Enter the Almera..

Hurting the competition...
You can't buy anything that is considerably 'good' for a pricetag of RM70k these days.
Spare the national cars, the only manufacturers that could offer a decent sedan at that price range are the South Koreans.
Or if you are willing to risk it all, get something from China.
But if you want a Japanse car, a sedan in particular, Nissan had recently launched their new sedan: The Almera with a base price of RM68,800 (basic model, manual transmission).
With all the features, bells and whistles -- this would be it.

The Nissan Almera

 I bet this car would be the choice for city driving with its 1.5litre powerplant.
The most attractive part is the price package and value in terms of features.
Based on the higher-end specification, you get all the features of a continental car at RM79k, which is still cheaper than a Toyota Vios.
I think I'll take a trip to the Nissan dealership to take a closer look at the new Almera..

Doubt

Bogus? The Samos

A sound advice..
Chris Ho, a friend of mine who is an accomplished underwater photographer and diver once told me: "Eh Sam, never look down on people.."
Ho, who is probably in his 70s now, lives in Singapore and is a man who worked his way up the ranks.
This brought me to a conversation with a fellow cyclist.
I had coffee with her recently and caught up with what she has been doing.
While we were chatting, she told me that a Folding Bike Guru made mention about my attempts to cycle long-distance which he said was utter 'bogus'.
"Aiyaaa.. That guy cannot cycle so far la.. He probably drove to a signboard, unfolded his bicycle and took photos.."
She said she didn't know what compelled the guy to say such a thing and only a person who had done it would actually come up with such a thought... Hahahaha!
And for a 'guru' to fling such wild accusations, I pity his followers.

Statistics never lie..

My profile on Garminconnect.com

 I don't do things to impress other people. And GPS track logs can never be doctored.
So far, after using my Garmin EDGE800 bicycle GPS, I have recorded 73 activities and officially logged-in 3,701.78km.
This is my personal achievement. And if the 'guru' thinks that I am not up to his mark, well, that's just too fucking bad.
Right from the start, we joined the group to learn things.
And when the motive became very clear that it was an 'elitist' ideal for everyone to get a British-made Brompton to do 'Gentlemen' cycling, now that's baloney!
I think its wrong to force your opinion on people when its a free-society where we can make up our own mind.
The choices were obvious.
And looking down on people who could only afford Dahons and lable them as bogus for their little achievements - well, that's really low. 
I mean, how much more lower can you go?

Moral of the story..
Never lie to yourself. Don't set out to do things you cannot do.
If you have a goal, set out to achieve it no matter what people say about you.
Things that won't hurt your reputation would make you stronger.
So, while this guru and his loyal band of follower basks in their glory, I will continue to take photos of me and my bike on signboards all over the country..
 

The Mangrove Whistler

Aaaahh.. That wonderful morning...
 I swapped the day off by taking my Canon EOS 7D, EF teleconverter 1.4x and my trusty EF400mm F5.6L for a walk around the neighbourhood's fence line.
This place has a healthy population of birds where anything from a small spider-catcher to an Eagle can be spotted if you are lucky.

The Mangrove whistler

Horrendous lighting conditions
To get the most out of it, you have to set your camera to the lowest ISO.
Lower sensitivity means a tighter and crispier shot.
This also yields you a sharper image.
The enemy for a bird photographer is low-shutter speed.
I set my Canon EOS7D to 1/1250sec.
This would guarantee a clear shot.
There's nothing much I could do about the ISO settings which I had set on 'Auto'.
To compensate for bad lighting conditions, the camera would use a higher-sensitivity light capture.
Your shots may end up 'grainy' and if you blow it up, the colour pixels are not as compact as the lower ISO settings.

The image at 70% crop

 Autofocus and F8
The AF sensor on my EOS7D would not operate with a 1.4x TeleconvertorII.
Apparently, there is not enough light for the sensors to activate autofocussing.
To me, its not an issue.
I've been working with manual focus on my macro shots.
On a long telephoto lens, its just a matter of 'eye-hand' coordination.
I managed to cap off six shots and out of the lot, two came out pretty decent.
A little tweaking on the Adobe Lightroom 4.2 had fixed the exposure...

The Jolly Telamonia

That yellow spider...

