I watch the shutters go down. For quite some time yet or maybe for the last time ever.

Change is something not very welcome by many. Change is something that people will pray so hard will never happen especially when they're happy in the state they're in. It is however inevitable that it will happen. What matters is the joy, the laughter, the shared experiences that came before.

Because there is no choice than to accept change, people move on. From the places they used to like to work in, from great hawker stalls they used to patronise, from people they used to care with all their heart, from objects they used to love so dearly as children.

I have to move on, but I'll never forget how things were before they had to change.

Ok, I'm just a little tired of using any brain juices for any sensible entries but I'm guessing some of u friends come here to look at what I have to say about some phones, so here goes.

Nokia seems to be picking up form again, with the release of 6021, 6820 and N80 within the past year or so. They've just released the 6131 clamshell, which may be good for people wanting something in between the camera-less 6021 and the 2 megapixel 6820 smartphone.



Highlights:
-240x320 pixel 2.2" 16 million colours internal display, 262k colours external display. don't be fooled to think there's a gigantic difference between 16M and 262k, cos you may not be able to tell it. the resolution will be great though.
-microSD memory expansion (hot-swappable, but back cover must be opened to access slot)
-1.3 megapixel camera, 8x digital zoom, no flash
-speedy series 40 interface
-quad-band (usable almost anywhere even if you're on holiday or work trips)
-button on right side of hinge to open flip (panasonic style)
-FM, MP3 player
-speakerphone
-large, simple keypad for easy sms-ing
-GPRS, EDGE (not in singapore), bluetooth, java, infrared, push to talk (available in all nokia phones from mid level up)
-flight mode that switches off GSM radio but allows other features like MP3 players to be used in places where it is recommended that phones should not be turned on
-92 x 48 x 20 mm, 102grams
-$475 without contract (could go down soon)

So it's more expensive than a Sony Ericsson K750i now and the camera should be some way off, but it's not like anyone uses the phone as a proper digital camera. Anyway, the display is what you look at much more often, and this is where the 6131 excels. So for SE refuseniks who think the K750i has been on shelves too long already, this could soon make a good alternative.

The Motorola RAZR V3 really started something in 2004. Being the oldest phone still on the shelves now, the one with the most dramatic price drop since launch (the special first edition packages cost over $1.4k then), and the one that started Motorola's current one model in many different colours strategy, it has inspired a slew of other slim phones that will flood the market this year. Below are some of the more significant ones.


Slimmest phone in the world
Redefine anorexic. If 66 grams and 2 megapixel camera haven't amazed you yet, the thickness of this thing is just 6.9mm. And except for the lack of memory expansion options, packs as much features as any other Samsung mobile phone now. Ladies, start saving up.


Slimmest 3G phone
This one should see the daylight. Samsung's Z150 measures 117 by 46 by 9.8mm and comes packed with a VGA camera, bluetooth, and 1.9" 18 bit screen.


Slimmest with QWERTY keyboard
Fans of mobile email will have slim choices very soon. The Samsung i320 and Motorola Q will show that 'busy executive' and 'sexy gadget' aren't mutually exclusive anymore. The i320 and Q both measure 11.5mm at the depth, and both comes with the new Windows Mobile 5 OS. Throw in a 1.3megapixel camera as well. Overall the Samsung is shorter and skinnier. There is however no guarantee that both will reach our shores. Samsung has a habit of not releasing much of its show phones, and the Motorola hasn't confirmed a version for GSM markets yet.


Slimmest 4 megapixel camera phone
VK Mobile may be unheard of in Singapore but until quite recently they had the slimmest phone in production. Now the tiny 2200 comes packed with a huge punch: 4 megapixel camera. 97.8 by 49.5 by 12.5mm, weighs 74g, has 128MB non expandable memory and 260k colour TFT display. Interested? Hop over to Malaysia to get one when it's launched in a few months.


Shortest slim phone
I've covered the Samsung P300 before and yes, it is still the slimmest production phone at 8.9mm thick. So owners who shelled out big money for this oh-so-cool looking device, don't worry, you still have a few months of bragging rights before the X820 arrives. But even till then, you can still argue that at 86mm long, it is still the shortest production phone available in Singapore.


Skinniest slim phone
Many slim phones have girths hovering around 50mm, but BenQ-Siemens' S68 and Nokia's E50 refuses the follow the trend at 44mm around the waist. The BenQ-Siemens is a basic but classy looking mobile that comes without a camera, while the Nokia's model, aimed at executives will ship with 1.3 megapixel camera, Symbian OS and quadband compatibility. The S68 is at 13.2mm thick, while E50 comes in at 15.5mm.


Slimmest rugged phone
At 18mm thick it may be pushing it a little to call it really slim, but for one that protects its innards from water splashes and dust, that figure is quite impressive. The Nokia 5500 Sport is finished in stainless steel and rubber grips. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot and Symbian smartphone OS. Should arrive next quarter.


Slimmest music player-phone hybrid
Yes, I can't do any feature without mentioning Sony Ericsson. But if you think about it, 4GB in a phone 15mm thick is pretty amazing. It doesn't come with a camera, but the Walkman interface now supports album art like a proper MP3 player, uses more stable flash memory instead of a hard disk, can be touchscreen operated and is a Symbian smartphone. Sony Ericsson W950 will ship by next quarter.


