Second Heaven; 天, に...

7d and 60d

2011-03-26T01:10:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure why, but... Both of these cameras have the 'ON,OFF' switch at the wrong place, which is the left side of the camera. Since both of them are considered semi-pro (7D) and enthusiast level (60D), they are quite expensive, to have made such a 'huge' error in terms of ergonomics. Why is the 'On-Off' switch very important to be at the right side?

[Canon 7D]

[Canon 60D]

Well, before you turn the camera on, you have to use your left hand, instead of grabbing the lens, with the right finger ready at the shutter. This decrease the 'start-up' time. If it were at the right side of the body, your right hands are naturally at the area, quick to start it up and shoot. You will come to appreciate it when your battery is dwindling, needing to conserve as much power as you can, squeezing the last 100-50 or so shots on your camera.

Well, many have used them, and I would think that it would only effect us Nikon shooters which have the 'ON-OFF' switch right at the shutter, ready for quick action. I think its something that most people grow into.

Well, this is just a rant, not to diss Canon or anything. Just wondering if accidentally switching the power off during shooting with it at the right side were what the engineers were thinking over at Canon.

To say the least, Nikon got a few buttons at the wrong place too, like the play button or delete button needing both hands to operate. Guess they want you to be really sure to delete the image.

Why Lens Sharpness don't Matter as Much.

2011-03-24T16:31:00.000+08:00

Thinking of getting that 50mm f1.4 or that 85mm f1.4?

Well, I'd admit if you are getting it for the speed of a super fast prime, than go ahead. If you think that you are getting it got sharpness, then, I would think that those f1.8 is a good bargain.

Why?
Click on the Jump to find out why.

[Nikon 18-105mm VR, at 105mm, f5.6, 1/500s, -0.33EV in Matrix, ISO 200]

The shot above was mad with default camera noise control settings, in JPEG, LARGE and FINE. Default sharpening as well.

Sharp at the stigma, is it not? Well, almost every lens you can easily get (+- 30 years), is sharp in the center. This shot was done wide open at 105mm, therefore, the depth of field is quite low. Hence the rest of the focal plan is de-focused.

Lets look at the 100% crop of the flower,

[100% crop. Still not sharp enough? I mean, you can see the individual hair on it, with a non-macro lens]

Truth be told, its not as sharp as a 'light sabre', though, you couldn't fault into thinking that this is each of the individual pixel making this image. If I were to stop it down to maybe f6.3 or f8, it would get even sharper, though not as much, unless you view it in a 100% crop.

All lenses today are sharp where it matters most, in the center. It is only at the corners that you can tell the difference.

On most telephoto lenses, sharpness is not as important, since your depth of field would be very low, wide open, and most of the time, its the center of the image where you would want it to be sharp, where as the edges, let it fade away in a blur.

For wide angle, the corners are important, though sometimes, you would also like the edges to fade away, make the object in the center stronger.

Want it to be even sharper? Get a medium format camera. Though, macro on those things are not as easy as you would hope for. Either that, get a macro lens. Its sharp, cause its meant to be sharp.

When buying a lens, the consideration should be its function, does the focus ring rotate, can I manually override the focus (AF-S M/A switch), VR, is it durable, does it flare, do I really need the fast aperture, and most importantly, do I really need another lens?

What you have is more than good enough. Technique comes into play most of the time, like how much coffee you had in the morning since your hands are twitching. Steady the lens, and your image will most likely be sharper. Got jittery hands and a f1.2 lens? Good luck having a sharp image, since f1.2 have a very very shallow depth of field.

Best yet, get a Leica. Small, light, almost no vibration, and superb lenses. Other than that, get to know your equipment and improve your skills.

Countdown to 2011

2011-01-11T15:52:00.000+08:00

Genting + Fog = No Fireworks... =(

[1. Even the caterpillar is sad of the fog.]

That's what happened that night, while we were waiting at the side of the stage, my arms, primed on a post next to me for bulb mode, and... NOTHING!

[2. Hmm.. Stage... Ear almost went deaf...]

Well, got to the stage instead, and did gig shooting. All using the 18-105mm, and forgive the flare in some of the pics, since its foggy, don't want my front element to be naked.

[3. Stage Lights]

Click on the jump for more pictures.

[4. ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/100s @18mm. Fog is not doing well for lighting]

[5. The wind was actually blowing very strongly. Cold and windy, ISO800, 105mm 1/25s f/5.6 for bokehlicous results]

[6. ISO 400 @18mm wide open]

[7. ISO 200 at 18mm, f/8 and 0.625s shutter. ]

[8. About the same as number 7]

[9. ISO 200 at 18mm, 1/4s shutter.. That's a lot of people...]

[10. The stage is so bright, you'll just need either ISO 200 or 400, set your matrix metering to -1.0 EV and in P mode, just shoot and forget.]

[11. About the same as number 10, ISO 200 at 24mm. ]

[12. Damn it, clowns are CREEPY!!!]

[13. They started jumping, and rocking]

[14. Clowns grabbing everybody on stage]

[15. Bokehlicious... Not really..]

[16. After they announce that there wont be any fireworks, we got on stage]

[17. Almost everybody around us got on stage]

[18. What's he doing? I think its a he..]

[19. That mask looks awesome...]

[20. Herro Please..]

[21. Dang that rubber nose looks epic..]

[22. They got them colorful stage lights and natural fog machine..

[23. Herrooo...]

[24. Confuse everyone in group photos by having multiple cameras at their faces... wahahaha]

[25. Put your hands up!!!]

[26. From here onwards, ISO 400]

[27. This is an interesting shot, cause its sorta a long exposure, 1/1.3s. and everything except for the kid and the camera tripod seems in focus. Perhaps I've pan my camera as much as the tripod, to fake a tilt shift... ]

[28. Amazing Hair...]

[29. Why that kid looks so happy? Cause he feels taller??]

[30. Grab their asses...]

[31. I want a balloon.. Make it long..]

[32. High Five!!]

[33. That guy looks so creeped out]

[34. Bozzo the clown backstage..]

[35. Who paints their faces white and thinks they make people happy? Oh yeah... That kid was happy..]

[36. That little man has a great muscular body..]

[37. Holy Crap, that bag looks so nice.. lolx..]

[38. You still want those ~~condoms~~ balloons??]

[39.Bulb mode with delayed exposure mode or fake mirror lock up]

[40. Fog in the car park.]

Backlog - Xmas 2010

2011-01-11T08:22:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the backlog of photos. Well, been busy, you know, with stuff, homework and class and the fyp..

Today's feature will be the nifty-fifty, or the Nikon 50mm f/1.8, since its small, light, and cheap, and sharp. My only qualms will be that, its bokeh is not the best you can get, ranging from average to poor, depending on what you take. On a DSLR like my D90, its actually a 75mm lens, about reaching the portrait lens focal length. Great for portraits for those smooth out of focus background, depending on your background that is.

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 reminds us that, you don't have to buy an expensive lens to get sharp results, its even sharper than my 18-105mm lens which cost 2-3 times as much. Its fast, since its aperture is at f/1.8, its 2 stops faster than my zoom lens at 18mm at f/3.5. 2 stops is about 4 times as much light that will enter through the lens, or, reduce my ISO from 800 to 200, or increase my shutter speed from 1/30 to 1/120. Great eh?

But, I still need my 18-105mm since, at 18mm, its about 3 times shorter the focal length, giving me about 1 stop extra (or more) for my shutter speed, and it allows me to grab photos of 1-2 second exposures hand held, since I've got a greater depth of field, meaning more will be in focus. And the VR helps too. But, at the longer end of the zoom, what I really need is the 50mm f/1.8 where it will make more sense.

Another great thing about the 50mm, is that it has zero distortion. If Nikon made all their prime lenses to have zero distortion, I think that primes would be more popular. They have made a wide angle rectilinear lens with zero distortion, called the 13mm f/3.5. Google it and be amazed.

Examples and explanations will be provided when you click on the jump.

Most of these are shot at f/1.8, except for 2.

[1. f/1.8, 1/80s, ISO 200. Sharp everywhere. Where it is blur, its due to the depth of field, or bokeh. ]

[2. f/2.8, 1/13s, ISO 200. Smaller aperture for greater depth of field. Though, I failed, since I would want fur to be sharp, so f/8 is what I really want for the effect I wanted.]

[3. f/2.8, 1/50s, ISO 200. f/2.8 to get smaller bokeh balls and to reduce the effect of coma or blobs of light]

[4. Hmm... Horsey. Shot at f/2.8]

[5. Don't Jump!!!]

[6. Why does this seem creepy???]

[7. f/2.8. Daylight, wouldn't need the f/1.8 since the effect of bokeh is greatly reduced since I'm very far from the subject.]

[9. Look ma! No distortion. Straight lines are straight. Not to be confused with the leaning effect of the building, since I'm shooting from the ground level upwards.]

[10. f/1.8. Straight lines are not good for bokeh. (Background very distracting) Don't have the background or foreground with lines, since the lens was created and designed for sharpness, not bokeh. ]

[11. f/1.8. Ugly bokeh balls. See the middle of the balls like its an egg yolk? Not good, not natural. Perhaps its best not to shoot it with light streaming out of the shadows. ]

[12. Presents more than the tree?? What's wrong with you people??!! ]

[13.]

