Wow It’s been almost 9 months

Since my last blog entry…. For some reasons I just forgot about blogging and went on doing other things.  I think Plurk probably is the biggest reason why.  Those microblogging stuff really became a replacement of blogging for me, since I am never a person of long articles.  The shorter/faster I can say what I want to say, the better.  But didn’t realize it’s already been 9 months.  One reason I thought about blogging again is because I remembered my new year resolution from last year, and thought I might want to write something about, but it would too long for plurk, so I thought I would try writing something here again.  Another reason is the year-end vacation is coming up, and I have about 2 weeks of free time.  Last half of last year has been pretty interesting, and I thought I would want to reflect a bit on that.  So might write something on that as well….

多災多難的Bluetooth Adapter

確定之前買的bluetooth headset沒問題後， 接下來就是要買USB bluetooth adaptor，這樣才可以在PC上用skype. 本來是要趁著老婆在Amazon上訂貨的時候順便一起買， 結果寄來之後才想到忘了買(倒是買了另外一些雜七雜八的)。 所以禮拜六去涉谷的時候就順手買了一個回來

 

沒想到這是個災難的開始…

先把CD放進去開始裝driver，可是autorun是日文版的。 找了一下就找到裡面有英文版， 直接double-click開始裝。 過了幾秒，  CD-ROM開始有飛機起飛的聲音… 慢慢的越來越大聲， 最後就砰！之後就打不開CD_ROM了

我抱著drive/CD全毀的心情把電腦拆開。 結果發現CD有一截露在外面… 但是CD-ROM沒有開orz。 用力把CD抽出來， 它就變成這樣:

CD是毀了， 不過把CD-ROM裝回去再開機， 居然還可以動… 算我的好狗運。不過driver就沒救了。 最後只好求救google大神， 結果在這裡找到toshiba的PC driver。 死馬當活馬醫，不管上面寫的for toshiba notebooks only，就把它裝起來… 可以用啦！ XDDD

一個5分鐘就可以搞好的bluetooth adapter把我折騰了一個多小時…

中產階級男子漢的浪漫： Acer H243H Monitor

買螢幕的內心戲就沒有那麼多了… 前一個螢幕是5年前在臺灣買的17inch Mozo。 它陪我從臺灣到美國再到日本還是沒有壞。 不過漏光已經有點明顯了。 再加上家裡的電視基本上是從醒來到睡覺前都是開著的，根本沒有時間玩我的Street Fighter IV。 所以就決定要開始研究買新的螢幕。

最基本的功能就是要能接HDMI跟有1920x1080的resolution. 網上晃了一圈之後， 少數的22inch有這兩個功能。 到了24inch選擇就多出很多。 第一選擇當然就是用過的人都說好的Eizo. 它的24inch model有一個符合我的需求， 不過價錢也是很嚇人的100000yen。 再來就是mitsubishi的24inch. 規格跟Eizo差不多， 不過便宜個20000多yen. 最後就是普通的24inch, 像是benq, acer等等， 價錢則落在20000到30000yen左右. 我真的考慮了ezio很久， 不過終究沒辦法說服我自己要用買4個螢幕的錢去買一個螢幕。最後還是把目標放在20000～30000的螢幕

上上個周末，就趁著去秋葉原買搖桿的時候去研究了一些螢幕。Eizo跟Mitsubishi的看起來真的是比較鮮艷， 不過我倒是有點擔心看久了眼睛會不會比較容易酸。意外的是， 比較便宜的品牌看起來也不會輸ezio/mitsubishi多少。  最後的目標就落在Acer H243H這個螢幕。 這臺比benq同等級的貴個幾千yen, 不過用我目測的結果， Acer這臺的顏色跟反應是比benq的好。 跟ezio/mitsubishi比起來， 說真的我感覺不出來有差到3倍多的價錢… 所以上個禮拜趁著網上有特價的時候就把他買回來了…

禮拜天早上就被勤勞的快遞伯伯叫醒拿貨…

拆開來是這個模樣

DVI的output(背景是故意模糊的)

HDMI的output 加搖桿是這樣。 打起來跟大臺的一樣XD

用了快一個禮拜， 畫面沒什麼好complain的。 我買LCD的運氣一直不錯， 都沒有什麼壞點或亮點。 一直覺得HDMI的畫面比DVI清楚， 不過可能是因為一個是PS3,一個是4年前的video card。 還有一個不太適應的地方就是現在的視窗已經可以不用maximize，變成以前開關視窗的習慣都要改。

