The Invisible Economic Recession

While Eric Banana was out with the lovely Astro Girl yesterday, he took the chance to do a rough gauge of the sentiment surrounding consumer spending on a Saturday afternoon. With the current "economic crisis", Eric Banana was naively half-expecting the shopping malls to be nearly deserted. To his horror however, there were shoppers everywhere.

From what he saw, one would be left wondering exactly what kind of economic recession the country is currently going though. The LV Index was a reasonably healthy 5, which means that the boutique was full (Note: A certain "ideal" number of customers is allowed in the boutique at any one time.Once this number is reached, the boutique is considered "full". It doesn't mean that the boutique is packed with customers to the brim. It is only "full" to the extent that the customers inside the store would have a shopping experience they would expect out of a luxury goods boutique. Additional customers would have to queue. To allow one more person to enter the boutique, one of the customers inside the boutique has to step out of the boutique first.) The Coach Index was 0, but the store was at least 75% full. 

Armani Exchange was swarmed with customers but this could be due to the ongoing sale at all Club 21 outlets. (Say, wasn't there a Club 21 sale not too long ago?) While a 30 percent discount is quite attractive, 70 percent of the original price tag still sums up to quite an amount. Say, a $100 t-shirt. After 30 percent off, one would pay $70. That could pay for Eric Banana's lunch at work for one whole month ($3 a day multiplied by 22 days). That $70 could go a long way to helping the poor.

Despite the gravity of the economic situation, it would seem that some people have yet to fully realise how serious it really is. They may have escaped the negative impact of having their investments wiped out in the financial markets. They may have managed to cling on to their jobs... for now. But doomsday could come tomorrow for just about anyone since there is no such thing as an iron ricebowl. It's a bad time to become jobless because guess what, one would have to vie with many highly-qualified, experienced people for just one theoretical position (theoretical because that position may not even exist). Without that big, fat salary and obscene bonuses, excessive lifestyles would have to be adjusted drastically overnight. It's a long journey on the way down, so it's probably prudent to prepare for it as early as possible.

For Eric Banana, life is fairly simple. He merely watches the prices of bananas and hopes they don't skyrocket. *Eric Banana spied Astro Girl rolling her eyeballs in disbelief* Okay, maybe it is not thaaaaaat simple. Hmmm, so much for the benefit of the doubt. As for Astro Girl, she already led a lifestyle as if the economy was in a recession WHEN the economy was booming. She is not called "impossibly thrifty" for no reason yah?

An Astro Girl For Astro Girl

It would seem that time really passed like nobody's business this year - Christmas is approaching in less than two months' time! Which means it is that time of the year when Eric Banana will agonise over what to get for the lovely Astro Girl. Now, do not belittle this effort - it is not easy to fathom what Astro Girl secretly desires. She seldom shows interest in anything when they go window shopping. Furthermore, her taste mostly differs from the general female population.

While Eric Banana was looking for ideas online, he came across what he deemed as THE present he must get for Astro Girl. And guess what, it was a chance find on eBay!

Presenting the cutest-ever Astro Girl coin bank:

The truth is, Eric Banana has been on the look-out for a nice Astro Girl figurine for the longest time but he has never been able to find a suitable one. The Astro Girl coin bank tugged at his heart-strings straight away and he knew he had to get it for Astro Girl. The only problem is that one can be outbid on eBay, usually right before a bid ends. Despite revising his maximum bid twice, Eric Banana still felt insecure. He knew that if he did not win the bid, he will not be able to find the Astro Girl coin bank easily elsewhere. And that was a scenario he was not prepared to live with. Eventually, he went out of the way to be in front of his computer to ensure that he was the winning bidder.

Somehow Eric Banana is not good at keeping secrets of this nature. The only exception was his proposal plan but that is another story and will be covered in Part III of the AstroBanana Trilogy. Upon winning the bid, Eric Banana immediately told Astro Girl about her early Christmas present. Of course, Astro Girl asked about the price which Eric Banana was not going to disclose but she found out through her own means anyway. In her own words, she "cannot believe you paid so much to buy an Astro Girl coin bank with a bird on her head". In his defense, Eric Banana just feels that the Astro Girl coin bank is impossibly 可爱 and makes an excellent present for Astro Girl. The rest is immaterial to him.

Anyway, AstroBanana collected the Astro Girl coin bank from the eBay seller earlier this evening, and now Astro Girl is in possession of the cutest-ever Astro Girl coin bank. Eric Banana knows he will eventually see the coin bank again... in less than 11 months' time. Oops, did he just reveal his evil plan again? :P

LV Index

The LV Index is another of Eric Banana's proxy indicators, used for measuring economic wealth (read: accumulation of unnecessary luxury goods) and consumer spending (read: mindless splurging). Its value is derived from the length of the queue forming outside the LV boutique in Ngee Ann City; therefore, it can range from zero (wah, bo lang ah?!) to impossible (wah lau eh, the queue so looooong ah?!).

During good times (a.k.a. once upon a time), a queue of about 20 people or more can be spotted outside the LV boutique at any one time. A queue amounting to a grand total of zero was observed on a Monday night at about 7 p.m. Is it a sign of bad times, or can this be attributed to the Monday effect (who shops on Monday nights anyway?!)? The evidence is not conclusive at this point of time. It could be due to the rainy weather. Or maybe the branded-goods crowd was taking a break after invading the Club 21 sale last weekend.

