Thoughts on iPhone

Posted on 9 September 2014 by anzyme

There hasn’t been anything important in life lately. Lots of things sucked, though, but I’ve learnt to let go of those adversities, or at least not mention them, lest they affect other’s mood. But in just a few hours one of the most exciting events will take place: Apple’s “Wish we could say more” keynote. It’s been rumoured that the latest iPhone as well as an iWatch will be unveiled, so perhaps I should express some of my thoughts here.

First, it’s been said, and even confirmed, that the new iPhones will be bigger — 4.7” and 5.5” to be exact. A lot of Apple fanboys will be so disappointed because Steve Jobs used to say that a phone must be fit for single-hand use. Enlarging the iPhone screen is like hell freezes over.

Well, in Apple’s history there were quite a number of moments when hell froze over: switching to Intel processors, iPods played videos, iTunes worked on Windows, etc.. So it’s not entirely surprising that there would be a larger screen iPhone. I’ve always said when a large screen is coupled with software that is fit for single-hand use, we can have a larger iPhone. And that’s exactly what Apple needs to address in the coming keynote.

Second, it’s about the design, and the design leaks. In the old days Apple was absolutely secretive about their unannounced products. It was quite a big shock when the iPhone 4 got into hands of a Gizmodo editor and got published. Pushing time further back, we see that an old rumour site Think Secret was forced to shut down after publishing rumours about “a new Mac” (which was later identified as the Mac mini). They didn’t even have the pictures of the actual product! People used to joke that those who leak Apple rumours would be executed by Steve Jobs. Well, this is apparently no longer the case. We see Apple product parts on the web a few months before product launch. These days we even see working products (on the contrary back when iPhone 4 was leaked the device couldn’t be switched on, and no one knew about the stunning retina display until Steve announced it). Why does this happen? And on the other side why have we never seen parts of the iWatch? In short, most probably the iWatch isn’t made in China. Yes, the Chinese is the culprit of all the modern day evil.

Aren’t you a Chinese, Kevin? No, I’m not. I’m a global citizen who believes in democracy, equality, freedom and civic responsibility, who happens to live in Hong Kong.

OK, back to talk about Apple. A third thought on the upcoming event is whether the iWatch, or smartwatches, will become a new necessity, a global phenomenon, like the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad? What I mean is that before the iPod/iPhone/iPad, music players, mobile phones and tablets existed, but it was Apple that reinvented them into something no one could have imagined. Watches have existed for a long long time; smartwatches nowadays basically are useless. Will Apple be able to make smartwatches a new necessity?

This question poses a dilemma. Many think only Steve Jobs, the modern day Thomas Edison, could have done that. If the new Apple can do that too, Steve Job’s legacy would be diminished. But on the other hand, I sure want to see something groundbreaking. After all, if money can buy happiness, why not?

Filter

Posted on 9 June 2014 by anzyme

There’re many ways to prepare and enjoy coffee: filter coffee, espresso, french press, you name it. If you wish, you can even enjoy junk coffee such as instant coffee and canned ones. Each is of different flavour and fits different purposes. I enjoy filter coffee a lot. In a controlled manner, you extract only the part of coffee with the best taste, leaving behind the unpleasant scent and coffee oil.

What if life can be controlled like filter coffee?

There’re a few writers that I appreciate whose primary job is something else. Au Lok Man, for instance, is a doctor, while Yip Long Ching is a private banker. They often talk about the funny bits and pieces in their job. Seldom do they complain about their jobs and their lives. Do they not have things to worry about, and things that annoy them? I don’t think so, but they always have the ability to extract the better part of their lives and write about them.

Sadly, in my own pot of life-coffee there’s a mix of everything — dissatisfaction, distress, depression, worry, etc. Of course there could be at least some excitement, but I just can’t filter the setbacks and extract only the desirable part to enjoy. I’d really like to enjoy life like I enjoy coffee, but that’s difficult, if not impossible.

