We all move on. I've moved on too.

I want a fresh start, so.. GOODBYE BLOGGER, HELLO TUMBLR.

I NOW BLOG HERE.

Don't fight the rope

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

What a bobbing experience I had this morning! Tried wakeboarding for the very first time!

It's quite a bit of fun, but I'm experiencing the consequences now:( My head still feels like it's bobbing up and down, and there's a little bit of water stubbornly stuck in my ears. Not to mention being totally burnt.

I thought it seemed simple enough. At least it looked simple enough. You slip your legs into the wakeboard, grab the handle, crouch down low, then wait for the motorboat to slowly pull you up. Once you're up, you just.. simply ride the wave!

But boyohboy was I wrong. On my first few attempts, I struggled to stand up. I could never hold onto the handle more than a few seconds after the boat moved. At the instance I tried to stand, I would fall back and then drown in an overwhelming torrent of seawater. The boat would then turn back to pick me up, the instructor would correct me, and this frustrating cycle continued for a while and I was like OHH SO IT ISN'T THAT EASY AFTER ALL.

What was my problem? Well, a few things. I remember the instructor telling me, "hang on to the rope, don't hold on. Hang on!!" The first attempt I didn't grip the handle properly. I needed to really hang on, grip onto it firmly and not just hold it. Second problem: I was trying too hard to fight the rope, i.e. I was exerting strength against the boat trying to pull myself up. The trick was to straighten your hands and then let the boat move and naturally pull yourself up, not the other way around. The instructor sarcastically told me, "this boat has 200 horse power, you don't even have 1 horse power and you're trying to pull on the boat?!" HAHA. Besides that, I also had problems with my getting-up posture. I found it a little amusing how I was treated like a small kid learning how to STAND-UP -.-

The first round I didn't succeed in standing on the board, not at all. But thankfully, upon the second round, I managed to effortlessly get myself up! At that instant I felt a sudden sense of accomplishment and freedom, to feel the wind against my chest and the churning waves beneath. But I only managed to remain surfing for a short while before falling off again. :( Thankfully, long enough for my friends to snap a shot!

I did what they said - not to fight the rope, to hang on tight, not to think too much about balancing and just getting up naturally. AND I DID IT. I WAKEBOARDED FOR MY VERY FIRST TIME! =D

But I took back more than a skill today. Yknow what? I took back a precious lesson.

I saw that riding the ocean waves and riding the waves of life aren't any different. God is my 200 horse power boat that's always steadily pulling me along. And I'm always the small guy behind clinging on desperately to the handle that's called life. God pulls me along in life. And in order to stand up and ride the waves that come my way, I gotta HANG ON TIGHT AND NOT FIGHT THE ROPE.

I gotta let the boat pull me, not struggle with the boat. God has to pull me, because alone I'm powerless and weak. He's doing all the work - steering the boat, powering the boat, and all I need to do is hang on.

Simple enough a reminder for all of us.

Hang on tight and don't fight the rope. That way you'll survive and not fall.

You should try wakeboarding too:)

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

<3 New York New York!!

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

Saying I love u

These past few weeks have been really hard for me.. many things happened, I wasn't doing well emotionally, and there was just so much of questioning God and disappointment with Him over so many things.

I finally decided to take tonight and spend time soaking in His presence and seeking after Him. Frankly speaking it's been ages since I set aside time to reconnect with my big 'CO' up there. And as I was singing songs and praising Him and all, I just broke down in tears when I felt His presence surround me.. and it was that kind of a sweet feeling which I haven't felt in a very long while. I miss God's presence, his warm embrace soooo much. That feeling of security, of assurance, and of His everlasting love for me... really only my God can make me feel this way.

Strange thing, as I was half tearing and half singing, the Lord just gave me a song. With my guitar missing one string, I just started to strum a few chords and then amazingly the words just came out spontaneously and I started singing it. And I know this is a song from my Daddy.

I am safe in Your arms
I am forgiven and accepted here
I am safe in Your embrace
You never let me go
No never let me go

I want to worship You
I'm coming back to You Lord
I've run a million miles
Went a million places
But I'm home now

Chorus:
Jesus
I love You, I love You, I love You
You are good
You are strong
You are awesome almighty Father
The same today, tomorrow and forever.