[14. This is so much fun!!!]

[15. f/1.8. Bokehlicious, if you don't mind the non-circular bokeh balls. ]

[16. Somewhat distracting bokeh balls, but great sharpness.]

[17. Creepy Santa]

[18. Hmm... I would like to play crosswords on my undies...]

[19. Oh, apples... WTF!!!?? Look at the price!!]

[20. f/1.8. An example of good bokeh. The double lines are due to the thickness of the mirror glass. What makes it good? The sharpness. Its so sharp that the bokeh matters less, and you would focus more on the double image or wordings.]

Firmware

2011-01-02T09:55:00.000+08:00

If you have a Nokia XM-5800, best check your firmware, especially if you had it like forever, (before the iPhone was really that awesome). Why?

Recently updated the firmware on the hand-me-down 5800, from version 11.x.x.x (forgot the exact firmware number) to version 52.0.007.

Big difference.

1. Its faster, I mean physically, since they up-ed the clock speed on the processor through the firmware, from 369MHz to 434MHz.

2. Its not as stupid. In the old firmware, having your screen (in typing mode, a.k.a messaging) in portrait mode initially and switching it to landscape does nothing. Now, it switches to QWERTY mode when in landscape. (Isn't that what the iPhone did all along? (To be clear, IO.S 4.1 or something, as of the latest of the time of posting) Well, no. Reason why I dislike typing on the iPhone is that its capacitive, and the QWERTY pad or layout is small in portrait mode, and sometimes (like entering your details in iTunes or some form info) you can't switch it to landscape QWERTY which suck a hell lot, since my fingers are not that small. Some users might not find this an issue.

3. Did I say its faster? How fast? Did a Hard Reset on the phone, still slow. Then did the firmware update, FAST!

4. Less Buggy. Its still has its bugs, like un-logical sequence and UI. But, the iPhone have the same problem too. Like the landscape QWERTY thing in (2).

2010 Langkawi

2010-12-18T21:19:00.000+08:00

Went to Langkawi last weekend, using MAS.

[1. Sunset at the rich-men port. Look at all those yachts-sssss]

All I can say that, Langkawi = Duty FREE!!!!!

Meaning, a bottle of 1 liter Black Label cost about RM70, where as in KL, the bottle of Black Label is around RM160-180 for the 750ml.

SWING!!! JIM BEAM!!! CHIVAS!!!

wahahaha...

Anyway, was raining all day for most of the day, since its Dec, except for a few hours where we manage to get some sun.

Click on the jump for the photos I took during the trip.

[2. Some beach, off the cost of Kuah, where we got lost, so we drove around the coast.. ]

[3. Fishing? Looks like fun.. There are a couple of eagles here, though, with just my 18-105mm, they barely register as a spot on the pictures I took of them, if I took any...]

[4. Them eagles rest there! I think, even with a 300mm lens (or 450mm equivalent on my dx-d90 body), they would be far too small... Cause they just cover ~5% of the photo with my lens at 105mm, so at 300mm, it would just be 15%, still too small...
Need maybe a 400mm; though they do say that with bird photography, there is no lenses long enough.. ]

[5. At the rich men port]

[6. Monkeys!]

[7. Monkey monkeying around]

[8. My favorite picture so far! f11, 1/80, ISO 200, Matrix with -1.0 EV in shifted Program @18mm]

[9. Rich-men port's restaurant f8, 1/40s, ISO 200, Matrix -1.00EV @35mm]

[10. I like the setting so much that I took another pic with slightly different sunlight. f10, 1/30s, ISO 200, Matrix with -0.67EV @18mm]

[11. Lens flare of would I say, without any UV-filter. Well, the 18-105 lens has no Super Crystal Nano Coating, so, I would say that the flare is minimal. f10, 1/60s, ISO 200, Matrix with -1.0 EV, hand-held @ 35mm]

[12. Sun is going down. f11, 1/50s, ISO 200, -0.67EV in Matrix, at 35mm]

[13. Went to Under-SEA world, or I would say, the aquarium. With a student card, you get RM6 discount. Not worth it, better go to zoo negara, as you can see more animals, and the aquarium too for about the same price]

[14. Night street photography.. ]

[15. This place is popular with tourist, since its near to the beach and the airport]

[16. Expensive restaurant. ]

[17. Travel Station!!!]

[18. Magic Mushrooms!!!]

What Mircosoft Project is to me...

2010-12-13T23:41:00.001+08:00

[Click to enlarge..]

KLIMS 2010

2010-12-08T21:53:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur "International" Motor "Show"

That's a lot of quotation marks.

Well, it deserves it, as it was not as "International" as I would hoped, and the "Show" was more like a street performance. I think I am being harsh, but, at least they could have fired up that 458 Italia. It would make everybody happy that they spent RM20.00 or 15 and be f***ed by a fake batman and bat-mobile.

[Look at them tiny wheels...]

Well, them showroom booth professionals are not as you would expect from the sexiness you would normally get during PC fair, (which reminds me that I wouldn't have the chance to go.. =.=), but, in return, you would get some sense of elegance, if there is to be found among Korean and our Local car manufacturers.

There is only so much I could rant, as I paid the RM 5.00 student fee. If not, it would be a total rip-off!

The rest of the photos are in my Facebook album, since I'm lazy to post it here.

>>>CLICK ME

Guilin Trip Day 8

2010-12-05T16:29:00.000+08:00

Day 8 is all about travel, that is from Shen Zhen to Hong Kong through the ferry port of She Kou 蛇口.

[1.]

So, it would be pictures about the plane.. I'm bored..

Click on the jump for more pictures.

[2. At the ferry port in Shen Zhen]

[3. The ferry took us to the Hong Kong International Airport]

[4. You still got to admire HK International Airport]

[5. Hmm... In-flight meals.. sucks!]

[6. When Air Asia is delayed for 30 minutes, it arrives 45 minutes late. If Malaysian Airlines is delayed 30 minutes, it arrives 5 minutes late... See those planes queuing to take off?]

[7. Bye Hong Kong!]

Guilin Trip Day 7

2010-12-03T22:19:00.000+08:00

Day 7, travel again, and shopping at Shen Zhen... Crazy, with lots of people

[1. At Shen Zhen's 步行街, or shopping district. This shot was hand held at 1s, ISO 200, f/9, -1.0 EV in Matrix Metering. Minor camera shake, but forgive me for not using a tripod and taking the picture for 1 whole second at 18mm (27mm equivalent in 35mm format) ]

[2.]

Again, few pictures, but do click on the jump for the rest of Day 7 pics.

[3. Right next to last night's hotel. Closed down theater.]

[4.]

[5.]

[6. At Deng Xiao Ping's monument. ]

[7.]

[8. HAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!]

Guilin Trip Day 6

2010-12-03T21:58:00.000+08:00

Day 6 were all travel.

From Guang Xi to Shen Zhen, with more than 8hrs on the coach.

[1.]

[2.]

Hence the few pictures.

Click on the jump for the rest of the pics.

[3.]

[4.]

[5. Look at the size of the giant mosquitoes.. ]

[6.]

[7. Good hotel, with one of the best facilities so far, but its rather old...]

Guilin Trip Day 5

2010-12-03T12:06:00.001+08:00

Day 5.

Got a cold in a super windy boat ride (again), went to the lake where we took some of the night scene, some night scene shots..

p/s. I'm lazy to comment on my photos... sorry..

Click on the jump for more pictures.

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Guilin Trip Day 4

2010-12-02T22:37:00.000+08:00

Day 4

In Guilin, went to the King's Palace (not the Emperor), and a scenic boat ride, and night scenes, and finally, what trip would it be without shopping??

Click on the jump for more pictures.

[1. King's Palace in Guilin]

[2. ]

[3. Some monument]

[4. Kill!!!]

[5. Don't ask me...]

[6. A test!!!]

[7. Didn't know what the girl is drawing]

[8. ]

[9. Mountain, Water and the Chinese utilizing it for money... Commercialize everything...]

[10. That sign of "Caution Wet Floor" is EPIC! Break dance!!!]

[11. Fishermen]

[12. I wish I were on that speed boat cause it looks like fun!]

[13. The water level significantly dropped during the past few weeks due to low rainfall.. But, the water is still clear despite the low water level. Shows the cleanliness of Guilin's River. I think its Li Jiang. Correct me if I'm wrong. ]

[14. Fishing still going on in this greatly commercialize tourist city]

[15. Looks like fun.. That old guy is cool.. hehe]

[16. ]

[17. So clean that you would swim in it... ]

[18. Despite construction... Wait, I think that they are clearing the river bed for silt.. ]

[19. ]

[20. Clear clear water... Wonder how it taste? Dieselly??]

[21. Some lake]

[22. Them Chinese, they like to color their night scenes... ]

[23. All of these night scene photos were taken hand held, either with the 50mm f/1.8 or the 18-105mm. ISO at 800 till 1000, with the exposure compensation set at -1.33 EV in Matrix Mode. Why Matrix? Cause center weighted would need you to lock on the exposure, which is harder.]

[24. Hmm... "Sun" stars from the 50mm straight blade.. Makes the picture more natural and awesome!]

