Getting sick and tired of IT fairs in Singapore

4 times a year. March, June, September and November. The IT fair events in Singapore never fail to garner lots of attention. I used to remember times during my poly days back around year 2002-2005 where I would eagerly wait for the IT fair to come and get the best deals in town for IT gadgets... I still remember on 2004 where I bought a few things from IT fair...
- a newly launched Edifier sound system at IT fair price of $59 which was 50% off the SRSP. This sound system IS still serving me very well till today ^.^
- A Brother AIO printer for only $79 with two rims of A4-sized printing papers and 2 additional sets of ink cartridges. and back then AIO printers were super expensive >.< that printer served me well before it self proclaim retirement in 2008...
Fast forward to the IT fair today in 2011, I am actually very disappointed. The discounts, promos and bundles offered by the exhibitors, especially the major players are simply not attractive. Frankly speaking, I personally felt that other electronic fairs and electronic warehouse/wholesales events offer much, much more attractive discounts , promos and bundles.
Take for example Apple authorized dealers at IT fair:
Let's be frank. Take a look at the pricing at any Apple Authorized dealer stores and compare it with those at the IT fair, is there any MUCH differences?! Little I would say. Or even no differences.
And how about the rest of the IT products? Not much in actual fact although they offer better bundles than Apple products.
many people still go to the IT fairs, hoping that they would unravel a hidden deal but many more have chosen to avoid such events. They rather head down to Sim Lim Square or Funan IT mall or just wait for the "Post IT fair" promotion, where most of the bundles and discounts during the IT fairs still continue on for a few more weeks...

Me?! I have made it a choice not to patronize IT fairs anymore UNLESS there is absolutely a need to buy anything from IT fairs...

Preparing for EduTrust

Recently, I have been very busy at my new company, because my company is currently preparing for EduTrust re-evaluation and trying to go for EduTrust-4 Years certification.

EduTrust is a certification awarded by Council for Private Education, or CPE for short to Private Education Institutions (PEIs) for meeting the minimum requirements in 6 different areas.
CPE was set up by the Singapore Government in 2009 to regulate and oversee all private institutions in Singapore under the Private Education Act in 2009. This was a response to several cases of PEIs closing down without informing all their students in advance and thus causing hundreds of students left stranded and unable to continue their studies, because there were no proper fee protection against such matters.

For more information on CPE, you may check out their website http://www.cpe.gov.sg/

Thus, besides awarding EduTrust to PEIs, PEIs must also insure all their students under a scheme called, Fee Protection Scheme or FPS for short. This scheme will ensure the protection of their school fees in any situation which cause the school to be unable to operate.
Besides that, PEIs must ensure that all foreign students have a life insurance throughout their course of study.
For more information on what are the minimum requirements for PEIs, please visit
- Enhanced Registration Framework (ERF)
- EduTrust Certification Scheme
- Review for EduTrust Certification
- Fee Protection Scheme (FPS)

If you are currently looking to future your education with a PEI, please visit this website for more info:
- Information for Future Students
- Information for International Students


If you are currently studying at a PEI, please visit this website for more info:

- Information for Current Students

 
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What programs to uninstall from Asus Eee PC 1215B

You bought a brand new Asus Eee PC 1215B. You booted it up and just went through a long process setting up the Windows 7 OS and finally you're ready to use it.

You clicked on the "window" button and realized that there are quite a handful of programs installed in your laptop and you don't know which one to remove.

Well, here are a list of programs which are safe to remove and programs which are helpful but are also safe to remove.

1. Trend Micro Internet Security / Norton Internet Security Nowadays, pc manufacturers love to stuff laptops with trial versions of anti-virus programs. I personally hate them because they are usually very resource intensive. I will usually uninstall them and use the Windows 7 default anti-virus program, which I personally find that it is more than enough. But of course, if you don't really know much about it, then uninstalling this is optional.
   
2. Asus WebStorage It's almost similar to Apple's online storage service: MobileMe. If you don't use it, uninstall it.
   
3. Asus App StoreAs the name suggests, uninstall it.
   
4. Trial Flash GamesUninstall all of them.
   
5. ASUS Screen SaverA useless program. Uninstall it.
   
6. ASUS AccessUninstall it. It doesn't help you much
   
7. Asus Update For EEE PCAlthough this program is supposed to check the latest version for all the firmware in your Asus Eee PC 1215B but so far it has been nothing but useless. It's much better to manually go into the Asus support website and update them.
   
8. Asus LiveupdateSame as the #8 program, is supposed to check the latest version for all the firmware in your Asus Eee PC 1215B but so far it has been nothing but useless. It's much better to manually go into the Asus support website and update them.
   
9. LocaleMeIts a locating service. Quite useless. Google Map is much faster and better.
   
10. AsusVibe2.0A useless program. Uninstall.
    
11. Dr.EEEIf you have better 3rd party software which can help you to diagnosis the laptop issues, then uninstall this program.
    
12. CapshookSupposed to show a pop-up sign on the bottom right hand side of your screen whenever you turn on / off the Capslock button. It's quite useless, since there is a dedicated led light to indicate capslock. Uninstall.
    
