As requested, a short tutorial on producing water droplet images.

Note: This tutorial includes many photography jargons. Viewer discretion is advised.






First you'll need a few simple things:







Here's the general set up:






Tray

Ok first thing's first. I used a metal oven tray from the kitchen because it was the only black large container I could find. There are two important factors to consider in choosing your container:

1. The tray must be black because black simulates the best reflection colour of the A4 paper backdrop there on the water surface. If it was white or any other colour, the water droplet and ripple rims may not be prominently outstanding enough.
2. The depth of the tray affects the amplitude of the ripples. The deeper the water in your tray, the higher and more drastic your ripples would look like. Unfortunately, my tray was only an inch deep so my ripples didn't turn out whacky enough.

Off-camera lighting

Secondly, the point the flash to the A4 colour paper, and not the water droplet area. This is to saturate the colour paper which will produce its vibrant coloured reflection on the water surface. I don't have a specific intensity to use coz I'm a trial & error kinda person. Throughout the project, you may find your LCD showing up blown out highlights in the picture or sometimes underexposed images. But if you'd like a guide, I did a 1/16 flash intensity and on the camera in Manual Mode, I stopped down the aperture to about f8/f11 to get a pretty even clear depth of field throughout the water splashes, and set my shutter speed to between 1/160 to 1/250 because my Phottix PT-04 Wireless Trigger sync speed maxes out at around 1/200. And if you don't have a wireless trigger/pocketwizard etc, you can try using your flash unit as slave, triggered by your on-camera flash, provided your on-camera flash can be dialed down to a very low intensity so as to get minimal direct flash on to the water droplet (this makes the picture very flat)



Colours




There are two ways to get the coloured effects instead of a dull black and white splash. The first is the easier one - just change your white balance settings on your camera to either tungsten or shady. Tungsten gives a colder and more strong blue in the whole picture, while Shady makes everything more orangy/yellow.

In the two pictures below, I used custom white balance settings where I can set the Kelvin level i.e. 4000K, 5000k


2000K - cold/blue


14000K - hot/yellow

The second way is changing the background colour paper. That A4 colour paper acts as an illuminator on the water surface so if you can, get more saturated colours of A4 paper as that will light up your picture much better than those dull manila kad kind of colours (i.e. instead of pink, get red. unless you really want pink la). You can even throw in a mixture of inspirational colours. Example:




And here's the result:






Get creative!


Retort Stand
To create the water droplets, I clipped a small plastic bag to the tip of a self-constructed mini-crane. This would create a steady rate of droplets, and most importantly it would enable the droplets to fall and splash at the exact same position to reduce focusing problems (further explained).





I clipped the plastic bag to a metal ruler and mounted the ruler on to a flash stand. If you don't have such contraptions, you could use a basic setup like piling 2 level boxes on each side of the tray and rest a steady pole across the boxes, overhead the tray. Make sure you tighten/fasten/brace the clip on your small plastic bag to ensure that it doesn't sway or shake due to wind or vibration. That would change the position of where the drops would land.







Focusing

Now comes the part where that little battery is put to use. After I punctured the water bag with a needle, I placed the battery right where the droplets landed, just for something to focus on because the camera's autofocus isn't intelligent enough to detect the points of focus in that situation.





So the trick is to place your focusing object (you can use a bottle cap, a pen, whatever that's small and stands out of the water surface) beneath of where the droplets land, focus on it, then switch to manual focus and that would make life much easier where you can just continuously shoot without worrying.





Okay, so I think that wraps the set up, now all you need to do is just shoot away! It's very much of a numbers game, the more you shoot, the better chance of you getting the perfect shot.

That's all for this tutorial, hope you enjoyed it and I wish you all the best!

Labels: expanding my knowledge

#1. Keep a notebook to jot down everything that happens throughout your day.


There are days when there had just too many events to post about and so you tend to overlook a lot of detail when writing about your highlights of the day. Quickly whip out your phone to remind yourself about how short that girl's skirt was or even your best toilet experience in college.


#2. You should soo0o use like, bimbotic english yo.



When you attempt to blog, put on your bimbo cap and bring out that wild ranting spirit in you. Use more phrases such as soooo, like, oh my god, whoa, yo, gurl, dude, like hello0o?!?!, b*itch, and others, to lengthen your sentences so they look more exhilirating and expressive.


