A New Accessory?

Ok, now that I have my E510, the first accessory I'd really need would be a tripod. I sorta have my eye on the Manfrotto 785 SHB. I know it's hardly the pro's choice and probably not the most durable of tripods, but I'm on a budget and intend to lug it along when I'm moving about. So yeah. Here's to a backpack tripod. heh. I should probably get a heavier pod for more serious work. But that's another concern for another day. I hardly have the lenses to justify the purchase, and I can hardly work with a tripod I'm not feeling willing to carry around.

A New Toy

Right. I settled on the Olympus E510 for my personal cam, that doubles up as a project making tool in school. So far, I think it's a pretty nifty device. I'm still getting used to the functions and settings on a dSLR, of course. But since I migrated from digi point-n-shoot cameras, it isn't that hard to figure out the non-manual controls. It's just a matter of adjusting the settings so that practically every shot turns out exactly as good as I intend it to look. This is essential, since the preview screen is hardly the best way to assess how a shot really looks.

Anyway, the features that sealed the deal included the image stabilizer, effective dust removal and the live view. Actually, I don't use the live view much, but it's nice to have grid lines for reference and leveling shots when hand-holding the camera. Not to mention stabilization helps with hand-holding, too. Well, the pics so far seem decent enough. I like the colors on the daylight shots. Now it's all up to me to learn the ins and outs of shooting in low light, overcast and indoor conditions.

On Guilt

I guess it’s a thing that many females get caught up in. Yanou, the weird guilt thing. As if everything’s somehow your fault, even when that does not make logical sense. Hell, it may not even be a real situation. I don’t know why people feel that way, and I’d probably brush such sentiments off were someone else to say the exact same thing to me. Anyway, the thing is that I just feel bad about spending my mother’s money. I suppose the feelings are a result of just wanting to avoid hurting mom in any way. I don’t know why I feel so protective of mom, but I do. For some reason, I subconsciously believe spending that money is also a way of hurting her. This is strange, since we’re not actually running short of money as a result of my actions. Moreover, I hardly think I’m splurging by purchasing things at inflated prices. Perhaps this is because of the absolute value of the expenditures? So much to learn, so little time.

The Myth Of The Impartial Journalist

It is common enough in handbooks on proper journalism that the ideal journalist must be neutral in her approach. Facts are facts, and should be presented in an objective manner. However, it is also impossible for a human raised in a human society to be perfectly objective. In fact, any sort of objectivity is quite impossible. After all, the facts are there for the journalist to analyze in any way she sees fit. There are also factors to consider, like the financial interests of the publication,
political pressures and even the personal biases of the journalists and her editors. Thus, the idea of a real impartial journalist can be far fetched indeed.

The Hijab And Freedom

In the Western media, it is common to see the Hijab, or Arabic dress that women wear, is portrayed as a symbol of female oppression. I used to have the same opinion, as forcing women to dress in a certain manner and thus conceal their bodies seems terribly patriarchal. It basically says that women cause men to sin, and thus women have to conceal their desirability to avoid leading men into sin. I really hate the way such an interpretation makes it seem that women are at fault for being desirable and thus lead men to do stupid things. It fails to take into account the weakness in men that only men can overcome, instead of semi-metaphorically sweeping the problem under a carpet.


After some time observing how other women lead their lives, I am beginning to wonder if there is some merit to the Hijab. In many non-Muslim countries, women are portrayed as free and pretty. They are liberated in acknowledging their sexuality and expressing it. This is the rosy interpretation of contemporary female fashion. It seems to be an improvement on how women had to wear skirts and dresses and keep their hair long back in the Victorian days. Women's rights and norms of behaviour are a separate issue here.

However, the same does not apply to just any woman. Not every woman feels the ability or compulsion to dress in a manner that enhances their appearance in a way that is similar to stereotypical models in a Hollywood ad. Some have bodies that hardly resemble that of any model. Others perhaps have no fashion sense whatsoever and are derided for dressing in an inappropriate manner. Simply put, these women are being oppressed by the contemporary norms of fashion in very much the same way the Hijab supposedly oppresses Arabic women.

