Monthly Archives: March 2010

Spot Bald!


On the 28th of March 2010, more than 38 brave souls decided to shave their heads bald for charity.

What charity, to be exact? Worldvision Malaysia‘s Operation Botak.

Imagine for a minute now that you are hiking through the jungle. You need to climb up the hill starting at 6am, because your destination is beyond the hill and you need to be there at 7:30am. It is totally dark.

Now imagine doing that every morning because that’s how you go to school! Would you want to do that, or skip school altogether?

And so, Worldvision is aiming to raise RM100,000 to build a learning resource centre and equip a mobile library! I quote the site:

Over half of Sabah’s population is scattered amongst isolated rural areas. We hope to raise RM100,000 to help provide indigenous communities in the interiors of Tuaran and Kota Belud with the gift of education and literacy by equipping a mobile library and learning resource centre.

Thus, we’re challenging our more fervent supporters to go bald for literacy.

You can see these fervent supporters here:
WorldVision Malaysia’s Photos – Operation Botak


It is no wonder you can see smiles on their faces as it all goes off.


Mine, too. Yes, I pledged to raise RM1,000 for the fund. You can see what a clean shave Snips hairstylists did to retain my cornrows!

I have raised RM310 so far. Previously the donations had a deadline of 25th March 2010 but this has been extended indefinitely until the target is met.

So please, donate, because I lost my hair which has not had a pair of scissors touch it for 1994 days. Or 5 years 4 months and 17 days.

To donate to the cause, download this form:

http://worldvision.com.my/images/blitz/operation%20botak_donation%20form.pdf

You can then send it by post, fax, or email the form to admin@worldvision.com.my.


Neat how they shaved it – I could actually hold it up!


Going deep. I don’t know where I’ve seen this pose before.


Does it get any more literal than this?


Jessica pledges too! Her hair is first tied up…


You go girl!


Husband and wife. They can later see whose hair grows faster!


Jessica rocks too.


I went in again to get it skinned. Obviously, one is a senior hairstylist while the other is a junior (they are, after all, from Snips Academy.)


Some of the participants.


Plus the emcee Deborah Henry (who has also sponsored a child under Worldvision!)


She didn’t brave the pain of cornrows but the warmth of the electric razor wasn’t a problem.

Yes it was warm! However being bald, air currents just cool your head. I like how splashing water on my head gives a refreshing feeling. Oddly, even a cold shower feels very warm!


Shower-head view.


Zeiss 135mm F1.8 view. A further distance helps to give a different geometric projection.


I think I look like the Quake 2 protagonist here.


Yes there is a bit of rash, probably from the cornrows tugging on my hair.


Rembrandt light. I could see my reflection in the camera lens and adjust angle accordingly.

All shots of me (and Jessica) taken by Waifon unless it is obvious that I took it, like when you can see my hands outstretched to hold up a fisheye, like so:


Here’s Tan Shu-Yi (left) and Ng Oon-Ee (right) making a hidden mickey of me!

You can see my previous two hairstyles here:


Vain Braidy


cHAIRity

So yeah if I can sacrifice my hair for charity, I’m sure you could spare some money to help the kids in Sabah! 😀

Corner TT


Pictures from a TT at Steven’s Corner, Pandan Indah! Here’s escapee with the Peleng 8mm F3.5 circular fisheye on my A900. ISO3200 1/13s F5.6 8mm.


tuahlensa finds out his Carl Zeiss 85mm F1.4 is even better on full-frame! Meanwhile, I find ISO6400 F2.8 going for 1/15s, what a struggle! ISO6400 1/15s F2.8 24mm.


An unidentified subject opens an unidentified book. ISO1600 1/40s F1.8 135mm.


tanjq87 gets close with the fisheye. ISO3200 1/13s F5.6 8mm.


kysham offers free hugs to the fisheye! ISO3200 1/13s F5.6 8mm.


escapee shows how the Sony 70-200mm F2.8G SSM looks like on the 70mm end. ISO3200 1/5s F2.8 70mm.


The Panasonic DMC-L1, a very rare Four-Thirds dSLR indeed. ISO3200 1/13s F2.8 135mm.


wlsiew asks what are you looking at. ISo1600 1/40s F1.8 135mm.

I am not sure who took which shot so credits go to the respective photographers. Well I took the L1 shot and the first shot.

EXIF is also included in all images for this post, so check out what amazing work DxO Optics Pro Elite is doing!

