Candy Crush Level 429 - Cleared

This is quite easy. I cleared it after two tries.

The trick is to clear the jellies which are furthest away from the wall first, and gradually move towards clearing the jellies near the wall. That way, there should be ample time to clear the board before the bombs are detonated.

Candy Crush Level 428 - Cleared

Cleared this after a few days. My tips to clearing this level is

1. Clear the chocolates first. If I am not able to clear the chocolates within the first few moves, chances of getting through the level is low and I restart the game (why waste time?).

2. Build up striped candies and wrapped candies. Use them together to get a power blast that will blast away the walls.

It sounds easy right? But it still took me a few days :P Good luck!

Candy Crush Level 378 - Cleared

This stage is rather easy compared to 377, which took me a week.

For 378, the trick is to clear the stone that is blocking the outlet for the fruits.

My strategy to clear this is to clear the stone wall in between, while using striped candy to blast the pizza. Once the stone that is blocking the outlet for the fruits is cleared, the fruits fall out at one go. I had the good luck to have a coloured ball which helped to clear the candy that was blocking the last fruit.

Candy Crush Level 377 - Cleared

We have been stuck on this level for almost a week. I was taking a bus and thought I will try it again and managed to clear the level at the first attempt!

My strategy for clearing this level is to try to break the stone wall in between the candies and the two pizzas. Try to generate super-powers, in particular sweet wrapper + stripe candy and color ball + stripe candy in combination, so that the pizzas can be removed quickly.

I used a total of two times color ball + stripe candy, and a two sweet wrappers combined to remove the two pizzas, which gave me the 100 candies I needed for the three colours.

Candy Crush Level 374 - Cleared

It's been a while since I last played candy crush level.. and I got a request yesterday to help clear Level 374. I did it within 10 attempts :)

My strategy for clearing this is to build a few colour balls, and use them together with striped candies. Doing this 2-3 times helped to clear those bombs in a jiffy.

Have fun!

Candy Crush Level 342 - Cleared

I have recently cleared Candy Crush Level 342. It took me a while, and I think I cleared it by a stroke of luck. The goal seems to be clearing the jellies (both visible ones and those that are hidden in the rocks). There are 26 of them in total, and not all the rocks have got the jellies.

The trick seems to be trying to clear the visible jellies as much as you can, before activating the fishes. This would avoid wasting the fishes on those visible jellies, and instead divert them to those hidden beneath the rocks. Other than that, I tried to form boosters such as sweet wrappers and candy stripes to blast the rocks. 

Good luck to all!

Candy Crush Level 275 - Cleared

Disclaimer: I'm not addicted to Candy Crush. Just helping my family member who plays it.

Of the levels I have played so far, Level 275 must be one of the toughest levels.

For those of you who are stuck at this level for eons, here's my strategy for clearing this level:

1) Take care not to trigger the bombs that are at the top two corners of the screen. Once triggered, they are almost impossible to get rid of. Instead, allow some layers of chocolate (1-3) to build up around it as a cushion/buffer.

2) Try to clear the jellies that are at the two sides and center of the screen. I find that clearing the sides first helps to keep the chocolates at bay i.e. control the chocolate growth, as well as to open up the area for playing.

3) Try to keep the fishes at the bottom for the last, as they can help by swimming towards the last few blocks that you find difficult to clear.

For me, I cleared Level 275 using the above strategy. As for special powers, I did use a (color bomb + striped candy) towards the end, when about 90% of the jellies have been cleared via the normal route. This triggered the bombs of course, but what was left after the (color bomb + striped candy) attack was easily cleared within the 2 counts provided by the bombs.

I hope the above helps somewhat. Of course, as with most of other Candy Crush games, luck plays an important role too!

Transformer from Lego - Optimus Prime

Was at home for Saturday and decided to do a little project - building Transformer Optimus Prime from Lego!

Here's the end product after trying out 3 versions...

I got all the pieces from a Lego Creative Bucket - 10662. Here is how it looks (link to Amazon website):- LEGO® Creative Bucket - 10662.

Here's what I have opened so far...

