I was staying on Zamalek. Its a small island surrounded by the Nile River. I heard that there are over 200 such islands on the Nile River but Zamalek is famous for being the exclusive and rich area. Its also very safe because that's where all the embassies are situated.
Hotel swimming pool and Nile River
View of Nile River from my balcony
Cairo Musuem with amazing collection from the Old, Middle and New Kingdom.
On the platoon boat at the Phaoronic Village
I found the trip to the Cairo Museum extremely worthwhile. It cost about 60 L.E (Egyptian pounds) to get into the museum and another 100L.E to see the mummies. I don't know what possessed me but I HAD TO SEE the mummies and ended up being the only one from the group who wanted to pay and go in. Seeing royal bodies that have been mummified for over 4000 years is quite a strange experience for me. Another place worth visiting is the Phaoronic Village. It gives a nice summary of the kind of lives the ancient egyptian lived thousands of years ago.
Went on a business trip to Cairo 2 weeks ago and had the opportunity to spend a couple of days to see the historical sites.
3 Interesting points to note: 1) The Great Pyramid of Giza (Khufu pyramid) is the only remaining member of the Seven wonders of the Ancient world and was constructed over a 20 year period around 2560 B.C. 2) It has around 2.3 million blocks, each weighing 2 tons. 3) The height of the pyramid was 146 meters but with erosion its current height is 138 meters.
I was very fortunate this trip because even though the operating hours of the pyramid grounds officially end at 5pm, I was able to gain "VIP" access to the grounds after 6.30pm. The good news is that our "crew" (friends and I) had the whole place to ourselves and did not have to fight with the other tourists for that picture perfect moment. :P
I will always remember the day that I visited the pyramids (which all my life, I've wanted to visit) as the same day that Obama came to Egypt and was at the Cairo University giving his "monumental" speech to the Muslim World.
During the hours that he was in town, the streets and offices were closed for security reasons. Business must have been really bad that day at the pyramids because the tourist office made an exception to let us into the pyramid grounds after the official hours at the regular rate. Wooottt!
Here are some photos:
Pyramid of Khafra
Graffitti on Khufu pyramid dating back to 1924!!
Taking photos at some ruins with strong wind blowing at my face
Cool Arabic sign (Parking area for tourist buses). Haha!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haha....4 days after the AWARE saga at Suntec, I can still feel the energy teeming amongst my friends - some are even talking about volunteering and doing more for the society!!! Amazing.
Just today alone, there are 4 articles in the newspaper. In particular, I like an article titled "A Tale of Two Communities" by Simon SC Tay - chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. In his contribution, he talked about the differences between vertical and horizontal societies, the lessons to be learned from the AWARE situation and also his thoughts on the governing of diversity. I found his article very readable and educational. Read the article - A tale of two communities
I also would like to comment on just one more letter that was sent to the newspaper a couple of days ago. *sorry, a little long winded here*. That particular letter was from a concerned parent regarding the CSE programme. In that letter, the concerned parent's opinion was primarily that MOE has no business in providing sex education programmes to students as this should be done by the parents.
I don't know about you but based on what I understand about MOST Asian families today, sex is still a relatively taboo topic, it is rarely - if ever- discussed at home. AND the fact remains that kids WILL have questions, they WILL turn to and confide with their peers and more often than not (perhaps ironically through peer pressure) they WILL experiment (whether you like it or not).
In other words, if you are a parent that will FIRSTLY make the effort to educate your kids about sex education (and telling them that they can get pregnant by kissing does not COUNT!) AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, have your kids AT THAT AGE listen to you. WELL DONE! You are very fortunate but please note that not every family is like yours.
Note: To supplement this, I am in full agreement with the opt-out option, which is currently in place, on the CSE programme. So my thoughts are that if you are a parent who find yourself surprised and upset with the one and only AWARE "sex educational" programme meted out by Josie and Dr Thio, it really shows that you have not been following up so closely with your kid's progress in school and if you are so concerned, maybe you should. NO ONE ever said it was easy to be a parent right?
