tentang Paranormal Activity (2009) movie

yesterday we thought we'd go watch this movie everyone been talking about. it seems almost everyone says it's scary as hell. so me, my wife and some friends decided to go watch it at gawler cinema, that old-school cinema. the cinema may look old but it is very well maintained.


so how was the movie? if u liked 'the blair witch project', well u might find this interesting. as for me, i loved it. considering we just moved in to this house and we hear footsteps and scratchings in the wall and ceiling at night. and sometimes we were woken at 5am to a very loud hissing noise coming from the ceiling. we have possums in the roof but yeah.. Paranormal Activity did make me a little bit jumpy. a little bit.

after the movie, driving back home, we decided not to discuss (or even mention) the movie. and to get our minds off the creepy ideas the movie managed to force into our heads, we decided to watch The Big Bang Theory dvd in bed. it worked and we slept well that night.

i have not been freaked out by a horror movie for some time now. i think the last time was when my friends and i watched that original japanese 1998 horror film 'Ringu' or 'The Ring'. that was in 2002 (i think) and the idea was still fresh and before it got cliche. lucky the this weird genre have become too much of a cliche even after the success of the blair witch project.

i regret that i looked away when the visual got too.. unpleasant. now i really want to see how the face looked like (minimal spoiler here). i managed to find a friend who has that movie and watched it again. unfortunately the ending was different. and in a unexpectedly lucky way i managed to watch both endings in 24 hours. what a pleasant surprise.

i liked the hollywood ending better (by that i mean the new, movie-cut ending, not the original ending) but both endings are pretty good. but i still didnt get to see the face.

tentang Vacation Part 2 - KL and Aidiladha

our trip have so far been pretty fun. spending time in penang, went to an enggagement kenduri in kulim, shopping at feringgi.. even the drive to KL was pretty fun. it was a fine day and when we arrive in KL it is already dark and it was quite a sight. but when we arrive at the hotel we booked things start to go wrong.

we were fooled by the very good website of this hotel in PJ and made bookings online. the pictures on the web were probably taken 10 years ago or an artist's impression of how the rooms will look like after they REALLY clean it up. a lesson we learn about online booking for hotel rooms, we cant smell the stink of cigarette through the website and they probably wont write that in the ad either. so my friends, do not stay at Lisa De Inn hotel PJ.

we cancelled our bookings and head to Cititel Midvalley, that hotel above midvalley megamall. lucky they have rooms available that night. by 11pm we managed to go to KL Central to pick up two more friends who just arrived from adelaide and took them to Cititel. that night all four of our mat salleh friends had a good rest and as for me and my wife, we went to McD for a prosperity burger and spent the night at my wife's cousin's place. it has been a long day


Aidiladha was not like the hari raya haji that we normally have. we went to the mosque in the morning and went to my wife's aunt's place (which is a block away from where we stayed the night before) for late breakfast. it did not occur to me at all that this is the first raya (both aidilfitri and aidiladha) we celebrated in malaysia for the last 2 years. we should've made a bigger celebration rite?


then later that afternoon we were out again.. visiting the mall where we used to spend our weekends together - midvalley megamall. we met up with our friends who stayed at cititel and went shopping. but unfortunately midvalley was packed and we did not enjoy shopping in that supermassive crowd (we're from adelaide and that many people at a shopping complex is somewhat impossibble) so we headed to big apple donut for a coffee and of course some very sweet donuts.

hummph.. i think being in kl for shopping on hari raya haji was the worst idea >_< however, fortunately we only spent a couple of days in kl and the next morning, the 8 of us were off to Indonesia!

tentang cutest I'm Yours cover

one week and over 4 million hits on youtube.com
and it is the #21 - Most Subscribed (All Time) (Japan)
^^

he is a 5 year old japanese boy who learned to play the ukelele just a year ago.
source - http://www.youtube.com/uke3453

tentang Vacation Part 1 - Penang and Kedah

our trip began with a 7 hour flight from Adelaide to KLIA and then another about an hour to Penang. we arrived midnight and stayed at UITM Hotel.



the hotel was the usual not-properly-maintained but a pretty good hotel. UITM Hotel only have (if im not mistaken) less than 20 rooms but the room was comfy and impressive with a massive double bed. costs about RM110 per night for our room and if u know someone who works for UITM u can get a discount (as if the rate isnt already cheap). sure the furnitures are not fancy Sheraton standard and the toilets doesnt have gold pipes or anything. but hot water and working plumbing system that doesnt smell is enough. like i said.. comfy.

the breakfast buffet was not bad.. but not exactly the standard buffet at normal hotels either. there was only one main dish when we stayed at the hotel, which was nasi lemak with several side dishes; and the more western breakfast like toast and bagels and croissants and cereals (usual stuff). but they were complimentary breakfast and we did eat a lot

in Penang we didnt do much. did some shopping at AEON Seberang Prai City Shopping Centre. went there the fist day and already our aussie friends have started their shopping spree. had to come back again the next day for more shopping lol. and as for me i didnt buy anything at Jusco.. didnt find anything that i fancied till we went to Feringgi that night. i bought myself a new 'Ray-Ban' (right.. RM10) and some CDs ^^



on the second day of our trip, our family gathered and drove to Kulim, Kedah for my brother-in-law's enggagement. it was a short drive through small towns and highways with beautiful view of paddy fields and traditional houses. i was driving so i couldnt get any snaps. sigh. but our aussie guests seem to be enjoying themselves. the things that we find boring and old-fashioned are exotic to them.

