It just got better...

This is a busy month for manufacturers and retailers at the Photokina trade show. And as promised, the giants of photography had gone all out to lure buyers for their 2009 line-up and one of the new generation of Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras to hit the scene is the Canon EOS 5-mkII.

I would deem this as the serious amateur digital imaging tool for those who want to maintain a decent budget in their equipment line-up.

With an asking price of RM9K, not many can afford this. But yet, with the credit facility made available, many amateur photographers are killing themselves just for a piece of the action.

Technical jargons aside, I think the 5-DmkII has plenty to offer in terms of field dependability and versatility.

And coupled with the proven EOS L-series lenses, this is a camera that most professionals would consider for a back-up body.

Right now, we'll just have to see how Canon Marketing Malaysia would price the body and other new accessories that comes with it..

My first damascus blade..

I bought my first Damascus blade from a shop called Sheares Marketing in Singapore. At that time, a small pocket fixed blade was what I could afford.

It didn't burn a hole in my pocket and what amazes me the most, was its leather holster. This is the sort that you put in your jacket's side pocket.

Initially, it wasn't as sharp as I had hoped, but after touching up the edge, I had a working knife. The downside about traditional damascus blades is that it rusts.

So, in our humid environment, steel with high carbon content would usually corrode. Plenty of caution is needed when you care for a damascus blade.

The teeny one that I have been keeping for more than eight years is a little over 18cm (5") in overall length.

Its effective cutting edge is about 7cm which just about right if you want to open up packages, letters and foil bags to get to your snacks.

Forget about heavy abuse. Anways, this is the damascus knife that started it all and I do hope that it will remain in my keepsake for a while.

Tomorrow is another day...

Today marks my last day with the southeast section. I can breathe with ease in the days to come, but the bad news is - I've got to fill in again for the regular guy from Sunday till next Tuesday.
Which is a sucky deal cos I have to put up with male PMS and Menopause syndrome from the guy who subs the page.

Kinda made it harder if you deal with people with unpredictable mood-swings. Nevertheless, its only a job, the paper must see print no matter how crappy he thinks the stories are.

So, fuck that. Anyways, it kinda dawned on my on why we have to work so hard and end up perpetually broke all the time while a minority out there are reaping their loot at full swing.

Life SUCKS! So, got to make the best out of it..

Burchtreeblades 'Bangkok Special'

Knifemaker Michael Burch never ceased to amaze me with his work. I have been following his progress and of late, he came up with some really amazing designs.What caught my attention was his 'Bangkok Special', featuring an IKBS pivot system. The folding knife is big and was said to be ultra smooth opening without any blade play.As for pricing, I guess since Mike's work is hot like pancakes, a simple folder from him is no less than USD$500 a piece. The Bangkok Special? Well, it should cost even more..

The Canon-slayer?

Is this the Canon 50D killer that gained so much hype? Over the years, I found that Japanese camera manufacturer Nikon had tried
very hard to capture the professional market they have lost.Over here, its just re-packaging. Old shit in a new dress. As a matter of fact, my professional career in the Press started with a Nikon
F-3 camera.At their prime, no one can come close. Not even the Canon system. Later, with the advent of autofocusing and film advance including
high shutter speed and rapid frame shooting, Canon took the whole world by storm with their EOS system.One of the first entry-level all-auto cameras from this giant was the EOS-630.At the same period, Canon rolled out their professional EOS-1 system. This was followed by the EOS-1n and the same platform that
made Canon so famous worldwide hatched a few generation of professional SLR system.With the digital age, Canon wasted no time in developing their EOS professional system to cope with the rising demand for speed,
clarity and high definition. Hence the introduction of the Canon EOS 1D mk III DS high performance camera. At a price tag of RM25k a pop, this one can buy a
small car.But hey, we are not talking about the pro stuff. Its easy to talk like pro. But shoot like one? Well, I reserve to comment. Back on the
shelves, the EOS system for advanced beginners has always been the two-digit series.But over the years, Nikon had bettered their strategy by coming up with better low-end and mid-range Digital SLRs with the
introduction of the D70, D70s, succeeded by the D80 (for two years, this is the top advanced amateur rig) and subsequently, the D80
was replaced by the D90.Only this is the moment that shook the advanced level community. The farce? Better and faster, but not necessarilty afforable. Like I
said, any techno geek with a digital camera these days are a photographer.I last played with an SLR system some 17-years ago. This renders me 'obsolete'. Nevertheless, I can pick any of these cameras up
and go shooting pictures - without using any techno-jargon to disguise my lacking.So, all that said, will the D90 slay the 50D? Way I see it, it would be a close fight. When it comes to a system, I favour the Canons, but
when it comes to a good kit camera, its Nikon hands-down. The only beef I have, is with the after sales service because Nikon Malaysia is run but a bunch of morons.

