Eye Balls Everywhere
sunset over the brandenburg gate 
, originally uploaded by mivella.
Blogger block….
Nothing worthy to blog
Counter running like clock
Thank you frens for your support
Blogger block is Pipit’s prob
Bolehland bloggers….Happy National Day 31 August 2006!
Merdeka mengjara di hari Khamis (National day is falling on Thursday)
Hati duka kerana tak ada cuti (Feel sad cos there’s no holiday here)
Harap kawan di Semenanjung ni (Hope my frens from the peninsular)
Lepas cuti sila datang lagi! (After holiday please visit again)
My high-maintenance PDA
What kind of elephant that can fit into a drawer and cost S$500 in 2003?
a white elephant muahahahah…sob sob sob…
that’s my ACER PDA N10 that i blew S$500 on and now residing in my office drawer…Not totally a lost investment though, as i occasionally take it out and use it as a paper weight.
Well, the excitement of owning one of these high tech gizmos worn off the moment i opened the box. The feeling is not unlike the moment i got my pet hamster… there was so much work to do to maintain the animal the initial enjoyment quickly turned into the much familiar feeling of responsibility and commitment.
I needed to constantly keep the PDA charged up, even when it was not in use so that the memory could retain its content. Maybe this problem had been solved, i am really not sure. To get organised i needed to input all my schedules into the PDA. To do that i, either got to learn to “write” using the stylus or tapping on the tiny keyboard on the screen. I have patience for neither… and all this for what? So i can answer my mobile, turn on my PDA and let my golf kaki know when i am available for golf next week while at the same time trying to overtake that road hogger in front of me? No thank you!
Well, it is not that i am not an organised person but nowadays, i like to do my organisation on my office desktop Microsoft Outlook. I can sync it with my email, calendar, contact and tasks all at once. I am not an extremely busy person, so i dont need to carry my organiser around in a PDA. If need to, my cell phone software can take care of that. The PDA was an impulse buy with the justification of convenience and i suspect a bit of herd instinct as everyone was carrying one in those days.
With wi-fi, PDA cell phone and more frequent travelling, maybe it is time i re-look that PDA again. Hopefully, one that runs on Microsoft, doubles as phone & music player and lower my golf handicap… before i forget, remembers birthdays too!!
This post is inspired by Angel latest quest for a PDA
Happy Bird-Day, Cocka!!
My friend, Cocka is celebrating his 60s birthday soon and i had a problem thinking of the right present for him. After raiding his blog archive, i found that he has serious problem with his focus and framing skill with his current camera. Just take a look at the ”feetless and headless” shots above taken by the man. It is time i get him an idiot-proof infrared camera that can “see” in the dark.
After combing Chinatown last weekend i found the right camera that suits his incompetency needs and my modest budget. It is a Sony and hope you like it!
The Sony camera is supposed to be idiot-proof and I took a sample photograph with my eyes closed just for a try out. Hei! the end product i would say, is quite excellent. See for yourself at the end of this post
… for good measure a guide is also included for him.
Happy Birthday, COCKA!
THE HUMSUP GUIDE TO ACHIEVE SHARP DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS
The reasons for the lack of sharpness in your digital photos can be attributed to one or more of the following reasons:
- Camera movement.
- Lack of proper focus.
- Using a “soft” camera setting
Camera movement (or camera shake) usually comes from hand-holding your camera while using a slow shutter speed. To minimize camera movement while using slow shutter speeds of 1/25th of a second or lower you should use a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod with you, try placing the camera on a flat surface and using the camera’s self timer (obviously, this works best when there is not much movement in the scene). Sometimes, if the lighting conditions are marginal where your shutter speed is right at 1/25th of a second, if you have a very steady hand, you can try holding your breath briefly as you snap the shutter. You can also try manually increasing the shutter speed at the expense of using a wider aperture (lower f-stop). Generally, a higher shutter speed decreases the effect of camera movement, but the lower f-stop decreases the depth of field and requires more careful focusing.
