iOS 11 and iPhone 8

I have been waiting for 11 iOS to finally have a shortcut to turn off mobile data. Finally is an understatement.

Yes I know, Android peeps can customise their phones, but I generally don't like customising stuff (personalising stuff is a bit different concept), so I know they could make a shortcut to do that ages ago. Even know that you can customise control centre, I don't do it. I love Apple, but that was probably the one thing that annoyed me. Now I can swipe up from control centre and turn off mobile data, rather than press: 'settings, mobile data, then toggle tab off'. 1 button vs 3. Even though my iPhone has enough battery and I've upgraded to enough data to allow me to leave my data on and battery will last, it's really just habits turning mobile data off.

iOS 11 initial impressions:

- Yess, shortcut for mobile data!

- Everything looks so much bigger and bolder. This will take some getting used to, especially the bolded date on the calendar app on the home screen.

- Do I really need bolded text once I enter the app at the top to tell me what the app is? Another thing to get used to

- iMessage is so fancy with sharing stuff within apps. Not sure if I would use this function though, and again, all those app icons at the bottom of iMessage feels a bit weird at the moment. 

- When you exit an app, it has what I call a 'slow genie' effect and the home screen zooms in a bit then out. iOS 10 exited it directly, where as iOS 9 did a nice smooth genie effect, I think I still like that way of exiting apps.

- When I turn wifi and bluetooth off, it now doesn't say off, but says 'not connected.' It makes me feel like it's still searching for a source, even though it is off. Wonder why they got rid of the 'off' option when it actually is off...

- Turning off 'automatically adjusts brightness' setting is not under display and brightness, and under some weird setting that I had to google and turn off.

- Also, turning off fetch mail was also under some weird setting.

- They got rid of the 5 dots of reception, now replaced by 4 bars so back to a more 'old school' look. I wonder what they thought way wrong with the dots...

The battery icon is fatter and shorter, and again more bolded. I'm actually not a big fan of bolding, but looks like iOS 11 is.

- They got rid of the name of apps at the bottom, again why..?

- It sounds like I hate iOS 11 but I don't lol

- It's pretty nifty now with the whole Apple pay becoming more prominent in Aus. Still won't jump to use it though, but cool how you can share payments on iMessage, and send a text and then it pays from the card you store

- Also stuff like Woolies reward card can store in Wallet, since I've been using 3rd party apps before, but now you can tap to get those points. Will discover if I can add my other loyalty cards to Wallet after exams...Then again, there is more chance to drop your phone if you're using it to tap etc...

I finally did all my phone back ups and switched to my iPhone 8 and backed up my mum's 4s to upgrade to a 7 before the 4s breaks down, although still useable, just quite heavy compared to the 7...

iPhone 8 initial impressions:

- I've only used my 8 a few days, but really can't tell any difference, and sometimes forget it's a new phone

- 64gb is amazing, cause I ran out in 32gb and I don't store any music, hardly any apps and minimum videos. I've already mentioned it, but still ok value for money compared to 7 where base model is same price but half the internal storage.

- I'm like I haven't charged my phone for over 2 days yet there's still battery, so yay for new battery in new phone

- Can't tell the difference in terms of performance with the A11 chip, probably cause I don't game, but might try some augmented reality apps after exams. Like what is a neural engine?

- Tru tone is nice, but I dunno if it really is essential. 

- Camera has 'Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync', umm, what is slow sync? 7 didn't have it, but I don't like using flash to begin with...

- You can wirelessly connect and sync 2 iPhones, and transfer the data from one to the other by taking a photo of a special code which looked like a moving sphere looking sort of code... I ended up just doing it from iTunes since I thought cables are faster than wireless. 

- The major difference is the weight, yes you can really feel the 10g difference and the slight thickness between the 8 and 7. 8 vs 6s and you can really tell even the 5g difference between the 2 phones. 

- Did not realise how useful wireless charging is until you actually use it (thanks again BW!). I know it's QI charging isn't new, but wow, it's actually really useful. Don't have to worry about my chair rolling over my precious lightening cable, tripping over it, or someone stepping on it when they come up to my desk.

I think cause it's exams I hardly use my phone to appreciate the changes (although there aren't many to begin with).

iPhone 7 case

I have a habit of not changing phone cases/screen protectors unless I really have to. Used my 7 case for over a year, and it's been to many countries/places, and has changed from clear to this gross colour...Although when it's on a rose gold phone, it's just less pink and more yellow/orange tone, so in a way sort of acts as a coloured yet non coloured case. I do need a new screen protector since I used the tempered glass one I stored for over a year and it's not very adhesive at the edges...again, after exams.

