Went to the Nokia N900 blogger preview which took place at Segafredo located at 51 Telok Ayer Street, #01-06, Chinasquare Plaza. First off, the Nokia N900 will be launching in Singapore at the end of March 2010. No local pricing is available yet, but elsewhere the RRP is USD$649 = SGD$911.78.

Nokia N900

Nokia N900 Screen

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Thanks to 24seven, today Li Xiang, I and a few other bloggers have a chance to experience 4D Magix and CineBlast at Sentosa.

Sentosa 4D Magix

Sentosa CineBlast

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Together with other bloggers, we are invited to the Chingay Parade 2010 by Singapore Tourism Board. The theme for this year parade is ImaginEast (东方奇想). This is also the very first time Chingay is paraded in the F1 Pit Building, beside Singapore Flyer. I thought the Pit Building is a good venue choice because it is near the sea, it gets breezes blowing to the land in the night. The Pit Building is divided into 3 sections, with parade starting from blue to red and lastly yellow. Spectators should also come dress according to the color section they are seated in.

A little background on Chingay Parade. This year is the 37th consecutive year Chingay has been run. Chingay used to be a celebration in Penang during Lunar New Year season, with men carrying Chinese decorated floats on their shoulders, dancers, jugglers and magicians entertain the crowd. It celebrates a beginning to a new year. But Chingay is introduced to Singapore in the 1972 as an substitute activity for the banned firecrackers during the festive season.

Most of the crowd walk by foot from Suntec and Marina Square to the F1 Pit Building. There isn’t much way-finding signs sadly, only ushers nearer to the event venue. Spectators are to be seated by 7pm and the recording will start from 8.15pm. Did I not say that Chingay Parade will be filmed and telecast on the following evening. Hmm…

Anyway, this is our first time watching Chingay live. I can’t tell you how great the experience is. You are immersed into a whole experiential performance with themes, exploding colors, extravagance costumes, beautifully composed music and spectacular performers. Watching TV is a sure no kick.

Chingay Parade 2010 is choreographed into 6 segments: Opening, Legendary Tales, Cultures of the East, Singapore Samba, Yellow River and Finale. Each presenting Asia in the most wondrous imagination.

There are a few highlights for the night. (1) Real firecrackers are lit with furious Chinese dragons and lions dances. You never know how ear deafening and smoky the firecrackers are unless you are there. But it makes a memorable opening for the parade. (2) We have Go Fly Kite participating in the Butterfly Lovers’ float. Their LEDs decorated butterflies fly up the air as the story progresses. (3) Egyptians from Joseph & his Multi-Coloured Coat throw bags of rice to the spectators. (4) MPs from Tampines GRC and HDB waved their hands from the HDB float. (5) Tallest and largest dream catcher follow suit. (6) Extremely long Yellow River scene is collaborated with Singapore renowned pianist, Mr Ong Lip Tat. (7) All kids favorite, float from Universal Studios Singapore. Parade ended with fireworks.

So which color section do you sit matter? I think it does. There are some positions where the floats make a complete stop, section like the red one where VIPs are sitting. These are excellent spots for photo taking. Else, most of the floats usually pass by very quickly.

We are looking forward to the Universal Studios float when the host announces at the start of the parade. But to our disappointment, the fireworks come just before the Universal Studios float, drawing all our attention to the fireworks. The Universal Studios float only stop by the red section and accelerates when it reaches our. I only manage to capture a few shots of it.

After the Chingay Parade, all spectators have to clear the spectator stands. A music party is prepared which lasted through 4am the next morning.

As a tradition, these Chingay floats will parade to our heartland HDB areas too. Check out the Chingay Heartlands schedule to get a closer proximity with them.

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Uniquely Singapore Clipper

Thanks to Benjamin and Lionel from STB for the invite to go on board the Uniquely Singapore Clipper! We were out in the sea for almost 3 hours and I steered a boat for the first time in my life. It was somewhat similar to driving a car without power steering. This year is starting to get interesting. In January 2010 itself, I rode on a Segway and steered a boat!

Marina at Keppel Bay

The Uniquely Singapore Clipper is currently stop over at Singapore’s Keppel Bay’s Marina and will depart to Qingdao, China on the 2nd February 2010.

Singapore is currently at the 6th place in the overall race out of 10 teams.

Check out my Facebook Gallery: Uniquely Singapore Clipper for the full 89 photos taken.