our aussie friends, our guests on this trip, are two ladies who works at the uni. we had planned a trip to indonesia for our friend's wedding and to spend a few days in malaysia on our way there. then when our family heard of our plan my brother-in-law thought it might be a good idea to have the enggagement kenduri while we were around.

we drove back to penang later that afternoon and stayed in penang aanother day for sight seeing and shopping. well.. mostly shopping. we didnt go to Queensbay Mall and we didnt go to Bukit Bendera or anywhere touristy. penang seems to always have a very bad traffic jam and we dont really have the luxury of time then. another thing that i kinda wanted to do was go see that statue of Sir Francis Light in penang. he is the father of Colonel William Light, the founder of Adelaide.

the next day our trip continued with a long drive to KL.. for Eid ul-Adha (hari raya haji). i had to drive so again i missed the opportunity to snap pictures. the view on PLUS highway on that sunny day was pretty awesome and the slightly hazy air kinda made the hills in Perak look like the paintings of the mountains in Guilin, china lol.

tentang Vacation 2009

i have been away for over 2 weeks. i went on a trip home to malaysia for an enggagement, then to indonesia for a wedding, then back to malaysia for shopping :P. right now, still exhausted from the trip. so im not gonna write too much.

but here are some pics :D



i'll post up the details (hopefully) this week. and what and where those pics were taken. so.. keep visiting my blog k. cyaz~!

tentang Moving Day

no.. not moving blog. i still dont have my own .com or anything. today ima move to a house closer to civilization :P. we found a place in gawler (small town.. almost a 'koboi' town. one kinda busy main road and thats about it. hehe. well.. better than here where there is no town.

oh how i long to live in a city again.

okay so today we'll be signing the contract and all those papers and get the keys. yays! but i dont think we'll be moving lots of stuff today.. it's gonna be around 43C today and in that heat.. no thanks. and the new place doesnt have electricity yet till tomorrow.

so after getting the keys, we'll take some boxes there. one trip thats all. come back home (current home) and sit in front of the air cond.

omg this week is gonna be a crazy week. packing.. moving out.. settle down.. then mid next week we have a trip so we'll need to pack for that.. travel adelaide-kl and kl-penang.. then drive back to kl. kl-surabaya and surabaya-malang (thats a place in east java). after a few days travel back to kl. then kl-melaka (one day trip maybe) and then finally kl-adelaide. the whole trip will be 10 days.

i hope we'll survive! there will be 6 of us from adelaide.. then the trip to indonesia will be 8 person. fun! hehe it kinda feels like the amazing race :P

neway.. i'll probably be busy with these things all week. so i'll update when i have the time. maybe my next post it'll be from my new home.. maybe^^. cyaz~!

^^

tentang Independent Anime Short

i saw this anime short story by Hiroyasu Ishida (or Tete) and thought it is an awesome Indie Anime. and considering this anime is practically made by one student (independently directed, animated, edited, and recorded.).. that just blew me away. yes he did got some help but still.. it's not a company or something. just a student work.. an awesome student work!

owh.. btw there's a lot of pantsu-shots. so.. sorry if posting this vid offended anyone XDXD


Fumiko no Kokuhaku
(Fumiko's Confession)


yes.. no sub. sorry i dont speak Japanese so i cant translate it for u. however.. a youtube user CoyoteFae wrote -

Something like: "I want you to go out with me" and he refuses by saying: "Sorry, I want to focus on baseball right now." "Blah blah, is stupid! "Grr grr, "

*Running scene*

End: "I'll make (soup?) for you every morning!" which is like a marrige proposal and then he says "Sorry, I want to focus on baseball right now.

that helped me understand alot. thanks CoyoteFae


there's more stuff here but it's not in english.
but heaps of pics tho! sketches, production planning notes, etc.. i loike pictures.
(link)

tentang Unique Blogger on Bloggerunited.com

suddenly when i login to BU there's this new text appeared somewhere at the top of the page. i got the Unique Blogger Award!! yays

so excited that i abandoned what i was doing ('samak' the whole 2nd hand fridge) and started answering the interview questions.. thinking that it would only take a few minutes. lol how wrong i was.

after.. an hour maybe, i finally finished the whole interview. and beaming (smiling sampai telinga) i couldnt sleep.


all i can say is thank you bloggerunited.com for the award. i know there's talk about too many 'Uniques' given away but considering how many members there are (and how the number is growing each day) getting that award is a huge deal to me.

