Capeland Life

International Sight and Sound Exhibition 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:58:00 +0000

It only happens once in a year, the International Sight and Sound Exhibition 2009. And I've been kinda waiting for it for almost a year. (I'm sure some of you out there did the same for events like Motorshow too right?)

Since it's an audiophile hifi exhibition, it is not really a big thing to most Singaporeans. In fact, most of them didn't even know what hifi is. Seriously...I think to most Singaporeans, hifi is like Pioneer, LG, Samsung or even Sony. At the most.... BOSE ( or rather "Boast"). To them, Bose is audiophile because its small and stylish...and they produces amazing music from those little cubes. And more importantly.... they are expensive. So people think they are good stuff as with the saying..."You are paying for what you get" (in mandarin). I'm sure to audiophile.... Bose is just crap. OK lah... enough of "boasting". Let's get back to the show.

ISSE'09 HIFI SHOW
Like last year's ISSE'08, the show was held at ParkRoyal Hotel at Kitchener Road. I actually prefer this new location compared to the previous location at Le Meridian Hotel. Somehow it feels like the place is less crowded and more floor space to walk around. Of cause the location of the hotel is less ideal as it is location along Little India and right beside Mustafa. So weekends can be quite traumatic for some as the street gets very packed.

Hifi shows... Love & Hate?
Many local audiophiles seem to detest this ISSE show (as read from our local forums). Bad acoustics, small scaled, small demo rooms, too few exhibitors, even lousy freebies (the free CD with every entry). For me, this is the best time for me to listen to different brands all on the same day, not to mention the chance to hear those very high-end systems, so high that one can only dream of getting. I really hope to see how the shows are like in other countries. I missed the show in HK (couldn't get tickets during '08 Olympics, missed the KLAV show (because of work), and even the Taipei show (even though am already in Taipei, but on a company trip, couldn't change my schedule.)What a waste!

Anyway... for this year's ISSE, not sure if it's linked to the recession, there seem to be a lot less exhibitors this year. It's a little disappointing. But I really hope when the economy gets better... the retailers can return and put on a more impressive show next year.

Freebies & Gifts
Talking about the freebies.... which is the cd. ISSE had been issuing LPCDs for the previous shows. But this time round.... only the $20 (2 day pass) gets the LPCD, one-day pass of $15 will get the normal cd version. I heard that the Hong Kong shows gives away SACD! But ok lah... most people didn't really care about the free cd as the music in it didn't suit their taste. However... the lucky draw gift was horrible... one of it was a set of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks, huh?!

Hunting... hunting....
This time round, my main aim for the show was to check out the cd players, which happens to be the weakest link in my sound system. Right now, I'm using my Oppo dvd player as my cd player, the sound isn't too bad.... but not fantastic.

Journey to the moon....

Visited AVP Soundcraft's room, they were showcasing Simaudio system with German Physik's loudspeakers. They were playing some drum tracks which sounded very impressive, showcasing the system's power in attack and also imaging. But didn't get to hear how it sound like with other type of music. I wanted to try out Simaudio Moon's entry level cdp (above @ S$2000) which was within my budget but too bad, it wasn't on demo. Reviews of it weren't too bad, but I really wonder how it sounded like.

My Setup. No lah... its Raindrop Audio's Showroom

Next up was Raindrop Audio's room. I've read about the famed Emerald Physics speakers that they carry. Apart from their traffic stopping appearance.... they were said to sound fantastic too. I just had to hear for myself.

1st (with computer audio): Sounded lean and a little flat.

2nd (Ayon CD-2): Better. Mid range is fuller, more dynamic... overall has more body.

3rd (with AVID Turntable *not sure of the model*): I was just blown away by the sound. Everything was a notch better, more holographic and dynamic.

Verdict: I'm still not very convinced with computer audio. But having played with audio files myself... I think only the 24/96 file can rival cds. However, that dependent on your DAC's capability in decoding the hi-res files. Apart from that, 24/96 music files are pricier than normal lossless files and not all musics are available in 24/96 format. I guess CDs are still the best for me so far.

Ayon CD-1
The boss told me he is left with the last piece. But a check on Raindrop Audio's website just now, its sold already. Sad x 10!!

Ayon CD-2
Smooth and balanced but a little too polite for my liking. Not if it was because of that Andrea Bocelli cd that sounded a wee~ bit compressed. Wonder how this tube cd player performs with other genres. Anyway, at $4000+++.... its way over my budget!

Leema Stream CD Player from AV One (S$3588)

Another strong contender from Leema... Playing Cai Qin's CD (from Manley Labs) I first tried the Antilla II before changing to Stream. I had a short experience with Antilla before switching over to Stream. Maybe my ears weren't good enough or I'm too inexperienced... I didn't find much difference between the 2 players, except that Antilla sounded slightly more refined, smoother, and with lower noise floor.

Compared to last year's ISSE'08, this show really was a lot smaller. Despite the bad economy, the organizer and participated shops still put in their time and effort to keep this show going year after another. Although the shows here can't be compared to other countries in terms of size and quality, I still hope fellow audiophiles can continue to support the show as to keep it going. After all, this is the only show that is specially designed for us. A big applause to them!

Links: International Sight & Sound Show '08

It's a SUNDAE!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:12:00 +0000

My weekend was a mad one. I realised how little time I have on hand and yet, so many things to do.

1) ARMY MARKET

I had to rush to Army market to get some of my uniforms sewn. Got to do up the nametags, sew on the "SINGAPORE" tag, sew on my Unit emblem on the collar and also on my sleeve. Those making those nametags and sewing of stuffs on my uniform alone cost me $20+! I was a little shocked.... all along I thought such things are quite cheap. But no choice.... I need to get them done.

2) DAD'S B-DAY LUNCHIE

After the Army market... I had to meet up with my family for lunch to celebrate my dad's birthday. We went to Wah Lok Restaurant at Carlton Hotel for some Tim Sum lunchie.

We've been to Wah Lok for many times already. The food there was quite good. Note the word "WAS". Yah.... as with last Sunday, I've pretty much concluded that Wah Lok is not that fantastic as before. The staffs there got really busy, and the service quality dropped quite badly. They became very inattentive and impatient. My parents being very elderly... naturally becomes slow in ordering food. The staffs immediately said "You decide first then call me again later" in a very impatient tone. And worst is, it's the Captain who said that.

