Not Mine!

that one is Ranti, taken by Imam.

you see, sometimes proof of scientific research appeared in everyday life but we might not know it. maybe you have heard of Six Degree of Separation. i suggest you google that up.

anyway, at one Saturday night, Prabu -- whom i made acquaintance with from Aris -- want to pick his friend that he said was waiting for him. that friend turned out to be Ranti.

Ranti told me that she was being picked up from Omuniuum, where her friend own the joint.

oh, is that right? i asked, while wearing a straight face. what i didn't tell her that i knew whom she refer to as friend. i just texted our mutual friend asking about Ranti which i got confirmation a few minutes later.

even after we drop Ranti to her house, i still didn't mention that beside Prabu, me and her have another common friends. what's the point, anyway?

What 2009 Will Bring?

What is the year 2009 have in store?
Will the next year will be better than this or the yesteryear?
Am I okay just doing things as it usually is?
Or should I find another work?
I don't know. Not now.
Maybe I'll be better to be just grateful for everything I already have.
Hm, counting a few days left before the new year.

Can't Wait And Wonder ....

When will I get Trivium's Shogun album? The original and legal Indonesian release?
I'm afraid that I'd resort to Kota Kembang in Bandung to obtain that album. Which I'm afraid is not right because it certainly be pirated.

Cahaya Hati Spesial: Akibat Menikahi Anak Di Bawah Umur

Sebuah sinetron yang satu episode selesai, ditayangkan di televisi swasta, pada malam Senin tadi, mengisahkan tentang seorang pria tua kaya (diperankan komedian Tarsan), menikahi seorang gadis cantik di bawah umur. Bapak si anak gadis yang mata duitan mau saja menyerahkan anak gadisnya -- meskipun ditentang oleh istrinya -- karena diiming-imingi keuntungan materi.

Nah, yang lucu adalah dalam sinetron ini dijelaskan bagaimana seorang Tarsan -- dengan gaya yang komikal -- tidak berhasil menikmati malam pertamanya dengan anak gadis di bawah umur yang baru saja dinikahinya itu (dia kalah gesit dari anak yang masih muda itu yang berlari menghindari dipaksa berhubungan badan dengan Tarsan).

Bahkan ketika dia berusaha mengejar istrinya itu, dia malah dikira maling dan digebuki orang-orang siskamling karena dikira pemerkosa anak kecil.

Yang membuat tayangan ini lebih menarik, ada iklan di bagian bawah tentang pengumuman pelaksanaa nikah massal untuk warga Jabotabek yang tidak mampu, cukup dengan mendaftar dan melampirkan syarat-syaratnya, antara lain surat keterangan tidak mampu dan surat keterangan domisili dari pihak yang berwenang.

Akhirnya si pria tua kaya meninggal karena serangan jantung setelah bersumpah dengan membawa-bawa nama Allah.

Si bapak penjual anak yang melihat peristiwa itu jadi menyesal.

Cerita selesai.

Kesimpulan: durasi tayangan dan kualitas cerita sinetron Indonesia ternyata masih belum bisa diharapkan.

!!!

And where in hell is the Indonesian release of:



Helloooooooo.....???

One Naive Optimist

So it's finally clear.

The financial crises that happened everywhere hit the company I work at. As per yesterday, I got a notice slip stated my bonus and thirteenth salary (or in Indonesia, it's called Tunjangan Hari Raya), with a twelve percent cut compared to last year.

It really make me uncomfortable. But what should I do? Complain? Protest? I don't think so.

One thing that cross my mind is that I should thank God, because this year I learned a lot. And though my condition -- financially, that is -- somehow a little bit gloomy and even gloomier next year, at least I still had a paying job that I don't have to resort to asking help from my parents.

The last time I asked for their help, financially, was when I went to Kalimantan four and a half years ago. I needed money to buy airplane ticket and some pocket money till I got my first salary.

I should really made my experience a lesson and just being optimist for the time being. At least at my current state, I'm better off that a few millions other Indonesian. I still have money, although just a little. But it's better than nothing.

And I'm better than some Bank Century customers who got swindled out of their money/savings.

I just have the flu right now, not that kind of sickness or disease that made me have to resort to continuous medication; or hospitalization; or have to maintain special diet otherwise I could get worse physically.

I am in a healthy mental state.

I can't afford fancy food on exotic restaurants but at least I can eat three times a day including snacks.

And I don't have to worry about what to wear because in my workplace what matters more is our performance and not what brand you wear today or what style that is the most current and whether I'm keeping with it or not.

Although I made some erroneous spending but all of that have been fixed already.

Maybe I can't borrow my office's car this year for personal end of year celebration, but at least there is a motorcycle that I can use. All I have to do is fill her gas up.

And I didn't have any issue with the law that keep taking up my time, not like some high-profile people you see in the news today.

Oh yes, I still have a couple of books waiting to be read by me, so I didn't have to buy any other book for a couple of months.

Yes, maybe all that points above, are minuscule points that surely you would think: Is this guy serious? But his current state of life seem really sucks!

I say: Hey, don't you read the title? Don't you read a statement in the post? I AM BETTER OFF THAN A FEW MILLIONS OF OTHER INDONESIAN. And I'm certainly better off than million upon million of those African that suffer famine, plague, or thousands percent inflation rate that made their money worthless.

That definitely provide a ground for me to be optimist. Or not.

Run, Pepper, Run!

Run, Pepper, Run!, originally uploaded by Norby.

Ini mungkin bisa dijadikan inspirasi personal project photography-ku.
Evoke so much emotion to me. Dan aku sangat suka! Suka! Suka! Komposisi dan warnanya...

Depresi Lagi

Tadi pergi ke pameran di JCC Senayan.
Entah kenapa, tiap kali ke pameran di lokasi yang sama -- kali ini pameran sepeda motor -- selalu saja aku merasa depresi tiap kali dalam perjalanan pulang.
Aku tak tahu ya, tapi sepertinya selalu saja gloomy.
Apa karena maagku sedang kambuh?
Enggak juga sih, soalnya pas pameran komputer Indocomtech kemarin aku tidak sedang maag kok. Tapi tetap saja akhir-akhirnya aku merasa depresi.
Sucks.
Mungkin ada sesuatu di kompleks JCC itu yang membuatku tidak merasakan senang.
Rasanya tiap kali ke sana masuk membayar admission fee, tetap saja aku keluar dari gedung merasa tertekan.
Feeling worthless.
Kenapa ya?

Mungkin Ini Bisa Menjadi Sebuah

Wiken Ceria(r)!!!

Ada sebelas film yang baru saja kutambahkan ke daftar film untuk ditonton:

01. Cat Girl Kiki
tagline: She's the purrfect girlfriend... Because her love has nine lives!

02. Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood's newest movie.

