As Suanie Sees It

I’ve been using a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for about a month now, thanks to the kindness of David Lian and co. By writing this post, I eliminate all hope that you guys might forget that you loaned it to me. But for the mostly awesomeness of the phone, oh well…

Since I received the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic without a manual ( gee, thanks ), it was a lot of self-discovery on various buttons, functions etc. My first obstacle came in the form of SIM card insertion. Next to the MicroSD slot is another slot for you to insert your SIM card. Well, mine got stuck. Couldn’t go in or come out. I really panicked until Gier helped me to remove the back cover, pushed it out then inserted it properly. Was I the only one who experienced this problem?

KY’s photos of the Nokia XpressMusic 5800

Love/ Like/ Learned to love or like:

• The 3.2″ display screen, and the 640×360 resolution screen. I love them big!
• The nifty, slim, light-weight design. Actually the phone looks rather cool
• Responsive and rather intuitive touch screen. At first I used the stylus for I have fat fingers. But after getting used to it, I use only the tip of my nails
• Significantly longer battery life than my Nokia N95 or N82
• I have 14 short cuts to assorted apps and functions on the main display. Damn best
• The stereo speakers are quite fantastic. Impressed a lot of people
• 640×360 pixels resolution = 16:9 display ratio = damn clear videos + stereo speakers = damn awesome
• Loudspeaker option available after dialling someone. Seems like a small thing, but you won’t appreciate it until you don’t have it. On my Nokia N95 and N82, the loudspeaker option is only available AFTER that someone answers the phone
• The lock/unlock switch on the side of the phone. Very convenient. Also very funny when someone tries to look for the unlock button, and I’ve to show them how it’s done, and they go, “OOoooooohhh”
• I look damn cool tapping away at the phone

KY and Wingz comparing phones. Taken using the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, with flash

Dislike/ Not impressed/ Meh:

• No speed dialling option. If you opt for the contacts bar display, you can only enter 4 contacts. Not enough for me lor so I reverted to the shortcuts bar display. I need all 9 speed dials, including #1 for voice mail
• Short cut to Menu display is not available via touch screen; have to press the middle button
• Have yet to locate the ‘quick alarm’ option which I love. Not there?
• Maybe I am not made for QWERTY on phones. So I don’t really like, heh
• One too many steps to bring out the dialler display, especially if you are looking at e.g. your text messages, and someone calls you, and you need to input some numbers on the dialler
• This model is still new, so the few applications I use have yet to release a version for it. E.g. eBuddy and Twibble. Gmail for mobile screws up too, so I have to use the browser
• The ‘Sent Messages’ display don’t have a ‘Delete’ option. Either click to open each sent message to delete one by one, or mark all to delete all (which I don’t want). A bit sien
• The 3.2 megapixel camera is meh. But then I’m spoiled by the N82 awesome camera phone
• Touch screen = fingerprint smudges = have to constantly wipe

Gier’s new bicycle. Taken using the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, without flash

Random notes:

• It took me less than a week to get used to the touch screen function.
• If I don’t reply your text messages, it’s because they are not that important it takes me longer than usual to type a message, so sometimes I’m lazy to reply my messages. If it’s very important, you would have called me/ I will call you back
• I’ve never liked the ‘auto-rotate screen’ function, so doesn’t matter to me
• This is a straight-to-the point touch screen phone. No whatever multi-touch the iPhone fanbois keep crowing about. From what I gathered, much cheaper also. XpressMusic edition mah (though running on S60 5th edition)

Overall: I like it, I want one, some stuff takes getting used to, I’m sure there will be firmware updates to fix some issues, please please please please fix the speed dial thing, that’s all.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be launched in Malaysia on the 9th of January, 2009. The launch party will be at the Pavilion KL, from 7 till 11 pm. There will be performances by a few Nokia IAC acts. Do check out the Facebook event if you are interested in attending, and maybe I’ll see you there

Okay David, now you can go back to forgetting that I have the phone, kthxbai.

Normally I hate doing the recapping stuff; as Edna Mode said, “I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now.” But 2008 has been quite a year and I’m in a somewhat melancholic mood at the moment. Then I looked back at my blog archive and realised that I WANT a recap of sorts. Who cares if I didn’t save the world or find a cure for cancer? At this point in my life, I think it’s pretty clear that I am not meant to be the hero.

So I went through my blog archive, clicked on a few posts and had a fun time remembering those parties/ events/ trips/ holidays/ lame jokes/ lame antics etc. Those were good times. Great times. Happy times. I am a very lucky person, for I have the most amazing family and super awesome friends. You don’t have to tell me how lucky I am; I know

Then I thought, why bother recapping the year? If you really want to know what I did in 2008, it’s all here: www.suanie.net/archives. If you’d been reading this blog for a while now, you’d already know. I guess that’s another way of saying that I changed my mind about doing a recap.