Okay, so I've been watching the latest videos that have been posted online. Firstly, I am so glad to see ladies from different background, religion (muslim, christians YES!!), different hair color (haha) all stand up and take their turns at the mike. I always thought that Singaporeans are shy by nature so I guess they must feel quite strongly about this to have such a reaction that day. And perhaps, it is exactly BECAUSE they feel so strongly about it that I think the atmosphere became a little too emotional and to some people very rowdy and "unruly".
While I found certain actions of a few very vocal "old guard supporters" distracting and to a certain extent regrettable, I can understand the pent up frustrations that they brought to Suntec on that eventful day. (a little bias here...i admit)
As far as I recall, since the "crash and burn" press conferences by the new guards, virtually nothing else has been said as they continued their stealth operation of spending money they weren't supposed to spend and practicing "exclusiveness" in exco meetings (by not being upfront about their arrangements and thus making it even more difficult to reconcile differences between old and new guards). Once again, I find what they did to Chew I Jin downright deplorable. Josie herself could not have summarized it any better as she described in her own words, how she "kept a stoic and dignified silence". *Hah!
The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back must have been the way they spent the SGD 90K after being in office for a month. It really reflected in their lack of experience to run such a non profit organization as compared to running a corporate. (Hate to say, I TOLD YOU so)
In fact, the way things were played out that day, I might have gotten pretty riled up myself. Heaven forbid I sit there patiently to listen to Dr Thio's self promotion speech. Her "I'm so charmed that you put me on page 73" performance can still give me a stitch from all that laughing.
Okok! Sit down and shut up, Have respect for your elders, I'm on Page 73...has now become iconic phrases for that eventful day, its even COOL to have them printed on your shirts. By Singaporeans...For Singaporeans. Since 70% profit goes to Aware, I might consider getting more than one for myself. So much fun! -
The AWARE saga in Singapore has dominated the headlines for several weeks now and anyone following the affair can get easy access online to press conferences on YOUTUBE, articles from newspapers and opinions from individuals (not confined to Singaporean youths) from all different walks of life. Therefore, this particular post of mine is most definitely very "late in the game" but I feel compelled to blog about this before the EGM that is happening tomorrow. Come what may. If I were in Singapore, I would most definitely be joining my friends at Suntec city in a show of support for the OLD guards and since I can't be there, I can only contend to show my support in a more "online" manner.
In my humble opinion,
Organizations like AWARE should be run by honest, passionate people with the skills and integrity to achieve the organization's stated vision and mission. And though my life has never been impacted much by anything AWARE has done in the past 25 years at least they did not create the kind of doubts as the current exco's has. The old guard's integrity was never called into question, the new guard's actions are in my mind, downright deplorable.
Singapore has had more than her fair share of organizations gone wrong and my belief is that left unchecked, this will sooner or later end up very much like what has happened before....an organization deviating from its ORIGINAL purpose, operating under much false pretences. Non profit organization intending to serve the community but run like a corporation by a group of people with hidden agendas.
In the case of AWARE, and as demonstrated by the new exco's last press conference, it is turning from a secular-intended organization into one that is not so secular, run by individuals who fully intend to force their religious beliefs and standards onto as many people as possible. "Elitist" who feel that they have found the answer/meaning to life, people who think that they are morally better than others. Last but not least, Christians who give christians a bad name.
Before I get too fired up on this topic, since there are already plenty of information online, I will not choose to reiterate them here. However, if you are interested to find out more, I would gladly like to point you to 2 sites that I found are worthwhile to visit: 1) http://we-are-aware.sg/ 2) http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/ by Shravasti Dhammika -a Buddhist monk for 32 years and the spiritual advisor to the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society in Singapore.
I think my stand on the events unfolding is clear enough but now I'm going to take a step back and marvel about the "change" in the air.