Moonshine 01-10


Moonshine: A Homemade Music Show at Laundry Bar, The Curve a certain 14th of January 2010!


This is the skillful Az Samad double-tapping fingerstyle and slapping his guitar violently to make percussive sounds of it.

I like how the Opteka 85mm F1.4 lets me get closer and wider (and optically better than my aged Minolta 50mm F1.4.)


For closeups like this one of punk-folk-rocker Azmyl Yunor though, the Carl Zeiss 135mm F1.8 is a must.


85mm again.


24mm wide with the Minolta 24-105mm F3.5-4.5(D). (This was before I disabled the tilt-shift capability of my Vivitar 24mm F2.0.)


Hello there!


Udjinn ponders. He always does. You may or may not see the Opteka’s color.


Paolo Delfino puts his ponderances to song.


He roped in his brother on drums!


Obligatory ISO6400 shot. 1/40s 85mm F1.4.


This was more interesting – a stitched shot from two 135mm F1.8 ISO6400 shots.


This is a crop from a portrait orientation shot, giving effectively a 200mm angle of view.


My 50mm finally comes out at F2! Here is to 90’s rock with Stonebay.


Ojie will not lose his hat this time. I remember a time when I’d always see him with a colorful beanie.


I’ve always wanted to try inverting an image, but this is the first time it has worked. I inverted a layer copy and changed the blend mode to Luminosity to return somewhat normal color.

Time To Live

Somewhere in the background is my Alcatel Speedtouch 510, whose modem has died.

Now I am back online at home with my new Belkin N+ Wireless Modem Router 8635! After a harrowing 9 days offline I am back. I usually blog about computer stuff I buy so I can refer to when I bought it by searching my blog.

Thanks Neo for the recommendation – lifetime warranty with 1-to-1 exchange is a major dealbreaker!

Vain Braidy


If you’re wondering why my hair looks kinda flat now, it is not because it knows it is going to be cut for charity.


It is because I am concealing… cornrows!


From the side, I look kinda cyberpunk or Predator-like. And I like it.

The first person that came to mind when I got this, was Chuck Mosley, original vocalist for Faith No More. Then the long mohawk was quite Anthony Kiedis-like. There was definitely something 80’s and quite metal-ish about this (or maybe it was my face!)


From the back. I originally wanted a typical basketball/globe projection design but Tony the hairstylist said my head was not round so it would not suit that style. And so, it was parted in 3, with the hair in the middle untouched so I could do whatever I want with it (a mohawk, or cover my cornrows!)

I love the ability to hide my cornrows to avoid questions and girls following me home who cannot stop saying how cool it is.


(Credits to Waifon for taking this picture.)
The hair was parted in many ‘combs’ and each ‘comb’ was then braided very close to the scalp. Yes, it was painful at first! However once it gets to the end of each comb it becomes a regular braid.


(Credits to Pin Pin for taking this picture.)
Here you can see the individual braids hanging out, unfinished.

It also hurts to have your neck in that position, more than it does when the braiding happens!

Finally, the individual braids are combined into one big braid, which forms one of two major trunk lines, which are then secured with a hair band each. (Refer to the back view above.)

I now have major respect for anyone with cornrows and dreadlocks – the process of getting it hurts!


69 GET! (Liquified in Photoshop.)

I got my cornrows done at C’Cut Hair Salon, Lot 85, 5th floor, Berjaya Times Square. This is certainly not your usual salon as you’ll see when you enter. 😀

For all the other pictures I shall thank smashpOp and his Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan lens at 210mm F11 for a perspective that will bring out the hair.

And yes, I am still going bald this 28th of March 2010 so please do donate to the cause! It was my hair’s last wish to get funky (I originally kept long hair with the intent of making it dreadlocks but it was too socially unacceptable so I settled for cornrows.)

Moonshine HD!

I present to you a new high definition image resolution on my blog – 720×480 pixels! What better to start it off than with Moonshine: A Homemade Music Show, a certain 10th of December 2009 ago.

This new resolution is due to Facebook finally supporting 720 pixels on my account, for all of you who like to take my pictures and post on your Facebook profile (but keep the watermark yeah! If you insist on removing the watermark, make sure to credit me in the text.)

This also marks the first time I have broken compatibility for 640×480 screens (explains my previous 600×400 image size.) Well at least it’s still compatible for 800×600 screens!


Zalila Lee, the funky songmeister.


This shot of her made it to the birthplace of the Moonshine show – No Black Tie.


Spot my picture in the calendar!


Somebody’s had a long night.