Some professionalism please..

An acting section head of mine once said : "We may not have to like each other, but here, I call the shots and the job has to be done."

This was uttered in a room because her deputy had complained about me being non-performing. My intrepretation of this was : "Fuck you and don't mess with me".

Now, if you factor in professionalism into the matter, what kind of manager would say such a demeaning thing.

The fact to the matter is that when someone is prejudiced against you, no matter what you do would be good to make up for it.Similarly, I observed this in many places.

Some, I spent a few years learning the ropes. I may not come from a highly educated background, but my sharpened street senses can tell me from what is right and wrong.

In the days that ensued (my last at the said workplace), I sat down and gave it a hard thought.

My options was exhausted and that was no longer a place where my career can grow.

What made it even unbelievable is the fact that the deputy section head was so bent of getting what she want, she betrayed her own race.

For a Chinese, 'chou-kou' or running dog is best to describe this woman.This is the sort of crap you get out of a pig's ass.

She has proven the point that for self-preservation, she would go as low as a maggot to feed on shit and spatter it all over the floor.

So, what happened? I wrote a lengthy letter to the National Union of Journalist to express my displeasure about the situation.

The manner in which the so-called 'investigation' was conducted was not in a proper manner.

Just so that I reveal that the acting section head was a pet to the old regime, scorned for being members of a Mutual Mental Masturbation Club who only think highly of themselves.

You reap the seeds you sow. Ultimately, they self-destructed. Greed and the act of selfishness consumed them.

Where are they today? Well, it goes to say that with each change of hands in the upper echelon, heads must roll.

I put up with these idiots and whatever they say about me. In plain English, I do my job to earn a decent living.

My chores were executed professionally, I keep the person next to me in the loop.

But when my integrity was challenged, all the hardwork put in was thrown out the window.

I worked and rose ex-rank for 15 years, and I knew what hardship meant. When you hit the skid row, only a few people would stand by you.

These are folks that I held in high regards and dearly. They thaught me that in times of despair, there are folks that are worse off and don't let emotions overrule everything.

That same year, I've summed up enough courage to move on with my life. The timing was perfect and never in my entire life - I felt appreciated for once.

The old baggage seems distant. People at the other side of the scale had always wanted to see me fail.

After joining the winning team, I see now how they fail. Miserably. Do they deserve it? Yes, every ounce of it.

Which goes to show that you can never put a good man down. No matter what, in times of need, the good guy will rise to the occassion.

I think professionalism is very important. It covers everything. If I made a mistake, I owe up and make good out of it. I don't sway from the issue.

If I need to confront it, I would. And over the years, I have mellowed down a bit. I don't believe in kissing ass and that if you achieve a certain success, it's hard earned. There are no shortcuts in life.

Either victory or death. I put up with plenty of shit over the last two decades. Its a learning process which is ongoing.

And some of the virtues I've learned were patience, perseverance, pride and integrity.

It took me places and I knew that if you are one of the good guys, you tend to finish last no matter what your detractors throw at you.