Slimmest clamshell phone
NEC's n412i was launched several months ago. It remains the thinnest clamshell of all at 11.9mm thick. The battery may be non removable like an iPod, but it does have nice features like bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera and imode. Available at Starhub shops.


Cheapest slim phone
Motorola's L series candybars comes in 3 specs. L2 comes with a (poor by today's standards) CSTN 65k colour display, java (standard feature in almost all phones by now) and bluetooth. Other than that it's a basic call and sms device. L6 throws in a VGA camera module on top of the L2 feature set. The flagship L7 features a metallic body, 262k colour TFT display, transflash memory expansion but still a VGA camera. All measure 113 by 49 by 11mm. The L7 is priced at $88 with a 2 year contract at Singtel this week.

Other notable slim phones



Samsung Z540: slimmest 3G handset in Singapore (14.9mm), 1.3 megapixel camera, available now
Samsung D520: 15.9mm thick version of the fatter D500, available now
BenQ-Siemens EL71: 16.5mm slim slider, 240x320 pixel 18bit colour display (by far the best any Siemens user has ever seen), micoSD memory expansion, available from next month
BenQ-Siemens EF81: 15.9mm slim 3G clamshell, 2 megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion, 2.2 inch version of EL71 display, available now
BenQ-Siemens S81: 13mm slim 3G candybar, 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD memory expansion, coming soon
Motorola V3i: 98 x 53 x 13.9mm, 1.23 megapixel camera, iTunes, transflash memory expansion, available now
LG KG800 Chocolate: 15.2mm thick, Olympus m:robe style touch sensitive scrolling, 1.3 megapixel camera, should come soon
LG KG320: 95 x 46 x 9.9mm, 73 grams, 1.3 megapixel camera, 128MB memory (KG800 also), status unknown
Sony Ericsson M600: 15mm thick, touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, symbian os, coming soon

Samsung's D820 was left out on purpose. Cos it's ugly. Ha.

Was in KL over the weekend for a short getaway, and just when I thought there would be nothing too interesting to note in another city area just several kilometers away, I found something.

Behold, the entrance to ground level toilets in Suria KLCC (the mall adjacent to Petronas Twin Towers) costs RM2! Although my initial thoughts were 'are you nuts?', I just wanted to see what kind of washroom charges almost $1 per entry.

You pay, and will be given this wet tissue and an 'admission ticket'. I'm actually still rather curious about the point of the ticket. Well anyhows it's not especially roomy. An attendant greets you upon entry. The urinals and WCs had automated flush systems (it should be noted that less than half of the loos I visited there were manual ones, so that's something to shout about). The sink area had 2 big scented candles, body mist and body lotion from Body Shop and automatic sensor equipped taps that requires you to go near the sensor both for beginning and ending of operation, which is unlike the ones in Singapore that runs as long as your hands within range of the sensor.

Cool thing, but a little more opulence in the decor will reflect the price better. Anyway it's a fantastic move. Every new visitor to the mall will be curious to visit a toilet that costs RM2 per entry just to check it out.

Last week I made an appointment at the medical centre to have my er.. checkup before ORD. I wanted to wait on that day but they wanted to have my name written on specific date and time. So I did.

So today morning I made my way to Tuas. They gave me a number, asked me to sit down and wait. I waited for an hour! I'm sorry but have they taken a look in the dictionary to see what the word 'appointment' meant? It definitely does not mean 'date to come back and wait all over again'. What is the point of making me arrange a date and time, Then make me wait an hour? Can they not have made me wait when I stepped in last week so that I could've saved almost $5 to travel to and from Tuas? It's freaking dumb.

IT's FREAKING DUMB.

Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant

Location: Parco Bugis Junction Level 2

Competitors: Crystal Jade La Mian & Xiao Long Bao, Ding Tai Fung, Ma Lan La Mian

Décor: 6
Typical Chinese restaurant design. Not tremendously spacious as well.

Service: 2
Most of the servers looked tired, worn, whatever. And if you've never seen a service staff drag his feet, go see how sloppy it is for yourself. We were not exactly shown to our seats too. The 'captain' (I so assumed cos he was wearing something different from everyone else) simply said 'inside please'. No other waiter took over to show us our table. Horrible.

Food: 5
Most important thing, the Xiao Long Bao. The regular one wasn't too good, but throw some crab into the equation and it turns good. Slightly interesting dish in the form of toufu and a teeny bit of crab roe in deep fried spring roll skin. Unfortunately, it didn't taste any better than average. Shanghainese Spicy & Sour Soup was not spicy at all, and it's way too watery. Shanghainese Fried Rice was quite pathetic. Plainly rice fried with egg.

Value: 5.5
Half a dozen Xiao Long Baos cost $6. Half a dozen of the crab-fied version sets you back an extra 3 bucks. Horrible soup, around $6. Poor fried rice at $7. Granted not excessively expensive, but for that quality, poor value.

In essence, don't bother. Admittedly, it's main dish the Xiao Long Bao is better than the worst of the varying standards of Crystal Jade outlets but at the end of the day the name is simply too under-established to be offering sub-standard food.