So because of school, travels, packing up and leaving Germany, adjusting back to Windsor life, and all the things that go about life, I've just had no time to write in here! Kinda sad, but true. I still really enjoy coming back here and seeing what I've done in the past So many things have happened since then. Just a Quick run down...

My girlfriend visited me in Germany and we went travelling all over Europe, stopping in Paris, Rome, and Berlin as the major stops. Then we did a couple small trips to Rothenberg, Munich and the BMW museum, and of course my favourite next-door city, Erlangen. The Pizza in Rome was amazing, the Cold weather in Paris, not so much.

After she left, I found a cheap flight to Hong Kong and decided to make a quick trip out to see her before flying back to Canada.

Of course, an extended time in germany would never be complete without a trip to the Nurburgring. I spent a whole day of driving, and had some pretty amazing sights along the way. Being passed by a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and a Porsche 911 GT3. It sends a chill down my spine thinking that I was on the same world famous racetrack as them.

Then I did a road trip driving along Germany's most scenic driving roads. I drove along the German Romantic road, and the German Alpine road, the latter being more exciting and scenic because of the mountain range we had to drive beside, through and over (under?). With our Trusty Mini Cooper, we carved out the roads and finished up with a tour of the Audi Headquarters Showcase.

Before staying in Windsor for a long period of time, I decided to make a trip to China to visit my Dad. Somewhat odd feeling because I wasn't sure if I was going to be there for an extended time, and when the next time I would be back. I got a chinese haircut that had to be fixed by myself when it started growing longer.

Back in Windsor, life has been pretty much filled with School, Engineering, and uh...School. I did manage to get my old computer up and running at full steam again after being attacked by internet worms the whole time I was in Germany. I also just picked up a Wireless PCI card so that I can write this on my Desktop computer while in the Basement. As they say, life must go on. And after reading about all the tragedies going on around the world, to famous people, not so famous people, I feel pretty lucky to be here.

Today wasn't just another day to the airport, I was picking up my girlfriend.

The last time I saw her was about 4 months ago in Hong Kong. We had a wonderful time together, travelling to Macau, travelling all around Hong Kong, and eating some of the best food in the world. This time, we would be trekking across Europe and seeing some of the best places that Europe has to offer. But before all this, I had to wait.

Do you really have any idea what its like to wait for someone that you've been waiting for, for four months? Someone you always enjoyed being with when you were together, someone who makes you feel like nothing else could go wrong in your world. Its excruciatingly nerve-wracking. I've never been sky-diving but I guess that I would feel quite the same. Except that when you're skydiving, there's always that feeling that you might not make it to solid ground the same way you were expecting.

Anyways, three hours is a lot of time to kill when you're waiting. At Frankfurt airport, its nice that all the shops are open to the public, and not just the travelers. A couple stores were worthy (Porsche Design), but I had seen it all on my 1 hour stopover when I arrived in Germany 8 months ago. I walked around, and was pleasantly surprised to find a supermarket! This was the first time I had run into a supermarket in an airport. It was a tad small, but nonetheless, it had things you would need if staying in Germany for a couple days. I picked up a Spinach pastry which was quite  tasty. Not something you'd be ashamed to say you bought from the airport.

Due to my girlfriend flying in direct, her terminal was in one far corner of the airport,  Gate C. For a while, I was actually confused to where it was because on the screens, it showed that her flight was arriving at gate C1. In hindsight, there was only one 'C' gate, but when you're as anxious as I was, you want to make sure that everything goes according to plan.

At the gate, I just couldn't sit down. The seat was too hard and felt like I was confined to a spot. I ended up leaning against a column. When that got too uncomfortable, I ended up walking back and forth. And back and forth.

And back and forth.

I did notice a family, also waiting at the same gate, noticing me. Oh well...
I made constant trips to the arrival screen which was in the corner. As flights arrived, there would be a little green lights flashing beside the flight number, or so I thought. What I found odd was that flights that should of arrived an hour earlier, still had their little green light flashing. Okay, so it just tells you that the flight is already here.

Going back a couple more times, the little green dot appeared flashing beside my Girlfriend's flight. She was here. All my waiting, all my anxiousness would come down to these minutes. From my experience of arriving at Frankfurt, it would take no more than 30 minutes to get off the plane and get the luggage. The countdown began.

