tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82304302011-12-03T23:25:48.614+02:00farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.comBlogger1121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-41134760029820375292007-01-29T14:16:00.000+02:002007-01-29T14:36:21.338+02:00

According to Wikipedia "A Google bomb (also referred to as a 'link bomb') is Internet slang for a certain kind of attempt to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine, often with humorous or political intentions." (link)Here's a perfect example of a classic Google Bomb. Go to Google and do a search on "French military victories". Read the first result

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-85898612670422362172007-01-27T02:35:00.000+02:002007-01-27T02:39:18.726+02:00

This is a classic rant done by a Sony fan. Even if you don't know much about the video game scene, you should get a few laughs simply listening to this guy going on about how Sony keeps on "pounding us with bad news, after bad news, after bad news, after bad news!"Classic rant here.Enjoy.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-63133423146879259202007-01-22T06:54:00.000+02:002007-01-22T07:03:42.588+02:00

We had some fantastic entries in this competition and I thank-you all for your participation.I must say though, using Google search results to defend the statement was simply inspired. Congratulations, Omeed, the cap is already on its way over to you!Stay tuned for more competitions in the future!

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-32477869943068652562007-01-20T08:57:00.000+02:002007-01-20T09:06:26.337+02:00

In these three pieces, I've deliberately thrown away my old techniques and inclinations just to see what happens. I'm not sure if they all worked out as well as they could but I thought I'd put them up and get some feedback. All three are 30x20cm and after this post I'm going to start work on a much larger canvas and see where that one takes me.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-8296862960965759962007-01-19T08:56:00.000+02:002007-01-19T09:21:02.432+02:00

It is not uncommon to come across strange and interesting ebay listings but the listing I came across today is the most hilarious and outrageous "item" that I have ever seen listed on ebay.Meet Nicael Holt. He's selling his life. Currently, the bid is at $30,700 and if you care to outbid, you will be in the running to win a new life as a 24 year old male in the coastal town of Woolongong.Here

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-4870054254609774952007-01-18T10:34:00.000+02:002007-01-18T10:59:11.163+02:00

Has anyone heard of the Doomsday Clock? In 1947 this clock was set to seven minutes before midnight by a group of prominent scientists to indicate how close the world was to facing a global cataclysm. Since that time, the clock has been adjusted 18 times; during the beginning and the end of the Cold War, following the nuclear bombings in Japan during World War II and immediately after the

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-39482667617826110612007-01-17T03:05:00.000+02:002007-01-17T03:50:29.166+02:00

Well, just over a month since I bought my Wii and it's dead! I tried to turn it on yesterday and I just got a black screen. After various troubleshooting attempts, the best I could get was 2 minutes of normal use followed by a system freeze with garbled images on the screen. I had noticed problems a few days ago when I accessed the Forecast Channel to be greeted with irregular imagery with a

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-48308434156830407632007-01-16T12:13:00.000+02:002007-01-16T12:21:37.403+02:00

I happened across a limited edition Ashes Series Australia 2006/2007 cricket cap! And, to extend readership, I'm gifting this to the person who can adequately defend the following statement: "Cricket isn't really a man's game".I'll choose the best entry and send the hat free of charge to the lucky winner.Entries close on the 20th of January.Good luck!

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-21558073788763924042007-01-03T07:05:00.000+02:002007-01-03T07:37:57.613+02:00

Thank you so much for your entries! I had quite a few laughs and if I had enough Wii sweatband packs, I'd give one to each of you for your efforts! It really wasn't easy picking a winner but since the competition ended yesterday, I had to finally force myself to make the tough decision. I spent a lot of time pondering which entry was the best and here are some of my thoughts on your posts.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-74910184190121925312006-12-29T07:42:00.000+02:002006-12-29T08:11:31.981+02:00

I managed to get my hands on an extra Wii Sports sweatband pack recently and thought that it would be great for ratings if I shared the love with the two of you (my loyal readers) by organizing a "WII SPORTS SWEATBAND PACK GIVEAWAY COMPETITION"!The rules for the competition are simple: describe how owning these Wii sweatbands could potentially save your life. You're free to be as imaginative and

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-40419118511099334362006-12-27T09:32:00.000+02:002006-12-27T09:34:36.638+02:00

This image is hilarious. I saw this on Kotaku today and it made me laugh so I just had to share it.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-14526968155755626812006-12-27T06:54:00.000+02:002006-12-27T07:37:15.815+02:00

About half a year ago I started looking into prices for the Apple MacBook Pro. Since then, I've decided that notebook computers are a complete waste of time (for my lifestyle anyway) and that desktops are really what it's all about. So I've been looking into the iMac as of late. For as long as I remember, people have been telling me that Apple is great but really expensive and for the most

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-71937076089675093002006-12-22T07:22:00.000+02:002006-12-22T07:44:28.215+02:00

I just downloaded the free Opera web browser for the Wii and here is my first post from it. Typing using nothing but the Wii remote is obviously a lot slower than using a keyboard but this browser has a very easy to use predictive text feature, which speeds things up considerably. So far, I've visited youtube and watched an episode of Kogepan (Amelia introduced Kogepan to me...it is pretty funny

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-12979548444231253912006-12-21T01:24:00.002+02:002006-12-21T01:38:44.142+02:00

I was surprised to enter Woolworths Supermarket the other day to see fresh, young coconuts selling. Up until now, I have only seen the old, brown coconuts, which my friend Saba tells me are usually fed to the pigs or thrown out in Samoa.These fresh coconuts are imported from Thailand and are pretty good quality, not rotten like most of the old brown ones. I got one to try and it didn't let me

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-54875123273046890412006-12-21T01:17:00.000+02:002006-12-21T01:21:44.683+02:00

My dad has played Nintendo Wii, have you?

