Cruise 2014 to Phuket and back

Went on a cruise recently, it has been a long time since I take a cruise ship. At least a couple years ago. This ship is under Royal Caribbean, I took their LOTS before and now the MOTS. It is a much larger ship than LOTS. It can carry a total of 3000++ people on board but it is already 11 years old this year (condition is still pretty good), but the LOTS is even older.  

I and my family stayed in the Stateroom this time facing the Promenade (basically a internal shopping area). It has a interesting window view I would say. I still remember taking a stateroom with no windows before which is pretty boring. At least it is refreshing for me.

Basically, this trip is the same as some of previous trips I had. The only difference is the ship. Overall, the trip is pretty normal IMHO but the staff services is good though. Below are the pics.

 Stateroom

 Washroom shower facilities

 Another view of the room

 The Promenade

 Promenade view 2

1st stop at Port Klang

 Phuket view from the ship 1

 Phuket view from the ship 2

Fjallraven Kanken 17" laptop backpack

I had no idea of this brand at all till I saw it locally that more and more people is using it as a casual backpack. The design caught my eye (simple and practical) and I went to find out more info on it.

After researching, I decided to get this backpack because of the flexibility of its main compartment as well as its neat design. The main compartment is a big empty space for you to arrange on how to put your stuff like clothes, books etc. It is initially design for school children back in 1978 according to the company. But with this laptop version, it has another compartment at the back for your laptop. I chose the biggest size (17") as I prefer more space. It also comes with a small front pocket as well as a side pocket for your water bottle etc...

So I decided to get it online as I didn't managed to find the 17" version here. Locally, it is selling mostly the classic version. And after close to 2 weeks of waiting after ordering online, it finally arrived and I am happy about it. The material is a bit stiff but I guess it will soften up after prolonged usage.

Here are the pics:

Front view with front pocket

Internal view, huge space inside

1 Side pocket 

Laptop compartment for up to 17" models

Aerocool DS cube

Once again, couple of months passes by. And I had changed my PC case to a new one but hardware remains the same. My old silverstone case is a good case which is small and compact. But the airflow is pretty bad although it is quiet. So the hunt begins with the same basic requirement that my MB must be sitting horizontally and only mATX size. So that filters out a lot of cases.

I came across this Aerocool DS cube while researching, they had done some fancy casing (not to my liking) previously. But their new DS cube case is nice, simple and logical design. I think they referenced it after Bitfenix prodigy case which is a mITX case which is not suitable for me. The DS fits right with its mATX design. For the unboxing and features, it can be easily found online so I am not doing any videos on it. I also got 2x aerocool 14cm shark fans (red LED) for top ventilation.

Another thing I wish to change is my CPU cooler, due to it compact size. It struggles to cool my CPU if I am doing any CPU intensive stuff. Otherwise it is pretty good cooler. With a new case and a taller clearance for CPU cooler height. It is time to change it, I choose Zalman CNPS9900. This design has been in the market for quite some time but they had been updating its kits to following the latest mounting holes for the CPU bracket. Personally, I like the design and it looks cool with it red LED fan. Do take note that mounting the bracket with cooler is a pain in the ass, they should change the mounting kit similar to my previous cooler which is a breeze to install. But the effort is worth it once it is installed.

Below is the pics for the case and CPU cooler.

 

 Full package

In the box

Top view 

Front view

Back view

Side view

Bottom view

Inner view

Top view with cover off

Inside view 2

 Front view with front case off

Zalman CNPS9900 

 Shark fans

Mini review:

After everything, the case cable is pretty good with only relevant cables running to my MB. It improves the airflow greatly and I am using the mesh top cover since I have fans running on top to exhaust the hot air. And my new cooler is doing a good job in keeping my CPU cool.

Paris 2014

I realized I had not been updating for the past couple of months. I had been too busy with my kid, housework and working.   

Recently, I been on a company trip to Paris. As I had been there a couple of times, I would say this time is a more detailed trip on the famous spots in Paris. I even had 2 days of R&R time with my colleagues but on own expenses hehe. Below is some of pictures I took. Frankly speaking, I think my phone camera did a reasonably good job.

Famous Opera House (Pics intensive):

I was amazed by the building cravings found in it. Internally, it uses different types of marble. It feels very grand and luxurious, the premises is still currently still in use for Opera performance.

Ticket

 Pic 1

 Pic 2

 Pic 2

 Pic 3

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 Pic 6

 Pic 7

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 Pic 9

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 Pic 11

Pic 12

Some Random pictures: 

As always, Eiffel Tower cannot be missed and the famous love locks bridge as well as the famous Notre Dame. I did a love locks on the bridge too, quite meaningful actually. The bridge itself is full of locks!

 Eiffel Tower 

 Love locks bridge

 One of the nice buildings

 Inside Notre Dame

 Inside Notre Dame

Finally the food, I will put up couple of them which is the annual dinner at Le Meurice Hotel. It is a luxury Parisian hotel that hosted numerous leading figures. Apparently, the chef of the hotel is a Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse. Since I don't take beef, I opt for fish instead. Nice food I would say.

 Starter

Main

Dessert

Bonus pic: Quick burger on one of my R&R day. I am a fast-food junkie I must admit. Too bad it didn't expand to Singapore yet.

Bangkok trip 2014

Had a whirlwind trip to Bangkok that last about 1 day. It means stay for one night and return on the next day. This year, I checked in into Intercontinental Bangkok. Around the Silom area which is a shopping district to me. Nice hotel overall but the hotel looked aged in the room and the bed/pillow is too soft for me. I still prefer the Novotel nearby which is newer and smaller room size.

Below is some pics:

 Neat room

 Big bed

 little hallway

 Bathtub

Shower and WC area

Lastly, I managed to have a short walk around the area and found the new 2014 Honda City on display in one of the mall. Minor differences from outside other than the tail lights. The new model is coming to Singapore soon. Below is some pics

 Side view

 Back view is the major difference to me

Front view