I paced back and forth, checking my watch, checking the screen, observing who was coming out of the doors. While waiting for her flight to disembark, my girlfriend called me and mentioned that the flight was full of Chinese people. Okay, I thought, that makes sense. So obviously, I kept a lookout of chinese people. But all that came out were Europeans. An hour passed. It was hard waiting. What if she got held up by customs? What if her luggage got lost? I rather not think of those things.

The family that had been observing me had a heartwarming reunion with one of their own. A man stepped out with a dog, and alas, an asian woman walked out. I spied her luggage tag, and I was hoping to see any indication that she was coming from Hong Kong...but I couldn't. As she walked around the barriers, a German man greeted her, as if they were ready to go to an important meeting. Possibly from Hong Kong...

And then, as I was looking down at my shoes, I heard an 'Ah!'

She was here. My Girlfriend had arrived safe and sound from Hong Kong. She walked in, tugging a long a single suitcase and a backpack. All this waiting, all this anxiousness had come down to this moment. We were together again. It was really awkward at first because she was really with me. For the past four months, I had always seen her on Skype. Even her voice was different. But there was no mistaking, this was the girl I love.

I was so happy I finally had my girlfriend that I actually forgot how to get back to my car. Then after I got back to the car, I had to pay parking, which got me lost on the way back, again. Its amazing what happens when your mind is taken off its normal course of thinking. It was just wonderful to have my Girlfriend beside me. All that was left was the long drive back. But I didn't mind because I had all the time in the world.

Let me highlight driving.

I had to pick up my Girlfriend from Frankfurt airport. I wanted to use the company car but policy doesn't allow the car to stay with me overnight. The company cars available to me are simple. Either a green Ford Focus which is falling apart or a Blue Opel Astra. I've honed my Manual driving skills in both cars and each has their own characteristics. The Focus for example is easy to drive smooth, but once you're on the road it starts to complain that you didn't service it yesterday.

The Steering is vague with enough side-to-side play to steer a yacht . The clutch is light but the other connection to the drivetrain, the shifter, is not exactly a masterpiece in engineering.

If you try shifting quickly from second to third you'll more likely than not hit the metal in between 1st and 3rd gear. Imagine catching up to traffic on the autobahn, gunning it on the on-ramp when you shift gear and instead of grabbing 3rd, you hit a wall of metal. A fumble of clutch and accelerator ensues and before you know it, a Porsche has just tucked up behind, flashing their headlights.

It irritates me to no end, which is why whenever I can, I ask for the trusty Opel Astra. Trusty in the fact that it usually gets me to where I'm going. Don't get me wrong, the Astra does not score straight A's. For instance, when the engine senses something wrong, it will go into safe mode and not let you shift above 3000 RPM. In Canada, that would be fine. But in Germany, trying to merge onto the Autobahn is just downright dangerous.

So instead of the Focus, I'm in the Astra, speeding up the on-ramp. Instead of hitting a wall of metal after shifting,  I hit an electronic wall of the in-car computer. It thinks its going to explode any minute but I know if I don't get enough speed, there's going to be some angry Germans riding my back bumper. In the worst case, they'd be riding on top of it...

The only thing you can do is shift up and hope for the best. Keep in mind, my foot is planted on the floor and it accelerates like a van. Um...scratch that. It accelerates like a van loaded with 7 people. With each of them holding a bag of sand. Wet Sand.

On days when the Astra isn't feeling so blue, its a rather good car. The diesel engine gives you more than enough power to max out at 220 km/h on the Autobahn, all while keeping an S-class Mercedes' in my wake. It feels secure on the road with little to really scare you about going so fast. Other than the increased wind noise, or the vibration from the tires, or the world seemingly going backwards, its not that bad. At least for me.

I think I've been pretty well versed in the feeling two drastically different cars. One put together by Monkeys, and another put together by Monkeys wielding wrenches.   I was now going to step into a car made by the Bavarian Motor Works, or BMW.

Not everyone would associate it with BMW since its quite a British car. But the fact is, its quintessentially German. The Mini Cooper.

