Infrared Effects...

I got my 17-35mm f/2.8D AF-S lens yesterday. Wah, so shiok. It's realy heavy but darn solid, just like every professional Nikkor should be.

Went around shooting some pics to experiment with it. I also was dabbling a little bit with Photoshop to create the effect of infrared film. Added a little sepia toning to it too. Infrared photography is a field that I havent gotten into, but it sure looks like fun.


Ah...Northwood.


The ubiquitous Kroger shopping cart.

The Seasonal Nomad...

*Thump, thump, thump…..that’s all it took to wake me up. It was one of those days again when I would be awoken from my slumber from the repetitive rhythmic thumping of the subwoofers upstairs.

This time I let it slide. Simply because it was the last few days of the semester, and I just didn’t feel like looking at that guy upstairs again. I got up, and looked out my window to see a huge Dodge Durango parked outside my apartment. I later found out that he was moving out. (victory dance).

But the thing is somehow he decides to leave the packing of his stereo for last. As I’m writing this, he’s still in the process of moving, but his radio is still blaring. I’ll let it go, since it’s probably the last I’ll hear from him. I really hope he doesn’t come back again for another semester.

I went to rent the storage space up on Plymouth Rd. I got a 5x10x8 space for about $45 per month with one free month. Furthermore, I will be sharing that space with another two people. Sweetness. I’ll also be renting a Budget truck to move my stuff out. They were out of U-Hauls so I had to go to Budget. $25 per day plus mileage isn’t too bad.

Man, I have a final exam this afternoon plus one more on Thursday, and I’m already pretty much having one foot out of Ann Arbor. So stupid how the push final exam dates so close to the dorm check-out dates.

Anyway, the weather is getting better. Around 8 degrees now. The two days of winter was a good experience for those who are new here. Once again, to them I say, “Welcome to Ann Arbor.”

Persecution...

1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs.

2. To annoy persistently; bother.

\Per`se*cu"tion\, n. [F. pers['e]cution, L.
persecutio.]
The act or practice of persecuting; especially, the
infliction of loss, pain, or death for adherence to a
particular creed or mode of worship.

35 Million and counting...

Nikon's production line's count for Nikon Nikkor lenses hit the 35 million mark. That's an awesome feat. To commemorate the milestone, Nikon has come up with a website, which I think is really neat.

I'm very proud to be a part of that, having a 4/(35,000,000) share in the statistics to be exact!!

Nikon Rocks!


(requires flash)

If Life was Predictable

I stumbled upon this applet while surfing around...

Ever wondered what you'd look like a couple of decades down the road? Well, here's your chance to get an idea.

From the look of things, I'm not going to be any Robert Redford or Harrison Ford in the future. I think I just lost all hope of getting attached.

Hmmm....good that I still keep my set of chompers. :P

Check it out for yourself (works on your friends too!):
http://www.ifonlylifewasaspredictable.co.uk/

*Sample picture removed due to numerous complaints.

Onion Odyssey...

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, spring brings signs of new beginnings and new life. This is true in even the most unlikeliest places such as my kitchen cabinet. I found this interesting fellow amongst his more dormant brethren.

Camera: Nikon D100
Lens: 50mm f1.4D and 105mm f2.8D Nikkors
Tripod: Manfrotto 3221WN
Lighting: Overcast light from window

Looks like I'm a pretty cruel person, eh. But regardless of its stage of life, this onion's destiny was already written beforehand.

What? Colors on North Campus?!

Spring Fest hit North Campus today, signaling the last day for classes here at the University of Michigan. What a glorious day it was. Kind of amazes me how they pick the days for their events so well. The sun was up in all its glory, periodically hiding behind a couple of clusters of clouds. Boy was it hot.

I was one of the lucky few who managed to show up early enough to get one of the free t-shirts. Within 20 minutes of opening, they were all given away. Nyah nyah.

I also bumped into a couple of friends there. It was nice to meet fellow engineers in a “less professional” setting. Though I must say it was kind of unusual to see the fanfare atmosphere around the North Campus area, usually known for its somber state.

Here are some pics I took while I was there. Enjoy:


Farra and Ayun have a chowdown...


Rocking on the NC...


Hrrrmmmmhh....!!!


Immortality! It's yours! Take it!


Say cheese!!


Into the rabbit hole...

If the Shoe Fits...

