Seiko Black Monster SKX779 mini review

 

My very first automatic watch was a Seiko Monster. Its a fairly cheap watch (I bought it for less than USD 150) but it does not feel cheap e.g. the bezel operates very smoothly, the metal bracelet that came with mine had strong and beefy links and has a divers extension. It has a very attractive face with the large hour indicators swathed in lume. The drawback to the lume is that it does not seem to stay bright for as long as other watches e.g. watches using superluminova.

 

Another drawback to this watch are the fact that it uses a Hardlex crystal face which hardly is a drawback as I have had this watch for some time and there isnt a single scratch on the face. The 7s26 movement is a fairly robust movement (most Seikos are) and it is a non-winding (winding is achieved by shaking the watch) and non-hacking movement i.e. you cannot stop the movement once it gets moving.

 

In the picture below, you can see my watch on the rubber strap (which I actually prefer to the metal bracelet). Sometimes, I put a 20mm NATO strap on it and it looks great on that too.

Even though it is a great watch, I never end up wearing the Monster much. The main reason is the size of the watch - its around 42mm in diameter. I am not much of a big watch fan as I typically wear a long sleeved shirt during work and it just sticks out too much. The huge bezel which allows one to operate it wearing gloves is in no way as slim as the ones on the Submariner or the Seamaster. I feel that it is more of a tool watch - to be used on days where you are working or playing outdoors - chopping wood, diving etc.

Crumpler Formal Lounge mini review

Most serious photogs will tell you the same thing - next to lens choices, buying a camera bag is one of the hardest things to decide on. There are literally tons of websites recommending the best camera bag to use - try cambags.com for some good pictures of cameras in bags. After my NZ trip where I brought my SR 200 crammed with 2 bodies, 3-4 lenses and a backup and nearly broke my shoulder, I have sworn to become a photo minimalist. Most people simply won't use all that gear when travelling for leisure.

Nowadays, I usually carry a body and extra lens or a small compact digicam like my Fuji F31fd as a daily shooter. For travels, I only carry a single SLR body, 2 lenses max and one compact camera as a backup (used to be my Olympus Stylus Epic, now using the Fuji F31fd) plus a tripod (usually a Manfrotto 3007 Table top tripod, sometimes a Manfrotto 719B). I already have a shoulder bag - a Stealth Reporter which I mainly use in Singapore when I go for events and family occasions, but I wanted a backpack for travelling so I wouldnt have to carry another bag as a daypack plus I wanted a bag that could carry a laptop.

Popular options in Singapore are Lowepro (Compu-trekker, CompuRover, Stealth AW, Compudaypack etc) and Crumpler. As I mentioned earlier, I really like Lowepro, especially their Stealth Reporter line) but most of their traditional camera backpacks make the carrier look like a ninja-turtle i.e. it looks like a person carry a box. As mentioned earlier, I wanted a bag that could function as a daypack also, and the Trekker line from Lowepeo were mostly for dedicated camera carrying use. The designs were really stupid too, in order to access the camera equipment, you have to place the bag on the floor straps down e.g. in dirt etc and open the main flap - too slow to access and ruining a perfectly good shirt maybe.

After spending some time traversing the super-confusing Crumpler website, I finally got the Formal Lounge in Olive. This bag doesnt good enough for someone to want to steal stuff from it, and the main compartment is accessible only from the rear - i.e. facing the person's back. I usually put a bottle of water and into the main compartment in the back, my Manfrotto table tripod in the padded laptop compartment - unfortunately not removable. A 15inch laptop can fit into the laptop area. You could easily slip in a light jacket or even a small flash in there. The bag has external cloth "slots" on the right and left so you could slip a tripod leg into the hook for carrying a tripod; there is no "designated" tripod holder. I hardly carry a large tripod so thats ok.

The main camera compartment is tiny and has 3 padded compartments. You can carry a semi-pro SLR with a mid lens mounted in the middle and smaller stuff like lenses on the left and right. I usually bring my Nikon D70 with 12-24 mounted (or 18-70) plus a 24-120 or a 50mm. If I wanted to carry my 80-400mm, I would have to put this in the main compartment. There is space to carry a blower as well. The camera padding is removable so you can use this bag as a normal laptop backpack.