You're the comforter of the storm
And forever I can sing
I love You Lord
I love You Lord

I might record it down some time soon (and figure a title), but I hope this song that God gave me will find you well wherever you are in your life, whatever issues you may be grappling.

Situations might not change, but guess what? Our God will never change too!! And this is my greatest source of comfort. That God will ALWAYS remain God. And because of that we have EVERY reason to still praise and say "I love You". :)

Our God is above every situation. And HOPE IN CHRIST NEVER FAILS.

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:5

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Nostalgia

I can't believe it's already one year since trackers.. Was looking through pics of this year's trackers (2011) on fb just now, and as I saw pics of them playing games and all, I couldn't help but put a smile on my face, cos I was just so happy these youths joined and I know they'll never leave the same.

It also triggered back all the memories I had last year with my batch. Good times.. Makes me feel so nostalgic. Ahh really miss those moments. Yknow looking back I really thank God for giving me trackers; I dare say it is the most life-changing 3 months of my life, the most meaningful experience I had in my 19 years. I especially thank God for the friendships made, and I know these relationships will last because they're bounded by our love for Christ.

I WANNA TURN BACK TIME AND DO TRACKERS ALL OVER AGAIN.

A question of definition

It's hard to define what Art is. We've tried, argued, debated.. but never came to any consensus. Art is vague; it is elusive in nature. We all know that. And not surprisingly, so is photography.

At every stage of my journey in photography, I have come to embrace different definitions of what photography is. Throughout the years, the meaning of this craft personally to me has kept on evolving.

When I first started off some 4 years ago, photography meant equipment, gear and technical competency. That was a very superficial (and oh how inaccurate) initial view I had. Once I got pass the obsession over gear to realise that the photographer matters so much more, I then believed that photography is about beauty. I aimed to capture all things aesthetically beautiful. I patiently awaited sunsets, took pictures of nature, flowers, scenery.. all things that appeared 'nice'.



But soon enough I realised an even nicer definition of photography. I began to see that photography, at a broader level, could be distilled into two general themes: Light, and Life. Photography then, to me was about capturing life through light. Light the medium, life the subject. I thought this definition worked pretty well, and held true for every genre of photography, except maybe say still-life.

But as I moved on, I began to become more specific in my definitions. I saw the critical importance of photography, and narrowed down what the crux of "life through light" really was. After killing some brain cells, I decided it boiled down to this: memories and moments. Photography is about making permanent a fleeting moment in history. It is powerful - never underestimate the importance of that family snapshot or that black and white Chinatown photo.





While all these were "true" definitions, I somehow felt I didn't entirely capture the artistic element of photography. Only last year, when I started playing with strobes, a bit of portraiture, and a lot of conceptual photography did I understand for myself that it's also about emotion through expression. Really, photography in its purest is an art form, and like any art, it's a means of expression. I then used photography as a means to visually represent the emotions and feelings I was experiencing. That was when photography became personal and emotional, and I could really identify with the photos I took.






Through these few years of growth, meanings kept shifting. Which leads to my conclusion that you can never quite pin down what photography really means to you, because you'll never fully know. Perhaps the question of definition is not that important, but the way you go about obtaining these definitions.

To end it all, let me offer you another definition of photography: Photography is not about photography. At this point in writing, this is what photography means to me. It means everything else in this world, except for photography. And a camera is the tool which helps me see without a camera. Food for thought :)

Joby Gorillapod SLR - review

I held off long enough on getting a gorillapod - till today! I'm writing this review just a few hours after purchasing it, something which I don't usually do, but it's a product that's straightforward and easy enough to recommend.

Gorillapod SLR supporting a 500D & 17-85 lens

I regretted not getting this earlier.  It simply is one of the most useful and ingenious mini camera supports I know.

And if you don't already know, a Gorillapod is mini tripod with bendy legs, allowing one to 'wrap' the tripod around natural objects or fixtures such as fences, railings or poles for those casual snapshots.

On paper, Joby claims a max weight of 800g.  As seen in the picture, this 500D + EF-S 17-85 combi tips the scales at slightly more than 900g, but with proper balancing of the tripod legs, it will still support it very steadily.

The tripod itself weights an insignificant 165g, and it uses a universal quarter-inch tripod screw.  The joints are all flexible, with the grey parts being rubberised for added grip.  The mounting plate slots in nicely to the tripod, and provides a simple bubble level. 