還有一個說小不小， 說大不大的問題就是這個螢幕好像在辨識HDMI/DVI上有點問題。 如果兩個input都有插著的話， 螢幕只能跳到DVI, 跳不到HDMI， 如果只有一個input的話就沒有問題。  搞不太清楚到底是螢幕有問題， 還是本來設計就是這樣。 這兩天會去問問customer service。

自high的低調：信三郎帆布袋

這幾個月發現出去的時候要帶的東西越來越多。 以前只要手機，皮包加鑰匙放在牛仔褲口袋裡就可以出門， 但是現在已經肥到東西塞不進褲子的口袋除了一般的東西， 有時候還要帶卡夾， 雨傘一些雜七雜八的東西。 之前都是順手放在老婆的包包裡， 不過被老婆抱怨包包太重了幾次之後， 就激起了我用錢解決的決心(?)

所謂用錢解決， 當然就是買一個平常可以用來裝東西的包包。 我的要求就是不要太大， 然後可以單肩背的。 家裡已經有個側背的包包， 不過穿著冬天的大衣還要側背真的很辛苦。 (嗯， 我買東西的藉口還真多)

剛開始當然還是利用google大神跟購物網站來做研究。 我知道的單肩背樣式只有tote bag， 所以也只能從這個樣式找起。 找來找去只有porter這個牌子， 有些我覺得不錯， 可是沒能通過老婆的fashion check. 其他有找到一些外國的牌子， 可是不是太貴， 就是過不了fashion check.  其他的Brand bags 則是完全沒考慮。

就這樣斷斷續續找了一兩個月。有一天在mobile01上逛， 突然看到有人在介紹一澤信三郎的帆布袋。 看到“京都限定”，“職人”，“一生保固”這些字眼就讓我一定要想辦法找一個來看看。 雖然只有在京都賣， 最近他們也開始有郵購服務。 我就先花錢買了它們的目錄。 拿到之後才發現他們是受到單才開始手工做， 最少也到收單之後兩個月才拿的到。 而且目錄上的袋子都是手畫的， 沒有看到真品實在是買不下手。  不過幸運(不幸?!)的是， 信三郎居然第一次要來東京賣! 於是上上個周末， 我就去新宿伊勢丹買了這個回來：

這個是他們網上的B-02型號， 這個顏色對我來講應該是最不低調的低調了。 再亮的顏色我就沒有辦法接受。  雖然不是tote bag， 倒是意外的好背。

 

size雖然沒有很大， 撐起來還是可以裝不少東西。

 

東西沒有很多的時候也不會覺得袋子空空的

用了這個袋子兩個禮拜算是很滿意。 背起來舒服， 又跟別人的不一樣。 再加上有種自high的低調。 算是一個成功的購買

Street Fighter 番外篇： Hori Fighter Stick 3

買了street fighter IV 之後， 馬上就開始打搖桿的主意。 PS3的dual shock也還算可以用， 可是只有4個按鈕實在不夠。 玩了一個晚上， 被很多高手幹掉之後， 更確定我需要一個正統的搖桿才沒有理由可以發揮我真正的實力。

剛開始當然先上網research。看來看去日本好像只有hori有賣大型搖桿，也有出street fighter 專用的搖桿，不過都要10000yen左右， 說貴是有點貴， 可是也沒有到買不下手的地步。 看來看去看了一個禮拜， 也沒有什麼新的資料。 最後就要決定網上下單了。  不幸(?)， hori網上都沒貨了。 其他的amazon， yahoo auction不是賣的貴， 就是怕被騙。 沒有辦法的辦法下， 就決定去秋葉原朝聖一下， 看看會不會撿到什麼好貨。

所以上個禮拜天就去秋葉原走了一圈。意外的是賣大型搖桿店只有一兩家而已。 到了最後只有一個elecom跟一個舊型hori搖桿可以選。 試用了一下， 還是hori的比較好操， 最後就花了4000多yen把它帶回家….