As for comfort, I carried this bag around Paris for a day with much more gear that I listed above and I survived. A little sore yes - Crumpler makes really hard bags - but it gets the job done. This is not a hiking style bag. The back of the bag has 2 padded areas that gets hot quickly and cannot match the comfort and coolness of my Deuter AirComfort style backpack.

Would I buy this bag again? Probably not. I realize I hardly will bring a laptop AND camera equipment around - the combined weight would be a killer. Mostly for travelling then. But the materials used look like they would last a long time. Hmm.. maybe I could pass this to Harry in lets say - another 10 years :)?

A dog's love

Buddy (1996 - 29 May 2006)

Immortality,
I make my journey through eternity
I keep the memory of you and me inside

But you are my only,
And I will follow on the road that lies ahead
And I wont let my heart control my head
But u are you my only,
We Don`t say goodbye,
We Don`t say goodbye,
And I know what I've got to be

Immortality,
There is a vision and a fire in me,
I'll keep the memory of you and me inside
We Don`t say goodbye
We Don`t say goodbye
With all my love for you
And what ever else we may do
We Don`t say goodbye...

Manfrotto 719B - the perfect travel tripod?

Looking the major tripod manufacturers today - you have Gitzo, Manfrotto and the rest. The rest includes quite ok brands like Velbon or Slik and the china brands which I wont mention...

I guess the perfect travel tripod would be the Gitzo carbon fiber GT1540 until you hit the cost issue (around 500 USD)... ugh.. thats serious $$$

So what is a perfect travel tripod to me?? It

- must be light at around 3lbs (1.36kg) or so
- must extend to the right height for me - at least 1.2m for the legs w/o the center column, plus head and camera this would bring it to around 1.5-1.6m through the eyepiece.

- must fold and fit into a backpack while at <50cm,>

My Manfrotto 719B NEARLY fulfils all of the requirements and its 1/5 the cost of the Gitzo at around 100 bucks new. It went with me on my New Zealand trip and did its job well. Its only weakness is the built-in head which cannot support heavier lens setups like a 70-200mm f2.8. In a fit of shopping-lust, I replaced it with a Velbon carbon fiber version with a Kirk Enterprises head and my 719b is used now as an overweight light stand.

"IDEAL or REQUIRED" lenses for Nikon shooters?

There's always been a lot of talk in the Nikon fraternity about the trinity of lenses - meaning the trio of f2.8 lenses, namely the 17-35mm, 28-70mm and the 70-200mm VR. These cover the focal range of wide, normal and telephoto with supposedly superb sharpness and color but at nearly SGD$7000 aren't exactly cheap. I say supposedly since I dont own any of the trinities... :)

But frankly, these three lenses might not be the best at shooting in certain situations e.g. for macro, street shooting, birding and portrait shots. They are great for what can be classified as general purpose shooting, things like landscapes, holiday shots, family, sports and wedding shooting.

So what can be classified as a set of practical and "ideal" set of lenses for a Nikon user to cover almost any situation a photographer will face? Well, I can give you the standard reply that it "depends on what you shoot" but that would be copping out! I will simply make the assumption that you are like me - an amateur shooter - someone who takes pictures of a wide spectrum of subjects - and just wants to be prepared for any occasion. I will also make the assumption that most people do shoot both film and digital and that you DO have a budget! As a result, I have attempted to choose lenses with a budget of about five thousand Singapore dollars. Now that may seem a lot, but it will be approximately be the price of a decent Nikon DSLR (I recommend the D70s, if you can afford it the D200), film SLR (I recommend the the F100 whole-heartily). I have focussed (pardon the pun) on AF lenses and will save the AIS lenses for another post...