[25. The second most extravagant 5 star hotel in Guilin showing the man made waterfall, which opens for 5 minutes everyday at 8.30 am and pm. ]

[26. Night market on the streets of Guilin, literally the on the road]

[27. This shot was hand held too, for 1/1.6s or 0.625s. Cold air makes people shiver, so forgive the minor camera shake. ISO 1600. Though, the blurry-ness could be also due to diffraction at f/25. ]

Guilin Trip Day 3

2010-12-02T15:24:00.000+08:00

Day 3.

I think travel to Guilin, sit on a bamboo raft, look at them chocking a bird, silk 'museum', circus, and hotel.

Click on the jump for more pictures...

[1. View outside the hotel room the past night]

[2. Hmm... Somewhere with round rocks and a rocky mountain]

[3. Bamboo raft time..]

[4. The oarsman..]

[5. Cold cold water..]

[6. Bird that catches fish for a living for men, when men are too lazy..]

[7. ]

[8. At the silk 'museum']

[9. Cable car up Guilin's highest peak..]

[10.]

[11. Hazy and fog.. ]

[12. I've found red marijuana]

[13. It grows on TREES!!!]

[14. Circus.. Using the fast 50mm, open all the way to f/1.8 and with the exposure compensation set to -2.0 till -3.33 in Matrix metering more, able to take some photos of the circus with ISO of lower than 800. ]

[15. Most of the pictures here are taken in Aperture Priority mode to keep the f/1.8, since all I want is the sharpness in the center]

[16. Most of the stage lighting are pretty bright, hence, lower ISO can be used. Just set Auto-ISO to forget about the ISO setting.]

[17. Set to Program/Professional Mode or Aperture Priority Mode and forget about Exposures. Enjoy the show and capture the moment. ]

[18. Hotel Room in Guilin. Best part, the tub is clean. Too bad the mattress is as stiff as the concrete slab]

[19. All China have is tea, no coffee... =( ]

Guilin Trip Day 2

2010-12-01T17:28:00.000+08:00

Day 2.

Hmm... Travel from Shenzhen to Guilin.

Went to a cave. Don't ask me what cave, since I'm too lazy to find out and the travel itinerary is at Kuching.

p/s. Get ready for an acid trip when looking at the pictures of the cave. Looks nice on photos, but in real life, the Mulu cave is more impressive!

Click for more pictures after the break.

[1. The gas station is just a giant tank of fuel on the a concrete slab]

[2. Hmm... YUM!!!]

[3. Omm Nom Nom... ]

[4.]

[5. Salted fish.. Not as smelly as you think it would]

[6. Streets of China or somewhere in China...]

[7. The coach. Its big, its made in China. ]

[8. All are in RMB, as of 21st Nov 2010. 0# means diesel.]

[9. Out by the side of a road, awaiting to go into a cave... Great...]

[10. Reach the park/cave. ]

[11. Get ready for the ACID Trip.]

[12.]

[13. All of these photos are shot hand held, at about ISO 1600, Matrix Metering, Normal JPEG, and Auto White Balance. EV was set at -2/3 since I bump up the saturation. All with the 18-105mm VR lens]

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[15. Most of them are slow shutter, about 1/8s or 1/5s or longer. Hand Held!]

[16. Shows pretty much what "modern" dslr can do with crazy high ISO, and still under Normal JPEG LARGE resolution.]

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[22. Reached the hotel. Forgot the name and place.]

[23. Street shooting]

[24. NOM!]

[25. Look at the price!]

Guilin Trip Day 1

2010-12-01T16:01:00.002+08:00

Went to Guilin 桂林 on the 20th of Nov till the 27th Nov.

It was foggy =(

But it was an exciting experience.

Nothing more to say on the first day, since it was all travel.

Firstly, we reached the airport at 6.35 a.m. Flight was at 9.00 a.m., to KK then to HK.

From HK, go through immigration to get to Mainland China.

Then a bus to Shenzhen, 深圳.

Hotel at Maple Leaf at Shenzhen.

And that pretty much concludes day 1.

Click on the jump for the photos.

[1. Kuching Airpot, very early... *_*]

[2. Off to China!, errr... I mean Hong Kong... ]

[3. Actually KK first]

[4. Landing at Kota Kinabalu Internation Airport... Its near the sea!!! See the airstream at the wing?]

[5. From what I gather, visible airstream are usually found on older Boeings... Layover at KKIA]

[6. Off to HK!!!]

[7. I want to live here!!!]

[8. Waw...]

[9. Reached HK.. Foggy... -.-]

[10. HK Internation Airport. Waiting for the shuttle bus to transport us to Immigration and the Main Terminal]

[11. Immigration... ]

[12. Here what the main terminal looks like inside.. Its SO BIG!!!]

[13. And BRIGHT!!!]

[14. OOHHH!!! Wavy... ]

[15. Taking the bus off to Mainland China...]

[16. ]

[17. HK, there's always construction]

[18. I think they are catching seafood. Don't ask me what though...]

[19. Reached Shenzhen, the hotel, Maple Leaf]

[20. ]

[21. On the way to explore the area around our hotel]

[22. Found a supermarket, 喜羊羊 supermarket.. Lolx...]

Philosoraptor!!!

2010-10-30T13:45:00.000+08:00

Awesome!!! =)

From theCHIVE

Finals

2010-10-22T23:13:00.000+08:00

Exam time...

23rd Oct - Foundation Engineering 1 (Saturday afternoon) That's tomorrow!!!

29th Oct - Engineers in Society (Friday morning)

1st Nov - Highway and Transportation Engineering (Monday morning)
- RC 2 (Afternoon)

Funny how I'm the more free during the exam week...

So far...

2010-10-12T00:08:00.003+08:00

What two and a half months with a camera has thought me...

1. Camera doesn't matter much, since you would need it to take photos. If it gets the intended job done, its golden.

2. Same thing with the lens. Think first, with steps, like feel, ask, refine then finally, take the picture. FARTing is what newbies like me keep on forgetting since we would tweak the DSLR first, as we are still learning what to do with the giant log. DSLRs are complicated, even if one knows the basic of exposure. Simple is best. Makes you focus more.

3. Don't worry. Keep shooting. What is important is to learn the mistakes that we made.

4. Henri Carier-Bresson (The guy who shoots with a Leica and a single lens throughout his life) was right when he said "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst". In fact, in digital, its more like 20,000-100,000 cause maybe we are 10 times more likely to take useless crappy photos. (Ever used your camera phone to take pictures of the floor, toes, wall, etc. and then delete them?) What is important with digital, is that to learn. Like students, we are forgiven (somewhat) when we make a mistake (like in a test or quiz or exams) where no lives (significant) are at stake. If we don't learn, we don't pass.

An example of me learning is, when shooting the drift event, using a fast normal lens, i.e. the 50mm f1.8 is far better, since the wide aperture allows me to lower the ISO, giving better results (less noise).

5. Experiment. Just shoot, don't research stuff online, cause you will forget it by the time you've read this sentence. Doing is learning. Reading and not applying is just spectating. Just like watching football doesn't mean you know how to play (well).

Well, that's all. Thanks for reading.

Street Camera

2010-09-26T19:10:00.001+08:00

Leica is a good system to shoot street photography.

Well, so is the newly announced Fujifilm X100... Its great (on paper), with a fix lens (means you can't take it off and switch lenses) of f2.0 with an equivalent field of view of 35mm on a full frame 35mm camera. This could mean cheaper construction of the lens and body.

[Click to Enlarge]

Wait, there's more... Its hybrid viewfinder, ala Rangefinder system which is sorta like a fake Leica with magical electronic viewfinder to line up with the optical viewfinder. Means its small, and compact. Packs an APS-C sensor too, means that it will be cheaper.

[Click to Enlarge]

Until they mentioned the launching price of $1000 USD, or RM3300!!! WTH!??!!! It is RM1300 way overpriced for this piece of shit, I mean work of fake Leica rangefinder. Too bad though, cause it would have destroyed those crappy NEXs, PENs and GF1 crap. Heck, we need proper dials and buttons to use the cameras, and an Optical Viewfinder is helpful, either that or make it so that it is able to shoot 1500++ pictures on 40% battery life =), and the AUTO setting is still not smart enough. Menu system are stupid, means that the designer is too lazy to think of how to put in buttons and dials in the correct place, so they just put it in the menu. Heck, even Nikon does this, but it has buttons for more important stuff. Hmmm...

More to the reason is that digital is too complex.For that amount of money, a Leica M3? Though, would need to self develop the B/W negatives by yourself to get the same amount of savings.

Though, going into Leica is sorta like... Well, you can figure that out yourself...

Well, the Canon S95 is just shy of RM1000 today, passable ISO performance, and is a good price. But its not a X100.. LOLX!!!

In the end? A D90 with a 24mm f2.8D... Either that, I heard that those newfangled camera phones are still crap... WAKAKAKAKAKA!!!

PS: Thanks to fujifilm.com for the press release.

Saturday Night Drift (25th Sept 2010)

2010-09-26T17:37:00.001+08:00

Location: MAEPS Gate 2, UPM, Serdang

Hint: Search for the Go Kart Track on MAEPS

#1

Time: 5pm till late

Fee: RM5.00

Almost every Saturday

Went to watch a drift event that is on every Saturday night..

Click on the jump for more pictures...

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Practice over... Now with the night drift event!

