This morning when I checked updates from friends in facebook, one of my schoolmates uploaded photos of group photos when we are attending high school. It's so strange looking back at those photos and seen how much everyone has changed. Everyone used to be so young, short, skinny and well...nerdy.
It was a small town so everyone looks weird including myself. Did we actually dress like that? Wore that? hmmm...it does bring a lot of happy memories and we have no worries and stress free. It just school and books.It feels like heaven now when I think of it. Life was so much happier and easier. Back then, a bunch of us study smart but not study hard. Yup, this culture has already existed long time ago. I think I'm the lasiest one when it comes to memories books because I don't and don't know how. I tried but I can't memories book. Nonetheless, everyone turn our ok and we excel in our exam and career.
This morning, when I look back the photos, I really missed the time and it's so much harder to find friends like them. Over the years, everyone move on with their lives and started families. We still stay in touch and I believe we will be life long friends. Cherish your friends.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Best Friend Drifting Apart
The topic during my ride to office was about best friend drifting apart. She was telling me her story when she had to take care of all her 13 family members, being the sole bread winner. Whenever the festive season month such as Chinese New Year's approaching, she will have to manage her salary well in order to buy all her brothers, sisters and parents new clothes and food items for the festival. Everytime, she will ended up no money to buy anything for herself. She told me luciky she has 2 best friends from work who will new year apparrel for her, without fell every year. Aunty said they drifted apart when she decided to work in Singapore. She said she has no choice because she needed the money to support her family. Since then, she and her best friends drift apart and after a while, they didn't contact each others anymore.
What causes 2 best friends to drift apart considering there was never a fight or quarrel? Well, I guess most friendships and best friends are based on a mutually beneficial relationship. You enjoy each other's company, enjoying doing similar things, having the same goal and interests and these make your friendship grow. Unfortunately, nothing stands still. Once the priorities, interests and needs change, 2 best friends will start drifting apart. Subsequently, both friends change. No matter how you want to keep and hold that friendship, it will never be the same once change.
Life long friends are thoses whom we can relate growing up with, sharing a common experience and can't be shared with new friends made. These are the friends you will keep in touch for years down the lane. Unfortunately, friends come and go too often. I guess when our goals change, so does friendship.
Like my friend said, close friends never last long, and it's truth. I took me a while to understand but I do now. Along our life's journey, we have to make new friends and look for new close friends. Best friends are difficult to find and I think that's why we have a lot of casual friends or just colleagues. Once the purpose of the casual friendship is complete, the friendship dissolves.
To some people, loosing a best friend due to drifting apart can be hurtful and sad but it's part of life growing. Even for me, I've lost a few best friends and it's so much harder to find a replacement. My best friend back in school has her own friends now. My best friends from university have migrated. My close friends from previous company are married and have different goals now. My best friend now is...well I don't know. I guess objectives change. Among all my friends, I'm lucky that I have 1 friend who has been with me for 10 years and still stay the same. We have our problems along the way but somehow we keep coming back to each other and for this, I say THANK YOU.
What causes 2 best friends to drift apart considering there was never a fight or quarrel? Well, I guess most friendships and best friends are based on a mutually beneficial relationship. You enjoy each other's company, enjoying doing similar things, having the same goal and interests and these make your friendship grow. Unfortunately, nothing stands still. Once the priorities, interests and needs change, 2 best friends will start drifting apart. Subsequently, both friends change. No matter how you want to keep and hold that friendship, it will never be the same once change.
Life long friends are thoses whom we can relate growing up with, sharing a common experience and can't be shared with new friends made. These are the friends you will keep in touch for years down the lane. Unfortunately, friends come and go too often. I guess when our goals change, so does friendship.
Like my friend said, close friends never last long, and it's truth. I took me a while to understand but I do now. Along our life's journey, we have to make new friends and look for new close friends. Best friends are difficult to find and I think that's why we have a lot of casual friends or just colleagues. Once the purpose of the casual friendship is complete, the friendship dissolves.
