Samsung YP-T9

I’d been wanting a portable mp3 player for a while now and even requested one for Christmas from my brother, but I guess he didn’t catch on to the hint and he got me a watch instead. Didn’t want to buckle down and pay for an iPod like most of my friends. Was never really a fan of Apple products.

So I copped another brand instead. I read various reviews on several brands of mp3 players as well as tested some in-store, and I finally decided on one that I liked, which retails for around $150. But Nikki is a bargain shopper, so I hit up Ebay got a brand new 4GB Samsung YP-T9 still in the box!

Dare I say I’m diggin’ the hell outta this little jewel? And I’m shocked by the quality of the stereo playback from the earphones. Sounds like the artists are right in the room with me, that’s how good the earphones are.

So if you’re in the market for an alternative to the iPod, you might wanna check out the Samsung YP-T9. It also comes in a 2GB model as well.

Specs:

• Flash MP3 Multimedia Player
• Plays MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV, AAC and OGG Vorbis files with DRM 10
• Plays video WMV and MPEG4
• JPEG photo slideshows with zoom features
• 1.8″ TFT LCD color screen
• 4GB flash memory (1000 songs or up to 40,000 photos)
• Subscription service compatible (Janus DRM)
• DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
• Digital clock
• FM Tuner and recorder (variable MP3 bitrate)
• Voice Recorder (variable MP3 bitrate)
• Built-in Li-Poly rechargeable battery
• Audio Playback time - up to 30 hours
• Video Playback time - up to 6 hours
• Textviewer, file browser
• Plays Macromedia Flash Games (two embedded)
• Dynamic Macromedia User Interface
• Easy 5-button front control
• Shows album art, visualizers, screensavers, and custom wallpaper.
• Firmware upgradeable
• Supports playlists, delete from device, on-the-go (favorites) playlist
• Dimensions: 1.68″ (W) x 3.27″ (H) x .44″ (D)
• Weight: 1.73 oz.

Throwing a New Year’s Eve party? Well I’ve got just the drink for you. I made drinks for my family’s Christmas party and they went over so well, that I had to end up playing bartender all night long.

The drink is called Roadrunner Punch, and it’s really simple to make. I’m pretty sure you can make this in a punch bowl, but I did individual glasses, so here’s the recipe for those individual glasses:

Roadrunner Punch

1 shot of Malibu Rum

1 shot of Blue Curaçao

1 shot of Peach Schnapps

Fill the rest of the glass with Berry or Fruit Punch and serve with ice.

I prefer to use Minute Maid Fruit Punch, but choose the brand of your liking.

I love the elderly, really I do, but can Paw Paw and Big Momma please stop driving these big bodied vehicles? They’re always rollin’ in some Lincoln Continental, Cadillac El Dorado or a Buick Roadmaster. Most are driving 20 mph in a 45 mph speed zone and some of them can barely see over the steering wheel.

How about suggesting to your grandparents the great handling of a Toyota Yaris, a Honda Civic Hybrid or a Nissan Sentra? It will save them on gas and will save us from having scraped up cars because Madea can’t pull into a parking space properly at the local Piggly Wiggly.

Got nothing to do this weekend? Wanna make it a Blockbuster night? Well, I have just the flick for you. I don’t recommend too many movies, but if your an Indie film lover like I am, then you might wanna check out On The Outs.

On the outs is short for “on the outside,” as in not currently incarcerated. It follows the lives of three young Jersey City women:

• Oz is a tough 17-year-old crack dealer who never uses the stuff herself. She has a tender side, as we see the way she cares for her mentally handicapped brother, Chuey.
• Suzette, just 15, is responsible and well-behaved, taking care of her younger sister while their mother works. But she is seduced and impregnated by Tyrell, a crack dealer and a grown man. Tyrell charms Suzette by doing magic tricks for her sister, and she’s naïve enough to also be impressed by his money and his street cred.
• Marisol, a crack-addicted single mom, lives for her toddler daughter and her drug. Crack hinders her practical parenting skills, but she’s clearly a kind and loving mother. After a brief stint in jail, Marisol is soon released, drug-free and finds out that she may permanently lose custody of her daughter because of her previous lifestyle.
  

There’s not one father figure in the film, but each of the three young ladies has at least one other family member who loves her. It’s not enough to prevent trouble, but it may mean the difference between a budding hope for the future, and no hope at all.