13. Eee DockingUninstall. There are much better 3rd party docking programs to display your favourite programs
    
14. Super Hybrid EngineI personally uninstall this program because I find the default built-in power management program is much better. (Right click on your battery icon and you will see a menu called "Power Option"
    
15. Other misc. programs which you might wanted to consider uninstalling:
• DVD/CD burner
• Cyberlink DVD player
• label printing software
• Coupon printing software

Asus Eee PC 1215B vs Sony Vaio YB vs HP Pavilion dm1z vs Lenovo Thinkpad X120e vs MSI U270 vs Dell Inspiron M102z

THE ULTIMATE AMD FUSION E-350 ZACATE SHOWDOWN!

The bunny lady walks around the RING entertaining all the guests. The crowd went wild and cheered.
A spotlight came on. Focusing on a gentlemen standing in the middle of the ring and a microphone lowered in front of him.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Welcome to the AMD Fusion E-350 Zacate netbook Royal Rumble!!!! Tonight, you guys are going to be in for the ultimate treat... A showdown between all the AMD E-350 netbooks in the market! And tonight, we will find out who's THE BEST in the industry..."

So, let us bring out the boys!!!

ASUS Eee PC 1215B

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 
• Display: 12.1" LED Backlight WXGA (1366x768) Screen 
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6310 
• Memory: DDR3, 2 x SO-DIMM, 2GB 
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 500GB HDD 
• Battery: 6-Cell 56Wh Li-ion Battery
• Dimensions: 296 x 203 x 38 mm (WxDxH) 
• Weight: 1.45 Kgs (w/ 6cell battery) 

SONY Vaio YB

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 
• Display: 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 px glossy display
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6150 
• Memory: DDR3, 2 GB of memory
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 320 GB HDD
• Battery: 39Wh 3500 mAh battery
• Dimension: 202.8 x 25 x 290 mm (11.4 x 8 x 1.25 inches)
• Weight: 1.46 Kg (3.2 pounds)

HP Pavilion dm1z

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 
• Display: 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 px glossy LED backlighting display
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6310 
• Memory: DDR3, 3 GB of memory
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 320 GB 7200rpm HDD
• Battery: 6-cell Li-ion battery (51Wh)
• Dimension: 11.45 (L) x 8.45 (W) x 0.9 - 1.25 (H) inches
• Weight: 1.5 Kg (3.2 pounds)

MSI U270

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 
• Display: 11.6 inch 1024 x 600 px display
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6310 
• Memory: DDR3 2 GB of memory
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 320 GB HDD
• Battery: 6-cell
• Dimension: 297 x 190 x 31 mm
• Weight: 1.3 Kg (3.0 pounds)

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 
• Display: 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 px display
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6310 
• Memory: DDR3 4 GB of memory
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 320 GB HDD
• Battery: 6-cell
• Dimension: 282 x 189 x 29.5 mm
• Weight: 1.3 Kg (3.0 pounds)

Dell Inspiron M102z

• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
• Display: 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 px LED Backlit LCD display
• CPU: AMD® Fusion APU E350 1.6GHz (dual core) 
• Graphic: AMD® Radeon HD 6310 
• Memory: DDR3 4 GB of memory
• Storage: 2.5" SATA 320 GB HDD 7200rpm
• Battery: 6-cell
• Dimension: 292 x 205 x 35 mm
• Weight: 1.55 Kg

Just by judging from the technical specs of these netbooks, it is not difficult to see that Sony Vaio YB's GPU is a step lower than the rest, which will affect its graphical performance.

The two models worth noticing would be Dell and Lenovo, because they have the highest ram and another thing is because Lenovo's model belongs to their THINKPAD series, which is well-known for its build and quality.

But if you're a person who is more concern with display, you might like to look at Asus 1215B and MSI U270, since they are the only ones with 12.1", while the rest are 11.6" screen.

Exterior, design, build quality

No. 1 Lenovo Thinkpad X120e

No. 2 HP dm1z

No. 3 Asus Eee PC 1215B & MSI U270

No. 4 Sony Vaio YB

No. 5 Dell Inspiron M102z

Lenovo's Thinkpad X120e is clearly a winner in this category. Frankly speaking, who would have thought of making a netbook with "Thinkpad series" build and quality? No one except Lenovo I supposed. And also Lenovo's Thinkpad X120e is the only netbook with a non-fingerprint magnet matt finish. I supposed it will be pleasing to a group of people who won't want tons of ugly fingerprints all over their Thinkpad and spoilt the "image". I know I won't want that to happen.

Although the exterior and build for the rest of the 5 models are round and curve edges, plastic, glossy and ultra-finger print magnet, HP dm1z truly deserves the 2nd spot. It is the only one where the plastic build feels very solid and sturdy in your hands.

