My Photo of the Week

focus: 200mm, ss:1/120s, f/5.6, ISO:200

依稀记得好几首陪我成长的歌，其中一首就是还在念小学时小虎队的“红蜻蜓”。如果没错，应该是在郭富城唱“对你爱爱爱不完”之前吧！哈！“红蜻蜓”是我第一首完全记得歌词的歌，感觉上好像在念绕口令一样...

飛呀 飛呀, 看那紅色蜻蜓飛在藍色天空 游戲在風中不斷追逐他的夢

天空是永恒的家 大地就是他的王國 飛翔是生活

我們的童年也像追逐成長吹來的風 輕輕地吹著夢想 慢慢地升空

紅色的蜻蜓是我小時侯的小小英雄 多希望有一天能和他一起飛

當煩惱愈來愈多 玻璃彈珠愈來愈少 我知道我已慢慢地長大了

紅色的蜻蜓曾幾何時也在我歲月慢慢不見了

我們都已經長大

好多夢正在飛

就像童年看到地紅色的蜻蜓

我們都已經長大

好多夢還要飛

就像現在心目中紅色的蜻蜓

曾经是我们的流行歌曲，现已变成怀旧金曲。

就好象我们的老爸老妈每当听到一剪梅、榕树下、小城故事...这些我们所谓的怀旧老歌，就会老生常谈的告诉我们费玉清，余天和邓丽君当年是多么的牛！而我们却会不以为然。仔细一想，这些歌曲也是陪着他们长大的，已经成为他们记忆的一部分，人生的一部分。

而他们对我们所追崇的偶像，也是哧之以鼻。

就好比今天的流行歌曲一样，虽然我没什么感觉，但是它们一定也会成为某些人的美好回忆，随着岁月流逝慢慢转变成首首的怀旧金曲。

因果循环，生生不息，阿弥陀佛。

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

It was a wet morning here in Singapore. Listening to Frank Sinatra's Jingle Bells while sipping hot coffee really set the Christmas mood on.

Will be making my virgin pass through the new JB CIQ, keeping my fingers crossed and hope that it will be a smooth transit.

Back in my working days, we had this guardian angel thingy during Christmas. Each of us will be someone's secret guardian, which in the end we will have to buy a Christmas present for him/her. Likewise, each of us will have an angel (or Secret Santa) and so everyone in the department will hang their wishlists on the Christmas tree hoping that the angels will heed the calls. Due to the suspense, everyone will be guessing who their secret santa was and anticipating the gifts that they will receive. For some who jual mahal and didn't post their wishlist on the Christmas tree, their angels will need to play a little bit harder to anticipate and get the suitable presents for their wards. End of the day, the guardian angels may or maynot choose to reveal their identities.

Best joke I heard is that, there was this guardian who used his personal email account to send a note to his ward, not wanting to reveal his identity:

"You don't know who am I, but I hope you like my gift. Regards, your guardian angel"

with his full name as username displayed...rotflmao.

Merry Christmas to all my dearest kins and friends:)

My Photo of the Week

focus: 28mm, ss:1/125s, f/5.0, ISO:200

"A lifeline is a line or rope used to support a person who is in physical difficulty, or to prevent someone from getting into physical difficulty. For example, a lifeline may protect a person who is at risk of drowning."

~wikipedia

My Photo of the Week

focus: 200mm, ss:1/500s, f/5.6, ISO:200

While snapping outside of the house one morning, this little yellow hummingbird flew down from nowhere and settled on one of the flower pots. I crept closer to get a better shot with my kit lens yet this brave little fellow ignored my advancement, feeding upon the nectar from the ixoras with its bifurcated tongue; stopping occasionally to check on me due to curiosity. Suddenly, it flipped its wing and i thought I had lost it without getting a decent shot.

To my relief, it settled on a nearby tree. And instantaneously, I dashed into the house and switched to my tele lens. I approached the bird again, more daringly this time as I knew it was not shy. It allowed me to braced myself, zoomed in and snapped a few rounds before it let off a chirp and flew off.

My Friend Ask Me Why...This is Why

On December 11, 2008, I wrote on nihcust's chatterbox, "guys, I am starting (to feel) really insecure to stay in Malaysia now..."

nihcust replied,"What happen and made u feel so insecure?"

