Monday, March 31, 2008
Hmm...
So ends my last day at Compliance...
Gavin & Miang Cze treated me lunch... at Six, a japanese restaurant in the Standard Chartered building, whatever it really is called. We had originally wanted to eat at Black Angus at One Fullerton, but fortunately (for them) it was closed down already. Haha!
Anyways, CSC tomorrow. Liz asked if I was excited and happy to be there. Haha! To be honest, I'm quite apprehensive since I don't know what my job scope will be and such. Besides, I'm only gonna be there 6 weeks or so, so I really don't know what kind of jobs I'll be doing. Coffee? Tea? Haha! Oh wells... tomorrow will know better.
The past few days has seen sunsets that are pretty... ermm... pretty. Haha! Well, they're not supremely beautiful, but it's got reds that I haven't seen for a long time. Not orange... red. Nice nice red. =) Maybe I should take some sunset photos... like go to reservoir or go to West Coast or Labrador Park or something... Then again, I wouldn't have the time to. Even Saturday also cannot... got 2 Timothy clinic at ORPC for 2 weeks. And the 3rd Saturday, the climate's probably changed already.
Oh wells... looks like things aren't meant to be.
Y'know, I think I'm past the Lomo thing. Lomo is an expression of art. You don't need "lomo-cameras" to take Lomo pics... I'm selling my cameras. And my USD$60 credit with Lomography.com, I might either buy some 800 film and slides, or get a refund. I will still have a film SLR anyway. Yep! Sounds good. Money money money!!!
*sigh*
These days, things seem to be plateauing. Life is sinking into monotony. Work, home, online, sleep, work, home, online, sleep... same cycle everyday, except the weekends. Today's QT talks about having faith that GOD is leading the way, that fighting the everyday evils is GOD's battle, and we're but a soldier in GOD's army. 2 Corinthians 20 has a very graphic story that depicts that. Read it... really. And the material says that sometimes it's really hard to just hand your life over to GOD, especially when things don't seem to be going GOD's way, we panic and try to take things into our own hands, which fouls up GOD's plans for us. Seeing life in that light, yes, it really IS very hard to hand it to GOD... just like that. It's so hard I feel like breaking down and crying now. *sigh*
Questions kinda wedge their way into your head and haunt you whenever you're alone, nothing much to do but brood... and asking yourself questions that you have no answer for, except the word "faith", over and over and over again, it's really quite taxing... and you just wanna keel over and rock back and forth on the soles of your feet, shutting the world and its impositions for wealth and good living out by cupping your palms over your ears and shutting your eyes and imagining the world was white with snow slowly drifting down... oooo, pretty snowflakes... *ting*
K, sorry. I was kinda overwhelmed.
Anyways, just wanna say things aren't that bad, so don't worry ya? =) No, seriously, don't worry. Cheers!
Love me
if you
dare...
20:02
0 thoughts on this post
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Miss you...
You seem to have just disappeared. Your daily ache for my voice seems to have been drowned out by the fun and laughter you're enjoying at camp. I'm not saying that it's bad. I'm just saying I miss you. Hope the campfire's been a great time of bonding for all of you. =)
It's been so long since I posted a song... so here's one, for you.
Love you...
"Here I am,
This is me.
There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be.
Here I am,
It's just me and you,
Tonight we make our dreams come true!
It's a new world!
It's a new start!
It's alive with the beating of young hearts!
It's a new day!
It's a new plan!
I've been waiting for you!
Here I am...
Here we are,
We've just begun
And after all this time, our time has come.
Yeah, here we are,
Still goin' strong,
Right here in the place where we belong.
Here I am,
Right next to you.
Suddenly the world is all brand new.
Here I am,
Here I am,
Where I'm gonna stay.
Now there's nothin' standing in our way.
Here I am...
This is me."
-Bryan Adams: Here I Am
Love me
if you
dare...
00:02
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Flashoholic!!!
I am totally distracted by the wide array of super power LED flashlights available online.
Remember how I was drooling over the Fenix lights from an earlier post? Well, I'm over them because in my search for a better compromise between size and light output and throw, I have found many worthy, better, more powerful contenders. And now I'm stuck as to which to buy. Reading forums, reviews, comments and comparisons have caused headaches and tired eyes. When I go to bed, I think of myself holding an unbelievably small light in my hands and wandering into the murky blackness of the reservoir in the middle of the night... but a click or a twist of my torch and the whole front 20 or 30m is lit up, clear as day (well, almost).
And I blame my cousin, Eugene, for my perfectionist hunt... *grrr* I am so getting him to buy one with me soon... when I decide on the one for me. Hahaha!
Love me
if you
dare...
