Blog Archive

Tuesday 30 June 2009

Jennifer Aniston - Muddling Through

Jennifer Aniston bw hair gallery style channel peopleJennifer Aniston appeared in Muddling Through as Madeline Drego Cooper, Creator: Barton Dean, Release Date: 9 July 1994 (USA), Genre: Comedy. Tell about... After two years in jail for shooting her cheating husband Sonny in his behind, Connie Drego returns home.

Series Cast
Jennifer Aniston... Madeline Drego Cooper (9 episodes, 1994)
Aimee Brooks... Kerri Drego (unknown episodes)
Stephanie Hodge... Connie Drego (unknown episodes)
Hal Landon Jr.... Gidney (unknown episodes)
D. David Morin... Sonny Drego (unknown episodes)
Hank Underwood... Lyle (unknown episodes)
Scott Waara... Duane Cooper (unknown episodes)

Missed opportunity, Muddling Through show never got much of a chance to succeed. Stephanie Hodge starred after "Nurses" and before "Unhappily Ever After." This sat on the shelf for a while, though, and by the time it was dropped into the schedule during the summer, most everyone involved had moved on. Hodge was soon to do "Unhappily," and Jennifer Aniston started "Friends" that fall. Muddling Through's really a shame, because "Muddling" wasn't half bad as unheralded, small-net sitcoms go. Hodge played a white-trash ex-con released after a shortish prison sentence received for shooting her husband in the butt. Unfortunately, after she got out, he was back in her life. Her daughter (Aniston) and son-in-law were also around to complicate her life. Muddling Through show was, as I said, non-terrible, and if I remember correctly, the ratings were decent. They weren't decent enough, however, to give the show a future.

In defence of Bleached Blondes

Ever since I bleached my hair more or less platinum blonde, I've been getting all sorts of CRAP comments.

It's weird because for the longest time I've had my hair sorta really light brown but just not quite blonde yet, and nobody gave two hoots.


Oh, here's an obviously Chinese girl!

But once it crossed the threshold from caramel to 'blonde' blonde, people start all sorts of accusations.

I am trying to be an angmoh! I am abandoning my Chinese roots! Xiaxue you are an insecure, self-hating disgusting heritage ditcher!

This is pissing me off SO FUCKING BAD.


FUCK YOU ALL.


Firstly, GET OVER YOURSELF. It's just a muthafucking hair colour.

Do Chinese people typically have brown/red hair? NO THEY DON'T!

We have BLACK HAIR.

And then like a half of the Asian female population in Singapore have dyed BROWN hair - nobody says anything!

Having BROWN hair is as un-Asian as having Blonde hair isn't it?


Or so are you trying to say that there is a DEGREE to which you can abandon your "roots"?

DYEING BROWN NOT HIDING BLACK MEH?

And oh, I've had my hair black, varieties of brown, ash, green, red (long ago), pink, and BLONDE.

When I was all the other colours, you mean I wasn't trying to act angmoh and suddenly now I have a change in personality and decided to?

I'd tell you why so few people have bleached blonde hair.

- It destroys your hair.
- It doesn't look good on everyone. Not saying it does on me, but I like it.
- It is incredibly expensive to maintain. Mine is sponsored.
- It is a wild colour and schools and most office jobs won't allow it.


And that's why it is so special - and I love attention so I want to be special!

It's just a bloody hair colour and just because I like that colour doesn't mean I necessarily hate being Chinese!

In fact, as my URL so proudly proclaims, I love being Chinese, and I love being Singaporean. My parents are fully Chinese and I've never claimed otherwise.

As for the coloured lens, plenty of other chicks wear them too, purely because everyone else has black irises and it's BORING. Nose job? Anyone who saw my old nose won't deny that I needed one. Angmoh boyfriend? Had him for 3 years before I had blonde hair.

I hate the accusations that come with my decision to be a bleached blonde. So for the last time, I AM NOT TRYING TO BE ANYTHING. (Maybe except special.) I just LIKE THE COLOUR!

Just like I like pink. It doesn't have a deeper meaning than that.

Why the fuck should I be pressured to stay with my black hair when I know I look boring (and imho, ugly and greasy) in black hair?

Just to look Chinese? Well fuck you again. I'm trying to look like a Chinese Albino. You happy now? Not abandoning roots now am I?