This is why...I am not going to post the victim's picture as it is really beyond the unspeakable. Nonetheless, he must be really dumb-fucked when he found out that the robber is HIV positive the very next day. I mean he fought with the robber and both of them are bleeding, so there's a big chance that... *tai kat lai si.

More on the story here and the aftermath here. (Need to do some scrolling.)

Despite the fact that our "teramat hebat" IGP keep stressing that our homeland is safe and sound.

Safe?

Yes, with armed robberies every now and then...

With rescuers refuse to save those whose life's on the thin line and looting victims' homes...

When policemen patrol for the sake of accepting bribes...

When the government deploys the "I Suka Awak" simply to "protect" and releases terrorists which they "think" pose no threats anymore...

When those at the top are busy with mega projects, arms dealing, tabling bills to their own monetary advantages...And those at the grassroot grew to become big bullies...

When those who are supposed to protect us turn against us...

When we always compare ourselves to those much inferior than us when we are being criticised...And when the once inferior subject surpasses us, we pick another weaker opponent. By doing so, we are always BOLEH!

When we are in the state of denial, all the time...

I remember watching a clip on our own parliamentary proceeding, a BN MP scornfully reprimanded the Opposition for instilling fear in the people by stating that our country isn't safe when the crime rate kept escalating year on year.

"Who say we are not safe? We don't have war, no terrorist attacks! Who say we are not safe? We are safe and at peace."

Ooh, I finally get it. And I really hope that one day when the bullet hit his big fat belly, his face slashed by some machete-wielding psycho, and being injected with AIDS infected syringe on the street, he can still lash out that "We are safe and at peace." followed by multiple patriotic cry outs of "Malaysia Boleh", simply, because we are not at war.

真的是黑白两道都混不下去了。呜呼哀哉。

大佬，醒吓啦！

Sultan Iskandar CIQ (Part III) - It's gladiator time

Reading the following 2 articles amuses me:

Chaos at new CIQ complex
"The scene here is like that in a war movie, with people walking and running all over. Most of them do not know where to go to take the bus to Singapore."

"Everyone is pushing and trying to get into the bus one way or another. I pity the women and small-sized workers."

"There is no proper signage, nor assistance from immigration officers or complex personnel. They look like they are confused, too. "

"Looks like I will have to get up at least 45 minutes earlier than usual to get through this nightmare every day, even though I already wake at 4.30am every morning just to reach my work place at 7.30am."

Impose law and order on the JB Custom & Immigration Quarantine Complex
"There is no concept of cutting queue, because there is no such thing as a queue. Pushing, shoving and elbowing are the rule. Manners and gentility are the suicidal exception."

"Four to eight people will simultaneously try to force their way into the bus door from every direction. One either joins the gladiatorial mob, or misses the bus. And the next one after that. And the next one, and the next one."

"It doesn't matter in what order you arrive at the bus waiting area - the only criteria that count are brute strength and a willingness to trample your own civility into the asphalt."

"For at current, every visitor and tourist who passes through the CIQ Complex is left with the impression that Malaysia is a nation with First World facilities but a truly Third World mentality."

**********************************************

I can laugh for now, but when the time comes, I hope Buddha will give me enough patience and perseverance to fight this war, to win each treacherous gladiatorial fight in the amphitheatre and the will to refrain from punching the confused immigration officers or complex personnel.

Amitaba-can

Sultan Iskandar CIQ (Part II) - Bottle Neck

Let's revise the stats before we begin, shall we?

• Able to handle 70 million visitors annually.
• Will house 18 government agencies.
• Five-storey complex, dubbed an intelligent building.
• 76 lanes for cars: 38 lanes in, 38 lanes out.
• 100 lanes for motorcycles:50 lanes in and 50 lanes out.
• 25 parking bays allocated for bus entry and exit.
• Only Touch ’n Go cards are allowed to be used for payment.
• Multi-lingual touch screen information display panels to assist visitors entering Johor.

The once dubbed gigantic white elephant after the new scenic bridge under the project named Southern Integrated Gateway (Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu) was axed, has a set of sterling statistics to offer to the public. Woo, hebat betoi nie!