The food took a very long time to be served too. Some of our orders were totally forgotten and we had to remind them a few times. Much said.... this is really disappointing. Now we'll have to start looking out for other better places for family meals in the future.

3) ISSE'09 HIFI SHOW

I had about an hour to burn after leaving my clothes at the Army Market for sewing. Just nice for me to pop by the hifi show before I meet up with my family for lunch. I think this is my 4th time attending hifi shows.

It all started many years back at the age of 20, that was the time I attended my first hifi show held at Le Meridien Hotel. My sister being a musician herself, got totally mesmerized by the sound of high end system. And eventually, I was given an entry-level sound system as my 21st birthday gift, how nice! My first system was made up of Marantz cd player and amplifier, with Wharfedale speakers. The set-up was really nice... but now I'm on to my 3rd system upgrade, haha...

4) THIS IS IT!

This is it! I met up with my friend after the show to celebrate his birthday and also to catch the movie "This Is It" by MJ. The movie at Cathay was just great. Even though the whole show is produced using video footages of his up coming concert, the movie was very nicely put together and it felt like watching a documentary.

The whole experience was made even better by MJ's great music, and all the dancing. In fact, only after watching the show, then I realise how professional and passionate Michael Jackson is to his music. The kind of effort and passion that he put into producing his concert is truly amazing. He is really a great lost to the entertainment industry.

5) DINNER

Finally, my day wrapped up with dinner at Plaza Singapura's AJITEI. Food there isn't too bad...and wasn't expensive either. Quite a fulfilling Sunday albeit it feels like being very short (probably because my day was packed with plans!). Now I can't wait for my next book out!

1 more day!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Counting down..... 1 more day to book out, yeah!

I'm starting to get very restless.... for the whole of this week... there wasn't even any nights-out for us. Not that I really need that nights-out, I actually pity the rest of the platoon mates who trained very hard and still had to stay in. Damn demoralizing for them.

Luckily last night me and my mates went to chill at the Mess.... grabbed a beer and some snacks. Why beer, not tea or soft drinks? Cause the beer in camp is dirt cheap! Only $1.20 per can. That's like even cheaper than a can of Coke at some food courts. No wonder all the reservist guys are grabbing this chance to drink as much as possible inside here. Anyway that's probably the most comforting thing around.

Heard that tomorrow my company is having some Battalion Course, whole day activity thingy. Most probably will end late in the evening, so half of the day would be burnt. I hope its not going to end as late as 9pm cause by the time I get home would be 10 plus already!

Things that make my day...
Thanks to Melody.... she found a great website that sells audiophile cds and at super low prices. These days, how cheap can cds be? Make a guess.... RMB5. That's SGD$1! Yes.... quite unbelievable. It's a China webby, most people would shun it. But to most audiophiles... China actually produces a lot of Chinese Audiophile cds and most hi-end loudspeakers are from there, so why not China? They actually have quite a huge library from LPCDs, SACDs, Telarc to Deutche Grammophone.

Now I'm so busy going through the webby to see what cds I might actually be interested to get! hahaa...Got me all excited lor! In case any fellow audiophile mates are interested in the link... here is it. It's in Chinese though.. www.taobao.com

Melody, thanks again!

Time of the year to blog again

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:45:00 +0000

Yes yes, it's the time of the year to blog.

Still remember my first blog entry was posted on 6/6/08 when I was called in for my Reservist. And here I am.... in the same camp writing blogs again. This time round, I would be stuck in camp much longer than my previous time, 14 days instead of the usual 7. But lucky for me... just last night, I got pulled out from my battalion to help out with the Stores due to some medical conditions (that I don't even know off). And they deem me unfit for training. Heck! That's blessing in disguise!

Things I love about In-Camps:

1) Range:
After settling down.... we straight away drew our weapons and headed down to the range for some shooting. I think one of the activity I most enjoyed would be doing Range. Out of 8 rounds.... I managed to hit 6 of my target! I could have hit more but out of time.

Everything was find until the weather suddenly changed and it started raining very heavily. Amidst the weather condition, we still have to finish up our training, going into the rain to pick up all the empty bullet shells. After that, everyone was so drench!

2) E-Mart
For those without any idea what E-mart is, its actually a shopping heaven for guys both in-store or even online. After my dinner, I headed down to e-mart with some campmates and wasn't surprised that e-mart was packed. It was quite a sight lah.... Very seldom you get to see guys getting so delighted with shopping and grabbing things off the shelves as if they are free ( well almost! ) And they looked so diva pulling their "duffel-trolley" in camp, or hugging on to the latest season from New Balance.

3) Food
As usual.... was pretty good. But getting unhealthy. Too much fried stuff.... Fried fish with pineapple rice for lunch, same fried fish for dinner. I'm getting a little sore throat and cough from all those food.

Um... ok.... so far here are the updates.
I'm going off for high tea with my campmates now, tata!

Back to Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:24:00 +0000

Technorati Tags: mobile broadband,netbooks

Some updates on myself:

Getting Busier (as compared to previous job)
Getting more free (as it is the 7th month)
Bought a Netbook at Comex (So that I can write)
Subscribed Broadband Mobile (So that I can blog too)

1) Getting Busier Yes, I’m busier than before… probably the amount of time put into this job. Right now I hardly got the time to meet up with my family and friends. But at least I managed to make more use of my time by going for a jog at the park after my work to compensate for skipping gym. I have to exercise harder as I’ve been eating a lot lately. Especially when the weather here is real hot, and only MacDonald’s & KFC appear heavenly cooling to me…I’ve been eating a lot of it!

2) I’m free enough to blog? Been getting more free lately as it is still the “Ghost Month”. Responses on new property launches have been lukewarm. With the Government’s intervention on the removal of "Interest Absorption Scheme”, the NEW LAUNCH property market is going to be quieter than ever. Thanks MBT! I just hope that it’s not going to affect me very very much, at least I’ve got more time to BLOG!

3) New Netbook Yup, got myself a Netbook at the Comex last week end. My laptop is really showing its age. Too big and heavy to throw into my gym bag. So my “hoot” at the Comex was this black Netbook with upgraded specs that’s supposedly better than other competitor’s.

4) Broadband Mobile Netbooks are all the rage now, so is broadband mobile. I found that it’s really convenient. Just plug in and I’m connected. Don’t even need to have unsightly modems at home. Just that I think the surfing is not as fast and smooth as my network at home.

