New Laptop & Doritos!

I went to Smart Computer Mall at New Maadi with my colleague Wael to hunt for a new laptop.

We met his friend who wear a pair of weird looking glasses and do laptop repair there.

After talking for awhile I knew this guy earn side line money by promoting computer for other shops. Not a problem for me if he can get me a good deal. However, the place was chaos with noise, smoke and it is not conducive to strike a deals there.

I like HP brand very much but this guy keep telling me to get Dell...which unfortunately I dislike. So after made him to pay for our drinks...we went out and tell him we will come back..which we didn't. :p

Buying computers in Cairo is not an easy deal. There are so many different shop out there with many different pricing, and even the same model will have slightly different specification.

It is not lilke buying in Sim Lim square, whereby you can compare the price with all those pricelist handed out at every corner nearby the elevator.

It's more of a gamble to buy laptop here, different people have very different opinion about certain brand and there's not enough online platform to get good informations.

So I ended up buying a HP Pavilion laptop from this guy who has a twin who looks exactly like him, but both shorter than me lah. He also boosted that he own 21 shops in Cairo....but he couldn't tell me the model of the laptop corretly....which a novice like me can easily indendify the model only after a few trips lor...ceh.

I asked for free drinks, free optical mouse and pad before I agree to buy from him lah. Also, he didn't impose extra charges for paying with credit card. Usually other shop will charge extra 2.5% for that.

Here's the spec of the laptop....my first laptop:

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7500(2.2 GHz)
• 14.1"WXGA High-Definition BV Widesreen
• nVidia Geforce 8400m GS gaphics card
• 2048 MB DDR2 RAM
• 160 GB HDD
• DVD R/RW Double Layer Support (lightscribe)
• Remote control
• Speech command
• Build in Webcam
• Build in microphone
• Figerprint Reader
• Wireless LAN and Bluetooth
• 5 in 1 Dgital Medial Reader
• Windows Vista Home Premium

Me playing with the built in webcam. The software HP use is very fun lah!

The "fingerprint" slot at the bottom right of the picture. You just need to slide your finger thru the panel and the computer will allow access if it recognised your finger print.

So you ask:"If your stupid finger stuck inside your nose then how?" Stupid, you can let the laptop register up to 10 finger print lor...dun tell me you can stuck all your fingers inside your nose lor.

This laptop also has a speech command...whereby you can control window related application with voice command. Good for lazy and sore arm person like me. I told the computer :"Shutdown!" it will shut dowm by itself. When I "accidently" fart infront of the laptop....it asked me :"What are you sayings?".....hahaha!

This laptop is build for entertainment. It has a remote control, Altec Lansing build in speaker and also a touch panel for all the multimedia controls. Impresive! Ok lah....I know I "shua ku".

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DORITOS!

I saw many Egyptian eat this corn snacks, I saw them bought it in boxes, I also saw the lousy commercial on TV...(Thai people are the most creative when come to commercial I think) so I decided to give this snack a try.

Yummy yummy yumyum! Amazingly "cracky" and very nice! This is by far the best junk food I have ever tasted....better than my favourite tomato Twistie and spiced cheese Chipsy chips.

Guess what? Made by CHIPSY company also...! Bugger, I can eat this whole day three meals.

-VINcE

My Weekend

I went for a very early morning jog around Maadi area, at around 6am. I have to wake up early to avoid the fumes from the ever congested Cairo traffic and dust. Look at the 2 photo and you know why liao. The top photo was taken after I finished my run at around 7am, the second photo was taken at around 4pm in the afternoon. See the difference? Imagine your lung before you smoke and after you smoke.

Cairo is a "satelite" city. They use satelite dish to receive their TV programs, including the 2 major pay TV. On last count, I think my receiver get very close to 1000 channels. Egyptian broadcasting policy allowed them to get many free channel from overseas country like French, German, China, Rusia, Middle East and Africa. Can you count how many satelite dish on top of the roof?

8?10? Now, count again! I think UFO will invade Cairo first due to the attraction of multiple criss-crossing satelite signal here. I also think the pyramid was built as a satelite station during the last ancient civilisation of Phoroah period to send signal to Alien's telecommunication center in outer space.

I went to the largest shopping mall in Cairo, CITYSTAR. Citystar was dubbed Capital of Cairo by Cairene.

