Goddess, I Am.

I know I promised a Sex and the City 2 review, but this post is already so belated and the movie has already been reviewed to death, so I’m going to make this quick(ish). It goes without saying that I love, love, loved it, despite all the criticisms. But then, I’m very much biased; these girls are so much a part of my life that I would love them, no matter what, so if you’re looking for an impartial review, be warned that you won’t find it here.

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 discovered my appetite for writing right about the same time that the first season of Sex and the City started airing. Naturally, Carrie Bradshaw became my idol almost overnight. Even now, 12 years hence, I still have to consciously avoid Bradshaw-ish euphemisms when I’m (supposedly) free writing; the character’s influence on me is that great.

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.

It can’t be any fun being my laptop. I don’t spend my days surfing, or watching videos on YouTube, or even playing games on Facebook. All I do is work, work, and work some more. And don’t get me started on the amount of work I do. Let’s just say that in any given day, I have about 3 days’ worth of work to do IF I do everything manually. Fortunately for me, my boss loves buying me software, so most of my tasks are automated, which is definitely the only reason why I actually manage to do everything that I’m supposed to do every day.

Now, most of these software run on – surprise, surprise! – Windows. My darling Octavian, however, runs on Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard). This means that to be able to run these software, I have to run Windows on a Macbook Pro somehow. One way to do is to install it in something called Boot Camp and choose Windows when I boot up Octavian . . . Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen! Running Windows on its own on a Macbook Pro is like playing a shitty VCD on a perfectly good Blu-ray player – it’s sacrilegious, to say the least.

So as an alternative, I’ve chosen to purchase a software called VMWare Fusion, and this is, by far, one of my best investments yet. VMWare Fusion allows me to run Windows as a virtual machine (I named it Lucius Cornelius Sulla, tee hee) so I won’t have to leave OS X to run Windows applications. This means that I’m actually running two computers simultaneously on one. Add the fact that I’m also running another half a dozen apps on the native OS X system, and I’ve got an extremely overworked laptop. Very few laptops will be able survive such a beating without crashing, and Octavian’s one of those – he’s never crashed once. Rather, he valiantly takes whatever demands I put to him without complaint. Yes, he’s a good boy, that’s why I love him to bits (no pun intended).

Octavian came with a 2GB DDR3 RAM, which was a big deal for me, considering the crap that I had to put up with before I bought my first Mac. Though it’s sufficient to run both my systems simultaneously, I do suffer lags every now and again, which is really a bit annoying when you’re trying to get things done yesterday. I knew a RAM upgrade to 4GB would take care of this, but since the DDR3 technology is fairly new, the chips weren’t readily available locally – and I felt that I had to purchase it from an authorized Apple store/service center to get their techs to install it for me. Unfortunately, there was a 2-month waiting list to order ‘em chips, plus it would be about twice the price of getting it from somewhere like TipidPC or eBay.

Now, for as long as I can remember, the guys at the PhilMUG forums have been insisting that a DIY RAM and hard-disk upgrade was as easy as pie. It’s so easy, in fact, that these sort of upgrades do not even void the warranty! I’ve been toying with the idea of doing it for the longest time. I’ve even watched videos of how it was done, and they all made it look so easy! I’ve always chickened out at the last minute, though. I don’t know what came over me this week, but I suddenly fancied that my poor Octavian was coming down with asthma from all the hard work (the real Octavian was asthmatic, after all) and that I needed to do a RAM upgrade stat! So I ordered a couple of 2GB Team Elite chips from a TipidPC seller, who came highly recommended from ‘em forum guys, on Tuesday. I paid P4,700 (about $100) for both chips plus shipping on the same day, and got confirmation that it was en route to Cebu.

The chips turned up the next day, Wednesday. The idea of opening up poor Octavian sickened me so much, though, that The Husband ended up doing it for me that afternoon. First, he tried to get the screws off with a really old #00 screwdriver that he found buried amidst his old junk. That didn’t really work – 3 of the screws won’t come off!

