Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Residential Area (组屋区)


身为马来西亚人,我对公寓没什么好感。总觉得国内大部分公寓的维修管理都差强人意,除了一小部分之外,大多数公寓在若干年后都会变得陈旧不堪,政府组屋更是惨不忍睹。

相比之下,新加坡的政府组屋管理好得多了,每隔几年就翻新,周围虽不算豪华,却显得井井有条且干干净净。大部分组屋区都有联络所,游泳池等设备。公共交通更是非常方便,每隔几百米就有一个巴士站,地铁站也几乎连接全岛。

当然有利也有弊,新加坡因土地面积有限,有地房产极为稀少,所以屋价极为高昂,就连政府组屋的价格也比马来西亚的洋房贵得多。

以马来西亚的天然资源与土地,若有新加坡政府一半的效率,就不难在不久的将来达成先进国的宏愿。。。。。


The photos above were taken from my sister's residence, a HDB Flat in Singapore. The first one was taken in the daylight whereas the second was taken at night after all the streets and the adjacent flats were lighted up.

The neat and tidy environment around the HDB flats impressed me, and I wonder if only the government of Malaysia could have half the efficiency of Singapore government, the country would prosper in no time, given the available natural resources and land that Singapore is lack of.

The photo at daylight was a random shot with small aperture for increased depth of field, whereas the photo at night was experimented with low shutter speed of approximately one second and the result turned out to be reasonably bright. As the photos were taken with free hand without using a tripod, the image at night is not as sharp due to shaky hand I guess……..


The last photo here was taken at Johor Bahru Danga Bay during the eve of Christmas. The blurry image is even more evident with slow shutter speed and shaky hand. I believe if I slow down the shutter speed further and with the use of a tripod, the photo would have turned out brighter, sharper and better. It is a challenge to do night photography.......

Monday, December 21, 2009

Red Cactus (红仙人掌)


在所有植物中,最吸引我的要数竹子和仙人掌了。

除了竹子的坚韧与生命力让人惊讶,仙人掌的特征也让人唧唧称奇。仙人掌是能够生长于沙漠中的少数植物之一,其吸收水分储藏以便日后干旱时不至于枯死的能力与骆驼有异曲同工之妙。倘若人类身体有此功能,我们上课或出远门就不需带水罐,卖水罐为生的商家们可能要关门大吉了。这当然不太可能,但我们可以尽量吸收学问以便日后派上用场。

The red cactus above was again shot with the largest aperture of my kit lens (f5.6 at telephoto end), but it was intentionally shifted from beside the wall to a distance further away from the wall. The further distance from the cactus to the wall helps to blur up the background further. With a blur background, attention is drawn to the subject, the cactus, thus making it stand out. This is another technique that I have just learned and experimented.

Like a cactus that is capable of storing water for later use, we should build up the habit of acquiring knowledge and skill whenever possible for future use.

My First DSLR Camera


I recently purchased my first entry-level DSLR camera. It is a Canon EOS 500D.

Before this I was contented with a compact point-and-shoot camera mainly because of the affordability and it is extremely handy and convenient to carry it around. A compact camera also is capable of producing reasonably good shots without much skill needed.

However as I become more attracted to photography, I started to realize the limit of lack of control in a compact camera hence I finally got my hand on a DSLR camera.

I tried a few experimental shots using the camera, using full auto mode, preset scene mode as well as some apperture priority and shutter speed priority shots. The portrait photograph shown here was shot with the largest aperture in order to blur the background. I am not quite ready to try out the full manual mode right now.

It is my wish to be able to capture life's beautiful moments and the scenes of beautiful places through a viewfinder....

Thursday, December 10, 2009

只有十句话,我却看了十分钟


第一句
  
如果我们之间有1000步的距离
你只要跨出第1步
我就会朝你的方向走其余的999步
  
第二句
  
通常愿意留下来跟你争吵的人
才是真正爱你的人
  
第三句
  
付出真心 才会得到真心
却也可能伤得彻底
保持距离 就能保护自己
却也注定永远寂寞
  
第四句
  
有时候 不是对方不在乎你
而是你把对方看得太重
  
第五句
  
朋友就是把你看透了 还能喜欢你的人

第六句
  
就算是believe 中间也藏了一个lie
  
第七句
  
真正的好朋友
并不是在一起就有聊不完的话题
而是在一起 就算不说话
也不会感到尴尬
  
第八句
  
没有一百分的另一半
只有五十分的两个人
  
第九句
  
为你的难过而快乐的 是敌人
为你的快乐而快乐的 是朋友
为你的难过而难过的
就是那些 该放进心里的人
  
第十句
  
冷漠 有时候并不是无情
只是一种避免被伤害的工具

注:文章来源- 电邮与网络流传

Life's Sayings

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life, it goes on. (Robert Frost)

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. (Winston Churchill)