Sunday, August 31, 2008

First Day of Puasa Falls On Tuesday


It has been announced that the first day of Ramadhan will fall on Tuesday, September 2nd here in Brunei. At first I got the feeling that it would be tomorrow because the weather was so fine and clear today while I was at the beach for the reunion gathering with my fellow seniors and colleagues. But then its great because I'll be able to jog at the stadium for one more day tomorrow. I think I ate a lot earlier today, particularly the lamb chops. *LoL*

Saturday, August 30, 2008

A Reminder To My Fellow SP Family

Tomorrow's the big day. Has everyone been informed? I should post this again.

Fun With My 50mm


Money well spent! I've been using this beautiful piece of glass for a month now and so far it hasn't fail me. The sharpness and bokeh are superb. Even under poor lighting conditions, I could go flash-less with this thing and still capture magnificent quality shots. This should keep me busy while waiting for an external flash, which is exactly the next thing I'm gonna get after this. (Note to self: get the bloody damn SB-800 already!)

This lens is absolutely perfect for portrait photography and I'm still trying to get the hang of it. With the biggest aperture at f/1.8, this also happens to be a 'fast' lens, meaning that with faster shutter speed I'm able to freeze time and still keep images as sharp as it can be, unlike my 18-135mm kit lens. I'm so in love with fixed lenses right now.

Here are some random shots (mostly first attempts) taken with my Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8.

























Friday, August 29, 2008

Save The Stress For Next Year

These past week I've noticed that my juniors (2nd year) are beginning to experience the assignment and test turbulence which are pretty much what we have experienced during our time in 2nd year. I've read their schedules which depict how tight their days and weeks are, with all the tests and assignment dues all crammed in, not to mention the Business Project activities, organizing school functions and the upcoming Gerai Ramadhan.


May 15 - one hour before our final Business Accounting exam

Hearing all this brings back a lot of memories for us. Clearly we've been there. I suggest that they keep hanging on and save the stress for next year, because the 1st semester hectic-ness is just only the beginning. By the time the 2nd semester (next year) approaches, there will be more wave after wave of tests and assignments which will keep pouring in.

So how did we manage to survive throughout our 2nd year? Basically, and most importantly, is to keep a constant positive mind. With positive thinking, you can get through whatever obstacles that get in your way, no matter how hectic or crazy they are. It's true that my classmates and I experience all this during our days making dead ends meet and lots of sleepless nights (even the seniors before us had to go through the same process), and no matter what, we struggled hard. We had to be strong under pressure and eventually we got better and stronger when the next challenge was given to us.


Picture grabbed from Marriz-Scene.

So guys, I just wanna cheer you up. 1 year isn't really that long. It'll all be over before you even know it. You will feel the joy and excitement by the end of the day after the final exams are completed. For now, please do have a great time during Gerai Ramadhan because it's gonna be the most memorable experience for you all. Don't feel demotivated about the fact that school hours are just gonna take away the energy for the afternoon activities because I can assure you that it's not exactly going to be that way at all, and instead you will have the greatest time of your school life, to be with your close friends in the holy month of Ramadhan. So all the best to you all. I will see you guys there soon.


Next week, I will be posting pictures of our previous Gerai Ramadhan activities organized last year, so stay tuned.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Behold, The 'World's First' dSLR Movie Mode


The Nikon D80 finally gets an upgrade. After years of waiting, the Nikon D90 is here! I was so thrilled to hear this news. Thanks to cybercanon for the tip of info this morning. This new model was announced yesterday after much speculation, and it will be released on the market on this coming September 19.

New features on the D90:
  • 12.3 megapixels,
  • Expeed image processing engine,
  • Live View and Dust Removal System (FINALLY!!!),
  • a bigger screen (as the D3),
  • face detection (able to "render up to five faces with newfound sharpness"),
  • a maximum ISO of 6400,
  • a DX sized (ie. non full-frame) CMOS sensor
  • 4.5 fps shooting

The Nikon D90 comes with this newly announced Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens. Sweet!

But what really got me so excited to hear is this; a huge milestone of the D90 is that it is the world's first dSLR to offer video recording, and we're talking Hi-Def quality here (with a solid mono audio capture). We’re seeing the merging of high quality still and video pictures into the same camera. This is indeed the future of dSLR, and its going to be a powerful tool. Imagine recording video with added drama on different lenses; wide lens, zoom lens, fixed lens, fisheye etc. Talk about versatility!


A side by side comparison of the D80 and the D90. They both look almost identical but the D90 sports far more richer features!

For now I'm just gonna stick around with my Nikon D80 because it's only 4 months old and for an advanced entry-level, it works fine for me. Nevertheless, the D90 is still breathtaking. Check out these stunning results from this new dSLR. This is exactly why I love a Nikon so much; vibrant colors, smarter / precise auto-focusing (especially in darker situations) and the shutter release doesn't sound like a cricket. (jangan marah fellow havoc bloggers)


Rich color and low noise at high ISO sensitivity


Face Priority Autofocus


Auto white balance for faithful colors


3D Color Matrix Metering II delivers consistently well-balanced exposures


Trust a Nikon

It's Been Raining All Week


Does this mean that the 'anak bulan' won't be visible this Sunday? I could use one more day before Puasa. There's just so much to do on Sunday.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Juniors Are Most Welcome


Dear juniors,

You are most welcome to join us at the gathering which will be held this coming Sunday 31st August at Muara beach, especially the business project students. It'll be great to meet and get to know your seniors and a great opportunity to get hands on advice from them regarding school matters. After all, we've all experienced the sweet and bitterness in school in our early years and we'd love to share with you all. Share with us your thoughts and we'll be happy to hear from you. So do come this Sunday. And yes, there will be fun and games. It's the last day to have fun at the beach before the fasting month kicks in. (I do hope that it's not gonna be on Monday).