Anyway, part of the reason for this tirade is due to a fucker called BRADLEY FARLESS.

One day, I was having dinner with Mike at a food court in Pasir Ris when Bradley was also eating there.

He then blogged this:



Firstly, he doesn't know who I am. I was basically an innocent stranger to him, albeit a stranger who intruded on his opinion about Asians keeping their hair colour.

Didn't anyone tell him that it's incredibly rude to snap someone's photo and blog shit about them?

He didn't even have the decency to mosaic my face.

And secondly, after posting up my photo, he started to ACCUSE ME.

He presumed that I was trying to look white. Excuse me but where is your proof of that? Do you know me that well?

Secondly he presumed that Mike loved me because I looked white. He doesn't know BALLS about our relationship. Look at him go!

His whole entry reeked of the presumption that white men come to Singapore for Asian girls or that White men like Asian girls. I'm sorry Bradley, not every white dude is as racist as you.

AND WHAT IS THIS PHILOSOPHICAL RUBBISH ABOUT ASIAN GIRLS LOOKING GOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE AND LOOK ASIAN??

What the fuck is that? Does that even make any sense? It's like saying Fat chicks look good because they are fat and look fat. WTF??

Fuck you.

Never mind this first entry of his. Afterward, someone told me who I was, and this made him spew a SECOND blog entry.

Mind you, I did nothing to him personally.





Started off by saying I look like shit. You know, LOADS OF PEOPLE LOOK LIKE SHIT. Stephen Hawking, for one, is not a looker either, although he is smart as hell. Why aren't you criticizing his looks?

Oh, I get it. It's because you don't like me.

That's right.

Well.

You ain't much of a looker YOURSELF:


At least I'm not bald at the age of 28.


Imagine someone looking like THAT calling you ugly. Angry not??

And where's his penis? Must be tiny.

Continuation of his blog entry:



This loser with probably less than 100 readers on his SHITASS BLOG per day is trying to teach me how to blog!!

Hilarious and buay paiseh much??

My English is crap. And I don't do balance or moderation, but guess what? I am still the top blogger in Singapore so you can suck on my balls!


"Photos should be used to augment content" - Advice from a loser. Funny! I should listen to him. He sounds like he has been blogging for ages with much success.

Oh and for some reason, he seems to have taken issue with my Chipster Advertorial, naively thinking I've got nothing better to do than to blog about potato chips.

My dear, I was paid THOUSANDS for that entry by a reputable MNC. If you think I've nothing better to do than to go blog something, think again. Retard.





You know, I find the second last sentence particularly enlightening.

Listen, Bradley found that I made him feel
better about himself as a person.



Normally I am not so cruel as to highlight a loser's inadequacies so harshly, but hey, you asked for it.

I did more research into this fucker's life and I found out a lot more about him.

He was originally from Alaska and was in the army till he finally quit it.

He is presumably mixed. Dad's white mom's dunno what:


His parents

His wife is Filipino and never graduated from college, and neither did he.

For some reason, both of them are not from Singapore yet decided to reside here.




In April, he posted this blog entry up.


This loser, there is no other word for it, has been jobless for almost a year
.


He has been living in Singapore with his wife.

AND PRESUMABLY HAS HIS WIFE PROVIDING FOR HIM.

Unless he has some trust fund which I doubt so, but either way, what sort of man at 28 does not work?

He lives in a sad dingy rented room in Pasir Ris at $600 with a Singaporean host family.


And there he goes, typing shit about girls online just like you'd expect any other sad loser would. It's so stereotypical it's almost laughable. Hey dude, why not look for a job instead of writing advice to bloggers?


I was looking at his tweets. He typically sleeps around 5am and wakes up after noon. Does that sound like a guy who is TRYING HARD to look for a job?

IMHO, only lazy, useless, unambitious bums who leech off their kins can be jobless for so long. Can't find a job? Try MacDonalds! Or are you too good for that?

Well, maybe you are vastly over-estimating your self-worth. :)

At the age of 19 Bill Gates set up his own software company. Hell, even I at 19 was starting to get press and making my mark in the world.

At the age of 28 most men are already building their careers, building their families.

