This post is titled Happy Hari Raya! by author SoulJah. Pictures from Sipitang, Sabah.

Taken during the road trip there.

Posted by SoulJah at 3:20:00 PM

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This post is titled I just got my Nintendo DS Lite! by author SoulJah. I ordered mine from QQestore, Brunei's first online store? Anyway, after much prodding, they've decided to rush my order and got my DS Lite much earlier than the promised 7 to 10 days it usually takes. Well, anyway, here it is in full glory, along with the two relitively cheap games I also purchased. Relative to EGM anyway. Will post gameplay pictures soon. Stay tuned.









Click on for a bigger view.

Anyway, here's a couple of shots from a couple of days ago. I was supposed to take pictures of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, when I got sidetracked and explored the area along the moat. I was taken aback by the sparseness of the area. It used to be bustling and alive with people and children.

Posted by SoulJah at 2:45:00 PM

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This post is titled Bitten by Photography Bug = Photoman? by author SoulJah. It has been a while now that I had my Nikon D80 camera, and I've been fully utilizing the thing to the best of my abilities. I admit, I'm not one of the most prolific of photographers you would ever meet, but in this case, I'm willing to learn.

As opposed to the other things I do, I don't really have a knack for getting a good picture. I have the eye for it, looking around I can see lots of things to shoot at, but for the love of me, when the light hit the lens it didn't turn out as good as I hoped. In all cases, it's the blur caused by my shaky hands. I don't know why that is so. I don't take substances, if I recall correctly.

I'll just have to practice at it and try to control my heart rate or breathing. In the mean time, if you stumble upon a photographer that carries around a tripod, say hi. I expect to meet my readers.

Another way to go at it is to make this hobby of mine really, really expensive. Mind you the body and kit lens is already expensive enough, but when I want to add in a couple of VR lenses (Vibration Reduction) and some Speedlights (Flash), I could be paying the same amount as what I have paid for the camera itself. I used to wonder why pros have thousands worth of lenses with them handy, now I know better.



But yeah, I'll slowly build my collection of lenses anyway. Afterall, it really is an investment.

You know, it's really funny how people react when a camera is pointed towards them. And their reaction is all the more pronounced the bigger the lens that's pointing at them. I'm the unofficial photographer of sorts at where I work and I'm getting popular. Everyone takes the effort now to talk to me and get my attention. Some even know my name now!

I have known of this reaction though during my school days a few years back. I was the Head of Visuals cum Head of Photography. These shy new intakes warm up to the camera quite quickly and I was their favourite person to randomly shout at/get attention of. I'm not your usual attention whore, but sometimes I can be, at the most inappropriate times. To the dismay of my friends. Too many times I've heard these words muttered to me under their breath: "Dude, please, don't make a scene."

Digressing.

Now is not a really good time to take pictures though. It's the fasting month and everyone's lethargic. Me included. And it's quite hazy outside, which makes for a pea soupy picture. But at night, when the streetlights hit the haze/fog/mist, it makes for a completely beautiful sight, dotting the highway. I guess it's a blessing though, for at the start of the fasting month, I was dreading the prospect of driving around at 2pm in the full blast equatorial sun.

Posted by SoulJah at 11:46:00 AM

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