A Tribute to an Old Friend

Posted on September 3, 2010 by

A friend can be defined as ‘someone’ attached to another by affection or regard. To a runner, I believe the most important friend would be no other than their running shoe and to us, it is the only friend that can make or break us. Today, I would like to dedicate this blog post to my closest friend.

I can still remember vividly that both of us met each other at a mall, and to be more specific both of us met at Jusco Mid Valley sports section in 2006. Nobody stopped by to look at her so I decided to check her out. She’s light, soft, ‘fabless’ and she’s incredibly lean. In fact she’s so sleek with all the right curves that I fell for her at first sight and took her back with me believing that I had found the right one.

However, our relationship did not have a good start. While bringing her out for a stroll, she was shockingly hard at the same time, very unforgiving on my body. The more that I spent my time with her, the more negative I became. I was bitter, so bitter to the extent that there’s nothing but only complaints. However, she took that all in and stayed true to herself without a hint of protest. Every single time I took her out, she stayed the same. Hard and unforgiving.

It was my injury that I decided to ‘leave’ her. I never saw her for close to a year after that and all these while, she put up with my antics of taking another companion out for my daily stroll. She sat there quietly, patiently and lovingly all the time, just waiting for me to come back to her but time and time again, I disappointed her.

It was sometime after my leg failed to heal completely that I felt something was wrong. I decided to look for answers and there it was, my fault since the beginning. It was me that never knew where my problem was and all these while, I blame and direct my resentment to her without any basis. It was all guilt from there and I decided from that point in time that, it should be her that I’d be together with.

Joy was written all over her face when I came back to her one day, telling her that I would never leave her again. It was only when I solved my problem that I begin to realize, what she was made for. There is a purpose that she is to be made sleek, fabless and sexy. That purpose, is to make us better and stronger.

From that day on, she became my closest companion that I never had. She was there where ever I was and by my side all the time. Everyday, we discovered more about each other and our fondness towards each other grew deeper each minute. To me, it was akin to rediscovering ourselves all over again.

Alas, my heart sank during a late night out together that she suddenly gave me a loud protest. I stopped to look and saw that she was hurt. I went back searching high and low for anything that will put her back into shape but then I had to admit bitterly, that her time was coming to an end. Aging can never be stopped or held back and end of life is the only thing we can stare at when the time comes. Although it is coming to an end, I promise that not until you gave up on me, that I will never give up on you.

So, this post is dedicated to you my beautiful Diadora Mythos, for there is no one else can be as graceful, wonderful and sexy as you. Be with you always.

Posted in Running | Leave a comment

The Death of iPod Classic line?

Posted on September 2, 2010 by

Apple had just announced the latest designs for the iPod Touch, Nano and Shuffle models yesterday while certainly it looked pretty cool, I just can’t help thinking whether this is the end of the iPod Classic line. Don’t be mistaken that I am saying the new iPods are not cool, they are but it is just that gadgets coming from the guys at Cupertino just aren’t price worthy anymore.

What???

Let me explain this. There are many uses to the iPod however the basic idea for an iPod is still listening to music. If we were to analytically break down the cost per GB of these iPods they can be seen as below (from the highest to lowest cost per GB):

iPod Touch 8GB: $28.625/GB (Price:$229)

iPod Shuffle 2GB: $24.50/GB (Price: $49)

iPod Nano 8GB: $18.625/GB (Price: $149)

iPod Nano 16GB: $9.944/GB (Price: $179)

iPod Touch 32GB: $9.344/GB (Price: $299)

iPod Touch 64GB: $6.234/GB (Price: $399)

iPod Classic 160GB: $1.556 (Price: $249)

From the above, you should be able to understand why is Apple making so much money every single year. They squeeze the greatest profits from the lower to mid end range of iPods by making the design generic in nature and make money from there. I suspect the iPod Touch 32GB would be the greatest profit maker, followed by iPod Nano 16GB and iPod Shuffle 2GB. Reason for my claim? The ‘Pricing Accessibility’. You can analyse from the above that the price per GB of iPod Touch (32GB) and iPod Nano (16GB) are placed very close to one another indicating that this is where the milking was made because the pricing is generally ‘accessible’ to consumers without feeling the ‘pinch’. Not only that, if we were to analyze using Pareto Tool, more than 40% the profits will come from the iPod Touch line alone and it is no surprise that their clever use of ‘behavioural’ pricing is wonderfully superb.

So let’s get back to the argument why is the pricing skewed so out of line between the iPod Touch 8GB and iPod Classic 160GB? The answer lies in the ‘Perceived Needs’ of users and technological innovation that allowed the ‘premium factor’ to be charged into the product.