It was quite a pleasant shopping experience with adequate lighting, clean place, good security (you have to pass thru a security scan at the entrance) and good variety of shops. I will say it is comparable to Vivocity in Singapore....No, infact I think it's larger than VivoCity as I don't get lost in Vivovity but I get lost inside Citystar :p...like the way I get lost inside Wisma Atria and Taka...no matter how many times I have visited the malls.

The whole building is separate into 3 section as coloured in the picture above. I think the biggest section is 6 storey high, the lowest is 4 storey. The total number of shops is around 250. They have well known stall like Virgin Megastore, Springfield (they have a separate shops for Springfield Woman!), Mango (70% sales now!), GUESS, Giordano, Nike, Addidas and TOMMY XXX. Haha...this TOMMY XXX shops sell extra large clothings for fat man....don't be dirty, they don't sell extra XXXL condom.

My yacky lunch at CityStar Foodcourt: Chinese style noodle at this stall call "Panda Food". No wonder...it's only for Panda to eat.

I bought a pair of boots at a TRACK. Quite worth it at 115LE (after 50% discount), and the only pair left on the display shelf is my size!

I was happy with my purchase...but somehow when I woke up this morning and look at the boots again, it reminds me of safety boots lor....wear by those construction worker.....shit..I think I start to miss Singapore liao.

-VINcE

My first party in Egypt

Egyptian plan their party in a big and glamorous way. Beautiful lightings, western wedding buffet setting and lots of foods....sexy belly dancer with skimpy clothings...ooshh..sorry, I actually wished they hired a belly dancer...but they didn't lor.

It was a farewell party, and it was held at the roof top of our 4 storey office building.

A nice white lounge couch! The cleanest couch I have ever sit on in Egypt so far!

With Dj spinning the "old" English pop songs like "My heart will go on"...and on and on until your stomach is bery the hungry. Egyptian eat their breakfast late, like around 10am (Usually we have tea break or eat snake time during this hour in Singapore), lunch probably 2-3pm (again, eat more snake time in Singapore) and dinner late at around 10pm.

The scene at late evening...starry night.

Lots of food....A big roasted turkey was served. Aside from that giant turkey, Egyptian eat alot of meats: chicken meat lah, beef lah, veal lah, beef grilled lah, beef in gravy lah, meat ball lah, kebab lah, satay lah....and grilled sweet potato also! They like pigeon very much also.

The person why this party was held: Bill Brown, ex-Area Manager for BOT Egypt. I decided to eat more food that night as a gesture of appreciation for his effort to bring me my current job in Egypt!

-VINcE

Few Things

Another Chipsy down my stomach! This one is the Tomato flavour. Rating? So so...I like fresh tomato, not potato tomato. I think I should quit eating potatoes chips...I have hard time bending down to tie my shoe lace, my stomach has slowly developed into a great obstruction.

I soon will become an Egyptian. I started to drink what they drink and Fayrouz is just as tasty as any F&N soft drinks. Actually I prefer Fayrouz as it has better fruity taste....I should refrain myself from drinking cheap softdrink...my belly doesn't look very appealing right now :(

A man's fridge should typically look like this: Nothing else but lots of Beers! I bought 10 bottles of locally brewed beer Stella. Each 500ml bottle for 6 LE, that's cheap! I got them specially delivered from the drink stall as you can't get it in any grocery store or even hypermart like Carrefour. You can almost order everything thru phone and get it delivered to your house in Cairo: foods, grocery and things like plate and bowls.

At 4.5% alcohol contents, Stella taste just fine but I still prefer my Tiger. I shall drink more beer, and I will run few miles every morning to burn those extra calories :p

New Maadi was hit by a dirty Khamasin (wind) last Friday. Look at the dirt and dust it brought to my balcony. My laundry at the balcony turned to sandy color...damn.

VINcE

Introduction - Egypt BOT Chinese Guy Team

ME!

Love you too. Like my hair syle? Grow longer liao.

Introduction - Avaya Asean Marketing Dept

Dear,
You never had a chance to see most of my co workers, let introduce you to them:

Let's start: the two tall guys at the back, on the left is Low wee meng( we call him meng, he is the guy that might be going to France and work), and on the right is Yeo Ngee Seng( he is the guy my boss ask him to leave). Which all of us dun understand why? His team like him and so do we.