Keyboard

No. 1 Lenovo Thinkpad X120e

No. 2 HP dm1z

No. 3 Asus Eee PC 1215B

No. 4 MSI U270

No. 5 Dell Inspiron M102z

No. 6 Sony Vaio YB

It seems like making a netbook with Thinkpad build and quality certain has its advantages. Among all the 6 models, Lenovo X120e has the largest keyboard area and is the most comfortable to type on, mostly attributing to this Thinkpad origins and furthermore, it is the only netbook with a spill-resistance keyboard.

For HP dm1z, MSI U270 and Asus Eee PC 1215B, it was a really close call between these three and it took very tiny details to separate these three. And in the end, HP dm1z came in 2nd, because its keyboard buttons are well-spaced and frequently used buttons like Enter, Space and Backspace were made wider and longer to reduce typing error. It is also very quiet when typing.

Unfortunately, Sony Vaio YB came in last. We were expecting Sony to be having very high QC for this laptop, since they're renowned for it. But sadly, this wasn't the case. The keyboard was quite cramped and commonly used buttons were smaller and narrower, so typing errors for people with bigger fingers would be a common issue. Besides this, it is also rather uncomfortable to type on and its the loudest among all the 6 models when typing.

Trackpad
No. 1 Lenovo Thinkpad X102e
No. 2 Sony Vaio YB
No. 3 Asus Eee PC 1215B
No. 4 MSI U270
No. 5 HP dm1z
No. 6 Dell Inspiron M102z

Lenovo Thinkpad X102e claims top spot in this category, having both the trackpad and the famous "red dot" Thinkpad tracking point. X102e retains the signature "clicking" sound of their Thinkpad trackpad buttons and X102e is one of the few netbooks which still retains two dedicated trackpad buttons these days.

HP dm1z and Dell Inspiron M102z claims the last two spots. The trackpads are responsive but because the trackpad buttons are integrated with the trackpad, it is very easy to hit the left or right click button, even though HP and Dell made an effort to "draw lines" to distinguish the areas. But if you are a minimalist person, you would welcome this idea and design.

Display

No. 1 Lenovo Thinkpad X120e

No. 2 HP dm1z

No. 3 Dell Inspiron M102z

No. 4 MSI U270

No. 5 Asus Eee PC 1215B

No. 6 Sony Vaio YB

Once again, Lenovo X120e claims the top spot with an almost 180 degree display pivot angle. It is the widest among all 6, as the remaining 5 have limited pivot angle between 120 to 135 degree. The remaining 5 models were judged based on the image quality at different angles, and we have HP dm1z coming in at 2nd place again.
Sadly, for Asus Eee PC 1215B and Sony Vaio YB, these two models have one of the worst viewing quality. The quality of the image drops drastically as you pivot the screen back and forth, with Asus Eee PC 1215B edging with slightly better image quality when turning it from side to side.

Performance
When it comes to the Performance department, even though all 6 come with AMD Fusion APU, which is supposed to provide both CPU performance and graphical power for a netbook category. But the results for all 6 models were making it difficult to judge,  because this is the category which will show you the main purpose of their laptop.
I will see actual test results from different PC review websites and you be the judge to determine which of these 6 models is the top in this category:

-  Lenovo Thinkpad X120e: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x120e.aspx?page=3

- HP dm1z: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/hp-pavilion-dm1.aspx?page=2

- Dell Inspiron M102z: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1671983

- MSI U270: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-u270-984531/review
- Asus Eee PC 1215B: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-eee-pc-1215b.aspx?page=2

- Sony Vaio YB: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6091&p=3

Battery Life
No. 1 HP dm1z (6hr 40min)
No. 2 Lenovo Thinkpad X120e (6hr 10min)
No. 3 Asus Eee PC 1215B (5hr 40min)
No. 4 Sony Vaio YB (5hr 15 min)
No. 5 Dell M102z (5 hr 00 min)
No. 6 MSI U270 (4 hr 30min)

We put all 6 models through a Battery test. In order to reflect the usage as close to Real-World usage, we set the brightness to 50% and continuous web surfing via wifi. And the results were quite amazing.
HP dm1z claimed the top spot with an astonishing endurance of 6hr 40mins!
Followed closely by Lenovo Thinkpad X120e with 6hr 10mins.
Sony Vaio YB was a surprise to be able to last more than 5 hours, perhaps the lower GPU unit help to increase its endurance slightly. Dell M102z managed 5hours. While MSI U270 came in last with 4hr 30mins.

*Updated the battery life ranking after feedback from readers.

Summary
If you are looking for a lightweight, business-like and affordable laptop, with the power for some light gaming
while you're waiting for your client, then Lenovo X120e is the one for you.
If you are more into design and looks, then Sony Vaio YB and HP dm1z would be for you.
But if you want something more classical and want something less fanciful, then the other 3 models would be for you.
Still, in the end, I would recommend you to head down to any authorized dealers such as Harvey Norman, Courts, Best Denki, Challenger, Sim Lim Square or Funan IT Mall and physically test out these netbooks, if available.

