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...

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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?!