A snippet on Penang

When we travel to another country, we somewhat dress like how they dress. For example, you go to Stockholm. It's cold there. Everyone wears winter clothing. So, you wear those too. Or if you go to Africa, you'd wear those khakis.

Yet somehow, when it comes to Penang, most people got it wrong. It must be that somehow, it's embedded to them that Penang people goes around in parios or bermudas (only). If it's the Europeans thinking that way, that's 1 thing. But funny thing is, Malaysians, e.g. from KL, seem to think that way too!

But I guess, it shows just how open and unique Penang is. Penangites just could not care less if you walked in a 7E shirtless. Or goes about the night market in parios. Now... try doing THAT in KL!

Hobbies.... & Children

The thing about hobby is that, it changes. You can say that it follows the wind. But if there's anything that'll break the wind, it's your kids. Yes, those pesky little beings that walk all over you, slap you for no good reason and shout at you for thinking they said 'tummy' when what they said was actually 'gummy' even though they pronounced it 'tummy'.

So, a question to the humans who feed these little human-looking tornadoes, can you actually 'make' time for your hobby?

For an average working family guy, weekend is the best time to work on a hobby. Heck, I look forward to it every working day. But the thing about these tired-less merciless machines are, they talk.. and very loud too. Just as you take the first breath of weekend, they say, "Space Chimps!!!!"... right at you ear.

Well, basically this explains the dusty guitar, bass, ukelele collection that I have. Not to mention rusty radio controlled gears. And a stamp collection book (sshhh!).

Hobby-bearing future daddys, until your kid is about 10 or old enough to join your hobby, I heard those zipper bags can keep your gears free from fungus.

But the funny thing is, the missus's hobby seems to be unaffected. Maybe it's God's way of repaying their painful labor ordeal. Either that or those little tazs are not really into handbag collecting...

Dec's Blog! 11/12 hit rate! Not bad!!

As usual, during worktime, I browse pictures in Flickr.

But before I start on my routine monthly head-banging dunnowat2write tasteless blogging, let's be clear on 1 thing: I am NOT a 'pro' photographer. I'm just one of those guys who loves viewing things from idiotic angles but does not have enough RAM in the brain to store the image longer than 20seconds. Hence, me + camera.

Anyway, here's my thought on photography. I know you don't care. But, so do I.

I think, the real essence of photography is capturing the moment. Not just an image. It does not have to be sharp. Or with perfect color rendition. It's about re-living the split-second moment every time you view it. Not many pictures have this 'mojo'. It has to be effective. It has to 'move' you.

I tagged a few photos from flickr as my favs. And when i view those again, it moved me again and again. And these pictures are not over the world sharp or with spot-on colors. My measuring stick on an image has always been the same when I view images from NatGeo mags. The good ones are those that gives out that magical feeling that made me go "Wow! How the heck did this guy do it??!!".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjasha/3095086459/

The Cheapest Hello

Something that I wanna share. I think most people out there already know but,hey, I need to blog something for November (Remember? My '08 resolution was to blog at least once a month - what is life without sharing, right?).

Anyway, how much do you think a 38minute long-distance call from USA (Oregon) to Penang (fixed line) would cost? USD40? USD30? Nah... USD0.86. Yes, that's a mere USD0.021 per minute. How?

Well, Skype of course! OK, so I'd looked like a moron talking to a laptop. But Sara, on the other end, was on a fixed line phone. And the clarity and quality could not be better. If I call her on her cellphone, it'd be USD0.058 per min. Well, sometimes, the line gets a bit noisy and breaks a lot, but not always. Just hang up and try again.

If you are not comfortable talking to a laptop, use the earphone. Or better yet, buy one of those USB-connect Skype phone.

Surprisingly, SMSing thru Skype is a bit high. It's USD0.097 per SMS. But it's cheaper comparatively speaking. And another thing, you can even set caller ID when calling someone. Cool huh.

At times like this.... go CHEAP!

What's up with this Blackberry thingy?

I kept bumping onto people who gives me lines such as "Is that a Nokia? A what-berry? Why didn't you get a Nokia?" So, I figure, maybe its time I share about what's a BlackBerry. A phone is a device to talk and text. On default mode, it's on 'voice' connection mode. A BB, is a device to talk, text, instant msg, email & internet. On default mode, it's on 'data' connection.