Tripod mount

What's missing though is a ball-head system.  I think there's another model with a ball-head, but it's too gigantic for my taste.  Basically to lock the plate in, you simply slide it into the groove till it clicks.  To remove, simply depress the button below and slide the camera out - idiot-proof!

Now this tripod isn't meant to replace a traditional tripod, and neither is it meant to be a professional camera support.  I see this more as a secondary form of camera support, either for a small SLRs or compact camera, to be brought out when I go for casual street shooting, or to be used when taking group shots with friends over dinner where I could at least control the composition instead of handing it over to the waiter who returns more often than not with blurred shots. 

This is not a serious tripod.  I wouldn't recommend it for critical landscape work for example.  The Gorillapod is meant for fun - for those days when I wouldn't lug my big Manfrotto 190xprob around town, this is the perfect replacement. 

Lock ring - to lock the tripod plate in for added security

Gorillapod supporting 430ex with Trigmaster

But wait! There's more! Besides supporting cameras and videocams, I think this is the perfect support for flashes as well.

Seen on the left, the Gorillapod will support flash units such as my Canon 430exii - perfect when using off-camera flash.  Instead of holding the flash with my hands or getting an assistant to do that, I can wrap the Gorillapod around nearby objects.  This makes for very versatile lighting setups.

To sum it up, there's very little to complain about the Gorillapod SLR, and there's every reason why any photographer would benefit from one of these accessories.  It's a no-brainer, if you're scouting for a tripod which will fit into the bag, THIS IS IT.

The Joby Gorillapod SLR - 5 stars.  Very pleased!

Norton AntiVirus 2011 - first impressions

If you know me, I've been a faithful Norton AntiVirus (NAV) user for quite a long time. I wasn't particularly crazy over NAV a few years back, but in recent years, NAV has dramatically improved and today, it is, IMHO, one of the best antivirus solutions out there.

As part of my subscription, Norton offered me a free upgrade to the latest 2011 version. I installed it without hesitation, and I'm bursting with excitement to share my first impressions with you, because good has become even better.

Firstly, installation was lightning fast - super easy and fuss-free. After a reboot and an activation screen, NAV is setup and ready to use.

Norton AntiVirus 2011 main screen

This is the home interface for NAV 2011. I think it's comprehensive without being too intimidating. New in this version is a map which shows worldwide cyber crime activity for the past 24 hours. Cool. Only gripe with this new UI is that the system status at the top could be more prominent.

NAV sidebar gadget (top)

Norton also provides a sidebar gadget for Windows, which shows you at a glance your system status, and provides two buttons below - one to launch NAV with the Activity Map, and the other with Norton's online backup.

Performance

NAV, back in the XP-era, always had a reputation of being big, intrusive, bloated and a memory hog.  But with this version, I can confidently say it's far from that.  NAV 2011 is a full-featured antivirus software which doesn't compromise on performance.  It is blazing fast, lightweight, and doesn't slow down your system.  Everything feels snappy.  LiveUpdate works fast, the main screen is almost instant start-up, and scan times are the BEST I've seen from any security software.  Doing a quickscan (after running Norton Insight once) only took me 15 seconds.  Mind-blowing!

NAV's performance screen - allows you to see how much resources its sapping up

Security

I don't have scientific test results to convince you, but I'd say that Norton AntiVirus is very effective, both in protecting you from threats and removing them.  Ever since I've used Norton, not a single threat went unnoticed - even those minor tracing cookies gets picked up in scans.  And ever since I've used Norton, my computer has not been infected with any malware.  That's all I can say - it is pretty darn good.  Provided, of course, you update virus definitions.

Norton Facebook wall scan

New in this version are also two new type of scans you could perform - one is a reputation scan (checks the trust level, age and prevalence of programs and processes on your computer) and the other one - now this is interesting - is a Facebook wall scan, which scans your facebook wall for potentially dangerous website links.  Very innovative. 


Customisation

Settings panel

At first look, the settings panel is intimidating.  There's so many things for the user to tweak, so many options and settings.  The one I'd recommend to adjust is to turn on Microsoft Office Auto Scan.  You could slowly ploy through the other options and adjust them as you please.  If not, the defaults are fine.

