Of Pictures And Text

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Why don’t I add text to pictures?

Quite simple.

I don’t have a lot of fonts, so Photoshop loads faster, and if I typed “Pink Honda Jazz” in the picture, instead of typing it out in text, I would not be able to do a text search on it.

I don’t like watermarking my pictures either, not that I’m encouraging that people steal, but often I see great pictures plastered with alpha-transparency text, obstructing the beauty of the picture. If your girlfriend was a model, you wouldn’t tattoo your name on her cheeks would you?

That said, I don’t hate watermarking people, just the bad watermarking. A logo in a corner is better.

There are also different levels of Photoshopping.
1) Resize
2) Resize and auto-levels
3) Resize, color balance adjustment, contrast (at this stage all adjustments are done on the entire image, not specific parts of the image)
4) Resize, color balance adjustment, contrast, sharpening
5) Resize, color balance adjustment, contrast, sharpening and retouching (actual color adjustment, surgical enhancements)

I usually do 1) when the picture is perfect, 2) for normal shots, 3) for darker shots and shots where I want to put emphasis on a certain object, or isolate by mildly desaturating the background, and 4) for when it’s blur. I take pride in the fact that my pictures look plausible, given the right settings. At most, I am merely covering for exposure/color mistakes done when taking the picture.

I’m relatively good at retouching, but I abhor it. I respect the purity of the image as it was captured, and step 4) is just to adjust the picture to what your eyes would see, or your brain would see, like a white paper in a yellow-lighted room. Also notice that the human eye has very big aperture (I did an experiment) and it is hard to focus on two objects far from each other at the same time. When you want to look at the other object, you have to refocus on the other object.

If taking a picture back then meant stealing your soul, then I can see why we like to steal souls. Guys with cameras, I know, want to take a hot chick’s picture with their own camera. Sure, they can probably stalk her on Friendster and download and save pictures, but it’s not the same. You take her picture, it’s like you snapped a bit of her soul. You feel proud. A conquest. A capture, even if the methods were sneaky. All the more to be proud if you are in that same picture, so you can show off to friends. “Look I’m in the same picture with her!“, you beam.

Okay, now that you’ve braved my text, I shall reward you (sic) with pictures.


Left: A man is hard at work pumping. Argh motion blur! Right: I flash him, and he flashes me back.


One morning I didn’t sleep through the night, so I took my tripod out to the porch at 6:20am and took this stitched shot. (Picture has been turned to monochrome for clarity.)


Deja Voodoo Spells album launch, 26th January 2006: This is where I tried to sneak a shot in The Actors’ Studio Bangsar. The band played, with hot dancers in between each song. Whoa. First of its kind.


Here’s a customary shot of the KLCC Twin Towers. But it is just so pretty.


Left to right, top to bottom: Davina is truly a space cowgirl; sticky melted honey sweets stick to your teeth; lobsters in the lower ground floor of Starhill sing, “I Want To Break Free“; Starhill toilets feature a complex, nifty old-school mechanism to activate the tap, more Starhill ornaments.


Left to right, top to bottom: I can play without even touching the grand piano at J.W. Mariott; more Starhill ornaments; interesting lights arranged in a pattern; interesting bricks arranged in a pattern; I couldn’t believe my eyes, she looked so real from afar; trees project a shadow on the fog.


Left to right, top to bottom: The rope and the hole that broke Kevin‘s arm; the secret passageway underneath; the by-invite-only special screening of Khai‘s full-length movie, Ciplak; Khai the man giving a speech.

Ciplak features about everybody close to him in the scene, including the otai putih Peter Hassan Brown in a juicy role. There were elements of British humor, and while the introduction does try to slowly educate you on piracy, it quickly picks up into a very fun, accessible chase movie, with Khai the hero trying to get pirated DVDs to save his life, while spewing his trademark wit.