So we hurriedly took a trip to True Value in Ayala to get a new screwdriver and ended up with a set. This time, Octavian was successfully opened up. The Husband removed the old 1GB sticks and replaced ‘em with the new 2GB ones (there’s two of each). The process took no more than a couple of minutes. He then closed up Octavian, and I re-booted. To my horror, it showed that I only had 1GB of RAM from the 4GB I was expecting! I nearly cried. I did a test using memtest, and yep, there’s definitely only 1GB.

So The Husband opened up poor Octavian again, and sure enough, one of the chips was loose. He fiddled with them somewhat, and they were finally in nice and tight. I booted up Octavian again, and scarily enough, he only had 3GB! By this time, I was definitely in a panic. The Husband opened up Octavian again and removed the chips. We both checked if they were identical, and they were, right down to their 2GB DDR3 warranty stickers.

The Husband had the brilliant idea of trying to isolate problem. He installed just one chip, rebooted, and checked the system – definitely a 2GB. Off came Octavian’s back case yet again, and this time, he installed just the other chip. Lo and behold – it was a 1GB!

So it seemed that the problem was with that second chip. I thought it might have been mislabeled or something, but the guys on the forums believe it’s a faulty chip. I contacted the seller – who was really nice, by the way – and he asked me to send in the faulty chip yesterday so he can replace it. I thought he was going to wait until the chip got there before he sent me a new one so I was resigned to the fact that I’ll have to wait a couple more days, but no, he sent it straight away, the moment I confirmed that I’ve sent the faulty chip. I’m expecting it sometime today.

Right now, Octavian is running on 3GB RAM – the new, working 2GB chip and one of the original 1GB sticks. I have not experienced a single lag since, even when I’ve got Windows running, too. It takes a bit longer to start up (about 30 seconds), though, but that’s perfectly understandable. It’s the actual working time that matters to me, anyway, and a longer start-up time just means that I have more time to get breakfast ready.

With the favorable experience that I’ve had with the 3GB RAM so far, I can’t wait to see what the 4GB would be like! I’m getting stuff done even quicker than usual, too. A happy Octavian means a happy Mommy Iris.

Now, if only LBC would turn up with that chip already . . .

LBC turned up just as we were about to head to the mall to watch New Moon. Once again, Octavian was reopened, and in less than 2 minutes, he was sporting a spanking new 4GB RAM. (Check out the wallpaper. Cute, huh?)

Many a blog post ago, I mentioned that I have a very unhealthy addiction: an addiction to laptops, of all things.

You’d think it’s one addiction that will be quelled for good when I finally got the Macbook of my dreams – and it probably would have, under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, my timing was all wrong. How wrong? Well, let’s just say I got my Gaius a mere few days before the new line of Macbooks came out: cheaper, more powerful, 20 times more fabulous, and absolute torture. To say that I was crushed would be an understatement.

Still, I love my Gaius to bits, and after all, a Mac IS a Mac, so I’m still one happy (albeit somewhat disgruntled) camper. Besides, I promised The Husband that I won’t buy another laptop for the next 3 years or so. Not only that, with the new Macbooks out in the market, my Gaius’ resale value has shot to shit, even when he’s only a little over a month old, so I couldn’t possibly afford another Macbook so soon.

Or could I?

Here’s the thing. My mother wants to buy a Mac. More accurately, she wants to buy MY Mac – just so I can have the chance to get a new one – because she’s awesome that way. Not only that, she wants to buy Gaius at practically the same price that I bought it for – something that literally nobody else in the entire world would do. That means I only have to shell out peanuts to get the new 13-inch Macbook Pro.

It’s a deal NOBODY in their right mind would pass up – and I’m definitely not THAT crazy! (That’ll be like ignoring a lifetime supply of whatever product the best night cream reviews are raving about when it’s being thrust into your hands.) So why don’t I just do it, like, NOW (when I’m absolutely dying to)?