Norton Insight

Norton Insight

So how does Norton accomplish it? A full-featured solution without the bulk and the heft? It's every security company's dream right? This is where the intelligence lies - Norton Insight.  What Insight does is to scan your computer processes against Norton's list of safe processes.  Once it has been trusted by Norton, any subsequent computer scans performed will skip through scanning those processes, thus achieving quick scan-times.  Very smart, and works extremely well.

Conclusion

This is just my first impressions of NAV.  If you're the kinda guy who will only be convinced by charts, graphs and numbers, Google for another review.  But if you're a normal home-user like me, and you're looking for a standard anti-virus software for PC protection, hands-down, I'd recommend Norton AntiVirus 2011.  It is excellent in almost every aspect. 

If money's an issue though, you could also consider the free and excellent Microsoft Security Essentials.  It's good, but not quite up-to-par with Norton.

http://these-simple-truths.blogspot.com

Started a new blog with my retarded evil twin Ian Leong!

It's hard to maintain two sites, but I'll promise not to totally neglect this blog! Will still write about photog and tech stuff here, but for everything else, hit the link, drop a tag and say hi!

Trust your tools

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010


Everything's alright cause I am on your side
And if you need to you can hide in me
Cause all you need to know
I will never let you go
I'm the lover of your soul

Brandon Heath is just such an AWESOME AWESOME songwriter!! I really loveeeee his music so much.. it's the kinda music which goes beyond superficial, beyond nice tunes and catchy drumbeats to really speaking the truth. I don't know, I guess his music resonates with me because many issues mentioned are pretty much what I'm dealing with. It's so uplifting, encouraging and inspiring. I could lie on bed enjoying air-con doing nothing but listening to his songs, especially the slower emo nemo ones :D So the two must-listen albums are What If We and Don't Get Comfortable. Pretty much love EVERY track in there.

All you need is a sunrise
Just a moment of dawn...

... Just a little more time the sun's gonna find you


Things have been better this week, training tempo slowing down for a while - finally some time to catch my breath. Still questioning, still seeking, but at least I'm in better spirits. Besides being called poster boy in camp (thank you SUTD), I'm smiling more and actually having great fun with my section. It's the same realisation that no matter how tough training is/going to be, as long as awesome people are alongside you in it, it will be fun and thoroughly enjoyable.

So yesterday was our navigation test for the CSB badge. Second time there; we did a similar navigation exercise there last week. Of the three day checkpoints we were assigned to find, the third one (Quay) was the same as what we got last week. Having found it once, we were pretty confident that we could replicate the success again.

Set off around noon, with no fancy technology other than a prismatic compass, pacer, laser pointer and a map which reflected nothing but a generous chunk of green with contour lines. With just these simple tools, we started bashing up knolls cluttered with thorny bushes, thick vegetation and dead-fall, overcoming the obstacles one by one till the pacing showed we reached our destination. Then we would begin our frantic search for the checkpoint - a small board nailed to a tree. Yes, it's finding a needle in the haystack.

By God's grace, my team found the first two checkpoints. All we were left with was the last checkpoint - Quay, which we found the week before. We walked there, brimming with confidence that we would find it again with relative ease. In fact, the six of us were so sure of Quay that when we went down the knoll, we didn't even use our compass or pacer to navigate. Trusting our instinct and vague impressions of trails we took, we relied on our memory and intuition to find Quay.

If the vegetation was distinct enough, it might have worked. But unfortunately, every tree there looked like any other tree, every dead-fall like any other dead-fall, and every trail like any other trail. After blindly bashing around for some time, we started to get frustrated. After all we did find it before, why not again!

To cut the story short, we failed to find Quay. Uh. Dejected faces we wore as we headed to the day end-point... the prospect of full marks and a pizza treat was over. Reflecting back, the grave mistake we committed was to abandon our tools and stupidly navigate based on hazy impressions of where it is.

Intuition failed us. Feelings weren't accurate. Memories weren't reliable.


Why I'm relating this is because amidst the disheartened faces and low morale, I saw a parallel between navigation and living the Christian life. This simple incident opened my eyes to a bigger realisation about how we are with God many times.

We are often like that aren't we? We like to navigate and lead our life based upon our feelings, our human emotion and warped ideas about what's good and bad or right and wrong. Not that these feelings should totally be disconsidered, but many times they fool us. Like how I should have trusted my tools at all times, we should live our life trusting in the infallible word of God.

