Six Weeks Before Christmas!

There are only six weeks before Christmas! That means, it's time to prepare my wish list.

Now that I have my preciousssss BlackBerry Torch, I don't need a digital camera, any of the other BlackBerry models, or the iPhone. So what would I like to receive on Christmas?

• DVR - Yes, I still need a DVR. I can't bear to miss The Big Bang Theory too much because of The Vampire Diaries. I need my Big Bang fix! Also, I don't wanna wait until summer to see the current season of Castle. I also miss new episodes of Criminal Minds. Lastly, I don't wanna have to choose between The Good Wife and V when the latter comes back from hiatus. The Shaw on Demand that we have only works for House and Hawaii Five-0, and I can't watch either when someone's recording something. So I need my own DVR.
• LOST: The Complete Collection (Blu-Ray) - I know I have the box sets for all six seasons, but I want to see the additional bonus features. That's at least two more hours of LOST goodies. (I really can't let go, can I?) I'll just sell the box sets that I already have.
• Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man - I have a lot of books in my reading list. But I really want this graphic novel series. Really want this one.
• DVDs/Blu-Ray Discs
• Inception
• Salt
• Kick-Ass
• Avatar
• Splice
• The Prisoner (2009 Miniseries)
• Paranormal Activity
• The Informant!
• District 9
• FlashForward: The Complete Series
• Precious
• Invictus
• Legion
• Smokin' Aces [UPDATE: Got it!]
• Books
• The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)
• The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

I hope to get at least four of these items. Hehe....

Goodbye, Rogers. Hello, Bell!!!

After two years and 10 months, I finally upgraded my BlackBerry Pearl to a BlackBerry Torch.

Boo-yah.

Last Friday, I went to the mall after work. I wanted just to upgrade to the best BlackBerry - so far - but the Torch was sold out at the Rogers Wireless store! It was sold out at the Wireless Wave too. The salesperson did offer me a Torch, but with Bell Mobility. For $50 a month, I can get 100 local minutes, 100 bonus local minutes, 500 MB of data, unlimited local calls on weekends and nights, unlimited sent and received text messages, extended hours (5 PM to 7 AM), and unlimited calling and text with 10 contacts across Canada. The Message Centre Express and Call Display Bundle costs only $10 a month. He also threw in a phone pouch, car charger, LCD screen protector, and screen cleaner - for free!

So the choice was between staying with Rogers Wireless for two months (CAD$90+) and switching to Bell Mobility for three years (CAD$60).

I obviously chose the latter. Hah!

I am loving my new phone! Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were preloaded. The touchscreen and the slide-out keyboard are amazing. The Social Feeds feature is very helpful and fast. A 4GB media card is included - which adds to the awesome speed. The 5 MP camera is a giant step-up from my old Pearl's camera. Instant messaging applications are also preloaded, as are memo, task, calculator, word/sheet/slideshow to go, files, password keeper, and voice dialing apps. Also, when I connected the phone to my laptop, it appeared as a portable drive (like a flash drive). I only had to copy and paste my ringtones and pictures to the Torch. Copy and paste, dudes!

What did I do with my old phone? I downgraded the plan to the basics and the data plan (because I don't want to pay $75 early termination fee) so I don't have to pay the $100 early termination fee. I'm also giving it to my mom. A BlackBerry Pearl in the hands of a 66-year-old woman should be fun.

*Sigh* I love my Torch!

The BlackBerry Torch Arrives in Canada!!!

Amid a super busy day at work, my ol' BlackBerry Pearl buzzed with an e-mail from the RIM/BlackBerry peeps announcing that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is available on Rogers Wireless starting today.

Oh, yeah!!!

I've checked out the newest - and best? - BlackBerry a bunch of times after its release in the US. Every time I do, I want it more and more. Who wouldn't want a touchscreen and a sliding QWERTY keypad in the same device? And the social feeds? Oh, my gosh. My Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, GetGlue, and GoMiso updates in one feed would be freaking awesome. Also, I'm excited to play with the Wi-Fi and 3.5G capabilities.

The only things stopping me from upgrading to the Torch as soon as I could go to a Rogers Wireless store? The fact that my current contract expires in three months and the handset will cost me at least CAD $199.99 to upgrade now. If I wait until my contract expires, the Torch may cost less. On the other hand, RIM may release something better by then.

A cheaper alternative is the BlackBerry Curve 9300. It has the same features as the Torch, but it will only cost me $49.99 to upgrade. Did I mention that it's available in Smokey Violet?