I'm too OG and just go for clear cases. Especially with the 8, the gold colour is on point, and that's what you want to see right? 

#flatlay

Ahh, care packages for exams! Can also appreciate wireless charging now (: It wasn't the right lighting/too many shadows, and also not the right background colour, but good enough for the blog where I don't bother editing photos.

iPhone 8 and X

I have waited 5 years for the iPhone 8 and the time has finally come! For those who don't know, 8 is my favourite number (and not for reasons like the Chinese who think it's lucky). When my trusty iPhone 5 died suddenly last year, I was like nooo, died one year too soon since I wanted to use it for almost 5 years until the iPhone 8 was released, so ended up getting the iPhone 7 straight away on the 27th Sept, so I haven't even have my current phone for even a year. I may have unintentionally watched the majority of the Keynote today...

The plan was always to get the 8 so I could give mum my 7 since her 4s wifi died over a year ago, but still surprised her 4s is still alive. Another 4 figure spending this year. I feel like I don't spend a lot, but my 2 'spontaneous' purchases this year were both 4 figures so gg...Hence no more holidays this year...

So first thoughts. Funny how a few people asked me today. Yes, Apple fan girl here.
- iPhone 8 is not much different compared to 7, pretty much same camera and display, apart from added Tru Tone, plus obviously a new chip.
- Do I need wireless charging? Well going to have to purchase the additional Air Power once it comes out next year, but I think I'll still stick to wires.
- Augmented reality games seem cool, although I'm probs too busy studying to play that sort of stuff
- 8 is 0.2mm thicker and 10g heavier than 7. Would I be able to feel the difference? Maybe
- The colours have gone back to the iPhone 5s initial colours: silver, gold, space grey, and they got rid of rose gold, black and jet black.
- They brought back the back glass like in 4s, the thing with cases is that you don't really touch the back, but hey, glass looks pretty.
- If there was a time to change the numbering, then obviously it's for the 10th anniversary, hence the iPhone X (ten). I'm so glad they skipped 9 though, cause iPhone 7s, or 8s or 9 just doesn't cut it for the 10th year of iPhones tbh.
- X is so expensive.
- 8 is actually cheaper than 7 release price since both are $1079 base model, but 7 started at 32gb and 8 now at 64gb. I've been running on 1gb memory space for the past few months, but I have a feeling once I get 64gb I'll still run out quite quickly cause everything like photos takes up more space. Gone are the days of $800 entry price for iPhone 5...
- I wonder if anyone actually made it inside the Keynote with an Android phone, or do they have to show their badge + their iPhone as another 'pass' to enter?
- 8 Plus is out of the question since it's way too big for me to hold, and I'm pretty sure won't fit into my current bag compartments. That was always a problem when I first moved from tiny 5 to 7 but it was surprisingly easy to adjust to the 7 size.

So dilemmas:
- Do I want to spend an extra $500+ for the iPhone X? It's obviously going to have even more improvements next year since first time adding facial recognition. I still think it's a bit odd for it to recognise your face. I am fine with Touch ID. Like I've only had it for less than a year since iPhone 5 didn't have Touch ID and I'm loving it. Only reason I never put a passcode on my 5 was because I was too lazy to type it in every time. Sometimes when your finger is wet or you just put on hand cream the touch ID isn't as sensitive so I can see how Face ID would be useful, but apart from that I think Touch ID is still pretty cool.
- The portrait mode in iPhone X is a pretty sleek feature, but I don't normally take photos of people, so again, not sure if worth the extra price. I actually don't like using filters because it seems a bit fake sometimes, but since portrait mode is all inbuilt and does contouring stuff. Seems pretty cool, but would I use it daily for the price you pay?
- Animoji is pretty cute, but would the other person need an X for it to work?
- X is also a bit heavier and bigger than 8...
- Do I really need a massive screen with super high resolution and HDR display? I'm pretty sure I don't even use my 7 to its full capacity.
- The gold in 8 seems to have a pink undertone rather than yellow which I find too gold in the current iPhones. I'm a silver person, but I got rose gold in 7 since I know my mum likes pink. Now I'm not sure what colour to get since the silver seems too basic, but the gold has a nice warm colour to it.
- I think after thinking for a day, I'm leaning towards 8 at this stage because I don't really need top of the range as I won't use all it's functions, and I like the number 8. Have less than 48hrs to decide if I want to pre order 8 or wait longer for X...

I am still glad I am holding off a West Coast trip despite really wanting to visit the other side of America. The Apple Park looks amazing, and I'll defs make that a pit stop during a road trip if/when I make another trip to the US. It's like an Apple themed theme Park! Almost as good as DisneyWorld in Florida (also poor Florida...). That architecture is amazing, even just watching videos of it. It just gives of a really happy and peaceful vibe. Pretty cool how it's also fully solar powered.

