Kobe Trip Part 1: Akashi Kaikou Bridge

I just came back from a weekend at Kobe(no i did not get to eat beef..sigh.. too exp,even for me..)but i loved d city,gave me a different feeling from osaka and tokyo.and, it was the first time since i came here that i was this close to the sea.i took too many pics,so i'm splitting this trip into 3 or 4 parts, by subjects, not chronologically.

First off is Akashi Kaikou Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world currently.it's an architecture marvel. was pretty amazed when i saw it upclose. my lodgings was pretty near the area so i had alot of time snapping away hapily at the bridge. the weather though wasn't so forgiving.cloudy or foggy made it hard to snap any good pics but here's what i came up with.

night views of the bridge:

my 1st shot of the night. i think i used a 20-30 sec shutter speed on most of the shots just to get decent lighting. never atempt this without a tripod.iso was at 800 making it slightly grainy.

the far end is awajima island. didn't have time to go there but i don't think there's much to see there.

the lines across the sea are actually ships. def can achieve this effect by using a low shutter speed.

probably my favourite shot of the night. covered the ships,the island,bridge , the moon. i would say it's a pretty nice composition.i saw a guy's photo in akashi bridge's museum and he did something like this too except the ship(the line) was from left to right, making it even more striking.

woke up early the next day, around 5am cos i couldnt sleep.. was either the cars zooming past the place or the brit guy who was stayin in the same room as me who switched off the a/c making my room like a boiler.(did i mention that that brit guy works for ford mazda and drives an rx-8?!?!i did take pics but u arent goin to c them)


doesnt look all that great during the day huh?the fog made it almost impossible to take any decent pics..

summore bridge pics..

see how foggy it was???

shot from under the bridge.
fishing guy. alot of people come here to fish and as early as 6am!!but that's just typical japanese..

pigeons are everywhere but they're pretty dumb making them easy shot subjects( they don't fly away at the 1st sight of u)

view from akashi marine promenade, it's like an observbation deck. pretty cool. the view from up there is pretty nice.there's another option to climb all the way up to one of the 'pillars' but it'll cost u 7 times more, n def not for the faint hearted. i wanted to climb up but i din have enough time. but it's def on my to-do list.

notice the glass?u can look down to c how high up u r. pretty scary at 1st.

pics of akashi's structure. supposedly able to withstand pretty pretty strong winds and earthquakes.

that's about it for part 1. next up is Himeji!!enjoy peeps..

panning!Yokkaichi!Triple jump!!!!

i went all the way to yokkaichi today just to see an hours worth of triple jump. teck soon was participating. met kelly at the station, tht girl never tell me she was using JR o kintetsu... anyways, more photos here.. 1st shot's at oogaki station. while waiting for the train to nagoya, this train came zooooming past.. low shutter, tripod needed.big dof.


this was at nagoya, nagoya central towers,i did try taking pics from the 15th floor, but din came out good. it goes all the way to the 52nd floor but the only way up there is to book an appointment with the saloon there!!!!

the jist of the day, sports photography, trying with panning shots, i.e to make moving objects sharp with the bg becomes blur. to do that u'd hafta use a pretty slow shutter, abt 1/60 and move your cam the same speed as the object's moving.. i'd call this pic ' jumpin to victory?'

funniest running pose of mr.wong tech soon. funny but effective, really effective.

so he thinks he's won it???but sigh, such false hopes..

the winner goes to wong teck soon as he dashes for the finish line!(do take note that this is a triple jump event and u dont normally 'dash')could have done better with the compositionof this shot.. kinda bad huh..

on,my way back.. the train was so empty.. kinda freaked me out a lil.. somemore i thought i overshot on the stations:P but luckily i didnt or u wouldnt be reading this now
the only other person in my compartment... she's looking bored..




next edition!kobe kobe akashi akashi himeji himeji!!