Second-hand craze (2)

Posted on 16 April 2014 by anzyme

Well, for the nth time recently, I bought another second-hand stuff. This time, it’s a big stuff — I bought a CAR, and here it is:

No, no, I made a mistake. I bought an old Audi actually, but I’m quite pleased with it. I had only one criterion when I searched for a car — it must be in black. And my Audi A4 1.8T 2004 is in black. Hopefully it will perform well.

At the beginning of my research I set my budget between $15,000-25,000, and I tended to choose a Japanese car like Honda Jazz. But soon I realized the low budget wouldn’t lead to a good car, so I raised my budget again and again (in the typical K.Chan style). And as I raised my budget, I thought it’d be a bit pricey to get a Japanese car at above $30,000, so I resorted to European cars. BMW? Audi? Mercedes? The range of choice was vast but I soon focused on Audi A4. And here we are, getting an Audi.

As soon as I paid the deposit I found the whole thing was a bit prompt — I passed my driving test on 31/3, got my probationary license on 9/4, and bought this car on 13/4. But on second thought it wasn’t prompt at all. I’ve waited to get my driver’s license for 25 years. No, it wasn’t prompt at all.

So, I’ll get my car in late April. If you see a black Audi on the street with a P-license, don’t get too close, or I may accidentally run you over.

Driving exam

Posted on 7 April 2014 by anzyme

I’ve just found out I haven’t talked about driving practices in this site at all. Well, I started my classes in January. There wasn’t much special actually. Like any skills, driving takes time to improve. If you don’t improve over time, you aren’t talented at best, or you’re retarded. This is pretty much like dentistry.

One hidden benefit of my driving practice sessions was that I was once again back to Festival Walk. I usually meet my See Fu on Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes when I arrived late, I’d go and walk around in FW. Alternatively, after a tiring session, I also got some coffee in FW. The more I go to TW, the more I found I’m so deeply connected to this mall.

It was my last session that was quite eventful however. Well, on 30/3, one night before my exam day, I had another session with my See Fu. There was heavy rain at first, and then there was amber signal, then red, and finally black. I was in Kowloon Tong. That rings a bell right? Yes, it was the very time there were very heavy rain and hailstone-fall. Having dealt with the worst weather, I became more confident and passed next day’s exam under the amber signal with ease.

The thing is, the rain I talked about devastated FW a lot. The rain overloaded the pipes at the ceiling and water started pouring into the mall. What’s interesting is that FW still looked magnificent despite the indoor waterfalls. When Thomas showed me his photos of the chaos inside FW, I couldn’t help but remember how we used to take pictures of FW out of no reasons. Yes, FW means a lot to each and every one of us. So it makes me kinda sad when I passed my driving exam, meaning I won’t be visiting FW so often then.

March overview, trip to Osaka/Kyoto

Posted on 2 April 2014 by anzyme

So, I’m back from Japan, again. March was quite eventful actually. At the beginning I attended an Ortho course, now quite eager to do some braces. I went on a trip to Osaka and Kyoto, came back to HK safe and sound. And when I was back, I had more driving practice sessions and took the driving exam, and now I’m officially a licensed driver.

Oh, one more thing. We met our dearest Eugene, after four long years since his last visit to HK in 2010. We spent a fun afternoon like when we were teenagers — eat, play, making fun of MK, you name it. Q1 of 2014 wasn’t completely wasted, I’d say.

Osaka/Kyoto Trip
Japan was still very Japan — clean, polite, but this time, there was also cherry blossom. It wasn’t the best season when we got there, but thankfully we still managed to see some. The whole trip was about photography, and I took quite a few of them — 25GB of photos to be exact. It’ll take 30 years for me to get them all processed, i.e. when I’m retired. My dual m43 setup proved quite useful. I got enough focal lengths, enough sharpness, enough bokeh, and at the end, great photos. A few years ago I said my blood type was coffee. Now I think I’m a mixed blood type — coffee/photography.

Two things I’ve learnt from this trip. One, when you go to chain restaurants like those for ramen, never go to the branch stated on the travel book. Instead try looking for other branches, and you’ll end up suffering less from waiting time, if at all. Two, most tourist spots have two train stations, which are often operated by different railway companies. Try to arrive at one station, go to the tourist spots on a planned route, and leave at another station. This way you don’t have to walk back to the original station.

