To make a very, very, VERY long story short, I finally had my spanking new 16GB 3G iPad in my grubby hands on the second of July, hooray! I know, I know. That’s almost a full month ago. You’d think I would’ve sent out baby shower invitations in my excitement, but these days, I’ve got very little time to blog, let alone throw a shower for a gadget. (Not that I really would, but you get the picture.)

But I digress. Everyone, meet Agrippa.

Isn’t he gorgeous? ♥♥♥

For anyone who might be wondering why I’ve named my iPad ‘Agrippa’, here’s a little history lesson. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was the best friend and son-in-law of the Roman Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavian, which, incidentally, is the moniker I’ve given my Macbook Pro. Aside from the this little bit of history, Agrippa also happens to be one of my favorite Romans because he’s absolutely brilliant and kinda sexy, for a dead guy. Methinks I couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate name for the iPad.

Moving on, Agrippa is everything I absolutely wanted and needed. I’m not going to go into an in-depth review because the iPad is one of those gadgets that have been reviewed to death. But to sum up my entire iPad experience, all I could say is: “Agrippa, where have you been all my life?”

Much like my first born, Octavian, Agrippa also needs to be outfitted and accessorized. And I’ve been shopping for this gadget even before he got here. Here’s what he has . . . so far:

1. Hot pink Audio-Technica Onto headphones.

I love Onto headphones. I already have a perfectly good pair of white ones that I’ve been using for months, but when I saw this limited edition hot pink pair in an HMV in Singapore, I just could not resist. (I mean really, they’re black and hot pink!)

This baby sat patiently at the back of my closet for almost 3 months, just waiting for Agrippa. I had to keep it out of sight; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to resist it that long.

2. Pink leather folio case, an eBay find.

I love this case, I really do. Mostly due to the pink that its pink perfectly matches the pink on the headphones. (How girly does that sound???) Also, it has this really soft suede interior that’s really nice to the touch.

My only gripe about it is that it opens at the bottom and the iPad tends to slide out somewhat. I don’t use it as much now because it gets a bit uncomfortable. I wish it opened at the side, like a book, which is why I’m now trying to convince The Husband, my shopping police, to let me buy this and/or this. Still, the pink is breaking my heart.

3. Glittery iPad hard back case.

Trust me, it glitters. Those little white dots are actually little crystals, while the black base is faux leather. I found this in an obscure little shop in Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong. The little old lady selling it won’t give me a discount, so I walked away, thinking that I’ll find it cheaper elsewhere (like everything else in Hong Kong). I didn’t, so I had to go back the next day, tail between my legs, to get it. Thankfully, said little old lady wasn’t there because it was her husband’s day to mind the shop, tee hee.

4. Red leather sleeve from Powerpee.

This is my newest acquisition. Because I’ve started using the pink case less and less, I needed a sleeve that would fit both the iPad and its sparkling back case for whenever I go out. I belong to the PhilMUG forums, and this guy, Powerpee (aka Perry), came highly recommended.

I love, love, LOOOOVE this leather manila air sleeve! It’s so classy and soft, and it even smells good! And it fits the iPad with the back case perfectly, too, so it’s everything I wanted. I’m so happy that he had a red one left. It matches the glittery black case to a tee.

(I opted for red because The Husband was starting to look a bit sick from all the pink stuff lying around the house. I had to show mercy on the poor man!)

5. Wrapsol.

It doesn’t show, but Agrippa is completely wrapped – both front and back – in Wrapsol. This was rather pricey and I nearly balked, but it’s absolutely necessary. Now I rest easy, knowing that Agrippa is completely protected from scratches and from me, in general. Tee hee.

6. Apps and Books from iBooks.

There’s only one thing I can say about these nifty little things that make Agrippa an even happier iPad: they’re going to send me to the poorhouse. Strangely enough, it’s the free ones that are driving me nuts, like Harbor Master HD, a bunch of classics from iBooks and my newest acquisition, the Diablo-like Underworlds. Kill me now, please?

And it doesn’t end there – yet. I’m still waiting for The Mother to get me a Camera Connection Kit from Canada (because they’re still overpriced on eBay). And hopefully, The Husband will let me get another purrty folio case that actually opens the right way this time.

But on the bright side, that’s my gadget fix for the year. At least, I like to think so.