For the record, Eric Banana doesn't really care. His beloved Astro Girl is not a fan of LV, or any crazily-priced branded bags for that matter. Shhhh.... don't give her any ideas though.

Last Man Standing

While Eric Banana was in Ngee Ann City earlier this evening for his Monday night yoga lesson, he took a quick peek at the remaining survivors of the 2008 MediaCorp Radio Subaru Impreza Challenge. Basically, each contestant has to plaster his or her right palm (pity the left-handers) flat on a designated palm decal on a designated vehicle (no prize for guessing what kind of vehicle it is though). No movement or lifting of the palm is allowed. A break of five minutes is given every six hours. There are a host of other rules involved which shall not be elaborated here. Just think "absolute misery" and you should get a pretty good picture.

So what motivates the contestants to challenge their limits so enthusiastically (a.k.a. torture themselves so willingly)? Well, the last man (or woman) standing walks away with the grand prize of a Subaru Impreza WRX. Actually, he or she would probably be closer to limping away with the prize instead but let's not go into technicalities here.

The record so far stands at 77 hours 13 mins, which was set in 2007. That is a freaking 3 days 5 hours 13 mins!!! Beyond the initial shock, Eric Banana is full of respect for the eventual champion. In fact, he is full of respect for anyone who can last beyond 24 hours. How can anyone stand it?! (Oops, pardon the pun.)

Despite being suitably impressed, Eric Banana is unlikely to sign up for the Challenge anytime soon, especially within this lifetime, due to the following reasons:

• Eric Banana simply cannot stay still. He is not called "Fidgety Eric" for no reason. This dude fidgets a lot even when he is watching a movie or doing a yoga posture. How is he going to remain still for six hours?! 6 hours = 360 minutes = 21,600 seconds. The mere thought of that is horrifying enough.

• Amazing but true, Eric Banana has accumulated a lot of bad karma, which has a direct correlation with the individual risk of being struck by lightning in an unlikely manner. The gamemaster says, "Roll 3D6 and get struck by lightning if the outcome is above 0", which is akin to shouting to the skies and mouthing "F-R-Y my donkey".
  

• Eric Banana has thoracolumbar scoliosis, coupled with joint effusion in his knees. He would count his blessings if he can stand all the way on the train ride from Boon Lay MRT to Pasir Ris MRT.

Eric Banana also notes that there are a lot of palm decal positions on each vehicle, some of which are extremely favourable as they do not involve unnecessary contortion of body parts. It would seem then that the luck of the draw does play a part. Undoubtedly, some contestants are going to drop out with the consolation prize of a WII (read: Wrist Injury Inevitably)...

The skies have not been friendly these two days. For the sake of the remaining contestants' well-being, Eric Banana hopes that it will stop raining. Then again, whenever Eric makes a wish with regard to weather, the opposite usually comes true so...

B For "BUNNY", Not "BARNEY"

While window shopping on Friday night, Eric Banana and Astro Girl were having a casual conversation...

Astro Girl: Hmmm, the physiotherapist recommended that I put in-soles in my shoes to alleviate my heel and knee pain.

Eric Banana (trying to be a thoughtful future husband) : Oh okay, maybe you should try that. Well, next time when we get married, I will buy you a pair of bunny slippers to wear around the house.

Astro Girl (semi-delighted): Really?! You will do that?

Eric Banana: Yah, why not?

Astro Girl: Hmmm, I thought you don't like Barney?

Eric Banana (rolling his eyeballs): BUNNY slippers lar. B-U-N-N-Y. Why would I get you a pair of BARNEY slippers?! To irritate myself?!!

Astro Girl: Hahahahahaha...

While they are going to get married in less than a year's time, there are still times when Eric Banana and Astro Girl *obviously* live in different worlds. And Eric Banana finds that he keeps getting tripped by Astro Girl moments... 

Christmas Is All Around

After a hiatus of two weeks, Eric Banana was back in Ngee Ann City yesterday for his routine Monday night yoga class. As he left the building after his class, he spotted the gigantic Christmas tree being erected on Level 1. Yes, the one which people always crowd around to take pictures. Yes, it's probably the same tree as last year's. Given the current economic situation, who has spare cash to burn on Christmas decorations anyway?

For Eric Banana, the sighting of the Ngee Ann City Christmas tree is the indicator which signifies that Christmas is just around the corner. And yes, Christmas is indeed only less than two months away. How did the whole year just zoom past like that? Eric Banana does not really celebrate Christmas but he has always liked the feel during the festive season. He looks forward to spending time with Astro Girl in end-December. 

Actually, Eric Banana uses a whole bunch of proxy indicators in his daily life. For example, he noted that the pantry drawer at his workplace contained a wide assortment of biscuits and crackers when the company was doing well. As it started plunging into difficult times, there are now hardly any biscuits to be found in the drawer. Either that, or someone has been dipping into the cookie jar. Literally. Hmmm. Maybe the Cookie Monster.

Eric Banana also sees the crowd at Starbucks as an economic indicator. During good times, one would actually have to queue for at least 15 minutes to get a drink. During not-so-good times, the number of customers in the cafe can be easily counted with the fingers on one hand. Right now, Eric Banana buys kopi from the drinks stall at the foodcourt for the princely sum of one dollar versus a ransom of S$5.30 he would have to fork out for a tall cup of latte from Starbucks. Sometimes, he just drinks free coffee from the Nescafe machine in his workplace pantry. Oh well, times are bad.