I went over to SiXt rent-a-car and picked up a blue and white Mini Cooper. It was a base model with no bells and whistles except simply, a good car. I have to point out that the first reason why I rented a Mini was that my Girlfriend had always liked the Mini. It was appropriate then, that I would be picking her up in one.

The car was good as new, with just over 3000 kms on the Odo. The first cool touch with the Mini is the key. Instead of a usual fancy Metal stick with notches, this is a Plastic UFO-like thing that slots into the dash. A neat touch for a neat little car.

It took a couple minutes to get used to everything. For example, the window switches are on the dash, not on the door. I soon came to realize that every control you want is in the main dash cluster, surrounding the huge central Speedometer. I really don't understand why more cars don't have this. Its a seriously cool piece of kit. Sort of like walking around with a large faced watch, the Mini cruises around with a large, white-faced Speedometer.

Then there's what Mini have become famous for, the Drive.

Two words usually come with mentioning the car, Go-Kart Handling. You'd be wrong not to describe it like that but its been used so much that its synonymous with the term. Why not just call a Mini a go-kart for four people? Or better yet, I just like to describe the Mini's handling, like a Mini.

The gearbox is a jewel to use. Like a precision instrument, I could immediately tell that this gearbox had some real thought in its engineering. Rowing up from 1st to second feels like you're physically moving the gears by hand, which of course you are. I mean, its so fluid and natural, it becomes an extension of your arm, requiring no though to move it in the right gear. The clutch is light with just the right amount of resistance. The pedals, as I found out quickly, are perfectly spaced for heel-toe downshifts. Even with my inexperience of heel-toe, I was able to downshift almost seamlessly.

Going onto an on-ramp, I felt the car coming into my hands. The steering told me where I was going and I knew this was it. I dropped a gear and stretched the Mini's legs.

Despite not having that much power, the Mini propelled itself with ease, the Variable valve timed 1.6L engine maximizing its 120 horses of power. All too soon, I had to lift or face going too fast into the back of a moving chicane. You can call it go-kart handling, or cornering on rails. In my eyes, this was just Mini Handling.

On the Autobahn, I didn't want to max out the car because I knew I would be disappointed. The engine wouldn't give me all the speed I wanted. Besides, I had already experienced unlimited Autobahn speeds more than enough times. My goal while on the way to the airport was to maximize fuel economy. Or as everyone else calls it, Hypermiling.

With the Mini's tiny engine, it was easy to get the onboard computer to read a consistent 65 mpg. I found that setting the cruise control to about 127 would keep the speed and economy right where I wanted. I was in no rush because I had left a good 5 hours before my Girlfriend's flight was to arrive. It only takes 2 hours to get there...

Cruising on the highway in a Mini couldn't get much better. I stuck my just-burned CD into the player and rocked on. The ride was comfortable, but being on the Autobahn, I rarely encountered any significant bumps. driving in a Mini feels extremely refreshing. The big Speedo keeping you in check and the giant glass sunroof opening your view to the heavens. I don't know how they did it, but the engineers managed to carve out an entertaining aura inside of what would usually be a drab car interior.

At night, lights above and under the dash cast a glow which, at first, I found kind of tacky. I had always associated blue and red lights on cars with the Tuner crowd. Guys with their seat lying almost flat, one hand on the wheel, crashing over bumps on their sleds with blue lights glowing from underneath. The Mini manages to make it all cool again. You can even change the color to whatever you want, but I never figured out how.

Driving a Mini really is more than just driving a car. It is a Mini experience. Today, I needed the perfect car to transport a precious arrival direct from Hong Kong. I needed a perfect car, and the Mini, in all its coolness, delivered.

We saw the Berlin Wall in where else...Berlin. Along the way, we stopped by the good 'ol Eiffel Tower in Paris and finished up with the Bestest of the best cities during our trip, Rome, Italy. Oh, I forgot to mention all the other sites we went to before all that.

Stay tuned!

Until...a while, IgloONotes will be on Holiday enjoying the weather, the snow, the festivities and whatever might come their way. Merry Christmas and have a Happy new years! Or as the Germans would say,Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes Neues Jahr!

Canadian Politics has turned into just one huge mess I could honestly care less about who turns out as Prime Minister. The only thing I could ask for is lower tuition fees.