Back in junior college, I recall a very angry principal who requested everyone in the school to write a 5 page essay on the "dangers of apathy" or face the consequence of eternal detention. :) As students, we held "secret" discussions on whether we would deliver on the essay and at the final hour, we finally took the path of least resistance and submitted a half hearted attempt at best. Seriously, we couldn't care less.
Fast forward to the present day, I see my friends openly debating on this topic and willing to "blow" a perfectly good Saturday afternoon cooped up in the EGM of some organization because they feel like they need to make their voices heard. I'm really quite impressed as with the Obama campaign where young Americans not only went out of their way to vote but also volunteer their precious time to do their part at the campaigns. Same group of friends...different perspective in life. Like I said, I wish I could be there with your gals.
Sure......., I still have friends who couldn't care less. Some feel that this matter has been blown out of proportion (of which I sometimes find myself becoming a little offended as I do not understand why they do not see the dangers of - give these fundamentalist an inch and they demand a yard).
However, at the end of the day, I understand that each of us are entitled to our own opinion and we should learn to "agree to disagree in an agreeable manner". This is in contrast to what I feel the current exco (loosely term - the church goers of COOS) of AWARE is doing.
I think it is so ridiculous and deep down inside find it quite so amusing. I must imagine that they thought that they would get away with their cleverly thought out "stealth operation", that like my principal, they thought that singaporeans wouldn't care. I believe the tables have flipped against them for now they can only contend to play the victim and try to garner support from fellow church goers. I refuse to believe that Christians will support just for the sake of supporting this. Like I said, a small group of christians who give christians a bad name.
*** EGM VENUE is now at SUNTEC CITY CONVENTION CENTER, HALL 402 *** Official notices from AWARE states that Registration will begin at 12noon. Bring your NRIC for admission.
Okay! Just got back from the gym so while cooling down I decided to update my blog for your reading pleasure. :)
First and foremost, a little on my whereabouts: Got to Jakarta this morning and decided to head to the 24 hour gym here. After having "excused" myself from the gym for the past week or so (and the only real exercise that I have been doing is focused around the jaw muscles), I have got no one to blame now that my muscles are screaming blardy murder after a mere one hour in the gym. :(
Okay next up.....how about some random pictures taken from my trusty SANYO. Hmmm...As some of you may know, I'm not a "trigger-happy" sort of person. In spite of that, I steadfastly lug my SANYO around with me during my business trips. The picture I take are very random...you know...no theme...whatever captures my fancy at the moment. So today, at 2am in the morning, I shall select a couple to share in my random post for the day.
The following pictures are taken in the Taiwan airport eons ago.
Picture taken outside the store promoting "Hakka" delicacies.
Next time I'm there, I'll be sure to pop by and try some out.
Hello Kitty Telephone Booths in Taoyuan Airport.
Mmmm.....Feels like Disney land all over again.
Hello Kitty World Clock
My 2 years in Taiwan has got me convinced that the Taiwanese just love the cute stuff. Top of their list has got to be the Sanrio cat Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty's fans are not restricted by age..young and old alike. In fact, my colleague, mother of 2, loves the cat so much that her little corner in the office is like Sanrio cat-dom.
Thus, I wasn't that surprised to find a section of the airport designed with the Hello Kitty theme in mind. There was also a Hello Kitty playground, Hello Kitty souvenier shop, Hello Kitty lounge, Hello Kitty internet corner and Hello Kitty holding room. Wow!!
Anyway, if you ever go to Taoyuan airport, remember to check it out!
This book has been laying on my shelf for months and all I know of it is: 1) It comes recommended by my brother-in law as light reading 2) It is a fictional story based on the idea of Rapture - a prophesied event in Christian eschatology which gathers Christians for the second coming of Christ.
A little unsure on how I would take to this "light reading" Christian material and frankly a little overwhelmed between work and textbooks, I had never done more then afford the book a cursory glance every once in a while and if ever I was looking for some light reading material, my hand would miraculously pass over it.
