[Advertorial]

I hope you have read my post about Sony’s make.believe (make-dot-believe) campaign and as of the time of this post’s publishing date, you have less than a week to submit your dream to Sony!

Sony has 2 contests running for this campaign; the 1st is the Dot Your Dream with Sony Contest and the 2nd is the Fifa World Cup Photo Contest.

Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest

Grand Prize: Winner to be sponsored by Sony up to S$100,000 to aid him/her in realizing a dream.

2nd Prize: BRAVIA 46″ LCD TV, Blu-ray Home Theatre System, Playstation®3, VAIO Notebook, Cyber-shot Digital Camera and Walkman® MP3 Player (worth S$10,000).

3rd Prize: BRAVIA 40″ LCD TV, Home Theatre System, VAIO Notebook, Cyber-shot Digital Camera and Walkman® MP3 Player (worth S$5,000).

How to take part: Point your browser to Sony’s make.believe website and submit your dream under any of the 4 categories (game, movie, music, technology) and within 250 characters. 8 finalists (2 from each category) will be chosen in a lucky draw and if your dream is one of the 8 after the announcement on 1st April, all you have to do after that is to rally for votes to win!

More details about the contest can be found in the FAQ sections.

Fifa World Cup Photo Contest

Prize: 8 winners will get to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa as Fan Photographers where they will get to shoot all the action up close by the pitch!

How to take part: Visit Sony’s make.believe website and submit a photo of a special moment in your life and give it a good caption or title. If you are one of the 25 shortlisted participants, your photo will be up in an online voting contest from 1st April and the top 8 winners will be decided from there.

More details about the contest can be found in the FAQ sections.

Isn’t is so easy to enter both the contests and have a chance of making a special dream come true? If not for my company’s affiliation with Sony for this campaign, I would have submitted an entry for the Dot Your Dream contest.

Both contests’ closing date for submissions is on the 14th of March 2010, so don’t waste any more time and head down to Sony’s make.believe site!

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I’ve been blessed for the last 2 months with a review unit of LG’s new line of LED Backlit LCD Monitors and got no less than the super wide 24″ version, the LG W2486L.

I’ve been using a Samsung 19″ monitor and the immediate reaction upon unboxing the LG W2486L is the sheer size of the screen. LG has been striking on the right notes for the aesthetics of their products and the LG 86 series of monitors maintains the same note with its sleek looking monitor and still packing punches with it’s specifications.

• Display Type: LCD display / TFT active matrix
• Depth: 7.8 in (19.81cm)
• Height: 17.4 in (44.2cm)
• Weight: 9.7 lbs (4.4kg)
• Display aspect ratio: 16:9
• Image Contrast Ratio: 2000000:1 (dynamic)
• Video Format: 1080p
• Color Support: 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
• Response Time: 2ms
• Signal Input: 2xHDMI, 1xDVI-D, 1xVGA

Just look at how slim the LG monitor is and it's all thanks to LED technology.

It’s sheer size had me demoting my 19″ monitor to the side as a secondary display and using the 24″ LG W2486L as my primary display. As much as I love PC gaming, it’s tough trying to find time to play games on my computer. But I definitely tried to play games like L4D2 and Dragon Age:Origins just to compare the gaming experience on the new monitor. The size, widescreen ratio (16:9), contrast ratio and response time definitely makes it a great monitor to consider if you are into gaming and I definitely wish for more time to play games and harness the quality and screen estate it can provide.

I spend the bulk of my time at the computer juggling between work, socializing and watching videos (I know what you are thinking but let’s not go there). The LG W2486L definitely meets every need that is required of my daily tasks and it definitely increased my productivity with the amount of information I can see with it’s wide ratio and resolution.

If there is a bone to pick, I wish the monitor screen could swivel more freely so that I can find a more optimal angle for my eyes in relation to my computer desk.

The LG W86 series of monitors are available in Singapore selling at the following recommended retail prices:

• S$388 for the 22-inch W86L
• S$498 for the 24-inch W86L

Thanks to Mariko and Aaron for the trial unit!

[Disclosure: I am one of ten only bloggers in Singapore who got to try the LG W86 series before it's local launch date. The unit is passed to me for a trial period for 2 months and I will be offered to purchase it at a discount at the end of the trial and the money will be given to a charity of LG's choice. All opinions in this post are of my own and are just as true when I say "I think I am pretty lame", which might or might not be true to you but definitely still of my true opinion.]

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I’ve been talking about it on Twitter, Plurk and telling friends about my recent change I made for running.

For the last 4 weeks, I have chucked away my Asics running shoe and got myself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO.

If you cannot tell from the image above, it looks like someone decided to stick a thin layer of rubber on a toe sock and in fact, the actual product isn’t far from the truth.