At 28 all he has is a bald pate, and ugly cat lady as a wife (more about that later), and NOTHING TO HIS NAME.

His only claim to fame is that a semi-famous blogger once blogged about him.

I don't want to go on about how ACCOMPLISHED I am in contrast to that useless lump because it's arrogance.

But does he have the rights to comment anything about me? No.

Calling me shallow and stupid? If you so deep and clever, where are you in life? PRECISELY.

Really embarrassing to have a chick you are insulting earn way more than you do. Me and Paris Hilton both.



Anyway, never mind these two blog entries he made about me.


After these are written, I was still clueless because obviously I don't read his blog.

Then, the fucker had the nerve to @TheXiaxue me on a tweet, saying that my twitter updates are BORING.

(For those of you who don't know, if you put an @ before a person's nickname, the person can see your tweet as a 'reply')



This led me to his blog. I then read the first two entries as posted.

I retaliated by tweeting that his wife is uglier than I am.

Of course, this fucker wanting hits for his site, wrote A THIRD blog entry about me, and here it is:









Typical.

When I said his wife is uglier than me, he pulled out my old Maxim photoshoot. Congrats, you found my ugliest photo in existance. So?



FIRST
off, I have no qualms about what he called "dragging his wife into the picture".

As you all can see, the wife also left a barrage of comments about me prior to my tweet about her. She said I'm stupid and made remarks about my site. So is she innocent? She is not.

Secondly, if you want to say I am ugly out of NOWHERE, then I can also say your wife/mom is ugly if I want to.

Your remark about me being ugly is UNPROVOKED, so why can't I make UNPROVOKED remarks about your family?

Sounds FAIR, doesn't it?

ONE FOR ONE.


AND THIRDLY, here are his wife's tweets about me.







Oh, so this bitch wants to get into this too!!


Since she and her husband are so adamant that she is better-looking than me, here are a few of her choice photos for you to see:



























What crap about it being the end of the day and his wife was tired... I'm sorry but it seems as if she looks typically even greasier and uglier!

Oh and that photo taken without my permission was also at the end of the day with me in ratty clothes and no make-up on. I DON'T SEE ME LETTING MYSELF GO LIKE THAT!

You think I chose her ugliest photos and tried to embarrass her? Don't take my word for it, feel free to check out her MYSPACE profile's photo albums before she shuts it down.

I didn't want to blog anything about this fucker despite him writing 3 blog entries about me. Since he is such a sad little loser I thought I'd let him off.

But then, up till yesterday, the fucker was still steadily tweeting a stream of nasty shit about me.





I presume he either really hates me or just badly wants me to blog about him. If it's the latter here's your wish granted!!

And here's the "WHORE" photo in question:



Do I look like a whore?


Pic credit Jessica

I was wearing a cute lilac M)phosis romper for Christ's sake. Whores do not wear rompers coz they are so difficult to fuck in, ya know?




Fucking losers. Hey Margee, do your colleagues at NTUC Income (if there is where you work according to the lanyard) know you have a loser of a husband?


Fucktards. Get the fuck out of Singapore.


UPDATE:

The cat lady twittered 2 new tweets about me:

xiaxue top blogger? keep telling yourself that fake blond.


Funny leh! This sorta thing need to argue one meh?

Tempting to post the $10,000 cheque photo again. Tempting. Won't. Am a girl with self-restrain. Shall be more humble.

And the second tweet whining and whimpering about how she is 8 months short of finishing med school or something.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Never finish also can talk about it one ah? Like that I am 8 years short of finishing a PHD! How? Clever not???

I thought only the husband is a loser but she's slowly going on par!

Which is more loserish, never starting something, or starting something halfway and giving up/failing??


Always finish what you start honey!

*plants big L on forehead*

Almost a doctor, huh? If so, why are you still living in a dingy little flat doing customer service? Go and be a goddamn doctor if you can make it! Betcha can't! And till then, stop claiming to be a doctor and stfu!

And I'm not 'crying', silly. Why should I? I'm rich. MUAHAHAHA! Not rich rich, but richer than YOU, a half-fucked doctor!!

Oh and OF COURSE... I was right about the dude having a small penis and no balls. He deleted all blog entries related to me.

He was the one daring me to blog about him and now this!

