Soup Art

Do you know that you can make art out of everything? In this case it's soup art. Looks like a plum.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Jun 17, 2015 at 6:42am PDT

A Stalk of Rose

Though not in its full bloom and possibly in the process of drying up, it's always nice to have some plants (in this case, a rose) in an otherwise concrete and wood restaurant. I was wondering how I could make the photo greater by doing something with the angle and the shadow but I didn't get it. :(

Crime Scene Investigation ends run with 2-hour finale, leaving behind in its wake lacklustre CSI: Cyber

Along with the rest of the world, I became a CSI fan. I tagged along to become a CSI: Miami and CSI: New York fan as well. The two spinoffs ended earlier and now, after 15 seasons, it's the original's turn. What better way to go than with a 2 hour long finale, bringing back Gil Grissom (oh yes, my all time favourite character among all the CSIs and its spinoffs) and Catherine Willows.

Meanwhile, the CSI legacy continues through CSI: Cyber albeit not a very popular one. Current CSI leading man Ted Danson is set to join the second season. I've just watched the premiere episode and was not very impressed. There wasn't anything to differentiate it from typical crime dramas even as cyberspace goes. The first three CSIs were already very high on tech. I get it that it's got some very big shoes to fill but it looked like it's still searching for the right size.

All the best in the next season. I'd hate to see a year without any CSIs. 

via CSI Files.

Yeah, baby! What fun it'll be to solve another crime with this crew. #CSI pic.twitter.com/kR3MpPVVdM

— Marg Helgenberger (@MargHelgen) May 13, 2015

Dessert Art

I didn't quite get it when dessert came because art is difficult to interpret so I will just admire it and appreciate a great meal on an awesome day.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Jun 11, 2015 at 8:11am PDT

Samsung's Latest S6 Ads Standing on Edge

View image | gettyimages.com

I get it if fans of certain products get angry offended whenever a rival comes out with ads that criticise specific features while showing off their superiority. Samsung is one that's synonymous with its ads against Apple.

I am amazed, though, that Samsung's recent couple of ads showcasing the company's S6 wireless charging and curved screen technologies received quite the backlash. If the rumours are true that the S6 phones are not selling that well, I guess it's high time Samsung REALLY change tactics and focus.

Water in Perspective

It's amazing that all of us were wowed at the same time by this manmade water fountain in a newly reopened shopping complex, the Atria Shopping Gallery. It's nostalgia for Petaling Jaya citizens because this mall existed for a couple of decades at least before it was torn down and rebuilt to what it is today.

Traffic Jams a Blur

I get increasingly impatient whenever I get stuck in a traffic jam. Sometimes, it's easy to spot inconsiderate drivers who make things worse. It blurs the line between good and evil. Ok, I might be exaggerating a little.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Jun 5, 2015 at 6:57am PDT

It Was a Rainy Night

I was leaving my workplace when I realised the sky had opened up. Not wanting to go all the way up to the office to get my umbrella, I braved the rain to my transport. On the way home, I noticed rain water streaming down the road. It was my intention to try to capture that but instead I got all of these: car headlights, blur and reflected raindrops in the foreground and, of course, the rainwater flowing down the street.

It's going to be a cooling night.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Jun 3, 2015 at 7:48am PDT

The Mighty Ang Ku Kuih (紅龜粿)

A colleague bought us these mighty Chinese "pastry" that had sticky skin on the outside and green bean paste inside. Wikipedia calls it the red tortoise cake because of its resemblance to a tortoise shell. Its Chinese writing is 紅龜粿 and pronounced as "ang ku kuih".

Red tortoise cakes are shaped like tortoise shells because the Chinese traditionally believed that eating tortoises would bring longevity to those who are eating it and bring about good fortune and prosperity.

Due to modernisation, these cakes come in a variety of colours, fillings and flavours. As demonstrated today, perhaps because of profiteering, these guys come in smaller sizes. I felt like the ang ku kuih of today could be half the size of the ang ku kuih of yesteryears. Well, giving the benefit of the doubt, I suppose it could be shortage of ingredients... yeah right.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Jun 2, 2015 at 7:44am PDT

It's Important to Write

I couldn't agree more with our former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir regarding how important it is to write, and to write properly at that.

For example, for is shortened to ‘4’ while you to ‘u’. It is fun as you can send long messages compressed into just a few letters. But over time, we lose the art of writing which is precious.

Not only are we shortening the words while writing, we are guilty of just typing them out from the computer and recently, from our intelligent phones and tablets. I think my handwriting is approaching illegibility as we speak.

If anything, it's also great to hear Tun talk about something as important as writing instead of those demoralising politic stuff for a change.

via The Malaysian Insider.

The Apple That Chose to be a Pear

It's Sunday night and I'm all blue so it's time to get philosophical. The life we have is full of choices so I can't help thinking that I've not made enough of the right ones. Did I choose the right field, the right job and I wonder if this title actually makes sense to any of you. :P

The Cons of In-App Purchase... in Self-Driving Cars

I hate the in-app purchase concept and Volvo took it too far. While the car can self-park and all, the feature that detects pedestrians is a separate purchase. Glad to know there were no serious injuries in the incident featured below.

via Inhabitat.

Ant: Hi, it's me again

This photo was taken a few minutes after this but I don't suppose it's the same ant even though they all seem to look alike... by the way, it's interesting to note that the lines on the backlit leaf became more defined when I tried Instagram's "Structure" function. The lines that I would otherwise never know existed became visible as I move the slider to the right but trying not to over do it, I left it at 25.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on May 29, 2015 at 7:16am PDT

Ant: Hi!

Things that you do while waiting... this is one of the shots that I did while waiting for another fellow for a meeting today. I intended to just take a close up of the roots coming out of this plant and an ant decided to stop by and say "Hi!".

What would life be during these boring sessions without a smartphone and a camera?! Here's another shot.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on May 25, 2015 at 6:35am PDT

Rumour: Light at the end of the tunnel for the 3rd generation iPad with iOS 9

While I sulk over the imminent demise of my third generation iPad (the first with Retina display running on A5x), MacRumors bring hope:

Apple is also said to be optimizing iOS 9 to better support older hardware, with the report claiming that even legacy A5-based devices including the iPhone 4s and original iPad mini will be compatible with the upcoming software update. The three-year-old iPad 2 and fifth-generation iPod touch, released in March 2012 and October 2012 respectively, are also powered by Apple A5 chips.