I've tried going on Youtube once in a while but, watching a cat flush a toilet over and over. And over. And over...gets boring. Maybe seeing a kid fall off his bike ending in a screaming cry is funny for some, but I just think, poor kid.

During the first few months, I'd throw on a movie or two two watch, but even that gets a litttle tiring. It certainly hasn't stopped me from getting them online. I'm especially keen to grab 1080p HD films to watch on my 24" monitor back home. I've even been thinking of buying an external hard drive just to store my movies.

Of course, when talking about spending time, you can never miss Ebay, one of the most entertaining ways to spend my time. I'm always finding things to check out. One day my computer water cooling system will be in the search bar, or I might want to check out the Acura NSX's that are up there for auction.

I'm a huge Acura NSX fan, the car being my dream car. I'm always wondering when I'm going to have one of my own to drive around, and with what upgrades. I've already figured out that I want a white NSX, bone stock, prime for tuning into an NSX-R. I am a frequent floater around the NSXprime forums always checking out interesting parts or cars for sale. Its always cool to hear about the guys on the forum tweaking their cars, giving me new ideas all the time.

Though I can never tire of the NSX, you can only linger on one thing for so long. From a few posts earlier, you'll see my liking with grab.com and their simple and entertaining flash games. At one time, I could spend hours on Flying Bob, but there's something frustrating about Bob running into an inescapable pack of clouds just when you're about to beat your previous record. Every time.

I tend to linger on amazon.com and newegg.com, checking out the latest deals and see if there's anything worth wasting money on. But if its wasting money, it can't be worth it? It all depends on its essentiality. Its "I gotta have it" factor.

So far, I've had one item that ranked 10/10 on the essentiality factor. EVO Magazine and their coverage of Supercars on the Nurburgring. Namely, the Ferrari Enzo, Koeniggsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda, Porsche Carrera GT and the Maserati MC12. I bit the bullet and layed down the plastic for this special magazine. Just reading about these monsters on the Green hell made my adrenaline rush. When the magazine finished, it was back to the movies

I grabbed the whole second season of American Gladiators, telling myself to only watch one episode per week. I forgot to mention that I'm an avid fan of Heroes, as well as The Amazing Race. And Top Gear which by the way, is the best automotive enthusiasts show you can watch on the telly.

I'm also a hardcore follower of Formula 1. I check the news everyday but now that the season is over and Lewis Hamilton has taken the crown, I can't watch the races! That has certainly added to my free time, which I've spent doing one of the above items or...

Japanese Drama's! Known as Doroma in Japan, they are just as important to the Japanese as Mcdonalds is for Americans. 95% of Japanese say they watch TV everyday. What's even more worrying is that 86% consider TV as an indespensible medium. So basically, if you take away their TV, they'll all go crazy implode in one big mess of un-TVness.

I figured that if 95% of Japanese are glued to the TV, their daily drama's must be pretty good right? It depends on who you are. If you like Japanese Anime, you'll definitely like J-Dorama. I've caught onto one, Hanazakari no Kimitachi. Its based in a Japanese high school setting (just like the rest) and it revolves around a Japanese girl diguising herself as a boy to get into an all-boys high school. Her plan is not to win the heart of the guys, but to restore the confidence of one, who abandoned his high-jumping dreams long ago.

The drama is awesome because its just like an anime in real life. There's twists and sub plots that makes everyone go into a whirlwind. The characters are so colorful in their expressions that you just can't help but laugh. It makes me wonder at times if High-school in Japan is ever that entertaining. Every thing they do, everything they say, is exaggerated by a factor of 2. I gotta say, its way more entertaining that my past favourite show, 24. I don't have anything against Jack bauer and his ever-increasing body count, but there's something about these J-Dorama's that makes me want to scour the internet for more.

So what's next for me? I'm not really sure. One thing I know is that I have 5 and a half months until I make my way back to Canada. In that time, I can probably plan out every modification I want to do on my NSX, watch every entertaining video on Youtube or even follow all the Japanese Drama's out there right now. But maybe I'll go blind before that... Oh the choices!

I've been waiting for my time to get back into a Kart for a while. The last two times left me with an addiction that I just couldn't shake. My jousting with Sparky left me in a definite second place. The fact was, he was faster and I couldn't pass him. I had led for one ceremonious lap, but he duly passed me right away. I wanted to know what could of been...

