Thin fingers and wrists.. strange day.

Yesterday was a strange day. I didn't particularly do a lot but a few interesting things happened.

I went to Xujiahui to do a quick grocery shop at Cityshop and also to finally get my new Swatch watch fixed.

On 11th Feb, when we went out for our anniversary, the watch just dropped off my wrist. I was like "What the-?" The stupid woman at HK airport mustn't have put it together properly. That was the FIRST time I wore it since I got it (on the 4th Feb).

Ever since then I've been putting off getting it fixed. Well, last week I was randomly browsing Huijin and No.6 Department stores at Xujiahui (Taipingyang/Pacific is closed for a few months for massive renovations. The whole building is covered in scaffolding!)... anyway I passed a Swatch stand and asked if they could fix it for me. They said they can't do it in their 'store' and that I needed to show proof of purchase/warranty, and go across the road, to a building to the left of Metrocity, and go to the 4th floor. Okay...

So I started by having lunch at Novel Plaza. I went to Applebee's and had something similar to what I had at Tony Roma's at Shanghai Center before. A set meal featuring baby back pork ribs - Mmm... It came with fries/wedges, baked beans, and coleslaw (75 RMB).

After that, I went to Cityshop, bought some stuff (249 RMB for only a few things - cry) and asked them to deliver it to me (it's free for purchaes over 100 RMB). Also bought some bread at the bakery next door.

I had a quick look at the department store across the road.. can't remember the name of it. Nothing really interesting or nice there.

Then, I went to the building 'to the left of Metrocity'. It looked like a back entrance and was just a stairwell. I was about to enter it when a woman grabbed my arm, and started talking really quickly to me. I looked down and she had clipboard with a sheet of questions on it. Obviously she was doing some market research survey thingy. I usually ignore these people because I don't want to seem illiterate when I tell them I can't freakin' read the questions! (Usually in Australia I like to help people out if I'm not in a hurry and if there aren't too many questions since I've been in a similar situation on the other side).. so anyway, I was trying to tell her I can't answer the questions but she kept talking...

I realised I wouldn't need to read it if she was verbally asking me so I thought, I may as well try to help. She asked, "Where do you buy toys from? Do you buy them in a hypermarket like Tesco, a department store, a..."
"Err.. I don't buy toys."
"If you were to buy toys, where would you buy them from?"
"I haven't bought any toys since I've been in Shanghai. I'm not a local, I haven't lived here that long."
"How many years have you lived here?"
"Not even one."
"How many kids do you have?"
"None."
"Oh, Ok." She realised she was gertting nowhere with me (LOL) and started to then walk away. Before she did though, I asked her...
"Do you know if there is a watch repair place on the fourth floor of this building?"
"No, I don't think so." Then she asked the security guard for me. Then she walked off and I was left talking to the security guard now.
"There's no watch place here, there are no offices here. This is a hotel.
"Every floor is part of the hotel?"
"Yes, the whole building is a hotel."
OK then. (feeling really stupid) "They told me to go to a building to the left of Metrocity. Do you know which one it is?"
"Maybe it's the one behind it."
"Right, OK, thanks."

Sure enough there was a tall office-looking building right behind/beside Metrocity.
I went inside. It looked quite 'posh' and foreign-orientated. There was a Costa Coffee and travel agency/airline office on the first (ground) floor.
I looked at the board at the front and I noticed that Yum restaurants (ie KFC, Pizza Hut, etc) and Microsoft were in the building! It said that Swatch was on the fifth floor. OK, Phew. I got the right building afterall. But the lady said fourth floor.. oh well.

So I went to the fifth floor where a snobby lady at reception asked me what I wanted. I said I was looking for the place to get my Swatch fixed. She said, "Fourth floor, 409." OK.

I waited what seemed like forever, for the lift to take me down one floor.

