Chinese New Year... Year of the Ox...

Year of the Ox eh... Does that mean we get more grass???...

Okay lah... since it's Year of the Ox, here's a pic of our kerbau friends...

Taken by the side of the road from Teluk Intan to Bidor. Yeah, I know it's a lousy pic, but it was as close as I got before the Singh chased me off for disturbing his kerbaus... And with a 17-40 lens... never had a chance...

Anyway, I was musing earlier today (while stuck at the traffic lights...) how fast CNY seemed to go by this year. It is doubly odd as not only did it feel like it went by faster, but in reality it is probably the longest CNY break I have had for years...

I think the reason is mainly the babies... We are so preoccupied with taking care of them, playing with them, looking out for them, that before you know it a day has gone by. Weekends pass by in similar fashion.

In my bachelor days the CNY hols seemed to loom long ahead, and indeed there was many a day that was largely spent plopped in front of the telly with a container of cookies and a drink at the ready. There was so much time to meet up with friends, even in far off areas, time to play those computer games, and time to go indulge in CNY picture taking at the Thean Hou temple... And even time to drive down to the city and gawk at the near empty roads...

Now, its whoosh... huh, CNY's over???

Mind you, I'm not saying it's unpleasant. Far from it. I get to spend a lot of time and play with my babies. The journey back to wifey's hometown also seems so much better for it.

It's a different kind of happiness...

CNY 2009 Pics...

Coming VERY soon!!!

I've been shooting in RAW again with the Canon, and oddly enough, I found it a lot easier to work with than JPEGs, and have actually been going through them a lot quicker...

Proton Gen2 CPS long term review...

An updated review after 6 months...

It's proven to be a nice car to drive, with no problems at all that required warranty claims.

Just went through the second service (at 5,000kms) and the engine's well run-in by now. It as gotten a wee bit smoother (but that wasn't an issue to begin with) and has gotten more responsive with the extra miles on it.

The clutch take-up point as mentioned earlier ceased to be an issue as the bite has become more progressive, so my initial belief that it was due to the new-ness of the parts was valid.

As for the gearshift, it actually became even tighter over time to the point of being annoying and tiring to shift. But a simple gear oil change (to Castrol's Protector series) seemed to have magically transformed the gearbox into a smooth shifting creature. Excellent!

The throw between the gates of course is not about to change, but it's no deal-breaker.

So all in, a very satisfactory car to own, and to drive.

From my previous post on first impressions... (22/8/08)

Yes, a review of the still-very-rare Proton Gen2 CPS. It's actually my brother's, which he bought on my recommendation. I had wanted to get one for wifey, but she wanted a smaller car, so there...

Bro actually booked this way way back in May, and it's been a constant flurry of calls to chase the poor salesman until we got it in mid-August. Proton seems to be concentrating all their resources into the Saga and Persona, and despite that the overwhelming demand still ensures that you'll wait at least 3-4 months for those models. I've actually test-driven both and can safely say they are really good buys (don't go into the NAP and its effect on pricing of other cars...) Good job!

Anyway, back on topic, I picked up the car for bro as he was not used to a manual transmission, as I drove it back from Hartamas (a distance of about 15kms) these are my thoughts:

1. The clutch take-up point is relatively high, it doesn't bite until almost halfway up, but this is more something to get used to than a real fault. Besides, I think it could be adjusted.
2. Engine is impressively smooth, despite having less than 100kms on the clock. Insulation was on the whole very good too.
3. Low-end torque is decent, so no more complaints about the torque dip that plain-vanilla Campros had. Still not a lot of torque from under 3k rpms, but this is relative as I'm pitting it in my mind against the low-down-torque champs of Toyota and Peugeot. But then certainly nothing to complain about.
4. Gearshift is quite stiff and vague, in particular the gap between 1-3 and 2-4 being particularly close. This really annoyed me as I got caught in the rush-hour jam on Sprint. It should loosen up a bit so let's see if it improves over time.
5. The exhaust makes a lovely burbly sound at idle or low revs. Again this was evident when I was in the traffic jam. Might be endearing to some, and annoying to others, but I think it suits the car's character (and sporty placement) just fine.
6. The centre stack of buttons including the rear demister and foglamps are awful! This is the only real complaint I can level at the interior. Will go into detail for the interior later.

I'll put up a long term review later when I've gotten some miles with the car. I won't go into the specs and all because you can get them off the Proton Edar website.

From The Dark Side... To The Dark Side...

Here's to make clear I do not have a fixation with anything Star Wars...

After 9 years of being a Nikonian, I have finally moved from Nikon (known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side) to Canon (also known in certain photographic circles as the Dark Side).