Telamonia festiva or the Jolly Telamonia can be found in most wooded areas around the Peninsular.
Its a specie of jumping spiders and is also one of the colourful around.
In short, I never get tired of capturing the Telamonia on my camera.

Side profile full body shot

 Getting the most out of your equipment..
I have plenty of praise for Canon's MPE-65 macro lens.
With this, you are able to go as high as 5x in magnification.
The extreme magnification allows you to capture the spider in its full glory.
For an arachnid measuring no more than 8mm in length, you would need a lot of magnification to bring it to life on an image.
The typical set up is 1x - 1.5x in full body shot.

The higher the magnification, the harder..
Not many people can work with 4x magnification and above while shooting their subjects handheld.
One of them is master photographer Kurtis Guek.
He is one of the very few skilled macro masters who spend a great deal of time capturing spiders as well as other insects up close.
You can view Kurt's blog and his excellent advise on macro photography.
With the Telamonia constantly on the move, you would need a pair of steady hands, knowledge on full flash settings and a good diffusion technique to capture the spider.
I learned a great deal from Guek on how to control the MT24EX flash.
On 4x magnification, the challenge was to get the Telamonia in focus and at the same time, fire the correct amount of light to illuminate its eyes.
Once the focussing is in place, the finger on the trigger just reacted.
Most of the time, its a 70/30 gamble to get a sharp image.
As the MPE-65 is a full manual lens with a very narrow band, you have little room for error to produce your image.
I set the Camera's FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) to +1.5 stops. 
On the Adobe Lightroom 4.2 post-processing software, I am able to correct the exposure to get my desired effect.
As it is, I am very happy with the results.

Gallery

 

 

The Single-striped Grass Spider

Meet Perenethis Unifasciata
The Single-striped Grass Spider is a common arachnid.
You would usually find it living on grass and leaves and this time of the year, its out in full force at Gasing Hill.
I am a big fan of predatory spiders that are non-web weavers, so, the Perenethis Unifasciata  would fit in my books nicely.
In my past visits to Gasing Hill, I've recorded a few of this spiders.
I often mistook it for a Wolf-spider which is much smaller and usually crawls on the ground.

The Single-striped grass spider as you would see it on a normal scale

Its not hard to locate the grass-spider which is roughly about 12mm in length.
All I did, was pick it up and set it on 1x magnification to get a good shot.
By right, I should have used a short macro lens like the 50mm F2.5 macro to capture a full-body shot and slowly work my way to the extreme close-ups.

A fine specimen

Working on capturing the details..

With a cooperative spider that stood still while I was snapping away, I was happy to land a set.
And the details were amazing.
It don't take much effort to work on a 2.5 - 3x magnification to bring out the character of the grass-spider.
The Gasing Hill is also home to larger predatory spiders like the yellow-gold and the magnificent Golden Huntsman. 
I hope to do some follow-up trip to this recreational forest to capture the spiders for my record.

Gallery

 

Gasing Hill revisited..

That Saturday afternoon itch to go hiking...
It was a hot afternoon and after some deep thought, I decided to pack my macro gear to shoot some bugs at Gasing Hill.
I roped-in Michelle who was more than happy to go with me.
It as a good break from cycling as I was too lazy to do so.
So, there we were, on the trail again. Before we did that, we made a pit-stop in USJ11 for an early lunch.
Gasing hill is not that crowded around 1pm and it was great to have the trail all by ourselves.
After I parked the car, I saw two photography enthusiasts with their macro photography gear. 
The sight of a home-made diffuser snoot is unmistakable. 

At the trail head

A tree snake

Fern butt

 Mrs Green-fingers
While setting up at a hut donated by the Lions Club, I noticed an elderly lady and a young man who were chatting there.
Later, I was told that the lady was responsible for planting flowers at the entrance of the trial.
Michelle and I worked on looking for some subjects.
I spotted a black jumper and managed to get a few shots before moving on.
Just metres away, there was a tree snake perched on a fern.
Michelle managed to get a shot before it slithered off..

Michelle on the trail

Getting close and closer...
I found at least two subjects that made my day.
First, was the Single Striped Grass Spider.
These are very common in Gasing Hill and are out in huge numbers.
I managed to capture a set before moving on.
Next, there's the Jolly Telamonia jumping spider.
Now, this one - I paid careful attention in capturing extreme close-ups with my Canon MPE-65 macro lens.
Aided with the MT24EX twin flash, I didn't have much issues capturing the spider under high-magnification settings...