[TBC]

Second-hand craze

Posted on 5 March 2014 by anzyme

For some reasons I’m addicted to buying second hand gadgets lately. I still can’t break the psychological barrier to buy/sell second hand Apple products though – after all part of the Apple experience is the unpacking process itself – but for other stuff, like camera, lens, etc. second hand ones are good enough.

Many “professional” users in the second hand market tend to keep their products in excellent shape, even better than how I keep my own stuff. Perhaps that’s because they’ve anticipated that one day they’d sell their products. So if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll for sure find great stuff at a reasonable price.

So, what’s my story? I need a DSLR for taking decent clinical photos lately. In that case, I’ll need 1) a macro lens, 2) a DSLR body for that macro lens, and 3) a ring flash. The old-day K.Chan will opt for the best in class — 5D Mark III, first-hand macro lens, preferably a Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro, and Canon first party ring flash. But then I thought: if I’m dedicating the set-up to taking clinical photos only, I don’t really need to get a beast/beasts for that. So my set-up changed a bit:

“Ideal” set-up	Cheapo 2nd hand set-up
Canon 5D Mark III $21500	Canon 450D $1200
Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro $6300	Canon 60mm f2.8 macro $2000
Canon Macro Ring MR-14EX $4300	Apliu Cheapo Ring Flash $500
Total: $32100	Total: $3700

Provided that the second hand goods are in good shape, they’ll be enough for taking decent photos. In fact, I got some to share:

* * *

That’s not the end of the story, though. You know, I’m going to Osaka/Kyoto at the end of March, hoping to see some cherry blossom. My initial plan was to take both my m43 and my cheapo clinical set-up so that I have a wider range of focal lengths. On second thought: instead of bringing a heavy DSLR with a prime lens, wouldn’t it be great if I got an extra mirrorless body and fit my lenses onto it, so that I don’t have switch lens from time to time? That’s why I finally decided I’d get a second-hand m43 body, GF1. In that case, we’re talking about a $650 body. $650. I could have just dump it at Kansai Airport right after the trip.

[This made me think of the American astronauts who went to the moon. It was reported that they brought fancy (at that time) Hasselblad film cameras to the moon, but left them on the lunar surface due to weight concerns. Well, I’m not going to do that, but I’d definitely want to try the way “Pro Togs” shoot.]

Btw, this year Anzyme has passed its 11th anniversary without me saying anything. Well, let’s just say, Happy Birthday. And I’d like to thank you all.

Never give up

Posted on 12 February 2014 by anzyme

還記得七年前，在準備高考的黑暗歲月，放學途中收聽電台節目成為我的唯一娛樂。當時卓韻芝在節目中以廣播劇形色說出幾個虛構人物的故事。故事中的主角儘管在多年來的情人節均有不幸遭遇，但沒有放棄人生，繼續向目標邁進，最終苦盡甘來。

當年的情人節，我都有一段小故事，七年後的今天，我總算成為一個牙醫，當年在自修室的日子總不算白費。驀然回首，許多艱辛往事已經過去。情人節將至，我也想和大家分享當年的往事：

07年2月14日, Anzyme.com:

情人節 – 有人說這是個不應光顧自修室的日子，

因為在這天出現，等於告訴全世界，你今日將會獨自度過。

這亦是我最初的想法。

但見到你孤然一人的人，自己又何嘗不是?

到了自修室，今日不比平日冷清。但明顯地，

平日打得火熱的情侶，今日不復存在。

今夜，在自修室留下的我，見到的，盡是扒兒。

各位，情人節快樂。

* * *

如果陳奕迅的 “Lonely Christmas” 是聖誕節的代表歌，那麼Twins的 “雙失情人節” 必定是情人節的代表歌。

各位，情人節快樂。

If only we had magic

Posted on 9 February 2014 by anzyme

J.K. Rowling admitted in a recent interview that Hermione should have ended up with Harry.

In the world of fiction, everything should be possible. In a fictional world of magic, things could get even crazier. Yet, in the magical world of Harry Potter, they lived within confines of reality.

