Monthly Archives: February 2008

At Odds

★ Posted on at 08:55 am ★

I feel at odds with myself. The strange feeling you get when you’re not quite sure what to do with yourself.

At work I’m just pumping away with a quiet efficiency, but everything seems a little lack lustre at the moment. Heh, it’s been a while since I’ve thought more deeply about who I am and what I am doing. The last time was probably the end of 2006, when I was really contemplating the direction of my job and while financial markets can be interesting, it doesn’t drive any passion in me. Most of what I’ve been doing lately are more IT related, with me doing mini projects building functionality into software that makes life easier for daily routines, but doesn’t really seem to add value other than to pump out numbers.

I feel so far detached these couple of days, that even at sub zero temperatures, I just feel like I can brush it off as unimportant. I don’t really feel like I have the energy to complain, yet I don’t feel lethargic, just very sombre with everything happening around me.

Managed to catch a movie with a couple of friends, the title being ‘There Will Be Blood’. It’s a story set in the early 20th century out in California about this person who does mining for a living. The opening sets the tone for the movie as Daniel works alone in a mine looking for ore. In an accident where he falls off a ladder and breaks his foot in the mine, he is hurting with pain, but singlemindedly brushes the dust off the ore he blasted out of the rocks with dynamite and hauls himself back to the surface and drags his body all the way back to sell his ore for smelting. It just shows his determination to not give up.

So from mining ore, he started drilling for oil. It goes through his life, and it’s interesting at times, looking at people pioneering things in their lives, going against odds and going from success to success. He tells the locals that bread should be a staple, and not a luxury in life, so by setting up an oil rig, and importing workers, the money he makes with oil slowly transform the harsh conditions of a sleepy town into a thriving one with more comforts. That is not the message or point of the story though. There is plenty of drama within the film itself and it’s memorable enough to leave an impact on you after you leave the cinema.

Also got an email from an ex colleague who used to be our company accountant. She decided that accounting really isn’t her thing and recently travelled to Peru, helping a village and the children there setup a school so that they can receive an education. I’m impressed with people who make a difference to people’s lives, and she will also make a lasting impression on the kids who will at least get a better chance at life, knowing a little more about the world they live in.

* * *

Most days we are so focused with what we are doing, or with the things we want to do, we don’t stop to think about anything else. Heh, maybe it’s just me, having the luxury of too much time on my hands. Neither television or any of my other hobbies seem to interest me at the moment, so maybe that’s why I’m at a loss of what to do. There’s not really anyone to talk to after work hours either, hence a kind of repetitive state to life now, just like throwing a ball and waiting for it to bounce back to me. Heh.

Gadgets Galore

★ Posted on at 12:01 pm ★

guinness

No food shots today, but I was itching to take a picture of something to post. This is the top of a Guinness Stout I bought on Friday. Just wanted a beer to drink for the long weekend, as it is President’s Birthday on Monday and it’s a public holiday for financial institutions.

Guinness is one of the drinks that I can have two pints of and don’t get sick of. It has great body and doesn’t go weird tasting after a while. It’s got microfoam, so it ain’t too gassy and just feels like you are drinking a full course meal.

* * *

It’s been a quiet weekend so far. Not doing much other than struggling with the Internet as it was not quite working, but somehow managed to stream three quarters of the match between Manchester United vs Arsenal in the 5th round FA Cup. It was a mesmerising match, much like the time I watched them tear apart AS Roma in the Champion’s League quarterfinal last year. The game ended 4-0, and poor Arsenal (which is a fantastic team and currently sitting top of the EPL) was outclassed in every department, and if it were not for fine saves from their keeper, United could have easily been 9 to 10 up in the game.