But before you start to shout out the idiotic "Malaysia Boleh" slogan again...I really don't think the new CIQ will ease congestion on the Causeway as claimed here.

It doesn't required one to take a day to realize that no matter how many entry lanes you have, end of the day, all lanes will converge and vehicles will start to cut queue so as to squeeze through the pathetic 8 lanes (4 in 4 out) Johor-Singapore Causeway. Yes, the Causeway itself is the chokepoint. And, I foresee that the jam will recoil and cause congestion on the path even before entering the majestic complex. (I don't need to be flown to the moon and back again, get a Datukship and start charging RM8000/hour for a talk to know this. Really think that I have the quality to be a Bolehland MP or Minister:) Please vote for me! Thank you, thank you.)

Envisaging 88 lanes of traffics (38 for car and 50 for bikes) oozing through the miserable 4 lanes from JB to Singapore just sets my adrenaline pumping. Really can't wait till Chinese New Year to witness one of Malaysia's wonders of the world.

Sultan Iskandar CIQ (Part I) - Jam Jam Jam

Architecture grande et élégante

Yes, we have a new JB Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex! But...

Yes, you heard it right; there are buts, lots of buts to the extent that I will need to segregate it into few parts on my blog.

If you are a frequent traveler between JB and Singapore, you would notice that Bolehland had been drumming a lot on the new CIQ to replace the old one. To start off with, I read an apt coverage by Nelson Benjamin on the old JB CIQ titled "Johor’s gateway of shame" on November 1, 2008, which vividly described the unspeakable condition of the JB checkpoint and its surrounding, a reflection of poor state and federal governance.

The situation on our side of the causeway is in sharp contrast to Singapore’s CIQ, which is cleaner, bigger, beggar-free, well maintained and without any potholes.

In fact, Singapore’s tourism agency is doing well in using the causeway as a marketing tool by setting up a huge television screen welcoming visitors and informing them about latest attractions, events, promotions and shows in the island republic.

And the other publicities ensued:

November 20, 2008: CIQ complex to finally open next month

“Everything is now ready and everyone is only waiting for an official opening date,” a source familiar with the project said.

Stats:

• Able to handle 70 million visitors annually.
• Will house 18 government agencies.
• five-storey complex, dubbed an intelligent building.
• 76 lanes for cars: 38 lanes in, 38 lanes out.
• 100 lanes for motorcycles:50 lanes in and 50 lanes out.
• 25 parking bays allocated for bus entry and exit.
• Only Touch ’n Go cards are allowed to be used for payment.
• Multi-lingual touch screen information display panels to assist visitors entering Johor.

November 29, 2008: JOHOR ASSEMBLY: RM1.3b Sultan Iskandar complex opens on Monday

He (State Local Government, Housing, Works and Public Amenities Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil) was optimistic that the traffic flow problem would be solved although there was traffic congestion during a recent simulation exercise.

"It is quite apparent when you look at the structure of the complex that there is a part of the structure which stops abruptly," Datuk Ahmad Zahri said.

November 30, 2008: Much awaited CIQ Complex to open officially Monday

December 4, 2008: New complex in Johor Baru set to ease congestion on Causeway

JOHOR BARU: The new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex is expected to cut traffic congestion on the Causeway by more than half.

December 15, 2008: New CIQ complex opens

Engineer Darryl Chong, 32, who works in Singapore and used the new complex, said that he was concerned over the narrow roads at the new complex.

“The roads are very narrow for big vehicles,” he said.

He added that he was unsure whether larger vehicles would slow down the flow of traffic while trying to manoeuvre the winding roads.

December 17, 2008: Crawl at CIQ complex checkpoint on first day

The two-hour-long crawl saw traffic into Johor snaking all the way to Woodlands in Singapore during peak hours due to motorists being caught off guard by the cashless toll collection system at the complex.

The congestion did not let up even when Plus officials were stationed at the complex entrance to sell RM20 cards on the spot to motorists.

Motorists heading towards the new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex were caught in a massive jam along the Malaysia-Singapore Causeway.