Confused? Apparently the term applies interchangeably depending on who you talk to... Reason Canon is known as such is due to their (previous) dominance in the digital photography world. And reason Nikon is known as such is because of the prominence of Canon's white L lenses (which makes Nikon with its predominantly black lenses the Dark side...)

To cut a long story short, I dumped the last vestiges of my Nikon system; the D60, Tamron 17-50mm and SB400 in early January. In place came the Canon 450D, Canon 17-40L lens and a Nissin Di622. It wasn't really a pain as most system changes go, as over the recent years I have been slowly selling off most of my Nikon stuff...

Why??? (amidst ugly looks from my Nikon-toting friends...) I chose to go Nikon in 1999 when I ventured into SLR photography due to their supposed ruggedness and superiority in lenses ie good and affordable. Canon seemed then to be very commercialised and it showed in their plasticky products. Also back then for whatever reason most Canon bodies bar the top ones didn't have spot metering.

Recently, the tables seemed to have turned, and Nikon is increasingly trying to milk consumers for all they're worth. (as evidenced by the D3X pricing fiasco...) Of late, Canon lenses on the whole are also cheaper than Nikon's. Witness the 17-55mm lenses of both camps. Nikon's is a f2.8 and costs the better part of 5 grand. Canon's is similar except for one crucial aspect; it comes with IS (Image Stabilizer) and you can actually get change from 4 grand. To add insult to injury, there are claims that the Nikon's optical quality is not as what its price tag suggests...

So far I've been pleased as punch with the 450D. Pictures are amazing, and I can shoot up to ISO1600 with little noise, which I had great difficulty with the Nikons (be they D60 or D80, apparently the D300 is a different story). The 3" LCD is also a nice touch, unlike the dreary Canon LCDs of yore.

Complaints? Mainly the size of the grip. I have to learn to hold it in a different way from the large-gripped Nikons. After a while I learnt to live with it...

Other minor issues are flash related. In aperture priority mode with external flash attached, it would go to crazy low shutter speeds ie 1/15, unlike Nikon which would default to at least 1/60. It can be set to default to a locked 1/200, but in some lighting conditions this would not let in enough light, and force the flash to fire at maximum, hence harsher shadows etc. Also Canon does not make a cheap tiny convenient flash like the SB400, forcing me to go to Nissin. Didn't want to spend too much on this as I don't really shoot flash that often... But as the Nissin offers really nice features ie tilt and rotate, built in diffuser and bounce card, can't complain aside from the size...

So from this day on, the pics you see on this site are very likely to be the product of the CMOS sensor and the DIGICIII processor...

Feeding Time 2...

Now Jun Yen knows how to lie down on top of her pillow for milk too! Only thing is Jun Lee can tuck her hankerchief under her neck on her own, not always spot on, but it's a start...

Feeding Time...

Since the last weekend Jun Lee now knows how to plop herself onto her pillow when she sees the milk bottle. She actually started doing so about a fortnight back, but would end up with her head not actually on the pillow. Now she's doing it quite accurately, and it's so cute to see her go to her pillow (either in the cot upstairs or the playroom mattress) when she sees us coming with the milk for them.

Photo Gear Talk...

This will basically document the stuff I have at any point in time. It is most telling that I change stuff very often, but then luckily I almost never lose any dough on them...

Sep 2008
Nikon D40, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto 190PRO

Oct 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Nikon 80-200mm f4 AI, Manfrotto Monopod 676B

Nov 2008
Nikon D60, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Nikon SB-400, Crumpler 5MDH, Manfrotto Monopod 676B

Jan 2009
Canon 450D, Canon 17-40mm f4L, Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS, Canon 50mm f1.8, Nissin Di622, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, old Tatonka bag

Feb 2009
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05

Jan 2010
Canon 450D, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC, Canon 430EX, Manfrotto Monopod 676B, Bagman CA05

Amazing isn't it, the gear changes in February alone? Almost all the lenses I had in January have been sold. It's pretty normal as I am new to the Canon system, so a lot of trial and error. For now I think I've reached a sweetspot, and this setup should stay for now. Maybe a 50mm f1.4...

Babies Holiday... Day 2...

Jun Lee & Jun Yen woke up around 0730 (fairly typical time) and sent me running to make their milk. However, they drank very little, about 3oz of their normal 6oz. Went to breakfast at the coffee house at 0900, got a seat on the verandah. Food was okay, with a decent selection. The service was also alright with plates being cleared in good time and all, but the replenishment was so slooowwww...

After breakfast, off we went around Cameron Highlands...

