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....

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?

August 24th Dilemma

We're only halfway through the sixth and final season, but the release date for the LOST Season 6 DVD/Blu-Ray set has been announced. It will be released in North America on 24 August 2010, three and a half months earlier than the last two seasons. Per Lostpedia and TVShowsOnDVD, the set will contain five discs and the usual bonus features, plus original scripted content produced by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and Crafting a Final Season feature. The DVD set's current price is USD$59.99 (CAD$79.99), while the Blu-Ray set is on sale for USD$79.99 (CAD$94.99).

Interestingly, LOST: The Complete Collection, which includes all 121 episodes from Seasons 1 to 6, will also be released on 24 August 2010. Per the same sources above, the DVD/Blu-Ray set will contain all previous extras, plus one bonus disc with at least two hours of additional content. The DVD set price is USD$229.99 (CAD$269.99), while the Blu-Ray set price is USD$279.99 (CAD$349.99).

What, oh, what am I going to get???

Obviously, I wanna see the goodies in the Season 6 set. I have the DVD sets for Season 1 to 4 and the Blu-Ray set for Season 5, and the bonus content in all of them are freaking amazing. And, like most fans, I usually get the DVD sets for the bonus content, especially in Season 5 where I got to download the episodes from iTunes before the DVD was released. But I also want to see the additional two hours of content in the Compete Series bonus disc. However, what am I gonna do with the Season 1 to 5 sets that I already own?

I have both the Season 6 Blu-Ray set and the Complete Collection Blu-Ray set on my Amazon.ca wishlist. I need to put in my pre-order soon, so I have to decide which one I'm pre-ordering ASAP!!!

Maybe I'll decide after the series finale? Whaddya think?

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...

Sony Blu-Ray Player Out-of-Stock? No Problem!

The women in my family went to Wal-Mart last night to get our electronics using my sister's 20% employee discount. My niece got an HP Mini Notebook that was listed at CDN$328. My sister paid approximately CDN$294, excluding any environmental fees and including GST & PST. 

However, my Sony BDPS360 Blu-Ray Player was not on the shelf! I looked high and low for it, but all I found was a Sony DVD Player. There were other Blu-Ray players: Samsung and LG. I thought, "What am I gonna do? Order it from Amazon? Find another auction on eBay? Abandon the idea altogether? Or buy a Blu-Ray Player from a different brand?" I looked at my sister, who was waiting for me at the counter.

I grabbed the giant LG box and plopped it on the counter.

It's an LG BD370C Blu-Ray Player. It was easy to connect to my Toshiba TV. The picture is so much better since there is an option to watch a disc (standard DVD or Blu-Ray) in Cinema mode. Standard DVDs - Wanted, for example - are also up-scaled so they look better onscreen. You can also play standard CDs - Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted, for example - although you'd need an Internet connection to get the track names and you'd need the TV to actually listen to the songs. You can also view pictures and films, as well as listen to music, from a USB flash drive. With an Internet connection - which my Blu-Ray player doesn't have right now, because I lent my router to my brother-in-law - you can watch YouTube videos, as well as download content through BD-Live. I just have to figure out how to get Internet connection in there and I can fully enjoy my Blu-Ray player.

Oh, it's listed price was CDN$218. My sister hasn't shown me the receipt, but I expect to pay her CDN$195, excluding any environmental fees and including GST & PST. That would be CDN$10 less than I would have paid if I got the Sony BDPS360 Blu-Ray Player.

Now I hope December 8th gets here sooner so I can have my LOST Season 5 Blu-Ray Disc set!

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???

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!!!

The Sound of Silence...

This blogger made a very good point: why are Mathew Knowles and Kelly Rowland silent regarding the management switch rumour?

Ms Kelly's publicist immediately addressed the rumours that her Miami home is in foreclosure. According to the "official" statement, the rumours aren't true and that Ms Kelly is selling her house since she's working and living in Europe. Which fuels the goodbye-Music-World-Entertainment-hello-19-Entertainment rumour, by the way!

However, there has been no official statement from either Ms Kelly's publicist or Mathew Knowles himself. I can only think of two reasons for this:

1. It's not true, and Ms Kelly and Beyonce's father are electing to be quiet about it, hoping that it'll go away; or
2. It is true, and all camps involved are electing to be quiet about it until all deals are finalised.

Option #2, please!

Seriously, Mathew Knowles is hindering Ms Kelly from being the superstar that she deserves to be. If you look at his management track record, then you'd wonder why Beyonce is the only domestic and international superstar. While Beyonce is talented and deserves her status, it is still not fair that Ms Kelly is not getting the proper career management that she deserves. The same goes for Michelle Williams and Solange.

It's favouritism and you know it!

So while I'm praying for the snowstorms to end (more on that later), I'll also pray for Ms Kelly to finalise leaving Music World Entertainment. Beyonce's dad's gotsta go.

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!!!

My Only Wish This Year

I know, I know. September is only ending. I still have to get through Thanksgiving and Halloween (which I don't celebrate anyway).

But I want to say it now... Just so it's clear...

That there are only two material things I'd like to get this Christmas.

This...

(A given for any LOST fan.)

And this...


Now, I only have to convince my sister to buy this 80 GB iPod Classic for me.