So should I get the BlackBerry Curve 9300 instead of the BlackBerry Torch 9800? What do you guys think?

iPad or Amazon Kindle?

Image by mikebaird via Flickr

The book nerd in me wants to know if I should buy an iPad or an Amazon Kindle?

Did I say I was a nerd?

Last week, I was in Best Buy at Bellingham, Washington. I was looking for a new digital camera, while my nephew was looking at SLR cameras. We went to the Apple section and played with iPads. Wanna guess which icon I pressed first? That's right: the iBooks app. It was fun going from one book to another. It's just like reading a physical book! Stephen King's Under The Dome was in the library and I almost started reading it. (I got the hardcover edition as a Christmas gift.) Do y'all realize how many more books I can read on the iBooks app? A lot more. I won't even have to worry about buying gigantic hardcover books, like the aforementioned Stephen King book and Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. But there's not much else that I want in the iPad (aside from the iBooks and watching TV episodes on a bigger monitor) so spending CAD $549 on it is nuts. I could buy a new BlackBerry phone with that amount.

On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle is strictly for reading books, newspapers, and magazines. You can even read your own documents. The original device is small enough for my needs, but I think the new Kindle is as big as the iPad. Plus I can download books quickly, thanks to the Kindle's global 3G wireless coverage. It costs USD $259 or approximately CAD $267, about half the cost of an iPad.

Regardless of what I decide to get, I would save physical library space (although I don't have an actual physical library) and my mother won't freak out every time I buy a new book from Chapters, Black Bond Books, or Amazon. Also, the books cost less than the bookstore list price.

Or maybe I should just stick to reading the plain old book?

BlackBerry Curve 8900

Do y'all remember my original Christmas wish list? Do y'all remember me saying that I want the BlackBerry Curve 8520, specifically the lavender one?

Well, I just changed my mind. Now I want the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone!

(Image taken from BlackBerry.com)

I didn't feel like working on the freelance writing rates yet, so I went on the Rogers Wireless website to look for the best BlackBerry phone to replace my Red Pearl when my contract expires in December. I've had my heart set on the Curve 8520 for a while now, but I wasn't sure if you could read Word, Excel, and PDF documents on the smartphone. As a freelance editor, I'd like to skim through the prospective client's document before submitting or sending a quote. Unfortunately, the reviews for the Curve 8520 on the Rogers Wireless website don't mention anything about its attachment-reading capabilities. The Red Pearl's small screen doesn't really go well with zooming on a document; more often than not, especially if it's a PDF, it becomes blurry and unreadable. A reviewer did say that the Curve 8520 is not for users who use smartphones for business purposes.

Then I decided to check out the Curve 8900's features. Lo and behold! You can view and revise Word and Excel documents right on the Curve 8900! Hopefully, PDF documents too!

Attachments
For the times when you cant [sic] be at your desk, view and revise popular attachments such as Word and Excel documents right on your phone 

Unfortunately, I still have to wait eight (it's the Numbers, man!) months for my contract to expire. Well, let's hope the current offer of $49.99 for select 3-year plans (hmmm, I wonder what those are...) drops, it becomes available in other colours (only black for now), or both, by December.

Buon Natale!!!

That's MERRY CHRISTMAS in Italian!

So, Christmas has come and gone. It`s one of the quietest Christmas I've had. 'Twas neither too exciting nor too boring.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the encore presentation of our church's Children's Ministry Christmas play entitled The Best Christmas Present Ever. It was a hit, just like last Sunday's presentation. My niece sang in the choir and spoke a bit towards the end of the play.

Then we went to our churchmate's - and family dentist's - house for a Christmas dinner party. The C's came with us and I mostly hung out with them. Other churchmates attended the shindig and we wished each other a merry Christmas. I missed MuchMoreMusic's broadcast of VH1 Divas 2009, featuring Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson for this party.

We left with Christmas gifts - mine was suspiciously shaped like Purdy's chocolates - at around 11 PM. We stopped by Shoppers Drug Mart for about half an hour so my sister could get the antibiotics that our dentist prescribed. Then we went home.

We opened the presents just after midnight, after a couple of Kodak moments (i.e. picture-taking sessions). I gave my nephew the Casio watch (a.k.a. Usher's watch) that he wanted, a $50 iTunes gift card, and $100. I gave my niece a copy of Rhythm Heaven Nintendo DS Game and $100. I gave Miss KC a $50 iTunes gift card and $100, because she only asked for money. I gave Little Mr. JC a Rex the Dinosaur collectible figure from Toy Story and $40.

And what did I get?