#3. Keep your phone camera ready at all times.



As my mobile phone's optical image capturing device has malfunctioned for over a year (not to mention that there's no usb cable for me to transfer directly into the pc), I've missed many inspiring moments outside home where I don't bring a camera along with me. A simple example would be when someone is picking his/her nose, or even licking the dirt off a wheel rim.

#4. Keep up with the happenings in town.



Always keep your head up to listen for new events coming up in school, college/uni or at work. Go and keh-poh in other conversations and explore different places to spot attractive things to blog about. But don't go skipping class/work just for the sake of a dumb diary.


#5. Allocate some time for daily blogging WITHOUT MSN AND SURFING.



Well, if you're good at getting one thing done after another, then this won't be a problem. But for the rest of us who have wasted about a quarter of our lives instant messaging, shut off that darn green man and finish your entry quickly before more things begin to complicate your life.



Well, that's a quick update then.

Oh and that's the phone i'm going to buy. (i'm seriously going to, okay.) Anyone know the price?

Labels: expanding my knowledge

I'll give you a hint. If you say you've figured it out...


You haven't.

Labels: expanding my knowledge

Last Sunday, we took my dad out for dinner at Tony Roma's Cineleisure Damansara to celebrate his birthday. The last time we visited the place, we rated the food and service quite well, since it had just recently opened at that time, but as months passed by, the quality of the restaurant had inevitably plunged through my perspective.



debfong.blogspot.com is surely gonna pound me for saying this, but frankly speaking, Tony Roma's at Cineleisure Damansara is lousy. I mean, if you wanna find out whether it's seasonal or inherent, why don't you go and make yourself a fake food critic i.d, bring a notebook and a pen and a video camera, and go there wearing a full pin-stripe suit, like Anton Ego in Ratatouille. Yes, that dark, evil-looking, powerful man who is very very


very





very








very










verrrryyyyyy













tall.





So anyway, let's do a quick review.


Beef & Vegetable Soup, Fried Mushroom, Chicken Club Salad

Firstly we ordered the Soup of the Day which was a Beef & Vegetable Soup. As we were ordering, here's how it went.

Koko: So how big is the soup?

Waitress: We have a cup and bowl.

Koko: Oh, okay, uhm... The cup is for... one person? Then the bowl? How big a portion is it?

Waitress: The bowl? the bowl is for sharing la.

Koko: Urm... yea... sharing... but.... how many people is it for?

Waitress: It's for sharing la. Sharing.

(WAHAHAHA I WANTED TO ROFL ALREADY MAN)

So okay, minus one point for communication clarity.



We also ordered the Fried Mushroom which was personally my favourite. Especially with the mustard sauce, it was an scrumptious starter.

As for the Chicken Club Salad which came in a supergynormousfragilistic portion, well, I can't say much coz I ate too much of that, and it spoiled my Grilled Chicken. So, that was my fault.



BUT ANYWAY.

Throughout our visit, as we asked for extra empty plates, drink refills, and the final bill, the staff seemed to be very unfriendly and ignorant towards our table, as far as I know.

For a restaurant with those kind of prices, they were being quite unpleasing, perhaps mildly insincere when serving us.

I should go make a new shop sign for them.



Anyway, I'm not saying it's a terrible place to go to. It's perfectly fine, but maybe I went on a wrong day. So please go and try it out for yourself and tell me how your stay was.

Labels: expanding my knowledge

Remember when we could order cold/hot/plain water for free in a restaurant. Well, times have greatly changed the way the food and beverage business works since then.

I was shuffling through my drawers full of old junk and I spotted this.





Yes, you've guessed it. "We wish inform that...". Haih. Malaysians and their English.

And some more, they must add the "++" to the RM0.50. Make them seem like they're food isn't all that good, until they have to charge for the more ordered items. Like hot(boiled) water.

Labels: expanding my knowledge

My good buddy Sam and I were sorta free for dinner so we went hunting for a quick bite around Uptown and Bandar Utama. I actually had a meal at home but since Sam couldn't get anyone else out, I figured I could kill an hour or so.

And that was when it happened.

