Music Sunday MWC Edition: Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé's Barcelona

I has always admired this song ever since I first heard of it around the time of 1992 Summer Olympics which of course, was held at Barcelona, Spain. Believe it or not, I only discovered the actual singers TWO DECADES (yup, it was earlier this year) later. Imagine my disbelief when I found out one of the duo was the legendary Freddie Mercury of The Queen. :o

While that it is too bad that me or any of our team members will not be at Barcelona ourselves for this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) next week, you can still bet your butt that Lowyat.NET are still going to bring all the juicy bits as swiftly and as much as possible from there. It's a running joke among us in the opis that we might be operating on Barcelona's time zone but who knows...xD

So, put www.lowyat.net on your bookmark, RSS reader and stuff as well as follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Can't wait to kick off our Mobile World Congress coverage!

Don't Sleep On This: CLOT x Nike Tennis Classic AC TZ Museum Edition @ Juice KL 26/02

Remember the CLOT x Nike Tennis Classic AC release in Juice KL last month? Looks like another round of release coming up tomorrow but this time around, CLOT upped the ante a little bit even though they are still using the Nike Tennis Classic AC as the feature model.

The CLOT x Nike Tennis Classic AC TZ Museum Edition is built on the concept of "retro throwback of now", which goes along the vision of how a shoe that is released in 2012 might look like after decades down the road - hence the "Museum Edition".

Featuring metallic silver upper and CLOT's signature red colorway on the Nike's swoosh as well as its heel tab, selective pairs - one out of five, according to CLOT's co-founder Edison Chen - are given extra treatment which involved further hand-buffing by CLOT personnel that in hand made each of these special pairs unique to each other.

Look for pairs with serial number 12, that's the hand work of Mr. Edison Chen apparently.

Each of these pairs also come with the signature CLOT patch on it as well as a serial number that refers to the actual CLOT's staff that is responsible in executing the process on that particular pair, which can be crosschecked at CLOT's website.

While it is obvious that not all pairs will receive extra treatment by CLOT people, the distressed look already comes standard right from Nike's factory with each pair. Each CLOT x Nike Tennis Classic AC TZ Museum Edition - both CLOT-treated and standard factory-treated - is also accompanied by specially-designed traditional Chinese treasure box which intended to further highlight its museum look.

Being a Tier-Zero release, expect it to cost even higher in resellers market - so if you think the RM 799 price tag is a bit high, do consider what I've said earlier. After all, it is a CLOT release and if you not already aware, anything that EDC touch usually turns to gold. No pun intended. *snickers*

So yup, once again, if you planning to cop the new CLOT x Nike Tennis Classic AC TZ Museum Edition, make sure you already queue up at Juice KL in Bangsar before the sale starts at 12pm tomorrow - Sunday, 26 February 2012. DON'T SLEEP ON THIS!

Product shots: Juice KL and CLOT.

Just Another Day In Chap's Life: Isn't It A Pity.

"How we break each other's hearts and cause each other pain
How we take each other's love without thinking anymore
Forgetting to give back
Isn't it a pity..." - Isn't It A Pity, George Harrison.

I always believe that if it's sincere, it will be backed up by efforts. As much as I want to give you the benefit of doubt but I'm already tired of putting efforts any longer especially when at the end of the day, I'm feeling anxious and thinking "whether I convey the msg correctly" or "what did I do wrong".

All I want to do is be good friends like we used to be but what I can see and sense now, it seems like I'm the only one who want that to happened or putting efforts on it.

It is really a pity because what we had was indeed very special...but I'm out of energy to try making it happen once again. So, it's time to finally bury the hatchet once and for all. For as long as time stands...with much sadness.

Music Thursday Grammy Edition: Foo Fighters and Deadmau5

It was not a surprise performance since it was already announced before hand that Foo Fighters and deadmau5 are going to performed together at the recent 54th Grammy Awards but still, this performance blew my freakin head away. I mean, live vocal to a live mix? Outta sight!

