I tried to squeeze a TRX workout yesterday despite having to run all over the place. I was quite happy to be able to complete the workout within 50 minutes. That was enough time for me to do all my other chores at home.
Warm up and stretches - 5 minutes
TRX hip press - 45 secs
TRX overhead back extension - 45 secs
TRX lunges - 10 per leg
TRX pike - 45 secs
Rest 1 minute then repeat, before moving on to
TRX sprinter start - 10 per leg
TRX side lunge - 45 secs
TRX hamstring runner - 45 secs
TRX body saw - 10 reps
Rest 1 minute then repeat, before moving on to
TRX kneeling roll out - 5 reps per side
TRX burpee - 5 per side
TRX deltoid fly - 45 secs
Rest 1 minute then repeat, before moving on to
50 KB swings (25 per arm)
Not doing these kind of workout in a while has caused me ab cramps during today, since most TRX workouts engages your core like none other. I will try to stick to this plan, since:-
a) Its more methodical, meaning running away from it is less likely
b) Its progressive yet ever changing, so I don't get bored with it
c) While tiring, its doesn't entirely burn you out and leave you sore immediately after
For strength training, I'll try to keep it to 1-2 times a week only, since I'd need more rest to recover.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
My photographic journey..
My wife gets annoyed a lot because I love snapping random pictures of her.. I bet in her head she thinks "Why is does this bugger loves snapping photos all the time..?"
I guess it all started even before I was born.. My grandfather was considered well-off for a person of his time; not rich, but he managed to give a comfortable living for his family.
One item of luxury that he had was a camera. I don't know what camera he had or if it was even his, but all I know is that he loved photographing his family.
Years gone by and so my mother entered the family, and she, too loves being photographed. I guess I've seen my mother grew from a child into a mother, thanks to all of the photos she collected over the years.
Then came me, and my life, too was recorded. Same goes for my brothers and sister, where their lives where recorded and kept. We have a whole bookshelf dedicated to all those photographs we collected over the years, and you can spend a whole day just going to HALF of them.
I picked it up from my parents. They had their own camera, but I wanted something I can use myself. Therefore, at the age of 11, I was given a disposable camera to snap photos.
Since my parent's thought I was good at taking photos, they bought a second camera to be left at home, which I can use (they won't let me use their camera).
On my 17th birthday, my parents finally got me a real camera.
I used this camera a lot for 2 years. I even used it to snap photos of my cousin's wedding entirely. My parents also bought a new camera within that time frame, which I am actually using today, even after 13 years it's still going strong..
Finally, on 2003, I followed suit with the digital era. I saved up and bought my first, "crappy" digital camera.
"Crappy" in the sense of today's standard, of course. Batteries were 2 AA's, which only lasted 60-70 shots. It was also only 2 megapixels.. Back then the standard was 3.2 megapixels.
Between 2003 and 2005, I familiarised myself with lomography, which back then, was quite unknown to many. I bought myself an actionsampler and a colorsplash, which I enjoyed.
Moving on to 2005. Phones now have coloured screens and cameras on them. While convenient, I still loved a good ol' camera at hand.. So as I finished my diploma, I was given this camera:-
This cybershot stayed with me for 3 years.. During which, I started to learn a bit more about photography. I moved backwards instead of forward, obtaining old film cameras to learn the basics of photography.
Old film cameras were dirt cheap in thrift shops and antiques stores in Australia. I actually bought, repaired, used, and sold off almost all of these cameras during this period:-
And I have to admit, over the years after that, certain cameras I would buy them again, use them, and resell again, namely the Lomo LC-A, Yashica GSN and Olympus XA.
I even bought (and sold off after 6 months) this great Olympus camera during that period. It was for me to compare the exposures of the images taken by these film cameras.
Moving onto 2007. I graduated and stayed in Singapore to make a living. Time was scarce at first to snap photos, so I got myself a good zoom camera as a daily camera.
Of course this did not satisfy my thirst for good image quality and bokeh, so I soon moved onto my first DSLR...
And soon my second...
And then my last...
The Olympus E-420 would be my last DSLR.. Main reason was because I wanted to become a light traveler, so I moved onto mirror less cameras.
Finally, I settled with these two cameras..
