Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Placebo Effect In the Camera World

I have finally recovered from the four days of work at the recent Suntec IT show 2009. Not that I got physically ill of any sorts, but it does take a day or 2 of resting to get back to normal after 4 days of standing and sleep shortage.

Unlike previous shows, I have been assigned to the DSLR counter of the SONY booth. It wasn't hard for me to accept this despite the fact that my expertise lies with the video camera section. After all, I have been using the SONY Alpha DSLRs for at least a year now and I have to say I love every bit of it.

While I can proudly say that I know stuff about the Alpha lineup, I find it sad to see that there are many blind sheep out there that hasn't a clue about the Minolta legacy. These blind sheep choose to be led by their popular brand loyalist friends and create the vicious cycle of branding. Some of them even get so ridiculously warped that they walk up to the counter and does something like this!

There was this guy who came to the counter and started fiddling with an entry level DSLR. He started smirking and said "as expected..."

I got curious and asked about it... guess what he said? "feels plastic"... 

DUDE IT IS PLASTIC! IF PLASTIC DOESN'T FEEL PLASTIC WHAT IS PLASTIC?

Of course, the customer is always right and I'll have to explain to him that you cannot expect a metal feel on a plastic body.

There are other instances, such as a customer who told me he thought that we had to mount our lenses by screwing in 3 rounds... All these 'knowledge' were 'imparted' from their 'photographer' friends... How smart...

Of course, there are many things about the photography world which I still have to learn of... But at least I can tell everyone out there that if you haven't read up about the Konica Minolta legacy... Do so... Don't make a fool of yourself the next time you come across and Alpha user.

FYI: The Konica Minolta legacy in photography is being carried on by SONY. Yes we are related...


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Single's Guide to Going Out With Friends

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only wence (reference to alo alo TV series)

School is over, there's no more need for studying... HURRAY!
Off you go to clear that backlog of sleep, complete that game or story that you've put on hold, or even visit that friend you've lost touch with.

Very soon, you realise that there really isn't much to do except to lay around and decompose as you wait for National Service (it is compulsory for male Singapore citizens).

What can you do then? My favourtie advice is to go out with your friends. Arrange a gathering of sorts. It can be with anyone and everyone. Over the last 2 weeks I've had chalets with my outside group of brothers and schoolmates separately, met up with secondary school classmates at East Coast Park, and even celebrated Mubarak's birthday!

Here're some tips to ensure that your outings are enjoyable:
1. If you're going out with couples, get someone to keep you company, no one likes a third wheel, or being a third wheel. So lets just save each other the trouble and get yourself occupied.

2. check the agenda, make sure nothing's going to piss anyone off. Try to get activities that involve as many people as possible. It's not fun to look at others having fun! haha!

3. Learn to back out. Some activities are simply not meant for you, they're asking you out just for the sake of courtesy, REJECT!

4. You already know who you're closer to and vice versa, no point making new friends when you know that the impression won't be strong. Kinda makes it awkward too!

Random ranting from le Bruce himself!
Cheers!

OH YEAH! I MIGHT BE FLYING OFF TO BANGKOK AND THEN TRAVEL DOWN TO HAT CHAI> PENANG > KL! WOOTS!