Thursday, March 31, 2011

How to score when you didn't study!

When I was in upper Secondary school, objective test was first introduced into the examination. I simply hate objective test because the answers were all similar. It also means that I must really know the subject well in order to pass. I remember my teacher once said that if you scored 25% in objective test, you actually know nothing!
Statistically, someone found that ticking "B" for every question may even help the student to score high grade. So, one student actually ticked "B" for the 100 questions in 5 minutes and he scored 47%!! He didn't study at all!
So, the next time you didn't study for an exam, try ticking "B" for every question. Ok, do so at your own risk!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Free meals, buy 1 free 2

Perhaps this is the best deal of the century from McDonald. I think what they are doing is to try to develop the eating habit of the locals so that they will "Think breakfast, think McDonald!". But to change the eating habit may be a little difficult for many as we still think that char mee, kolo mee, etc, are still tastier. But who knows, they may be successful to attract more breakfast dinners.
So, we went to McDonald at almost 10:30AM on Saturday. We were a little disappointed because our favorite was not on the menu or rather the price had gone up by almost RM2! Also, some of our favorites were "sold out". I saw one angry customer storm out of the store yelling "bodoh"! Haha... ok ok... my son told me that in the morning, there was only one queue and you have to wait for 30 minutes! Oh, we ended up not buying anything on last Saturday. The boys were disappointed.
First drive through McDonald in Senadin, Miri.
Outside of the restaurant.
The queue inside the restaurant last Saturday.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Snake ...

This evening, Peter messaged me to go jungle trekking at Canada Hill and at the same time to snap some pictures of a "big" snake there. I was actually skeptical about the possibility of ever seeing the snake. It can't be staying at the same place for days! However, on arrival at the Canada Hill, everyone seems to know the existence of the ever hibernating snake! True enough, after climbing just two hills, we asked someone about the snake and he instantly pointed to the exact location of the snake!
It is indeed sleeping and won't even move the slightest bit. We couldn't see the face.
Ok, this was my first time going into that place. I think I covered only 1.5 hills and I was completely out of breath. The return trip was torture! I think I need to go there more often. I sweat profusely and I couldn't get enough oxygen!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Two Free Breakfasts for You

I just came across this McDonald coupon which entitle you for two free breakfasts if you spend just RM5! So, just click on the image below, and download the full size version, print it, bring to McDonald outlet and spend RM5. I have tested it and it is for real! Or, click here for the coupon.
Have a nice meal!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Greenish Photos

My digital workflow was severely disrupted yesterday as I found that all my RAW images becomes greenish on my LCD monitor. I did some analysis and found that Ah Jon was playing with a new display card the day before on my computer. So, we figured that the colour management has messed up. Thanks God that I have a ColorVision Spyder which has quickly help me to generate a new colour profile. So, the problem is now fixed. The last time I had this problem, I need to re-install everything on my computer!

After 30 long years ...

Time really flies! I have been working here for just under 30 years and was officially "retired" on 16 March 2011! Ok, retire from the job but probably I will do something else. I have many options:
1. Pursue my interest in photography
2. Open an IT shop offering services where my son Jon is an expert
3. Go into food processing
4. IT consultancy
5. Look for a job
I know that many will ask me to take it easy and enjoy life. Unfortunately, I can't do that. Life must go on and I have to make myself useful. In just two days after the so called retirement, I have flu already!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Lack of civic mindedness

Our Bulatan Park is a beautiful place for Mirian. However, every weekend or even weekday, there are some people who lack civic mindedness. They will eat at the table and leave all the plastic around.
Why can't they just throw the rubbish into the bin which is just nearby? Lately, I found that one of the lamps near this table has been vandalised.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Nikon D7000 body is now cheaper

Last Friday, there were some new products announcement by Nikon, mostly on compact camera. I haven't received any details yet...
... However, I was told that there is one good news, ie, the price for D7000 body only is now reduced by some RM200. I have not received the official price yet. So, let's wait for a day or two. The price remain the same for kit set. I have noticed the price differential between body and kit unit ever since the camera was announced.

Fake Ligo Whole Kernel Corn product

On Saturday, Ligo ran a big advertisement in the local paper warning consumer about fake Ligo Whole Kernel Corn. I have been suspecting that this popular product has imitation for a very long time already due to the inconsistency in product quality. I just wonder what is taking them so long to warn the consumer.

So, how serious is the situation. I did a count in my cabinet yesterday and found that only 30% of the number of tins are real!! They are all bought from a large hypermarket in Miri!!
The favorite sweet corn... supposely from USA.
How can you recognise the fake product? There are many places that gave the clue. 1. Spelling mistake; 2. No distributor address; 3. Different bar code; 4: Printing colour is more orange.
This was the advertisement. Click on the picture above and you can read the email in order for you to write to them and complain.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Ultra Wide angle and fish eye

I went to Nikon Centre last week and tried out some of the lens there. One thing that always makes me a little confused is the ultra wide angle and fish eye lens. What is/are the difference(s) in the final result, ie, the photo itself. So, here they are:
This photo was taken using the 14mm lens at 1/60sec f/3.2 prime lens.
This one was taken using 16mm lens at 1/60sec f/2.8.

So, as the name suggest, a fish eye lens is made to produce a photo with "fish eye" view! The effect can be quite nice. But the question is, is such a lens still needed since photoshop can easily produce this kind of effect  on the computer. The above 14mm is definitely very pricey!

Sunday, March 06, 2011

New Nikon lineup this week

This week, there will be announcement by Nikon of at least one new DSLR and possibly some Nikon compacts. It seems that the DSLR is a new D5100. However, I have no information about the detailed spec of this camera. Those rumored Coolpix camera(s) could actually be a new Nikon mirrorless system.

Wagyu Beef (和牛)

I have the opportunity, perhaps the only one, to ever tried the wagyu beef from Japan. I asked for medium done, 150 grammes. When it was being served, it looks great and smelled very good.
Japanese beef sirloin steak grilled with teriyaki sauce.
Taste wise, it is very different from the normal beef. It is tender and tasty.
In this particular Japanese restaurant, this beef is served in 3 different styles. Ok, if you want to try, close your eyes and ignore the prices! And, ...
... if you see this restaurant, Rakuzen, just hop in and order any one of them. They are all very nice. This is perhaps one of the best Japanese restaurant chain in KL.