To think that the much awaited RM1.3 billion complex would alleviate the exhausting traffic jams is a wishful dream. I mean, come on, after so many Malaysia Boleh projects, can't you catch the trend? They always seem to be superficially hebat at one glance (76 lanes for cars + 100 lanes for motorcycles wor!!! HEBAT!) and end up becoming global joke eventually. Personally, I wouldn’t even harbor that thought instead of praying hard that it will not add salt to the wound because end of the day, I will be going through the checkpoint as well. Now, if you follow the events closely and be observant enough, you would have caught the tell-tale signs of the upcoming problems, wouldn't you?

It's...a matter of perspective.

Office of Government Commerce

*************************************************

He was bitter and cruel, an alcoholic and drug addict who almost killed himself several times. Today he serves life sentence in prison for the murder of a liquor store cashier who "got in his way". He has two sons, born a mere eleven months apart, one of whom grew up to be "just like Dad": a drug addict who lived by stealing and threatening others until he, too, was put in jail for attempted murder.

His brother, however, is a different story: a man who is raising three kids, enjoy his marriage, and appears to be truly happy. As a regional manager for a major national concern, he finds his work both challenging and rewarding. He's physically fit, and has no alcohol or drug addiction.

How could these two young men have turned out so differently, having grown up virtually the same enviroment? Both were asked privately, unbeknownst to the other, "Why has your life turned out this way?" Surprisingly, they both provided the exact same answer:

"What else could I have become, having grown up with a father like that?"

*************************************************

The above is an excerpt from Anthony Robbin's "Awaken the Giant Within", chapter 4. So you see, sometimes, it's just the way you look at things. A matter of perspective:)

Ooolalaa

Woohoo! We Won USD600!

After weeks of preparation on the executive summary, presentation slides and video, we were among the 3 NUS group to make it to the finals of the 2008 IEEE International Student Experimental Hands-on Project Competition via Internet on Intelligent Mechatronics and Automation.

After last Saturday's finale, I was having this vibe that we are going to win a prize despite that we will never be the champ;)

Syed Hamid, You NOOB

Right before I retire to bed, I saw this headline on Yahoo!:

Malaysia frees man believed to have 9/11 links

"They are no longer a threat but they will be watched closely," Syed said.

We shall see.

Bukit Antarabangsa finally hit by the International Spotlight

The latest hooha in Bolehland - Bukit Antarabangsa, the Beverly Hills of Malaysia

I chanced upon this article while flipping through Lianhe Zaobao this morning and I am really depress with the authorities back in Malaysia.

Rescuers at the scene not helping those in mortal danger!

The husband of Eng Yee Peng, who perished in the landslide at Taman Bukit Mewah in Bukit Antarabangsa on Saturday, has alleged that the rescue team failed to respond positively when he sought their help to save his wife. Instead, he was given a hoe, and asked to dig and find his wife on his own when he sought help from the rescue team.

Some even took the opportunity to steal from the unfortunate.

This is what happens when we condone an alleged murderer to be our coming Premier. The rakyat becomes cold-blooded.

What makes me even furious is that our Minister for Housing and Local Government, Datuk Ong Ka Chua was slow to show up and express his concern for more than 24 hours after the landslide. (I personally think that DAP's Lim Kit Siang is more qualified for the post.) This is a huge contrast as compared to Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong from what I have observed during the recent Mumbai terrorist attack. During the terrorist outrage, PM Lee was at Santiago, Chile. Despite his absence in Singapore, somehow he was able to receive firsthand information about the attack and his immediate response was, "Were there any Singaporeans caught up in the attack?" I was touched by him. although he was unable to do anything to stop the tragedy, but it is really a great consolation to know that your leader has the citizens in mind all the time, that their safety are of sovereign importance.

I reposted his letter to the spouse of the victim here:

*****************************************

29 November 2008

Dear Mr Michael Stephen Puhaindran

I am deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of your wife, Ms Lo Hwei Yen. On behalf of all Singaporeans, please accept my deepest condolences to you and your family.

I first learnt about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai when I was in Santiago, Chile. My immediate concern was whether any Singaporeans were caught up in the situation. Many Singaporeans travel and work all over Asia. So I was sure a good number would have been in Mumbai when the attacks happened. As reports camein, we learnt that several Singaporeans were either in the vicinity of the attacks, or trapped in the Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels. We also learnt from you that Hoei Yen had been taken hostage by the terrorists.