The Tomahawk Warrior, Roman Commander and Paintball Player engaged in a three way tussle, while the sad clown looks on worriedly...

Nobody moves! *tense*

Sad clown decides to act as mediator and Tomahawk Warrior relents and breaks away from the three way tussle!

Tomahawk: I give up on you guys!

Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #11 Sad Clown

This is another easy to find figure. The main clues to the Sad Clown are i) the ring shape ruffles and ii) the conical shaped hat.

There are 6 pieces in the bag:-

1) Base plate
2) Legs
3) Body (incl. hands)
4) Head
5) Hat

6) Ruffles

6 pieces in the blind bag for the Sad Clown

View from the back

View from the side

This a Youtube video I made for unboxing of the Sad Clown (a bit blurry this time round):-

Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #9 Paintball Player

This is another easy to find figure. The main clues to the Paintball Player are i) the C-shaped googles; ii) the flat gun (that resembles a super soaker); and iii) the helmet that has a chin strap.

There are 7 pieces in the bag:-

1) Base plate
2) Legs
3) Body (incl. hands)
4) Head
5) Helmet 

6) Goggle

7) Gun

Seven pieces in the blind bag for the Paintball Player

Front view of the Paintball Player

Side view of the Paintball Player 

Back view of the Paintball Player

Helmet off, showing the cheeky face of the Paintball Player

The Paintball Player as #9 in the Lego Minifigures Series 10 collection

This a Youtube video I made for unboxing of the Paintball Player:-

Note: Please email me at greteldino@yahoo.com if you would like to buy a Paintball Player. I have several of them to sell (still in their blind bags unopened). 

Selling at SGD$10 for delivery in Singapore (inclusive of normal postage).

Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #3 Roman Commander

This is a popular Minifigure in the Lego Series 10 collection. There are 8 pieces in the bag:-

1) Base plate
2) Legs
3) Body (incl. hands)
4) Head
5) Helmet 

6) Brush on the Helmet

7) Cloak

8) Sword

Eight pieces in the blind bag for the Roman Commander

To single him out, you will have to feel a small piece that fits on his helmet (the brush). It is kind of an small and flat arc-shape piece.

Front view of the Roman Commander

Side view of the Roman Commander

Back view of the Roman Commander

The Roman Commander as #3 in the Series 10 collection

This is a Youtube video I made for unboxing of the Roman Commander:-





If you are reading this, you may also be interested in:-

• Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #5 Tomahawk Warrior
• Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #9 Paintball Player

Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #5 Tomahawk Warrior

This is probably one of the easiest figures to feel for in the Lego Minifigures Series 10. 

There are six pieces in the bag:-

1) Base plate
2) Legs
3) Body (incl. hands)
4) Head
5) Mohawk (hair piece)
6) Weapon

Six pieces in the blind bag for Tomahawk Warrior

You should look out for two things - the Mohawk and the weapon. 

i) Mohawk - feels like a triangular wedge, and tends to stick to the package since it is rubbery. 

ii) Weapon - long bar with a small side extension at one end.

Side view of the Tomahawk Warrior

Back view of the Tomahawk Warrior

Front view of the Tomahawk Warrior

The Tomahawk Warrior as #5 in the Series 10 collection

Here is a Youtube video I made on on the unboxing process...




If you are reading this, you may be interested in:-

• Lego Minifigures Series 10 Unboxing - #9 Paintball Player

Lego Minifigures Series 10 - Box of Minifigures arrived

My order came in the mail today all nicely wrapped! Have carefully checked it and it has not been opened or tampered with :)

60 chances to find Mr. Gold

If you are reading this, you may also be interested in:-

• Finding Mr. Gold
• Guide to finding Lego Minifigures Series 10 - #5 Tomahawk Warrior
• Lego Minifigures sticker album

Lego Minifigures Series 10 - Finding Mr. Gold in Singapore

So excited! I ordered a box of Lego Minifigures Series 10 online on Saturday, and the order's been processed. They are delivering it tomorrow!

Can't wait! I hope I find a Mr. Gold :)

If you are reading this, you may be interested in

• My box of Lego Minifigures Series 10

For the Lego Fan - Sticker Album

I saw this in a bookshop recently and instantly fell in love with it.