First we stopped at Cactus Point, where there were some flowers, and a lot of cacti (obviously!).

Prickly stuff...

Went on down to Tanah Rata to have lunch at the Summer Kaye Garden. This place has decent food amidst a garden-like setting, with their home-made noodles particularly noteworthy...

Grandma, put me down, I want to walk...

Our tummies satisfied, we went over to the MARDI facility. Bought some strawberry jam (which from previous experience was quite good) and a bottle of strawberry concentrate. (which later proved to be great poured over ice cream...)

Later that evening, went to the Sungai Palas Plantation visitors centre, and got a nice table right next to the balcony.

Jun Lee: Mommy, why you copy me...

Jun Lee: See... copy me again...

Jun Yen & Jun Lee...

Jun Lee & Jun Yen...

Tired out from the long exciting day (largely from all the loading and unloading of strollers and what have yous...) decided not to go out for dinner, and we tapau-ed from Marrybrown. Something not available in the Klang Valley (which someone subsequently corrected me is in Berjaya Times Square...), and from previous experience at Genting, their chicken is really good...

Thus ended Day 2...

Babies Holiday... Day 1...

To my amazement, I actually finished editing the photos by Saturday! So here's the post on our recent holiday... complete with pics!

Brought the babies on their first holiday last week (13 Dec) to Cameron Highlands with their Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle too. Although I'm tickled pink describing it as babies' holiday, because indeed, what could they be needing a break from? Hehe...

Stayed at the Hotel Equatorial's 3-bedroom apartment. Our experience of the place warranted a story on its own here.

We left home about 11am and stopped at Sungkai for lunch at about 1pm. Lunch was superb, with braised pig's trotters, river fish, and local veges. Absolutely amazing stuff being dished out from an unassuming coffee shop setup on the main road.

Arrived and checked in at close to 4pm. The babies slept almost all the way from Simpang Pulai to Kea Farm, which is a good thing. After checking in, settled down and had tea, and Mom prepared the night's dinner. Basically we were just sitting back and relaxing until dinner time. Balcony has a decent view of vegetable farms and we had a pleasant time sitting there.

This place is nice and cool...

Later just before dinner, fed the babies with cereal. As the usual baby chairs were not available, we made do by sitting them on the couch. Worked fine on the most part, though they kept getting up and walking all over...

Cereal in the highlands...

Dinner was great, we had steamboat next to the balcony, and Mom brought a lot of yummy things including her home-made fishpaste, and some scarily big prawns! We put the babies next to us in the cot. Speaking of the (hotel-supplied) cot, it was in surprisingly good condition, complete with little blanket and sheets. Though for the sake of familiarity we brought the babies' own sheets and pillow...

Mommy, we want a big big prawn...

After dinner put the babies to bed around 9pm (past their usual bedtime) but they were so excited that they protested very vocally. But they were so tired from the long day they didn't keep it up and fell asleep rather quickly...

Hotel Equatorial Cameron Highlands...

On our recent holiday to Cameron Highlands, I ended up booking the 3-room apartment at the Hotel Equatorial for 2 night for the sum of about RM1,500, based on my favourable perception of the Equatorial Melaka.

Decent hotels are not exactly plentiful in Camerons, with the only premium hotel, th Cameron Highlands Resort, charging prices similar to a hotel room in London. We previously stayed at the Century Pines in 2006, and it was actually pretty good. However, this time they were fully booked.

Equatorial, being a reasonably well known name in these parts, came to mind. So in booking a place there, I was looking forward to comfortable rooms, decent breakfasts, et al as I have come to expect of Equatorial hotels (the Melaka one anyway...).

What we got was utter rubbish (for the price) for most part, which I will not describe here as it will take a few pages. All I can say is if you're going to Camerons, do NOT stay at the Equatorial. You have been warned.

What, no pics?...

Okay, I KNOW I take forever to upload pics, and wifey's breathing down my neck doesn't help. I've never quite managed to be happy about the stuff that comes directly out from the camera, something always needs tweaking.

Lest you think I'm guilty of fakery and embellishing photos, I'm not, and my tweaks are usually limited to exposure adjustments. The exposure meter can sometimes be wonky... Nikons of late have meters that seem to need a bit of manual intervention, and usually veers on the side of overexposure. Trust me, I'm not the only one who complains of this trait.

The good thing is most pics come out bright and cheery and saturated to the point of looking really punchy, and most people are happy to the point they don't notice the blown out highlights...

On another note, I've had a revamp of my photo equipment lately and there has been a lot of buying and selling of stuff in the last 2 months.

Stuff I've bought: D60 body, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR, Manfrotto 676B monopod, hotshoe mounted spirit level, Kingston 4GB SDHC Micro-SD card...

