The past couple of days have been tiring, fun, information overload, hectic - all in one... and what does that give you? TechEd Asia 2005!
Firstly, I must thank my very very nice Mentor, Superior, Head, Coordinator, Friend - Lai Hoong Fai for being so kind to offer his Student Ambassadors passes to one of the most anticipated Technology events of the year - TechEd 2005.
The event lasted 3 + 1 days, that one day being the extra day Joseph (the other Student Ambassador) and I lend out our hands to assist the organizer with the event set-up. I won't go through all 4 days in detail but I will pick out, filter some of the interesting features of the day.
Day 1 (Setup day)
10:30am - Suntec City, Singapore
Beautiful day, met up with the lady in-charged of the event, Esther and was later met with Joseph. We were told that we will be in-charged of the Registration Counter.
TUNGGU DAN LIHAT
So registration counter it was and we were introduced to this lady by the name of Daena (I hope I got the spelling correct) who then gave us our first job - TUNGGU dan LIHAT - direct translation - WAIT and SEE, and that was all we did for the first hour or so until we found that to be a little too boring so we approached Daena.
PAPER PLAYING
A couple of minutes later, Daena came over to where we were. It was then that the fun began. Our next job involved papers. All we had to do was to fold the event schedule and have these schedules placed into individual event booklets - all 1200+ of them! For hours - if I recall correctly, we took almost 8 hours (with the help of the staff members) to have it all packed.
The game of GRAMMAR
You see, when you've got a repetitive job infront of you, once you've got it done the first time, after a couple of runs, your hands would naturally know what to do. You can literally close your eyes, perform the folding and placing the folded schedule into a docket! It was then that my mind began to wonder. A question came to me. It was, "when do we use have and when do we use had?". I posed that question to Joseph. The answer? Dunno. My answer? Dunno. So the whole day we pretended to be English Scholars / Professors disecting the English language and finding out the cause and effect for the use of certain words - the verdict? As long as it sounds right. :)
Day 2
The actual day has finally arrived. We were requested to be at the Convention hall by 7am to assist with the registrations. At 8:30, the crowd was coming in, by 9, it was a tsunami of human beings! Joseph and I were busy punching on teeny-weeny keys on those labeling machines for the creation of tags while the rest of the staff members were attending to the attendees. Mmmm... attending to the attendees... interesting.
1pm: Tsunami was over it was calm seas ahead. Daena informed Joseph and I that we were free to go.
The first TRACK
To be really honest, there were almost 150 different tracks. Some were running concurrently, some ran back to back - I have lost track of what I have attended and I haven't.
I just remember that we leaped into one, sat there (oh yes, had buffet lunch prior to that - part of TechEd) and within minutes, we were falling asleep - as a rule of thumb, we must always blame others for the sleepyness.
1. We were too tired after handling the tsunami
2. The speaker was quite monotonous
3. We had very little sleep
4. The air-cond was too cold
Anymore? Probably :)
Day 3
Arrived at Suntec, met up with Joseph and it looked like he had caught a flu. Poor dude was sneezing with boogers coming out all the time (okay lar, the booger is something I added). We went through the day with nothing spectacular to report about.
In the evening, I received a text message from Joseph saying that he had caught a flu which led to a fever. As such, he returned to Johor that very night. Hope you get well soon dude.
Here I go again, the blaming list...
1. It was too cold
2. Someone might have sneezed into his face
Day 4
Me, muah, alone in Suntec City. Unlike most of the TechEd's I've attended, this year's was a little different. Instead of having HOLs (Hands-on Labs) throughout the 3 days, only the last day did they setup the HOLs. I went through a HOL, a number of tracks, in one of the tracks, there was a preview on Vista. My take on Vista? LOVELY INTERFACE, GREAT SEARCH FEATURES, I CANNOT WAIT!
Enough of that CAPITALIZinG... now where was I? The HOL's, Tracks and Vista.
The rest of the day went on as usual until the time came for TechEd 2005 to officially end. The day ended just like any other day would but today I brought an extra thing with me - KNOWLEDGE, something which cannot be seen or felt but is just in there. Something that is so precious that even money does not compare.
Before I start sounding like a philosopher and start boring you, I shall end this post with the words "Next destination TechEd 2006!"
Friday, August 26, 2005
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Sunday, August 21, 2005
0
I'm now 3G-ed!
Finally! 3G has finally arrived into my life. I've finally embarked onto the world of 3G (3rd Generation) mobile network.
Before I talk about my experience, I shall first introduce my very first 3G-enabled phone.