Aside from my mom's early Christmas gifts during Black Friday, she also gave me Ferrero Rocher. Yum! As I guessed, my dentist gave me Purdy's Hedgehog chocolates. Double yum! The C's gave me the Inglourious Basterds DVD and He's Just Not That Into You Blu-Ray disc. Then the A's gave me Stephen King's Under The Dome and Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever. Yippee!!!

At least I got four items from my updated wish list. Hehehehehe... Didn't get the BlackBerry Curve 8520 or the first issue of Y: The Last Man, though. Oh, well. Maybe I can get these on my 27th B'Day? Hehehehehe...

After all the excitement from the gift-opening, we sat down for a bit of eggnog and coffee for the grown-ups and hot chocolate for the kids. Then I brought my Blu-Ray player to the living room so my bro-in-law could hook it up to his Bose system. Then we watched the He's Just Not That Into You disc. We finished the movie at about 3:40 AM and they went to bed. I stayed up until 4:30 or 5 AM, then I fell asleep.

I woke up at noon on Christmas Day and stayed in bed until about 1 PM. Then I went upstairs to eat. I went back to my room to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and the rest of the trilogy. However, partway through Disc 2, I fell asleep. I didn't wake up until 10:30 PM. I was hungry, so I went upstairs to get some food to bring to my room. I  continued the trilogy; it's now 5 AM and I'm watching The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Disc 1.

I must finish the movie, and maybe get some sleep before tonight's party.

Buon Natale! And Happy Boxing Day!!!

Only Eight Days Before Christmas!

Now that I have the Blu-Ray player, I think it's time to update my Christmas wish list.

Of course, I still want the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 or the first and subsequent issues of Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man. Oh, and $25,000. Hehehe...

You know what else I want for Christmas?

DVDs/Blu-Ray Discs

• Angels & Demons
• Burn After Reading
• Inglourious Basterds
• Public Enemies
• He's Just Not That Into You
• The Reader
• Rachel Getting Married
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

 Books

• Under The Dome (Stephen King)
• The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)
• Salem's Lot (Stephen King)
• Duma Key (Stephen King)
• Best Friends Forever (Jennifer Weiner)
• The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

Phew! Wonder if I'm gonna get anything from these lists? Hehehe...

All I Want for Christmas Is...

November has begun and there are only 48 days before Christmas!

Aside from $25,000, I would like to get any of the following:

BlackBerry Curve 8520, Black or Lavender

(Both pics downloaded from Rogers Wireless website.)

If I can't get a BlackBerry Storm from Rogers Wireless, this is the next best thing. Right? Spending $49.99 for a three-year plan shouldn't be so bad. The hardware upgrade cost almost two years ago was huge, though. That was only for a BlackBerry Pearl, which was popular back then (i.e. in 2007). The hardware upgrade fees must be crazy-high for this one. Hope not!

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan (Art by Pia Guerra and Jose Marza, Jr.)

(Volume 1 cover image downloaded from Vertigo website.)

Brian K. Vaughan wrote for LOST from Seasons 3 to 5, as well as two Lost: Missing Pieces mobisodes. Four of the episodes he co-wrote ("Catch-22," "Confirmed Dead," "The Shape of Things to Come," and "Dead Is Dead") are some of my favourite LOST episodes of all time. "King of the Castle" is one of the strongest Lost: Missing Pieces mobisodes. Obviously, he's a great writer.

After it was referenced on LOST 5x06 ("316"), Nikki Stafford included a synopsis of the series in her Finding Lost - Season 5: The Unofficial Guide (page 116-120). In it, she declares,

Suffice it to say: if you are a fan of Lost, you will love Y: The Last Man. It has the same sensibilities, the same cliffhangers, the same mystery. (page 118)

Another LOST fan, Stephen King also loved the series. He says,

The best graphic novel I've ever read.

What more do I need to know about this award-winning series? Now, all I need is the location of a comic book store that has all - I repeat, ALL - 10 volumes.

Sony BDPS360 Blu-Ray Disc Player

(Item image downloaded from Sony Style Canada.)

Dang that LOST University ARG. Why does it cater to those who have Blu-Ray players? So, I want one. Heck, as a LOST fan, I need one.

I've been looking for the cheapest Sony Blu-Ray player online. I lost an eBay bidding for an earlier model of a Sony Blu-Ray player (BDPS350, I believe). It costs CDN$228 at Wal-Mart, where my sister works. She will probably buy this for me during the store's customer appreciation two-week event, when her discount rate increases to 20% and her kids and I can buy our electronics. I will, of course, reimburse her for the total cost (approximately CDN$205, including GST and PST).