買回來之後當然是每天晚上猛操。 針對Street Fighter而言， 操作性算是不錯。 剛開始需要習慣一下按鈕的位子， 才不會按錯。 搖桿很耐操， 按鈕的反應也OK。 可是集氣的角色用起來不太順， 可能是因為搖桿的底座是方形， 不是圓形的。 整體來講算是滿意。 現在Street Fighter的ranking也到600多分了。 看來must be the joystick.

重溫熱血的青春：Street Fighter IV

說street fighter代表了我的青春真的不為過。 從小學開始我就是個電動迷。 不過從小天性頑劣， 爸媽不讓我玩家徒四壁， 沒有錢買紅白機（最後買的時候被我玩到燒掉）。 所以我的啟蒙遊戲都是自己偷偷出去玩的大臺電玩。 那時候最有印象的就是俄羅斯方塊跟street fighter第一代.  小時候沒有什麼零用錢， 再加上也不怎麼厲害， 每次都是看著別人玩了很久， 自己模擬好了就才敢下場， 就這樣street fighter也被我搓出了很多幾次升龍拳跟氣功， 打敗了Sagat很多次。

升上了國中， 就是念書跟補習。 不過每次晚上去英文補習班的時候， 都會路過幾個電動玩具店。 那時候最熱門的就是street fighter 2.  雖然常常逗留在電動玩具店不過玩到最後還是肉腳一個， 玩不到幾場就被別人挑掉

之後搬到加拿大， 在高中印象最深刻的記憶就是窩在朋友家一起玩saturn的street fighter 2 champion edition. 那時候應該是我技術的高峰期， 可是還是常常被朋友的Ryu痛宰。  大學跟剛開始上班的幾年， 雖然沒有朋友一起玩了， 偶爾逛到arcade的時候， 還是會繳錢玩玩新的Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter III, 之類。 之後有一陣子， Street Fighter一直出一些crossover的game， 可是我都覺得沒有以前street fighter 的味道， 從那時候開始也就慢慢沒有再注意street figher的消息。

去年搬來日本後， 有一天在arcade裡發現了新的street fighter IV， 看起來非常熱血(雖然新的ryu看起來有點呆)。 玩了幾次， 才發現已經完全不會打了， 再加上Street Fighter IV有連線亂入的功能， 玩一兩場就會被挑， 沒有辦法好好練一個角色。 可是當Capcom發表SFIV會出在PS3上的時候， 我就下定決心要把它列入shopping list, 重溫熱血的青春…

決定要買之後， 就把美中日的價錢都拿來研究。 美國的價錢一開始就不列入考慮， 日本原價8000多yen, 可是零售店最便宜有到6700yen左右。 臺灣的日版大概是2500臺幣左右， 但是臺灣有買所謂的亞版， 最便宜有到1900臺幣， 換成日幣大概是6000yen左右。 雖然有便宜一點， 加上運費之後實在沒有省到多少， 再加上要麻煩別人，最後就放棄從臺灣進貨。

不過有句話叫 luck favors the prepared。 上個周末在新宿買完另一個shopping list上的item之後(!)， 順道逛到了一個二手遊戲店。 雖然Street Fighter 4也才出一個禮拜， 居然被我髒到， 買到了一片5000多的二手SF4

玩了一個禮拜 之後， 嗯， 還是很爛 XD， 連最簡單的難度都會被電腦幹掉， 更別說上網對戰了， 不過以一個格鬥遊戲來講， 畫面很棒， 再加上熱血的青春回憶， 真的是個滿分的遊戲

Bluetooth headset的心路歷程 II

網路購物的折磨之一就是按下了購買鍵還是要等貨物送到。 要從美國送到日本更是漫長的等待。 Amazon送貨通知出來以後， 看了一下才發現原來它是從kansas寄來 （之前Amazon買的東西幾乎都是California來的) 光是橫越北美就要一個禮拜， 到了我朋友家再運到日本大概也是兩個禮拜之後的事了。 在等待的時候， 完全都沒有買了東西的滿足感， 所以也就跑去提前完成我的shopping list大業…

