This review had been promised weeks ago, but couldn't really bring myself to write it up. So at last, here is my review of the LG GD900 (Crystal) phone.



First and foremost, it is very much a fashion phone. The key selling point of the phone is, of course, the fact that the keypad is transparent. The clear plastic is touch sensitive, as is the main display. Still not completely sure about the technology that drives it, but my money's on sensors along the outside of the keypad. Details aside, it does make quite the impression. Even when I knew what to expect, it definitely still has a 'wow' factor to it. Or in my case, 'daaaaayum'.



The OS that comes with the phone isn't, unfortunately, Android, but instead it's shipped with LG's own S-Class UI. It's not too terrible to use, but there are some issues with it. Had to hard-restart the phone once when it froze by pulling the battery out, and the OS rebooted itself twice. Not a very good track record, but I'm more or less used to malfunctions in almost anything I own by now, so it wasn't much of a shock. A bit disappointing, though. There are a lot of other things in the UI that make my mobile life (hah!) a lot easier.

It took a while to get used to the touch screen, too. I frequently state that my fat fingers and touch screens do not get along, especially with the iPod Touch. After almost a month of using it, I've gotten used to it, though. I actually don't use the keypad as much, except when using the browser. The keypad can be used to control the mouse in the browser, which is amazing for text links in web pages. The browser is a hacked-up Opera, I think, which isn't too bad. The only thing about the browser that I really dislike is the fact that clearing the history and cache doesn't clear the list of recently entered URLs. They might want to work on that one.

Another big issue that I've had (that apparently nobody else has had because Google couldn't find any answers) is with the email app. POP3 was a no-go, so tried IMAP with Gmail. That also wasn't very good. Apparently there is a 300 message cap, and from those, it crawls from earliest first. The app also doesn't fetch all 300 earliest messages, so right now I'm stuck with 196 messages all the way from 2005 (and one that somehow shows up as being received in 2015). For now, will have to stick with browser Gmail.

There's a dedicated Google section of the phone as well with shortcuts to Maps the Java app, Gmail, Blogger, Youtube, and Search. The only thing that falls short is Maps, but that may be an issue with the Java app itself. Hopefully they'll release a new version that I can test out. Not like it matters much, since the GD900 doesn't have GPS anyway.

The sound on it is quite good. I can actually hear it outdoors in a crowd when I turn on the Outdoor sound profile setting. The batteries are also quite impressive, but that may just be because it's new. Above all that, though, is the fact that the GD900 can actually get reception (full bars!) in my basement room. If that isn't impressive, I don't know what is.

All that's really left now is for Canadian mobile providers to stop being jerks and lower their prices already. That's unlikely though, because Canadians are too nice or can't be arsed enough to bother arguing to the people who matter. I'm no exception to that. Damn our politeness. Please.

Clash of the titans!



And the plot thickens...

Scotiabank sponsors an event called Nuit Blanche every year (not sure how many years it's been going on, though). Quoted straight from the site, it is 'a free all-night contemporary art thing'. There are a bunch of art 'exhibits' that are put up all over downtown Toronto, and the events begin at 6:55 pm and go all the way until sunrise, or something like that.

So friend called and asked if I wanted to go last-minute, and since it is a once-a-year event, decided to check it out. The crowds were pretty crazy. Needless to say, any food and beverage shops open yesterday probably raked in the profits, especially coffee shops. The subways were also open all night (until Eglinton station, anyway) and there were special night passes for the event.

After parking at Eglinton, we took the subway down to Bloor and walked down, because the programme claimed that there were exhibits all along that area. Well, walking all the way down to Dundas, we really saw nothing. The first thing we saw was in the Eaton Centre itself. I felt a little lied to. Anyway, there was this giant silver inflated helium rabbit inside the EC (the only thing I liked enough for a picture, actually -- will add that once I find my MicroSD adapter). Once out of there, grabbed some programmes and then went to walk around a bit. Ran into a couple other friends before carrying on. I underestimated the number of people who went. Hah.

The rest of the evening was just walking around looking for various exhibits. Ones of note (or the only ones I can remember) included a light show with the CN Tower lights set to this music mix (I quite liked it but it was pretty normal, considering the CN Tower lights are always there...), a bunch of 'celebrities' and rich people playing Monopoly... with real money, an alley with a bunch of inflated garbage bags (yes, this was the exhibit...we checked), a choir that made very strange noises, a puddle of 80-proof vodka filled with coins that people had tossed in, and blindfolded wrestling (highly amusing albeit quite fake).