Return to mY r00ts

i've gotta thank the world cup for these shots. the best time to take outdoor flower shots is during dawn but since the sun rises here so early,aka 3-4am, i'm not that enthusiastic to wake up at that time, except now i have 2 excuses, footie too!here are some shots i take of flowers around my school.

i absolutely love this pic, i think the best i took so far!a small aperture setting to give a big depth of field.all my pics had my cam mounted on a tripod. this shot specifically required one cos of the shutter speed was around 1/20 i think
my 1st shot of the day. there were actually tonnes of shots on this flower but only two were usable. the rest remained slightly out of focus. this was however taken with a small depth of field to give the nice blurry effect.
this flower is well,a flower. the front view from the 1st pic flower. instead of always taking centre shots, i decided to try from different angles.got this tip from a user in low yat. ended up with a pretty nice result.i guess the rule of thirds works on alot of subjects.
there're actually cobwebs on the flower. just that the pics too small until it can't be seen! wanted to call it 'dusty flower' but now it's just 'flower'
a combo 3 pieces of flowers. i used a small aperture. partly why the grass has more details than other pics.having maxed it out to 70mm, this was the biggest dof there is. tripod def essential.

that's all from me for now. i particularly like this post. not editing, all from my cam! if i'm brave n lucky, and if the pics are good u might get to see bon odori pics later. hopefully alot of them will be wearing yukatas!i just can't wait. portrait shooting!!!!

480 yen makeover

I realized my nds was full of scrathes and it's unrepairable. so i decided to cover it. i saw this in eiden on sunday. besides having mario kart, skins for nintendogs, pokemon and animal crossing are also available. but i love mkds.. i miss the days in msia when i could go for meet ups and play 8 player multiplayer. mayhem and havoc..
front view of it.. its not some cheap sticker. water proof ones tht u can peel off easily without leaving any marks.

another view of it.. kinda cool eh?
side view and the inside.. donkey kong while the other side is luigi.

all in all, i guess it's worth it. only 480 yen(15-20ringgit) to cover those hideous scratches! a better solution would be to buy a NDSL but i'm just broke:P

photogrpahy wise, i got my tripod today. i like it.. kinda good for the price:P i can take up to 1 sec shutter speed without any shake. love it.

no @lterations!

subject theme this time is still ogaki city. surprisingly, they're many things to shoot here. i've got more shots on film . i cycled there on saturday! one hour!beat that!maybe next week, i'll take some more.

the 1st picture is funny. 1/2 cube of lumps of sugar?! what the hell is that supposed to mean?

it's a river in the city! look at how clean it is. the river actuall runs through the city. they're even big big fishes swimming in it. ducks too. it's a city! not a kampung.. really. crazy eh?

another temple. the old man walking towards it to pray. very small temple..

offerings to the bull god?'ve really got no idea. but the temple seems to place importance on water..
see my point?the water's clean, drinkable but not necessarily taste. Fuji( photography member) called it tasteless.:P
this is the well. i saw people bring big bottles here to be filled. i like this pic.. nice water flow.. doest actually flows that fast but i used a really low shutter speed to achieve this.

now who's this? my roommate called piah. funny guy.

all this pics were unedited. i only resized them. if not, i'll be dead before the pics finishes uploading. my next subject theme:480yen upgrade! :Pwaiting for my tripod to come before i start on my next project.

cyas..

TaggED!!my god, i'm so screwed...

I've been tagged.
-The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points about his/her perfect lover.
- Have to mention the gender of his/her perfect lover.
- Tag eight other victims to join this game and leave a comment on their blog.
- If you are tagged the second time.There is NO need to do this again.
- Lastly, most importantly, HAVE FUN DOING IT.

1.i must say, trust is the most essential thing. i want someone i can trust no matter where she
is. this is also the most difficult criteria. i find it hard to trust people, especially those close to
me cos u're the most vulnerable to them. That said i am a paranoid,pessimistic ass.this actually
means being honest, don't lie and all that stuff..

2.personality, humourous,quirky, witty, i wouldnt even mind sarcastic. i guess she would hafta
be unique.

3. independant. they must have their own opinions and arguments. in other words, not a barbie
doll.she must be able to giv me freedom as well..