The only next thing that's on full time data connection is e.g. a PC that's on internet connection. And that PC is connected to a server e.g. Streamyx. Similarly, a BlackBerry device is connected to a server too. And that's the BlackBerry server.

Having said that, that would mean that, to enable the 'BB Service', be ready for an extra RM55 a month commitment. And an appropriate data plan is critical to go with it. A BB device without BB service would mean that it will be just a talking brick. At this juncture, a 40series Nokia could possibly be a better choice.

With a PC, you're only ONLINE when you're in front of your PC. But with BB, that acts like a PC, you're ONLINE as long as you have your phone turned on. So that explains why I'm always ONLINE on my Live Messenger, Yahoo! and Google Talk.

Happiness vs Materialistic

I'm not really sure about this, but I kinda have this theory that happy people basically does not need much. And unhappy people, well, they 'need' more than what they need.

Happy people is basically a bunch of mentally 'satisfied' humans. Who thinks that they have more than enough slices of 'life's' cake. They might not have a Ferragamo or a Milan holiday but could not care less about it. They are basically happy with their life, alongside their loved ones. And if they DO have a mansion in Monte Carlo and a luxury yacht, well, to them, it's a bonus and they would LOVE to share it with anyone.

In other words, they don't need that much to be happy. No gizmos nor branded stuff nor lifestyle to brag. The basic bare necessities of life are enough to move them along life.

Unhappy people on the other hand, needs more than life's bare necessities. They go around thinking that they NEED that over-the-top handbag or designers shoes. And at the back of their mind, each purchase will 'make' them happy. It's uncommon that unhappy people brags more about their life than 'normal' people. Be it that it's done discreetly or openly, it gives them satisfaction to feel 'higher' than other people. And that very little happiness counts a lot to them.

*Now, bragging discreetly is a very interesting topic - perhaps it's a blog of its own. Stay tune!

Back to this; I've seen couples who seemed so quiet and simple, who doesn't talk much about themselves but rather, listens more; are usually more happy than others. And to me, that is the ultimate measurement of confidence and success.

I've also seen couples who talks so much and 'bragging discreetly' all the time, would confide more with their friends than their loved ones. That, to me, is a measurement of trust (or the lack of it) and unhealthy relationship between 2 people.

I think I'm steering off the topic here. But, basically, to be happy, you don't need much. Just having someone to love, be it your family or your partner. That's enough.

Money makes thing easier. But does not bring happiness.

Sidetrack:
There was one time someone asked Sara, "Is it OK, after you've married, that the wife to have a close male friend, coz he's like the bestest of friend since forever?"

Sara just replied, "If that guy is the bestest of friends, why the heck didn't she marry him in the first place?? Your hubby is SUPPOSED to be your bestest friend. Period."

No Friend-friend

Today, I've canceled my Friendster subscription. Nothing personal here. Just that, I rarely go into it and the notifications are killing my Inbox. So, from now on, there's only Facebook as my virtual community network.

Thank U BERRY much!

Pak Chik (Sara's uncle) just gave me his Blackberry 8310 coz he just got the latest BB (Bold 9000). I'm sure to write my thoughts on it soon.

So, Pak Chik (the most rugged Dato' ever), thank you berry berry much. Errmm... you still using your iPhone?

A Brief Outlook on the SLR World

The SLR world is now on a race.

Before '06, it was a marathon.

Just like Arsenal and ManU from '99 to '06, traditionally, there were only 2 main players; Nikon and Canon. These are probably the most arrogant competitors of all. While they set the pace for the SLR industry, they also control the price.

They are so arrogant that they somewhat ignored their lesser sister industry; the point+shoot (PnS) world. When competitors came in, did Canon and Nikon took out their armor and fend them off? Nope. Coz, to them, SLR is the Holy Grail and they have its secret well guarded.

But little that they knew that the PnS world would turned up to be a good training ground for future SLR player. New players came in and, with intense competition, brought out tremendous amount of innovations while keeping the price lower and lower.

Consumer electronics giant such as Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, came up with bright, colorful, affordable and smart PnS cameras. They've made huge leaps in image quality and even old boy like Canon seems be to stamped all over.