It's a Lego Minifigure Sticker Collection Album!

Lego Minifigure Collection Album

How this works is: there are pages of stickers in the album, along with pages with sticker placers. You are supposed to match the stickers with placers i.e. to stick the stickers in the correct places.

People always says - Good things come in small packages. I think so too :) Lego's Minifigures are collected by both adults and children.

Here's some of the pages...

Star Wars Minifigures

Lego Adventurers

Harry Potter series

You can get the book from Amazon here Ultimate Sticker Collection: LEGO Minifigure (ULTIMATE STICKER COLLECTIONS)

I bought a Star Wars sticker album too! Isn't it cute?

Ultimate Sticker Collection: LEGO Star Wars: Minifigures (ULTIMATE STICKER COLLECTIONS)

Initial impressions with Tinke in Singapore - keeping my health and fitness in check

Tinke is a little gadget designed in Singapore by home grown start-up Zensorium that is designed to make it easy for each one of us to keep our health and fitness in check. Having first read about it on Wired, I signed up as a beta tester for Tinke when I chanced upon the opportunity to do so.

This is how the little guy looks like (all photos via link to Zensorium website):-

Vibrant colours to brighten my day (I have the blue and pink one)

Basically, all I had to do was to download and set up an app call Tinke on my IPhone, and then plugin the device, like this:-

Here is how Tinke looks like when it is powered by the phone

Tinke draws power from the IPhone therefore it is fuss free. Don't have to bother about chargers or wires. The device is so small I can keep it snugly in my pocket.

Basically, it measures the following four parameters and compiles them into a health indicator called the Vita Index, and a stress level indicator called the Zen Index.

i) Heart Rate - how fast your heart is pumping

ii) Blood Oxygen Level - the amount of oxygen in your blood

iii) Respiratory Rate - how many air exchanges or breathes you take in

iv) Heart Rate Variability - whether your heart rate is constant and beating in a regular pattern

My heart rate is typically in the 60s range.. i.e. my heart beats 60+ times a minute. According to established studies, the lower the heart rate, the better because that means your heart does not have to work so hard to keep you alive. People who exercise regularly tend to have lower heart rates, even in the 40s and 50s! When I caught a cold a few months back, my heart rate soared to the 90s as my body was working overtime to try and get rid of the nasty bugs.

As for blood oxygen level, the higher the value the better (maximum is 100). My blood oxygen level is typically from 95 to 99, which puts me in a normal range. I find that after each exercise session (I jog regularly), my blood oxygen level is at the high 90s around 99. So again, this indicator is a good check of the efficiency of my workout.

For respiratory rate, I think that this ties in with the heart rate and blood oxygen level. Mine is typically about 15-18. I have the impression that when my respiratory rate increases, my heart rate and blood oxygen level should increase, cos that should mean that my metabolism is higher due to additional oxygen intake, which in turn leads to higher blood oxygen level.

Finally, for heart rate variability, the idea is to conduct a few breathing exercises (the app showed me how) to try and make me breathe regularly. By me breathing regularly = heart rate should be pretty constant. So, if my heart rate variability is high, this means that my heart hence body is stressed cos it is beating erratically.

Finding it difficult to remember all of the above? Fret not. As mentioned, the device helps to keep track of my overall wellbeing by compiling each value into two indices - Vita Index and Zen Index. Like a lot of other fitness and health devices, Tinke allows data trending to let me know whether my health is improving over time. It also has cool socia media capability for me to share my health indicators with my friends. Maybe that will let others know whether I have a problem or am about to have a problem with my health before anything bad happens to me? 

In case you would like to know more about Tinke, this instructional video says it all...

Last but not least, if you would like to also keep your health in check, this nifty device is now for sale at  USD 119 here Introducing Tinké, the quick, revolutionary way to quantify your fitness, wellness and stress levels!

Will post more photographs when I have the chance to do so.