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-23207629170673015362006-12-16T09:31:00.000+02:002006-12-17T10:15:15.817+02:00

I finally took the plunge and ordered the first season of Sam and Max! I think that Telltale games have struck gold with their new venture with GameTap; digitally distribute a game, episode by episode over a period of about six months!I paid only $35 USD and will get the complete first season of Sam and Max (six episodes) as they are made available. What's more, when the first season is

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-43795739061076600402006-12-09T11:01:00.000+02:002006-12-09T11:22:20.072+02:00

i bought three wiis and sold two of them on ebay for a profit. yay capitalism. sucks that there's no real shortage of the systems in australia...could have minted more had i been in the states. they're selling units for at least double the rrp on ebay.com.i got zelda, wii play and a couple of classic controllers to boot and am having a great time with the system.i've been playing a bit of wii

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-38105585428705536072006-12-09T10:16:00.000+02:002006-12-10T11:21:01.973+02:00

i see a lot of people these days thinking it's their birthright to pirate all the software/music/games that they like. they feel that because they can do it, they should do it and that it doesn't hurt anyone and in their view it's not really stealing. it's time to think again.i remember when i was in israel, there was a ad in the cinema that likened stealing a physical DVD from a store to

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-88736870452355492702006-11-21T13:07:00.000+02:002006-11-21T13:40:44.296+02:00

If any of you have watched and loved Seinfeld you may be in for a nasty surprise. Kramer, played by Michael Richards, was my favourite character in the show. I loved the energy that Richards brought to Seinfeld and I always thought of the actor as a kind, gentle, fun-loving kind of guy...that is until he lost his temper. He was doing a stand-up comedy routine at the "Laughs" comedy club in the

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1163130397174838972006-11-10T05:34:00.000+02:002006-11-10T05:46:37.190+02:00

Swee and I went to Kenny Rogers restaurant the other day. I had only heard of this and was fascinated that there was a restaurant named after the famous Country singer. We went and ordered a meal for two, that came with half a roast chicken, a slab of ribs and three side plates (potato salad, pasta salad and macaroni and cheese). The meal was delicious; the meat fell off the rib bones and the

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1162613914316462802006-11-04T06:09:00.000+02:002006-11-04T06:18:34.333+02:00

We just got back in town yesterday. Again, it's good to be back and now that we're here, I don't want to go anywhere else for a little while...just want to enjoy Singapore. As I said before Cape Town was good and Malaysia was also interesting, but I'm tired of traveling ;). As much fun as it can be, too much of it is draining and it becomes a drag after a while. So, as always, moderation is

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1162397404949983072006-11-01T17:55:00.000+02:002006-11-01T18:10:04.966+02:00

Ok so I'm back after the gloom and doom post of yesterday. I have a little bit more time to update today so I can say a few things more.We had a great day today. We went out to another mega mall and did a bit of shopping. I managed to get a few clothes and a few small prezzies for the family. After that, Swee and I went to watch a movie. You won't believe the price we paid for tickets...6

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1162315136276011882006-10-31T19:14:00.000+02:002006-10-31T19:18:56.300+02:00

We're in Malaysia right now. I can't post a novel for you but I can give a quick update. Here's some big news: Swee's handbag got stolen! The bag contained her phone and wallet (with credit card, driver's licence, etc.) and my new camera with the 2GB SD card! All gone... :(I'm having a tough time getting over it actually. Detachment is very tough...what a huge loss! No more photsos from me

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1161861873217238192006-10-26T12:55:00.000+02:002006-10-26T13:44:22.370+02:00

Hi there! I've just spent some time looking over the photos that I took whilst in South Africa (I haven't even started looking through the great pictures that Swee took) and I came to the realization that it would take a very long time if I were to give verbose descriptions for every interesting thing that Swee and I experienced on our trip. Also, since we're going to Malaysia tomorrow, I'll be

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1161821697149878782006-10-26T02:00:00.000+02:002006-10-26T02:14:57.163+02:00

Hi guys!Swee and I arrived in Singapore 2 hours ago. We had a great time in South Africa and we plan to share all the stories and photos in due course. Right now it's 8 am and Swee's already sleeping! We stayed up all night watching movies in the plane you see.Our plan for today is to rest up, get some Kaya Toast when we wake up and then pack for our 5 day trip to Malaysia starting tomorrow.Oh

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160575291905422572006-10-11T15:55:00.000+02:002006-10-11T16:01:31.923+02:00

...is the name of a very ordinary film. But besides that, Swee and I have made it to Cape Town! We got in at about 7:30am and are just resting today. Tomorrow we will be heading out on a four day trip around the Garden's Route, which will surely be picturesque.Swee's mum bought some Bak Kwa (sweet roast pork) to bring for Charlie and Nika. But we lost it all upon arrival; apparently, you