Wah! Its just one of those days when you have to throw in Murphy's Law. Just about everything that you have expected to be okay had turned out the a major fuss.The layout guy came in late and grumpy. Unhappy over the stories assigned. Again, I don't think such are issues that would slow things down.To make life easier, just improvise and move on. I am sad to say that the outstation bureaus are scraping the bottom of the barrel with their offerings and some of the stories are rather lame. So, how do you improvise? Get the good ones as leads and the weak ones as second or third reference. Not hard if you have a person working on it without complaining all the time.When it comes to the crunch, time is purely wasted on arguing on matters like : "It should be like this", "Reporter XXX does it better", "The desk person XXX don't give me shit like you do" and so on. Rambling is a waste of time. The more you ramble the more time goes down the drain. A good sub and layout person, in my humble opinion, wastes no time in offering a quick fix.And its unprofessional to raise your voice and get all grumpy. I told the guy at the back of me that if he thinks the story needs to axed, just do it.My job did not state that I have to call the reporter and correct his or her approach in writing the story. As to : "Why bother writing the story in the first place?" was something that is way out my control.I don't tell them what to do. All I can offer, is to improvise what they give. If I made a mistake, I own up. So, if there is something the desk would have to shoulder, we do it as a team. Never leave your men behind.So, at the end of the day, I weeded out the fuss with the sub. Explained the whole scenario. If we get a shitty day, we can only improvise.

Tools of the trade..

'What camera do you use?' Seems like a simple question. Not easy to answer when expectations are sky high.

I've been using the Canon Powershot G-series compact digital camera for nearly 8 years.

They produced some remarkeable shots and having understood its limitations and capabilities, I'd say that the G-cameras are one of the most indespensable image capturing tools around.

Many of its rivals have come and gone, but nothing came close to its versatility and extreme ease of use - that is if you are a professional pixman.

My latest G-series camera is the G-9 and with the introduction of the new wide-angle G-10 later this year, the pocket camera that I have been asking for has finally arrived..

Mr Kee's new book

Actor, author and playright Kee signing fan's book yesterday...

Kee Thuan Chye released his latest book some two weeks back. Some said it was controversial and well, after meeting up with rather abruptly last nite, I was told that the book was a hot cake off the shelves.

I am happy for him. Having said that, I placed an order in support of our local authors. Hopefully, I'd be able to get a copy next week to check out his collective work...

Three months of work..

I am glad that the Metro Hygiene campaign - an idea hatched by me on the upkeeping of eateries in KL and PJ has taken shape and is doing well.

People are appreciative of the effort and I for one, am very proud with the fact that I had a great team pulling it together.

It wouldn't have been possible without the change that took place and the turn of events that spurned me to move on.

It felt great being appreciated and I hope to keep this up with the good team that I have..

Thank God its Friday!

Yes, its another Friday and I am happy to report that my work was done way ahead of schedule. Working with professional people made it even smoother and I am very thankful that such was a great support factor.

I can look forward to head home and spend some time with my wife and the kidz. The weekend seems to be shorter than ever, I hope to capitalise on the time with the family.

Sunday will be back-to-back with Monday before I shoot back to my Central duties. And since Thursday is a shutdown holiday, I can use that as an excuse to do some bill payment..

Too much?

So, what is the most you would spend on a knife? I get this a lot and frankly, the single most precious piece in my keepsake is a priceless gift from Spyderco's owner Sal Glesser.

He gave me his own Endura (the company's flagship knife) when I visited his factory in Golden, Colorado some eight years ago.

This moment is something that I would remember for life. Getting back to the question - No amount is far to great when you are a knife collector.

The commitment and research you put in establishing a collection is defined by the fundemental understanding of what is good and that there is no price for the best.

Firstly, I'd say that the value factor is a matter of intrepretation. Over the years, I learned that some people have a amassed a large collection and the defenition of their keepsake, is a high quantity of cheap stuff.

In their own intrepretation, its enough and in terms of the mass numbers, its valuable.

And on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who dedicated their time in search of a precision-engineered tool, made with the best materials money can buy.

These are the very basis to some high-end factory made knives. And true enough, this sort of collector have direct contact with the person who made their knives.

So, two sides of the story. No one is wrong. Only thing that sets them apart, is the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Which goes into the next question : why spend so much? Does a high price determine the future value of the said investment piece?

I won't bank on hype, but recent developments in the collector's market showed that a certain make and model did fetch a higher than usual price.

What are the factors? Limited availibility, one of a kind, the passing of a famous maker and market hype.

I know for a fact that some knives are not worth as much as they did now after its maker dies.

But not all knives are investment pieces. Some folks lose money speculating on the wrong maker and their hype.

For me, I value knives primarily for its practicality of usage in the field as well as daily chores that demands cutting.

That said, I started with the ordinary knives. Ones that you can find at department stores.