Other posts that may interest you:-

• Initial impressions with Pebble watch in Singapore
• Using my Kindle as a News reader

Further impressions with the Pebble Watch in Singapore

After a few weeks of using my Pebble watch, I'm loving it. My phone is usually kept in my bag or in the back pocket of my jeans, and in silent vibration mode. Therefore, I tend to miss my calls. However, the watch allows me to know when I have calls or smses cos it vibrates on my wrist! Plus, it's so cool. My friends were literally going gaga over the watch. 

Some updates to my previous post:

My initial problems of feeling numbness on my wrist have gone away. No problems whatsoever with wearing it for extended hours now.

The battery life has also improved to about 4-5 days with bluetooth on. I guess the battery just needs some wearing in. 

One thing to note - after the watch's been recharged having gone completely flat i.e. blank screen, the time gets reset to 00:00 hours. Need to sync to the phone eg. via bluetooth in order for the time and date settings to be restored. 

I got my sms alerts as well as my phone alerts working. I lost my email alerts though... 

The photo below shows the recent update I carried out for the watch... 

Hello!

This was the new watch face that came with it. Reminds me of a retro Casio watch face lol.

Retro Casio-ish watchface

I customized my Pebble with watchfaces downloaded from the  My Pebble Faces website. Here's one of them which I really liked!

The Micky Mouse watch face (animated)

Looking forward to more applications! 

Apparently, Pebble Corp is still busy fulfilling orders from their very successful Kickstarter campaign i.e. new orders may only be processed much much later. If you can't wait and must get it now, you can get the Kickstarter editions from Amazon

Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android


Other posts which may interest you:

• Pebble watch in Singapore - Initial Impressions
• Using my Kindle as a newsreader
• Initial impressions with Tinke
• For the Lego Fan

Pebble Watch in Singapore - Initial Impressions

After months of waiting, my Pebble watch is finally here!

This was my first Kickstarter project. I opted for the US$115 option, which comes with a Jet Black Pebble watch and US$15 shipping fee for delivery to Singapore.

Here's some photographs...

The environmentally-friendly packaging which the Pebble came in...

How the Pebble watch is packaged...

Kickstarter edition! Also indicates its waterproof capabilities of 5 atm.

Fits snugly on my wrist. Background shows the magnetic two point charger that is proprietary with Pebble, to allow for its waterproofing.

Updated 24 March 2013: Simple watchface showing the date and time

Updated 24 March 2013: This watchface is pretty cool. Can you figure out how to tell the time? ;)

Functions
As of now, the Pebble has only preliminary functions, such as watch, alarm, controlling of music from the watch, and phone notifications showing the number calling. For controlling of music, it allows skipping of tracks, starting and stopping of songs and does not allow volume control. As for phone notifications, it allows you to decide whether or not to pick up the call. You will have to use your phone or bluetooth headset, should you wish to talk to the caller. 

Needs upgrading to iOS6 for notifications
After upgrading my iOS on my iPhone 4 to iOS6, it allowed me to configure my notifications such that email notifications showed up also on my Pebble screen. From my limited tests carried out so far, I have not managed to get the other alerts such as calendar, sms, Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter etc. I am not sure if the Android version is better since it appears that some open source programs have already been written and are available for Android users.  

Concerns
My battery was flat within 2 days of wearing it after an initial charge of about 2 hours. After researching on the internet, it seems like some users are also facing issues with shorter battery life of 1-2 days (as opposed to 7+ days in the specs). I am monitoring this and will update again when I have had more time with the Pebble.

Also, I am not sure if it is my imagination, but I felt some tingling sensation/numbness on my left upper arm after just half an hour of wearing it and with the bluetooth on. Am I hypersensitive to bluetooth waves or what? In any case, I will have to test that again.

Initial impressions
Smart looking watch + cool factor with untapped potential.
Need to iron out the teething problems such as notifications, more applications such as Runkeeper, and longer battery life to make this worthwhile. 

Posts which you may be interested too

• My further impressions with the Pebble Watch... 
• Initial impressions with Tinke in Singapore - keeping my health and fitness in check
• For the Lego Fan

Kickstarter editions are available now from Amazon resellers

Pebble E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android

Updated 5 May 2013: Community developed pebble watchfaces on mypebblefaces.com !
Updated 8 May 2013: I can now use Runkeeper on my Pebble!