Happy camper: Samo on the trail..

Testing the camera's twin flash setting on an Orb weaver

On the whole, I was very happy to get at least two working sets of photographs.
The Single Striped Grass Spider and Jolly Telamonia was captured in its full glory.
Just minutes after we left, the sky became gloomy.
This is typical weather at the end of the year and we were just happy to be on our way..

Test Ride: Tern Verge X10

Great expectations..
I have never ridden any of Tern Bicycle's X-series 20" bikes before.
The closest ever - was a short ride on the Verge X-20.
That was six months ago when I was giving a helping hand to Kevin Tan, my colleague and captain of Starmetro's cycling team.
On Wednesday, the representative of K2 Asia had dropped off a Tern Verge X10 together with some goodies to my office.
I had it rigged up with the usual commute gear and decided to give it a short-distance test ride today.

Taking the VX10 out for a ride this morning

What you pay is what you get..
The Verge X10 carries a pricetag of RM5,740 a pop.
It ranks fourth of the Verge series in terms of pricing.
This bike is a notch above the Verge P18 and I must say that I love the VRO synthace stem that gives it such a firm and sturdy handling.
I must say that my greatest concern was the kinetix pro wheelset. The front wheel has 14 spokes and 16 on the rear.
For a Godzilla-sized guy like me who also pushed the weight-limit of the bike to the brim, I was proven wrong by the rim's ability in handling our Malaysian road.
Paired with a pair of Schwalbe Durano high-pressure tires (120psi at the max), the Verge X10 literally 'glided' along the bumps and knocks.

Uneven road surface, debris and sand is the tire's and rim's no 1 enemy

Weighing in at 9.7kgs, the X10 is lighweight. 
But when you fold it, you will need a hex wrench to free its handlebar. Unlike the conventional handlebar latch, this one keeps in firmly in place and yields a really solid ride.
Most high-end Terns would feature a VRO synthace handlebar, but this impedes folding if you require a compact and fast action on the go.
Its a little price to pay for performance, but when you are used to it, its not a hassle.

A solid ride
The Verge X10 folds and deploys with a solid-lock-up.
Once on riding mode, it handles really smooth.
I don't have anything to complain about its 10-speed drivetrain and the smoothness of the SRAM X-7 trigger shifter.
With a 55T chainring and a set of 11/36T cogwheels, this bike has everything it takes to tame the road including hills. Climbing is not an issue and on the high-gear setting, I pedaled at a constant speed of 25km/h effortlessly.
This goes to say that the combination of a lightweight frame and high-end groupset actually helped the bike to perform better. If you are a strong cyclist, all you need is this bike as its 10-speed drivetrain would take you places.

Satisfying commute: The Verge X10

Hands-on: Canon EOS-M

Mirror, mirror on the pane..
Monty Wong took the dive by jumping into the mirrorless camera bandwagon by acquiring a set of Canon EOS-M.
He paid nearly RM3K for a set of lenses - 22mm and the 18-55mm zoom lens which is specifically made for the EOS-M system.
Wong was also one of the very first few photography enthusiast to fully utilise Canon's new mirrorless system.
This is also Canon's first venture into the world pioneered by Olympus and Panasonic.
Nikon too joined in with their Nikon-1 system.

M: for Major disappointment..
Wong complained that the EOS-M camera was 'too slow' in acquiring focus.
I checked out his new toy and can confirm that.
He is better off manual focussing his subject rather than relying on the camera's on-screen autofocus feature.
It took a few seconds for the camera to acquire and perform a focus lock.
Some gurus said this is due to the body's large sensor. I doubt it.
Spare the solid and compact camera body, the focussing on this camera blows!
 

The lens system

 What I found odd was the fact that the price for a set with zoom lens is at RM2599, while the entire set with a flash thrown-in is at RM2,999.
That's a couple of hundred ringgit difference for the extra bells and whistles.
It is said that the battery life on the EOS-M is good for 400 shots.
But, the bad news is this: You can't get a spare battery yet. Not at the present moment.
And the minimal focussing distance on the 18-55mm zoom lens is 25cm. Well, this sucks if you want to sneak in close for some food shots.

