As I reviewed what has been written in the blog... I started to wonder if I should rename this blog as a travel blog... So far, the most number of entries are basically on my travels... It gives a trace of where and when I was away from home... As well as the photos that came out of those trips....
Anyway, I just return for, yet, another trip. This time it was a last minute trip as I was not supposed to be traveling this week, but my colleague was not feelling well and they needed someone there, so I was penciled in to replace his presence. This time it was a 4 day trip to Aus again, 2 days in Brisbane and 2 days in Sydney... It has been almost 12 years since I have stepped into Sydney - somehow I don't really miss it and it does gives me a feeling of misery as the weather was as gloomy as London's! Somehow the rain decided to appear when I was there, thus there were lots of clouds and rain in the evening... But somehow I managed to get some shots in (and a visit to the aquarium but not much chance to get shots there), including the finally managed to get some IR shots done! Yup, finally after some help in Clubsnap, I managed to do a custom whitebalance for the IR filter. Although the instructions says to use the bright grass, I did it with the blue sky instead! So, the IR photos somehow changes to brownish kind of feel when it's supposed to be green.... But at least now I know how to get it to work!!! Heh... The other thing was it's not very sharp as I did not bring a tripod with me for this trip, so I have no support except for some railings and in some cases, the window pane at the hotel room!!!
Oh well, here's the selection of shots...
Nightshots
Day Shots
Sydney Aquarium
IR Shots
My first IR shot but blur due to no tripod!!!
Looks good except for that overexposed spot
Wot! My DVDs had arrived... Had ordered it in Amazon and shipped to my boss's US address for him to bring back when he returns from his vacation.... Now it's in my hand.... The reason for the title for this posting is that... it's the comment he and his wife has made.... Apparently my boss told her that Jane Eyre is for a friend (which is true as it's for Tehsis) and that Bambi was for a niece or nephew (which is not true) and the other 2 - Batman Begins and Battlestar Galatica Season 1 is for me (which is true). So let's go thru them one by one...
I'm not a fan of Bronte sisters, so I really don't read their books, except maybe Wuthering Heights which was by another Bronte sister - Emily Bronte. However, I have to say I am a fan of Jane Austin, and of course, I believe, the most famous novel by her, Pride and Prejudice (I do believe I was the one that got Tehsis to watch the popular 1995 BBC production where Darcy was acted by Colin Firth and Elizabeth Bennet by Jennifer Ehle) Oh yes, to add to this... The reason why it was purchased via Amazon is because our friend has specified that she only wants the Timothy Dalton version!!!! (Ask her for the reason, I have no idea!!!) and I have not seen it here, so when I came across it in Amazon and it was selling at USD9.99, she was hooked!
Bambi... Well, what can I say... I'm a kid at heart! :p Nah... It's just that I was brought up with those stories and "movies" of the time... I do have Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and 7 Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, er... wait let me dig up my DVD collection.... Ahh... Cinderella.... So yeah, I do watch them and keep the DVD as a collection as well..... Oh, I even had the old movie which was like the "state of the art" CGI in those day - Tron.
Batman Begins.... Hmmm... This is an odd selection... Perhaps it's the comicbook that comes with this R1 version that make me decide on this.... Funny thing about this movie is that I did not watch it in the big screen... I watch it on my way back from the latest Brisbane trip in the plane. It was the only movie that I watch before trying to get some sleep... Wait, I might have watched another one... er... Maybe the Four Brothers, but I think I did not finish the movie... Anyway, I have to say, this is a more gritty version of Batman, which is rather different from Tim Burton's Batman. Then again, this is the only version, as far as I know, that tells how Bruce Wayne become the iconic Batman. Anyway, I have to say this was an interesting choice of mine.
Battlestar Galactica Season 1. Yup, This is the new series that Sci-Fi channel in US has been showing in US, it's already in its 2nd season and maybe going into 3rd. It's a far throw from the old Battlestar Galactica that I was "fed on" when I was growing up. I remember Richard Hatch as Apollo and Dirk Benedict as Starbucks, with Lorne Greene as Commander Adama and whole slew of cast in the old series. I also remembered my cousin who had also watch the series had this ability to draw those fighters, known as Viper, during that time.... Apparently they only did a 4 hours 2 part mini-series when they started rewriting it and since it was quite popular, they decided to carry on with the series, and it's now in its 2nd or coming to 3rd season. They also did some changes... Most prominantly, both Starbuck and Boomer are now female!!!! Boomer as one of the 12 models of Cylons??? Sounds weird, but well somehow it turns out quite well, I think....