Hmm…the theme for this week seems to be apparel sizes. I just got myself a t-shirt from church and I made very interesting observation. It seemed that HMCC, being predominantly Asian in terms of membership sort of compensated for that when making the church t-shirts. I asked for a “Small” typical size I ask for, found that it was too small and later found out that even the “Medium” was like body hugging for me. Hah, what a boost to my ego. I ended up with a Large. :P

I’d think that finding the right size would be one of the major concerns I had before coming to the USA, but surprisingly enough, it wasn’t. It isn’t a problem for me when it comes to clothes, but it’s a different story for shoes. I’m really a size 7, but when people ask, I’m a size 8. ;)

When you’re on the border separating the adults from the kids section, with of course a little more weight on the adult’s side (psychological factors counted too!), finding your size can be quite a stressful experience. But I know from listening to others that I’m not having the worst of times with the issue.

It’s also a real morale booster when you discover that you’re a couple of sizes above the cut off point. One case would be yesterday when I was returning my jeans. Apparently my size is a good one to two sizes above the border. Do you have any idea how big that makes me feel? Haha.

Most of the time, it’s not just the size that causes problems. It’s also the proportions that seem to differ from region to region. T-shirts in Asia fit me fine all round. But I’ve noticed that American t-shirts tend to have shorter sleeves and longer bodies. So I’ll either end up with a shirt that has normal sleeves but is as long as my shorts, or a shirt that’s length is just nice but the sleeves are at half my biceps.

It’s hard to draw any conclusion here. Just maybe that Asians and Caucasians are proportioned differently? But people, regardless of ethnicity come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe I’m just hitting all the wrong stores. *Shrug.

Spring Bling!

Spring is here full swing. The grass is green again, flowers are popping here and there and the sun is beating down on humankind once again. I actually managed to see a family of deer behind the NCRB. There was a fawn there too, which couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours old. Still stumbling around like a kid who’s had too much to drink (ok, bad analogy).

This time of year reminds me a lot about new life. It’s the time where all the baby animals start appearing out of nowhere. Ducklings swarm the ponds, little raccoons trail their mothers and yes, a fawn here and there. I guess it’s a great way to end the academic year….with a reminder of how the new year has so much potential to be something great. Spring should be the new 1st of January, dontcha think?

I'm also curious if the same goes for humans. Does spring bring fourth a high birth rate for countries with four seasons? It is a fact that most weddings in America are held over the summer. So add about nine months to that, and whola...it all makes sense. But then statistics make my theory fall flat on its face.

The Jeans Update:
I went back to Sears, following Wann’s advice (thanks, Wann) and returned my jeans in exchange for another one that’s the right size. I also ended up getting two pairs of three-quarter khakis. Yes, it’s springtime and I have to look the part of the springtime warrior. Still gotta look for a good pair of sandals.

Low Note:
As I was coming back from Sears, I decided to stop by my favorite camera store to pick up a slim camera case for those walk-around sessions with my SLR. To my ultimate horror, I saw emptied shelves and boxes everywhere as I walked into the store. They were closing!

You know those nice little stores owned by this pleasant old guy, who gives you little discounts here and there just to appear nice? Well, that was Dave’s Photo Emporium to me. Looks like the Eclipse cleaning tissue, muslin background and Manfrotto monopod I purchased from him the past three years wasn’t enough to keep the store alive. Of course it wasn’t. *sniff.

Every Day is a Lesson Learned...

Man I feel like a real dunce. Just the other day, Tuesday I believe, I took out my new pair of jeans to wear and it didn’t fit!

It so happened that I got the dimensions flipped when I was picking out my jeans. It goes by waist x inseam. So instead of getting a 30x29, I got a 29x30, which nearly caused me to throw up when I put it on. I literally couldn’t even sit down with it on.

The sad thing about it is that I cant return it to Sears because I didn’t keep my receipt. It was the first time I tried it on since purchasing it about a week before that.

So now this brand new pair of jeans is up for sale on the Malaysian Students Assoc website for $15. I paid $28 for it. If there are no takers, then I’ll just ease my conscience by dropping it off at the local Salvation Army. Proof that good things can come out of unfortunate events. Dunce...

House Arrest...

…well not really. I twisted my ankle while playing footie yesterday. That’s what you get for playing an aggressive game with strangers and not warming up beforehand.

Everything started off pretty well, until about 10 minutes into the game when I was pulling back the ball to pull away from my opponent, it happened. My foot landed awkwardly and I twisted it. I was out of order for about another 5 minutes and managed to walk it off. Then I played for another 2 hours or so.