I knew that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had arranged for you to fly to Mumbai, and was in touch with the Indian government. I wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express Singapore’s support and to offer our help to secure the safe release of the hostages. Tragically, despite the efforts of the Indian security forces, they could not rescue Hwei Yen.

This is the first time a Singaporean has been a victim of a terrorist attack. Terrorism is a threat that knows no boundaries. This is a family tragedy for you, but it also brings home to all of us thereality of this terrorist threat, and how important it is to keep up our guard and defeat it.

All Singaporeans feel for you and your family in this time of grief. Words will not count for much, but I hope the knowledge that you are in our thoughts, and have the sympathies of all of us willcomfort and support you at this dark and painful moment. The Singapore Government will do everything necessary to assist you and your family.

With deepest sympathies
Yours sincerely
Lee Hsien Loong

*****************************************

Isn't this the kind of government we are yearning for? You have the powers in your hand! Vote wisely.

A Trip to KTM at Tanjung Pagar

Christmas and Chinese New Year are around the corner. For people like me residing in a place far away from home, it is wise to purchase the balik kampung bus/train/plane tickets as early as possible. As the adage goes, "Early bird catches the worm" aka the kiasu syndrome.

Went to the KTM website to check if the tickets to and fro Kluang are available and the site is down. Sad to say, I sort of expected this...

Call the General Line for KTM Berhad Headquarters: 603-2263 1111 and no one pick up the phone. Wow, what a great way to conduct a business.

So I had to make a deliberate trip down to KTM Tanjung Pagar to purchase the tickets. Reached the train station at 11.00am, out of 5 ticket counters, only 1 is open. The usual Bolehland culture. From the picture above, if you make a count, you will notice 8 customers in front of me. Guess how long it took to reach my turn?

There was this Malay queuing behind me, kept sighing and shaking his head impatiently and before long, he gave up. The lady in front of me with the black polka dot blouse also caved in and walked off in frustration.

When it's my turn, all tickets on Christmas and CNY eves were sold out. Bageiro.

Some absurdities observed at the station:

• Say you inherited the building from the British after independence. So it's your responsibility to upkeep and maintain the property, right? Wrong, for the smart Bolehland government, if you don't use part of the building, just abandon it and care even less when someone broke your window.

• Or litter on your property even when you warned them of a $500 fine.

• And say you would like to install aircons to cool the air, here's how Bolehland do the piping. Just tunnel through the glasses! That's it. Easy job.

• If you want to book your ticket one week in advance, I am sorry, you can only do it one day before your departure. What kind of system is this? And you call this advanced booking? (Special case for festive seasons.)

See how a minute operation like this can become with 100% management by the Malays. And then, extrapolate the thought further and imagine what Malaysia would be when the government is headed 100% by the Malays...which is in the progress. (Not that I want to be rascist, but it is true.)

Gosh, I am so proud of my country. Malay sial boleh!

Thought of the day

1. Not making decisions, is making a decision.
2. When you feel comfortable with what you're doing now. It's time to reach out further. You're more than what you are now, always.
3. In time of test, family is best - Burmese proverb
4. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make our world. ~Buddha
5. Give me a lever long enough and a prop strong enough. I can single-handedly move the world. ~Archimedes
6. Too many people, too little resources. Go green, my friends, go green.
7. Machines, electronics, software...next, will it be biomed or renewable energy?
8. Every man dies, not every man really lives.
9. Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they'd follow you. And so would I
10. There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it. ~William Wallace, Braveheart
11. I thank whatever gods may be / For my unconquerable soul. / I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul. ~Nelson Mandela

My Photo of the Week

Noticed this abandoned wooden house during my recent trip to Parit Buntar. It is located beside the Buddhist Association of Parit Buntar and the backyard is now used as a recyclables collection centre by the Tzu Chi Foundation. The scene looks simply humble but sort of jump out to me in an instance and prompted CM and I to stop by for a shot. Looking back, I think I was searching for something nostalgic as my subject.

Prime Lens

Han Yang talked to me about getting a prime lens. The very first time when I heard those two words, I was like,"What is a "prime lens"? Is it something like your favourite lens which you mount on your camera most of the time - hence primary lens?"