Not surprisingly, passed by a large number of people in various states of inebriation, as well as a large number of (younger) people in various states of...well, being high. Guess it would be a good night to be in a different state of mind. I'm sure even the alley of inflated garbage bags would look quite different had I been drunk as well.

So, uh... Bought a new cell phone. The guilt immediately after was quite overwhelming, but I figure I have enough to buy one expensive toy per work term so... This time it was a phone.

My current Samsung SGH-E870 was bought in January, 2007, so it's almost 3 years old now. At the time, it cost around $360 including shipping from Hong Kong. Suppose that's not so bad, considering it's lasted me this long. Lately the battery has been dying quite badly, though. The max lifespan has decreased by at least half since I arrived in Ontario. Recently was informed that this may actually be due to the fact that there is no reception in my basement room and the phone exhausts itself by trying to find even a smidgen of a network connection. Either way, there are other things dying on it, such as the 3 key and the fact that the top flip screen wobbles and squeaks when I press buttons. And the general reception has always been sub-par. This could be just me being picky.

Will discuss the new phone once it arrives and can be fully tested. This one was much more expensive, but it does have a lot more features going for it, including Wifi and 3G. Hopefully that will help me justify its extravagant price tag...even if I did get it for quite a lot cheaper than the standard store price.

And it's super-shiny!

Two movies in one day is probably not the best idea. But we managed somehow.

Originally had planned to meet up with some buddies for a movie, bowling, and dinner, but the bowling was soon scrapped since none of us were interested... Anyway, so we went and watched Inglourious Basterds, which I found oddly long for no reason. It seemed like not too much happened in a bunch of scenes. The cinematography was great, though, despite it.

It just seemed that things could really have been sped up a little without losing anything in terms of the movie itself. Parts of it were funny, some were Tarantino, some were just plain...wordy. The feel and mood was set very well, though, especially with the mismatched opening credit styles, and the 'Chapters' dividing the movie into smaller parts. Overall, not bad, but not great, either.

After dinner at a Boston Pizza, we then went to another theater (AMC is surprisingly more expensive than Cineplex, with smaller screen sizes) to watch District 9. Since they're not showing it in most theaters anymore, and one buddy really wanted to see it before that happened, we went along for the ride. Enjoyed this movie quite a lot, actually. It's definitely different in style, from the whole 'documentary'-esque interviews of 'notable' people, to the often shaky camera angles. Not to mention, it wasn't too bad in terms of the story. A little predictable, I suppose, but still good. A lot of interesting takes, if you think about it, on society and people and patterns of behaviour and all that great wordy stuff.

I'm told the graphics were done in Vancouver, but sadly, they really weren't anything to write home about, so that was a big let-down. At least the rest was enjoyable, though.

Not sure if it was because of the two movies in a day or my oncoming cold, but had a huge headache after the second movie. Could be the constant exposure to massive sound systems or something. Seems like I'm getting weak... =(

Back in Ontario. Those three weeks went by way too quickly. I may have spent a lot of days just sitting at home, but dammit, it felt good anyway.

The move-in was exceptionally fast this time, somehow. After moving so frequently, it becomes something like a habit. Linus may take a lot longer to get used to it, though.

The new place is not bad. Not the best, but not bad. The bedroom is very large, which is awesome. The bathroom is a bit sketchy, but it's bearable, I suppose. Kitchen is sub-par, however. There is no stove so they have a set of hotplates, which it was determined today are insufficient for properly boiling water. Might have to go and buy one of those crappy portable camping elements or something. It took a good 20 minutes at least to get any sort of bubbling in the water, too.

There are 4 other students renting rooms around, but unlike the last place, the house is much bigger so it's not so bad. One of them even works at the same place so that'll be cool, I suppose. Will have to ask him tomorrow which bus route he takes to get to work. As it stands, it looks like I'll have to walk a bit to get there, either way, which I suppose isn't the end of the world. It'll just suck when it gets cold and if it starts snowing in December.

Work starts on the 10th so that leaves me tomorrow to bum around a bit longer. Will be taking a test bus trip to see exactly how long it takes. Still debating getting a bus pass.

And speaking of transit, I hear the removal of the #351 by Translink is proving to be quite a pain in the ass for a lot of people (though plenty seem to also disagree and claim it's a much better alternative).

