For blogging's sake

iPhone4 in Taiwan: Cost of Ownership

2010-10-24T01:16:00.006+08:00

Aside from the fact that the iPhone 4 is pretty expensive, I'm still a bit unsure about the deals available in Taipei.

iPhone photo from OSXDaily

To help myself and anyone else who cares, fanboi or not, I did a quick total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis below using the current offers from Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), which some say are better than the ones from all other local providers, specifically Fareastone and Taiwan Mobile. These prices are currently valid until 10/2010.

View the full spreadsheet here.

You can follow the guide below to nail down the plan you should get:

Am I willing to get stuck to a 2-yr plan?

If no, get a phone with no plan. You basically pay full price for the hardware. CHT phones are unlocked so you could use them with any SIM.
If yes, get one of the plans. The TCO is much lower considering that you get voice and data.

Do I care for unlimited data (3G)?

If you are almost always in a Wi-Fi hotspot, maybe you do not need unlimited 3G, which is much slower than Wi-Fi. Consider plan A for NT$649 a month. Note that this and all other plans provide free access to CHT's Hinet public Wi-Fi (not 3G), which covers some restaurants and public areas.
If yes, consider plan C (NT$1349 monthly). It's the cheapest way to get unlimited 3G, which means you have Internet access wherever you have a CHT cell signal.

Do I need a 32GB phone?

If no, get the 16GB. From my own experience, unless you keep all your music in your iPhone, it's pretty hard to fill up all this space.
If yes, make the big jump and get the most expensive iPhone unit with your preferred plan (or no plan).

Good luck and hope you enjoy shopping for the iPhone 4!

Going Down as Predicted

2010-09-22T19:44:00.004+08:00

Not sure if this is a temporary set back due to major players taking profit, but RLC (and the entire PSE) is on a downward trend. I hope this doesn't mean the bull market has lost its horns.

I tried to sell at an unrealistic Php16, hoping to make some profit, but RLC went only as high as 15.54 (if I remember correctly). It went way below that to around 15.25, but it managed to close at 15.5. I haven't checked the last few trades, but this price may have been semi-manipulated. Some brokers actually buy their own shares at a higher price right before closing. Hopefully, the price is legit and the bull still has balls.

Documentation Architecture Research

I'm currently doing some relatively interesting work-related research about better content creation, reuse, and delivery. We're aching to deliver a documentation center that will put to shame whatever big players like Microsoft and Novell have. That's an exaggeration--were actually still starting and are hoping to implement in phases. First, we'd like our content to at least have some Web presence. We need decent hits from Google (and maybe Yahoo and Bing), since search engines are now the de facto entry points for any kind of content on the Web.

I just had a good back and forth with an experienced technical writer on LinkedIn (these people are mighty helpful), and my liking for wikis have been enforced. I will be checking out Confluence Wiki to find out exactly what their highly affordable but powerful product can do. For a $10 charity donation, you can mess around with it as well.

Enter the PSE Bull Market

2010-09-22T00:23:00.002+08:00

I've been "playing the market" for about year now. Finally, I've started to recoup my losses and make a little bit of money. A very little bit, but it's better than nothing. I'm talking about investing in the very bullish Philippine Stock Exchange. Apparently, only the Indonesian, the Malaysian, and the Philippine Stock Exchange (aka PSE) are making sizable gains.

I bought MEG, OPM, and OV last year. OV and OPM are still in the red, but I've made some money on MEG. I got so excited I sold immediately after I got my 10%. I should have held on and made something like 30%. It's OK 'cause I decided to buy energy (EDC) and made about 13% in three weeks, until I got excited again and decided to sell. If I still owned my EDC stocks, I would have made close to 30% in like five weeks. Yes, it is a bull market and, apparently, my online broker's target price of like Php7 from 4+ will be hit in a few weeks.

I've been aching to get back to real estate, so I got RLC after selling EDC. I was thinking about FLI, but I was seeing a downward trend with lots of players taking profits. RLC looks like it still has some room for fast growth. I've made ~2.5% in the past 2 days of trading, but I can see sellers outnumbering the buyers by a large margin. The numbers are like 1m sellers (asks) vs. 10k buys (bids). It seems like the rally is over. The broker's fundamentals-based analysis says Php19 (currently at 15+) is doable, but their technical analysis says HOLD. I wonder why lots of players are aching to sell. Do they know something I don't? If I sell now, should I buy MER or some mining stock?