On the Perceived Needs, company like Apple generally move their product profit centres according to their customer’s needs. I am sure numerous consumer and behavioural ‘census’ had been made to collect and correlate consumer behaviour data’s and present a meaningful product consumption patterns that companies like Apple can make sense of. From here, products are ‘fine tuned’ to provide the best experience to ‘satiate’ consumer needs which is bound to be endless hence the iPod Touch line saw endless refreshing with new features added throughout the time while the design never saw some serious change. Not only that, by satiating many of the ‘perceived needs’ of the customers, they are able to incorporate more profits into their product evidenced by the price per GB difference of iPod Touch 8GB and iPod Classic 160GB. In order to keep the profit pipeline flowing, Apple also dabbled in creating a new class of perceived needs on consumer and it is no other than the previous experiment of Apple of iPod Shuffle with voice activated features. To me, that iPod Shuffle is a form of ‘Full Market Testing’ activity and it is no other than a pure attempt to study and gather information as to the viability of this product. So why was the Shuffle reverted back to it’s original state of things? Simple, it never sold well enough to warrant a life extension or it is withdrawn for a serious product revamp.

As for Technological Innovation, iPod Touch was one of the very first PMP’s to have touch features with OS incorporated into the heart. It totally created a new class of consumption for consumers where they can consume media beyond music and video. Internet became a new buzzword for this device. Like all things that are ‘new’, premium is bound to be a factor and when the snowball becomes large enough, suddenly features like internet and touch screen became a ‘perceived need’ by consumer that must be incorporated on their devices. Sony’s Blu-Ray was one of the best example where during the initial years, the discs and players cost an arm and a leg to consumers while this situation only started to simmer down to a more logical pricing when the media became widespread. So to put it in a much simpler way, ‘innovation’ doesn’t come cheap.

Anyway, much had been said about the iPod line of product which the storm started since October 2001 and it never looked back since. Personally if you were to ask me which iPods are the best, I would still think the Classic line gave the best performance to buck ratio. You see, people like me are rare in the sense that I only listen to Apple Lossless files. Among all the file formats, Apple Lossless tend to be the largest hence my ‘perceived need’ to have a very large capacity music carrier not to mention, it liberated me and my car from the number of CD’s that I had to carry around just to listen to different types of music at any time. At the current moment, my music collection stands at 40.4 GB (I know, it is small) and there are 1664 songs in my iPod 80GB. However, my collection is growing at the rate of 1GB every 2 months and it’ll be very soon, run out of space.

All in all, it is hoped that by the time my iPod is due for replacement, the Classic Line will still be there to see the day.

Note: Photos are shot using HTC Desire, processed in Photoshop.

Posted in Gadgets & Softwares | Leave a comment

My Photography site went ‘KAPUT’

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

I am not so sure what had happened but some big mess happened to my photography site hence I am trying to salvage anything possible. I am hoping that the database is not corrupted else, it’ll be a big heartache.

Posted in Photography | Leave a comment

I Have No Reason Not To Run

Posted on August 25, 2010 by

Give me 10 reasons not to run and most probably I have none. With the Newton Run looming, I am in deep trouble for the lack of mileage and speed training. So the main question now is, which one I should be going for? Speed or Mileage? Judging from this I guess I would have to choose the latter which is a safer bet not to mention it’s 12K and not 10! It had been quite a while since I had done any ramblings and judging from this, I might as well just b’shit more. So far, the training menu is ok but I am doing a crash course on mileage build-up and I am beginning to feel the stress on both my legs.

17 August 2010: – (Lap 1 – 4.41mins / Lap 2 – 4.44mins / Lap 3 – 4.37mins / Lap 4 – 4.26mins)

21 August 2010: – (Lap 1 – 4.29mins / Lap 2 – 4.18mins / Lap 3 – 4.13mins / Lap 4 – 4.10mins / Lap 5 – 4.15mins / Lap 6 – 4.00mins)

24 August 2010: – (Lap 1 – 4.54mins / Lap 2 – 3.41mins / Lap 3 – 4.17mins / Lap 4 – 4.23mins / Lap 5 – 4.28mins / Lap 6 – 4.26mins / Lap 7 – 4.23mins)

As you can see, tried my best to run negative splits and somewhat it is working, a little. Building up my mileage would be my main aim and those times must be kept as consistent as possible without overdoing it so right now, diet, stretching, compression and elevation are the most critical factors is building up towards my goal of 12K.

Oh Ya, before you can think that I am bloody fast, those laps above are in the multiple of 750 metres! Wakakaka! :p

Posted in Running | Leave a comment

Watch out for the PetalingRunner in PJ.

