blogging

i'd so dearly love to pen down my thoughts as they flow through the consciousness, but i'm well aware tt i can't, at least not totally. there are, after all, some thoughts that are best left to oneself. 

not to mention the target audience isn't entirely of my choice. if this blog address was given to you w/o prompting, it'd be fine. but i've come to realise tt it obviously isn't the case for certain pple.

but it's still going strong. i've come to depend on my blog history to recall the dates and details of certain events. also, they help immensely in updating friends who are overseas or unavailable for whatsoever reason. it does get tiring msn-ing different pple abt the same stuff and calling isn't feasible given i'm not exactly v free. 

ok la. actually i'm quite free. do ask me out friends. 

the week b4 taiwan

yup i'm flying again, from the 7th-13th. this time to taiwan - the place where most of my friends agree tt i'll derive alot of fun from, given my interests include eating, shopping, and ogling at cute asian girls hahaha. and not to mention i'll be gg with my dearest bro, who is oh so different from me but whom i might have ended up similarly to, had i not (oddly) done well academically back then. 

then maybe a short trip to penang with my (new) flaggers from the 18th-21st b4 NIE starts on the 22nd. but tt's tentative. hoping to be able to go for a trip to batam with the sec sch clique tho, but they're always financially disabled, with g/f or family issues to handle. damn. 

ok i've bowling, tennis, guitar and jap lessons ongoing and also during NIE cos i believe it wun be v taxing. thinking of gg back to xenbar for salsa (this time i'll focus on learning the dance haha) too if time permits. a short schedule of the following week lest i forget and need to refer to it:

sat: ecp with charm for cycling and lunch (sigh cable-skiing on e weekend is really ex! shall have to go to batam for it..)

sun: tennis in morn, some kinda PA mtg, in which i'll decide whether to run for the exco. well, i get to learn stuff whilst adding a leaf to my resume, and it helps tt my fren's coming along for the ride too.

mon: swim in morn, glad for lunch at arts canteen, then tentatively Z (sian must use initial again) for movie and high (always feel tt way when in her company hahaha) tea / dinner.

tue: planning to go to NTU for a tan/read/swim then e lib to read up on education material, then the sec sch clique to discuss the potential trip. (PL if u free we meet up in the evening?)

wed: tennis lessons in morn w linky, lunch w fellow scholar grace, then tennis w etty in e evening

thur: bowling lessons in morn, guitar lessons in e noon. 'll also bring my new cam along the whole day to get accustomed to it b4 the trip. think my 4-yr old dSLR's still better but.. oh wells i have to take into account the convenience amongst other factors.

fri: lalaa - time, activities, location all unconfirmed as of yet tho. v last min person, i am. then the physics pple in the evening for the very cheap $10 KTV at chinatown.

sat: glad for smth (she wants to walk along henderson waves, bowl, swim, or badminton) i haven't decided upon what to do tho. i'm sure it'll all work out closer to the date haha. oh and pack my stuff for the next day's taiwan trip.

sun: taiwan!

dSLRs vs Compacts

i've decided to buy a new camera! during my extensive research as to which camera to buy b4 flying off to taiwan, i happened to come upon some interesting info. summarising all the articles and such:

advantages of a dSLR:

1. faster and more sensitive focussing and zooming (cos it's manual instead of electronic)

2. less time lag btw shots - damn impt in events, sports and nature photography when u have to capture consecutive images fast instead of waiting like 2 seconds btw shots

3. minimal shuttle lag (delay between triggering the shutter and when the photograph is actually recorded) which allows u to capture the fast moving objects (animals, vehicles) u framed prior to the shot

4. can be used at higher ISO values without objectionable noise (the grainy texture in photos) cos the larger image sensor of a DSLR has less electronic noise - essential in low light conditions

5. easily adjustable ISO, white balance, exposure value, aperture size and shutter speed, allowing for creative expression and total control of the shot (as compared to just framing, focussing, pressing the shoot button and hoping for the best when using compacts)

6. some shots are nigh impossible using compacts, such as the narrow depth-of-field portrait shots and not to mention shots taken utilising the panning technique, as shown below 

7. makes u look pro so u can brag more legitimately abt how gd u are in photography

narrow depth of field - normal compacts wouldn't be able to blur the backgrd tt well in portrait shots. taken in US, and coincidentally PL's fave pic too i think haha

shot taken in paris utilising the panning technique (go google it) which is damn hard. compacts dun allow for ease of shuttle speed change which is essential, not to mention the LCD screen lag

 

advantages of the point-and-shoot compacts over dSLRs:

1. take up little space and have negligible weight - convenient!

2. the LCD screen's v useful for previewing shots, esp those taken overhead or with the camera down low, where using the viewfinder's not viable

3. in proper light conditions (using low ISO), picture quality similar to entry-level dSLRs

4. lets you take extreme close-ups, often as large as 1:1 (with a dSLR, you have to buy a rather expensive macro lens, and carry it around with you)

5. wider depth of field with smaller sensors - very useful for macro photography/landscape shots

6. sealed unit, so no worries about dust getting on the sensor. cleaning is really a delicate and time consuming task la.

