PowerShot SX110 IS

Some of you might have noticed an increase in pictures in my blog. This is because my parents gave me a superb digital camera for Christmas. The camera is too good for this site, if I really want to show of the quality of the shots I'll have to sign up for Flickr or Picasa of something else, but here this is all you get.





The camera is a cross between an actual SLR and a compact camera. But the camera has been set up so well that some pro photographers like Prakash, Kenneth Hiew, and Elroi (my brother), have been very impressed by it. They are particularly impressed by the macro shots, which is like a microscope I tell you! The camera has what I call a noob mode and also has manual mode where all there are enough settings for any pro to make a very decent shot. On top of that, it's all wrapped up in a reasonably small size (compared to DSLRs), it fits in the same pouch as Canon's compact models.

The zoom too is to boast about, 10X optical zoom. Not a fan of the image stabilizer though, it gets in my way more than it helps. The metering is also not helpful when I use the flash. That one will require a lot of guesswork and even more time with my camera to get familiarize and get that shot. But for now I still blame myself for being untrained with cameras, but I thank God (and my parents) for giving me this camera. It has allowed me to experiment and better understand what a camera is all about.

So if you all appreciate the new look of the blog (with way more pictures), you know where the pictures came from. For one, I know Melanie is enjoying taking pictures, and yes, even videos of Mikayla, and when Mikayla grows up, she will realize that she has lots of high quality shots to choose from for her wedding day slide show. I know, that's kind of far off, but parents are paranoid that way.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

How many times have you received a gift and had this thought:

"Why not just give me the cash instead?" or "What am I supposed to do with this?" or "What a waste of money?"

Don't get me wrong I am not ungrateful, just being honest here. Don't lie to me, I know we have all had that experience. Then some of us hold onto the gift for another year or two and then "re-gift" it to another poor soul (or someone else who would actually appreciate it).

So far my philosophy for Christmas gifts is this: "if I wouldn't like to receive it, I won't give it". Maybe this might help some of you.

For me, the best thing to do is to give a "group gift", which means getting a few mutual friends (a term I learnt in Facebook) together and give something more significant. It will cost you the same, but the gift's value (not just monetarily) will grow exponentially. Although this would require some extra planning and organizing.

With Christmas looming and the prospect of having unwanted "surprises", I have created this "wish list" for those of you who genuinely love me but face the challenge of expressing your love through your Christmas giving. Hopefully this will make your Christmas shopping (for me) less stressful and more enjoyable (for you). Prices for the items on my wish list range from as low as RM2 to more over USD2,000. So go ahead, get a few guys together and do some planning/organizing!

Note:

* This is just a wish list, you know what wish means? Anyway, these days I'm dreaming big and I am not going to apologize about it. Hopefully they are God's dreams as well...

** This is not an exhaustive list, but a guide. I'm sure some of you have some great gift ideas for me, can't wait for Christmas...

Samsung Omnia

The all-in-one

Last Christmas, when Mikayla was born, for some unknown reason my pocket PC of almost 5 years died on me in the hospital. Since then I have been jumping from phone to phone, just borrowing people's cheap backup phones. I am currently using Osbourne's old and reliable Nokia.

The Omnia is really an all-in-one gadget. It has the usual Phone and PDA functions (i.e. calendar, to-do list, making and receiving phone calls, SMS, etc.). On top of the usual stuff this baby also has a built in GPS and AGPS, not to mention the HSPDA (3.5G) connectivity, also useful as a PDA and also as a thumb drive/external hard disk.

My life has really been a blur since my trusty O2 XDA II konged out. I feel a need to get my life back on track as I begin to build my ministry next year.

Mic Stand Pick Holder

The standard mic stand pick holder

I have a tendency to drop my picks when I play guitar, especially on fast songs (I think I just can't keep up with the tempo). Anyway apart from my efforts in practice, this item will come in helpful during those embarrassing times.

Similar but different

Outdoor Crocs (Red/Black)
With my faithful green pair of crocs wearing out, it is getting hazardous for me when it gets wet. Maybe I should just slip, fall, then sue Crocs for a new pair of Crocs?

My current Beach Croc is in the size of Men's 8-9. So might as well try the outdoor crocs this time around.

Red/Black colour is the best of the lot

A Taylor Guitar (814 or 914 series)

Not just another guitar, a Taylor 814... *drools*

Hope agianst all hope, but I just heard a message from a CD in Sarah Tan's car. The speaker excouraged us not to limit God. God has no limits, only we limit God by putting him into a box. So I decided to put this up as well. This is definitely out of the box.

As all of you would know guitars is a real passion of mine. I can't play it as well as I wished I could, so I resort to just loving the whole concept and idea of a guitar. This guitar would be more than a music instrument, it would be more a piece of art. I am currently tracking several auctions on Ebay. It is MUCH cheaper in US, since these babies are made in US. Currently the most attractive is this Taylor 2006 814ce Fall Limited Edition with sitka spruce top and Madagascar rosewood sides and back. Check this baby out! That's what I call a sexy back... yea...

The Madagascar Rosewood back

Sexy back... yea

Paul Gilbert Guitar Picks

Any color will do.