Stuff I've sold: D40 body, Nikon 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 VR (yes you read that right...), Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, Crumpler 5MDH shoulder bag, Nikon 80-200mm f4.0 AIS...

So now all I am left with is the D60 body, Tamron 17-50 and an old Tatonka bag. All I need to get is a decent bag (thinking of a Kata).

I love the D40 series bodies for its small size. I used to own a D70, and it was very cumbersome. Similarly I really like the 18-70 lens, but ultimately plumped for the Tamron due to its large aperture. Reminds me of my old Tokina 28-70 which I used on my F80 many years ago.

Also dislike backpacks as they are large and not conducive to quick photos. Imagine to access something in the backpack, you have to take the bag off, lay it on sometimes very questionable surfaces, and then take the stuff out, and close the bag and lug it back on in case someone nicks your stuff... Very very tedious. Of course they're great for carrying lots of gear, but now that I am in the minimalist equipment school-of-thought, I can make do with a small shoulder bag.

And now, back to work on the photos... Just got back from the babies' first vacation in Cameron Highlands on Monday, and promised myself I will upload pics before the week is out!

The Trick...

I spent a good part of yesterday with the twins as wifey was out for some shopping and gym.

Bro came over for a while, and saw Jun Lee do a nifty trick to get back her toy. Jun Yen is the more possessive one, and tends to grab toys from Jun Lee. For whatever reason, despite being bigger than Jun Yen, she seems to lose in most of these grabs.

Today Jun Lee was playing with a plastic ring, which is nothing new to them, but Jun Yen just had to have it and grabbed it. Jun Lee let it go, and went to pick up a book, and started to like wave it in front of her sister to attract her. Jun Yen then dropped the ring and went to get the book, and Jun Lee got back her toy. Mission accomplished!

This and That...

Oh my, over a month with no updates... Well, it's certainly not due to lack of material. The babies just celebrated their 1 year old birthday last month, and I've only JUST finished editing and compiling the pics. Will post them up soon...

Yesterday Jun Yen went around saying something that sounded like "sherka" repeatedly, and I was at a loss why, until wifey realised it probably meant "cher ke" or "this" in Mandarin. She probably picked it up by us pointing to pictures in the books and posters and saying "this is..."

True enough, in the afternoon she stood up and started pointing at pictures on the wall and saying (more clearly this time...) "cher ke" repeatedly.

Also they now know to identify their ears, nose and head by pointing to them when we ask. Now trying to teach them to point to their tummy and mouth, though so far whenever asked to point at their mouth they simply end up putting their fingers into it instead, so I'm not sure if we succeeded...

Happy Birthday Jun Lee & Jun Yen!!!

A year has passed and the twins are now ONE! Yup... time flies...

We had a birthday party to celebrate on the 18th October with our relatives and friends. Thank you all!

Jun Lee & Jun Yen were very happy, and very well behaved, though they were still having a bit of a cold. Both of them, being very excited to see so many people, made quite a bit of noise and wanted to touch everything. Grandma had to dig her purse to find stuff for them to fiddle with to keep them occupied.

During the cake cutting, I let them both hold the knife, and JL, being particularly curious, didn't want to let go of it afterwards... We had to open up a few presents there and then for them to play with.

Papa, Mommy, blow the candle for us...

We cut big big piece for ourselves, okie...

We're ONE year old!!!

Jun Lee...

Jun Yen...

Can we go online with this???

Mommy, come open our presents...

Our 1st birthday cake, see... we took a taste...

Jun Lee and Jun Yen were very happy, and very well behaved, though they were still having a bit of a cold. Both were very excited to see so many people, made quite a bit of noise and wanted to touch everything. Grandma had to dig in her purse to find stuff for them to fiddle with to keep them occupied. Which is why JY is holding a lipstick...

They also managed to gouge a hole in the cake when we weren't looking, though in the excitement, I cannot remember who did it...

During the cake cutting, I let them both hold the knife, and JL, being particularly curious, didn't want to let go of it afterwards... We had to open up a few presents there and then for them to play with.

Pregnancy Blog...

Yet another update on the pregnancy blog. It is simply too long to post up in this form. As such I will put it into a Word file, complete with index and all. Hey, whaddaya expect, it's close to 9 months long...

Jasmine's Pregnancy Blog

Okay, my bad, wifey actually gave me her pregnancy blog to post up not long after the twins were born, but what with one thing or another it didn't get put up, till now...!!! in conjunction with babies' first birthday!

Have a read, it lists the memorable moments during her pregnancy, and see if carrying twins is any different from a single baby...