I finally settled with a Fuji X100 mainly due to its image quality. I realised that I've accustomised myself with fixed focal length cameras (thanks tot he different camera bodies I've used) and am comfortable with a 35mm focal length.. This will also deter me from Gear Acquisition Syndrome and wo't make me want to buy newer lens, etc.
I guess it all started even before I was born.. My grandfather was considered well-off for a person of his time; not rich, but he managed to give a comfortable living for his family.
One item of luxury that he had was a camera. I don't know what camera he had or if it was even his, but all I know is that he loved photographing his family.
Years gone by and so my mother entered the family, and she, too loves being photographed. I guess I've seen my mother grew from a child into a mother, thanks to all of the photos she collected over the years.
Then came me, and my life, too was recorded. Same goes for my brothers and sister, where their lives where recorded and kept. We have a whole bookshelf dedicated to all those photographs we collected over the years, and you can spend a whole day just going to HALF of them.
I picked it up from my parents. They had their own camera, but I wanted something I can use myself. Therefore, at the age of 11, I was given a disposable camera to snap photos.
Since my parent's thought I was good at taking photos, they bought a second camera to be left at home, which I can use (they won't let me use their camera).
On my 17th birthday, my parents finally got me a real camera.
I used this camera a lot for 2 years. I even used it to snap photos of my cousin's wedding entirely. My parents also bought a new camera within that time frame, which I am actually using today, even after 13 years it's still going strong..
Finally, on 2003, I followed suit with the digital era. I saved up and bought my first, "crappy" digital camera.
"Crappy" in the sense of today's standard, of course. Batteries were 2 AA's, which only lasted 60-70 shots. It was also only 2 megapixels.. Back then the standard was 3.2 megapixels.
Between 2003 and 2005, I familiarised myself with lomography, which back then, was quite unknown to many. I bought myself an actionsampler and a colorsplash, which I enjoyed.
Moving on to 2005. Phones now have coloured screens and cameras on them. While convenient, I still loved a good ol' camera at hand.. So as I finished my diploma, I was given this camera:-
This cybershot stayed with me for 3 years.. During which, I started to learn a bit more about photography. I moved backwards instead of forward, obtaining old film cameras to learn the basics of photography.
Old film cameras were dirt cheap in thrift shops and antiques stores in Australia. I actually bought, repaired, used, and sold off almost all of these cameras during this period:-
And I have to admit, over the years after that, certain cameras I would buy them again, use them, and resell again, namely the Lomo LC-A, Yashica GSN and Olympus XA.
I even bought (and sold off after 6 months) this great Olympus camera during that period. It was for me to compare the exposures of the images taken by these film cameras.
Moving onto 2007. I graduated and stayed in Singapore to make a living. Time was scarce at first to snap photos, so I got myself a good zoom camera as a daily camera.
Of course this did not satisfy my thirst for good image quality and bokeh, so I soon moved onto my first DSLR...
And soon my second...
And then my last...
The Olympus E-420 would be my last DSLR.. Main reason was because I wanted to become a light traveler, so I moved onto mirror less cameras.
Finally, I settled with these two cameras..
I finally settled with a Fuji X100 mainly due to its image quality. I realised that I've accustomised myself with fixed focal length cameras (thanks tot he different camera bodies I've used) and am comfortable with a 35mm focal length.. This will also deter me from Gear Acquisition Syndrome and wo't make me want to buy newer lens, etc.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Film vs. Digital
I walked in today with my Fuji X100 (after repairs.. Thanks Fuji Malaysia for the excellent service!), and a colleague approached me asking on my opinion of a new camera she wanted to get. She was eying on a Sony Nex model and couldn't choose between a 3N or 5N. Price difference is around RM600-RM700. So I told her that since both had the same sensor and image quality, why not get the 3N, since it has less external controls that can confuse her.
Then she (and other colleagues) saw my X100 and got excited and wanted to play with it for a while. At first they were skeptical that I, an amateur photographer would go for a less known camera brand that doesn't have much products.
So one question popped up was, "since you like photography so much, why don't you invest in a full frame camera?"
I said,"But I have a full frame camera. I have a few of them. One is in my drawer.."
O_o confused face popped out.. Why would this guy keep a full frame camera.. In his drawer at the office?!?