The only complaints I had were technical issues, like the camera going in and out of focus in the darker scenes, greenish white balance and horrible digital noise from an expensive camera. I’d say, better with fake lighting then, than to have a okay-lit but noisy scene. As for the greenish tint, it wasn’t in the trailer, so I blame the projector, or Paul’s Place’s lighting. 😛 But hey Khai, if you could sort those niggles out, it would make a subconsciously better quality film to watch in GSC International Theatres. If the quality could be fixed, it would be a heck more fun to watch than Sepet. The story doesn’t indulge in indie-film style, so the only thing indie is the film quality.


Left to right, top to bottom: Waterfall, duh; the rich versus the poor (okay, okay, so Astro dishes need to face one direction, I know); freaky green-lighted bus stop; caused by a pedestrian traffic light.


And now, for some obscenely big infrared pictures of me and my pupils.


I hope nobody steals this for Friendster.

Cut Back To School And Face The Music

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The last time I had a haircut was on the 11th of October, 2004.

People were bugging me about my sideburns at the 1 year 3 months mark, but I didn’t want to do anything at such an unceremonious interval.

And so, I waited, 500 days later.

On the 23rd of March 2006, I got my sideburns cut by the best housemate ever. She does cooking, cleaning, laundry, and gives me a ride.

And now, for some filler:

I got tagged by Cheneille.

One song… from your early childhood.
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody.

One song… you are associating with your first big love.
Who is my big love? Or rather, what is my big love? Here’s a hint: Stan Bush – The Touch.

One song… which reminds you of one of your holidays.
Nothing really reminds me of Singapore. 😛 Unless you can count Parking Lot Pimp, from Singapore.

One song… you like, but you have problems confessing to.
I like Search – Isabella, but I always could never confess my feelings to it, y’know? What’s the point of confessing, when you know it’s just a song, and you’re supposed to relate to it, and not it relate to you? But really, if I like a song from an artiste I hate, I’d confess it, no biggie.

One song… which accompanied you, while you were love sick.
You know what, I’m hardly as emo as the target audience of this meme. When I’m sad, she comes to me. Okay, really, I only remember listening to The Rasmus – Dead Letters album at that time. Then my MP3 player died and I never got repeated listening of any album.

One song… you listen most often to in your life.
According to Winamp’s Most Played, it’s The Beatles – Yesterday, but that’s because I’ve been trying to tab the string section for eBow. Below that, Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, and the super funky basslined Sly And The Family Stone – If You Want Me To Stay.

One song… which is your most favored instrumental.
Eric Johnson – A Song For Life.

One song… which represents one of your most favored bands.
I have over 20GB of songs, so it’s not easy. But I like Faith No More – Epic.

One song… in which you recognize yourself or through which you somehow feel understood.
The White Stripes – I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman. 😀

One song… which reminds you of a certain occasion.
Avril Lavigne – I’m With You. I remember bringing up flowers a flowerpot to her as she sang on stage. It was wet so I brought it back down. Thanks a lot dudes for the prank.

One song… you like which belongs to the Hip Hop/Rap genre.
A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It? Okay, fine, I don’t know the lyrics or listen to it much, but knowing A Tribe Called Quest makes me loads cooler than all you Black Eyed Peas fans.

One song… which is the best for you to relax.
Do people on average have all their vital songs on one audio CD? I’d say anything by Jamiroquai. He makes you dance happily and spin in your chair with funky tracks, then brings you to the lounge with his Stevie Wonder impression. (No, Stevie Wonder is too soppy for me, or rather, we don’t hear his upbeat songs like Higher Ground often.)

One song… which symbolizes a great time in your life.
Wow, let me think back when I was having a great time. I’m a happy person, so uh… I’d say, when I stumbled upon a massive collection in the office, including extensive works of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

One song… which is your favorite song at the moment.
Eric Johnson – A Song For Life. I attempt to learn more of it each night.

One song… which you would dedicate to your best friend.
Queen – You’re My Best Friend. I don’t have one, though.

