Noy
November 23, 2010
I remember in the 1992 Philippine Presidential elections, my grandfather voted for Miriam Santiago because he does not want Danding Cojuangco to win. It was a pragmatic choice. Miriam might not be the best(I think Jovito Salonga was), but her winning is not the worst either. That was how my grandfather reasoned. I think he was wrong then. You have to vote for the best man/woman for the position.
On the last election, Noy was not the best either. I don’t know who was. Gordon looks promising, but I do have some reservations about him(I do like Bayani for vice-president). I was too indifferent recently. But if I voted, I would have voted for Noy.
There are two things about him that I swung the vote for me. He is popular and he will not tarnish the Aquino name. I expect Kris to give him hell if he does. You need to be stronger than the system to beat it. Even the best intentions would not do in politics. Popularity will help him in not compromising too much and the Aquino name will prevent him from straying (i hope) from the straight path.
I don’t want to judge him yet. He is just warming up his seat. I will give him two years to do his stuff before I judge if he is a good president or not.
Policies
November 4, 2010
I hate plans. While I like to be certain, things seldom happens the way you want it. Instead of plans, I will institute policies. I will use this guide my decisions.
1) I know that I like to read and geek out, but I must also try new things. Be adventurous, but don’t be reckless. Open up options. Explore life.
2) I will never sell my soul. I will live the way I want it. It might be a lonely path, but being a sell-out is not an option. I am what I am. I won’t change for the sake of fitting-in.
3) Never make an emotional decision. Be wary of cognitive biases.
RTFM
September 11, 2010
Read the fine manual! After watching the video on how to properly load a film on a manual SLR I realized that the roll I sent for development and scanning was not properly loaded. Oops! So I called and canceled it.
I was so excited on my initial results to my foray into film photography. And I screw-up because I did not load the film properly. I’m starting over again. This time I am loading a roll of B&W film.
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It’s been almost a year since I started reviewing for that IMC(Investment Management) exam and I’m done with it. It’s not that hard. Allocating time to study was hard specially when you want to spend your time on some other things.
My manager asked me if I wanted to go for the CFA(one notch higher in difficulty) exam. No way! It eats too much time. There are some other things I want to spend my time on.
Selling out
July 17, 2010
“I’m so disappointed Alan..”, my friend told me upon seeing that my iPhone. Yes, I’m a sell-out. I tried not to buy this thing. Yes I do. I did look for some nice Android phones, but the Galaxy S was not released yet. There were some Android phones but they are on the expensive side. I felt the usual rush when I had this phone for a week. I could twitter and surf on the go. The interface was good and intuitive. Topnotch in terms of usability.
After two months of using it, the euphoria subsided. Everywhere you see people using an iPhone. I feel like a drone. I feel like I’m ordinary. I have no individuality. Apple gadgets are really beautiful but the way some of the fanboys exult it makes me puke. Sure its beautiful, but don’t make it sound like it can solve world peace.
Am I still happy with the phone? Yes. It does what I want. Its very capable and usability is on the high side. My only problem is that its not so me.
Hundred
July 3, 2010
Its not silver and its not a limited(but it feels like one!). But I fell in love with it nonetheless. I wanted to complete the Pentax’s Three Amigos(31,43 and 77) but it does not make sense for me to buy the 77. Its expensive and I don’t think I will be able to shoot that much with it. When the 12-24 and the 31 arrived I barely shoot with my 43(I’m not selling it though. It will be a good normal lens when the mythical Pentax FF arrived).
Since I don’t have a macro and I need a decent portrait lens I decided to buy a 100mm macro. The Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm is not that available here so I have only one option. And what a great option its is 🙂
Enter the DFA 100mm WR
It’s full-frame, has rounded aperture blades(for better bokeh) and has a limited finish(won’t make me miss not having the 77). Its very light weighing only 340g. I could have gone for the Samsung clone of the DFA 100(without the rounded aperture blades and limited finish) but someone posted this on the buy and sell forum and I couldn’t find any reason not to grab this little gem.
I’ve bought a pair of New Balance 904(light stability) for a hundred bucks(sgd). New Balance its on a clearance sale and I needed a new shoe to replace my Saucony Grid Tangent 3. My Saucony seems to be wearing thin. I tend to favor my right foot when running thus the right shoe tends to wear out faster.