4.From 3, looks does matter. hard to say what my taste is but it all depends.

5,6,7,8... not needed.. being filthy rich is an added bonus.

i'm not gonna tag 8 people for this as well.. i dont c the point:P

*photogrpahy outing at oogaki this sat. theme:water. anyone care to join?*

Subject theme:Statues.

pics are taken oogaki. that's where i go to church every weekend. just a small city 19 mins train ride away. but it's blardy expensive though. 370 yen a way .. 5 stops only. killer eh? i don't know who the samurai is, probably has something to do with oogaki castle which is just behind him. nothing much to see at the castle though, small and empty...the 2nd pic would be a temple or jinjya o whatever it is. plain, simple but tranquil.. could have done better with the shot but i'm gonnna blame d weather. was starting to rain .. wasn't sunny enough:P

i don't know who's the city's planner but the hafta do something about their beautification. it's just too much. call it art, call it whatever u want to but a little naked kid is just pure obscene. summore he looks like he's taking a piss and being proud of it. maybe his first time eh? worse off is the kid beside him who seems to be enjoying the view..

this statue was behind the temple and i was looking at it's back.from that position, imagined where i thought the water came from..call me an obscene perverted freak o whatever but it's the truth. and oh, btw she's not nude, no nipples to show. but enough of that. the only reason i took it is cause i wanted to try water flowing shots

anyways, there wasnt much to take here besides statues o maybe i din just have enough time to explore cos of the rain. hopefully i'll be able to go gifu castle and park soon though. heard it rocks big time there. the castle's on top of a mountain! and it's white. and the citizens is proud that the mountain is purely natural, no replanting o whatsoever:P until then, jyane!

i'm weird, he's an idiot. this whole thing's annoying

wanna ask whether any of u while sleeping, you move around and wake up next morning to find your blanket on the floor? is it such a weird thing? everyone get nightmares a fiddles around no? o the heat o cold makes u restless. there's so many unexplained reasons right? so why issit so fucking weird?!

next, to d stupidity part. issit normal for someone to place a heater in between two beds with tonnes of combustible crap around it? the guy told me when u sleep, it feels hot n nice. tht's why he does it. might be nice but hasnt he thought its just plain DANGEROUS.

i'm irritated at the moment. its about the 'burningg' incident. its like he's putting all the blame on me for it. which is worse? a guy's futon accidentally drop o the guy who places the heater in such an exposed area while sleeping?!

next off, just a reminder to me msn buddies. stop over using your emotions?! u dont hafta put it in every sentence! it's hard to read, it lags,its annoying, overkill man. so be moderate and dont be an addict.

Subject theme: Flowered NwA-608

my exams are over!!! so i'm doing a new series of photos. still my 2nd session only, exams being the obstacle! hope u enjoy. anyways, i'm thinking of making this site more of a photo blog as i got another place to talk cock d:P



i do realize i needa get a tripod. i can't shoot at low shutter speeds without shaking .That sucks!
i got not enough cash to burn until my next allowance sigh... belows my mp3 player. i love it though. can't live without it. i wonder what i'm gonna shoot next. maybe when i go to church this week, i'll find a nice subject. i just can't be always taking pics inside my room. for your info, the background is my t-shirt! clean eh? proves that i'm actually washing me clothes! again, the flower is a contribution from the school garden. i hardly had to go sneaking around today, the school was almost empty cos exam's over!

tell me again why am i blogging now?

let's see, my exam is a mere 15 hours away and yet i'm writing here.why??why?? why???! i'll tell you why.. no, it's not cause i'm over confident nor do i think that it's gonna be easy. actually, on 2nd thought, i dont think i can answer my own question. i dunno blardy why!! i've been surfing whole day reading up on stupid stuff ( what formations countries are going to employ this world cup?) to playin new super mario bro.s( have i mentioned that it's a wonderful game, such a classic and nostalgic feel) to blogging now. Seems like i just can't bring myself to study.

so, i guess i better stop this blabbering if i wanna at least pass...

p.s: Good luck to those having their exams now. i know they're a big bunch of you!