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[Incident occurred]

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Near to 1500++ Shutters for about 400++ non-blur pictures... Need more panning practice.. Would've taken more, since my camera's battery was at a measly 40% or 2 bars at the time.. Not bad for lasting 1500++ burst shutter!

The first part of the drift, until about picture #29, was using the 18-105mm VR, thinking that the VR would help in panning. But, the narrow aperture didn't help in noise performance, forcing me to push it up to ISO 3200 in Auto-ISO, with the min shutter speed set as 1/15.

After the pic #30, was using the 50mm f1.8, got closer to the scene (by a 2 footsteps, fyi) and panned away! Low noise and greater action. ISO was less than 1600 for almost all of the pics, averaging about ISO 800+-

Most of the time, Shutter Speed was at 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, in shutter priority mode.

What I learned? Need practice in panning, use the faster f1.8 lens, and next time should set the image file as either MEDIUM or SMALL Size with BASIC or NORMAL JPEG file compression for more BURST shutter. When using LARGE and FINE, buffer is just a measly 13 files.. =.=

Well worth the RM5.00 for giving me the opportunity to watch such great drifting, since I'm able to get quite close to the scene, allowing me to use the 50mm for great shots.

The light/sun stars from the car headlights are cause by the lens, 7 straight aperture blades creates stunning 14 pointed stars.

BTW, the whole place smells of burnt rubber! =)

Experimenting - Off Camera Flash

2010-09-14T13:52:00.000+08:00

Setting the SB-600 as a slave, with the pop-up flash as the command flash, and we have a surprising 'strobist' effect..

[With a simple light modifier called a snoot, the light is concentrated]

Click on the jump for more pictures!

[Without the snoot on the flash]

[Pictures were taken like this...]

[With the snoot..]

Raya and Malls

2010-09-14T11:30:00.000+08:00

Spent the whole week in KL shopping complexes..

[#1]

Click on the jump for more pictures!

[#2]

[#3]

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[#5]

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Meaps and Doppy

2010-09-05T16:03:00.002+08:00

Went to my sis's place on national day...
Couldn't get Panya cause she was shy as usual..

[Ain't know why Meaps looks like this >>> =_=]

Putrajaya Botanical Garden Photo Shoot [29 Aug 2010]

2010-08-30T10:36:00.000+08:00

Cloudy day, no sunset...

View more after the jump

The Assistant, YH...
Thanks!!!

Sony Multi-Card Reader/Writer MRW62E-T2

2010-08-28T16:11:00.000+08:00

I mean, who the heck reviews a card reader/writer??

Well, there's something interesting about card readers... Most of the China brand card readers reads almost everything, from CF, SD, XD, MS, M2, your mind, your dog's mind, a book and so on... They do suck. Not because of their transfer speed (which is slow), but their quality. I mean, would you trust something dinky to transfer your precious photos from an 8GB memory card (could be 1000++ images) to your computer while it decides to kill your card and everything in it? I can hear those people using film laughing and snickering now...

But, everything has it ups and down, right?

Well, yesterday I bought a card reader/writer from Sony. Been all the shops around the Mines Shopping Mall and all I got are 3 reputable brands. Sony, Cooler Master and Apacer. Each were priced (sticker) of RM32.90, RM33.00, RM35.00.

I got the Sony. I got it since they are known to have better QC, and Cooler Master don't do chips, and Apacer... Well, I'm not sure about them...

I mean, what Card Reader comes with a instruction manual??? And the USB transfer cable comes with a ferrite choke.

I haven't tested it's speed though, but it reads my phone's Multi-Media Card (RS) and writes, to which my previous no-brand card reader/writer on reads.. -.-"

Overall, the Sony card reader does its job.

Zoo Negara on the 22nd August 2010

2010-08-25T22:35:00.003+08:00

Went to Zoo Negara, on a Sunday. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people...

Since I've its been ages since I went to a zoo, (either that or I didn't even remember when was the last time I went to a Zoo...)

Click on the link below to see the rest of the pictures..

[Somehow I would think of Ross (David Schwimmer) from 'Friends'

[Dancing Elephant]

[The king??]

[Careful, bird poo on the bench]

[Tapir... Pampas.. ]

[Sleeping Lion... -.-" ]

All the cats were sleeping.. .-.-"

[Yes, we had to go to a zoo to see a raccoon, literally a pest in the US... ]

[Capybara ]

[Butterfly Garden]

[Oh, yeah... Saw these Orang Utans at Sepilok..]

[MJ?]

[They are BIG!!!]

[Sleeping Hippo... -.-"]

[Animal Show.. ]

[Hobbit]

[Wizard]

Film Photography

2010-08-17T10:23:00.005+08:00

Here is an interesting article of film photography through an enthusiast that has embraced both film and digital photography. Its like yin and yang, for a person to embrace both formats, as usually people would just dis at each other, *cough* fanboys *cough*...

Enjoy. =)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Experimenting - Pop Up Flash

2010-08-10T18:23:00.008+08:00

Pop up flash are underrated due to its low power, low reach, and well, we can turn the thing in another direction.

But, flash photography is still important, especially when taking portraiture, or in fact anything. Since light plays a major role in all photographs and pictures, [unless you like to a black image through out] we actually need more light to make it as though there is no light. [a.k.a no shadows]

As the photo suggest, there is no clear visible shadows on the model, yet she is well lit [thought about using well exposed, but then it would seem wrong] because during the photo shot, studio lighting or maybe strobes are used to take the photos.

In my case, I simply used the pop up flash on my D90, set it to rear curtain sync, in just aperture priority mode, set the negative (-1) exposure compensation for the flash and good to go. Without the flash, there would be visible shadows due to the angle of the brochure. [Don't know why there's a lot of pictures of a single clothing item on a brochure]

Yeah, the image looks kinda soft cause its a printed material.

KONICA MINOLTA PAGEPRO 1380 MF part 1

2010-08-08T18:14:00.003+08:00

THIS PRINTER DOESN'T SUPPORT WINDOWS 7, yet.....

Until I did something like this...

Though its not fully supported on Win-7...

-.-"

52.5mm Challange

2010-08-07T10:51:00.003+08:00

Armed with just a loaner 35mm f/1.8G AF-S, with an equivalent focal length of 52.5mm on a DX crop factored camera (which is what my D90 is), see what the standard lens can bring to the table...

But before that, what is a standard lens? (WARNING: BORING STUFF AHEAD, JUST SKIP TO THE PICS OR OTHERWISE)

A standard (normal) lens is "A lens that provides about the same angle of view of a scene as the human eye and that does not unduly magnify or diminish the relative size of objects in the image." as quoted from www.sederquist.com/clagloss.html

Or scientifically, (very boring stuff) "let's conduct a thought experiment in which we take a picture, make a print on the spot, then see how it compares to the scene in front of us. Simple geometry (using the concept of similar triangles) states that a print viewed from a distance equal to it's diagonal will exactly match the subject in perspective when the focal length of the lens that was used to make the picture is equal to the diagonal of the sensor. When we use this approach to calculate the focal lengths of 'theoretically correct' standard lenses for various sensor sizes, the results are slightly surprising. Full frame works out as 43mm, 1.5x APS-C as 29mm, and Four Thirds, 21mm. This flies in the face of received wisdom (and convention), which suggests 50mm, 35mm and 25mm respectively." (DPreview.com)

Simply put, its the lens that is about the same magnification as what our eyes perceives.

Note that this challenge is to use a fix focused length camera all day without changing lenses, with the purpose to reduce bulk on light travel.

The setting: PC fair 2010 (II)

First up, parked the car at Menara Keck Seng, and since its Saturday, the whole day parking rate is RM3.00 (after Saturday afternoon working hours).

And walked to Pavilion which is opposite, and saw this...

[Check out the price, close to a cool million ringgit, though gotta say that the rated fuel consumption is not bad]

[Big Bum]

And later we passed by a construction site on the way over to KLCC [convention center]

[Now I sorta understand Kai W...]

And here we arrived at the PC fair...

Booth professional pics and some other interesting pics are next...

[A strike at the PC fair??]

[Hmmm... The booth professional at Lenovo Hall 2]

[They were shouting... Something like a 10-pac DVD for RM1, t&c is buy above RM10]

[The booths are tall...]

[Cloudy day... and this pic seems like a d*** coming out of a b*sh. Wakakakka, that's Maxis for you]

After hauling the big ass multifunction b/w laser printer for 1.7km, we head to the Curve for dinner... [another post about the printer... *$%#&@!!!!]

The conclusion:

1. At some point I would still prefer my 50mm lens as I'm used to frame with it.
2. Using the standard lens brought me some wide coverage, as in I don't have to reverse back for side to side shots. (22.5mm difference is quite a lot in wideness, considering)
3. Would I get it? I think that I would need more time to get used to the loaner lens..

Another thing is that, thanks to Ng. PL for the loaner lens. Good lens, fast auto focus (and quiet too).

Penang for the Weekend: Day 2

2010-07-30T20:37:00.003+08:00

NOTICE: LOADS OF PHOTOS COMING UP!!!

Hmm... Day 1 could be coming up... Lolx!!!

Here are the pics for Day 2 on my trip to Penang. Firstly, I would like to thank Mr. Hao as our tour guide. Secondly, thanks to the girls for putting up with my driving, and other stuff. Hmmm.. KL ar.. LOLX!!!