If I had not thought that I had time to spare, I wouldn't have been caught in the darkness of it. wouldn't have impaired my soul out of frustration. I wouldn't have torn my mentality into gloom and sorrow.

BUT, AH

let's just think of it in a joyful manner. So here's a riddle for you.











Waaaaaaaaa now it looks so scary again. Seriously, when I tried to solve the riddle, I was being extra paranoid about the effect it can have on me later on. Like I was gonna start scribbling on all the room walls and on myself. But nah, in the end I gave up because I was too sleepy. So I asked Sam for the answer already.





So anyways, there's an actual solution to this riddle - it's not some lame prank. But of course, don't go crazy about it till it consumes you. Like how it almost consumed me.





"my house number is 42. that's 24 reversed."

Labels: expanding my knowledge

Few days ago some people invited me over to play Gin Rummy, but in the end I got caught up in an addiction towards a game of Texas Hold 'em Poker.

So in conjunction with Malaysia's Hari Merdeka, where there'd be lots of gambling throughout the country, here's a bunch of tips on




1. Look straight in the eye

When raising the stakes, a good way to seemingly boost your confidence and discourage an opponent, perhaps the strongest player in the game, is to look directly in the eyes of him while adding chips to your bet. This way, your confidence will seem overwhelmingly higher than most of your opponents when it comes to their respective turns.



2. Keep the numbers in mind

Whenever you're dealt with your hand at the beginning of the round, take a solid look at your hand once and put it down without touching it for the rest of the duration of that round. This phenomenon will enable your opponents to recognize your talent in working out the game within your mind and not revealing your steps in game.



3. Reckless but refined

This probably needs a little pre-game planning to set up nicely. Mix up your chips in several piles where each denomination i.e $1, $2, $5 and $10 do not look directly accessible from separate piles, but make sure each pile contributes to the possibility of each denomination being able to be selected from the top of all the piles for each game round. The random order of chip denomination makes it look you're simply betting whatever is on the top of the piles, and possibly want to finish off your chips, but in fact it's just a silly trick of mixing up your chips.



4. Don't count your chips

Every blink of an eye, every word of the mouth, every additional second to think, determines your capabilities in poker. Even counting your chips after every single round or before every single bet may render you an immature player. Thus, keep a good mental count of the total stakes for the round, how much you're willing to bet, your break even point, etc.



5. Learn a cool poker chip trick

Another fantastic way to act professional is to demonstrate your skills with poker chips. This may seem like you're being a show-off, so try to act like your concentrating on your game with one hand while doing some poker chip tricks with the other. In the end, most of your opponent will spot your complex personality in the game of poker.



6. Confucius bluff

When playing a bluff, it is fairly easy to detect when the bluffer is provoking his opponents to believe him, for example when a good hand is received, blood pressure and the heartbeat would definitely rise, which will inevitably alter the effectiveness of your bluffing methods. The point is to try switching patterns of your actions from truth to false and vice versa. For example, if you ask questions like "is a double pair bigger than a triple" at the round of the flop and subsequently, when the turn is dealt, and is favour of a possible double pair or a triple, another question of "Is a Full House or Four of a Kind bigger", your opponents may be caught in panic, which is the best time for you to play around with the stakes, even if you have nothing at all in your hand.



7. Don't be indecisive

One very important thing to keep in mind while player any mental game is not to be caught in dilemma. Many players reveal their identity when they become stuck in between whether or not to follow the bet or fold, or even when their deciding on how much to raise the stakes. As a result of that, opponents will diminish their doubts on your confidence. Unless being indecisive is part of your bluff, then follow through to the end of it.



8. Play like in the movies

As we have seen on tv, professional poker have communicational ethics in place, where players give a solid knock on the table to signal a check,implying that he wishes not to raise the stakes. Also when players calls or follows the bet, the announcement is left to the moderator or the dealer. The trick is to play very quietly and use minimal words or none at all. Evidently, the other opponents who are extremely loud and just can't shut up will tend to doubt their decisions and even direct their attention on the quiet player(s).



9. Play on the table

When looking at your hand, try not to take the cards away from the table i.e when you want to look at it, or when you're answering the phone. This is actually a very subconscious matter, and makes your opponents think you're very possessive of your belongings, in this case, making you seem like you are a safe player and are very careful with your betting.



