The Samsung SGH-i550 is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) as well, which is starting to be a very popular feature among the higher end mobile phones. Of course, it is a phone based GPS and not a true GPS system / device, hence, the reliability is somewhat questionable. While that may not be true, I have yet to see one that is able to function as good as a GPS device.

NAVFone is pre-installed inside the phone. I don’t know how many GPS software out there and since I never use any before, I can’t make comparison. For that, I shall comment on the software based on what are the features that I would want when I get a GPS device.

The interface is pretty simple, but getting it to work is a little tricky. The map basically showed the main roads and some smaller roads, but definitely not a complete map. For the historical city, most of the major roads are labeled and displayed as it is. In fact, the map of Malacca itself is pretty complete itself. Well, am not going to do a whole print screen of the map.

Upon entering the keyword in the search box, you will have a list of results (including roads, buildings, landmarks, points and etc.) that are nearby, at or within the searched location.

For this post, it would be easier to demonstrate on the function of GPS and how to use it. For starters, I have selected my house, which isn’t not too far away from the red box and then set it as my starting point.

In this software, I can’t seem to pin point my location even though I have a “Where am I?” option. Upon clicking the “Where am I?” option, it would prompt me to connect GPS and / or enable GSM, which neither able to pin point my location except staying idle. Is it working, that function? would take up to 10 minutes to locate your location.

Dataran Pahlawan, a landmark that one would never miss in Malacca, would be our destination. Dataran Pahlawan is currently Malacca’s biggest mall, built right on the field where our first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman first proclaimed independence during 1957. Yes, the first place was in Malacca, not KL’s Dataran Merdeka. Today, its a shopping mall.

Starting point, set! Destination, set! Play the route and the software will guide you to your destination on its own. However, if you are connected to the GPS, you won’t have the “play route” option. Instead of constantly referring to the screen, there’s a voice that would “speak” to you, telling you when to turn, where to turn, which lane to keep to and etc.. You can switch the voice off, if you want some quiet moments in the car.

You can toggle the screen with three different views.

If you don’t like the NAVFone software, you can also use Google Maps. Yes, pre-installed as well. I am pretty sure everyone is familiar with Google Maps and how powerful it can be. It requires an internet connection to function, so, if you are on the move, GPRS / EDGE / 3G is your only option. Because of that, be prepared to pay for your hefty usage of data transfer.

Weirdly, I can’t seem to get the phone to detect any GPS satellite and hence, not able to use the GPS function to its fullest.

Well, while the phone is equipped with GPS function, it takes a really long time to pin point your location. I mean really long and you definitely need to be in open space / outdoors for the phone to track down the GPS satellite. While I welcome the GPS feature in phones, I do hope it could detect my location in, say, less than a minute?

The Samsung SGH-i550 series :
The Kick Off
The Outlook
The Specifications & Symbian Series 60
The 3.0 Mega Pixel Camera

Continuing from Kluang - Part 1, we woke up at 7 o’clock in the morning so that we could join Raymond to go back to his secondary school, Sekolah Menengah Taman Kluang Barat, for a forum.

The two hours forum was organized so that two of the top students, Raymond Lopez and Fadzlie Wong, would give some tips and pointers to the current students in tackling examinations questions, the proper way to study, time management and etc.. Well, that being said, everything they said was *coughs* useful and truthful *coughs*. Time table? Mind mapping? Three hours of studying per day? Ironic. Haha!

After the forum, we went to Kluang railway station for the original Kluang coffee. Yes, the original Kluang station, not the franchised and over priced one. As the name speaks for itself, it is located just next to the railway. Duh! It’s really loud and noisy whenever the train leaves the station, with the occasionally loud horn. Nostalgic, perhaps?

It was about 11am and just about the right time for brunch. Luckily, there was an empty table when we arrived and probably the best seat of all, which was right in front of the “water station”.

The guy or probably the boss is the one making all the drinks. One kettle after another kettle, he just kept making them non stop. One step to another, his movement was nothing but smooth, as if he was playing some tai chi moves. One part of hot water, two parts of coffees, nothing more nothing less. We chatted a bit, with him telling us a little bit of the shop’s history and some casual conversations with the locals (Raymond and Fadzlie).

Tea, anyone?

The price is awfully cheap. Nothing close to the franchised kopitiams.

We ordered kaya and butter toast bread with iced coffee. The bread, is not the usual squarish bread, but the soft and round bread. Slightly toasted on the outside, with a thick slice of butter and oozing out kaya, totally opposite of the stingy franchised counterparts.

Soft boiled eggs and iced coffee. Just nice for a light brunch.

We left the place and went to have chendol, the Indian style. The guy operates at some back lane facing the main road, wearing a beret, which reminded me of Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters. You can see his glowing and shinning white teeth standing out and screaming for attention.

The chendol is the watery kind, full of coconut milk and red beans. Unlike the Malacca’s, flooded with gula melaka. It was about noon when we had our chendol and the icy chendol came at the right time to wash down the heat.