My precious Foo Fighters: Live in Singapore ticket! xD

Meanwhile, congrats to Foo Fighters for winning FIVE out of six Grammy Awards that they were nominated at the event. Can't wait to catch them live in Singapore next week. That's right, I'm going to be there myself at The Padang on Fri, 2nd March; so does thousands of people from across the region since it's Foo's only show here. It is going to epic. :D

Video sauce: Grammy Awards via YouTube. Ticket captured by Huawei Honor.

Music Monday: In Memory of Whitney Houston.

Tribute to Whitney Houston at 54th Grammy Awards: I Will Always Love You by Jennifer Hudson.

While many might be more familiar with "I Will Always Love You" thanks to its everlasting love message and the popularity of The Bodyguard - which she was also the lead actress - but my favorite Whitney Houston's song somehow has always been Heartbreak Hotel. It is a bit hard to explain why I like it since I first heard it back during my high school years but yup, I just simply like it.

Of course, I've always enjoyed many other ballads that featured Whitney's beautiful and powerful voice - whether by her own or collaboration with other artists. Thank you for all the music, Whitney. You might not be here but your music will continue to be enjoyed, loved and celebrated for eternity. :)

Music Monday: Queen's Medley - In Freaking Japanese

I've no freaking idea who made this but GOD DAMN THIS IS JUST TOO DAMN AWESOME.

Apparently, this is the list of Queen's songs that were used in the medley above:

Bohemian Rhapsody : Samayoeru tamashii no tame no kyoushi-kyoku
Bicycle Race : Jitensha kyousou
Killer Queen : Koroshiya Joou
FLASH : Hirameki
We Will Rock You : Itsuka omae wo yusaburu
Another One Bites The Dust : Mou hitori shinu
Crazy Little Thing Called Love : Ai to yobareru iwayuru hitotsu no chinchikurin na koto
We Are The Champions : Warera Yokozuna

Wonder if anybody can pull this off in Bahasa Malaysia...it would be damn epic. xD

Thanks to moona who passed this to me on Twitter so long ago.

The Avengers Super Bowl Spot: Perfect Example of How To Talk Smack Right On The Face of Your Enemy

"I have an army. - Loki
We have a Hulk. - Tony Stark "

Tony oh Tony...there is simply nothing that can scare you, is it? Responding to Loki, just LIKE A SIR.

Did anyone realized that Tony Stark is wearing Black Sabbath t-shirt as well? As you might know, one of Black Sabbath's most well-known song is Iron Man; so I guess that is a fitting tribute. Even though the Marvel's Iron Man is not exactly Sabbath's Iron Man but heck, it's awesome to see Marvel paid props to Sabbath.

Can't wait for May to catch The Avengers!

Source: Marvel

Skyrim Sing-A-Long: You Doing It...Close Enough.

MUSTARD JAR!

A Dovahkinn named Martin? Need more manlier name, sir...awww heck, there goes the arrow to my knee again. Kau ni tak chill la Martin...

Meanwhile, if you curious what are the actual lyric for the theme from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's trailer above, here it is in both Dragon language (Skyrim's language) and English:

Dragon Language

Nuz aan sul, fent alok,
fod fin vul dovah nok,
fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz!
Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot!

Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin
naal ok zin los vahriin
wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan
fod nust hon zindro zaan
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!

Translated

But a day, shall arise,
when the dark dragon's lies,
will be silenced forever and then!
Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduin's maw!

Dragonborn, Dragonborn
by his honor is sworn
To keep evil forever at bay!
And the fiercest foes rout
when they hear triumph's shout,
Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!

---

In before FUS RO DAH! xD

Source: YouTube and The Elder Scrolls Wiki @ Wikia.

I Seriously Think Samsung Is Becoming Like Apple...

This was pretty much what I was thinking about when I was working on the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus piece on Lowyat.NET earlier today. No offense to Samsung but with the emergence of these "Plus" devices, I just can't help it. xD

Well, let's see what other stuff that Samsung got under their sleeves at Mobile World Congress this year even though Samsung Galaxy S III will not be there.