Wide lenses (for going wide)

• Nikon 12-24mm DX F4. This would be the most expensive lens in the arsenal and to me is the essential choice to cover the wide angle if you are using a digital SLR with a 1.5x crop of a 35mm frame. Some people might say that the 17-55mm would be a better choice but since 17mm is hardly wide enough (25mm in 35mm terms) and this lens is much more expensive than the 12-24 (around SGD$2,000 when I last checked), I hesitate to recommend it. I use the 12-24 frequently whenever I travel, because it can capture such dramatic landscapes, and to a lesser extent for parties, weddings and gatherings). Costs around SGD$1375.
• Nikon 20mm F2.8. The 12-24 lens is great choice for your digital body, but what about your full frame film body? To get the 17-35mm would be overkill; such a short range and at more than SGD$2000 it would blow most people's budgets in a hurry! C'mon, we all know a plasma TV would get more use than this lens! The MOST I would ever spend on a lens is SGD$1500 and that would be stretching it. As such, I would heartily recommend the 20mm Nikkor. Much lighter than the trinity zooms and 20mm is plenty wide enough for most people. Costs around SGD$700.

Normal lenses (for going fast and simple)

• Nikon 50mm F1.8. This lens is a no-brainer, doing double duty for both digital/film and can be used as a portrait lens or a great walkabout lens. Sharp too with nice bokeh at large apetures! For a low light lens, it has no parallel except for its F1.4 brother ($$$) and the 85mm F1.4 ($$$$$+). Cheap, light and you wont even know it was in front of your cam. Focusses fast too. Costs around SGD$160.

Mid-range Zoom (all-purpose/travelling lens)

• Nikon 18-70mm DX F3.5-4.5. Now most people would tell me to get the 18-200mm DX VR. That is an attractive option but at more than SGD$1200 it is a lens that is a wee bit overpriced. After all, a mid range lens is supposed to be reasonably cheap! This lens is actually a super underpriced lens that performs very well for digital SLRs for travelling and all purpose shooting. This is a lens that I recommend getting used since so many people are letting it go at outrageous prices! Available for around SGD$250 used. Recommended for shooting in areas that arent so "safe". However, never mind if u lose it, you can pick another up easily at a steal.
• Nikon 24-120mm VR F3.5-5.6. This lens has been slammed repeatedly by many people for being "not sharp". Many of these people have never even used this lens. In my informal tests using my 24mm, 50mm and 105mm lenses, I can see no significant differences between these primes and the 24-120mm. Face it, the 24-120mm range is ideal in a single lens especially for film users. Other alternatives most people mention are the are the 28-105mm and 24-85mm (color reproduction for the Japan version of this lens is fantastic though), which are good choices but with no significant advantages over the 24-120mm. Great for both digital and film use and again, I recommend that you get this used at around SGD$600-700.

Telephoto lenses

• Nikon 80-200mm F2.8. This lens is another no-brainer. Excellent photo quality and can be used for general sports photography, landscapes and for portraits. The only reason not to get this lens is because of its weight (about 1.5kg) and size. But unless you are going somewhere that has stuff like whale watching on the agenda, the 200mm reach will not be needed much. I guarantee that you WILL NOT bring this on your travels unless the trip is purely for photography. You can get this for around SGD$1350 new.
• Nikon 105mm F2.8 Micro. This is one of my most favorite of lenses and a must have in my opinion in any Nikon shooter's bags. Great for double duty as a macro lens for all those excellent eBay product shots and also for portraits - don't believe what you hear about this lens being too sharp for portraits... what are these people saying, are they nuts? These people are dumb pixel watchers and silly nit-pickers... Get it new for about SGD$800.

In total, these lenses will bust the budget slightly at around SGD$5300+ but it will serve you well until your wallet recovers. For people with larger wallets, you might consider adding a 85mm F1.8 or a 300mm f4 lens (for birding). After all, you do need to save up for that fancy Gitzo CF tripod with Markins ballhead right??! :)

My new, err old Panerai PAM 104

What a watch! Have been contemplating getting an automatic Panerai or a Rolex Submariner for a long time but after comparing the two - the PAM looked cooler, simpler and much much larger! Getting it second hand from the Paneristi Forum made much more sense as well. Going with the trend of large watches, I guess anything smaller than 40mm is really passe. Anyway, even being such a large watch, it still feels more comfortable than a smaller Rolex (it has a very smooth watch back with no sharp sticking out bits..). Looking forward to some straps soon... maybe a brown tan strap with a tang buckle... should be slightly easier to put on than the existing deployant buckle ;)