Below are some more youtube videos for your reference:

No. 1 Lenovo Thinkpad X120e

No. 2 HP dm1z

No. 3 MSI U270

No. 4 Asus Eee PC 1215B

No. 5 Sony Vaio YB

Game Review: Football Manager 2012 on Asus Eee PC 1215B

I just installed the game today. I will be doing a simple video review pretty soon

Update: The lady who won SG$416,000 jackpot at Marina Bay Sands Casino

Initially, when Ms Choo struck the Jackpot at the Jackpot machine, she couldn't believe her eyes, because she thought that it might have been a joke as she has never won anything this big in her life. But as more and more patrons gathered around her, they started to congratulate her and that was when Ms Choo realized it was real.

But that was when Marina Bay Sands' Management stepped in and denied Ms Choo her winning and claimed that it was a "machinery fault", because each jackpot machine was only limited to a jackpot amount of $50,000 and they offered her part cash and part prize of $50,000 cash and a sports car worth $258,962.

The lady was really unhappy with that explanation and claimed that a winning is a winning, and will not settle for anything less than the full amount, because there were many people present at that point of time who witnessed Ms Choo winning the jackpot.
This dispute was widely reported not just locally but also around the world.

Unsatisfied with the casino's reasoning, Ms Choo pressed on with legal pursuit and finally filed a report to The Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA).

3days later, MBS decided to hand Ms Choo her full winnings of $416,000.

Relieved of the outcome, Ms Choo claimed that she will donate half the winning to Charity, because she felt that this was an "accidental winning" and she should help the needys.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I personally felt that the Casino should have offered something of equivalent value to the amount Ms Choo has won, instead of going ahead to dishonour her winning and gave a silly reason such as "machinery fault. Which would anger anyone, even if the amount was $100, $1000 or $10,000.

Come on..... Machinery fault?! If in the very first place, that particular machine was indeed faulty, then why wasn't the floor supervisor alerted or even the staff alerted?
Definitely there must some sort of alert system in-built into the machine which would raise to let the staff on duty know that it was faulty and require attention, since they are all computerized and probably hook up to a centralized computer system which will then further monitor these machines to detect any possibilities for fraud and also the status of these machineries.

Now, let's just imagine that the machine Ms Choo was playing was indeed faulty. If that was the case, why didn't any staff approach her during her course of play, let her know that the machine was faulty and offered to re-imburse some of the credits? But why wait till she hit the jackpot , then walk up to her, break the news to her that the machine was faulty? Did MBS expected her to accept their offer and walk away with $50K cash instead of $416K?

Were they in the right frame of mind anyway or did they thought that Ms Choo was a 3-year old child?

Frankly speaking, even though MBS has finally agreed to settle on the original amount, we do not know how many people has lost their money because the machines were so-called "faulty" but weren't made known to them....

Seriously speaking, that's really sad.

Adding 8GB ram to 1215B

Usually, laptop resellers will install 4GB ram on 1215B but in actual fact, 1215B is able to accommodate a maximum of up to 8GB of ram... YES! You see it right... 8GB!

But the motherboard only accept certain type of 8GB ram, particularly rams which are PC3-10600 compliant memory.

An example would be the Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9

Amazon.com is currently selling it at around USD$50.
Here is the link to one of it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YUF8ZG/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

New template

Just changed to a new template :> Orange colour!!!!
Felt that the black colour theme made reading very difficult...
Anyone know any nice themes compatible with the new blogspot format?!

XBox 360 Kinect

FINALLY... I GOT MY VERY OWN XBOX 360 KINECT SET!!! WoooHOOO!!!!

Went to Takashimaya last Sunday with my girlfriend, used our $400 gift vouchers and bought the Xbox 360 Kinect (4GB) Bundle. Both of us have been waiting so, so, so, so long to get one set actually...

Our total "damage":
- One Xbox 360 console with 4GB internal memory
- One Kinect sensory set
- One wireless controller
- One complimentary Kinect game (Kinect Adventures)
- One complimentary Microsoft XBOX LIVE 1600 points
- One Dance Central 2 game
Total: $128.90 (After deducting the $400 voucher)

Unboxing the XBox

In clockwise direction:

- XBox LIVE Microsoft 1600 points

- Dance Central 2

- Main XBox 360 console + Kinect box

Revealing the Main Box:

- The XBox 360 Console. Still wrapped up and neatly tugged between two black sockets.

- The "Quick Set-up Manual". I NEVER even bother to look through it. I took it out, and chunk it to one side. So sorry... >.<

What's "hidden" underneath the console:
- The complimentary kinect game
- Hidden in the side compartments are the power cables, Video and Audio out connecting cables
- At the top of the box is the Kinect Sensory set.

TADA!!!! All lined up and raring to go!

Unboxing the XBox 360+Kinect Bundle

Setting up the XBox 360+Kinect and configuration

Launch of Kinect at E3 (Late 2010)

Mac OS X on Asus Eee PC 1215B

Planning to install Mac OS X on your newly bought Asus Eee PC 1215B? But do not know whether is it suitable or even workable?

Well, check out what are the things in 1215B which will work in the Mac environment:

• Bluetooth: Unknown
• Wifi: YES
• LAN: Unknown
• USB: YES
• Sound: Unknown
• Audio I/O: Unknown
• Video Out: Unknown
• Trackpad: Unknown
• Power / Sleep: Unknown
• Power Management: Unknown
• Card Reader: Unknown

After looking at the things above, is 1215B suitable for Mac OS X?!