My first working knife was BUCK selector which I still use until today. It cost me no more than RM180 to get it going.

And at the time, it was the most I spent on a knife. Then came the Spydercos. One after another (At my prime, I had nearly 100-odd Spydies), they filled my cupboard to the brim.

Later, my taste changed. I bought my first handmade knife back in 2000 and it was a Bob Dozier slim outdoorsman.

I paid USD$175 for the piece which was lightly used. My next high-end knife was Strider AR folder at USD$375. Then nothing seems to be deterrent because the money was good!

In between my growing taste for good knives, I acquired some from makers I found through internet forums.

And today, most of my collection are focused. I have a dozen high-end stuff, plenty of the ordinary ones which gave it a huge variety.

Is this ever going to stop? Well, I guess not. Just have to be careful and not over indulge - at the same time, land a lemon that sits in the cupboard for ages.

As I am speaking, the quest for the perfect knife continues...

The RM4.80 question..

So, I read on the net, other people's blog and the newspaper about the RM4.80 cost to feed a prisoner. Well, what's the fuss? Is prison
food supposed to be good? Are we supposed to feed convicted murderers, rapist and those 'wronged' by the law good food? I followed a so-called investigative
report on an afternoon tabloid on the 'scoop' in prison/detention centre food.The said centre for illegal immigrants fed their detainees chicken neck, liver and scrap. Since when taxpayer's money for defaulters
and prison birds supposed to be luxurious? I read it thoroughly and well, summed up that there's more question than answers in the piece. There was a first-person account and
the breakdown on what prisoners get for their meals.They should be thankful to even get five square meals a day compared to famished people in other country. And the basis to compare
what dog lovers feed to what prisoners get are baseless.Should life in prison be good at the first place? I just don't get it. After all, the issue arised when a politician was detained without trial.
She spent a coupla days in a detention facility and complained that she was fed dog food.What the fuck? Did the media got the attribution wrong? Or has the issue been blown way out of proportion? Its just sensational. The
capture and release and all the fools who stood vigil.I disagree with the dog food statement, but agreed that the way things were handled was a bit far fetched. What was the powers that
be thinking when they arrested a Chinese daily reporter? For her own protection? What a load of shit! Anyways, the fact remains that prison food is not meant to be good. It should be the worse
experience one would have to go through so that he or she won't commit the same offence again. When you hit the slammer, your food is no different from what a murderer, rapist or thief is having. The least I can say is that the person
got fed five times a day.The basis to compare, is with a vietcong prison or some third-world cage where your life is worthless. I found that people are getting
too gullible these days. If they want to comment, they better get a taste of what's real, not a fragment of an imagination of a slob who
has been sitting in front of his computer too long..

Three more days to kill...

Before everything resumes to normal, I have three days to endure. Things are looking spiffy at the moment as I managed to round up most of the much-needed stories to fill the Metro Southeast pages.

Well, its not all that bad when I go through this fast paced learning experience. Last night was a prime example.

The no 2 in Star pointed out some layout errors. In which he took the trouble to correct and teach a quick-fix.

I've known the man and he earned my respect for his knowledge and patience in resolving the issue.

It dawned at me that there is plenty to catch up and the Captain's chair is not an easy place to helm at all times.

All good things said and done, I look forward to the second week of October where I can get some rest...

It's gonna be a tough month..

The grim reality is this : there are bills to be paid, debts to be settled and a life to live. As tough as it sounds, I got hunkered down and first priority in place, are the family and our dogs.

Food wise, we are well-stocked. And since my workaholic wifey is perpetually out of town, I guess there won't be much wastage.

As for the kidz, I am stocking up 15kgs of their daily kibbles need. Had to overkill on this factor based on the fact that there many uncertainties.

First thing to go out the window - is the toys. Sad to say, with our hungry stomachs to feed, it has to go. b

All good things said and done, no holidays for me. My wife will be travelling, on her own expense to Australia and New Zealand. Not me.

I guess I can breathe easy in eight month's time after the IRB is done butchering my monthly salary. Oh yeah, I can look forward to that...

It was like a day in hell..

It felt like eternal damnation when I had to double up for the main section. Work as it is, was already packed the my eyeballs.