Gambar lama (2006) ini untuk sekadar hiasan post ini sahaja.

Reviewing My Course of Life


Lately at work I've been thinking about the past. How the failures that I've endured before haunted me throughout the days at the office. But it makes me realize how I'm glad I've progressed so far. Now currently doing my industrial attachment in my 2nd month, I feel grateful to be able to make it through the past 3 years studying in the Business School, from the younger days of PD to the crazy hectic life of ND. Now I'm almost close to wrapping up my course and experiencing this new-found joy of being at work and out of school. Yes it does make me miss school sometimes but that's just the way it is, every seniors have to move on.

So what's next for me? Well I've been thinking for the past couple of years about considering taking higher education, but I have not the slightest thought of exactly where I wish to go because I haven't received my final year results yet. I'll be graduating next year that's for sure, after that it all depends on my achievements. If I manage to maintain outstanding results for this 2nd year, I will definitely consider taking that degree, whether it be through a scholarship or on my own expense. Regardless, I'll have to work hard on it.


My alternatives are branched into several paths if my results are not up to my expectations. From the advices that were given to me by my lecturers back in school, I'm still going to continue for higher education despite my age. I have my eyes set on taking Higher National Diploma for my next step after ND. The problem is, will I be able to make it to ITB? After observing the slim number of my seniors accepted in ITB I thought that the chances are pretty weak, particularly for one such as myself without good O level results.

Furthermore after reading an interesting post of a good friend of mine touching on the fate of national diploma graduates, I started to realize that this issue needs to be raised again. If there is no road for us to further advance our studies after graduation, then that just leaves us to join the workforce or start a business. If I'm just gonna give up studying after I graduate next year, how would my career prospects be? Despite the fact that the government offers better pay and benefits, I do not believe that by depending on those things will ensure long-term security and financial stability. As far as I see it, they're pretty much exactly at the same situation as those working in the private sector by the end of the day. And don't get me started with people starting up their own business.

The situation now is that at this age, I should be able to support my family. The opportunity cost for me to continue my studies now is that I won't be able to support them for another 3 years or so, and that I'd still be receiving allowances instead of salary slips. By now I should be living the life but due to these setbacks I'd have to struggle just a bit more and sacrifice a lot of things which I should be doing at this decade.


The year 2005. I was class representative at that time.

I remember 3 years ago when I decided to return to studying again. I was only 22 back then. I calculated that by the time I'm 25 and beyond I should be able to start a proper living like everyone else. Now that mindset which I used to have has changed. I've observed that the National Diploma that I'll be receiving would not be enough to support me for the long term. It's true. ND is just not enough. I must advance. Maybe its just human to think this way.

Hey I don't wish to worry much. What I can do now is do my best in what I'm currently doing, and I'll see how it goes after the results come out, which will probably be next year after this attachment is over. I mean, I'm doing fine right now with what I'm going through. Life has its ups and downs. It's up to us to make them as meaningful as possible.


"Udah kitani attachment nanti jangan lupakan kami ani ah. Keep in touch yo."

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

They're Getting Away

One month has passed. It seems that the bigger they get, the more eager they wanna escape from the kitty ward. All 7 of 'em. They're absolutely not ready to get out yet. I think I need a bigger box!




Off To The Stadium


I really love the view from here. After a long run on the jogging track at the stadium area, this is where i'd be sitting with my iPod and water bottle, watching the sun set behind the backdrop of trees as the evening sky begins to loom. Sometimes I could even see the stars from here.

It's been 2 weeks since I returned to my cardio workouts. As the month of Ramadhan approaches, I've only got just days to run. After that I'll have to wait until after raya in order to get back on the track again. I'd better make the best of this week. I'm off to the stadium now.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Spread The Word



As requested by my fellow havoc bloggers, I've managed to create this poster design for the upcoming gathering this Sunday. Took me a while to get this done. Not too grand, not too simple. This ad is free to be copied and posted in your blogs. Spread the word.

I forgot to put my watermark again...

I Do Not Understand These Lines

I was looking at a bunch of statistical graphs earlier this morning while I was reading on Brunei's National Development Plan. Looking at those graphs, somehow it made me recall the business statistics unit which I did badly back in school. It made me realize how important statistics can be and how useless it would've become if one doesn't know how to read and analyze them. Bummer.

The juniors are so damn lucky this time. They've got better tutors for their statistics class. Back in my days... uh, let's just say I'm really REALLY glad its all over.


Repent? Yes. Turn back time? Hell no!!!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Calling All Seniors


Attention to all current and ex-business school students; my intake, Sai's intake, Shari's intake, Yamin's intake and beyond (yeah you know who you are). A business school reunion gathering will be held this Sunday the 31st of August at Muara Beach, organized by Ms Nelia, ex-tutor of the Business School who have just returned from UK for her study break. There will be fun and games for everyone to enjoy. Juniors are also welcome. Please contribute own food.

Attention to Havoc Bloggers and mana-mana bloggers yang sama waktu dengannya, dialu-alukan datang untuk membuat coverage. Thank you.

.:: The 'Business School Family' Photo Album ::.














































See You This Sunday!

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