If it's possible, I lost even more respect for him! Stand by your fucking opinions, fuckface! You can't afford to add SPINELESS to your long list of bad traits!!

Second UPDATE:

He deleted whole blog. Nice!

I'm totally happy today.


p/s: I am not afraid of giving hits to him because shitty bloggers will never be able to maintain it. :)

Direct Download Links for Final Version of FireFox 3.5 leaked

firefox-3.0 FireFox 3.5 is scheduled for an official release in a few hours from now – but I have got the leaked links of the direct download installers from the Mozilla website. So, all you folks don’t have to wait for the official release or the update notification – go ahead and download the latest and most awaited version of Firefox right away.

Here are the Direct Download links for the Final version of FireFox 3.5

Go ahead and download the next major version of Firefox and take it for a spin.

Micro USB to connect most of our devices in future

Micro Usb Almost 10 leading mobile / mobility device manufacturers have formally signed a European Commission Memorandum of Understanding which curbs the creation of e-waste by making manufacturers of mobiles to use the standard (Micro USB) for charging the devices and also for connecting them to computers for data exchange.

Micro USB are not to be confused with Mini USB which is already available in many phones especially from Motorola and BlackBerry. Mini USB has a very super cool option that will seamlessly allow different mobile devices to be connected with each other without the actual need for a host computer. The Micro USB is already in use in the Amazon Kindle which has a craze following in the US market.

usb-stick Some of the company’s that have signed the agreement include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Texas Instruments. These are the same company’s which are members of the OMTP Forum.

As per the commitment on the MoU signed the manufacturer’s need to roll out all their products with support to Micro USB from the year 2010. This is really a very exciting news since we don’t have to anymore worry about different sets of cables for charging or data transfer purposes. Currently, I have atleast 3-4 sets of chargers for my Sony Ericsson, BlackBerry and Nokia mobiles and another equal number of cables that are needed for syncing each of these devices with my PC / Laptop.

Once, we have the Micro USB standard we can have a single charger and data cable for most of our devices. Imagine using the same charger to charge ur Sony Ericsson mobile as well as your BlackBerry and also your iPod – now that’s gonna be super cool. But, you’ll need to purchase the new models that are released post 2010 (Now that’s a catch).

FireFox 3.5 to officially release today

The latest and most anticipated version of the popular Mozilla browser FireFox 3.5 is gearing up for a possible release today – if all goes well. The Geek world atleast is waiting for this significant release since it will give the users at large a first opportunity to not only see a completely stable version of Firefox but also a couple of new features like the support for the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine and also the HTML5 web standards.

There is already a demo posted on the website about dynamic content injection for all to see. This clearly demonstrates the new version of Firefox's native support for HTML5 with just not embedded video, but also with the ability to have JavaScript that can embed graphics or video in an embedded video – all this can be achieved in real-time and also at speeds of several frames per second.

So, this is gonna be an important release to watch out for. I have been running the Firefox RC2 on my Windows 7 NetBook for a few days but to be frank – I don’t see any speed improvements with the 3.5 release. Not sure if the 3.5 release is not tweaked well for the Windows 7 environment. Let’s wait and see if the newer releases help Mozilla gain more market share.

You can test the Portable Version of Firefox 3.5 RC release here - "Download the Portable FireFox 3.5 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) for Free".

Monday 29 June 2009

...and I quote...

This year we asked each of our retreat participants to share their favorite quotes with us. Some were quite funny, some incredibly insightful, all are worth sharing. I thought posting them here would be an appropriate way to say goodbye to a wonderful week. Happy reading!

Submitted by LaVonne Rae Andrews (Actor):
"There is a power in the Universe greater than you and you can use it!" - Ernest Holmes
Why is it my favorite? Because it's true and I use it!

Submitted by David Armstrong (Actor):
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success." - Tomorrow Never Dies

Submitted by Dani Bedau (Director):
"The weight of this sad time we must obey, say what we feel not what we ought to say." - Shakespeare, King Lear

"Mother, still your tears, for remember the soul of the universe willed a world and it appeared." Bruce Springsteen, Jesus was an Only Son

The Shakespeare cuts to the core of my life's philosophy: in all times- sad, hard, good, meaningful- speak what we feel, what must be said. It may not always be what we 'ought to say' or how we are expected to behave, but sometimes it is necessary. The Springsteen reminds me that all things are possible. When things are really hard there is something larger to tap into. We are not alone. Infinite possibilities.