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

RIP Cory Aquino: May You and Ninoy Continue to Inspire Us

2009-08-01T16:21:00.005+08:00

Image from Calavera Comics blog

I’m close to tears when I think of the time Ninoy was shot and my parents were so depressed and helpless. But Cory was there to give them and many other Filipinos hope. This hope allowed their generation to send Marcos running (actually he was flown to Hawaii by the US military). I hope that my generation and future generations remain strong and committed as we continue to struggle for a better nation.

So why did I love Cory?

She was Ninoy Aquino’s better half.
She and Ninoy were the icons of the 1986 people’s revolution that ousted supreme dictator Marcos.
She was instrumental to the framing of a great constitution.
She was an honest and sincere president.
She used her influence to help stop selfish attempts to amend the Philippine constitution.
She reminded people that they had a voice and that they can go to the streets to express their discontent.

But of course there were disappointments…

Her revolutionary government failed to stamp out the endemic corruption in the Philippine political system.
She fought hard to keep the US bases in the Philippines.
She didn’t stop foreign debt servicing.
She was overtly pro-church in an overpopulated country intoxicated in dogma for centuries.
Her family used legal loopholes to keep their vast landholdings and resist the constitutionally mandated land reform.
She endorsed people like General Ramos for political office, strengthening the politicization of the military.

Favorite iPhone Apps

2009-07-24T00:09:00.028+08:00

I'm writing this entry to thank all the developers who are making the iPhone the best thing since white bread. Writing about the iPhone might also get other people, besides my relatives and friends, reading this blog. These apps are all free, but that's not the only reason why I love them. They're just really useful and fun.

KTdict C-E from Klaus Thul
Klaus Thul is so cool, I read his blog, which has inspired me to be more serious about my running. He provides what I think is the best Chinese-English dictionary for the iPhone. His app, which is based on the CC-CEDICT project, makes the iPhone a must-have for any foreigner living in Taiwan or China or any student of Mandarin Chinese.

AP Mobile and New York Times
I personally think that the earlier versions of the apps from Associated Press and the New York Times were much better. While their new designs are not as good, I still open these news apps first thing in the morning. I just can't wait to find out when Obama finally gets his health care bill passed. Also, the wacky news section on AP Mobile helps remind me that life is still much stranger than fiction. If you want news, install these apps.

Dictionary.com
Confounded by a nasty highfalutin English word? Dictionary.com for the iPhone will give you definition after definition even when you're offline, making it even better than the popular reference site. When in a conversation with pretentious intellectual snobs, you can feign texting while you look for that crazy word that will leave them dumbfounded and feeling stupid--the same way they always make you feel when they do their pretentious intellectual snob things.

Facebook
Bored? Change your status from "bored" to "very bored" on Facebook anytime with the official Facebook app. Or try something interesting like "suicidal" just to get your old high school friends busy.

Y! Messenger, Skype, and fring
Instant Messengers should stay hidden in the background unless you have a new message or you want to send one. With the iPhone unable to concurrently run apps, IMs are not really that great on this platform. However, chatting on the iPhone can really help improve your typing. After a few chat sessions on Yahoo Messenger, typing emails on the iPhone is like a walk in the park. Of course, Skype and fring (using Skype) will also let you make cheap calls--I call the US and China for around US$0.02 per minute.

fring, by the way, is a mobile-only application that will let you log on to Skype and other instant messaging services at the same time. This is particularly good since, again, the iPhone can only run one third-party app at a time. fring has never been very reliable for me, but it's free and it was made available on the iPhone even before Skype and Yahoo Messenger. It also lets you log on to ICQ and MSN. I fell in love with it on my Nokia, I'm married to it on my iPhone.

RemotePad
This app is almost useless, but it's a great way to show off your iPhone. If you're connected to the same network, ask a friend to open a small server application (available for download here) on her Mac or PC. As soon as she has this small server application running, you can start controlling her keyboard and mouse with your iPhone. You can do this even when you're not in the same room (again, you will have to be on the same network). How cool is that?!