15:51
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Tech Geek
Last Wednesday night, or rather, last Thursday, in the wee hours of the morning (1am), I called my cousin, Eugene, to talk about some gels that I wanted for my infrared photography. The topic of the gels led on to photography in general, cameras, photographic technology, and then it went on to torches... LED, Xenon, headlamps, hand-helds... When we hung up the phone, we actually talked for 47min... haha! And that was when I thought, he's maybe the only person who knows the technology that he's talking about, and is willing to listen and be teachable about those that he does not. And I feel really relaxed talking to him about such technical stuff, sharing my knowledge and his. There really isn't anyone else I know whom I can talk to about technicalities of cameras, of capabilities, of whatever la... I mean, I can tell many people but not many will be interested enough to find out more. They just want "the best"... of what, I dunno. Haha!
Oh wells...
Went to Elaine's house on Saturday for YAM gathering. Think it was abit sloppy, with regards to organization. Nobody was "in-charge". Then I think Elaine abit 不爽. Haha! But later on, things got better la... when more people arrived and programs started running. Had fun there, games, songs, BBQ... haha! Nice. I might join them in future.
And before that, I walked from home through Bishan Park, taking infrared photos of the park... in the hot sun. In the world of infrared, a completely different feel and view of Bishan Park was set before my eyes. Oh yes, I've set up a photosite, not dotPhoto anymore. You can click on the links when I put them up again to go there! For now, click HERE.
Oh yes! Friday! Good Friday... went for service, had lunch with Zhenhao, Tiff, Patrick, Dom Foo, Jeffrey (I think he's a Marist) and dunno the others' names. After that walked around until 3+, went to Auntie Cat's place, had difficulty setting up the new router for them, went for BS, had a splendid dinner with the youths, came back to do the router again, and was defeated for the night. The internet connection just doesn't seem to connect through the new router! Argh! Then Uncle Kenneth was like, "The computer beat you ah?" Hahaha! Yes, indeed, it did. But I'll be back! Yes I will... *grrr*
Oh wells... work's the same. But I got diarrhea this morning. Came in at 8:05am to do QT, then keep going to the toilet. I think I went 3 or 4 times, in the end, when my stomach settled down, it's 9am already. Hai. Will do my QT during lunch.
Lalalala! I'm bored... and I discovered I lost $50 yesterday when I did my accounts. And I realised I should have done it everyday so I know when I lost it. Darn! It's so irritating when you make the effort to WALK through Bishan Park to Junction 8 just to save that couple of dollars on transport, and then you find out you lost more than 20x the amount you saved. ARGH!!! Anyway, I'll waive the loss as loss. I still have excess from this month's budget. Idiot idiot idiot!
K... going for lunch already. Will update soon... I hope. =) Cheers!
Love me
if you
dare...
11:22
0 thoughts on this post
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Look... I know I don't even seem enthusiastic about it. I don't know why that is either. I guess part of me still is unwilling to step into the real working world. The bank is like, not real real coz I know it's just a contract job and I don't mind and don't care that I lose the job. But getting a science job is like a step into permanence for me... permanently slaved to society's demands for more cash-on-hand, to research, to leading a monotonous week. I already AM leading a monotonous week as it is, so I guess when the weekends come, I just want to release and to indulge in my passion...
Not very realistic, am I? *sigh* I guess it's time I woke up from my dreams.
Yes, I sent my application to UQ already. And I tried searching for some more on Seek.com. Found 7 potential jobs, but I really have no energy to think of how to conform my education, my character and my experiences to the requirements of every different company.
I will come home and do up some more cover letters tomorrow after church ok? I won't even get a new phone now since obviously that's not as important as sending out applications. And I know my promises may not seem any more dependable than a puff of smelly cigarette smoke, so I don't blame you for not believing what I type here.
And I can't apologize. But... yeah...
G'night sweetheart. Hope your night wasn't too fitful.
Love me
if you
dare...
02:01
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Friday, March 14, 2008
Fenix lights...
Hi everyone!
Long time ago when I was younger, say, lower secondary, I used to be into torchlights. I wanted the smallest, brightest torch ever. I began reading the backs of torch packages, all the uses for torchlights and all, and it all seemed pretty good and like, super bright... on the package. So I bought some of 'em to use. Brands like Energizer and Eveready were the cheapest so I got them first. Went on to spend abit more on more specialised brands like Princeton Tec and Pelican. From penlights to cylinder types, headlamps to optic-fibre lights... I had them all. Not long after, I realised there cannot be a brightest torch if it's gonna be small. Kinda duh, huh? Haha! How can anything handheld be brighter than something that cannot be handheld?
A compromise has to be reached. Portability was of utmost importance.
Well, my brightest torch ever was the Mini Q40 from Underwater Kinetics. It was a blue one coz black was boring and fluorescent green wasn't exactly appealing. 4AA batteries will output a 50 lumens beam. Nice. I brought it to camps and what not and my torch outshone most others. The light beam sliced through the night air in utter victory over darkness.