Well, there is always room for improvement..
Nikon had launched their Nikon-1 version 2 cameras. I don't know how they would perform.
For mirrorless systems, I would say that Olympus had a better focussing speed with their EP-series bodies. But still, they suck in terms of handling.
As for Canon, I am sure that the M-series would experience a quick re-boot with a second and perhaps a third generation mirrorless system with better and faster auto-focussing..
Other than the sluggish focussing, I don't think I have much to complain about the EOS-M.

Rogue Rider : Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 4

Chasing storms
The weather in Taiping is unforgiving.
I managed to get back to the hotel in time to experience a heavy afternoon downpour.
Only this time round, I was dry and in the comfort of a hot cuppa coffee.
As I waited out the storm, there was room to reflect.
The ride from Taiping to Port Weld, short in terms of distance as it seems, was very educational.
In a single sweep, I managed to see so many things.
Even Taiping per say, is a town that is worth visiting during the different time of the year..

Ngah Ibrahim's fort near Matang

A last sweep and meeting the Taiping Foldie Fans
I made arrangements with Coach Jamell and his gang to meet up for a cup of coffee in town.
He mention Yut Sun coffee shop and told me to ask for directions on how get there.
I did a Google search and nailed the location.
Back at the hotel, I took an afternoon nap.
At 06:00pm sharp, I set up the bike and rode out towards town..

Taiping Lake Gardens

A HDR capture of the lakeside

What I like about Taiping is the fact that cyclists are accepted here.
And its also a great place to see on a bicycle, I shit you not!
With two hours to burn, I made my way to the Taiping Lake Gardens. There, I rode up to the War Memorial, which turned out to be a row of headstones.
At the same time, lots of cyclists rode past including joggers on the well-laid path.
Cycling along the Lake Gardens, I found myself on the path towards town.
That was where I met Coach Jamell who shouted out my name.
He was with a group of cyclists and we kinda indulged in small talk.
Later, Jamell led me to a bicycle shop who deals with Dahon Folding Bikes
The owner told me that he had four bikes and are selling the folding bikes really well.

Taiping's Colonial architecture is in dire need of conservation..

From the bike shop, I rode towards Yut Sun coffee shop.
This is one place that opens at night and is known for its Hainanese food.
There as a write-up by Sunny Foong, an ex-colleague of mine and also my guru who taught me on how to set-up the pages for Star's Metro Southeast edition.
I ordered a plate of chicken chop which is just average. Cost me about RM9 including a cup of coffee. The brew is pretty decent, but I think the chicken chop could be better.

The chicken chop

Later, Cikgu Azis came. 
I met the man in person at the CFAL4 in Penang last month.
He is a nice guy and very accommodating.
Azis knew that a solo rider wants and told me that Taiping had lots to offer.
He was joined by Coach Jamell and his family, Adib Chevy and Tok Chiru.
These are the guys who started the folding bike movement in Taiping.
We chat until it was que for me to leave.
I set my Sigma Powerled Pro to high beam and rode towards the hotel.
It was already 10:30pm and since the chicken chop really didn't do squat, I decided to ride towards Kamunting for supper. 
After a filling meal, I made my way back to the hotel and spoke to the elderly Malay man who helped me in visiting the places of interest in Kuala Sepetang.

All good things must come to an end..
My alarm rang at 06:30am.
I have to ride out towards town to take another route towards the train station.
When I rolled down the bike, I met the caretaker and thanked him again.
The Sun was already out in its full glory and it was a wonderful morning
My goal was to score a plate of char koay teow in town..

Breakfast in Taiping

An awesome treat: char koay teow

The aim is to get to the Taiping train station by 09:15am and wait to board the Butterworth - Singapore express train to KL Sentral.
That was not an issue since I had plenty of time to spare.
After a good meal, I rode down Jalan Stesen which leads to the Rail terminal..

Historic: with a new and modern station nearby, this wooden shack will fade away..

I found out that I had ample time to pack my bike, re-set my gear and hunker-in for the ride home.
Took me a couple of minutes to organise things and before I knew it, the train came. 
Only a handful of passengers boarded the express train to Kuala Lumpur.

Mission accomplished!

