More X100 Loveliness

All the photographs were taken around Pavilion and Sungai Wang, right after I got hold of the camera. I must say that I was still not familiar with the real potential of the device. The main write-up is here.

 

The Fuji X100 is Here!

Yes! I have taken the plunge. I have been monitoring the reviews on this little beauty since the beginning of the year, and has set my sight as a replacement for my LX-3.

Many alternatives came and went. I tried the PEN-3, the GF3, and even the Leica X1. But there is something unique about the X100. It was solidly built, it has a large APS-C sensor. And the lens were super sharp. To top them all off, the leaf shutter and the range-finder style layout. I really couldn't ask for more.

I was close to plunging on the PEN, but at the end of the day, I would just stick the pancake lens on it. The X100 comes with a superb lens to start with. So the argument about needing a zoom did not come into the equation as far as I am concerned. I could still use my EOS 7D for the serious business if I needed to.

So, as soon as I got the unit, I took it out for a quick spin around Pavilion - where else. These were the results. All were from RAW files, with a bit of curve adjustment on Aperture. No sharpening or colour manipulation done. I also cropped them into 16:9 aspects, and added in the borders and watermark. This was from the first spin. Imagine how it would be once I become more familiar with it.

More photos could be seen on the slideshow here. There are also more photos in this post.

Iftar at Dewan Perdana Felda

I have mentioned before that I was never that keen on Iftar outside the house. I only went if there were special occasions. I went for one last night, at the Dewan Perdana Felda, to join a few of my friends whose children went to same school as my boys.

It was a mixed experience. A packed hall, and we got to our table rather late as our host were stuck in traffic. Managed to get some rice and drinks just in time for the Maghrib azan.

The hall was huge, and Anita been there a couple of times before for weddings. It was my first time. Getting a parking spot was a challenge. There were spaces in the underground parking area, but since we were late, there were queues leading into there as well. We were lucky to find a spot just outside the hall.

There were at least 120 tables, most of them booked, although it was still possible to walk in. Food were arranged on small stations, peppered throughout the hall. The main attraction was roast lamb, but the queue was rather atrocious. Atrocious meaning if you talk the loudest and hassle enough people, you get to be served first! I could not even bother to start. Never been a fan of lamb anyhow.

There were biryani, white rice with Malay dishes, and not to mention the noodles, laksa, and other cookies and kueh. The Malay food there were excellent. Couldn't comment about the lamb though because I did not taste it. The laksa was also nice. The Malay kueh were also quite a find.

The lamb roastAfter it was doneThere were no specific food for children, but the rice and spaghetti should be fine for them. There were ramps for pram and wheelchairs, so access was a doodle. The surau was located in the basement, fully equipped, with a lift if you didn't fancy the stairs. There were even able to accommodate Tarawikh here if you wish. And there were after dinner entertainment as well.

They had a local nasyid group, Uniq, singing a few songs.

We hung around until about 9. Had to leave early since the boys would be in school the next morning. On the whole, food was nice, but lacked variety. The hall was comfortable although the waiters were rather sluggish. The service could have been much better. But if you were desperate to have a night out for iftar, you could do a lot worst then here.

Price? I did not pick up the cheque, but the counter mentioned it was around RM60.

iQuit

All this harping ons about Libya and the NATO agenda masked the real news of the day. It was not often that a visionary comes along and change the course of history. It may be through infamy - Hitler -, arts - Picasso -, Science - Einstein -, or sporting achievement - Mokhtar Dahari -, or leadership - George Bush - errrrr, I made some of them up.

Steve Jobs gone jobless and resigned as CEO of Apple, a company he started with 'the Woz' and another bloke who gave up his share soon after - thinking that the company was heading nowhere, mistake of the century if you ask me. Although he resigned to become the Chair of the Board, reading between the line, his cancer relapse had taken its toll, and he did the sensible thing by stepping down. Within an hour o the announcement, the Apple stock took a 5% dive.

It was clearly a sad day, at least for me. I have unashamedly claimed to be an Apple fanboy. I have the iMac, MBP, Mac Air, a couple of iPads, the iPhone, a few iPods etc. I used Mac exclusively in my working life as well as blogging and photography. It had made me very productive in doing my daily chores, and it was not just the hardware element. It was the integration of hardware, software and its tactile relationship. The whole Apple experience.

They are not perfect. There a some quirks with using an Apple system, but often there would be clever work-arounds. The products were innovative and seemed to propel the personal computer experience, and generally technology forward. And it took a visionary to realise that. It did help to have a couple of geniuses around in Jonny Ives and Scott Forstall around .... a couple of people that Apple would do well to retain post-Steve.

So, to Mr Jobs, enjoy your retirement. You certainly deserved it. You have certainly left a legacy. I salute you!

The Flu Beckoned

It looked like it was going to be a gloomy day today. Anita now had the fever, must be off the children. She had planned for iftar with her friends later today, but that plan had to be put on hold. Dad-in-law also had the flu. Plenty of them circling around I was afraid.

Luckily, they had it this week rather than next week when Aidilfitri came along. So, it would be a school run for me this morning ….