Time went along and every once in a while my mind would get stuck on Karts. How fast I would be against real competitive guys? Would I be able to pass them or just get relegated to an uninspiring second place? Sparky was good, don't get me wrong, but he was only one guy. I wanted to challenge a group of highly strung veteran German racers on the track.

My friend asked me if I would be interested in joining him and a group of fellow guys on the Kart track. He said it was a different track than we've been to and we'd be going for one hour. He didn't even have to ask me twice. October 30th...redemption.

That day was the longest day at work. I would constantly visit my friend at his desk and ask when we'd be leaving. 10 minutes...way too long.

It was a night full of anticipation. Quite a few of the guys had experience up their sleeves and one even had a full-carbon fiber helmet. Now that's extreme.

We walked into the kart track and there in front of us was the holy grail. The karts were much bigger than the ones I was used to. They also looked a lot faster with curvy bodywork and fancy decals.

The track was much longer with more passing opportunities. I was looking forward to the first hairpin because it followed a long sweeping corner. If there was anywhere to pass, it would be there. It looked menacing and if you turned your wheel too soon, or braked too early, you would for sure end up on the wrong end of the time sheets.

I strapped on my trusty pair of Alipinestars Tech 1-S driving gloves, slipped on my helmet and snugged in tight to car number 16.

These Karts are quick. It didn't quite snap your head back like a high-powered sports car would, but you could feel the push telling you that there's something going on back there.

The first thing I always like to find out about a Kart is the limits. The cornering limits are pretty easy to find. Just rush into a corner and see how fast you can go with the car still turning in the direction you told it to. If your wheel is turned and you still seem to be going straight, then you've probably taken the corner too fast.

Stuck's Karts were not too much different than the ones I had previously run in, but I could tell that the tires were newer and therefore had more grip. You could really just toss the kart wherever you wanted and it would obey every single command just like good'ol Fido. Though that's a given for go-Karts, what I found to always be variable is the braking.

In other Karts, you could stomp on the brake and easily end up facing the wrong direction. these Karts, unless you tried really hard, you just couldn't spin it. Don't get me wrong, the braking is by no means 'worse', its just more controllable. You can stomp on the brake hard enough to slide the back end a little and get you through the corner. Pros call this technique trail-braking. I was very satisfied in my ability to take advantage of it.

First up was a 12 lap Qualifying session. Since a couple other guys had more experience that me, I wasn't expecting too much. I just needed to feel the track, know where I could keep the foot down and where I needed to brake. As the laps progressed, my times consistently came down. I started off with a 47.56s lap and every single lap after, except for one, I had improved my time. 46.47s, 45.81s...44.90s, 44.84s....44.14s.

Then on the very last lap of Qualifying I grabbed my fastest time: 43.65s. This would be good enough for second on the starting grid, ahead of more seasoned veterans. I could see in the other guys eyes that hadn't expected me to be so quick. Ready or not, here I come!

My start to the 34 lap race was not that great. I was hung out to dry on the outside of the first corner and was passed, which pushed me down into third place. I was almost passed for fourth, but i managed to keep it together and hold my spot. I was in for an exciting race.

I knew that if I had any chance of doing well, I had to pass the second place guy. I knew I was faster. In the twisty bits, I would always cruise up to his tail. In braking, I would have to brake harder than normal to avoid tapping his rear bumper. Because of this, he would always have better acceleration out of the corner. I needed to be patient and wait for the best chance.

By the fifth lap, I was the fastest kart on the track, despite still being behind someone slower. Every lap, I'd glance up at the timing board and see my number '16' in first place. My chance to pass came about 10 laps later. Coming onto the long sweeping corner, I moved around his outside with better acceleration out of the previous loop. I braked late for the first corner and retook my second place.

For a handful of laps, I thought that I would be sufficiently happy to be relegated to second place. After all, I was the newcomer and second place was already pretty good. The first place guy was about a 1/4 of the track ahead of me so I started to settle into a second-place-is-good-enough mood. Soon though, that would all change...

Once I had a clear track in front of me, I beat the track and kart into submission to give me the best lap time possible. I needed to make up time, and fast. In my mind, I thought close to half the race was already finished.

