Coming Soon…

Guess what? Check back tomorrow night.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Bicycle! Bi Bi Bicycle!

Tomorrow, I get to take my bike out for a spin in FRIM. Her name’s Judy.

36 more hours…

Only 36 hours to go… no turning back, no turning back! Three more pics to share:

The Stairwell rant

7.7.7 is my wedding, but it’s also a Green Green day for Philips. In case you haven’t heard, you can bring in two used tungsten light bulbs and bring it to Menara Axis (near Asia Jaya Putra LRT station) to swap for two brand new Philips Energy saving ones.

Which brings me to the point of this post. At a recent media event we organised to help raise some awareness that the world is getting hotter (did you feel it too?) and that this was tied to the amount of electricity you were using, Dr. Rajah Kumar from Philips mentioned he was helping save electricity by using the stairs instead of the elevator. Wow! I was inspired.

So, I’ve taken to the habit of walking up to my office (4 floors up) instead of taking the elevator. Save the world and lose a few pounds of flubber -what’s there not to like? Well, it isn’t such a rosy idea in Malaysia, I guess. Because the stairwell at my office happens to be the favourite hangout joint for the Midvalley smokers’ club.

Darn it, people! Don’t you get it? You can’t smoke inside buildings…full stop. The tenancy agreement forbids you to smoke in stairwells too! Oh, and, building management, how are we supposed to use the stairwells to get up to our offices without choking to death in smog?

The problem isn’t just in Midvalley. Back in Mont’Kiara there was this problem too and of course, in various other offices I’ve visited. Which then leads me to wonder, wasn’t there some very stern legislation passed about smoking in public places? Where’s the enforcement?

Rehearsal Pics

Louis has posted pictures of my wedding rehearsal yesterday up on his newly setup blog. Welcome to the world of blogging, Louis!

So, to give him a bit more traffic, instead of posting the pics up here on my blog, I’m gonna link you to his site: http://louisphotography.blogspot.com

Here’s one preview pic:

If you could make a phone of any shape or size, what shape or size would it be?

So I’m down in Singapore to manage some media for Nokia Connection 2007.

It’s an interesting event, and I must say, though I had little time to mingle around the showcase, hearing the designers speak was a mind-blowing experience.

Jan Chipchase’s job at Nokia revolves around roaming the world, prying through people’s pockets and discovering where they keep their phones. He’s a behaviour research specialist and anthropologist, and he’s tasked with discovering what you and I need for our daily lives. And it’s not just the phone, but other features and functions like a calendar or a mapping tool.

But Jan point’s out some interesting points: in a world where we’re obsessed with features and powerful technology, where does the other 80% of phone users who still just need the basic function of calling their loved ones fit in? How do we make a device that’s better for them?

I guess that explains why the Nokia 1110 with it’s thick plastic exterior, large rubberised key pads and monochrome screen still sells.

In countries like Uganda, deployment of copper lines are so expensive that wireless becomes the best option. But people are so poor, they actually share the same, most basic of phones. I guess this is where the need for a rugged, low-cost device comes in. No one’s going to be bothered to personalise a communal phone. They just need it to last fairly long, have a good reception, and be able to make calls and send SMSes.

Ultimately, we can’t forget that phones are for humans.

So Jan ended on a very interesting note that’s got me thinking: if a phone could be any shape or size (and with today’s technology, it can!), what shape or size should it be?

The answer: it should be the shape or size that fits YOU!

Now, real time on Flickr!

Okay, I’m really behind on this blogging thing now. But, never fear, I’ve found a new way to ensure I get to keep in touch with you people – Flickr!

As you can see, on the right, I’ve got a brand new panel with pictures in it. Clicking there will take you my Flickr page where you can see pictures I recently took. Sorta like a live commentary of daily happenings.

Update – today I’m down in Singapore getting ready for Nokia Connection 2007 which is tomorrow. Or should I say, today.

There are some big announcements to be made, and it’s going to be quite exciting. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, I’ll have some pics to share tomorrow.

Return of the parking saga

Remember the time I was ranting about MidValley’s increased rates? Well… they’ve also screwed up something else.

Just last Friday whislt attempting to exit the parking mall area, a massive traffic jam was caused. Why? Because someone had expired the 20 minutes grace period you’re allocated to exit the carpark.

Okay, that’s normal, right? But wait till you hear this.

Because MidValley is so super packed with people and they all want to get out at the same time, let’s just say that in the midst of waiting, you had many many people with 20-minute-grace-period expired.

Chaos ensued.

So, how can MidValley fix this?

1. A longer grace period. Maybe 30 minutes?
2. A better traffic flow, with attendants guiding people out in peak hours. Someone has to think of a plan.
3. Or, just go back to flat RM 1 parking?

Take that! MidValley / I want a bike!

So I survived my first day of parking at MidValley (post-rate-increase) with flying colours. And here’s the evidence:

Exhibit #A: A parking ticket that shows I entered and exited just on the dot.

Take that, MidValley Management! No, I’m not sore that parking rates have gone up. I’m just sore about the fact that they made no option for an alternative, and the whole thing just reeks of moneymaking.

What I’m really interested in doing now is getting a bike to cycle to work. It seems like a solution that’s going to work for me from multiple angles:

1. I save money.
With the RM 7 I’m paying everyday, I could afford a bicycle if I could save that money over four months. Not to mention petrol costs.

2. I lose weight
Yup. Cycling is one of the best fat-burning activities out there. Why waste money paying the gym to let you cycle on the spot for hours when you can be freewheeling through town with your little own set o’ wheels?

3. I save the environment
Yeah, a cliche. But saving the environment is really something we all should be doing.
Plus, it adds a little “feel good” factor.

So, anyone with a second-hand mountain bike they’d like to unload for RM 600 or so?