There plenty of issues to sort out and being a sucker for punishment, I can never say no. I guess through the months, I have embraced responsibility in a big way.

The working hours are long, but the end results, I would say - is satisfying. I really hope that the folks around me can appreciate what I am doing.

Well, on another note, I checked my payslip and there was na-da amount in terms of gratuity. This SUCKS!

I just can wait for the months to fast-forward past me. The only thing I can truly look forward to, is the bonus payment in December which will be prorated.

Otherwise, things are fine and my brains are hurting. Gotta rush home and cook for the big madam whose also been a workaholic..

Pentax KM

I am actually in the market for a beginner's Digital Single Lens Reflex camera. In the quest for one, there are actually very few choices.

Right now, the Canon EOS-1000D seems to be the perfect choice with price range below RM2k. Practically-speaking, this system is enough to cover my needs.

Throw in an extra lens, flash and power grip, the ante is up by another RM1.5k and I must say that purchasing accessories to ehance the camera's range and performances MEGA-SUCKED.

Anyways, just when I thought it was safe to dive in - Pentax came up with their basic KM model. I think this will give Canon and Nikon (with their D-60 model) a run for their money.

This one has all the basic stuff covered. My only beef with Pentax is that they are not covered in terms of variety and I also learned that the after-sales service is atrocious.

Nevertheless, the announcement of Pentax's entry into the beginner's market marks the race to get the cheapest system onto the consumers..

And so it is...

Many folks at my workplace have reasons to be happy today. Their monthly paycheque including a month's ex-gratia payment was banked-in.

But yet, some are not so happy with what they've got and are whining. As for me, well, its gonna take another year before my gratuity payment matures.

Considering the fact that 2009 is just a couple of months away, it will be worth the wait. Not to mention the part of the Internal Revenue Board where a big chunk of my salary is going to.

I likened this to the ancient Chinese torture called 'Ling Chi' or 'Death with a thousand cuts' which is a painful way to die.

This method, outlawed in 1905, is where a condemened man is paraded in public, stripped naked and humiliated with his body cut open like a stuck pig.

There are some morbid images of this style of execution which you can get over the internet, but I won't go into the details.

Anyways, I am just glad that I survived one month with the big slash on my pocket. I hope that the situation will improve and at the mean time, would have to hunker down and face the harsh and cold winter...

Nikon's G-10 slayer...

Japan photographic equipment manufacturer Nikon has been trying to break competitor Canon's choke hold on the high end consumer compact camera market for a while.

They called it the 'prosumer' but this fancy work does not exist in any dictionary. Anyways, Nikon came up with the P-series model 5000 and was succeeded with the P-5100. Price wise, I'd say that they had walloped Canon to a knockout.

Not only that, Nikon has plenty of fancy accessories that are way cheaper than Canon's to boost their line up.

But history has proven that Nikon was and is only second fiddle to Canon in the compact camera market.

Based on experience, I'd say that the Canon user interface is much better and clearer than what Nikon, Panasonic, Pentax, Olympus and other brands have to offer.

The downside to Nikon here in Malaysia, is their after sales service that SUCKS and STINKS. I think very lowly of them after some bad experiences dealing with the repair department.

If Nikon can improve on this, they will gain some lost ground. Okay, so, what is the big deal about the new P-6000 compact camera?

Like its predecessor, the new camera has its sleek look, a good handgrip and new features such as a pop-up flash and GPS information integration may put it way ahead of other high end compact camera manufacturers.

Infact, this may be the first of its kind. Nikon is setting a trend by incorporating features that are available only in their flagship SLR cameras.

But despite the hype, would it sell? The price point would determine this as there are plenty of die-hard Nikonites in Malaysia.

The amateur photography market has expanded by leap and bounds due to digital photography and virtually anyone who hangs a D-SLR on his or her neck are considered a 'photographer'.

Skimpy Sunday...

Sundays are the best cos its a light day. But saying as it is, manning the desk is no walk in the park. There are plenty of decisions to be made in order to close the page for Monday. This is in the context of my work.

So, having being all pumped up, I left home for the office. Traffic was smooth and when I reached the workplace, there were ample parking spaces.

After I killed off the car engine, I noticed this Proton Satria making a turn. It was park at a far end. Then came out a woman. She was wearing a spaghetti strap top.