Anyways, 在這個禮拜天勤勞的日本郵差伯伯終於送來了：

上面的就是bluetooth handset。質感很好。 下面的case也蠻有趣的：

裡面有一個充電座， 把headset扣上去之後， 再接上一個usb cable就可以從case充電。

剛開始用的時候， 覺得怎麼一直沒辦法塞到耳洞里， 大中小的耳塞都換了一圈之後才發現原來是要放在耳朵， 讓耳塞“塞”在耳朵裡。

使用了一天， 覺得感覺還不錯， 耳朵不會痛， 可是會有快掉出來的感覺(不過很用力的甩頭30秒才掉出來)。聽的算蠻清楚的，不過麥克風倒是還沒用到。 目前算是很滿意， 唯一會扣分的機會大概就是麥克風吧

買bluetooh headset的心路歷程 I

自從開始列出我的shopping list之後， 我才發現我還真的蠻愛"想著"要買東西的。上班太閑 做事太累需要休息的時候， 就是看著自己的shopping list， 然後上網開始做research. 在家有事沒事也是在嚷嚷著要買東西， 到最後還被老婆警告:"不要再講你要買東西了!"　從那之後， 我就很安靜的研究我的shopping list 全破計劃

右邊的Shopping List是會跟據我最新的欲望/需求/research而改變。 當然人算不如天算， 偶爾也是會有突然要買的東西。 我一直以為Street Figher IV 跟 fighter joystick會是我第一個入手的， 不過倒是沒想到第一個買的是bluetooth headset...

3，4年前我就買過一個bluetooth headset. 當時正是我跟老婆的遠距離戀愛的時期。 幸虧那時候有skype， 我們每天可以打給對方。 但是那時候覺得一直坐在電腦前面講電話很累， 想要一個可以自由活動的方法。所以我就買了一個jabra BT250 跟 usb bluetooth receiver. 不過裝起來就發現了不少問題：

- bluetooh receiver不穩： 不知道是電腦太慢還是receiver太爛， 每次跑skype的時候都會有delay的問題。 Pairing 的時候也常常有問題
- BT250不好戴： 雖然聽的是很清楚， 可是BT250是需要掛在耳朵上的。 我每天都帶眼鏡， 所以一起用的時候會很卡

用了不久， 這兩個就被我打入冷宮。 到了幾個月前也沒什麼特別注意新的產品...

不過結婚搬到東京之後， 用skype的次數也慢慢變多。 再加上最近上班的時候想要用耳機聽些東西(現在用的耳機隔音太好， 同事叫我都聽不到)，最近錢賺太多剛好有點閑錢， 就想要找個中高階的headset.

剛開始就是先到不同的購物/比價網站找目標. 我的做法是先找大家買的最多跟平均評價最高的。 在日本就是kakaku, Coneco, Amazon, Rakuten. 找了幾圈， 最後還是回到Jabra BT530. 雖然還是掛在耳朵上， 看起來還是比BT250輕便/舒服很多。 BT530的評價在日本網站上也算是最高的。 最後就暫時選定了

之後就是找不同的店比價， 之前生意做很大都在海外流浪，在臺灣, 日本，加拿大，美國都有住過一陣子， 也有很多人可以幫忙， 所以比價就連臺灣跟美國的網站也一起比(加拿大就不用了) 最後結果是加了運費後價錢都差不多。 不過就在這個時候發現了一個驚人的事...

在kakaku上有個評價也算不錯的Plantronics 925, 而且是耳塞型的。 剛開始的時候有注意一下， 不過日本一支要15000yen, 實在是超出我的預算。 可是在逛美國Amazon的時候， 發現這一支的評價比Jabra BT530高...而且只要... 63USD! 就算加上20USD的運費再換成日幣之後， 也才是日本售價的一半而已... 看到這個價錢， 我是在沒辦法說服自己不買... 經過一天的冷靜期(再加上我第二天check的時候居然變成68USD!), 我就按下了購買鍵.....

You are what you buy

Inspired by this article 7位兒女，3個網誌，迪士尼買單，媽媽部落客完美的「創作輪迴」, I have started to think about the purpose of my blog.

I have long held the view that writing about oneself on the net， in one form or another, is often a strange paradox. On one hand, people are eager to share their own experience to the accolade/approval of others. On the other hand, they are weary of the presence of trollers spewing toxic wastes. Of course, people deal with trollers in different ways, but it still doesn't change the fact that baring yourself in a public space is (potential) trouble.

But, vanity is everyone's favorite sin, and humans are still inherently social animals. People won't stop writing blogs just because a few paradoxes are standing in the way. That brings back to the purpose of my blog and what I want to do with it.