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160469851330120732006-10-10T10:40:00.000+02:002006-10-10T10:44:11.343+02:00

Swee and I are leaving for a two week trip to South Africa tonight. I'm sure we'll have some sort of Internet access there but our time will be quite limited. Therefore, I don't expect to be able to make many or any posts until we get back to Singapore. And when we get back, we have one day rest before going to Malaysia for a week, so there'll be a little blog hiatus then too.So let's think of

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160370043756127862006-10-09T06:23:00.000+02:002006-10-09T07:00:43.770+02:00

You may remember the day of rest that I tried to institute yesterday. Well, all was going quite smoothly until the evening, when we went out to a seafood restaurant called "No Signboard". (It's the one one the right in the picture below.)Since coming to Singapore, we've had the chance to eat a lot of seafood; on the first day here I even ate stingray for the first time in my life (remembering

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160367796866258232006-10-09T06:14:00.000+02:002006-10-09T06:23:16.866+02:00

I thought Kiwi friut only came in one variety: green! I was wrong.Fascinating! What's more, I much prefer the yellow Kiwi fruit. It is not as sour as the green one can be at times, and is very sweet. It also has a different fragrance to the green Kiwi fruit.I think it would be nice to include yellow and green Kiwi friuts together in a friut salad. Then you'd get a mouthwatering sweet and

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160367288042592782006-10-09T05:53:00.000+02:002006-10-09T06:14:48.056+02:00

Some of you may remember a Japanese cartoon called Astro Boy (or, (Shin) Tetsuwan Atom, as it is called in Japan). Only today did I find out how old this show really is. It was first aired in Japan from 1963 to 1966!Wiki has some really interesting facts about the show:"Astro Boy is the first Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later became known as anime. It originated

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160294501558536702006-10-08T09:13:00.000+02:002006-10-08T10:01:41.616+02:00

I'm on a day of rest today. A one day diet. It seems strange to do this when you're living in food heaven but I've seen this coming for a few days. No matter how much you want to eat, there's a limit to the amount of food that can be eaten. If I had been more clear on this fact yesterday, I might have done things differently.Introducing New York New York.Swee and I joined a few friends and

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160290926757274972006-10-08T08:52:00.000+02:002006-10-08T09:02:06.770+02:00

They're nuts!In news that may be a little deflating to some, I don't know the name of the mystery quiz item. :(But here's what I do know. They are some form of nut. I've been told that these nuts are used during the Mid-Autumn festival in prayer and sometimes they are strung into necklaces. Apparently these nuts can also be eaten raw but they are usually either roasted or boiled before

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160155191909512532006-10-06T19:19:00.000+02:002006-10-06T19:19:51.910+02:00

Hey, these things are really interesting. Does anyone know what they are? I'll provide the answer tomorrow. ;)

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160155145298330112006-10-06T18:52:00.000+02:002006-10-06T19:19:06.416+02:00

If it wasn't enough that Deepavali and Hari Raya festivities are in full swing right now, we have the Mid-Autumn festival going on as well that can fill in whatever void that's left over from the other two big celebrations...not that there is a void, it's all happening all at once over here. :)"The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Lunar calendar (the other

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160153494921120822006-10-06T18:30:00.000+02:002006-10-06T19:22:33.886+02:00

I can't help but keep on going back to the bakeries in Singapore! Without exaggeration, Swee has to pull me away from each and every bakery that we pass by. I'm telling you, the bread, cakes, donuts and all other pastries just look so good, I'm often put into a daze and bump into people that are trying to walk by me! You know, they're really doing some interesting things with bread these days.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160104331649146562006-10-06T05:00:00.000+02:002006-10-06T05:12:11.663+02:00

Whilst walking the streets in Little India, Swee and I came across many coconut sellers. We noticed two different varieties of coconuts on sale; the Thai variety and the "local" variety.In the interest of science, I had to try both to see which coconut had the best juice. :) Thai coconut"Local" coconutI liked the flavour of the local coconut better than the Thai one. The Thai coconut juice had

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160103513050727742006-10-06T04:42:00.001+02:002006-10-06T05:23:00.810+02:00

It's coming up to Deepavali (the Indian "Festival of Lights") and Hari Raya (a term used in Malaysia to signify the "Fasting Day of Celebration"). These two festivals are not related and generally do not fall around the same time but this year they do and Singapore is as busy as ever. If you head over to Little India, especially in the evenings, you can see the streets lit up from end to end.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160101846290484712006-10-06T04:15:00.000+02:002006-10-06T04:30:46.303+02:00

Introducing the Indonesian Salak. This fruit is also referred to as snake friut due to the texture of its skin. I couldn't find too much on this friut on the Internet but I know it is very popular in Indonesia and is predominantly only sold in local markets (we get it in Singapore just the same). This friut grows on small, spiny palm trees and the female plant is the one that develops these

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160050185572454702006-10-05T14:05:00.000+02:002006-10-05T14:09:45.586+02:00

