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...

I'm really looking forward to this new show called "Parks and Recreation". The cast looks pretty good with Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones. Interestingly, this show is from the makers of The Office and SNL, so the potential in this show is pretty high. Hope it lives up to it. The series premiere is on April 9th.

I was looking for an alternative to the Cybershot HX1 (Just in case it gets really bad reviews once it is released) when I found this. Is Amazon really selling the Canon Powershot G9 for $799.77?! You can also see from the snapshot that the G10 is selling for $409.88. Weird.

On another note, if anyone has ever used/owned a Powershot G9 or G10, your comments are highly appreciated. Thanks!

This is why I always like to choose Hampton Inn as my hotel wherever I go. I just came back from NYC (although it was fun, I must admit that NYC is not my type of city), where I stayed for 5 nights at Hampton Inn. Let me start by saying that the location is amazing. It is not right in the middle of the action (Times Square), but located precisely within a 5 minute walk. It had a very convenient location as we (me and my friend) were able to commute to and fro our hotel very easily to places like Times Square, Madison Square Garden, and Rockefeller. Now I must say that this is not your typical 5 or 4 star hotel. No. It's more of a 3.5 star hotel. The management and cleanliness, though, would earn 4 stars easily. The only difference is that some amenities aren't provided here that you would typically find in a Sheraton (such as a swimming pool). Nonetheless, this hotel provided free Wi-Fi, breakfast (which I never got to try), and a small gym room. Also I must note something that surprised me, which is that there was no fridge in our room for some reason. I highly recommend this hotel for people who want to be very close to the action, go easy on their wallets, and want a comfy stay.

Ok, double posting time. I've watched pretty decent comedy movies as of late, so I only hope that these two movies are good too. Miss March was a very witty idea with a new plot. Basically, the guy gets into a coma the day he was supposed to get laid. The humor continues from that point on. It was a very good comedy film. I laughed so hard. I Love You, Man stars Rashida Jones from The Office. I didn't think she looked attractive on The Office, but she sure did in this movie. The laughs didn't stop in this movie either, although if I were to choose the better movie, it would be Miss March by a hair. Two very good movies, Must-Sees.