From iPhone 5 to 7

Was not mentally prepared to get a new phone, but going out the whole week/group work/events/work etc means I need a phone. Life felt so disorganised without a phone. If I was staying at home the whole week, I would have tried to get my phone fixed or borrow someone's phone, or if it was stuvac then that's ok since I reduce procrastinating on my phone.

The Apple Store was already full at 9am. What even. Had to line up to pick up my phone, then line up again to see if my phone can be fixed. No hope. The computer still can't detect my iPhone. Apparently out of warranty replacement is $380. Not worth it, it's only worth $75 ($100 before the 7 was released). Rather use that to the new phone. Impulse choice going with the rose gold.

iOS 10 feels so different, and plus a bigger phone, touch ID plus those force stuff touch. Finally can take more infocus pictures in dim lighting, but there's quite a few new features on camera. There's too many new features, and ended up deleting most of them (because now you can delete preinstalled apps). Oh, also have missed a vibrating phone (since the vibration stopped working over a year ago...) What I don't like is now on the mail app you can't select all and delete all. It's like how when they changed to El Capitan on OS X on preview, you press the text box and it pops up in the middle rather than you selecting where the box goes by clicking anywhere on the page. The simple things that they change really annoys me, but I still love Apple.

I guess I finally have memory space rather than running on 200mb for over the past year for photos and apps, and battery that can last me for over a day, plus doesn't lag and is waterproof.

Just my phone doesn't fit into my pockets, and handbag pockets properly...

Phone problem took up all of Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The stress is real.

iPhone 7

Looking back at my blog posts, i actually did give some thoughts on previous iPhone 4s/5/5s and various iOS, but not 6 and 6s. I guess things did change with Steve Jobs passing, and although I completely love Apple and iPhone, it's not as innovative as I would've imagined. Also still sticking to my current iPhone 5 because of it's nice size which fits into pockets, and small pockets inside my handbags and wristlets/pouches.

Finally a water resistant iPhone! Not water proof though...so not sure if I can take photos underwater with it...I'm used to having one port on my current MacBook, but at least there's a separate headphone jack. Even though I'm the weird person who doesn't listen to music, I still like to watch my Snapchats  vids with earphones, and half the time I use my noise cancelling earphones to block out surrounding sounds. People are definitely gonna lose those $200+ AirPods. Also for once, the iPhone isn't slimmer. It used to get slimmer every year until the iPhone 6. I guess they have to change other features, and pause the thinning process for now. The Jet Black looks super shiny on the website, wonder what it'll look like irl.

Apparently there's not gonna be a 7s next year, rather an iPhone 8 since it'll be the 10th yr of the iPhone. 8 is one of my fav numbers (because August and other stuff), so hope my phone can last till then...

Forced myself to go swimming this morning but couldn't go for long since I had to rush back to shower then catch up hourly bus to uni. Had an ulterior motive: exercise then eat burgers and chips for lunch.

MacBook and Apple Watch

wow, apple is once again amazing!

how can a laptop get even thinner than the macbook air? the new macbook is so beautifully thin and light. seeing it in different colours is weird. the battery last around 9 hours compared to normal 12 hours on an air which is a bit shorter, but the new macbook comes with retina and a lot faster. it's 12 inch as well, so another different sized thing to add to their line up. really keen on trying out the new track pad as well which can detect different forces, and just to touch a macbook...the charger port is so tiny, and there's only one, so if you wanted to connect a usb, then you'd have to get an adapter...but nowadays, there are so many choices with online storage, you don't need a usb. it's pricey at $1.8k, but you're paying for the beauty and functionality of it

the new iWatch is actually really cool (after watching the video of the functions). the straps for the higher end ones are so elegant. i think the actual watch face would be a bit chunky and big on me since i have a small wrist. quite a few functions actually require other people to have a watch as well...but i think the exercise things are quite cute-reminding you to stand up and get moving. watches start from around $500, which i think is on the higher side of watches in the "normal" range (i.e. not luxury brands)

still waiting for the non-existent iPad air 3 and iPhone 6s to see what new feature there would be.

if/when i go to the west coast of America, i really want to see their original Cupertino store in San Fran, even though they don't actually sell all their gadgets there...

i think all those who have gotten MacBooks in the past few years since we started uni, everyone has loved it and have no regrets

almost there

i can't believe i finished it! never ever thought i would.