Since microblogging are the trends now, more traditional forms of blogging seem to become a supplement of them. People can spit out tens (or hundreds) of status updates/twits/plurks a day, and some of them might be worthy of a few paragraphs. So, the purpose of my blog lies in my plurks/twits. A short unscientific glimpse into thems reveals:

1. I say some weird stuff - some come from quotes of others, and some come from my observation of others, whom I don't agree with but don't have the guts have the courtesy not to confront them directly, which results in my seemingly philosophical quotes to mask my true, evil feelings.

2. I want to buy a lot of things，seriously

3. The rest of those plurks/twits are just random musing that serves no purpose...

Of the 3 options. writing about things I want to buy easily becomes a top choice. It serves my vanity, provides a topic for possible social discussion, and gives people(all 2 of you) a glimpse of me while not being deeply personal. More importantly, it is something I think about EVERYDAY so I won't easily run out of topics....

Taiwan Trip Part IV

一気に終わりましょう....

1/3　美麗華信花園, 光華商場, 朋友婚禮
- Decided a couple days ago that we would try to find a hotel near center of Taipei, so we can take it easy on the last few days in Taipei and not having to carry all our luggages across Taipei to take the airport shuttle. As luck would have it, we heard from a friend that 美麗華信花園 has a weekend promotion going on, so we got to enjoy a large room with good view with just half the regular price. We got to the hotel a bit early, so we went to 光華商場 for some shopping. The new building is actually pretty neat. Was thinking about getting a netbook, but really didn't do enough research beforehand, and also thought I needed a more powerful one than a netbook. Instead I got a few PS3 games (English versions are EXPENSIVE in Japan) and that concluded our pilgrimage to the holy land of electronics in Taiwan. At night it was the main event of our trip. We dressed up pretty nicely, and took our camera to take a few shots of the newlyweds. Everything was nicely done, but too bad I didn't see anyone cry.

1/4 兄弟飯店飲茶, 麻將, 牛排
- had lunch with Vanocuver friends again. In the afternoon, got a sudden call for a quick boardgame and majong session with university friends. After getting security clearance, I was in the clear and ready to go solo for the afternoon. Haven't played MJ for quite a while, but I was still able to kick their asses and even cleaned out one guy. Boardgames weren't so lucky, but hey at least I earned my taxi money, Today also happened to be the 10th anniversary of the day we started dating (that's why the clearance took some effort), so I tried to find a nice restaurant for the occasion. We already had Ruth Chris a couple years ago in Taiwan. It was good but we didn't want to have the same thing again. So I picked a steakhouse in 華國大飯店. It had some good reviews so I thought we could give it a try. Turned it wasn't too bad. Not the Western-style grill, but the meat was pretty good.

1/5 消費卷. 回日本
- Final day of the Taiwan trip. Woke up bright and early to go to 戶政事務所 with mom for the 消費卷 issue. I haven't been back in Taiwan so my 戶籍 is suspended, and I need to reinstate it so I can get the free money. Turned out I needed to go into Taiwan with my Taiwanese passport, but I used my Canadian one. So goodbye my free money. I still manage to last contributed to the Taiwanese economy by buying 燒餅油條 on the way back to hotel. Then it is the packing, taking bus to airport, buying a Cartier cardholder at the duty-free shop, taking the flight, sleeping all the way to Narita, and taking the train back to home. You know, the normal ending.

Phew

Taiwan Trip III

從新暦新年寫到農暦新年還沒寫完...

1/1 漢堡店. Camper Shopping, 太陽眼鏡

- Lunch time was at a burger shop with MM's cousins. The shop owner was actually from Vancouver as well. Then we went to take a look at the Camper Sale nearby. Turned out there was a long lineup. Took us about 2 hours to get in. By then we pretty much decided that we had to get something to make up for the time spent on waiting (good strategy on Camper's part?) Fortunately there were still some good-looking shoes, and the prices were cheap too. Then on the way back, we dropped by 誠品 again. This time we stopped by a sunglass shop, and one sunglasses "called to" MM. It's a Vivienne Westwood one. Unlike its other accessories, this one is actually pretty well-made. Plus the other one MM's been looking was a LV one and maybe 2 times more expensive than this one. So we answered its call and took it home