For instance, one gets healed despite bad injuries, but no one can be brought back from death. And there were some magical laws, which worked like Newton’s Laws of Physics. E.g. You can’t transfigure non-food into food.

I guess this is why the Harry Potter fiction appeals to me so much. It’s not the unrealistic part that fascinates me; it’s the fact that they lived within constraints that connects with me.

Indeed my world is full of constraints.

As a fresh graduate my starting salary may be higher than others’, but I ended up having lower quality of life: long working hours, 6- (5.5- at best) day working week, no paid annual-leave, and the like.

I’ve always thought if work brings job satisfaction, all those tradeoffs are worthwhile. I still think that’s true. But the thing is, my job doesn’t deliver job satisfaction anymore. I think at this point my potential has levelled.

In Harry Potter’s world, magic rules. In our real world, capitalism, aka money, rules. I think I make enough money now (I don’t mind making more, though), but I have yet to experience the level of satisfaction I’ve longed for. I still find myself bored a lot of times. I need some fuel to reignite my life: love, passion, curiosity, and the ability to dream dreams.

What could that be? Sadly, it wouldn’t be my all-time “fuel of my life” — coffee. No. Magic? Perhaps. But I just need to figure out what that magic might be.

PS Check out these Most Perfectly Timed Photos, including Barack Obama’s.

Against nature

Posted on 30 January 2014 by anzyme

It’s been a month since 2014 begins; yet we’re close to another new beginning — year of the horse. All these don’t mean much to me. Life sucks anyway: work is busy but unrewarding, my everyday life lacks excitement, … These are just a few of the many setbacks in my life for the past few months. Steve Jobs said if life sucks too many days in a row, it’s time to change something. I think it’s a reasonable time for me to change something now. What should that be?

There was a time when I talked about my boring life with a friend, and got some useful feedback: if you find your life too dull, you either do something more interesting, or adapt to it. You don’t need to accept boredom; instead you should look for those interesting moments out of an otherwise boring life and intensify them. It could be a nice cup of coffee at a so-so restaurant, a pretentious photo you’re able to take at an ordinary place you visit every day (I’m sure the word “pretentious” didn’t come from that friend’s mouth), or even just a “thanks” from a new patient.

Of course, those things are easier said than done. I heard that advice like two or three years ago, but I’m still constantly affected by my mood swings. Worse, I don’t even have the energy to find those extraordinary moments after work. You’ll be surprised how early I go to bed nowadays. I used to go to bed at 2-3 am; now I sleep at 10:30pm. This is against the nature (of K.Chan), but it’s true. I’m officially fucked up.

“A pretentious photo you’re able to take at an ordinary place you visit every day”

Lost focus

Posted on 27 December 2013 by anzyme

Once again I’ve lost focus in life. I’m not in particular determined to study, nor am I interested in indulging myself in other interests, such as photography, blogging, and so on. I feel like a machine, going to work routinely, and punctually, every day, doing the same kind of dutiful things which often are of low return, and when I get home, I get dead tired and go to bed early.

That’s not the typical stylish life K.Chan used to live. In the old days, K.Chan also got up early and go to school on time, but when school finished, he’d go to a Starbucks to enjoy an evening sip of coffee, sometimes reading a dental article, sometimes working on materials for an English tuition he was about to give, and sometimes just meditating. And when he was back to where he lived, he never went to bed early. He poured himself a small glass of wine and thought things. Not until 2-3 am would he finally get tired and go to bed. That’s how one should consume life.

And even if work confines one’s lifestyle, such that one needs to behave like a machine, one should choose to work like a beautiful old Leica camera — to execute things with aesthetic, precision and proficiency. But now, the way that I work, the life that I live, is no different from a crappy, poorly made ~~Pentax~~ Chinese point-and-shoot.

So, my focus is lost; my pride is in jeopardy. But perhaps I shouldn’t feel too upset, because in photography while most of the time we really want razor-sharp focus, sometimes it is the out of focus area, the bokeh, that truly appeals to others. And yes, a beautiful old Leica camera doesn’t have auto focus. You have to focus manually. The same applies in life too. If you’ve lost focus, you refocus for yourself.

K&C

My thoughts in plain text

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