Apple TV

It took a fair while before Apple TV was released in Malaysia. It was partly due to the limitation of Malaysian App Store, which until only recently sold songs and movies. It was only purely applications prior to that, although it did not stop me from having both the US and UK app store accounts for my fix of movies and videos.

The Apple TV was surprisingly affordable at RM350, but compared to Western Digital media hubs and the like, it was pretty limited in terms of what it could do. But what ever it could do, typically of Apple, it did them well. It could stream. From iTunes. And that was it biggest selling point. And it streamed media directly from the iPads and Macs very well, although at a very noticeable latency.

The unit was much smaller than I expectedAnd it came with a slick remote unitTypical of Apple, it came in a nice tidy packageIt could also perform AirPlay, a way of turning the TV into a computer screen remotely, but the latency and lag were just too long. It was unusable at best. I also suffered from limited bandwidth as my router was located at my study, and I had to use a repeater to get signals onto the Apple TV. Streaming YouTube was effortless, but anything from the iTune Store took a while to download. I ended up downloading onto my MacBook, then streaming it onto the TV.

The situation maybe a little better if the wifi signal was stronger, something I would try on a later venture. At the moment, I was happy with the YouTube streaming, and media from my iPad. And another thing to be aware, the Apple TV unit did not come with an HDMI cable. You would need to purchase that separately.

Heavier Than Expected

I woke up late this morning after going back to bed after sahur. All due to staying up to watch the cycling at the Olympics last night. Woke up at 9, scrambled to shower, then out to get for my morning rounds - no clinic today being Wednesday morning. I was not expecting the traffic to be bad this morning, and I ended up getting into the ward just past 10.

Luckily I did not have that many to see, and soon, everything was sorted out again. Apparently, the traffic jam was just due to the sheer number of cars. It eased off right after the LDP intersection, about one kilometres from the hospital. I should have used the NPE instead if I were to leave a bit later than usual ….

Now It's Azizul Time!

Datuk Lee Chong Wei returned to Malaysia to a hero's welcome earlier today. And now, the hopes of Malaysia for a medal lies on the shoulder of Azizulhasni Awang who just qualified to the finals of Men's Keirin. the race is coming up in half an hour or so. He will be competing with six others.

The twittersphere is abuzz with excitement. So far, no clown politician has yet to make any monkey statement ala the aftermath of Chong Wei's match. We shall see what pans out .......

Update on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 1:12AM by Haris Abdul Rahman

Oh dear! I must have jinxed it again. Azizul was boxed in and couldn't find another gear to keep up with the pace. He still should be proud to be in the reckoning. Definitely an Olympic-class athlete. Well done!

Wonky Brabantia

Part of the reason we had to take the stroll at The Curve was because I had to buy an ironing board for the apartment. Looking around, we settled for the one from Brabantia. We had a few items from there before, and the quality was usually top notch.

We were not that impressed today however. The ironing board which we bought was wonky, and we had to balance it with some papers on one of the legs when we used it later. We didn't test it at the shop as it was plastic wrapped. Taking the cover out would be a bit of a challenge, and coming from Brabantia, one would expect nothing less than quality product. We bought ironing boards from them before - although not at the outlet at IKANO, and it had been smooth sailing.

It looked like we may have to drag it back to the shop in the next couple of nights. And that would be a pain …… So guys, remember to ask the salesperson to unwrap the board the next time you think about buying one from Brabantia. You never know that it might be wonky.

Dinner in Bed

After a whole day of babysitting, both myself and the boys were getting restless. Anita also had a long day, spending much of her time earlier today when she was out fought in traffic. Even though she was taken by a driver, it was still frustrating when she only managed to go to one destination all day. And worst thing was, she did not manage to find the clothes that she wanted.

It was never a good idea going out shopping on a public holiday - even though Kuala Lumpur was business as usual - this close to the Eid. Even at 10 am, central KL was already packed, both on the road and LRT. I made the right decision not to go out ….. Imagine having the two grumpy boys along with you on a hot day!

The street was lit up to the Raya grooveA nice time to stroll as the place was not packed during weekdaysSo, come the evening, we went out to The Curve after iftar for a bit fresh air and of course supper. It was not that packed as it was close to 9 pm when we settled into the restaurant - The Apartment. The iftar crowd had already left. Car park was relatively empty already.

The lights were already up, and with the nice cool early evening weather, it was a nice outing. Food was not that bad either, as the tangerine cooler - my favourite - watched down very nicely. I was already full, and only ordered some salad. The boys had their dinner, in bed!

Irfan lying on the bedI was not joking .....Hmmm! Not sure what to order .....Maybe I get to stir Dad's coolers In the interior, some of the table had beds as their seats, and it was not long before Irfan took off his shoes and started jumping up and down on the bed. Thank God, there were not many people in there, as most of them were in the terrace outside.

Some salad of course .....We finally left after 10 pm when the shopping mall entrance was about to be closed - the mall closes at 10, restaurant and bars stayed open until midnight. We then took the long route back home on the drive ….