Choking in Golf

Just watched the dubai tournament with tiger winning over ernie in a playoff. hardly nail biting. ernie choked on the drive and hit it into trouble. after that it was painfully obvious who would win the tournament.

it is also obvious that the person with the stronger mind will win most of the times. same for tennis and other sports. its all a mind game. tiger was not hitting the ball well all tournament but he gutted it out and made the shot when it matters. worst thing about it was the reaction from ernie - apparently second place was good enough for him and he was satisfied with his performance. geez..

UPDATE .. Latest Nikon setup

Over the past few months I have been using the following nikon setup - a 1980s FE and F3 + motordrive, a F100 with batt grip, and most lately a digital SLR D70. Yes, the F80 is gone, sold off to a new owner. Much of my shooting have still been using film although I have been moving slowly to digital.

This shot was taken using my latest purchase - a Canon A610 - the first Canon I have bought ever since my much maligned EOS 700 which I gave away in disgust some years back ;)

Toyota Harrier.. long term drive

After owning this baby for one year.. some thoughts..

Build quality - Top notch.. although the paintwork is rather thin.. super quiet inside as well. The pano roof is very cool.. Harry loves it! Opticron gauges are cool.

Engine - very very smooth, although it struggles when pulling a car that weighs nearly 1.5 ton. Needs an extra gear - surprisingly it only has 4 forward gears. Hardly use the tiptronic, except for dropping a gear from third to second sometimes for extra pulling power for overtaking ... although cannot compare to a 6 cyl. Comparing this 2.4l engine with a Corolla's engine or another makes 1.6l engine is like night and day!

Drivability/handling - Despite reviews that it handles like a car (who are these idiots who say this!?), the handling cannot be compared to a non-SUV because of the high ride height and CG. You cannot corner aggressively with this car! Everytime you corner, u can feel the tall tire walls flexing... ok, slight exaggeration here.. however, ride comfort is excellent and the tall riding position cannot be beaten.. the view up here is great!

Practicality - this car is super practical - it can carry a ton of stuff, large items as well if you fold the rear seats. Easy to park and drive. Fuel consumption is pretty good for such a heavy car... we manage to get 9km per litre on average..

UPDATE in 2006 - Batteries died within 1.5 yrs... consequence of all those little lights inthe cabin.. after changing to Michelin tires.. the ride and handling of the Harrier has improved dramatically.. cornering, ride comfort and general confidence has improved... beware the stock Goodyears from the factory!



My baby on zero wheels during her tire change at SE...

VW GTI MARK V ...tested in 2005

The more i look at this baby, the better it gets... for what its worth, i think it looks best in white which was what my old mk2 was in... it is waaay better than the mk4, which we had also..

My thoughts about the best parts about this car after a test drive - 200bhp engine is a dream with enough power and handling to drive like a rally driver AND with the refinement to drive like the 1.6l golf. interior is really nice but feels a bit cramped in all black. the highlight of the interior has to be the steering wheel with the neat cutoff at 6 oclock. time to start saving my pennies...

Best color for the car: White

Nikon Setup

i have added to my original set of equipment. now have 11 lenses and i think thats prob the end of the lens collection for the time being. am going to be a father soon!! so need to save funds for buying more practical stuff like child seats ;) also pampers! did you know that a baby goes through an average of 8 pampers a day? going by that calculation, that is nearly 250 pieces of pampers a month! well anyway, back to nikon...

my present collection is like this:
bodies - nikon d70, f80, fe
lenses - wide > 12-24dx, 24mm, 35mm
- mid > 18-70, 24-85, 24-120, 50mm
- tele > 70-210, 80-400mm, 100mm
- macro > 105mm
pns - olympus mju-1 35mm, mju-2 35-80mm

i know i know, that is a lot of equipment... but NAS is striking and i want a f100 and a fm3a. figure i can get rid of the f80 after getting the f100. the fm3a is more becos i love manual nikon bodies... i dropped my fe (:....) and nothing more than a few nicks and scratces! these cameras are strong... i also would love to get a mint f3hp but the prices people are quoting are crazy... i tried out some guy's f3hp with md4 and it was like ... WHOA. the sound of the motor drive is fantastic.. but should i get it because of that? this combi weighs a ton also.... maybe get a md-12 and see how it goes first...