03. You Don't Mess With The Zohan

04. The House Bunny

05. Futurama: Bender's Game

06. Dance of The Dead
(hm... what if your prom night was disrupted by ZOMBIE ATTACK!!!)

07. My Name Is Bruce
tagline: Fearless! Unstoppable! Ready For His Close-Up!

08. Rob Zombie's Halloween (Unrated Director's Cut)

09. Max Payne
tagline: Hell Bent on Revenge

10. The Underdog Knight

11. The Insatiable Ironbabe
(the reason I pick this because it has "From The Creator of Spider-Babe" which I had watched a couple of years ago -- a hilariously bad movie)

Nah, setelah membaca daftar di atas, mungkin saja ada judul yang akan ku-skip saja karena tidak menarik. Paling juga akan menambah panjang judul film yang belum kutonton...

Let Me Quote You: Michael Crichton's "State of Fear"

The fact that so many people were executed for a fantasy -- and despite the reservations of prominent skeptics -- carries a lesson that we must always bear in mind. The consensus of the intellegentsia is not necessarily correct, no matter how many believe it, or for how many years the belief is held. It may still be wrong. In fact, it may be "very" wrong. And we must never forget it. Because it will happen again. And indeed it has.

Let Me Quote You: Guy Tal's "Six Silver Bullets"

Ask yourself honestly why you make images in the first place, and if anywhere in there is the desire to share something with others -- be it beauty, ideas, inspiration or story -- you owe it to your art to make sure it's dressed up to the nines before you strut it in front of those you wish to impress. Don't quit before the finish line.

(as published in Outdoor Photographer monthly-magazine, November 2008)

Stage Photograpy

Once again I went for a stage photography hunt, this time at the Final Battle of Djarum Black Autoblackthrough in JCC Plenary Hall at Senayan.



I saw a lot of guys taking pictures of sexy girls and cars. But I decided not to do it. Because I brought my 50mm f/1.4 AIs lens which I haven't mastered yet. I just tried to take some pictures of the displayed cars but not even one that really getting my attention.

Maybe because I just on the way to tune in on stage photography that I want to do -- the real reason why I even went there amid the heavy rain and the hefty ticket price tag of Rp.50.000,00! Crap. That damn EO surely are robbing us compared to the neighboring Jakarta Motorcycle Show just put the tag of Rp.20.000,00. Or the Indocomtech computer exhibition that put the price of admission just Rp.5.000,00!!!



But I paid that for the chance of seeing Andra and The Backbone and Mulan Jameela performing live on stage, which both artists I never had the chance of seeing them, before this opportunity.



Those two pictures are from hundreds of photos I took during their show.
Love them artists!
Keep doing gigs man (and ma'am)!!!

My Life Sucks

Lately.
My life sucks. Big time.
Especially when I'm in the place of being the scapegoat.
Sucks.
I am really tired, and stressed out, and think that there's a decline in the life's worth.
Shit. I'm not even sure why I wrote these things down.

OMG! You're Beautiful!

(but very insultingly stupid)

1. Halo?

Sekedar menyapa blog-ku saja.

Sebenarnya banyak sekali yang ingin kutulis tapi entah kenapa begitu membuka laptop, semua pikiran dan ide di dalam otakku lari berhamburan bersembunyi di dalam sudut gelap dan celah sempit di dalam kepala.

Mungkin aku harus memakai metode baru untuk "menangkap" dan "merekam" semua ide-ide yang ada sehingga tak ada satu pun yang bisa lolos lagi. Begitu mereka muncul, langsung HAP! Tangkap dan simpan. Cultivate and reap.

That'll mean MORE blog post!

Mengorbankan Yang Tak Punya Suara..

Hebat sekali pemerintah (ibu kota) kita ini!

Ketika tadi pagi aku menyetel salah satu saluran televisi swasta, yang ternyata membahas tentang salah satu kebijakan pemerintah (DKI Jakarta) yang berpendapat bahwa karena traffic di Jakarta 14%-nya adalah anak sekolah, maka untuk mengurangi kemacetan pagi hari, semua sekolah pagi jam masuknya dimajukan menjadi pukul 06.30WIB.

Untuk pengaturan, serahkan kepada Dishub.

Aku yang tadinya sibuk bersiap-siap kerja jadi berhenti.

Whaaa...aattt? ??

Bego sekali orang ini? Kebijakan siapakah itu? Solusi alternatif kemacetan keluaran si Kumis yang mengaku ahlinya itu?

Masa untuk mengurangi beban kemacetan pada jam sibuk adalah dengan MEMAJUKAN JAM MASUK SEKOLAH?

Brengsek sekali (orang-orang) pemerintah yang punya solusi seperti itu.

Gila aja, jam 07.30 pagi saja dulu aku bersekolah, malasnya bukan main. Apalagi ini masuk jam 06.30 HANYA SUPAYA BEBAN LALU LINTAS BERKURANG?

Dasar pemerintahan kacrut.

Kenapa tidak, "Eh, btw, karena beban jam sibuk yang tinggi, bagaimana kalau para PNS masuk jam 06.30 tetapi jam pulang tetap? Kan kita bertugas melayani masyarakat!"

NAH! Seandainya saja kebijakan itu yang dikeluarkan, aku yakin banyak yang akan memberikan apresiasi positif (kecuali tentunya para PNS -- terutama kaum penerima gaji buta bin pemalas itu)!!!

Kenapa sih pemerintah mengeluarkan kebijakan yang dianggap solusi, tapi mengorbankan para siswa/pelajar yang tidak punya suara?

Kenapa tidak memberikan contoh terbaik dengan lebih dulu mengorbankan diri sendiri?

Apakah ini pemerintah yang baik?

Hanya memberikan solusi parsial?

Hanya mau mengorbankan pihak lain?

Bayangkan kalau pemerintah di pusat negara saja seperti ini, kualitas kebijakan apa yang bisa kita harapkan di daerah?

Paparazzi Or Just Typical Indonesian Male

today i encounter a photo that was uploaded here, depicting two white female sunbathing in the Jimbaran beach, Bali, while being topless.

the guy (indonesian of course!) upload the photo and named it "Paparazzi". by the time i type this sentence, only two out of seventeen people said clearly opposition and disagreement of the content in the picture.

what really disturb me is that the fact he (the uploader) told in the accompanying text that "i saw something funny so i shot it." most people said that it is. although some said that it's vulgar, they still sound their approval.

the thing is, there is nothing funny about violation of privacy.

maybe i'm being a hypocrite, but seeing that picture made me wonder, what is it with us indonesian male? what is so interesting with white (or "bule") females that attract us so much?

maybe this thing upset me because the lack of respect to women in general. why don't the guy took pictures of topless guys sunbathing? why was it because those were (white) women, it deserve some exposure?

maybe i am a hypocrite.

[UPDATE 2008-11-24] the link no longer valid because the owner/administrator deleted the picture which in turn made the culprit protest in the photo forum

Sekali Lagi: Weekend Shoot-Out!