writing a 4000+ word report in 3 days with work from until 4 or 5pm, then a family dinner on one night which i couldn't skip since they asked ask a few times to go over for dinner...i already had to skip meeting up with the group, and missed another family dinner, since i was that screwed. couldn't really start the assignment until saturday since we had to collect info for three days. the lecturer said if you spent 10 hours on it on sunday, then you could actually enjoy your monday public holiday. no way, all of us (well those in my group) fully kept going, where some people actually did all nighters...

if i didn't have work, it meant approx extra 8 hours each day, which is another day to spend the assignment, but i couldn't skip work...the assignment wasn't super hard, it was just very long and since the instructions were quite broad, you could focus on anything, and then keep talking about it. probably rambled on, but on the day/morning it was due, submitted it at 2am. first time staying up that late for an assignment. luckily i didn't have to pull my first all nighter, and survived on 5 hours of sleep on monday night.

then tuesday day/night was the first time i ever started another 30% assessment the day before it was due. it was group work where our tutor assigned another random into our group, but since he didn't reply to us, i emailed the lecturer and tutor and got permission to kick him out of the group. he didn't turn up to presentations today, so he lost 30%. then we are only allowed to skip 1 tute without any medical certificates, but he's already skipped two, so i'm pretty sure he failed the course. i mean, why would you even do a summer course? it's not cheap at over 1000 compared to our other subjects during semester. and he was an international student, so would have easily wasted 4k or something. don't even know why summer courses are so expensive for 7 days worth of learning.

presentations were ok i guess. people interacted, well kind of i guess...even brought my laptop to work since i was scared i wouldn't finish. but just the amount of stress chucking a random person into out group and not sure if he would even turn up... but i don't think it should be worth 30% since i only spent a few hours compared to the other assignment where i spend a few days with heaps of hours.

now another assessment due next week, another 30%. well actually, i only have 2 days to do it, since i'm working sat and sun, then next week i'm going on a road trip and as if i would bring my laptop with me. yes, busy busy. after i get back then there's 3 weeks which is mainly filled with work, then uni starts again. that's why i have no time in the holidays (again). no time to even bake when i have all the ingredients at home. and kind of have to book in advance to meet up with people since i', busy, but so is everyone else...

it's kind of weird, this last assessment you only write 1000 words, but you have a whole week (must finish in 2 days), while the other one is 4x the amount of words, and that's not even including the extra stuff we needed to record and calculate, and that needed to be done in 3 days, whilst todays presentations technically only had 1 day to do...i should actually do the CATEI for the course.

the good thing is that there are no finals, hence the lecturer is really friendly and the stuff we learn is quite general. but never been so stressed about assignments before, not even for optom. only super stressed about failing in optom...i guess what puts more pressure for this summer course is the aim for at least a d since i really need to pull up my wam before end of third year.

stress food. so stressed i didn't have time to eat it lol

went to green peppercorn as a reward. wasn't going to go and go home to start on the next assessment, but i figured i won't get anything done tonight since i am way too dead, running on 5/6 hours of sleep for over a week (and helped out with church the week before), so i haven't slept in for a while...and after talking about food and nutrition for over a week, i really needed some good food!

it's really lovely to have friend's friends who drive back from uni to city, especially with sydney's now bipolar weather. walking to the car it was sunny, some blue skies. 10mins later in the city, fully pouring, then sometime later fully sunny.

no idea how much each dish was, didn't even care what we ordered since i just needed down time. didn't stay out too late due to my hourly buses back home =/ some dishes:

the new fried apple pie dessert. so yum! apple pie filling and pastry deep fried with some cream on top and thinly sliced apple prices.

dessert! the best part

wasn't cheap, spent around $27, but we ordered heaps. on our side of the table were 5 people, and we ordered around 9 dishes between us. destressing.

nice to see other people alive as well with blogs popping up!

oh, did i mention the last assessment is a blog post? too bad i don't post good english here, can't practice proper blogging skills lol.

if you didn't know by now, H&M and Uniqlo opened yday at mac centre. my bus went past it, but no time to actually stop and go in. on there other hand, my bro and his friends study at mac uni, so during their "study break" they decided to visit the shops. how does my brother study, i don't know...

hk stuff was cheap, but earlier when my mum went last month, it's not as cheap, esp w/ the dollar dropping, so i'm interested to see the prices in aus. when i went to the uniqlo pop up shop a few months ago, it was definitely over priced compared to overseas.