...or "old chunky" as I call it. The last time I came to Singapore I wanted to try the food from Old Chang Kee but I never got the chance. So today, I managed to stop by and pick up a "Sotong Head" (Cuttlefish head) stick. Not too bad. Old Chang Kee sells all sorts of fried things on sticks. I don't think I'm going to try and eat through their menu but once in a while, it's nice to walk by

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160019486208066492006-10-05T05:25:00.000+02:002006-10-05T05:43:27.443+02:00

Wow, yesterday we had the feast to top all feasts. Mum (Swee's mum), Swee and I went out to a Dim Sum restaurant for lunch and ordered a fraction of a fraction of the items that was on thier menu. We had a hearty meal. So much so that by the end, Swee and I had to come home and sleep for 2 hours just to recover. Highlights of the meal were: everything, but if i had to choose I'd have to say

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1160018514046576812006-10-05T05:04:00.000+02:002006-10-05T05:24:29.713+02:00

We've been noticing quite a few different kinds of Crocs selling in Singapore. Having checked the Crocs website, I can see that there are still many more varieties of Crocs that are still not even selling here. But anyway, I took a few pics of some of the different Crocs that are everywhere.Crocs Islander (I particularly hate these ones)Crocs Scutes (These are probably the most reasonable Crocs

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159887757313960532006-10-03T16:51:00.000+02:002006-10-03T17:02:37.326+02:00

Here's another Japanese meal I had today that took me back to 10 years ago. Yakisoba is one of my all time favourite Japanese dishes. Swee and I saw this selling close to Takashimaya (a large Japanese department store in the heart of Singapore) and so we ordered a tray for $3 Sing dollars. I have to say, this was an ok meal and I don't plan on writing home about it, though apparently it's

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159886746964503542006-10-03T16:33:00.000+02:002006-10-03T16:45:46.976+02:00

According to Wikipedia: "Pepper Lunch is a 'fast-steak' restaurant franchise popular in the Tokyo area. There are over 130 restaurants in Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States." (wiki)...so we had to give it a go.The whole idea is that the food you order comes to you on a hot plate and you are responsible for adding the final touches to the meal. This usually

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159885798847572882006-10-03T16:09:00.000+02:002006-10-03T16:30:26.440+02:00

I first became aware of MOS Burger when I was in Japan. I remember thinking that it was a place where the burgers were very "japanesey" (rice burgers, eel burgers, you know, somehow exotic), expensive and small. I went there only once while I was in Japan and came away impressed. Since that time I've always had a soft spot for MOS Burger. It's just unique and fun...and not as expensive as I

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159844722641568782006-10-03T04:56:00.000+02:002006-10-03T05:05:23.466+02:00

I found these awesome Mario keychains yesterday and picked up two sets of them. Such things are pretty hard to find outside of Japan so I'm going to try sell these things on ebay and see what the response is. If they're snapped up, I'll consider starting an ebay shop with similar items. We'll see. I also found a Mario themed solar powered ornament (a mushroom sways from side to side on top of

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159792034622311082006-10-02T14:23:00.000+02:002006-10-02T14:27:14.623+02:00

Here's a pic I took of some bananas. These things look big in the photo but they're actually quite small, about the size of my thumb. And if you don't know the approximate size of my thumb, I'm sorry that my description has failed you. Anyway, in Australia, we'd call these things "lady-finger" bananas, except for the fact that these bananas are even smaller than the typical lady-finger banana,

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159791788921177152006-10-02T14:12:00.000+02:002006-10-02T14:23:08.940+02:00

This post has been put up in honour of my cousin, Arman. Swee, Arman and I visited Singapore last year around July. One day, Arman and I and stumbled upon this establishment that had Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut in one store! Since we love all three of these fast food chains, we thought this 3-in-1 restaurant was the best idea yet and proceeded to enter and order some food, only to find that

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159791056277604842006-10-02T14:05:00.000+02:002006-10-02T14:10:56.290+02:00

Did I mention that Swee's mum is an awesome cook? :) Check out what we had today (click for larger image)!"Char" (means to fry) and "Kway Teo" is a type of rice noodle. Mixed in with the rice noodles are some ultra fresh prawns, Lap Chong (sweet chinese sausages), bean sprouts. Of course, there are some spices, sauces and other ingredients that I'm not sure of. It was a little bit spicey too

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159760126852888272006-10-02T05:24:00.000+02:002006-10-02T05:36:42.536+02:00

I don't like Wasabi. It makes me want to sneeze or something...I don't know, it just messes with my nose and so I don't think it's good. I don't like to have it alongside Sushi or anything else...BUT I love Wasabi Pumpkin seeds (or, "Wasabi Kabocha", as they're called in Japanese).I'm not sure how they make these things but I imagine that pumpkin seeds are covered in Wasabi and maybe a bit of

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159759362453578152006-10-02T05:12:00.000+02:002006-10-02T06:58:30.110+02:00

Here's a great shot of Swee devouring some Tako Yaki. Tako Yaki "is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings)." (wiki) Simply delicious. We got this three ball set from "Taco Pachi" and it cost $2.20 Sing and as

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159758632277089232006-10-02T04:45:00.000+02:002006-10-06T05:35:50.063+02:00