And so I pulled my full frame out....
Laughter all thru the room...
"No lah.. this is not full frame.."
Excuse me... Do you even know what full frame means??
Since the early 21st century, people has forgotten how photography has evolved from one medium to another. Nowadays its all the hype of pixels and lens, creative filters and clean images in low light.
The term "full frame" is the equivalent size of a digital camera sensor to a 35mm film..
Thus, that makes my Olympus XA a full frame by definition, as it uses 35mm film as it's photographic medium.
Photography by modern day standards are much different from those barely 15 years ago. Today, a good camera body equates to better resolution, bigger sensor size, really good ISO (up to 25,600), high dynamic range and numerous good features like fast auto-focus, fast shutter speeds and frame to frame shots (10 frames per second), etc. But to get all this, people will have to spend thousands to get the best photographic experience. I've had the boss of Fish-Eye Studios come to my house (on leisure) with RM30,000 worth of gear on his shoulders (D3s with a 24-70 f2.8 lens).
Back in the heyday, It was all about the film. You can have the worse camera body imaginable, but can produce excellent photos with the right film. And here's the best part; all 35mm film are full frame.
That's why even with a crappy toy camera, you can produce good images. It may not be tack sharp, or too contrasty, or whatever, but it does have a feel that is very difficult to copy by digital.
Why digital has taken the world by storm is simple; its because of convenience. People can snap photos, review, and if they don't like it, they can snap it again and again. With film, unfortunately, you would have to finish the roll, send it in for developing, and can only review once its done.
I've followed a friend in 2002 to take photos of wildlife at a nature reserve once. There was a swarm of butterflies which he wanted to photograph. So he set up his tripod, camera, and fired away with different settings. He finished 1 roll of film on those butterflies. At the end of the day only 1 photo was to his standard, which he had to develop first.
Then it comes the issue of transferring that image. People now like to keep digital copies of their images as (again) it is more convenient. So people scan them. Of course you can get a 24 megapixel image from a film scan, but that can only be made by professional scanners which costs thousands, and takes a lot of time. I have a crappy 5 megapixel scanner to do that job, and while its not perfect, it gets the job done.
This image was taken by an Olympus Mju-ii. The only downfall of this image was my crappy scanner..
But does this mean film is dead? For me, hell no.. There is something about film that I love, the feel, the depth, the emotion, that digital cannot give. But would I give up digital? Well, no, since to become a good photographer one must practice A LOT, and that's where digital comes in.
Although once in a while I do enjoy taking photo with film. I have more film cameras than I do digital with me currently. I have This old Pentax body with an array of lenses, an Olympus XA, a Minox 35, an Olympus Mju-ii, and even soviet era cameras like the Lubitel 166 and Kiev 4. Film lets you approach photography in a calm, patient way, as you will have to choose the correct setting, compose, then shoot. While photography is about capturing the moment, you must also learn how to enjoy the moment when you peer down that viewfinder to take the shot as well.
Then she (and other colleagues) saw my X100 and got excited and wanted to play with it for a while. At first they were skeptical that I, an amateur photographer would go for a less known camera brand that doesn't have much products.
So one question popped up was, "since you like photography so much, why don't you invest in a full frame camera?"
I said,"But I have a full frame camera. I have a few of them. One is in my drawer.."
O_o confused face popped out.. Why would this guy keep a full frame camera.. In his drawer at the office?!?
And so I pulled my full frame out....
Laughter all thru the room...
"No lah.. this is not full frame.."
Excuse me... Do you even know what full frame means??
Since the early 21st century, people has forgotten how photography has evolved from one medium to another. Nowadays its all the hype of pixels and lens, creative filters and clean images in low light.
The term "full frame" is the equivalent size of a digital camera sensor to a 35mm film..
Thus, that makes my Olympus XA a full frame by definition, as it uses 35mm film as it's photographic medium.
Photography by modern day standards are much different from those barely 15 years ago. Today, a good camera body equates to better resolution, bigger sensor size, really good ISO (up to 25,600), high dynamic range and numerous good features like fast auto-focus, fast shutter speeds and frame to frame shots (10 frames per second), etc. But to get all this, people will have to spend thousands to get the best photographic experience. I've had the boss of Fish-Eye Studios come to my house (on leisure) with RM30,000 worth of gear on his shoulders (D3s with a 24-70 f2.8 lens).