The new iPad Air 2 is so beautiful! at 6.1mm! such a beauty. too bad they upped the price as well. the previous iPad air at 32gb was $699rrp. now they got rid of the 32gb D= so you have to get the 64gb, just like on iPhones, which is $739rrp. 16bg is way to small for an iPad, it's already a bit on the small side for phones. just so amazing. everyone i've asked who has both an iPad and a mac says they still bring their laptop to uni. but their macs are a bit newer than mine, and i don't want to bring my laptop around too much, so i have been thinking of getting one, it's just a lot more pricer than i expected. now the previous iPad air 32gb is $549. checked the prices during a lec today... and right now they're currently updating their store, so can't promise that last figure is exact, since it's just so cheap (cheap compared to the other iPads, but still moneys going...) i guess it shows how popular apple stuff

yay for Yosemite and iOS combining! sounds so time saving. will probably end up updating after finals...since i don't have time to sit and wait for the downloads to complete. but if i brought an iPad to type up notes, the thought of it being on my computer right where i left off is pretty amazing.

that new iMac 5k retina is top notch. so thin but jam-packed with pixels.

also, my dad got a new gps from work (yes, they still do exist). it's sooo slim and for a gps it's a beauty.

yay, finally got enrolled into my preferred group. now the next step is passing my pracs next week, and then all the other exams...

did another technique today, and full studied up for it. some people just master it straightaway, no problems, but when i do it, i can't do it properly or without corneal staining. i guess it's times like these where you just have to think positively and boost yourself by saying you will be able to do it (before the prac exam)

had a prac exam today. idk, they're very unpredictable. last sem, i thought i didn't do great at one set of pracs, but i ended up getting an A for it. the other prac, i knew i did really bad, so i got a D for it..today i kind of faked it...and i think the examiner knew, so she checked my reading, and argh, why did she have to check mine? she didn't check the others...hopefully i don't get too marked down on accuracy. in the feedback right after in the led, she mentioned to people not to make up readings, and the pracs were on during the week...so fingers crossed i wasn't the only one who did that...it's more of the time constraint that you want to hurry up the process. again, this prac isn't worth much (5%) for a 5min prac (actually, time wise, it's worth a lot, like 60% finals in 2 hours,s till about 2min per %...), but it's more the pass mark which worries me most. the "important" pass marks/checkboxes you need in their secretive marking things...

i have such bad luck. get my cornea stained 2 times this week. screw it, still going to wear my CL tonight, need to see at work tomorrow...

haven't done an iOS personal opinion review yet, because i have yet to upgrade. yes, shock horror, i don't have the newest iOS. even though if you connect to your comp to download, i'm still a bit wary of the download space, and apparently it drains your battery more...but i will refs upgrade when Yosemite comes out for macs. i don't use dropbox, so this new feature of starting a document or anything on a mobile device and then finishing off on your laptop just sounds so time saving! like if i get an iPad, i don't have to carry around and worry about my laptop whole battery life cycle decreasing, and it'll hopefully last me for a lot more years to come.

lol at iPhone 6 plus bending. still can't hate apple because their devices are the most beautiful (:

my friend volunteered at the mercedes benz fashion festival! so lucky-helping dress the models, and be up close and personal backstage. and then she got pretty good seats for a few days just watching the shows. all the models' clothes are just divine. too bad i'm too short to wear that stuff (and i'm not willing to fork thousands just for a dress). still have yet to ask her how she got the job, since you need experience dressing models beforehand, but still pretty cool since she sometimes gets free stuff from all those designers there.

got a free boost today, even though my name isn't really lisa. if i got served by this other person, i know i wouldn't have got it, since you could feel she was strict with these things. i got wonder melon, and it smelt and tasted liked those circular red and white striped strawberry milk lollies. this drink was very bland, maybe because it was free so they put more ice in, or they just watermelons are still yet to be in season...also got free subway just from volunteering...why am i telling you this? free stuff makes me happy (: not a big fan of subway, but it's free.

as i said, my mid sem break is non-existent. so behind on everything, and even when i catch up, it doesn't mean i know anything. i do need to back though, since my almond meal is going to expire. unfortunately, i don't have the time to make amcarons from scratch, nor do i have the time to experiment with my kitchen aid hand blender-it's still sitting there waiting to be used D=

decided to stop dancing for next term, hopefully she won't get mad D=

but this means i actually have to make an afford to keep fit. did you know, i bought a pair of nikes last time i went hk, still have yet to go jogging in them...

iOS 8 and Yosemite

more new features <3

i like the exclusivity of their streaming for their WWDC-have to have safari/apple related programs to watch it, not that i have time to watch it...what i love about the upcoming iOS 8 and Yosemite is that they are now more connected. like you can answer phone calls one your mac, and start sending emails on your phone, but switch to mac to finish off the email.

also, you can combine different iTunes accounts together. right now, our whole family is using the same iTunes account, so we can all have the essential apps without buying multiple copies on different accounts, the only problem is iMessage is received by everyone...so atm i'm the only one using iMessage, but by combining different accounts, we can all have a different iTunes but share the apps around.