Kali ini aku menghantui Tardigras,
tidak puas sih karena masalah hujan,
dan kenyataan kalau Seringai dan Superglad tampil siang hari...
(mungkin karena pertimbangan alasan keamanan kali ya)
.
.
BTW, ini ada oleh-olehnya:

sex-equals-fun

sex-equal-fun, originally uploaded by sofocles.

ha ha ha...
i didn't know calculus could be so hilarious!!!

Keceriaan Minggu Ini

ini poster acara



ini angga dari maliq & d'essentials



ini cewe misterius dari santamonica


ini vicki vokalis burgerkill


Apa yang aku lakukan weekend 08-11-2008?
Stage Photography!!!

Sayang sekali hujan turun ketika KOIL tampil sehingga aku tak bisa foto-foto...

better safe than sorry!

dig this, seorang cewe berumur 18 tahun bilang ke aku kalau menurut dia lebih baik dia punya status telah menikah daripada berbuat zina.





okay, aku setuju, lebih baik nikah daripada zina (karena belum menikah).

tapi menikah pada usia 18 tahun? awww, c'mon gurl... where's your common sense?

aku bilang ke dia: BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.

dia tak mengerti, maka kutulis versi panjangnya:

"better safe (sex) than (married young and then feel) sorry (for yourself)"

yang artinya, lebih baik melakukan hubungan seks yang aman daripada menikah muda dan akhirnya menyesali sisa hidup -- kalau ternyata dia menjadi tak bahagia.

kalau ternyata kehidupan pernikahannya lancar dan bahagia? ya alhamduile...

Oh My God! The Hot-Pumpkin-Head-Alien-Chick's Dead!

, originally uploaded by Shockingly So.

a sexy and funny picture!
mungkin tidak direproduksi di indonesia setelah uu anti-pornografi disahkan?

Manfaatkan Waktu

Sekarang ini load kerja sedang rendah-rendahnya.
Aku bisa bengong seharian kalau aku mau.
Tapi paling tepat kalau aku memanfaatkan waktu luang untuk belajar hal baru, seperti CAD dalam 3D; atau menulis proposal dalam bahasa Inggris; atau edit foto dengan GIMP; atau banyak lainnya.
Hanya saja dengan tololnya aku malah bengong seharian dan malah akses website berita dan membaca artikel.
Bego.
Belajar sajalah, kan lebih banyak manfaatnya dibanding bengong?

Tak Ada Yang Abadi

Peterpan.

Berapa banyak orang di Indonesia yang tidak mengenal band satu ini?

Akhir-akhir ini aku sering memutar lagu-lagu dari double album mereka, terutama beberapa single yang menurutku tak ada lawan, far more superior than other singles from most bands.

Dan tak lama lagi, kita tak akan lagi punya Peterpan.

Saat aku menulis post ini, aku pilih "Tak Ada Yang Abadi" dan kumainkan di Winamp dalam mode "repeat track"!

Hanya sampai 8 Agustus 2009, dan setelah itu kita kubur nama Peterpan dari dunia musik Indonesia.

Tak Ada Yang Abadi.

Sebelum mereka melepas nama Peterpan, aku ingin dua kali saja menonton penampilan live mereka. Kesempatan pertama untuk memfoto penampilan panggung mereka saat bermain musik; kesempatan kedua murni dan total untuk bernyanyi bersama para "sahabat peterpan" menikmati lagu-lagu yang sangat dekat dengan kehidupan bersekolahku...

Rasanya sedih mendengar suara Ariel yang menyanyikan ulang sebaris lirik itu,

"Tak Ada Yang Abadi..."

Memang, tak ada yang abadi, Sayangku, tapi setidaknya biarkanlah kita nikmati saat ini, bersama-sama....

To Fend Off Boredom

As usual, being a middle level employee in my company, I had access and privilege to give orders to my subordinate -- and of course they have to obey, or else!

So I asked one of the technician to pose as model for my boss' Kawasaki Ninja. It's a mutual thing as we all benefited from the work this afternoon.

Adi, the model, can use the pictures as his photo ID in chat-rooms and upload it in a social networking site he joined.

Me, I can get a free chance to get to know the dynamic of shooting outdoor using available light, with properties provided by my boss.

My boss, he can get a laugh out of seeing it all. Fun came hard these days, you know.

So, although I wish we had more properties like sunglasses and bandana, and even a matching black leather trousers and black leather boots, these pictures showed me some potentials ready to be explore more!

A Sea Of Difference...

You know how much I might differ from your average male friend?

A lot, maybe.

This one example, was when I browse latest gallery upload on one of a photography community website here, while people actually comment on how funny the picture is; the great tonal; what I saw give me the creeps and send a cold-chill down my spine.

Actually, seeing the thumbnail first even gave me shiver.

It portrayed some kind of monkey behind cage, the expression is almost made me want to puke -- like every time I see despair in people's eyes. That kind of pictures: despair; hopelessness; agony; fear; touches me at a very basic level, the kind that evoke deep emotions.

And it bothers me, a lot.

Crap.

Editorial Bondage -Max Ucraina -ph. Eolo Perfido

Editorial Bondage -Max Ucraina -ph. Eolo Perfido, originally uploaded by valeriaorlando.

talking bout a model photography, this is the kind of photo that i wish i could do one day!
:D

Aku Sedang Berpikir

Kalau aku sudah lelah.
Cape.
It's more as a mind thing than physical.
T.I.R.E.D.

A Terrible Lesson Over Punctuality

It has been a while since last I manage to steal some office time and bandwidth to post here. But believe me that the abstinence is killing me.

So in this post I felt the urge to tell you an episode that I learned the hard way. About discipline and punctuality.

I went to Bandung to get a chance to shoot Aura Kasih live on stage, in the Miss Celebrity 2008 event, hosted by SCTV and Ciwalk.

Now, if I'm discipline and punctual, I should be able to shot lots of frames of Aura Kasih performing on stage. But because my own stupidity and inappropriate politeness, all I manage was 14 frames of her and not even a single one can be of any worth!

Because I can't be punctual (and leave anybody who disrespect the term), my 400km journey worth crap. I want to kick my ass and beat the hell out of that stupid guy who called himself "professional photographer". No wonder he suck. His photography must be lousy too. It showed in his attitude. I'm about to launch myself on a series of trash talking here, but thought better of it.

Now, lesson learned. If anybody, even my close friend, asked me to join on a photo hunting, he/she must be punctual. He/she must prepared to travel on schedule.



Or else, I would have just leave him/her out.

Sigh, all the time, energy, and money spent on this previous weekend...

Wasted.

Where's My...

New Nikon D90 with the appropriate lens Nikkor AF 80-200mm f/2.8 D !?!?!?!

How long should I wait for a new SLR body?

And a new lens?

Actually, all I have to do is visit a camera store -- either in Kemang, Pasar Baru, Bendungan Hilir, or Gunung Sahari -- to obtain that lens.