Ok…. since I’ve got my new netbook…. I will try to make more effort to post more in order to make full use out of my “nappie” and my broadband! :D

Semi-D(emoralizing)

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Tags : Real Estate,Semi-D

Weekend work
It was another hectic and tiring week for me. I was at my showroom over the weekend, busy preparing myself for a new project that’s due to launch by end of this month. Again, there were lots of memorizing tasks going on. Tons of infos and specifications to digest.

This is the new project. Everyone seemed to be very anxious over this project as it seems like a potential sell-by-itself product. Location is at Balestier, which is so near to CTE, in other words, easy to head to town. But I realised most of the units are studio apartments. Are they targeting young executives…. singles to be exact? I’m not sure too. I only know that this project gives me lots of headaches.

$1.65M?
What’s $1.65M? That’s actually $1,650,000 million! To many people, its a huge amount of money that we can only dream of having. To some others, $1.65M is really nothing to them. Having said so, I nearly closed a $1.65M Semi-D deal on Saturday when one of my prospective buyer called me up to negotiate.

He was pretty keen in the unit, came once in the morning, then a second visit with his parents few hours later. And the week after, he called me back and tried to negotiate. However…. after much discussion, he still finds the price too high considering its only 99 Leasehold….. There goes my first pay check. :(

Great Pretenders, Big Liars, Star Actors…
The fun part of being at the showroom is, I get to meet a lot of people. There are some who comes in for casual showroom browsing. Some who puts effort to act like they are really really interested in buying. Some who spins stories about how rich they are, how many properties they have and how much they love your showroom. In fact, I was quite amazed at how talented Singaporeans are. No wonder there isn’t any lack of contestants for Star Search here. :D

Having said that, meeting those “potential shoppers” really help to brighten up my day and keeps the boring feeling away. Btw…. help me pray that I can start closing deals soon, ok? :P

Adjusting to my new life

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Finally… I’ve got some time to blog. Maybe I should take this time to write about my personal life than just food and music.

My life is going through lots of changes right now, be it big or small. Just last week, my friend was chatting with me over msn and told me that he had tendered from his creative company, and going to join another of his friend’s company.

That got me thinking of quitting my job too. In fact I have thought of changing my job since early this year. I’ve been feeling too negative towards my current company…… low pay, no prospects, incompetent management and so on. The only thing that kept me going was my colleagues. They were all very nice and fun people. Not like some other company, lots of politics, bitching going on…. Not that we don’t bitch, (Oh, we do! Bitched a lot during lunch some more), but those are just for laughs. In fact, I think the bitching helped to knit us closely together. :P

Should I Quit?
Yes! I took the plunge too. Tendered my resignation last week. It was quite a sudden decision. Broke the news to my colleagues few days back and they were all shocked, and sad too. I wasn’t the only one. Two other colleagues from other departments are leaving too.

New Job, new life
Life got very busy after I joined the new company. I had to go for classes after my work every Tues and Thurs, then weekends are burnt as I have to do understudy. Lots of studying, lots of things to be memorized and so on. Basically… it’s the start of no life for me. But hope this is only temporary. Once my new job starts officially, I should have slightly more free time :)

Cds that I bought last month

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Tags: jazz,new age,audiophile,instrumental,laura fygi,ella fitzgerald,gramophone

JAZZ

Laura Fygi – Rendez-Vous (Jazz / Vocal)

I stumbled across this Laura Fygi’s album at Gramophone by chance. I’ve not heard of any other Laura’s album before, this is my first time and my first one. Maybe because I like old French cafe style of music, I enjoyed listening to this album very much. As if it transported me all the way back time to France, sitting along a street cafe on a Sunday morning and enjoying a cup of hot coffee.

Ella Fitzgerald – Sings The Jerome Kern Song Book (Jazz / Vocal)

For those who are familiar with Jazz music, they should have heard of Ella Fitzgerald. I’m sure if there’s a term to this type of Jazz, but its rather old school and more laid back, unlike those of Diana Krall. As this is a 24bit Master Edition, the recording is good with very excellent sound staging. Most importantly, the sound is warm-ish and retained a bit of that record-crackling noise which gives an illusion that I’m actually listening to an LP.

NEW AGE

Freedom to Love – Various Artist (New Age / Instrumental)

Still remember the 9-11 incident? This collection of New Age music was specially written and complied in memory of the loved ones who left us and to help to spread more love and heal our hearts through the music. Melodies in this album are calm and peaceful. In fact, I think they are extremely beautiful. Erm, wait! Did I mention that this is music at a bargain? I bought this at Gramophone for $5.95 clearance price!

AUDIOPHILE

The First Clemical Element IV, 第一元素 - 古筝

I enjoy listening orchestra pieces, which also includes Chinese orchestra music as well. Few of my favourite instruments that I really like includes Er-Hu (二胡), Yang Qin (揚琴) and Gu Zheng (古筝). In this case, one of the deciding factor for this album was the Gu Zheng. For the uninitiated, The First Clemical Element Series is made up of movie and TV soundtracks. Music was good, but maybe because I didn’t find the selections weren’t to my taste, I feel that I preferred the 2nd album to this. Sound quality from this Guangzhou label, Wonderful Music, is again….sublime, or one can say, Wonderful!

For more infos on Chinese Instruments, refer here.

Absolutely Develop a fever 8, 绝对发烧

Firstly, I know my English isn’t good, but definitely not to the extend of writing the album title wrongly. Did Wonderful Music spend too much time in making music, totally missed out on their English and using Google Translation instead?

OK, coming back to the music, this is a compilation of tracks taken from various albums. My favourite tracks includes 1. 倩影, 2. 伶人歌, 3. 月之故乡, 13.庭院深深. The best track from this album has to be the opening song by 曼里-Money. Never mind that I don’t understand a word of Cantonese, but I can’t help but get mesmerized by Money’s voice. So mellow and filled with emotions… I think I’m starting to like her more and more.

Xin Wang Taiwan Café @ Citylink Mall

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Tags: Citylink Mall,Taiwan Cafe,Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe,Taiwan Food

Are you sick and tired of seeing too many Hong Kong cafes around? Had too much “Yuan Yang-s” or looking more and more like the Polo Bun you just ate? If your answer is yes, I guess Xin Wang has probably heard our plea.

Situated right in the centre of CityLink Mall is a spanking new Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe (XWTC) operated by Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe chain of restaurants, famous for their cheap Hong Kong street style makans.