Submitted by Jennifer Bobiwash (Directing Intern):
"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties." - Erich Fromm
I like this quote because of the simplicity of it. It reminds me to not think so much and to trust in myself; that I've done my work and to just be.

Submitted by Tonantzin Carmelo (Actor):
"We think in generalities, but we live in detail." - Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)
Always a good reminder when acting.

Submitted by Michael Drummond (Actor):
"The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” - Robert Byrne
This quote inspires me to have a meaningful life.

Submitted by Elena Finney (Actor):
“In Europe an actor is an artist. In Hollywood, if he isn't working, he's a bum.” - A. Quinn

Submitted by Sofia Gardenswartz (Actor):

"Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice." - Bethany Hamilton, the greatest female surfer of our time

Submitted by Scott Horstein (Director):

“Look what is done cannot be now amended.” – Richard in Shakespeare’s Richard III
This is my current favorite quote, probably because I recently worked on a production of this play. Richard is Shakespeare’s famously disabled (or, in Shakespeare’s words, deformed) villain, who slaughters as many family members as it takes to get the crown. In a climactic scene with his sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth (not the famous Queen Elizabeth), that signals the waning of Richard’s power, he tries to persuade her to woo her daughter for him. Because of the complicated family tree dynamics, if Richard marries Elizabeth’s daughter, he’ll be able to retain the crown forever. She resists his overture: hasn’t he just killed her husband, brother-in-law, and two small sons? Richard’s reply is the quote above. It’s darkly hilarious in its bravado, bracingly modern in its plainspokenness, insane in its logic, and desperate enough to let us know that the powerful Richard is finally on the ropes. The cultural politics of this play’s attitude toward disability are difficult, but a lot of the writing is terrific.

Submitted by Joan Hurwit (Stage Manager)
:
"Live. Laugh. Love."
These are the three things I try to balance in my life. I weigh all three equally, they are all necessary, and a large part of who I am. No matter how, I feel you must embrace them, especially when it is particularly hard. They are the best remedies.

Submitted by Carlenne Lacosta (me!):
"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." - the late great Michael Jackson, may he rest in peace

Submitted by Douglas Langworthy (Dramaturg):
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain
As a dramaturg I am constantly learning with each new play I try to unpack. Life is a never ending process of discovery.

Submitted by Krysti Litt (Actor):
"Just keep swimming." - Finding Nemo
It may sound silly to have my favorite quote come from a Disney movie, but it epitomizes my way of looking at life. No matter how rough or bleak things may become, if I "just keep swimming" and doing what I love, I will be happy.

Submitted by Patricia Loughrey (Writing Workshop Leader):
“If you wish to be a writer, write.” - Epictatus.
I love this quote: it reminds me that writing is learned by doing, and relearned with each new project.

Submitted by Stephen McCormick (Dramaturg):
“The future has several names. For the weak it is the impossible. For the fainthearted it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant it is the ideal.” – Victor Hugo
This quote is important to me because it reminds us to keep looking forward to the next big opportunity. Optimism never goes out of style.

Submitted by Yvette Nolan (Director):
"I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little or make a poem which children will speak for you when you are dead." - Henry, in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing
Why is it important to me? Because I do believe that we can nudge the world a little.

Submitted by Ian O'Meara (Actor):
"Just do it!" - my mom
My mom always encourages me to believe in myself and go for it. When I go on auditions, she always tells me, "Ian just do it, go for it, believe in yourself. You will do great."

Submitted by Tony Palermo (Sound Effects Artist):
“Reality is not what it’s cracked up to be!” - I coined this quote myself
Why is it my favorite? In sound effects work, reality often isn’t real enough for listeners to “get it.” So we must use fakery—to make reality more real!

Submitted by Kalani Queypo (Directing Intern):
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt
I like it because it is simple and immediate. It doesn't speak on wishes and dreams but of what is happening right now.

Submitted by Pamela Sevilla (Stage Manager):
"It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." - Jason Robert Brown

Submitted by Jay Sheehan (Directing Workshop Leader):
"It is all about relationships."
Because we wont get anywhere in this world without human kindness and taking care of one another.

