Visit to Burger Sam - Roti John

ISO 280 1/60 F/2.8 EV:+0.7
Very often, when I went to Ming Cafe, I will drop by Burger Sam to buy their Roti John! It is delicious and nice to eat! So, tonight, I decided to drop by and asked their permission to take a series of pictures showing the preparation process. So here it goes...

ISO 640 EV+0.7
This is Burger Sam towkay... aiya, forgot to ask his name. Perhaps I should call him uncle Sam.

ISO 5000
Premix was poured onto a hot plate...

ISO 2200
... evenly spread out...

ISO 1400
Spread out the halved "roti" onto the premix.

ISO 1600
... nicely arrange them...

ISO 1100
... press them ....

ISO 1400
... separate them...

ISO 1100
... press again...

ISO 2800
... done ... with the cooked egg, meat, etc nicely "stuck" to the roti.

ISO 1600
A closeup view...

ISO 1800
... sauce is then applied...

ISO 200
... must be chili or tomatoes and cream ...

ISO 1250
... close up the halved roti and 'chop" it up...

ISO 2000
Wrap in plastic and is ready to be sold.
Cost: RM3.50 a piece. Where: Next to Ming Cafe along North Yu Seng Road.

Camera: Nikon D3 taken with the available light at the store.
ISO varies between 280 to 5000. Constant 1/60 sec F2.8

Shooting Brilliant Sunset Photos (2)

I talked about shooting brilliant sunset photos in my earlier post. I noticed that the sunset look best immediately after the sun has gone off the horizon and for the next 20-30 minutes, the sky will display a series of most brilliant colors if the atmosphere is "correct".
In my earlier post, I used the fully automatic mode, ie, on my Nikon D200 it is called Program mode. Note that different camera program P mode (or Auto mode) differently. But I think the technique remains the same.
In this post, I am using Manual mode on my Nikon D3. This time I was armed with an external flash. But even if you have a build-in flash only, I personally believe that you still can take nice picture. Just do some experiment.
First, set it to Manual mode and here I used center-weighted metering because I wanted to read the exposure of the brighter spot. Then I take a test shot like above. As expected, the person in the picture was just a dark patch.

Satisfied with the result of the background, I switched on the flash and shoot! No metering compensation of any kind was applied here. No post processing on the above photos.
Note that manual mode is best (or at least I preferred it) for shooting this type of photos.
Time: 18:32; Metering: Center-weighted; 1/250 sec; F/9; ISO 400; Flash sync Mode: Front curtain; Auto white balance; Exposure compensation: 0EV; Exposure mode: Manual. Flash: SB-800.
Your constructive comment is appreciated.

Shoot Brilliant Sunset Picture (1)
All the pictures here have no post processing.

The above was the colour of the sky at 6:35PM. I applied flash for filling in. Otherwise the person would just be a dark patch.

Five minutes later, I took this picture. Again, I use flash for filling in. But for exposure, I set EV to -0.7 and for the flash unit I set it to +0.7. If the exposure compensation wasn't set to "under expose", in this case by -0.7, the sky will turn out to be "pale" like the top picture.

This picture was shot with EV -1.0 and the flash unit at +0.7.
The exposure mode was set to "Programme" mode, ie, fully auto and the flash was set to "slow sync TTL". Make sure that the flash mode is set to "slow sync". Otherwise, used the "Manual mode" described below.
An alternative to "slow sync" mode is fully manual mode setting. In fact, for experienced photographer, I recommend M mode:
1. Set the camera to Manual mode.
2. Point the camera in the direction of the intended framing.
3. Check the exposure (Speed & Aperture) , multi-pattern, ie, average metering. Then bring the exposure down by approximately one stop (say EV -1.0).
4. Switch on the flash. Set the flash compensation in the reverse order to the amount in step 3 above (ie, EV +1.0)
5 Test shoot and do some finer adjustments.

The above was taken with a Nikon D200 with the built in flash. I forgot to recharge the external flash unit. The technique should be the same for all cameras.
To further enhance the picture, some post processing can be applied.

My humble garden


This flower is actually from a "tree". It really smell - whether it is good or bad smell is very subjective. This season, it has so many flowers and the smell is very strong all day long. During my childhood day, I can always remember that women used to "wear" this flower on their ears. In the 60s, perfume wasn't easily available and this is a natural substitute.

If you have flu and a little giddy, you better stay away from this flower. You may feel even more sick smelling this flower.

I thought this flower is going to die because it was in bad shape due to neglect. But with some care, beautiful flower started to sprout again.