WARNING - LONG LONG LONG POST AHEAD
The phone
Drums roll... "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the bold... the beautiful Sony Ericsson K600i!"
If you ask me, the phone resembles the looks of an iPod mini - albeit souped up with a 260K colour screen, bluetooth support, video streaming support, 2 cameras (one behind, one infront) one of which is a 1.3 Megapixel camera and more.
The Experience
I've been traveling quite a bit; back and forth between Malaysia and Singapore lately. It was in Singapore that I first discovered this phone - in a retail store that is. Prior to that, I've seen the phone on various websites reviewing it's features, aesthetics appeal and the like.
Approximately 3 weeks ago I was walking around in one of my favourite shopping complexes in Singapore (Funan IT Mall) when I saw this shiny metallic looking phone prying through a glass window - the K600i in it's shiny metallic case, smoothly curved lines and of course the flat yet distinctive keys which blends into the phone's overall look and feel. It was a beauty.
In my hand was the Sony Ericsson K750i - beautiful 2.0 megapixel camera phone complete with autofocus with a black matte finish but sadly, it was not 3G enabled.
The question then was, to upgrade or not to upgrade? Or a more refined question would be should I lose the 2.0 Megapixel camera feature on my current phone for an opportunity to enter the world of 3G?
3 weeks later... (3 days ago)
I was in Singapore once again, this time with my dad. My dad asked me to suggest a phone in which he could use as a backup. You see, my dad is another gadget centric person. Recently, I believe; due to my influence, he has gone a little gadget crazed. :) I suggested the K600i, described it's features and moments later, we found ourselves at my favourite - Funan IT Mall.
The purchase
At Funan, we went to a number of phone shops. We took a look at Sony Ericsson's latest Walkman-styled mobile phone - the W800i, Motorola's latest super slim Razr V3 (don't like Motorola's interface - never did - no offence to Motorola users ;P) and a number of other Nokia phones.
We finally came to a conclusion that the K600i was the best phone for his needs - an opportunity to enter the world of 3G, a 1.3 Megapixel camera and a host of other features. As with most of our 'large' purchases, we would usually go for a cup of tea / coffee at the nearby coffee chain to relax, regather our thoughts and revisit some of the features of the product we were going to purchase just to make sure we won't make a rash decision.
During that time, I too went into thoughts of upgrading my phone. In the end, I thought to myself; what the heck, I mean, I'll lose the 2.0 Megapixel camera but I'll be getting a phone with twice the number of cameras - two is better than one right? Plus, the 3G feature would bring in a host of other possibilities I have dreamed to do - for one, it's video calls. So good bye K750i and hello K600i.
After the decision, another thought came to mind. To make video calls, I would need another person to have a 3G phone. Sure, my dad will have one but with his busy schedule I'm sure he would be more interested in finishing up his work at the office than to look at my face all day long. The solution? My girlfriend! If she gets a 3G enabled phone, we would be able to talk / view all day long while harnessing the power of 3G! I'm sure she wouldn't mind looking at my face all day long and so wouldn't I - they call this love. :)
Anyway, enough of the lovey-dovey thing, the solution was to get her a 3G phone. Moreover, Stella's been bugging me about the phone since it's debut on Sony Ericsson's website. With her birthday around a corner, buying her this phone would allow me to strike 3 birds - first, to get myself a 3G partner, her birthday gift and the to eliminate the bugging - hahahahahahahah!
What started of as a purchase of just one mobile phone became 3 - 3G enabled mobile phones - boy was the sales person happy!
The 3G experience (Singapore)
I'm known as a person who want things done quickly. The moment I got the phone, I couldn't wait to make a video call. To my dismay, I found that I will have to get my Sim Card upgraded to a 3G enabled sim card for me to begin using 3G services. It was a little depressing, but it was a good thing that I was returning to Kuala Lumpur that very day.
The experience - continued (Malaysia)
After returning from Singapore, it was rather late, so there wasn't really much hype on the phones - all I cared was sleep. So sleep it was until the next morning.
It was 10am. I jumped out of bed, all set to get all 3 SIM cards upgraded (Stella's, my dad's and mine).
12:30pm - Maxis i-Centre KLCC. I took a number, when the number was called I went to the consultant, informed her of my purpose and all 3 SIM cards were upgraded in about 30 minutes.
3G SIM Card in a 3G-enabled phone
Once I got the card, I pried open the phone, slotted in the SIM card and hit the on switch. 1 minute went by, 2 minutes went by, 5 minutes went by - but still no 3G logo. You see, 3G works a little like GPRS. When a 3G or GPRS network is detected, the phone will reveal a little logo. I went back to the consultant, she took me to a 3G specialist and he started poking about the phone's menu.