Then I lent it to my cousin, Eugene, to use... and soon after, forgot about it. When I did remember it, which is like a few years later (you don't find many chances to use torches in Singapore) I was told the bulb blew, which wasn't surprising since the bulb was only meant for like 5h+ of burn time. Oh wells.
Last year, I wanted to get a torch for camping in Australia coz the outback is really pitch-black on a cloudy night. So I got me another UK Mini Q40... this time they had yellow!
So yes, once again, I have the power of sunlight (so it seemed, at such a size) in the palm of my hands, and my technologically impaired friends could only yield weak, low-throw LED lights bought from pasar malams.
Seriously, at 50 lumens, you'd think I'd be able to light up the sky!
Of course, there was Surefire... but they were too expensive to tinker with so I was glad to settle for 50 lumens at less than 15cm.
Recently though, I discovered (during my boring times in office) another brand. The Fenix. Brings to mind Jean Grey from teh X-Men. Haha! K... anyways, as you can see, this little baby is small... 3, at most 4 times the length of a CR123A battery. Much smaller than my Mini Q40. For your information, a CR123A is shorter than a normal AA, but fatter in diameter.
So yes. Running on the more expensive CR123A (but it's lighter and can be stored for much longer i.e. 10yrs), this little baby can produce 6 different output levels: 11 lumens, 50 lumens, 112 lumens, an SOS signal, a strobe effect, and a blinding 200 lumens!!! At 3x the price of the Mini Q40, this definitely is a very tempting buy. *drools*
Its smaller brothers, the P2D and the P1D, are as blinding as ever, for its size (half the P3D). Makes me wanna collect the whole family man. Small enough to use as a keychain, the P1D has a maximum throw of 180 lumens! What the heck!
I want the Fenixes... =(
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last night, I collected my 25mm infrared filter from the post office. Bought myself another 25mm UV filter to protect my camera and to screw on the IR filter. At night when everyone was asleep, I did some experimenting.
With my IR filter on-camera and the lights off, I could see nothing in the dark. With my IR filter off-camera and the lights off, I still could see nothing in the dark. Obviously if I turned on my Mini Q40, I'd be able to see pretty clearly eh? Nope.
I attached my 25mm IR filter onto the front bezel of my Q40 (it fits just nice!) and turned it on. All I could see where "sunlight" used to spew forth was a dull red glow. Doesn't help me see much at all in the darkness that engulfed me. However, when I looked at the house through the camera's LCD, WOW!
I could see everything as clear as though the lights were on! This was really amazing I tell you. Haha! You have to experience it to know the sense of wonder that enveloped me. *grin*
That is why I want another torch, and I'm also thinking of buying another IR filter for the torch. Haha!
*sigh*
Money money money, must be funny in a rich man's world.
Love me
if you
dare...
14:56
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Photos!!!
I scrolled through my blog just now, and I realised that it's been SO-O-O-O long since I uploaded some pictures. And since my very last photo-shoot was MacRitchie with Simin, I shall upload some photos that I took. None of them are humans though... =)
Shit la... I forgot to put them side by side for you all to see. Sorry you had to scroll through so much. Haha!
And since I have abit of time, I shall change my blogskin, then I shall head to bed... =)
Love me
if you
dare...
00:14
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Sunday, March 09, 2008
Infrared example...
Hi all!
Yep! I had a pretty fulfiling day today taking pictures in MacRitchie... Insects never fail to intrigue me. =)
Simin was amazed at how I can spot insects when we're just walking along... haha! Then she say they're really my passion. Haha! That was assuring... really. Coz amidst all the job hunts and disappointing no-replies, it's easy to start doubting your own passion for things and whether your career should coincide with your passion.
Well, while we were walking, I mentioned that when my 720nm IRP filter comes, I must go back to MacRitchie for a walk again, to take infrared pictures. And with me talking so much about infrared pictures, Simin asked me how an infrared picture looks like.
And I'm pretty sure most of you don't know either. U might have seen it before, but you might not have known this to be infrared. So here's an example I took of the Parliament House:
Cool? Haha! It's been said that people either like infrared, or don't like it. But for those who do like it, most of them love it... =) And it has also been said that infrared photographers seem to appreciate infrared photos more than non-photographers who appreciate infrared. Makes sense? Of course it makes sense. If it doesn't, read that sentence again.
K... I think I'm starting to be lor soh...
Anyways, think I'll sleep already. G'night people!
Love me
if you
dare...
00:52
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Friday, March 07, 2008
Lomo... lobo...
Heya!
Someone once told me that my last few entries seem kinda grey and dull... and down and out. Like, all full of sadness and negativity.