Panasonic came up with Image Stablizer. Sony with 3" touch screen LCD. Minolta with its telescopic lens. Samsung with cheap huge megapixies. All with hi-def video + audio recording. And what did Canon and Nikon do? They stuck with their boring tin colored designs.

It's obvious that to Canon and Nikon, the PnS industry is just a Carling Cup. The real crown is the SLR world. That's the Premier League.

But, the law of progression is inevitable. As Panasonic and Sony has got a strong grasp in the PnS business, they next have their eyes on the Premier League. And if Canon and Nikon think this is just a small boy in a marathon, little did they know that this boy is also Japanese and has got lots of training.

For almost 50 years, there have not been such a massive innovation from the SLR industry. Titanium bodies and kevlar shutters were used decades ago. It's an ancient technology. The biggest innovation was that it went digital and introduced LCD to playback the captured images. Casual improvements were focused on image quality. That's all.

For traditionalist such as Nikon and Canon, they mainly serve industry standard professionals. And to cater to non-pro enthusiasts, they shaved on features from their top models, hence coming up with lower-range models. And for photo hobbyists, they'll skimp down more features and give them an empty box that looks like an SLR that comes with a hole to mount the lens. That's their modus operandi.

PnS users still draws a solid line between their small wonder to an SLR. The argument is; why go for a something that's a size of a gorilla when their PnS has 10x more features. Well, that's until the subject of image quality comes in.

For cameras, image quality is all about light control. And it gives its final bounce on a sensor. This is where it makes a difference. The bigger the sensor, the better it is. And SLR's sensor makes PnS sensor looks like a microbe.

But, if you think about it, that's about the ONLY thing that separates these 2 worlds. If a PnS can give an image with a quality of an SLR, wouldn't that be the greatest camera ever? This is when the chilly wind blows on Canon and Nikon.

Sony wants a piece of that lucrative Premier League. Just like Ambrahamovic, Sony bought over Konica Minolta and germanized all of the SLR know-hows. Re-branding a loser name such as Kohneeka MeenOLtah to Sony was probably the best decision ever. And coupled their innovations from the PnS world, such as Live View, Digital Range, tilting LCD and image processors, it took them just 2 years to capture a huge chunk of the SLR market from the traditionalists. In fact, they took MORE than Pentax, Olympus and Fujifilm combined, even though these are the SLR old boys.

Sony did not stop making a storm in the entry level market. They carried on with a highly successful mid-range model. And topping it off with a pro-range model that had Nikon & Canon stumped for words. And the biggest ammo of all: Sony also revolutionized a new pricing range for SLR.

Sony did something very different from Nikon and Canon. They give almost ALL of the available features that you'd find from a PnS to their SLRs. Very different from the tradionalists where their approach was to shave off features from the higher level models to create a lower level model.

Of course, just like Arsenal and ManU, there are supporters who'd stay ignorant to all these. To them, everything that Canon or Nikon does is the 'right' thing, and Sony or other makers does nothing but making bad decisions. Little that they realise (or ignore to realise) that it is Sony that's setting the pace in the SLR world right now and Nikon and Canon are actually scrambling not to be left behind. Obvious truths are:

1) Sony came up with Live View.
Now ALL of Canon and Nikon's new model have Live View.

2) Sony came up with Digital Range in its entry level model.
Now, C & N is following suit.

3) Sony created sub-RM2K SLR.
Now C & N too has entered that market.

4) Sony came up with a >20MP full frame mid-size camera.
Now Canon is following suit with it's 5D MII. And rumors has it Nikon will up it's D700 (D4?) to have >20MP too.

Now, if Canon and Nikon is the leader, why are they scrambling to follow Sony, who has just been in the market for 2years?

Now, Canon and Nikon are trying their best to gain back thier position as SLR's technology leader. And they're doing it by stooping low and learning from the PnS world, hence the introduction of Video Recording and Face Detection.

But, overall, this is a good thing for the consumers :-)

My Useless Answer to: Why DSLR?

OK, so I've only started getting intimate with a DSLR for 5months. And so I AM a little premature to be writing about it. But... so what? I've nothing else to blog. It's either this, or something political. Or worse still, the global warming of financial turmoil. What'll it be, muchacho?.... Good choice. DSLR it is.

