s stunning drive in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the weekend has all-but convinced his employer Toyota to offer him a full-time race seat in F1 2010.

Having qualified eleventh on his maiden appearance at Interlagos in place of the injured Timo Glock – and run sixth for much of the first half of the grand prix, determinedly fending off the attentions of an eager Jenson Button behind him, even if some of his defensive tactics did come in for a degree of post-race scrutiny – Kobayashi headed to the United Arab Emirates keen to stake his claim to a promotion next year. He did so in some style.

Starting from eleventh once again, the young Japanese ace made the most of a bold one-stop strategy to run as high as third before making his sole pit visit, and he engaged in another energetic and highly entertaining scrap with F1’s new world champion along the way, assertively fighting his way past his Brawn GP rival as the latter emerged from his first stop. Winding up an excellent sixth at the chequered flag – ahead of infinitely more experienced team-mate Jarno Trulli – it was beyond any doubt an eye-catching effort.

“It was a really good race for me,” enthused the reigning GP2 Asia Series Champion. “At the start I overtook [Kimi] Raikkonen, and that was important in the end because it would have been difficult to finish in the top six if I had been behind him during the first stint. When I got past I was confident I had the race pace to fight for the points, and my target was to be consistently fast.

“The team did a great job with the strategy and the pit-stop, which played a big part in helping me finish in the points. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be racing in F1 this season, and I want to say thank you to Toyota for this opportunity. My target was to finish in the points, but I am a bit surprised to be in the top six. This is a fantastic result and I am extremely happy.”

Kobayashi’s impressive speed and flair also drew strong words of praise from Toyota Motorsport President John Howett, a man who confessed that he had been unsure about the 23-year-old’s absolute potential following his failure to shine in the main GP2 Series in 2009. After the Cologne-based outfit was snubbed by both Raikkonen and Robert Kubica – and with current pairing Jarno Trulli and Glock tipped to leave for pastures new, most likely Lotus F1 and Renault respectively – Howett admitted that ‘it looks like’ the man from Hyogo is all-but a shoe-in for a race seat next season and rated his chances of full-time graduation at 80 per cent.

“We have to really seriously consider him now after this good strong result,” the Englishman told reporters in Abu Dhabi. “I think it’s a definite lesson that sometimes we all should be braver in our driver choices and not go for the safer, risk-hedged decision.”

Toyota is unable to sign any drivers at all until its 2010 budget is approved – or otherwise – at an executive board meeting in Tokyo on 15 November, but it looks likely that Trulli has competed in the last of his 90 races in the top flight for the Japanese manufacturer. That being the case, his eighth points-scoring finish of the season – exactly six seconds behind Kobayashi in seventh, after pursuing a two-stop strategy from sixth on the grid – was a pleasing way to sign off and confirm his eighth spot in the final drivers’ standings for the year.

“It was not an easy race for me,” reflected the Italian. “I made a good start and was fighting with the BMWs in the first laps, which was good fun, but I was struggling a little with traction. During the stint the rear tyres were degrading, and then later braking consistency became an issue.

“I was pushing as hard as possible and putting in some good laps to fight for the top six. In the end I was seventh, which is not bad, and for the team the result is pretty good. Obviously Kamui drove really well and I am very pleased for him; he deserved this result.”

“It was a great result for us to have both drivers in the points in the last race of 2009,” concluded team principal Tadashi Yamashina, as Toyota ended the campaign fifth in the constructors’ championship table, with the third-highest points total of its eight-year F1 career. “Kamui did a fantastic job and we are very proud of him, but Jarno also fought hard to get a strong result.

“This year the team, including everyone back in the factory in Cologne, has done a brilliant job. It’s been a tough season but we have ended it in a positive way, so thanks to everyone in the team, as well as our sponsors and fans. I would like to offer my congratulations to the race organisers, who have done a fantastic job to create this incredible venue and also to the new world champions, Brawn GP and Jenson Button, who achieved so much this season.”

Source: http://www.crash.net/f1/news/154321/1/abu_dhabi_star_kobayashi_all-but_secures_toyota_f1_2010_seat.html

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Sigh… I hope Kobayashi gets to race next year, whether it’s for Toyota (since they may be pulling out) or some other team.  Maybe the bigshots in Japan will be more willing to continue racing in F1 now that there’s a Japanese driver with real potential in their team! 

Wonder where’s Rosberg going… I really hope he doesn’t end up in Lotus or Renault!

I really love my Nokia N82.  I downloaded the programme, DVD Video Soft and managed to convert the DVD files (.IFO format) that my dad recorded for me into a .mp4 format, watchable on the N82!  Woohoo!  The N82’s screen is really small, but the video was nevertheless sharp and very clear.  I can’t wait for the X6 to come out so I can watch videos on it too!  Woot woot!

P.S. You should check out the DVD Video Soft programme.  It can convert files so that they can be playable on the iPhone, iPod, Sony PSP, etc.

I just password protected my tweets because I’m probably going to gripe a lot on it so I haven’t decided how many people I want following me.  I may eventually remove my twitter feed from this blog but we’ll see how it goes.  If you’re not on my newly private twitter following list, please just click cancel and you’ll still be able to read the blog.

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Problem solved… I’ve created a new page (see the menu at the bottom of the banner?) which will hold my Twitter updates so for friends who are on my follow list, you can view my updates from above too.  This also means no more irritating dialogue box urging one and all to log in when they reach this blog.  🙂

Left: Our doors are blue!  Greece inspired.

Right: That’s our half painted balcony doors & our shoe cabinet w/o doors.

Left: Our shoe cabinet (with doors installed) and our TV console.

Right: A little cubby hole to hide the power box.

Left: KDK ceiling fan

Right: Fully painted foldable balcony doors

Fishy balcony lights that we bought from JB.

Left: Our dining table lights.

Right: Our kitchen cabinets!  Now waiting for the counter tops to be done.

Left: That’s where the fridge will go.

Right: We restored the table & bench in the kitchen left behind by the previous owners.  The wooden looking feature wall is to cover up the sliding door of the kitchen.

Left: Exhaust fan in master bdrm toilet.

Right: Our half done basin in the toilet… we just placed the bowl on top to take the photo.  Hahahaha.

And finally, our main door & wrought-iron coloured main gate.  Reno works should be done by the end of the coming week.  Got a couple of details that we’re not too happy with, e.g. our living room aircon was mounted crooked.  Will be pressing the contractor to fix it… or he can forget about collecting the last 10% payment!

Sigh.  Had to sadly buy a new hairdryer to replace the Rowenta one above.  I really like my Rowenta hairdryer.  There isn’t any special features to it but it has served me well.  My parents bought it in 1977 – even before I was born!  The fuse, unfortunately, blew a couple of months ago and it doesn’t look like my dad intends to fix it.  (This is the 3rd time the fuse blew – though the first two times was caused by me – hair got sucked into the fan coil).

With much despair, I bought a new hairdryer from Philips. 

I had my reservations about Philips ‘cos I used to have one when I was in NTU and it didn’t last the 2 years I stayed in hostel!  Didn’t have much choice though ‘cos Harvey Norman carries mainly Philips or Braun and Braun is quite expensive.

Oh well, I hope it lasts.  Bye bye Rowenta hairdryer.  You were the best!!