The Fujifilm X100 was a camera that I had been anticipating back in 2010. However, I was put off by the price and intial reviews of the camera. I got a Ricoh GR Digital III and was subsequently got hooked on film cameras.

In hindsight, the main reason I decided not to get the X100 was probably because the camera was not a rangefinder camera. I was also convinced that the amount of money I would have to spend on an brand new X100 could buy me several used film rangefinders.

Then I realised that I wanted a camera that is good enough for travel use. The Ricoh GRD3 is undeniably the best camera I have for discreet street shooting. My only gripe about it is the poor performance in low light. The pictures do turn out good if I use the built-in flash but once I saw the pictures from the X100 in low light without using flash, I finally appreciated the camera.

Yes, it is widely acknowledged that the X100 is far from being a perfect camera. Slow auto focus and  confusing menus being the issues I hear of most often. Yet these are problems that can be overcome once you learn the characteristics of the camera. It’s the same for all other cameras.

Before I decided to get the X100, I was actually shopping for a used Leica M6. I still am. It is a classic film camera and I wouldn’t hesitate to get one if I find one in reasonable condition and within my budget.

When the Fujifilm X-Pro1 was announced, I wanted to wait for it to be launched before I made my choice. The previews were positive and it looked great on paper. The option of getting an M-mount adapter for it is tantalising.

The prices for the X-Pro1 and initial range of lenses were announced a couple of days ago. They are overpriced, in my opinion. On top of that, many people were selling their near mint X100 in the used market at a reasonable price with loads of accessories.

I simply picked the best deal available and traded with a very pleasant guy this morning. My first shots with the camera took my breath away. The colour rendition of this camera is simply awesome. It beats my full frame Nikon DSLR. The only digital camera I’ve seen that gives better colours is the Leica M9. The camera body alone is ten times the price of what I paid for the X100.

Taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone 4

Of course, I would still get the M6 because it’s a Leica.

I simply held back from getting the M6 instead of the X100 because I wanted to spend more time using my film cameras. I went on a spree acquiring film cameras but I have yet to spend enough time with them. I devoted a lot of time to mastering my Nikon D40, D90, D700 and the Ricoh GRD3. I should do likewise for my film cameras.

Here’s an interesting comparison of the Leica M6 and the Fujifilm X100.

For now, I shall enjoy shooting with the X100.

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When I look back at 2011, I will remember it for the beautiful memories I was blessed with. Of course, there were moments that I’m more than eager to forget but time will make the bad memories fade away. In the mean time, those shall serve as lessons for me as grow as a person.

One thing that I have learnt is not to be so easily deceived by others. Rather than assume good faith, I shall let others earn my trust. This is to protect myself.

I’ve learnt to be humble and try to learn from everyone and every thing that comes along.

Real friends are hard to come by and I’m blessed to have found the few friends whom I know will be there for me. Even though we are now busy with our own lives and meet up less often, I’m glad to have friends who are just a phone call away in times of need.

Best friends

We have a new addition to the family. Chewy, named after Chewbacca, is our new Golden Retriever.

Baby Chewy 2 months old

In terms of photography gear, I have increased the number of cameras I own to 13. This might fluctuate as I plan to sell a couple and I have a few shipments pending. I shot my first rolls of film and I’m enjoying film photography. I expect to shoot more in film and I will strive to achieve more keepers in my future rolls.

As for photography on the whole, I did my first wedding shoots and did several model shoots. However, I didn’t shoot as often as I would like to. I hope to find do more shoots with models to practice and to build my portfolio.

I have started shooting daily from January 1, 2012. This will be a proper Project 365 and I will be uploading the photos weekly in a Project 52. This means that I will take a photo a day and upload a collage of the photos at the end of the week.

Since the first day of the  year was a Sunday, I will kick off the project with a bang — Week 1 & 2.

And of course, the best thing that happened to me in 2011 was meeting the special one. I’m absolutely delighted to usher in the new year with her, hand in hand.