heaps more features, but these ones caught my eye. i wonder how they choose a place for their mac programming. well they've continued the trend of places in california. i guess it has to have some significant natural beauty. it'll take them a while to run out of places...america is just so big...

anat test today felt better than last time, but was still unsure of some stuff, and looking back over stuff after, realised i did quite a lot of short answers wrong ))): i just hope i get a credit. still have to retain all that info for next saturday...

you know, i just hope i pass this semester, literally 50%, even though we have to get credit average by 3rd year...but i need to pass this semester first.

tomorrow at wynyard park you can eat cockroaches and bugs for free. click here and here
it's weird, i've always wanted to try "exotic" foods, but now given the opportunity for free, i don't think i could...

Grill'd Take 2

saw on fb yday that there were free grill'd burgers. why did i not know about this for the other stores? this Westfield parra store is their 73rd store nationwide. decided to chat with the person at the front. oh, and the service was pretty good. they also directed people to which tables, so like if you came alone you wouldn't take up a 3 seater table etc.

anyways, i had plans to wake up early and arrive well before 11am. you know, it's quite a trek to parra for me. ended up sleeping in and left before 11. i figured it would be cheaper for my mum and i to drive. driving to parra isn't hard, it's just a straight road. finding parking is annoying. the carpark has like two lanes merging to one and i think it's very chaotic compared to towers. even hornsby westfield is better.

outside the cinemas

line moved pretty quickly. waited a bit under half an hour, and once we ordered, it took only about 5 mins for the food to come. they had heaps of seats, i think more than chatswood. they have benches which kind of extends outside the store which weren't there on tues when i went parra. the menu was obviously really limited, and most of the burgers had the same fillings/sauce and just different meat inside. last time i went to grill'd was when i had a buy one get one free burger. we got the baa baa lamb and almighty last time, and both of these were on the short menu as well...if i didn't have them before, i would have chosen them since they have the most stuff inside and i guess more worth it. 

out of focus photo...but only photo with the stick.

we sat outside, and you'd think it'll have good lighting, but the fairy lights about made it a tad weird...

crispy bacon and cheese (beef) with panini, and "simon says" (chicken) with traditional bread

as i said before, both had very similar fillings. this meat, especially the beef was noticeably thinner than the first time i had grill'd. i'm pretty sure it's because these burgers are free they flattened it about about 2/3 of the original size, and it'll be easier to cook faster and serve people as well. but it was till delicious and so filling. (i didn't even have breakfast, and was still full until around 7.30ish for dinner). the beef one today was definitely at last 1/2 the size of the meat from the burger on monday. 

also almost forgot to get my 3 free wicked wings from kfc today. took them home for my bro. it's way too fattening for me =/ 

got whatsapped (and then emailed) into training today. yay free wrapping paper! i should get more, haha. 

i was planning/planned to have these appointments etc, but time doesn't permit =/

when it gets to above 30 degrees, i can't think properly. all i think about is i'm going to suffocate in the heat ):

apples once a year sale is tomorrow. too bad i'm out all day ): the thing i want is about $50, but even if discounted, i think i'll still be able to buy it from hk/america for a cheaper rrp. don't judge, but i think i finally figured why apple has the once a year sale. it coincides with their thanksgiving holiday, and it's just before the christmas season. i just hope exams don't clash...and i'll be able to experience america's thanksgiving sales. if you think boxing day sales are cheap, and hk sales are super cheap, well apparently in american sales, they are unbelievably cheap. (even without some public holiday, branded american stuff is still super cheap).

iPad air and Mavericks

i kind of like the ring to the name-ipad air.

a few weeks ago, i was thinking how ugly the previous ipads looked compared to the ipad mini since the border was quite thick, whilst the mini is quite thin and sleek. well, after today's (yday for US) announcement, the ipad air is so much more thinner and lighter, and the border is thinner as well (: i've thought about getting an ipad, but i haven't come up with many uses for it, so for now, i will save up that $600+. prices of everything have gone up compared to past release prices, usually prices stay the same, and old stuff go cheaper, but not this year.

and yay mavericks! and it's free! so glad i didn't update to lion or mountain lion. i was sooo close to paying the $20 to upgrade to mountain lion earlier this year, but then our itunes account has only a few dollars left, and i ceebs to top up, so i just waited for this year's new software update (: haven't updated yet, don't think i will, no time to wait for the few gbs to download and install (not sure how long it'll take/can't waste time playing with the new software). and now if you buy any macs, you get ilife and iwork for free. i had to pay for those (but i got them for a discounted price back then...)