Posted on August 4, 2010 by

Yes, it’s the return of Petalingrunner back to his originating home and source of strength. It had been a battering 5 yrs away from his land and in the process of gaining other experiences; he left his legs back home. However once back, there is no more reason that there is no time to race and train, for his ‘playground’ had always been there. Places like Sri Hartamas, Bukit Tunku (Double Hill), Gasing Hills Jungle Trail, Section 14, PJ State (MBPJ Building) will be revisited with zest and hopefully timing can be improved. The petalingrunner committed Hara Kiri by registering for the Newton Run with limited medal positions only and hopefully will not lie on the road with white foam all over his mouth on race day. Die die also must race and to be back, it’s even more exciting! To catch a glimpse of the petalingrunner, stand by the roadside during night time (8.30pm and above) along Persiaran P.P. Narayanan (formerly Jalan 222 – why did they even bother to change the name??!!) and you’ll find him slogging like pig. If you called out to him and he does not even bother (due to safety reasons) please don’t be offended. Just send him an email telling him that you’ve been snubbed and he’ll apologize unreservedly. That is if he thinks it’s his fault. :p

Posted in Running | 2 Comments

The Choppy Seas

Posted on July 7, 2010 by

With unexpected about turn in events, for the next few months the seas are going to be rough for me. Very rough in fact. Although it is not expected that I will fail in my undertakings however there is a possibility that things may not be as rosy as it is seems and to me bitterness would be part of my life from now until the end of year. I had made preparations in my heart to face such uncertainty and will go forward with all my courage and strength available as for the first time in my life I sincerely believe that success will only become a reality if we believe enough of it. To adopt the mind that you will fail before we embark onto a journey is a sure way to lose a battle even before it is fought on the field.

With Amitabha’s blessing, hopefully this decision I made will not be a wrong one, although it can never be wrong since I see that there is no more opportunity to expand my horizons and I felt like I am in a ‘dead zone’ right now in terms of carrier development. So come the next few months, I will be testing out my ideas and fine tune until it transform into positive results. This I promise, is something I will keep on doing and doing…relentlessly. Like the Buddha had said, ‘I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.’.

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment

Being happy…and that is why we are still running.

Posted on June 1, 2010 by

Running may not always be the type of activity which emphasizes on suffering. As we are approaching the completion of the journey, there is nothing more than being happy to know that we had survived.

Posted in Running | Leave a comment

The Spirit of Triumph.

Posted on May 24, 2010 by

There are many reasons we run, and many a times these reasons are ‘shown’ during marathon races. If we are observant enough we can see them and it is from here that we know we as living beings are essentially the same, that we all possess the spirit of triumph.

No matter how difficult it is, we still move on.

A race will be more worthwhile when our loved ones are there with us at the end.

Though some runners may have finished, there are still others battling it out.

Posted in Running | 2 Comments

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010 Edition

Posted on May 19, 2010 by

Beginning next week, I will begin to post some of the photos from the Standard Chartered Marathon 2009 as a reminder to you guys that if you have not trained, better log in some final mileage for this year’s SCKLM 2010. As for me, I know I’d be in big trouble come that day because I had not move my big butt from the office seat on time for any form of training. It’s gonna be painful one. :(

Posted in Photography, Running | 3 Comments

Surrealism

Posted on May 2, 2010 by

Surrealism comes from the word ‘Surreal’ which means ‘dreamlike’ or ‘bizzare’. Surrealism art is one of the earliest cultural movements and it started during the 1920’s. It is best known for the visual arts and also writings of it’s groups of members. I was thinking about surrealism in photography and generally, there is quite a number of people that is pioneer in this field especially Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky). Generally, when we are talking about surreal photos, there would be things like addition and subtraction of elements using Photoshop, which is photo manipulation. In Landscape photography, it is almost impossible to be surreal however, there are instances where a photo with the right elements can create surrealist type of feeling. Last week, I decided to go for some simple photography ‘takeaway’ (ie. a quickie) and decided to head towards my usual spot. After reaching the place and parked my car, I walked to the beach and do a simple assessment on the scene and was immediately caught by the ‘colour banding’ of the horizon. It was a pure shade of orange yellow stripe and dark blue skies. It is very seldom that I would come across such scenes and immediately I started looking for a spot to settle down while, I started going through my mind and asked, how would I like my photos to appear today? Surreal was the answer. After settling down and setting up my gears I started recording the scene. After few clicks and assessed the ‘negatives’ (to me all unprocessed photos are considered as a negative that have to be further polished in Photoshop.) and was not very satisfied with the results. I took out the Cokin ND filter’s that I have and assembled it onto my Sigma 24-70mm f2.8. Although I knew very well that the Cokin’s are not colour accurate, it is the feeling of surreal that I would like to obtain so colour fidelity isn’t on my menu at all. In the photos below, the contrast was upped as much as possible without the loss of details and to further bring out the colour band of orange and blue.

For the last photo below, it is utterly my luck to have captured it this way. While I was setting the ND Filters, I decided to add another piece of graduated ND in the front and had the filter sit higher up than usual. This created a darker than usual skies while leaving the foreground very light. The stone at the front had a higher exposure value compared to the dark blue skies! I decided to enhance this property further in Photoshop and was utterly surprised by the result. Hopefully this photo worked well enough to capture attention.

Posted in Photography | 5 Comments