Edit.. the F80 is gone.. replaced with F100. will miss one of the softest SLR shutter releases...

Naim Nait 5

Hi, I am back after a long break... nearly 1 year actually!

I have changed my hifi setup to a Naim Nait 5 and B&W 705 (was considering Epos M12..) setup... sound is great and much more refined compared to my old rotel setup. highly recommend this combi for everyone.. i just changed to naim naca speaker cables as well which made a large difference as well. now the problem is finding more nice music to listen to. my fav music now is james blunt's "you're beautiful" and also simple plan's "perfect"... great music to calm down after a long day staring at the pc.. if anybody has any suggestions for music let me know..

Lowepro Stealth Reporter 200AW Review

Few photo companies make better products that are used real photographers than Lowepro. They also listen to their customers - when I complained that their old website had too few pics, they added tons of pics in their new website with different views of the product. Other cos, like Crumpler, are fad products that look good but fade away fast as they are just not usable in the field. I really dont like Crumpler's websites as well. Look at my previous post to see why I sold my Crumpler.

What is a Stealth Reporter (im gonna call it SR from now on) you may ask? Its a stealthy bag that is typically used by reporters since it is so light and fits in so much gear. ok, it is fairly obvious that this is a camera bag, but it doesnt scream - steal me like a Crumpler (to crumpler addicts - cmon guys, stop kidding yourself - it is fairly obvious a crumpler is a camera bag carried by a loaded person). The AW designation means this bag is All Weather and comes with a light grey (hmm 18% grey??) rain proof cover that can at least make sure your gear stays dry until u sprint to the nearest cover.

My SR is the 200 version - its the middle brother in the series - there is a 100, 300, and 400 as well. Its a nice size for a shoulder bag - you can fit in a decent amount of gear - i can fit a single SLR (e.g. D70 with 12-24mm), a spare lens (85mm or 50mm), flash (SB800 or 22s), blower and mini tripod. any more and my shoulder would hurt anyway. The SR is a fairly secure bag. The top flap is fastened to the bag using a single plastic qliklock so it is fast and quiet to take your gear in and out. the middle of the top flap has a zipper so you can reach in and grab your gear wo opening the flap. I dont use this feature as the opening is rather small on the 200 model. The SR comes with a nice shoulder strap and and is lightly padded - there are the usual foam dividers in the bag to partition your gear. The foam isnt as thick as Crumpler but it is adequate and the advantage is you can squeeze more stuff inside compared to crumplers.

Nikon FE SLR

The old fogeys amongst us will sometimes venture into manual SLRs and being gadget freaks, will ask, what is the best manual SLR to start with? For starters, most people will say the Nikon FM2 - "it operates without batteries" they say. Some would recommend the Nikon EM - this is pretty cheap and dandy. The richer folk would say - get the FM3A - but at USD800 for a used copy, this isn't a cheap option. Not me, I would tell you to get a FE.

The Nikon FE is the forgotten cousin of the Nikon FM/FM2.

It was launched in 1978 and it is much cheaper than any version of the FM2 or FE2 that you can find in the used camera market today.

Most people snap up FM2s because of the Titanium shutter (FM2n) and the ability to work without a battery. However, they forget one thing, metering is lost without a battery. Which is where the Nikon FE comes in. This is a camera that is the equivalent of the FM2 when a battery is inserted. With the battery removed, the FE is only capable of shooting in M90 mode - which means it can be triggered with a shutter speed of 1/90s. Not perfect, but good in a pinch. The Nikon FE uses 2xLR44 batt.

I bought my 2 FEs (one black, one chrome) at a bargain basement price of 120+ US dollars each a couple of years ago.