And now for some updates...I finally got my camera (Casio Exilim ex-z850...the "Saba camera")! Shopping in Singapore is fun but you have to be ready to go to many shops and ask around for the best price. If I wasn't the type to do this, I could have ended up paying $200 Sing more for the same camera. I even went to one shop where the guy said that I wouldn't be able to find it cheaper than

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1159432138807934862006-09-28T11:14:00.000+03:002006-09-28T17:17:06.910+03:00

Swee and I finally made it to Singapore sometime early this morning (around 7, I think). As usual, I lost my appetite due to the long flight and so it's taking me awhile to get in the mood for all the great food that is seemingly always at arm's length. Swee's doing fine appetite-wise though, thankfully. ;) Despite my hungerlessness (warning, this may not be a word), Mum (Swee's mum), Swee and

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158743088283377342006-09-20T12:01:00.000+03:002006-09-20T12:09:45.496+03:00

Not region-freeI was pretty excited when I first heard about the Wii being region-free. Apparently Perrin Kaplin (Vice President of important things at Nintendo) got it wrong, stating that all first party games would work on any Wii console, without regional restrictions (in the same way that DVDs have different regions). Reports came in later, indicating that the Perrin was wrong and that the

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158239263489542422006-09-14T16:05:00.000+03:002006-09-14T16:07:43.500+03:00

Might want to check this out in your spare time...yay!

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158232755585835642006-09-14T14:13:00.000+03:002006-09-14T14:19:15.596+03:00

It's all happening today! Here's a link that has even more videos detailing some of the things I discussed in my last post. This link leads to a presentation (all in Japanese) but if you flick through the pages, you'll see many videos that are self explanitory. I think Swee will be really interested in the photo channel. It's got some really nice features for viewing and even editing photos

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158221532678364112006-09-14T11:03:00.000+03:002006-09-14T13:39:11.440+03:00

Wow, www.wii.com just went live and it looks like a really slick site. I love the simplicity and elegance of it all.A new development for the Wii: it seems to come with some “channels” that allow people to do more than just play games. I can see in the Japanese section of wii.com that there will be a main Wii menu that you can use the wiimote with to select certain channels. Channels such as

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158211724959819762006-09-14T08:28:00.000+03:002006-09-14T08:28:44.970+03:00

While the details are still scarce right now, I have it on good word (other blogs online ;)) that the Wii will finally be released in the US on the 19th of November (a mere two days after Sony launch the PS3) and will go for $250. I don’t have all the details about what’s going to be in the box (how many wiimotes, etc.) but I think Wii Sports will be bundled in with the package. Makes sense too

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1158044040640066662006-09-12T09:48:00.000+03:002006-09-12T09:54:00.653+03:00

For once, I took the time to read the tip at the bottom of the Babel Fish translation window (underlined in red) and came up with an interesting case, which broke the rule.As it turns out, “xerox” means “copy it” (copy shinasai) in Japanese, which makes sense. After dictionary.comming the word “xerox”, I found out that if it is not capitalized, it becomes a verb, otherwise, it’s the trademark of

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1157897465793962602006-09-10T17:09:00.000+03:002006-09-10T17:11:05.803+03:00

Here's another catchy, cheery happy-go-lucky tune from LocoRoco: mp3 (right-click save). Warning: enjoy in small doses only; make sure repeat-mode is disabled...you'll just end up feeling funny if you hear this song too many times in close succession.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1157895656247178492006-09-10T16:39:00.001+03:002006-09-10T16:44:15.240+03:00

Now here’s a great game for the PSP. Well, I haven’t played it but the premise seems fresh enough. What’s more the graphics are quite well done, as is the cheery, happy music.All you have to do in this game is use the left and right shoulder buttons of the PSP and guide the LocoRocos (the yellow blobs in the picture below) to their goal...I think. Anyway, this game is exclusive to the PSP and

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1157894116258495922006-09-10T16:02:00.000+03:002006-09-10T16:20:49.506+03:00

I almost feel sorry for Microsoft. The original Xbox was a fine gaming console; with a library of solid games boasting the most impressive graphics of last generation consoles. The Xbox 360, kicks things up several notches and shows that Microsoft really knows how to make a great console. For what it’s packing under the hood, the 360 is small and sleek. What’s more, as I’ve heard from many

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1157706437770536792006-09-08T12:03:00.000+03:002006-09-08T22:13:21.786+03:00

It's been a really sad week for me and for Australians in general. In fact, these news items are sure to sadden people around the world. First came the news of Steve Irwin's (fondly remembered as the "Crocodile Hunter") passing and I just read today about the death of Australian racing legend Peter Brock! The common theme in both stories is that both people died doing what they love; Steve was

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156883264811615492006-08-29T23:08:00.000+03:002006-08-29T23:32:42.410+03:00

I often wonder what kinds of things I’d be able to accomplish if I only had the motivation. With a focused resolve, we can do just about anything. But how to get that motivation?Having trouble getting mentally prepared for that job interview? What about asking your boss for a raise? Find it impossible to make friends and meet new people?Well, enlisting the help of Personal Cheerleaders may be

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156355510673364962006-08-23T20:18:00.000+03:002006-08-23T20:51:51.810+03:00