Drag your finger around this interface and watch the mouse pointer move on the remote computer

Polarize
The iPhone will never be able to take higher quality pictures than a regular camera. Let's face it, most low-light shots look good only on its tiny screen. This app won't let you shoot pictures like your D90, but it will apply some processing to make your shots look sweet. Your pics will look like they've been taken with a retro Polaroid camera, plus you can label them with a felt pen-like font. If you can come up with witty labels no longer than 14 characters long, this app will make your friends think you're actually artistic. See my masterpieces below.

Lock n' Roll
I'm not sure why iPhone users have been obsessing over Paper Toss. I do understand that Paper Toss is mindless and silly like most popular iPhone apps, whereas Lock n' Roll is challenging. Perhaps, most iPhone users have not heard of this game. Seriously, I would vote to put this game on the list of simple but fantastic video games. Forgive my blasphemy, but Lock n' Roll should be in the pantheon with Pac-Man and Tetris or at least with lesser deities like Zuma and Pipe Mania. Besides, this app is free, while Tetris and Pac-Man are being sold for around US$5 on the App Store.

App Store vs. Android on Steroids

2009-06-26T23:43:00.012+08:00

It's official. The iPhone is God's greatest gift to humanity, and the greatest thing about the iPhone is the App Store. If any of you have seen what HTC has done with Google's Android platform, you've seen how close HTC is to matching the touted iPhone interface. I have only seen HTC's very intriguing demo, but it's even possible that their Sense interface and their core applications (I love the Footprints app) are better. They may even have better hardware.

HTC Hero with the new Sense interface (pic from HTC)

What HTC or Android does not have right now is the App Store. Their version, called "Android Market", appears to have only a few hundred apps (not verified). I honestly can't tell how amazing these apps are. On the other hand, the Apple App Store has tens of thousands of apps, and I love a bunch of them. Also, with iPhones becoming so ubiquitous and with all the developer support Apple is getting, it does not look like the App Store will run out of great apps soon.

Pot Haven

2009-06-21T16:44:00.030+08:00

I know some old friends who will want to know where the "pot haven" is, so I have to set things straight: this entry is about our quick afternoon trip to Yingge, a city 30 minutes south of Taipei that specializes in POTTERY. Sorry, hemp lovers. =)

Train from Taipei

I'm quite sure the train ride from Taipei Main Station took less that 30 minutes. We didn't know that we could use Taipei MRT/bus cards (locally called "EasyCards" or "You You Ka"), so we bought the NT$32 tickets from the station. Taipei Main Station is huge and can be a bit overwhelming for unfamiliar travelers. It was actually good that we bought the tickets, because we wouldn't have known where to go if we went straight to the platforms.

We hopped on an MRT-like train for the quick ride to Yingge. Before we even reached Yingge station, Sue knew where we were with all the pottery murals visible from the train.

Getting to the Old Street
Literature says that there are two things to do in Yingge: the pottery museum and the Old Street, which sells—you guessed right—pottery. Since this was a quick trip, we decided to just focus on the Old Street.

With the summer heat and all the taxis waiting outside the Yingge Train Station, we were tempted to simply take a taxi to the famous Old Street. But Lonely Planet said that the Old Street was just a 10-minute walk from the station. It wasn't a perfect walk, but we did see some interesting—guess what—pottery along the way.

We knew it was going to be close to where the excitement was, so we just walked to where everyone was headed. After a few minutes, we saw what was obviously the Old Street and were greeted by kids setting up their big brass band. Right when we were leaving, these kids were at it, relieving our tired feet with their sweet renditions of some classical pieces.

Picking pots
The Old Street had an endless selection of pottery. Those sold in museum-like shops were very sophisticated and elegant and carried sophisticated and elegant prices as well. I had a crush on the large pots that one could use as a fish tank or a sink—very nice if fixing up a cottage-style apartment. But I knew we didn't have the space or the means to take them home. We settled for a few small but interesting items.

Young musician
Like many places in Taiwan, Yingge had its share of street performers. One young violinist actually played lovely music. What's interesting was that she bought her cat, which was very popular with the crowd. There must have been an interesting story behind her, but I could not read the poster she placed on the ground next to her.

Going home
After more than two hours exploring the shops in the Old Street, we were ready to go home. We found ourselves back at the rusty Yingge train station waiting for a train to Taipei.

Is your computer infected?

