Parkroyal Hotel
During CommunicAsia 2008 event, Parkroyal Hotel on Beach Road became my (so-called official) accommodation. Little did I know, our company’s HQ in Singapore is located a few blocks away from our hotel.
Upon arrival (to Singapore), we checked in immediately to avoid cancellation. We (my colleague and I) were given Deluxe room each.
For Deluxe room, there is either twin bed or a king size bed. Unfortunately, I was given a twin bed room due to full bookings. Nevertheless, I’m alright with it as I’m used to sleeping on a single bed. The room is quite spacious as there is a long bench for people to sit while having conversation or having a cuppa coffee. At times, it was quite spooky.
Besides, there is a working desk with broadband internet access (have to pay for subscription though) for business personnel to do their stuff. However, I did not bring my laptop along. How pathetic was that?!! Being laptop-less as well as internet-less for 3 days 3 nights was bloody suffering.
Like any other major hotels, there is coffee/tea making facilities in the room but I didn’t bother to use that though. I could get my cuppa during breakfast or outside. Afterall, the water in the room ain’t that crystal clear.
A 32-inch (I think) LCD TV, Sharp Aquos, with cable channels installed in front of both beds for viewing pleasure.
Looks comfy, eh? Afterall, it costs SGD$310.00 per night. *My credit card still bleeding while waiting for claims*
Traffic jam for other reason
Jalan Tun Razak traffic was in havoc thanks to the drivers at BHP and Shell petrol stations. Reason? They are queuing up for last minute fuel up before the new price, RM2.70 per litre, begins tomorrow.
Upon seeing that, I had a bad feeling that things are getting worse as I’m approaching Seremban highway. There is another Esso petrol station situated right beside the highway, which was most like to be clogged up by cars, motorcycles and lorries. There’s Shell petrol station in Desa Petaling which I think residents there might have major problem just to get into that area.
Furthermore, as I was driving back along Jalan Kuchai Lama, the traffic was crazy!! Along that road, there are BHP, Shell and Esso petrol stations. They are situated close to each other!! And yes, you guess it right!! They were clogged up with cars, motorcycles and lorries.
Bloody hell..! It took me 1 hour and 15 mins just to reach from KLCC to my home (at Old Klang Road) whereby it takes less than half of that in any other day (and that includes the traffic jam).
Why I bought Canon EOS 40D?
Like any other photograph enthuastic (Note : I’m not an enthuastic, I’m just a regular person with no knowledge nor excessive love in photography), there’s a short story behind my ownership of Canon EOS 40D.
It all started with one word; bokeh. It was during mid September when I read about it over the internet and awed by the blurring effect. So, I whipped out my Sony DSC-W1 and try to figure out how to get that photo that I wanted. But, after much meddling around, I found out that it has limited functions. It is a good point-n-shoot (PnS) camera but not good enough to get something good.
So, I decided to get something better than that. Something which has more functions. Something that is capable of producing better photos. I set my sight on Canon PowerShot S5 IS. It is a prosumer camera which has more functions than a normal PnS camera but not more than a DSLR. But, having figured out that the price difference between a Canon PowerShot S5 IS and Canon EOS 400D ain’t much, a merely RM300 or so, my attention somehow diverted to this entry-level DSLR. With addition of some advices I got from friends and salesman (the evil ones!!), I decided to splash my hard earn (or savings) moolah on this big piece of CMOS sensor brick.
At the same time, Canon EOS 40D was launched and available in Malaysia market. My thought about it was that if I decided to splash something which is going to be with me for a long time, I would have purchased something new in the market. Hence, I was torn between choosing a 1.5 year old Canon EOS 400D or a newly launched Canon EOS 40D.
As my friend always says, ‘No Brainer’, I went for the latter. It cost me RM4,599.00 since I bought it with standard Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens. I did not go for the other kit lens because I knew that I am going to purchase something else like the Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS or maybe something better in near future.
The End.
p.s. : Okay okay.. I lied. The story is kinda long and boring and has wasted 10 mins of your precious time :P
Most expensive bookmarks but…
They looked ordinary, don’t they?? They are made of cardboard papers and they cost SGD$10 for a pair of it!! These bookmarks are by far the most expensive bookmarks I have acquired in my life!!
However, having said the price, there is a reason for its high price. All the funds collected will proceed to homeless and/or orphanage kids. In other words, these are for charity cause. It is relevant (and also feels good) to give/help by whatever means you have to help the needy ones. It doesn’t matter how much you give, it’s the thought that counts.
Item that burns hole in the wallet…
My previous pair of spectacles, Oakley, giving me nothing but trouble. It tends to slide down whenever I sweat profusely. I’ve told my friend that Oakley is all about brand and design. It produces great sunglasses as well as prescription eyewear but it doesn’t take into account of face structure of a person. It looks good but not so good to the user.
Therefore, I’ve decided to get a new pair of glasses. Initially, I was aiming for Ic! Berlin. But, I was introduced to Mykita and Lindberg. Mykita is something similar to Ic! Berlin. In fact, the designer of Mykita is from Ic! Berlin itself. The mechanism at the hinge is almost identical to one another. Moreover, Ic! Berlin or Mykita are more for those who are fashion/trend consciousness.
Having said that, being trendy is not my taste. So, I go for Lindberg instead because of its simplicity in their design. I like the fact that it is so flexible that it could stretch up to 130°. It wows me because it does not have spring at the hinge. It has its own unique design or rather their trademark ‘written’ at the hinge of their product.
Yet, it weighs less than 15 grams (excluding the lens) which I think it is essential for those who often wear spectacles for most of the time. I, for one, wear spectacles for almost the whole day. The only time that I take off my glasses would be when I’m sleeping, bathing and swimming. Therefore, I need something that is light yet heavy duty because I’m sort of person who does not change their stuff frequently (hint : not trend setter nor trend follower). Besides, I believe that spectacles could last longer than electronic gadgets. I replace my lens over and over again for my previous frames. Though it costs an arm and a leg, I’m pretty much satisfied with its weight as well as the design.