On the second row: left: Martina Cham, Junaidah Dahlan, Audrey Chang(she just tendered yesterday), the lady in Lime green is Suryanti(she is from Indonesia Chinese), the lady in white is Dawn Loh( she is the gal I told you, will be going to Russia or Dubai with her hubby), the Guy in black he is Benson Lim(very nice guy, he even offer to be my MC for our wedding), the gal behind behind is Peiqi(I think she is ex singapore national squash player), the gal beside Benson is Xuefen(she use to be my boss PA, but she switch role to be Martina assistance, but she had left the company too), the lady behind Xuefen, is Kendrea Wong,beside Kendrea is Audrey Lau(you know who is she lah, she is leaving the company as well), and the last one is Ramon Chow, ( he is from the UK)

Those missing from the pictures are : Christopher Tan(my Boss), Rita Aspen(PR Director), Roy Wakim(AR Director), Denea Hornsby(Vertical Director), Edwin (Interactive Director) and Kelvin Toh (Customer Relation manager).

This is Roy

On the left: Guy in blue is Ngee Seng, second guy is Edwin Ong(super free guy, nothing better to do), Third guy is Deane.
On the right: Xue Fen, second Terrence (leaving the company this friday), the third guy is my boss Christopher Tan.

The guy in the centre is Kelvin Toh.


This Avaya Asean marketing dept that is base in Singapore. You have meet most of them.
Love you

Eve

Freaking Weather!

My first day at Cairo, 15 Jan 2008 (Max/Min in °C) : 16/4

Very cold at early morning.....my butt almost frost after doing my daily waste disposal

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A week ago (14 March 2008): 23/13

Nice...very nice! Like air con in Singapore shopping mall...everywhere!

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Few days ago:

21 March (Max/Min): 35/20 --------(Okay, acceptable)

22 March (Max/Min): 37/25 --------(F*ck....37°C ???!!!)

23 March (Max/Min): 39/22 --------(39°C Freaking inferno!!!)

24 March (Max/Min): 39/26 --------(WHAT!!!!!??? I felt like I was trapped in a giant microwave!)

My apartment got air-con, but I bought another standing fan yesterday... I had slight headache for the pass few days..I have my boxer and singlet on.....freaking weather!

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Today 25March:

It's much much more cooling with max/min of 33/10...but it's going to be cold at night!

What?!....Singapore has a week range of 31/24°C ....Don't you ever complain it's hot!

From wearing double layer of thick winter clothing 2 months back to wearing almost nothing now.....not fun at all.

-VINcE

Chop Bone Knife!

Okay, China do made some popular product, like Panda and my Chop Bone Knife.

Brand name: CLEVEREST SONS'S WIFE! Only for the cleverest son....err....son's wife ok!

The model name: Cleverest son's Wife's Silver Dragon Chop Bone Knife!

Hoosh....what a knife! Some said Best in China and Egypt.

VINcE

What I have been doing with out BB!!

My BB and me!!!(of course a lot of extras)

Coffee with my BFFs!!!

Meeting BFF for Hank belated birthday!!

The Birthday Boy - he is denied that he is 29 !!! he is still 28!! haha

The 3 babes!! Me and Wandi is going to get marry, my date is on the 27/09/08. Her is on the next year april.

Our group is not complete.... missing person, Wendy( she is on a flight) Vincent(working in Egypt)

Punishing Boon, as he keep saying he is only 28. haha he wished.

Special guest apperance - Mei mei - angel!! BB this hotel swiming pool is at their roof top. we are there to see Boon to have a special photoshoot taken from not other than Aerwin!!

Haha we are sisters, do we look alike??

Chinese New Year

Missing in action are - Boon in BKK (company send the whole company to BKK for a trip to reward them), Wendy(having her own gathering), Isk and Wandi(both flying) and my Hubby!!

Supercook!

Supercook at wok.

I tried to cook "sugar-vinegar" chicken the other day, turned out it was the worst tasting dish I have ever cooked. Wrong type of vinegar and too much sugar! I refuse to cook this again until my wife is here to supervise! For now, I will go for pre-fried chicken instead :p Oh...I miss my wife...

I also re-arranged the setting of the apartment over the weekend. I think it looks better now.

These few days the weather is freaking hot! Look at the nasty sun! My colleague tell me during the hottest day in Egypt, don't put your hand on any metal part exposed to sun...you will get burnt!

The clock I bought about a week ago go back to China liao. My Egyptian friend once told me :" China no good, today buy tomorrow spoilt". I guess I am more lucky, my China clock at least last for a week.

So what I do? I bought another China made clock lah! At half the price of the previous one, I think this one will last 3 days...we shall see.

Maybe I shoudn't buy anymore China made product...in protest of violence in Tibet.

VINcE