Game Review: Left4Dead 2 on Asus Eee PC 1215B

My next game review on Asus Eee PC 1215B: Left 4 Dead 2.

Compared to the first game I reviewed on Asus Eee PC 1215B, Left 4 Dead 2 is much more challenging. Why? Because the game is from the same company which dished out all-time classic FPS (First-Person Shooting) games like Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike and Team Fortress.
So, in terms of graphic requirements, definitely it will be much, much higher than Warcraft 3: DOTA. But since the Asus Eee PC 1215B is able to playback full hd 1080p videos flawlessly. Let's put it to the test!

Similar to my previous review, the netbook's Super Hybrid engine setting is on "High". I separated the review into two parts:
- Part 1/2 will be on the highest possible settings
- Part 2/2 will be on the lowest possible settings

Part 1/2: Highest setting


Part 2/2: Lowest setting

Game Review: DOTA on Asus Eee PC 1215B

My very first game review and I will start off by doing a simple game review of playing DOTA on Asus Eee PC 1215B.
Basically, I started off the game by setting all the graphical video options on HIGH. The sole purpose is to put as much stress as possible on the laptop. But before I went into the game, I switched the mode of Super Hybrid Engine to "HIGH" and the Microsoft built-in power option to "BALANCED"

Without further ado, here is the short video review:

Asus Eee PC 1215B: Super Hybrid Engine

The Eee PC's™ exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine greatly enhances energy efficiency, reducing up to15% in power/ expenditure and providing up to 8 hours* of battery life for one-day computing.

Tweak your Eee PC's™ power consumption to reap substantial savings! Simply select one of these three modes to adjust the CPU frequency, voltage and LCD brightness according to your needs. It's up to you!

Asus Super Hybrid Engine program is not adjustable. So some users might find it too rigid.

FAQ: Is it possible to use other programs than Asus Super Hybrid Engine for battery power efficiency?

The answer is yes! Microsoft's very own power option feature. Personally, I am using this program, because it is very flexible and I am able to create a power plan according to my usage and needs.

1) Scroll your mouse pointer to your windows taskbar and look at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. You should be able to see a battery meter icon (If it is activated in the first place)

2) Right click on the icon and you will see a pop-up menu. 

Select "Power Options"

3) A new window should appear showing you a list of possible "power plans" for different basic needs, similar to the image below.

Of course, you may choose to show "Additional Power Plans" for specific needs. Choose the plans you will be using them the most and adjust them accordingly.

Hectic week ahead

Starting next week... It will be a hectic week... Great!!! Been looking forward to it.

Happy Day

Heading back to office today...FINALLY!!! So happy!!!!

World Record Longest Header Goal 58 meter in a football game

You must be thinking that this is a prank right?! Well, I thought initially it was a prank as well. But it turned out to be true.

Fagiano Okayama defender Ryujiro Ueda scored an incredible long-range header against Yokohama FC this past weekend. Below is the video of this incredible and unbelievable goal.

H35G4VNKMQJE

7,000,000,000 Day

31 October 2011 marks a remarkable milestone in modern Human history. Why? According to a major United Nation report, The 7th Billion human was born on 31 October 2011 in the Philippines and it's a female. Her name: Danica May Camacho.

This baby girl is one of the few chosen to mark this unbelievable milestone in Modern Human history. According to statistics, this figure would actually be breached fours years earlier, if China did not implement their "One-Child" policy. It is really amazing to know how FAST us, humans, are multiplying ourselves, given the fact that, there were only about one billion people living on this Earth some two hundred years ago. Yes! You got that right. 1,000,000,000 people 200 years ago.

But there are several reasons which led to a sudden explosion of population on Earth but there is one main reason: TECHNOLOGY.

We cannot deny the fact that Technology has evolved so rapidly, that we almost forgotten that our forefathers were riding on horses as forms of transportation, writing letters as their only form of communication and using candles and camp-fire as their only source of light and warmth at night, some 200 years ago. The advancement in Technology has given humans vast improvements in many, many areas over the years. One of these areas is Medical field.

The report says the rise in average life expectancy - which has increased from 48 years in the 1950s to about 68 now - should be celebrated.

It says in the same period the fertility rate, which is the average number of children women have, has dropped by more than half, from 6.0 to 2.5.
It also notes that children are much less likely to die in infancy thanks to improvements in health care.

Another area is improvement in Information Technology (IT). With the Internet becoming more and more accessible to people, especially 3rd World Countries and many rural areas, families and people who were unable to afford education in the past, are able to receive better education, just with a click of a button. And with better knowledge, they are able to get themselves better paying jobs and improve their quality of life, thus living longer.

But nevertheless, we humans are just like any other animals on Earth, we will continue to grow, multiple and expand, so might as well be prepared for it, whether we like it or not...