In my earlier blog, I talked about a huge gap of some 20 years that my garden produces no papaya. So, this year, this tree produces many. New fruiting flowers are everywhere!

... and baby papayas are all over the tree...

.... the first fruit. It was sweet and the flesh is firm.

The humble chiku which has been flowering for many years now.

Stay focus!
I had a chat this morning with my buddy Tien and we discussed about courses, profession, etc. He asked a question, "How many people have a job related to what they study?" The answer is "very few". He studied Mechanical Engineering majoring in Marine, I did E&E. Now, he is doing something with nothing to do with mechanical engineering. I am doing IT. So the conclusion is that it doesn't really matter what you study as long as you study something you enjoy. The most important is that you stay "focus" in pursuing your dream or what you really wanted to do in life.
So what has chicken here got anything to do with staying focus?


Tien was taught since young that if he wanted t o catch a chicken for dinner, he must first identify from the flock which one is the victim. Then zoom in on it and chase the fellow until you got it! In the process, many chicken from the flock will fly/jump everywhere to distract you. This is exactly how life is. Unless you stay focus and not to be distracted by many temptations, you will catch no chicken for dinner. You will be completely exhausted and your dream remain unrealised. That was exactly what I experienced when I was small as mummy always asked the kids to "catch" the chicken for dinner. They will fly everywhere and we ended up frustrated.

We are all leaders, in one way or another.

As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?

Do you understand the power of recognition, kindness, and setting personal goals. Also, in all of our conversations, never use "me", but always "we" when discussing any success that we had enjoyed in our business.

Reignite the passion in your life...

I like what Mac Anderson wrote:

... Sandbox Wisdom revisits our childhood to see what we should strive to rekindle as adults.

• Fun, Laughter, and Enthusiasm...We should strive to keep that childlike spirit in our work and our play. When we grow up we take ourselves way too seriously, and sometimes we become a heart attack waiting to happen.
• No Limit Thinking...As children we believe that we might become president, a great artist or a great explorer. But as adults we begin to put fences around those dreams.
• No Inhibitions...Children speak from the heart, and as adults we should strive to do more of that.
• Read People and Situations...Children can see past the trappings of material success and see into the core of people. As we grow older we begin to label people, and as the saying goes, "labeling is disabling."
• Creativity and Imagination...A great philosopher once observed, "Genius is childhood recaptured at will." The imagination and creativity we had at five too often begins to fade at fifteen.

He has a book for sale. Visit his site... and look for Sandbox Wisdom at the bottom.

Joshua - Doktor Muda and his "new" bike
Nowadays, primary school run an activity calling themselves Doktor Muda. They visit the hospital and attending talk. Seems to be quite interesting! Look at him...

He has a "new" bike given by sister Soo Min. This bike is too tall for him and you can see that his feet are about 6" from the ground.

... but this is not a problem for him. He enjoys cycling...

... and this is how he mounted the bike.



These photos were taken at 7:10PM. I am also testing out the capability to shoot in darkness.


By the way, he tried my tall bike and he fell off the bike. Haha... Joshua is a risk taker!

More gadgets to the congested house!
We got a Gazelle bicycle. This bike is imported from Holland. The very unique feature of this bike is the way how the brake works - by paddling in reverse! I am not sure which one is the primary brake - hand or this paddle brake. It can brake

The condition is excellent. I shall take good care of it and will always remember who is the actual owner. Actually, we got another bike yesterday. Forgot to take a picture. Joshua love that bike although his foot is about 6 inches from the ground while he is mounted. When we return from the office today, he showed us how he would mount the bike. Ingenious 10 years old!

Ya... he also got a kite! I think this is the same as the one Stephanie played a few days ago in Snowdonia.

Happening - My garden, my survival instinct
After much labouring, my so called garden is now in "production". I have harvested "potato leave" three times. Taiwanese kangkong ..., only a few are growing. But they look strong; the colour is a little yellowish which is natural.

I think this is called winter melon. If they bear fruits (or melon), it is enough for everyone in my street!

This "crumbled leave" veggie is my favorite. When I was small, I simply love this veggie and I couldn't understand why my parents would sell everything away. Well, now I know... they fetched better price. See, sometimes when you are young, you don't understand the action of your parents... and have to wait for many years before I understand.

This is the so called "sayur rajah" or "King's veggie". They seem to demand rich soil. Not growing too well.

A new addition to the congested garden is a lemon tree. I am now taking a lemon every morning by squeezing the juice out, mixed with water and drink it. It doesn't cause stomach pain. No problem.