My love

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Photo by Wong Kum Kit

My good friend and fellow freelance photographer, KK, was the main photographer of the day. I decided to relax and shoot film instead. My Nikon F4S still had a roll of film in it with only a few shots used. I wanted to finish the roll so it was my camera of choice for the day. I’ve been planning to write an entry for each of my film cameras and the one for the F4S will be the first of the series. My Ricoh GR Digital III was the backup.

The film used was a roll of Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. In hindsight, I should have brought a flash and perhaps a roll of ISO 800 film or even ISO 1,600. But the pictures turned out satisfactory.

I noticed that the film was supposed to have a red tinge but it was more obvious probably due to the low light causing a red shift in white balance.

The new SUPERIA X-TRA 400 has slight reddish tint in comparison with the current SUPERIA X-TRA 400.

Source: Fujifilm product information bulletin

It’s been a while since I finished a roll of film within a day and it felt great.

Chilling in the Vietnamese cafe with my girlfriend

Vietnamese coffee and Oreo cheesecake

Adorable decor for the ceremony

Everyone was given a red rose. I think she's happy it matches her red nails.

Advice from the solemnizer

While I was busy eating and chatting, she was fiddling with something...

Photo-ception!

Impromptu photoshoot for my love

After the dinner, we started to take some random photos. She couldn’t stop laughing because we were teasing her. She tried in vain to get a grip of herself so that she wouldn’t look silly in the photos.

She couldn't stop laughing!

But we got many hilarious shots of her anyway! Oops…

That look says "you're gonna get it from me later".

The full gallery from the roll of film is below:

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For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Participants attempt to complete a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days every November since 1999. It’s a good way for authors to force themselves to complete their drafts for editing later on. For others, it is a good way to practice writing. There are many community events held all over the world. Participants would gather together to support and encourage each other.

Writing has always been a passion for me. My love for science fiction, and later on fantasy, novels inspired me to create worlds and populate them with various characters. However, I have not been diligent enough to complete one of my many story ideas. The lack of time since I started working is a tired excuse but one that’s unavoidable nonetheless.

The longer I stayed away from writing, the harder it was for the words to flow. I had to stop more often to think of the appropriate words instead of knowing instinctively the right words to express myself.

When I chanced upon NaNoWriMo in 2009 on Neil Gaiman’s blog, I knew it was something I had to join. The concept of simply writing and not worrying about editing was liberating for me as a writer. I’m the kind of author who would fret over details, hence the lack of pace when it came to writing.

The target final word count after 30 days of writing forces me to work hard to maintain my rhythm and eagerness to push forward with the story. I cannot afford to dawdle at a particular point in the story to write up back stories for a new organization or a character like I usually would. Sometimes I would even get stumped thinking of the perfect names for the more significant characters.

I hope I can focus on my writing and win this year rather than aiming for a perfect draft.

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Unbelieveable by Craig David

Always said I would know where to find love
Always thought I’d be ready and strong enough
But some times I just felt I could give up
But you came and changed my whole world now
I’m somewhere I’ve never been before
Now I see, what love means

It’s so unbelievable
And I don’t want to let it go
Something so beautiful
Flowing down like a waterfall
I feel like you’ve always been
Forever a part of me
And it’s so unbelievable to finally be in love
Somewhere I’d never thought I’d be

In my heart, in my head, it’s so clear now
Hold my hand you’ve got nothing to fear now
I was lost and you’ve rescued me somehow
I’m alive, I’m in love you complete me
And I’ve never been here before
Now I see, what love means

When I think of what I have, and this chance I nearly lost
I cant help but break down, and cry
Ohh yeah, break down and cry

Now I see, what love means

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1. Nikon FM3A

This is my favourite film SLR in terms of looks. I have never used it but I’ve heard praises being heaped on the FM3A. You can find it in mint or very good condition on ebay but due to the popularity of this model, the prices are pretty high. Higher than I’m willing to fork out at the time of writing this article.