Braking deep into a corner and exiting rather quick, I noticed that I was closer to the leader than I was in previous runs down that same corner. I was consistently braking later and taking the tight corners faster than him. It was now full-on attack mode for first place.

I could feel myself becoming one with the Kart. It was an awesoem feeling, being able to transfer everything I wanted to do, to the kart beneath me. The brakes were feeling good, the steering was accurate, and the engine was pulling strong. My blood was pulsing through my veins. The Kart had become an extension of my mind. More than once, I would take a corner too tight and clip the barrier. My Kart would bounce back with a jerk and throw off my rhythm. I felt the pressure building but I knew I could do it. My lap times were consistently in the 42s range with my opponent varying between 42s and 44s. Sooner than I thought, I was breathing down his neck. It was time to pass.

My demise of my last race with Speedy Sparky was my inability to pass. This was different. I had the knowledge of what it takes and now, experience under my belt. The best passing point was at the very first corner. Every single time, I would dive into the corner braking as late as possible. The thing that made this so tough was that usually, I would be glued to his tail coming onto the previous sweeping corner. To pass, or not to pass, that was the question.

A lot of times, I would have to abort the pass to avoid a collision. Other times, I would brake late and swing around the outside of the corner. More than once I managed to exit side-by-side, snapping a look at my opponent's surprised eyes.

I could never keep the lead because he would always have the better line for the next chicane.The only way was to get fully ahead in the first corner and take the inside line. Around lap 25, I sensed the corner was mine.

Glued right to the back of his kart like a magnet, I had a really good run. Entering the hairpin, I swung to the inside, and braked a fraction of a second later than my nemesis, mashing the stop pedal to bring down my speed. The Kart wiggled in the back and I counter-steered to control it. I ran a little deep into the corner, but my opponent had no other choice but to yield. It wasn't over yet because running into the next corner, we were side-by-side once again, but the difference was that I had the inside line. That was all it took. I was first.

I didn't let up my speedy pace because I knew in no time he would back on my tail, attacking into every corner. I was untouchable. During this runaway period, I set my fastest lap time of 41.95s. Not only that, but every single lap save for one, I was faster. My lead was growing and there was no turning back.

I took the checkered flag and earned the respect of my fellow racers on the track. I wasn't just a newcomer anymore, I was a force to be reckoned with.

In the first race, I had set the fastest lap time, the fastest average speed, and of course, the race win.

I lined up first on the grid for the second race in the kart that propelled the slowest driver. I really didn't think there would be much difference, but how wrong I was. Immediately into the first corner, my first place was taken from me. My Kart just didn't have the same grip. The tires were obviously more worn and the brake pedal was softer as well. I just couldn't attack the track as I could earlier. Then again...I wasn't totally up to the task.

I was spent. I had used all my strength in the first race. My arms were becoming stiff and my left leg, the braking leg, was getting a bit stiff as well. To top it all off, my stomach was still not used to the high G-forces experienced in cornering. From around the middle of the second race, my goal was not to finish second, but to finish the race with my stomach in one piece. It didn't make it better that the air inside the Karting arena smelled of spent rubber and fuel. My lap times went in the wrong direction, and I was running 43s - 44s lap times.

Due to my slowing down and conservation of my stomach, the third place guy was right behind me trying every single thing to get past. Quite often, I would take a corner slower than he was expecting, only to be given a nice crash into the back of my kart. Near the end of the race I was almost begging him to pass because it would make my stomach a whole lot happier.

Soon enough, he made my life easier and duly passed me. After I was relegated to 3rd, I simple let off the gas and cruised the rest of the way. Just as my lap times tumbled in the first round, I kept tagging on the seconds. 45.12s, 46.17s, 47.32s...ending with a 55.02s lap time.

Getting out of the Kart, I was too tired to do anything. My stomach felt like it was in two pieces with one part trying to make its exit. I could barely celebrate afterwards, even half-heartedly paying 2.50 € for a cup of water because I was so thirsty. That was the most expensive water I had ever bought.

I retired to a long night at home, only realizing how much fun it had been the next day when my muscles had somewhat recovered. In hindsight, the less grippy tires in my second Kart allowed me to finish the race without purging my stomach in the middle of the race. I'm quite glad for that, thank you very much.