7. essential in events that will not allow professional photographers to take pictures (concerts!) but allow anyone with a P&S to flash away

random grouses

in a random discussion with dad on the car, i brought up one of my fave topics of all time and also a source of constant irritation of sorts - photography. who better than him to talk to, him being an avid shutterbug since even before my birth, dabbling in film cameras and doing events.

first, i started complaining abt my dSLR. we really should get a decent compact point-and-shoot to use when required, i was saying. i guess the fact that the convenience of a compact camera tt linky/ginny was using during the aussie trip, coupled with the near-similar quality in pictures compared to mine really upset me. why lug a bulky 800g camera (w bag and tripod) when a 150g 12MP Nikon Coolpix could do a good job for most holiday shots? my dad agreed with me on the point of convenience. obviously. but more abt it in the next post.

one of my pet peeves is the megapixel myth. it's been countless times i've heard ignorant pple comment that more megapixels equates to better image quality. on every occation, i seethe within with irritation despite smiling on the surface and saying "oh, really? i think so too" innocently (hypocritical!). no point explaining if they dun seem to want/need to know, my dad stated matter-of-factly.

a short summary: 1. To make a sharp photo, you only need so many megapixels - five or six megapixels is plenty, even if you intend to make poster-size prints. 2. Too many megapixels increases transfer time and wastes space. 3. More pixels may mean worse images – given a fixed sensor size (deps on camera, generally bigger for dSLRs) and more pixels being squeezed on a specific sensor, the individual pixels receive less light. This means the computer inside your camera needs to turn up the gain, increasing the image noise in your photos. 

Sufficient light, a sharp lens, no camera shake, enough pixels are what counts, not the MP count. For an non-technical introduction, check out: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/technology/08pogue.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

the next pet peeve: when pple comment negatively and non-constructively about other pple's shots. different pple have different views on the ideal image they wish to capture, even that of the same scene. one shouldn't criticise another unless the shot was really technically poor (unclear, overexposed, horrendous composition etc). everyone thinks their own shots (mostly) are beautiful and well-framed - otherwise why would they take them? u're not paying them for their services, so let them do as they wish.

the last one is when pple exclaim that they're good photographers using a handphone or a compact. please. anyone can take shots of scenery or plants holding the camera and pressing a button, even my grandma (with sufficient guidance). yes, u may be able to frame the shot competently or even creatively, but then, it just means u have flair, not technical expertise. both are essential to being deemed good.

how can one profess to be 'good' when one doesn't even know why the shot turns out the way it does? or what any of the "ISO 100, F5.6, 1/200 or EV 0.7" displayed on ur LCD when u take a photo mean? or the reasons why certain pple carry gigantic, troublesome dSLRs when ur compact's photos seem fine? or when u simply accept the myth tt more megapixels constitute better image quality?

to say u're a better photographer than another thus is akin to saying u can cycle more skilfully than another person. how skilful can u be? what u do is so very easily replicable. if even i think i'm far from being considered good, what makes u think that u are? but normally i just smile and say "oh, really? i think so too." (hypocritical!)

but i guess it isn't impt to alot of pple, just like i dun really, for e.g, care much abt the environment despite many others being passionate and having strong views towards its preservation. for casual photographers, preserving their memories in images is what counts, and i do respect that. no pt imposing your views on others who dun want/need to care.

and i realise tt's why i dun like to talk much in real life. cos i'm really quite prone to offending pple who can't take stuff objectively. oh and lastly, i'm referring to pple in general; do try not to interpret any specific comment i made as a personal attack. just my 2 cents worth. 

back!

finally back from the trip in aussie! it really ranks amongst my most enjoyable trips to date - be it the weather there, the attractions, the random events that transpired, and esp the company. i can't say that i din have my doubts abt gg with friends i've known for barely a year, albeit all the good vibes and conversations we shared prior to the trip. but u guys sure proved me wrong.

no petty disputes over financial matters, no arguments over the activities planned for the day, no major disagreements over one anothers' quirks and living habits. it really couldn't have gone better, i felt. ok la, there was one little hiccup but it was resolved very amicably by the next day and everything was fine, if not better, after the incident. 

and hmm, i spent abt 2.6k SGD over the 2 weeks there. true, the activities (scuba, WWrafting, surf, theme parks) and accomodation did take up the bulk of the costs, but i really did spend a lot of $ on alot of small stuff like practical souvenirs and snacks or random meals.

like i always say when i give in to the temptation of buying stuff to eat whilst on the go, "i'm rarely hungry, but always peckish". oh greedy me. i need to lose 6kg.

and i've decided tt should i ever go on a honeymoon, it shall be in australia. where better than a place which combines exhilarating activities with scenic spots and likeable weather. add the fact that the food there's decent, as well as the reasonable cost of items in general.

but i would miss the food in SG, being an ardent fan of asian food. now if only the weather in SG was less humid and warm..

post-exams

oh i figured one should like, say, have plans to party or go out straight after the last paper, but i had none of that. simply went home after leaving at 6pm, packing a ton of KFC and satay on the way home for my family peeps. 

sometimes i think it's maybe because i have no friends. but more likely it's cos i had alr been gg out and doing my own stuff since my last paper 6 days ago. haha. so today was like an anticlimax of sorts.

