After The Exam !

Here's a shot of a class after their paper on Friday !

Coronation Street

I was watching a new channel called Granada , which is a television station in UK. This new channel was recently introduced by Astro ( Channel 735 ).   I almost fainted when I heard the oh so familiar signature tune of the series Coronation Street.

Now when I was a student in UK in the early 80s, I used to  follow this soap opera ! I knew even then the series was one of the longest running which started in 1960. When I was following it, it was already 20 years old.

But now, 30 years later, it is still running. !

 So hooked was I at that time, I wouldn't go out at night  until  that programme was over ! I cannot imagine it even now !

Anyway here's something from Wilkipidia.

Coronation Street (colloquially known as Corrie, Corror or The Street) is a British prime-time soap opera set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, four miles in either direction from the city of Manchester. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street is the longest running and most watched British soap opera. Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960, made by Granada Television (now ITV Studios) and broadcast in all regions of ITV almost throughout its existence. In September 2010, the American soap opera As the World Turns will finish after 54 years on television. Coronation Street will at that time become the world's longest running television soap opera currently on the air.

1960s

Ken Barlow in the first episode of Coronation Street.

The series began on 9 December 1960 and was not initially a critical success. Granada Television commissioned only 13 episodes and some inside the company doubted the show would last its planned production run.[1] Despite the negativity, viewers were immediately drawn to the serial, won over by Coronation Street's 'ordinary' characters.[2] The programme also made use of Northern English language and dialect; affectionate local terms like "eh, chuck?", "nowt" (IPA:/naʊt/, rhymes with out, means nothing), and "by heck!" became widely heard on British television for the first time on British serialised television.[3]...........

2010s

2010 will be the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street. The year will include the marriage of Joe McIntyre and Gail Platt, Sally's breast cancer storyline, a reported kidnap storyline for Simon Barlow and the return of Jackie Dobbs who will be involved in the Kevin-Molly-Tyrone storyline. Tracy Barlow is also set to return in early 2010.[55] It is rumored there will be a lesbian relationship involving Sophie Webster and her best friend Sian Powers.[56][57] This is to happen in April and develop over the rest of the year. 2010 will also see the funeral of Coronation Street favorite Blanche Hunt, who was written out after the sudden death of her portrayer Maggie Jones.

In case you're wondering, the answer is "NO". I am not following it anymore. Thankfully I have grown out of it !

..........and now that theme song !

How loud is too loud ???

A recent visit to the movies in KLCC really turned me off.  We went in early and nothing was shown on the screen yet. However as soon as the pre-movies came on, I realized what a mistake it was to be in this theater !
The sound came screeching ( and I mean that literally) INTO our face ! I said " What the ****!". We immediately had our finger in our ears !

The sound was TOO LOUD . Too loud to be comfortable ! Too loud to be enjoyable ! Even too loud to make out the dialogues !!! Nothing but often loud distorted words and noise !

I do not understand why it had to be turned on so loudly ! The hall wasn't that big. It doesn't warrant such a high level of volume. The technician or the management must have thought the louder the better, or just because they have a super powerful amplifier, it should not be wasted and thus give the audience the full fury of decibels !!!

The treble was distorted beyond recognition and comprehension , the bass was over-produced and the who;e frequency was just a mixture of NOISE !!!!

What they fail to understand is that , the powerful output of the amplifier is not merely for volume ---but more for clarity.  The management should get a qualified sound engineer to be in charged of the sound system. Conduct a proper sound test/check before making your paying patrons suffer !

Throughout the movie---we had to get out finger ready by our ear.

The other movie house that we frequent has got a first class sound system. Good placement of sound with their Sensurround effect, comfortable level, clear sound and balanced reproduction of all spectrum of frequency !Its like watching it at home !!

The funniest thing is that both theatres belonged to the same company !