"No, it's a lens with fixed focal length. But faster aperture. So your image will turn out pretty sharp than the zoom lens. Furthermore, with larger aperture, you can shoot nightshots without tripod also. Furthermore, it has less depth of field which makes it perfect for shooting portrait."

Har? Cannot zoom? Sound not very appealing to me le...Furthermore with my D60, which comes short of the built-in focus drive motor, getting a prime lens would mean that I can only focus manually.

After some research on the internet, I realized that as a DSLR beginner, I should start off with prime lens instead of zoom lens. Reason being, without zooming, I would need to zoom with my feet, closing in or moving away from the subject. Indirectly, I would be more aware of the surrounding and it forces me to think more about my framing. Read here, here and here.

Immediately after my last paper yesterday, Han Yang and I went to Alan Photo at Sim Lim Square to get one of this each for $171 (inclusive of GST).

That very night, I mounted the lens on my camera and started testing out the gem. The image is sharp, good low light performance and the best part is that it is so much lighter than my zoom lens. Plus, the manual focus part is so cool. Think I will use manual focus with my zoom lens in future as well!

The prime lens will be permanently mounted on my camera for a while. More photos to come soon:)

My Landlord says

Study so much may not be useful. What is important is street smart. If you have street smart, you will survive anywhere you go.

Change

When you have too much time, you can't focus. When you are out of time and need the last minute focus, suddenly there are abundant of events to distract you. Wonder what is the outcome from a 2-day revision. Hm...people from academia suck in management, not all, but I happen to come across many. It's time to teach them a lesson! ~evil grin

Time of uncertainties and the market outlook is bleak. End of the year and the fund managers are either closing their accounts or heading somewhere on earth for vacation, seeking temporary solace from the recent financial hullaballoo. And so the 1Q09 result briefing ended without any questions from the floor. Grrr...

And when I thought that there's no scene bigger than what I had experienced throughout this semester, yesterday night I was at the S.League Awards Night 2008 mingling with team managers from Dalian Shide Siwu, Geylang United, SAF FC...etc. Received a trophy from the Parliamentary Secretary of MCYS and CM remarked that the guy looks so young and handsome.

Tomorrow after the internet communication testing is over, I will vanish into thin air...

Halloween Night Out

The Esplanade.

Adopting the same route when we hanged out with Marcus et. al, we patronized Inle Myanmar at Peninsula Plaza to savour the bud-tantalizing tamarind pomfret, black bean pork stew, rozelle leaves...slurp. Whichafter, we took a 15 minutes walk to Beach Road for a cup of java plus kaya toast.

It's Halloween and along the way we saw sexy demons with cute tiny "Hellboy" horns and voluptuous sailor girls. Since this is not an X-rated site, so I will not post any aphrodisiacal images here. Anyway, haven't got any:p

Nowadays, I always bring my camera out for practice. Let's see what the "Vibration Reduction" lens can do for night shots without a tripod. Here's a shot of the financial hub on the other bank of Singapore River. Notice the merlion on the left?

Financial hub of Singapore.

Don't know if it is true, I heard that MM Lee Kuan Yew is a strong believer of feng shui, an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to gain properity and wealth. Here are some Singapore feng shui gags. The most recent one is about the revolving direction of the Singapore Flyer.

CM has the eyes of a photographer.

This Merlion sits facing East aligned to the most auspicious geomancy position as advised by feng shui experts. It is believed that this alignment helps this resource-poor island to remain prosperous despite its more important shortcomings - like the lack of water and natural resources. I don't know about you, but I am also an enthusiast of feng shui. And that night, we decided to collect some "spill over" wealth from the merlion. CM can be very modest yet elegant in doing so.

Well, I don't care if it looks like I am drinking puke from the merlion. Big bucks, baby...give me big bucks!

Gulp gulp gulp gulp...

Star buzzed

"I think there's a mediacorp artist staying near my place." I told my friend in the lab and he showed me the "no big deal" face.

"It's an actress, very pretty one" Still the same expression.

"At the hawker centre near my flat...I saw her more than twice already. But I just couldn't remember her name." His expression changed into "are you sure" mode.

"But weird le, like no one recognizes her one..." I carried on.

