Post Call Sunday

The call last weekend was a strange one. It was busy during the day but in the evening, things just chilled out. I was able to watch United's game at the lounge and had a decent uninterupted sleep.

The post- call day being Sunday also helped a lot. That allowed me to take my time doing the rounds and get on with my day. I happened to wake up early, and despite having to hop over to Ara Damansara to see a referral, I was done well before noon.

I took a quick nap during lunch time and soon got bored. The weather was pretty decent - it had been gloomy and cool in the past week - and decided not to stay in.

I first drove to APW where Riuh was going on. Had some coffee there before setting off to Bukit Bintang with my camera. Before I knew it, I was exploring the decorations and making enquiries on GoPro. All in a real nice pace. I even had the chance to have a look at iMac Pro at one the shops.

Anita prepared dinner that evening and asked me to get home early to eat. Kind road traffic allowed me to return in plenty of time. It certainly was a full afternoon ...

Dull Outing

Since I had a few hours to spear - while taking Anita out at the mall - I decided to have a walk around Bukit Bintang to see how cool the weather would be.

It was cold alright. And it was also rather dull. The light quality wasn't great and the outdoor photos just didn't have that usual pop when it came to colours.

Looking down the Bukit Bintang Entrance to PavilionThe main foyer was still being prepared ...More flowers outside ...The entrance was full of people ...

While walking, I realised that Sungai Plaza had been complete torn down. And it was not really to make way for the new MRT line. The project there was to supplement the new transport network and from what I heard, there would be a new luxury apartment cum hotel taking over the space.

A cutie ...Street performerCan't seem to catch a decent light ...Time to scuttle back ...The place was still flat with no sign of piling being done yet. Looked like the place would be a construction for a few more years ...

Merry Xmas

Or should I say "Mary Christmas" as the saying went.

I will be on call this Xmas Day - something that happened quite commonly. The Xmas Eve turned out to be a Sunday and many used the opportunity to do some last minute buys. The shopping complex was full and although I got some free time this afternoon, I didn't spent much time outside.

I took the MRT from KL Sentral to Bukit Bintang. The coaches were empty but despite that, the road were full clearly people prefer to drive in town although the traffic must have been a nightmare.

I decided to sort out my credit card payment - the main reason I had to be out - and after a quick lunch, carried on home. I ended up having a nice afternoon nap instead. So much for a free afternoon ...

The iPhone X Camera

I take my phone everywhere and being an avid photographer, the most accessible phone I had most often were my mobile phone. Over the years I had been carrying many phones and the decision on which phone I chose to buy had how good the camera was being one of the top point of consideration.

The original iPhone did not have a good camera. Back then, the best camera phone I had used was the Nokia N73. Despite only having a 3.2MP camera, the Zeiss optics it carried made for some really great photographs. That sort of crystallised on me the idea that a camera phone may be enough for everyday snapping.

Then came the iPhone 4. For the iOS platform, it showed that Apple was taking photography seriously. A few Android phones then entered the picture with the HTC One being one of my early favourites. In early 2015, I discovered the Nokia 930. It had on it the best camera I had ever seen. And till this day, I could argue that it was still a capable shooter despite being almost 4 years old.

Now, my second phone was the Huawei P10 Plus. With its Leica optics, the photos especially the monochrome were just amazing. I still took it around during weekends as I shot around town. But now, I have a new contender for the best camera phone. The iPhone X.

Right off the bat, there was something natural about the photos. There were some element of over processing from the camera but they weren't as obvious as the Samsung. The photos did not over saturated and at low ISO, they appeared realistic. The focusing was
snappy and there were plenty of third-party apps for post-production of our snaps.

Last weekend, I took the phone out for a spin around Bukit Bintang to capture the Xmas decorations. I was practically blown away. The photos were much better than I expected. Coupled with its capability to capture 4K videos at 60fps, the camera feature is a winner.

In terms of monochrome snaps, it still lacked behind the Huawei. But for sheer overall joy, Apple clearly had the right formula here. Just for the camera alone, it was definitely an upgrade from my iPhone 7 Plus, although I do understand that the iPhone 8 use the same camera module as the X although with a narrower telephoto second sensor.

I'm definitely looking forward to more snaps from the phone...

Xmas is Near

For the last few years, the Xmas decorations at Pavilion had been the benchmark for all the other shopping malls in KL. So, when I was there a couple of weekends ago, it wasn't a surprise that the main foyer had been cleared away for the Xmas treats to be reacted.

The area was still restricted when I was there. Maybe by this week, we could go in. Let's see what is in store this year ...