From time to time, I get a hankering for a good dose of strategy. When I was younger, I satiated this need by playing Monopoly or Risk. Interestingly enough, I am an expert at Risk Themed Monopoly, but that form of Monopoly is so rare that you'd be hard pressed to find it these days, even on ebay, but I digress... These days, I fix my strategic thirst by bursting open my antique Mahjong set. The

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156272514595078122006-08-22T21:24:00.000+03:002006-08-22T21:57:01.856+03:00

My God do I love my plants! I've been looking after plants for as long as I can remember. Mum and grandma always tell me that I've a "green thumb". I've checked and it's true. That said, I haven't had the best of luck with plants in Israel. Several cacti that I've cared for have bit the dust and I also have killed a chili plant and several other inconsequentials. The thing about the dead

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156270902583703392006-08-22T20:56:00.000+03:002006-08-22T21:21:42.596+03:00

Ah, the trusty DS. I like playing a spot of this now and then. Back in the day, I enjoyed playing games for extended periods, but now, I much prefer games that don't demand so much of my time. The DS is perfect for on-the-go play. I can pick up a game and play around with it for 5 minutes and then move on to other things. In this picture, I was mid-way through a race in Mario Kart and was

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156054705998126072006-08-20T09:15:00.000+03:002006-08-20T09:18:37.186+03:00

“Hot Sandwich” is one of my favourite eating places. The lady (yes, operated by one person only) who runs the establishment has been there for I don’t know how long, but it seems like decades when you see all of the newspaper articles and photos about her shop pasted all over the walls. The many articles and photos seem to suggest (I can’t read Hebrew, so I can’t be sure) that Hot Sandwich is

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1156052800785552852006-08-20T08:42:00.000+03:002006-08-20T12:54:34.356+03:00

I don’t usually post photos of myself on this blog. The last memorable one that I posted was when I went to conquered Spain, but that’s old news now. I thought I should have a mini series where I post photos of me doing some of the things that I like to do in my spare time.So, to start things off, here’s me feeding my favourite pet fish.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1155886138328621452006-08-18T10:05:00.000+03:002006-08-18T10:40:53.706+03:00

Three years ago, for the first time, I sat down to watch the critically acclaimed Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian and fell asleep half way. A year ago, again, for the first time, I sat down to watch the universally adored Monty Python and the Holy Grail and got irritated.With the above passage, I’ve potentially annoyed a few readers, but I’m going to see this one through to conclusion.

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1155815694667980922006-08-17T14:53:00.000+03:002006-08-17T18:53:34.820+03:00

Someone with a lot of time on his hands created a cardboard mockup of a Wii and snapped shots of it beside as many items as he could poke a Wii at. Of course, this was all done in the interest of science: to show the world how tiny the Wii really is. Besides, I’ve always wondered how the Wii would fare against 4 Star Wars themed Pez dispensers. For the zaniness: link.[Update: fixed joystiq

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1155814204146484142006-08-17T14:17:00.000+03:002006-08-17T18:47:38.150+03:00

I was surprised to read recently that the PSP has sold 20 million units worldwide where the DS has sold 21 million. If you look at the weekly sales charts in Japan, DS Lite’s been consistently outselling all consoles (home and handheld) by about five to one since April this year! The PSP may be picking up the slack outside of Japan. I still think the figures are a bit weird though; I guess it

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1155738527840926802006-08-16T17:26:00.000+03:002006-08-16T17:28:47.853+03:00

I have six weeks left in Haifa until I head back home! It’s been a great (nearly) three years here but it’s now time to go and see what’s in store for us in Australia. Before that though, Swee and I have an action packed trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa ahead of us.Checking out all the places listed above is going to be sensory overload and I’m more excited about trying

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1155734036212831662006-08-16T16:08:00.000+03:002006-08-16T16:13:56.223+03:00

Today I found a scientific journal written by M. Rameshni and S. Santo where they talk about RSR, which is short for Rameshni SO2 Reduction.So now it seems that the Rameshni name is out there and ready to be embraced by the billions, the only thing left is to get people to care about recovering Sulphur from SO2 streams and then “Rameshni” will be a household name (in houses that house people that

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1154242174631832312006-07-30T09:01:00.000+03:002006-07-30T09:49:34.710+03:00

Wow, another Dell laptop catches fire! Hopefully they'll sort this situation out soon.It seems a lot of the newer notebooks are heating up quite a bit. With the amount of technology that’s crammed into these things, it’s really a wonder more of them are not exploding. Even the new MacBook Pros have issues with heating and making strange whirring sounds. (Not to say MacBooks are lame, far from

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1150703062232340062006-06-19T10:20:00.000+03:002006-06-19T10:44:22.286+03:00

Many people complain about advertising on the Internet or advertising in general. Now, I also get annoyed when I go to a page and an ad pops up in my face and distracts me from what I was trying to do but in these cases, I blame the implementation of the ad, rather than its existence in the first place.Who said the Internet is meant to be free?The Internet is filled with many services that are

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1150381963947745432006-06-15T17:30:00.000+03:002006-06-15T17:32:43.956+03:00