so yeah.. thank you very much BU ^_________________________^


owh.. the link
read my interview (i wrote a rather intro bout myself there)

tentang Wallpaper for My Wife's Mobile

this is a wallpaper/screensaver that i made for my wife. i woke up yesterday morning and suddenly felt like making a new wallpaper for her. didnt tell her about it till the thing is finished.. finalized.. no more changes.


when she came home yesterday, i asked for her phone and asked if i change her wallpaper? she said no. she have used the same wallpaper for her mobile since we got married in 2007. not that i dont like our wedding picture but i think maybe an update would be kinda cool for her :P

she loves pink so i made a simple pink graphics with a cute cartoon flower kinda swaying slowly.. and a very cute text 'nadia' on top. really simple.


sorry for the shaky camera.. i wanted my wife to be the only person using that animated wallpaper.. exclusively. so thats why i decided to shoot the wallpaper used on her mobile. u guys understand right?

she was really surprised when she first saw it and i am really glad she loved it. i just love making design and know people appreciate it^^

i made one wallpaper (a different one.. not pink) for my own mobile but i didnt really like it. maybe i'll make a better one and then post it here :P

tentang Upin&Ipin on Disney Channel

most malaysian would by now at least heard of the name Upin & Ipin. the animation about the twins Upin and Ipin, product of Les'Copaque Production. in my opinion, 'U&I' have been a huge success for LCP and the malaysian animation industry. not many local animation and cartoon managed to reach the kind of success and popularity they did.

Upin & Ipin even have their own wikipedia page!

maybe past locally made cartoons that is as famous as Upin&Ipin is probably (quality aside) Keluangman and Sang Kancil. there may be some other titles that is as famous but this is just the names i can think of right now. Kampung Boy animation is the idea of Dato' Lat but not produced locally.


last week (Nov 6, 2009) Les'Copaque Production posted on their blog that Upin&Ipin will be premiere on Disney Channel (asia) on 23rd November 2009. that is next monday, at 3.30pm in Malaysia AND the Philippines.

for more information about this disney channel thing, head to :-
1) Les'Copaque blog
2) Upin&Ipin's Disney Channel Page!!!

tentang Heat Wave, Hay Fever and a Polar Bear

The Heatwave
a heatwave, in general, is when the maximum temperatures rise higher then normal temperature of the area, and remained that way for five or more consecutive days. here in adelaide, that temperature would be 35°C. since last friday, the temp have been over the 35°C mark. today it is 38°C, then 39°C till friday, and on saturday it is forcasted to be 40°C. on sunday it is expected to drop to 26°C.


The Hay Fever
now my wife is having a hay fever and me, despite coming from KL, is prone to migraine attacks on a hot day. so unfortunately today the both of us is rather unwell. just as my wife comes home after her 5 day seminar in Gold Coast QLD, adelaide gets our earliest heatwave ever recorded. it is not even summer yet and we already have heatwave??? im so not enjoying this. i miss winter already T_T

@_@

The Polar Bear
her name is Polly and she is a polar bear. she hitched a ride in my wife's backpack when she came home from Gold Coast.. and no she's not a real polar bear (gila ke nak bawak beruang dalam beg). she's a very cute plush toy from the Sea World Resort's souvenir shop. Polly comes with a mock leash that if u put it on her, u can walk her like u would a real life pet polar bear.. or maybe a dog would be a better example.

observe:


i think my writing is severely affect by my health. i have been trying to write something decent but after several scrapped post, i finally get to finish one. but hardly a good post. >_<

anyhow.. since that my wife's presentation is over now i think i'd post these graphics i made for her. they are.. i dont know what they are. i didnt even take biology in high school. but she told me it is the 'Electron Transfer Chain' that happens inside a mitochondria of a cell. i have no idea what that is.

tentang Basic Photography Tips - Flashing

i posted the tips about strictly not using flash for normal point & shoot digital camera (link). i almost never use flash to be completely honest. but there are situations that using flash (direct flash) will improve the picture taken.


Flash as a Fill Light
the idea is to brighten up details that are in the shadows.
1) outdoor shooting under the bright afternoon sun.
2) indoors where the subject is standing too close to the window where all other artificial lights isnt enough.

when i first heard abt this i thought it doesnt make much sense using flash for an outdoor picture, under bright daylight. but after trying it out myself, i realize if the shadows were too strong, this is where flash could help create an even better picture.