Strange how when I was playing, it didn’t bother me that much. I could still run, albeit gingerly, and kick the ball. But after I stopped playing, the pain set in and I was limping all the way home. Must have been the adrenalin or something.

Now I’m stuck at home. All I can do is limp around my apartment. I thought it would be better after a good night’s rest. But it seems just as bad as it was yesterday. It’s a little swollen. I probably should get a leg brace. I left mine back home in Malaysia. Drats.

Fortunately for me I don’t have any classes today. So I can pretty much rot at home.

Side note:
If you have the time, check out singer-songwriter Damien Rice. This Irish native’s song, Blower’s Daughter is playing on my site now. I was introduced to his music by my cell group member. Good stuff.

Official Damien Rice website

The One that Got Away....

Note to self: Stop hesitating when a good deal comes around. Jump on it.

I just lost out on a great deal for an Xbox. One of my seniors was graduating and wanted to sell his Xbox w/ controllers and DVD adaptor for $80. Silly me, I took to long deliberating and eventually lost out on it.

I’m not that big into console gaming. And yeah, the way this semester is going, the last thing I need now is another distraction. I was also wondering if I could afford to fork out the cash. But really, selling off that bundle wouldn’t be any trouble at all. Even if I sold it with profit.

The thing about money is that I’ve come to view it as a renewable resource. That’s why at times it seems like I’m a bit of a spendthrift. But really to me, I can get back my finances, but a good deal or a once in a lifetime experience doesn’t always come around twice.

Some people may have a different outlook on life. But that’s my stand.

Dude, Where's My Country?

What an awesome weekend. Had a few things going on. Last week was pretty smooth sailing. Didn’t have any midterms or too many assignments due. Sort of the lull before the storm. Yeah, the storm sort of kicks off next week with my Psych 260 final midterm.

Yesterday, Pastor Andrew organized a potluck for the International students. I thought it was a wonderful idea and was really glad that he organized it. I believe that this is a very important time when the church is beginning to recognize the International students more and is going to start having a lot more opportunities for us to get more involved.

I spent most of my Saturday afternoon with Kai Kiat, Poh Yi and Lili, preparing for the potluck. We made curry puffs, char kuey teow and my famous ayam kicap! Making the curry puffs was a really cool experience. Oh, and yeah, after that cooking session I really appreciate the old apek that sells char kuey teow and the mak cik who sells kari pap. Separating the kuey teow from each other and folding the curry puffs are no walks in the park I tell you.

I got to meet a lot of the international students which was great. There was a really good turnout. But the most interesting person I met was one of the church’s official photographers, Mark Pang. He’s a hardcore Canon user (grrr…). But a really friendly guy. Offered to show me the ropes and eventually get me into the Documentation team of the church. Yes, that’s the ministry I’m looking to get involved with.


Before....


..and after!!


My table at the International Potluck.

A Walk in the Park...

The weather is wonderful right now! I believe we’ve seen the last of snow for this part of the year. What a relief. Now I can pack up my winter jacket and long sleeved clothes as I wont be needing them anymore.

Along with the glorious weather come outdoor activities! Soccer in particular! The Malaysians are having a soccer tournament this weekend. I’m in a pretty spanking group. But unfortunately, there’s going to be an international potluck organized by Pastor Andrew tomorrow. That means I wont be able to make it for the first round. Sighs.

I still have my silver Predator Manias, which I bought during winter break in my closet. Too sayang to use them lar, since they’re still brand new. My new-ish Chrome Nike Ball is already showing signs of its demise. Yesterday, I opened the trunk of my car to store my groceries only to find a very very deflated soccer ball. The ball doesn’t retain air anymore! Sad sad….. but at $10, I could have been more depressed.

I know this is a pretty scatterbrain-ish post. I haven’t been feeling very focused lately. I’m getting my hands on two more Michael Buble albums. Nicee....

Group Gripes

Don’t you just hate it when your group members agree to meet at a certain time even after knowing that you cant meet them until half and hour later? Holy inconsideration.

Not only was I late for the meeting, because I frankly couldn’t help it, they made decisions without my consent. They assigned certain tasks to each other and left the horrid, hard, stinky part to me! Darn them.

I also have issues with their decisions. A lot of them are just plain dumb. We’re making a magazine that has to do with the psychology behind motivation in the workplace, and these guys want to have crossword puzzles, and articles of very disjointed topics. I want to say something, but it sucks when it so happens that two out of four of your team members come from the same country. They think and act the same.