2. Konica Auto S3 and Konica C35 FD

My favourite compact rangefinder. It has a fast lens and it is very easy to use. The only other compact rangefinder that comes close is the Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII. The Konica lets you shoot in shutter priority while the Minolta has both aperture-priority and shutter-priority. The Minolta has greater flexibility but I already own the rare black version of the Hi-Matic 7SII, hence I’m only listing the Konica.
I have an Auto S3 but it’s not in ideal condition and I passed it to my brother since he’s started to be interested in film photography. The C35 FD is the same in all aspects, except in name, as the Auto S3. The C35 FD was made for sale in Japan only while the Auto S3 was the international version of the same camera. I would like to get my hands on good conditions of these cameras for my growing collection.

3. Leica M3

There are other more advanced rangefinder cameras out there but I would like my first Leica to be the M3. It uses the modern Leica M mount but it’s not priced what I would want to invest in a camera. Just a note, I would definitely get an M9 or its successor if I want a digital rangefinder. I’m sticking to film cameras only on this list.

4. Pentax K1000

This camera has a strong following among film users and I can see why. It has a simple design and the camera just gets out of the way and let you concentrate on shooting. It’s definitely something I would want to add to my collection. The only drawback is the K mount. I don’t have any lenses for the mount and while they can be found cheap on eBay, I’m not sure if I would want to branch into another lens system. There’s always the option of using adapters for lenses of other mounts so I’m keeping this on the list for now.

5. Yashica Electro CC

It’s not a camera I would use often but it’s one I would want in my collection. The Konica Auto S3 is smaller and feels better in my hands. And I prefer to travel light when I do my photo walks.

6. Yashica Electro GX

This is the more advanced version of the Electro CC. I have not tried using it so I won’t comment on how it compares to the Konica Auto S3.

7. Yashica Mat-124G

The first TLR that I would like to own. I’m just waiting for the right time to purchase one.

8. Ricoh GR21

This is a legendary super-wide compact. It is ideal for street photography. This camera has a cult status among film shooters. It is very rare and when it dose appear in the used market, the price is insane.

9. Ricoh GR1V

The GR1V has a faster lens than the GR21 but it’s not as wide. It’s a legendary camera nonetheless and I would love to have one of these in my collection. Like the GR 21, the cult status of this camera makes it priced outrageously high in the used market.

More to come

There are many other film cameras that I would like to get but these are the top 9 at the moment.

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I Miss You Like Crazy by Natalie Cole

Even though it’s been so long
My love for you keeps going strong
I remember the things that we used to do
A kiss in the rain till the sun shines through
I tried to deny it, but I’m still in love with you

I miss you like crazy, I miss you like crazy
Ever since you went away, every hour of everyday
I miss you like crazy, I miss you like crazy
No matter what I say or do
There’s just no getting over you

I can see the love shinning in your eyes
And it comes in such a sweet surprise
If seeing is believing, it’s worth the wait
So hold on and tell me it’s not too late
We’re so good together
We’re starting forever now.

And i miss you like crazy, ii miss you like crazy
Ever since you went away, every hour of every day
I miss you like crazy, i miss you baby
A love like ours will never end
just touch me and we’re there again

just one night
And we’ll have the magic feeling like we used to do
Hold on tight
And whatever comes our way we’re gonna make it through

If seeing is believing, it’s worth the wait
So hold on and tell me it’s not too late
We’re so good together
We’re starting forever now.

And I miss you like crazy, I miss you like crazy
No matter what I say or do
There’s just no getting over you

And I miss you, baby
I miss you baby
All the tender love you gave me
When a feeling gets this strong
I know the real thing will come along
And I miss you….