Reviewed @ Lowyat.NET: Zowie Gear EC1 Gaming Mouse

If you played Counter-Strike before and look around for gameplay or tournament videos, then you might have heard of this name: Emil "HeatoN" Christensen. Rated as one of the best Counter-Strike players around, the former Ninja in Pyjamas and SK Gaming player joined the gaming peripherals industry by helping the folks at Zowie Gear, right after leaving the competitive scene.

With the help of HeatoN's top-level competitive gaming experience, Zowie Gear has come out with a number of products with HeatoN's name to them such as the Zowie Gear EC1 Gaming Mouse that I've reviewed recently. When it comes to designing the mouse, Zowie Gear took a no-nonsense approach on EC1 and made it very straight forward to operate.

Of course, there are more to the story; so why not head on to the full review over at Lowyat.NET to learn more about the gaming mouse. :D

Music Thursday Depressed Edition: Air Supply's All Out of Love

"There's no easy way, it gets harder each day..."

Depressed but not stressed. But then, shit has really hit the roof when I starts to hear this song in my head. Until when this going to last...sigh.

A Visit to 21 Mercer, New York: The First Ever Nike Sportswear Flagship Store

Opened in 2008, the famed 21 Mercer is the first stand-alone Nike Sportswear (NSW) flagship store in the world and I managed to squeeze some time between my uber busy schedule at Microsoft's Imagine Cup 2011 World Finals last July to check out the store which is located at the world famous SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

Mercer Street!

The 21 Mercer is pretty special in the sense that it is not only the first NSW outlet but it is also the home of NikeiD Bespoke Studio. If you not familiar with the NikeiD name, it is customization service* offered by Nike for a number of their products including footwear, clothing and equipment.

Just a small preview of what NikeiD Bespoke is all about.

However, the Bespoke program at 21 Mercer which revolves around the iconic Air Force 1 goes beyond the standard NikeID service where at the outlet, it involved 1-on-1 consultation session with Nike designers who would guide the customer on designing his or her custom AF1 from A-Z using huge selection of materials. In short, the Bespoke program is about making a pair of one-off shoes that is designed by you and made for you. Of course, it is not cheap though at USD 800.

By appointment only: 21 Mercer's NikeiD studio.

But unfortunately, I was not able to check out the Bespoke studio myself because one, I didn't make any appointment - it's not an official trip or anything and I obviously can't afford one xD - and second, the studio is only open at certain days according to one of the staff.

Oh la la...

The 21 Mercer also houses some NSW collection that are exclusive to them which were a little bit pricey for me to cop. That being said, I was actually damn tempted to purchase a pair of Nike SB Koston 1 signature model and Nike 6.0 Zoom Primo because they were so damn cheap but in the end, I went home with just a Nike 6.0 t-shirt which was still superbly cheap at USD 12 even though the price tag was USD 20.

Yup, still kept my 21 Mercer receipt!

Why I just didn't empty my wallet right there? Because there were also a number of other streetwear stores at SoHo that I visited such as The Hundreds and Supreme. Not to forget, there was also Flight Club and Niketown NYC - more on them later on, if time permits me to do long blog post again.

I would give more thumbs up if I've more hands...

Nevertheless, I was obviously more than happy - manly tears, man...manly tears - to be able to check out the world famous 21 Mercer myself even though it was just a short visit. I do hope that one fine day, I'll be able to return to 21 Mercer once again and that time...to design and build my own pair of Bespoke Air Force 1! xD

*This service is not available in Malaysia though - the nearest is in Singapore for t-shirt and Hong Kong for footwear.

Many thanks for my old buddy (now a New Yorker) - YZ - who was willing enough to bring me around SoHo and also, patient enough to see me went crazy at 21 Mercer as well as other store at SoHo.

All images taken with Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc except for the receipt which was with Sony Ericsson Xperia Active.