Back in the heyday, It was all about the film. You can have the worse camera body imaginable, but can produce excellent photos with the right film. And here's the best part; all 35mm film are full frame.
That's why even with a crappy toy camera, you can produce good images. It may not be tack sharp, or too contrasty, or whatever, but it does have a feel that is very difficult to copy by digital.
Why digital has taken the world by storm is simple; its because of convenience. People can snap photos, review, and if they don't like it, they can snap it again and again. With film, unfortunately, you would have to finish the roll, send it in for developing, and can only review once its done.
I've followed a friend in 2002 to take photos of wildlife at a nature reserve once. There was a swarm of butterflies which he wanted to photograph. So he set up his tripod, camera, and fired away with different settings. He finished 1 roll of film on those butterflies. At the end of the day only 1 photo was to his standard, which he had to develop first.
Then it comes the issue of transferring that image. People now like to keep digital copies of their images as (again) it is more convenient. So people scan them. Of course you can get a 24 megapixel image from a film scan, but that can only be made by professional scanners which costs thousands, and takes a lot of time. I have a crappy 5 megapixel scanner to do that job, and while its not perfect, it gets the job done.
This image was taken by an Olympus Mju-ii. The only downfall of this image was my crappy scanner..
But does this mean film is dead? For me, hell no.. There is something about film that I love, the feel, the depth, the emotion, that digital cannot give. But would I give up digital? Well, no, since to become a good photographer one must practice A LOT, and that's where digital comes in.
Although once in a while I do enjoy taking photo with film. I have more film cameras than I do digital with me currently. I have This old Pentax body with an array of lenses, an Olympus XA, a Minox 35, an Olympus Mju-ii, and even soviet era cameras like the Lubitel 166 and Kiev 4. Film lets you approach photography in a calm, patient way, as you will have to choose the correct setting, compose, then shoot. While photography is about capturing the moment, you must also learn how to enjoy the moment when you peer down that viewfinder to take the shot as well.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Workouts continued..
My schedule over the past few month has been erratic, so much that I cannot keep to a decent workout schedule. I'm not complaining though, it's all about adapting to a new lifestyle and environment (which unfortunately till now I am struggling to adapt to). The sun sets earlier here (compared to Singapore) and it's not safe to jog at night. Also, dinner is promptly between 8-9pm, depending where it's taken (at home of outside).
I still try to keep to a decent exercise regime, as well as a decent diet. The last one is hard, as food eaten at home are mostly carb rich, and most food at home are those to be taken with rice.
Still, it doesn't stop me from trying. I still try to keep on intermittent fasting on weekdays and control my intakes on weekends. Unfortunately, food is one of my major vices and my comfort when things don't go my way (which is a lot nowadays).
My training? Well, I have body weight training tools (TRX and Jungle Gym XT), a sandbag (loaded at around 40kg) and a kettlebell. I try to stick on Mahler's 2-times-a-week strength training and do whatever to sweat during the rest of the week (KB swings, snatches, HIT training or just jog 5km). Does it work? I dunno, but for now, its better than doing nothing.
I still try to keep to a decent exercise regime, as well as a decent diet. The last one is hard, as food eaten at home are mostly carb rich, and most food at home are those to be taken with rice.
Still, it doesn't stop me from trying. I still try to keep on intermittent fasting on weekdays and control my intakes on weekends. Unfortunately, food is one of my major vices and my comfort when things don't go my way (which is a lot nowadays).
My training? Well, I have body weight training tools (TRX and Jungle Gym XT), a sandbag (loaded at around 40kg) and a kettlebell. I try to stick on Mahler's 2-times-a-week strength training and do whatever to sweat during the rest of the week (KB swings, snatches, HIT training or just jog 5km). Does it work? I dunno, but for now, its better than doing nothing.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Oppss.. I did it again..
Ok so I've been bitten by the "Gear Acquisition Syndrome".. I got myself another camera (2nd hand, and shamefully on installment) which is the Fuji X100.
Yes, I know Fuji X100s came out a few months ago.. But with the high price tag (RM3,500) I just can't make that purchase.