Cute Cartoony Menu

When it comes to variety of food, there is no lack of it in Taiwan. I’m sure everyone knows that when there’s like endless Taiwan Food Feature Shows on Channel U or Starhub Cable TV. In fact, when I was going through XWTC’s menu, I’m kind of spoilt for choice. Some of the names I’ve not even heard of, everything looks interesting but yet I can’t be ordering too much in case I can’t finish.

Let’s start off with some sides….

(105) Toast Box with Cream Sauce, $5.80

This should be the Coffin Bread (棺材板), hope I got it right. The bread is deep fried and its top is sliced away. Centre of the bread is being removed to make way for fillings. I admit I like to eat fried stuff, so naturally I enjoy eating this deep fried coffin. However, after a while, I find that the “oil” taste (probably from the frying process) is a bit too much. Some would also find that this is too oily & unhealthy. Luckily there was enough creamy sauce for me to dip in and kept me happy. :D

(104) Fried-fish Paste with Sauce, $5.80

Initially, I thought that this Fried-fish paste is similar to the fish cake that most Singaporeans are familiar with. But after trying it out, my assumption ends there. Firstly the skin of it is different. Like its made from some egg-based batter, much more fragrant. Texture of its filling is waaayyy…. softer! If fish cakes are more “spring-y”, I would think that this more “tender & cotton-y”.

(407) Crispy Chicken with Rice, $7.80

There are many types of “crispy chicken with rice” on the menu, but I chose this one that is done with Chinese fermented beancurd, 腐乳 (refer to this if you’ve no idea what I’m talking about). I find it quite disappointing as I think that the chicken was rather bland. If I didn’t know that it’s marinated with fermented beancurd, I would think that it is some normal chicken cutlet with rice. The fermented beancurd taste is just too mild. It would do better if there is some additional fermented beancurd sauce or gravy over the chicken. And maybe with lesser oil too. However, the best part of it is the size of the fillet.

(501) Braised Minced Pork Rice, $6.80

Should you prefer lighter meals, try this one. Rice with some Taiwan-styled braised minced pork, stewed egg, steamed and preserved veggies. I think that this is “OK”, nothing really too special as it is almost like what we can get from coffee shop. But heck! Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe IS like a coffee shop, just being more expensive and serves Taiwan food. :D

So… Would I return again?
Oh yes of course. Never mind that not all the things I’ve tried on my first visit is fantastic. There are a lot more things on the menu that I would like to try them out. Maybe I’ll do another write up on it. :D Only thing that I want to pray hard for…. “No queues please…”

Taste: 3.5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Overall: 4/5

Xin Wang Taiwan Café

CityLink Mall
Raffles Link, # B1-23
CityLink Mall
Singapore 039393
Tel: +65-6341 9542

Mini Review: Soundcare Superspike (Spike 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:19:00 +0000

Tags : Audiophile,Hifi,Audio Tweaks,Soundcare,Speaker Feet,Musiclink

Superspikes under my speakers

Purpose
As from my previous post, I purchased the Soundcare Superspike Spike 2 (Standard Self adhesive) to elevated my speakers as to bring them closer to my ear level. The Spike 2s are not very big, probably the height of it is almost an inch. It may sound like its not going to help much, but I shall talk about the effects later.

The provided double-sided adhesive tape is to be pasted on the top metal part, then fixed to the speakers’ base. I decided not to stick the spikes to my speakers as it is going to be permanent, or may even damage my speaker veneers if I decide to remove them some day. Instead, I applied a very thin layer of Blu-tack in place of the tape. Bottom is covered by this velvety adhesive tape to prevent spikes from scratching your equipments or stands.

Soundcare Superspikes 2 with adhesive tape on top

How it sound
On the initial listening, this little device seems to tidy up the overall sound and make everything sound better. Main improvement in the bass which now seemed tighter and slightly punchier. Imaging was also improved. On the whole, music sounded a bit more transparent too.

But over the past few weeks, I’m tried various different genre or music from Classical to Dance, I realise that previously I had some bass boom problems in my room, it is now gone. I wonder if the improvements in sound was attributed mainly from Spikes 2, or was it due to the elevation of my speakers.

In any case, I’m quite happy with the result that I’ve gotten without burning a big hole in my wallet.

Links
Soundcare
Musiclink

Mini Review: Voodoo Iso-Pod Isolation Systems

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Tags : Audiophile,Electronics,Audio Tweaks,Voodoo,Isolation,Audio

Voodoo Iso-Pod Isolation Systems

About the Iso-Pods
My first purchase of Voodoo product was this Mojo Powercord (See my write up here) from Audio Iconic. It was pretty good. And that kind of got me to try out the rest of Voodoo’s products.

First of all, Iso-Pod is an isolation system. As read from Voodoo’s website, it is made up of 2 nylon cups with a cryogenically-treated chrome alloy ball bearing in between them. When I first read about the Iso-Pod, I thought it was something similar to Symposium Rollerblock Jr. But upon trying out the actual thing, I noticed that between the nylon cups and the ball, there is a slight magnetic force that holds the three pieces of items together. So the ball doesn’t really “roll” or make yr equipment sway whenever you touch them.

At the showroom
The dealer did an A/B test of the Iso-Pods for me on his Bel Canto CD2 cd player. His setup that day was Bel Canto CD2, I can’t recall what amplifier he was using, it was either NuForce or Bel Canto, speakers were Mark & Daniel Maximus Mini+.

The Iso-Pods were then placed under CD2 in the shape of an Isosceles Triangle with one of the pods under the cd lens. Through the M&D Maximus Mini+, we ran a few tracks from Melody Gardot’s My One and Only Thrill and 蔡琴's 被遗忘的时光 from the 民歌蔡琴 album, made famous by Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs (无间道)movie.

Most apparent improvement was in the mid range. Vocals now have more body and focus. Details that weren’t noticeable previously are now more distinct. There was a very slight improvement in the bass too, I felt that it was a little tighter than before.

Back at home
I started off the test by removing the Unicones beneath my Oppo cd/dvd player and played the same 蔡琴 track that I’ve heard back at Audio Iconic and familiarised myself with the sound. The Iso-Pods are up next, I placed one pod under the cd lens, and the other two pods near to the two hind feets of the Oppo player.

Pods in action

The improvements were not as obvious as compared to the showroom demo, but it was still noticeable. It could be due to my rack which already sounded pretty “dead” as each shelf is individually spiked, so differences were minimal. Probably fellow audiophiles who are not using proper shelves would get gain more from the Pods?