Hey, I found the Bob Loblaw Law Web Log! But it’s not funny at all!Check it out!Here’s a snippet for those of you who know what I’m talking about:Tobias: "As much as I hate losing Lindsay and everything, I feel like I'm making a friend in you. So I was wondering if maybe tonight you just want to take in a movie... or just stay in and nest?"Robert Loblaw: "Actually I was going to stay in my

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1148391969158409442006-05-23T16:30:00.001+03:002006-05-23T20:25:56.760+03:00

The original “Super Mario Brothers” videogame, released in 1985, has gone on to become one of the most well known videogames in history. In the years following Mario’s major starring role (not including his appearance in the original Donkey Kong arcade game), Nintendo went on to release many other 2D Mario games on its Gameboy, NES and SNES consoles that were very successful. “Super Mario World

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1148147083591676292006-05-20T20:07:00.000+03:002006-05-20T20:44:43.676+03:00

If you’ve visited my blog in the past, you may remember an article where I talked about a “Brain Training” game for the Nintendo DS. When I wrote that article, I did not know too much about the game because it hadn’t been released at the time. What I did know intrigued me, however; the idea of playing a game that was designed to activate my brain (specifically, in the pre-frontal cortex area)

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1147933601526646232006-05-18T09:06:00.000+03:002006-05-18T09:26:41.556+03:00

This post has been a long time coming. I got the flu after returning from my holiday in Spain and was down and out of the office for a week and of course, that meant that I wasn’t in the best spirits to be updating my blog.Anyway, I’m back in the swing of things now and can give you a few impressions of my time at E3. Well, sure I wasn’t actually at the event, but I’ve downloaded and viewed

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1146945009561494022006-05-06T22:30:00.000+03:002006-05-06T22:54:55.253+03:00

Sorry guys, I couldn't update last week because I was too busy conquering Spain.Props to Swee for the awesome shot just after my victory over Barcelona.Anyway I'm back now and just in time for E3!Oh yeah, while I was gone Nintendo decided to give an official name to its forthcoming console. Deciding that "Revolution" wasn't a good representation of what the console is about, they chose "Wii" as

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1145806539328884452006-04-23T18:08:00.000+03:002006-04-23T18:35:39.440+03:00

I've recently been looking into the MacBook Pro from Apple. I like the idea of finally getting one piece of hardware that natively runs both OSX and Windows. So, today, out of interest, I checked out the online Apple stores for Australia and the United States, just to see if the prices were the same between territories. Before checking the prices, I imagined that the US prices may fall one or

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1145695097458817052006-04-22T11:08:00.000+03:002006-04-22T11:38:18.256+03:00

Apparently behind "Lost", J. J. Abrams, will be influential in the filming of a new Star Trek movie prequel with a planned 2008 release.Abrams, a TV superstar, has only recently started working on full motion pictures. We will soon be able to see some of his big screen work when Mission Impossible 3 releases early May. (Of course, Tom Cruise has been getting some pretty bad publicity these

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1145209986638669242006-04-16T19:28:00.001+03:002006-04-16T21:23:47.790+03:00

Libya, 16 April, 2006. After years of debate the final design for the flag of Libya was decided upon today in Geneva, Switzerland. In front of approximately 150 attendees at the annual ISO National Flag Convention (NFC), professional flag designer, Dr. Baubak Sargush, stated that his winning flag design, called "Greenya", was "inspired by the color green". Dr. Sargush went on to state that he

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1145003287011795412006-04-14T10:30:00.000+03:002006-04-14T11:44:50.746+03:00

I found this image on Wikipedia whilst looking up some information on Colombia. The Valley of Cocora is beautiful!Anyway, recently I've been frequenting Wikipedia in order to find as many country flags as possible and convert them to image size 16*11 pixels. I did this to improve the aesthetic value of a website I've been working on for the past couple of months. This website, "Stats-Live",

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144999312399610752006-04-14T09:48:00.000+03:002006-04-14T10:24:12.243+03:00

I used to play many board games when I was younger; "Monopoly" was an all-time hit until I overdosed on it along with my friend, Cem, back in the day. Separately, I remember one time when we were out shopping, dad promised me that he would get "Operation" if I would stop misbehaving but I couldn't help myself and then lost out on the deal. But out of all the board games that I owned, "Mouse Trap

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144766080397674832006-04-11T17:03:00.000+03:002006-04-11T17:40:44.796+03:00

In a move that will one day be hailed as "not even close to the second coming", ABC announced that they will be offering episodes from four of their top rated TV shows as free downloads from their web site. These shows include "Lost", "Desperate Housewives", "Commander in Chief" and "Alias". The downside to this awesome news is that the episodes will only be available for two months starting

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144737867101478732006-04-11T09:14:00.000+03:002006-04-11T09:46:24.546+03:00

As mentioned in a previous post, my brother-in-law, Shingo, recently went to Japan, his primary objective: to bring a crystal white DS Lite back for me. But if the reports I've been hearing are true, so far it seems that Shingo has been quite distracted from his responsibility with family, food and cherry blossoms so I'm getting a little concerned. Of course, since my sister, Amelia, and my new

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144653435777017632006-04-10T10:11:00.000+03:002006-04-10T10:17:15.793+03:00