It’s just that once again, I’ve got projects right up to my eyeballs. First, my boss decided to expand and throw a few (okay, a lot) more responsibilities my way. But who’s complaining? I love my job!

Then I helped my sister launch her new clothing label, Innuendo SWAGGER. Check out the FRESH collection here, if you haven’t already. The dresses and tops we launched this week are gorgeous! And because we don’t mass produce, you really won’t have to worry about running into someone wearing the same thing. That’s a good enough incentive, don’t you think?

And finally, we also launched another new project together, strictly for fun. We started a fashion blog, whoop-dee-doo! Check us out at Sistahs Stylistahs! Oh, and do be nice! I know we probably need a fat burner diet pill or two, but hey, we’re not half bad. Even if I do say so myself, tee hee.

So that (and spending endless hours tinkering with my new toy) is what I’ve been up to these days. Missed me? I hope so because I’ve definitely missed blogging!

- Posted using BlogPress from Agrippa, the iPad

When we first visited HK in 2007, we had the misfortune of staying at the Travellers Friendship Hostel in the famous (and grubby) Mirador Mansions. On our first night, we were ‘upgraded’ to a deluxe room at the USA Hostel (they’re the same company, apparently) because our room at Travellers Friendship was still occupied. We were supposed to move in the morning – quite inconvenient, but we didn’t bother complaining about something so trivial. The room looked fine, though, so were expecting our ‘real’ room to be okay, at the very least.

How wrong we were! It was actually more of a closet than a room. It was just wide enough to fit a filthy double bed. The only way on or off the bed was via the bottom, where we had about no more than 2 feet of floor space before we reached the bathroom door.

And don’t get me started on the bathroom. It was beyond icky with cracked and yellowing tiles and the grubbiest grout imaginable. Cold water just trickled out of the shower, so we had to spend more time in the bathroom than was necessary. And the toilet . . . ugh! We had to pull a chain dangling from the ceiling to flush it, imagine that.

It was bad. No, scratch that. It was BEYOND bad! And when we tried to complain about it, the really rude staff actually had the nerve to tell us to move elsewhere while refusing to give us a refund on the same breath!

We vowed never to stay there again, which was why I spent the last few months looking for more suitable accommodation for our second visit without ruining the budget we’ve set aside for accommodation. As a rule, we make it a point not to spend more than US$200 total on accommodation, and since HK is an expensive city, our choices were limited to hostels. I did consider staying in yet another hostel in Mirador Mansions (Cosmic Guesthouse), but I just couldn’t forget our last trip, so I kept looking.

Thankfully, I stumbled over the Hop Inn on Trip Advisor. It was only a tad pricier than Cosmic, but a hell of a lot prettier and better recommended. I figured the US$60 (or so) difference was worth it – and it was!

Like all HK hostels, the Hop Inn had small rooms, yes. But one could really see the love and care put in to the venture. It’s run by two brothers, Simon and Wilson, and they did a fantastic job of making the best out of the available space by commissioning local artists to paint pretty murals on the walls. This made the rooms cozier and seem a lot larger.

Photo Taken from the Hop Inn Site

I especially loved the uber cool glass bathrooms, the LCD HDTV, the hot and cold shower, and the very modern toilet. Also, the location was absolute perfection. It’s no more than a few blocks’ walk from Victoria Harbour, the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, the Star Ferry terminal, and all the best that Tsim Sha Tsui could offer. There was even a huge HMV right across the street, and as far as The Husband was concerned, he was in Blu-ray heaven.

The View from Our Window

They also had free wifi. And if you didn’t have a laptop, you could borrow one from reception – FREE! There’s free drinking water in the common room, and you could refill your water bottles all you want. There’s also a tiny but comfy reception area where you could read books and magazines, or chat with whoever’s tinkering with the iMac behind the reception desk.

My only gripe about the whole Hop Inn experience is probably the lack of sufficient surface space. We really could’ve used maybe a small table in the room to put odds and ends on. Instead, we ended up putting things on the windowsill or the floor. But no biggie; we made do with what was available, and we were still perfectly comfortable.

Our 3-day stay at the Landscape of the Traveler’s Palm room worked out just a little over US$180 at US$62 a night. It was worth every penny. In fact, we’ve already decided to stay at the Hop Inn next time we’re in HK. Which will be, what, early next year?

I honestly can’t wait to be back. And to think I’ve only just left! God, I ♥ Hong Kong!