2009-06-07T15:12:00.018+08:00

Have you ever worried that your computer has a virus or spyware (collectively called "malware")? We probably all go through that stage when we notice things running a bit slower or when we realize how often we buy things online. This is reasonable paranoia. But there are also more obvious reasons for suspecting that a computer is infected.

Symptoms of an infected computer

Tool options are hidden
Click Start > Run, then type REGEDIT. When you press OK, Registry Editor should open if you have administrator access. If it does not, something is trying to prevent you from modifying registry settings. You can also open Windows Explorer (right-click Start > Explore) and then Tools > Folder Options. If you can’t find Folder Options, malware might be hiding it.

Strange autostart entries
Only experienced users should mess with the registry, but if you do manage to open it, you can navigate to the Run key (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run). You can see how it looks like in the screen below. If you know what applications are supposed to start automatically on your computer (many of us don’t), then you should be able to tell whether you have suspicious programs trying to start with them.

Constant warnings about infection
Many recent malware are rogue security applications—programs that pretend to be anti-spyware or antivirus software. Note that most legitimate security applications provide very conservative notifications. Don’t just install something because it warned you. If you need to install a security solution, visit a legitimate vendor site and download it from there. Many vendors (AVG, McAfee, Trend Micro, Symantec) provide free basic security software or trial versions.

Too many applications running
Everyone should have a decent process viewer for telling what applications are running on their computer. Windows Task Manager can help, but I personally love Process Explorer. The company that used to provide this tool (Sysinternals) has been bought by Microsoft, so perhaps a version of this tool will be included in future versions of Windows.

Process Explorer provides a quick list of all kernel and user mode process trees and an easy way to locate process images (the file counterparts). Before a clean up effort, I recommend stopping all unnecessary process. To do this, you need to be able to identify which processes are critical. One good indicator is the company name, which tells you whether the running process from Microsoft, Adobe, Yahoo, or some webcam maker, for example.

Too many pop-ups and browser toolbars
If your Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) has too many third-party toolbars, you should be wary. Some toolbars are useful, like site rating toolbars or search bars, but a lot of them are installed with spyware. Plus, they can really mess up the browser interface. I try to keep my toolbars to a minimum and use only the SiteAdvisor toolbar, since all browsers now have their own search bars.

How can you really tell?

The truth is most malware are pretty good at hiding their presence. Many malware use rootkits, which are very sophisticated ways of hiding from Windows APIs or the controls used to perform very basic actions in Windows. I often need to perform a scan to reassure myself that my computer is clean.

The scanner I currently use is the new HouseCall 7.0 (currently in Beta, but appears to be very stable). This scanner supports process scanning (similar to what can be done manually with Process Explorer) and can also detect rootkits. It uses a selective scanning method that first lists critical and suspicious sections before starting the scan. HouseCall 7.0 will typically finish scans in less than 15 minutes. Now that’s a quick way to tell if your computer is infected or not.

The initial startup of HouseCall 7.0 can take a while, depending on your connection, but succeeding runs are pretty fast. If you would want to use HouseCall again, it’s suggested that you keep a local copy of the launcher, so you won’t have to download it.

HouseCall 7.0 will let you clean all detected malware and will even allow you to restore files it has deleted or cleaned. But you probably will not need this feature, unless you want to keep copies of malware.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton - 2nd round KO

2009-05-03T15:16:00.009+08:00

Photo from Reuters

It's official. Manny Pacquiao breaks Ricky Hatton 2:59 into the second round after sending him to the floor twice in the first round.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton: Worried but Excited

2009-05-02T23:57:00.010+08:00

News reports mention that somewhere between 20-50k British fans are in Las Vegas to support Ricky Hatton. Not all of them will fit in the MGM Grand Arena, so I guess some of them flew all the way to Vegas to watch TV. They must really love their fighter. Filipinos love their fighter too, but most of us can't get US visas or pay for the flight. But we will be represented by our wealthy politicians. I hope our Europeans friends show them some respect and call them by their official titles, which start with 'honorable' or something like that. We Filipinos all try our best to sacrifice and be subservient so that our aristocracy can enjoy plush hotels and other amenities.