Improvements noted were the same as what I’ve experienced back at Audio Iconic, though it was a lot milder. Mid range still gained focus, more details, but I couldn’t spot any improvement in the bass region. If I were to put it the improvements in percentage, back in the showroom, the improvements were almost 10-15%. But at home, probably around 5%?

Compared to Unicones, it all boils down to musical taste. I find that Unicones gave a mellower sound, tames the highs a little, and vocals are warmer and sweeter. While Iso-Pods provided one with more details, music have more focus, sound staging is improved slightly as well, it sounded less sweet than the Unicones, well just that little bit.

Iso-Pod for CDP, DAC, Amplifier?
I’ve tried the Iso-Pods under my CD player, DAC and amplifier. It’s either my ears were not sensitive enough, or the differences were too minor, using it under my Bel Canto DAC3 and Bel Canto S300i sounded pretty much the same to me. Under my Oppo, changes were the most obvious. So I have them replaced my Unicones for now.

*Something extra: As not to waste my Unicones, I am now using one of them as weight to be placed on top of the cd motor (directly above the Iso-Pod). The vocals become fuller and “thicker”, have more body to it now. Sounds much better than the Oppo on the pods alone. *

Considering the price for performance, I think that the Iso-Pods are quite worth its price at $65. There is even a special promotion which 3 sets ( that would be a totally of 9 pieces), is only $155. If you wish to “isolate” the rest of your equipments using Iso-Pod, its an even better deal!

Links
Voodoo Cables
Audio Iconic

Coming up next…
Soundcare Superspikes Mini User Review!

My new audio tweaks

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Tags : Voodoo,Soundcare,Audiophile,Adelphi,Shaw Towers

Talking about hifi tweaks, there are so many different brands offering various types of tweaks, more than one can ever imagine. To my friends and family who knew nothing about audiophile stuff, they will give me “that look” of disbelieve if tweaks would really work.

Last month during the Great Singapore Sale, instead of shopping for clothes down at Orchard Road, I was at Adelphi and Shaw Towers. Bought 2 things, this Voodoo Iso-Pod Isolation Systems and Soundcare Superspikes.

Voodoo Iso-Pod Isolation Systems
I purchased the Iso-Pods from Audio Iconic. They didn’t cost a lot ($65 for a set of 3), so why not give it a try? So, I’ve got the Iso-Pods placed under my CD player/dvd player, replacing the Unicone Feets that I was previously using. I’m still in the midst of trying out the Iso-Pods with the rest of the system and see which yields the most significant result.

Soundcare Superspikes (Spike 2)
Superspikes were from Musiclink, another cheap and affordable tweak. They are to be used between the speakers and speaker stand. Due to my current listening position (I’m sitting on my bed), my ears are positioned slightly higher than my speakers, thus the imaging goes off a little. Fitting a sofa in my room is quite impossible unless I remove my bed and sleep on the sofa instead. I guess my best option now is to elevate my speakers as to bring them closer to my ear level.

Look out for Mini User Reviews on my next posts :)

Paulaner Brahaus 10th Year Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Tags : Paulaner Brahaus,Millenia Walk,Beer

If you’ve been to a pub, bar, or club sometime in your life, you should have come across Paulaner Brahaus before. Apart from being well known for their freshly brewed beer, Paulaner Brahaus are also well known for the good food that they serve.

Talking about that…I was at Millennia Walk Paulaner Brahaus having dinner just now. As they are celebrating their 10th anniversary, PB has prepared some great promos on their food and beers. Not only that, there were performances too. This evening’s programme was this Uni-cyclist who played saxophone while uni-cycle around the restaurant, and belting out some very lovely tunes throughout my dinner.

Activities

Wed, 1 July – Fire Juggler performance, Stilt-Walkers, Jesters

Thurs, 2 July – Complimentary Hippo Bus Ride

Mon, 6 July – Uni-Cyclist with saxophone performance

Tues, 7 July – Trivia Night

Fri, 10 July – Grand Finale! Fire Juggler performance, Stilt-Walkers, Jesters

Feel the power of Light and Dark
(lager beer,front; dark beer,back)

Six Savoury Sausages, ~~$17~~ $10
Nürnberger grilled sausages with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut
6 Stück Nürnberger Bratwürste mit Kartoffelp�ree und Sauerkraut

The slightly charred skin of the grilled sausage had a very nice aroma. It really brings out the flavour of the meat underneath, which on its own, already taste very good. The second thing I liked about this dish is its whipped potatoe, nice and creamy.

Power Knuckle ~~$29.50~~ $10
Crispy pork knuckle with sauerkraut and bread dumpling
Knusprige Schweinshaxe mit Sauerkraut und Serviettenknödel

Pork knuckle… It's a love and hate thing. Why hate? For the health-conscious, especially ladies, pork knuckles are hell. Its fattening, high in cholesterol, and the list goes on. But for the food-lovers, its a totally different thing. It’s just Heaven. And in this case, the pork knuckle is crispy. Not the whole knuckle lah… but just the skin only. Somehow, the crispy golden skin reminds me of our Chinese roast pork (烧肉 – Shao Rou). They share the same type of taste, only this one is a little more crispier and less oily. Meat beneath that golden armour is extremely juicy and tender, without a hint of hardness.

Sweet Treats, $12.50
Caramelised Bavarian emperor's pancake with apple plum compote
Karamellisierter Kaiserschmarrn mit Apfel- Pflaumenkompott

After washing down the pork knuckles down my stomach with some fresh beer, it is time for some dessert. The top of this pancake is a thin film of caramelised crust, probably the pancake has been layered with some syrup, then torched, which gave the pancake a slightly bbq-ed fragrance. Under that sweet crust, is this rather soft and moist pancake, which tasted like bread-pudding. Nice contrast of texture. All is even better when each mouthful of pancake is topped with some apple plum compote… Sweet, literally!

This 10th Year Anniversary promotion only lasts till the 10th of July. So if anyone of you is interested, do so quickly. Do try to make reservations for tables, if not you’re expected to queue a bit, especially between 6-8pm.

Taste: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Overall Value: 4.5/5

Paulaner Bräuhaus Singapore
9 Raffles Boulevard,
Time² @ Millennia Walk,
Singapore 039596

For enquiries and reservations,
please call 6883 2572, fax 6883 0702
or email at info@paulaner.com.sg

I am Transformed!