To some people, loosing a best friend due to drifting apart can be hurtful and sad but it's part of life growing. Even for me, I've lost a few best friends and it's so much harder to find a replacement. My best friend back in school has her own friends now. My best friends from university have migrated. My close friends from previous company are married and have different goals now. My best friend now is...well I don't know. I guess objectives change. Among all my friends, I'm lucky that I have 1 friend who has been with me for 10 years and still stay the same. We have our problems along the way but somehow we keep coming back to each other and for this, I say THANK YOU.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Moody Monday
Hmm...somehow this morning I woke up feeling crappy. Maybe it's because I didn't have my beauty sleep last night and woke up with a sore neck. Time to put my pillows under the Sun for a 'sun bath'. Last week one of my pioneer colleague last day and the office was a bit gloomy mood. It's sad to see him go because he's one of the pioneer when my office started about 2 years ago. I think it affect my friend too because he was all sensitive and moody for the past few weeks. As a friend, I guess I have to be patience. I'm not sure what's going on his mind and I have to be the one who's calm. Today he's on leave so the office feels much more lonely.
Well, life goes on. One day, we will have to end a good working relationship and move on to the next company. Sometimes it's difficult too when you're so used to working with your colleagues and adapt to the company culture... that somehow it makes you feel afraid to leave.
Well, life goes on. One day, we will have to end a good working relationship and move on to the next company. Sometimes it's difficult too when you're so used to working with your colleagues and adapt to the company culture... that somehow it makes you feel afraid to leave.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Pork Free is not consider as Halal
I'm very surprise that some Malaysians don't know that pork free is not consider Halal to Muslim. All this while, I understand if someone from Hong Kong doesn't understand the meaning of Halal and thought that as long as no pork is serve in the food, it will be fine for Muslim friends. There was once I tried to explain to our vendor during a visit to Hong Kong because with me there were a few Muslim colleagues.
Just a few days ago, I realised that some Malaysians don't understand that pork free is not consider Halal. Although the shop doesn't serve pork, the ingredients for cooking and the way the chicken is prepared are some of the basic requirements to consider. I'm not a Muslim but I know the chicken must the prepare correctly from the slaughter to how the chicken is cook and serve. The ingredients used to cook all food in the restaurant must be Halal too. If you put a drop of wine in your cooking, it's consider non-halal to Muslim.
During this Ramadan month, let's be considerate to our Muslim friends. To all my Muslim friends and Sugar, Selamat Berpuasa.
Just a few days ago, I realised that some Malaysians don't understand that pork free is not consider Halal. Although the shop doesn't serve pork, the ingredients for cooking and the way the chicken is prepared are some of the basic requirements to consider. I'm not a Muslim but I know the chicken must the prepare correctly from the slaughter to how the chicken is cook and serve. The ingredients used to cook all food in the restaurant must be Halal too. If you put a drop of wine in your cooking, it's consider non-halal to Muslim.
During this Ramadan month, let's be considerate to our Muslim friends. To all my Muslim friends and Sugar, Selamat Berpuasa.
Canon EOS550D Kit II EF S18-135 IS
Well, after so many DSLR launched, I've finally made up my mind and got a Canon EOS 550D kit II. I've stopped photo shooting for a very long time and my friend recently told me that my skills gone wasted. I'm not sure if I still have the skills but my passion for good photos never dies.
In my job, I have to know what's the tech and gadget trend and access to special gadget prices. One of my friend told me I don't know how to ultilise my connections but I think the trust built shouldn't be exploited or our friendship will end up like the Trojan War.
Canon 550D is truly a great buy and worth your money. This camera will appeal to first-time DSLR buyers and enthusiasts, it offers a lot more technology. Although it might seem logical for the 550D to replace the EOS 500D, the older camera is set to continue in Canon's lineup, which leaves the 550D pinched between its entry-level (represented by the still-current EOS 1000D and the 500D) and nominally enthusiast (the EOS 50D) peers. The 550D has more in common with the prosumer EOS 7D, and somehow it out-specifies the EOS 50D in many areas.
Central to the impressive specification of the EOS 550D is a high-spec movie mode which offers full HD capture at up to 30 fps, manual control over exposure, and the option to use an external stereo microphone. The new camera also inherits the EOS 7D's sophisticated metering system.