"Pretty actress eating at the hawker centre? At your place? But no commotion?" He showed me his "I don't believe you now" face.

Well, today, I saw her again and I told my landlord. "Yes, she is Amy Cheng lor. Sometimes she will jog in the park in front of our flat one."

I confirm I saw her ah.

One of these days, I am gonna go paparazzo.

Mad Lab

After weeks of intensive effort, finally submitted the results and documentation. Rest? Not yet, finals is creeping near. Two more weeks of mugging before I am released from the invisible prison:p After that? No no no, you can't take a breather during this financial crisis. It's a golden opportunity to me. Now is the time to do homework, research, data-mining, get all the rudimentary details...

Gonna shed the lacklustre attitude, time is short. Nonetheless, I still appreciate every single day, every moment. Because of all the people I cherish and love, passion for the things I adore, the possibility of my potentials, my dream...no matter how minute it is, I will strive. I am empowered to strive. And triumph.

Soft skill can power one a long way...up the mountain higher than anyone else. But first, you need to know which peak to conquer, so that you will know which mountain foot to commence your climb. Of course you do not go unequipped. There is no short cut. It's just sweats and pains. No crosscut, buddy. Focus. Otherwise, the dream will only become an unrequited crush in the end.

Before I fathom, it's time to make decisions, again.

Halo, friend!

Went to Parit Buntar during the Deepavali break. Had dinner with Marcus and Charity at Golden Miles complex, a place where I called "Little Thailand" and yes, we had Thai food. It's a miracle meeting the couple in Singapore. It all happened 2 weeks ago when CM and I went to Golden Miles to purchase our bus tickets, but Grassland and Konsortium had their tickets sold out. That very night, I spotted Charity amidst the stream of commuters at Outram Park Interchange, walking briskly in the opposite direction.

"Isn't that Charity?" I patted on CM's shoulder and pointed at the rear of her coursemate. CM bursted into a sprint, caught up and it's reunion time. Marc was there too. Apparently they were on their way home. We did a little catch up, we told them we couldn't get a ticket back and they gave us a number. What's the chance of meeting someone whom you never meet for 3 years on a foreign land? And what's the chance of bumping into that someone and he/she turned out to be your benefactor?

Anyway, the ride back was not that smooth. The bus broke down somewhere at Rawang and the repair took entire night. In the end we only reached at noon when we were supposed to reach at dawn. CM's brother ferried us back and on the way when I looked out the window, I saw this ring of light radiating from the sun. Took this picture at CM's house. Too bad, my exposure compensation was set at -2.3EV and the auto ISO conveniently set the ISO at 800, so it turned out a bit noisy.

Picture says a thousand words

Garlands with the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in the background

Han Yang and I were so enthusiastic about the shooting trip in Little India. He recently bought his Fuji S3 Pro with a 15 - 200mm Nikon lens. Both of us arrived at the rendezvous at 7.30am in order to capture the so called "Golden Hour". Little did we knew, the weather decided to play a little joke on us. It drizzled. So we took shelter at a nearby market, ate our breakfast and waited for the mizzle to stop. Till 9am, finally we decided to call it a day and headed back to the MRT station. It was then, we spotted a construction site and Han Yang hoisted his camera to shoot anyway, "A little moisture won't do much damage lar."

While I shoot impulsively, pointing at almost anything appealing to me, Han Yang would be standing quietly aside, observing, figuring and then he positioned and snapped. Then he told me that it is better to get one or two pictures that tell a thousand words rather than going home with a full memory card loaded with just "photos".

We chanced upon a young Sri Lankan photographer while he was putting out the placard of his studio. Han Yang, being the usual extrovert stopped and chit-chatted with him. We learned that he sold off his studio in Sri Lanka and migrated to Singapore for a more stable life. Obviously, he is a supporter of the Tamil Tiger. Not taller than five foot three, Joy Alex was amazed at how Singapore is able to accomodate such diverse communities from different countries and ethnics and coexist in harmony and peace.

Eventually, the friendly Sri Lankan invited us to his studio, which is not very well-equipped (he doesn't have a diffuser, proper reflector...etc). But the smart guy is able to capitalized on his 10-year experience in the trade and make the most out of what he has. "You do not need to own the best gadgets in the world, it's the person behind the viewfinder that determines the quality of a picture." Joy brought out his Nikon D300 and shot some portraits of me and Han Yang. And I learnt one thing important: Don't use Auto mode if you really want to get better. Use Manual, now.

