I'm sick of it. I hate my Mac. There, I said it. 8 months ago, I was unable to wait any longer to take the Apple plunge. I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm not generally the type of person that goes with the flow, but I admit that I did in going with Apple. I heard all kinds of crazy things about it: how you don't get viruses, how Mac OS X rocks, and how productive it is. Well you know what, those are all lies. They make you believe in them. They make you fall for it. Once they get you, you are officially under their command. They work with some psychological aspects that make you think: "yeah, this is actually pretty good." Then you start saying crazy things like: "Macs are the best" and "I'm never going back to Windows". Well you know what, I can't wait to use Windows again. Allow me to decipher those claims of Apple:

1. You never get viruses on Macs: Hell yeah you won't. Not when you can't download any program you want. Not when you are restricted to the crappy Mac softwares. How in the world are you getting viruses when all you can use is stupid iTunes and iShit.

2. Macs are more productive: I've got news for you: they're not. You can't run any program you want on Macs, now can you? Just last quarter I was unable to use a program my University was using because I have a Mac. You can't listen to .ram audio files. All your files have to be in a Mac-accepted extension. What the hell?! Where's the productivity in that?

3. Mac OS X Rocks: It can rock my A**. When I click the green "Maximize screen" button, my window barely increases an inch in width. WTF?! Why is it called "maximize" then? Why is there a plus sign on it? Using the stupid Mac OS X, I have to resize my window by manually pressing and holding the bottom left corner and dragging. So much for being called an innovative company! And hey Mac: where's the freedom? Why can't I edit my music file info without having to use iTunes?!

Constraints, constraints, constraints. How can you be productive?

Can't wait for Win7...

I went to watch Drag Me To Hell yesterday, and I cam out very pleased. Many people say that horror movies lack a formidable story and good choreography (I am one of you), but this movie really turns the tide. I had very low expectations for the movie going in (since it's a horror movie), but was surprised at how well this movie was made. I especially liked the story and the ending, the movie always seemed to surprise me. My only criticism is concerning the acting. It wasn't bad, but could've been better. I highly recommend watching this movie.

What's up with Facebook? Everytime I login, there seems to be a problem. It seems like there is something wrong with their server. It's been ridiculously slow, and often freezes. I confirmed similar problems with a friend. Hmmm...

After straining my calf muscle a week ago (which should be no surprise to the people who know me), I decided NOT to take care of it. That is why I went out today, with my strained calf muscle, to play basketball. Surprisingly (sarcasm), I ended up hurting myself pretty badly. I pulled the calf muscle furthermore which prevented me from walking properly. Now I'm not that stupid, so I decided to take care of it this time. I just got this creme (do you write creme as "creme" or "cream" ? hmm) today which turned out to be a pretty good pain reliever. The nice thing about it is that it has a sort of sponge applicator (the same kind of sponge you use for cleaning your shoes), which you can apply with directly onto your muscle. This, I think, is a very smart idea as I always tend to squeeze out more than I need with regular creams. Now I can't play for 2 weeks. Nice...

Update: I just woke up earlier this morning with a VERY painful burning sensation on my calf muscles. The back of the creme does point out that this might happen, but that it will go away. It did go away, but it was harshly painful!

I wanted this for a long time now. I think it's so much fun. While I was at Dick's Sporting Goods, I found this package which had the item I wanted! I never thought they would make a "pro-like" finishing to a miniature basket; but they did. Now the cool thing about this is that it actually has a spring on the rim, so you can slam dunk all you want! It's amazing. Another great thing about this product is how it's packaged. It's very easy to assemble, and you have all the parts you need included in the box. Very nice.

I just stumbled upon an interesting post from Autoblog. It is basically about Investment Dar, and how they are trying to sell 20-30% of their share in Aston Martin. While it might not be news to many of you, but I just found out by reading this article that Investment Dar, a Kuwaiti firm, owns part of Aston Martin!

We've all heard about the Porsche Panamera. Dubbed as the "car of 2009" by Car Magazine, will it really live up to the Porsche brand? I personally think it will. I especially like the interior which looks very luxurious yet very comfy at the same time. Porsche are trying to cover all bases starting with the legendary 911 and ending with the Cayenne. Now it's bridging the gap with the new Panamera. So what do you think, a Hit or a Miss for Porsche?

I just came back from the Sony Style shop here in Columbus, OH. I was looking for a carrying case for my HX1. To my surprise, they didn't have any carrying cases for the HX1. The official Sony website indicates 3 carrying cases for the HX1. One of which they did have, but was way too big. The other two were not available! Hmm...