They say that there are no crimes in the Philippines when Manny fights. In the slums of Manila, petty thieves and drug dealers are all glued to their neighbors' TV sets. In Las Vegas, our politicians are taking a respite from planning and executing their decades-old agenda of pilferage. But they're not totally on vacation. Our honorable (see, it's easy) politicians are also there to make sure they get exposure during the biggest event in Philippine media. They want to be associated with a true people's champion, because they can never be one.

Manny is a true champion. He is a great athlete, a professional, and a good man. Manny is aching to be a politician so he can help the poor. Filipino politicians, on the other hand, want to be like Manny so they can help themselves. They want to be as popular and as rich as him for the classic "mine, mine, mine, all mine" philosophy.

Anyway, I've been watching old fights on YouTube and have been reading about Hatton. This guy will give Manny a good fight. He's not an Oscar De La Hoya, who got us all excited before the fight with Manny, but didn't do much while he was in it. Hatton will be the biggest man to trade punches with Manny in the ring, and everyone says that both his heart and his body are very strong. He lost only to Floyd Mayweather Jr.—any great fighter can lose to Money Mayweather. Some say Hatton does not have good technique, but if his trainer (Floyd Mayweather Sr.) can actually train as good as he can talk, Hatton should be technically sound and ready for Manny.

I'm a bit worried about Manny fighting Hatton, but I am really excited. I hope no one gets badly hurt during the fight. Outside the ring, some brawls might break out between drunk fight fans and some honorable people. I'm not losing sleep over those guys though.

Keep Your Computer Safe

2009-04-25T01:16:00.017+08:00

Just a few things for the chronically infected, the paranoid, or the plainly smart:

Patch Windows and other Microsoft products promptly.
This is almost impossible if you have a pirated copy of Windows installed, but following the other tips below might still keep you safe. You can install Linux, but if you can't follow the tips below, I don't think you will be happy with a virus-free but unfamiliar operating system.

Use an alternative browser.
If you heard that Internet Explorer is very vulnerable, it's true, especially if you don't patch often. Install Mozilla Firefox. It's free to install, free to patch, and a lot of people, including myself, actually think it's a better browser.

Install an antivirus (AV) + anti-spyware product.
If you have cash, get Trend Micro Antivirus. You can also grab the free AVG Antivirus . You'll need to keep these products running and set to update as soon as your computer connects to the Internet. If you don't have AV, you'll never know whether to trust downloads or the files you get from email or your USB stick. But even with AV, be careful where you go.

Don't just surf anywhere.
Install TrendProtect or McAfee's SiteAdvisor to check the links on your Google search results before you click them. Never click links rated dangerous. Be careful when clicking unrated links.

Use a firewall.
If you are using Windows XP or Vista, simply turn on the built-in firewall. If you want to use another solution, the free version of ZoneAlarm is quite reliable. If you are bored, you can check the ZoneAlarm logs and observe how often other computers attempt to access your computer.

Scan with alternative products regularly.
You know how large enterprises stay secure? They use products from different security vendors. To stay safe, scan with other security scanners. Some great ones actually cost nothing.

You can use HouseCall, a full-fledged free online scanner. I'm a bit biased, but I know that Trend Micro will soon release a very fast and powerful version of HouseCall that takes advantage of their new cloud scanning technology. By the time you read this, they may already have this version on their site.

Another free scanner that I trust is Ad-Aware from Lavasoft. This is a purely local scanning tool that takes sometime to install and download, but it can find things that products from other vendors miss. I also like its straightforward interface, but maybe that's just me. I'm not sure, but I think Ad-Aware focuses on spyware protection, so its AV capabilities might be a little weak.

Be a smart netizen.
Practice common sense when on the Internet. Don't just click something because it's flashing and looks shiny and nice. When it's too good to be true (a nude pic, free software, or a message that tells you that you've won something), it probably is. Watch out for security messages that pop up and tell you that your computer is infected. They will typically entice you into installing their rogue security product that is actually spyware.

Check your Yahoo! Messenger, MSN (Live), QQ, or email messages before clicking on links or receiving files. Messages that appear to have come from friends or relatives can be fake. Ask your senders why they sent links or files. Usually, spammers who send fake messages will not reply. But some will and will try to gain your trust and scam you. Learn to gauge if you are actually talking to the person you know.

Is Chip Tsao Racist?