“What? You chucked away a S$130 Asics cushioned shoe for a pair of rubber gloves for your feet and YOU RUN IN THEM?“

You have to understand the benefits of barefoot running and what modern shoes are offering to understand why I made the change but I shall not go too deep into that (Read this awesome article to change your perception about regular running shoes). I actually wanted to test the Vibram Five Fingers for another few more months before writing a post about it but I have to share with you how awesome it has been so far.

First, some personal history and the hard facts.

I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left sole since 2003 and weak ankles in both my legs since 2002 from one too many sprains. I decided to quit soccer to keep my ankles (Yes I need em…). I picked up long distance running in May last year after failing my IPPT for the 1st time in 7 years.

Between May and October last year, I ran a total of 66 runs, clocking 218.35km and the longest run was 21km in 2hr 43mins.

I stopped running from October last year due to a cough that persisted for months and only started running again in January this year.

In my Vibram Five Fingers KSO for the last 4 weeks, I ran a total of 16 runs so far, clocking 78.59km and the longest run was 8.8km in 52mins 29secs.

Now, for the experience of running in Vibrams VS regular shoes.

Way before and also throughout the 220km I ran last year, I suffered sharp pains in my left sole due to plantar fasciitis and it happens so randomly but frequently that I come to regard it as being normal. After all, running so much has got to hurt right? I am running in thick, cushioned Asics shoes that is backed by decades of research and specifically chosen for me after an expert studied my feet and pronation and still it hurts. Running has got to hurt. Running is not natural. Injuries are common.

Or so they say…

After 3 months of not running, and doing research on barefoot running, I came across Vibram Five Fingers and they are arguably the next best thing to barefoot running. I am always up for radical solutions and I went ahead and got myself a pair of KSOs and went for runs…

1st run of 2.19km. The familiar pain in my left sole shot up my leg at the end of the run and I stopped.

2nd run of 3.3km. The pain occurred at the 2km mark but I kept at it and felt better from the 3km mark onwards.

3rd run of 4.5km. Pain started at the 3km mark and occurred frequently throughout the rest of the run.

4th run of 5km. No pain at all till the last 10metres from the finish.

Yup. "AMAZING SHIT" was what I described the Vibrams in my running log

Since then, I have not felt the same sharp pain from my sole till this date. That is 63.6km of running without my plantar fascia flaring up. And considering that I am running at a pace between 30-40seconds faster per km and twice as much mileage per month this year, I cannot describe this experience without mentioning the word ‘miracle’ and you can probably only share my joy if you suffer the same conditions as me.

Any idiot can tell that the odd looking Vibram Five Fingers that I have been wearing for the last 4 weeks are not miracle shoes. They did not cure me of my plantar facsiitis as I still feel some distant strain on my plantar fascia during my runs but the sharp pain never came. But they did however, allowed me to reap the benefits of barefoot running while I keep my feet away from elements such as the rough asphalt, gravel, occasional small stones and frogs (yes I think I stepped on one the other day. Sorry dude).

I strengthened my calves and ankles that have been so shielded by those thick running shoes. I naturally changed my style of running to a mid/forefoot landing strike and I feel a much stronger runner in me when I take off running. I tried running in my clunky Asics the other day after 4 weeks of running in Vibrams and hated my whole run. My feet were heavy and I had no feedback from the ground at all through those huge pads of rubber in between my sensitive sole and the ground.

I know it all sounds too good to be true and so I am letting you on a reality check.

The top of right foot, right above the ball of my foot is now hurt and I think I have been too overwhelmed with running with the Vibrams that I have neglected the fact that I have been walking/running for at least 2 decades in thick soled shoes. My nearly naked feet are not conditioned to the kind of pounding I do on the asphalt roads and cement and I ignored the fact that I actually had to do a more gradual transition.

While I listen to my body this time and take a good break to let my foot recover, I am almost certain that barefoot running or in minimalistic shoes like the Vibram Five Fingers is extremely good for me. I probably need a whole year of running and even more to be sure of the benefits that has graced me so far and of course to make sure that I don’t solve a few problems and uncover a whole nest of bigger injury troubles.

But as far as I can tell right now. This is AMAZING SHIT.

If you are still skeptical, you can always incorporate some barefoot running on softer grounds like grass or track on top of your normal running or go purchase minimalistic shoes like the Nike Free so that you can run in things you still regard as shoes.

Do go read Christopher McDougall’s book titled “Born to Run” and be blowned away. (Still in stock at Kinokuniya I think…)

Or if you are already convinced by this post of mine, Vibram Five Fingers are sold in Singapore in quite a number of stores and the locations can be found here. (I got mine at Outdoor Life at $175 $179 if you pay by cash. Cheaper than the top-end tier of shoes money can buy)

I’ll definitely keep running in them with the aim of completing my 1st marathon at the end of the year and I will update you guys with my progress in this blog!