Well it looked nothing like what I expected. It looked kind of like a bank, or a place to collect a visa, or a place to deal with your health insurance. (I have no photos cos I didn't bring my camera). There were all these little windows like tellers, with a glass front. You had to take a ticket and wait to be served. There were comfy leather lounges to sit and wait on. On one wall there was a big glass window and you could see what they were doing! They were all wearing white lab coats and microscopes on top of their head. It looked very scientific and techy. It wasn't just for Swatches though. It was for lots of major watch companies that are a part of the "Swatch Group" - Omega, Tissot, Rado, Mido, Calvin Klein, Longines, Breuget, Flik Flak, etc. The whole place had similar 'vibe' to the Canon repair center I also went to before.

I was served immediately. She whisked away my watch, and handed me a carbon copy of a form, a receipt sort of. I asked her how long it would take and she said around 10 mins.

I looked at the form and it had a whole series of boxes ticked - band: steel, face: plastic, ladies, etc etc. I also wanted 2 links removed and so it had "-2" written on it as well. I also noticed she had written Feb 4th on there as the warranty date. I thought it was strange how did she know.. but then I looked into my watch case and realised she had taken the warranty card out without me even realising it! (unless I was going mad?)

So, I waited and true to her word it took exactly 10 mins. I went to another window to collect it. They gave me the links back as well. I was about to leave when I realised they hadn't given me back the warranty card - how rude! An accident? Hmm...

So all is well now and the watch finally fits me although I'm still slightly paranoid it's going to drop off my wrist after what happened.

There was a total of 9 links (all of them removable) and in the end I had 6 removed. 4 removed at HK, where I purchased it, and then 2 more. What is so great about having thin/small wrists?!

That morning, My ayi saw my and hubby's wedding rings and asked me about them. She asked me to wear it and show her (I don't wear them out in public because I have paranoia about being mugged, even though I know the chance is really small). She said "Gosh you have such thin fingers!" and I'm like "Yeah, I know. I also had to have the ring resized. Because hubby used the measurement from my right hand, which is a lot fatter than the finger on my left hand." The engagement ring ended up being a size G 1/2 Australian or about 3 1/2 US, which, if you didn't know, is tiny. I think I'm quite a freak because I have friends that are shorter and smaller than me, but my fingers are still thinner than theirs.

I don't know what's so great about having such thin fingers or wrists though. EVERYTHING always has to be adjusted (often at an additional cost) and sometimes when you do this, the design is totally ruined. I can never just walk into a jewellery store and buy something without having to wait to have it altered first. And watches with leather or plastic bands usually look stupid because the band is way too long. My watch now looks nothing like it did when I bought it now, it looks quite strange having so many links 'missing'. (Quite a few of the other Swatch designs that I liked.. when I tried them on in the store I realised that even with every single link taken off it would still be too big, so I was not left with a big range to choose from in the end).

Hmm...

The Canon Powershot G9 digital camera

I feel compelled to write about my camera because three people/friends have bought the same camera recently upon my recommendation.

This is the third digital camera I have owned.

The first one was bought in 2001 and was a gift from my mother. It was a small, silver Kodak somethingorather and had 2 megapixels and NO optical zoom. Also, photos without the flash came out looking like nothing. It only really took good photos outdoors in adequate lighting. It was pretty crap and I ended up resorting to using both my SLR and compact film cameras instead and was dying for a new digicam...

The second one was bought in 2004. I bought it on eBay because I really wanted the black model which was not sold in Australia (I really really hate silver!). Also, I could get it cheaper that way. I paid AUD$600 (including exchange rate and shipping) instead of the $800 I would have paid if I had bought it in store locally. It was the Canon powershot S50 and had 5 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. The seller didn't ship overseas but I got it through a very unconventional way. I had it shipped to my uncle who lives in the States, he brought it to Taiwan. He and my dad were going to be in Taiwan at the same time so then he passed it to him and then my dad brought it back to Australia - phew! I was so happy with it. It was brand new in the box and what with all the bad stories about eBay I didn't have any problems with the seller nor the item. It still works perfectly now, despite me dropping it a few times too.

Despite the S50 being a great camera (has several manual modes and can record in RAW format) there were some things I longed for which it didn't have. I really missed the ability to use filters (as I could with my SLR camera), I really wished the optical zoom was 'better' (preferably at least 10x), I wanted 'image stabilization', a better macro mode, a 'vari-angle' LCD screen, and the 2:3 format.