After-Thought Addendum: Then again, the mystery of the disappearing biscuits may have no correlation with the company's performance after all. If Eric Banana did not remember wrongly, many of the former residents in the pantry drawer originated from Julie's and Khong Guan. And the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has just announced last month that Malaysia-made Julie's biscuits and Khong Guan assorted biscuits are among those which were found to contain melamine. So the eviction of the biscuits may be a move for the interest of employees' health. A colleague casually commented that he could think of at least 10 brands of biscuits that are not associated with the recent melamine scare. Eric Banana summed it up best - "Well, I sure won't mind Marks & Spencer biscuits."

A Figment Of Eric's Imagination

AstroBanana met up with the mysterious Omega last Thursday for dinner at the newly opened Waraku Japanese Restaurant on the revamped fifth floor of The Heeren. The food was pretty good and affordable. There are also a wide variety of choices on the menu... almost too many. Dinner was originally supposed to be at Paragon's Sushi Tei restaurant but since it does not accept reservations, and the trio did not fancy having to queue for a table after a hard day's work, it was a no-go for Sushi Tei. 

On another note, has anyone ever checked out the impossibly long queue at the Sushi Tei outlet in Vivocity? That is one inexplicable mystery to Eric Banana. Good food? Hmmm, it's just another Sushi Tei restaurant. Good sea view? Well, let's just say there are a lot of restaurants in Vivocity with a good sea view. Opportunity to queue and waste your time while suffering hunger pangs? Okay, Eric Banana cannot really argue about that.

Anyway, AstroBanana are risking their lives to put up an exclusive photo of Omega on this blog:

What? You can't really see her face? Erm, that was the whole idea in the first place. You really thought AstroBanana will reveal her identity to the world at large?! 不要命啊?!

Eric Banana's original intention was to slap a mosaic on Omega's face but he realised that she is still recognisable especially when the edited photo is reduced to a very small size. He decided to introduce a motion blur to the entire photo to solve the problem instead. It also took care of Omega's little "request", which was *rolls eyeballs* to enlarge her boobs via Photoshop. Undeniably, she's in a class of her own.

Omega first met Astro Girl about a year ago (October 2007) although Eric Banana has been telling Omega about Astro Girl since March 2007 when they got attached. Omega's classic opening line to Astro Girl when they first met was....

"Wow! You really exist! For the longest time, I thought you were just a figment of Eric's imagination..."

Somebody should give Omega a prize.

Not That Kind Of Delivery!!

Not too long ago, globalisation was but a textbook concept to Eric Banana.  He put this concept to test over the past few days and he must admit that he is quite impressed. It all started with Eric Banana's sudden obsession with X Japan...

X Japan (previously known as X) is a Japanese rock band that disbanded in 1997. Many of its CDs and DVDs are already out-of-print. Some of them can still be found on eBay and small online retailers but the prices are impossibly high. Deciding that he has had enough of eBay and its unpredictability, Eric Banana opted for an easier way out - which is to get a comprehensive box set called "X Japan Complete II" that would not only complete his collection but also cure his music blues.

     

After doing some homework, Eric Banana decided to make his purchase from amazon.co.jp because not only did it offer a discount on the RRP (recommended retail price), it also imputed the shipping and delivery charges in the selling price. It is probably much cheaper than ordering it through HMV Singapore, which marks up everything with an "IMPORT" sticker.

Eric Banana placed his order on Saturday night. Amazingly, for a website that is mostly in Japanese, there are enough English options and common-sense features to facilitate the ordering process. The package left Japan via FedEx on Monday afternoon and reached Philippines past midnight for a quick transit. It reached Singapore early on Tuesday morning and cleared customs promptly. It was out for delivery within a couple of hours and reached the Banana residence around noon. The only problem? Nobody was at home to accept the package :| so Eric had to call FedEx early this morning to schedule another delivery - which turned out to be between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. today.

Eric Banana and Astro Girl were chatting on Yahoo! Messenger earlier this evening:

Astro Girl: I am going off in a bit.

Eric Banana: I am going home soon too... to await my delivery.

(Eric Banana could second guess what Astro Girl was probably thinking...)

Eric Banana (trying to clarify): My package delivery lar... not giving birth!!!

Astro Girl (unable to control her laughter): Hahahahahaha...

And yup, that is the kind of abuse Eric Banana has to go through on a daily basis. Pity him alright?

Note: The package arrived at 8:29 p.m. without any hiccup.

De-Packaging Look & Feel Part II

Eric Banana was talking to Astro Girl about the new Apple MacBook this morning...

Eric Banana (trying to be helpful): Dear ah, aren't you thinking of getting a new computer? Why don't you get the MacBook? The specs seem okay and the price at roughly $2k makes it a good deal. Moreover, you are not a power user so you don't need to go for the expensive high-end models...

Astro Girl (still very undecided): I don't know - we shall see. I may consider getting a Lenovo ThinkPad. I like the ThinkPad keyboard.

Eric Banana (in a triumphant "The Empire Strikes Back" tone): Oh! Why don't you type on a ThinkPad keyboard while looking at the MacBook screen? Sounds familiar?

Astro Girl (giving him a whatever look): ...

Haha, there are some things which Eric Banana learns very quickly =P By the way, Eric Banana uses a Lenovo ThinkPad T61.

Updated MacBook and MacBook Pro

As you read this entry, Astro Girl is two steps away from standing up and protesting that uptoyoulor.com is not a technology blog so yes, Eric Banana is risking his life to bring you this update.