Anyway, for some strange reason, I decided to pick it off the shelf and have a go at it. Deep down inside, I had already sounded myself out to put the book back on the shelf if it ever got too "preachy". If I enjoyed it, I would read on.
With each turn of the page, I found myself drawn into the fast paced story, not unlike one that is written by Tom Clancy or Stephen King. Sure! Along the way, there were some Christian teachings here and there but it was just enough to plant an idea and make you want to find out more. Within several hours, I had finished reading the book.
Some research on the internet found that 'Left Behind' is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins and even though the New York Times' Bestseller's list does not take Christian bookstore sales into account, in 1998, the first four books of the series held the top four slots simultaneously. Impressive!!
Judging by how much I enjoyed reading the book, I would truly recommend it as a book that is worth considering even if you are a non Christian. In fact, I believe that the next 15 books would be on my list the next time I head down to Borders.
Now, I just need to force myself to stop procrastinating and finish reading those dreaded textbooks!
Well, I haven't blogged for quite some time (so you guys keep reminding me) and although I've tried to do so over the past month, I guess I stumbled onto a "writer's block", just ran out of things to say...
Well, my maternal grandmother passed away on 18th Feb am and was cremated on 22nd Feb. Recalling what transpired on the 18th when I received the news: I was having my annual check up at the clinic. The good news is that the results indicate that I'm in the pink of health, the bad news is.....well we know what the bad news is...
Words probably can't exactly describe how I felt when I received the sms. But let me try - I guess its all right to say that I was mostly stunned and then for a while the whole world suddenly felt a little different. Like I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. I know it sounds a little dramatic but that was certainly how it felt to me. Honestly, I wasn't overwhelmed with sadness at that time, the first thing that popped in my head was the welfare for my mum and auntie (ee). Ee is very close to grandma...I'm close to Ee....go figure......
I guess I wasn't thinking so clear at that time.....I admit that for a split second, I did not feel like flying home. It isn't a matter about being heartless or emotionless, its more like.....I don't take death very well. But like I said, I wasn't thinking very clearly.
Well, thanks to my colleagues..who were really supportive and could tell that I was a little "ku-ku" by then, they managed to get me onto the first flight out of Taiwan. That meant I had 30 mins to leave the clinic, throw my luggage together and head for the airport. At the airport, my bro called me and told me that he was going to fly home from London. On hindsight, I think he made the right decision, I'm kinda proud of my kiddo brother.....as you can tell, albeit all the idiotic things he says and does sometimes,....he is really a reliable sort of guy.
Ok, the funeral went by in a blur. It felt surreal, there were moments when you feel okay and then moments when you feel so sad. But we were all so busy and I guess that takes the pain away a little. In fact, I think reality only sorta sank in on the day when I flew back to Taipei.
Sitting on the plane and staring out in the blue blue sky, I recalled the times that I spent with grandma when I was young. We've always had communication breakdown due to language barrier. I don't speak our dialect too well and alot of communciation was via sign-language. But I remember that whenever I stayed at her place, she would make me breakfast before school. The memories feel like they were from yesterday and sometimes I can still hear her voice in my head nagging at me. She's always been naggy....its almost like a family joke....but definitely yah, to me, she was the naggy grandma who would always be there.
I guess the reason why I'm blogging this now is perhaps I finally feel it is okay to talk about it. I guess there will be one thing that will always bug me and that's because I feel like such a failure sometimes that I never managed to pick up the dialect. Having only one surviving grandparent sorta makes it feel like no matter what I do now is already too late...but in a way...its not too late too right?
Anyway you know what...I'm just going to have to try much harder. As Winston Churchill says:" Never give up!"
Special shout out to BP. Guess what I saw my cousin wearing the other day. I thought I would snap a picture for you. I know that you would appreciate it. Goes to show that I DO read your blog. Haha..........
