Yay, new machine.

1. I finally got the ultraportable laptop that I've been drooling over for some time now, the HP Mini-note (HP 2133). I've been saving up for this sweet piece of gadget for some time now, but I got an unexpected boost out of my parent's short-lived misery: the death of their hand-me-down PC that they got from my brother.

Now, while the usual solution to their dilemma is a simple sentence: "May, pahiram ng computer mo saglit," it doesn't work that way in our family. We're very territorial when it comes to our own property, especially me, and my parents popping into my room from time to time to get their daily intertube dose just wouldn't cut it.

The actual solution: "May, bilhin namin ang PC pati ang LCD monitor." The total price for my quad-core set-up, including my widescreen monitor, was just enough to net me an HP Mini-note loaded with Vista Basic.

Docomodake trying out my Mini-note, the Nintendo DS compared to the slightly larger ultraportable PC.

And gah, Vista. This is actually my first time with the latest iteration of the Windows operating system, and after one full day of using it I can safely say that it's annoying; the way Vista always asks for my permission every time I uninstall bloatware makes me want to cram a full Windows XP installer into my flashdrive. However, I'm still willing to spend a little more time with the unwieldy OS and see if I can tinker it to my liking. I'm currently trying out Vista's ReadyBoost using the Apacer 2GB flashdrive the guys at the MoA HP store threw in as freebie.

The HP Mini-note most certainly serves the purpose of its intended market: students. Barring the slow boot times, this small laptop is ideal for typing notes during sombre lectures with its quiet cooling fans. Despite its ultraportable dimensions, HP managed to squeeze in a normal sized keyboard (sans the numerical pad, of course), making typing on the HP Mini-note a ho-hum experience compared to the finger tinikling of the Asus Eee PC and its tiny keys.

There's a drawback to the normal-sized keyboard - the touchpad is small, and the left and right click keys are placed at the sides. It takes fingers with the flexibility of a gymnast to navigate comfortably using the proprietary touchpad; if you're planning to play flash games on this thing (or in my case, Ragnarok Online), you'd be better off getting a cheap optical mouse from CD-R King.

All in all, its not a bad replacement for my gaming PC, whose gaming functions are, sadly, neglected.

2. I tried renewing my SM Advantage Prestige card yesterday. My request was rejected, with the customer service rep telling me that I wasn't able to fulfill the 300,000 peso purchase requirement within the last two years. So the reason why I I got a Prestige card in the first place was that I was able to spend 300,000 pesos two years before, I said. She answered yes.

I then wondered how the hell I was able to spend that much money in the course of two years, and how I got such an accumulated amount in the first place. Damn. 300,000 pesos: three or four Sony Vaio laptops. A big monitor, several cellphone units...gah.

._.