Not that I am bothered about her, I made my way to the staircase. Then she came into the elevator and the ID Tag that she wore, was issued temporary.

She's an intern and the most glaring thing about her presence was that her boobs was falling out of her dress.

I don't know about her but I was embarassed even to look. The best thing to do in a situation like this, is to shut up and pretend that she was not even there.

The company has a sexual harassment code and I think it's stupid even to think of making small talk out of a conversation.

Now the skimpyness did not stop as the boys on the 5th floor were oogling over this girl's mammary glands.. hahahahah!!!! It was obvious that she was attracting all the wrong attention...

Well, in the light of this situation, I would discuss with my significant half. My wife would say : "You male are all alike.."

Mission accomplished...

Bathed the dogs, did the marketing and paid some bills! Oh yeah! Best of all, I am now flat broke!

It won't be another week till the next paycheck is banked in. Sadly, while others enjoy their gratuity payment, I'll have to sit this one out..

Oh no....

Its a funny thing when you see retards running the show. I thought I was completely out of it, but well fate has it in a funny way that where ever I go, they tend to follow.

I rang up a desk jockey yesterday evening in procedures to send the daily assignment report. Someone picked up the phone, identified himself and I could immediately recognise his voice.

So, asked him on what queue should I send to the editorial system. His answer was : "I don't know".

For a guy who has seniority and position, I felt sorry for all the folks who had to deal with him. And when I told this to my section head, he confirmed the fact that I was dealing with a retard.

Now the irony was this : he was the choice pick for the assignment up North by my buddy Eddie. I feel sorry for him.

You can 't teach a donkey new tricks. Way I see it, all the hype and shit going down, we are dealing with a complete washout.

Aaaaahhh... another day is done..

I missed the boat again. On the company's 37th anniversary, our CEO announced that one month's ex-gratia will be paid out to all eligible employees.

Since I've only been employed for eight months exactly today, I don't think I'll be getting any. Besides the payola, eligible employees are also given a RM150 voucher from Giant hypermart to purchase their essentials. I got mine.

On another development, the CEO of my former workplace has been booted to Pos Malaysia. I think its like jumping from a wok into the furnace.

Anyways, when he goes, other lackies will follow. I can only hope for the best to all my ex-comrades who are still struggling there...

Canon Powershot G-10

Full frontal - the G-10 now features a 28mm-140mm zoom lens

Top view of the camera - a totally revamped layout

The mother of all Canon powershot G-series pocket camera is here. Canon marketing had recently announced at Germany's Photokina trade show that their new flagship compact digital camera will be out to replace its current Powershot G-9.

This is the compact that most professionals and serious amateur photographer is waiting for. It is expected to debut later this year and the G-10 has some subtle improvements that I find impressive.

First off, it will come with a wide angle lens, eliminating the need for an adaptor. Its 140mm zoom feature is what I would want for snapping long tele-shots that gives some good 'compacted' landscape scenes.

Now, I would expect its pricing to float around RM1,900 when it hits the market. And well, having played with most of the G-series compacts, this one is definitely on my 'want-list'.

Buddy down....

Today is a public holiday and well, work comes first. I was at the Jalan Othman area to work on my food trail column.
Hit the area at about 9am and managed cap off all the needed shots and information by 10.30am.
And my boss called up to say he don't need the ride to the office, so, I have a couple of hours to spare.
So, what do I do? My buddy at the workplace has been admitted to Assunta Hospital last Friday after his optic nerve gave some problems.
After going through a stress test, his blood pressure shot off the roof. With the bar on journalist's mortality lowered to 41, I thought it would be a just thing to pay him a visit to cheer him up.
And the wrong information led me to the children's ward. It took some detective work to locate the guy and when I finally found him, I joked a bit and got him laughing.
Back in the days when I was a rookie photographer at the Star, he was one of my mentors. For that, I valued his friendship.
After leaving the Star for other publications, our paths crossed a couple of times. I rekindled our friendship after making full circle.
So, he told me that his heart and kidney function checked out allright. He was referred to an eye specialist and got the damaged optical nerves fixed. His bad eye may give more problems in the years to come.
And being diabetic didn't help either. So, after all that hoo-haa, he said he hoped to be discharged soon. I pray for his recovery...