According to the 'specialist', the settings were fine. All I needed to do was wait. So wait it was. Approximately 15 minutes later, my phone showed a message saying "3G Configuration updated - please turn off and turn on your phone to begin using 3G services". My dad received a similar message on his phone. It was an ecstatic moment... 3G here we COME!
My first video call
Immediately, I dialled my dad's number, it was pretty simple, really; all I needed to do was to key in the number and instead of pressing the call button, I hit the 'video call' button and that was it!
Seconds later, my dad's phone started ringing, my phone revealed the video call screen. First, the audio came through then it was VIDEO. The feeling was indescribable! We started chatting while talking to our phones. It was rather strange as we were just meters a part and to the people around us, all they see are two people talking and smiling to their phones - but to heck with it, we are using the LATEST if not COOLEST technology around... 3G :)
Watching LIVE TV on my phone...
In my opinion, Maxis has one of the best 3G services available in the market. It had partnered with it's sister company Astro to provide live video content to it's 3G subscribers. For more information, visit Maxis' 3G Website. They've got live video content ranging from hitz.tv (a local MTV styled-channel), news channels ranging from CNN to BBC World, LIVE video feed on the traffic condition of major roads in Kuala Lumpur and loads loads more.
My first pick was CNN... I surfed to a WAP site created by Maxis for their 3G subscribers, hit news channels, clicked CNN and within seconds (almost without buffering) the live feed was shown in all it's glory.
CNN - on my little mobile screen. The stream was smooth without the frequent rebuffering of the video which is common in slow connections. On the overall, the video quality was great, audio was great - albeit on the soft end - i think it's the phone's problem (I'm looking forward to a firmware upgrade). Just to illustrate the quality of the feed, even with the puney screen that I have on my phone, I could actually see the tiny scrolling text at the bottom of the screen - it's THAT SHARP! and SMOOTH!
Cost of maintaining a 3G phone...
When it comes to charges, Maxis has done a pretty good job in that area. The best part about these live video channels is that Maxis doesn't charge you according to the amount of data you download through streaming these channels. All they charge is a fixed monthly fee (according to which channel package you subscribe to) and that's it!
As for the video calls - Maxis' answer? As per normal voice calls! That's 30 cents/minute for those on the pro-talk plan and 15 cents/minute for those on the m-Style 75/138/238/500 plans!
So if you plan to own a 3G phone and you're subscribed to another provider other than Maxis, it's time to SWITCH! - Maxis, you'd better pay me marketing/promotion fees for this :)
What's next?
I've tried streaming live video through 3G and making video calls. The next step would surf through 3G connetion speeds on my notebook and to experiment with the endless possibilities of 3G...
So if you have my mobile number and you've also joined the 3G clan, let's start 3G-ing today! Why stick with the old method of voice-only communication when we can have video calls in full colour!
Just a note, I have yet to sell my K750i. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm offering it at a CHEAP and AFFORDABLE RM1,400.
If you don't have my number, do add me to your MSN Messenger list, my ID is registered with the e-mail address benjern@hotmail.com.
Before I talk about my experience, I shall first introduce my very first 3G-enabled phone.
WARNING - LONG LONG LONG POST AHEAD
The phone
Drums roll... "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the bold... the beautiful Sony Ericsson K600i!"
If you ask me, the phone resembles the looks of an iPod mini - albeit souped up with a 260K colour screen, bluetooth support, video streaming support, 2 cameras (one behind, one infront) one of which is a 1.3 Megapixel camera and more.
The Experience
I've been traveling quite a bit; back and forth between Malaysia and Singapore lately. It was in Singapore that I first discovered this phone - in a retail store that is. Prior to that, I've seen the phone on various websites reviewing it's features, aesthetics appeal and the like.
Approximately 3 weeks ago I was walking around in one of my favourite shopping complexes in Singapore (Funan IT Mall) when I saw this shiny metallic looking phone prying through a glass window - the K600i in it's shiny metallic case, smoothly curved lines and of course the flat yet distinctive keys which blends into the phone's overall look and feel. It was a beauty.
In my hand was the Sony Ericsson K750i - beautiful 2.0 megapixel camera phone complete with autofocus with a black matte finish but sadly, it was not 3G enabled.
The question then was, to upgrade or not to upgrade? Or a more refined question would be should I lose the 2.0 Megapixel camera feature on my current phone for an opportunity to enter the world of 3G?