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We need no further proof that I have been neglecting this blog of mine.

It’s birthday was yesterday and I clearly forgot about it! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

Krisandro.com has been registered for 6 years and I have been blogging ’seriously’ for almost 2 years since I installed wordpress and stopped editing html to update a 50 word blogpost like the idiot I was back then.

Yup, my traffic for the past year reflects my activity for the blog and even though a good 5000+ of you readers visit my blog for a total of 7000+ times for last month; looking at the graph, I think that average will soon plummet to pre-historic times soon if I don’t get my blogging mojo back soon.

I still have to thank all you loyal readers for frequently checking by even though most of the time you’ll probably be hit by cobwebs or an advertorial you arn’t interested in. It’s  you peeps that keep a small but strong desire to keep blogging.

So let’s all wish a big belated Happy Birthday to Krisandro.com!

p.s. I just renewed my domain registration so this space is at least gonna be around till 2012. I hope you bloody Mayans are wrong… :p

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[Advertorial]

Ever had a wild idea or an imagination or something that you have always wanted to do but never had the means to do it?

How many times have you pushed that idea or dream far back in the deep recesses of your mind and told yourself that it is too far fetched and beyond your means of fulfilling?

What if someone came up to you, listened to your dream, your idea; and said, “Anything you can imagine, you can make real. And here is $100,000 to help you realize your dream.”

This is what Sony is going to do for you with their new global brand message “make.believe” (make-dot-believe).

• make.believe: [make-dot-believe] stands for the power of Sony’s creativity, ability to turn ideas into reality and the belief that anything you can imagine, you can make real.
• make.believe unites: designers and engineers, hardware and software, electronics and entertainment, and Sony and consumers.
• The dot in make.believe symbolizes the place where great things begin. It is where inspiration meets creativity, where creativity meets reality.
• make = action, do, build and design
• believe = spirit, think, imagine and dream

If you are a Singapore resident or a PR, aged 18 years and above, Sony wants to hear from you. Take part in their “Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest” and submit your dream that relates to any of the 4 categories of gaming, movies, music or technology. Sony will be offering up to $100,000 worth of sponsorship to help one winner realize his or her dream.

Sony is also holding a photo contest that will bring 8 lucky winners to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa as fan photographers where you will be able to be right next to the action!

Individuals may enter both contests, so please do not miss these great opportunities. Visit the link below to find out more.

Sony make.believe

I’ve always loved playing the guitar and If I was eligible for the “Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest”, I would ask Sony to sponsor me an electric guitar, an acoustic electric guitar and a classical guitar (all top of the line and basically very expensive. hehehee…) and fly me to various countries to learn the various styles of guitar playing and immerse myself in the cultures and music while I’m there.

What is your big dream?

Share with me your dream by commenting below or better yet, share them here AND submit them in the make.believe contest.

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After a long rest, I finally started on my training again for the Adidas Sundown (half marathon event) in May and for my 1st full marathon at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2010.

For me, running is really quite enjoyable and all I need is to start in order to get the momentum going and I did it on 19th Jan. I have since ran 7 times and I am slowly building up my mileage like any proper training schedule.

I absolutely love to measure and record various numbers I can get out of everything and running is no exception. It serves as a great way to check my progress, adjust my schedule accordingly and of course to stroke the ego of mine whenever I see myself improving.

As you can see, comparing the 1st, 4th and the 7th run which I just completed hours ago, I have not only increased the distance I ran, I also ran faster and still managed to reduce the effort that my heart had to make for each run.

I do know that because I just started, it’s easy to have vast improvements but it’s still pretty interesting to have all the data recorded like that and compare it down the road.

Can’t wait to hit 10km and beyond in 3 weeks or so.

Boy am I such a running geek.

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I was queuing for a sinful cup of milk tea at Sweet Talk @ AMK Hub when a lady behind me called for my attention.

“Excuse me.” She pointed at a $5 note on the floor. “Did you drop that on the floor?”

I was fumbling around with the pockets on my bag at that time and I thought I might have dropped the note and said my thanks; picked the note up and stuffed it in my bag.

As I continued fumbling for loose change like any Singaporean looking to pay someone in denominations of 5 cents, I noticed a young woman doing the same fumbling with her bag right in front of me. Unlike me, who was looking for something that I may not have, she seemed to be looking for something that she had just a few moments ago.

The moment I saw her scanning the floor, I knew that $5 tucked in the warm pocket of my bag wasn’t mine.