Don't base your decisions or view of God based on what you feel. Rather, base it on the unchanging truth.

When He says His love for you is deeper than the deepest seas, it really is!
Even if you don't feel it.

When He says He is fighting for you and is always there with you, it really is!
Even if you feel lonely and feels no one sees your tears.

When He says you're free and the chains have been broken, it really is!
Even if you feel trapped by the circumstances you're in.

When He says He is good all the time, it really is!
Even when you feel everything's falling apart.

When He says you're beautifully created in His eyes, it really is!
Even if you feel you're not good enough.

Lead your life based on God's truth, that way, you won't get lost.

Questions

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Daddy, have you been waiting for me?
I've been running for far too long now, my body is aching and I really need a break.
Can I sit with you and have a cup of coffee?
I really miss you, it has been some time since we talked.

Daddy, why does it keep raining these past few weeks?
Where's the sunshine, puffy clouds and clear blue skies?
Why is it all shades of grey?
I'm afraid of the thunder and lightning - I can't seem to sleep during the storm.
See, even the flowers outside are withering. Will they be fine? It's hard to find time to water them.

Daddy, your love for me is beyond my wildest imagination and deeper than the deepest oceans and bigger than the biggest mountains, right?
You do know the longings of my heart, right?
Why is it that everything around me seems to be falling apart?
Why do you keep on taking away the things that I cherish most?
Why do you make life so painful, bitter, full of suffering and struggles?
Can't it be just a little easier?
Why is it that you give and yet take away?
Just what are you doing inside of me?
It feels like chaos; every step seems harder to climb, every moment seems darker.
Can't the storm clouds part for a while for the golden sunlight to shine through?

Daddy, how do I deal with these feelings of disappointment and failure?
I know I can't do it by myself, but surely you're strong enough to carry me right?
Why is it so hard to wear a smile on my face?
After all you said that it'll be alright eventually.
Then why is my heart still racing in fear?

Daddy, come and restore this broken heart, come lift my spirits up.
Help me to see beyond the pain and suffering to realise that it's part of growing up.
Help me to see that you're the closest when I'm hurting and crying, when all around me is darkness and I can't see where I'm heading.
Help me to see that you're the peace within when I toss and turn in bed wondering what tomorrow brings.

Daddy, it really isn't easy when I'm battling the storm.
But I know, when it's over, I'll look back and say thank you, for faith in the light is born in the dark.
In the meantime, I just got to hold on tight.

Won't you show me the answers?
Your son is waiting:)

Stay on track

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010 | Snapshot on the way home, simulated film grain in photoshop

"Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)

I pass by this park connector every time I walk from the bus-stop home, but I don't know why this signage particularly caught my attention today. I glanced up, contemplated for a second if it was worth a picture, then whipped out the nifty fifty, waited a while for the cyclists to appear, snapped, and continued my walk home.

As I walked, I kept repeating the 3 words "stay on track" to myself, and then naturally I asked God why. It's as if He wanted to tell me to stay on track. Truth is, I don't quite know if it's Him or just myself. But as I pondered over a simple signage, Hebrews 12 about running the race came to mind - and I think the way the Message phrases it is just so apt and relevant to me and where I am now.

As I'm reminded to stay on track, let me remind you to stay on track too! Don't veer off the path, keep your eyes fixed and focused. We'll get there someday.

My God knows, and He cares

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

Pardon me if my writing is incongruent or a little bit wonky because that's what I am now. It's approaching 10:30pm, my eyelids are shutting, fatigue is setting in and I'm here all alone at company office doing my CDT duty. My dear COS is washing up, and every 10 minutes or so someone pops in asking for today's SOC results. Sounding the mousehunt horn every 15 minutes is what's keeping me awake, and I dread spending the night in the freezing cold of the office on a safari bed.

As much as I've accepted the fact that ASLC is God's plan for me, truth is I've been really finding it hard to put a smile on my face these days. I think I'm a bit more grumpy, more pessismistic and just in low-spirits... outfield every week, failing SOC this morning, not being able to go to church for the next 2 Sundays - it all adds up and this heaviness in my heart just doesn't seem to go away.