as always, go to the apple website for specs. i would say more about what i think about the new stuff announced, but no time. i am so screwed =/ actually failed a 25% exam... ): i now understand why over 6 people repeated first year...it feels like commerce is an easy degree where "everyone passes and no one fails" but i don't do commerce. how to pass finals?

dad's birthday today, but he went on a business trip. he whatsapped me photos of nice cafe food ):

Elisa's Take on iOS 7

so last night i finally updated to iOS7. i didn't want to update it just as it was released, since servers would crash, and sure enough, it did, well according to the news. also, not all my apps had updates for iOS7, but most of the ones i used did. when i first saw that apple had a new update, i was all like: soooooooo pretty (: it was pretty quick, only about 10-15min, and didn't lose anything. one of my friends lost her whatsapp convos, but not the group ones, which was weird. she did it through iTunes/plugged into computer, i did it through normal wifi.

screenshot of iOS 6.1.4 changed back to the default iOS 5 background as a "memory".

new home screen is sahhh colourful. the background also moves! you see those circles, yeah they move (but that drains battery)

everything is generally more colourful and white at the same time. also less sophistacted. for example, just look at the camera icon. it previously had detail of what the lens would look like, but now it's all 2d. trip view has also changed to a "flatter" icon. the others have yet to change.

i love the new weather app. as they described, it's like "looking at of the window." and the clouds etc move. it tells you what the weather will be like every hour. it's not bad, accuracy wise.

love the swipe up screen, esp the torch button. since you can get it from an unlocked phone, it's just a swipe and press of a button away, compared with using 3rd party apps, since i used to put my torch in the utilities folder, and i had to press a bit. they should include a shortcut for mobile data, but it's improved since it's in the settings now. the photos are placed in "memories", so it shows the dates. this isn't new, like those old flip/slide phones we had back in yr 7 etc had this, but for iphones it's new. there's still a separate album for camera roll, so you can still browse through photos without the dates/separation in between. the one problem i have is that if i view a picture in landscape then lock my phone and unlock it, it changes back to portrait so i have to pick up my phone and place it landscape again (#firstworldproblems), no but seriously, it's kinda annoying. hopefully their 7.1.something updates in the future would fix this. 

marimba isn't the default ring tone now. the calendar is like a calendar, much more easier to browse. the apps can update themselves and then notify you after they've updated. it used to be that they told/notified you if there was an update, but you had to press update for it to do so.

tripview is so good now! when you go to the maps in tripview, they are heaps easier to navigate/see your location, and the roads are more detailed, so when you're trying to find a bus stop on the go, it's easier to see. the tabs for your different trips are so much more sleeker, meaning you can view more at once, like safari. it now has portrait wise full screen browsing. and since iphone 5 and above are all 

i haven't used to new air drop or facetime audio function. #foreveralone. air drop seems pretty good, and the audio facetime has better connection than 3rd party apps, according to other people. 

it's hard to set a wallpaper form your photos. it zooms in a lot, and can't fit a normal photo of what you took and set it (it's hard to explain). the lock sound has become more dramatic. i don't like the font on the camera, and it purposely blurs when you switch between modes/ going to camera roll, which slows it down a bit. the camera lighting is a bit different. like i was trying to take a photo under sunlight, and my mum's 4s which hasn't been updated yet had better lighting compared to my updated one...

everything has become more rounded, and white-like i've mentioned. here's my instagram home page:

in your contacts, people's profile pics have become rounded,  whatsapp has yet to adapt, but they'll probs get forced to. i don't have a passcode (because i ceebs), it's also rounded but it looks really pretty when you press the numbers. there's the added translucency, which makes everything pretty! the calculator has become more "square".

i still will not understand people who buy a 5c. why would you want to pay $740 for a phone in plastic (well it's good quality plastic, but i have yet to feel it), for a phone exactly the same as last years. shoud've gotten a 5, much cheaper in comparison (aluminium and glass for $800, too bad they don't sell it anymore).

wow, i read an article about apple's new ad control. so strict. but hey, they have to keep a standard (:

so there you have it, a view of the essentials of my iPhone. of course, there are heaps more, but you just have to experience it yourself. iOS 7 is worth updating to. it's pretty cool how they released the update before the new iOS 7 devices. i guess i'm happy to have experienced the traditional format for about 9 months, then changing it. apple is right, it really does feel like i have a new iphone!

iPhone 5s

it was as expected. normally the exert an immense control over their products, but this time, people leaked more photos.

usually i'm super excited about a new iphone, but this time, i'm a tad bit disappointed.