* without flash *

* with flash *

the example above is not the best example. when using flash, dont rely on flash to light the subject (as main light) but as fill light only. the pictures above shows that i rely heavily on the flash to light up the little mr. roo there. sorry i'm a little lazy to go outside now to make a better example :P

pro photographers will use flash NOT directly, but by bouncing the light off surfaces around the subject. average everyday hobbyist like us, using point&shoot digital cameras, we dont have to do that.. but just keep in mind when using flash -
1) keep a distance from the subject (some guides say around 4-10 feet). not too close or too far.
2) dont flash into a mirror or other equally reflective surface. that will create glare.
3) practise and keep experimenting. nobody instantly becomes an excellent photographer overnight.

so yeah.. have a go and have fun ^^

tentang 3DTotal Forum's Low Poly Challenge

it has been quite some time since i last posted my 3D works huh? i think it's abt time for me to do some new 3D works.


so..
the people at 3DTotal forum just started a new low-poly challenge entitled 'The Slayer'. the backstory is kinda interesting too. in a nutshell.. powerful creature imprisoned in books for ages are now free and destroying the world. the slayer is one to defeat the creature and restore peace to the world.

for rules, more info, etc.. read at 3dtotal forum

due date : 30th november 2009


here's my idea so far.. but i dont plan to enter the competetion (although the prizes are pretty cool). i still have stuff to do right now so i dont wanna mess up the what im doing right now. i'll finish this one when i have the time.

sketch -

tentang Layout Adjustments

i have made a few adjustments to my layout and some adjustment to the blog aswell. i hope other than to make the blog look better, these adjustments would kinda give my blog a different personality

change of header
the previous header banner was really a temporary banner. hence the colour(BW). i have been trying to come up with a better design this week but i guess if i keep on making new ones there will never be a decision. so i settled with this one.


whatcha guys think? is it better or do people like the previous one?

EC U L8er
a major decision. i have decided to remove the Entrecard widget. i think this will decrease the blog's visitors. however.. i can concentrate more on NN's blogs and instead of dropping on 50-ish blogs from EC.. i'll focus that on Innit.

i have chosen 5 local blogs that i visit daily and linked on sidebar (under EC Blogs). there will no longer be free monthly link post for Top EC Droppers.

review kusut-blogs! widget
hmm i'm not so sure with this one but i'll just give it a try. it is a widget for 'google friend connect' users (that means all google users i think) to be able to write a review (preferably short n sweet ones) and rate my blog. so if u like or dispise my blog let me know. i put it there so that i know what to improve in the future. it's not a competetion and there'll be no prizes, sorry XD.

i will however moderate the posts. generic 'i like ur blog. so pretty.' reviews will probably be removed because that isnt really what im looking for.. but thanks for the compliment anyway. those 'generic' posts always make my day and make me love writing my blog ^___________^.

so there.. 3 adjustments i made for november. maybe after 2 weeks to a month's time i'll remove/improve these new stuff.

comments & critiques are welcome. and thanks^^

tentang The Big Bang Theory Theme Song

im suddenly feeling a bit slow today but i still feel like blogging. decided to post something light. wanted to post gamespot's video review abt Tekken 6 or the trailer for disney's Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time but.. meh.

so i decided to post the lyrics of my favourite TV show's theme song. written and performed by Barenaked Ladies (thats the name of the band), a band i used to listen to back in high school. a great light and fun song, here's the lyrics for -


The Big Bang Theory Theme Song

Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait...
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids),
Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,
That all started with the big bang!

"Since the dawn of man" is really not that long,
As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song.
A fraction of a second and the elements were made.
The bipeds stood up straight,
The dinosaurs all met their fate,
They tried to leap but they were late
And they all died (they froze their asses off)
The oceans and pangea
See ya wouldn't wanna be ya
Set in motion by the same big bang!

It all started with the big BANG!

It's expanding ever outward but one day
It will cause the stars to go the other way,
Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it wont be hurt
Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang!

Australopithecus would really have been sick of us
Debating out while here they're catching deer (we're catching viruses)
Religion or astronomy, Encarta, Deuteronomy
It all started with the big bang!

Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology
It all started with the big bang!
It all started with the big BANG!

im thinking of buying the complete season 1 and 2 DVDs when i have the money. a hilarious show.. i dont think i have a TV show i loved this much since.. i dont know how long.

My Top 5 Treat List

behold.. my longest post so far!

Self-Reward
rewarding myself for a personal achievement used mean buying gadgets and computer stuff.. which are normally expensive. i think the last one was the PSP that which is now modded, upgraded and partially hacked.. i still use very frequently.

now that i am married, the rewards for myself come more frequently but cost less money.. like buying ice cream or a simple candy bar, whereas the rewards for my wife and myself as a couple are more expensive but less frequent like trips and vacations. this year we've been to places around Australia^^.


Part 1 - The Treat List ^^
however, just for the fun of it, i'll list mine. no harm in fantasizing abt awesome over-the-top stuff rite?

#1 : All Day IMAX Extravaganza.
4 titles out of all my fav movies isn't too hard to choose from. i'll choose one animated film to watch in the morning. at noon probably a local (malaysian) movie. after that i think i'll watch an action thriller and maybe a romantic movie at night. if i'm gonna spend a day watching all these movies, at IMAX cinema.. i'd insist my wife to come with. no way i'd do all this alone. thats epic sad!


#2 : A Photography Trip!
i'm no photographer but i studied art&design and photography was one of my major subjects. i has been a while since i went out for a photography assignment. so if i have a chance, i'd like to go to a clean tropical island with lots of colourful trees so i can enjoy staying there and generally snap away. again.. no fun going on a holiday without my wife rite?