But I prefer to wait before buying a new lens.

I want a new body!!!

I Miss All The Adventure

You know what I miss from all the field work?





The view of amazing landscapes, created by God.

I Felt Like Cheated!!!

Crap.

I just paid IDR 138.000,00 for DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD October 2008 edition at Aksara Kemang while I paid just IDR 110.000,00 for its August 2008 edition at Periplus Plaza Senayan. All of it because I thought I could save IDR 2.000,00 buying WIRED October 2008 at that hype bookstore!

I just felt being swindled.

But maybe not.

You see, taking into account the amount of time I spent reading at Aksara (that is, while being seated somewhere) versus standing up inside the Periplus booth at Plaza Senayan -- plus the parking fee -- I saw a little bit of relief.

The cost run like this:

Shopping at Aksara Kemang:
WIRED Magazine IDR 76,000.00
DCW Magazine IDR 138,000.00
Parking Fee IDR 2,000.00
--------------------------------------- +
TOTAL IDR 216,000.00

Shopping at Periplus Plaza Senayan:
WIRED Magazine IDR 78,000.00
DCW Magazine IDR 110,000.00
Parking Fee IDR 12,000.00
--------------------------------------- +
TOTAL IDR 200,000.00

Ouch.

Even though I paid flat rate parking at Kemang and a time-based rate at Plaza Senayan, plus assuming that the October edition of DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD October 2008 cost as much as the last one, it was obvious that I'd better off shopped at Periplus Plaza Senayan!

Please remind me to check this month's price of DCW magazine at Periplus!

If the above numbers are true, coming this November I'd be shopping at Periplus instead!

Cross-Franchise Actors, More To Come?

Tahun 2009 ini kita akan menikmati konklusi dari saga John Connors dalam TERMINATOR SALVATION.

Uniknya, bermain sebagai John Connors adalah Christian Bale (Batman Begins dan Dark Knight)!

Wowowow! Bale sebagai Bruce Wayne dan Bale sebagai John Connors? Memangnya ke mana si bengal Edward Furlong? Is he dead?

Lalu aku berandai-andai: Mungkin gak ada aktor lain yang juga tampil lintas waralaba?

Jawaban: Ada! Harrison Ford dalam serial Indiana Jones dan Star Wars!

Lebih spesifik: Kalau yang lintas platform? Misalkan Terminator dibuat dan dikembangkan untuk movies sedangkan Batman berasal dari komik lalu ke serial televisi (Adam West!) baru kemudian ada versi layar lebarnya. Pemeran utamanya adalah Christian Bale.

Bagaimana kalau...

Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, 2006) selain sebagai Clark Kent/Superman bermain dalam sebuah film layar lebar dari tokoh game!
Mungkin sebagai Luigi? Itu, saudaranya si Mario dari Super Mario Bros.?
Brandon Routh berkumis lebat memakai overal kuning?

Ahem...

RAWs Are Pain In The Ass!

(Or: How I Spend My Previous Weekend)


Actually, let me start by saying that I wouldn't be sure if it's the hardware or software's, but it seemed that every time I put my machine into "multiple" multitasking mode, I ended up rebooting it. Like when I opened up two word documents, one spreadsheet, a couple of window browser (with at least half a dozen tabs each) PLUS Winamp, my machine died. It just simply shutdown itself -- just like what'd happen if you press the POWER button for like ten seconds.

For a second, I was staring at columns of numbers. The next second, the screen went blank. Blip. Just like that.

My guess is that I have insufficient RAMs in my machine, or the machine died every time the processor's temperature climb up passed the threshold, or even when the computation made some internal jam inside the circuit, or just some Windows problem that usually -- as many of us familiar with -- crashed for no apparent reason.

I tried to open only the programs I want to run at one time (no more multiple multitasking) and no other, but the machine just died out the same. But there are periods where I could just open as many Office documents as I need and a couple of browser's windows and a media player yet the machine run smoothly.

So that it was in the described condition when I finally decided to convert almost all of my RAW files into the standard JPEGs. I tried using the IrfanView to batch processed my .NEFs but when I opened up all the pictures later I lost all of the EXIF datas. Not that there is compromise to the image quality that I am aware of, but lacking of data as improtant as EXIF was just unbearable. I thought that maybe this was just IrfanView so I decided to use Picasa instead. Much to my dismay, the .NEF's conversion to .JPG result just the same, there is no EXIF data other than "Picture Taken With Picasa 2.0"! Another image editing software was used but the data was still missing after the conversion. That's when I finally decided to use the Nikon's PictureProject, the proprietary software that came in a CD within the camera's bundling package.

It turn out that after the RAW conversion to JPG format, the EXIF datas were still embedded! Hooray!

Then it was logical that I decided to make it easier for me to batch process all five hundred and fifty pictures in that one folder. In the PictureProject imported photos, I selected all the pictures and made the command to convert them into JPEGs -- in excellent quality.

That was when my machine started to mess with me again. Everytime I batch converting multiple selected photos, the machine just went flop without warning. I tried to lower down the amount of photos for conversion yet the thing just kept on shutting down. Flip, the screen went blank and the low humming of the fan stop. I started the machine again and kept lowering the number of processed photos but the machine died each time. This happened again and again untill I managed to guess that the optimal amount of photo conversion without the machine turned off is nine files.

Imagine it, hundreds upon hundreds of photos being processed in a batch of nine files. Add the factor that it took about a quarter of- to half a minutes to convert one file. Basically I ended up doing nothing because I must check the proceedings every a couple of minutes just to make sure that the machine kept on processing and not shut down.

But even after that precautios effort, the machine died a couple of times.

And after another frustrating routine of powering the machine ON again, I came to a conclusion: If RAW processing is just like this, I might as well stop saving pictures I take in RAW. This will lessen the time consumed on backing up my photos and that means I can do another project right after downloading all the pictures to be stored temporarily into the machine's harddrive storage.

That means less one step in my work-flow.

That's why I came to a conclusion that I won't be shooting in RAW format again unless I was going to spend time later on tweaking the photos THEN saving it as JPEGs! And I won't be shooting RAW if I can help it.

Because the conversion process took time and the RAW format images are two to four times as large as the JPEG's stored in drives; it can only be seen after installed additional .LIB files or plug-ins; and different type of the same brand have different format of RAWs!

Other than that reason (i.e. for later tweaking), shooting in RAW format are just causing Pain in the ass!!!

P.S.: My bottom and my back is killing me because of all the sitting and almost no excercising. Cr*p! No wonder, it took me about five hours to finish converting about nine hundred .NEF (Nikon's RAW format) files.

A Female Autobots!?!?

Menyusul kesuksesan The Transformers (2007), beredar rumor tentang karakter-karakter baru yang akan muncul di dalam The Transformers 2. Salah satu yang paling menarik tentunya adalah kemunculan sebuah Autobot perempuan (betina?), dengan konsep model seperti ini:




Yang kubayangkan adalah Megan Fox mengenakan sejenis jumpsuit ketat dengan warna senada memacu motor ini mencoba menyelamatkan si chickensh*t Shia Lebok(!) -- or whatever his name is -- dari kejaran Starscream (Decepticon yang di ending film terlihat terbang tinggi menembus awan).