I endured the ride till the train had reached KL Sentral.
On my mind, I was too lazy to cycle home from the transit terminal. So, I paid for a cab to take me home so I could rest.
The ride to KL Sentral costs RM37 one-way and the other way round was RM39. The bikepacking journey was complete with these factored-in.
A return ticket to Taiping costs RM56, while the hotel was RM106 for two nights. Meals came up to RM30 in total, incidental expenses were kept at bay around RM30 throughout the trip.
I think the most expensive thing was the cab ride.
The train was okay and you have to be really patient throughout the journey.
On the whole, I clocked-in a total of 77.8km in Taiping and Port Weld.
To sum it up, it was a great experience and from the knowledge gained, I can't wait to ride again in Taiping with Michelle.
My most likely recce ride is Kuala Kangsar in the months to come..

Rogue Rider - Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 3

Destination: Port Weld

I've been fascinate with Kuala Sepetang - the present name of Port Weld where one of the earliest railway line in Malaysia was built.

There's nothing left of the steam engine railway but a marker stone with the numbers '1885' inscribed on it.

After a good night's sleep, I woke up ahead of the alarm bell.

On my mind, the thought was to pack as light as possible and not miss out all the essential items for the ride.

This is also a short ride covering about 12.5km.

With the bike all set up, I made my way to town and had my breakfast.

It was a piece of tai pau (large Chinese dumpling), a plate of siew mai and a cup of Kopi-O kau.

While I was having my meal, I can hear some old-timers talking in the background. 

They were gossiping about the size of my bike.

Then, after I got up to strap on my helmet, another old-timer had asked some question in Hokkien. 

I don't have a clue what he was talking about and rode off.

Hallelujah for the GPS!

Having a Garmin EDGE 800 strapped on my handlebar, I was confident of carrying out the solo ride to Port Weld.

My mind was focussed on two things: keep on going and stay safe.

I keyed in 'attractions' and the Port Weld Railway Station came on-screen.

After pressing 'Go', the GPS led me towards the outskirts of town and to a flyover leading into a village.

It was a safe and smooth ride - literally on a straight line towards Port Weld.

I rode past two other villages, an oil plam plantation, underneath a bypass on the North-South Highway.

The route joins with the Taiping - Port Weld road and later, I learned that I had cycled on the actual railway line. The tracks of course, were long gone...

The road to Port Weld

Taking a break off the Taiping - Butterworth route

The oldest trade in the village
Port Weld is know for its charcoal kilns.
Generations of people here had worked on producing charcoal for local consumption and export.
I made a detour into the area's famous charcoal kilns and found one at the edge of the industrial area.
A middle-aged couple, who were really friendly had strucked a conversation with me. We talked a bit and they gave me permission to photograph mangrove lumber being processed into charcoal. What a trip!

At the charcoal factory

A worker preparing mangrove timber for smoking

The earthen kiln where the wood is processed into fuel

Big shrimpin!
Kuala Sepetang is well-known as a seafood production centre.
The symbiosis between mangrove and the marine life is obvious here.
Shrimps thrive in the muddy coastal area which also serves as a buffer during violent storm.
In short, this is truly the 'river of life'.
Port Weld, on the other hand, is a just a small town with many commercial fishing landing site.
I found a shrimp processing centre owned by a Malay family and spoke to them.
They were nice enough to allow me to capture the activity on camera and as we were talking, I was told that the Mee Udang shops are usually closed on Fridays. What a bummer!
But, as a saving grace, one of the ladies pointed out to me a stall off the main road that serves a killer shrimp noodle dish.

Shrimping is a big income earner for this village

A man sorting out his catch

Port Weld at last..
It took me somewhere between two to two and a-half hours to ride to Port Weld.
When I got there, there was a hive of activities.
I cycled past some of the seafood processing centre and found that this is an excellent place to just hangout and take pictures.
My intention was to find the a stone marker that says: "Port Weld" and snap some shots there before pushing off.
With the GPS, it was no sweat.
I set my camera, took some shots and was on my way.
Before heading back to Taiping, I wanted to try the Mee Udang and did just that.

Historic: The remnants of the railway station

Sumptous: The prawn noodles

A simple meal
I found the stall and ordered a bowl of noodles.
The owner was just happy to oblige.
Now, I am not a big fan of prawns. But having tasted this simple dish, I must say that the ingredients are fresh.
The shrimps are sweet and crunchy: an indication that it was a fresh haul.
And my bill came up to RM9 including a drink. This was really a treat and I hope to patronise the stall again in a follow-up trip.