OK. Why DSLR? Why lugging a 2-tonne dinosaur when you can have DigiPet in your pocket, right? Simple answer: which one is funner? OK, it's 1am.

Quality bra. Quality. The sensor does most of the work. And the bigger it is, the better the quality is. Period. So, get a DSLR with huge sensor size. Despite what "Dear Rhonda" says; size does matter.

You choose your destiny. Yup, in line with the Jedi tag line, DSLR gives you lots of option for manual control. Which can be bad, actually. But hey! You get to choose your own destiny! What could be funner?

Models are programmed thru their in-born DNA to 'respond' to DSLR. This is mother nature, so don't ask. What's important; is that you get the license to brag about your pictures of the Japanese GT babes to your 'compact camera' buddies.

So, this is "Why DSLR?". Have a good day :-)

Related link: My Useless Guide to Compact Digital

Blogist, Blogology, Blogedia, Blogmenta etc

I thinking of a new term to spike the word 'blog'. While that's definitely just my excuse to waste time and add more credit-hours to the subject 'My Life's Unproductive Time", I'm doing this cause, in Malaysia, the word "blogger" has been turned into a "bad word" by the Government.

"Bloggers" as my current Government wiki-ed it, are just a bunch of nothing-doers who gets a kick from making poisonous unfounded controversial articles with intention to put the nation into disarray aka 'speaking up'.

So, therefore, for the time being, until the word "blogger" can be associated with "something positive", I'm calling blogger "blogologist".... or "Blogist", sounds better? No? What about "blogalist"? Or "Blogadee-Blogadaa"? No? "Blogiatric"?

My Brief 3rd Qtr Review of '08

08 (pronounced 'o ate')

This year, in a nutshell, is very weird. There are so many ups and downs. So, I'm giving it a mixed 3rd-quarter review.

My country is on a brink of a turmoil; politically and economically. Yet, it's a peaceful as it always has been, and there's a high sentiment of new and brighter hope.

For my family; it's a year where I had another episode of back-pain and Sara had her cyst removed - yet, we've been to more holidays than ever before.

Myself: I'm gone deeper into the photography world than ever before by joining the SLR wagon. Yet, it does not give me that adrenalin that I get from racing RC cars - which I've quit.

One of the best thing so far: Facebook. I've basically got back in touch with lots of old friends.

Baddest decision of the year so far: Going for Maxis 3G Broadband.

But this one has only 'down' and no 'up':

Earth: Ecologically, things are not getting any better. And seriously, I'm worried for my kid's future than ever before.

But anyway, I truly hope it has been a great year for you so far
:-)

It's September!

OK, it's the 9th month of the year. If you have not looked back on how you've done for '08, now's the best time to do it. Now, let's see...

... hmm... I haven't done much, have I? Hmm....

Marsha's Blogspot?

Well, ja!

She had this space since 05 actually. I'm basically using it as the homepage for my home PC. She only needs to click on the shortcuts I created for her. So if you have any recommendation to great educational or fun/games websites for kids her age, please do share in the comment box. Thanks!

http://marshamia.blogspot.com/

Marsha's 1st Day @ School

Yesterday, on the 29th, Marsha stepped into a new world. She went to school. By today's standard, she probably started very very late at 3yrs 9mths (she'll be 4 in Nov). But I guess, living in Kulim, it's not that bad. I know for sure that if I'm in KL, this is a good way of making people's jaw dropped straight down to the floor.

But the fact is, most parents made their kids start school early mainly because of these 2 reasons (1) Kiasu and/or (2) No one to take care of them while the parents are at work.

For me, well, even though I'm kiasu, I'm also very lazy. So that basically cancels out my kiasu club membership. And Marsha has the BEST bibik any kid could ever wish for; one that treats her like her own child.

So, were we pushed into a situation to send Marsha to school earlier? Of course not. But few weeks ago, when we heard that she spelled her name as R-A-C-X-G and answered A-B-R-X when we asked her what's her favorite number, well... you get the point.

Oh, how did she do on her first day of school? Guess! Remember that we're talking about a brat who's been THE queen of the house. And who does not do too well in the 'sharing' business being the only kid in the house.

