Nikon D5000

I've been trying to purchase the Nikon D5000 for the last 2 week, but in vain :( Have finally decided to upgrade from my Nikon Coolpix to my very first DSLR camera, and the irony of it is, there is no decent stock in Singapore! Ugh! In case you don't know, there is a service advisory on faulty part for the first batch of the D5000 release in Singapore. You can read about the advisory here. So if you have bough an earlier D5000, do go to the link given to verified that your product is not faulty.

So in my journey to own a Nikon D5000, I have sold one Canon IXUS, one Backpacker Guitar, one S$15 Border voucher, and work a few overtime over the weekend to get the fund for it. I have even downloaded the User Manual, and watch the Tutorial on how to use the camera. The only thing I need right now is the BLOODY CAMERA! I'm leaving for Penang in a week's time and am really really hoping to get the camera by then so that I can take some kampung life photography, but that looks pretty grim right now. I've left my handphone number with the camera shop, asking them to call me when the next batch of D5000 shipment comes in :( Uncle say I need to wait one to three weeks :(

Related Blog Entries (Photos from my D5000)
Photography

Ref:
A good comparison of the D90, D5000 and D60
Nikon D5000 User Manual
Nikon Digitutor
Photo taken from this site.

Shuang Lin Monastery

Look at these photo, you'd think you're looking at a temple somewhere from my recent trip. But actually, you don't have to leave Singapore to visit this place, it's right in the heartlands of Singapore, Toa Payoh to be exact. This is Shuang Lin Monastery at Toa Payoh. You may have drove past it along the PIE, but have you ever been inside of it before?

I took my dad there two weeks ago, and it took us around 1 hour to complete visiting all the small worship hall of individual deity. Basically, it's a temple that houses different gods, from the sleeping buddha, to the Goddess of Mercy, and even Confusion and Mencius! Here's a map of the whole temple for your reference. To get there, you can walk from Toa Payoh Central, or take bus 238 from the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange. You can also refer to the ref links below for more detail information.



It's quite an impressive place to visit, but with the recent renovation that is under going, it really isn't as serene as I imagine it would be. Plus, the fresh smell of paint kinda give you the impression that this is kind of a commercial temple. Sadly, I couldn't quite connect to the spiritual level here. Great place for photography though, since there is no crowd there, and you can spend hours taking the perfect shot if you like pictures of temples.

Ref:
Shuang Lin Monastery

The Three Sisters

Added two more ladies to my doll collection :) And now there are three in this new set.
Origami can actually be quite therapeutic after a stressful day of work. Making the two dolls took me about an hour, and really calms my nerves. I think it's a great hobby. Cheap, quiet, and peaceful. And at the end of it, you get a nice gift from yourself :)

PaperCraft

Check out the cool paper cutters I got from Daiso today for only S$2 each! Aren't they cool? And the cut outs are so pretty too! To think that I almost spend around S$5 each to buy them at TokyoHand while I was there 2 months ago. They even sell the ready cut outs for like S$3 per pack! Terrible! I am so glad I waited and found these in Singapore instead :)

After making all the cut outs, I can't help but start making paper dolls again. The doll on the right was freshly made today, and is one of the latest style in my collection since I just got the instruction manual 2 months ago at Tokyo Hand :) Sorry the photo didn't turn out that great, since I wrap it up before I remember to photograph it, hence the glare in the photo. But in real life, it's really rich in color, and you can actually see the texture of the paper as well. The new hair-do and the rich gold color background paper also make it rather exclusive :)

Below are two souvenirs I got for myself when I was in Japan :) More papers! To make more dolls! The one of the left cost me around S$7.50 and comes with special cut outs came from Tokyo Hand; while the ones on the right, around S$16 and comes with matching Washi papers (和紙), and comes from a paper craft shop in Ueno! What can I say, I'm a sucker for papers :) I wish Tokyo Hand would open it's shop in Singapore, I can spend a whole day there just walking around! The one in Shinjuku was like 8 stories!


Ref:
Daiso
Tokyo Hand
Washi Papers (和紙)

HTC Magic

It's been more then a year since I got my first smartphone, and now, HTC just launch the HTC Magic in Singapore on June 2009. Just look at the picture. Isn't she a beauty??? But what bothers me is, will I get used to using an Andriod OS? Will it be more lightweight then the bulky WM OS? Will I be able to write my own application easier with a Java based platform? (to get the Android Emulator, click here for more fun! ) Plus, how much is it going to cost me??? My contract is ending next year June, I hope I can get a free Magic by then! woohoo!

Ref:
HTC Product Site
Android Operating System