Free Arnette Sunglasses Case! XD

Originally posted on: Monday, August 25, 2008. 9:19pm @ Xanga.com

Went to St Lukes again yesterday lol. Had a super late lunch/early dinner cuz Jenny took longer than expected to get her hair cut and straightened. FIVE HOURS!!

After some KFC to fill my empty stomach, we went to the other Sunglass Hut (the one beside Dill’s pharmacy) to see if they had any Oakley sunglass cases in stock (don’t want to damage my beloved Oil Drums), which they did. For $44.00. The dude there was awesome. I told him I bought a pair of Oil Drums from their other store less than 100m away last week, and instead of convincing me to buy them (which I was about to do lol), he whipped out an Arnette sunglasses case (picture below) and gave it to me for free. Cheers dude lol.

Can’t complain, considering the case is free, AND it’s a pretty cool donut-shaped design too haha. AND he also gave me an additional microfibre cloth/sack for a spare

The Arnette sunglasses case with my Oil Drums )

Oakley Ducati Oil Drum Sunglasses

Originally posted on: Saturday, August 23, 2008. 3:13pm @ Xanga.com

Just bought a new pair of sunglasses this past Sunday. Been looking around for a new pair, as I’ve decided my Ray-Ban aviators didn’t suit me as well as I liked. On Wednesday afternoon, 13th Aug 2008, I stumbled upon a “customise your own Oakley sunglasses” banner advertisement on ESPN.com and decided to have a look-see.

After fiddling around with the awesome customiser at the Oakley site, I figured the Oakley Gascan sunglasses looked the best and were quite reasonably priced too. I had enough self-control to stop myself from clicking “Proceed to Checkout”, and told myself to swing by the nearest Sunglass Hut to try them on in person first.

Fast forward to Friday noon, 15th Aug 2008. I only have one class on Fridays, an 8-9am lecture, and so I usually go straight home. After lunch, I decide to take a walk to Newmarket, and go to the two Sunglass Huts there. To my surprise, the Gascans that looked so awesome (much better than the Oil Drums I purchased in the end I must say) in pictures and on the internet looked pretty dull, cheap and boring in person. Furthermore, they didn’t suit me at all.

This is when I accidentally stumble upon the Oakley Oil Drums. It was love at first sight. They were perfect. Fit well, looked awesome, and were only $20 dearer than the Gascans. They also had Oil Rigs, which are the newer Oil Drums, but I didn’t think they looked as good. They had normal Oil Drums, and they also had limited edition Ducati Oil Drums, which were only $215. I figured it’d be better if I got a second opinion from Jenny, so I made a mental note to go to St Lukes with her on Sunday so she can have a look at them and see if they suit.

Fast forward yet again to Sunday, 17th Aug 2008. Here I am at St Lukes, at Sunglass Hut once again, but this time with my second opinion standing beside me. She really likes them, and agrees that they suit me much better than my Ray-Bans. The sunnies come with a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty, a limited edition Oakley/Ducati box and soft case that doubles as a microfibre cleaning cloth. The sunnies themselves have a jet black frame, warm grey lens (maybe exclusive to the Ducati range? Because I couldn’t find any other Oakley sunnies with those lens), Ducati red metal Oakley icons on each stem, and have “DUCATI” laser-etched into the bottom left lens.

And so here I am, nearly a week after I’ve purchased them, and as usual, writing a huge essay AGAIN. I really don’t know why I write such long blogs lol. So what can I say about the sunnies? I’ll break it down to two categories, Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages:
- light, durable, attractive
- good,reasonable price w/ 2 year manufacturer’s warranty
- very comfortable to wear
- extremely good sun protection (best I’ve worn ever)
- limited edition Ducati. Come on! They’re limited edition. Who wouldn’t like that

Disadvantages:
- lens likes to fog up when I first wear them (go away after a while)
- bottom of the lens touches my cheeks a bit too much for my liking (so the sunnies move when I smile)

So there you have it. My latest purchase. The disadvantages listed above are most probably due to the fact I’m Asian (see Oakley.com’s Asian Fit sunglass range). Too bad they don’t offer any Oil Drums with Asian Fit, but they offer Gascans with it. Other than that, I’m pretty damn happy with my purchase! Perform much better and are cheaper than my overpriced D&G sunnies I got 2 years ago haha.

