Just A Minute, February 2013

Watching | Flower Boy Next Door. I made my way through 13 episodes of this show last Thursday to Sunday. I can't wait for the weekend to catch the last 3 episodes!

Reading | Empire of the Stars by Arthur I. Miller. Did you know that bombs were inspired by stars?

Listening | What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. We played this song on the Kinect Just Dance 4 and were extremely tickled by the boyband dance moves!

Enjoying | Lazy Saturdays at Crazyworld Cafe. We are so depressed that our favourite cafe in the world is closing this Friday. We have been trying to spend every moment there possible and to eat our way through the menu before the doors come down for the final time. More pictures to come in another post.

Trying | To get my blogging editorial calendar organised. I have so many so many photographs to share and I really want to get a couple of columns up and running on a routine basis again.

How was your February? I would love to know!

A Year with the Fed-5B, Part 2

Focusing on the infinite.
Photographs taken with a Fed-5B.

A Year With The Fed-5B, Part 1

About a year ago, Peek! generously offered to let me test-drive a Fed-5B camera for a week. A week somehow turned into a year. I finally finished the roll in January, gave the camera back and got the roll of film developed.

It has been an interesting experience working with the Fed-5B. I found it incredibly difficult and challenging. Some photographers would enjoy this camera, being able to fully control the aperture and shutter speed but I found that tiresome. I probably should engross myself more in these technicalities to create better photos but I just can't seem to bring myself to it. With the Fed-5b, I tried to figure out all those aspects at first. I downloaded an app that would help to measure the exposure value, aperture and shutter speed. For later shots, I guesstimated. While I was terrified that those shots wouldn't turn out, I decided to leave it to luck and trust my gut feelings.

Another problem I had was the focusing. Because I am a specs-wearing myopic, I found it difficult to align the double images in the lens hole to get the exact focus. In the beginning, when Peek! was teaching me how to use the camera, it took me quite awhile before I managed to figure out how to align the double images. The photographs in this post were the only photographs that were focused correctly. The rest were out of focus or shots set on infinity (in the next post).

The Fed-5B is a demanding creature, you need patience and smarts to fully master it. This is not a camera made to shoot from the hip or stealthy street photography (a little bit difficult when you are holding a huge chunk of metal to your face). But who knows, one day in the future, as my photography tastes changes and I grow up a little more, I might fully appreciate the beauty of this camera. And despite my whinings about it, I do think this camera produces amazing photographs.

Legoland Malaysia, 2012

One weekend last October, my friends and I took a weekend day trip to Johor Bahru, Malaysia to visit the newest Legoland theme park. The theme park was designed for kids so if you go in there thinking it's the next Disneyland or Universal Studios, you will be disappointed. Lower your expectations and you might have an enjoyable time marvelling at the Lego structures and whooping it up along with the kids on the (rather tame) rides. I have to say though, the Malaysian theme park seems not quite ready, and needs more time to be developed fully. I visited Legoland San Diego in 2007 and I have excellent memories of that place. The rides had more variety, took into account older visitors, and the park design really immerses you into the world of Lego.

// Camera & Film
Instead of toting my SLR across the Causeway, which entails having to go up and down buses to pass through Singapore and Malaysia immigration, I decided to go with a lighter camera that day. For a change, I decided on the La Sardina instead of the LC-A+ and paired it with the new Lomography Sunset Strip 100 film. I have mixed feelings about this new film. While I enjoy the colour tint of the film, I am not wild about the grain. It reminds me of the Lomography XPRO 200. I will have to try it out in the SLR and see how I feel about it.

Back from Perth

It's been one day since I arrived back from Perth and already I miss the relentless heat, endless blue skies and laid-back atmosphere. That is not to say I hate coming back home, I went back to work on Friday, responding to emails that arrived in my absence, catching up on the office gossip and meeting new colleagues. This weekend, I am plunging directly into belated Chinese New Year celebrations! Today is the 7th day of the lunar calendar and is known as The Day of Man (人日), and is the common birthday of every person. So happy birthday to everybody! My family is coming over to my home to celebrate and tomorrow I am headed out to a friend's. Lots of food, noise, games and a little friendly gambling. Wish me luck on the last one!