KTM Komuter Photo Contest 2010

Yes - found another one.  ktmb.com.my/foto/main.aspx.  Here's the details :-

• Theme - "HAPPY MOMENTS WITH US "
• FROM 9th MARCH 2010 - 31th. AUGUST 2010
• PHOTOS TO BE TAKEN ON KTM TRAINS OR AT STATIONS

• 30 WINNERS TO BE SELECTED EVERY MONTH: 1st. (RM500),  2nd ( RM400),  3rd (RM300), 27 CONSOLATION PRIZES.

• SHOW HAPPY MOMENTS
• PHOTO CAPTION OF NOT MORE THAN 10 WORDS
• JPEG - NOT EXCEEDING 1 MB.

Well---that should be a fun competition  for us !

A new blog on the block !

captainchew.blogspot.com

Thats the new kid in town. I leave it to to guess who he/she is !!

Current Favourite In The Car !

David Cook's not exactly new song is the present favourite listen in my car. When my companion said that it is actually a Mariah Carey hit, I  was stumped because she wasn't exactly my favourite's favourite. But , see what a singer can doo to put the song in a different light !

Camera My Camera !

DSLR cameras are sensitive equipment. The slightest knock, the slightest judder, the slightest innocent knock can set the system  haywire ! As such they require care and even 'love' in handling them.

No photographer would ever allow his/her camera to be passed around under different handlers (note : I do not use trhe word 'photographer').

There was a case of a colleague who had just bought a Nikon. In the office , everyone was naturally excited. His camera was passed from one handler to another . After about five handlers, it was returned to him --- with finger-prints on the lens. He almost cried.

On another occassion , he gave a lift to his colleagues. His camera bag was on the back-seat and his colleague nonchantly 'passed' his camera bag to the back of the seat ! Poor guy ! He was lost for words to see his expensive toy being handled that way !

The dslr is made up of hundreds of sensitive  components, electronics and otherwise. Synchronisation can run foul if they are given just a hint of rough handling. This is further exagerated when  the poor camera went through a few hands , who, quite innocently without any malice, but more ignorently 'tried' the camera !

A quote from one of the websites...

'I love my camera, honestly I never leave home without it, you never know when that perfect shot will turn up and it's really annoying when you see something amazing and think "I wish I had my camera". But if like me you do carry it everywhere then you need to take good care not to damage it or let it get dirty. In this section I will explain how to clean your camera and protect it from getting damaged.'

Yes----you can take all the steps to care of your dslr -- but it would come to noughts if you are not if you neglect for a second !

To me , its not about selfishness. I only allow two or three person to take photos from mine .

Anyway....just my Sunday morning thoughts .....

The Project

hmmmmm....
this .....?

 .
or, this !

 

They both have ups and downs !!!!

The Tour of Langkawi

First - the title of this post is quite different from the official exotic name. But then - thats another story !

Anyway, early Saturday morning, I found out the the cyclists would be passing the Setiawangsa Station. This is an opportunity that should not be missed.  So off I went . I was there at about 10.00 am and was opposite the station. But I was not happy with the position of too much shadow and high contrast for any decent photography.

So I took a walk further down where there was an open space. This was in front of the Sri Maya Condo entrance, with a nice curve of the road and a slope.  So took my position but kept having tochange them as the crowd started to gather.

I met a fellow photographer and we started talking photography. he told me that he travels a lot, but with a point and shoot camera, he felt something missing. Yet with a DSLR, he would be carrying around an expensive item. Guess we all have that problem. That is why you always see me with my back pack !

Anyway, we waited for more than one hour before the leading cyclist came into view.  Was I sweating ! Even with my cap, I could still feel the heat. However I missed my portable chair and my sun-glasses !

Antway here are the photos. Its my first in taking sporting event so it might be to expectation and I would need more practice. hmmmm..... the F1 is just round the corner !

The fellow-photographer

 

Air-coverage. This was taken at 1/600 - thus freezing the props.

all quiet while waiting for the first sign !!

first sign

the leader---sorry don't know his name 

  

  

  

  

...and the pro at work !!!