We stayed for more than an hour before we excused ourselves. Joy showed us the way down the stairs and it was then Han Yang decided to take a picture of Joy with his masterpieces pasted on the wall. And I got my first picture with a story.

Happy Deepavali

Something to share from an Indian restaurant CM and I patronized days before Deepavali:

I asked for Strength,
...and God gave me Difficulties to make me Strong.
I asked for Wisdom,
...and God gave me Problems to Solve.
I asked for Prosperity,
...and God gave me Brain and Brawn to Work.
I asked for Courage,
...and God gave me Danger to Overcome.
I asked for Love,
...and God gave me Troubled People to Help.
I asked for Favours,
...and God gave me Opportunities.

I received Nothing I Wanted...
I received Everything I Needed.

Happy Deepavali to All my Friends:)

Early bird catches the worm

Living in a common room, I am greeted by the scent of the burning incense each morning. And sometimes, when the wind blows in the right direction, it fetches the fume in as well and I will wake up a smoked salmon.

After breakfast with CM and seeing her off to work, I sneaked out with my camera to do some bird shooting. Where I failed to get a good shot the other day, here are some of the catches for the day:)

It got freak out by me, my bad.

More pictures on flikr.

I am learning

focus: 125mm, ss:1/500s, f/5.6, ISO:180 (out of focus)

Didn't know that we have to get a dry box for DSLR.

Unlike normal compact cameras, which we can simply keep it in the casing and place it anywhere, we actually need to store DSLRs in a cool, dry place to prevent fungi infestation on the lens. This is because shutterbugs tend to exchange lenses for different shooting settings and while doing so, dust and particles will inevitably be introduced to the inner part of the lens and camera body. Some dusts are also conveniently sucked into the lens barrel while we twist and turn the zoom ring. And the earthly powdery material sets a good ground for fungi to grow.

The good news is, early infestation will not affect picture quality. With this said, it is almost always too late when you discover the infestation which resulted in insufficient brightness in the shots taken. Worst still, the sharpness will be affected if the surface of the lens is etched by chemical excreted by the fungus.

One can prevent this problem by safekeeping the camera in a dry box. There are 2 ways: store it in an airtight box with silica gel or an electronic dehumidifier. The latter is more effective and low maintenance in commision as you do not need to replace or dry the silica gel. Furthermore, you are able to monitor and control the humidity with the electronic dehumidifier. (Recommended humidity: 45 -55% RH.)

To purchase, please visit digi-cabi.

Other means to prevent fungi growth:

• Shoot more often (during daytime), the UV from the sun can kill fungi.
• Zoom the lens back and forth several times in a dry room before putting them away, to replace some of the air inside.

And so, I got myself a 30L digi-cabin. Next on the must have list is a tripod for nightscape.

Have fun:)

The birth of a shutterbug

After years of holdup, finally, I made up my mind to go for my first DSLR:) After meeting some ex-colleagues at Secret Recipe QBM, CM and I drove all the way to Komtar and headed directly to the reputable Click n Snap. After some bargaining with the shopkeeper, I landed the Nikon D60 dual kit package. If the uncle was there, I might even get the same package with much cheaper price. But never mind la, since the assistant accidentally bring out the D300 camera bag instead of the normal, smaller, compact one.

The following are my first few test shots:

Fried egg by CM for breakfast.

Nikon cameras produce punchy images. Didn't perform any editing for this one.

The NUS campus at night. ISO 800 with VR turned on.

And with great enthusiasm, I brought my new toy back to Kluang last weekend for practice. Mana tau, when we were about to reach Kluang Town, the rain started to pour like durians and mangosteens....*&^%%^~!!! Nonetheless, I managed to conduct some constraint shots:

View opposite my home.

Jalan Perwira 1/6

Actually got a lot of birds on the branches, but the moment i snap...^&*$%#

See! Got bird bird one! This one taken with tele-lens far far away.

Hahaha, this one heavily doctored using picasa!

Enough about me, here are some masterpiece by CM. gosu.