#3 : Getaway in the City
the idea is to minimize travel time but go on a vacation anyway. so i always imagine this (told my wife about it so many times but never managed to properly pull it off).. stay at a very cool hotel, nearby. if i live in KL.. maybe spending a weekend at Palace of the Golden Horses and just stay there. enjoy the room and services. lepak at the pool. and yeah just escape from the city (right outside there is a roundabout that is pure madness).

#4 : Ultimate Computer Station (featuring the Dell Inspiron 13)
basically the build will have at least 8 gigs of ram, one (or two if it is possibble :P) of those Core i7 Intel processors, +watercooling system, a top notch RadeonHD series graphics card, dual monitor display.


but wait.. i can have a bulky desktop or.. i can treat myself with the very stylish and not too geeky Dell Inspiron 13 instead. the spec is almost as high.. but with a lot more stuff! wifi, bluetooth, LAN, card reader, all those little-things-u-need-to-buy-seperately-when-u-build-a-desktop stuff.. u name it! it is the epic blogger equipment for blogging on the go. if a bloggers' block is a huge badass dragon all bloggers fear, the Inspiron is the epic weapon with +1000HP, +100% ATT and +250% DPS to help slay the dragon.

i particularly got my eye on the Obsidian Black model...*drools*

now all i need is an epic table. the roccaforte gaming desk to be exact! awesome!!! and of course i might need a good air-condition for the gaming room.

and finally..
#5 : A Week in Disneyland!
i've always heard abt how awesome Disneyland is. i dont know if it's true but i would wanna do that once in this lifetime.

i love cartoons and at 27 i still enjoy watching cartoons. even my line of work that i chose is cartoon related. i hope one day i can produce my own cartoon that i can really claim to play a huge part of.

but anyway, imagine spending a week in disneyland. it is gonna be fun; surrounded with disney's famous movies & animated characters, educational (for me), awesome rides, taking pictures, 'lepak'ing and relaxing at the hotel, playing the games there. OMG it's like most of the previous fantasy treat in one single trip.


i hope i don't ever wake up from this dream. T_T


Part 2 - The Why
nuffnangers probably realize that this is part of nuffnang's contest. and the prize is a Dell Inspiron 13 (x3). how awesome is that? for bloggers not with nuffnang and tempted with the prize.. why not join up?^^

if i win the Inspiron i wanna do all sort of stuff with it. the usual la daily blogging etc etc i dont have to list the obvious. but as always i like to customise a little bit only. so i'd find a way to make it look like this :

then if people see me blogging at some kopitiam they'll come over and say hello lah ^^ (or most probably just ignore me and think im creepy).

if anyone asks i would proudly say i did all the graphics on my Dell Inspiron 13.. a present from Nuffnang ^^. hopefully by then i'd be a bit more famous blogger than right now. no not a celebrity but just a cool kusut blogger


owh.. BTW. FREE RM100 coupon for ALL blog readers^^. not from me.. it's from Dell.

coupon* code 7ZQVQF2RLZRKW3, RM100 Instant Cash Redemption on Inspiron 13 Laptop (S510701MY)
(coupon expires 10th Nov 2009)

thanks Top October Droppers

omg time flies lah. i didnt even realize it's freaking november. omg i still have heaps to do before the new year comes >_< pressure spressure pserusre !!!

neway.. sorry abt posting this a day late. not that i dont appreciate EC guys dropping at (and, i hope, actually read) my blog. i really do. so here's the 10 top droppers. ^_^



thanks everyone!!!!!!

tentang The Haunted Weekend

i lovehate weekends. love it because it is the weekends and it is meant for people to rest. so although i generally do what i do everyday anyway, i still love the idea where i take a break from work (which in my case, blogging). and i hate it because i tend to get less visitors to my site. :P

i think i just made myself sound like a workaholic.

anyway.. this weekend is pretty cool. my wife and i went shopping on saturday for her new summer look :P. no lah.. actually she's going to gold coast for a five day conference. she'll be staying at the gold coast resort and everything is paid for. cool! except that i have to stay here at home cooking my own food.. monday till friday

:(

back to the shopping story, we didnt realize it is halloween this weekend so the first woman we saw looking like a zombie from MJ's thriller was a bit weird. then when we were inside the shopping complex, we began to see more banshees and witches. not many guys wore costume that time tho. weird.

it was pretty cool seeing all the halloween decorations in the shops. it's somehow different from the decorations in KL. these seem a lot more festive. maybe because people actually dress up for halloween as well. even the fitting rooms were decorated with fake cobwebs and stuff.

i should've taken pics huh? sorry guys :P i wasnt prepared

tentang Claim Token

2BTWTZSXGHFF

tentang Sony Prototype 360° 3D Display

whoa.. this is cool. while i am not sure what Sony is planning to do with it. but Sony have always been creative and create cool stuff. but are we closing in to cool hologram thingy like in sci-fi movies? awesome!

check out the video :


it is still a prototype but they say a 3D tv like this will be available in a year or so. must be freaking expensive. and maybe not as practical as it sounds. but like i said.. sony could surprise us. who knows rite?