Submitted by Derek Smith (Actor):
"I feel infinite." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Submitted by Arigon Starr (Playwright and Actor):
“I know who I am! I’m a dude, playing the dude disguised as another dude!” - Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder
I am absolutely in love with the ridiculousness of acting. Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder made me laugh the “laugh of recognition” as he went through his paces, justifying his character’s motivations and actions. There’s a lot of “funny” to be poked at the Hollywood entertainment machine’s expense — and much more Native American humor and humanity to mine and showcase. What a joy to be part of an elite group of artists who have the opportunity to do all this and more.

Submitted by Sheila Tousey (Actor):
"Every man blames himself." - John Steinbeck

"When seen as a whole, art derives from a person's desire to communicate himself to another. I do not believe in an art which is not forced into existence by a human being's desire to open his heart. All art, literature, and music must be born in your heart's blood. Art is your heart's blood." - Edvard Munch, 1890

Why do I love this quote? The best acting and writing is when it's personal and brave. What is more courageous than showing your heart with all its attending loneliness, melancholy, agitation, and love? It reminds us we are penetrable and gloriously human.

Submitted by Jonathan Tsang (Production Assistant):
"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan I didn't have a favorite quote, so I just looked for one from my favorite person and I liked this one. This is also the reason I went back to school. I could live with myself if I failed at making it in the film industry, but I couldn't live with myself if I never tired.

Submitted by Kateri Walker (Actor):
"Love one another."

Submitted by Stephan Wolfert (Actor):
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” –Pablo Picasso
This quote epitomizes my transition from military service back into civilian life. Theatre changed my life for the better. It caused me to create an organization (modeled after Native Voices) which uses the arts to help veterans with their life-long process of transitioning from the military back into the civilian community.

Submitted by Christina Wright (Design Advisor):
"To use Brecht without criticizing him is to betray him..." - Heiner Muller

Submitted by Rayanna Zaragoza (Actor):
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts; His acts being seven ages." - Shakespeare, As You Like It
This is my favorite quote because it shows that every person's life is like a play, so we best not hold back and we best make it interesting!

Things to look out before purchasing a NetBook / Netop

gnome-laptop The current wave of mobile computing has turned towards NetBooks or Netops for sure. The NetBooks’ on offer are from almost all the major brands like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, HCL, Sony, Acer, WIPRO and MSI. Almost all these brands have atleast 2-3 models on offer with varying configurations and setups.

Well – what is a NetBook or Netop?
NetBook’s are basically mini laptops that usually run on the Intel Atom Processors and have features that are most needed for people on the go and need a computer to do some basic operations. They come in a variety of Intel Atom Processors ranging from the 1GHz to the latest 1.66GHz (N280) one. NetBooks also come with a choice of hard disks from SATA drives to SSD (Solid State Drives). They have 1-2GB of RAM and usually with no CD / DVD ROM Drives. But what actually sets them apart is the shear size of these beauties – they have screens varying from 7 inches right upto 11-12 inches.

Hope that was quite an explanation – Now getting back to what was on offer and how I zeroed in on one… Here it goes.

Processor :
cpu There isn’t much options on this front – the only contenders are from the Intel family currently. We have the Intel Atom architecture that was conceptualized / designed specifically for the NetBook market. The Atom range of processors are pretty small in footprint and also consume way too less power than conventional processors. The latest Intel Atom Processor on offer is the N280 which runs at 1.66GHz

RAM :
gnome-dev-pcmcia We have a choice of the older SDRAM as well as the DDR RAM’s. But there is a cap of a max of 2GB RAM. All the NetBooks I researched came with 1GB of RAM.

Hard Disk :
drive-harddisk The minimum that was on offer was at 80GB and the max was at 320GB. But do you really need that much of memory on the go? Well, that depends on an individual’s needs – as for me, I had a requirement of a minimum of 100GB. So the higher capacity I get – the better bang I get for my buck :)

Display :
computer-laptop Now this is an area where you least expect to have choices – but you really have a competition here too. There are the touch screens that have become the latest fad and then you have the BackLit LED displays and the regular LCD displays. Though touch screens have a lot of takers but do you really need it? We all know that hand-writing recognition has always been unpredictable at the most needed hour. Also, all the extra care that you need to take care from fingerprints and the gloss.