One song… where you have got the feeling that no one besides you likes it.
Good Charlotte – Festival Song. I heard this song on MSN Radio before anybody else had heard of Good Charlotte, and I don’t like their newer songs.

One song… you like because of its lyrics.
Spinal Tap – Big Bottom.

Who shall I tag? Anybody with more than 20GB of songs.

Syefri also tagged me, for school.

How many schools did I go to?
I was in SRK Sri Damai for primary school, and SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ for secondary school. Yeah, that gangster school.

Was I the studious nerd, or the last minute hero?
I looked like a studious nerd but was really a last minute hero.

Was I the class ‘taiko’ or the teacher’s pet?
I was a wallflower.

What was the biggest rule I broke in school?
I skipped school assembly to hang out in the computer club room. Nope, none of that juvenile stuff. I’d have to cross a football field to get to the bad side of school.

Three subjects I enjoyed.
English, Modern Mathematics (because it was easy compared to Additional Mathematics) and Physics, with the great Ms. Foong.
English, Sejarah (enjoyed sleeping in it) and Komputer.

Three teachers that inspired me.
That great Ms. Foong, some other teacher who came in to save our souls on Additional Mathematics, and the late Mr. Lee who said many times as we were caught hanging out in the computer club:
“If you’ve got nothing to do, don’t do it here.”

I tag anybody who reads this who was ever in the same school as me.

Thou Art Spammed

1 Reply

I got this in my email:

Dammit, since when was spam preachy? This might be God’s way of countering Penis Enlargement spam. Coz God knows, there are loads of virginal goody-two-sandal church-going pretty radiantly-glowing-in-the-sunshine-of-His-love girls who are waiting to be… uh… married.

Shortpod

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I bought a short tripod today, for macro photography. Two of three legs can swivel. The head is mounted via a ball socket, and is tightened by a knob to its side. Of course, for only RM19 at a camera shop in KL Sentral, it couldn’t fully tighten, but it was tight enough to hold the weight of the camera in place. (This picture was a long exposure, with a lamp moved around the subject. Future macro shots may feature this move-lamp-and-kill-shadow technique.)


All three legs can be extended, for creative control over the tripod’s angle and elevation.


This is its specialty – it can be used to hold filters in place. Featured is my old Canon Powershot A400, with a circular polarizer held in place with the tripod’s legs. It is easier to position, the nearer the tripod mount is to the lens. If the upcoming Fujifilm F30 still doesn’t have a lens adapter, I might have to resort to this. If I get it, that is.

Fitness For Free

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JC: Hello Albert? This is JC from California Fitness.
Albert: Yes, speaking?
JC: You know your friend Cheneille? She gave us your number.
Albert: Ah yes yes, I know her.
JC: Ah yes. Anyway, we would like to offer you a one week free trial at our gym. You can come, try out our equipment and facilities for free.
Albert: Oh yes I’d love that, but well… One Utama is a bit inconvenient for me.
JC: Oh no no sir! We are in Midvalley sir. Are you free to come over?
Albert: No, not this week; how about next week?
JC: Sure, I’ll call you on Monday.

He never did call. 🙁

And yes, I knew California Fitness was in Midvalley. 😀 But hey, don’t people unfit-financially-for-gym mix up anything that’s not Fitness First?

Still, I got my abs, and my muscular-looking legs. Why? Because I walk. Because I take the stairs. Because I help carry computers around. Because unlike certain people, I do not insist on parking closest to the gym.

Ah Broke Mah Back Mountin’

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So I was watching this ‘ere Brokeback Mountain, just to see exactly fer mahself how boring it would be to a straight women-loving man such as mahself, as all my straight guy friends said that it was boring as heck. However, some lassies with queer friends might beg to differ. And queer folk, they be obviously loving it.

As the movie screen filled up with enough sheep to count to solve mah current amnesia, I wunnered who the aggressor/initiator would be. Y’know, who be shooting the gun. Would it be Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal fer those of y’all who ain’t into the habit of rememberin’ names), who was checkin’ Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) out in the first scene?