My problem is I made a promise to The Husband. The man is absolutely touchy about money stuff, so this is a purchase that he’s not going to be happy about. The man is also infuriatingly stubborn, so he is not going to make this easy for me, even when I’ve got logic on my side.

At this point, I would absolutely kill for persuasive powers so good, I’ll put Philippine politicians to shame and have eagles pecking birdseed out of my hand. Maybe the extremely cool Acer laptop that I just bought for him as a second anniversary gift can also serve as a bribe. Or maybe I should just grovel on my knees and promise him a lifetime of servitude.

Wish me luck.

Have you ever bought yourself something that you feel is the ultimate representation of everything you’ve ever worked hard for? Some people would buy homes; others, cars, boats, and airplanes. As for me? I bought myself a Macbook.

Everyone, say hello to Gaius Julius Caesar Dictator – or just, Gaius. (It’s a bit overdue, I know.

As you all know, I’ve been mooning over Macbooks for, well, FOREVER. Something always came up, however, so I never really got the chance to put away enough money to get one. Until a little over a month ago, that is; hence, Gaius.

I must say that Gaius is – hands down – THE best computer I have ever owned, not to mention the most beautiful. EVER. I was originally all set on getting the 13-inch Aluminum unibody, but decided at the last minute that I don’t need to shell out almost another $400 just to get features that I’m never likely to use, as I don’t edit videos or music or even pictures. My mum’s boss, who was in the US at that time, picked it up for me – from Circuit City, I believe – and was kind enough to haul it all the way back to the Philippines, so I got a pretty good deal for it, too. Besides, I still think that white Macbooks have the quintessential Macbook look and are heartbreakingly gorgeous.

I’ve invested on VMWare Fusion so I can run both Mac OS X and Windows XP applications on Gaius. Although I would prefer to turn my back on Windows forever, the software I use for spinning (my meal ticket these days) all run on Windows XP, so until the developers come up with Mac versions, I don’t really have much of a choice. The Windows XP installation runs on a virtual computer, so basically, I have two computers running running on one laptop. I’ve named my Windows virtual machine Lucius Cornelius Sulla . . . because I just can’t help myself.

For a while, Gaius was completely devoid of physical protection (apart from my oh-so cute laptop bag), so I guess it was a bad idea to take him on holiday in Boracay. I discovered a telltale discoloration and a slight scratch on a corner of Gaius’ lid for all and sundry to see, and I was in a right state of panic. I burst into tears and yelled at my poor husband who really was only trying to help. Yes, I do scare myself sometimes. But hey, it was a 2-week old Macbook (back then) AND it didn’t exactly cost me peanuts, so I still think my panic was well-founded.

I decided to pay iStore a visit when I got back to see if they had anything that could possibly help me with Gaius’ little problem. If not, I was getting ready to resign myself to the idea that I might have to get one of those laptop skins, or worse, those tacky crystal cases. Before I did, though, I did a bit of Googling, and I found out that the cleaning products they sold on Apple stores were, well, downright shitty, and that I was better off using anything from toothpaste to Staedler erasers. Our toothpaste, however, was green, and I was afraid I will only succeed in turning Gaius into The Hulk. We eventually tried the erasers – and lo and behold! It worked! Now Gaius is as gorgeous as new, and I’m the proud momma once again.

I’ve learned my lesson, however, and have now invested in all manners of Macbook protection. I now have a screen protector, a silicon keyboard cover, and I will forever and ever probably keep a Staedler eraser handy. I’m also looking for the prettiest laptop sleeve I can find. As much as possible, I do want to keep Gaius the way he is – white and naked the way God and Apple intended him to be.

One thing’s for sure: Gaius has made a die-hard Mac fan out of this girl. And I’m not going to say anything definite right now, but if I really can’t help myself, he’s going to get upgraded into a Pro very, very soon.

Damn, these Macs are addictive!