I like EOS 550D excellent imaging performance. It has 18 megapixels APS-C sized CMOS sensor for high resolution images of superb quality and details and Auto Lighting Optimizer function with 4 settings (Standard, low, strong and disable) that can analyzes the brightness of the photographic subject, and automatically corrects the dark parts to make them brighter. Besides that, the flexible setting of ISO speed to adjust camera’s sensitivity to light for best exposure from ISO 100 to 6400. The versatile zoom lens - EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is a powerful all-in-one lens for EOS EF-S mount bodies. It features a 4-stop Image Stabilizer and a 7.5x super zoom range (approx. 29-216mm equivalent focal length). The lens covers a wide range of focal lengths with a 0.45m minimum focusing distance. A general-purpose zoom, it is ideal for me who doesn't want to carry so many lens.
Type | ||
Type | Digital, single-lens reflex, AF / AE camera | |
Recording medium | SD, SDHC and SDXC card | |
Compatible lenses | Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses) | |
Lens Mount | Canon EF mount | |
Image Sensor | ||
Type | CMOS sensor | |
Effective Pixels | Approx. 18.00 megapixels | |
Image Sensor Size | 22.3 x 14.9mm | |
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | |
Dust deletion feature | Auto, Manual, Dust Delete Data appending | |
Recording System | ||
Recording format | Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 | |
Image type | JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original) RAW + JPEG simultaneous recording possible MOV | |
Recording pixels | Large: | Approx. 17.90 megapixels (5184 x 3456) |
Medium: | Approx. 8.00 megapixels (3456 x 2304) | |
Small: | Approx. 4.50 megapixels (2592 x 1728) | |
RAW: | Approx. 17.90 megapixels (5184 x 3456) | |
File numbering | Consecutive numbering, auto reset and manual reset | |
Imaging Processor | ||
Picture Style | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3 | |
White Balance | Auto (AWB), daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten, light, white fluorescent light, flash, custom (custom WB) | |
Noise Reduction | Applicable to long exposures and high ISO speed shots | |
Automatic Image Brightness Correction | Auto Lighting Optimizer with Face Detection | |
Highlight Tone Priority | Provided | |
Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction | Provided | |
Colour Space | sRGB, Adobe RGB | |
Appending copyright information | Copyright information entered with the camera is appended to the image EXIF information | |
Viewfinder | ||
Type | Eye-level pentamirror | |
Coverage | Vertical / Horizontal approx. 95% | |
Magnification | Approx. 0.87x (-1m -1 with 50mm lens at infinity) | |
Eyepoint | Approx. 19mm (From eyepiece lens center at -1m-1) | |
Built-in dioptric adjustment | -3.0 - +1.0m -1dpt | |
Focusing screen | Fixed | |
Mirror | Quick-return type | |
Depth-of-field preview | Enabled with depth-of-field preview button | |
Autofocus | ||
Type | TTL secondary image-registration, phase detection | |
AF Points | 9 | |
AF Working Range | EV -0.5 - 18 (at 23°C / 73°F, ISO 100) | |
Focusing Modes | Autofocus, One-Shot AF, AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing | |
AF-assist beam | Intermittent firing of built-in flash Effective range: Approx. 4.0m / 13.1ft. at center, approx. 3.5m / 11.5ft. at periphery (with an EOS-dedicated Speedlite attached, the Speedlite’s AF-assist beam is emitted instead) | |
Predictive AF performance | Tracking of an object moving towards the camera at 50km/h possible up to a minimum distance of approx. 10m. * When used with EF300mm F2.8L IS USM | |
Exposure Control | ||
Metering Modes | TTL full aperture metering with 63-zone SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linkable to all AF points) (2) Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder at center) (3) Spot metering (center, approx. 4% viewfinder) (4) Center-weighted average metering | |
Metering range | EV 1 - 20 (at 23°C / 73°F with EF50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 100) | |
Exposure control | Program AE, shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, depth-of-field AE, full auto (Program AE non-shiftable), Programmed Image Control Modes (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash OFF), manual exposure (including bulb), E-TTL II autoflash program AE (evaluative & average metering) | |
