Random Shots: An Afternoon of Tarmac Scorching Fun

From Rides

* 1/100; f13; ISO200

From Rides

*Shutter priority 1/60; f13, ISO100

From Rides

*Shutter priority 1/60; f14, ISO100

The rides:
1. FC RX7
2. S15
3. 350Z
4. FD RX7
5. Veilside kitted RX8 (non-participating)
6. Caldina GT4 (non-participating)
7. EG6 (non-participating)
8. EG9 (non-participating)
9. Focus RS (non-participating)

Venue:
Undisclosed empty parking lot in downtown


* All shots taken using EOS450D + EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens

For Sale: Monster Ride ~ H22A Powered EG3!

From Rides

* Aperture prioriy f16; 1/30; ISO200; EV -1
* All shots taken using EOS450D + EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens
* Model: Honda Civic EG3
* Shoot Venue: Civic Centre, Kuching

This is probably one of the finest specimen of the EG hatchback i have seen, to date. Fully pimped Euro-style ~ an ultra cool snazzy bodykit complimented with smoked projector headlamps, flashy LED rear lights & rolling on huge 17" wheels with an equal bling factor; this distinct hot hatch can be seen prowling the streets of Kuching occasionally. In case you're wondering whether this ride has got the GO to match its Fast & Furious look ~ be forewarned, this car is no slouch! ~ despite all the excess baggage from elaborate party dress it wears. This ride runs on a transplanted H22A engine a.k.a the Prelude's signature high-performance engine ~ a 2.2 liter 4 cyclinder VTEC banger which is capable of producing up to 210ps!! For a small NA car of this size, that translates to a very desirable amount of power-to-weight ratio, just imagine the amount of torque the engine generates! With an engine setup like this, now who needs turbos anymore? =p
Though i'm not sure how does alteration of the front-rear weight ratio of the vehicle due to the bigger & heavier power plant affects the handling, but there's no doubt about the top end power it makes & the very high speeds it is capable of reaching. According to the owner, he's clocked speeds well in excess of 200km/h down the Simpang Tiga straights with this ride. Performance wise, this ride has been beefed up with the must-have upgrades ~ intake, exhaust upgrades & after market ECU. Interesting to note is the exhaust setup, starting from the Mugen 4-2-1 header down to the 3" ??!! exhaust piping capped with a Blitz Nur Spec muffler ~ makes for a pleasant audible exhaust tone. Braking system is also beefed up with disc brakes all on all fours, from the Accord & Koni coilovers are employed to improve the handling.
Now, let the pictures do justice =)

As the pictures speak for themselves ~ much time, sweat, blood & $ has been poured into the making & pimping of this baby. Now this baby is looking for a new proud enthusiast owner, who understands & appreciates the the hardwork & toiling put in building a project car, & enjoys exploiting the finer details of driving a tuned car; at the right $$, of course. For more details, the owner can be reached at 016-8668890

The Interview

* with jobs getting scarcer by the day, some may have to resort to extreme measures like these... =p
* fwd mail courtesy of anna garcia. Chill out & have a good laugh! =D

Random Shots: Setabak-Time

* shot using W810i & edited with CS2
* brand new starbucks tumbler courtesy of em =)

Who wants a raise?

yet another funny forwarded mail that i need to share ~ injecting some kinky humor into the economic slowdown induced emo-ness spillover... =p

THE PENIS WANTS A RAISE

I, the Penis, hereby request a raise in salary for the following reasons:

01. I do physical labor
02. I work at great depths

03. I plunge head first into everything I do

04. I do not get weekends off or public holidays

05. I work in a damp environment

06. I don't get paid overtime

07. I work in a dark workplace that has poor Ventilation

08. I work in high temperatures

09. My work exposes me to contagious diseases

******** REPLY ********

Dear Penis,

After assessing your request, and considering the arguments you have raised, the administration rejects your request for the following reasons:

01. You do not work 8 hours straight

02. You fall asleep on the job after brief work periods

03. You do not always follow the order s of the management team

04. You do not stay in your allocated position, and often visit other restricted areas

05. You do not take initiative - you need to be pressured and stimulated in order to start working

06. You leave the workplace rather messy at the end of your shift

07. You don't always observe necessary safety regulations, such as wearing the correct protective clothing

08. You'll retire well before reaching 65

09. You're unable to work double shifts

10. You sometimes leave your allocated position before you have completed the day's work.

And, if that were not all, you have been seen constantly entering and leaving the workplace carrying 2 suspicious looking bags.