This is my first week back to Taipei and naturally I've been extremely busy with work and other stuff. But all's well so though I'm feeling extremely tired by the weekend, I've got plenty of stuff to feel great about so....its cool. :)
Since its Valentine's day today, I'll like to share a version of "I Will" by Paul McCarney which I really enjoy. Great song and lovely shot of the audiences gave me a really warm feeling after I watched it. Hope you enjoy it too!
I'm off to do housework..and oh yeah... Happy Valentine's Day to one and all....
Woke up at 5.30am this morning and decided that I would not waste time sleeping my vacation away. No Kidding, I took a good 30 mins before I was thinking straight.
When all the sleeping bugs were out of my system, I decided that a good way to start my day would be to take out my Nintendo DS-Lite and start playing Star Wars Espisode III - Revenge of the Sith. Frankly, the game has been sitting in my drawer for almost a year now and I just could not find the time or energy to remove the wrapping. No better time than at 6am in the morning on my week long CNY holiday, right?
To be honest, I was a little surprised by the graphics. It reminded me so much of the 2-D games I used to play as a kid. A little shoddy but anyhow the game was quite simple and in its simplicity, I found that I quite enjoyed it.
*in a very wreary drawn out voice* The games nowadays can be so complicated. Tsk tsk. (Who am I kidding, eh?? Hehe)
Had an hour of slash, slash and slashing some more before I decided it was enough slashing and then a little bored by this time, decided to drive home a little earlier than planned. On the drive home, I saw a couple of school children heading to school. Awwww...........HAHAHAHHAHAH :)
Well, since I'm in a really boh-liao mood this morning, I'm going to do a couple more reviews... Hmm...how about a movie review!!! Its been some time I did that and since the lack of sleep is making me feel a little bitchier than normal.....Yay yay yay!
Ok!! I watched the Punisher: War Zone last night. First and foremost, if you like gory stuff i.e. blown out brains and the works, this movie is for you. If you are looking for a movie that has got good story development, dialogue or acting, *alarm flashing * stay AWAY or you'll be eaten alive.
Okay fine, maybe it was the mood that I was in last night (aka cynical and irritated) or the show was really not up to expectation (you decide) but anyway I found myself rolling my eyes within the first 15 mins of the show. It was all I could do to stay put in my seat instead of walking out of the cinema.
The Punisher movie is a cross between Kill Bill (for the gore), Dick Tracy (for the dialogue), and erm.....Bat man (for the presentation). Put them all together, I clearly did not enjoy it but neither was I in the mood for a LOVE story or a local production obviously trying to cash in on the Chinese New Year. Baaahhh!!
Bang bang! Despite the "not so bad" reviews I see on the internet for the Punisher: War Zone, this movie gets 2 out of 5 popcorns from me.
Happy 牛 Year! Hope you have an ox-picious year.... Corny, right?? I know....but I think its so funny in such an idiotic way....For some strange reason, everyone just got so creative this year....I have alot more where that came from :-)
Anyway, I know I haven't blogged in quite a while so I decided to upload "Mr Tomato" head photo. Despite my luggages in the Taiwan airport, I found it so amusing to stop and pull out my handy Sanyo camera to take "Mr Tomato" head. He was sitting so quietly in the corner, fiddling with his computer.......
Update: A kind soul has advised that I have mistaken Mr Persimmon's head as a tomato. Please kindly change the name as you deem fit. :-)
I had a great start into the new year and hope every day would be as special as the past few days.
For starters, on New Year's eve, I was invited to join a wedding by one of my Taiwan colleagues. It was a special day for the happy couple and I was honoured to attend it to extend my best wishes. After a crowded ride on the MRT train back home, I then wandered on the busy streets of Taipei where everyone were smiling and just having a great time. Oh yes, I also had an unexpected call from a friend whom we had met in Hokkaido but had not spoken to in quite some time. It was great to know that everything was going well for her as we made plans to meet up before she head to London. The fireworks at 101, though not as spectacular as the year before, was in my mind, fantastic to usher in the new year.