Ehem ehem. What about this idea, Mr. Bay?

Memang fantasi tentang robot perempuan dari dulu selalu menarik - terutama bagi laki-laki. Mungkin ada yang salah di otak kami ini? Entahlah. Daya tarik tema seperti ini begitu besar bagi kami yang mungkin tergolong ke nerd, geek, atau sekedar kutu buku and/or AFC.

Mungkin kalian ingat tentang video clip Aerosmith yang "Falling in Love is Hard on Your Knees", aku rasa itu tentang seorang pemuda yang menciptakan fembot. Yup, fembot dan bukan robot perempuan (atau bahkan robot betina). Bahkan di internet kita bisa menemukan forum tentang fembot seperti yang ada di sini, atau sebuah tulisan yang mengulas kenapa kita (laki-laki!) begitu tertarik dengan fembot.

Anyway, mungkin perlu diperjelas, fembot itu secara penampilan luar mirip dengan manusia (perempuan), sedangkan karakter baru Autobot itu (kalau benar dimunculkan) adalah jelas-jelas hanya sedikit menyerupai wanita. Yang dulu sempat muncul dalam pikiranku adalah: apakah dia digilir oleh para Autobot? Atau dia "gula-gula"-nya Optimus Prime?

Apakah sebenarnya pertempuran Decepticon dan Autobot itu selain merebutkan energy cube, juga merebut/mempertahankan satu-satunya robot perempuan (betina?) di planet Cybertron? Apakah ini juga menjadi semacam analogi bagi kita di bumi, bahwa wanita adalah sumber masalah? Ingat Kuda Troya?

(Arguably, is the REAL problem just because of the male EGO?)

Jepang sudah memproduksi boneka perempuan yang memiliki tubuh idaman para pria (dan wanita juga). Kepala boneka ini bisa dipertukarkan. Bahkan dada mereka (kabarnya) sangat mirip dengan dada perempuan bila diremas (and they even jiggles too)!!!

Tak lama lagi kita akan menemukan (bukan robot perempuan yang bisa berubah jadi sepeda motor) dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, robot perempuan atau fembot seperti yang sudah ada di Kanada (lihat video):




Ha ha ha!

Let Me Quote You: Perhaps DEATH Is Proud

from a New York Times article which can be found fully here.

What can one do? Go home, love your children, try not to bicker, eat
well, walk in the rain, feel the sun on your face and laugh loud and
often, as much as possible, and especially at yourself. Because the
only antidote to death is not poetry, or drama, or miracle drugs, or a
roomful of technical expertise and good intentions. The antidote to
death is life.

which I found really true.

18 and Life

"Ricky was a young boy,
he had a heart of stone..."



I didn't know it before - but now I do - how I could even headbanging to the sound of hair-metal!

And even did air-guitar acts!

That quote was from Skid Row's 18 and Life and you sure are familiar with the melody, that is if you grew up the way I did, listening to rock and metal bands alone because nobody in your house seemed to enjoy the melody of the guitars, the heavy riffs, distortions, screaming and high vocal pitch, agressive drummings, etc.



You see, sometimes in those adolescent years I felt kind of lonely because not many people I knew of were listening to rock bands.

Ah, that's not the point here.

I mean that while listening to Skid Row's album -- I played 18 and Life and I Remember You again and again -- I felt kind of nostalgic. And I was daydreaming of being a young boy (like Ricky) and being angry at the world that let me struggle to get through life even since a very young age.

"He had no money, oooh no good at home.
He walked the streets a soldier and he fought the world alone."

Now that was something that I thought I could relate to. Not in the way that I must be working so I could eat. I felt that somehow I was being alienated in my early years, as a kid, a teenager, and first couple of years in the college.

I am being nostalgic.

Imagine that: Me. Nostalgic.

Gee...

I must be old.

Terminator: Salvation

Just like any other sequels, I have heard for a long time that there will be a fourth(!) Terminator movie.

After The Rise Of The Machines, I thought that those Holywood execs won't be making another sequel because in my personal opinion, that TROTM was a flop.

Who'd want to see aging Terminator? Even a child can see that Arnold "The Governator" IS OLD. Yet he played and even bare his chest! Arnie seemed really beefed up! (I wonder what did the makeup artist put on his pecs)

Anyway, all I can do is wait for TERMINATOR: SALVATION the way I have to wait for IRON MAN 2 and THE AVENGERS.

60-Second Guide to Planning for Disaster Recovery

0:60 Evaluate Your Risk
Evaluate the possibility of each of the following disasters occurring and how your business would
recover from it: hardware failures, theft, malicious acts, mistakes, natural disasters.

Ask: How much is my data worth? How much would downtime cost my business each day? Each hour? Each minute? How much would my business lose if that data were lost permanently?

0:48 Plan for Disaster Recovery
Risk = Asset (anything that's valuable to your company) x Threat (events that may compromise
your data) x Vulnerability (weaknesses that might allow for the failure of a control that affects the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of your assets). Perform both qualitative and quantitative risk assessments, then choose from four risk management options:
mitigation, acceptance, avoidance, and transference.

0:36 Understand Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Form a BCP team to reduce the possibility that your business will be interrupted in the event of a disaster. Teams should have the right balance of technical skills, business process knowledge, and leadership to make your organization disaster resistant.

0:27 Evaluate Continuity and Recovery Solutions
Investigate possible technology solutions for disaster recovery: high-availability solutions, including redundant disks, mirrored servers, and clustered servers; uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs); data backup and off-site storage of media; and alternate-processing facilities,
including hot, warm, and cold sites.

0:18 Document and Maintain Your Disaster Recovery Plan
Document your disaster recovery plan in a format that's available to everyone who's expected to play a role in disaster recovery. Train responders. And keep the plan current in the face of your changing risks, infrastructure, and business environment.

0:07 Test Your Disaster Recovery Plan
Test your disaster recovery plan before disaster strikes. Choose from several testing methodologies for your organization's culture and resources, including: desk checks, structured walkthroughs, disaster simulation, parallel tests, full interruption tests, and routine tests.

© 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP

tentang allthematthewsrock.blogspot.com (lagi)

Yup, dari membaca begitu banyak posting aku di sini, kalian tentunya bisa menebak minatku.



Tetapi kalau kalian mengenal aku dari dulu, katakanlah sejak kuliah, tentunya kalian akan mengerti atau setidaknya menebak, ke arah mana tema minatku menuju.

Aku suka membaca. Aku suka musik. Aku suka pertunjukan musik hidup. Aku suka fotografi. Aku suka foto action.

Jadi, aku mencoba menekuni foto panggung. Tentu saja foto panggung pertunjukan musik.

