My Digital World

25/06/2007

I just finished with watching the so-called Guess Show (我猜我猜我猜猜猜) from Taiwan. I have downloaded the complete show of 2006 a while ago. I get know of this show from my relatives in Singapore/Malaysia. They say that it is quite funny to watch it. So, I go to download.

The show is about guessing of many things. For instance, guess who is not a model from original. At the begin, it is very hard for me to guess about what they ask for. But after watching some shows, things get easier.

Anyway, I like this show very much. Partially it is because of the fighting of the 3 presenters. Especially the two oldest ones. The other thing that I like, is the surprises that the show give to me: for each shows, they invited celebrities from Asia as judges. Many of them are singers. They are singers I like! It is so coincidentally!

But the main thing that the show attracts me is the jokes of the two presenters (AnYa and Xien-Ge), who always have a fight. But there is one show in which they don't have a fight or any disagreements. That is what I want to write about in this entry of my blog.

Why don't they have quarrels? That is because AnYa is leaving the show. I am very touched when I watch that show. I notice that particular show differs from others very much. First of all, Xien Ge doesn't like to talk that much. And he looks tired. AnYa is also less active, but her smile is still there. During the show, there are still many hihi-haha, but the sphere from other shows.

AnYa has joint this show for 10 years. She started when she was 17/18 years old. Every weekend, the show is recorded. She must get through many things in those years. She leaves because she moves to overseas. Xien-Ge says he tries to hold her, but he fails. In the last show in which we still can see AnYa presents, Xien-Ge almost drops his first bubbles from his eyes for AnYa. He sings a very touching song for AnYa because it is her last show. Xien-Ge has never song a serious song in all the shows except that moment. I am told that Xien-Ge is not a good man, but I think he is not that too bad. My opinion is not only based on that show only, but from many other aspects.

Anyway, I see Rainnee (the other presenter) cries first. She is a girl who is very sensitive. Because in other shows she cries as well when there are touching moments. Rainnee is very young, I think around 18-19 years old. Now AnYa is leaving, I think Rainnee takes over her place and a new presenter enters. Everything has a begin and an end. The new one takes over the new one. After maybe 10 years, Rainnee may leave too.

I can't remember how hard it should be to say goodbye after attaching for 10 years. The only thing I know, is that aches your heart very much! Memoirs will printed very deep. When I was in Singapore for doing my exchange programme, I get know of two very good friends. The day of my leaving to Holland, they keep company me for whole day. I remember that we sit in the car of my cousins who bring me to the airport. The car was not packed with my belongings, but with all friends and relatives I love. My cousins seem me grown-up and my two friends that I get know in Singapore give me many happiness. Henry and his girlfriend do let me remind me the time I get through at NUS.

The first step in the airport is the farewell to all the people that I have to leave behind. I am scared to look back after checking in since I don't want to realise that was the ending. I personally do not like farewells. I really can't imagine how hard it should be for AnYa to leave the Guess Show definitely. People should cherish with all the things that they have. But we also should open our heart for new things and appreciate someone's decision. That is why this world is not perfect! Since we cannot always get nor keep things we want.

This week, I took my first oral of this quarter. The teacher of that course (Integrated Circuit Technology) was my mentor when I entered to this university. The nightmare started when the oral started. I was totally lost of what I wanted to say and I mixed up with all the things together. Was it because I did not study hard? Or is it because I did not understand the material? Learning all the small details by heart is not my favor. I have to study for weeks before any message is saved in my limited memory I have. I prefer to give explanations of how things work in a proper way.

Anyway, the oral was over. And I need to come back to re-take. Next time, which will be after my last exam, I will pass because nothing is impossible if you really work hard for it. Although I fail for that oral, I have learned a very important thing from it: the way how I should face to such an exam!

This Monday, my next oral is waiting for me. Surprisely I study for that course very quickly! I am done within a day. Maybe because it is an oral in which you have to explain how things work. Or maybe I have learned from the 'wise' lesson of my previous oral. The very bad thing is, is that I notice that my third exam is at Thursday which is too short after my second oral. I was shocked when I checked the exam schedule. In a rush I read the material of the exam of Thursday. Also, with a big surprise, I finish that within one night! Now, the task is to learn the a,b,c,d by heart for the exam of Thursday: a = apple, b = boy, c...

During the weekend, I also try to book tickets to tour Europe with the sister of Henry and her friends. I am really looking forward to it after having so many exams. I am also very glad to get know of more Singaporean. We plan to go to Turin, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, Holland, Berlin, Prague and Vienna. I hope I can shoot well during the trip since I wanna have visit from my friends from Singapore too.

Talking about visit from Singapore, I meet THL (Mr. Tan) from Singapore. I am very glad to see him and to shoot with him and chit-chat about everything. Although we mainly talk about taking pics. :P I met THL at Sunday-morning in Amsterdam Central station. First we went to have some dim sum. After filling our belly, I bring him to Zaanse Schans. Thanks to Airin and Bou I get useful information of how to get there. However I finally go there at my own way: just ask the busdriver and he told how I should travel:P

Before we took the bus to Schaanse Schans, we took some pics inside the church which is located nearby the station.


Amsterdam - inside a church

Oh, I forget to show a picture of THL himself. I snap a shot when he is checking his shot :P

Mr. Tan - a man who loves his wife very much!

Arriving in Schaanse Schans, we shoot IR/B&W pics because the weather at that day is very bad: very cloudy.