Sincerely,

The Management

*fwd mail courtesy of www.faithloveschocolate.blogspot.com

How to Reduce Cost in a Company (fwd)

now who's with me? =p
* fwd mail courtesy of www.gameniac.blogspot.com

Grassroots Honda: Panning Shots

The term 'pan' is the contraction of the word panorama and implies the horizontal scanning of a scene. The pan shot is more often used, however, for the purpose of following action or of giving movement to a scene that otherwise would be static. The pan has two main functions; first, to direct the attention from one place to another; second, to follow action or movement ~ (quoted from somewhere...)

From Rides

Panning shot ~ Take 1

Comment: 1st ever attempt at taking panning shots
Feeling: Clueless as ever, coz did not do homework *readup on how-to*; just simply hantam in burst mode
Settings: Shutter priority 1/00; f16; ISO100; EV -1
Verdict: CMI ~ Cannot-Make-It... coz this is about the only good shot

From Rides

~ Take 2: The Not-So-Pan Shot Pan Shot *like this also can call pan shot ka?? nothing, i just dig this accidental picture composition =P

From Rides

~ Take 3: The 9-Shots

* All shots taken using EOS450D + EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens

Overall Verdict: I need to practice more...

Grassroots Honda

* Aperture prioriy 1/200; f22; ISO200
* All shots taken using EOS450D + EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens

Staying true to the JDM spirit, keeping it simple coz sometimes less is more. This ultra cool ride belongs to a buddy of mine who's equally as crazy about tuning cars; VTEC Hondas in particular, as i am. Since we're both driving exactly the same model of car, clad in the same color & with similar level of modifications, we've always wanted to do a twin-car photoshoot; but unfortunately i got into a mishap not too long ago in which, i side-swiped my ride unto a tree...
Getting back to our subject of interest:

~ basking in the sun in all its pristine white glory. The clean & sleek lines of the EG still looks refreshing *not to be messed with flimsy ah-beng bodykits + tiang-sidai-kain spoiler + 'kedai abang' caplang stickers*, it's hard to imagine that this model is almost 2 decades old already! In case you're wondering, the 'R' emblem is not just for show...

At the heart of it all is the venerable B16B powerplant sourced from the highly coveted EK9 Civic Type-R. As a partner-in-crime whom i've had a couple of impromtu street races with, i hate to admit it; but i really had a hard time keeping pace with this ride! Ah, the thrill of a VTEC speed fix... i'm beginning to really miss that already. This cammed B16B sounds crazy at wide-open-throttle when the VTEC kicks in at full song from 6,000 rpm onwards all the way to the redline!

Tasteful & purposeful 15" SSR wheels... This is the ride's how-many-eth set of wheels. The owner simply changes his wheels like changing new shoes! =p

A full EG9 interior with a steering wheel cannibalized from a DC2

That's all folks!
'Wet wet... sampai seluar dalam basah. haha!' is as best a compliment i could get from the owner, after he previewed my teaser shot of the shoot! =p I'm just finding ways to take my passion for cars to another level thru photography. =)
*If all goes according to plan, i'll be scheduled to shoot a monster hatchback the next coming weekend... oh, boy i'm getting excited! =D Plus, my someone special is coming back soon... bringing along that special edition starbucks tumbler that i always thought of getting! yeay! yeay! =D

Last Evacuation Drill (Fwd)

Don't evacuate?!?

GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!!

In a large multinational company..............

A fire alarm rang at 4 PM in a large office when almost all employees were in office (approx 5000). As usual the entire office was evacuated within 3 mins & all employees gathered outside the office in the designated area waiting for further announcement.

The Security Officer in charge made the following announcement: "Dear employees - with sincere regret I have been asked to announce that for many of you it will be your last evacuation drill. Due to the recession the company is laying off almost 50% of its employees. So when this announcement finishes, I ask all of you to move back into the building and if your swipe card does not work then it means you have been laid off in which case you will not be allowed inside and all your belongings will be couriered to you by tomorrow.

The Company has used this innovative approach as we didn't want to fill up the email box with lay-off mails and good bye mails in thousands & also to avoid any fight inside the office and the consequent security issue for all staff.

Hope you have had a rewarding career with us and all the best ahead.

Please move back in & try your luck".

*Given the volatile nature of the industry i'm in, i wonder if this is going to happen.... xp

Random Shots: Flood or Not, the Tong-Tong-Chiang Must Go On

lOl =p ~! From a forwarded mail; it may be a little bit out of season to be posting this already, but this is too darn hilarous not to post.... heheh! Let's hope next year's CNY will not be as WET.

Initial D & its Origin...

A throwback to the 90s anime series... really feeling the eurobeat song ~ ! =D

Happy People Vs UnHappy People

* this is a post by a friend of mine. I could not help but agree, for i share the same beliefs too; which, i live my life by, or at least aspire to live my life by... =)

I think that

1 . Happy people are characterized by the belief that they are able to control their situation;

whereas

Unhappy people tend to believe that they are a toy of fate.

