Dodges and Burns

The title says it all….

01. White water river rafting at Padas River, Sabah
02. Got promoted to a position that I work very hard for…
03. Went to Singapore (for work and abit of leisure)

04. Trekked in FRIM
05. Conquered Rainbow Waterfall, Pahang
06. Climb Broga Hill (twice)

07. Completed Standard Chartered KL Marathon (10km)

08. Went to Turkey (Istanbul, Konya and Gaziantep) and visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace)

09. Tried the Monster Green Lager of Craft Brews

10. Went to Krabi, Thailand
11. Drove a bike in a foreign land
12. Fired a handgun with live bullet

13. Eat McDonald’s Samurai Burger (read pork burger) and fall in love with it

14. Sea kayaking

15. Won two bets during FIFA World Cup 2010 (two small bets of RM5 each with Weoi Li)
16. Conquered Chiling Waterfall, Selangor

17. Conquered Kanching Waterfall, Selangor

18. Completed Nike City 10K Kuala Lumpur (10km)

19. Went to KLIMS and shoot both cars and girls to my heart content

20. Start a foodblog, Food Huntz, which is getting momentum

21. Tasted the original Kluang Station coffee at Kluang Station

22. Conquered Sg Pisang Waterfall, Selangor

23. Tasted original Ampang Yong Tau Foo

24. Participated in Inter-Buddhist Youth Camp

25. Rebranded my own domain to a better template and change the name to Dodges and Burns

26. Bought a compact camera (Olympus Tough 8010) as a present for myself

27. Bought another lens (Canon EF-S 55mm – 250mm IS) as a present for myself

28. Did a Jumping Shot that I am proud of

29. Conducted an activity in Buddha In Jeans (KCBA English Dhamma Youth Camp 15) not as a committee member (it was an either you like it or you hate it)

This is my third year doing this and since there were some comments on which I was technically incorrect previously, I have made the correction this time and writing it as 29 things that I did when I am 29. It is just part of the many things that I did over the year and what I feel is most important.

Buddha In Jeans is the theme of this year’s KCBA Dhamma Youth Camp that has just been ended a few hour before. I was there, partially as my “holiday” and to help out as one of the two photographers of the camp. There are thousands of photos shoot by Kuan Wei and I but I dont think I could upload all of it here or in Facebook. Nevertheless, I would upload those very interesting photos here and in Facebook.

So, below is one of my favourite:

Clearly, the photo is not shoot by me but this is something that I have always wanted to do and I did it…

More to come soon…

Was In KL International Motor Show 2010 recently. The second time that I actually went for the show (the first was in 2006), I am pleased that they actually have more participating companies showcasing their new and concept cars. What I was slightly disappointed with is the fact that there are fewer attractive models. But what I was slightly disappointed with was made up with the many nice cars available for me to shoot.

Below are my favourite photos from the show. Hope you like it as well.

Nissan GT-R

Chevrolet Camaro

Maserati Quallroporle

Ferrari 458 Italia

Honda CR-Z

Lotus Exige

Proton Girl

Mitsubishi Girl

Honda Girls

More photos are inside my Gallery.

An unlikely book that I actually found entertaining…

Inspector Singh is not your average good looking policeman that comes around and solved the crime. He may be good with his skill of investigation but his look, is definitely far from what we usually see on TV (think CSI where most of the people there are very good-looking). He is tall, fat with a large belly and he snore big-time. Oh, by the way, I think I have yet to mention it yet, Inspector Singh is a Singaporean policeman.

The first book that I have read is regarding a case that happened in Malaysia. Why the story is slightly above average, I am actually fond of how the author put up many facts about Malaysia that I cant help but to laugh out loud. It so happens that we, Malaysians, are taking things as it is but in the eyes of foreigners, even those across the causeway, many of what we perceived as normal is not that normal.

Nevertheless, it is a story about a murder of a tycoon and the main suspect is the wife who is a Singaporean. Part of a political obligation, Inspector Singh was sent to Malaysia to make sure the investigation is being done fairly. What Inspector Singh didnt expect is to do more than what he thought he would do… Want to know more about what happened? Go read the book

Thinking of getting a new camera? Dont know how to choose?

Here is a series of articles that may help you.

Camera 101

1. Camera Type
2. What to look for in a camera 1
3. What to look for in a camera 2

Camera Type

Basically there are 3 types of cameras:

• Compact camera
• dSLR
• EVIL

Each has its own pros and cons and it is up to the buyer which one it prefer.

Compact Camera

Olympus Stylus Tough 8010

This is by far, the most common camera and the one most people own. One can safely divide them into 3 different kind, the normal compact camera, the high-end compact camera and the bridge camera.

Pros

• Slim, small size for easy portability (except for bridge cameras that is bigger than a normal compact.
• Lightweight
• Cheap
• Large LCD view finder which helps in composing images, fumbling through menus, and viewing your wonderful captures.
• What you see is what you get

Cons

• Compromised photo quality
• Limited focal length (except for bridge camera which usually have high zoom power.
• Slow in processing camera
• Unable to customise certain setting (brigde cameras can do this as well as some of the high end compact cameras

dSLR

Canon EOS 450D

dSLR stands for digital single lens reflex which are the camera choice of the pros and photo enthusiasts. This is the choice if one would want to take photography seriously and being paid for it. Even these dSLR are divided into several categories, mainl entry-level dSLR, mid-range dSLR, high-end dSLR and flagship dSLR

Pros

• Ability to shoot RAW
• Ability to change lens according to requirement.
• Larger image sensor for better performance even under low light condition
• RAW file can be process over and over again without compromising of quality

Cons

• Bulky
• Expensive (both camera body and lens)
• Extra post processing work after shooting
• Bigger file of RAW means less photos are able to be captured in one memory card

EVIL

Panasonic Lumix GF1

EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) [EVIL is one of the many names of this technology which has not been finalized yet] is the latest trend in the photography arena. Result from being unable to compete with the BIG TWO of dSLR (namely Canon and Nikon), Olympus and Kodak decided to create a new market of their own. Soon after, other companies also join into the bandwagon of EVIL. These companies are Panasonic, Fuji, Sanyo, Sigma and Leica. It is safe to says that EVIL is a combination of the best of both world (compact camera and dSLR) where the good stuff of each is being combined into one.

Pros

• Small size, although not as small as a real compact camera
• Good quality photograph (comparable with those by dSLR, although slightly inferior)
• Large electronic viewfinder (it has been built entirely to be digital

Cons

• Supposed to be cheaper than a dSLR but the price are now comparable and some is even more expensive than an entry-level dSLR
• High crop factor, resulting in less depth of field control

The above are the pros and cons of each type of camera, the choice is still on your hand as everyone would have different expectation and budget. Depending on these factor, one would choose wisely according to the requirements.

* My advise:

If taking photo without the headache is your main requirement, DONT, I advise, dont ever buy a dSLR. A compact should be more than enough. However, if you have the budget to spare and time to learn a very steep curve, I MUST suggest that you go for dSLR. I must warn you that if you ever start on dSLR, there would be no turning back. You would not feel satisfied with anything that you take using a compact camera.

This is part one of three articles that I am going to write about photography and camera. It may not represent the view of everyone but mainly my own idea. It may or may not be true, so, if you feel that you have a different idea, please feel free to leave me a comment.