Sunday, August 29, 2010

My Week

So it has been another week since I last blog. I am really getting old and lazy. Partially due to the fact that im a little overwhelm with my busy schedule and my “old man” activities.

I was also unwell the whole of last week due to indigestion. My stomach and intestine finally decided to go on a strike after a series of late dinners. Mum guessed that it was the curry that caused me so much pain. Anyway, last week was a terrible week, started off with the indigestion then followed by lotsa outbreaks and ending off with restless nights and severe hair loss! Especially the hair fall that kept falling at the slightest movement. I had to go easy on wax and shampoo. This week was a little better and I need to admit that im moving towards my mid life and I need to really consider proper health care. In fact, I had planned out my whole set of exercise regime this week.

Over the weekends, I accompanied Xin to check out her compact camera and originally, she was quite bend to get the Powershot 210sx, but on the spot testing, the new canon s95 somehow surprised both of us on the functionality and capability despite the ugly physical appearance. The bonus part was that this high end camera is selling at a cheaper price compared to the peers at only less than $600. Obviously, this was the final choice decided. For me, I tested out 7D as well as 50D and 5DMKII, my choice would still be the coming 60D. I believed it should be more than sufficient for me till a day I can easily afford a FF, if not this camera is great. I just hope that the selling price will be lower.

We will be going to Comex this weekend to check out the bargains but Fengli offered to buy it for us, which somehow he said he can get the camera at an excellent price which is unbelievable. I am still waiting for his call to see how unbelievable his price is. Haha

For me, I need a net book, after testing out fionis’s net book, im really determined to just get a cheap and nice netbook. My budget for it would be less than $400. I really hope I can find one at the Comex this thurs.
And to make up for last week, postponing all the dinner dates etc, guessed this week will be a busy week for me. Oh yah, I still need to decorate my “Garden” Corridor this week…

With gardening, shopping, and dinners, guesses it will be another busy week for me.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Leaving the weight behind..

Its really a nuisance to carry a DSLR all the time around your neck especially when you have decided to walk the streets. The weight and camera became a burden and you cant enjoy as much as you want.
So basically on days like this, i rather go light, as light as i can and it was so much possible now with my Rangefinder.

This set of pics are taken with my color skopar and Kodak color plus film. Frankly speaking, this is my far most preferred negative that i had used with zero complain.
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Love this pic alot...took this when i was right inside the alley.
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This shot was quite nicely executed...it was the first time i went so close to my subject for a picture
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This is a nice and fast capture..the lady walk over and i adjust abit and fire off
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This little boy just sit there naturally
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Love keeping eye contact with my subject..
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Kawah Ijen, the only few shots i took with the lens! Weather was too harsh for me to use this precious camera.
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This was using Fuji Press 800, don't really like this film, but the lens that i used, voigtlander 50mm f1.5 was indeed a good lens, provided you focus well.
This boy was playing with small fire crackers...
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The people sell crackers on their vehicles..there isnt a "Mama Shop"
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Street Hawkers
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An uncommon sight in Singapore but quite common in Surabaya...the horse carriage. The riders here surprisingly don poach tourist. If you want, you will approach them is the kind of mentality for these carriage owners.
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Back of the horse carriage
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I took this pic along the streets to Surabaya market. the building behind has alot of paintings, displaying a series of history and stories.
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This is an "In" thing for the people there. Wonder where they get the money to buy the paint.
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Covering street's photography in overseas is much more easier than in Singapore, provided you understand their cultures...Moving around and shooting at strangers will be a form of pleasure, especially when they are showing their natural behaviors.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

East Java Trekking Part IV Streets of Surabaya

The last day was spent at Surabaya..Basically this was our last stop for any Photography opportunity.
This was also the day that we get to enjoy a night stay at a 4 star Paragon Hotel.

Along the way to Surabaya, we had an adventurous journey and i experienced what they call local road bully/touter.
We were chased into a back alley and to my greatest comfort, what they wanted was actually a small amount of money.

After viewing the nice and beautiful scenery in the previous few entries, we will see the other side of Surabaya...the streets of Indonesia. We were all excited going to the spice market in the morning...and once there, all of us dashed in with our own camera. Not forgetting to stay in a minimum group of 3.
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We walked in the very narrow alley, and this market sells alot of spice. We were wondering that they cluster all the same stores at the same location, how do the owners sell their spice? At least 10 stalls are selling onions and garlics.
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This poor little kitten, daryn was saying it wont live pass another few days.
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I wont dare buy the meat here...and apparently the only store that sell meat..
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One of the main transport
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It was pretty hot at the area and we went back to our hotel after an hour spent at this market.
I really do enjoy this trip and hopefully, i will get another chance to travel again with SGtrekkers....time to save up some money!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

East Java Trekking Part III Kawah Ijen

Saying Bye to Mount Bromo, we headed for Kawah Ijen(Largest Sulfur Volcano)

Views of plantation along the way.
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Start of the trek, this is when i noticed that i have signed up for a Trekking Photography Tour instead of a relaxing one.
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Going up the this Kawah Ijen is not easy...every turn shows a slope and as you climb, it gets steeper and steeper. I was praying so hard that i could finish it.
The weather was harsh as well with drizzle and at times a short downpour.
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Sulfur Miners...for each trip that they make with 100kg of Sulphur, they earn roughly SGD$10..i took about 1.30 hrs to reach the top of the crater without going down the crater and yet they can finish the course within an hour with 100kg on their back.
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Solid Sulfur
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They aren't camera shy and they encourage you to take the picture of them but after that, they will keep haunting you for tips

Weighing the weight of the Sulfur before making a trip down
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its a common sight when they over take you. try not to walk the path that they walks. If not they will shoo you away.
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Leon with 10kg of the weight of his camera!
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Taking a break...i know i look terrible!
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And finally, i reaches the top and it may be coincident that by the time i reached, the mist and fog was cleared for me to start my photography session.
The view make the worth journey well worth!
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Amy shot this for me.
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this place allow me to jump..
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Me Amy and Aw meng
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The place was so rich with Sulfur that you can find them everywhere!
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From Wikipedia
The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano (not to be confused with Central Java's Gunung Merapi) is the highest point of that complex.
West of Gunung Merapi is the Ijen volcano, which has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake. The lake is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation, in which sulfur-laden baskets are carried by hand from the crater floor. Many other post-caldera cones and craters are located within the caldera or along its rim. The largest concentration of post-caldera cones forms an E-W-trending zone across the southern side of the caldera. The active crater at Kawah Ijen has an equivalent radius of 361 meters, a surface of 41 × 106 square meters. It is 200 meters deep and has a volume of 36 × 106 cubic meters.

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The path down the crater is so dangerous, yet these guys over come them so easily.
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A "No" to visitor but yet alot of them went down...the miners even offered to bring the visitor down..
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Testing the weight of it...none in our group can lift it off...
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It was time to leave the place...as we are late for our hotel check-out.
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I thought it was easy to go down slope comparing to upslope..but i was very wrong! Especially when im not in my trekking shoes.
Tourist from Thailand along our way down..we disturbed them by telling them that they will need another 2 hrs to reach the top!
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I believed they had the last laugh..sigh..i really need to train my physical fitness up. I was the last going up and coming down the volcano..