Christmas Present to Myself...

Was counting the days when I'll be returning the old tablet to the Division... the tablet that has followed me so closely that it almost have the same amount of wake-up time as I do these 3 years... (oh yes, I stretch its lifespan(?) - ok, call me a slave(?) driver... er... of this tablet... hahaha...) In fact, this is my #3 'boyfriend'... hahaha....

#1 was a DELL Latitude notebook (black) - which was bought when mp1 rolled out... every EO enjoyed a rebate of, I think, about $500 for any PC or notebook they bought... That was a rather attractive deal at that time! It was a novelty to own a notebook in those days (in 1997). Oh yes, it followed me to the school for at least once a week (though I had a desktop to use then). Well, the school notebook stayed at the office most of the time... except days when working on presentations then it got a chance 'come home' with me...

#2 was COMPAQ Presario notebook (silver) - a bargain when signed up for an insurance policy... yes, another good deal at that time 'cos such offers were not common in the early 2000s. It was in end-2002, I think... yeap... It weathered humid Singapore weather and the extreme cold in Bhutan... indeed, it served me very well... Thanks to it that I could keep in touch with the world while physically in an almost unreachable place! Yes, many of my Bhutanese students eyed for this notebook - some even offered to buy... Hahaha... it's one of those with high sentimental values!

#3 is the one currently in use - FUJITSU Lifebook T series. It came when the #2 was in semi-retirement stage. However, it followed me closely because of work... Yes, with some client-based software, I was 'stuck' to it... in order to access those applications. One of them is email, another is the resources and files in the intranet. For 3 years, be it work day, public holidays or weekends, it starts its day at home... Well, after 3 years... think it's almost "times-up" for it... its fan had started singing since July... well... "Thumbs-up" for #3... It has served me well...

Here's my #4... a white cool tablet... white Fujitsu Lifebook (T1010). The buy is driven by needs... to fill in the period before the school portable comes in... thought it's time to buy one for personal use... in fact, if I were to count the years since I last bought the notebook, it was almost 10 years... so, quite reasonable to invest one now...

The choice... To get a MacPro or a PC... that was something hanging out there for a while... Oh yes, Mac comes into the picture as I see more and more people are using one... However, thinking that we might be using one in the near future... and Mac doesn't come with the inking feature... so, quite quickly, decided on a tablet. Of course, that made life much easier... 'cos not that many brands offer tablets! Left with 3 notable ones - Fujitsu, HP and Toshiba... partly because have been using a Fujitsu in the past 3 years... and it's made in Japan (ah! it's one of the selling point)... so, decided Fujitsu... One intersting fact that I was not aware till asked the salesperson - the price of Fujitsu tablets are fixed... except any free gifts that the company comes with it... so, it even made life easier... It took a total of 5 hours - from the 1st call to enquire to bring it home (with everything installed)! Swift... isn't it?

Christmas Village at Plaza Singapura

Passed by Plaza Singapura and saw the "Christmas Village"... a very visual way to tell story... Went into that 'enclosure'... first things that caught my eyes were not the characters... but the sheep everywhere! Ah! reminded me of Australia! Hahha...

Then the pictures, the story... but halfway, realised that I was 'visiting' the story from end (Ah! start with an end in mind???)

It's the first time... probably because of the setting and the way the characters were presented (of course, the sheep plays a part), felt the Christmas story so muslim-like.... hm.... that reminded me of another thing... no wonder there were claims that background of the 2 religions are somehow related...

It's Christmas time...

It's once again, the once-a-year affair... Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

It's time to catch-up with friends again! Ah! with additional flavour to it... for that personal touch, handwritten card is still the best, I think... Nowadays, there are fewer reasons to go to the post office to buy and stick stamps on envelopes! Technology has closed the distances between mankind! Oh! It's so far, yet so near... ah! An email will reach within split seconds! Ah! Will the postman be out of job very soon?

Hm... As mentioned in a recent the Facebook's status updates - I enjoy sticking stamps on envelopes... ok, its therapeutic... more importantly, the emotion, the feel's different, it's like counting and sending out every well wishes to each and every individual... with that touch... how gingerly the stamp is stuck at that corner... the name and address are written... it matters! Haha...

Of course, not forgetting the electronic version... for those that I do not have the snail mail address... Thanks to technology here... without you... warm wishes will not be able to reach out these friends...

Was chatting with a friend just after the clock struck 12... It's Christmas! There she shared the meaning of Christmas... In John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life". Hence, it is important that while celebrating Christmas through catching up with friends, it is also good to look at the sky and see if you can see and feel God looking and loving you above."

Oh yes, showing appreciation and gratitude is important... the kind of good feeling generated - to the receiver and the giver... are simply unable to described with words... it's more than good, as it comes with love and care... ah! It could just melt one's heart, making the world a better place to live... Usually, we'll hear Salvation Army bells ringing outside shopping malls to remind people it's "giving time"... Nevertheless, if we step back and look at it... if we were to only associate giving and caring in Christmas... how about the rest of the 364 days in the year? Aren't we a bit stingy? Perhaps the ideal is working towards to every day being a Christmas day? Filled with the spirit of Christmas?

Cheers! Merry Christmas!