She did OK-lah. She jumped out of the car, wore her back-pack and said bye-bye without even looking at me just as she entered into the kindee's compound. The teacher told us to stay and fetch her back in an hour, being her first day and all. But we just drove away. And only came back to fetch her 2.5hours later. Somehow, we knew she'd HAVE to be OK. Especially coz earlier, we told her; "You go to school, we buy you a pink scooter."

Bribery works.

Side topic a bit...

I've never included national nor political issues in my blog. Mainly coz I don't have any interest in it. But I just have to mention that having a young fool (coincidently named SaiFOOL) sworn by the name of God about his perverted relationship with a 61 year old ex-DPM televised on national airwaves is way too disturbing, especially for parents. It also shows how low is the mentality of the ruling government. More disturbing is that, this has turned lots of honest parents in Malaysia into liars when they were asked by the children "papa, what's liwat?".

Oh, liwat? Err.. it's err, u'know... coming to meeting late and stuff...

Che Det

I'm not such a fan of politics but every now and then, there's one blog that I will go in and be mesmerized. And that blog is Che Det's. http://www.chedet.com/

Don't Eat in Toilet!

We've heard that line so many times when we were kids. But go up to Queensbay 3rd floor ... you PAY to eat in toilet!


I'd never set foot in that restaurant ever!

Krabi '08

I just wrote a travelogue on my latest adventure in Krabi just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I wrote it in Facebook and is not accessible to everyone. If you're interested to know about it, let me know!

Weird

I was walking with Marsha at Gurney Plaza few months ago and then SUDDENLY, she became giggly and asked me to take a photo of her with this mannequin. I'm not sure if the mannequin or Marsha was weird.

You think you know why she wanted this taken? Beats me.

'Middle' Life Crisis

Being the middle person is no fun. But in life, that is ONE role that you can't escape. Like a house on fire, there'll be one guy who connects the hose to the hydrant. Another guy at the end of the hose. And the middle guy comes in if the hose broke into 2.

The guy at the hydrant called the shot. The middle guy will be all drenched and tired. The hero (or zero) is the guy who held the hose. The middle guy COULD turn around the situation and be the hero by pointing the broken hose to the burning house. But he'd be working with a shorter hose which could bring failure as well.

So there you go. Life.

You can see this everywhere. On the football pitch, in you family, in your organization, business, everywhere! So, the question is: which one is you?

My take is - anywhere but the 'middle' :-)

U think u know me?

After more than 10 years of marriage, I’m still in the process of getting to know Sara. And I don’t think it’s due to me being a slow learner. But I think God created a human with millions of faces. And it changes every second. And frankly, I love the experience of getting to know her.

I’ve never met a person who stopped changing; physically nor mentally. Sometimes you’d see a man of steel goes down to tears at the lost of his mother. And values change too. At one point where we thought tattoo was cool, at a later point in life, we think it’s stupid. Our values will change as we get more mature and wiser. And nobody is mature or wise enough.

By the way, I really think that one of the best ways to really know a person is by going through a crisis. Be it death (of pet or loved ones) or an economic breakdown or even UP-turn – these are just some examples where you can really ‘know’ a person and the maturity and values that he/she carries.

So, if you think you know someone. Think again. Coz most of the time, you’ll only see the ‘cover’.

It's not my fault......

Opss. I just realized that I didn't blog in July. I made a resolution for '08 that I'd blog at least once a month and I failed :-(

Blame it on Facebook.

Marsha Loves To Draw

Inspiration from Sungai Kuala Kangsar.

Even during camping (during '08 CNY), she finds some time to draw.

PDA pun jadilah. As long as can draw.

While waiting for food.

In a shopping mall's fitting room???

While waiting at the hospital.

On a blackboard...

... that's easily transported anywhere in the house.

Snow White movie is SCARY!

Who could not have loved Snow White? She’s da babe. And Marsha is nuts about her. But interestingly, she could not bring herself to watch SW’s movie. After about ~8mins of watching, she’d switched off (without pressing ‘stop’, as usual) the DVD player and walked away. I asked her why and her reply was “it’s too scary”.