Last wednesday and today I broke in my New Balance. First impression is that its a bit firmer than my Saucony. My Saucony has a plush feel when you run it. And its already firmer compared to the Asics DS Trainer. That is why I chose the Saucony over the Asics. I want to feel the concrete when running. After I run with the Saucony I instantly notice the difference when I remove my shoe and walk with my slippers. It seems that I have no flesh in my foot to cushion. When I remove my New Balance after a run, there is not much difference.
I like the shoe and I was actually thinking of buying another pair(provided they have a different color).
Crafted in Japan
A limited thirty one
Money was spent….
Sigh. And I just made a new years resolution that I would not spend for lenses that are out of the budget.
2010
December 25, 2009
I was single for more than a week. My girlfriend flew home for vacation. Yes! I would be able to live a (geek)single’s life again. Read till I drop, watch all my unwatched series and surf till my eyes grew sore.
But like all good plans that I have, I was not able to execute. I was awash with a lot of activities. I covered our party and needed to process those pictures(which came out good BTW), I needed to setup some financial accounts here and there, jog, prepare for a trip and research if getting an FA31mm is worth it.
2009 was like that. All my grand plans came to naught because either I was too optimistic of my schedule or I don’t have discipline and easily gets distracted.
For 2010 my main theme would be focus and discipline. I have enough things to do and I have the plan. I just need to execute them well and not get distracted. Getting distracted has been a problem of mine since I was a kid. I have two books when I review for an exam, the textbook and the pocketbook that I want to finish. Imagine what will happen if I have three exams for a day. Last time I have that I quit my job.
For the short term(first half of 2010) I want to take my IMC exam. I was supposed to review this week but alas, I was only able to review a little. I also need to update myself just in case I was made redundant. Our company was bought and layoff might not be far.
For the long term I want to think of something that could really earn me money. I earn enough but I don’t want to be an employee forever. I want to invest my money on something. For 2010 I will do my research.
Gadgets must have for 2010? I want another prime lens(something on the cheap side). I really wanted to complete my FA Limited collection but those are out of budget for the meantime. Maybe I will scour the second hand market for a good prime lenses. I also like to increase my post-processing skills.
Modest goals for the year 2010. I hope to execute them.
Merry Christmas!
I promised myself no big photography expenses this year. No expensive lens and no new body. I bought two cheap and used lenses that cost a hundred(SGD) to satisfy my LBA(lens buying addiction) and to tide me over until I have enough money to buy something. But then I saw an ad in one of the forums I frequent. The guy wants to buy a K10D(my current camera). I was able to sell it at a good price and buy myself a Pentax K-x.
I really wanted to have a K-7. But it was 800SGD more. The K-x is a bit quirky. It uses 4 AA batteries and it does not have AF point indicator. You can still choose the focus point but you can not see it on the screen which makes it a bit painful to use if you are the type who uses the other AF points a lot. I already missed it when I was shooting yesterday in a party. But its no big deal breaker.
I don’t like using AA batteries that much. The camera draws a lot of power and sometimes I feel that AA might not be up to the task. Sometimes the battery meter turns red. I just rest it a bit and it turns to yellow again. Not that much convenient if you forget to charge the battery every time you use it.
I was not satisfied with the K10Ds focus capability. It hunts at low light. Its a bit annoying if you are taking group pics. You need to have your subject pose for a long time. High-iso shooting is also way better. While high ISO is not that much important to me, its important for casual snaps during events.
What I really missed was the K10Ds ergonomics. Sure the K-x is light and the grip is not that bad. The K10D is a joy to hold. It does not feel cheap. My pockets are though.
In regards to IQ. I feel that the K10D is better in low ISO shots. I don’t if its the lens or some other settings. But I like the output of K10D better at low ISO. Maybe I am just used to it.
The only thing I really hated about this lens was, I now wanted to buy an FA 31mm.
Sometimes the best things in the world is free(or cheap). I’ve been looking at telephoto lenses for the past few weeks. I’m thinking of buying the DA* 50-135 f2.8(IQ is excellent but heavy and expensive) or should I settle for a DA 55-300(light and IQ is good for the money). I’m also considering the FA 77 Ltd(IQ is great, light but not flexible).
The last Wednesday night I saw a second-hand Pentax SMC 75-150mm f4 on the Clubsnap’s buy and sell forum. I got the lens for SGD 110 after bargaining. The lens is small but heavy. The zoom creeps a little when I put it on 75mm. I need to hold it when I shoot at that focal length. It is fully manual. I don’t mind though. At least I can work on my manual focusing skills.
For now my lust to buy new lenses is satiated.
Note:
IQ = Image Quality
Siesta... 