Entries from June 2008 ↓

Its been a while since I got my Asus EeePC and no, I did not forget to write about it. You know how it is about techy gadgets? As soon as you get one, a new better improved version will appear in the market. Damn geram I tell you!

My EeeePC was the early 7″ screen one with 4GB of space. In non-geek speak, that’s barely enough space to swing a cat in (not that I will in case I get lambasted by animal rights activists!) So, I don’t store anything on my PC at all. That’s what 4GB and 8GB thumbdrives are for right?

The new version is the EeePC 900 which boasts a larger 9″ or 10″ screen and 20GB of space. Sure, it also boasts a bigger price tag, but still….

Anyway, green-eyed bitching aside, what do I think of the EeePC? I won’t go into specifications and techy talk - that’s what geek review sites are for. This is a fluff site right? So, I’ll tell you instead 7 ways an EeePC is a useful tool. Continue reading →

Its been an exhausting week.

Ever tried cheerleading for 7 days in a row? Over the telephone?

Shake your pom poms! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Cheerleading during my time in school was really tame compared to the acrobatics that I see these days. I was never a cheerleader though and being optimistic in order to lift others out of the doldrums is just so taxing when you don’t exactly quite feel that way!

But all that cheerleading may yet pay off because I’m seeing some results. The clouds might yet lift for the sun to shine through!

Whew!

Since everything’s been dark and gloomy and silent here last week, let me showcase some pictures I’ve been taking:-

I have been playing around with my new Canon Ixus 860 in the past weeks. Its a nifty little thing and I’m really loving it. Dare I say my picture taking skills seem to be improving? I hope so!

I’m still taking mostly pictures of food (for Pink Parisian) and learning every day how to take a better food photo for the food blog. I spent the weekend reading loads of sites that offer tips on taking good food photography and am trying to put theory into practice. Its not easy and I’m so pleased that my whole family has accepted me as a food blogger!

We went out for dinner and when I whipped out my camera, my dear ol’ Dad actually stopped halfway to putting his chopsticks into his ramen, just so I could snap a picture of it! What would I do without the support of my family! Unfortunately for me, all the pictures turned out too dark and now that I have a proper camera, I am getting pickier about the pictures I put up online of my food.

There is no more excuse for me to put up mediocre or crappy dark, out of focus pictures online when I know that with a bit of practice and patience I can actually have some proper drool-worthy photos. Yes, I’m turning into a perfectionist. My Canon might be a simple little point and shoot, but it is good enough for me (I’m not yet in the league of the food bloggers with SLR cameras) for now. Its also rekindled my interest in photography so yay! Something new to learn!

Anyway, here are some stuff I learnt about food photography over the weekend that I’m sure will help those of you who are also into writing about food:-

• The Macro setting on the camera is your best friend. It allows you to get right up close to your food and still keep it in focus.
• Natural lighting is best. Not direct sunlight though, just enough sunlight to cast some natural light on the food.
• No Flash at any cost. Using the flash washes out the colours and texture of the food and makes it look too stark and unappetizing.

Not much to my surprise, these tips work well if you are taking photos of beauty products too as I have been for my beauty reviews site. So there is a co-relation between food and beauty after all!

The Canon Ixus 860 has a huge LCD screen but no viewfinder. It doesn’t bug me but it seems to bug some people based on some online reviews. I find the focus good and it performs decently enough under low light conditions which was the prime reason I chose this Canon over the Panasonic Lumix. Being a food blogger (reviewer) too, I have to have a camera that works in low light because most restaurants keep their lights low.

I’m worried about the flimsy cover for the AV/USB output as it feels and looks like it could break at any second so I’m extra careful with it. The battery cover too is rather flimsy. I found battery life decent. A full charge lasted me about a week without having to recharge. However I only took about 5-8 photos a day without flash so that has to be taken into consideration.

All in all, I’m loving this little Ixus 860. Its a decent point and shoot camera and I think I’ll just stick to Canon for cameras from now on because I can use the same USB cable as with the old Canon I had which gives me more mobility!

I hope everyone had a good weekend too and thank you all for your kind support over the last week!

Goodness! Yesterday was all dark clouds and gloom and doom. I meant everything I said though. It was an awful time.

Thank you to all who left uplifting comments and ice cream I felt awful yesterday but today feels just a little bit better. Actually, for all wondering, its nothing much to do with me personally, but its stuff that’s happened to someone near and dear; and I’m one of those super sensitive souls who wants to fight for the injustice done to someone near and dear and who feels very strongly about them being wronged.

Today I received some slightly more positive news so I’m feeling a lot better.

I’m still not sure what the grand plan is, but for now, things aren’t as gloomy or doomy… unless lies abound again.

Picture credit of Foto Jenny

For now, a bit o’ sun is peeking over the dark clouds of doom.

Picture credit of Kevulike

Never give your all to help a person. A time will come when they forget all you have done for them and they turn around and stab you in the back, twisting in the knife, hoping you never rise again.

People are ungrateful creatures. Not even the dog bites the hand of the master or the person who feeds it, but people don’t flinch at doing it.

Money is the root of all evil. It blinds people to what their rational mind tells them and it stokes the fires of envy and jealousy.

Jealousy is a dangerous thing. When it eats away at you for 20 years, it unleashes itself in a most undignified, most unruly, most uncouth manner.

Religion is a dangerous thing. Recent developments have left me feeling repulsive against those who use religion for their own selfish needs and those who allow their religion to be used for one person’s selfish needs.

Bullies are not only confined to the playground. They are found everywhere even among geriatrics.

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I’m sorry for the downbeat tone to a Monday’s post, but I needed to get some things said. It is all terribly jaded and I hate being put in a situation where I doubt the grand scheme of things God has for us. But this is exactly how I feel now.

How it is people can be so grateful one minute and so ungrateful the next? Why are some people so vindictive to the point that they are prepared to sell their soul to the Devil just for some shortlived personal glory? Why are some people prepared to use God’s name in vain?

I don’t get it.

I don’t get what all these trials are for.

Help.

If anyone ever told you that looks don’t matter, laugh in their face and tell them its a load of crock. For, looks DO matter.

Even lamp posts are getting in on the act.

Not satisfied with the minimalist spartan look with smooth clean lines of the traditional street lamp post, all the lamp posts along Jalan Loke Yew heading from Cheras into Kuala Lumpur are being transplanted and replaced with shinier, better, newer, curlier… PRETTIER lamp posts.

I have one question - WHY?!

What was wrong with the old traditional lamp posts? Did the local government feel that more space was needed for birds to perch on while observing the snail pace traffic passing by below? Do these new fancy schmancy street lights come with super bright halogen lamps that turns the night into day, thereby making driving along this stretch of Jalan Loke Yew that much more comfortable at night?

Actually, I have another question - HOW MUCH DID IT COST?

Anyone care to answer this?