Now, think about it. We’ve all watched SW, right? (Don’t tell me I’m the only guy watching it). But why is this 3.5yr old kid said it’s ‘scary’? Iffil Mia gets down and dirty and investigates…

1) Her name.
Nothing wrong with ‘Snow’ and ‘White’. But her name was inspired from the blood that spilled on the snow under a very dark night. And this happened when her mum pricked herself with a hellava big needle, where she said (upon seeing the blood), “I wish upon a daughter whose lips are as red as the blood and hair as dark as the night”. Darn. This alone sent a shiver throughout my guts. This is dark voodoo stuff. Luckily she did not get a son.

2) Her mother DIED mysteriously.
And she got herself a wicked stepmother, who incidentally became a dark voodoo Queen. Correct me if this is wrong as I was not particularly paying attention, but if it’s true, this is downright disturbing.

3) The freaking mirror talks!
It’s not the cutie-mutie kind like Mrs. Pot or Lumiere of Beauty & the Beast. This is a scary looking dark-voodoo magic mirror, with smoke and all, that talks back to you. Is this an appropriate sight for kids? SW should be tagged as 18PL.

4) The Queen hired a killer.
I mean, specifically she said, “I want you to kill her!” And not just that, she even said, “I want you to bring back her heart!” And the reason: coz SW is ‘fairer’ than her. How sickening is that? For a kid to be watching this, this is downright brutal! Is should be tagged 18SG as well.

Well, I stopped investigating there and then. Snow White is bad for kids. She’s da babe no doubt and Marsha still adore her, but her tale should be altered, like 100%.

Happy (Pls Fill in the Blank)!

2 beautiful occasions to blog here.

1 is: 9th May was our 10th Anniversary. Yes, TENTH! It's amazing that 10yrs have flown by so quickly. To think that I've been procrastinating about putting on braces. Had I put it on many years ago, I'll be blogging at this moment with perfect teeth. Anyway, 10 yrs passed by with lots of life's ups-and-downs and a whole lotta rounds-and-rounds. And I'm so blessed with having Sara by my side for the ride. It's funny, after 10years; I've grown to love her so much more than before. The analogy is simple: First I loved her as a friend. Then as a friend and a wife. Then as a friend, wife and a mother to my kids. She's perfect in my every sense. *mushy mushy* Oh, which reminds me, I've not made a kenduri or a gathering to celebrate this milestone yet. Will do it soon.

2nd 'happy' is: Today is Mother's Day! Even though this is just another day created by florist all over the world, as I age, I've began to appreciate these type of 'days'. So, on behalf of Marsha, I took Sara for a Seafood dinner. Then I tapau the leftovers for my mum, who's staying with me, while bibik (Kak Hindun) is on sabbatical. Hmm. The 'tapau' part doesn't sound right. But, then again, my mum is not the 'happy mothers day' kinda person. But, she knows how much I love her... right, mum? :-)

Click! Snap! Ting! Sap! Blitz!

Whatever sound it makes, the objective is very simple: capturing the moment. I love cameras and taking pictures. And when it went digital, it became much easier and affordable.

I jumped into the digital bandwagon back in ’03 with a Minolta Dimage Xi. It’s got 3.2MP (wah!), telescopic lens (uuhhh!) and 3X zoom (drooool!). It was ahead of time back in ’03. And it was a whopping RM1700 with a 256Mb card (gulp!). Since then, I changed camera every year. Last week, I made a huge leap. I jumped into the SLR bandwagon. I’m still unsure if I made a right choice or not, but let’s see how it goes for the next few months.

So, this particular blog is mainly a tribute to all the cameras I’ve owned and to the world of ‘point-and-shoots’ that I will look down from now onwards *hehe*.

’03 Minolta Dimage Xi
Thank you for the beautiful moments. You’ve taken lots of Mariam’s picture, and for that, I’m keeping you forever. I just wish I can get a replacement battery for you.

’04 Panasonic FZ2
You’ve introduced me to Image Stabilizer and Aperture F2.8. And with your 12x optical zoom, you’ve also introduced me to voyeurism. You’re an amazing camera.

‘05 Panasonic FX7
Your design is a classic. But unfortunately, you were just a bridge to the next generation of LCD, wider lens and better battery technology.

