Goddess, I Am.

Since the release of the iPad was announced months ago, I have been dying to get one. That took a while because I finally decided (after changing my mind a gazillion times and after just as many sleepless nights) to wait for the 3G version. Not only that, I had to literally go through hell and high water just to get one from the US because I couldn’t wait for the local release.

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.

I’ve been planning to blog at length about The Great Singapore Trip, but I’ve decided not to. The trip was beyond phenomenal, and I just don’t think I can do it justice by writing about it. There was so much to do and so little time to do everything that the entire trip was just mad, mad, MAD! By the time it was over, my feet were dead from walking, I have cursed humidity several times, and I had enough sunburn on my sunburn to make me seriously consider what wrinkle creams could do to help me.

I looooove this outfit! And it’s thrifted, too!

To sum it up, the city was lovely, most of the people and most of the food were rather horrid, the cabbies were loopy, the shopping was expensive, the giraffes were L-O-V-E, and Universal Studios was the icing on the cake. Yes, just two days in Singapore was absolutely insane, and I’m glad I got to experience that epic insanity with The Family.

My only decent Universal Studios globe-thingy photo.

And yes, we’re already planning our next trip back.

For more Singapore photos, see them here or here.

I got back from the epic Singapore trip with The Family yesterday at about 4 in the morning, and I’ve been recuperating since. You know when people say that they need a vacation after their vacation? Well, this was one of those vacations.

I was going to blog about it tonight, but I’m still a heartbroken at the moment. I spent the past couple of hours or so post-processing and uploading the photos I took and we were about to get started on The Husband’s camera, when – brace yourself! – not a single file will open. Not. A. Single. One. Why does this break my heart? Well, because most photos taken of me were in that camera, that’s why!

I honestly do not know whether I should be sad, mad, or both. (Chin says both, by the way.) Mostly, however, I just want to die. It’s a lot like knowing the secret of how to get rid of blackheads for good and completely forgetting about it, or winning the freakin’ lottery and finding out that you’ve lost the winning ticket. It’s so depressing. Now I know why some people blow their brains out.

Sigh. I’m waiting for The Mother and The Little Sister to sort out the pictures they took. Here’s hoping that there’s a decent picture or two of myself and The Husband on there somewhere, preferably in each of the places we were in. Hell, even a really bad one of my sunburned and peeling arms is preferable to nothing. Right now, I’d settle for one that would show that I was actually there.

That, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra. Oh, wait, there’s one in the fridge!

In about 5 hours or so, we’ll be leaving for Singapore. I thought I had all my outfits figured out weeks ago, but I had to change a few things at the last minute, unfortunately.

I initially planned on wearing the cute, backless top that I thrifted a couple of weeks ago, but I had to reconsider. I seemed to have developed some sort of allergic reaction to the silica on sand, and my back is hideous. I planned to get acne treatment, but I just didn’t have the time.

Also, I planned on wearing the top with these really cool leggings that The Mother got from Promod, but The Husband took one look at me and freaked out. The man loathes leggings. He said that although it looked good on me, it still reminded him too much of Essex Girls (the English equivalent of Jersey Girls). And because he is from Essex, I’m inclined to believe him.

I did, however, pick up this really adorable ‘cat’ shirt from my schoolmate, Psyche’s shop.

Photo Credit: Psyche Castillon

Even with all the clothes I’m taking, however, I seem to be the only one in The Family without luggage to check in. I’ve long since given up trying to figure out why people can’t pack as well as I do. *smug*

With barely a week before the big Singapore trip, The Family decided we couldn’t possibly stay at home, twiddling our thumbs during Good Friday. We decided to put my newly-acquired driver’s license to good use by renting a car (I sincerely hoped that the couple who owned it got good auto insurance quotes as I have not been on the road for long time) and driving to the beach. We initially wanted to go to Imperial Palace, but they weren’t accepting ‘day’ customers for the week, so we settled for The Hilton:

I used to spend a lot of time at the hotel ages and ages ago, and it was exactly how I remembered it: pink, cozy, and, umm, did I mention pink? The P1500-per-person Day Splash package included unlimited use of the beach (duh), pool, sun beds, towels, and showers, as well as a free buffet lunch at the Vanilla Beach Cafe and tea at the lobby. The predominantly seafood buffet didn’t quite work for me because I hate seafood, but my salmon-crazy companions were in a frenzy. Plus, this more than made up for it:

We spent the whole day swimming, eating, swimming some more, and eating some more – in that order. The Husband and I snorkeled, naturally. We only had one life vest (renting was too expensive), but I discovered I can actually swim fairly well without one, as long as I know that it’s fairly safe to do so. I was proud about that.

But the real treat was definitely seeing my nephew, Xabier, happy. He’s such a water baby! He couldn’t get enough of the water, and his smiles and giggles were infectious. He’s such a darling, our little boy.

Yes, it was definitely one of those perfect days that you can’t help but wish would go on and on forever.