So, here goes...

First up, Dim Sum...

Then, hmm.. I forgot where this place is..

[Pose?? hehehe.. ]

And the Chocolate Museum. It has a wide variety of chocolates, like green tea, dark and coffee bean chocolate.. With free samples!!! Can't take pics of the chocolate in it.

And, another temple.. Went to Kek Lok Si on day 1...

[The tour guide]

[I don't think that the tour guide is looking at him at that time though...]

Next, Queensbay... Again... Since it rain.. Planned on going to the war museum..

[J-CO's]

Batu Ferringi next, HARD ROCK!!!

[J-CO doughnuts with WACKO-J-KO!!!]

[Feels like chicken little... JK-JK]

[The tour guide and photography assistant! Thanks!]

[Its actually drizzling]

[But, still we manage to get shots like this]

And to Gurney for dinner and a movie...

[Special order beef ramen!!]

[Mr. Hedgehog at our tour guide's house]

After that, these are the bounty that I got from Penang

WEIFENG WF-593T and WF-593H Professional Tripod Review

2010-07-22T21:37:00.006+08:00

I don't know that this count as a review or not, but please be patient with me on my opinion on the tripod review.

Weifeng is a Chinese company, i.e. mainland China that makes tripod. If its your first time hearing the name, same as me when I started surveying for tripods. Yes, we all know Manfrotto and maybe Velbon or Giottos, and even Benro (another Chinese company that makes some good quality tripods)

The list price for the tripod (tripod and head) is MRSP: 388.00 (note: list price, if you get what I mean) and its considered a budget 'professional' tripod. Well, since the tripod legs are able to withstand 8kg of load, I think that it should be considered as a pro tripod.

The detachable head however has a few gripes, that I will explain later

Build quality of the tripod: (I'll let you decide based on my description)

The tripod is made out of aluminum (or aluminum alloy) with the total weight (plus head) is 1.6kg. Yeah, that's quite a lot of weight, but if you plan to get a carbon fiber tripod, be my guest if weight is such an issue.

The smallest section of the legs has a diameter of 28mm ( I ripped of the website)

But, the part that really show the quality of the tripod is the connections, that is the anchor to the joints (being in Engineering for too long to use such a term) ~~is made of just hard plastic~~ . [Update: It is made out of metal!!!] Why did they made it to look like plastic anyway??? Yeah, I would prefer it made out of metal so that a giant fall wouldn't break it off (touch wood; or if your camera is attached to the tripod, that would be the least of your worry). Well, Benro's A350EX series' are made out of metal (but then again its another price bracket and different capabilities). Oh well, I guess I hopefully won't have to find out.

Another thing about this tripod's construction is that is a 4 section leg type which reduces the folded height of the tripod to just 445mm. (again, from the site which I think didn't include the head) From an engineering stand point (boy, I had to say that), 4 sections would mean bigger diameter of the initial leg; i.e. the first section, or the thickness aluminum would have to be increased to accommodate the following sections, especially the final or forth section. With the rated load of 8kg, its amazing how the whole tripod feels sturdy at its maximum height.

The rest are quite normal (to me at least) such as rubber feet, ah.... what else? Did I say that it's sturdy?

Function/ Capabilities of the tripod.

Well, the tripod uses the traditional screw type instead of the quick action latch lock type of locking mechanism for the legs' section. This I'm sorta impartial since I heard that the screw type is longer lasting than the latch type which is prone to failure. Then again I've used the tripod so far, the screwing mechanism seems not to be too slow when setting up. But when folding the tripod, it is however more cumbersome compared to the latch type.

It has a hook, for a plumb bob (I guess, since I've used it before for surveying) and a cover or holding area? Never seen this thing before and it is velcro'ed to the legs. Can someone tell me what's its for?

The tripod is a single column affair with no step ladder nonsense which you can increase or decrease the height fairly easily with the rubberized screw.

Its party trick is that its legs can swing a full 180 degrees which you can mount your camera upside down. The full swing action is also useful where you might need to mount 1 of the legs to the wall, since your wide angle is not wide enough (or I don't have a ultra wide angle)

So, this makes the whole tripod when folded to a very low height.

[Did I mention that it comes with a padded bag?]

The maximum height of the tripod stated on the site is 1655mm (again, I think that it's measured without the head attached). Tall, that's the word. With the head installed and my D90 attached, the viewfinder is at about eye level to my height of 175cm.

[What's that piece of fabric on the legs for anyway?]

So, now about the head.

Its metal.
Its a ball head type.
There's a pin (if that's what you call it) which pops out when the attachment plate is removed. It locks the latch too when the plate is removed. Clicks and closes the latched when the plate is reattached.

The attachment plate is made out of metal, except the part where the camera is screwed onto is made out of cork. The screw quality could be better.

There's is one important note about attaching the plate onto the head, that is to make sure that the plate and the pin really clicks or your camera would experience free fall. (Lucky I didn't have to find out) The manual would need this warning though. (Ignore the manual, its pretty much useless.)

The head would pan in the horizontal direction slowly with the small screw or your hand action (lots of pressure I presume) with would be bothersome if you are into HDR photography and would need accurate position for each exposure. (Hey, there's bracketing for that now!)

Well, that's pretty much it for a tripod of such a class. If I have extra cash, I'll probably try to mix it with a better head. Maybe have a spare pan-head?
Its sturdy, heavy, short when it needs to, and tall! What else do you want from a tripod with a ball head? A spirit level?? (its pointless to have a spirit level on the tripod with a ball head since it moves in both x and y direction at the same time when you adjust it, use a hot-shoe mounted level instead)

At last, the picture taken from the tripod.

Sg Gabai

2010-07-05T21:48:00.005+08:00

Back in KL... Went to Waterfall...

Here is the un-cut version of our trip to the waterfall...

And for the 200th post....

2010-04-02T15:53:00.002+08:00

Quite simple actually... Packing my stuff, getting ready to go to Penang (Seberang Prai) for my industrial training. I supposed the rest of my updates will be specifically on the official blog for my training, here.

Half way done cleaning my room, 30% done packing. -.-"

And So...

2010-04-01T19:42:00.004+08:00

a few days before I leave, I would like to post stuff I've seen so far... Sorta like a post before I leave... Sounds... -.-

This was actually a couple of weeks ago... At the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon festival. See, even pants are hard to rise...

And while this is what I saw this afternoon... A Ferrari 360 Modena Spider. That means, the ultimate (being a Ferrari), ultimate's ( being a track focused Modena) and the ultimate of cars (being a drop top!!!). I was wondering.. What the hell is it doing in Seri Kembangan, being the land of plenty of potholes..

[Don't mind the dash of my car or the stickers..]

EXAMS are...

2010-03-30T21:44:00.003+08:00

Finished!!!

WOHOOOO!!!!!

I Hear...

2010-03-28T00:49:00.003+08:00

Voices telling me to focus on steel, since SK basically killed us off in test 2, best I could hope for is a A- or B+

Another telling me to fight, since I don't want to get below a B, especially since I don't know the condition of my carry marks, i.e. not knowing my test 1 results.

And another yelling, Wuhuuuu!!!!

Must be the mamak stall beneath my apartment. Tonight's game is on, Bolton W. - Man U...

Forgotten Tradition

2010-03-26T14:50:00.002+08:00

Well, what I usually do is to post my exam dates... So, here goes..

24th March
Project Management and Construction
Reinforced Concrete I

27th March
Sports Recreation and Management
(afternoon)

30th March
Soil Mechanics II
Structural Steel Design

That's it, 5 exams covered in 3 days. 2 down 3 to go

I am....

2010-03-23T23:49:00.003+08:00

Actually, the correct tense would be was..

researching Reinforced Concrete text books, but couldn't find the equivalent UDL from a two way slab loading... -.-

researching on possible replacement models for the Canon 50d and Nikon D90 with the coming months.. and instead spent a good deal of time watching videos from digitalrev.com

Revising Project Management and Construction. Bored to death!

Ok, I'm ready for you now!

Took Them Long Enough

2010-03-22T17:09:00.003+08:00

I mean for the administrator...

Industrial Training

2010-03-16T20:34:00.001+08:00

Got a placement, and since the Uni requires us to post updates of our progress in a blog, why not register another blog,

HERE

right now, its empty though...

Today is... 3.14

2010-03-14T13:13:00.004+08:00

π day... Yes, it seems funny, being that π = 22/7, meaning that pi day should be on the 22nd july...

But, oh well, cause the first 3 digits of π is 3.14

And.. today's actually White Valentine's to you Japs and what-not..

From me and Google,

Fight Fight Fight!!!

2010-03-09T01:18:00.000+08:00

It is time to get going and fight!

Feb 27th, FRIM Outdoor Adventure

2010-02-28T21:43:00.012+08:00

The Un-posted edition

Thanks you Tai Lou for the pics, and your support..

And to all the participants, exco members, thanks for your cooperation in making this event a success.

Finally, thank you Pn. Mastura.

[YT can't believe she's here doing aerobics..]

[Aerobics Team]

[The end of Aerobics. Gathering for the hike]

[Entering the hiking trail dy]

[Arriving at the Canopy walkway]

[Tai Lou and Casagrande Chin at the canopy walk]

[What's this?]