I believe that I'm able to take hold of my own destiny if I am determined enough. This I have to thank my parent as they've instilled this in me since I was young. When there's a will, there's a way. I was brought up to think that anything was possible.

2 . Happy people are people that bother to count their blessings;

whereas

Unhappy people never seem to bother to make the best out of things.

I believe that everything happens for a reason and bad luck can always be good luck in disguise, just open your eyes & look for it. Another popular phase used at home : BLESSING in DISGUISE. No choice hahahha... I was brought up to be optimistic.

3 . Happy people are smart enough to realize that the past belongs to the past;

whereas

Unhappy people tend to mull over grudges or flaws that are no longer significant.

I believe that it's your choice to want that happiness. If your life is so miserable, blame yourself for moping and wallowing in self pity. I believe that your eyes are set in front because you are meant to look forward.

Photoshop-ing Tricks

A good friend of mine, Ehon gave us (me & loi) a basic crash-course on how to use the canggih-but-often-too-complex-to-newbies Adobe Photoshop CS photo editing software, before one of our lim teh session when he was back in town last year. He was once an apprentice of the fehmes Alvin Leong Photography Studio ~ which, he picked up his sound photography fundamentals *he's (Ehon) is probably one of the better photographers i've known in person, who DOESN'T own a DSLR; well, maybe he does now =p * from & knows how to work magic using the Photoshop like a seasoned Counter Strike gamer. That was my brief introduction to photo-editing & i have been hooked on it from then on; i had only my W810i camera phone back then & i could manage shots that are mediocre at best, crappy when blown up; so i really needed a software that could enhance my photos. That was long before my DLSR gear came along, but even now i still have a knack for editing photos, just coz i like it. =)
Well, i'm gonna share some generic editing techniques i've picked up, that i use on some of my photos; i'm using CS2:

1. Unedited photo

2. Duplicate another layer via copy by pressing "Ctrl+J"; go to "Filter", select "Blur" & then "Gaussian Blur" with a magnitude of 6.0;

3. Go to "Filter", select "Distort" & then "Lens Correction"; in the "Vignette" section tweak the amount to +100 to whiten the edges of the photo

4. Still on the duplicate copy layer, change the layer "Blending Options" to "Overlay"; next tweak the level, contrast & color saturation to add depth & bring out dramatic-ness of the photo.

5. Finally, add watermark to it & voila, you have a photo that looks like an advert print! =p
*Nothing much to shout about, but it looks much more striking than the un-edited piece, don't you think?

Specimen: Gucci perfume & deodorant stick ~ Valentine's gift courtesy of my baby =)
Camera gear: EOS450D EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens
Settings: 1/15s ; f4.0 ; ISO800 ; JPEG format

Mugen RR Driving School

I'd love to to attend this driving school! Check out those Mugen RRs. They're absolutely awesome! With a limited production of only 300 units, we wouldn't be seeing much of these examples running on our roads here.
*sorry, no translation available*

Random Shots: Valentine's Scent

Shot using EOS450D EFS 18-55mm standard kit lens;1/20s; f4.0; ISO800; tweaked color saturation, contrast & added vignette effects

25 random things about me

Tagged by my baby in Facebook, ages ago... =p

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.
To do this, go to “Notes” under tabs (+) on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

****
1. Likes to daydream
2. I'm a lefty
3. Sometimes i can't even read my own handwriting! Really hates having to write ~ especially when it comes to filling application forms
4. A non-coffee drinker who likes to hang out at coffee joints i.e. Starbucks
5. Has problems sleeping soundly ~ i seriously need to undergo sleep therapy
6. Passionate about fast cars & travelling
7. My engine with all the mods put into it, is probably worth more than my car itself
8. Always have problems putting my thoughts together, hence ~ pieces of me
9. Was once a passionate basketball player coz i though all the jumping action would make me grow taller; has hung up my kicks for good since, but is still a big fan of NBA
10. Thinks that anything on wheels or heels can be modified
11. Has a pair of under utilized latin dancing shoes; haven't been practicing coz lack of an enthusiastic dancing partner *em's still in kl for the time being*
12. Gets runny nose easily
13. 13/12/2008 is a special date ~ prayers to be answered in 3 days time =)
14. Procrastinates at every chance i get
15. Is blissfully happy in a relationship with someone i barely even knew existed just over 2 months ago
16. Done scuba diving, wake-boarding, white-water rafting, kayaking & snorkelling, but still can't swim or float properly
17. Always enjoy a bout of spirited driving every now & then
18. Have a habit of reading books when i'm having meals at home
19. Likes spicy food
20. Did not start speaking mandarin until i entered university
21. Had 2 major accidents in my 10 years of driving, once on CNY-eve & the recently on Chap Goh Mei eve. I should be banned from driving during the CNY festive season
22. Am one of the many amateur bloggers who jumped on to the DSLR wagon recently; i still have yet to make the most of this pricey investment
23. Am also one of those people who's wondering when my career is going to take off?
24. Always have a problem listing out ## things about me... i'm stuck at 24.... =p