1/2 清粥小菜, 咖啡店, 眼鏡, 日式晚餐
- Today was a relatively relaxing day. Had 清粥小菜 in the afternoon with some of my university friends. One thing interesting was that I remember all the 清粥小菜 are open 24 hours, but this one only one of the shops are open at noon... another indicator of the deteriorating economy? Anyhow, because we had another family dinner nearby, so we just tried to kill our time in department stores... this time, a glasses ”called to" me. I have been looking for a new frame for quite a while.. wanted one with a plastic, black frame, but never could found one that I liked.. This time I tried on one and liked it right away.. a little oversized, and the texture felt better than a typical plastic frame. Turned out it's made of something called celluoid. Of course I answered its call.... The dinner was just another family dinner... nothing special to note.

Taiwan Trip Part II

12/29 宜蘭 Day 1.
- Another eating trip... one of my friends was kind enough to plan the entire trip. We only had to make sure we have money to pay him at the end... we took 雪山隧道, then went to 溫泉魚.. basically, it's a hot spring tub with tons of small fishes nibbing at your feet... sounds gross, but it was actually pretty fun. My feet were really smooth for one day... after that, it is non-stop food... 窯烤雞, 民俗技藝館， 羅東夜市....

12/30 宜蘭/基隆 day 2
- Eating trip continued... after a staying in 宜蘭 for a day, we took the route around 基隆 to come back to Taipei. We first stopped by a small fish harbor to have some seafood, then it's to 九份's 黃金博物館, and then we stayed at 基隆廟口 for dinner. Of course it was another massacre... after that we just took our big bellies and went back to Taipei to rest...

12/31 牛肉麵, 新光三越, 遊戲店倒數
- New year's eve was kinda of weird... wasn't gonna plan anything, since we figured all our friends had plans, but it turned out our friends weren't that popular busy at all... we first met at noon at a beef noodle shop for some casual chatting, then it's to shopping again. One of my goal was to get a pair of camper, and as luck would have it, a camper sale is happening in the new year, so we decided to wait til tomorrow to take a look. In the mean time, we managed to got some clothes from 新光三越. Then we tried to get out of 101 area before the traffic restriction started. We got home and was going to just say home for the night, but then without TV and only a crappy internet connection, we really couldn't do anything. It was too sad even to my standard. Then I figured that one of my most important tasks for this trip is to get rid of my trading cards... I decided that I might as well just try to get it done today and have a friend try to sell it for me. So I did it and we spend our New Year's Eve at my friend's game shop, playing boardgames and surfing the web... a little less sad, but not by much...

Taiwan Trip Part I

First trip back to Taiwan since moving to Japan...


12/25 飛機到達臺北， 移動到內湖
- it took pretty much the entire day to get to Neihu. First thing is to get an internet connection. The apartment is pretty bare since no one has lived there for about 6 months，so of course there wasn't a fixed internet line. I had decided beforehand to get a 3.5G modem, so that I could use it outside too. Only after getting the modem had I realized that I couldn't get an 3.5G account... because the provider needs 2 piece of local identification for application, and I only had one...

12/26 信義誠品, 燒肉晚餐
- spend the afternoon (yes we slept in）near 101. did some book shopping and delivered a Sony cybershot to a friend who in turn helped paying my salary. Then went to a nice yakiniku at night with some Vancouver friends. One friend helped me get an account so I could use the 3.5G modem. Turned out the reception at neihu sucked....

12/27 單眼鏡頭, 天母新光, 士林夜市
- the most important shopping of this trip is the DSLR lens. It's the Christmas/new year/anniversary/valentine/birthday present for the other half. I have no idea about DSLRs so a friend who's well-informed helped us locate a shop and tested the lens. Since the shop was near 天母, we hung around there for a while. Some other friend was planning to go to 士林夜市 at night, so we met there, and started our eating trip. Needless to say, we overate, a LOT.

12/28 家庭聚餐, USC聚會, 快炒
- Another busy day. It started at noon where we had a family gathering. Basically everyone at my mom's side was there to see the newly weds (that's us). Then we rushed to the USC information session for new MBA applicants. Helped out talking about my MBA experience and persuade (dissuade?) them from going to MBA. Also met some of my MBA classmates. Then it's eating time with friends again...