So far, I have found these to be the best picks. The size is right, the shape is right, the texture is right, the tone is right, even the colours are right. These are the only guitar picks I use, I exclusively use Paul Gilbert picks. I stumbled upon these picks one day when David Yeoh lent one of his picks to someone during worship practice, since then there was no turning back.

Recently I went to get myself a few more of these picks. I seldom lose my picks nowadays, unless I borrowed them to someone else, then they lose it for me. However these picks are currently dried up in Malaysia, all stocks are sold out, that is how popular these picks are. Anyway those still in my possesion are getting worn out. They are getting blunt on the tip from strumming, and getting holes on the sides from scrapping the strings. Time for a bunch of new ones. Think you can find some?

Clip On Guitar Tuner

This is the Intelli IMT-500, available at The Guitar Store.

There are many types of tuners out there, but the ones I am interested in are the clip on time. The clip on type don't require a guitar jack plugged in to them to start tuning. These also do not need silence while tuning because they are not reliant on the mic to pick up the guitar's pitch. These clip on are based on vibration that the guitar emits to determine the pitch of the guitar. These clip on type tuners are also generally smaller, for me, that's a plus.

This is how it is used.

Mikayla Harness

That's NOT Mikayla

With Mikayla turning 1 this Christmas season, she should very soon be running about. So as parents our job is to spoil her fun by putting her on a leash... A baby harness should allow both Melanie and I, and Mikayla some freedom and room. A simple one would be great. Not some "cute" bulky one.

Definitely not a fan of lugging more weight around.

Meet My Farida D52

Have you met? This is my Farida... Farida, meet the world...





I'm sure some of you have already met my baby (not Mikayla, neither is she Melanie), she is my other baby, and her name is Farida.

I bought this beautiful piece of guitar about 2 years ago from Pas. Julian Low, she should be about 3 years old now. Pas. Julian in turn bought her from the Guitar Store. Born in China the Farida D52 comes with a sitka spruce top with abalone shell soundhole inlays; South American mahogany sides and back with beautiful wood binding; 2-piece mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard adorned with mother of pearl (snowflakes and diamonds) inlays; nut and bridge made of whale bone; and chromed machine heads; finished off with matte/natural finish.

I have found my Farida D52 to be the benchmark for all other dreadnaughts to emulate. It is loud and boomy yet defined. The tone is very (did I say very? Yes, very, VERY) warm. To date I have not heard a guitar that gives a warmer tone. At the age of 4, she is just beginning to open up... gosh! Can't imagine when she opens up... When strummed it will easily engulf your cell group host's home, smaller halls will also be completely saturated with her sweet tones; when finger plucked it is just intimate and simply romantic. Perfect for times when you want to sing a simple song, as the voice of the guitar will shine through, just get your voice out of the guitar's way.

Recently I was considering selling this baby off for an upgrade. I was, and still is, looking for a Taylor (7, 8, or 9 series with Cindy in lays) or McPherson. I quickly realized my folly in wanting to trade her in for a "better" guitar during my trip down to Singapore. I was there for a holiday and also to hunt for a new guitar. After trying all the guitars that a Malaysian in Singapore could get his hands on, I realized that all dreadnaughts actually want to sound like MY dreadnaught! I quickly repented and decided that I was never going to part with my baby.

Sounds too good to be true? Check out this 5-star review on the Farida D52. I quote their bottomline, "For: Beautiful sounds, slim neck, great quality woods; Against: Nothing at all!" Believe it!

Click here to download the full review from Total Guitar Magazine

Note that my piece was specially selected and hand-carried by Guitar Store's guitar techs from the factory in China. Three of their technicians went over to check out the factory and guitars before bringing back these guitars. My piece was one of only six that were specially chosen to be brought back as samples. When it got back to Malaysia, Pas Julian immediately tried it out and immediately took the guitar home on credit term without second thoughts, it was that good. When I tried it out in Pas. Julian's house I wanted to immediately take it home as well, but he did not want to sell it then. However a few months later he made me an offer for the guitar and I pounced on it!

So since this guitar was going to be my legacy to Mikayla, I decided that I have to (finally) put in some electronics so that I can use it sometimes. For a long time I was considering the AER AK 15 plus pickup system. For the longest time this was the best choice because of 1) the non-invasive system that would not harm any part of my guitar, as no holes needed to be made to install this pickup, and 2) there are two sources, a standard piezo (under saddle pickup) as well as a mic. These two sources could be blended to create a different sound. Once I decided to put in the electronics I decided to give my friend Jon Koo a call for some consultation before taking action. He quickly pointed me to another similar very new system by Fishman - the Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend. This system was available in JS Music, and the guitar tech there was highly recommended.

So last Friday I went over to JS Music to try out the system in view of installing it on my Farida. When I was there the guitar tech that I was consulting (Ng) realized that this was one of the first pieces of Faridas in Malaysia he immediately exclaimed that he was one of the guys that hand-carried it back from China. Small world. He was the guitar tech that was recommended by Jon Koo and some other guitarists that I know, he no longer works for the Guitar Store he now works for JS Music. I decided that it was fate that brought us all together so very quickly I decided on the Fishman system and I even got a special price for it. It would come up to RM900.00 (inclusive of installation).