In fact, the application of Hijab-style fashion is a powerful leveling instrument. It frees women to worry less about their appearances and dress sense, and more towards cultivating themselves as females. Self-actualization becomes possible without reference to the context of fashion or beauty as popular culture portrays it. There will be fewer concerns about whether my butt looks fat today, or whether that dress fits me well.

Of course, such an ideal situation would only be possible through universal acceptance of the Hijab itself and what it represents. Surely some shapelier women will bemoan the plainness of the Hijab preventing them from using their inborn feminine beauty to help personal relations. Seduction is, after all, a natural advantage that some women have raised to an art form. There will also be those who scream about men oppressing women all over again. Or perhaps the apparent uniformity of the dress.

I think the issue here is not so much about freedom, as there are many ways to freedom. I would not feel free in a prison, though an impoverished citizen unable to secure regular meals and in constant danger on the streets may actually feel liberated through incarceration. The issue is the startling imbalance in the application of the Hijab, with men blaming women for being seductresses and imposing the restrictions on them, yet not imposing the same on themselves. After all, are not particularly beautiful men in danger of seducing women, leading them to sin?

Letraset Vs Schmincke

Right. This is more of a reminder to myself than anything else. I'm currently using two types of fixatives on my inkjet prints. (Un?)fortunately, I'm using gloss paper. Anyway, Letraset killed my gloss. I'm not sure exactly what solvent it is that did the trick (there's no ingredients list on the can), but now I have a nice matt finish on my piece. Schmincke's is alcohol-based, but preserved most of the glossy look after a light coat. And that's even though Schmincke's doesn't claim to be a gloss spray (most are matt by default). Hence...Schmincke. Remember that, Fenris.

On Rings And Faith

The sequence of encountering things can make a huge impact on how you perceive them. I, for one, have played the game Dreamfall before I watched the movie The Ring. (Yes, Ragnar, I think I know where Faith came from... =p) The incredible resemblance between Faith and Samara made me half-expect Samara to turn to the screen and ask me to find and save April Ryan. In fact, the feelings (pity, sadness) I had for Faith colored my expectations so much so that I did not feel any fear when Samara showed up. Of course, the ending to The Ring was significantly different from the ending to Dreamfall, and that's where the similarities fell apart.

Still, I cannot help but see the parallels between these two characters. Both are young girls, abused and ostracized in some way, subjected to experiments/scrutiny and ultimately died. It's a sad, lonely sort of death. Most interestingly, both girls caused some sort of chaos, death and destruction after they supposedly died, yet maintained a presence in the living world. Yes, lingering dead things aren't really that funny =p

You're Not My Hero

I do not have heroes, apart from myself. Yeah, I know that sounds egotistical. Still, heroes are typically not-me people. I do not see why people would want to grow up to be exactly like not-them people. Sure, one can admire a particular attribute of someone else, such as courage under fire, grace in anger or maybe even simple politeness. I hardly think one has to shape oneself into a virtual clone of someone else just to attain those attributes. I'm sure it isn't a healthy prospect as the probability of success would be low in this case. The failure to attain clone-status would also be potentially devastating on one's self-esteem. Anyway, so there. You're NOT my hero. I am, because I live my own life.

Pandas And The Human Breeding Program

Even pandas are being victimized by the humans' psychologically-inbred ideas of how sexes should go. It never ceases to amaze me how humans can rigidly attempt to force even their own intersexed young into the two sexual categories that they came up with. In the case of pandas, it seems radical, but perhaps is important for the survival of the pandas since they are an endangered species. Already, this was done (presumably =p) without the consent of the panda concerned.

This reminds me of what's being done to children who are born intersexed. While it may not be socially necessary for pandas to have sexually-congruent bits, this is a major issue for the children. Well-meaning parents and medical professionals may want to "correct" something to allow the children to lead "normal" lives. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a problem if the child is accepting of her/his lot.

However, there are also the issues of ethics and the child's opinion. For one, it is the decision of parents regarding their children's lives, with complete and total disregard for their opinions. In fact, it has traditionally been accepted that parents can make decisions for their children until such time that the children have reached the age of reason. I'm not so sure that it is acceptable to make such irreversible decisions on the behalf of the children, though. Being raised cross-gendered is one thing. Being surgically altered to be cross-gendered is something else.