Work and study at the same time
I must say that I am very proud of my three daughters in Leeds. We have encouraged them not to come back during the holidays but instead do some work to make some money so that they can cover their expenses and perhaps also travel around. So far, Esther has been to Sweden and Stephanie has been around UK.

So far, they are doing fine but in the process of working, they also stress themselves out. Janice work the night shift and this is not good for her biological system. In the long run, one will age faster and perhaps will miss out much activities in the evening.

So far, they have been making enough money to cover for their own expenses. We sponsor for their fees. So the general expenses per month:

1. Accommodation: 85 pounds each (250 pounds per month per room)
2. Bills: 33 pounds
3. Food: 80 pounds

This would means that they need to earn 200 pounds per month. At the current minimum wages of 6 pounds, they would need to work just 8 hours a week or 34 hours a month. For additional pocket money, working about 40 hours a month would be ideal.

So how much is enough? I would say, if spending = earning is the same would be just nice.

To motivate themselves, spend sometime on holiday. That is important.

Is the cost of living low in Malaysia?
I personally believe that the recent soaring price is artificial. I just asked my children in UK (Leeds) whether there is any major price increase there.

Ok, see this:
White bread: 60p (RM3.90) a loaf (double our size here) Miri: RM2.60 (or RM5.20 if double the size)
Good quality bread: 120-180p. How much in Miri?

Salmon: 800p/kg (RM52) (500p when on offer); Miri: RM70/kg
Lean pork: 320p/kg (RM20.80) Miri price - slightly cheaper

Big Mac + medium fries: 199p (RM13). In UK, you can buy 3 Big Mac for 1 hour working. What is the price in Miri? It is so expensive that the last time I took must be about RM8.00 - need to work for 2-3 hours.

Minimum wage: 600p/hour, ie, RM39/hour or RM320 for 8 hours work.

In Miri, you need for work for 1 month as cashier in the supermarket and earn RM300-500.

In UK, petrol is 120p/liter but working for 1 hour can buy 5 liters. In Miri, you need to work for 2 hours to buy 1 liter of petrol.

How about rice? 10 pounds for 2x10Kg bag of American long grain. That is about RM32. You work there for 1 hour and you can buy one bag. In Malaysia, you may have to work for 2 days or more.

wah... what is happening now? I went to the fish market last Sunday. Fishes are so very expensive. It is beyond the reach of the poor or they can only eat the tiny ones.

Talking about cars, average price is 5000-8000 pounds for a very good car. Here in Malaysia, we pay 3x the amount. If I am not mistaken, there is only one toll near Birmingham. Otherwise, there is no need to pay toll in the whole country. Road quality - excellent. In this country, it is so bad that it is one of the major killers. I blame it on the road because there is no proper system. Otherwise why should one particular category of road user (motor bike) became the major victim?

Having done all these comparisons, I must say that service fees are more expensive than Malaysia. But on the other hand, if you earn pound and spend pound, it becomes very relative.

I was in Houston, USA, a few years ago. What surprised me most was that the cost of many items in the supermarket were actually cheaper than Malaysia. Eat out was quite cheap also. I was told that it is still about the same at the moment.

There is something seriously not right in this country. We must stop buying if we know that the towkay is overcharging!

Inflation, soaring prices
In the bible, Jesus was asked "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?", ie, the sign of His coming again to judge the world. He said:
Mat 24:6-7 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Looking at the above 2 verses, we knew that most of the "signs" are being/have been fulfilled. Perhaps not as intense. Looking at famine, I am concerned. I see that people are so wasteful ... this is especially obvious at potluck, buffet meal, etc. People will take more than enough with lots of left over. Why do people think that food will not be exhausted?


Look at rice. Prices for rather good quality fragrant rice used to cost only RM22.50-RM25.00. However, prices nearly double overnight! Are we living in the age of food shortages? Can we still order a big plate and eat only a little and throw away the rest?


What about the poor? Thanks God that there is subsidized rice selling for just RM18.00. They are the so called 15% rice. I think this is good value. So I am now buying this rice and try it out. Not bad, if I am not too choosy. Or can I still effort to be choosy?


Perhaps I should increase my sweet potatoes (the one with bigger rounder leaves) production.

Plant more "potato veggie" - the one with 3-pointed leaves. They are very easy to plant. There is thought of reverting back to the lifestyle in the 60's where we planted everything ourselves. At that time, there was no shortage of urea also as we collected them naturally. Chemical based fertilizer was down to the minimum.