2009-03-31T23:36:00.028+08:00

I am not writing this to apologize for Mr. Tsao, but honestly I'm surprised at the reactions of many of my countrymen to his article. I was offended by it at first (actually, my blood was boiling), but I decided to calm down and read between the lines. I realized that the writer could not have been serious and that he was basically satirizing sino-centric mentality, the constant bullying by the communist-led mainland government, and how the Hong Kong rich mistreat their maids. Unfortunately, most of the evils he was satirizing have resulted in a lot of misfortune for us Filipinos, including how we have been ignored in the global political stage and how many of us, including the well-educated, are working in oppressive conditions away from our loved ones just to make ends meet.

Regardless of how much pain Mr. Tsao's article highlights, I appreciate his candor and his willingness to criticize his government and his people. At least he is honest enough. I also do not believe he is racist. Racists are those who use this issue as opportunity to bash the Chinese, as if the wrongs of some of them make the whole race evil. I have read Filipino politicians allude to the use of melamine in Chinese milk. If Chip Tsao was stupid for reminding us of our pains as a nation, these politicians are even worse. Don't we all know that mainland Chinese are the worst victims of the melamine contamination and that many of them lost their babies to tainted milk? Should we attack insensitivity by being more crass?

Mr. Tsao's crime, at the worst, was being insensitive. And with all the hatred directed at him right now, the threats to himself and his family, and the potential effect on his career, he may already have paid for his insensitivity. But, you know what I think, there are even more guilty parties that truly deserve our hatred. These people are actually having a field day brandishing themselves as heroes by pretending to attack Mr. Tsao and the Hong Kong government in the guise of protecting Filipinos, particularly us overseas workers. Suddenly, after they let us suffer their corruption, inefficiencies, and incompetencies while processing our travel/working papers; deprive young Filipinos of the free education guaranteed by our constitution; declare us heroes of the nation, but look down on us (particularly those of us who work as domestic helpers) when we visit our own embassies and pass through immigration lines in our own country; and regulate our freedom to travel in able to force us to pay all kinds of processing fees and membership charges to institutions they have supposedly put up to serve us.

You know who you are. Now it's your turn to hate me. Please keep the cursing to a minimum. =)

Commuting by Bike in Taipei

2009-03-29T22:31:00.012+08:00

I haven't written anything in weeks. During those blog-free (this is unfortunately synonymous to "work-heavy") weeks, I managed to finally get the blue Giant M3 I've always wanted.

Spring was coming, so I really had to have my own bike. I went to the bike store ready to make the bike purchase, but they didn't have the blue one. I was tempted to get a nice red M1, which cost NT$6,000 more. To those thinking of getting the M1, don't hold back. The difference is worth the better brakes, shifters, derailleurs, seat, etc. I stayed with the M3 because I wanted to stick to my budget. I still fancy the M1, but I have no regrets getting the M3, even though I had to wait a few days before I could get the blue one shown here.

I've been commuting almost daily (not when it's raining or when I'm running late for an early meeting) for around three weeks now. I'm actually having a blast and look forward to riding everyday. Not everything about the commute is perfect though.

Biker safety
Taipei is probably friendlier to bikers than many cities around the world, but biking around it is not a walk in the park. The lack of bike lanes and the abundance of buses and taxis make each ride dangerous. I still haven't forced myself to wear a helmet, so my only protection right now is very defensive riding and bright flashing LEDs that keep me visible at night. I will probably get a helmet soon, but I'm pretty convinced that it will offer little protection if I get hit by a car or a bus. I stick to slow lanes or even sidewalks (which can be annoyingly crowded), but I need to learn to signal when turning or changing lanes. Hand signaling feels silly, but I know they're important.

CATEYE bike bling improves visibility

Bad pavement
Taipei has a lot of good roads for cars, but they don't feel that great on a road bike. My rides would probably be better if I got a Giant Boulder, which had front suspension. The bumps have made it really hard for me to enjoy the speed advantage of the M3s road bike heritage.

Few alternative routes
The shortest route to my office actually offers decent air quality and safety. Other routes I've tried are not even close. It just doesn't make sense to take a longer route so I can get smothered with car fumes or see fewer trees. It's funny but I'm worried I may get bored riding through the same places everyday.

