The Walkman Z Series looks and feels like a mobile phone, being similar to the Xperia models that are currently in the market. No surprises for the Walkman Z Series to adopt Android. However, it does not come with a built in camera, thus, this device can be brought into camera restricted areas. Now, isn’t that awesome?

Weighing in at 165g, it does not feel a tad too heavy in the palm, rather, resting snugly with its weight evenly distributed throughout the device, making it comfortable to fiddle around with the Sony Walkman.

Apart from the crisp and smooth music playback in my brief encounter with the Sony Walkman, I am also quite happy to be able to use it as an entertainment all in one gadget, like downloading games, apps, as well as storing music and movies for my playback pleasure. The storage capacity’s at 16 GB, which I might find myself running out of space in a short period of time.

Its also WIFI and Bluetooth compatible, so hooking it up to other devices would not a pain. Do you know that you could enjoy approx. 20 hours of continuous audio playback, and appro. 5 hours for movie playback?

My encounter with the device is thus too short for my liking and ability to give you (my dear readers) a detailed review of the Sony Walkman Z Series. However, for first impressions, I am quite pleased with the audio quality, and not to forget the beautiful 4.3 inch anti-reflective LCD screen, which makes the colors appear vivid on the screen.

I hope to be able to review it soon, so as to gain a better idea of what the Sony Walkman Z Series is truly capable of, and share these information with you.

The Walkman Z1050 Mobile Entertainment Player (photo featured in this blog post) comes with a 16GB capacity and will retail at $429.00.

Nicole

Came across this clip of the late Teresa Hsu, and admired how she reached out, helping the less fortunate.

It’s one of my favorite videos in my Youtube playlist.

I hope you enjoy it too.

Nicole

Lately, many thoughts surfaced, some of which are pleasant, while others served to be being destructive to my soul. As they say, shit happens, and its on some of these days where it becomes a little harder to rein in those thoughts and have it dumped somewhere else.

I don’t know where to begin looking at the long and tough journey that I been through, much less pen it down on this blog. Though this deed has to be done someday, somehow because it is what I went through, and no amount of intended forgetfulness would drown this memory into the depths of a black hole.

I have many to thank… to God, Family, Boyfriend, Friends… for they have been understanding, caring, loving and always looking out for me. It would have been way tougher without them.

At times, its overwhelming to handle all that load of emotions, but on the flip side, it tells me that I’m being only human, and experiencing a whole spectrum of emotions may not always be a bad thing, at least, I would understand and experience what it feels like, and how I’m reacting to it. At the end of it, I walk out knowing myself a little better each time.

Each time, I look at the skies and smiled. Sounds crazy? Perhaps. That’s just me – giving my thanks silently to Him.

Nicole

Life is unpredictable.

I never imagined I would someday step upon the path to be a social worker… and that was like a year or two back then. Fast forward today, I am now working in a Voluntary Welfare Organization (VWO), reaching out to families with children in special needs.

It is a humbling journey thus far, learning something new every time I go about in my work daily, and learning to best manage work and leisure without feeling burnt out. Now that, is something I never manage to achieve in my past jobs.

Its not a bed of roses in this never-ending journey, for I am still finding my bearings and learning the knowledge and skills needed in this line of work. One thing is for sure, my perception towards life has taken a whole new meaning entirely.

Nicole

With many thanks to TLC and Canon, I met Mr Wright himself, and had a very interesting dinner, with each dish inspired by the countries that he visited. Chef Justin Quek was the man behind the menu, and it certainly whet my appetite.

Before I show you the pretty and delicious food, let me first show you how truly gorgeous the view from Sky 57, Marina Bay Sands.

It was a feast for the eyes, senses and not to mention the feel good feeling of being able to taste such a delectable meal. Each dish is inspired from Ian Wright’s travel to different countries, and being fused into food is indeed a feat not many would be able to achieve.

Once again, thank you Canon, TLC, for the lovely invitation.

