Meeting My Old School Mates From Nan Hua (17 April)

A few of us had not met after parting ways since we graduated from Nan Hua secondary school at 15 years old. Now we're in our 30s and we found each other using Facebook. I'm hoping for more reunions to come and more ex-classmates to join.

Bazaar

Did you know you can make money by selling off old stuff? Yeah, at a bazaar.

This is our 2nd bazaar this year. It was organized by Bishan Community Center last Sunday (April 12).

Although we didn't make as much money as the first time, it was still a good and interesting experience doing sales. Also we took more pictures this time. Enjoy...

We really had a lot of stuff to sell...well eventually a lot made it to the Salvation Army

Our partners: D6's mom and sis

Working hard to sell

but goof around a lot too...

Photography Excursion To The Zoo

I was invited by my friend to participate in a photography excursion to the Singapore zoo organized by members of Canon Singapore. They brought some heavy weight zoom lens which were a lot of fun to play with.

Leaf
Make: Canon EOS 40D
Shutter Speed: 1/332 sec.
Aperture: F/5.7
Focal Length: 250 mm
ISO: 200
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
Date Taken: 8 Mar 2009


White Tiger
Make: Canon EOS 40D
Shutter Speed: 1/166 sec.
Aperture: F/5
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO: 200
Metering Mode: Pattern
Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
Date Taken: 8 Mar 2009

I Am Going To The Movies Tonight

Information and picture source: http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/thesniper/thesniper.htm

Got a pair of free tickets to catch The Sniper this evening. The film stars Ritchie Ren and Edison Chen, who months ago caused a major scandal in the Asian entertainment industry. (Just wiki his name to find out more)

Synopsis:

HARTMAN (RICHIE JEN) is known as the top shooter in the police force. But behind the legend lies a skeleton in the closet. His former teammate and superb marksman LINCOLN (HUANG XIAOMING), who was jailed for accidentally killing a hostage, has just been released. With only vengeance in his mind, Lincoln determines to take on Hartman and the police, believing they are the real culprits for his fall.

When a high-security prisoner transfer is sabotaged by a mysterious sniper and a major convict has escaped, Hartman and his team are dispatched to profile the suspect. OJ (EDISON CHEN), the hot-headed rookie on the team, surprises everyone by accurately replicating the suspect’s impossible shots. Hartman sees the potential in this youngster and decides to take him under his wing. Yet when OJ becomes fascinated by Lincoln and determines to top his shooting skills, he might become another wild card on the loose.

I'll let you know what I think about it after watching the movie.

(Update - 9 April 2009)
I watched the movie and thought it was fair. Especially, I enjoyed the performance of Huang Xiao Ming as Lincoln. Overall, the movie fails to appeal to hardcore military-techno buffs as its treatment of its subject matter lacks technical or tactical realism.

For instance, sniper units are special tactical units that thrive best when they operate from long distance and in stealth. The set-up in the movie's final plot scene where the entire sniper unit went charging after the antagonist for a showdown is ridiculous and unconvincing.

Why Photography?

source: http://elenril.deviantart.com/art/Guinea-Photography-25561829

If someone were to ask me how I got interested in learning photography? My answer would be, Prague happened.

It was March 2008 when I visited Czech Republic. I blogged and posted pictures here, here and here.

As I looked back on the photos, I thought that I was in one of the most beautiful places in Europe and the pictures I took sucked.

They sucked because:

1. My antiquated but trusty Ixus 2 megapixel got lost and I took all my pictures in Prague with the built-in camera (also 2 mp incidentally) of my Motorola V3x mobile phone.


2. I have no idea how picture composition and ISO/Aperture/Shutter triangle works.

So I resolved to learn more about taking good pictures from then on. Today, I'm still learning.

Wish me good luck!

Damn it! My Notebook Has Finally Konked Out!

It's official!

After almost 4 years of active service and seeing action in exotic locations such as the greenline in Beirut and the shores of Algerie, my Toshiba Satellite M50 notebook has finally konked out.

The notebook has repeatedly shut down abruptly without proper power down-ing. =(

Today, I brought it to Toshiba service center for repairs. The preliminary verdict? A faulty fan which allowed the notebook's hard disk and motherboard to overheat. Upon overheating, the notebook shuts down to prevent the hard disk and motherboard from damage. Yes, the notebook has seen some pretty dusty places so hence the faulty fan.

I hope that with the repairs, which don't come cheap, my notebook could be in working condition again.

(Update 27 April 09)
Half a month and $730 later, I got my notebook from Toshiba service center complete with a new motherboard replacement as the previous motherboard burnt out. Finally, it is in working condition again and I'm all smiles =D

Final Fantasy Tactics

Pictures source: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Tactics:_The_War_of_the_Lions

Lately, Singaporeans are hooked to the PSP (Playstation Portable). Many, including working adults, can been seen playing the PSP on the commute in the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and buses.

It would be an interesting exercise to compare the PSP penetration rates between different countries. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a higher PSP per capita then Japan.

Having said that, I have no qualms admitting that when there is nothing to do, I too spent much time on the PSP, especially on the game Final Fantasy Tactics - War of the Lions. =P

The artwork of the game is pretty decent. I especially like the cut-scenes which were rendered in cell animation.




The gameplay is also another draw. The unique character class system allows players to develop their characters in a non-linear manner. What this means is that a supporting character i.e. a healer is not limited to developing only healing magic but can also acquire pretty awesome attacking skills and vice versa. The player is allowed to develop up to 24 characters.

I realized that I appreciated the plot more as I went along. A lot of Machiavellian NPC villians. The plot is complex but not enough to bog down players unnecessarily.

The in-game characters speaks in a dramatic and archaic diction added depth to the medieval backdrop and struck the right note for fantasy buffs like me.

The only drawbacks are the gameplay music and the fact that it is taking too damn long for me to complete the game.