Let's Do Our Part

As of yesterday, there has been a total of 164 cases of H1N1 infected reported by the Ministry in our country, and that number seems to be gradually rising. Now, I am against promoting scare, but I strongly support the authorities to fight this plague that's engulfed in our beloved nation. So let's do our part in whatever we can to minimize the spreading of the virus by following the guidelines prepared by the health authorities. We can do it!

Prevention is better than cure. Apply those hand sanitizers and put on those masks. Maintain good hygiene. Boost your immune system by eating a well-balance meal rich in vitamins. Minimize social gatherings or being in crowded places. Postpone traveling overseas (unless if there are important businesses to attend to). Lastly, don't panic, always keep a positive mind, and pray.

More information and updates of H1N1 in Brunei can be obtained here.

The Proper Use of Masks During These Troubled Times

From the WHO: Proper use and disposal of masks is essential to ensure they are potentially effective and to avoid any increase in risk of transmission associated with the incorrect use of masks. The following information on correct use of masks derives from the practices in health-care settings:

• place mask carefully to cover mouth and nose and tie securely to minimise any gaps between the face and the mask
• while in use, avoid touching the mask − whenever you touch a used mask, for example when removing or washing, clean hands by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based handrub
• replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid
• do not re-use single-use masks − discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removing.

Although some alternative barriers to standard medical masks are frequently used (e.g. cloth mask, scarf, paper masks, rags tied over the nose and mouth), there is insufficient information available on their effectiveness. If such alternative barriers are used, they should only be used once or, in the case of cloth masks, should be cleaned thoroughly between each use (i.e. wash with normal household detergent at normal temperature). They should be removed immediately after caring for the ill. Hands should be washed immediately after removal of the mask.

Backyard Photography

Your backyard is like your training camp, an essential and most convenient place to train yourself with your camera and gear. These past few days, I've been polishing my skills on the art of 'depth of field' technique at my own backyard. Though it's pretty limited when I've only got one lens in my arsenal, I look forward to invest on another pretty soon, and it has to be a fixed lens. The more bokeh the merrier.


Also, I would like to address the issue on 'kalok' shots. Taking 'kalok' shots on purpose does not produce a good 'kalok'. A true 'kalok' shot is when you've manage to get an incidental or unintentional shot of something, such as this bird I shot during my backyard training (raised my lens up to the sky and 'snap'). However, a good telephoto lens beyond the 200m range would've made this image far more superior. Nevertheless, it was a catch of the day for me.

Free Wallpaper

As a special thank-you gift to all my dedicated readers for all your support with Metaphorical Expression, I present to you a wallpaper of the trail shot I captured last month with the Havoc crew (click here for the full story). You may copy and set the image below as your wallpaper.

Click to enlarge

Do-It-Yourself Trail Shot

So you wanna capture your own trail shots and use them as your own custom wallpaper? Well you can actually. Here are some tips on how to capture the amazing trail shots as the one shown above. Just follow these simple steps.

Requirements:
3 cans of gasoline
1 bottle of mineral water
1 lighter
1 digital camera (a camera phone should work fine as well)
1 pack of marshmallows

Instructions:
First, open the cap and start pouring the cans of gasoline onto your desired roadway. Depending on how long you want your trail to go, you might need more cans of gasoline in stock. If you're going for the highway, you might as well get a few barrels.

A word of caution!

Watch out for ongoing traffic! Make sure to look both ways before crossing the street... dumbass!

After the whole pouring process is done, you'll stink of gasoline all over yourself, so don't grab that lighter until you wash your hands (See, I told you that water bottle would come in handy).

Seriously, you don't wanna end up like this guy.

After wiping yourself dry, start flicking your lighter onto the trail where you poured the liquid. Once you light up the road, aim your camera and press the shutter release.

CLICK!

Congratulations! You've just successfully captured your very own DIY trail shot! Easy kan? Now get your ass outta there quick before the cops smell your dirty work! (forget the marshmallows!)