Apple iPhone

My loyal Motorola e398 that has been serving me since November 2004 has been put into retirement.

Before that, I was considering a PDA, but based on experienced PDA users' advise, I decided that I want to be an iPhone owner instead.

Sadly, there is no official release of iPhone in Malaysia and Singapore until now. What are available in our local market are imported and hacked iPhone(s) without official warranty by Apple. You would be considered lucky to be given warranty by the trader themselves.

I was lucky enough as one of my relative were coming back to Malaysia for a holiday and I decided to ask for her help. Thankfully, my iPhone's journey to Malaysia was a smooth one from the States and arrived in Malaysia on the 25th March 2008.

Even the unlocking process was smooth, all thanks to ZiPhone, I didn't have to pay anyone to perform the unlocking for me.
Thanks to Ken Lui as well for informing me that we can unlock ourselves without needing to spend money on such service, but just download the software from the internet. Previously hackers would need to use a specially modified sim in order to get the iPhone hacked, unlike now, everything is so easy with just one click of any various iPhone hacking software available.

Nice touch screen. Very responsive and sensitive.

Nice and smooth finishing by Apple.

Resting on it's stand. In the process of getting it's battery charged.

Even we looked so happy inside it :-P~

The only drawback of this phone so far to me is the SMS feature. It doesn't allow it users to save messages as draft. If that's not bad enough, we can't forward SMS(s), copy paste words. Hopefully someone will come out with a good 3rd party application for SMS.

And as the touchscreen is so sensitive and one alphabet/number is so narrow to each other, I tend to always accidentally press the wrong information needed. I also tend to press send before I could complete my message. I would probably need a Pogo Stylus for iPhone as well for this issue.

Finally, I hope hackers can keep abreast with Apple's updates on curbing unauthorized iPhone users like me by updating their firmware.
The news released by Macworld, iPhone hackers look to an uncertain future certainly doesn't sounds good at all for many people, including me. Currently the hacked 1.1.4 version isn't exactly stable compared to the hacked 1.1.3 version.

Total of USD427 for a 8GB version, inclusive of shipping and tax, which is below RM1400, It is worth every single cent my dad paid for this phone for me.

Course Preview - 6th Semester

The last and final semester for our Diploma year started last week, 3rd March 2008. I'm looking forward to end what I've started back in May 2006, to graduate with my Diploma. 3 subjects to be completed within 7 weeks.

Abnormal Psychology
Our senior told us once that when we study this subject, we'll somehow go abnormal as well.

Well yeah, literally. I'm glad that Miss Aggy Hooi is teaching us this subject. Like what I've mentioned last semester(4th semester) on Industrial & Organizational Psychology, she can make a dry subject to be very interesting with her unique way of teaching. In her tutorial classes, we can just walk in without any pen and paper. It's all about application questions discussion in her classes. She never believes scoring in exams based on what's on the textbook, but she believes in critical thinking, what is applicable in the real world.

But personally I think that this subject should be taught in earlier semesters, or probably replace some other languages or nation building subjects. You'll know why I think this subject should be taught earlier later.

Methods of Research in Psychology & Counselling
This subject will lay the foundation of writing thesis in our degree level education.
Lectured and tutored by Mr Ooi Boon Kuan, whom I heard that he's a former military guy. Not sure about it, just hear say. While practical will be guided by one of our course all time favorite, Mr Phillip Chung.

Counselling Practicum
Once a week thinggy, which I personally feel it's not adequate for us to be exposed to what we need to be exposed to. I'm currently having my practicum attachment with Ezra at HUKM Psychiatry Department/Ward/Clinic. Under guidance of Counsellors, Medical Officers and Doctors (depending on who's free on the day we are at our practicum site). I shall not reveal too much on this due to confidentiality issue.

The reason I said that Abnormal Psychology should have been covered in earlier semester is because of our practicum placement. Be it in any NGO, Psychology,Psychiatry or Counselling centre, it would be good for us to cover that subject earlier to somehow or rather help us during our practicum placement.