tentang The Day Yahoo! Fail

woke up this morning and as usual.. got online and check my email. oh wait.. my yahoo ID does not exist.

i have had that ID since 2001!

okay maybe something's wrong with my email account. lets try logging in through my yahoo!messenger.

another error.. but this time a little bit more.. it says my ID does not exist. error code 81003001

WTF!

so what is 81003001? lets yahoo search (because the yahoo homepage is already loaded) that shall we?

no reliable answer. pfft!

maybe somethings wrong with my computer. lets do a quick registry cleanup and scan if there's any trojan in here.

done! no trojan. reboot.
..done!
try to login... still get error ID doesn't exist.

okay.. lets do a quick search for any yahoo.com server errors in the news online.
found nothing.

lets look at twitter if anyone else is having the same problem. (search yahoo on twitter)

whoa.. there's a lot of "anyone else have problem logging in to yahoo?"
jackpot!



the phone rang and it was my wife. she's at her lab and she told me she couldnt check her email and wanted to know if i have the same problem. having just read all this complaints on twitter.. i managed to explain what probably happened. my wife could always count on my XDXD

apparently most of the people who were having problems logging in to yahoo (after checking their twitter profile) are from australia. maybe it is because people here are already up and have started working.. and it is still too early in the morning everywhere else. thats just me speculating.

my quick search on twitter shows me there's people in korea having the same problem as well.. and a guy in Tehran said he cant login because his ID apparently doesn't exist, so he made a new account on yahoo. after all the necessary steps done, he tried to login.. and the new one doesnt exist aswell

yahoo FAIL

and while i was writing this post.. i tried one more time to login to yahoo and everything was fine again. it was around 11.30am here in adelaide (GMT+9.30). thank god!

now.. if it was a server maintenance, dont a huge company like yahoo would've thought to inform their users that there is a maintenance? instead of the users getting some error like hey we dont have ur account here.

or just a simple "we're having technical issues right now and we are working on it right now. thank you for your patience" would have been alright. pfft



..resume normal life.

tentang 10,000th Unique

the counter right now is at 9986 hits. i know this is a noobish thing to do but i think hitting 10,000 unique hits is an event worth celebrating. but no presents guys. just a long smile on my face and a note of 'Thank You's to everyone who keep visiting and linking my blog. i am a simple guy (who at the moment doesn't have extra cash lying around).


sorry i do wish i could give out something to celebrate the 10,000th unique visitor but thinking about it.. i'd rather have a sincere curious friendly visitor rather than bribing people to come read my blog :P

i hope i get to 10,000 hits today. tho. i know the hits is really far from accurate. all hit counters show a different number. if i started nuffnang on the first day of this blog i bet it would've gotten a different number. and the fact that i visit my own blog multiple times a day. no use thinking and worrying too much about it. i'm taking the simpler approach and just accept the statcounter counter at the bottom of my page and wait for it to get to 10,000. no i'm not going to refresh my page every hour :P

so yay to my 10,000th unique visitor. ^^ and thank you everyone for reading my blog!

tentang Basic Photography Tips - Don't Flash

whenever i snap a picture.. the first snap will will not have flash turned on. if the whole picture is a blur.. i'll snap another one and try my best to stay still.. and if the subject is blur then i'll take a series of snaps (bracketing). and if that doesn't work.. i'll consider turning on the flash.

in this post.. i'm talking about the built-in flash on every standard digital camera. not the fancy ones :D



yes i dont like to use flash. apart from using a lot of battery power, it ruins the picture. how? -
1) the background will become very dark
2) the picture will look 'flat' (loose depth between foreground, subject and background)
3) if the subject is a person, most of the time his/her face will look shiny. sweaty.
4) the picture will look at least 50% less attractive (if attraction is a measurable subject)

example..


so personally, using flash is always the last option to me. unless i am in a studio or i have enough equipment and proper flash. else, i'll try to be really still when i snap. avoid using flash if u can.. trust me.. it'll do u good. and technology right now so advanced that you can not use flash and still get a pretty good picture.

anyone wanna add some things abt not using flash feel free to do so ya! lets share knowledge ^^


EDIT :-
i've realized there's some flash related things that i should add.. so here it is.
when u press the 'thunder' (flash) button, most camera will shuffle between modes-

1) Forced Flash -
the 'thunder icon'. turns the flash On. will always use flash.

2) Supressed Flash -
the 'no thunder' icon. turns the flash Off. will never flash.

3) Automatic Flash -
the 'thunder' icon with word 'AUTO'. camera decides if flash is needed or not.