Thus....thats my saturday morning !

EAT---OR DIE !

SO ---STILL HUNGRY ?

 

A sign-board in China .

KL PHOTOAWARDS 2010

 Hmmmmm....why not ? The plan is taking shape.....

As in the previous year, the judges will be seeking to unearth new talent and vision from emerging and established artists alike. For the 2010 event, there will no longer be a distinction between Professional and Non-Professional categories. Instead, entrants may submit portraits either as Individual entries or as a Story.

In the Individual Portrait category, the judges will be looking at overall technical skills, composition and challenging aesthetics in a single, stand alone portrait that rises above the rest.

The Portrait Story category is added to enable photographers to enter portraits in a series, along with accompanying narrative. Identifying strong visual narrative that speaks to the viewer is a criterion the judges will be seeking in this category, as artists that use photography creatively rather than camera operators will be rewarded. We feel that understanding the processes of an artist and his or her ability to bring concept to fruition in a series of pictures exemplifies the creativity in the art.

The KL PHOTOAWARDS 2010 is open to all photographers, over 14 years, from full time students, enthusiasts, semi-professional to professional photographers.

PORTRAIT STORY CATEGORY entrants must submit a minimum of 5 up to 8 photographs, in a coherent series or story. Series submissions must be accompanied by a 250 word (maximum) narrative.

Entries in the PORTRAIT STORY CATEGORY will also be judged in the PORTRAIT INDIVIDUAL category.

Rewind and replay button !

I'm up against the wall again. Just nothing to write about . So heres something I took from my discontinued other blog .

No reason....just felt I wanted to post this here. This was posted on 4th. November 2008.



.

under: 

It Hurts !

Posted by: sparkplug | November 4, 2008 

 

Okay - i do not know  why I want to write on this. The worst thing for anyone to endure is emotional pain ! The hurt tugs on your heart, making it so heavy and you could feel the muscles being pulled from your chest to  your brain but where the actual spot is — you can never trace.

This evening–I had the unfortunate experience of going through this - again and yet again ! Emotional ? Perhaps. I was reading my sister’s blog on our late Abah. She had a song attached. A singer singing about his long-gone father.

I’ve played the song when her posting first appeared. I didn’t like it !–at all. Reason ? Here was my comment on her blog !

mus said…
I HATE THE SONG ! Because it hurts too much - way too much !! Hurts ! Hurts ! Hurts ! Knowing that pain again !!
Reliving the agony of seeing him on his death bed, laying him to rest, the things we plan but didn’t get to do !
The cheeky smile whenever he won the game of carrom !
IHATE IT ! I HATE IT ! I HATE IT COS IT MADE ME MISS HIM SO –AGAIN !!!!
YOUR BROTHER.
October 24, 2008 4:53 PM

And she replied..
anak si-hamid said…
Sorry Mus, for raking up old pain. But he’s at peace and his
children and their children are doing their best and doing him proud.
October 26, 2008 2:21 AM

This evening , I could kick myself for doing this, but I went through her blog again. BIG MISTAKE !… coz.. depression hit me again . It was a kind of mixed feeling dashing through my mind.

Maybe , being Asians, we tend to hold back on our emotion of love to all our loved ones –family or friends. 

Maybe I regretted for not ever giving him a hug- ever. Maybe I regretted for not telling him how much I love him. Maybe I regretted for taking him for granted - that he would be around forever.  Maybe I regretted …………..My mind went on and on and on.

Oh -it hurts deep…so much….Am I feeling guilty or grieved ? Guilty for all the above , or just grieve after …….

Perhaps I should just go out for a drive so that my mind would be occupied on the road — then I can forget everything, listen to my current favourite songs so that I can superimpose them on my memory AND i will not feel guilty about it….i think…..




.
Oh welll---that post was just me at THAT time.... so don't fret !

A Tale of Two Bowlers !