On New Year's day, I spent the day packing the house and felt awfully great that I had finished all the task that I set myself out to do that day. Despite the hard work, there was great weather (sunshine despite the low temperature) and with good music, I found myself singing and dancing as I set on the chores that I had not done for months. At 10pm, everything was nicely sorted out and I had the self satisfaction of knowing that I had finally set procrastination aside and had done what needed to be done - everything cleaned and organized.
January 2nd - Cycling trip along the East Coast of Taiwan. A couple of colleagues picked me and took me on a hour drive to Fu Long Train Station where we had a wonderful time cycling and basking in the beautiful scenery. Working on the videos which I hope will be posted up soon.
January 3rd - Messed around with my NAS and did well with learning more than a few things in the wonderful world of computer before heading down to Steve's place to work on his wife's computer. I joined them for dinner (charcoal grilled steak - fantastic) and watched a couple of serials of Monk as we waited for the computer to defragment. Mission accomplished and returned home after 6 hours to relax on the coach and mess around with the NAS some more.
January 4th - Slept in late. Chilling out and resting for the first day of work 2009 tomorrow. Am thinking of calling my friend out for a movie and a nice dinner. Or maybe not. :)
Wow! Made it through another year and now we find ourselves in 2009. How time flies....
You know...its funny how some days seem to go by in a blur but then again, there are those special moments that you remember as clearly as events that happened yesterday.
Flashback to 1995 - I'm back in my bedroom and in the townhouse that I grew up in. Lying in bed, I am both stressed out by the O-level papers that I had to take the next morning but also extremely excited after the "pep talk session" that my mum had just given me as she tried to calm my nerves.
We talked about getting enough rest, doing well and all the exciting opportunities that the future would hold for me. We talked about university, about an overseas education and a chance to explore the world. As I drifted off to sleep, I tried to imagine where I would be 10 years from then.
Now in 2009, an incredible 14 years has gone by and if I could turn back the clock, I would have gone back and told myself....that in these 14 years, I would have screwed up in some things, done well in others and well, at the end of the day, things would be all right and I didn't have to worry so much. :)
As there are special days....I find that there are also special years. 2008 is an extremely special year to me and my gut feel tells me that the days of 2008 would never blur into the background as some years may seem to have.
The things that have happened to me personally, to my family and to the world around us have definitely impressed themselves very deeply into me. In fact, I believe that the experiences that I've had in the past year has shaped/changed me in extremely profound ways. The people that I've met and for all the good times and the bad, I give my thanks to 2008.
As we look forward to 2009 and as we strive to do better in the new year and make the best out of the "gloomy forecast" that lies ahead, I believe that, despite all the wisdom and knowledge we have gathered in the past years, some of us remain apprehensive about what the future has in store for us.
Nonetheless, I wish for myself and all the people around me the satisfaction that one day in the future, we would look back to today as clearly as it had happened yesterday and tell ourselves that despite the good and bad patches ahead of us, we would come through and everything would just turn out all right.
I am really depressed after reading the newspaper today. Pages after pages of bad news covering the gory details of the violence and unrest happening in Mumbai, Thailand and Nigeria.
In particular, the tragedy that has unfolded in Mumbai and has resulted with the Indian commandos storming to recover the places that were under attack by the Islamic militants. With a body count of 195 persons (out of which 26 are foreigners) and 295 wounded, this attack has been termed as India's 911. Recent reports has it that the perpertrators had gone through extensive training and planning to exact maximum damage. It's simply unconceivable how people can do this to one another?
I'm truly horrified by the detailed accounts from the survivors and sad tales of the people who had perished in this tragedy. This terrorist attack has claimed the life of a Singaporean - Lo Hwei Yen and although I am not personally acquainted with her, would like to extend my condolences to the grieving family.
In sorrow, I reflect on wise words left behind by Mahatma Gandhi:
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it, ALWAYS"
I'm sure that, like many others, I will not sleep well tonight.