Nicole

PS: This is a really late post. =X Oops.

I shot a few sample shots from the camera, and finding it quite cumbersome to fiddle with the settings. Not to mention that the CoolPix S6300 do not seem to retain any settings when its switched off. For example, the flash light will automatically fire upon hitting the shutter button, despite having set the settings of the flash light to no flash. Unfortunately, this feature end up ruining most of my test shots.

The above photos shows some of the modes that I explored in the CoolPix S6300. I thought the Soft and Close Up mode look and feels really great.

For a simple point and shoot, the CoolPix S6300 certainly made the job easy for beginners. However, I did not like the user interface very much, as it is hard to navigate and tweak the settings before taking the shot. Also, the camera felt bulky in my hands, and could slip away from my grip anytime. Oops.

Another point to note is that the CoolPix S6300 photos would display and look good on the monitors, but in actual, its very grainy (due to night shots) and won’t look too great on print.

In short, I thought the CoolPix S6300 would be an ideal companion for any beginner starting out in digital photography, but if you are looking for easy to customize and tweak the settings with, you would be looking at other cameras.

Nicole

As most of you have known by now, I’m now working at a VWO (Voluntary Welfare Organization)… and yes, the image above shows the donation draw for this year!

A ticket cost $2.00 and entitles you to a lucky draw.

You can see that most of the prizes are donated by generous sponsor, and that means, you, will stand a chance to win if you purchase the donation ticket.

The following will benefit:
- Association for Persons with Special Needs
- Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore
- St Andrew’s Mission Hospital
- Singapore Association for the Deaf
- Singapore’s Children Society
- Spastic’s Children Association of Singapore

Each booklet contains 10 tickets. I have 10 booklets to be sold, and have sold 1.5 booklets to date.

If you would like to help out for a good cause, drop me an email – nicole.wongyuejun AT gmail DOT com, or alternatively, Facebook/Whatsapp/SMS to arrange a meet up with me!

I will then be able to advise you on how to pass me the money, as well as some personal details like Name, Address, IC and Contact number that I would have to fill it in on the lucky draw portion of the ticket. Oh, and to pass you the donation tickets too!

Thank you!

Nicole

I still recall the days where I could take my own sweet time, idle and wake up at any time of the day as long as it pleases me. The days of being care free with all the time in the world… ah… sweet memories…

I just came back from a trip to Penang with the boyfriend, and we had a blast eating our way through Georgetown as well as having drove around the island. Beautiful moments. I can’t wait to go back there again…for even more food… :p

Alas, coming Monday, I bid farewell to all the care free moments, and get back to work once again. I will report to my new company at 8 am. But the best part is being able to knock off at 5 pm. We will see about that.

I’m still keeping the hopes up of gaining admission into UniSIM.

Ok, excuse me while I get as much rest as I can, and to actually process the photos that I’ve taken on this trip.

PS: Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, so don’t get punked!

It has been a crazy whirl of an emotional ride.

Perhaps the decision to leaving my job was the best present I ever gave to myself. Sure, the lack of income can be frustrating at times, but more importantly, it has given me room to grow, to recover and to love myself even better… The long break has done a lot of wonders for me, and I’m feel ready to embark on the next chapter in April 2012.

I found that I have many things that awaits my attention, and tearing myself away from all the unhappy past works better in my favor, not to mention that I’ve also found things that I love doing. That, to me, is sheer joy. To friends who know of my next move, thank you for your care and concern, and for sharing my joy. To those who don’t, you’re most welcome to ask, with an open mind…

Its almost surreal, to be able to wake up with a rush of joy and contentment, and not feeling the burden… ah, the carefree moments of life… and it’s also the most humbling and eye-opening life lessons learnt ever.

I thought I might just give you a quick low down on what I’ve been up to…as I prepare the blog posts to be published.

