Musings of a (Formerly) Displaced Chinese RooBoy

Missed out on ordering the Nexus 4 when it was sold out in less than 20 minutes on Australia' Google Play Store last November. Thanks to checking AndroidPolice and AusDroid on a regular basis, I found out that it would be available for purchase again at 9AM on 31 January 2013. To prepare for the purchase, I made sure the online purchase page was loaded, payment details were up-to-date, and I was logged in to my Google account in advance. Started constantly hitting F5 at 8:55AM and sure enough, at exactly 9AM, the status changed from 'Temporarily Unavailable to "Add to Cart". Placed the order straight away and FedEx's shipping notification indicates it will arrive tomorrow. I'm EXCITED!

Wendy's online babies and kids clothing business has been operating since late 2010 and its time to give it a plug. Check out Mickey House Kids for all your babies and kids' designer clothing needs at great prices. Tell your friends and workmates too.

I thought it might be fun to look back at the list of mobile phones I've ever owned, starting with the classic Nokia 2110 back in 1996 for the purpose of receiving calls for job interviews during my final year at college. Nokia 2110 - classic and chunky Nokia 5110 - nearly everyone had one of these ubiquitous phones Siemens SL45 - advanced for its time, with built-in MP3 player and expandable memory card. Sleek looking phone. Sony Ericsson T68 - my first mobile with color screen. Navigating through the phone's menu was on the slow side. It had Bluetooth which I didn't realize at the time. According to Wikipedia, this was Sony Ericsson's first color screen phone Vodafone/Sharp GX10i - this was dubbed the "Beckham" phone as he was heavily featured in TV ads. My first flip phone as well as first camera phone. With polyphonic ring tones! Motorola V360 - first mobile when working in the US. Nothing fancy. Good solid phone. M...

Here's a map showing the places visited by Wendy and I. Create your own travel map or travel blog Find the best vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

Chris and I showed up at the Mitcham Hotel yesterday to check out the Guitar Hero competition held there. The format is 10 weeks of heats, followed by local finals then finally to the Victorian Final. Winner of the local final wins a xbox 360 and a real guitar, while the Vic winner get $5,000. We decided to compete on Hard difficulty, playing "When You Were Young" by The Killers. The volume on Guitar Hero 3 was too soft so we couldn't hear the music and the rhyme, and were placed 3rd and 4th last when we left early to practice at home :) Maybe we'll try again next week!

Went up to Mt Buller last Sunday for a snowboarding day trip with Chris. Snow conditions were pretty good (almost 130 cm depth) but the prices are steep. Let's see... Entry fee: $32 (wtf is this?) 1-day Lift ticket: $94 Season pass: over $1,000 (WTF?!? Compare this to $200 to $300 at Lake Tahoe resorts) It turns out Aussie ski resorts are among the most expensive in the world, with Buller, Hotham, Falls Creek etc. in the top-10 most expensive list. Resort operators blame in a economy-of-scale and the short season, which I suppose makes sense. If that's the case, how can resorts in New Zealand be cheaper than Australia? I smell a ripoff here. The facilities at Buller are also nowhere near the quality of US resorts...no lockers, no villages, no atmosphere! In saying this, however, Whistler-Blackcomb sets a high standard. Also, there is a lack of decent hotels in the area (hello Westin Whistler, where the hotel lobby is just steps away from the chair lift). Chris was keen to show...

Carson organized a session with the Melbourne International Shooting Club today for 2 hours of instructions and practice with air pistols, .22 revolvers and .38 revolvers. Started off with air pistols with pellets, which requires a one-hand grip and perpendicular stance. The kickback is minimal but it's not easy to get a good aim with only one hand. We moved onto .22 and .38 Smith & Wesson revolvers. Both can be gripped with 1 or 2 hands (I used 2 hands for steady aim) with a front-on stance. The kickback was stronger, but most people had better accuracy over the air pistols. Good fun, and might consider membership for $300/year in the future. Trying out the air pistol...I prefer the revolvers better. Instructor demonstrating on gripping the revolver That hits the spot! Up close and personal with the .38 revolver We killed the target backboard! Wendy, Nat & Ange

Been a bit slack in updating the blog, so this entry is kinda lengthy. We've been doing a bit of traveling along the West Coast before going back to Melbourne, including south (Tijuana) and north (Vancouver) of the border. Within the US, we visited SF and LA. The funny thing is that we are only doing the LA "tourist" stuff when we're leaving. Like a lot of people, we tend to take things for granted of the local attractions when we live in the area. It's only when you are leaving that you take time to look around. City of Angels Pink's Finally checked out Pink's on Melrose and La Brea. Pink's has been around since 1939 (it used to sell for $0.10) and is an institution around here. We ended up queuing for 50 minutes before placing our orders. The famous chili dogs were kinda average and weren't really worth the time. Pink's Hot Dogs Outside Pink's, with hordes of people lining up for the quintessential LA "taste" Hollywood Sign The...

Been back in Melbourne for a week, and here are my observations: An increase in the number of my Asian brothers from India Melbourne Central shopping mall is new and improved, with better design A lot of new constructions are completed (e.g. Southern Cross station) or underway (e.g. Eastlink tollway) Broadband internet is still expensive and priced by capacity, rather than speed The flies are as annoying as ever (sticks to your face) Summer is hotter than SoCal's I've missed the Rose Bowl (USC thrashed Illinois, as usual) and the NBA (Bulls are playing a bit better, after Paxson made a scapegoat of Skiles by firing him on Christmas Eve). Bring on the NFL Playoffs this weekend - go Chargers.

Wendy and I have decided to return to Melbourne for good, and will be returning in early March!

Having spent 3+ years in L.A. and not attending a Lakers game, I figured it was time to go. And what better opposing team to see than the Bulls (I followed them since the 1990s). Chicago was in town for a double header versus the Clippers and Lakers this past weekend. I picked the Lakers game to see both Kobe (the MJ apparent) and Bulls. Staples Center is a nice, modern facility with decently priced food (I had $8.50 pasta, and expected higher prices). Parking was a hassle as the LA Motor Show was on next door at the Convention Center, and the American Music Awards was at the Nokia Theater. Celebs Note: Mel Gibson and Ellen Pompeo (from that chicks show - Gray's Anatomy) were courtside at the game. Lakers championships banners (and retired jerseys) About to tip-off Outside Staples Center before the game