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All this time I've been planning a trip to Tokyo and Seoul, or a revisit to Europe, I had never once thought about going to China. I mean, is China even considered a vacation for someone from Hong Kong?

Well, the answer is a "yes" and a "no." Because later in the week, I'll be going to China--for 5 weeks! So the "yes" is because I'll be going during my vacation, and the "no" is because I'm not going there for vacation. Confused? Read on.

I just signed up for a 5-week training course to get certified in International T.E.S.L and in China-specific T.E.S.L. I'll be in Haimen, Jiangsu, just a Yangtze river across from Shanghai. In fact, I'll be arriving at the PuDong Airport in Shanghai.

Never would I have thought of returning to Shanghai so soon; I was there with Johnnie only last September. We had a great time last year watching people parading around in pajamas. I plan to snap more shots of these gems, but it would have to be on the weekends, for I was told the training is pretty intense during the week.

I'll have hands-on experience teaching at a local public school. That ought to be fun. As for accommodations, I'll have my own room, fully equipped with bathroom, kitchenette, fridge, satellite TV, phone, and most important of all, ADSL connection. Yep, so I'll still be wired while in China.

Upon completion, the center can arrange a teaching position for me in China, or schools in other countries. But for what these foreign teachers are making in China, though relatively respectable in China, I think I'll go broke working there. More likely, I'll take the T.E.S.L. Diploma and China Certificate with me back to Hong Kong, where I can apply for a part-time position teaching in the morning, and still be able to keep my day job.

So I have lots to do from now till Saturday. I need to pay my dues, buy a ticket, study for the prep course, pack my luggage, load my gadgets, and clean my teeth. Good times ahead.

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What I have noticed ever since buying my iBook is that I am typing on my Palm Tungsten T3 less and less. Although the Palm Wireless Keyboard works superbly with my T3, it is still not as comfy as the built-in keyboard on the iBook G4. The T3 and keyboard are compact enough to carry with me everywhere, but do I need to carry them at all is the question, when I already take my iBook to and from work everyday.

Add to that is the new Pentax S4i, which I also have on me at all times. Besides capturing pictures and videos, the S4i's unlimited voice recording feature overlaps that of the T3, adding another reason to leave the latter behind.

The T3's battery life can't be beat, though, for even when my iBook has long powered down, I can count on my T3 as backup, as I am doing now with this entry. But is that enough a reason to carry a Palm?

Posted by kingsley at 1:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

With a date like today, it's worth blogging down. I am still at work, although I should already be on my vacation. Alas, things don't always turn out as plan. That's okay, though, cause it only makes the anticipation so much more exciting. When I do get my break, I am going for broke.

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Mac users fuming over the incompatibility of Google's Gmail and Safari can take a breather now, for an alternative (dare I say "better?") service is out there for us.

In the wake of Google's announcement to much fanfare, The folks at Spymac quietly rolls out its own 1GB e-mail service on April 1st. For that reason, I waited a few days to make sure it's not just a joke. Well, the announcement is still posted, so this is serious stuff.

While Gmail is web-based only, Spymac gives you the option of web-based and POP3 access, so you can decide how to manage your mail. That's a major boon for those worry about Google sifting through your e-mails to place "relevant text ads."

More obvious and important is that Spymac is tailored to Mac users, so we need not play second fiddle to PC users.

Finally, You can wait patiently for Gmail to come out of beta and into public hands, or you can go over to Spymac now to sign up for an account. Membership is free.

I gather that eventually 1GB e-mail service will be commonplace. Let's hope .Mac catches on soon, as my 25MB limit is bursting at its seams. I already added 10 extra MBs, I don't want to pay for 975 MBs more. In the meantime, I signed up for two Spymac accounts from its very inception, so I have tons of space to store my e-mails.

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Some two years after its release in Asia, Shaolin Soccer is finally playing today in the U.S. It's about time, too, because everyone I know has already seen it, even those in the states. For those who haven't, take this chance to go see it, for it's rare nowadays for a movie of this caliber to come out of Hong Kong.

On a similar note, Hero is also a fine, fine film, but it never caught on in Asia as Shaolin Soccer did. That's too bad, because those who've seen it really liked it, including the likes of Biz Stone. I like Biz.

Posted by kingsley at 12:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Add the letter "i" to the end of S4, and suddenly my Pentax S4 becomes obsolete. The new Pentax S4i has basically the same case and lense as mine. What changed are a bigger LCD, more streamline icons and unlimited voice and video recording. And that's enough to make me want one. I know my addiction to tech is beyond help and reason, but admitting it is a sign of hope. In the mean time, I just bought myself a new digital camera. Sweet.

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