One of the best converted split I have ever seen was the one done by my bowling partner.  After her first ball there was a split of pin 5 and 10.  All I did was, I admit, is to hope against hope of her converting this split.

I knew in this game she was just beginning to find her 'line'.

The approach was done nicely. The ball rolled along  . It was taking the the number one arrow-indicator. which should bring the ball to the front pin. But it looked like it was going to be a goal-shot between the two pins.Then it happened !

I jumped from my seat ! Can this be it ! The ball sort of wavered to the left and nicely and only just  'sliced' the left side of the number 5 pin. It was such a gentle slice that the pin did not fall but rather slide down on to the lane so gently and rolled on to pin 10.

I started to run forward and much to my relief, the number 5 hit , ever so gently , pin number ten -------and the conversion was done !!!!!!

I jumped  and gave a good yell ( at least thats what my partner told me ---because I could not remember if I did, although I 'd probably did so.) Ran to my partner and short of giving her a good squeeze gave the congratulatory gesture.... I knew the other bowlers must have appreciated that conversion too.  All my partner did was to smile as if nothing had happened. It might have been an 'after-shock' reaction  - methink !

 

 

well after that..... things  got better as can be seen here...... 

 

 

 In the above game, she converted another split----a much more difficult one ! A split of pin 7,4,9 and 10 !!!

  

Obviously , her personal best is climbing and consistency is also beginning to show.  Now you may say, 'whats the big deal !' Well, considering after less than 5 month of bowling, I say , it is ... Keep it up partner !!!

Next Project for Sunnysideup production ... ?

Even before the bowling lanes needs oiling , the mind is already working onthe next possible project .Looks like this time its going to be a trip. ....But to where ? hmmmm.... Singapore ? Penang ? Langkawi ? But most likely it would be Cameron Highlands.

Reason ? Because that was in the plan before but never really did took off for one reason or the other. Personally, that would be one  helluva  trip for photography as well !

Preliminary studies have been made and it looks pretty encouraging. Anyway ....lets see.......

I'm not a cool cat !

Saturday morning. Taman Tasik Titiwangsa . Another hot day ! I arrived there at about 10.00 am. Still there were joggers ,but somehow , I wasn't inspired at all.  Giving up the idea of a good morning session of photography, I returned to my car, and decided to drive to the other side of the park ! Yes Leas---I abandoned the idea of walking and getting a good exercise---not in this weather anyway . However, the sweat I was getting just being in the park would have been enough I guess.

Anyway, there was not much difference in terms of photography subject,  until I saw this cat taking a nap under the shade of a tree in an escape from the sweltering heat. That's it ! My 'victim'. The cat was patient with me. Ever once in a while , it would give me a disgusting look, that 'get out of my face' look !  I stalked it when it started moving away . But it was just patronizing me. Once in a while it, would turn, looked at me and gave me a look just to excite me to  aim my camera to get a good shot. It does this quite often. It was actually a game, as it allows me to stalk it. And when I made no move to follow it, it stopped and gave me that 'come-on' look.  I swear this is true. I finally followed it to a car-park and it settled under a car. Game Over !

'Having a quiet nap'

 

" 'ello ! who's this ?"

" Go away ! "

 ' Stop following me ---you...cameraman, you !'

 

' heres my cat walk. Now go away !'

'Try following me through this ! '

'You still here ?"

'I'm telling you, its game over !'

What a Show !

On one of our visits to the zoo, we were lucky to time it with this show. This is the first ever that I had the opportunity to watch such a show. I can't imagine how Man can train an animal to do what he wants. In one way, are we also trained to do what (by whoever) our 'trainer' wants us to do without realizing it ? hiisshh ....perish the thoughts !!!....

Just For Fun !

Just having fun with the photos !

KLPHOTOAWARDS 2010

Thanks to LadyEtheL for bringing the above to my  attention. I have put a link at my sidebar for the benefits of the many followers who are into photography !