But He has been speaking still, assuring me that He knows exactly what I'm feeling, that when I'm downcast and sad, He sympathises and cares.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 NLT

Despite all my emo-ness and what not, I want to tell you today that GOD CARES FOR YOU. (Yes you might be thinking I know this since sunday school as a kid, but do you really know it with your heart and not just your mind?) Because He made us, He knows exactly our emotions and state of mind. He grieves when you grieve, so when you feel that no one understands the situation you're in and how screwed up life is, remember big Daddy up there does!

I'm trying hard to put a smile on my face right now, but there's a mysterious power of a smile - somehow you feel a little happier, and all's gonna be alright.

Fill me with Your love

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

The Swiss theologian Karl Barth was asked by a student during a seminar in the United States, "Dr Barth, what is the most profound thing you have ever learned in your study of theology?" Barth thought for a moment and then replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The students giggled at his simplistic answer, but their laughter was of a nervous sort as they slowly realised Barth was serious.

From the book Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by RC Sproul

Dear Father, fill me with your love - your profound, satisfying, everlasting and unconditional love! Take my life as an empty cup and fill it till overflowing :)

When paths cross and diverge

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family."
Proverbs 18:24 (Message)

Making good friends is hard, but you know what? The parting after that is even harder. Had to say bye to a good friend who left for studies a few weeks ago, and now after BSLC some of my army friends have parted ways too. And I was just thinking - sometimes our paths cross, sometimes God causes them to diverge. New friends come and old friends go, we embrace new relationships and cry at those who left... and that's the way life works.

But in every season of my life, God never fails to give me a few really good friends that I treasure. It's never the number of friends one has that matters, but who these friends are. I would prefer 5 really really close friends than say 20 "okay" friends. We all start out on our separate path in life, walking our own way, and then at some point we reach junctions where paths cross. And I was thinking of the people that God has placed in my life this season... cos I know it's more than mere coincidence when God causes these paths to cross. I look back and stand in awe at how God brings two paths heading in seemingly different directions and merges them together. Sometimes the people around me are so different from who I am - different backgrounds, personalities, and countries even - but somehow, somehow through the unique course of events in life God causes us to meet. And I constantly ask God why, why He brings these people into my life. There is a purpose, a reason for everything, and sometimes He puts people around us so that we may support them in their walk, or so that they may encourage us in ours. In any case, the very least we could do for these people is to keep them in prayer. The truth is we all can't survive alone, and God never did made us to do that anyway. Although we may not get to see our close friends everyday, prayer bridges that gap. Even when paths diverge and we don't know why, we can still pray for that person and keep him in our thoughts. Prayer is powerful - and that's the least we can do as a believer in a community of believers.

But even as friends come and go, I take comfort in knowing that God's family lasts forever. Our spiritual family, whoever they may be, will continue throughout eternity. And it is much stronger than worldly friendships and even family bonds, because an everlasting God is in the centre of it!

Dear Father, my prayer this season is that you give me more spiritual friends, friends that will stick alongside me like family, because I can't walk alone and I never want to. And to those you've placed around me, I ask that you give me the courage and strength to support them in whatever way I can, because that's what friends are for..

Apple music event 1 sept - quick thoughts

Just watched the jobs-note, and here are some quick off-the-cuff thoughts regarding the new product announcements.

Once the reality distortion field disappears and the Apple hype fades off, proper judgment sets in and I must say that the event was nothing fantastic or revolutionary. All the announcements were evolutionary updates to already very good products. And Apple's appetite for smaller thinner iPods continue to drastic levels - it's the whole form over function thing.

Image from Apple

iPod shuffle:
The new 4th gen shuffle looks almost exactly like the 2nd gen, except that it is now smaller. Clearly the button-less design of the 3rd gen wasn't well-received. The new shuffle also gains the voiceover technology from the 3rd gen, plus genius mixes.

The nice thing to note though is how unbelievably cheap the shuffle is - S$78 for 2GB. Nice, but uh - nothing to get wild over.

Image from Apple

iPod nano:
This is perhaps the most interesting release. Apple has repositioned this product slightly, making it solely a music player. The video capabilities and video camera have been removed - Apple has moved it up to the iPod touch (more on that later.) Firstly, the click wheel has disappeared, making way for a 240px 1.5-inch square multi-touch screen with a UI similar to iOS. Because it is so crazily minute now, it also gains a clip like the shuffle. Gone also are notes, calendar, contacts and games that were present in other generations.