Battery BackUp :
gnome-dev-battery Most NetBooks come with a 3 or 4 cell Battery that lasts for 3+ hrs. Again the hours that are claimed by different companies vary for the same specs. Also, on the higher end you have 6 cell ones that have 7-8 hrs of battery life. This is very important when you are shopping for a NetBook since the longer juice it has the better. The cost of the NetBook varies based on the cell that it has.

Wi-Fi :
network-wireless Almost all of them have a Wifi receiver that have 801.1 g/n. This is very important when you are on the go, since you can easily access the internet from the free access points. Wifi does drain a bit of the battery.

USB Ports :
drive-harddisk-usb The number of USB Ports greatly varies from different models. 2-3 ports are usually present in the NetBook. A thing to watch out is that a few models have 1 USB port which has power and the rest don’t have power, which basically means that you can use only 1 USB port for charging an iPod or Phone – while the other ports can be used for connecting accessories that don’t need power for operation.

Hope these tips are useful in you making a more calculative decision. As always, feel free to contact me if you need any suggestions.

my backbone

Although the retreat and festival have come and gone, I still have a few acknowledgments I'd like to make. As you may have guessed, I'm primarily responsible for coordinating the retreat. My work for this year's event began as last year's retreat was concluding just as my planning for next year's retreat has already begun. During the week of the retreat, I place all my trust in my stage managers and production assistant who keep things running smoothly as I continue to run around behind the scenes tinkering with the schedule, resolving individual matters, etc.

This year I am particularly indebted to my team who not only managed to overcome all pitfalls and keep everyone on track but helped me retain at least a small portion of my sanity. To Crystal, Pam, Joan, and Jonathan: thank you for everything.

Crystal Mercado, Stage Manager for The Red Road and Different Doesn't Mean the Same

Crystal is a 2008 graduate of Arizona State University's Theatre for Youth MFA program. She has taught theatre, creative drama, puppetry, and theatre for social change with students of all ages, including her thesis project, an inter-generational visual art and theatre performance involving teenagers and elderly women in Guadalupe, AZ. She was a full-time intern at Inside Out Community Arts in Venice, CA, a socially based theatre arts program for middle school students. Her work in San Diego includes being a stage manager and teaching artist for the Old Globe's trans-border, bilingual touring production of Romeo y Juliet/a. In her first year at Young Audiences she has helped establish a free professional development series for teaching artists in San Diego. She also co-coordinates field trips, and teaches theatre at Hoover High and Kearny High Educational Complex.

Pamela Sevilla, Stage Manager for Carbon Black and Fancy Dancer

Pam graduated from SDSU in the Spring of 2008 with a BA in Theatre Arts Performance and has continued at SDSU as an MA candidate in Theatre Arts. Performance credits include: Desire Under the Elms, Songs for a New World, The Jungle Book, The Grapes of Wrath, In the Beginning, and Lord Derby's Giant Eland. Previous projects: Bunbury: A Serious Play for Trivial People (Director, Skull and Dagger), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Director, SDSU Juries), The Glass Menagerie (Assistant Director), Stone Cold Dead Serious (Stage Manager, Skull and Dagger).

Joan Hurwit, Stage Manager for The Frybread Queen

Joan is currently earning her MA in Theatre Arts at San Diego State University. At the 2008 Student Research Symposium, she won the only undergraduate Presidential Award for a directorial/creative production proposal. She recently served as the assistant director/assistant dramaturg/blog manager for Native Voices at the Autry's production of Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light and is currently the Dramaturgy Intern at La Jolla Playhouse.

Jonathan Tsang, Production Assistant

Jonathan is currently a student at SDSU majoring in Television, Film and New Media; Production emphasis. Prior to SDSU, he was a financial analyst for various companies.

35 Interesting, Funny and Practical USB Pen Drive Designs

Here is a cool collection of 35 really hilarious, practical yet interesting designs of USB Pen Drives. Some of these designs are already available in stores and some of them are on their way.

This is more like when beauty meets the brains or do we call it when practicality meets new age design? Call it whatever you want, but you now have a lot of choice for sure.

Click on Image to Enlarge



































How boring it is gonna be to carry that old pen drive any more - isn't it time to upgrade?