[The Waterfall]

[Reaching the end of the hike]

~Start of the Games~

[Cheer up YT!]

[Cheer up la~]

[Ok! Good!!!]

The end... wuhuhuhu...

CNY 2010

2010-02-25T00:20:00.005+08:00

Stolen Edition, i.e. from my Facebook photos... Since I don't have the original pics..

[3b1 outing]

[Cindy's Open House]

[Aveline's House, 1920's]

[Fook Meng's collection, 1920's]

[Feeding Frenzy at Fern's House]

Things not to do

2010-01-31T22:49:00.001+08:00

Don't eat a whole dragon fruit unless...

Firefox 3.6

2010-01-23T00:44:00.003+08:00

Finally! When I click to open to a new tab, it goes to the next adjacent tab!

In case you don't know, in 3.5, the new tab still goes to the last tab. Kinda annoying if you have plenty of tabs open.

Get it here!

Why We need Comics

2010-01-18T01:54:00.008+08:00

This has nothing to do with anything, if anyone is wondering. Just that I think that it is funny, no hidden meanings.

Adopted from Dilbert's official website, published on the 17 Jan 2010

This comic is a pick me up, especially with test later tonight at 8pm!

The next day there's RC test too.

Good Job to Scott Adams for the wonderful Sunday strip!

FRIM

2010-01-10T23:35:00.003+08:00

Forest Research Institute of Malaysia

Location: Kepong

Time: Reach FRIM at 9.00 a.m.

Activity: Scouting of the Hiking Trail, Canopy Walk, Getting Quotation for the facilities.

In short, the trail is simple, easy hike. Compared with Broga, its about 30% of the hardness level. Pics are with my assistant director, and Program Manager...

Who would have thought that the trail from the end of the canopy walk to the picnic area would involve an actual trek through the jungle. In fact it was a stream, but it was a monkey trail, since I saw a baboon there. Really, I did! Ask Lyiana and Seng Xiang.

When I get the pics, that is if I get them....

On the Second Day of the 2010

2010-01-02T23:14:00.005+08:00

On the first day of 2010, I've rode on the KL public transport system which I've haven't rode for more than a year. Now I know why... KTM is just too slow. Other than that, all is well.

Well, the countdown celebration was epic, with shows and BBQ galore eating, and grilling non-stop. Will post some pics later on since the pics are still with my friend. All I know is that on Friday, I slept the whole day!

Then come to my story on why I would ride on the public train system. I got a call last night asking if I want to climb Broga Hill again. Well, since there's a class trip which involves hiking, I figured that I should train myself.

I took the train back to Kajang, switching from LRT to KTM, which now involves that hard part, the Komuter... The journey took me 1 hour 10 minutes. Figured that I should have just drove the way down to Kajang when I saw the Komuter delayed by 20 minutes. Sienz...

But, come the morning, at 4.00 a.m. we woke up. Actually I was just me and another friend, the rest however, were still sleeping. Technically, I didn't wake up since I didn't sleep at all!

At 4.45a.m. we depart, tai lou was unhappy since he was waiting for us since 4a.m.

The pre-dawn was cold,
the moon was full,
there was about 30++ people that came, thinking that there was too many people,
we hiked.

With the moon above us, and some light from the torches, we hike in dark.

Good thing that the air was cool, cause it gives a very good feeling especially in this humid country. Since last night it was raining non-stop, the ground was a little wet, which is better since the last time I went up there, we had to battle the slippery sand that covers the trail.

We reach the top by 6.30, I think. There were people camping at the top, a large group for that matter which kinda spoils the mood since everyone wanted to see the sunrise. Good thing there's a large flat rock a foot below the tip for me to rest on.

I think pictures will make the explanation better but, all I know is that when I took the train back to KL, I fell asleep on the LRT when I had the chance to sit. A few seconds nonetheless which spooked me cause I wont wanna miss the stop.

Anyways, after a full afternoon nap, I went to Sunway Pyramid to meet up with some friends and this post is getting boring ain't it? Lolx. I'll be sure to post some pics.

Anyways, the new year arrives, and it proves to be busier that the last!

What The Year 2009 Has Done to Me

2009-12-31T00:59:00.005+08:00

2009. I've celebrated the coming of the year in tHe Curve.

Looking back, the year was crazy to say the least.

Yes, from my Blog, the year seemed kinda boring. But what I would highlight is the things that I did in the University first.

1. The Haunted House

2. My Uni has been hit with A(H1N1)

3. My Uni is boring!!!

Well, apart from my Uni, there's also other places that I've hanged with my uni friends.

1. Went to UCSI Orchestra to see Amy perform.

2. Went to Broga Hill, found out that I really need to work on my stamina!

3. Went for Shabu-Shabu, conveyor belt steamboat.

4. Celebrated my 21st Birthday. Ahh... Pics are on Facebook... (Steamboat... Again Minus the sigh) Thanks Guys!

DIY and Upgrades that I've done;

1. Finally my bed is stable! Manage to fix the problem of the mattress constantly falling into the bed frame.

2. Installed Windows 7 (32-bit), then Dual-Boot it with XP and Windows 7 (64-bit)

3. Installed 4 GB of RAM.

Besides that, I've became God-like when I was back in my hometown for three months, couch-sitting, TV-sitting and bed-sitting.

1. Back there, I've also met up with friends for trips to Permai, twice actually.

2. Yum Char sessions, which I think would amount to more than 10.

3. BBQ at Joash's place, met up with Dominic, Clifford, Kai Liang and so on...

4. Played Prospectors and Saboteurs during almost every yum char session when Joash is there. Nice game by the way!

5. Family time.

While during the last semester break;