My laptop: Asus Eee PC 1215B (Late 2010)

A sleek and powerful laptop in a slim body


The specs
First, let’s take a quick look at the specs to see what we can expect from this Asus 1215B 12 incher:

• 12.1 inch LED backlit display, 1366 x 768 px resolution, glossy 
• AMD Brazos APU with AMD E-350 dual core processor and integrated AMD graphics 
• 4 GB DDR3 memory 
• 450 GB hard-drive (Do take note that some countries come with different HDD storage size, please remember to check with your local authorized dealers) 
• C: Drive - 100 GB 
• D: Drive - 350 GB 
• Wireless N, Bluetooth 3.0, Gigabit LAN 
• Two USB 2.0 slot and one USB 3.0 slots, VGA, HDMI, headphone/mic, card-reader, webcam with a pushable cover. (Do take note that some countries come with one USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0, please remember to check with your local authorized dealers) 
• Windows 7 Home Premium OS 64-bits (Do take note that some countries come with other OS versions, please remember to check with your local authorized dealers) 
• 6 Cell 5200 mAh 56 Wh battery (Do take note that some countries come with different battery cells, please remember to check with your local authorized dealers) 
• measures 11.6 x 8 x 1.5 inches 
• weighs 3.2 pounds or 1.45 kg 
• Colours: Red, Silver, Matte Black, Glossy Black 

Design and exterior


The 1215B is actually the successor to the impressive 1215N (Which I previously wanted to buy but it wasn't available in Singapore), so on a lot of grounds, both these devices are identical. I went with the Matte Black treatment because it is in a smooth rubbery matte plastic while the bottom comes with a textured finish. The matte plastic especially feels really nice and looks good, although smudges and fingerprints are visible and believe me, even though it s a matte black but this machine is a FINGERPRINT MAGNET >.<

Matte plastic exterior

Overall, the 1215B is a quite a head-turner and is fairly portable too, weighing just above 3 pounds or 1.4KG with the included battery, which is fairly OK for a 12 incher.


Opening the lid, you’ll notice that palm rest and trackpad are covered with the same matte plastic used for the exterior. However, area around keyboard and display are made from glossy black plastic and while they look very nice on a new laptop, will scratch and catch smudges like crazy in time.


On the back, there’s the battery and a special bay for easy accessing RAM, where you get two memory slots.

Bottom part with textured plastic finish and easy access to memory

More about the exterior can be found in this clip below. (Courtesy of www.netbooklive.net)

As for port layout, the images below should answer any of your questions.

Front: Nothing

Left: (From left to Right of the Image) Power input, VGA port, Full HDMI port, USG 2.0 port (Allows stand-by charging), Air Vent, Card Reader

Right: (From Left to Right of the Image) Headphone Jack, Microphone Jack, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Gigabit Lan port, Kensington Lock

Back: Battery

Keyboard and Trackpad


Pretty good keyboard and trackpad on this one, but nothing actually changed from the 1215N.

Keyboard and trackpad are good

So, there’s the same chiclet style keyboard with Full-size keys and enough space between them. This time I got to review an unit with the US layout and there’s nothing to say bad about it: proper sized enter, shift, ctrl and other often used keys so overall the keyboard will be comfortable to use by pretty much all of you, even the ones with bigger hands/fingers.


Still, I don’t like the flex you get especially in the middle of the keyboard around "G" and "H" but you would feel the flex in the long run. The reason being that there is a space right below these two letters, which explains the flex. Still, the rubbery keyboard finish Asus uses on their top EEE PCs (like the 1015PX for instance) would have been a nice addition on the 1215B.


Trackpad is proper sized, separated from palm rest by two silver-plastic bars, it is both accurate and fairly smooth during everyday use. Comes of course with multi-touch and gestures supported and there’s a single click button, but fairly comfortable and easy to press.


*CAUTION: Do take note here that it is commonly known that 1215B has a default trackpad issue. There are several youtube videos guiding users how to "rectify" this issue. You may wish to give it a go, IF you know what you are doing.


But of course, if you do not wish to "cut up" your precious laptop, your local Asus service centers have acknowledged this issue and they have the new trackpad firmware and hardware to rectify it. All done within just 15 minutes. So it is only a simple trip to your nearest Asus Service Center. I personally chose this path =)

Proper sized trackpad

Display


The standard 12.1 inch resolution and glossy finish, thus using it outside under direct sunlight will be a bummer. The glossy bezel around won’t help either.

Glossy display

Brightness and colors are fairly good on this screen, but viewing angles, especially vertical ones, could definitely be improved. And there’s the same design problem I hate on laptops: screen only leans back to around 120-130 degrees, so using the laptop while in bed or on your couch can be uncomfortable. Which is a little bit awkward for Asus to have such a limited angle for their Eee PC series, because most of their Eee PCs are able to swing almost 180 degrees. I know my Eee PC 900HA can ^.^

Only leans back this much

Hardware and performances

AMD Fusion Inside

In the beginning, I mentioned that 1215B is a direct successor to 1215N, while the 1215N and the 1215B are identical on the outside, they are completely different inside. 

