mushroom cappucino soup

I love mushrooms (not the magic kind), and I love coffee even more. And a bowl of chicken soup is always nice, too. So this, must be the most delicious soup, ever!

Hassan Cafe, Bandar Baru Bangi

And, I had to pull over and get out of the car to take a shot of the sheer geniousity (shut up spelling-Nazi, this is a made-up word) of this signboard:

Springhill, Port Dickson

In case the cow doesn’t speak Malay or English, there’s always a picture to help it make sense of the signboard.

***

Tomorrow, my goal is to wake up earlier than 11am.

 

more lx-3 giddiness

So hate me, photography-purists, but I edit my photos. I edit them to death.

The rest of the atrocities here.

***

Is really, really amazed with this series. The narratives are interesting, I always love reading a glimpse of someone else’s life/job/calling, but the photos, the photos will blow your mind.

mengambil gambar di luar rumah bersama lx3

Took the camera for a spin (cewah) around the house untuk test power.  All photos are uploaded straight from camera, tiada Photoshop intervention. All taken using the Intelligent Auto mode, which is mode yang paling malas dan paling auto sekali antara semua mode. The camera tries to think for you and change into respective modes automatically while you point to things to shoot. It did go into Portrait mode when I point at my gate…hmm…

The color tone is a bit colder than what I prefer and used to with Nikon D50, but this is something that can easily be fixed in Photoshop, which I do with most of my photos anyway. Heck, I might even get used to this colder tone and end up liking it. Hah.

The sharpness is incredible, as you can see in the reflection lines. (Credit kepada Pacik Mashud yang baru basuh kereta semalam)

Macro mode is a joy to use. Get as close as 1cm.  It will automatically change into Macro mode when you get too close to things. Although pakai Intelligent Auto mode ni, you can’t specify your AF point (atau mungkin sebenarnya boleh tapi aku malas baca manual), so sometimes have to half-press the shutter a few times to get the right object to be focused on.

Mungkin ini adalah portrait mode. (aka sengal mode). If the lighting is even and not at extreme ends, the LX3 does brilliantly.

Ooooo macro goodness!

Capture details and texture really well. Except if the object is white, surrounded by other things.

Wide angle.

Here’s the thing that I’ve been complaining about in my research – Lumix’s tendency to overblow highlights, as evidenced in the top right corner sebelah pokok hijau tu. Just have to learn to live with it, nothing is perfect, I guess, and try to avoid shooting a composition with very different levels of light, and you’ll be fine.

Kat rumah orang lain takde mende ni kut.

Wide enough for you?

Sekian mini-review dan sesi berlagak saya buat kali ini. Nanti karang try mode lain pulak.

In conclusion, this isn’t love at first sight. This is love of repeated sights and kutuk2 dulu and extensive research and suruh orang lain beli dulu. But it’s love. :D

More pics on Flickr.

halllrighhht!

My new, dark and handsome toy. I know I’ve dissed you before, so forgive me. As form of repentance I will skip lunch and dinner until next year, because all my food money has been spent on you.

I keep having this urge to stick my eye through a phantom viewfinder. Nasib baik tak terlekat kornea kat LCD screen. Ada sedikit shutter lag, less than any compacts I’ve seen (except the DLux4, of course), but it’s a compact, right? Ini adalah komplen2 manusia yang sudah terlalu lama pakai DSLR dan tak ada kamera kecik. I wonder how my photo-taking habits will change with the new camera. 1cm macro siut. Habis la lepas ni semua gambar yang aku amek ialah macro shot. Macro shot dari pelbagai angle. Macro shot gambar selipar, macro shot gambar kunci kereta, macro shot gambar cawan, macro shot gambar telinga kucing.

Hmmm my laptop can’t read the free 4GB SDHC card. Is it because it’s free, or my antiquated (but hardworking, has served and will continue to serve me excellently, long-suffering, pretty etc etc) laptop can’t read SDHC? Will test theory later. The normal 2GB SD card is working fine.

Default casing free tu adalah buruk. Nanti kaya sikit nak cari casing yang lebih cool dan bergaya. Nanti kaya sikit lagi mungkin boleh angkat external wide angle lens itu (muahahahaha woi apakah pointnya kau beli compact kalau nak kena pikir pasal lens jugak).

Excited excited excited. Nak amek2 gambar lagi tapi bateri tengah charge. Jadi aku akan cuba untuk tido di dalam perasaan excited ini.

Macam dah ramai kawan2 yang ada camera sama ni (hehe). Kita buat kelab jom! Aktiviti kelab ini ialah mengambil banyak2 gambar macro shot!

random awesome

It had been  3 working weekends in a row. Although, not without its high points. I got to go to KL Sing Song 2009 with Iman, Anne and Jin, which made me an Annexe Gallery virgin, no longer. I know, so not happening right? Call yourself an illustrator and not mingling with the artsy fartsy types. But I suck at mingling. But! I shall make it a point to myself to attend more of these sort of things. Not so much for mingling and networking (which as a freelancer I should be doing but mostly suck at), but because it feels great to be blown away by other people’s talents.

Yuna’s Random Awesome has been on my repeat list since I heard it on Sunday. I’m probably behind in my fangirl duties, not too sure if this song is new or what, but I like the vibe of it. Light and cheerful, reminiscent and foreboding. Things past and things possible, they can all be good.

It was raining heavily outside during the show. I loved it when the thunder rumbles gently outside, providing a peculiar, but not unpleasant, kind of bass.