Some people will make noise that video function is gone, but I think it isn't that big a loss anyway. Who really did enjoy watching video on the small screen of the previous nanos? Apple is clearly pushing consumers who want video over to the iPod touch, and the nano now just does what it does best - music. The loss of calendaring, notes and contacts is also no biggie - we all have our phones to handle that. To replace the loss functionality, Apple has included an FM radio with live pause, a pedometer, Nike+ and a whopping 24 hour battery life. Pricing is also very attractive, but the storage still caps at 16GB.

Image from Apple

iPod touch:
Uh, nothing much to say here as well. Basically, the iPod touch gains most of the new features of the iPhone 4 to keep it up-to-date. Yes retina display, FaceTime, HD video recording, A4 processor, 3 axis gyro.. yada yada, all the good stuff the iPhone 4 has basically. The concept of the iPod touch remains the same - it is still an iPhone without the phone. And Apple is also marketing its gaming prowess by adding Game Centre, a social gaming network. All in all, the best iPod touch so far.

But I'm sad!!! Because of the addition of TWO cameras, I can't bring it to camp! Bad news for all army people. But I'm happy with my current iPod touch, it's good enough.

iTunes 10 sidepane - Apple likes it grey.

iTunes 10:
Ahh this is where I have to bitch a little. I don't like the new UI changes to iTunes! As usual, to visually separate version 10 from other versions, Apple gave the UI a spit shine. Firstly, there's a new blue-ish iTunes icon (do we really need a new icon apple?) which still looks fine. But launch iTunes and EEKS! Why is everything so dull, muted and grey now! The coloured icons on the left navigation pane have been replaced with greyscale versions, the volume slider has changed again, and on the mac the three window buttons (expand, min and maximise) has been weirdly placed into a vertical column. I just don't get it... it's so clear these changes are done just because it's a new version.

Apart from the UI nonsense, iTunes 10 adds a new social network platform called ping. I see this as playing catch-up to the zune social. I don't care too much about it frankly. Overall, iTunes still remains largely as it is - don't let the new icon fool you it's still the same old program.

To sum it all up, still the same one word - evolutionary. But I don't think that's bad, it just means the iPod line-up is near perfect. (Apple, why don't you focus on the Apple TV and make it something more than "another hobby"?)

To Him the future's history

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010 | Walking by faith, not by sight

Today marked the end of BSLC, the end of 8 awesome weeks in Pasir Lepak camp, and I also got my posting today. While some were jumping joyously upon being posted to air force and MP (aka the slack life), I wasn't that pleased with getting ASLC. Nope, didn't get artillery that I wanted... and so in typical American idol fashion when we were grouped and it was announced that I'm coming back to echo coy, my heart sank.

I asked God WHY WHY WHY ASLC. Weekends burnt, tough training, Taiwan... it won't be easy at all. I don't know what to expect next. 13 freaking weeks to endure.

On the train ride home, I was listening to Miracle of the Moment... and then God spoke through the lyrics, that very same verse which assured me before I enlisted assured me once again:

There's only one who knows
What's really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be

And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

I may not know the challenges that's coming my way, but heck ALL i need to know is that a) God has a plan for where I am, and b) to Him the future's history. I just have to wait and see as He reveals why over the weeks. I told myself, there's two ways I can choose to react: either worry, panic and curse or let God's peace fill me as I trust in Him. And I'll choose the latter, for worrying will not add an extra hour to your life, will it? (Matthew 6:27)

I'll choose to walk by faith and not by sight, cos my daddy has it all under control. He doesn't make mistakes!!

To whoever who's reading this, whenever you think life has taken a wrong turn, or things aren't going the way you want, remember that there's a reason for everything and nothing ever happens by chance. God has a perfect plan for you and you just got to trust that's true. Choose to see the positive, because what has happened has happened and worrying won't change a thing.

It's time for letting go
All of our if only's
Cause we don't have a time machine...

...and this is the only moment
we can do anything about.

The crystal ball

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Sadly, there's no crystal ball in life. Only He knows what's coming up next around the bend... cos to Him the future's history.

Trusting my posting after bslc all into the hands of my good God.

After all, worrying is a form of atheism.. I'm just praying that wherever I go I can be the salt and light to those around me, haha and I secretly hope to NOT get aslc!