*somebody's been filling a complaint against me for not updating in a timely manner... so i better not procrastinate anymore... xp

What is big honey bear doing on my couch?

~ catching the 2009 NBA All-Star game ~! =p



featured the reunion of one of the all time greates dynamic duo ~ as co-MVPs!

Krypto-nate owning Superman in the slam dunk contest!
5'7" dunking over a 6'11"... how crazy can it get??

Our Valentine Shots

Pichas worth a thousand words...

Familiar? Yes, you've probably seen them before, from her to me. =)
*i have always been slow to update ;p all shots taken with point-n-shoot*
It's been a wonderful weekend full of simple, pleasant & exciting suprises... one to look back in fondness for years to come. As they say, all good things come to an end... as with the past Valentine's weekend ~ literally over in a blink of an eye; well, for now...
my freedom ~ is the comfort of being loved that makes me feel free

I've got mail~! =)

Happy Valentine's Day, people! =)
*cupid missed me for 6 consecutive years in a row, but not this year, anymore =p *

Valentine Parody: Maple @ Midnight =p

This is sooo hilarious...~! Enjoy! =p

Counting my blessings...

I just wrapped my ride around a tree earlier today... was damned lucky to walk away with all my limbs still attached, except for a few minor scrapes & bruises on my elbow =)
How it happened? Was carrying some speed going into the roundabout when the rear end started breaking loose when i downshifted to power out of the corner; countersteered a tad too much & the car just snapped & spun around 180 degrees, sliding on all fours before hitting a tree in the process & i ended up facing the direction i came from...
What went through my mind when...? Fuck, this is going to be one expensive mess to fix, if i bang anything... then, BANG! WTF! i did not get lucky this time... i've spun around a couple of times before, once at this roundabout too...
Lesson learned? Never push a car on balding tires too hard... I've procrastinated on getting a new set of rubbers when i should, now i've learned my lesson. Never compromise on safety if you intend to drive your car hard, day in & day out.
Suprisingly i remained calm & composed throughout the ordeal; the 1st thing i did coming out of my car after the accident was to flip out my hp & start snapping photos! I must be crazy... xp Only after examining the crash scene only did i realize things could have been much worse... was a little shaken after that...
Now, i also know that i suck when it comes to drifting... maybe i should consider taking advance driving lessons so i could learn to bail myself out of such situation next time.
Well accidents happen, i'll just accept that & be thankful that i'm still alive & kicking =)
*thanks to brada louis for being there, my dad & my mechanic, ah chung who came over in a dime & helped sort things out, and also friends who dropped by with intention to help & who called & sms to ask if i was alright; i appreciate your concerns =) *

Jikan Yo Tomare (Stop the Time)

AZU feat Seamo Jikan Yo Tomare
by utadalove

Lyrics

Random Shots: Sunny Day =)

It's been a long while since Kuching has last seen a sky as clear & blue as this... the clear blue shades of the mid-noon sky compliments the vibrant new color theme of the Medan Pelita well, don't you think? ~ shot on during my obligatory-weekend-mommy-chaffeuring duty in town, yesterday. =)

* taken with SE W810i / 2M pixel / AF 4.8mm / 1:2.8 & edited with CS2

Random Shots: Yellow Tarmac Scorcher

I wonder how much torque this she generates? I'm those poor 15" rubbers could hardly contain the full fury of the turbocharged Integra-R powerplant unleashed at full boost! Spotted while window shopping for tires to replace my balding ones. *sigh, i can hardly afford performance semi-slicks anymore.. they don't come cheap at more than 300bucks a piece for a 195/50/15!* The ride belongs to the taukeh of the tire shop near my place...

* taken with SE W810i / 2M pixel / AF 4.8mm / 1:2.8 & edited with CS2

CNY 3rd Day: Cow & Bull Dinner

Some long overdue pichas from the cock cow & bull dinner at Alfred's place on the 3rd day of CNY...
mana lembu?? takde pun?? =p
*was not too inspired to shoot due to no speed-lite & dim lighting condition of venue... pity that i did not manage to get a good shot of our cowgirl in full gear (lydia) *