Farewell to Youth

N,

Hello old friend. They say age is but a number, but what people forget is that numbers are a very real thing. In one week, I am turning 29. As I prepare to cross that border between 20-something and 30-something, I suddenly realized I will miss me, the young me.

I will miss the Kane who was just discovering the world; seeing, tasting, touching, feeling sights, sounds, emotions for the very first time. God, what a ride it's been. I think I have never been happier as I was during this particular period in my life.

Do you remember when we first met? All this was just a dream. 30 seemed so far away, and we thought youth would never end. And now here we are, both nearing the end of a decade. Time stands still for no one.

Each year, our problems become more and more complex. We discover beautiful and ugly things about the world, and, ultimately about ourselves. We struggle to be good, knowing that each choice puts us a little bit closer to or farther from where we want to be.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will it be as exciting and thrilling as yesterday? Will we find happy ever after? Does older mean wiser? Too many questions, too little time. But we won't stop, won't we.

K

Gossip Girl Birthday Ball Season Two: The Hamptons Ball

Hey Upper Eastsider! Gossip Girl here. Top story on my blog today: everyone's favorite it girl K's birthday ball.

We hear on the fourth of July, everyone's heading east… to the Hamptons. Think Park Avenue princesses but in tennis whites and golf trousers.

Will this year be any different from the last? Because it looks like our friends from the other side of town got themselves an invite to the inside. From NFFs to BFFs to FBFs, everyone's just dying to get in.

The players may change but the game remains the same. After all, unlike the rest of us, sex, lies, and scandals never grow old. So who says game over? When the clock strikes 12, let a new game begin.

XOXO

Review: Philips GoGear Spark

Let's face it, ladies and gentlemen. The world is currently dominated by Apple's iPod music players with an estimated market share of around 80 percent of global sales of media players.

Ever since Apple launched the iPod Shuffle in 2005, competitors including Samsung and Sandisk launched their own wearable music players.

This year, Philips introduced the GoGear Spark which CNET called ``a diamond in the rough.''










Philips last week invited a group of bloggers to discuss their line of music players including the Spark. Over beer, vodka and pizza, the company explained the features of their products and gave each one of us a free Spark so we can test and review it.

Available in 2 GB and 4 GB, the Spark measures 1.75 inches square and 0.5 inch thick, including a 1.5-inch display. The player supports MP3 and WMA formats (including DRM-protected subscriptions and purchases). The music is organized by artist, album, genre, and playlist and allows the user to delete songs directly from the device.

Information about the song, including song duration and position information is displayed on the screen. The album artwork acts as a full-screen background image, similar to what Apple did.

The Spark has a radio player with 20 memory-preset slots and a photo viewer that allows you to browse pictures manually or as a slide show. The Philip's patented Full Sound technology restores sonic details lost in compressed music formats allowing listeners to enjoy optimized sound quality.

Based on tests done by CNET, the Spark has a battery life of 27 hours compared to the Shuffle's 12 hours.

Suggested retail prices:
Philips GoGear 2 GB - 1900 pesos
Philips GoGear 4 GB - 2500 pesos

iPod Shuffle 4GB - 4,100 pesos