’06 Panasonic FX9
You’re basically an FX7 Mark II. Yet you’re so flawless. But I had to let you go to satisfy my hunger for wide-angle lens. Sorry.

’07 Panasonic TZ3
10x optical zoom in a compact shell --- ahh, the world of voyeurism just a snap away (kidding!). Thank you for your priceless wide-angle views. But, you’re just too noisy at ISO100 and I can’t bear that at all. But, anyhow – you’ll remain as the best all-rounder I’ve ever gotten.

’08 Sony Alpha DSLR-A350
An entry level DSLR no doubt, but beggars can’t be choosers. I love you for your live-view features and the lovely quality pictures you take. Plus I can now shoot at ultra high shutter speed and in low light conditions. I just wish I have better artistic taste when taking one.

*update on June'08
I bought a Fujifilm F100fd. Yup, another point and shoot. And guess what, it's once heck of a camera. I sold it just a month after that, mainly coz I found that I hardly used it. And I wanted to buy another lens for my SLR. But anyhow, I'd really recommend this camera.

*update on May'09

Guess what, I bought another compact: Panasonic FT1. I realized that I needed a compact since I always seem to leave my DSLR at home. I bought this because I was getting ready for a trip to Perhentian Island. This camera is waterproof and shockproof. Noise level is tolerable up to ISO200. But for its durability, highly recommended!

*update on May'10

Hours before my travel to Beijing for a vacation, I bought myself an Olympus EP2. It was an expensive unit, bundled with a 17mm f/2.8 lens + filter, an EVF, extra battery and an 8Gb SD card. Noise level was OK all the way to ISO1600. This camera is WICKED!

A reminder of things to come...

June '07 (2yrs 7mths)

Mac, PC, Leopard, Vista, Lust, Hype and Love (the illustrated version)

Picture taken right after assembly. Yes, I tried so hard to hide the hideous bundled speakers. Btw, have since changed to Logitech's cordless keyboard and mice, which happens to bring along a story. See, at only ~RM80+, it seemed like a good choice. But lepas pasang, cuba taip sikit, dammit, there's NO place to rest the palms. What's more, there's no ON/OFF button for the mouse, which basically means, you can play lifesaber using the mice anytime.

These texts are meant to just summarized the picture, but turned up to be a blog entry. I'll keep it discreet. Another new addition, I bought a PC camera. Also Logitech. Now, on top of my glossy piano black wide screen, I have a ping pong ball looking at me. It made sense while I was at PC Depot, selling at RM88 in comparison to Microsoft's Rm268. But, times like this make me wish I would've bought the iMac instead.

Mac, PC, Leopard, Vista, Lust, Hype and Love

It was a long struggle. I was undecided between a Mac and a PC. This was probably somewhere back in Aug'07, when I realized that Sara has not been reading any of my emails.

Just about a little more than a year before that, I sold off my desktop PC. We were all relying on my 'free but restricted' corporate laptop. It was given free to me to use, but highly restricted. I don't even have Yahoo! Messenger on it. And it even ran a 'Corporate' licensed Skype version, which was deprived of cool emoticons.

Anyway, other than Sara's illiteracy on the concept of Instant Messaging, it was clear that I needed to buy a computer for the house. My instant choice was a Mac. Superb design. Practically virus-free. All made more amusing with its Mac-PC internet ads. I wanted it. But the forum buzz was that the new all-alu Mac and Leopard OS will be out somewhere in Oct'07. Goodie, I had 2 months for further research.

I started to play buddy with Apple's software. I downloaded the Windows version of Safari and iTunes. I started to fiddle with my sister's MacBook and spent more time adventuring my brother's Mac. I struggled.

See, back in '04, I had a Palm T3 PDA. At its time, it was THE PDA. It was ahead of time. Windows Pocket PC was a rookie. Or so I thought. Until a friend got a Toshiba PPC. It blew my head off to know that the bloody PPC could actually multi task! And what's more, there was so much more adjustability that I could play around with. Yes, Palm was uber-friendly, but it was just not me. In short, I sold off the Palm within 2 weeks and got myself an IPAQ 4150, which is still functioning well today and is of necessity to Marsha's boredom.

I know there's a lot of Apple fan out there, in fact, I'm one of them too. Just a fan. When iPod was the craze, my simplistic logic got the worse of me and I failed at running iTunes software. So, I never bought an iPod. And bought a Windows friendly 30Gb Creative instead.