My new sunnies with the limited edition box and cleaning cloth/case

The sunnies themselves. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

An Eventful, Emotional Week

Originally posted on: Friday, July 25, 2008. 11:35am @ Xanga.com

A lot happened this week.

First of all, our beloved dachshund, Gucci, was euthanised on Monday 21st July 2008. Her health rapidly deteriorated from Saturday, and it all went downhill from there. Her old spinal problems flared up again, causing her to lose function in her two hind legs, until she was completely paralysed from the waist down once again.

Not only was this a repeat of what happened at the same this time last year, but her mood deteriorated to a point where she refused to be near anyone and would growl when approached, she also refused to eat or drink…

We took her to her usual vet clinic across the street from our house, and after a brief consultation with the vet, our family of four decided to permanently put her to sleep. To relieve Gucci of the pain, and any future suffering…

It was not an easy decision to make, as she’s been with us for just over 4 years. More than enough time to form a strong bond with her. Not to mention the fact that she was extremely obedient, clever and very protective all at the same time… I’ll never forget the time she spent with us.

Rest in Peace, Gucci… You were an extremely loyal pet and a beloved family member. You will always have a place in my heart…

On a lighter note, I’ve seen two new movies this week; Mamma Mia and The Dark Knight. Mama Mia was a free screening for all community pharmacy staff, sponsored by Abbotts Ferro-Grad. I went in without much expectation, and was treated to musical-slash-film.

But the movie that completely BLEW ME AWAY was The Dark Knight. I was fortunate enough to book in time, and managed to book two seats (for me and my girl) for the very first IMAX screening in New Zealand. TWO AND A HALF HOURS of pure move genius would sum up the film quite effectively.

Every single aspect of the film was brilliant. The quality storyline, suspense, thrill, acting, stuntwork, fight choreography, special effects, all exceptional. Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and he does it terrifically; Gary Oldman is back as Liutenant Jim Gordon (he gets promoted to Commissioner in the movie though hehe) and pulls it off very well; Aaron Eckhart is a new addition as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and he does a terrific job too, though credit also has to be given to the makeup/special effects team who made his charred half convincingly real!!

However, the man that completely steals the show has got to be Heath Ledger. His transformation into the Joker is just pure awesomeness. He’s scary, psychotic, funny, crazy, all in one. His performance will surely blow everyone away. He is hardly recognisable not only because of the makeup, but because he pulls it off superbly. His tone, movements, the scary twitching and licking of his lips, EVERYTHING he incorporated into his character made the Clown Prince of Crime so believable and so real!

If there ever was a time to give a post-humus Oscar, this is the time. Mr Ledger well and truly deserves it. May he rest in peace.

Final Review(s):
The Dark Knight:         10 out of 10
Mama Mia:                   7.5 out of 10

What the Fuck’s Up with NZ?

Originally posted on: Wednesday, June 18, 2008. 12:13am @ Xanga.com

Ok, so I haven’t posted here in a while. I though it was about time I did. All I can say is that New Zealand is getting worse and worse, in terms of safety, job opportunities, and quality of living. Basically, it’s not as good as everyone thinks it is.

Just over the past two weeks, three deaths/murders have occurred in South Auckland. The similarities? ALL THREE VICTIMS WERE IMMIGRANTS, ALL TWO WERE ASIAN, and ONE WAS INDIAN…

The poor Indian man, Navtej Singh, 30, was gunned down in cold blood while working at his liquor store. One of the two jobs he managed to work at to support his family. The first of the two asians, Yin Ping Yang, 80, died of internal injuries after being invaded AT HOME! And the most recent of the three, Joanne Wang, 39, was run over by the getaway car some coward got into after stealing her purse at Manukau Mall’s car park…

And what are the police and the government doing about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The police still can’t find the culprits, and the general public all have to live in fear and anxiety.