Shoes?Shoes?more Shoes!!

i've been here for urm, 2 months? yet, i think i've bought more shoes in this short period of time than compared with my last 5 years! to be exact, 5 pairs! this brings me to a total of 7 pairs at d moment. i got running shoes, formal shoes, urm, futsal, football, one for p.e, and one for my casual wear. The last is my favourite though.It's for my workshop. heavy as it is, i's supposed to be able to withstand a 1ton impact! how cool can it be? and for only urm 100 bucks? 1 ton man. i tried to hit it, n i found my hand hurting instead...

below are some pics that were taken during the week. 1st of is sashimi! probably d best i ever had. maguro and ika(tuna and squid) my 日本事情先生、砂糖先生(sato sensei) wanted us to know the real meaning of japanese food and he definitely got his point through to me at least. It's not just about taste or quantity but when having a real japanese meal, you can sense what season you're in. Everything used is fresh and in season. the taste is unique and blends in with nature. it was just d best. luckily he treated us cos the bill was well urm..


then , birthday bash pics. mongol guy n mine. i'm 364 days younger than him. how cool can tht be?hehe.. had fun goin out with them. enjoy d pics.

p.s: pics obviously not taken by me.










from left to right:
nia(viet kong); nuwan( sri lankan tiger guerillas); me( chin peng?); odo( gengkhis khan);pong( who's famous in laos?)

fl0wer p0wer!

my new toy. my self bought early birthday present which made me broke. 4.2k!! i'm crazy ain't i. but my new baby. nikon D70s is worth almost every penny.my only complain is d software which was for xp japan.i cant use it properly.good riddance as well. dled photoshop.problem fixed!look at the pics below on my 1st try.it's of course edited:P my skills r still pretty shitty.hopefully it'll improve in due time! in time for my great summer trip at least. at least now i'm equipped with a kick ass weapon. Shoot to kill!! so how do u like d pics? flower stolen from d school garden. Felt like a thief cuttig it off. the background's my t-shirt!!hehe..all artificial light:P anyways, exams start next week! wish me d best of luck, tho how many of u read this? kelly? mayching?:P

@ll 0ver

its over. not happy not sad. i dont know. no regrets either. but i wonder what went wrong????

my hand at haiku,

葉が落ちて、もみじは血の赤、失恋の心。

ピンクに満開、さくらのように、青春の人生。

haha, sucks badly but wad d heck.

long overdued

so, i haven't wrote anything since d fire but there seem to be just that wherever i go lately. was at the mall yesterday and outside, a street lamp caught on fire. i actually think i might be afraid of it one day....

been one month in japan. not that i'm too busy to write here. somehow, just lazy. well, for guy readers.. girls here r overrated. i mean cute r cute but sigh.. i just dunno. n my class doesnt have any girls, so i got no chance to interact with them at all.

how do i feel after one month? not much. still tryin to mix in with the japs. i'm not gonna be like d iranian girl that's finding problem to mix in. she's right though. mixing in is not about language. her's a awesome btw. it's mentality and interests. i can speak horrible jap n yet i think i'm doing better than her. i have a handy ds to make friends. cheating? guys r guys anywhere in the world. interests dont change much wherever you go. this is inside a guy's mind: games,cars,chicks,tv, electronics and comp stuff. sports too. i'm not sayin i'm buddy buddy with them yet but hopefully in due time.

studies are well studies. i think too mch about d future. 3 yrs from now, wat am i gonna do???? wad?? no idea.

i can't seem to let go of the past. i should move on. but somehow i can't. people do say ' hold on to what's good' dont they? but the more i try the more it seems to slip further away. a clean slate here? i realized moving to no matter where is the same. some things just dont run away... friends especially. i cant really let go of old ones to make new ones. blah, talking gibberish.

my minds all blurry n messy. don't mind me. i'm not a miserable guy here. i'll let pics do d talking instead.