Pollution
Taipei air was a great relief for me after living in China for almost three years. I breathed Beijing air during the seven months leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, a time when the ultra-rich Chinese government spared no effort or cash for environmental cleanups. But, in addition to the depressing air quality readings, one could still smell, taste, and see that the air was bad. Unlike Beijing, Taipei air is very decent for a big city. It is a clean city dotted green by parks, surrounded by lush mountains, and dissected by relatively clear rivers.

But bikers know how bad the air can get. Stop at an intersection behind scooters, and you will think that perhaps you're better off inside a crowded bus. You will feel that your lungs are taking in a lot of crap. I will probably get an anti-pollution mask soon, which will look even sillier on me than a helmet, but at least it will help keep the carcinogens off my lungs. Besides, a mask is a strong statement about how badly we need to clean up the planet.

Still there are some good
There are some good things about biking in Taipei though. Like I said, I look forward to riding everyday. I've also ridden a few hours on bike trails, which is a lot of fun. Although very cosmopolitan, Taipei has many interesting hiking and biking trails along its rivers and mountains. I can't wait to enjoy more of the city and the rest of Taiwan on my M3.

How to Win an iPhone

2009-02-21T19:17:00.004+08:00

I am now officially an Apple fanboy and a proud owner of an iPhone 3G. And I didn't have to pay for it. I got it last night from a company raffle. Like all other fanboys, the first thing I did this morning was run to the nearby "Apple" store called "Youth" (no real Apple Stores here in Taipei) and bought some nice accessories. Now my iPhone looks even more amazing.

I will likely mourn my new Nokia, which replaced my four-year old other Nokia, but I'm not at all sad I got a free iPhone. Also, I might start blogging soon (from my iPhone) about how Microsoft sucks and why Jobs is a god. Please watch out for the new me.

First Time in Bangkok

2009-01-29T18:41:00.010+08:00

Me and Sue are in Bangkok as part of our usual Chinese New Year travel. It is our first time here, but, despite the writing being just as cryptic as they are in China or Taiwan, we feel more at home here. For one thing, a lot of things look the same: the people, the houses, the weather...

Many things are different though:

The airport looks great from within. I've never seen unfinished concrete look so nice when accentuated with glass and steel.

Despite multiple warnings, I think there is less risk of getting ripped off in Bangkok than in Manila.

What have we done?

Arrived in BKK an hour late at 1:00AM because of the new Cebu Pacific motto "better late than never".

Got lost taking a taxi to our temporary hostel.

Found the hostel very nice--super clean rooms and nice wooden floors. Got the same complaints from my wife: common toilets and not so neat backpackers. But, overall, the place and its people were nice. I will come back there when backpacking with my more "not-so-neat" friends.

Had a great (and very cheap) breakfast at the hostel. Nothing beats pad thai noodles and banana pancakes for breakfast. They also served us some brewed coffee and a nice glass of fresh OJ.

Checked out. Left our bags at the hostel (yes, they have free storage for 8 hours) and took the BTS to MBK mall. We realized that the hostel was not very near the BTS. It's a 10-minute walk in not-so-nice pavement.

Sue bought nice looking sunglasses for 150Baht (bargained down from 250Baht). I'm looking to buy one for myself before we leave.

Sue bought sandals for 390Baht (no discount from Babana shop), which they said was real leather. Sue decided to put them on because she was so happy with them and they looked great with her dress. After an hour, I stepped on the heel while she was about to stride, and, voila, the pure leather strap broke. Good thing she managed to convince the angry store owner to replace the sandals. Moral lesson: don't buy real leather.

We found a food court called Fifth Street something inside MBK. Food was great. Sue got a set meal of Tom Gum Yum soup, green chicken curry, some vermicelli with vegetables and three-colored rice for 180Baht. It was the best soup I've tried in a while. I was tempted to buy food from the Indian stall--the garlic nan on display was too tempting. I ended up paying 360 for garlic nan, a lamb masala, and some saffron rice. The food wasn't bad, but it was nothing close to Sue's Thai set, which cost half of what I had. The lesson: order Thai when in Thailand.

Now I'm back in Taiwan. I haven't blogged for two months because of work. I'm posting this draft nevertheless. Here are some pics from our trip:

Should we only have 'cancer-free' babies?

2009-01-10T00:16:00.012+08:00

Haven't heard of the 'cancer-free' baby? Read this article from CNN Health. Well, here's the gist of it:

Born: the first baby who has been prescreened for the gene known to drastically increase the chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer.