The EEE PC 1215B comes with this new generation AMD Brazos hardware, boosting a Zacate APU with a dual-core E-350 processor clocked at 1.66 GHz (There are reports that you can OC it to 2.0GHz) and some powerful integrated graphics from AMD. Top it up with 4 GB of memory (only around 3.6 actually usable by the OS, as the shared graphic chip will need the rest ) and you get a nice configuration. The storage drive is a standard 5400 rpm HDD, but you can replace that one with a fast 7200rpm one or an SSD if you want to make the 1215B even faster. (There are several youtube videos guiding people how to get to the HDD, I will leave that till another day)

This new hardware from AMD manages to give enough punch to the 1215B. Windows 7 runs fine and your daily apps should be snappy as well. However, the real benefit over the 1215N is visible in graphic applications, like playing HD content and games. (You will see that in a few videos and technical comparisons below) The 1215N with Nvidia ION had great graphic potential but there was one big problem: the bottleneck created by using PCI-E to connect the graphic chip with the rest of the computer. The 1215B no longer has such problems, thus it managed to outperform the 1215N.

In the clips below you can see a couple of types of HD content on this one and all played flawlessly, with enough resources to spare. There is also a high bitrate 1080p mkv file, a raw AVCHD clip straight from the camera and a 1080p Blu-ray RIP and none were a problem for this little laptop. Nor was the 1080p clip streamed from Youtube and of course you can always output this content on a bigger display via HDMI. (Videos courtesy of www.netbooklive.net)

And the second part of the clip.

Also ran a couple of games, like Fifa 11, COD modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, Battlefield and others, and while not all of them were able to run decently. Besides these, DOTA, L4D2, Dragon Age II, Dungeon Siege 3, Duke Nukem Forever and even Crysis 2 were able to run decently on this machine.


Software


This laptop comes with Windows 7 Home Premium preinstalled and a bunch of bloatware on top.You know what you have to do though: get rid of all the unwanted apps and keep the processes running in background to a bare minimum, thus you experience with this low power laptop will get better. I will be talking about the type of programs to uninstall in future posts.




Connectivity and ports


Not much to say in terms of connectivity, as this one comes with the standard features offered on small laptops these days. You get Wireless N, Bluetooth and Gigabit LAN, but no option for 3G.

As for ports, we do have to mention the one USB 3.0 slot which are in my eyes a must on a computer launched in 2011. Besides that, you get good video out options, with VGA and HDMI, mic/headphone jacks, card-reader and all the other standard features.
Heat, noise, speakers and others
Heat, noise, speakers and others


Both the top and the bottom of the device only get worm during playing games or HD content, but not hot. As for noise, this one ain’t a problem either.

Not many things not to like about this one

Speakers do provide a lot of punch for such a little machine so they are definitely loud. Quality ain’t bad either, but not really impressive.

There’s also a webcam on top of the screen but there’s few things we can say about it: will do its job in good light conditions but in dim light you might not be that satisfied with it. Still, webcam ain’t really a priority for me that’s why I consider the one on the 1215B to be good enough for the everyday user and for added security, Asus built in a webcam slider cover. Smart move ^.^




Battery life


On everyday use with writing, browsing, chatting, listening to music, watching some clips with Wireless ON and Screen Brightness set to around 80%, averaged around 5 hours of life.

So if you feared the AMD hardware inside the 1215B will negatively affect its autonomy, rejoice, that’s not at all the case with Brazos.


Final words


The 1215B actually managed to live to pretty much all of the hype created.

Asus 1215B is definitely a top pick on the market for a powerful and affordable mini laptop

Nothing changed on the outside from the 1215N, there’s the same seashell body covered in matte rubbery plastic, same keyboard, trackpad and display. However, the 1215B is faster than the 1215N, especially in terms of graphics, so will be able to deal with any kind of HD content and some modern games as well. Plus, you get superior battery life and a smaller price.

All these make the 1215B a winner. And I personally feel that this laptop will be sticking with me for a few years to come. Until the next impressive netbook comes along to knock this fellow off my hands...

My wounds

Posting some photos of my wounds from Day 1 to Day 5

Gone to be with the Angels: Peter Wang

I was on my way for my medical appointment this morning and I received a shocking news from my business partner... My good business acquaintance and mentor, Peter Wang, suddenly collapsed this morning and passed away...
So sudden and so sad =...[
May the Angels be with him and watch over his family.

Top countries with Internet Speed

My house is running on 10Mbps broadband plan and I have been very satisfied with this speed, because I get a download speed between 200Kb to 1Mbps 

Of course, I would LOVE to switch over to Starhub's cable broadband but I would probably wait till my home is laid with fibre broadband before I do the switch.

But these cities in Asia have mind-blowing internet speeds:

- South Korea

- Hong Kong

- Japan

- Australia

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/asia-top-internet-speeds-attack-traffic-154634246.html

Day 2: 1st changing my wound dressing

Changed my dressing at Healthway Clinic at Tampines Central 1.
It was really, really painful because the doctor had to stuff antiseptic gauze between my wound.
But it's done now... Until tomorrow when I have to change dressing AGAIN... >.<

First night at SGH

My leg got multiple infections >.< still waiting for my turn.