Tetapi rasanya aku kurang berjuang untuk minat yang satu ini. Aku terlalu pemalas. Aku kurang mau berusaha mengejar panggung-panggung yang menampilkan pertunjukan musik.

Itulah yang menjadi tembok penghalangku selama ini.

Aku terlalu malas!

Aku pikir, setelah menyatakan hal tersebut kepada dunia, sudah saatnya aku berubah!

Kalau tidak sekarang, kapan lagi akan berubah dan menjadi lebih baik? Mempelajari dan menjadi ahli dalam bidang satu ini?

Tentunya aku tidak mau mengubah blog ini menjadi "allthematthewssucks!!!" karena itu bodoh. Aku masih muda dan aku masih punya banyak kesempatan!

Ayo Semangat!!!

allthematthewsrock!!!

OMG This Place's Kinda Over-hyped!

I went to my Facebook's Home page when I saw that a friend of mine just joined this RUSTIQUE Grill & Wine group.

YES, the food (supposed) to be great!

YES, the tiramisu taste very delicious!

And YES, the interior is so much -- I didn't know how to call it since I'm not that eloquent enough. It's just own that aura, atmosphere, and look that spelled: E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E.

But I -- in my own small, self-righteous mind -- think that this place is just over-hyped. In my opinion, I must disagree with claims that saying this place is one of the best restaurants in Indonesia.

Hell, maybe I'm wrong.

But the stuff there is just overpriced and I just think that all these people (in Jakarta) can live without all that splurging in the incessant spoils.


===

Oh yes, the contact info:

Email:
Website:	http://www.rustique-restaurant.com
Office:	Plaza Senayan Level P4 #413 - XXI Complex
Location:	Jl. Asia Afrika No.8 Jakarta, Indonesia

Let Me Quote You: Not The Camera!

Like what a very logical guy, Ken Rockwell could tell you:

YOUR equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend ceating great images. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the result you need.

Buying new gear will NOT improve your photography.

The camera's only job is to get out of the way of making photographs.

Apaan Sih Laki-Laki Ini???

Kali ini aku bekerja sambil mendengarkan album ANGKASA, sebuah band yang baru muncul di televisi tahun ini (AFAIK).

Dan, astaga, musik mereka sangat pas-pasan!

Kualitas bermusik, lirik, tema, semuanya pas-pasan.

Dan mengingat ini hanyalah contoh acak, bila semua band yang baru-baru ini muncul seperti ini temanya, ampun deh!!!

Tetapi sepertinya banyak banget band-band yang muncul di televisi (semua personil atau banyak personillnya laki-laki) memiliki lagu-lagu hit yang mengiba-iba, keputusasaan, dan perasaan tak berdaya menghadapi wanita.

LAKI-LAKI MACAM APA SIH MEREKA INI!

My GOD!!! Sepuluh tahun yang lalu, laki-laki yang membikin band musik lagunya garang atau temanya "cowo banget"!

Sekarang?

Ada apa sih dengan pelaku musik Indonesia? Kenapa sampah dan lagi-lagi sampah?

Masa di zaman emansipasi, laki-laki malah semakin cengeng dan menangisi para perempuan yang "pindah ke lain hati"? Bahkan "jadikan aku lelaki cadangan"?

WTF???

Namanya juga mencari yang lebih baik. Kalau dia pergi, entah si dia tidak puas dengan dirimu atau dia merasa tidak cocok untukmu. All in all, it's your fault. But that doesn't justify all the cheesiness and the crap you called music.

Dan aku pasti sudah gila, mau bertahan mendengar album ANGKASA ini dari single pertama sampai yang terakhir...

"The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder"

Sungguh menyenangkan bila kantorku dekat dengan toko buku impor, misalnya Kinokuniya.

Kemaren ketika menunggu hujan reda, aku berteduh di Plaza Senayan dan untuk tidak membuang-buang waktu bengong memandangi hujan turun, aku masuh ke dalam Kinokuniya.

Dari pintu masuk, aku langsung tertarik pada sebuah buku yang dipajang dengan strategis dan "meneriakkan" judul The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder oleh Vincent Bugliosi.

Isinya?

Bila kalian menekuni ilmu hukum atau tertarik dengan bacaan non-fiksi dan peduli tentang masalah internasional, mungkin akan tertarik dengan penjabaran seorang mantan jaksa penuntut umum (padanan jabatannya di Indonesia) ini tentang bahwa sudah sepantasnya seorang presiden seperti George W. Bush dituntut di pengadilan Amerika dengan tuduhan membunuh 4.000 warga negara Amerika yang dijadikan tentara dan sekitar 100.000 warga negara Irak yang mati sejak masuknya tentara Amerika ke Irak.

Penjabarannya dilakukan secara sistematis dengan maksud membuat sebuah kasus dengan tuntutan yang tidak tergoyahkan dan target vonis: "Guilty as charge."

Seandainya saja ada toko buku di dekat kantorku yang gampang dicapai dan bisa baca gratis seperti di Kinokuniya. Tentunya kalian bisa mencariku after hours di toko buku itu sedang membaca! Berdiri sih tidak apa-apa.

Kenapa ya di Indonesia buku-buku non-fiksi yang menarik sangat sulit untuk ditemukan?

Sesuatu yang aku iri dari kultur demokrasi dan kebebasan Amerika.

Indonesia Juara!!! (Main Kayu)

Baru saja membaca KOMPAS Sabtu. Berita halaman depan menampilkan cerita tentang Barack Obama.
Tetapi bukan itu yang menurutku seharusnya sebagai berita utama.

Berita paling paling menarik edisi ini ada di halaman 30, dengan judul: "Pemukulan Coreng Indonesia"
Itulah berita yang seharusnya -- menurut pendapatku pribadi -- ada di halaman pertama.
Bukan Obama.

Isi beritanya adalah Indonesia menjadi juara setelah menang dalam partai final Piala Kemerdekaan.
Hebatnya, tim nasional kita menang karena timnas Libya menolak melanjutkan pertandingan, setelah
seorang ofisial mereka dipukul oleh ofisial timnas kita, saat istirahat turun minum.
Dan hebatnya lagi, saat itu posisi adalah 0-1 untuk Libya.

Mengagumkan!
Timnas kita yang jago itu bisa menang tanpa memasukkan satu gol pun ke gawang lawan!
Terbukti, pendekar-pendekar tarung kita -- yang sekarang berseragam tim nasional -- adalah penerus ilmu kanugaran dari zaman dulu
lebih sakti daripada peraturan pertandingan internasional.

Di mana-mana dalam sebuah pertandingan sepakbola, pemenang adalah tim yang paling banyak memasukkan bola ke gawang lawan.
Tapi hanya timnas Indonesia yang mampu menjuarai sebuah kompetisi resmi internasional TANPA PERLU MEMASUKKAN SATU GOL PUN.