As I type this my baby is in being fitted with her electronics. I'm so excited to get it back this Friday. I hope it is ready by then. I will be woship leading again this weekend (don't ask), and I am really looking forward to breaking in my Farida in with her brand new Matrix Ellipse Blend pickup system.

Check out my baby on some other sites:

Farida's Official Site
D52 on Farida's UK Site
Farida's YouTube Channel
The Guitar Store

** Watch this space, more pix of my Farida with the brand new Matrix Ellipse Blend coming up.

My New Toys

My new toy is finally here!!! "It feels like Christmas" I told Steven Wong, our church sound man... really! Bobby was also waiting anxiously, but he was waiting for the other item that was arriving along with the Beta 58A.

I bought these on ebay few months back but the sellers would only ship to an American address. So San San, who was initially planning to come back for a holiday, said she would help me bring it back. So I bought the item and it was sitting pretty in her house till about 2 weeks ago. It arrived along with my "other new toy" - the Zoom 506 Bass multi effect pedal. The Zoom 506 Bass was purchased to encourage my church bassists to be more passionate about their instrument. I am basically buying this for Bobby to use. Timothy Raj and Derrick are also eager to try it out.

Anyway, here is a more (very) detailed description of the Beta 58A.

Shure Beta 58A

The Shure Beta 58A is a high-output supercardioid dynamic vocal microphone designed for professional sound reinforcement and project studio recording. It maintains a true supercardioid pattern throughout its frequency range. This insures high gain-before-feedback, maximum isolation from other sound sources, and minimum off-axis tone colouration. The Beta 58A has a shaped frequency response that is ideal for close-up vocals. The superb performance of this microphone is not affected by rough handling because of its rugged construction, proven shock mount system, and hardened steel mesh grille. Typical applications for the Beta 58A include lead vocals, backup vocals and speech.

• FeaturesSmooth, extended frequency response for outstanding sound for professional live vocal use
• Consistent supercardioid pattern provides the best gain-before-feedback among dynamic microphones
• Pneumatic shock mount reduces handling noise
• Frequency response: 50 to 16,000 Hz

This system includes:

Shure PGX4 receiver
Shure Beta 58A Microphone with PGX2 Transmitter
Power supply
User guide
Carrying case
Microphone clip

Technical Info:

Channel Frequencies:
Channel H6: 524.000 to 542.000 MHz
Channel J6: 572.250 to 589.875 MHz
Channel L5: 644.000 to 662.000 MHz

System Working Range: 100 m (300 ft.)Note: actual range depends on RF signal absorption, reflection, and interference

Audio Frequency Response (+/- 2 dB):
Minimum: 45 Hz
Maximum: 15 kHz(Overall system frequency depends on microphone element.)

Total Harmonic Distortion (Ref. +/- 33 kHz deviation, 1 kHz tone): 0.5 %, typical

Dynamic Range: >100 dB A-weighted

Operating Temperature Range:
18 deg. C (0 deg. F) to 50 deg. C (122 deg. F)
Note: battery characteristics may limit this range

Transmitter Audio Polarity:
Positive pressure on microphone diaphragm (or positive voltage applied to tip of WA302 phone plug) produces positive voltage on pin 2 (with respect to pin 3 of low impedance output) and the tip of the high impedance 1/4-inch output.

PGX4 Receiver:

Dimensions: 40 mm H x 181 mm W x 104 mm D (1.6 x 7.125 x 4.1 in.)

Weight: 327 g (11.5 oz.)

Housing: ABS

Audio Output Level (Ref. +/- 33 kHz deviation with 1 kHz tone):
XLR connector (into 600 & load): 19 dBV
1/4 inch connector (into 3000 & load): 5 dBV

Output Impedance:
XLR connector: 200 Ohms
1/4 inch connector: 1kOhm

XLR output:
Impedance balanced
Pin 1: Ground (cable shield)
Pin 2: AudioPin
3: No Audio

Sensitivity: 105 dBm for 12 dB SINAD, typical

Image Rejection: >70 dB, typical

Power Requirements: 12-18 Vdc at 150 mA, supplied by external power supply

PGX2 Handheld Transmitter:

Audio Input Level:
+2 dBV maximum at -10dB position
-8 dBV maximum at 0dB position

Gain Adjustment Range: 10dB

RF Transmitter Output: 30 mW maximum (dependent on applicable country regulations)

Dimensions: 254 mm x 51 mm dia. (10 x 2 in.) (including SM58 cartridge)

Weight: 290 grams (10.2 oz.) (without batteries)

Housing: Molded PC/ABS handle and battery cup

Power Requirements: 2 AA-size alkaline or rechargeable batteries

Battery Life: >8 hours (alkaline batteries)

...

What does all this mean? ...It means my mic ROCKS! Now to find my wireless guitar/clip-on mic pack. I'm already watching a few auctions on ebay now, hopefully I'll get as good a deal as my wireless handheld!