Wonder if I'm gonna get any of these? Hehehe...

Advanced Merry Christmas!

I Still Want a BlackBerry Storm...

You Are a Blackberry

You are one of those super hard working, cellphone to your hip types. You like gadgets that do what they're supposed to do, especially when they keep you super connected to the world. You prefer function over flash, so things like a long battery life and easy features appeal to you. You may not look as cool as all of the iPhone kids, but you're probably being more productive than all of them! If you answered mostly As, you want a BlackBerry to tap into its leading-edge enterprise functions and cross-carrier flexibility. If you answered mostly Bs, pick up a sleek and sexy iPhone for a stylish, customizable mobile experience.

Are You An iPhone or a Blackberry?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

When will the BlackBerry Storm be available for Rogers Wireless subscribers? When???

LOST Gets Five Emmy Nods

Hello from warm and sunny San Jose, California! It is six days into our road trip and this is the first time I've had a chance to go on an actual computer. (I have been living on my BlackBerry and iPod Touch.)

I did not even know that the Emmy Awards nominations were going to be announced this morning. I must have forgotten it because of all the fun I'm having. Hehehehe...

It's nice to see that LOST is nominated for five awards:

Outstanding Drama Series
Lost • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Stephen Semel, Editor
Mark Goldman, Editor
Chris Nelson, Editor

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Robert Anderson, Production Sound Mixer
Ken King, Production Sound Mixer
Scott Weber, Re-Recording Mixer
Frank Morrone, Re-Recording Mixer

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Lost • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Michael Emerson, as Ben Linus

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Carlton Cuse, Writer
Damon Lindelof, Writer

Like the previous years, I really hope that LOST wins any of the major awards (best drama, best supporting actor - drama, and best writing - drama). LOST's win for the sound mixing in the Creative Emmys last year was nice, but Michael Emerson was robbed in the supporting drama actor category.

I just have one question: how come Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell were snubbed? They were both amazing in Season 5, especially in the last several episodes, yet they aren't nominated. Evangeline Lilly also did a great job in "Whatever Happened, Happened" (her best acting yet). Jeremy Davies was also fantastic in Season 5. Nevertheless, congratulations to Michael Emerson for his Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series nomination!

I am so glad that Darlton's writing for the season 5 finale, "The Incident," was recognized. Congrats, Damon and Carlton! It's a shame, though, that Jack Bender's directing went unrecognized.

I am also glad that How I Met Your Mother (Outstanding Comedy Series), Neil Patrick Harris (Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series), Jim Parsons (Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series), Phil Keoghan (Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program), Fringe (Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series), and Sandra Oh & Chandra Wilson (Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series) are nominated. Yay!

And I was pleasantly surprised to see this:

Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Fiction
The Dharma Initiative • DharmaWantsYou.com
ABC Entertainment Marketing

Oh yeah!

Bathtubs and Laptops Still Don't Mix

Someone loves Twitter a tad too much. Well, loved. She's dead.

A teenage Romanian girl died while reportedly plugging her laptop into an electrical outlet in the bathtub. She was updating her Twitter status ("tweeting" or "tweetering") while in the bath. It is unclear what exactly happened, but we know from watching too much CSI that the electric shock killed her. And she was only 17.

OK, I love Twitter, but I'm not obsessed enough to bring my computer in the tub - or shower, as I'm not really a soak-in-the-tub kind of girl - to update my status. I've learnt that social networking can wait while I'm in the bathroom, for example.

I wonder what her last tweet was. Has anyone found this girl on Twitter?

Anyhoo, just a friendly reminder, people: bringing your computer in the bathtub is a stupid idea. It will kill you.

What Do I Want for My B'Day?

Considering my birth month didn't start as great as I wanted, I would like something like this for my B'Day...

(Pic totally ripped from Lostpedia.)

If I'm not going to get my own place before my B'Day, then I want a LOST B'Day cake. I mean, that's the next best thing, right? Well, aside from $25,000 or a BlackBerry Storm from Rogers Wireless, it is the next best thing.

For the record, I do not want any other cake unless it's LOST-themed. And I do not want an ice-cream cake - at all.

Or you can give me $25,000 and/or a Rogers BlackBerry Storm, and we're all good.

Red Wine Made My Christmas More Interesting

It may not be politically correct, and it may piss off someone, but I'm gonna say it anyway:

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

Happy birthday to all whose birthday is 25 December too!