Kubayangkan di masa yang akan datang tim nasional Indonesia mampu membawa pulang Piala Dunia setelah menang di partai final,
melawan timnas Brasil,
dengan skor 0-0!!!
Cukup dengan menggunakan jurus tendangan maut; tapak sakti; cakar macan; tinju geledek; dan lain sebagainya; timnas Brasil yang
berisi para pecundang itu tidak mau lagi melanjutkan pertandingan pada saat pertandingan baru berjalan 15 menit!

Timnas kita memang kampiun! Nomor Satu!

TERIMA KASIH TIM NASIONAL INDONESIA!
KAMI BANGGA PADA PSSI!
HIDUP NURDIN HALID!
PIALA KEMERDEKAAN MEMANG MILIK KITA!
MERDEKA!

Man! We Male Are Shallow!

Here I am, in front of my terminal LCD screen, on a Friday night, just a few minutes shy from another Sa-turd-ay, and I'm accessing the galleries of some photography community site.

Just a quick glimpse will show you how shallow us, male, can be.

We like physical attractiveness. We are drawn to it. And the more cute/beautiful the face is, good. More voluptuous? Even better! Less gears and more bare skin? The best! The most popular in daily photos are human/model/pose category. The most comments? The sexiest female.

Man, we are shallow!

How come we take on photography just to take shots of beautiful chicks? I mean, yes, that is a positive point on taking up photography. I did it because I want to record my traveling experience. And yes, some cool stage photos too.

But I just refuse to get into that kind of Girl Galore Photography thing.

Life is more than just girls, brother.

And if you're taking it up just for the girls, my personal opinion is that you're bound to fail on both fields.

Or not.

T.O.A.D. - Santa Monica

She fills my bed with gasoline
You think I would've noticed
Her mind's made up
Her love is gone
I think someone's trying to show us a sign
That even if we thought it would last
The moment would pass
My bones will break and my heart would give
Oh, it hurts to live

And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
And I remember the day you told me it's over

It hurts to breathe
Well every time that you're not next to me
Her mind's made up
The girl is gone
And now I'm forced to see
I think I'm on my way
Oh, it hurts to live today
Oh and she says "Don't you wish you were dead like me?"





And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
And I remember the day you told me it's over

I wanted more than this
I needed more than this
I deserve more than this
But it just won't stop
It just won't go away

I needed more than this
I wanted more than this
I asked for more than this
But it just won't stop
It just won't go away

And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left it all behind
And I remember the day you told me it's over

And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
Yeah, I remember the day you told me it's over

It's Friday Again

Suddenly, it's Friday again.

Not really much I can do about work. The tasks that was my share is still causes me headache.

But the more I think that after finishing them, I have no reasons to bitching about anymore. Or maybe I can bitch about being unproductive and how that will cost the company to pay my salary just for sitting.

Because I know that even when I finish everything before the Iedul Fitri holiday, I can't go anywhere, not without compromising my position as a superior officer that should be around the office setting examples of discipline to the other employee.

This sucks.

I feel stranded and to think about all the things that I can see (and maybe photo) outside... Sigh. Office works sucks.

I wonder how can I persuade my boss to gave me leave and/or permission to go out? Because right now, most of my work regarding all the worksites can be done by phone and e-mail.

Damn these advanced technologies.

ScribeFire: A Newly-Installed Add-On On My Firefox

I found this one while blogwalking and sure the post made me want to try this one.
Boy, the way it handle my signing in and easiness in my future blogging activities!
If you're using Mozilla Firefox and do blogging, please try this Add-On!
Look up for SCRIBEFIRE.

Really great add-on!

Hooray! A New Nikon D90!!!

Finally, a new DSLR from Nikon!

About time, too! I've always been thinking of upgrading my D50 and this one new camera (probably sell around USD 1,000.00) just right about the price tag that I can afford!

And it shoot video too! And Live View! And compability with all AF lenses!

And it should be entering market BEFORE the Iedul Fitri holiday season!

.... Oh crap, that'd be a reason to make this one price sky-rocketing the moment it sell in Indonesia.

Oooooohh..... Crap. Crap crap crap.

How about my Destination: Bali mission...?

It's Not That Hard Being Mediocre, But It's Hellish Torture Listening To Cinta Laura's "Oh Baby"!

Omigod omigod omigod!

Talking about another up and coming shooting starlet -- a very mediocre one -- that is very perfect for dissing!

But Cinta Laura is different. She is so young of age that (back then a couple of decade ago) she is innocent. Just look at her, so sweet, funny, cheerful, friendly personality.

Although she is a (sinetron, thus infotainment) star that everybody loved -- to adore or to despise.


This video was uploaded by sonybmgindonesia.

Let's quit the crap, shall we?

I mean, aren't you, my fellow Indonesian citizen, are being ridiculously stupid for making this particular girl as Indonesia's Sweetheart?

What do you see in her, actually?

Her made-up Indo-English-ish(!) accent?

Her fair skin?

Her beautiful face?? (d'oh!)

Her (less-than-adequate) acting talent?

Her (horrible) singing talent?

Her (tremendously lame) dancing sequence?

Do you love her just because she is physically attractive (or: beautiful)???

I PERSONALLY HELD IN CONTEMPT THE VIEW THAT PEOPLE SHOULD GET MORE CHANCES AND OPPORTUNITIES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL, because, in its own way, it is A DISCRIMINATING ACT.

Cuti Bersama

Nah, libur akibat cuti bersama sebentar lagi tiba! Hore!

Tak menyangka setahun telah berlalu sejak aku merasakan efek dari cuti bersama (diantaranya: jatah cutiku dipotong dan dimasukkan ke "cuti bersama" ini).

Aku tak tahu akan bagaimana cuti kali ini tapi aku ingin sekali melakukan perjalanan lagi and this time it'll be: Destination: Bali.

Naaah... *waving arm in a dismissing motion*

Musical Fireworks

There was this Musical Fireworks Show at Summarecon Gading Serpong, which I was very intent on getting some fireworks photos!

It turned out all my fireworks photos are crap-tastic!

Maybe because I was torn between shooting Dewi Dewi and the fireworks display. Guess which one won? Ha ha...



The advertising blimp, remote-controlled, hover above us visitors and spectators.




Doni from Ada Band, singing and (as always) being almost-non-communicative with the audience.




Rossa, changed wardrobe like, three times?




One...



Two...



Three..!
Now I believe you can guess which object attract me the most from this show, right?



Bams Samsons, girls really dig this kid!

Tele-Zoom Lens

For an action photography, I think that my Nikon AF 70-300mm G is not adequate enough.
Take a look at this photo for an example.

Because the action happened in broad daylight, I was able to capture the contestant's facial expression clearly enough. That two shots at the lower side was at 300mm f/5.6! That's why the depth of field is somewhat large.

But to buy a wider (or "faster") lens, I had not been able to sum up the money needed.

Damn, life's hard when you're dirt poor!