Having been in only 3 competitive Kart races, I think being the fastest guy on the track is worthy of a pat on the back. I guess its not very nice to be beaten by a rookie. Next time, I will be better prepared and even faster for the second race! Though I can't quite say the same for my stomach...

On the other hand, there's all these smartphones popping up and with prices plummeting, its made me rethink what I really want in a phone. Are 5 megapixel cameras going to tear me away from my beloved Panasonic TZ5? Are web browsers on phones going to rip me apart from my Macbook? I did a bit of cell searching and this is what I found out...

First up, the iPhone. When it first came out, I was in a craze and said that the only phone on my mind was the iPhone. Now that time has passed and the hype has gone over the hill, I've come to my senses and figured that hey, why do I really want the iPhone?

I figured that it was a bargain because you were getting a mobile phone and an iPod Touch in the same device. I fiddled around with an iPhone for a bit and was quite impressed. I could watch movies, listen to hours on hours of music, and best of all, surf the net using wi-fi, avoiding extravagant wireless data fees in Canada. GPS didn't hurt and the endless amount of applications coming online were sweet.

Nothing was stopping me. Then came along the deal with Fido in Canada where you could get an iPhone 3G for $199  with a new plan. Being a subcriber already, it was just take a call to the retentions department to work out a new contract with a sparkling new iPhone.

Then it happened. I actually got my hands on one. I was quite eager to pluck away at the touch screen and see what it was all about. A couple presses later, I was finished. My dreams of the iPhone faded into obscurity. I was lost in the menu's and items. There's tons of useful stuff, but I am not the guy to always want to know my local weather or stocks, or even what's the newest craze on Youtube. I have a Macbook and I was looking forward to the Dashboard and its widgets. Frankly, it just sits in the background with its files getting fragmented every passing day.

iPhone thoughts gone, I went back to my roots and found my new love, the Sony Ericsson W760i. It was a slider phone (something I've always wanted) and it was a Sony. It didn't have tons of applications and it was a basic phone with a few extras.

I'll honestly say that I was attracted to its purdy looks. Digging deeper, I found more of what I wanted. It had GPS and a half decent 3.2 Megapixel camera. It was looking good, real good. Then it dawned on me, it didn't have Wi-fi.

Why would wifi be so important? Long Distance 'nuff said.

Mobile phone carriers charge two arms and both your legs to call overseas. Yes, its really that bad. Even with so called "low cost" international rate plans, nothing can beat a VOIP phone provider. Skype popularized this calling method and since then, millions of little carriers have popped up like moles eager to sniff out your money. The thing is, I really want to give them my money because its so cheap!

I've been using VOIP Stunt! while in Germany. Its not nearly as well known as Skype and its website looks patched together by some high schooler. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.

There's an initial fee of $10.00. With that money, you get 120 free days (or 4 months) of calling. Yes, free. Not every country is free, but the list is extensive enough to cover all the places I regularly call.

There is one catch, and its that 120 days counts down from the first day you pay your deposit, even if you don't call. If that's the sour shell, there's a sweet center. When you chew through the free days you'll have a very friendly list of calling rates. Calling to Hong Kong costs only 1 cent per minute. With Skype, its 3 cents. Make calls every day like me and it adds up pretty quickly.

My ideal phone idea had been dashed once again and now I think I've found my match, the Nokia E65.

Its a little old and its feature set isn't really that sparkly. But like a trusty old sidekick, the Nokia's got things to back me up. Its a slider phone, its got wi-fi, and its simple. There's not so many applications and fluff to drive me crazy but there's essentials that can keep you going.

Its got an Office Viewer for viewing documents and even a web browser. But the cherry on top was its handling of VOIP. If the phone detects a wireless network, you can make it automatically switch to wi-fi when making calls. That means you can get a cheaper phone plan if you hang around places with a wireless network most of your life, people like me.

I reside either in University or at home. The University of Windsor is blanketed in Wi-Fi so access is as easy as stepping onto campus. My home is wireless equipped so that's no problem either. The Canadian government made things even easier for me because now its illegal to talk on the phone and drive. So when driving to University, I might as well switch off my phone, not that I make calls while driving anyway...

AND............................