3) Red Eye Redution -
the 'Eye' icon. when taking picture with flash On, will prevent eyes of the person in picture to look like a demon with red eye XD

3) Delayed Flash -
this is somewhat new to me.. prevents the background to look too dark when using flash. but must stay still to use this function.

tentang After the Weekend

this is just me ranting.

this weekend was kinda full of activities. not really.. just kinda. on saturday my wife and i went to a friends' house in the city for a 'kenduri aqiqah' for their newborn little girl (grats!). the kenduri was from 12pm till 4pm but we planned to get there on around 1-ish.. but that didnt happen. we got there at around 3pm.

on sunday we went bargain hunting.. in case we find something for our new house. we went to this yard sale at a nearby primary school but there was nothing much there. disappointed, we headed to the Gawler train station for the sunday market. got there at almost 12pm but most vendors have started to pack up. so we didnt find anything.

and last nite i finally managed to write a lttle basic C++ program on my own involving arrays and functions (big word for me who doesnt know programming). not bad for a self thought student :P. that was my second try on the 'exam' that i decided to have. my first try somehow only displayed half of the stuff that i wanted it to display therefore i gave myself a D.

now that i've written the stuff i did on the weekend.. it doesn't sound like so much isn't it? hmm.. but i feel like i had a lot of fun. lolz

neway.. maybe tomorrow i've decided to post a new basic photography tips ^^

tentang Fanta Advertisement

saw this awesome animation ad on tv for Fanta soft drink. very very clean concept.. very cute animation. me loike!



sorry it's not the english version that i saw on tv here in Australia but it is the same ad. if some time in the future someone uploaded the english vid on youtube, i'll update this post ^_^

wish i can read french >_>

tentang Welcome To Procrastinopia

i have been unhappy with how facebook.com have turned out for a while now. i like simplicity. not that i want everything to be one dimensional.. but i believe everything could be simplified. even sophistication can at the same time be simple. well actually.. at least look simple.

facebook used to be simple and efficient. less graphics.. less words.. simpler functions. they added functions.. thats understandable. they added more functions.. well a little bit too much now. then they made it look complicated.. filled with boxes everywhere without letting user to be able to simplify things.. later they kinda made it look simple again (yays!). but they let users to make stupid things.. freely

worst decision ever. now we have way beyond stupid quizzes, games, invites and reinvites and spamvites bugging us to join those beyond stupid quizzes and games and groups. OMG

welcome to Procrastinopia!

now we hear a lot of disturbing news related to facebook nowadays. identity theft. careers ruined. kids cyber-bullied (dem n00bs).. that have lead to suicides even! and the list goes on. but one will say 'hey facebook is not intended for those stuff.. those people just don't know how to use facebook properly.'. yeah.. tell that to the people who have been negatively effected because of the rise of facebook.

we are human.. and human learn.. human use.. human overuse.. human abuse.

but yes.. the idea of facebook is a brilliant one. suddenly today.. after almost a year loathing facebook (but still actively using it.. /sigh) some of my friends (not those virtual 'friends' that i dont even know) posted old photos from high school.. and we all kinda commented and reminisce about the old times.

there is still hope for facebook after all ^^

tentang Entrecard Drops

one of the things i do daily is login to Entrecard and Drop on my fav sites there. i have not been a very long entrecard member (less than a year) and even in that brief period so much have changed.

and reading peoples' posts.. i've found a number of entrecarders have decided to ditch EC because of the less efficient system now. well i have to say i am one of those who did consider to do that. but considering EC is a form of traffic exchange + blog advertising community thing, logging in and Dropping on EC members' blogs still do some good to my blog.

there are a lot of good blogs that i might not have come across if i didnt have joined EC. they have a rather strict rules (dont they all do?) before a blogger can become a member. these rules have made it so that most blogs have actual content and good consistensy. well there are those very lousy blogs too but i find a lot of good blogs from EC.

so now i have decided to.. stick with EC. and do some adjustments.
1) minimize the amout of drops per day.. below 50-ish
2) move the EC widget to mid-page (initially top of page)
3) favour Malaysian blogs more

hope all this will show some improvements and not hurt too much on my blog's numbers (bounce rate, visits, new visitors, etc). thank you fellow ECers for still visiting my blog and Dropping on my card. and thank you EC for introducing me to lots of good blogs ^^

tentang New Super Mario Bros Wii

i dont have a wii and i kinda wish i have one. i think all the games on wii looks fun. games on other consoles are.. more of tedious now and less fun. and that wii remote (wiimote?) makes the whole thing very very interesting. players are more involved dont u think?

reading up game news the other day i came across this article about the new super mario game. who dont know Super Mario Bros?


the game's title is 'New Super Mario Bros Wii'. lol. first announced at E3 2009 (some months ago in June :P this is old news hehe). The game won Best Playable Platformer of Nintendo Power’s E3 Best of Show. Release date.. November 2009

the gameplay is still the same like the old Super Mario Bros on nintendo like about 20 years ago. side scroller.. jump on critters.. eat mushrooms.. shoot fireballs. but they added some cool suits too like the propeller suit. and they can ride yoshi

now if u have 4 wiimotes, u can play up to 4 players at one time. player 1 (1UP) will be Mario, 2UP will be Luigi, 3UP and 4UP will be those mushroom dudes one in blue and the other in yellow (they have names but i dont remember and cant be bothered to look it up :P)


sounds fun? well.. sort of. but i like the idea tho. i think in the end people would enjoy the game on single player mode. owh.. the game supports 4 players playing at a time but there is no online multiplayer mode. so.. everyone will have to be in one room



check out the website -
http://www.mariobroswii.com/

tentang Photography Tips for Bloggers - Macro Function

sometimes i blog-walk and i find blogs that posts blurred picture of the food he/she just had. interesting stuff.. but the picture is a blur just like some criminal on the news. have this ever happen to ur blog entry before? if yes read on ^^

why? this happens because of the camera is too close to the subject and the camera cant focus. the solution is the macro function of your digital camera. this is a simple photography tip for bloggers to take better pics in the future