Lack of proper focus is another cause for lack of sharp photographs. Fortunately, most digital cameras today comes with autofocus capabilities. In a few fixed lens cameras and in almost any digital SLR, the autofocus can be disabled allowing you to focus the lens manually. Greater care must be exercised to make sure the object that you wish to be the center of attention in the photo is sharply focused.In more inexpensive cameras, the only focus adjustment may be a normal and macro mode. The normal mode is usually represented by a mountain icon and the macro mode is usually represented by a flower icon. If your camera only supports these two modes, make sure it is in the proper mode before you snap the shutter to achieve the sharpest photos.
Poor lighting conditions may cause your photos to lack definition and contrast. You may notice that even when you use a tripod and with your camera handling the autofocus, your photographs may not appear as sharp as you might wish. This is especially true for available light photographs where you do not wish to use a flash. The fault for this lies not with your camera but with the scene itself. In cases like this, try increasing the available light shining directly on the subject. This can improve the photograph by allowing the edges to be more sharply defined against the background.
In camera sharpening can also affect the sharpness of an image. Some higher end cameras offer a sharpness adjustment that usually ranges from +2 or +3 to -2 or -3 with zero in the center. Increasing the sharpness can give you crisper looking images, and decreasing it will give a more “soft focus” effect. Some photographers like to use a soft-focus effect when taking potraits, especially of women, because it tends to smooth out the appearance of the skin. Increasing the sharpness will not compensate for camera shake or lack of proper focus. Many photographers choose to leave the sharpness setting at zero and perform any sharpening in the post-processing stage.
Hope you will take many pictures of the girls when you party & post it in your blog for our enjoyment!
Many happy return of the day!!
Tiong Bahru Pau & Snacks
Tiong Bahru Pau & Snacks… the only dimsum joint at coffee shop location selling at restaurant prices. It is located at the busy junction of Tiong Bahru Road (5 minutes from Keong Saik Road by car) and the narrow side road. The shop has no sitting arrangement, is not near any residential areas and only accessible by vehicular means unless you happen to live upstair of the shop. To get to this shop by car, you have to double park in front of the shop.
The dimsum are hand made at the back of the shop. Due to the roaring business at the shop, the dimsum are usually very fresh and steaming hot. Its pau by far is its most famous offering. It tastes so heavenly, buying Tiong Bahru Pau is the only occasion wifey allow me to commit a traffic offence without kicking up a fuss.
Tiong Bahru Pau allure knows no boundary. Even the rich and famous like this Porsche owner can’t resist the charm of Tiong Bahru Pau. Given its secluded location, impossible access and premium pricing, TBP success is a worthy case study for success in the F&B industry.
If you are in Singapore, why not give Tiong Bahru Pau a try. Any taxi driver will be able to bring you there and if you are adventurous enough you can talk a stroll, about 15 minutes, from the Outram MRT Station.
Other stuff to look out for when buying a house
Today i took half day off on company time to catch up on some networking and long overdue break from family & work. I registered for a half day seminar on the launch on the new “Code of Practice for the Design of Roof Drainage”. The talk was pretty dry and only merit a mention here because there are some tips on house buying that maybe of interest to fortunate people (outside this li’l island) & high net worth individuals here.
There was a huge outbreak of dengue fever last year and the major cause was traced to mosquitoes breeding in poorly maintained roof gutter. I don’t know how the govt agencies arrived at this cause but the statistic is quite worrying. The dengue fever cases last year was at an all time high of 14,200 as compare to 9,450 in 2004. So much so, Singapore had banned roof gutter with effect from 1 Nov 2005 and this rule applies to all new development.
So, the next time you buy a house, remember to look at the roof. If possible, choose one without roof gutter. It will save on maintenance and mozzies pesty problems.
On issues of maintenance, the advice which seems so logical & common sense, was to avoid planting tall trees or if you must, too near to your house. Otherwise it is prudent to maintain your roof gutter on a regular basis.