3 weeks later... (3 days ago)
I was in Singapore once again, this time with my dad. My dad asked me to suggest a phone in which he could use as a backup. You see, my dad is another gadget centric person. Recently, I believe; due to my influence, he has gone a little gadget crazed. :) I suggested the K600i, described it's features and moments later, we found ourselves at my favourite - Funan IT Mall.
The purchase
At Funan, we went to a number of phone shops. We took a look at Sony Ericsson's latest Walkman-styled mobile phone - the W800i, Motorola's latest super slim Razr V3 (don't like Motorola's interface - never did - no offence to Motorola users ;P) and a number of other Nokia phones.
We finally came to a conclusion that the K600i was the best phone for his needs - an opportunity to enter the world of 3G, a 1.3 Megapixel camera and a host of other features. As with most of our 'large' purchases, we would usually go for a cup of tea / coffee at the nearby coffee chain to relax, regather our thoughts and revisit some of the features of the product we were going to purchase just to make sure we won't make a rash decision.
During that time, I too went into thoughts of upgrading my phone. In the end, I thought to myself; what the heck, I mean, I'll lose the 2.0 Megapixel camera but I'll be getting a phone with twice the number of cameras - two is better than one right? Plus, the 3G feature would bring in a host of other possibilities I have dreamed to do - for one, it's video calls. So good bye K750i and hello K600i.
After the decision, another thought came to mind. To make video calls, I would need another person to have a 3G phone. Sure, my dad will have one but with his busy schedule I'm sure he would be more interested in finishing up his work at the office than to look at my face all day long. The solution? My girlfriend! If she gets a 3G enabled phone, we would be able to talk / view all day long while harnessing the power of 3G! I'm sure she wouldn't mind looking at my face all day long and so wouldn't I - they call this love. :)
Anyway, enough of the lovey-dovey thing, the solution was to get her a 3G phone. Moreover, Stella's been bugging me about the phone since it's debut on Sony Ericsson's website. With her birthday around a corner, buying her this phone would allow me to strike 3 birds - first, to get myself a 3G partner, her birthday gift and the to eliminate the bugging - hahahahahahahah!
What started of as a purchase of just one mobile phone became 3 - 3G enabled mobile phones - boy was the sales person happy!
The 3G experience (Singapore)
I'm known as a person who want things done quickly. The moment I got the phone, I couldn't wait to make a video call. To my dismay, I found that I will have to get my Sim Card upgraded to a 3G enabled sim card for me to begin using 3G services. It was a little depressing, but it was a good thing that I was returning to Kuala Lumpur that very day.
The experience - continued (Malaysia)
After returning from Singapore, it was rather late, so there wasn't really much hype on the phones - all I cared was sleep. So sleep it was until the next morning.
It was 10am. I jumped out of bed, all set to get all 3 SIM cards upgraded (Stella's, my dad's and mine).
12:30pm - Maxis i-Centre KLCC. I took a number, when the number was called I went to the consultant, informed her of my purpose and all 3 SIM cards were upgraded in about 30 minutes.
3G SIM Card in a 3G-enabled phone
Once I got the card, I pried open the phone, slotted in the SIM card and hit the on switch. 1 minute went by, 2 minutes went by, 5 minutes went by - but still no 3G logo. You see, 3G works a little like GPRS. When a 3G or GPRS network is detected, the phone will reveal a little logo. I went back to the consultant, she took me to a 3G specialist and he started poking about the phone's menu.
According to the 'specialist', the settings were fine. All I needed to do was wait. So wait it was. Approximately 15 minutes later, my phone showed a message saying "3G Configuration updated - please turn off and turn on your phone to begin using 3G services". My dad received a similar message on his phone. It was an ecstatic moment... 3G here we COME!
My first video call
Immediately, I dialled my dad's number, it was pretty simple, really; all I needed to do was to key in the number and instead of pressing the call button, I hit the 'video call' button and that was it!
Seconds later, my dad's phone started ringing, my phone revealed the video call screen. First, the audio came through then it was VIDEO. The feeling was indescribable! We started chatting while talking to our phones. It was rather strange as we were just meters a part and to the people around us, all they see are two people talking and smiling to their phones - but to heck with it, we are using the LATEST if not COOLEST technology around... 3G :)
Watching LIVE TV on my phone...
In my opinion, Maxis has one of the best 3G services available in the market. It had partnered with it's sister company Astro to provide live video content to it's 3G subscribers. For more information, visit Maxis' 3G Website. They've got live video content ranging from hitz.tv (a local MTV styled-channel), news channels ranging from CNN to BBC World, LIVE video feed on the traffic condition of major roads in Kuala Lumpur and loads loads more.