Apple has just announced an update to its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks:

MacBook Pro:

• Precision aluminum unibody enclosure
• Ultrathin 15-inch LED-backlit display
• High performance NVIDIA graphics (GeForce 9400M + GeForce 9600M GT )
• All-new, smooth glass Multi-Touch trackpad
• Prices start at S$3,188

Since its introduction, the MacBook Pro has been a very cool machine, just like its predecessor (the PowerBook G4). With each update, the machine becomes better and better. The incorporation of two NVIDIA graphics cards probably establishes Apple's intention to market it as a serious gaming machine. The new aluminum unibody construction with the glass screen and trackpad simply made it even more irresistible.

MacBook:

• Precision aluminum unibody enclosure
• Ultrathin 13.3-inch LED-backlit display
• Up to 5x faster NVIDIA graphics performance (GeForce 9400M)
• All-new, smooth glass Multi-Touch trackpad
• Prices start at S$2,088
  

The MacBook got a significant overhaul this time and becomes almost like the smaller version of the MacBook Pro. The specs are respectable and affordable. The polycarbonate MacBook still exists, but only in white colour and at a reduced price tag. 

Eric Banana has been coveting an Apple notebook since 2002 and one day, he will be brave enough (or rather, rich enough) to get one. Unfortunately, he would have to go through the MAG (Ministry of Astro Girl) for approval by that time. Until then, the entries to this blog will continue to come out from a Windows-powered machine...

1314

Today AstroBanana took a step closer towards their commitment to run more in the days to come. It started with Astro Girl wanting to buy a new pair of running shoes as her existing pair wasn't giving her enough support and her knees were hurting as a result. She set her eyes on a pair of Asics GEL-Kayano 13 and picked the Quicksilver/White/Orange Peel colour. Being the eternal copycat, Eric Banana decided that he could do with a new pair of running shoes as well. His existing pair is amazingly light but lacks adequate cushioning as a result. And his knees and back are not doing that well nowadays. But hey, who ever needs an excuse for shopping?! He was deliberating between the Asics GEL-Nimbus 10 and the Asics GEL-Kayano 14 for a while but finally settled on the latter and chose the Silver/Black/Lime colour by default :(

Asics running shoes are highly rated by running professionals, generally garnering favourable reviews, but they are also terribly expensive. A pair of Asics GEL-Kayano costs S$264!! Thankfully, AstroBanana went to Queensway Shopping Centre to buy their shoes so they saved a total of S$159 (Astro Girl got a 35% discount on her GEL-Kayano 13; Eric Banana got a 25% discount on his GEL-Kayano 14). But seriously, a good pair of running shoes is important as it helps to prevent injuries so the money spent is more than worth it.

The hopelessly vain Eric Banana thinks that the colour of Astro Girl's GEL-Kayano 13 looks great but is less than happy with the colour of his own GEL-Kayano 14. Oh well, it will be strictly for running purposes - he wears Nike AF1s for casual purposes - and he usually runs at night when nobody can see anything anyway so it should not matter, except for that nagging feeling that will haunt him for a while...

Getting The Order Right

Eric Banana has been hearing / reading about how some couples are determined about getting married on a "special" day in the likes of Valentine's Day or 09.09.2009, sometimes to the point of frivolous obsession. Some of them can't stop talking about how the significance of their wedding will be accentuated on a "special" day - "Oh, it will be more memorable on a special day mah." As if.

If anything else, what these couples are effectively doing is getting the order wrong. Eric Banana will attempt to explain as follows:

Let A = Getting married

Let B = Wedding date is special

Based on these couples' logic, they are getting married on a particular date because it is "special" (Logic: If B, then A).

In Eric's mind, a particular date becomes special for a couple BECAUSE they are getting married on that day (Logic: If A, then B). It is a day when two persons make an unanimous decision to live the rest of their lives together, united in blissful matrimony and committed to each other. It does not need to be a "special" day - the day becomes special.

So yes, 9 October 2009 is going to become a special day :)

Countdown: 1 Year To Go

Time really flies. Today is 9 Oct 2008. Exactly one year later, Eric Banana and Astro Girl are going to be united in blissful matrimony. Not too long ago, it seemed as if they have done about everything that can be done and there is still a lot of time left to pick up the remnants of wedding preparations. That feeling diminished a fair bit today. Still, the dynamic duo (AstroBanana, that is... NOT Batman and Robin yah?) will wait the year out before they proceed to step up their wedding preparations.

December is currently slated to be home improvement month. Lots of things to clear and do! And the DGT outdoor photoshoot is tentatively scheduled to be in early December. No ideas for what to do for that yet though.

On this day, Eric Banana and Astro Girl share the same sentiment - they can't wait for 9 Oct 2009 to arrive! Hee~!

De-Packaging Look & Feel

Eric Banana wakes up at 6:30 a.m. every morning on weekdays although there is no need for him to do so. 7:30 a.m. would have been an okay timing for rise-and-shine but noooo, he insists on waking up one hour early. Morning exercise perhaps? Nah, he's so not an early morning person when it comes to exercise. Okay *drums roll*... Eric Banana wakes up early to read the newspapers every morning *bleah*. It has become a routine since he started reading The Straits Times when he was 10 years old... which is like last year, since he is technically 11 years old this year, but never mind that. The Banana clan subscribes to The Straits Times as well as Lianhe Zaobao (联合早报). Eric Banana reads the former while his father reads the latter. 