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:41:00 +0000

Tags : Transformers,Revenge of the fallen

Crash, boom, bang!
Transformers 2 is great! Lots of actions, explosions, babes, and also… the very cute Sam. In fact, I think is twice the Transformers, twice the explosion, twice the babes, and of course…. Sam being twice as cute with his very tanned skin.

2 of the transformers that I thought they were really cool, (or rather they looked super unusual):

Demolisher

Devastator

Was the movie great?
Of cause! I totally enjoyed it. So many different types of Transformers, so many fighting scenes, and not to forget the little jokes. Especially the part when that guy shocked himself with his shock gun, couldn’t stop laughing lor :D Not only that… How I wish I can be like Sam, to save the Transformers, get involved a big battle, and to ride in that ultra handsome Chevrolet Camaro.

However, I do feel that there should be more focus on the new characters like Arcee & the 2 motorbikes. A bit sad that during the last 30mins, when they tried to help Sam… they got killed in less than 5sec of appearance, so sad. Would love to see more of them though.

Also… the film was a little too long. With such simple story, they could easily omit repetitive scenes of flying jets and choppers. No wonder some audiences find it dry.

Will there be a Transformers 3, let’s hope so. Rise of the Coward, maybe?

Ready for REVENGE??

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Tags : Transformers,Grand Cathay,Revenge of the fallen

After a week of anticipation….. it’s finally my turn to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which is tonight. Feeling quite excited…. because most of my friends and colleagues already watched it. Mixed views…. some said its great, some thought it was crap. Even Channelnewsasia thinks so? (Go watch this video, this presenter actually said that Transformers is rubbish??)

Anyway, who cares what the world thinks of it. Probably to the ladies, its rubbish. But to most guys, most of us grew up watching cartoons like Transformers, He-Man, and G.I. Joe (which will be coming to the big screen soon too). Transformers the movie is like a dream come true where Optimus Prime and Bumblebee can look as real as they can be.

Tickets for opening week were all snapped up already. Unless I don’t mind sitting at weird corners of the cinema. Nah…. I’m not going to strain my neck and look at Optimus Prime’s feet. I bought the pre-sale tickets the week before for tonight’s show, right in the centre of Grand Cathay. Just want to make sure I’m getting the best sound and picture… MUAHAHA… I’m so excited!

Few hours more to go…. TRANSFORM & ROLL OUT!!

Something for a laugh: Paris & Milan

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Tags: Mediacorp,Paris & Milan,Channel 8

Mondays at work are usually all blues and boredom for most people. Not for me. I was laughing my head off while listening to the program, Paris & Milan 女王本色. This MediaCorp TV show revolves around 2 girls Paris & Milan, who were formerly named Pahang & Malacca by their dad. They went around Singapore to hunt for disgraceful and unforgiving acts, Paris takes photo of them while Milan writes and posts them on their blog.

Bloggers huh? It’s not about their blog that’s funny. Its the characters and the way they presented the jokes that are so hilarious.

Few of my favourites:

Watch out for the “supermarket feature”

Love Beatrice!!

Are You Ready To Fight?

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Tags: Body Combat 40,Les Mills,California Fitness

Nice poster, good example of “钢与柔”

That’s the question I asked myself when my buddy asked me to join for the launch today. How time flies, Body Combat is already in its 40th edition, that’s a good ten years old. I can still remember my first combat was BC21, my favourite release is BC22, and I stopped at BC25.

Finally after a good break of almost 4 years, I’m back at it again. Ok, I did my BC33 while I was at Fitness First, but that was about it. I’m surprised that I could still execute the moves correctly, and even managed to endure through the whole launch including the conditioning track and the cool down, (normally I’d leave after Track 8). Although the whole thing was extremely tiring, (I was sweating like mad!!!) with great company and cute instructors, the class was simply enjoyable.

One of the reason why I wanted to get back to BC is because of peer-pressure (I guess). My buddy suddenly got very enthusiastic over classes, he can attend gym classes back to back. Another is busy going for tennis sessions every Sunday. Fellow bloggers are doing marathons one after another. (And I couldn’t even complete my Stand-Chart 10km?)… Isn’t that embarrassing? Ha Ha… (and I can still laugh at myself) So now I tell myself, ‘I cannot fall too back behind!’

I’m quite lazy when it comes to doing cardio. With all my knee/joint/foot pain attributed from my Flat-foot, it really gave me good excuses to not run so much.

Oh well, hopefully by going back into the fighting ring, it can help me to get back in shape a bit.

Wah……finally, a post regarding sports & fitness from me, something away from food or movies… :)

Movie Night: Land of the Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:52:00 +0000

Tags : Movie,Lido,Land of the lost

About the movie: This comedy is about quirky Dr Rick Marshall who discovered and created a time-travelling machine. Together with his research assistant and a redneck survivalist, they got sucked into another dimension while doing a field test of the time machine. Landed back in time, they embark on an adventure fighting T-Rexes and aliens with their new found friend, Chaka (who is a cheeky primate).

Comments: I think this is quite a lame comedy, lots of silly jokes. It feels like a combination between “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” and “Jurassic Park”. If you’re in for some mindless good laugh… then this might be the show for you. However, this show isn’t exactly suitable for kid. There are no nude scenes, but actions such as “cupping breasts” and touching the “forbidden fruits” are best left for adults only.

Land Of The Lost (2.5/5)

The Sale (NOT) Worth Waiting For?

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:25:00 +0000

Tags : Great Singapore Sale,Takashimaya,BHG

Just few weeks back, I was just complaining to my friends that life is boring in Singapore. Nothing much that we can do here. My life revolves around work, gym, movies. On weekends, would probably be more gym, and maybe some shopping. How exciting it is right?

A bit of change in things this week as the Great Singapore Sale 2009 kicked off in late May. Exciting, at least for me. Wonder what good deals there will be this time round. I did some shopping over the weekend, but didn’t really spend a lot. Only managed to get 2 shirts for work, and some hifi accessories (and they weren’t even on sale!), that’s all.

Great Singapore Sale, not so great after all

The sale was quite disappointing lah. Weekend papers reported that there were sales up to even 90% off. But I don’t see that anywhere. In fact, most stores were mainly taking the chance to clear the old stocks and odd sizes. Everything else were not on discounts at all. I really wonder what’s the point of having sales at all. Most people are tightening their belts, including me. Given these bad times, if there isn’t any genuine discounts, I wouldn’t even give second thoughts of buying. So why are these Retailers so stingy on discounts and risking losing potential customers? I don’t understand.