So that leave me with the option of ONLY shoot with my tele-zoom in BROAD DAYLIGHT - which left me with so little possibilites (which I haven't explore yet)!

On second thought, maybe it's an adventure waiting in shooting tele with my lens here! Remember: I already purchase a monopod.

In the end, its better to have this lens for everyday shooting. It is CHEAP enough - even for me - that if it get broken I could just go to a respectable camera store and buy another one...

Menonton Sampai Mati

Mungkin Minggu ini aku akan menonton saja sampai mati. Atau sampai buta. Atau sampai aku kesal berada di dalam ruangan terus menerus.

Tadi aku sudah mempersiapkan diri dengan membeli beberapa judul film baru! Tidak berarti baru rilis sih, hanya bahwa itu film belum pernah kutonton sebelumnya. Jadi tentu saja akan menjadi pengalaman pertama menonton.

Beberapa film memang kucari hanya karena kemungkinan untuk melihat adegan perkelahian, penyiksaan, kebrutalan. Beberapa karena aku ingin melihat kelucuan dan humornya. Beberapa lagi karena aku berharap bisa melihat tubuh-tubuh seksi dan kulit-kulit mulus dari para pemainnya. All in all, I aim for the B- and C-list movies.

Judulnya (in no particular order) adalah:

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?
--> Morgan Spurlock yang membuat "Super Size Me", film yang menurutku lucu sehingga aku memutuskan untuk menonton film yang ini.

FUTURAMA: THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS
FUTURAMA: BENDER'S BIG SCORE
--> What more can you say? It's Futurama!

THE WIZARD OF GORE
--> B-movie? C-movie? Dunno, but it also cast The Suicide Girls!

THE MACHINE GIRL
--> With taglines such as "She won't stop until she's got REVENGE!" and "It's Payback Time!" what is to expect? Another Japanese high-school chick turned violent and kill all the bad guys (which are suppose to be males)? YOU BET!!!

MIDNIGHT MOVIES
--> A documentary.

SHAMO
--> Another (might be) Japanese super-violence action movie. Expect to see blood-smeared hero! But this one is a male.

BRA BOYS
--> Another documentary, but this one about surfing.

CROWS ZERO
--> Yet another Japanese high-school action movie. Probably ultra-violent too. Don't know till I've seen them!

BTK
--> Stands for: Bind, Torture, Kill.
Hmm... Oh, I know! "Hip hip hooray!"

NEVER BACK DOWN
--> Now this one is just the bonus, offered by the shopkeeper.
One that had all-white 100% American guy kick some baddies' ass (but not before he got beaten up and then search for a true martial art guru to teach him to be the ultimate hero and then later he got hooked up with that busty blond).
Or probably not.

Anyway, WELCOME.... WEEKEND!!!

Bitchin' Bout Benefit Of Bein' Attractive

Kenapa kita bisa begitu bodoh?

Kebanyakan orang (baca: lelaki) akan dengan mudah dimanfaatkan oleh wanita-wanita yang memiliki daya tarik fisik lebih.

Kebanyakan wanita (dan pria) yang secara fisik lebih menarik untuk dilihat akan mendapatkan keunggulan dan kemudahan lebih daripada mereka yang secara fisik tidak cukup menarik untuk dilihat.

Kebanyakan wanita (dan pria) tidak perlu berusaha bekerja sekeras orang lain yang secara fisik termasuk kategori "biasa saja". Ini kenyataan dan kebanyakan dari kita yang termasuk golongan "tampilan fisik biasa saja" sudah menerima kenyataan ini sebagai realitas sekaligus kondisi normal/wajar.

MASALAHNYA, INI TIDAK WAJAR!!!

Aku menganggap ini tidak adil. Aku menganggap pembedaan perlakuan ini tidak benar.

Sayangnya, sering kali aku juga melakukan hal yang sama. Aku mengistimewakan orang (baca: perempuan) yang menarik secara fisik. Rasanya tidak tega untuk berlaku keras dan menerapkan peraturan yang sama kepada kelompok ini. Seakan-akan penerapan disiplin yang sama akan merusak kemulusan kulitnya; menimbulkan kerutan di wajah cantiknya; membuat harinya tak lagi indah. Sehingga seakan-akan semua itu adalah dosa...

Brengsek...! Aku, kau, kalian, mereka, semua TOLOL!

Orang-orang seperti ini biasanya "terbiasa" dipenuhi semua keinginannya. Biasa dibukakan jalannya. Biasa dimudahkan kerjanya. All that benefit for being granted celestial beauty.

Aku sadar kenyataan ini. Aku tidak menyukai kenyataan ini. Aku menentang keadaan ini. Aku membenci orang-orang yang menyadari efek dari daya tarik fisik mereka dan memanfaatkannya dengan sebesar-besarnya kemakmuran diri sendiri.

Aku memang goblok dan menerapkan standar ganda.

Sebab ternyata sering kali aku malah membantu; menolong; mengutamakan kenyamanan kaum pemilik daya tarik fisik ini.

= = = = = = = = =


Seperti kata mendiang Ivan Scumbag : "KALIAN SEMUA T**!!!"

UPDATED: 2008-08-22

This time I saw -- thus, experienced -- again things that I've said above.
I mean, other than this one person is physically attractive, her attitude made me -- NO, scratch that -- make me want to (censored), (censored) and (censored)!!!

The opposite sex easily fell for this physically beautiful person, JUST BECAUSE THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ONLY.

WHICH MADE ME ASPHYXIATED IN ANGER.

US DAMN MORONS!!!

(Is It) For Sale: Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIs (?)

A friend of mine texted me and asked whether or not I'm interested in selling my Nikon lens, 50 mm f/1.4 and at what price would I be willing to let it go.



I remembered that I bought this lens at HARPA in PASAR BARU (Jakarta Pusat). I think it was pure luck. This one came in great condition with no apparent scratch or signs of misuse in the outer part.



The old man even throw me an original Nikon lens cap (albeit used and in that condition you can see in the picture above).



You can see the aperture ring that read 1.4 up to 16 -- in orange color -- that that particular code told you that this is an AIs lens (if my googling is correct).



Here is another closer look at the aperture ring.



And shown here is the adjacent side of the lens. Notice that the condition is still good -- I'm not going to tell you it is in mint condition or anything because that term is loosely used nowadays -- and I'm keeping it safe in a dry box.



Here you can see another side of the lens with the written "Made in Japan" above the metal ring.



Here is the front optic condition, still good, no visible scratchmarks, no fungi infestation, and believe me, I rarely used this one so it's still in the same condition as at the time I bought it. Oh yeah, the serial number for this lens is 5369700.



Here is the aperture set at f/16.



Here I set it at f/8.



And here is it opened at its widest, f/1.4!

I didn't post any example pictures because I can't seem to find any since I lost my harddrive to some incident. And about the time I post this, I didn't have the time to take any interesting photos.