Fido Canada dropped its prices across the board for its wireless plans, even ridding itself of the evil System Access Fee. Combined with a wi-fi phone, I have never imagined a better way to make phone calls. Now I gotta start looking on e-bay. Excuse me!

That's the campaign that Barack Obama was campaigning for, and change is what the americans got. The change in presidency brought thoughts around the world for the US to end its 'my stick is bigger than your stick' mantra so well known in Iraq. Will he do exactly that? That's tough to say. But will he bring the USA off from its knees and rally americans together to bring back faith in the white house? I can't even say a definite 'yes' on the one. But what I do know is that he's already done what President Bush so thoroughly neglegted, given the American people confidence and hope. 

So what can we expect, or maybe I better say, what should we expect from the very first black president of the United States of America? Obama is not one to stand down when picked on, but I doubt that he would be the big bully and beat the opposition into submission.  Then again, he could turn into a hungry war monger and throw away every single thing he campaigned about. Outrageous? Quite. Impossible? Ask Adidas.

Being Canadian, I was quite interested in what the outcome would be. I certainly didn't want another Republican in the hot seat running the same old policies. I know I wasn't the only one. If the world could vote for the US president, Obama would have won with a staggering 60-70 % of the vote (some cases even higher). Mcain wouldn't even have stood a chance.

In Germany, Obama rallied the youth like no other modern German politician could. It was a refreshing taste to an exciting future, but also a flash into a past that Germany wants to forget. But times have changed and injecting excitement into people because of the prospect of a new American president can never be a bad thing.

Obama is a man who can change America in ways that's only been done a couple times in history. If he keeps it up, he could stand to change the world.

For those of you not really into the loop, just know that the winner of the Formula 1 world championship turned out to be a fight to the last race, the last lap, and the very last corner. It was an extremely thrilling finish to a crazy season, with two drivers Filipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, vying for the crown.

It started out as any other Grand Prix, cars lining the grid, ready to race. But just as the lights were about to go out, the heavens opened and smothered everything that she could offer. This lasted just a few minutes, but it threw the teams into confusion as to what tires to slap on their cars. Should they gamble and stay with the dry tires, or be safe and go with the wet tires?

Most teams opted for the wet tires, while the one team who didn't quickly found out what a bad decision it was and opted for a switch to wet tires in the pitlane. As the race unfolded, the hometown Brazillian, Filipe Massa pulled out an impressive lead at the front while his team mate backed up the rest of the pack. Keep in mind that if Massa had any hope of getting the crown, he had to win and Hamilton had to falter spectacularly which given history, was a real possibility.

The drivers mixing up the order were Timo Glock and Sebastian Vettel, both in surprisingly quick cars at the ol' Interlagos racetrack in Sao Paolo, Brazil. By keeping up with the pack and dicing for position, they made life extremely difficult for Lewis Hamilton, who only needed to finish 5th to take the crown.

Just 8 laps from the end, it started to drizzle, no one knew if it would pour down by the end of the race. You could be cautious and switch to dry tires, losing time by pitting, and being inherently slower on wet tires on a dry road. If on the other hand, you were feeling lucky, you could wait it out and stay on dry tires hoping the rain didn't pour down as hard and make up time while not needing to pit.

The first to dive into the pits was Nick Heidfeld from BMW. Being in 10th place, he had nothing to lose and a good possibility to gain a lot. Back in the pack where it all counted, Hamilton pitted, along with Vettel, but crucially Glock stayed out. As the positions unfolded on the track, It was Massa, Alonso, Raikkonnen, Glock, Hamilton.

On the second to last lap, Hamilton made a mistake and went wide in a corner, allowing Vettel to slip inside and steal the one position on track that he needed. It looked like it was all over for Hamilton, the crown slipping out of his hands. The guys in the Ferrari Garage were ecstatic as Massa cruised over the line for a faultles win, but they celebrated a bit too early.

The flood gates opened once again, dousing the track and making it un-driveable for those still on wet tires, namely Glock. On the last corner of the last lap, Hamilton sailed by a struggling Glock for 5th place, and snatched the crown. Lewis Hamilton, 2008 F1 World Champion. Seems fitting I think.

For some more links and info about the race, check out these sites:

Autoblog

ITV-F1

F1-Live