As of 1st October, the subscription and newsstand prices of The Straits Times (and The Sunday Times) have gone up due to rising production costs, including newsprint prices (from US$450 per tonne in 2004 to about US$900 in 2008).

• Monday to Friday: The price of The Straits Times went up from 70 cents to 80 cents.
  
• Saturday: The price of The Straits Times went up from 80 cents to 90 cents.
  
• Sunday: The price of The Sunday Times went up from 80 cents to 90 cents.
  

A typical week's subscription of The Straits Times / The Sunday Times went up from S$5.10 to S$5.80 (or 14%). This translates to an annual increase of S$36.40 (from S$265.20 to $301.60). (Note: The 1-year subscription amounts to S$295.60 on the SPH website.)

The price of Lianhe Zaobao went up too (from 70 cents to 75 cents for subscribers; from 75 cents to 80 cents at newsstands). This represents a percentage increase of 7.1 % and 6.7% respectively. A typical week's subscription of Lianhe Zaobao went up from $4.90 to $5.25, translating to an annual increase of S$18.20 (from $254.80 to $273). (Note: The 1-year subscription amounts to S$271.50 on the SPH website.)

With the price increase in the print edition of The Straits Times, it makes more sense to switch to the online edition, which costs as follows:

• 1-month subscription: S$15
  
• 6-month subscription: S$72 (or S$12 per month)
  
• 12-month subscription: S$120 (or S$10 per month)
  
• 24-month subscription: S$204 (or S$8.50 per month)
  

The impossibly thrifty Astro Girl switched to the online edition a few weeks ago so when Eric Banana ranted to her about the price increase...

Eric Banana (in his typical whining voice): Dear ah, the price of The Straits Times has gone up leh.

Astro Girl (using her rational tone): Uh huh. Why don't you cancel your subscription for the print edition and read it online using my account?

Eric Banana (reluctance painted all over his face): Hmmm, I can... but I like the feel of touching the newsprint leh. I feel very weird when I read it online.

Astro Girl (offering the ultimate compromise): Why don't you read The Straits Times online while touching your dad's Lianhe Zaobao? That way, you can have the best-of-both-worlds :)

Eric Banana (lost for words): ...

And once again, Eric Banana was struck by an Astro Girl moment :|

A Day Off Is A Day Off Is A Day Off

For many years, Eric Banana has been asking his boss one question without fail on 1st October: "Eh Boss, it's Children's Day today. Can I have the day off?" The response was always the same - Eric's boss rolling his eyeballs and lamenting why he hired him in the first place.

Today, Eric Banana finally got his wish - he got his day off on 1st October - but not because his boss has finally acceded to his request. As it turns out, 1 October 2008 IS a public holiday - Hari Raya Puasa. Yippee! A day off is a day off is a day off :)

AstroBanana spent last evening watching a movie with DGT at Orchard Cineleisure. The movie was Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which was directed by Woody Allen and starred Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. It was a nice funny movie, although they did miss the first 20 minutes, no thanks to AstroBanana being late and DGT being even later.

It was pouring heavily after the movie, so dinner was at Shokudo Japanese Pasta & Pizza and desserts were at Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe. Here's a picture of AstroBanana waiting outside Shokudo (Eric Banana was caught off-guard while Astro Girl remembered to pose for the camera):

Shokudo (NOT Sudoku, as someone once called it) Japanese Pasta & Pizza turned out to be a good dinner venue because AstroBanana uncovered a revelation in DGT's life there. No details though. AstroBanana are good secret keepers :)

It was getting late, so they had to brave the rain eventually. Here's a nice photo of AstroBanana sharing a brolly in the rain:

Eric Banana was surprised to see this photo though... it was still raining, the night was dark, they were crossing the road towards Heeren, DGT was carrying two bags and an umbrella... which lead to the question - Why was DGT trying to take a photo under those circumstances?!

An Astro Girl Moment

Eric Banana was having coffee with the lady of his future castle at the ToastBox outlet in Plaza Singapore this afternoon when he experienced what he has termed as an "Astro Girl moment". Apparently, while placing her orders, Astro Girl also purchased some ToastBox vouchers. Now, Eric Banana has seen Starbucks vouchers, or rather, gift certificates but he has never seen ToastBox vouchers... so naturally he was puzzled.

The impossibly thrifty Astro Girl explained: One cup of coffee or tea at ToastBox costs S$1.50. ToastBox sells 10 vouchers (each valid for one cup of coffee or tea) for S$12.90 and gives two vouchers free. This effectively adds up to 12 cups for S$12.90 or S$1.075 per cup. At normal pricing, 12 cups would have cost S$18. This translates into an effective savings of S$5.10 for 12 cups or S$0.425 per cup (28.3% in percentage terms).

... and that was an Astro Girl moment!

The only catch? Eric Banana noted that the vouchers expire three months from the date of purchase.

To that, Astro Girl dismissed Eric Banana's concerns nonchalantly. Her line of logic was that they go to ToastBox almost every weekend, which means, they can finish using the vouchers within six weeks. And this excludes their weekday visits :P

Nano-Chromatic!

Eric Banana was having dinner at Modesto's in Vivocity with some of his closest pals this evening when he got a surprise that came in a 7-Eleven plastic bag...

... a blue-colour fourth-generation iPod Nano 16GB!!

It was exactly what he has wanted to get, and it came three days before he got to buying it himself. Apparently, some of his friends have done some discreet homework to find out what he wants.

