M@D!

So, I'm one of those people who'll gladly waste their time watching anime music videos. Wow. I follow a couple of really good amv creators on YouTube and my favourite so far happens to be Soulvws who, might I add, is Barbadian. So much talent!

So, anyways, his latest upload was a M@D. Of course, I'm like, what's that?? I'm still looking into it as I don't really have the clearest idea quite yet. I just know that classic M@D videos are created by Japanese people and, so, originates from Japan. They're kind of like anime music videos, except you won't always find that the sources used are anime.

Soulvws' M@D video - using still images from various anime series

I searched around a bit and found this really amazing one:

Bad Apple - This M@D was created using original animation!

I wanted to embed it but was getting a lot of trouble. You can watch it in the link above. The people on the website describes it as a masterpiece and I have to say that I totally agree. It's really great and quite an original work. Loved it!

So, I'll probably try to look into it some more. It looks like really interesting stuff. Like amvs but not quite? Something like that, I guess.

Shanghai In One Month's Time!

It's been over a week since my last post and I feel like I haven't been posting as much as I should lately! For that, I apologise.

In precisely 1 month, I'll find myself on the other side of the world. It's so exciting to think about! I've said it before but, in case you don't know, I'll be making my way over to wonderful Shanghai to head out to the Shanghai World Expo that I've mentioned before and visit some other lovely sites in the city. I'll also be making a one-day stop in Hong Kong so that I get to see my family and breathe in the city air I love so much. One day in Hong Kong, surely it will satisfy me until my next visit, right?

Sometimes, I miss it there so much it hurts.

The research course that I've been doing the past 5 weeks is driving me crazy. I have a test on Monday that I can only pray for the best for. So, until next time!

*scurries off to cram*

Durability

What's more durable than a Nokia? I have no idea. If you can tell me what mobile phone company produces more durable products than Nokia, do let me know.

During the past week my dearest Nokia N97 mini has been through so much! It's the most unbelievable thing. I'm starting to think technology is rebelling against me despite all the love I have for it. No worries, though! I'm in ownership of a Nokia!

This little piece of tech must be one of the smartest decisions I've ever made (the other being the switch from PC to Mac). My Nokia has taken numerous falls onto hard tiled floors. Numerous.

Last Saturday, it slipped out of my pants' pocket as I was lifting my pair of jeans off of the bed (my bed's about 3 ft high) and fell to the floor with the most unpleasant sound ever. The result: the back cover came off and landed on one side of the phone, and my battery popped right out and landed on the other side. The keyboard shot open and the phone lay open (like the photo above) screen down on the floor. It looked like a disaster had struck. But like with any Nokia that has suffered through such a fall, I just popped everything into place and everything was good as new.

On Wednesday, it slipped off my seat in the lecture theatre at school and landed on the step below. Not a simple slip, fall and land. It went a lot more like: slip, fall, land, bounce off step, fall, land on the step below. Yikes. Two falls. I was devastated. After Saturday's fall, I was afraid it wouldn't work this time. It hadn't fallen apart but it did land on it's screen once more. I picked it up and all was fine. Phew!

As my phone has a touchscreen interface, I was so afraid of what would happen. With hard falls like those, something could crack below and then the touch sensitivity may just go kaput! That was my fear anyway. But no such thing has happened and I'm hoping it never will. This thing was expensive, you know!

Had such things happened to any other touchscreen phone, I'm not so sure I would be happily typing up this post. So, thank you, Nokia, for not making your touchscreen phones that much less durable than all your others.

Nokia, I ♥ you. Please, don't ever fail me.

Flipped Out!

Some of you may or may not be aware that I'm in current ownership of a popular Cisco product: the Flip Mino HD (2nd gen).

Two nights ago, it totally flipped out on me and went bonkers (pun intended). Now, it refuses to turn on and I'm upset! The thing that upsets me the most is the fact that this is the second Flip that I've had. The first one I purchased had a very faulty screen and so I had to send it back and got it replaced with this one. It was working quite fine and well until the night before. In fact, I had used it during the day and had transferred all my videos and left it plugged into my laptop to charge before it started going crazy on me.