Zaanse Schans - B&W


Zaanse Schans - IR, basic played with Nikon Capture NX to get the IR effect


Zaanse Schans - IR, slightly more retouch in Nikon Capture NX

After visiting Zaanse Schans, we move to Rotterdam, the place where I live. THL was very tired of his previous trip in Europe. So, he tried to take a nap while we are on our way to my room.

One thing that characterises THL is the true love he has for his wife. From the 10 minutes talk, there is 3 minutes about his wife. :P Although he does not mention any private things about her. I can see how much he loves his wife and how much he misses her when he is in oversea. I personally think that people of nowadays do not know how to cherish their other part. Finding a person who really loves you is very, very and very rare. I think, that his wife is one of the very happiest woman in this world.

There is one thing I observe from THL. He is a bit scared of the food he does not know. I ask him to try "haring" (a typical Dutch fish, which you should eat without cooking). Since he does not know what it is and since because it is not cooked, he says no. But luckily, Holland has one more typical to try. That is the "stampot". It is a papatoes mix with vegatable and with typical sausage. When we arrive in Rotterdam, I cook that for him since you cannot eat that outside.

After having food, we move to shoot nightshots. Here are the series:

Nightshot of Erasmusbrug


Erasmusbrug from another perspective


Cubic house in Rotterdam Blaak


Nearby Rotterdam Blaak

Some of you may notice that the pics are not sharp. That is because the misty and cloudy weather we all day have. It rains also when we are finished with shooting. We took a cab back to my room.

The next day, I show him Delft. Also the weather is not nice! It is still misty and cloudy. THL tells me how I can shoot HDR. HDR would be better than normal 'shooting'. So I try that and here are the shots:

My first try of HDR


Pics still turn out bad!


As you can see, there is no sky!


My last try, then I give up.

After shooting I bring THL to my university. He did a short interview with my friend, Jimmy. At the canteen I bought some typical Dutch snacks for THL. He likes "kroket" very much :P Well, after the lunch, I bring him to the airport where he meets with his colleagues.

Next week, two exams are waiting for me. It is also my and my brother's birthday! Today, my cousin, Lee-Joo made a cake for us. My mother still does not show anything to me :P But my brother already receives a big gift of my mom already, which is the return ticket to Singapore. My mother and two brothers will go to Singapore and Malaysia next week too. While everyone is enjoying, I ahve to fight against the papers.

It has been a while that I write something here. The last update was adding a chatbox in my blog. I have to thank Francis to brings this idea to me.

Time flies. This week, I expect a friend visiting me in Holland. I know him by shooting IR pics. He comes from Singapore and he tours in Europe for working purposes (I guess). Anyway, I am very glad to see him again. I really wonder how the day is when I see him since we haven't seen and talked for one year.

In the meantime, I have done a lot of things. Not social things, but many things for studies and work. For instance, last weekend, I have written two reports that I have sent to my professors. And this weekend I have applied for the exams of this last semester. I have 5 exams!!! 4 of them are killing me since for these 4 I need to learn all the little details by heart. They are all orals.

I am a person who cannot keep things in my mind. That is why I am afraid for the exams which they only require you to remind that A stands for Apple, B for Boy etc. Nothing much about why A stands for Apple you have to understand. I really don't like that kind of exams since I fail very easy.

Anyway, besides the coming exams, I have spent too much money on buying lenses for my camera. But now I have the trinity: the best lens of Nikon, which are

1. Nikon 17-35mm AFS f2.8
2. Nikon 28-70mm AFS f2.8
3. Nikon 80-200mm AFS f2.8

Stan told me today that I should pics and not keep buying. I agree with him, since when I keep buying and do not shoot (well) I like a collector and not a photographer. I really wanna do serious shootings, but time does not allow me to do that.

Many people might envy me for all the things (not only my lenses) I own. In some people' eyes, I am seen as a guy with money. And others might think that I am so lucky to know so many girls as being my friends.

Well, I think there is no point for envying since everyone has his or her own thing(s) that others don't have. Besides, I am not a rich guy. If you know how to spend your money at the correct way plus if you know how to get miney, you will get almost everything that are priced. It is too bad that I cannot 'buy' a kid as being my kid. :P A few weeks ago, I saw a movie about a very little girl with her father. That girl is very cute and I like the daugther-father relationship. If I have someone who loves me and if I have my own kids, I feel that I am the happiest man on this world :p But Stan told me that finding a girl who loves me, plus likes my family and friends, is very difficult. Again, I agree with him since so far, I am not able to touch someone's heart.

I don't understand why my friends are 90% of girls. But why do people care about this point? The most important of being friends, is the contact, careness and honesty. There is no need to have many friends, since I believe that true friends are only a few.

The last thing that I want to share is about the MSc projects. I hope I can start with my MSc thesis prjects after this summer holiday. This week, I have discussed with a professor about his offers. He has a great offer! It is pretty hard to make my choice. But finally my choice is about removing cancer cells in human brain. If my professor can get this projects, he probably will pass it to me. I am really looking forward to take that project! It is very complicated with no doubt since I have to know how to detect what cancer tissues are and how to remove it. Plus the device, which is only 2mm by 2mm, must be able to communicate with outside the world. The power consumption might be an issue to consider too. All these stuff must be very well outlined within 8months. Very challenging! Hopefully I can handle that.