10. Skills with card dealing

In Texas Poker, if the game goes by the dealer personally dealing the cards out, it might be a good chance, when it comes to your turn, for you to show off some skills and tricks with a deck of cards while shuffling and dealing it to intimidate them, perhaps even demonstrating a full magic card trick to get your opponents distracted.



This is probably the dumbest-sounding foundations of the fundamentals of the basics of the beginner's guide to poker, since I'm one of them, but hey, you'll never what works until the fat lady sings. So go try out it out sometime.



Disclaimer: www.jonming.com shall not be responsible for any loss or damage occurring as a result of references made to the information contained on this website and shall not be liable for any compensation or indemnity demanded from the author of the abovementioned information.

Labels: expanding my knowledge

Found this on noel's blog. Pretty cool.






Though the hard part is catching the fly.
Anyone up for it?

Labels: expanding my knowledge

Firstly I'd like to thank my parents for providing me with a car that has a roof and four wheels, so that it can take me places which my feet can't. And secondly, I'd like to thank




and




for kindly giving me the best directions anyone could have given me.

none.

I mean come on man, why does Streetdirectory Singapore have the all the cool features with directions from anywhere in Singapore to anywhere in Singapore.





I mean, it's so easy! they just search for your destination, type in their address, or wherever they're starting from, and just one click away, they get such detailed step-by-step instructions and even a trip meter.





And omg! they even have the little cute signs for each step! Go straight, turn left, turn right, filter left...

I think for Malaysia, the only sign we would get is





Malaysia Boleh man.





And for Google Earth, gosh it's so confusing they might as well call it





Haha omg can you imagine if they had Google Mars.


"Houston, do you copy. Reporting position at crater 572G, Requesting nearest 7-Eleven Stop, over."





"Confirming report, Team Google. Nearest 7-Eleven is located 2 Mountains, 7 Craters and 634 200 rocks NorthWest from your position, over."


OKAYLAR DON'T SIDETRACK CAN.

Anyway, it's not so bad lah. They've got their pros and cons. Although there isn't a directions feature, there's at least the familiar road names and landmarks.




(Guess where my house is!)




Anyyywaayyyyy.

So we decided to take a Chilling Down South trip to Putrajaya, at some lake they call Taman Wetlands last Tuesday.

Yes, we didn't know the actual directions, and no, Google Earth and StreetDirectory didn't help much.





So we reached there and I said, wow! those are the 5 islands! So cool man.








And I looked left and said hey! that's the mansion looking building! Double cool man.






Turns out to be quite useful also


So anyway we were mainly there for kayaking. I still don't know why I was so excited about it. It was just kayaking. I thought we could go for the windsurfing, jet-skiing or para gliding kind thing. Turned out to be that the storeroom only had kayaks and canoes. And perhaps scuba-diving gear, to find Ernest's specs.





Only Jinn took his camera along while kayaking, since the rest of us adopted the Prudence Concept and brought down our Safe n' Dry balances.

(sorryla I had 9 hour class today)

So anyway pictures in the water will be out soon. If I'm in luck.



Janey Waney Babey





Taman Wetlands is actually a great place to relax, to see the serene feeling of nature in your ears, and to taste the fresh aroma of calm winds.

huh. wtf.

Nola but seriously, every once in awhile, it's good for all to just jump in a car or two and head down to Putrajaya for a short getaway from the brain-killing, soul-consuming, hectic life.



Looks a bit like Keanu Reeves. but. not serious enough.



Ah, this one's better.





So in the end we had a picnic in some gazebo at shore after an RM4 per person, half-hour kayak trip, out into some brown-greenish-watered lake, probably the depth of the swimming pool in Tropicana Club.

And played our old high school games, like Power Station™ and Hand-Slap-On-Floor-Or-Double-Slap-To-Reverse-Game™.





"Snake Kao Your Aunty."





Yun, trying to do the Kenming.






Check out his expression, joe. xD


And after a few hours of serene living, it was that, the time to get back to reality and get ready for the next day.

Although I already had to rush back home for class.

At 6.30pm.

Yes, I'll describe my weird semester later.





For now, let's just enjoy the procrastination while it lasts. xD

Labels: expanding my knowledge, i'm a marketing director, malaysia boleh