A lot of house owner would like their roof gutter to be hidden for aesthetic reason. Avoid at all cost this type of gutter design! Otherwise, when the gutter leaks, you will be slapped with a huge repair bill, not to mention the difficulty of maintaining such gutter on a regular basis.
Well, hope the above helps in your next house hunting trip!
Wuching, our self-proclaimed international kaypo, now you will have one more item to observe when peeping into your neighbour’s roof work 
A walk down Keong Saik Road
Keong Said Road… from Cantonment direction
I paid Keong Saik Road a visit last Saturday. Keong Saik Road was one of the famous red light districts in Singapore. Much of the brothel business had changed hand and the current Keong Said Road is a pale shadow of its former glory days. The present Keong Saik Road still has the odd brothels nestling between boutique hotels, retail outlets, pubs, chinese associations and kopi tiams. These brothels can be identified by the signature light box and big unit number of the property. In the past, beside giu kar (patronising a prostitute) there is really nothing much else to do at Keong Saik Road. Now you can see tourists, families with children in tow and the odd customers brushing shoulders with the ladies of the evening. I don’t know whether it is a good thing or not but the sleaze factor had gone down and replaced with the hip factor.
Brothel No: 28… with the red lantern, you wouldn’t miss it, would you?
Yoga & other lifestyles shop… If yoga session with a lot of biao meis is your cup of tea, check this out!!
Talk cock sing song… notice the woman in red at the walkway? could be your gf for the evening for a right price. she made me an offer that i could not accept so she sulked and refused to pose for this shot!
Fei Loh, my good friend and former organising committee chairman of my wedding celebrated his birthday last Saturday and the wife picked one of the kopi tiams at Keong Saik Road to throw a dinner for him. Like Geylang, the other famous red light district, Keong Saik is famous for its local Chinese food. This kopi tiam we went to is famous for its Prawn Noodle soup served in traditional chinese soup bowl size serving. Sorry, forgot to take a shot of the dish as it came out in between dishes and i was too busy eating by then.
Beside celebrating FL (centre) birthday, we were also welcoming our visiting friend from KL, Leslie (left). Leslie is a fan of Sheila Majid and was here to attend her concert at the durian. The concert was a success and you can read about it in Leslie’s blog.
A nite out is never complete without some talk cock sing song. We continue the celebration with a karaoke session at the Laguna club. Knowing Angel was out there last weekend battling mozzies and shooting rapid in the wilderness, i dedicated this song “Are you lonesome tonite?” to her. The same song went to cocka too cos… after so much partying over the last two weekends i know Cocka was grounded by the visa master last Saturday. What are friends for…thinking of you guys even when i am having fun!! LOL
My attempt as a tabloid reporter
While idling away at Senai Airport, i spotted a TVB artist who hailed from BolehLand. She is none other than the famous Choo Mee Mee. Ms Choo is famous for her role as the loud-mouth mean mother-in-law or the kaypo neighbourhood auntie in Hong Kong TVB series and some Kiasuland TV productions.
My sister-in-law approached and asked her for a photograph to be taken together, very courtesely and in an equally polite manner, Ms Choo declined her. Reason: Ms Choo didn’t have her make-up on…. and trust me, without make-up she doesn’t look anything like her image on TV. As one who would not take “NO” for an answer, i told my sister i would get a photo of her together with Ms Choo.
The photo above is my master piece. Notice the lady in black in the background between the two beautiful ladies from the left, there you go… Ms Choo sipping her cup of coffee. BTW, my SIL is on the extreme right and the two ladies are her friends.
A close up of Ms Choo and her coffee. There was an unknown young male companion beside her. From the laam glances they threw at each other from time to time, the young man could be Ms Choo lastest toy boy.
Not bad for a virginal attempt as a tabloid reporter, right? Can’t see her face? I didnt get close enough lah, otherwise i would have got her or hot coffee on my face…
How is my first tabloid report? like it…. loathe it? Shall i give up my day job to do this full time? LOL
Friday Blue
Friday…feeling at the bottom of the valley again after the highs from the events over the past week. After so much fun at the last bloggers meet and the good food over the weekend in Ipoh and Taiping, the me on cloud nine is coming back to reality, with a thud.