As such, I settled with the predecessor, the Fuji X100.
I spent my Labor Day at a camera shop and playing with the X100 and X100s. While the X100s is a beauty with lovely improvements over the X100, I thought to myself, "can live with the X100 shortcomings". And thus, a local shop was selling the X100 with installment, and so I got myself one.
But wait.. There was a problem with it. That camera was plagued with the Sticky Aperture Syndrome (or SAB as the internet calls it) and wouldn't step down (i.e. go to smaller apertures) when it was required to. I was devastated. Sure the shop was willing to refund but I really like the camera and for the bargain price, I decided to send it over to my friends at Fuji.
I have made several friends in Fuji due to the problem my X10 was experiencing previously. They helped sort it out and I was sure they could've helped me on the X100. Sure enough, despite the warranty period being over, they would repair the camera for me. All I had to do was wait for a week.
I'm amazed at their effort to keep their customers. Fuji isn't one of the big giants in the photographic world, since they don't have a huge array of products on their shelves. However, I've always loved the feel of their cameras and the image quality it produces, and decided to become a loyal customer to them. This has proven to be fruitful as their customer support is bar none.
Anyways the camera is coming next week, so I can't wait to play with the "new" old toy.
Anyways just to show how good the image quality can get:-
a photo from an Olympus E-PM1 (belongs to office). F4 @ ISO 2500. See how grainy it is with all the noise..
a photo from the Fuji X100 at f4 @ ISO 2500, with full crop... Where's the *&^*#&%#*% noise??
Besides from sensor size playing a huge factor (m4/3 is 40% smaller than an APS-C sensor), the Fuji X100, like the X10, uses a different sensor than other sensors in the market. That means it interprets light different and handles noise differently. The image from the X100 is grainy, but noise is hardly present and the grain is like film grain.
That being said.. I know I did the right thing to let go of all my m4/3 lens and body to get a fixed focal camera. Will it be limiting? Yes, but only to a certain extent. It will ensure I approach photography in a different manner, like those during my days of film cameras.
Just waiting patiently for the camera to come back!
Yes, I know Fuji X100s came out a few months ago.. But with the high price tag (RM3,500) I just can't make that purchase.
As such, I settled with the predecessor, the Fuji X100.
I spent my Labor Day at a camera shop and playing with the X100 and X100s. While the X100s is a beauty with lovely improvements over the X100, I thought to myself, "can live with the X100 shortcomings". And thus, a local shop was selling the X100 with installment, and so I got myself one.
But wait.. There was a problem with it. That camera was plagued with the Sticky Aperture Syndrome (or SAB as the internet calls it) and wouldn't step down (i.e. go to smaller apertures) when it was required to. I was devastated. Sure the shop was willing to refund but I really like the camera and for the bargain price, I decided to send it over to my friends at Fuji.
I have made several friends in Fuji due to the problem my X10 was experiencing previously. They helped sort it out and I was sure they could've helped me on the X100. Sure enough, despite the warranty period being over, they would repair the camera for me. All I had to do was wait for a week.
I'm amazed at their effort to keep their customers. Fuji isn't one of the big giants in the photographic world, since they don't have a huge array of products on their shelves. However, I've always loved the feel of their cameras and the image quality it produces, and decided to become a loyal customer to them. This has proven to be fruitful as their customer support is bar none.
Anyways the camera is coming next week, so I can't wait to play with the "new" old toy.
Anyways just to show how good the image quality can get:-
a photo from an Olympus E-PM1 (belongs to office). F4 @ ISO 2500. See how grainy it is with all the noise..
a photo from the Fuji X100 at f4 @ ISO 2500, with full crop... Where's the *&^*#&%#*% noise??
Besides from sensor size playing a huge factor (m4/3 is 40% smaller than an APS-C sensor), the Fuji X100, like the X10, uses a different sensor than other sensors in the market. That means it interprets light different and handles noise differently. The image from the X100 is grainy, but noise is hardly present and the grain is like film grain.
That being said.. I know I did the right thing to let go of all my m4/3 lens and body to get a fixed focal camera. Will it be limiting? Yes, but only to a certain extent. It will ensure I approach photography in a different manner, like those during my days of film cameras.
Just waiting patiently for the camera to come back!
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