Ok, we can't eat potato veggie everyday. So, some varieties are required... kangkong, etc.

opp.... this fellow found my little "plantation". It probably demand a little share of my labour!

Leaders
Paul said "Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17)
Dr. John Maxwell writes, "If you desire to succeed, live by these four simple words: add value to others. That philosophy will take you far. All talented people have a choice to make: to do their own thing and get all the credit, or do the team thing and share it. My observation is that not only do talented people accomplish more when working with others, but they are also more fulfilled than those who go it alone."
To enjoy the privileges and benefits of leadership when you're willing to:
(a) go first and
(b) put others first.

Virus... a pain-in-the-neck! Show Hidden Files
By default, Windows doesn't show hidden files. This mean that you can't see them in window/file browser. This is heaven for viruses. Just like thieves, they would come to steal under cover - hidden and not seen and yet do the damages.

To show hidden files, do the following:
1. Start->Control Panel. You shall see the following window:


2. Double click on "Folder Options" a window will pop up. Click on "View" tab and you shall see:

3. Click the radio button "Show hidden files and folders and then click "ok" button.
4. Close the Control Panel window.
5. Double click on "My Computer" icon on your desktop or where ever it is. The window below should appear. To make it easier for you to navigate, you may click on the "Folders" button.

6. Click on all the drives listed one by one and look out for "autorun" file or "autorun.inf" file.

7. If you see "Autorun" at root directory, it may be linked to a virus program. If I were you, I would open the file (right click on the file name and select Open with... Notepad) and see what it is executing. Then I would delete the file if it is a virus. Warning: Not all autorun files are bad. Some are required to run the device or installation program. Do not delete if you are not sure.

Note: If you don't see the "Folder Options" in the Control Panel, a virus has probably disable it. You need more help!

I use the word virus to mean spyware, malware, "real" virus, etc.
Please go to the next blog to see how to disable autorun. This should prevent (reduce) active transfer of virus from one computer to the next via pen drive.

Virus... virus... simple and effective prevention steps
Prevention is better than cure. This simple step does not even require you to have anti virus software. Yet it can be very effective. I realised that a lot of computer virus was actually acquired via unintentional "contact" through pen drive. This is especially so for students as they love to share data.
My friend's computer was infected the other day only a week after he reload his Windows. My church computer was also infected. Both cases cost money and time. It was/is so frustrating.
Then I realised that viruses was transferred to the computer when a pen drive was plug in and an "Autorun" was executed. For autorun to be initiated, there is a file by the name of "Autorun" on the root directory. So, how to prevent autorun? Simple! Do the following:

1. Download TweakUI from Microsoft website. Microsoft make available a set of "Power Toy" for "power" users.
2. After downloading, install the software.
3. Run the program "TweakUI"
4. Navigate to "My Computer" "AutoPlay" and click on "Types".
5. Check "Enable Autoplay for CD and DVD drives" only. If you have less confident in CD or DVD also, you just "uncheck" that box also.


Warning: There are lots of other items you can tweak. If you do "play" with them, be sure you understand what you are doing. Under control panel, you can un-tick those items you don't want them to appear in "Control Panel". This can be very useful for a shared computer.

Disclaimer: You use the above information at your own risk.

Unusual tool in an IT office
Many people came to my office and often asked about this piece of cutter. To give you an idea, it is about 1 meter long and can cut steel rod about 10mm in diameter!

Well, every year, I use this cutter only once! Without it, the containers of computer hardware will not be able to be unloaded.

This forwarding agent brought their own cutter. But a smaller one. Look at him... he needed to use his bull strength ... otherwise he needs to use a bigger cutter like mine.

At last... the security seal is broken!

and unloading can take place.

Perfect Equilibrium (Souvenir from Cambodia)
These two dragon flies are made from bamboo and yet they pose perfectly. They were of perfect equilibrium ....

balancing from the tip of the "nose"

It balances literally on any surface! Cost? If I am not mistaken, it is about RM0.50.

By the way, the Cambodian also make other crafts for sales at very cheap price. I shall post more about my trip to Cambodia which was made last year.

Postcard from Sweden
A nice surprise from Esther. She is now back to Leeds after her six weeks stay in Lund, Sweden. This is a life experience for her and I am happy for her too.
She said that she was following the English tradition to send post card when ever one went overseas. So, she sent one home as well. hahaha... this is a good surprise. I believe the postcard is supposed to be send on arrival rather than upon departure.