My first pick was CNN... I surfed to a WAP site created by Maxis for their 3G subscribers, hit news channels, clicked CNN and within seconds (almost without buffering) the live feed was shown in all it's glory.
CNN - on my little mobile screen. The stream was smooth without the frequent rebuffering of the video which is common in slow connections. On the overall, the video quality was great, audio was great - albeit on the soft end - i think it's the phone's problem (I'm looking forward to a firmware upgrade). Just to illustrate the quality of the feed, even with the puney screen that I have on my phone, I could actually see the tiny scrolling text at the bottom of the screen - it's THAT SHARP! and SMOOTH!
Cost of maintaining a 3G phone...
When it comes to charges, Maxis has done a pretty good job in that area. The best part about these live video channels is that Maxis doesn't charge you according to the amount of data you download through streaming these channels. All they charge is a fixed monthly fee (according to which channel package you subscribe to) and that's it!
As for the video calls - Maxis' answer? As per normal voice calls! That's 30 cents/minute for those on the pro-talk plan and 15 cents/minute for those on the m-Style 75/138/238/500 plans!
So if you plan to own a 3G phone and you're subscribed to another provider other than Maxis, it's time to SWITCH! - Maxis, you'd better pay me marketing/promotion fees for this :)
What's next?
I've tried streaming live video through 3G and making video calls. The next step would surf through 3G connetion speeds on my notebook and to experiment with the endless possibilities of 3G...
So if you have my mobile number and you've also joined the 3G clan, let's start 3G-ing today! Why stick with the old method of voice-only communication when we can have video calls in full colour!
Just a note, I have yet to sell my K750i. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm offering it at a CHEAP and AFFORDABLE RM1,400.
If you don't have my number, do add me to your MSN Messenger list, my ID is registered with the e-mail address benjern@hotmail.com.
Monday, August 15, 2005
0
The job hunting experience...
The past couple of weeks had been hectic - filled with plenty of driving between Malaysia and Singapore and the completion of my client's website.
With all that settled, I'm finally ready for the next step - job hunting.
I've applied for countless number of jobs. Since Thursday (11th August 2005), I've applied for no less than 10 jobs. Interesting eh? It was a day filled with non-stop filling of web based forms - I never knew online job application forms were so lengthy!
Now that it's done, all I can do now is wait.
Let's hope I'll get an interview soon! Wish me all the best!
I'll keep you posted...
With all that settled, I'm finally ready for the next step - job hunting.
I've applied for countless number of jobs. Since Thursday (11th August 2005), I've applied for no less than 10 jobs. Interesting eh? It was a day filled with non-stop filling of web based forms - I never knew online job application forms were so lengthy!
Now that it's done, all I can do now is wait.
Let's hope I'll get an interview soon! Wish me all the best!
I'll keep you posted...
Sunday, August 07, 2005
1
Client's site finally launched...
It has certainly been quite a number of weeks since I last updated my blog. For that, I truly apologize.
I have just been busy traveling up and down between Malaysia and Singapore. So much so that I almost feel like a PR of Singapore! The traveling along shouldn't suffice as a reason for my lack of update. What really got me busy is an e-commerce site which I have been developing for a client of mine. I have had the project pending long enough - mainly due to the stress and tight timelines of assignments and the following examinations during my final semester with Monash University.
I'm pleased to say that it is all done now and the site is finally up. When you are free, please pay the site a visit at www.pengallery.com.
Now that I'm done with most the things which I have left pending, I am ready for a job hunt. First, I'll have to update my resume and begin my job hunting escapade.
Oh yes, before I forget, a thought that has been buzzing around my head is this really really really nice, SMART looking, ADORABLE car - PACKED with LOADS and LOADS of safety features!
What do you think? :)
More updates coming up!
I have just been busy traveling up and down between Malaysia and Singapore. So much so that I almost feel like a PR of Singapore! The traveling along shouldn't suffice as a reason for my lack of update. What really got me busy is an e-commerce site which I have been developing for a client of mine. I have had the project pending long enough - mainly due to the stress and tight timelines of assignments and the following examinations during my final semester with Monash University.
I'm pleased to say that it is all done now and the site is finally up. When you are free, please pay the site a visit at www.pengallery.com.
Now that I'm done with most the things which I have left pending, I am ready for a job hunt. First, I'll have to update my resume and begin my job hunting escapade.
Oh yes, before I forget, a thought that has been buzzing around my head is this really really really nice, SMART looking, ADORABLE car - PACKED with LOADS and LOADS of safety features!
What do you think? :)
More updates coming up!