Remington 870

An unmodified Remington 870
This one has a Coyote brown stock, pistol grip and tactical forend for desert warfare
Firing a shot with a slight muzzle rise
The pimped 870 is a sweet close quarter battle weapon
This shotgun made me cream in my pants!

This is perhaps one of the best tactical shotguns I'd ever fired. Its solidly built and takes about five rounds.

The normal version is sold at USD$435.00 straight out of the box and my buddy Khun Dusit in Bangkok who is a tactical shooting instructor had modified the shotgun with a tactical stock, surefire forend tactical illuminator and an ACOG sight.

And when you load this baby, it gives one helluva punch. With its long barrel, accuracy is no issue within 20 metres.

Anything or anyone standing on your sight will be peppered with slugs. What I love about the gun, is its modularity and ease of use...

Budget slashing...

Its barely 15 days into September and I am already feeling the pinch. With the IRB lobbing away nearly a quarter of my paycheque, its a matter of survival now.

There are bills yet to be paid and well, from now to the month end, it felt like eternity. I can say the same for my significant half who is also feeling the crunch.

So, what do we do? For services, we are going to slash down some unwanted channels on ASTRO, then, the broadband internet service.

I found a cheaper package at half the price. So, download speed is no longer and issue. Besides, we spent very little time on the net at home.

Most of the browsing were done at work. Well, part of my work anyway. I think with the cutbacks, we will be able to breathe a little bit..

Perfect Dark Zero

If you think this is a porno flick by Anthony Dark, well, I've gotta say you are not an Xbox 360 fan. I picked up this game sometime back at a bargain price from Gamer's Hideout.

Turned out to be a first-person shooter and I must say that the graphics are stunning. And so is the lead character, agent Joanna Dark.

FHM had a spread on this rendered beauty and well, she is hot! Hahahahha! The controls are simple to manipulate and I particularly love the silenced semi-auto pistol which is used with a scope by the agent.

Word of caution : never play this game after a meal cos you might throw up. I passed out after playing it for 45-minutes.

Work in progress...

My friend Will Zermeno had just informed me of my pending lil fixed blade to match the Alabama Damascus piece.

Its the evil twin sister in 154-CM steel. I would like to see Will's skill on the grinder and from some of his previous works, I must say that it was impressive.

Should take at least a coupla weeks for Mr Zermeno to complete his assignments. Besides the fixed blades, he's also made some awesome folding knives.

I was particularly impressed with the Olive Drab G-10 folder he made for a friend. Just imagine his work on Damascus.. Raindrop pattern..

Back at work..

And just like that, my 10 days of freedom ended. Well, I did return to the office to file in some stories and troubleshoot, so, that can't be counted.

I've had a great weekend with dinner at Sek Yuen restaurant in Pudu as the highlights of my break.

It was great to be with my wife and extended family. We hung out at the in-law's place till late at night before calling it a day.

I was already pumped up with plenty of beers and good food! Anyways, the day for me, went down smoothly.

Well, almost. I injured my left eye and the redness remained throughout the day. As for work, I though it was a rough ride, but things had turned out rather smoothly.

This, I hope, will maintain its course throughout the week. I anticipate a long week ahead in the last week of September...

When it rains, it pours....

It couldn't have happened on any other day. My home internet access has been suspended by its service provider.
Lucky for me, I can check my emails on my cellphone. Other than that, things will have to wait till I can scrape out some cash to pay the bills.
Funny how you expect things from people you think you could count on and it never seems to work out the way you want to.
I have a coupla opportunities to score some easy cash. But I guess with the bad times looming, people just ignore you.
So, this web blackout will gonna stay for a coupla days. This may be my last log entry for the week...

DOA 4

Poster art of the game
Now, this is a nice screenshot
Leifang, my favourite fighter in the game..

I musta overlooked many many things. Especially on the Xbox 360 games list. Found out that there was a later version of the 'Dead or Alive' fighting game version 4.

So, having seen the screenshots, I headed over to Jason Loh's Gamer's Hideout and found out that the game, which was dated -- was already out of print.

But the saving grave was he could source it from overseas.

For a mere sum of RM30 a pop! Well, pre-used or brand new, this is something that I could look forward to!