The way back..

After a meal, I rode towards the Matang forest reserve.
There, I met a forest ranger and spoke to him about the accommodation facility.
Seems that a chalet costs RM80 per night (for three guests) and bookings have to be made in writing a month in advance. I'll pass on that and perhaps organize a day trip to walk on the planks on this facility.
Satisfied with my findings, I rode back towards Taiping on the busy Port Weld - Taiping road..

Rogue Rider : Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 2

When it rains, it pours..
The next station after Kuala Kangsar is Taiping.
It bypasses Padang Rengit and you can actually see the train climbing as it slowly ascends up Changkat Jering towards Taiping.
My trip was delayed for a least one hour.
Right about 02:45pm, the train arrived.
I got off and started making my way to to the main terminal which is basically, a wooden shack.
Its rapidly 'morphing' into a modern train station with remnants of the old Colonial structure in the background.
Only a few people got off at Taiping as the train continues its journey towards Butterworth.

Arrival in Taiping

Made it so far..

Track controls at the station

Taiping's predictable afternoon weather.. 
It took me a few minutes to set up the bike under the watchful eyes of the KTM people.
They didn't ask much and looked in amazement as I uncovered the Curve SL and fold it into a small bike.
When I set out towards Jalan Regat Muzaffar Shah, it started to drizzle.
The trip is roughly about 15-minutes from the train station.
Then, it poured.
By the time I reached the motel, I was totally drenched.
Good thing I had the Ortliebs where most of the content stored inside the backpack and waist pouch were dry.
I made my way to the reception where a friendly Malay girl greeted me.
"You came with a bicycle?," she asked.
I checked-in and paid the full amount.
After settling-in, I walked towards Taiping Sentral, a shopping mall located on the edge of town.
This is a fully-fledged retail area with some surprises.
I was really amazed to see a cinema and some familiar retail outlets in this mall.
There was also a Starbucks coffee shop here where most of the customers are Taiping's elite.
Tesco hypermart is just next to the mall.
I need to get supplies like drinking water for the trip to Port Weld.

Settling-in: The bike and a cosy little room

A short ride to town..

I had my Sigma Powerled Pro light mounted on the Curve's Minoura Space Bar.

Its been a while since I rode the bike, so, the last thing I did, was to change the brake shoes which was totally worn-out.

With everything set-up, I made my way towards Jalan Istana Larut that leads straight into town.

This means I don't have to utilise the flyover on Rengat Muzaffar Shah.

It took about 15-minutes to reach the town area.

By the time I got there, it was starting to get dark.

I had my Garmin Fenix GPS watch which tells the time as well as the remaining daylight.

Sunset was at 06:59pm.

This time of the year, it gets dark really fast.

Packed rice at a tea stall near the old market square

Taiping's street at dusk

My dinner: Chicken rice and beansprouts

I found a tea stall and ordered a piece of toasted bread and iced coffee. The bill came up to RM2.30 which was relatively cheap compared to what I get in the Klang Valley.

Later, I rode around town and came across Hotel Warisan, a new accommodation facility.

The asking price was too high for bikepackers like me, but the information gathered was useful for future references.

As I was cycling around town,, I noticed a group of cyclists at a mamak restaurant. 

I waved at them and continued to ride and search for a suitable place for dinner.

In my quest for a decent meal, I found a makan place at the edge of town.

There, I ate Chicken rice with beansprouts. The pricing here is kinda similar to what I eat in KL.

But what made up for it is the good taste. No complaints.

After hours..

I rode back to the hotel with the lights and blinkers on.

The Sigma performed as expected and my Cateye Reflex auto did its job.

At the hotel lobby, I talked to an elderly Malay man who takes care of the guests.

He clocks in from 8pm - 8am and told me a bit about what to expect in Port Weld.

Feeling that it was too early to call it a day, I took a walk down Jalan Kamunting.

About 1.5km away, there was another Hypermarket called 'The Store'.

I checked this place out and found a lot of cheap stuff.

Bought myself a bottle of fruit juice and drank it. I kept on walking and went back to the hotel.

I look forward to the ride to Port Weld after a good rest..