As some of my friends probably know, my Panasonic camera "konked" out on me during my trip to Hokkaido and thus I've recently been on a camera/camcorder hunt.
So on my second day back in Singapore, I headed straight down to Sim Lim Square to get my camera. I had done quite a bit of research on the internet and had ended up totally confused with the barrage of information online and wanted to get some help from the "experts". (It turned out that I knew a lot more about cameras than some of them did!!)
After a little deliberation, I finally settled for the Sanyo Xacti CG9. Its very much an entry-level camcorder (and my very FIRST!) and although there were several alternatives that provided much better pictures, I chose the Sanyo Xacti CG9 for its size, weight, acceptable image quality and affordable price. After a day of fooling around with it, I must say that I am not disappointed with my purchase so far.
My latest toy - Sanyo Xacti CG9
Some specifications for the CG9 (which are particularly informative when choosing a digital camera) as follows:
Recording Media SD memory card, SDHC memory card (up to 32 GB), Internal memory (approx. 40 MB)
Recording File Format: Still (JPEG - DCF, DPOF, Exif Ver. 2.2 standard), Movie (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (ISO standard), Audio -48 kHz, 16 bit, 2 ch, AAC-compression (stereo)
Lens: f = 6.8 - 34.0 mm (Equivalent to 38 - 190 mm on a 35 mm camera); Optical 5.0x inner zoom lens; F: 3.5 (Wide) - 3.7 (Tele); AF: 8 groups, 11 lenses, built-in ND filter
Photo Range: Standard - 10 cm (Wide)/80 cm (Tele) to infinity; Super Macro - 1 cm to 80 cm (Wide)
Shutter Speed: Still - 1/2 - 1/1500 sec. (Flash: 1/30 - 1/1500 sec,; Lamp mode: Max. 2 sec.) , Sequential - 1/15 - 1/1500 sec. (No flash), Movie - 1/30 - 1/10000 sec.
Digital Zoom: Shooting - Max. 12x; Playback - Max. 62.5x ([12M] mode; varies with resolution)
Focus: Auto (Still: 9-point AF/Spot AF; Movie: Continuous area AF); Manual (16 steps)
I'm still trying to get used to the Xacti. (I set the ISO settings to its maximum and notice that the videos turned out too bright so now I've got to set the ISO settings back) but anyway, here is a picture of my dog taken with my Xacti.
Twinkle at the car porch
(it was actually quite dark outside as it was going to rain)
Here is another picture taken in the garden. Note: It was very interesting for me to note that the Sanyo Xacti's face recoginition software could immediately identify and zoom in on Obama's picture on the book cover. Nice!!!)
HBO's favourite movie has got to be "The Holiday". (Note that I spell favourite with the "u" :-) )
I must have watched that movie for the god-zillion time. Okay, a little exaggeration there, but many many times...let's say 7 times. That's ALOT of times considering that my favourite movies are: 1) Fiddler on the Roof - Uncountable (watched it every afternoon for almost a year) 2) The King and I - Uncountable 3) Singing in the Rain - Uncountable 4) Dead Poet's Society - Watched it 15 times 5) V for Vendetta - 5 times 6) Wisdom of Crocodiles - 5 times.
So I would say that The Holiday (2006) is an unlikely favourite but yup...thanks to HBO, its up there on the list. (Not that I blame them, I find that I don't change the channel when its screening even though I've watched it so many times!)
Its such a feel good show! The part that really makes me tear each time has got to be the friendship between Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach's character (Eli plays Arthur Abbot - a 90 year old legendary script writer). I really love the dialogue and mix between the English and American accent too! Nice....
Okay, I'm also in a good mood. I'm really excited that I will be going home for the weekend. Its en route to my next destination: Jakarta but it sure is nice to be able to pop by home for the weekend. Hopefully, I get to buy the camera that I've been wanting for quite some time. (My Panasonic's screen just died on me).
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