Interesting, huh? I wonder whether we should start screening all embryos. It's like bottled water really. It doesn't matter whether we pollute the water around us, we can always buy water sourced from the French Alps at the local 7-11. Yup, as long as we can be filtered free of this nasty cancer gene, the world can sustain a lifestyle of hotdogs and Coke Zero.

If this post just made you want to go out and grab a bag of chips and a can of Coke, please enjoy the picture below.

Sarcomatous degeneration of testicular cancer
on
Dheitkamp's Flickr photostream.

Giant Flight M3

2009-01-02T18:17:00.019+08:00

I've been trying to look for information in English about this sweet bike I saw at our friendly neighborhood bike store. It seems that this bike is either too new or too unpopular that I could not find any reviews about it from people outside of Taiwan. Unfortunately, my Chinese is still bu hao.

The bike is not a mountain bike or a pure road bike--I understand that most bike enthusiasts focus on these kinds of bikes. It's more of a comfy cruising bike designed for the road. And it's hard not to fall in love with it because it really looks great, not to mention that it's not very expensive. I got the picture above from Giant.

I've been visiting the two bike shops near my apartment the past few weekends to get a decent commuting bike. There are some really nice choices within my budget, including:

Giant Boulder Hardtail (no rear shocks) Mountain Bike

Merida RB660 Road Bike

Merida MTA 57 Hardtail Mountain Bike

So what makes a bike a good bike? Personally, I like all these bikes because they have decent Shimano parts that will let me ride at reasonable speeds. They're all made by respected bike makers, which also means that owners have to be extra careful with them (too many bike thieves). They all have very light aluminum frames as well. But I just don't know enough to make an informed decision. For example, I don't know the difference between SRAM, SIS, or Acera derailleurs (whew, had to look that up) or whether grip shifters suck. So, I'm probably picking the one that looks best: the Giant Flight M3.

I'm sure I'll do well. I also chose my previous bike for its looks. It was made of sturdy heavy-gauge steel by an unknown Chinese manufacturer. It had a frame designed for women, and it always managed to hurt my back. But it was the coolest green and black ride you could get for 300 Chinese Yuan (~US$45).

Strong Ladies' Bike (may you rest in peace)

New year, same frustrations

2009-01-01T17:14:00.005+08:00

Ahh, a new year. I celebrated my first New Year here in Taiwan yesterday and was very excited to try my newly acquired mastery (I read a blog somewhere) of fireworks shooting on the famous Taipei 101 fireworks show. I asked my wife to bring my trusty D50, my cheap but functional tripod, and my amazingly useful little infrared remote control. I knew what to do: small aperture, low ISO, extended exposures.

By five minutes past midnight, my camera's monitor was showing some great pictures of the spectacular light show. At around 2AM of 1/1/2009, after a few hugs and goodbyes and xin nian kuai les, I was finally able to get home and boot up my computer. With hands trembling in excitement, I inserted the memory card of great and important content. Right-click Start, select Explore, navigate to F:, look at all the nice thumbnails, double-click what appears to be the most exciting picture and voila... I see the world's tallest building (need to check if this still holds) lit up by amazing fireworks and all the glorious... wait... Where the hell did all this blur come from? Why did I let this happen? Now, I have to wait another year, making sure that I still live in Taipei and that I still know someone living in a building with a great view of THE Taiwanese mega structure. Oh well, life sucks.

But it's a new year, and I'm still excited. I'm starting this new blog for one, although I'm still unsure what I shall write about. It will probably feature more blurry pics, but will hopefully have some nice sharp ones with fairly interesting (yawn) subjects.

So what happened to my Taipei 101 fireworks pics? I couldn't figure out how to use bulb mode (extended limitless exposure) with my infrared remote, so I pressed the shutter button with my finger and kept it pressed until I was ready to close the shutter. Turns out this was like hand-holding a long exposure shot (only with the help of a tripod). I got the fireworks, but the shots were blurry in a nasty way. When I tried the remote, I was pressing it too hard, causing the shutter to open and close with a single press. A light remote press would have opened the shutter without immediately closing it. Another light press would have closed it, finishing what COULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST AWESOME shots of Taipei 101.

Hmm... somehow it just doesn't seem right to dwell on what could have been right at the start of the year.