Work and more work is staring me in the face. Back to the daily grind of office coffee, meetings, datelines and gossip from the canteen auntie with the latter the only welcome blip in my office existence.
Life is like a roller coaster ride, with its highs and lows. The view at the valley may not be good but it comes with attendance benefits. In this moment of my life journey I feel less distracted, more focused and a bit less siao (crazy). In short, I am more reflective and calm. Not that I have a lot of planning to do, but most of my planning is usually done at this stage of my life.
I have my ups and downs but I tend to work my downs harder, not to get out of it per se. I tend to see my downs as a platform for me to build up my energy, determination, resolve etc so when the waves of excitement comes, I would enjoy it more knowing jolly well I have done the needful during the less exciting and quieter moments of my life.
eVeryone…
enjoy their highs but it is how we deal with the lows that characterize who we are!
Do you have any low point in your life and how do you deal with it?
Thank You for the Company!
As you age, your circle of friends go the opposite direction of your girth size… that is as your girth size grows, your circle of friends become less. However, after the bloggers meeting last Thursday, this law of nature can no longer holds true. Although bloggers are friends with no history but hei! who said friendship should be conditional? Bloggers who turned up are Leonard, Mother Superior, Spellbound, Michael & Grace, Robin & 2 frens and our good fren Cocka.
Thank you guys for a wonderful evening and the good company!
For those who did not turn up, hope you can make it for the next round…
Hei Leonard! thank you for the many choices of venue, including one Restoran Todak in JB and your tiredless efforts in rounding up the few of us for this meet… and the photographs taking. I guess you must be hungry cos it turned out you only took all the photographs of the food!!
Spellbound, it was nice knowing you and the wonderful voluntary work you are doing in South Africa. Guess all of us here will miss you when you go back to SA but hope you will keep us all updated on your blog.
Michael & wife, Grace… finally get to meet you guys in person. Mike, you look younger that your blog photo. Maybe it has to do with your blond hair or the beauty sitting next to you…
Robin, our philokopi dog lover… Robin asked, “Glass full or half empty?” Robin, didn’t get your friends name. Can you update us on your blog?
I was very thrilled by Robin’s profound knowledge on dogs. For example, dogs with three layers of hair should and must only be kept in an air-conditioned room all the time and hence not suitable for our climate. The pic in his blog is one such dog and one of the four registered in Singapore!! BTW, siberian husky has only one layer of hair…
Mother Superior, lover of chilli crabs and all things seafood… this pincer is for you!! Hei, next time must extend your visa so we can continue our party in Zouk hor!!
Last but not least, Cocka… the hamsup ONE from JB. We went for happy hours and after a few beers later, i found that his reputation had preceded him. For one that is famous for being hamsup, i find it surprising that his lady blogger frens have no qualm picking up his call in the middle of the night. That is quite unlikely and maybe Lin Peh chastity lock has something to do with it. Courtesy of Cocka, i get to talk to May and Angel on the phone that nite. Although the conversation was short but it was a pleasurable few minutes. I look forward to meet both of you in this coming September in KL!!
TODAY! – Chilli Crab at Riverwalk Jumbo
Hei! must chap cheng dit (dress up) today! Big meet with fellow bloggers at romantic riverside restaurant “jumbo” at 7.30 pm. This is the 2nd time we are doing this with Mother Superior and Leonard. Too bad flyboy (who was at the 1st meet) is away in Calgary earning bee kim (US$) & can’t join us. Never mind, can read the reports later. We are glad there are more bloggers coming today, especially our special guest, Professor of Yamade, DR COCKA from JB.
Las Montanas… can you join us?
Here is the Who is Who…
mike… can type 60 words per minute 
hoppily happy (flyboy’s fren)… helen long lost sister
fireburn… the angry one
spinnee… the dark vampire
robin… dog lover
cocka - professor of yamade from jb 
leonard. our GREAT organiser
spellbound.mysterious lady from South Africa
mother superior (extreme left)