I haven’t had a pet in ages, and I do miss having one every so often. It’s just that right now, the house isn’t very pet-friendly with all The Husband’s electronics lying around, and I’m simply too busy to take any real responsibility for one.

But say, hypothetically, we do get a pet someday, I would want one of these:

1. A giraffe. I cannot explain it, but I am fascinated by giraffes. The first time I ever saw a real one in Bangkok’s Dusit Zoo, I burst into hysterical tears. I kid you not.

I know it’ll be a chore to get one in one of those Duramax Storage Sheds, but perhaps I can get away with having one in the (future) backyard? I’m not sure, however, exactly how the neighbors will take to it, truth be told.

2. A capybara. I’m thinking I could probably get away with one easily. I mean, a Labrador-sized rodent should be easy enough to hide, right?

I know I could give them an excellent home; there are no anacondas in the Philippines, after all!

3. An alpaca. Seriously, how cute are alpacas? And they’re pretty handy, too. Apparently, good alpaca fleece can be a real money-maker, so in theory, you have a pet that pays for itself.

I read that there are more alpacas bred in Australia now than in South America. So there really is no reason why they can’t be raised in the Philippines. Or so I told The Husband. Who did not look entirely convinced, by the way.

So right now, it’s looking like we’ll probably end up with a cat, or a teeny bichon fraise, and probably a few fishes. Eventually, maybe.

First thing’s first: Carrie’s Mac is still very much present. It’s the exact same pre-unibody Macbook Pro that she had in Sex and the City: The Movie, so I’m a happy camper. Not only that, Charlotte’s iPhone figured quite prominently throughout the movie, too. The only HPs I spotted on the movie were Samantha’s, and none of them got enough screen time to offend this Apple fan girl, so, no, I didn’t spontaneously combust with rage or anything like that.

There were so many things that I loved about the movie (and I’m not talking about the clothes because that already goes without saying), but what I probably loved most were – to name just a few – Charlotte’s bra-less nanny angle; the delightfully gay choir at the wedding (whose, you’ll have to see for yourself); Miranda’s huge career leap; the hormone and testosterone booster-filled Samantha’s Lawrence of My Labia joke; Aidan; the attempt to encourage – or at least, imply – women empowerment in the Middle East; and Carrie and Big’s Mr. and Mrs. Married dilemma.

The last one hits particularly close to home as I am deathly afraid that The Husband and I will turn into an old, boring married couple before we know it because really, it does get to be a bit of a chore to get off the couch and leave the house sometimes. Not only that, I love how Carrie and Big have zero plans of having children because – guess what? – so do we! And it annoys us to death when people start tutting about it – but that’s another story.

Anyhow, it always feels good to relate to Carrie, and this time around is no exception. And how Mr. Big-like is The Husband, whose very existence seems to revolve around his TV (apart from me, of course)? But mind you, there will be no gallivanting with an ‘Aidan’ for me because all my ex’s are much too icky for words. I’m perfectly happy with my Mr. Big, scary attachment to the TV notwithstanding.

Of course, it wasn’t a perfect movie. There were some off moments, but very, very few, in my opinion. And the girls, although older, still look incredibly fabulous – probably even better than most women my age. The whole Middle East thing didn’t quite work for me, however, because I really do not care for that part of the world and its inhabitants very much (let’s leave it at that). I still would’ve preferred more of New York, especially more of Carrie and Big’s fabulous new apartment. But it was still a hell of a lot of fun, and I really cannot wait to see it again! I plan on seeing it a couple more times at the cinema, and of course, buying the Blu-ray the moment it comes out. It would be fantastic to see it uncut; I’m quite annoyed at how the movie has been clearly butchered to give it an R-13 rating. Shame on you, MTRCB.

I don’t know if they’ll ever make a third Sex and the City movie, and I think even they don’t know, either. If they do, I will be ecstatic. I will be right there, front and center on the very first day of screening to see my girls again. If they don’t, it’s okay, too. I will be content to imagine that Carrie and the girls all lived happily ever after. That we all will.

I’m still reeling, as you can probably tell, and I’m already making plans to see it again within the next few days. I love how – as always – I was able to relate to Carrie’s life once again. ’Twas like a freakin’ parallel universe in some parts.

I’ll write about it more tomorrow later. Right now I’m still too giddy to do anything else.