When the new Leopard Mac was released, I was first to stick my butt in an Apple store. It was lovely. Mac 20" was selling at RM5.6K with protection plan. I immediately sold some of my stocks, ready to fund it. I returned to the shop a few times to play with it. Damn. It was a struggle each time. Though my friends were mighty impressed when I played some video stuff on the demo machine, courtesy from my time with my siblings' Tiger OS, I was actually sweating my brains out to comprehend Apple's interface. Damn Windows, you've brain-washed me to the last noodle.

Vista was out around that time too. Windows were not too shy to show once again that, what they lack in Apple's innovation, they thrived in creative-duplication. They wanted to be a Leopard. They wanted to be a Mac. And just like the Palm and PocketPC dilemma; Vista was a much familiar sight to me. And it's much cheaper too.

So, the headaches ended by end '07 when I decided that I was not ready for a Mac yet. I finally bought a Vista PC in Jan'08. It was an Core 2 Duo Acer Mac Mini wannabe in iPod piano black. It's got 1Gb RAM - which, I'd like to stress here - is not enough to run a Home Vista. I soon upgraded it to 3Gb, and it's just lovely now.

In my denial state of mind, I dressed up my PC like a Mac. I bought a Samsung Crystal-Brite 22 incher and Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse. I even reduced the Microsoft factor by using Firefox, instead of IE. 3 months on, I'm beginning to love this machine.

Just now, I dropped by Apple store again, to check out the 32Gb iPod Touch and Macbook Air. And when I shouldered over to check out a 20" Mac; the love was gone. There was not a minute of lust on it anymore. My Vista turned up to be the best choice for me and my hommies. And I even managed to keep RM1K in balance too.

Man, this is probably the longest blog I've written in a long while. And, I know, you skipped almost everything and is reading this line. So, I'll save you the time and state my point here: If you're running Vista, 1Gb RAM is NOT enough.

14th February; a very special day

This is a very special day for me. It was 6pm in the cold Oregon winter back in 2005. Just as I was about to log-off from my office, an IM came in from a friend; “Mariam dah takde” (“Mariam is gone”).

I just froze. Mariam was my 2yr old baby, whom I missed so much during my travel, and was just 1 wk away until I’m back in M’sia. I broke down terribly. I took the first flight out but it was a long 36hr journey back home. The load was made heavier as 3-quarter of my luggage was nothing else but the clothes and shoes I bought for Mariam. These stuff, I’d lay them down all over my hotel's room, every single night and smiled to myself, imagining just how cute Mariam would look like in it. It was a long tough journey.

Back in M’sia, it was early morning of 15th February. Sara had a motherly instinct and decided not go to work. And when Mariam peacefully departed, she was in her mother's loving cuddle. Hundreds of people came moments later, only to find Mariam, still in Sara’s cuddle. It was hard to let go. And it was Tuesday. The day I was born.

I reached Malaysia on Thursday morning. Sara fetched me at the airport, with only 3mth old Marsha to keep her company. She didn’t want anyone else to be there. And when we met, it was our moment. We just hugged and did not speak a word. At that moment, deep inside, I still had a tint of denial. I still wish this whole thing was a dream. That was 3 years ago. And we still miss her terribly.

We love you so much.

Buffalaxed!

Check out Buffalax's vids over in Youtube (just do a search on 'Buffalax'). All the while, it was English, duh!

2008... and still blogging actively...

OK, maybe not as 'active' as some people, but in comparison to >80% of bloggers who mysteriously went AWOL after 2 posts, I'm doing great. It's hard to believe that, in the world where there's no such thing as a 'free lunch', Blogger has let me use their space for free for more than 2 years. Thank you, Mr Blogger. I'm very sure Mr Blogger despises me. I'd probably be the kid with the black tee and torn jeans. What Mr Blogger doesnt know is that, I'm the good guy. My blogs are clean and boring. Blogs like these must always be kept free. It'll make people stop reading blogs and get back to work. ......

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR, sincerely from me, me wife and me kid! May 2008 brings better luck to you. *pls ignore Marsha's angry expression, inside, she's happy, really*