What is a Clipper?
To be honest, I have no idea what a Clipper is.

A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had multiple masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area.

The term clipper originally applied to a fast horse and most likely derives from the term “clip” meaning “speed”, as in “going at a good clip”.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper

Race Schedule
Leg 1
Race start from the Humber, UK: 13 September 2009
La Rochelle, France: ETA 18-20 September, depart 22 September
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: ETA 18-20 October

Leg 2
Rio de Janeiro: depart 27 October
Cape Town, South Africa: ETA 14-16 November

Leg 3
Cape Town: depart 22 or 23 November
Geraldton-Greenough, Western Australia: ETA 14-18 December

Leg 4
Geraldton-Greenough: depart 3 January 2010
Singapore: arrive 23 January, depart 2 February
Qingdao, China: ETA 19-22 February

Leg 5
Qingdao: depart 2 March
California: ETA 1-5 April

Leg 6
California: depart 11 April
Panama: ETA 4-7 May, ETD 12 May
Port Antonio, Jamaica: ETA 16-18 May

Leg 7
Jamaica: depart 22 May
New York: ETA 3 June, depart 6 June
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada: ETA 11-13 June, depart 19 June
Cork/Kinsale, Ireland: ETA 1-4 July, depart 9 July
Ijmuiden, Netherlands: ETA 13-14 July, depart 15 or 16 July
The Humber: Race finish 17 July 2010

Intel Event At Ben & Jerry’s (Dempsey Village)

Had a great time today at Intel’s event at Ben & Jerry’s at Dempsey Village. Firstly, free flow of Ben & Jerry ice cream (I only ate five scoops and drank a cup of coke float) and secondly was the ride on the Segway! It was my first time riding the Segway. Felt nervous at first because of the phobia of falling down, but after the first two rounds got kinda used to it and it was very fun (I went a total of 4 rounds around the building). If I have some spare cash, I will definitely get one, but it is freaking ex, minimum at least SGD$12K.

My First Attempt At Segway

Intel introduces a range of 32 nanometer processors across the Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 family, about 29 of them. There are 3 Core strength to these processors:

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

1. Intel Turbo Boost Technology for adaptive performance, and thus smarter computing. Intel Turbo Boost Technology automatically accelerates performance, adjusting to the workload to give users an immediate performance boost when needed.

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

2. Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, available in Intel Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 processors, enables smart multi-tasking by allowing each processing core to run multiple “threads,” providing amazing responsiveness and great performance, balanced with industry-leading energy efficiency when processing several tasks simultaneously.

Intel HD Graphics

3. Intel HD Graphics, the processors deliver stunning visuals and smooth high-definition (HD) video playback. It’s also the industry’s first integrated solution to deliver multi-channel Dolby TrueHD and DTS Premium Suite home theater audio. In addition, Intel HD Graphics support mainstream and casual 3-D gaming without the need for an add-in video card, and offer full support for the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.

Intel Core Mobile Processor Laptops

Intel Core Mobile Processors

Intel Core Mobile Processor Desktop

Intel Core Desktop Processors

Intel Core Embedded Line-up

Intel Wireless Adapters
Apart from processors, Intel also introduces 4 new wireless adapters which features 802.11n, dual-band and WiMax support.

The Intel Centrino brand now represents Intel’s wireless products, targeting a broader range of users than ever before. Three new Intel Centrino Wireless adapters feature advanced 802.11n multi-stream capabilities and dual-band support for WiFi, offering users up to 8 times greater speed, consistent coverage and reliable connectivity while consuming minimal power.

Intel offers a complete line of high-quality adapters and its integrated WiMAX/WiFi adapter supports 2.3, 2.5 and 3.5GHz WiMAX bands delivering up to 20Mbps on the go.

All the adapters support Intel My WiFi Technology, which allows users to turn their laptop into a virtual hotspot and directly connect wireless devices to their laptop. Remote WiFi client management with Intel Embedded IT and Intel Active Management Technology 6.0 also helps enable remote client management for the enterprise.

Press Release Intel Unveils All New 2010 Intel Core™ Processor Family
Facebook Gallery: Intel 2010 Core Processor Family

On Saturday, attended an event with Li Xiang organised by HP and Microsoft. The event theme was “Envision the Future”. The event was held at Giraffe Restaurant & Bar which is directly opposite Istana/Plaza Singapura. For a start the food was not bad!