It’s been pretty happening, with job interviews to attend, as well as attending events, dinners, and busy occupying myself with plenty of handicraft work or just having taking time off to be alone. Its pretty much therapeutic, and not to mention that it helps my mental well-being very much.

Although things are still working itself out thus far, I am very grateful for the well-wishes and supportive family and friends around me.

I’m still smiling, and I’ve never been this happy.

Ok, I shall keep this piece short as I’ve photographs to work on, as well as getting the blog posts together!

With love,
Nicole

For the sake of remembering the leap year, I shall blog about it.

Actually, nothing much to blog about for leap day la.

Feb 2012 was a roller-coaster of sorts. It was one hell of a ride – good and bad aspects of it… as with all roller-coasters… Suffice to say, it’s also very eye-opening, and humbling as well.

I learned that there is no sure certainty to certain matters in life. The moment’s certainty is in the present state. Beyond that, it is totally out of one’s control.

I’ve also learned to walk away without incurring too much emotional loss when certain elements are not in my favor. Simply not worth my time and energy if the situation is not going to get any better. I could take that elsewhere – where it would be of a benefit to a worthy cause.

Till the next leap day, in 2016. (If the world has not ended)

The Vow
By Malcolm O. Varner

No matter how deep the sadness or wide the pain,
I vow to live for a brighter day will come again.

No matter how many mistakes I’ve made in the past,
I vow to live and in the future avoid them, surefooted and fast.

No matter how many tragedies beyond my control take place,
I vow to live and stay my course within this race.

No matter how poor or rich I may ever be,
I vow to live and aspire to search for the dignity in simplicity.

No matter how much a lover may pierce the inner core of my heart,
I vow to live for like spring I’ll get a new start.

No matter how isolated and alone I may feel,
I vow to live and do something for someone else to heal.

No matter how hopeless my situation my appear,
I vow to live and reflect until my viewpoint is clear.

No matter what happens in this life – good or bad
I vow to live, do my best, and just for living – be glad.

It resonates well within me, and having an extended period of time to rest also allows me to redefine certain fundamentals that I hold so dear to. It’s amazing isn’t it, that life can be seen from so many different perspectives, and that even in the most hopeless situation, there is a glimmer of hope.

With love,
Nicole

Wondering if there are any readers still reading my blog… since I went missing in action for quite a while…

Right now, I’m taking a break from work and is in the midst of job hunting. Truth be told, I am quite enjoying my break, as this gives me more time to think things through and figuring out the next step. Not to mention that the amount of time that I have on my hands these days!

I would say, there are pros and cons of being unemployed… that said, I should just keep working on my long term plans.

Oh yes, I have yet to scribble down my thoughts on some stuff, as well as my Chiang Mai trip with the boyfriend. Stay tuned!

With love,
Nicole

PS: It would be great if you, my dear reader, could leave me a comment or holler! Would appreciate it, as this would give me even more motivation to continue blogging here.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous lunar new year of the dragon!

May the dragon year brings about an overflowing abundance of health, wealth, peace, joy and success in everything you do.

Huat Ah!

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

I never thought I would be able to own it someday, but this was totally made possible thanks to a partial sponsorship from the bf. Its really really nice of him to help me out on this purchase, and also the sister for helping me getting it through her school, which makes the deal worth it.

Fortunately, the learning curve for the Mac isn’t too difficult, but learning other stuff like keyboard shortcuts could be a real pain sometimes. That’s alright, I can learn something new each day!

For the uninitiated, I’ve left the IT industry, and am now focusing pretty much on design, writing, arts, photography etc. But that does not mean I have completely stopped reviewing devices and gadgets, just that I have a whole lot more choices opening up for me.

Work wise, am getting way busier, and learning to cope with it will be a key to help me overcome it in the next few weeks… And yes, I’m happy with where I am now, and learning to work smarter and play harder.

I recently stumbled across some beautiful websites, which I will hope to share it with you real soon!

Nicole