Somehow when your group can be split into subdivisions and one of the divisions makes up the majority, the more sizable group tends to have the upper hand in decision making. I’ve been vetoed a couple of times to the point of just merely existing in that project group. God give me strength.

Another issue I have is the mistake of making someone who doesn’t have a good command of the English language to write your team reports and proposals to be submitted to the GSI. Everyone’s too busy to proofread let alone type out the proposal, except these two team members.

At the proposal evaluation session with the GSI, she explicitly mentioned to us to check out the Sweetland Help for English Writing Center. What an insult! I thought she was being a big racist because ¾ of my group members were Asian. But then I looked at the typed out proposal after the session and it all made sense. Grammatical errors aplenty.

Two more weeks to liberation…...

Broken Down Palace.

Hmm....the light switch to my walk-in closet is broken. It already had shown tell-tale signs of its eventual demise early last semester. The electrical contacts came loose or something. Now when I flip the switch to turn the light on, nothing happens. I was thinking about fixing it myself, but I’m to lazy to find which fuse is for which part of my house. I’ll probably call 734-FIXIT…wait…that’s eight digits…whatever.

This afternoon I went to the Missions Luncheon at church. It was an event to support those who are going for missions over the summer. We all got boxed lunch made by those who were involved with missions, and the only requirement was that we had to give a love offering.

The food was pretty good. It wasn’t your normal everyday kind of dishes. A side-dish from each mission field was served. So there was food from Micronesia, Peru and China (groan). We had some funny version of tao sar pneah. Of the hundreds that were made, I got the one that had no red bean filling inside. Maybe should have given more. Haha.

After that, I played soccer with a bunch of Malaysians. No one sent out an email calling everyone to “turun”. But after James sent me an MSN message, I decided to send out the email, reluctantly. My fears came to past as there were only 3 of us initially. Then there were 5. And finally we got about 7 of us. I’m not sending any “turun” emails anymore. I give up.

Hippie Galore...

Today I went down to Central Campus to check out the 2005 Hash Bash. The event is a rally held once a year in the effort to legalize Marijuana. Apparently, the Hash Bash in Ann Arbor is the longest running one.

I was there more for the photo opportunities. I do not in any way endorse the use of drugs, or in this particular case, marijuana. Ann Arbor, in case some of you haven’t noticed, is a very hippie town. The tie-and-dye, baggy pants, free-love movement is pretty huge here. It’s a very liberal town.

So Hash Bash is one of the few times where you get to see most of the hippie people come out to support the cause. That’s why I was there.

Another cool thing about Hash Bash is that it’s the only time where you’ll see Central Campus swarming with policemen. The number of law enforcers during this event is only rivaled by the number of cops around during the Annual Naked Mile. There were cops in cars, cops in vans, cops on bikes, and cops walking around. Even the K-9 unit was out there.

When I got back to my car, I found that horrid little envelope held down by the windscreen wiper. Yes, the dreaded parking ticket. Goodness, since when were the parking meters enforced on a Saturday?!

I went online to make the payment only to find out that I had to pay a extra $3.50 for the convenience. What rubbish. If you had to pay a $5.00 fine and an additional $3.50 for the privilege of being able to pay online, then forget it. Looks like I’ll be at the City Hall on Monday....


Signs like this were everywhere.


A pretty prominent speaker on the pro-Marijuana front. Has dreadlocks so long they touch his knees.


Marijuana can be fashionable too.


Dont want to miss a word.


It was a party out there.

A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action...

Went to Briarwood Mall yesterday to get myself some jeans and sandals. Yes, I need to get rid of my funky-smelling loafers. I’ve had them for about a year now, and they’re totally worn out.

Anyway, I ended up getting myself a new pair of jeans but I didn’t have any luck on getting the sandals. May have to go to Birch Run for that. I’m eyeing those Nike ACG’s.

Along with the jeans, I also managed to spot a great deal on a Nike Soccer ball. It’s the chrome ball used in the Nike Scorpion ad campaign about 2 years ago. The usual price is about $30-$40, but I got mine for a clearance price of $10!! Sweet. I also got a handpump to inflate it.

Webgallery Update: Silver On Black
I was playing around with silver objects against a black background and got inspiration to shoot some items with that common theme. I liked how the light of my fluorescent lamp turned whatever was silver into champagne. You can check them out at my webgallery HERE.