ISO Speed (Recommended exposure index) | ISO 100 - 6400 (whole-stop increments), ISO expansion 12800. * In Basic Zone modes, Auto ISO sets the ISO automatically within 100 - 3200 * The minimum ISO speed when (highlight tone priority) is enabled will be ISO 200 * In Creative Zones, ISO Auto’s upper limit (ISO 400 - 6400) can be set | |
Exposure compensation | +/-5 stops in 1/3-stop or ½ stop increments, +/- 2 stops for Manual and AEB correction | |
AE lock | Auto: | Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus is achieved |
Manual: | By AE lock button | |
Shutter | ||
Type | Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter | |
Shutter Speeds | 1/4000sec. to 30secs., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode.) X-sync at 1/200sec. | |
Drive System | ||
Drive modes | Single, continuous, Self-time 10secs. Delay / Remote control, self-timer 2secs. delay, Self-timer 10secs. delay + continuous shooting (2 to 10 shots) | |
Continuous shooting speed | Max. approx. 3.7 shots/sec. | |
Max. burst | JPEG Large / Fine: | Approx. 34 shots |
RAW: | Approx. 6 shots | |
Built in Flash | ||
Type | Auto pop-up, retractable, built-in flash in the pentamirror | |
Guide No. | 13 / 43 (at ISO 100 meters / feet) | |
Recycle time | Approx. 3secs. | |
Flash coverage | 17mm focal length (equivalent to 27mm in 135 format) | |
Flash metering system | E-TTL II autoflash (evaluative, average), FE lock | |
Live View Functions | ||
Shooting modes | Still photo shooting and movie shooting | |
Focusing | Quick mode (Phase-difference detection) Live mode, Live face detection mode (Contrast detection) Manual focusing (5x / 10x magnification possible) | |
Metering modes | Evaluating metering with the image sensor (still photos) / AF point-link evaluative metering Live face detection mode (movies) / Center-weighted average metering Live / quick mode (movies) | |
Metering range | EV 0 - 20 (at 23°C / 73°F with EF50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 100) | |
Movie | MOV (Video: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM) | |
Recording size: | 1920 x 1080: 24fps / 25fps / 30fps (Full HD), 1280 x 720:50fps / 60fps and 640 x 480:50fps / 60fps (SD / movie crop) | |
Max file size: | 4GB per clip | |
Movie recording exposure control | Program AE and Manual exposure available. Exposure compensation of up to +/- 3 stops available. | |
Movie editing | Cutting out first or last scene (1sec. Increments) and Movie crop possible | |
LCD Monitor | ||
Type | TFT colour liquid-crystal monitor | |
Monitor Size and Dots | Wide 3in. (3:2) with approx. 1, 040,000 dots | |
Coverage | Approx. 100% | |
Brightness adjustment | Manual (7 levels) | |
Interface languages | 25 | |
Image Playback | ||
Image Display Formats | Single, Single + Info (Image-recording quality, shooting information, histogram) 4-image index, 9-image index, image rotate possible | |
Zoom Magnification | Approx. 1.5x - 10x | |
Image Browsing Methods | Single image, jump by 10 or 100 images, jump by screen, by shooting date, by movie, by stills | |
Highlight Alert | Overexposed highlights blink | |
Movie Playback | Enabled (LCD monitor, video / audio OUT, HDMI OUT – CEC compatible) Built-in speaker | |
Direct Printing | ||
Compatible printers | PictBridge-compatible printers | |
Printable images | JPEG and RAW images | |
Print Ordering | DPOF Version 1.1 compatible | |
Interface | ||
Digital Terminal | For personal computer communication and direct printing (Hi-Speed USB) , audio (stereo) / video output (NTSC / PAL) | |
HDMI Mini OUT Terminal | Type C (auto switching of resolution) | |
External microphone IN terminal | 3.5mm dia. Stereo mini jack | |
Remote Control Terminal | Compatible with remote control via RS-60E3 | |
Wireless Remote Control | With Remote Controller RC-1 / RC-5 / RC-6 | |
Eye-fi card | Compatible | |
Power Source | ||
Battery | Battery Pack LP-E8 (Qty.1) * AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E8 * With Battery Grip BG-E8 attached, 6 size-AA / LR6 batteries or 2 LP-E8 battery packs can be used | |
Battery Life (Based on CIPA testing standards) | With viewfinder shooting: | At 23°C / 73°F, approx. 550 shots. At 0°C / 32°F, approx. 470 shots. |
With Live View shooting: | At 23°C / 73°F, approx. 200 shots. At 0°C / 32°F, approx. 170 shots. | |
Dimensions and Weight | ||
Dimensions (W x H x D) | 128.8 x 97.5 x 75.3mm / 5.1 x 3.8 x 3.0in. | |
Weight | Approx. 475g / 16.8oz. (body only) | |
Market price now is around RM3888 for this kit. If there's a promotion, you can get it around RM3700.