2012: A Year In Brief

2012 has come and gone. I usually don't look back intentionally to count my achievements. In fact, I have forgotten a lot of my life's events since birth, except for a few significant (and oddly random) ones. All I know is that, what happened in the past forges me to be who I am, what I think, how I feel, why I do. For most people, when something great or something sad happens, they get overwhelmed with emotions. For me, I accept the occurrence and any self-generating emotions that come with that, and I move on. Because the moment, however beautiful or horrific, will pass with time and never return. The next moment is ever new, a consequence of what happens before. So, I don't hold on to what had happened, as new things will be coming all the time. Due to my nature as such, people sees me as a person who does not show emotions. Actually, the real reason is that I do not want to make a fool of myself, something that I am quite capable during times when I let myself off-guard.

Life is a journey, not a destination.

So, how have I lived in 2012?
In 2012, I published 85 articles on my blog, covered about 60 tech products, blogged about 7 photo shoot assignments, posted 1 music arrangement. As you can see, my focus in 2012 is on tech reviews, averaging 5 a month. I also set up a Facebook page for my blog so that I can share my latest blog posts to Facebook users. I continue to be a resident tech contributor for XINMSN which I enjoy tremendously. On the music-side, I collected a music award from COMPASS for best instrumental contemporary, for the second year.


What are the favourite products I reviewed?
Since I have reviewed so many categories of products, I shall share the favourite ones for each category:

Camera: Sony Cybershot RX100, it delivers the best images out of a compact camera.
Mobile Phone: Samsung Galaxy Note II, the most powerful smartphone I have tried.
Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, I like it's weight and size, plus it's SIM-enabled.
Laptop: Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13, the best all-rounder Windows 8 laptop I have tested this year.
Headphones: Sony XBA-4, love the tweeter clarity without sounding overbearing, this earphones will help you hear details that you didn't notice before.

Note that they are not necessarily the BEST. Rather, these are products that I enjoy using during the review period and offers me the most positive experience.


What is the most value for money product I recommend?
It has got to be the Logitech Mini Boombox. It's so value-for-money and great-sounding that I even bought for myself.


The most misunderstood fact?
That I get to keep the products I review. No way! Each product costs hundreds and thousands of dollars! If I could keep them, I would sell them off to my blog readers for a song and accumulate loads of education fund for my child!

Having said that, many other blog sites that review perishable products and services (e.g. food, concerts, events) and less-expensive products (e.g. beauty products, clothes) are likely to get complimentary stuff more often. But I'm not looking to get free things. Hello, my joy is to get hands-on access to gadgets and share my reviews to you guys. That's something money can't buy - unless you are so rich to buy the products off the shelf and write the reviews.


And which comes to announcing my favourite company for 2012:
It's Sony, because they are generous in giving review products. For the record, they sponsored the XBA balanced armature headphones for me and for my readers. Thanks to them, I organised a contest and gave away an XBA-1 to a lucky reader.

What's in store for 2013 on this blog?
Looking at the trends, I'll be reviewing a few more Windows 8 laptops, a lot more smartphones and tablets. I hope to produce another Piano Spa album.

Then again, I might be doing all these a lot lesser because I would be putting aside more time for my family, something that I might have been neglecting for the past 2-odd years. A lot of people who knows me are always amazed at how I can do so many things. I'm not superman. There are sacrifices and consequences unknown to others that I had to bear.

I don't like resolutions, because I'm a man of action more than words. But for 2013, I would want to improve on my state of health (i.e. exercise), and spend more time with my family. And the rest will follow.

Adieu, 2012. You are just a memory. Thanks for making me a better man.

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