Clearly they need to review this better before taking out one of the most frequently used bus lines in the Lower Mainland. After having to ride the TTC during peak hours in the mornings and afternoons, it's no picnic. I would definitely not want something like that on the Skytrain, especially when a much faster alternative was previously available.

To continue the trend of the constant Japanese restaurant hopping, today we went to Guu with Garlic, or otherwise known as the one on Robson St. Thankfully we'd made reservations yesterday, because the lineup accumulated very quickly.

Sat down and immediately discovered that it's quite loud. Not that the music was loud, or the diners, but the servers and chefs. Similar to Zakkushi, the entire staff greets the customers as they come in, but the servers also shout all the orders to the cooking staff in loud Japanese.

Also similarly to Zakkushi, Guu is something like a tapas place. There's a selection of different appetizer-type dishes that you can choose from. We got quite a few of them and shared everything. The beef carpaccio, tuna tataki, and okonomiyaki stood out most for me. Also good were the ebi mayo, the croquette, and the takoyaki. For dessert, we had the special pear cheesecake, which was quite good, although the cheesecake itself seemed suspiciously store-bought. Regardless, it was tasty.

Prices were pretty fair, if a little on the high end. Altogether, it came out to about $20 per person, for 5 people. Not too bad, although a little strange considering it's a bunch of smaller appetizer-sized dishes. Overall, quite an interesting experience. In the end, I think I preferred Zakkushi, though.

After having all that Japanese food yesterday, went out and had even more today. It wasn't intentional. It just so happened that one of the highly recommended places was Japanese.

Today we went to a place called Zakkushi, a Japanese charcoal-grill place. Basically, they offer a selection of skewers that are selected individually (or they have a set option). They've also got some main dishes that are different from the usual fare at Japanese restaurants around here. Though we didn't get to try those, it'll be worth a try some other time.

Another thing of note was the bathrooms. Call me weird for writing about the bathroom of a restaurant, but the bathroom is just as much a part of the restaurant as the rest of it. Sort of. Anyway, it's really crazy. They've got this crazy miniature fountain, and the tap of the sink is actually a bamboo (fake?) spout from the fountain. Photos will be added once I install my card reader drivers.

Overall, it was quite tasty, and the decor was definitely top notch. The entire staff was also very friendly, and quite enthusiastic. One of the servers would notify the other staff, and they would all then exuberantly greet guests as they came and left. All in all, a good experience (minus the bill but that's our problem, I suppose). Planning to go back again soon and hopefully will try some of the main dishes.

Today, as most Vancouverites are well aware, was the grand opening of the Canada Line of the Skytrain. For the more unaware, it now connects Richmond Centre and YVR airport to the rest of the Skytrain system, all in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. According to the site, it takes about 25-26 minutes to get from Richmond Centre/YVR airport to the Waterfront, which is quite impressive indeed. Then again, the part that actually takes people to the Waterfront isn't new.

There was purported to be a large selection of festivities to celebrate the grand opening. From the looks of it, it definitely looked like something to check out.

But alas, upon arrival, it was discovered that the lines were just too ridiculously long. We arrived at around 3:00pm, still during the (working) day. But the line went all the way outside, around a bit, and down the way. Shouldn't people be working at this time?

We didn't really consider standing in line for that long worth a couple free rides on the Skytrain, because let's face it, it's sure as heck not going anywhere. Not to mention, I was pressed for time with a dinner appointment at 5:00 pm.

After deciding to come back next week, we proceeded to go to Tenku, a small food stand in the middle of some parking lot. It was quite sketch, to be honest. They serve something called bakudanyaki, a fried...something or other purportedly from Japan.



It looks like a baseball-sized takoyaki with extra filling to me. It was pretty good, but it wasn't outstanding. Mostly it's the novelty about it.

So we didn't get to go on the Canada Line for opening day (for free!), but I think the bakutanyaki was better than waiting in line in the sun for sitting on a Skytrain. That's just me, though.

After a tumultuous term, it's finally over, yet again. Now all that's left is hoping that it's over for good, and that I won't have to do it all over again.

If there was anything I learned this term, it's how to solve a Rubik's cube. And how much sleep-dep my body can take, along with caffeination. It's a dangerous habit, I know, but studying really wasn't my priority this term. Or, in a way it was, but I was just at a new minimum in terms of motivation.

Only a few more days until the results are out, and the course of my future is determined. HOO-ruh!