Ezra and I for instance, sometimes we are lost during our discussions with the Psychiatry department staffs. Luckily we've made our own initiative for read ups before practicum started, else we'll probably look real stupid during our practicum.

And for this last and final semester, I'll have to resit Interpersonal Communication Skills from last semester. That was the only paper that I got C- . I probably paid too much attention on the hot lecturer and tutor instead of what they are teaching.

4 subjects in 7 weeks. I wish my course mates all the best! Let's graduate according to the expected time frame :-)

a new chapter

12/3/2008, 7:50pm-ish @ Thai Express, The Curve, The Walk.

P/s: We may know each other for not long, however our bond and relationship doesn't shows that way :-)

Instead of Smoking To Relax ...

do deep breathing exercise instead.

The most common reason given by smokers is because of stress and smoking helps them to relax.
But contrary to that beliefs, a stick of cigarette actually contain various stimulant chemicals rather than relaxation. This can be confirmed with studies, (Kassel, Stroud, & Paronis, 2003) smoking actually increases the physiological characteristics associated with stress.

Smoking action itself could help smokers to relax, but not the chemicals contained in cigarettes. The reason smoking could help smokers to relax is because they are breathing consciously while inhaling and exhaling each puff, which helps them focus on the action, rather than the issues that are causing them to be stressed up.

Similar characteristics are present between deep breathing exercise and smoking, the only different is the type of air they are putting into their body. Deep breathing exercise practitioners inhale fresh air and exhale carbon dioxide, while smokers inhale and exhale carbon dioxide.

The blue box of Mild Seven Lights actually belongs to me, back in December 2006.
Today, I use this photo to remind me of Government's warning in regards to smoking instead.

I had my first cigarette when I was 14 out of curiosity. And until today I've easily smoked more than 100 sticks, which according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that makes me an established smoker. But thankfully, I'm not an addict, thanks to my genetic variant that decreases the function of the enzyme CYP2A6.

In recent months, I've not even touch a stick of my friend's offer of cigarette. And I'm going to stick to this good habit for sure.

Book Review: Superfit

The name Royce Gracie is no stranger to any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners.
Fighting and defeating 3-4 opponents per-night back in the early days of UFC. With notable wins over bigger fighters such as Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Akebono Taro to name a few.



His book, Superfit, written together with James Strom and Kid Peligro attracted my attention.
It's stated "Royce Gracie's Ultimate Martial Arts Fitness and Nutrition Guide". I got my copy from Borders for RM119.90, the usual price for Gracie's series of books.

It's separated into Four parts;

Starts off with brief introduction and then was introduced to the most important part any sports, Warming Up and Stretching. The Gracie family actually uses a refined stretching routine called "The Gracie Stretching Routine". That's for Part One. Personally, I don't see why is it being called GSR, they stretches are pretty much standard stretches and nothing special.

Part Two: The Exercises
Consist of Abdominals, Cardio, Free Weights, Isolaterals, Plyometrics and the Power Series.
Good photos are provided, but lack of important details. Deadlifts for instance, details on keeping the back stabilized and keeping the back from rounding.

Part Three: Putting It All Together
Pretty much of teaching you on developing your programmes and how to adjust them and all from time to time. Royce Gracie also talks about his fights and mental preparation. Some sample workouts for beginners, intermediate and advanced level are included as well.

Part Four: Royce's Family Diet
Food area broken down into categories, A,B,C and D group, with rules on how to and not to combine them in a meal. And of course, a sample of Royce's diet.
'

Conclusion
There's nothing much to shout about on this book. Just like any other most strength and conditioning books available in the book store. Most of the informations on the trainings could be found in the internet as well. Even that, the author failed to include safety details in their training explanation. (Eg: Keeping the back from rounding during deadlifts.)

However, their Plyometrics and the Power Series are good training informations, which I personally hardly seen any such training being done in most commercial gyms in Malaysia. It's better known as CrossFit workout.

A good book for beginners who wants to start off with a training programme, but for advanced users, this book wont be expanding your knowledge much. So if you really want to know the secret of Royce training that makes him so tough, forget it.
There isn't any secret, but its rather more of a branding using the name "Gracie".