We each have a name tag and on top of it, we are suppose to write what we think of the future. Everyone’s one future was pretty generic like “bright”, “exciting”, “soon”, “nice”, “now”, etc. I decided against the norm and put, “Future is Future loh”. I wanted to put “bleak” but it sounds generic as well. Li Xiang’s put “Future is astonishing”.

My Future

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I was invited to a blogger event by HP at Gallery Hotel’s Bar 84. The special guest appearance is industrial designer Tord Boontje whom HP collaborated with for the limited edition version of the HP Mini entitled, HP Mini By Studio Tord Boontje.

Li Xiang is more familiar when it comes to designers, so I will just quote what she say:

This is his first time in Singapore, specially for HP Mini launch. His works are mainly nature inspired and highly stylised partly because his mum teaches art and textiles. He also bring this continuous theme into the netbook design. The white HP Mini is covered with white flora and fauna prints design by Tord. Embedded within the intertwining prints are more than 30 endangered animals. Tord also realises that HP has been greatly involved in environmental programs, therefore he suggests an added message, an awareness to be more environmentally responsible for these endangered species.

Tord & I

Tord Autograph On My Umbrella

For more information check out Li Xiang’s Blog Post: HP Mini By Studio Tord Boontje or my Facebook Gallery: HP Blogger Event With Tord Boontje.

This year Singapore Christmas light-up is themed “A Christmas All Decked Out”. Three Christmas icons namely Santa, reindeers and snowmen are given designers makeovers and all decked out in haute couture. The first Christmas light-up started in 1984 (the year I was born). So this is the 26th year running.

The decoration in Orchard road is divided into three zones, the blue zone covering from Tanglin Mall all the way to Shaw Center, the orange zone covers from Ion Orchard all the way to Heeren and lastly the red zone covers from Orchard Building till the end of Orchard Road.

Blue Zone

Orange Zone

Red Zone

Some trivia, the Christmas light-up launch mechanism was constructed from recycled wood panels with crystal ornaments from previous years Christmas decorations.

Personally I think the this year decoration is better than last year, my personally favorite is the “snowing effect” simulating by white LED lights.

Visit Singapore

For more information, check out Celebrate 2009 and for more pictures check out my Facebook Gallery: A Christmas All Decked Out.

Thanks to Benjamin from STB for the invite =D

Went to the Canon second blogging event today. It is held at 1 Caramel at Handy Road (just beside The Cathay). The first one was held almost 6 months ago! Whenever Canon has a blogger event, they really spam us with lots and lots of camera and I have to refer to the press release in order to get all their names lol.

The cameras presented to us today are PowerShot S90, PowerShot G11, PowerShot SX20 IS, PowerShot SX120 IS, IXUS 120 IS, IXUS 200 IS, EOS 7D, Legria HF S11, Legria HF 21, Selphy ES 40, Selphy CP 790 and 3 new EOS EF lenses.

PowerShot S90

PowerShot S90

• Wide 28mm large aperture f/2.0 lens
• Dual anti-noise system
• Intuitive lens control ring (allows access to manual features)
• New ‘Nostalgic Mode’
• 3.0″ LCD
• Price: Not available yet
• URL: Not available yet

PowerShot G11

PowerShot G11

• 2.8″ vari-angle LCD screen
• 5x wide angle lens
• Dual anti-noise system
• Smart Auto Scene Detection Technology
• Price: SGD$899
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/2-PowerShot/1201-PowerShot-G11/

PowerShot SX20 IS

PowerShot SX20 IS

• Powerful 20x optical zoom with OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer)
• 28mm wide angle, 0cm marco
• 12.1 megapixel CCD
• 1280 x 720 HD movie recording capability
• Scratch resistant 2.5″ vari-angle LCD
• Hot Shoe Adapter for Canon Speedlite EX Series external flashes
• Price: SGD$749
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/2-PowerShot/1209-PowerShot-SX20-IS/

PowerShot SX120 IS

PowerShot SX120 IS

• 10x optical zoom with OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer)
• 10 megapixel CCD
• DIGIC 4 imaging processor
• Scratch resistant 3.0″ vari-angle LCD
• Smart auto mode and full fledged shooting functions (Tv, Av, M & P) for more creative capture of the moments that matter
• Price: SGD$469
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/2-PowerShot/1210-PowerShot-SX120-IS/