* * *

Just feeling uber lazy today, didn’t do much other than read a little and played games on the computer. Was also testing out Ubuntu Linux on my computer and it’s rather unfamiliar territory. Most of it works out of the box but when it doesn’t, you are not quite sure what to do to fix it. I guess the same can be said for Windows, but with Windows I’m so much more familiar with looking for fixes and applying them onto the PC. I started dabbling with computers since I was in primary school, but didn’t really get into it until I hit high school, and even then, I’d struggle with the computer and get frustrated with it often. I think it was only on my second laptop, did I start to become much more familiar with what how to fix most problems. It improved a lot more when I started assembling my own PCs, and there’s still fun in that but these days, you mainly just want your computer to work, and Windows is just something that everyone is familiar with as you use it at work, at libraries, etc.

I’m still oogling Apple products and their offerings, and wouldn’t mind tinkering with a Mac Mini just to play around with Mac OS X. The Mac community seem to be more vocal and passionate about their system and I’m just curious to find out what the excitement is all about. For the simple user, it supposedly offers ease over Windows, but for people like me, it’d probably be harder for me to learn a new way of doing things.

Then there is the other end withe Asus EEE PC, a super tiny laptop, that is just slightly larger than a cd case. It is a full powered computer that weighs the same as my D300 body alone, which is, very light. Heh, if wi-fi were more prevalent in Australia, that would make the perfect companion for doing stuff, looking up info at public places. It really is portable to the extent that you can put it in your bag and forget about it. The 12.1″ laptop I’m typing this on weighs around 2kgs, but after lugging around long enough, it starts to weigh you down.

* * *

Heh, so many things to play with, but so little time and not to mention the cost of acquiring gadgets, while not too prohibitive, definitely detracts from me saving for other more useful things, like a Belgian waffle maker. Well, maybe not. Heh, at the moment just trying not to acquire too much junk before I leave here.

After The Snow

★ Posted on at 09:33 am ★

creampasta

Tonight’s dinner. A cream pasta with an egg rolled in. Want to experiment a bit as I just broke the egg straight into the pasta before I mixed it. Wonder what will happen if I were to beat up the egg before drizzling it into the pasta. Heh, and this pasta could definitely use a tad more saltiness, as it’s a little wanting when you don’t chew it down with a piece of sausage. The cherry tomatoes add a summer feel to it at the moment, as it bursts of flavour when you bite into it, and if I could add some, sun dried tomatoes would definitely add complexity to it. I definitely need to add more cheese to it and I skimped on that area due to the fat content. I’d make a bad cook when I try to balance healthy vs tasty.

On the photography aspect, this is one of those times I could have used a more diffused light source. A softbox would have helped as you could see too much shine from the oil. My idea of the picture is that it should be creamy smooth, but without gloss. Heh, definitely something else to work on in the future.

* * *

After the heavy snow fall a couple of days ago, it just rained and rained and rained. I was walking through slush the next morning as the snow wasn’t quite melted and puddles were forming inside people’s footprints of those who had just previously walked there. It practically rained the entire day yesterday when I left my apartment, got to work, did the morning chores, went out for lunch, had tea, and left for work, and it was still raining. I’m not quite used to this much rain as I’ve been staying in draught ridden Melbourne for the last few years. Even in Malaysia, torrential storms drop buckets of rain, but it doesn’t last for nearly 18 hours straight. Heh, I wonder how the sewage system copes with all this water, as strangely enough, it didn’t really flood around my workplace.

* * *

Heh, today where I am, it’s Valentine’s Day. My colleague was complaining the whole time about buying expensive gifts for his girlfriend, and that girls expect so much for this occasion, that it’s not worth it, etc etc etc. Contrary to his words, I’ve never seen a guy put more effort into getting a gift, wrapping it up so neatly (it looked professionally done) and tying it up with ribbons. As much as he complained, he really put the effort in towards making the gift presentable. I admire him for that. Heh.

So the streets were bustling with more activity than usual, as I saw lots and lots of flowers on sale and couples heading out to dinner venues. It’s once a year I suppose, and eventhough Valentine’s Day has become so commercialised, people do get to enjoy that special moment together and cherish it. If you are usually busy, you make time for that one special occasion, so having Valentine’s Day as a reason to go out and celebrate is worthwhile. Heh.