OMD EM5 Mark II. New toy, once hooked never cured.

It has been a while, a decade has passed since I first started this blog. There's a lot to say, a lot to convey but I am wary of opening up to scrutiny. Perhaps.....

Playing with light - OMD EM5

Old habits die hard....never did actually. Years ago I abandoned my DSLR, skipped photography for a bit, used point and shoots for a while and suddenly the itchiness came back. Caused by a glimpse on Flipboard of the OMD EM5. Taken by its size, technology and retro looks I got one as a birthday gift to myself (just to justify the spending... :-p). Its feels good and I do still enjoy making pictures.

Reading http://robinwong.blogspot.com/ provides inspiration and reminder on forgotten skills and the joy of capturing a moment in time. The clincher for this pretty little piece of equipment is its weather sealing characteristics. No more hiding from the rain. Its going on my bike rides and walks by the beach. No bag necessary. It can take the mud, lashings of rain and the wet monsoon season.

At the end of the day, reviewing those shots became a form of therapy. However, photography as an endeavor has a serious consequence for me as I am prone to GAS, not the smelly kind - gear acquisition syndrome. This has reared its ugly head - the OMD EM1 is now in the Malaysian market....

2013 - 1965 = 48 not 49 !!!

The messages starts coming in at about midnight and continues up to now. All the wishes, much appreciated yet it forms a reminder of something that I would rather not remember. Its my birthday (again.. ;-p) of which I thought would be my 49th - blame it on the Mrs. for misleading me through pointers that I am older than she is. Alas, the calculator confirms that it is my 48th year after all. Hmmm another 2 years before I can go see EPF then...

The initial response to this event is quite depressing but looking back and taking stock, I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for. Blessed for having much of those things that made life worth living. Thank you all, for the wishes and for being within my circles. May you all be as; if not more blessed than I am, Insya Allah....

Regretting the time that I thought we still have....

I was just about to have lunch before heading back to KL when the sms came. All the way from Labuan that a dear friend has passed away early that morning in Muar. I barely ate, the small portion of chicken rice seems huge, roast chicken doused in soy sauce left untouched. It all tasted as bland as the slivers of iceberg lettuce that came with it. Inability to digest the news and the anxiety for more explicit details gnaws at my insides. There were so many numbers to reach yet none provided answers.

Arwah Muhammad Yusuf Bin Ibrahim, my best friend whom I love dearly since we first met at the academy. We were a close knit bunch but he was always special. More a brother to me. We shared a lot, we crossed boundaries, we came back. Reminiscing, the first ship that we were both on was the beginning of the end. We drfited apart soon after signing off that Bunga Tanjung some twenty or so years ago. Our lives took different paths. We were ensconced in our own little world. Yet, those that grew up with me were always on my mind especially Usop aka Dolly.

I always thought that one of these days we will meet at our kids wedding or some such. Perhaps even look each other up once we retire, as was oft discussed in the midst of our career. On the rare occasion that we manage to catch up. That was the agenda.

Alas, that was not meant to be. Arwah succumb to sudden heart attack. Innalillah....

Now, on the eve of Aidiladha, the tears are welling up as the takbir is recited. How fickle it all seems, there's only so much time for each of us, my mistake was assuming that it will last forever.

Semoga arwah dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan bersama orang yang beriman. Al Fatihah....

Forgive me for I have sinned....

It has been a while and sinned we surely have. Sparked by a query on why I have not been writing leads me to ask the same of myself. Thus as I glide through the clear water, the only sound is air escaping from the regulator, so does my thoughts purging itself floating towards the light above. Trying to gather itself into a coherent and sensible line of normalcy. Therein lies the flaw, coherent maybe, sensible perhaps, normalcy questionable.

Some days I feel tired....

What do I say ? What do you want me to say ? Perhaps I have said what needed to be said. It is true that history repeats itself for I am now at that all too familiar junction. Exploring the choices on how and where to spend my remaining days. As any atom in existence, motion is a necessity. Being motionless will mean to perish. That motion for me is held in check by my students. It is the only thing that is holding me back for now. How did it come to this ?