Next up, Monoloque! Loque of Butterfingers on the left.


There was just something about his expressions which were so funny!


Loque’s Dahlia.


Keys all over the left, and electronic drums all over the right.


Closeup of the Roland V-Drums.


Kadak of Butterfingers on bass…


…and keyboard. Er, how many keyboards were there again?


Kinda makes a fretboard look underdressed.


Then came a surprise in Jack The Shredder’s usually long hair…


…for the all-time crunchy progressive modern rock purveyors Tempered Mental.


Jimmy!


Do you Recall?

There was a Beat It solo in between songs, which was way cool.


Next up was big ska band 40 Winks!


I don’t think I ever remember the dude on the left without shades.


I cheated on this – put in some barrel distortion to make the center guy bigger in scale.


How you all doing in the back?” asks the energetic Faiz Rosli.


My favorite shot of the night. I had begun to appreciate 24mm more on full-frame (and this on the Minolta 24-105mm F3.5-4.5(D), which would be too dark for this place.)

cHAIRity

I’ve not cut my hair since the 11th of October 2004. (Credits to smashpOp for taking this picture.)

On the 28th of March 2010, I will cut my hair – all of it. I will go bald!

That would make a 1994 day streak of uncut hair (I did shave though.)

This is for WorldVision Malaysia‘s Operation Botak. Its aim is to raise funds to build a learning resource centre and equip a mobile library; I quote the site:

Over half of Sabah’s population is scattered amongst isolated rural areas. We hope to raise RM100

Rock The World 9 Part Five!


26th December 2009: Rock The World 9 at Bukit Jalil! Here’s the sweet-voiced Liyana Fizi. Sadly I missed Take It Slow and any possible dedications. 🙁


Disagree. Zahid gives everybody a big hug for coming for Rock The World 9!


Ajin those glasses are too cute man!


This is, of course, Brainhead.


Azlan & The Typewriter with a familiar Lan (formerly of MeetUncleHussain!)


And then it was time to Rock And Roll, Rock And Roll with the very infectious…


…rock-and-rocking Couple!


This is the new pop – Love Me Butch! Well no not really, they keep it real.


Stonebay keeps it locked down in the 90’s.


Ridzuan of Seven Collar T-shirt shows us his favorite pick to make haunting melancholic rock with.


So who was on vocals for MeetUncleHussain then? Was it this guy…


…or this guy?


A most interesting battle ensued.

Emcee Harooooon! also told us this band used to be called Meet Saddam Hussain. Interesting.


One Buck Short on stage, and on the speakers.


Bittersweet, who also had a new vocalist. Still very much Brit!


Pesawat besar.


Bunkface ended the night past midnight.


I hope all of you who stayed past the LRT’s closing time, managed to get home!

More pictures here:
Rock The World 9 Part Four!
Rock The World 9 Part Three!
Rock The World 9 Part Two!
Rock The World 9 Part One!

CFN

Here’s a quick reference, for anybody who has the Sony HVL-F56AM/Minolta 5600 HS(D) and Sony HVL-F58AM flash.

To enter the Custom Function menu on the HVL-F56AM:

– hold down the Select button for 3 seconds
– press Select to cycle through the Custom Functions
– press – or + to change the options of each Custom Function

The Custom Functions are:
1) Wireless channel WL CH-1/CH-2/CH-3/CH-4
2) Flash range units m/ft
3) Time to auto power off 4 minutes/15 minutes/60 minutes/– (none)
4) Time to auto power off when using wireless flash 60 minutes/– (none)
5) Recording modes in which manual flash and multiple flash may be set M/PASM

Those in bold are my recommendations.

To enter the Custom Function menu on the HVL-F58AM:

– hold down the Fn button for 3 seconds
– press left or right to cycle through the Custom Functions
– press up or down to change the options of each Custom Function

The Custom Functions are:
C01 – HSS on or off
C02 – Channel 1 or 2 or 3 or 4
C03 – CTRL1 (CTRL+ to trigger F42/F58 on A700/A850/A900) or CTRL2 (CTRL to trigger F36/F56/F42/F58 but only on A850/A900)
C04 – PASM or M (means you can use Manual Power flash even if your camera body is not on Manual Exposure mode)
C05 – TestM (strobe for 4 seconds when you press Test) or Test3 (3 strobes) or Test1 (one strobe)
C06 – Power Saving 30 minutes, 3 minutes, 0.5 minutes or off
C07 – Power Saving when in Wireless 60 minutes or off