I miss you like crazy baby
Only your sweet love can make me

I miss you like crazy
A love like ours will never end
Just touch me and we’re there again
I miss you like crazy
I miss you like crazy

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Dragons by ~jenxi on deviantART

It was only when my laptop gave away and started to lag with each mouse click when I used Photoshop that I stopped spending so much time on graphics work. It became a chore because I would have to wait for ages for the images to render or even simply applying filters.

The lag was not the only issue. I was fine with waiting but Windows had a tendency to crash on me. The worst moments were when the blue screen of death greeted me just as the renders were about to be completed. That led to a shift away from graphic design to focus on writing and, later on, photography instead.

A little background on this piece. It was generated in Apophysis, a fractal program, and edited in Photoshop. I liked the flow of the lines generated by the software and wanted to bring out that fluidity in this piece.

This is my favourite and most popular piece. It was featured in the Photoshop Creative magazine about a year ago.

Many people have left their comments on deviantART with different interpretations of the image. Unicorns, hydras, sea serpents, souls, cobras, antelopes, wolves hearts, clouds, tequila, lamps, and Pokemons. These are just some of the things they see in this picture.

A later piece done in 2008.

Battle of Dragons by ~jenxi on deviantART

And the last fractal I worked on back in 2009.

Phoenices by ~jenxi on deviantART

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I Finally Found Someone by Bryan Adams and Barbra Streisand

I finally found someone, that knocks me off my feet
I finally found the one, that makes me feel complete
We started over coffee, we started out as friends
It’s funny how from simple things, the best things begin

This time it’s different, dah dah dah dah
It’s all because of you, dah dah dah dah
It’s better than it’s ever been
‘Cause we can talk it through
Oohh, my favorite line was “Can I call you sometime?”
It’s all you had to say to take my breath away

(Chorus)
This is it, oh, I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one, to be with every night
‘Cause whatever I do, it’s just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone, ooh, someone
I finally found someone, oooh

Did I keep you waiting, I didn’t mind
I apologize, baby, that’s fine
I would wait forever just to know you were mine
And I love your hair, sure it looks fine
I love what you wear, isn’t it the time?
You’re exceptional, I can’t wait for the rest of my life

(Repeat Chorus)

Whatever I do, it’s just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone

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Before Facebook, there was Friendster.

Most of my friends had a Friendster account and it was where we could shared our photos and stalked people. Along came Facebook and most people jumped ship… and never looked back.

Ever since I started using Facebook, I rarely accessed my Friendster account. I simply assumed that it would always be there and whatever I posted there would be safe, since Friendster is a reputable company.

I was wrong. And many people made the same mistake as I did in trusting Friendster with my precious memories. Due to various circumstances, the photos on Friendster were the only existing copies. Those have been permanently deleted by Friendster.

Friendster decided to rebrand itself as a gaming network to refresh the brand after losing out in the social media market. Apparently, Friendster sent out notification of their plans to cease operation as a social network and delete all data from the members’ accounts.

However, many people have been complaining that they lost their precious memories in the forms of messages or photos stored on Friendster. I follow social media trends and tech news keenly on a daily basis and this piece of news managed to slip pass me. It makes me wonder if it was entirely my fault or if Friendster could have done a better job in notifying their members of such an irreversible move.

Some members lost their soft copies of their photos and they only had the copy on Friendster as backup. Those files are now forever lost, robbing us of our precious memories.

As I mentioned, I left the files there instead of backing them up when I could, simply because I assumed that they are a reputable company and would not pull the plug on us just like that.

This reminds me of how Hotmail locked up many accounts due to suspicions of those accounts being used for spam. Many of my friends lost their Hotmail accounts because they were unable to retrieve the code to unlock the accounts. In most cases, they did not set their phone number for the accounts. The verification code was to be sent to the phone number to verify that the account was valid.

Facebook and Google, Gmail specifically, have become an integral part of my life. More so than Friendster was. I have faith that these two giant corporates would be more responsible than Friendster. But this episode with Friendster is a reminder to us not to take things for granted and to always back up important information.

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