I think my relationship with Cisco's Flip pocket camcorders is just not meant to be. I've begun the search for a totally new camcorder. A proper one, rather than this conveniently portable pocket camcorder. And so, I look to Canon. I've been desiring Canon equipment lately and, as I can't afford to own a lovely DSLR camera, I do believe a camcorder will suffice very well. I've been researching...looking at lists, reviews and videos, I think I've pretty much decided on the VIXIA HF M31 which looks like this:

Doesn't it look yummy? I think it does. It's a very well equipped HD camcorder with a 2.7" touchscreen panel. Delish~. The only complaint I've seen from all the reviews that I've read is the battery life of the battery that comes in the box. So, many people purchase a larger battery pack and a separate charger. Which I believe I'll do...because approximately 1 hour of recording time just isn't cutting it. Otherwise, everything seems well up to par and I'm considering the purchase.

I'm feeling kind of excited about it! Just to note, I really wasn't this excited when I decided on buying the Flip. I guess I really shouldn't have bought it but it's too late now. I'm excited about this, so I'm sure this will work out well for a change. =)

If anyone happens to have any better suggestions for a camcorder, do let me know and I'll look into it!

Life In A Day

Today on YouTube Spotlight: Life In A Day.

Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott will work with the entire YouTube community to create a feature film that will be used in the Sundance Film Festival January 2011! What do you do? All that's required is that you pick up your camera and film your day (or someone else's) on July 24 2010! Anything you want, however you want. From the mundane to the extreme, they want it all. Then these guys will check out the (probably) millions of submissions and choose what they'd like to use to best express what's happening around the world in one day. Isn't that amazing?

You don't have to have a fancy camera (just one that shoots with good quality) and you don't have to be an expert with videos. Just hit record and upload. Videos are submitted to their YouTube channel and can be done any time between July 24 -31.

It sounds like fun! I'll definitely give it a go. Check the lifeinaday channel for loads more information! If you're interested, you should give it a shot too! It's kind of exciting! =D

The Sands of Time

On Old Year's Night 2006, I sat in my friend's house and watched all my guy friends have a go at one game until 3 a.m. New Year's Day 2007: Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time.

Not once did I pick up a controller and attempt to play it myself but, surely, it was interesting to watch. I distinctly remember watching as my friend, Mark, was about to die he would do something that turned back time and engulfed the character in sand. I found it an interesting thing to do...mainly because he did it so often. It was an entertaining morning.

A memory hidden away in the back of my mind, this came back to me last night after I watched the movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. A movie I found to be rather enjoyable but not so enjoyable that I would purchase the DVD to watch time and time again. It was a one-time-watch sort of movie for me and I wouldn't mind watching it again but paying to do so once is enough.

Admittedly, I haven't seen very many of Jake Gyllanhaal's movies but the few that I have, I've enjoyed and Prince of Persia is no exception. After all, how many girls could deny the stunningly hot bod that Jake built and toned in this movie? It was a relatively good movie, regardless.

As one who knows little of the game itself, I wonder how this movie turned out for the big fans of the game. I'll have to ask my friends after they've given it a watch. Hm. In fact, they may be very well upset that I watched it without them.

On this day 13 years ago...

...Hong Kong was no longer under sovereignty from the United Kingdom and was handed over to the People's Republic of China.

Today is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day. Quite a mouthful, isn't it? Basically, on July 1st 1997, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (or HKSAR) was established as it was returned to the People's Republic of China.

People often say to me "I thought Hong Kong was China." I usually reply with, "It isn't." It is a country on its own. You're probably wondering, "But how? You just said it was given back to China." In the same way, colonialism worked with the British and the Caribbean, and even the British and Hong Kong, a country remains a country on it's own. Or, at least, that's how I see it.

To be clear, when people think of China, they think of the People's Republic of China (PRC) because that is what China is portrayed to be...and that is exactly what China is. It's a country and a region on its own. Hong Kong is not a part of the PRC. And, hence, it isn't the same thing as China. The PRC has two special administrative regions: Macau and Hong Kong. They are a part of, yet separate from China. Get it? =)

At the Shanghai World Expo, you would find that Hong Kong and Macau have pavilions of their own as they are countries with cultures and practices of their own. But you would find that they also stand right beside the China pavilion as they are China's special administrative regions.

Get it now? =)