I just found out about this interesting new SUV (or Crossover) from BMW. This might be the result of me being a huge BMW fan, but I really think this car looks nice. Two things I don't like though: Different colored skirt and bumper, and the rear headlights could do some tweaking.

Is Pontiac really done? I just read in an article that GM will announce the end of the Pontiac Brand on Monday. Not big news for Kuwait, as we don't have Pontiacs, but the situation in the States doesn't seem to get any better, especially for GM. What next? The end of GMC? Now that will affect Kuwait a bit, as I know many people like GMC's vehicles. This might seem a little too "overstretched", but don't you think if some main automotive brands start relocating to the Middle East (where there's still a market) then we would benefit a lot from it? I think the Gulf countries should pounce on that idea and start to take advantage of it. (Although the idea seems to be a little to distant in my imagination). Who knows?

Update: WOW! I feel smart now ;p ... Qatar is eyeing Porsche now!! [Link]

Ok, so i've had the camera for a couple of days now and would like to share some thoughts about it. First off, let me tell you that all photos in this post are taken by the Intelligent Auto Scene Mode. Also, this review doesn't include any specs, as you can find these at Sony's official website. I got the camera from Sony Style store in Columbus, OH for $499.99 (Plus around $30 tax).

I really like the design of the camera. The grip is very tight and comfortable. The nice thing about this mega-zoom, is it is actually smaller than you would expect. Now I'm not saying you can carry it in your pocket, but it is considerably smaller than regular mega-zooms and dSLR's.

Zooming is amazing on this camera. With the autofocus button (half shutter down), a 20x zoomed photo is as clear as a 4x zoomed photo. The zoom range is very long at 20x max. Really neat for a mega-zoom.

4x Zoom

Overall, I would highly recommend this camera. I definitely like the Intelligent Scene mode, as it will automatically detect the type of shot and accommodate to the conditions in a split second in order to ensure that you take those fast shots before they're gone. I like the build of this camera. It feels rugged, yet comfortable in the hand. The mechanical shutter does deliver exceptional speed. HD Video mode, which I didn't cover, is as good as it sounds at 1080 HD. Minor things: Love the articulating screen on the back, package surprisingly doesn't come with a memory stick, optical view finder is a very nice touch.

I recently heard about this Swine Flu from a friend. I "googled" it and found out that it's actually a developing story. It is only recently (and by recently I mean a few days ago) discovered in humans. The source of this flu is supposedly from occasional contact with pigs and being around them. It is currently detected in Mexico and now in Southern American states. Read more about the Swine Flu [Here].

I have finally purchased the Sony Cybershot DSC HX1. I'm currently fiddling with it, but so far I found out that it doesn't come with a memory stick. I got it from the Sony Style store for $499.99 (Plus $30 tax). More to come soon...

Ok, so i've had some time to snap hundreds of shots, and so

 far I'm impressed. I only tried the panoramic function once, and it looked decent. Now the only problem I faced was with low lighting. It wasn't much of a problem, but I think I should take more time and try to shoot some more under low light. The only bad thing I can think of at the moment i

s the fact that a memory stick is not included with the camera. A little disappointing, I know, almost all electronics include at least a 256MB memory stick. So I had to pass buy Best Buy to get one. Anyways, the only thing I still didn't try yet is the HD movie mode. Here are some pictures that I've taken so far (Keep in mind that I'm not a pro, but suggestions as to how I could improve my photography skills are more than welcome).

So what have I been up to? Well, let's just say I became a car freak suddenly. I used to have memorized all car models back when I was 12 years old, and for some reason, I'm back! The weird thing is, I never loved F1 racing, but now I do. I'm looking forward to watching some races on TV. I've decided to be a Mclaren guy, simply because of Lewis Hamilton. I think he is one of the best drivers. Plus I like their new car (the MP4-24) pictured below.

As far as street-legal cars go, I've been going crazy over the BMW, and especially the M's. The M3 is a beast. I could confidently say that I have watched every single video of an M3 on Youtube! I really want an M3!

I just found out about this university (which I believe is fairly new) in Saudi Arabia. I think this university has a pretty decent potential. The campus looks great (from photos). I got a flyer today at OSU which invites all students to admit to this university where they will receive a full scholarship for their studies here at OSU then get full coverage for their master's studies at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). I think this is really good for the gulf countries. Many good universities are opening up, and it's become an alternative to studying at foreign countries. I know many parents who don't allow their kids to study abroad, and they feel that their future has been destroyed because of the limited choices they have. Not anymore. I just hope a DECENT university opens up in Kuwait...