Panasonic Lumix GF1: New Blogging weapon

Earlier this year, I figured that I could use a more portable camera that I can use for everyday snapping while still maintaining a fair degree of manual controls. Having a long zoom range would have been preferable, but interchangeable lenses were OK too. While there has been a healthy line up of advanced P&S and pro-sumer cameras that met my criteria, the Panasonic GF1 stood out above my short list.

Java Shots: Mong Kok (望角)

Back when I was a kid, I used to hate going to Mong Kok (望角). It was too noisy, and too smelly, too crowded.  Throw in a less than memorable experience by mom during those days and you’ve got the perfect formula for a phobia.   I was 5 years old.

Who would’ve thought that 25 years later, it was these very things that I grew up detesting the most as about it would be the very things that I come to love about the place.  Overwhelming noise of the modern city full of life, the smell of cultural cross roads where old and new traditions meet, and the crowd of people from all walks of life converge with nary a worry about where they stand in life.

What the Water Dragon has in store for the Metal Rooster

I’m not one to rest my laurels on predictions, fortune telling and lucky horoscopes. But it doesn’t hurt to get a bit of emotional boost and inspiration to read what they have to say about oneself. So here’s what the Water Dragon has up its sleeve for the Metal Rooster this year.

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The Rooster is one of the few zodiac signs, that will feel an extraordinary lightness and lift in strength, and this will allow him overcome even the greatest difficulties in his path. The main thing for Rooster is a goal and an idea which he should strive to achieve, otherwise his activities would lose their meaning, and he risks just staying in a place in his development. In addition to absolute leadership inclinations, great ambitions in the year 2012 of the Black Water Dragon will require from him the ability to communicate, work in teams, actively and quickly respond to problems and be more attentive to close ones.

Gear: Crumpler The Haven M

I consider myself a photo-hobbyist and I never leave home without a camera.  And lugging around a purpose built camera bag doesn’t really quite cover practicality since I usually either carry my office backpack or a messenger bag for my daily go-bag. As you’d imagine, I just stick my camera in there. Now for protection, I picked up a neutral grey colored beannie hat where I stick my camera, be it the GF1 or the 400D.  One other purpose of the Grey beannie hat is that I use it as a white-balance sheet. (trade secret right there). Thing is, it doesn’t really provide that much protection other than keep it warm like when I wear the beannie on my head.

Solution: Crumpler’s The Haven. It basically is a compartmentalized and padded sack for your camera. Comes in Small, Medium and Large. The Medium sized one comfortably fits my 400D with the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 lens and then some other accessories in its main pouch. It’s also got pockets outside which can hold SD cards, lens caps and cable. It works more like a bag organizer with your camera in mind. Stuff it with what everyday camera needs you can, just stick it into your day bag and voila~! Your everyday bag is now also a camera bag. AND it comes in gray!!  But it also comes in different colors.

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Another Year… or maybe.

Rin goes for a stroll at Rockwell

Originally uploaded by coffeebugg

Well, 2011 certainly came and went. And I think that it goes without saying that it could not have passed any sooner. This year was a very taxing year and full of strife and grief. Natural disasters left and right, oppression of both human and civil rights rampant. The greedy got richer while the poor just got poorer.

But amid all these negativity, the glimmer of hope and humanity always shone through.

I, myself, was touched by that very glimmer of hope all too recently just as December came around the corner. Frankly, I’m still trying to absorb it. And it’s fairly difficult to swallow, but I don’t mind. This candy’s bitter coatings are starting to melt away and the sweetness is starting to come out. I just hope that this is only get sweeter over time.

Or for at least, that this be an omen of good things to come for 2012.

Via Flickr:
Rin goes for a stroll at Rockwell… While I enjoyed some Christmas espresso.

Super Wars: Tokusatsu style

Not to be undone with Marverl’s conglomeration of super heroes in next year’s super hero flick The Avengers, Japan decides to bring its greatest heroes together. All 200 plus of them.

Tokusatsu Sentai~ HASSHIN~!

Here’s what Crunchyroll has to say about them.

One superhero on his or her own is pretty cool, a simple team-up between two heroes even more so.  But when you get a whole team of different superheroes working together?  Maybe it’s time to put those world-conquering plans on hold.

 Not to be outdone by the excitement for The Avengers, Japan’s superheroes will also get their own huge crossover in 2012 in the tentatively-titled Super Hero Taisen.  The film’s creators aren’t settling for just a few big faces meeting up and stomping some bad guys, either: 200 super sentai (the myriad teams making up the international Power Rangers franchise) and all 40 incarnations of Kamen Rider will feature, with Kamen Rider Decade and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger taking the lead.

This means the return of the five original-in-the-US Power Rangers (Kyouryu Sentai Zyuranger), the Turbo (Gekisou Sentai CarRanger) and Zeo (Chouriki Sentai Ou-Ranger) Rangers, and more!  No confirmation yet of Rurouni Kenshin‘s Takeru Sato (Kamen Rider Den-O), but producer Shirakura stated “We want to show things you can’t see in the regular shows.  This was pretty close to impossible but I’d like to make it the norm for our spring films.  Rider is science, sentai is magic.”

Super Hero Taisen is set for a May 2012 release.  I don’t think my brain could have handled something like this as a kid, so I’m glad it’s coming out now.  What about you?  Any tokusatsu/super sentai fans ready to get their minds absolutely blown?

News via ANN through Crucnhyroll

Gunpla Building

Here’s an old set of photos. Ever wondered what Dollfies do in their spare time? For my little vinyl girls, aside from being avid gamers, They also do a build plastic models or gunpla every now and then. Here’s some photos during their first attempt at putting together their own gunpla.

I hope they can read the manual.

The girls get their first look at what they're up against.

And so they're off.. I guess I'll see how they do in an hour or so.

Sooo.. I wonder what other fellow doll parents let their girls do other than pose for the camera.