Since we are talking about the odd selection I had in this selection... Perhaps, if I mention some other DVDs that I collected, it might show that it's not really odd, but it's just me!
I have the entire Star Wars collection, from the old trilogy Episode 4 to 6, and the individuals Episode 1 to 3. There is even 2 additional dvds of the Star Wars: Clone War Vol 1 and 2 (animation)! I also have the Dune dvds - The old Dune movie by David Lynch which Kyle MacLachlan acted as Paul Atreides; the newer mini-series (again by Sci-Fi channel) Frank Herbert's Dune and the 2nd mini-series Children of Dune.
I have old war movies, like Great Escape, Bridge over River Kwai, Toro Toro Toro, Midway. The newer war movies like Pearl Harbour (can't really term it as war movie but since the main point was the attack at Pearl Habour, then again... maybe not), Saving Private Ryan (which I have not really watched yet - Think I could not get pass the 1st 10 mins of the movie about the normandy invasion), Das Boot (German movie on U boats during WW2) and Band of Brothers (sadly, the 1st disc is now spoiled, argh!!!!) I even have the limited edition of Schindler's List and mostly recent addition, Downfall. Downfall is about Hitler's last days in the bunker before he commited suicide... Quite an interesting movie.
I have some movies about the old west, like Magnificient Seven and Tombstone. I have also some old classics like Blade Runner, Highlander, Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Grease 2 (which I had to say it's not as good as Grease, but some interesting songs which sounded quite nice) . I also had some thing to do with military, like Top Gun (love the F-14 Tomcats! Wish I could fly one....), Courage Under Fire, Taps and Hunt for Red October. There are also some of the comedies that I like - When Harry Meet Sally, Love Actually and 4 Weddings and a Funeral.
Mix and mash of ET (remember ET Phone Home???), Terminator, The Rock (The one on Alcatraz with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage), Independance Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Notting Hill, Sabrina (the remade one by Harrison Ford and Julia Ormand and Greg Kinnear), Bourne Indentity, Meet Joe Black, Prince & Me, 13 Days, Gandhi, Moulin Rouge, X Men, Men in Black, Spaceballs, Bend it Like Beckham, Much Ado About Nothing, Finding Nemo (was a gift) and even Gosford Park. Not forgeting the old favourite musicals like Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof - Could have gotten more like My Fair Lady and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang... Just have not got down to it... Was hoping for a price drope... Heh....
Of course there are music videos - Corrs Unplugged, Eagle's Hell Freezes Over, Carpenters, and almost all of ABBA's DVDs, including the ABBA: The Movie. There is also Ghost in the Shell anime, Robotech series (not the whole collection yet only - Set 5, 6, and 7 is still missing), and not forgetting the Cult classic Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds (Remember the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Thunderbirds Are Go!") Yup, I have Set 1 to 3 (Set 4, 5 & 6 are still missing) Oh, I also have the broadway musical Cats! Finally, a foreign film - Amelie.
So I guess there is not really a marking to say what would be my taste of movies, I mean it's so wide and different (from old western to war movies, from cartoons to animations, from drama to comedies and even foreign film) I guess it's just me - Confused, too wide of an interest, etc...
Unique! Me! :p (Of course, you could say... Odd!)
Of course the above is not the exhausive list... Since I have about 100 DVDs as of date!!!
While the rest has plans for NYE, I was still contemplating on whether to go and see the fireworks (of course to take photos). Friends have different ways to make you decide - mine turn up at my door step. So, decision was made by going to Esplanade - assumption was since there is a dance party at Siloso beach and there was this Sky Symphonies thingy at Mt Faber, thought it will not be that crowded. Boy was I wrong! Had good sense to park at Golden Shoe which at that time about 400 plus of carpark lots left - was down to almost 200 plus when we left the car park in the direction of Esplanade.
The Esplanade bridge was so jammed pack that we move over to Connaught Drive - where the old Queen Elizabeth Walk is. Even there it was quite crowded, but not as bad as Esplanade. So by the time we get to a spot, and set up the cam, it was almost time. Most people already start some celebration with the usual popping crackers and foams!
Anyway, the fireworks came and gone, people starts to spray more and more foams and what knots... And there I was concentrating on snapping the fireworks... Only thing was... Well, no matter how much I had tried, somehow my settings are still not quite right. I guess the other is the fingers are not quite quick or accurate to capture the "right" moments... Back to the drawing board....
Meantime here's some of the "better" ones that I can find...
Meteoroid shower???
Doesn't this looks a bit like willow tree??