Well, that’s about it. We headed back home for lunch after that and left for Malacca at 6pm. We did stop at an organic dragon fruit farm and Muar for dinner but that’s another story. Moreover, I didn’t take any pictures when we were in Muar. Plain tired.

Road trip, came just at the right time. It was tiring and rather simple / boring, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

It’s always that exciting and am grateful whenever my ex-house mates turn up at the front door of my house. Their presence is equivalent to some noises in the house, not eating lunch or dinner alone, not feeling lonely for the mean time, fun filled activities and of course, laughters.

Gabriel Ho and Raymond Lopez were in Malacca for a few days to run some errands and chill out for two days before heading to Kluang (Raymond’s hometown) for the weekends. Well, I am skipping the Malacca part as there’s nothing much worth blogging about.

Since I have nothing on for the weekends, I decided to join them to pay Kluang a visit since I needed a short break cum road trip as well.

The journey from Malacca to Kluang took us roughly 90 minutes, with Raymond driving at 110km/h along the North-South Highway while I was frustratingly munching on a chili sauce-less MegaMac. Welcome to Kluang, a small town after Muar and Yong Peng and also the origin of Kluang Coffee Station.

I brought along my Samsung SGH-i550 to test the GPS, but I guess the town wasn’t big enough to be fully indexed in the map. It didn’t help much.

Our “hotel” was none other than Raymond’s house, with free home cooked food for lunch and dinner. Most importantly, the room we bunked in has air conditioner, which was the holy Saviour considering the insanely hot weather.

After our lunch, we ended up sitting in front of the idiot box watching Alien : Resurrection until evening time while Raymond went to town to run some errands. Came evening time, we took a walk around his housing area, which is not too far from the Kluang recreation and sports center. It has a rather huge but shallow (2m depth) and happening swimming pool in it. Nope, no hot chicks in bikini spotted. Moreover, I don’t have zoom lens.

I don’t know what Gabriel was doing, but he sure looked like he was posing at a bus stop.

The housing area is pretty calm and quiet. Although there are plenty of open fields, I didn’t see people strolling, jogging, walking the dog or playing football. Things are pretty laid back in Kluang, I supposed. It is definitely an ideal place for retired people, as Raymond’s mom said.

After the stroll, we headed out to town to buy tickets for Iron Man and settled for a drink at Old Taste Kopitiam. The shopping mall wasn’t that happening for a Friday evening.

It was the second time for both of them, but my forth time. I can’t believe I watched Iron Man four times within three days of its release. I watched twice on its first day (April 30 @ 12pm and 12.30 midnight), third time with Aprilcherrie, Brandon, Wen Jing and Damion (May 1) and forth show on May 2. Coincidently, all four shows were watched at MBO.

Well, if we had not watch Iron Man, we would have nothing to do. Not a single thing and being bored wasn’t an option.

To be continued…

For indescribable and unexplainable reasons, I like this picture.

It has been on my play list for a number of days. Some how, I just like the song, the calmness that it brings during late. Download “Love Today” from here

“Love Today” by Taja.

There’s no translation for English though.

さよなら 言葉じゃ繋げやしない
僕らのミライが 離ればなれに歩き出す
君という 光が映し出した
ココロの片隅 行き場を探すユメ達
LOVE FOR A DAY コタエはきっと 歩いた足跡の中に
澄切った空を見上げて 愛しさを刻み込む

月もなく風の強いには
眠れないままで甘い現実の夢を抱く
無理矢理のばした手も掴めぬ
タシカナモノなんて きっとどこにもないはず
LOVE FOR A DAY 華やぐ日も 静かに痛む夜も
隠せない胸の奥の傷痕を解き放て

LOVE TODAY コタエはずっと 見慣れた景色の中に
一言 たった 一言で 今日までが輝きだす

LOVE TODAY コタエはきっと 歩いた足跡の中に
そう君に伝えたいから 今日まで生きた証

Sayonara kotoba jya tsunageyashinai
Bokura no mirai ga hanare banare ni arukidasu
Kimi to iu hikari ga utsushidashita
Kokoro no katasumi yukiba o sagasu yumetachi
Love for a day kotaewa kitto aruita ashiato naka ni
Sumikitta sora o miagete itoshisa o kizamikomu

Tsuki mo naku kaze no tsuyoi ni wa
Nemurenai mama de amai genjitsu no yume o idaku
Muriyari nobashita te mo tsukamenu
Tashika na mono nante kitto doko ni mo nai hazu
Love for a day hanayagu hi mo shizuka ni itamu yoru mo
Kakusenai mune no oku no kizuato o hodoki hanate

Love today kotae wa zutto minareta keshiki no naka ni
Hitokoto tatta hitokoto de kyou made ga kagayakidasu

Love today kotae wa kitto aruita ashiato no naka ni
Sou kimi ni tsutaetai kara kyou made ikita akashi

P/S : Soundtrack from Mobile Suit Gundam 00.