so iphone 4,4s and 5 rrp price have been $800 au, but this time 5s is 870, while 5c is $730. that is not cheap at all for a plastic body and an a6 chip (which is what 5 uses). to me, "cheap" is less than 500 for rrp release price. a plastic body reminds me of my iphone 3g. 5c has the exact same specs as iphone 5, so why not buy an iphone 5? because they don't sell 5's anymore, only 4s, 5s, and 5c. if i didn't have a 5, i would have defs spend an extra 130 bucks to get a 5s.  when you go onto their website, you see the 5c before 5s. i guess they would make heaps more money out of the 5c, since the materials used is cheaper, and it's got the same specs as 5, but you're paying $60 less, compared to 800rrp iphone 5, for a cheaper body.

the us has a trade in program, where you pay a tad bit of cash and your 5 for a 5s. in aus we don't have it, but i have to agree with the newspapers, there's actually no difference between the 5 and 5s. only major difference is fingerprint scanning. i thought they would upgrade the camera, since every "s" generation has been upgraded. they've only aded slow mo and burst, but there are apps which can do that. 5s has "true tone" flash, but the iphone camera is naturally good enough, and i haven't taken a photo with flash on before even in dim lighting since there's no need, so "true tone" flash  isn't super useful. the 5c has the same camera features as 5. then again, 8mp is good enough, since i've only had my phone for about 9 months, and i've already used 3.5gb in photos and videos.

iOS7 comes out next week! so for current 5 users, we already have a 5s minus fingerprint scanning. 5 users can use the air drop feature, but 4s users won't have that feature, but everything else. but the radio thing won't be available in aus ): i don't know, iOS7 is super different. all the logos have been de-sophisticated. i guess the camera will have more options, but i hardly use filters. even in instagram, only like half my photos so far have filters.

i guess i bought my phone on a good year, where there was a big change, but the price remained the same. from 4s to 5, even though the camera's the same (well there's added feature of panorama), the actual body itself was a massive difference. the physical appearances for electronics for me is a massive factor for my. from 5 to 5s, they make you pay an extra $70 for fingerprint scanning. they say it's faster, but ofc every iphone has to be faster than the previous one. even though they increase the battery life, i think it would be the same as 5, since logically, scanning a finger will use a tad bit more battery life every time you unlock it. and there's not as much "wow"factor for 5s. siri was a massive wow factor for 4s, despite the body was the same as 4. i don't think many 5 users would change to 5s.

also the gold colour, personally i think gold is for more "older ladies". there's no black anymore, it's called grey, and white is called silver. and i think the ipod touch is better than 5c, since it's made of aluminium, and the shade of colours are nicer.

i'm actually more excited about the new OS X! i'm still on snow leopard, which is from 2009. i bought my laptop in early 2011, but lion didn't come out until mid 2011. then mountain lion came out in mid 2012, but i still haven't upgraded. so i guess i'll wait for Mavericks. i need to upgrade because i still don't have iCloud on my laptop. yep, i bought my mac before they introduced iCloud (and before everyone suddenly bought a mac for uni. but yeah, if you're thinking of getting a newcomputer-buy a Mac! or actually, wait and see what the new MacPro is like).

sorry for a disjointed post. it's just my thoughts all in one (:

iOS7

this was too exciting too not blog about. it's so cool (: except the icons look "simpler", less sophisticated. people say it looks more like android =/ but iOS 7 is much cooler! spent a good part of my day looking at the new features, can't wait! and it's so "exclusively apple" like their new things like Air Drop which you can share between your iOS devices. new way of viewing stuff (:

the new OS X. i knew they would soon run out of african-ish animals. the enw one later this year is "Mavericks" googled it, and apparently it's a town in america. that's cool, they won't run out of suburbs for a veryyyyy long time. but i don't get the new Mac Pro. not macbook pro, but mac pro. it's round =/ can you even have a round laptop? i guess i won't be upgrading my software to mountain lion, since a new/different one is coming out in spring. like even the weather app is cool!

also, ps4>xbox one, anyday. the xbox one is so incompatible with everything, which is why ps4 adds say they can "share". the only reason our ps3 can't play our ps2 games is because we bought it off someone who got the ps3 for free since they had a promo for sony tvs ages ago and they already had a ps3, so we got their extra ps3. and i have not touched out ps3 (since i'm waiting for kingdom hearts 3 to come out which i don't think it will...) and my bro says our ps3 is broken (maybe because he played it so much (?)) so we'll probs get the new ps4 after his hsc. haha. at least next year will be a tad cheaper than this year.

just dug out some expired lollies/chocolate. they taste fine.

i actually know nothing in detail, yet i'm not stressed at the moment. feels strange.