So a note to all overseas people who think that New Zealand is paradise, read this and think again. It’s definitely no where near as good as everyone says it is.

My Next Cellphone: Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X1!!

Originally posted on: Thursday, March 20, 2008. 10:52am @ Xanga.com

I was just randomly browsing through gsmarena.com, partly cuz I haven’t visited it in ages, and was reminded again just how fast technology advances. The big players in the cellphone business; Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, etc., have been keeping themselves very busy during the past few months! There’s a huge handful of newly released handsets plus ones that have just been announced!

Among all of these, only one phone in particular caught my eye, and that phone is the Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X1. I fell in love with it the moment I lay my eyes on it! It has to be one of the best-looking phones I’ve EVER SEEN!!

Its 3.0″ widescreen VGA touchscreen display, 3.0 megapixel autofocus camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, built-in GPS, full QWERTY keyboard hidden in a nifty arc slider design are just some of the juicy features this cellphone packs! I’m DEFINITELY going to upgrade to this phone once it comes out! (but of course, I’ll have to wait a few months for the price to drop too)

Above: The XPERIA™ with its full QWERTY keyboard out. Beautiful. Just beautiful!

Official XPERIA™ website:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/x1/?lc=en&cc=nz

My 22nd Birthday (Late Post) + Lakers’ Bad Luck :(

Originally posted on: Saturday, March 15, 2008. 2:27pm @ Xanga.com

This past Wednesday (12th March 2008) was my 22nd birthday. Since 22nd birthdays aren’t that big of a deal, I didn’t opt for a party. Instead Jenny took me out to dinner at one of Auckland’s top restuarants, Soto. It was sort of a “surprise birthday dinner”, cuz I had no idea where we were going until she gave me the directions while I drove lol. The food was great, but quite pricey. I still feel guilty Jenny had to pay… Nevertheless, it was a great way to spend my birthday with my babe!

Still on the birthday topic, 22 sounds so old. I never used to think “being 22 years old” was old until I officially turned 22 lol!

Moving onto the second topic of this post, I just went to NBA.com to check up on how the Lakers are holding up against the Hornets. I looked at the Live Boxscore, and had to look at it again to make sure my eyes weren’t lying to me; “Pau Gasol = 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 minutes, 0 fouls”; and this was well into the fourth and final quarter too! Could Pau Gasol have gotten injured during this important game for the Lakers?!

If they lose tonight, they drop to SECOND PLACE behind the ROCKETS!! Who by the way are playing tonight too, and they’re bound to win. I mean, come on, it’s the Bobcats… Plus the Rockets are the hottest team in the league by far. 20 consecutive wins and a pretty much guaranteed 21st win if they beat the Bobcats tonight.

I quickly Googled “pau gasol injured”, and it turns out that my suspicions were true. The Spaniard has gotten himself in a tangle with either his own teammate, Vladamir Radmanovic, and/or with the Hornets’ Tyson Chandler and sprained his ankle… No wonder the Lakers are down 10 with 1:08 in the game to play… Kobe’s having a good game though; 36 points, 9 boards, 3 assists. Too bad the Spaniard had to get injured… Hope he gets better soon…

Finally, WHEN THE HELL IS ANDREW BYNUM RETURNING?! We could sure use his help, now that Gasol is injured…

Funniest Letter in the WORLD!

Originally posted on: Friday, February 29, 2008. 12:55pm @ Xanga.com

I came across this letter at phun.org a few months back. I’m not sure if  the actual letter is real or has been Photoshopped, but it’s pretty damn funny. Miriam, the so-called fortune teller, completely misses the whole point of the letter lol!

Just goes to show that most of those fortune tellers in magazines are full of s**t lol (excuse the language).

Kobe Ejected, Lakers Win Eighth Straight!!