IXUS 120 IS

IXUS 120 IS

• 20mm slim!
• 4x optical zoom with image stabilizer
• 12.1 megapixel CCD
• 1280 x 720 HD movie recording
• Scratch resistant 2.7″ LCD
• Price: SGD$499
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/3-IXUS/1202-Digital-IXUS-120-IS/

IXUS 200 IS

IXUS 200 IS

• Touch display 3″ LCD
• 24mm wide-angle lens
• 5x optical zoom with image stabilizer
• 12.1 megapixel CCD
• 1280 x 720 HD movie recording
• Price: SGD$599
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/3-IXUS/1204-Digital-IXUS-200-IS/

EOS 7D

EOS 7D Kit I (With Flash)

• 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS Sensor
• 8 fps image capture
• HD movie recording at 24 fps
• Dual DIGIC 4 processors
• Extended ISO range to 12,800
• Price (Body): SGD$2,699
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/1-EOS/1278-EOS-7D/

EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (EOS 7D Kit I)

EOS 7D Kit I

• Ideal multipurpose wide-angle zoom lens for travel or event photography
• 4-stop image stabilizer
• Allows for close focusing distance of just 0.35m throughout the zoom range
• Price (With EOS 7D): SGD$3,849
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/1-EOS/1297-EOS-7D-Kit-I-EF-S-15-85IS/

EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (EOS 7D Kit II)

EOS 7D Kit II

• Great for advanced photographers looking for a wide-angle zoom lens with telephoto capabilities
• 4-stop image stabilizer
• 7.5x super zoom image
• Price (With EOS 7D): SGD$3,249
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/1-Digital-Cameras/1-EOS/1298-EOS-7D-Kit-II-EF-S-18-135IS/

EF-S 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

EF-S 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

• New hybrid system
• Ultra Low Dispersion (UD) lenses that correct color aberration for high resolution, high contrast images
• Super Spectra coatings effectively reduce ghosting and flare
• Price: Not available yet
• URL: Not available yet

Legria HF S11

Legria HF S11

• Dynamic Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS)
• 64GB Internal Hard Disk System
• New ‘Night Scene’ mode
• 1920 x 1080 resolution video
• Ultra high resolution 8.59 megapixel full HD CMOS sensor
• Price: SGD$2,899
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/4-Digital-Camcorders/10-Flash-Memory/1205-LEGRIA-HF-S11/

Legria HF21

Legria HF21

• Weighing just 340 grams!
• 3.89 megapixel full HD CMOS censor
• 15x optical zoom
• High speed instant Auto Focus (AF)
• ‘Underwater Mode’ function
• Price: SGD$2,199
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/4-Digital-Camcorders/10-Flash-Memory/1203-LEGRIA-HF21/

Selphy ES 40

Selphy ES 40

• New ‘Voice Guidance’ function
• Bigger 3.5″ LCD screen and scroll wheel
• 300 x 600 dpi resolution
• Postcard sized photos take only 55 seconds to print!
• Advanced Image Optimizer – adjust any contrast brightness individually
• Price: SGD$329
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/3-Compact-Photo-Printers/7-Selphy-ES-series/1206-Selphy-ES40/

Selphy CP 790

Selphy CP 790

• Canon’s creative print function – Jazz up your photographs!
• Choose from 6 different background colors and 17″ stamps to print your photographs
• Print resolution of 300 x 300 dpi
• Portrait Image Optimizer – Achieve flattering, natural skin tones and optimum exposures in every photo!
• Price: SGD$249
• URL: http://www.canon.com.sg/p/EN/3-Compact-Photo-Printers/8-Selphy-CP-series/1090-Selphy-CP790/

Press Photos

F1 Rocks Concert Day 1 was fantastic despite these 3 glitches:

• Soda Green performance was interrupted half way because of sound glitch and that lasted for about 10 minutes
• Ah Mei microphone have no sound for the first 5 minutes
• The changing of set from Ah Mei to Jacky Cheung took more than 30 minutes

For a more detailed entry with pictures, head on to Li Xiang’s blog entry on F1 Rocks Concert Day 1!

I will upload the videos to YouTube tonight and embed into this post!

*UPDATE* Here are the videos, more are on the way! In the mean time check out the images in my Facebook Gallery: F1 Rocks Concert 2009 Day 01.

*UPDATE 2* Videos are up, a total of 9 of them.