Quit Sabotaging Yourself

It is not always that one understands what one truly feels. These unacknowledged feelings wind up somewhere in the subconscious, just waiting to trip one up. A fine example of this is when one finds oneself mysteriously sabotaging what one is trying to achieve. Like repeatedly saying stupid things at an interview, for example. Ordinarily, this should trigger some soul-searching when one is mysteriously setting oneself up for failure. However, sometimes it doesn't, which becomes problematic when the subconscious unwillingness to engage in an activity leads to a spreading internalized feeling of being an overall failure. Hence, be aware of this, and quit sabotaging yourself!

Pain Of Existence

People do not live in a vacuum. People have different ideas and beliefs. Yet it is bizarre how people within the same belief systems can actually have such strong, violent reactions against the out-groups. There are those who preach mercy yet refuse to come to the aid of those they disagree with, even though they are overtly marching under the same banner. It is understandable if those come from an entirely different background and induce irrational xenophobia in the paranoid bunch. What is unpardonable is that they would turn upon one another like ravening dogs should they disagree on a single point. (Pardon my lack of an equivalent metaphor, my canine friends)

Such is the pain of existence: The existence of others is a pain. Yet it is so that many try to declare themselves able to tolerate the existence of others...so long as nobody thinks any differently. So much for thinly veiled hypocrisy.

Moby

There are times when I feel like a whale. That is, I wander aimlessly about, wind up beached somewhere and then require people to bail my blubber from the sand. I suppose if there is indeed a leading force around, that force would feel that I'm this horrible blind slow-learner that needs to be dragged about. Otherwise, I'd just walk in circles in that endless wilderness...

Reality's Rainbow

What are the higher planes of existence? I don't mean physically up in outer space. Granted, it's a big reality out there and there's probably lots to explore. I'm really talking about the ones that exist just next door that we walk clean through most of the time. Some call it heaven, paradise, elysian fields and many more. All I can say is...those things aren't really "up there". Sometimes, there are cracks in reality that are readily perceptible. A shimmer here, something that shouldn't be there but is, and all those random quirks of reality that most do not pay attention to. Perhaps there are cracks forming in the veil that hides the mysteries. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but when a wall seems to fade into nothingness for that split second, reality's rainbow shows itself.

The Blessed And The Unfortunate

The blessed walk among us, and we don’t realize it. Sometimes life can seem so gawdawful, yet there are people who also have it hard in different ways. Worst of all are those who are under the heels of others, without anyone else knowing. Thinking of the "unfortunates" will perhaps conjure up images of orphans, people with handicaps, the poor and other "unfortunate" people. However, few ever think of those otherwise physically normal who are ostracized from society. Few ever consider the lower wage earners who are barely able to survive despite earning their less-than-minimum wage.

Also, there are those who seem more privileged than anyone has a right to be. People who are too pretty for their own good, too rich to comprehend or perhaps having descendants reaching from shore to shore. Nobody ever seems to stop to consider if they are truly happy, on the whole, with their lives.

Of course, there are also those blessed in life. Perhaps they are rich, poor, pretty or ugly. But what they have in common is being at peace with who they are, and what they have. Ironically enough, some of them may well be in the category of "unfortunates" for most people.

Irrational Laws

If I set a law upon you which is clearly irrational, what am I asking? Am I being oppressive and demanding that people follow my rules merely because I said so? Or am I giving people the opportunity to exercise their minds and come up with some way to obey my laws while not making life unbearable for themselves? Clearly, irrational laws cannot be given to people who merely ask for the reason for the laws with an intention to break them if they seem irrational for any reason. These laws also cannot be given to a people who are incapable of rational thought and will thus strangle themselves upon them.

Spider Pig

Spider pig, spider pig. Does whatever a spider pig does.

Now that's one line that will haunt me for sometime. As expected, the Simpsons Movie was every bit as funny as the TV series was meant to be. I do like the cheeky way in which they made references to IP rights while jabbing at how people are suckered into paying for content that would otherwise be available at no extra cost. The Simpsons has consistently been a mirror of sorts through which we see our own twisted society. I say it does a bang up job about it!

Moreover, it's noteworthy that they managed to incorporate a family theme into the movie, albeit in classic dysfunctional Simpsonian fashion. Nothing like the spectre of environmental devastation and destruction of Springfield to bring the Simpsons back together.