Eric Banana is very touched by his friends' generous gesture and would like to thank them here (in no particular order): Thanks Vincent, Wilson, Yihui, Chee Wee, April, Annie, Yingwen, Dion, Wee Suan and Maggie! 

AstroBanana Trilogy Part I: First Impressions

As people always say, first impressions count. 

While he was fully aware of this, Eric Banana still made a conscious decision to go for the movie date as... himself. He had just taken on a new look at that time - sporting a moustache with a goatee. Wearing a black t-shirt with grey 3/4 pants and sandals and carrying his Columbia tote bag, he was less than impressive. And he knew it. Well, at least he wasn't pretending to be someone else.

Astro Girl's choice of outfit that evening was a blue sleeveless top with jeans. Eric Banana thought she looked rather pretty, especially with that short hairstyle.

"Where did this guy come from?! He looks like an absolute ah beng!" Astro Girl thought to herself. She wondered what she had done wrong in her past life to deserve this. She probably forgot to account for her past, past life. She spied the conspicuous silver rings on Eric Banana's fingers and did a quick count - three on the left hand, two on the right hand, mostly with some kind of dragon design.

"Oh, she is kind of cute. Kind of quiet too. Must be the guai guai type." Eric Banana was kind of thinking all over the place as he struggled to find topics to talk about during their coffee session.

"Why does he keep blabbering non-stop? He makes me feel like an idiot." Astro Girl tried to keep smiling throughout.

"I better try to keep talking or she may find me boring and decide to go home." Eric Banana was probably one of the world's worst conversationalists and he would rather not talk about it.

"He looks like the type who likes bubbly girls, which means he won't ask me out again. Good." Astro Girl heaved a sigh of relief in the middle of nowhere.

"Oh, I have to ask her out again. Now, how do I go about asking for her number? Darn!" Eric Banana was virtually googling his mental bag of tricks.

So, as it turned out, Astro Girl had a less-than-favourable first impression of Eric Banana. The latter was fully aware that nobody ever has a favourable first impression of him anyway so he was trying to work on leaving better subsequent impressions...

Let's Rock

Despite Astro Girl's predisposition towards iPods (she thinks they are *really* just expensive iDoorStoppers), Eric Banana continues to keep tabs on the iPod product line, especially since he is looking for a high-capacity iPod to store all his songs. 

Apple held a special event - "Let's Rock" - on 9 Sep 2009 (U.S. time), which introduced a product refresh for some iPod models and a new version of iTunes.

iPod Classic:

Eric Banana was hoping for a refreshed iPod Classic line with storage space in excess of 160 GB. Well, the 160 GB model has been discontinued while the existing 80 GB model has been bumped up to 120 GB at the same price point (US$249). Argh!! What a bleah! Oh well, at least now he can get 40 GB more capacity for the same amount of money. Barely any consolation.

iPod Nano:

Eric Banana has heard rumours about the iPod Nano returning to its tall form-factor way before the event. Which is a good idea, since the third-generation iPod Nano looked like the bastardised child between the second-generation iPod Nano and a Creative Zen V player. Presenting the new fourth-generation iPod Nano:

• Curved all aluminum and glass design that is thinner
• Accelerometer allowing landscape video and cover flow
• Music shuffling by shaking the iPod Nano
• Available in 8GB (US$149) and 16GB (US$199) in nine stunning colours

iPod Touch:

With the iPhone 3G priced so attractively in the last round, there is no way the iPod Touch will stay unchanged:

• Sleek new design a.k.a. thinner
• Built-in speaker and volume control buttons
• Longer battery life
• Available in 8GB (US$229), 16 GB (US$299) and 32 GB (US$399)

iPod Shuffle:

No product refresh except for new colours.

iTunes 8:

Version 8 of iTunes has been released with a Genius function, which has the ability to find songs in an user's music library that go great along with a song he or she likes and create a Genius Playlist. Erm, what a genius?

iPhone 2.1 Software:

A bug fix with some performance enhancements. It is a free update to iPhone and iPod Touch users with the 2.0 software. iPod Touch users with 1.x software have to pay US$9.95 to upgrade. Eric Banana is glad that for once, he doesn't have to fork out a single cent to upgrade his software. As it is, he has been penalised enough for being an early adopter.

Eric Banana now wonders if he should get the 120 GB iPod Classic. Those new iPod Nanos do look tempting...

AstroortsA

In order to allow registered users (a.k.a. Eric Banana and Astro Girl) to use their xxx@uptoyoulor.com email addresses, Eric Banana worked on customising the personalised start page for uptoyoulor.com yesterday. Somehow he struggled to come up with a nice title for it. As the start page is powered by Google, he wanted to have the title in Google font:

"AstroBanana" did not seem right:

Eric Banana decided that the "-anana" was killing the text and balance aesthetics so he toyed with the idea of "AstroB" instead:

"AstroB" was actually not bad an idea. Apparently, the word "Astro" sounds and looks nicer. Still not satisfied, Eric Banana decided to combine the word "Astro" and its reversed version "orstA":

And yup, "AstroortsA" did the trick ;-)

Blog of the Day

Yay! The AstroBanana Chronicles has won a Super Saturday Blog of the Day Award (BOTDA):

http://blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com/2008/09/astrobanana-chronicles.html

What is a Super Saturday Blog of the Day Award?