I truthfully contemplated for a few seconds to keep the $5 so that I don’t look silly to the lady behind who saw me confidently pick up the money and claimed it as my own. But waves of guilt and chokeful of images of the young woman with no money but the $5 filled my head up.

“Hi…” I directed my voice at her. “Is this five dollars yours?”

She smiled and took the money and said, “Thanks!”

I quickly paid for my milk tea in the exact price and left quickly, blushing to what the lady and the young woman might have thought of me.

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I am alive!

And I’ve been a bad, bad blogger. So bad that you ought to have me on your lap so that you can give me some good spanking. But we both know that you don’t want that to happen so let’s just pass.

Work and life has been keeping me really busy and I really find it hard to update this space of mine. I won’t say ’sorry’ because I don’t owe you guys any updates and I won’t promise anything because I probably won’t fulfil any as well.

Some PR agencies have probably given up on me as well because I’ve been attending events and have not been sharing my experiences even though I enjoyed most of it. So much for being in the social media scene and not practising what I preach. Even KuKuNehNeh nags at me about those posts.

My health has been really bad for the last 2-3 months and it pretty much killed the biggest event that I was looking forward to for the year. I had to give the Standard Chartered marathon a miss as my fitness level was not up to mark with all the flu and cough that plagued me like no tomorrow. I have however not given up at running my first marathon and I have signed up for next year’s Adidas Sundown marathon for the 21km event to prepare me for the Standard Chartered marathon at the end of 2010.

I am in the midst of stabilizing the priorities in life and deciding on the next big thing. There is something quite unsettling about turning 28 this Christmas and wondering why I haven’t been able to say, “This is what I want to do for the next 30 years.” My laid back personality is probably the cause of this uncertainty and I’d like to think that it’s high time I find what I want to do for the next chapter in my life before I can confidently ask someone to spend the rest of her life with me.

“Good things come to those who wait…”

So… happy waiting for my next blog post!

Meanwhile, catch me on Twitter and Plurk where I update much more frequently!

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10 Better Things You Can Do With 130 Minutes Than Watching Twilight: New Moon

1. Watch paint dry.
2. Twiddle your thumbs.
3. Count the number of seconds in 130 mins. All 7800 seconds.
4. Masturbate till you get sores.
5. Stand outside any ticketing counter and watch trailers.
6. Hunt for vampires.
7. Attempt to lick your elbows.
8. Attempt to bite your own neck.
9. Get a crowd to watch you try to bite your own neck.
10. Anything else other than watching Twilight: New Moon.

The only time I ever detested a movie at the cinema this much was when I fell asleep watching Nim’s Island. And frankly, I will actually rate Twilight much lower than Nim’s Island.

Bad acting. Horrible plot. The director might as well have just asked the good looking cast to stand around half naked for 130 minutes and do nothing but stare at the cameras. It would still have been a great movie for those who liked it.

Please save your money and don’t pay to watch Twilight: New Moon please. Don’t even waste time watching it even if it is free.

You have been warned.

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[Advertorial]

As the end of the year approach, I’ll tend to see friends and family disappear for days and weeks on end. Not hibernating in a monsoon drain in Singapore with instant noodles of course, but actually flying off to various destinations in hope of a good holiday to reward themselves for a year of hard work.

The economy has just begun to pick up and it’s no surprise that the choice destinations for Singaporeans are the South-East Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia. For those who have money to burn and a great imagination can even head down to Sentosa and forget that it’s actually an island just 20 mins away from the city centre by car.

For the rest of us who are bored with visiting Thailand for the XXXth time and have dwindling bank accounts to be considering Sentosa for a getaway, why not consider the Philippines as your next holiday destination?

Philippines, being an archipelago, has thousands of virgin and enclosed beaches just waiting to be explored.

Not to mention the lakes, waterfalls and nature trails for the slightly more adventurous.

I personally know a few Pinoys and boy are they friendly, humorous and passionate people. No worries about any language barrier if you are there as Philippines is the 3rd largest English speaking country in the world.

Seeing that the monsoon season has just passed in the Philippines, the time between now till the first half of next year is the best time to visit the country and you can expect cool weather while enjoying a tan at the beach or exploring the islands. Check out popular destinations like Busuanga the Paradise Island and Puerto Princesa the City in a Forest for inspiration!

Cebu Pacific Air, being Philippines leading domestic carrier, provides cheap flights to the country with all year-round low fares that is affordable to everyone. I have been informed that they are going to have an all destinations big sale soon and if you intend to travel to Philippines with them, you can even consider using Philippines as a hub to travel to other countries with their cheap flights!

There are two ways to monitor the great deals that Cebu Pacific Air gives and they are the official website and their Twitter account.

Don’t miss out on good travel deals!

Find out more about Philippines at their Department of Tourism’s portal.

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