They work perfectly even though both are around 25 yrs old and I suspect they will keep on running longer than me.

The best thing about the FE is that it is an SLR that is pocketable and the feel of using one is magical. It reminds one in this digital age what it means to BE a photographer. To slow down, compose, to meter carefully, hold your breath and squeeze the shutter release oh so gently to get the shot. Now how many DSLR owners do that nowadays? Most shoot in blazing 5FPS in full auto mode.. And the sound of that shutter... utterly mechanical in nature with a nice solid "click". Not a uninspiring "thack" that I heard while using my colleague's Canon 30D.

The bad thing about the FE is that is uses film.

Oh, not the loading part. Loading a roll of film is an incredibly satisfying experience. It feels the same as loading a gun (or a PEZ dispenser) in some ways. Popping a can of film, you get a whiff of the film chemicals which is familiar and organic in a way. You have then to pop the film back of the FE, insert the film canister and insert the film leader into a slot of the camera's takeup spool making sure the sprockets align. You then close the film back, set the film ISO using the ISO dial and you are ready to go. Fire off a few frames (make sure you choose a fast shutter speed like 1/125s) until the avail frames display shows "0".

Rather, its the fact that developing film requires you to go to the store for processing and most people would get a 4R printout (matt or glossy, ma'am?). The resulting printout reflects how that store calibrates their equipment and unfortunately, some are WAY off in their calibration. This means color casts, reds that are too red and greens that are artificial. The papers that these shops use make a difference as well. I would recommend all film users to get their store to just process the film and scan the negatives/positives through a proper film scanner. Once the photos are scanned, treat them in the same way as your digital images. Of course, all this takes time but then, whats time when you want to appreciate photos and color and light?

Rotel RA-02 and CD-02

For audiophiles in the know.. you will always have a period of time where you have 2 sets of equipment.

For me, the Rotel RA-02 and CD-02 were my stopgap amp and cd player of choice pre-Naim. For the price, they are rock solid and are more suited for pop, and rock music.

Update...
I paired them with my Bose Acoustimass 5 for a while, Bose CMI.. seriously. When I got my B&W 600 series (very briefly), I swapped in a Naim 5 and the Rotel quickly got sold off...

Budget Hifi choices

Wanna get a new hifi, i kinda like nad for a long time so decided to use nad parts

Thinking of the following -

cdplayer - nad 542 or 521bee or 513
amp - nad c350 or c320bee
speakers - b&w 602 or kef q1 or monitor audio b2
cables - qed
interconnects - qed or van der hull or kimber

Nikon lens choices

Some of my thoughts on Nikon lens choices for a ....

Film based SLR

street photography - 50D f1.8, 85D f1.8
general - 28-105D, 24-85G
primes - 24, 50, 105

recommended set - 24-85 f3.5-4.5G, 80-200 f2.8D, 50mm f1.8D, kenko teleplus pro 2x, close-up filter set.

Digital SLR

recommended set - 18-70 f3.5-4.5G, 80-200 f2.8D, 50mm f1.8D, kenko teleplus pro 2x, close-up filter set.

Trip to the Singapore Zoo

It was hot! a bit of breeze made it slightly bearable. what wasnt so bearable were the tons of screaming kids everywhere. the animals were tolerating the heat ok.. however, i was more than slightly disappointed in the zoo which had not changed much for the better over the last few years since i visited.

It seems that the administration are pretty much content on what they have so far. Another negative point was that a lot of the animals have been "transferred" to the more lucrative part of the zoo - the so called night safari. lastly, i still question why animals who clearly dont belong in the tropic heat are kept here e.g. the polar bear and the penguins. All in all, i dont think i will be visiting any time soon.

Tried out my new old 70-210mm.. CMI unless you are on a tripod or monopod.. lens blur.

UPDATE in 2006 Oct - we joined Friends of the Zoo bcos of Harry... looks like more zoo going this year!