***

Helped a friend in a camera-buying decision (it wasn’t altruistic, I wanted to try the cameras for my own camera-buying decision :D) so now someone’s a proud owner of an LX-3. And I think another friend just bought one too. Panasonic should give me coupons. Soon! I will join this rank!

Could it be tomorrow? Heh. We shall see.

***

You guys might have seen these from the Stoodle website:

The latest issue of KLue and Junk, I’m ordering you to get them while it’s still November. Commissioned almost overnight, they called on Wednesday night, and the artwork were delivered Friday morning. Copious amount of coffee was consumed.

There are further interesting developments to do with the artwork, but I shall keep mum about it until it happens. Karang tak jadi buat malu je.

***

Uh oh, time to sleep! Perlu bangun kul 4am untuk menyaksikan what could be Liverpool’s last CL game this season. Sigh. I hope Voronin doesn’t start. But I have a feeling he will…

the book of quotes

I clicked on ‘New Post’ while having nothing exact to write about.

But let’s see if something can be coaxed out of its hiding, as I type meanderingly on this keyboard. Stream of consciousness and all that.

I am a quick judge of character. I said quick, not unflinchingly accurate. This, I know, is a character flaw. Which someone else would’ve quickly picked on had the person possess similar skill. Although I’d be breaking my back trying to prove this person wrong.

I am pretty set on getting the LX-3, I think. Vietnam will be the first international trip, sans DSLR! Gaaarr!

Just watched Grey’s Anatomy new season’s opening episode. Damn, they do whine a lot. (Although, I still cried when *spoiler*-*spoiler*-*spoiler*). But I guess something would be amiss from this modern life, if one can’t whine about stuff. You’d be busy fighting off a sabre-toothed tiger from stealing your caribou lunch, while having to look for a new cave because vampire bats shooed you off the last one, there’s no time for whining. Now that would suck.

My mind’s always trying to come up with these little quotes, in case one day A Book of Quotes by Mimi shall ever be produced:

i) You can believe in your opinions fervently, but remember they’re just stuff your mind comes up with to justify your previous opinion (hmm quote needs editing if it were to be published in ABoQbM)

ii) In the end they’re just opinions, so stop shoving them down my throat;

or,

iii) In the end they’re just opinions, so it is my prerogative to change my mind tomorrow and agree with you

iv) I am a quick judge of character. I said quick. (sorry, my mind doesn’t actually come up with THAT many)

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for tonight. Not bad, stream of consciousness! Woot!

who says I can’t get stoned

The heart is an ocean.

***

Who says I can’t get stoned
Plan a trip to Japan alone
Doesn’t matter if I even go
Who says I can’t get stoned

I watched this video about 15 millions time today (and you said you were busy, ha!). Everything about it, the words, the melody, the lighting, the composition, seemed desolately perfect.

hmmm

How does someone even remotely busy finds the time and energy to blog about all the fantastical things that have been keeping her remotely busy?

I shall let you muse over that, while I let myself slink into bed, after a long day of being remotely busy.

hai selamat hari raaaaya

So what have we learnt this Raya, boys and girls?

NEVER, ever, trick your spouse/partner into

1. thinking (s)he will not have to endure beraya-ing at YOUR kampung this year, by saying things like, “kita raya kat Bangi je this year, ok?”
2. and then later make a sudden change of plans for everyone, including the exhaustive list of YOUR relatives to be visited this Raya, complete with hotel room bookings in the town nearest to YOUR kampung.

This will result in your spouse/partner becoming bedridden with a 40-degree psychosomatic-induced fever the night before Hari Raya, out of utter shock and subconscious physical unwillingness, and this goes on for the entire Raya week, leaving your children with nowhere to wear their fancy baju Rayas to. Said children will waste the entire Raya week lounging mindlessly in front of the telly/computer, gripe when asked to do the dishes, wonder in complete amazement how does Mom keep the house from falling apart (because it is seriously threatening to do so, during her bedridden period), and eventually also contract fever.

Lesson learnt, lesson learnt.

***

Dapat jugak main mercun hari tu. Baru la rasa raya sket. Thanks Idaman for cooking up a storm! Eh mak aku cakap nama kau macam nama penyanyi dowh.

Keras kejung kerana takut mercun das meletup kat tangan. Also, my best Jedi impression.

***

Picked up the D50 and went for a mengada2 photoshoot at this tunnel near my house. Went a bit late so there wasn’t much light left, had to resort to shooting with ISO800 the entire time, hence the noise. Haven’t been doing these silly projects in a while. Afni’s a natural, as always, while I possess the natural talent of a cardboard. Don’t give up your day job, Mimi. (Eh, I don’t have one, haha!).

The rest of the atrocities here.

kuku kakiku kaku

As they say, there’s always a first time for everything.

Man, I can’t believe how nice my feet still looks today. (Just slightly superior to elephant’s hooves, I mean). So shiny and even and supple! The magic of buffing with 500 different boards and lotion! I was worried that the pedicurist, petrified upon the sight of elephant hooves, might buff them into oblivion, and I shall end up as the freak with no toenails. But what we know is that she was determined enough, that my foot ended up on her breast. It was not awkward AT ALL.

Still, it was worth the shininess and the evenness of my nails now. Although I am not sure if I’m the kind of person who would shell RM50 for all that glitter. So, thank you Afni for forcing convincingly presented her arguments for nice nails buying me my first pedicure!

Why, those are some nice hooves you have