(left)without macro on. (right)with macro on

no u dont need to have fancy DSLRs or anything.. normal digital camera normally have this function. camera phones.. probably wont have macro (unless u have a really expensive one).

and btw, this tip is written not for any specific brand. i think all digital cameras that i have tried so far functions and is operated the same way.


the macro function
when - generally when taking pictures of smaller objects (books, wristwatch, psp buttons). food bloggers.. when u snap pics of the delicious food u just had (it is absolutely important to make food look pretty and fresh because people on the net cant taste or smell that food).


how
- set the camera mode to Macro (refer to ur camera's manual). normally it is the one with the flower icon.
- point the camera at the subject.
- press that button that snaps the picture (i'll call it 'take picture' button) half way and hold, wait for the camera to focus (look at the display)
- when the subject u want is in focus, press the take picture button all the way.

tips
take picture from an angle. u can easily get this cool 'depth of field' effect.


sounds fun? do a quick search for 'macro pictures' sample on google images and i think u'll get the idea how to use macro functions. now start experimenting and have fun!

tentang New Header for Kusut-Blogs

so i felt like making a new header for this blog. but i couldnt really think of what theme to make. so i just loaded photoshop up.. played around with it and voila!



pretty random.. maybe i'll think of something better but for now.. i'll stick with this one. hehe

maybe because last night we saw that Godzilla movie (the hollywood one).

tentang Cool Thing Out of Twitter

i have always wanted to read Neil Gaiman's novels. when i get bored sometimes i'd go to the book store and read a chapter.. sometimes one of his short stories.. but i never got the opportunity to own his books (hmmm..). i like to read but when i read i would wanna read every single word. i never skim through pages, skip chapters or even read the last page.

maybe i shouldn't appreciate words too much eh?

anyway.. Neil Gailman (author of Stardust, Sandman series, American Gods), or @neilhimself on twitter.com, started an online interactive storytelling via Twitter.com few days ago and it is spreading real quick. he started his story with a short line :

Sam was brushing her hair when the girl in the mirror put down the hairbrush, smiled & said, "We don't love you anymore."

and the rest of the story will be up to you, me, ellen degeneres, anyone and everyone (who have twitter account).

so after about 1000 tweets.. the people at BBC Audiobooks America (BBCAA) will edit, compile and make an audiobook suppossedly free for download at their website.. or for purchase at iTunes.

when i first read about this yesterday.. they have already got to chapter 4 (in only two days!). i think this is a great idea.. a book (audiobook for this matter) something good that comes out of the internet. will it be a great story? possibbly not. but if it is good enough and one day someone decided to make a film out of it.. imagine how long the credits would be.. and imagine having your twitter username in it! pretty cool eh?

read more about how it works here (BBCAA Blog)
and summary of Scene 1,2 and 3 (BBCAA Blog)

click here to view the latest prograss of the story #bbcawdio on twitter.com

tentang New Animation Company - Animonsta Studios

here's a Malaysian animation industry news. haven't written anything about that for a while now have i?



remember 'Upin&Ipin' and 'Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula' ('Geng : The Adventure Begins')? well the people who were behind those animations are now working on a new project entitled 'BoBoiBoy'.. a story about a group of superhero kids lead(?) by BoBoiBoy. sounds interesting.. and a lot of fun!



BoBoiBoy is the first project (according to utusan.com.my) by new company Animonsta Studios. although the company is new, they are a actually former LCPians who now are trying to make their very own brand of animation. the head of Animonsta Studios, Mohd Nizam is the director of Malaysian hit tv series 'Upin&Ipin' and movie 'Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula'.

and to fans of Les'Copaque Production, LCP is still there working on their own projects dont worry. visit upinipinangkasa.com to view the new Upin&Ipin Angkasa (2011) movie trailer



this development in Malaysia's animation industry is be a very good indication of improvement and growth. although our animation industry were born a long time ago (believe it or not) in the 80s (the Sang Kancil series by Hassan Mutalib) and some say that we have a pretty strong industry, i beg to differ. we still have a long way to go. what we need now is better quality.. not just quantity.

at the moment, BoBoiBoy is still in pre-production (planning, storyboarding, character deginging.. that sort of stuff). so the designs could change in the future.. maybe. so to local animation fans watch out for the animation and if i get any new news i'll try to keep everyone updated.


visit Animonsta Studios
> new website
(not just splash screen anymore)
> animonsta's blog

and click to go to Les'Copaque Productions'
> website
> blog