I think last year’s GSS was more successful. More deals, more discounts. Even when I was in Hong Kong for their Summer Sale, theirs was a lot better too. Every was on sale. And if you buy more, the more discounts you get. This year’s GSS just wasn’t enticing at all.

However, I still manage to spot some not too bad deals that’s worth checking out. A few have ended already, but the rest are still ongoing.

DEALS!!

Takashimaya S.C: Storewide disc + Additional 10% for card members (over)
BHG: Storewide 30% for regular items, Additional 15% on sale items (over)
Tangs: CK Briefs (3 for $59)
Puma (Ngee Ann City): Lots of discounts on shoes & apparels
New Balance (Raffles City): Storewide 20%
Calvin Klein: 30% + Additional 20% for Citibank Card Holders
GAP: Selected at 30% off
Bally (Takashimaya): Selected at 30% off

My 1st 3D experience

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Tags : 3D movie,Monsters VS Aliens,The Cathay

Monsters VS Aliens, Digital VS 3D?

Something that I really must blog about. Last week I went for my first 3D movie, Monsters VS Aliens, at Cathay. I think I’ve missed the previous 3D movies like Journey to the Centre of the Earth (I watched this in Digital format) and maybe a few more that I wasn’t sure of. Tickets for 3D movies are priced higher at S$10 and not subjected to promotional discounts (For Cathay, I’m not sure of other cinemas).

3D, How It Works?

The 3D version of Monsters VS Aliens itself, I was quite surprised by the level of realism present in the film. I still remember, my first 3D show was like 20 years back… probably at Singapore Science Centre’s OmniMAX Theatre, wearing that Red/Green paper spectacles. Not the case now. This time, its a pair of cool-looking, sunglass-like 3D glasses. It is slightly tinted on the right, and it fits nicely over your specs (if you are wearing one like me). Since it was only slightly tinted, you won’t get that red/green effect (like 20 years ago) that taints your movie like nobody’s business. However, I did find the colours slightly muted after putting them on. Also, I felt quite uncomfortable after wearing the 3D glasses half way through the show. Imagine putting on 2 pairs of spectacles at the same time, but that was the only negative thing about it. So for those who wears specs, I’d suggest you to put on your contact lenses for the show.

During the beginning of the show, there were scenes of planets and outer space, that felt so real as the asteroids swished pass me from across my head. After that, there was another scene when one of the character bounced a ball at the audience and that really startled everyone. The effects were amazing. For the first time, I felt “depth” in a show!

I think I’m quite addicted to this whole 3D effect thingy. I enjoyed it so much that I am already waiting to go for the next show that is in going to be screened in 3D. And probably hope that Amazon’s going to have some promotion soon, so I could get my hands on my very own 3D DVD or Blu-Ray. 3D! 3D! 3D!

Monsters VS Aliens 3D

VISUALS: 5/5
SOUND: 4.5/5

Jeremy Monteiro & T’ang Quartet @ Esplanade

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Sun, 31 May 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Tags: Esplanade,The Arts Festival,Jeremy Monteiro,T'ang Quartet

29 May 2009, Friday

I can’t really remember when was the time I last went for any concert performance. When I told my friends and colleagues that I’ll be attending one, most of them gave me similar response like, “Wah! So Arty ah? Go concert?”.

To most of them, I’m just a music lover who can’t stop buying cds from Gramophone or Amazon alike. Few knew that I came from a humble music background of being a student conductor in my secondary school years, a choir boy in primary school, and learnt piano too, nothing to rave about, really. I was quite lucky to be born in a family with parents that are really encouraging and urge is to learn music. I may sound like I’m boasting here, but my parents started bringing us to countless concerts by SSO or SCO (Singapore Chinese Orchestra) since I was very young. OK, I must admit something. At that age, I didn’t really enjoy going concerts and I slept through most of it! Ha ha..

Jeremy Monteiro Trio & T’ang Quartet

Who is Jeremy Monteiro?
I also don’t know. Honestly, I only got to know about him after the President’s Command Performance shown on TV and I thought he’s music is fantastic.

And Why This Concert?
Teaming up this jazz maestro with critically acclaimed T’ang Quartet (Singapore’s very own violin quartet, find out more here), this performance of Jazz-meets-Classical sounds really interesting to me!

The Performance
The T’angs waved their string magic, producing luscious sounding opening track, Tang-ology. After that was joined by Jeremy Monteiro Trio, which included Bass player, Christy Smith who played his bass with so much soul in it (he looked almost like in a trance!) , and drummer Shawn Kelly. There were 3 guest performers for the evening, Randy Brecker (trumpet), Ernie Watts (Saxaphone), and Richard Jackson (Vocals).

I was quite disappoint with the fact that throughout the performance, I couldn’t hear much of T’ang Quartet whenever the Trio starts to play. In fact, the violins sounded muffled. I wonder if its got to do with the microphones being placed too far away or its the sound engineer’s responsibility to have tuned the music to such effect. Apart from the opening track played only by T’ang, the rest of the songs didn’t really showcase much violin parts. If so, they shouldn’t have made this a collaboration. Might as well have T’ang Quartets as guest performers.

That aside, the rest of the performers sounded fantastic in their own way. The selection of music was quite varied. Sound of them weren’t to my liking… one of it was a very slow and quiet track that I could hardly keep myself awake! But one of my favourite has to be The Bubala Dance.

In case anyone’s curious about how the concert is like, you can listen to it here on this player.

Fishy Fish Market

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:21:00 +0000

Tags : Manhattan Fish Market,The Central,Clarke Quay,Seafood

Although the weather was horrible…. I’m not going to deprive myself from enjoying good food by not going out. Especially when its dinner with great company, the more I cannot miss.

The whole group of us decided to meet up at Central, (because some of us wanted to head elsewhere for drinks later, ha ha) So it was natural for us to look for somewhere convenient. As my Muslim friends were around… choice of dinner place had to be more careful. Luckily they were less restricted when it comes to seafood, and we came to settle for either Fisherman’s Wharf or Manhattan Fish Market (MFM). My vote definitely goes to Manhattan Fish Market (Of course, it’s got air-con mah).

Queue & queue, wait & wait…
We actually got there earlier to queue for tables, apparently, reservation is impossible as they do not to take reservations on weekends (as we Singaporeans have too much time on our hands, we like to queue, don’t we?) Fine, so we waited for them to arrange a table for 10pax for the next 20 minutes.