Something Funny...

Saw a fun thing at Tampines One
( not helping them to promote...)

Deepavali Lights along Little Road

Deepavali is only a few days away, and our fellow Hindu friends are gearing up for this colorful event! ^.^

New job: School D'Hospitality

A new job. A new workplace. New challenges ahead. A meaningful one as well.

School D'Hospitality is a forward looking school with a clear focus on hospitality education. We strive to develop our students in a holistic manner. Our programmes not only equip our students with the professional and business knowledge and skills for the global hospitality industry, but also aim to inculcate an attitude of service excellence and entrepreneurship.

Our comprehensive range of Certificate, Diploma, post-graduate, Bachelor's and Master's, unique learning approach and caring student support creates a truly distinctive educational experience.

If you want a unique learning experience that will adequately prepare you for a successful career in the dynamic and fast-paced hospitality and tourism industry, join us now at School D'Hospitality - Where Service Becomes Nature!

To find out more about the hospitality programs we are offering, drop us an email at jonny@sdh.edu.sg or contact us at +65 6506 1297

Local Students Testimonials

School D’ hospitality is a school where your teachers double up as your friends. The lecturers will do anything to help you succeed and excel in whatever you do. SD’H is where your dreams are given a second chance. I find SDH to be a comfortable environment for me to study in and also a great place to be at.

Siti Aindinna Rooslee(Diploma in Events Management, class of 2010)

School D’ hospitality is a good institution that nurtures its student to be prepared for the hospitality industry. As for me, the hands on experience I get from the school gives me a clearer picture of what I want to be. With the guidance of professional and experienced lecturers and school staff, it gives me the motivation for me to pursue my career and to have a dream to be an Event Manager one day.

Mohd Syafiq Bin Saniff (Diploma in Events Management, class of 2010)

I am a full time student and my name is Janna Binti Rahiman aged 40years old. I am taking diploma in hospitality management in the School D'Hospitality ending March 2011. All thanks to the consultant who encouraged me to further study although my age is catching up and on top of that, I am a single parent with son still schooling at Republic Polytechnic. All the staff and lecturers are always there to listen to student's views and problems. They tried to give ideas on how to solve the problems and they did follow up on the students after that. The school trained and disciplined the student for the better future. They guided students entering the career path by inviting the managers from hospitality industry giving speech to students for job opportunities and how it goes about.

Janna Binti Rahiman (Diploma in Hospitality Management, class of 2010)

International Students Testimonials

After working in the hospitality industry for a couple of years I knew that it was time to take the next step. I decided to study event management and found an advertisement of School D’ Hospitality. The programs are structured in a way that allows me to focus on one subject at the time and leaves no room for confusion.

The school has a great location in the middle of Singapore. It’s small and after just one week you know everyone and everything. You are an individual with a name and not a number which easily happens in bigger schools. As I mentioned, the size of the school is to everyone’s advantage. The atmosphere is very friendly and “family like”. The teachers are extremely experienced in the course subject and know exactly what they’re talking about. Interaction with students is a daily event and very much appreciated. A international country gives an international crowd which also applies for schools. By studying with different nationalities I learn so much more. The students respect each other’s differences in religion and culture.

I would recommend School D’ Hospitality to all students that wants to open doors in the hospitality industry in the future. To study in this school is just as enjoyable as living in this city.

Arstrand Yvonne
Anne-Lie Iza
Sweden
(Diploma in Events Management, class of 2011)

I finished my Graduation in my country in 2006. Since then I have been looking for the best course to make my career more interesting. I decided to leave my job and was seriously looking for a course in Singapore. Luckily, I found School D'Hospitality and I would say I really enjoy studying Advance Diploma In Hospitality and Tourism Management here. In the beginning, I was really scared on how I would manage to live in a new place. But now I have lot of new friends and the lecturers are really helpful and kind to me. They really motivate me and they also give me tips to build career in hospitality industry. This is my first international trip and since I arrived here, I've been discovering a lot of things about Singapore. This is really amazing city!

Chanrashekar Aishwariya
India
(Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, class of 2011)

I enjoyed my time in School D’ Hospitality very much. I found the faculty and staff to be very kind and helpful whenever I have needed assistance. The other students at School D’ Hospitality have been helpful, and many of the assignments given require team effort. This has allowed me to make many new friends during my short time here in Singapore. There are many interesting activities for students that also allow each student to meet others outside their own course of study. As a native Filipino myself, the varied mix of cultural backgrounds in this “international” school, allowed me to better understand the lifestyles of other students. The programs offered a well rounded education in the field of Hotel and Hospitality Management. The school has very good class room environment with lecturers that make the class enjoyable as well as a very positive learning experience. I would highly recommend School D’ Hospitality to other students who are considering pursuing education in the field of Hotel and Hospitality Management in Singapore.

Sheena Mae Tabor Fields
Philippines
(Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management, class of 2010)

To find out more about the hospitality programs we are offering, drop us an email at jonny@sdh.edu.sg or contact us at 65 6506 1297