"wah exams finish alr right" my grandpa jokingly commented when he saw my bags of food. 

read my graphic novels, played on my Xbox and met up with the pri sch bestie to get my tennis balls back. then watched the UCL semi-final btw chelsea and barca, the winner of which would go on to face my beloved man utd in the finals. 

figured chelsea would have had the match in the bag but for the fact that the referee VERY weirdly refused to award not one, not two, but THREE penalties. blatant case of bribery, i commented to the cousin. as the game went on and barca got a few of their main players suspended for the finals due to bookings, we both ardently prayed tt barca would overcome the 1 goal deficit and book their way to the final in a weakened state. 

alas, it was not to be, as chelsea led 1-0 even after full-time. we grew resigned to the fate tt it'll be an all-english final once again. 

then in injury time (93rd min!), iniesta popped in a 'from nowhere' goal to send the barca contingent into rapture. i threw my bolster up in celebration and ran circles and cheered like there was no tomorrow (at 4am). ok now i sound like a himbo. just take it tt i was overjoyed k. forget i mentioned the cheering part. 

no way barca's gg to match up to man utd with a second string defence; afterall as agreed with the cousin, they're currently like an arsenal side who can really attack but with an even weaker defence. and man utd just whupped arsenal 3-0 in the other semi-final ytd. woohoo. looking 4ward to the finals. 

it's all over

last day of my academic career, last 2 sch-based exams. it's over. 

NM paper was fine. 20marks worth of MCQs which most pple would have scored near full marks with considerable studying on their part. 

and 80 marks worth (40 each) of a news release and a news story. which really depended on how well you could write even before taking the module. after all, at this age, one's command of English is more or less already fixed at a certain level. 

had 1.5 hrs to study b4 the ChemOcean paper, but din feel like it, despite not being v well-acquainted with the notes. so i went for a swim instead. 

the paper was quite a breeze, unexpectedly, given the amt of effort i put in (nvr go lecs, tuts, no TB, no mindmaps, pure staring at notes). 

only had abit of doubt regarding bioremediation, primary productivity and upwelling, after which i discovered i had got more than half the points for those questions anyway. 

only 2 v short qns (worth 2 marks only) i was totally unsure of, given the fact that i hadn't touched the TB b4, knowing the lecturer's style. actually i figure the main reason i go for consultations is to suss out the lecturer and his style of marking and setting tests/exams. 

so far i've proven to be quite adept at this v unorthodox method of doing well with minimum effort. 

so i decided to have some fun with the 2 qns. 

1. what are the huge amts of lithogenous sediments left behind when seawater evaporates in a specific area at a tremendous rate? (or smth like that) ans: salt mountains (confirm wrong one)

2. what are the appendages that mid/deep ocean fishes use to light up their passage called? ans: torchlights

left after 1 hr (minimum required staying time), after checking thru the paper twice. really despise pple who leave early for their last paper, as they could utilise the additional time to redo or check their answers, but for this case i really felt i could do no better. 

bangs are ugly (mostly)

yes i know it's q the craze lately (at least in my circle la), but i really think bangs look horrible on most girls. 

it only looks decent on pple who were alr aesthetically pleasing to begin with, for it seems to really draw attention to and accentuates one's facial features.

was arguing this with the best friend just the other night during supper and i thought it amusing that i would have a strong view on things seemingly inconsequential to me. 

me to wormy: some girls should really just sport an anti-bangs hairstyle instead. you know, the one with an extraordinarily long fringe (as compared to a short fringe) such that it covers the face totally. i think it'll help them look better. 

but 2 bang-friends (sounds abit wrong but ohwells) of mine do look quite good with them, i must say.

 

graduating

after my 4th paper (QM), i happily told ivana (fellow NIE trainee-to-be) tt i was q sure i'm gg to graduate. hell, i'm glad it went quite well. quite a big part was similar to that which i erm.. spotted (yes, again). 

i'm sure i did well enough to pass, at the least, even despite my very absymal CA component (me to mel: eh i got nearly a 400% improvement on my 2nd midterm!)

obviously i din do wonderful for my 1st midterm. 

and i haven't been studying much over the past 3 days for my last 2 papers on wed. only studied like a solid 5 hrs in etty's rm after tennis ytd morn. both her last papers on wed were cores and she was therefore v serious abt them (unlike me). well, it was gd motivation for me to start staring at my notes conscientiously. 

shall hide in the lib after a short workout early tml morn - finish up my revision and leave 2 days for a 2nd readthru. 

then a relaxing swim and tennis w linky on mon and maybe meet up with zl on tues for a movie and catchup. i'm like in hol mood alr la.