After a good 20 minutes of waiting, the group of NYJC Rugby school girls finally decided to leave. Instead of offering us the tables, the staffs ushered some other guests in and totally ignored us! Almost 10 of us… how can they forget? Blind or what? Some more we were the first on their waiting list. A hungry man is an angry man, in the end, that girl who put us on the waiting list got ticked off by us badly. Serves you right!

Food:
Some of the dishes had grand entries as they were torched in front of us. Wow… it smells really good. But that’s about it. The Seafood Platter was served in a big pan enough for 2-3 person. Lots of prawns, fish fillets, calamaris and fries. Comparing it to its nearest competitor, Fish & Co, MFM loses out greatly in flavour and variety. Why? Everything else except for the rice, are deep fried & covered with flour. I wonder if I’m eating batter or seafood. So the rice is not fried… but it lacks flavour, one word - BLAND.
6/10

Saving Grace?
The only thing that’s good about them, was the fish. The flakes from the fish was firm and had a springy texture to it, not like those frozen ones bought from supermarket that has a chalky powdery feel. It really wasn’t too bad for a bistro style restaurant, but then again… what a waste that everything is covered with flour.

Sweet Treats!
We had Mud pie for dessert. Instead of the usual chocolate cake/brownie, MFM’s version was a thick slice of chocolate ice cream topped with chocolate fudge. The ice cream proved to be too thick and hard to eat, not to mention that it tasted just like its crispy brothers, bland too.
7/10

Service:
The staffs were pretty attentive towards us. Kept filling up drinks for us. But that only lasted for a while. Coming to the end of the dinner, we could hardly catch their attention to even get our bill. So many staffs but all seemed so engrossed with what ever they were doing like topping up forks & spoons, but none of them paying attention to the customers.

Conclusion:
Sounds like my experience with Manhattan wasn’t too positive uh. The reason? This isn’t my first time at MFM, my first visit was actually quite sometime back… almost a year ago at Plaza Singapura. I wasn’t really thrilled by their food then… and I am still not very thrilled with them now, despite the fact that there’s always a long queue outside. I wonder why….

Food & Taste: 2.5/5

Service: 3/5

The Manhattan Fish Market (The Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street #02-79/90
The Central @ Clarke Quay
Tel: 6534 7903

Goodbye, Mr Goodbye.

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:57:00 +0000

Tags : Korean Drama,Mr Goodbye

23 May, Saturday

Saturday was turned out to be another weird day, hot and sunny at a moment, then dark clouds covering the sky within the next minute. Nowadays, weather is really getting very erratic. Last time it rains… now it POURS. Used to be sunny…. now it is SCORCHING HOT. Is Armageddon really coming soon? It better not be, I still have a lot things not done yet.

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Krazy over Korean?

Ever since my family and I found out about the free Asian channels offered on Starhub Cable DIGITAL, we got hooked on this drama Mr Goodbye.

This show is about Yoon Hyun Suh (played by Ahn Jae Wook) is an adoptee who grows up in the United States. He becomes successful as a top manager of a hotel chain, and being assigned to do business in Korea. He falls in love with Choi Young In (played by Lee Bo Young), a sassy concierge from the hotel he is assigned to. There is trouble still looming because Kang Soo Jin (played by Oh Yoon Ah) who is Hyun Suh's best friend's ex-wife comes back with vengeance in mind. The three become entangled in this love triangle.

Apparently, I’ve spent half of my Saturdays on Channel 173 since they are showing 4 episodes back to back. So shiong! I hardly even want to break for my lunch! Last Saturday was the final 4 episodes (there were only 16 in all), so die die also must watch, haha…

In case you were wonder what this show is about… take a look at this clip, its the first episode. And this is the link for the rest of the show.

http://www.mysoju.com/mr-goodbye/

Off Day Diary

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Tags : Angels & Demons,Free Wallpapers,Cathay,Digital 4k

22 May, Thursday

10am: Drag my lazy ass out of bed

12pm: Attended Wake – One of my classmate’s mother passed away (shall not elaborate on this, it’s too personal)

3pm: Took a bus to from Chua Chu Kang to Cathay, got tickets for movie at night. Such a long bus ride… plus it was hot too. But it beats taking train… I may not even get to sit!

4pm: Suppose to meet my ex primary school classmate for drinks and some catching up. I couldn’t make it in time, went to gym instead. Had a great workout, did some weights-training and tormented myself on the cardio machine.

7pm: Met up with Z for dinner then walked around Plaza Singapura. We bought some snacks from Carrefour and Marks & Spencer.

9.20pm: Show starts

Angels & Demons: The best part of this movie are the churches and sculptures shown in the movie. The beauty, the grandeur, the…. what ever. They looked just great! Apart from that, I enjoyed how Tom Hanks solve the puzzles in the show… He seem to decode everything in a flash, literally!

I’ve done up another wallpaper based on A&D using the word Illuminati, which was mentioned very often in the show. I made a few others using the elements, eg. Earth & Air but they didn’t turn out well, so… only this left :P Hope everyone likes it.

My Star Trek Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Wil.C) — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:03:00 +0000

Tags : Star Trek Movie,Free Wallpapers,AMK Hub,Cathay

Caught Star Trek Movie recently and thought that it was a great show, although I wasn’t familiar with the original series. I won’t talk about the storyline here… don’t want to be a spoiler. Watched it at AMK Hub’s Cathay, was quite surprised by that the cinema was rather good. Star Trek’s digital version is so sharp, bright and colours so vibrant. Its sound quality is very good too… totally blew me away.

What I liked most about the movie are the graphics. Most of it are CG, but they are REALLY GOOD cgs. Enterprise never looked any more grand than this. And the planets…or rather the entire outer space…. had so much depth to it, its exhilarating!

Anyway… Movie-freaks like me loves to use movie wallpapers for their desktops. So I grabbed a few from the Official Star Trek Site and modified it. I’m trying out some new effects on Photoshop which gives it a more retro, 80s TV feel to it.

Thought I’d share with everyone here. However, don’t expect so much from a first-timer like me… I’m open to any other wallpaper suggestions or comments, so do keep them coming in. Hope I’ve got time to come up with more stuffs soon. :)

Sorry if the resolution is limited to just 1280 x 1080.

To set as wallpaper: Click image, right click and select “Set as Desktop Background”