From the BOTDA site: "Super Saturday is an occasional event held from time to time (on a Saturday) when there is a large backlog of worthy Weblogs that ought to have received a Blog of the Day Award but have not. A large collection of randomly selected nominee weblogs will be granted Blog of the Day Awards on Super Saturday. We believe that by participating in Super Saturday, you will discover many Super Special Blogs that should be Famous Blogs but have not yet reached that status."

Eric Banana and Astro Girl would like to thank Danon for his nomination. They will endeavour to make The AstroBanana Chronicles as interesting as possible, and hope readers will continue to support their blog by posting more comments.

And Then... Apocalypto

AstroBanana Trilogy Part I: Extended Edition

Part I of the AstroBanana Trilogy explained why Eric Banana and Astro Girl met under "very dark circumstances". This extended edition explores what happened after they met.

Actually, Eric Banana doesn't know why he chose the Spanish movie "Pan's Labyrinth" ("El laberinto del fauno", which translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun") for a first movie date, blind or otherwise. The obvious choice would have been to pick a awww-so-sweet romcom a.k.a. romantic comedy. Alas, Eric has a memory that resides inside a pea's brain - he just could not remember why he picked the movie. In fact, he could not remember if he picked it at all. Oh nevermind!

Eric Banana was already seated when Astro Girl showed up at the cinema theatre. They did the most natural thing two strangers could possibly do, which was of course to introduce themselves. The people around them must have been wondering what was going on. Being the shy-shy types, none of them said much. Eric Banana kindly offered to buy popcorn but Astro Girl kindly declined. And then the movie started...

Eric Banana is the type of movie-goer who does not talk during movies. In fact, if his friends try to talk to him while watching a movie together, he will either ignore them or "shhh" them. Thankfully, Astro Girl did not try to talk to him during the movie. This means that a blind movie date only goes as far as to put a guy and a gal next to each other in the cinema and any real interaction, if any, will begin only after the movie.

Halfway through the movie, Astro Girl must have been wondering about the weird dude sitting next to her who kept fidgeting. Okay, Eric Banana confesses - he cannot sit still during a movie, so yes, he was shifting around in his seat throughout the movie. He was also trying to steal subtle glances at Astro Girl with his peripheral vision, which is almost as renowned as his trademarked 1/16th split-second vision.

As he watched the movie, Eric Banana was having second, third and fourth thoughts about watching "Pan's Labyrinth". Some scenes were getting a tad too scary for his comfort. Yup, his reply to Ghostface's "Hello.. do you like scary movies?" would have been a big resounding NO. Yet he could not squirm or cover his eyes with his hands - he had an image to maintain so he tried not to show his fear in front of, or rather, next to Astro Girl. Romcom would definitely have been a better idea.

To Eric Banana's relief, the movie finally came to an end after two hours. And a bigger challenge awaited him. The movie date had technically come to an end. What was next? They could technically go their own separate ways and never meet again. Or they could go for a drink and maybe even exchange contact numbers. Just as Eric Banana was mustering his courage to ask Astro Girl to go for a drink, she offered to treat him to coffee since he paid for the movie tickets. Yay! Phew for Eric Banana too :P Hmmm, on hindsight, that would mean Astro Girl made the first move *hee hee*.

They adjourned to Starbucks on the ground floor for a cuppa. They chatted for over an hour, with Eric Banana dominating the conversation. They are both the shy-shy types and Eric Banana is not talkative around strangers. But somehow Eric Banana didn't want the coffee session to end so fast so he just kept talking and talking, about almost everything. Well, the fact that Astro Girl did not make an excuse to scoot off was a good sign. Then again, it could be that she was just being polite.

Eventually, the time came for them to say goodbye as it was a working day the next day. As Eric Banana walked Astro Girl to the MRT station, he was racking his brain. The question? How to get Astro Girl's contact number? Of course, he could contact her via gomoviedate.com again but it was a more expensive option as he had to pay for courier charges for delivery of the movie tickets on top of the movie ticket price. It would make more sense for him to open his mouth and just ask Astro Girl for her contact number. Except that he couldn't do it. Eric Banana has a peculiarity. Okay, he has more than one, but this particular peculiarity was that he will never ask a gal for her contact number. The main reason is that he does not want them to think he has some ulterior motive in doing so. 

So the question remained. How was he going to get Astro Girl's contact number? He decided to use an indirect way instead. He scribbled his personal mobile number on his namecard and passed it to Astro Girl, telling her to call him if she ever wants to find someone to talk to. And as he predicted, Astro Girl gave him her mobile phone number via a missed call on his mobile phone. Hurray!

And the fateful day came to an end. It wasn't love at first sight on both ends. But it sure signified more to come in the days after.

Turning The Camera...

... on the photographers in a shot taken over dinner at Ma Maison earlier:

Eric Banana and Astro Girl finally got to have dinner with Danon and Kenneth to thank them for their help in the photoshoot. It was also to celebrate Danon's birthday, which is coming up in a few days' time. Happy birthday in advance dude!

P.S. Guess who is older - Danon or Kenneth? Eric Banana and Astro Girl know their real age and they were quite shocked *gasp*

Yet Some More from the DGT Studio Photoshoot

By this time, you should be wondering exactly how many photos came out of the DGT studio photoshoot. If you have not, you should probably start to wonder right about now. Actually, a lot of these photos look kinda "similar" - it's just that Eric Banana and Astro Girl do not want those reasonably good shots to go to waste. 