Well tumble mah weed, it all happened in the dark, so I didn’t remember who was doin’ who, but they went straight to their business.

Other than that, an’ some friendly camaderie, it was just a lot of grass. Ah took a peek at the clock. Forty-two minutes. Phew. there I was, thinking it would be just half an hour past. That ain’t half bad.

Ennis Del Mar: This is a one-shot thing we got goin’ on here.
Jack Twist: It’s nobody’s business but ours.
Ennis Del Mar: You know I ain’t queer.
Jack Twist: Me neither.

There is but just one doggone thing wrong with that, and I be telling ya what it is.

They ain’t championing bull manure. They are championing chicken manure. What ah mean is, both of them, y’see, they ain’t, y’know… born queer. They just did something there then, they got married and got kids and all, and they meet up ev’ry now and then and have a go at it.

And it’s a newfangled fad that they say nowadays in town, you be born queer. This here, it ain’t helping. It ain’t so bad if they were born queer, then we put our hats down fer them, we say they can’t help it. But with this, it just meant to show, they just ain’t got the balls to take the sheep they were guarding instead.

So, the moral of the story, kids, is, well, not there. Empty revolver.

Well, at least, if ya fancy Anne Hathaway (that’s the Princess Diaries star), ya get to see her hooters in this one. And that, now kids, is why it ain’t that boring after all.

Lookalike, I Like

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So I was paying at the mamak, when the mamak dude says:

“You look like John Michael.”

His face was relatively near mine, but I couldn’t hear what he said.

“Huh?”

“You look like John Michael. You know, the wrestler.”

The way he said it, it was as if he was going to challenge me for my trophy belt right there.

Does anybody know this wrestler, since I don’t watch wrestling?

My hair was tied back, so I guess I looked more aggressive.

Edit: He probably meant Shawn Michaels.

I have a common face, or a face to link them all. I’ve been likened to the Alien Workshop logo in secondary school, Neo (Keanu Reeves) when I wear sunglasses, David Spade of Just Shoot Me, Topher Grace (who plays Eric Forman in That ’70s Show), Gavin Yap (the local thespian), some dude in APIIT Damansara Heights, some Malay dude who worked in Nando’s Midvalley, a handsome lecturer in Lim Kok Wing, a guitar-playing maestro who also plays chess, among other people. And maybe a peacock, too.


Pardon the crude, crude Photoshopping. These are the four best impressions of the famous actors I can look like.

And hey, I secretly enjoy being told that I look like somebody, especially if that someone is famous and good-looking.

So, I myself find delight in spotting people who do look like someone else. I swear, when I say, “hey you look like my friend“, it is not a pickup line. It gives me great joy to spot lookalikes, great joy to tell them, and hopefully, the person will be overjoyed as I am, too, secretly. Well, if I freaked you out then I am sorry. 😛

Edit: Check out Jenifer’s celebrity lookalike.

Troubadours Open Doors And More

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Hey guys and girls of good musical taste, here’s a gig!

What: Troubadours/Open Doors
Where: Indicine, KL Performing Arts Centre, Jalan Ipoh, near Sentul West
When: Sunday, 19th March 2006, 5pm
How much: RM15 per entry
Who: Khai the witty filmmaker/jack-of-all-trades, Rhapsody the jazzy duo, Jerome Kugan the soulful singer, Liew Seng Tat’s short film, Flowers and Tan Hui Koon’s short film, K.Otak.

A flyer and more details are here. Fazri‘s coming, and we’re gonna do more photographic geeking at the BEAUTIFUL Sentul Park, so if you’d like to learn/exercise the inner camwhore in you, come!

Jumping About Pictures

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Jason, Cherrie, Rames and I went to KFC for lunch. We did not talk about what we wanted to eat, but we all ended up ordering the exact same thing! We all paid exactly RM8.61, for a two-piece chicken value meal with Pepsi. All Original Recipe flavored. A working-class meal.