I just woke up (10:30!) from a night of food, red wine, singing, games, and Christian love. My mother is far away in Houston, Texas, but I still feel her love: I was not well yesterday, and she kept calling my cell phone to check up on me. (Cue "awwwwww".) Sadly, I was either asleep or busy when she called.

Anyway, we had a "formal" Christmas dinner (or noche buena). I especially liked the bottle of red wine, since I hadn't had alcohol for a while. Relax, I'm not an alcoholic. We then put the dishes and glasses in the dishwasher and proceeded to sing karaoke using our neighbour's system. I didn't have a solo - heck, I didn't want one - but I helped out with a few songs. My favourite piece that we sang was Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". Nobody could reach the high notes, but I think I did well. *Wink wink* Then, we played Guesstures, a version of charades. Ah, the red wine screwed up my ability to act out the words. Hahahahaha!

Eleven-thirty came, and we got ready to open the presents. I filmed my favourite toddler, J, as he opened my sister's present (a toy train). The C's went down to the basement to do their Christmas-present-opening tradition, and we stayed in the living room to open our presents.

I asked for either the Wanted DVD or the Forgetting Sarah Marshall DVD; I got the 2-Disc Special Edition of the former. Good enough, although I was really hoping for the latter.

I also got a nice picture frame from my boss. Hmmm... What picture shall I put it in there?

The C's gave me a dark blue Ralph Lauren sweater, a small Dior Addict perfume, and Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Ms Atkinson also wrote When Will There Be Good News? that ended up on Stephen King and Time Magazine's best fiction/books of 2008 lists (#3 and #8, respectively). Now, I really wanted that book, but I guess Case Histories is a start.

My absolute favourite gift of all is my sister's: a Columbia Sportswear Company women's jacket that I really wanted (after the BlackBerry Storm, one-way plane ticket to Zurich, and an emerald ring, anyway) and needed (the horrible Vancouver snowstorm post is coming up!)!

When I was getting K's gift at Sportchek, I also tried on a few jackets and parkas to help me brave the terrible winter. A few of them fit nicely, but they were so expensive ($150 to $200). So I returned them to the racks and went on with my day. But I swore that I would come back for one of them tomorrow (Boxing Day - huge sales all over the country and a stat holiday too!). Thank God my sister recognised my need and got it for me. Thanks, Sisteh!

I'm gonna try and upload the pics and videos later. Stay tuned!

Overall, I had a great Christmas. With the early Christmas present (wink wink) and the early Christmas bonus (woohoo!), the presents and the familial love all around made for an absolutely lovely Christmas.

Happy birthday, Jesus!!!

No BlackBerry Storm for Rogers Wireless Customers By Christmas

I was at Metropolis at Metrotown with my mom on Remembrance Day (i.e. 11 November, Tuesday) when I saw a Telus ad for the BlackBerry Storm. I thought, "What about us Rogers Wireless subscribers who are obsessed with BlackBerry?" I couldn't find anything about the Storm on the Rogers Wireless website and there are no TV spots like the Telus ones.

Now I know why. I found an article on CellFanatic.com that almost made me cry: Rogers Wireless confirmed that there will be NO BlackBerry Storm for Christmas.

"Saw your post and you’re right, the customer service representative made a mistake. As you know, I won’t comment in advance on what our holiday lineup has in store, but I can confirm it does not include the BlackBerry Storm." - Elizabeth Hamilton, Rogers Wireless Spokesperson to BGR

WAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

I am so sad! I've been waiting for the Storm for a long time. And I don't want to switch to Telus just for that.

But she did say the Storm is excluded from Rogers' holiday lineup, didn't she? She didn't say it's not going to be included in any future lineup, did she?

Ah, there's still hope. Let's wait and see...

I Want A BlackBerry Storm

I love my BlackBerry Pearl. Sure, it's not as good as the Apple iPhone. It's good enough for me and my needs, though. My Pearl works well by itself, as is my iPod Nano. And then I read this review by a working mom. Now, I'm just a working girl, but her review convinced me that having an iPhone is not an absolute requirement for living.

So, when I chanced upon this Yahoo! Tech article, I was really excited. I mean, a touchscreen smartphone with the things that I love about the BlackBerry (and more) and without the need to get rid of my iPod Nano? Fantastic!

Enter the BlackBerry Storm.




Of course, it's not yet released in the US, as per Verizon Wireless's page, let alone in Canada. I checked the Rogers Wireless website - nothing.

Hopefully it'll be released anytime after 27 December; I'll be eligible for an upgrade by then.

Oohhh... I seriously want a BlackBerry Storm!!!