Favorite places to eat in Singapore

We eat out quite a lot (lecheh to cook for 2 pp lah!) so here's a small listing of some nice hawker food i have tried and like in singapore

noodles/bee hoon

prawn noodles at adam rd
hokkien mee at newton circus or smu
fried kuay teow at west coast rd/zion rd/bukit merah
porridge at zion rd
bar chor mee at bedok north
lor mee at upper circular road
wan tan mee at novena food court
soya sauce chicken at ghim moh
satay bee hoon at chomp chomp/east coast center
vegetarian bee hoon at thomson/maxwell
fried fish noodle soup at bukit merah
dry chili mee pok at tiong bahru
beef hor fun at balestier coffee shop/geylang (opposite 24h you tiao)
kl style black hokkien mee at west coast rd coffee shop
slice white fish hor fun at killeney coffee shop/west coast rd opp ginza
ban mee at toa payoh coffee shop
mee rebus at revenue house/adam rd
laksa at katong

rice/porridge

fish porridge at newton circus
nasi lemak at adam road/changi village hawker/jackies bowl east coast
chicken rice at boon tong kee
claypot chicken at clementi
bat kut teh at balestier
curry rice at tiong bahru
congee at zion rd hawker
duck rice at yu kee franchise
nasi padang at katong coffee shop

others

chicken chop/cutlet at west coast hawker center
toasted bread with kaya at novena food court
chinese rojak at toa payoh blk 177
yam cake at chinatown hawker center
roti prata at thomson rd
pot stickers at people's park
bbq chicken wings at bedok north
"normal" yong tau foo at revenue house
fried/ampang yong tau foo at meridien/siglap/ghim moh
chui kuey at tiong bahru/bedok central
popiah at lavendar food square
curry fish head at muthus at racecourse or at jackies bowl east coast
fried carrot cake at bedok central hawker

dessert

glutinous rice balls in peanut soup at ghim moh/bukit merah
yu tiao, shao ping, bean curd at geylang 24hr place
goreng pisang at toa payoh coffee shop
ham chim peng at margaret drive/ghim moh
bean curd at rochor beancurd

drinks

teh alia at taj mahal at adam rd

Crumpler Budgie Smuggler mini review

Just got back from my short trip to bali, great trip stayed in the bali hilton and travelled to ubud, the mountain areas. decided to post a short review of the crumpler budgie smuggler for a Nikon D70 user..

Capacity
=============
- the main compartment has just enough space for a D70 (or a similar sized non-pro SLR w/o vert grip) with kit lens plus one compact lens
- slightly longer than kit lens OR a flash. in my case, i divided the bag into 2 carrying a D70 (sideways with the grip facing up) plus an olympus mju film p&s with a beanbag on top
- the compartments are very accessible as compared to a backpack model. i found it easy to pull the cam out of the bag while moving..
- the front compartment can store about 5-6 rolls of film, or a PDA + filters..
- other compartment is under the front flap and can be used to hold your memory cards and such but is too thin to hold anything else! - crumpler provided 2 reasonably thick internal dividers (with velcro) but i only used one

Handling and cosmetics
==================
- the bag is made of a tough nylon material and feels rather boxy when carrying it with heavy padding. the specs say its waterproof but thankfully i did not have to verify this!! however, it might not be as weather-proof as the lowepro series with its AW slip on nylon cover...
- the shoulder strap is wide and has comfortable shoulder padding
- there are two straps (hooks?) on either side of the bag presumably to hook other pouches
- i think the bag looks great compared to other makes!!

Other remarks
==================
- the budgie smuggler is ideal if you want to travel light. however if you normally carry more than 2 lenses with a flash or binocs or tripod. you might want to go with larger "messenger-style" models e.g. crumpler 15 love or lowepro specialist aw 100/200
- if you carry more than that it might be advisable to carry a backpack style model e.g. crumpler formal lounge, shrinkle, farmers double etc or lowepro mini-trekker range, unless you have a iron-clad shoulder!

hope you guys like this mini review!

update from 2007- i have sold my budgie smuggler and replaced it with a lowepro sr 200aw. it was a great bag, and i loved the looks, but i just couldnt stand the sound of velcro ripping everytime i had to get the camera out and i was always worried about it in the rain. crumplers are getting too popular with the wrong type of people also... :)