Three of Rames’ colleagues then bumped into us at KFC, and they sat at the table beside us. They ordered a two-piece chicken meal too, except they all chose Hot & Spicy flavor! The same happened for another bunch of distant colleagues from the IT department; they had Hot & Spicy.

And now, for some random photographically-techie pictures.


Okay, so I didn’t have time to prime the shot, but I think it turned out pretty well.


Jason, Jenifur and I were out of pictures to take at Fathima’s (behind Bangsar LRT station) so I meddled with spoons. Somehow, the artistic intended individualism did not carry through, but I reckon I could use this idea again.


This was between Bangsar LRT and Fathima’s. Again, there could be better composition but I couldn’t figure it out. Yeah, go ahead, steal my idea and make it better.


Closing time, One Utama.


Fill-in flash is what happens when you choose shutter priority or manual exposure mode, and turn on the flash. It flashes, then exposes for a while, leaving the background to expose.


This is another example of fill-in flash; this time, I jumped with the camera. How did I get that distance? By hooking it on a tripod, and holding the tripod by its legs!


I tried doing those jump shots as popularized by Jason, but ended up like this. I also like this picture because it makes me look fat.

Troubadours Open Doors and KLPAC Attack

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So I headed down to Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul, on the 26th of February 2006, for Troubadours Open Doors. Fazri and I photographically geeked out in the park after that, but that’s another blog entry yet to come.


But first, I wanted to take a picture of the taps with flash, like Cheneille did, where flashing it would turn on all the taps at once, but alas! They changed the taps (note the platforms below the taps.) It was back to traditional methods. Oh yeah? I could still take a picture with all the taps on.


KLPAC is a major beauty, and the show was at Pentas 2. Note how a double bass rests.


Kevin of Broken Scar likes the view.


I loved the lights. Superbly bright spot lighting allowed for comfortable ISO200 shots at 1/20 second exposures.


The floor is his stage, and it is big.


And so we invite Alda, who finally has an excuse to bring out his double bass, to play for Broken Scar.


I am training myself to be ambidextrous; here, Kevin’s camera is used to record a video.


Next up is Ian Chow. No wait, that’s his percussionist.


Yup, this is the man. The man with a voice so powerful he doesn’t need a mike. He also organized the gig, so look for him if you want a spot.


Azmyl Yunor, you know, is a folk legend. He busked in Australia and lectured in Malaysia. He sings folk tales with a Dylanesque drawl. And you know, only Bob Dylan gets the -esque postfix.


Hey that’s Kevin’s guitar! Yeah, noticed the loose G string in the previous picture? It snapped.


Da Praise Project played next. Good comtemporary Christian music.


Cut to bored crowd. Nah, kidding. This shot was taken earlier.


“Hey man, when are we gonna cut to the atmospheric ambient song?”


“Yeah bro, I want to solo.”


“I can’t wait for the funky technoish song.”


Tony Leo, vocalist, obliges to all their requests. After the praise and worship songs, that is.

And in the true spirit of praise and worship songs, we go, “ONE MORE TIME!”

Except, of course, I don’t play more songs. I put more pictures.


From left to right, then top to bottom: Loose cannon; retired cartoon characters; funky-painted stone benches; old meets new; a bush maze; I reached the center and touched the tree of life; those buggers didn’t fill the pond; old stones have peeling moss, gross.


From left to right, then top to bottom: Sad to see old dilapidated stone benches; a twin tower between twin towers; a cow koi fish swims; in the Sentul Park Koi Centre; a metal swan; a stone pond.


From left to right: The metal swan reflects infrared; the trees say, “ain’t nobody gonna hold me down“; a pathway to the Japanese restaurant there.


And now, we head back to Sentul Park for some good ol’ reflections.


“Look ma, no floor!”


I like how the trees bring a new sense of orientation.


More infrared, baby.


Synchronizing swings (man these are big!) and then choosing the smallest aperture (in my camera’s case, F8) will give a slower shutter speed needed for this.

That’s all folks. Go home and spread the word!