1. Yum Char sessions

2. Went to Permai again, this time to skim-board. Thanks Mei Fern for the lesson. Now my butt doesn't hurt anymore from falling down!

~~~

However, there were downers,

1. PTPTN - I forgot to receive or take the agreement letter, had to drive all the way to Bukit Damansara to get the letter! Hence my school fee was paid during the last minute. Anyway, the upside is that the cash came in just in time.

2. Leg Injury. 20 cents coin on my knee!!!

3. Flu. But which one did I get??!!

4. Hard Disk failure! Lost some documents. -.-''

Despite the downers, the yeas has been memorable. The last week I've prepared Spaghetti and Meatballs from scratch, for 30++ people during the Christmas Party. Pics later la...

This year, I'll send off the year 2009 with a BBQ with friends.

The Menu~

1. Chicken Wings
2. Lamb Chop
3. Mashed Potatoes
4. Fries
5. Watermelon.

Yeah, I know that its not as grand as it can be, but smoking and charring for 16 people will prove a new challenge. With just a nominal fee of RM15, would you expect smoked salmon? Well, if I've got the cash, I will personally fillet and smoke the fish for 5hrs!

Anyway, gotta marinade the meat soon~

Busy

2009-12-28T21:43:00.005+08:00

Just about came back from cat-sitting at my 2nd Sis place in KL...

One thing I've learned there is that;

1. Cats will pee on rugs, even those synthetic ones that acts like mini sponges that you put on the car dashboard.

2. Washing those rugs are pointless.

3. Cat fur will multiply in the exponential scale in just 24hrs after vacumming and moping the floor, rug and so on...

4. I've gotta use my anti-inflammatory nasal spray at least a couple of days before jumping into cat world. Or else there's a flood of phlegm. Yes, its sounds gross.

5. When you are asleep in the couch, cats will jump at you, scratch your legs and go on as if nothing happened.

6. Remember to use a blanket if you plan on sleeping on the couch, reduces the scratches.

7. If there's no entertainment, there's always the sofa to sleep on.

Eve

2009-12-24T00:37:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas,
I'm beat... Rest.

Soil soi...

2009-12-16T01:02:00.001+08:00

Soil 2...

Actually, what did I learned in Soil 1 to begin with?

Week 2

2009-12-11T12:02:00.002+08:00

I survived week 2, lecturers are... lets say eccentric...

Did PC fair-similar-work at PJ Digital Mall... Tired for more than a week, and my shoulders could still need some massaging...

To sum up, busy!!!

New Sem...

2009-12-03T16:05:00.001+08:00

New Semester, and I've haven't been to class yet...

-.-"

Tagged By Sui-Sui Ling

2009-11-15T21:19:00.003+08:00

I'll try my best to understand what all these scripture means.... Lolx

我的大名：Then Yii Soon
我的生日：9月03号
傳給你的：sui a.k.a Sui-sui Ling
生日想要得到什麼禮物：I know this sounds cheesy and probably old fashion, its the thought that counts... Though a Nikon d90 would be nice... lolx..
近期開心的是：Back in hometown, hanging out with friends...
近期壓力大的是：On the way back to hometown, with the stupid airasia flight delayed!
未來想做什麼：Retired by 35!
有沒有喜歡的人：很有可能
同學會要回去找老師嗎：Just want to keh poh Kuching High
跟誰出去最幸福：Anyone
如果你的兩個好友吵架了：Sit back and maybe try to listen? Does that work?
跟情人出去最想去哪：Anywhere
聖誕節要做啥：Either a simple party or all out crazy
最想跟誰過聖誕節：Friends and family
有沒有起床气：Depends... I think...
有幾個兄弟姐妹：3
最喜歡的一首歌(女生的)：Evanescence - My Immortal [with full band] Mainly because I like the guitar riff...
最喜歡的一首歌(男生的)：Too much... Suddenly thought of, 'The Way You Make Me Feel'
喜歡什麼顏色：Black, Grey, Red
上廁所會不會先沖水：? Depends... If there's something... Wouldn't you?!
愛不愛自己：Yes
喜歡男生還是女生：What kinda question is this?!
最想大聲說什麼：Ah... I think it depends on what I'm thinking..
誰很欠打： Sui... ngehehe
現在很迷什麼：Anything interesting...
睡相很差：?! How should I know?
現在的時間：9.40 pm
是否痛恨傳給你點卷的人：爱死了
今天天氣：RAIN RAIN...
你懷孕了嗎: ?? HUH??
你若中樂透最想做什么: Anything that is not boring..
大學生一定要玩的活動：Dunno... I guess I'll put down prom night too... Since it'll be interesting..
如果能為彩虹添加一種顏色你選：Is that possible? Wow! Maybe
你相信爱情会永远吗：Why not?
现在的你穿什么颜色的衣服：Blue
放棄一個人會很難嗎：I guess so
最近在追看什么戏：Nope
最想有的异能：Faster reaction time...
+你现在在哪里？：Home
最近最想做什么？ : Pillows..

I'll end this circle of death here...

Going Back to Kuching

2009-11-09T04:53:00.002+08:00

In a couple of hours...

Will be in Kuching till the 3rd of December.

Outing anyone?

Windows 7 and XP RAM Usage

2009-11-08T13:34:00.004+08:00

Here's a screen shot of XP and Windows 7 page file usage...

Well, the difference is that I've haven't configured the start-up process in Win 7, hence the higher PF usage.

Secondly, I think my PC runs smoother compared with XP. However, that could be due to the newer hard disk that I've installed to use Win 7.

Both of the OS runs on somewhat similar hardware, except for the hard disk..

Installing Windows 7

2009-11-07T19:07:00.005+08:00

Here's a couple of pics I took when I installed Windows 7

The 1st step, I didn't took any photographs, but it's quite simpled compared with an XP installation.

The installation will ask you which partition you want to install, in full graphical interface, i.e. with a mouse, click, select how much MB or GB you want for that partition, unless you've already formated the hard disk, or continue with the size of that partition.

If its an unformatted hard disk, you would have to select >NEW> Size of Disk>OK>format>next to install...

If you've already have the disk that is partition and just taking over XP or an clean install, just click >NEXT

2. Enter some basic info, or something... and you will come to this screen...

3. Wait for awhile, you are near completion.

4. It will resize the screen, nearing completion.

5. Tadda!!! Windows 7 is done installing. Basically, you will have to enter some basic thing like your name and pc name..

6. Update, activate and so on..

7. Find drivers like graphics card driver and some other basic driver, like your audio codec driver... Like I did.. It took me an hour to find a suitable driver.. I have to hunt down the driver from Realtek myself, took me awhile to realize that the driver from the motherboard website's is very old, not compatible with windows 7. Hence, here's the site...

8. Install those programs, like firefox, antivirus; AVG or something. Maybe office?

9. Look at the beautiful stuff, and now switch back to XP, cause I'm downloading something.. Lolx..

My desktop...

2009-11-07T16:33:00.003+08:00

Windows 7.

It only took about 30-40 minutes to install...

Will post progress later..

Final Finals!!!!

2009-11-02T13:01:00.004+08:00

YES!!!

That's the end of my 5 months torture!

And with about a month of pleasure... Short lived, yes...

Well, I'm pretty much confident in 4 subjects, Soil, SA2, WW, CProg... Well, tech-comm.. I guess it depends on the lecturer... And I'm not depending on her too much...

Should I,

1. Sleep?

2. Need for Speed Shift?

3. Watch shows?

4. Non of the above...

p/s: Thanks Min Xin for the Soil intensive course! Helped me alot!!!

Of Halloween and Procrastination

2009-10-31T18:40:00.003+08:00

Been procrastinating throughout my revision...

Visiting blogs, reading mangas, and listening excessively to music...

Though, the last two days were worse.. Reading PhD comics from the archives...

Guess it has nothing to do with Halloween though..

C Prog

2009-10-30T19:32:00.003+08:00

C Prog Exam today..

I think they just don't really care about the test paper...

Too much mistakes and the correction made it worse...

Q: Blahblahblah..........................................blah..

I Crapcrap crap

II Crap-crap and more crap

III this ism't crap... I think..

IV Huh??!!

A) I,II,III

B) II,III,IV

C) I,IV,V

D) II,III,V

And they tried to correct it, into something worse... Oh, there's a question with the exact selection in II and IV.. Ctrl-C + Ctrl-V too much ar??!!

-.-"

In Section B, there was 1 question that was downright confusing..

I was like, HUH??!!

&%#*!!

Well, the rest were moderately easy..

If you were to become bored...

2009-10-27T14:21:00.003+08:00

What if you were too bored and started wondering why about nothing, then its time you read this...

1. Why are there countries with left hand drive and right hand drive traffic?

2. Why are there so many different standards of electricity around the world, with different plugs and sockets?

Yes, I was bored as hell studying... So, I read those things..

Finals

2009-10-26T03:01:00.003+08:00

Finals are closing in...

Here's the list:

27th October, Tuesday - Structural Analysis 2

30th October, Friday - C Programing

1st November, Sunday - Technical Communication

- Water and Wastewater Engineering

2nd November, Monday - Soil Mechanics 1

Sien, 2 Exams in one day! And the most labor intensive + confusing subject is on the next day!!!

Haiz.. Gotta get studying on my structural...

Merdeka, 油起价...

2009-08-31T14:44:00.002+08:00

Lolx.. Just back from countdown at Genting...

No, there's wasn't a jam on the way over to the mountain top resort, yet... Finding parking is the pain in the ass... I think we wasted about an hour just to get around to find a proper parking place.

In the end, it was somewhere near the bus terminal, very far away from the Highland Hotel...

Peter, Siaw and his gf, YH, and KH went up the hill too...

Partly yes, there's was traffic, just human traffic. If you know the feeling of getting squeeze on KTM or LRT or Monorail, that's what you get when trying to leave the building so that you can look at the fireworks outside...

The fireworks are nice though, just that they are too close for comfort... Some residue got into my eyes, and my friends'.

Pics would come later when I get it from my friend... Now, sleep...

The Week...

2009-08-29T01:57:00.002+08:00

Well, as in the previous post, I got pwn! by the SA 2 lecturer, my Soil Mech 1 is ok and today's C programing quiz was easy-peasy..

All that's left are Wastewater and C prog test. Anyway, was it just me or do you feel that there's not much of a national day mood this year? Probably its due to the fact that the economy isn't as good as it used to be, or that we just don't like our politicians to give a rats ass, hence we don't wanna buy into their crap. Oh well, happy pre-merdeka.. To me, now... As a student its just a public holiday where we try to be patriotic, for once a year...

pwn by SA 2!

2009-08-25T02:25:00.002+08:00

Today just got pwned by my structural analysis 2 lecturer in my test today...

Sienz... Thursday there's another test, soil... so soi...

Old Town near UM

2009-08-17T22:04:00.003+08:00

Last Friday, I went to Damansara, something to deal with the PTPTN... Lampiran A crap.

YH and I stopped by UM after since he wants to meet up with a friend, at 5.30. However, he met his junior so we went out to makan at Old Town.

After sending YH to UM, that was around 5pm, the Junior, Zhao Xue (hope the spelling is correct) and I went to Midvalley, where we met up with Peter.

The process of buying a pair of shoes took Peter about 2++ hours though, until Studio R closes! Lolx...

UCSI Orchestra Concert *Updated with extra photos...

2009-08-13T12:25:00.005+08:00

Tuesday went to UCSI to see their Orchestra.

Amy was there, lolx, where me, Billy, Peter and Yi Heng went there for the performance of Bach, Mozart and Ravel.

Here are some shots before we got into the concert hall,

[Hungry... Since the Concert starts at 8, and I haven't had dinner...]

[The owner of the N78 that provides this post with photos...]