A couple of *erm* couple shots taken by Danon:

   

Eric Banana featured in yet another triad recruitment poster (maybe the tagline should read:" "Come to the Dark Side"):

The rest of the photos were taken by Kenneth, who smartly focused more on the photogenic Astro Girl:

   

   

The focus on Eric Banana was... *erm* expected:

Okay, that was it for single shot (note the singular) of Eric B *hmmm*. Moving on to the couple shots... 

   

The next one is a collector's item as it features Eric Banana without his spectacles. There is only one because the photographers threatened to quit the shoot if Eric Banana did not put on his specs.  

Some more couple shots with colour:

   

   

And ending off with a big smile:

Why The iPhone 3G Cannot Be A Fashion Statement In Singapore

By Eric Banana

When you buy a brand new iPhone 3G, you will treat it like a baby and take very good care of it. You will worry about scratching the screen, so off you go to buy a screen protector. Next comes the worry about scratching the plastic back cover, so you will buy another protector for the back cover. As you fiddle with your iPhone 3G, you start worrying about accidental bumps and drops. Have no fear, there is a wide choice of covers to choose from. BUT most of these covers tend to wrap the iPhone 3G up like a rice dumpling, leaving only the screen exposed.. obviously so,  due to the touchscreen interface.

Now, your heavily-protected generic touchscreen phone.. oh wait, you say it's an iPhone 3G? Erm, who knows? Unless you keep it plastered to your ear for extended periods of time. In which case, you would have to wipe your screen with industrial detergent after that... and maybe see an orthopedist for chronic elbow pain. By the way, a first-generation iPhone or a Samsung Omnia (assuming they are covered with a case too) can be used for making calls too. Oh, you say it's an iPhone 3G because of all the wonderful apps and all? Erm, a 2.0ed first-generation iPhone or even iPod Touch (still covered with a case) can do the same thing... and no one will know any better.

Oh oh, many people will know because they own an iPhone 3G too, so they can tell the difference. So excuse me, where the hell is the fashion statement if half the population own one?

I rest my case (pardon the pun).

Guess Who Has A Bag Fetish Too?

A triumphant Eric Banana would like to state unequivocally that he is not the only one in the AstroBanana equation with a bag fetish. Announcing Astro Girl's latest purchase:

It is a Nike C.O.R.E. Tote Bag, which features two carry handles, a side zippered pocket and interior pockets for secure storage of personal items. 

However, to be fair to Astro Girl, this bag is more of a necessity - it replaces her much-abused FILA gym bag which is falling apart due to *erm* overload. And she must have thought through it a gazillion times - peppered by Eric Banana's psycho-babble - before she finally bought it. Absolute thriftiness at work.

iFashion?

Okie dokie, the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 3G has reached Singapore's shores, to the keen.. disinterest of Eric Banana. Notwithstanding Astro Girl's opinion of it as yet another doorstopper, Eric Banana is hardly even excited about the device and has no plans whatsoever of getting his hands on one. 

Hmmm, technically Eric Banana did get his hands on one - his techno-savvy brother bought it yesterday morning, having booked one weeks ago - so he fiddled with it briefly over dinner this evening. Except for the 3G connectivity, GPS, phone, SMS and camera functions, there is nothing much new since Eric Banana already has a 2.0ed iPod Touch. Call it sour grapes if you want but it's not as if Eric Banana cannot afford one yah?

To some people, an iPhone 3G is a fashion statement. Eric Banana thinks otherwise. He would consider a first-generation iPhone in Singapore as a fashion statement because it was not available in the country then. An iPod Touch was a novelty when it was first released, but became less so as time went by. An iPhone 3G which "tens of thousands" of people are going to own is anything but a fashion statement. Just think about the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) for a moment. It was a fashion statement at the beginning of its lifecycle but nowadays, you can see people whipping out PSPs everywhere on the MRT or bus.. so much so that it has become ridiculously unfashionable.

At this point of time, Eric Banana needs a high-capacity iPod more than an iPhone. He needs an iPod Classic-like device to store all his music now that his iPod Video 5G is a museum artefact. For his mobile phone needs, he would probably stick to Samsung, which has a very user-friendly interface. He is thinking of... not the Omnia, but maybe an i780 or the upcoming INNOV8 when his mobile phone contract is up for renewal next March.

A|X Finally

Yay, Eric Banana finally got the item that he has been waiting for today!

Presenting his all-new fashion accessory... an Armani Exchange A|X Logo Hinge Metal Bracelet:

It is made of 52.2% iron, 26.3% tin, 17.3% copper and 4.2% antimony.

A perennial Armani Exchange fan, Eric Banana spotted this particular bracelet on the eBay website. He does not recall ever seeing it in Singapore, although he adores the logo hinge design series to bits. Anyway, fashion items are almost impossible to hunt down once the season is over, so yes, *erm* Eric Banana had to bid for it.

Unbelievable but true, it was the first time Eric Banana bought something on eBay. Let's just say that his "brute force" bidding strategy requires some more fine-tuning. So does his brain. Actually, eBay transactions are built on mutual trust. As the buyer has to pay for the item first, it takes a leap of faith for him or her to believe that the seller is going to deliver the item after he or she has received the payment, especially for international transactions. But eBay does have measures to address this concern - and the seller has a disincentive not to do the wrong thing because his or her credibility is at stake.

Before Eric Banana knew it, his brand-new bracelet (which is a tad too long) was sitting around Astro Girl's ankle. Her award-winning comment? "Wah, Armani Exchange makes anklets too ah? Quite nice hor?"