Well, life's like that. U get some down times that really gets you down, and then some up times that are so happy that if you blog it, it just seems like you're pasting the happiness in cyberspace, and you lose some of it from your life itself.
Did I say I'm gonna be working at the bank until May? But I'm not gonna be at Compliance anymore coz they have no adequate reason to extend my contract. CSC, however, are in dire lack of manpower, so I will be transferred there, where Mel used to work. Liz said "Oh, you can use the desk Mel used when she was here la!" Haha!
Anyways, I have decided that no matter what, I'll go back to Brisbane one more time this year. My initial intention was to spend Mel's birthday with her, AND to hunt for jobs, AND to have some good fellowship at OCF again, AND to try and bring as much things back as possible. But we're having 2nd thoughts about spending her birthday together since she'll be going to Christchurch with her family and then coming back to Singapore for a couple of weeks in June. Then again, if I don't go for her birthday, I'll have 1 less reason to go back. Not that I need that one more reason to ensure I'm going back... It's just a thought. =) We shall see how things go from here before deciding further.
Oh, remember my last last post about dismantling my camera? Yeah... well, I did it! Lost 1 screw but I don't see how that's affecting the camera now. And now, my mju:800 is totally capable of taking handheld infrared photos!!! With an infrared filter attached, of course... which is why I ordered a 25mm filter from the states coz Singapore doesn't have it. I'd have to post some pictures up to show you the surreal landscape of the invisible. It's really dreamy and outta this world! Yet, the landmarks and monuments are so familiar. It's almost like an alternate reality! But you'd have to see it to agree... =)
Speaking of cameras, I recently developed some photos from my ActionSampler Flash, and I realised that one of the 4 frames is always dark! Puzzled, I took out my camera to test the flashes... To my dismay (again), one of the flashes isn't working!!! Like, wah lau can! So I immediately emailed my Lomography contact to enquire of a possible replacement. To my delight, they happily agreed! They even asked if I still wanted this camera, or I could get any replacement around that price range! So I told him I'd think about it first... and I started browsing through their site again... So-o-o many things I want, so little money. =( Next to the Multicolored Holga, I think I would like a Lubitel. The thing is, these cameras uses medium format film. Same price as 35mm, but 3x less exposures, which equates to 3 times the price of 35mm! Xian... And anyways, I think I have enough cameras to play with for now:
Film:
-Actionsampler Flash: 4 shots in one frame, flash capability.
-Actionsampler: 4 shots in one frame, no flash, selling off.
-Fisheye 2: Fisheye shots, flash capability, ringflash compatible.
-Nikon FM2n: Normal SLR, 50mm prime lens, 35-70mm zoom lens.
Digital:
-Panasonic Lumix FZ20: 5MP Prosumer, 36-432mm equivalent Leica zoom lens.
-Olympus mju:800 Digital: 8MP Compact, modified specifically for infrared photography, 35-105mm equivalent zoom lens.
-Nokia 6230: 0.3MP lousy handphone camera, no flash, no zoom, no capailities, full of noise, wish it would spoil soon.
-V-Gear webcam: 0.3MP webcam, Skype with my darling, precious, cannot sell or spoil.
So ya... imagine if I get a Lubitel... haha!
But since I still have about USD$60-$70 credit with them, and I don't know how long I am gonna be able to keep that credit hanging, I am quite, no, very, inclined to buy some slides and some negatives, if not for my lomo cams, then for my Nikon. Thing is, I'm not sure how much it is to develop slide film. And if I do develop the slides, do I want to mount them? Where on earth can you find slide projectors nowadays?
Yet, the prices online are really competitive! If not for the shipping fees, I would have bought from them everytime I want to buy film. But we shall see...
Oh, I'm sure you would've realized I changed my blogskin. Glaring, isn't it? Yes... it's so glaring I'm gonna change it over the weekend... Yes, I know, I've only had it for 1 week. But for me to review my blog entry is agonizing enough. I don't want people to stop reading my blog coz it's glaring!
*SHING!!!*
Love me
if you
dare...
13:24
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Monday, March 03, 2008
Bastards
Guys are all bastards at some point of their life. Looks like I'm at the prime of it...
No, I'm not inviting self-pity or what... I'm not thinking lowly of myself either... I just think that I'm at the prime of stardom... BAstardom, that is.
Pardon my bad language here.
Anyways, I just feel it's time to break it off. Nothing is worth more than this. So please excuse my absence. You'll get over it anyway... we don't even talk much, do we? Soon, I'll just be a fond memory of the things we used to do together... *shrugs* Suits me.
In case you were wondering what I'm talking about, things aren't what I've written them out to sound like. Really. I'm quite fine, thank you.
Oh well... I should sleep now.
Oh, and bastards shouldn't be missed at Sizzler, but thank you for thinking of me anyway.
Love me
if you
dare...
01:55
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