I researched and researched (am a research-aholic as well as a camera-aholic) and concluded there wasn't a single camera that existed that met ALL my criteria. I searched through dpreview.com endlessly to no avail. I contemplated getting the Panasonic or Olympus models with the superzoom - 10x, 12x, 18x even! or the Canon S5IS (at the time S3IS). However the more I researched the more I realised I really wanted a smallish camera and a Canon camera as I really think they make the best cameras. Almost all the news photojournalists use them.

I found a little beauty called the Canon G7 and decided that was the one I wanted. But what with being in debt from the wedding, it had to take a back seat for a while... luckily I waited because in September 2007 the Canon PowerShot G9 arrived on the scene. I had suspected that a new model would replace the G7 but Canon wasn't giving anything away! I perused forums and blogs awaiting any news and hoped that the G8 would be able to record in RAW format (the G7 couldn't) and have a better than 6x zoom. I got the first wish but not the second. However, the LCD screen on the G9 is much better too. It is a whopping 3" and you can view it easily from all angles making overheard or low shots easy.

So in October (just before the Japan trip) I finally got my hands on the little G9 beauty. I bought it in Pacific Digital Plaza in Xujiahui (after scouring PDP, Metrocity and Hong Kong Plaza for the best price). I paid about AUD$580 for it (it had only just come out in China at that time).

It's not a perfect camera by any means but it suits me perfectly. Many have asked me (knowing I'm a photo/camera buff and that I studied photography throughout high school and university) why I didn't get a DSLR. The reasons are simple:

1. They are expensive and get outdated much more quickly than film SLRs
2. They are big and heavy and after having a neck injury I no longer wish to carry a heavy camera around my neck
3. I like to take 'photojournalistic' every day type shots and you can't do that easily when you have a big huge camera which attracts attention
4. I don't like the feeling of being a target of being mugged whilst I am travelling overseas. I have actually been mugged before for my cameras (they didn't get away with anything except some cash) so it's not a pleasant feeling!
5. I know people buy SLRs and mean well but never end up using them much and taking them out because they are 'too big', 'too bulky' and stuff. So what's the point of a camera if you aren't going to use it?
6. I don't believe that SLR cameras 'take' better photos, in the same way that buying a Porsche won't make you a better driver. It's the PERSON that takes the photo, not the camera!

So, I wanted a camera that had SLR type features and functions but was still compact. The G9 is not small by any means but I can easily still fit it into my palm, my pocket, or a pocket inside my handbag. Best of all it has the ability to use filters with it, or to add on an external flash (which is my next camera-related purchase). I think the 6x optical zoom is good enough. I rarely need to zoom in that much and the digital zoom takes it up to 24x zoom! Another bonus for me is that it takes the exact same batteries as my other Canon camera.

I love it! I won't rave on about the technical aspects and tests as you can read about that on various sites online. But if you are a G7/G9 owner who stumbled upon this make sure you check out this site - customized accessories for the G7/G9 which look like they actually were made by Canon, including a hot shoe cover, and the new cable release.

I spoke to a friend who is also a Canon fan and was also looking for a new camera and was contemplating getting a low-end DSLR till I told her I had my eye on the G7 and together we awaited the released of the G9. We contemplated getting the G7 (since it would now be cheaper) but both ended up getting the G9. Then, I had another friend tell me that they bought the G9 too (previously a G2 owner). Then, recently, I met up with my sister and her boyfriend here in Taiwan and he was fascinated with my camera and I was telling him all the great features about it and it won him over too! And he ended up buying one just hours before leaving for the airport to go back to Sydney. He was particularly impressed by the fact that it is 12.1 megapixels! :)

So to summarise... I'm a secret geek girl at heart, I love gadgets (except mobile phones), and I love the Canon G9! It fits most (but not all) of my criteria and I hope to use it for a long-ish time (well, at least 3 years judging by my history ;) )

PS - the reason why the model 'G8' was skipped was because it sounds like a rude word in Chinese!! hahaha...(the S4IS was skipped too because 4 is a bad luck number in Chinese/Japanese superstition).

PPS - I have now taken over 10,000 photos with it (5,000 alone on the Japan trip) in just 3.5 months - scary!