But I have to mention this: the one and only highlight of 2008 for me was when…

SAMY VELLU GOT KICKED OUT OF HIS CONSTITUENCY!!!!!!!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still gets me LOL every.single.time.

Entah kenapa aku malas betul nak update blog I. Mungkin sebab tekak aku rasa macam nak letup dah. Ataupun aku memang memiliki nilai-nilai murni seperti kemalasan yang tidak terhingga. Kisah seorang pemalas yang melampau.

Ketuk-ketuk. Siapa tu? Pe. Pe yang mana? Pemalas.

Marilah kita menikmati gambar Ryan bersama ibu saudaranya yang disayangi.

Here are some photographs
from the party on Wednesday
we had fun and plenty of laughs
we drank, we were merry and gay

Lots more pix uploaded to Facebook
which you can’t see if you aren’t a friend
but wild snapshots of certain noobs
will remain safely in my hands

At first I received white socks and panties in lace
then house slippers adorned with Mickey
unfortunately they were taken by those with taste
and I ended up with a pair of undies

Three crates of free Tuborg consumed
plus plenty of hard liquor to go around
left some people dead like possums
and the rest tragically down

To those who gave the party a miss
such as Spongefox who’s in recovery
your absence did not go unnoticed
we reminisced oh so fondly

Finally you can be rid of my poems
as I reach the end of my blog post
so I suppose it doesn’t matter if this verse doesn’t rhyme
because I’m too lazy to make anything else up
thanks to those who were there, I had a blast
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
and see you crazy people soon!

Lots of love,
Suanie

A few photos of the party… I didn’t take many because I was… uh, too busy enjoying it

It was a costume thing. We were supposed to go as any letters from ‘vpost’, e.g. V= vampire, vainpot; p= potato, prude etc. For some reason Ah Yat assigned me to the letter ‘T’. I went, “Great! I will go as myself then!” (My surname starts with ‘T’).

I told my sister about it, and she went, “Gee.. why you so not sporting one…” Well that got to me and I moped about it a little. Then I saw Dr. Buckaroo on-line and remembered that he used to wear a lot of gaudy Hawaiian shirts. I asked him if he could lend me one so I could then go as a ‘tourist’ (Bob’s idea, thanks!). We have a big ass gardening hat at home, so I thought I’d bring that.

The day before we left for Singapore, I told my sister about my costume idea. She brought out a smaller hat (which turned out to be slightly too small for MY head) which I took with me to Singapore. She also thought that I should check out my brother-in-law’s closet. I did, and found a Replay button shirt thingy. Something like Steve Irwin used to wear. So I borrowed that too. Good thing, because Dr. Buckaroo told me that he has only one touristy shirt left in his closet and it was not as bad as I would have liked it.

That was how I ended up going to the party as a trekker.

The Malaysian Nuffnangers! KY as ‘Potong Stim Pirate’, HB as ‘Osama’, FA as ‘Shopaholic’, EiLing as ‘Vampire’ and me as ‘Trekker’

Ninie, The Yoga Instructor went as ‘The Yoga Instructor Yang Haram’. I thought it was a great costume!

Mana tu fatwa?

My favourite costume that evening has to be Timothy a.k.a Mr. Paranoid. Not only was his outfit ridiculous, he also played the part rather well!

Me with Tim, Nath looking on

The party itself was… uh, different from what Malaysian Nuffnangers are used to. I suppose that’s because we have had so many parties/ gatherings here since Nuffnang’s inception, and everyone almost knows everyone so we are not that afraid/ embarrassed to make fools of ourselves. Since this party was Nuffnang SG’s first major bloggers’ party, well I’m sure the crowd and atmosphere will improve later on.

The door gifts were pretty awesome, though. I especially liked the moisturising gel that I already used for my elbows. I also won a prize from the lucky draw — an OSIM step counter/ FM radio. I await the day I will use it

Ming the school boy addresses the crowd

The party ended at 10 pm. Then I had to leave because club rules dictated that shorts weren’t allowed. Oh well. We woke HB up (the dude passed out from the beginning till the end of the party), hailed a cab and went back to the hotel. Decided that I was too old to go to Zouk, much to FA’s dismay We ended up going to Ken’s at Orchard Plaza for cold ramen.

Sheryl the ‘Teacher’, me looking at her cane warily, FA oblivious to the tension in the air

Of course we’d changed into normal, everyday outfits by then lah.