I am, however, taking solace in the fact that this time around, I will be watching it with my ladies. When Sex and the City: The Movie came out two years ago, I was still in Bangkok where I had zero girlfriends, so I had no one else to watch it with but The Husband, who spent half the time bitching and moaning that his balls were shrinking and that Sarah Jessica Parker needed a horse tack – a sentiment shared by most men that I find really offensive, by the way, because I personally think SJP is GORGEOUS! And as much as I love The Husband, this is one movie I would rather watch with ladies who can appreciate everything that SATC represents.

Okay, I’m off to get those first-day tickets before they run out.

Now, Carrie has always had a Mac. From the PowerBook to the iBook G3 Clamshell to the Macbook Pro – you name it, she’s had it. Because of that, I’ve always associated Macs as a ‘writer thing’, and I have drooled and fantasized about owning one since, thinking that it’s going to make a better writer out of me, or at least, inspire me enough to write more. The moment I could afford it, I got my first Mac, with the second – and current – one hard on its heels. And true enough, the switch did inspire me to write more and write better, probably because I no longer had to suffer the constant headaches that my PCs and netbooks of old used to plague me with.

But I digress. I guess what I’m trying to say is Carrie’s Mac, whatever model it may be, is a freakin’ Sex and the City institution. It’s a character in its own right, and replacing it with an inferior HP – or any other brand, for that matter – is nothing short of sacrilege. Really, this isn’t just the Apple fan girl in me speaking; this is me being a Sex and the City fan girl. And I’m sure there are plenty of other Sex and the City fans out there – Mac users or otherwise – that feel the same way as I do about the switch (or downgrade, the way I see it).

I wonder how much HP paid to get their product placement in? Well, whatever ridiculous figure it might be, they are surely getting their money’s worth, even with the new advertisement alone, featuring not only Sarah Jessica Parker, but also the aptly named HP Envy, the so-called Macbook Pro clone. Capitalism has no shame, indeed. I must admit (albeit grudgingly), however, that it (the advert, not the laptop) does look really good, from its general concept, down to the lighting.

Still, this will not, in any way, stop me from being at the cinema bright and early on opening day to watch my favorite girls and their latest shenanigans. I can barely sit still from all the excitement! I’m loving the whole Middle Eastern angle and the return of Aidan and the idea of Samantha on a camel, to name just a few. With that sort of entertainment to look forward to, I guess I can forgive this, umm, desecration.

But then, I probably would forgive Sex and the City anything, truth be told.

]]> http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/21/sacrilege/feed/ 1 http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/14/stiff/ http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/14/stiff/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 11:30:02 +0000 Iris http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/14/stiff/ Right now, as I type this, I literally cannot move anything but my fingers. I’ve figured that there’s a good chance I will suddenly keel over and die one day, thanks to the spurious diet pills that I’ve been taking as my quick weight loss solution, so I decided to keep my weight in check by doing what everyone else does – exercise.

I wasn’t about to join in on the running bandwagon, however, nor did I want to go back to the gym, so when this lovely girl I write with who does yoga invited me to join her class, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been at it for two weeks now, and I really, really like it!

We only have classes every Thursday, though. I guess I could go to another school with more sessions per week, but I quite like the group. So I downloaded a couple of yoga videos for beginners and have started doing it at home instead. I must have overdone my Downward Facing Dog, though, because I am now stiff as a board.

The masseuse should be here any moment now.

For the past few months, I’ve been slowly filling up the notebooks that The Husband, family, and friends are forever getting me with stories and thoughts and memories, so I’m starting to fill up my new Tumblr baby with some really fantastic writing. (I’m ridiculously proud of this new project, so no, I’m not in the mood for modesty. Deal with it.) I suppose the only thing that’s slowing me down is my capacity to take photos. Maybe the decision to use photos that I take and no one else’s is a bit overkill? But hey, who’s rushing?

So yes, I now have a secret blog. And in case you missed the little clue that I let slip earlier, it’s on Tumblr. If you take the time to poke around this blog a bit, you might find a link to it here somewhere. Though I might not volunteer the new blog’s address to all and sundry, it would still tickle me pink if any one of you found me. (Hello, writer’s ego!)

My secret blog has only been online for a day or so, and I already have a few readers. That’s probably why I love Tumblr so much. No one ever goes unread!