Smart move, Apple. By allowing people to officially install Windows XP on your systems, you have disrupted the PC market and made your products much more appealing. Dell might start feeling a little pinch soon; even after purchasing Alienware, it's difficult competing against your quality hardware lineup.People who would only ever consider buying PCs in the past have little reason, beyond

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144483957032212522006-04-08T10:33:00.000+03:002006-04-08T11:12:37.110+03:00

Most gaming enthusiasts, have been gearing up for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the event that industry insiders call "The Show". Come May 10, videogame companies will open the floodgates on their upcoming projects, spilling information which for some, has been kept secret for way too long. For Nintedo fans in particular, there has been very little news in the way of Revolution in

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144392272255061972006-04-07T08:44:00.000+03:002006-04-07T09:55:01.756+03:00

Recently I've found that my own ratings for movies have been quite different from ratings represented on rottentomatoes.com. Case in point, Zathura. Before watching the film, I headed over to Rotten Tomatoes to see that it had received a decent 75% Fresh rating. So I began hyping the film up to a few people and we eventually sat down to watch it together. My word was it disappointing. This

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144326918793011852006-04-06T14:40:00.000+03:002006-04-06T15:35:18.936+03:00

"Lies, damn lies and statistics" aside, Microsoft looks to have been given the shaft in this recent survey conducted by Consumer Technographics.Seemingly already on the back foot with competitive threats coming from Google and Mozilla to name a few companies, and the recent delay of its upcoming Vista operating system, the last thing Microsoft needs is to be perceived as untrustworthy by the

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144274299016540562006-04-05T22:45:00.000+03:002006-04-06T00:59:50.220+03:00

With speculation running wild for months, we now have official details on the price of Sony's Playstation 3. Sony Europe's VP, George Fornay, recently stated that the PS3 will be priced between 499 to 599 Euros when it hits the streets this November. So if we take the average and convert to US dollars, we're looking at $675! But that's just for the console, which is pretty useless without

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144227206764522722006-04-05T11:45:00.000+03:002006-04-05T12:09:34.583+03:00

Nintendo's "little handheld that could" is performing better and better by the day. According to a recent press release, Nintendo's net profits have hit an all time four year high, exceeding estimates by a whopping 26.7%! Of course, foreign exchange gains played their part but most of the good fortune has been attributed to brisk sales of the DS.Let's take a look at recent hardware sales

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1144063625665715602006-04-03T14:17:00.000+03:002006-04-05T16:11:12.960+03:00

I just got married last November and one of my concerns was that with the new life ahead of me, I’d have to seriously downgrade my gaming interests...quite worrying indeed! After some thought though, I decided that the best thing to do would be to coax my wife into trying out some games on my DS. Afterall, the DS seems pretty harmless.So now my wife is a regular visitor of "Home", our Animal

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1137079190610298712006-01-12T17:05:00.000+02:002006-01-14T19:42:13.660+02:00

So I finally managed to solve my first Sudoku Puzzle! This one was of medium difficulty since my pen started dying about half way through (see the third line from the bottom). But if you have a good pen, you shouldn't hit any major hurdles.Just cycle through 1 to 9 on each row starting from top left and go down row by row. Cross out any printed numbers that aren't meant to be there (i.e. numbers

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1135697823230584072005-12-27T17:36:00.000+02:002005-12-27T17:44:18.793+02:00

It’s fun to run into some free, handy PC utilities that take little processing time yet do a lot for productivity or entertainment. In the past month I’ve run into two of such programs: one of them is Taskbar++.Taskbar++ allows you to shuffle the various open application tabs that span your taskbar. I know that sometimes when I need to flip from one application to another it’s annoying if one

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1135326130340709922005-12-23T09:59:00.000+02:002005-12-25T09:03:19.426+02:00

Well, here are some of the paintings that I've come up with in the past month or so. Both of these paintings are products of failed experimentation. There's only so many times you want to wash a canvass though. :) I want to do a larger version of "kissme" (top) just to see what it looks like. I didn't really know what to think of "jungle" when it was first completed but the good thing is, since

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1135267268992703342005-12-22T17:50:00.000+02:002005-12-22T18:01:09.020+02:00

This picture was taken by Swee when we were in Italy. Apparently it was not meant to turn out the way it did and Swee didn't seem too pleased with it. I guess when you have something in mind but the end result is nothing like what you expect, things can get disappointing.Anyway, I really like this picture and if I were ever to release a music CD, I think I have the cover art and name worked out

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1135235794689324462005-12-22T09:15:00.000+02:002005-12-22T09:16:34.700+02:00

I’ve always had an interest in marketing and the macro planning that companies undertake to do business. I like thinking about why some strategies work and why others do not. So when I see a company starts to do something that is different from what is expected of it, I take notice.What’s sparked my interest these days is a concept developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne called “Blue Ocean

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8230430.post-1135089589675684572005-12-20T16:32:00.000+02:002006-01-11T17:47:30.163+02:00

I was talking to someone about videogames the other day and we got into a discussion about the demographic of gamers and how the videogame market could be expanded in the future. The topic stemmed from violence in videogames to the competitive nature of most games and how these two factors seem to be alienating a lot of potential gamers.While it is true that there are many people who enjoy a good

farazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03315352217637260893noreply@blogger.com2