My article on how I use Samsung NC10 is up now! Please go to SammyNetbook.com and check it out!

Joely asked me to share my thoughts on Samsung NC10, so I figured it's about time I post something.

The unit's very solidly built. It does not feel cheap like some other brands I've seen. The keyboard is non-chiclet, large, and types very nicely. (FYI — I really don't care for the chiclet keyboards that seem to be so popular with MacBooks these days, and I actually like Samsung's keyboard better than an Apple MacBook's.) The battery lasts for a very long time. The trackpad is indeed small, but I got used to it within 2-3 days. Besides, I bought it to type, not to play with the trackpad or play games on it.

It's also very light, and doesn't seem to get that hot. At least I didn't notice anything bad about it. It sports a non-glossy screen, if it matters to anyone. (I like non-glossy screens for working outside.)

On the performance side, it boots, hibernates and restarts very fast, something that was helped by my upgrading memory to 2GB. It can run Office 2007 and Firefox, etc. with no problem, and the system is very stable (no crashes, etc.). The CPU is generally quiet on the standard manufacturer's setting.

IMHO Samsung's NC10 is better than the AlphaSmart Neo for writers, although if you have trouble staying away from the Internet, perhaps the Neo is the way to go. I'll post more thoughts later after a month or so of using both. :)

After a lot of research and so on, I've finally decided to get a pink Samsung NC10. Doesn't it look pretty?

A lot of people seem to swear by Samsung's awesome keyboard, and I need something other than my MacBook for working on my manuscripts. Although the MacBook's nice, it gets very hot, and I have to use a lap desk with it because its sharp edges cut into my wrists, etc. and cause pain when I type for a long time on it. (I have an ergonomic keyboard, but sometimes I want to be away from my desk, esp. with the back pain, etc.)

On another front, I'm going to the States for two months. I'm totally excited since I haven't been home in over two years. I plan to see Hero Material's family, Agent and friends. (My family is of coures on the list, in case Mom's reading this.) And shopping…! Can you believe I haven't bought any clothes or shoes in almost three years? I can't buy anything that fits me right in this country. I'm considered too tall and large. (Hey, at least Victoria's Secret thinks I'm small, so I guess that must count for something, right?! LOL)

Finally a short public announcement — I know I'm bad with blog updates. So if you want to know what I'm up to though, you can always follow me on Twitter, which gets updated almost every day. I don't auto follow, but I respond to tweets directed at me. Make sure to use @NadiaLee. Thanks!

Status: Am feeling a bit better about life in general. I realized that I had a little more cash than I initially estimated, so that makes me feel relaxed about it, somewhat. (see below for why)

I'm convinced that there's some kind of evil retrograde somewhere.

Why?

My RAM died. The merchant's being as difficult as possible with the return.

My dishwasher died. It needs to be replaced, most likely, since the current unit's old. This is a completely unexpected and unplanned expenditure, but it must be spent.

Yesterday, my site died. It was the new plugin I installed for WP, and it killed my blog. MySQL refused to import my back-ups. I almost died until I found a file that it would import. If you see any errors on the site, please let me know!

Despite it all, I'm trying to stay optimistic. I'm going through the latest draft of Slayer. I can't believe I missed some of the continuity errors that occurred when I made some changes to the story. I was 500% embarrassed when I discovered them. :oops:

One thing that's really difficult for me is the amount of work that is required for the newly added materials. Unlike some writers who I envy, I'm not the most polished writer. It takes me a while to get it to flow just right. So the new materials take several days before they're on par with the other more polished scenes.

Currently I'm using iPod Touch to review my manuscript. I downloaded an app called Files. It works great for me because it can read *.doc and not destroy all my formatting. (I'm very particular about formatting.) So I'm saving money on paper & printer cartridge. The price of paper went up about 50-100% in Japan, depending on what grade, size, etc. So I'm trying to find ways to reduce the amount of paper, etc. I use as much as possible. Does this mean I'll never print my entire ms? Nope. I like to see stuff on papers. I catch different things on different medium. But Files is one of the tools I can use.

…I finally caved in and bought myself an iPod Touch. I bought it specifically to use it as an ebook reader because I don't have one yet, and I thought it'd be nice to have one so I can crit stuff, etc. The thing is I don't need anything else fancier — I don't need a calendar or anything. PDA is nice, but I just use my Outlook instead. (esp. because I'm usually home)

Now, I need to wait until it arrives. To be honest, I had my boyfriend buy it for me in the States because it's just too expensive where I am. (Almost all electric gadgets cost more in Japan.)