And some pics of the orchestra itself:

[Guess which one is Amy..]

The Pieces that are played that night:

J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
W.A. Mozart- Symphony No. 29
M. Ravel-Le Tombeau de Couperin

Personally, I think that their Ravel was played nicely.

Well, later had supper at Billy's place, at Sg Long somewhere near the night market. The mamak is an interesting place and we had a couple of friends that joined us, where they seem to be the type that can survive a nuclear attack is North Korea made shoddy bombs that fall into Malaysia instead of China or the US...

Broga Hill, Semenyih

2009-08-10T21:45:00.007+08:00

Went hiking with friends the day my Uni was closed (Read last post)...

WARNING: Plenty of photo's...

It was in Semenyih, somewhere right next to Nottingham College.

Time of hill accent, 5.05pm.

[Hill Climb.... Very Hot and Humid]

[The first sight clear sky since the hill climb]

[Ah... The Sun with its heat...]

[You mean there's more?!]

[Damn you tai lou take us out to suffer...]

[Obviously delirious from the sight of the second part of the climb]

[Take photo first lo...]

[See Lang taking photo's of the slackers...]

[Wei, don't come near me le...]

[Wei, I asked you not to come and yet...]

[Lolz, ran away pulak..]

[Seems like a nice spot for a pose...]

[How I wish I can just take a nap here...]

[Me and Siaw just arrive at the first part...]

[Yeah! Made it]

[No photo's please~]

[Finally, we all gathered at the first part of the hill climb]

[Lolz... Peter slept dy...]

[Second Part START!!]

[Into the second part of the climb...]

[Tai Lou chiong]

[Just to take a pose...]

[SWT]

[Wise old man]

[Look at my fair skin~]

[Time for a second nap?]

[Wah... UFO]

[Obviously, tai lou did the Adidas 10km marathon and got a medal too!]

[Look at my muscle!]

[How about you??]

[Diu! Got la... You see!!]

[Finally me and siaw reach the highest part of the hill, around 850m above sea level]

[Here, have some gas]

[Nearly fell over too]

[Sorry, no more pose dy..]

[Look at my muscle~]

[Sorry, we were busy taking pictures..]

[Everything below looks so small and insignificant]

And on the way down....

[Time for a break.. Have some grass]

[The steps that made it possible to climb]

[If not you'll just roll all the way down]

[Jay Chow's MV ar?]

[Its getting late..]

[Time for another pose...]

Its a nice place to hike, if you are into those sort of stuff...
My palm and thumb was cut from the rocks, blades of grass and sliding on the way down from the hill. My pants were full of grass and silt. The pockets were full too...

Similar post from Siaw Ge...

A(H1N1) Hits Uniten and My Hands are Numb...

2009-08-07T01:18:00.003+08:00

For different reasons...

First thing first, it was announced today that my Uni is closed for the rest of the week and the following week too (well, that's actually our mid-term break) due to the three confirmed cases of the flu. Today's Soil Mech 1 quiz was canceled, hurray!

And my hands are now numb from rock climbing, my left thumb is cut and so is my palms. Typing is now near impossible. NItez.

Its the Flu but, Which One?

2009-08-04T21:41:00.003+08:00

Last weekend was torture.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I came down with a flu so big that my back is flat the whole Saturday and Sunday.

Now, the thing is, which one of the non-deadly sans dangerous flu was it again?

Now my tonsils - around that area feels inflamed... Not a particularly good feeling...

^ How You Like it?

2009-07-29T23:55:00.002+08:00

Behold: the new Header....

Guess it was partly due to C prog that I guess that I should probably do something that would make this blog look better...

Anyway, the Technical Communications lecturer just landed a huge assignment... Damn...

Of Make Up and Bodykits

2009-07-21T22:34:00.004+08:00

This thought just come to mind...

What girls thinks about cars are like what guys think about make up.

One example is that we guys know that she's wearing make up, maybe notices the lipstick and eyeliner but, what we don't know is how much time (I'll assume plenty) it takes to do the other stuff like foundation and the likes of it, whereby the products probably fill up the whole dresser.

Where as girls notices that a car that has been modified looks different. Kinda how we notice the make up. Different. If the car has an aftermarket sport rims, a bodykit and some blaring speakers that rocks the windows, judder it till it shatters and probably disorientating someone who just ate too much burgers, point is the girl would just say, "hmmm.." with one side of the eyes squinting. In short, just like girls and make up, they probably don't know how much research, shopping around and trips to the bodyshop to make it look at it is.

[Someone gave alot of time and money on it]

Like us, we admire sport cars, they do the same just like how we notice a bomb shell walking pass the door. It may be gaudy, attrutious, flashy, evocative and somewhat wrong, we stare.

However, much like all forms of vanity, narcissism, and obsession, its all about envy. Maybe?
Big corporation pushes these images of observed beauty, coolness to our minds with celebrity with make up which they would do fine without, and cars that look like sharks (cough-evoX-cough) and ground shattering V8s. Well, its sorta like we all want a Ferrari ( impractical as it seems) and they want all the free goodies and spas and the likes.

[Mitsubishi Evolution X]

So, I guess to sum up, always aim for a Ferrari but make do with what you have. Otherwise, there is always another form of obsession, like stamp collecting.

DIY: Sunday

2009-07-20T02:54:00.006+08:00

What I did on Sunday was just DIYing the whole morning and afternoon.

First thing first, my bed frame. You know those planks of wood that goes from one side of the bed to the other? Those planks need a place to support it, right? Apparently those folks from Cavenzi either don't have a measuring tape or they just don't know anything about carpentry.

Those "sleepers" as I would call them are resting on supports that are too short, or either the "sleepers" themselves are too damn short. The result is that those "sleepers" keep on falling onto the floor, along with my mattress.

The solution? Well, just add another plank of wood to increase the width of the support.

[The scar from the 'sleepers' that keep on falling of its supports...]

Good thing the 'In-apartment-mini-mart' has roughly the same 'sleepers' frame at the back that I would just help them clear out.

1. Dis mental the salvage 'sleeper' frame with a hammer, safety glasses and gloves.

2. Take out those pesky nails.

3. Measure twice, cut once.

[To know where the screws are so I wouldn't drill into them...]

4. Remove the existing 'sleepers' and those things under the bed.

5. Drill and screw... Wait, that didn't sound quite right...

6. Tadaa! The increase width of the support makes the whole difference in the 'sleepers' not falling off.

I'll test drive it later...

But, wait! There's still more... I also made two step stools, if that what you would call it..

I needed/wanted a step stool for quite awhile now... Seeing that those plastic ones are hot, flimsy and could very well take your eyes out when you carry them around, I wanted a wooden one, especially when I needed to do more DIY projects in the future...

So, from good quality soft wood ( I would presume since they are very soft and loosely grained) I salvaged/found (I forgot), I started off making my step stool.

1. The top has to be made from two planks, good thing is that I managed to find both with almost equal height, laying flat side by side. (A good thing if you don't want your bottom to be pinched.)

2. With the planks quite long, I saw off roughly six inches to make its leg.

3. With a third plank, I fashion a cross brace, or horizontal column cum stabilizer.

4. Drill and screw all the parts together with 1'1/2 screws.

5. Tadaa! A wonderful step stool... Now I have something to rest my legs on instead of the speaker sub-woofer...

And, for the second step stool for my second sister, I used an Ikea shelf unit which she salvaged from her condo.

[Ikea Rian]

Roughly the same steps, but the outcome is far different. With the shelving unit a fair bit wide and long, it looks like it was used as a peddle-stool for someone giving a speech, like those soap box crates. I guess with a couple slaps of matte black paint on the legs and supports, it would look stunning.. Maybe during Monday afternoon...

[The double stool... LOLz]

I'm Just too Lazy to Think of a Title, Damn It!!!

2009-07-14T22:54:00.008+08:00

So, here's some of the pics I took from my phone when I was back in Kuching for three months...

[At camp permai... Went there to Kayak...]

[Twice!!]

[Too bad these photos are not of SLR quality...]

[And the neighbor's kitten that sneak into my house]

And, here are the photos when I got back...

[Been seeing of plenty of cars with matte black paint work, saw another car, Naza Suria with the same matte black, i.e. the non-shiny-paint-that-aunties-will-think-its-an-old-car-and-bang-the-door-at-it-denting-it]

And the main reason why I was so damn busy during my first week back...

[Damn insurance company that doesn't want to accept third party insurance for a car more than 10 years!!!]

[Finally got to renew the road tax for my car... Thanks Allianz Insurance!!!]

So, that pretty much sums up what I did... Short ain't it when you are 'Godlike' for 3 months...

Last but not least, today's sunset...

IN KL!!!

2009-07-02T22:48:00.004+08:00

I've forgotten how large a 19 inch monitor can be...

or,

How fast a speedy mouse really make things fun, and super fast at the same time.

But, been using a mac for these past few days, i can't stop 'expose' my desktop...

On another note, the plane ride was ok, minus the fact that the two person sitting next to me had running nose, and the taxi driver is having a cough. A virus come to mind???

Must be all those people wearing masks that are making me worry...

Simple Rules in Becoming "Godlike"

2009-06-01T03:18:00.003+08:00

The term I'm referring is what Chinese normally attribute to as sitting at home, doing nothing... Hence the Buddha sitting position.

In Hakka, we just refer the person as measuring the road.

So, that is what I've been doing so far.

Well, I've met with friends. But, last week, I've been to Permai to kayak... Most probably will go there again.

Those that were included in the last excursion were, Billy, Joash and KL.

Sorry, no pics of us arriving at KL's newest favorite place, where there stood a lonely tree out on the cape, christen... Virgin Cock!... Wakakakaka...

Long story short, it involves a dinner where KL over reacted to a phrase that someone at the other table said, and how it got stuck with us to make fun of it and him.

And, again... there's no pics due to the lack of girls that usually cam-whore at this stage, and the fact that your RM 1k plus phone don't swim..

Same Volume, Minus the Weight...

2009-04-06T00:56:00.003+08:00

Going back home in 22 or so hours...

Packing for my 3 months semester break...

Apparently, some luggage have the same amount of volume, despite the fact that they may seem bigger..

The black one weighs 4 Kg less!!!

Now, I'm in a dilemma if I should bring my guitar home...

I would have a hand luggage, and another guitar could prove bothersome since I'm traveling home alone...

Hmmm....