Originally posted on: Tuesday, February 26, 2008. 1:44pm @ Xanga.com

Acquiring Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies has got to be one of the best moves in the history of the Lakers franchise. Since acquiring the Spaniard, the Lakers have only lost two games!! Most of them games played out of Staples as well!!

Despite Kobe Bryant being ejected from the game after receiving a double-dose of technical fouls, the Lakers still managed to win against the Seattle Sonics without Kobe; not that the Sonics are that hard to beat. Lol. This just goes to show how well the Lakers have become this year, and especially since acquiring Gasol. I’m dying to see how well the team’ll do once Andrew Bynum gets better from his knee injury!!

Continuing with the Kobe topic, my girl Jenny bought me a Kobe Bryant Adidas NBA Swingman Alternate Home jersey for Valentine’s Day!! It’s brilliant!! I love it!! I usually don’t like Swingman jerseys (cuz the stitching isn’t the best and will most certainly fade in colour after a few washes), but this is an exception, cuz it’s such a nice jersey!! Saving up for an Authentic NBA jersey now!

Got My Ray-Ban Aviators!! :D

Originally posted on: Thursday, January 10, 2008. 12:54pm @ Xanga.com

Been eagerly awaiting my new Ray-Ban Aviators (RB-3267 004/8F) since Tuesday, and they’ve finally arrived! Yay!! They were supposed to arrive via overnight courier on Tuesday, but somehow, Courier Post screwed up yet again. I had to call them yesterday and ask them to find out what happened to my parcel…

I got them for $170.00NZD + $7.00 shipping (the sunnies are new, btw lol) off TradeMe, which is a pretty awesome price, considering they’re $285.00NZD at OPSM and Sunglass Hut. Reason I got them was I only have one pair of D&G wraparound sunglasses, and I always keep forgetting to either take them out of the car to wear, or I take them out, and forget to put them back in the car lol…

The sunnies are pretty awesome; the frame’s a gun-metal sort of colour (my favourite colour by far lol, wish my car was this colour lol), whereas the lens are a deep shaded blue. If anyone’s thinking of getting Aviators, I reckon Ray-Ban’s are they way to go. After all, they did invent Aviators!

All in all, I’m happy with the purchase, and extremely happy with the sunglasses!!



Above: Ray-Ban Aviators (RB-3267 004/8F) straight out of the box. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, Ray-Ban sunglasses box, leather sunglasses case, and the sunglasses themselves.

Above: The package from a slightly different angle.

Above: Close-up shot of the sunnies themselves.

Back from Taiwan!! (A Belated Update)

Originally posted on: Monday, January 07, 2008. 8:56pm @ Xanga.com

Man, it’s been a while since I last blogged. Somehow I remembered I had a blog LOL… Well, it’s been about 3 weeks and a bit since I returned from my 5 week trip back to Taiwan. Hadn’t been back for 5 years so it was good to catch up with my uncle, aunt and grandma. Great to catch up on some much needed shopping too!! Here’s a brief list on what I bought in Taiwan (and in Japan, as I went with my parents and grandma to Yamaguchi and Oita for about a week! Awesome!):

1. Quite a lot of formal/semi-formal shirts (cuz they look good for any occasion, and plus they’d be great for work too)
2. 2 new pairs of Levis jeans
3. A pair of Nike Air Force Ones (if anyone needs to buy shoes, Taiwan is the place! Shoes are so cheap there!)
4. Canon EOS 40D digital SLR camera (perhaps the crown jewel of all my purchases, this big momma of semi-professional digital cameras is one heck of a shooter! It’s worth every penny I spent!)
5. Chien-Ming Wang authentic NY Yankees jersey (this guy is awesome, and so is the jersey I bought lol)
6. A few more things, but I really can’t be bothered writing lol

On a more less exciting note, I just took Dill to the airport earlier today. It’s his turn to go back to Taiwan for 5 weeks. The house just seems so much quieter with just me in it.

Anyway, that’s enough of me. Time to stop blogging hehe.