Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.4 workout

Back in Abu Dhabi ... decided to give my two new lenses a work-out :-) with my trust Nikon D80. The venue? The flower souk near Port Zayed here in Abu Dhabi.

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

I love colours!

Some nice plants for sale!

The 50mm f/1.8D is Nikon's cheapest and best value (by far!) prime lens ... Love it!

And now ... for some more exotic glass ;-)
Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D

More shots with this legendary lens ...

I like this one!

Strange plant!

Some parting shots ...

One more ...

Nasi Kandar Pelita - Supper time with the gang in Klang

Add: Pelita - Bukit Tinggi, Klang @ Lorong Batu Nilam 3C

Talk about creative! This is M's Roti Banjir ;-)


No Indomie goreng at this joint, you will have to make do with Maggi Mi Goreng!


Here's my Nasi Lemak. Surprisingly pedas, many vendors don't "dare" go spicy with their sambal these days... these guys at Pelita are old skool, and dare to! When the 2 lads saw my Nasi Lemak, they had a 2nd supper dish! Heh heh ...


Ah ... I always miss simple and GOOD teh ais back home ;-)


Miss BM had a kepala, oops kelapa ... fresh coconut. All in all, a great evening out ;-) Oops, was it 2am? Morning I mean!

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne

When its time to celebrate ... the choice is usually simple ;-)

Lets pop a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne!


ps - Best duty price I have seen in all my travels? RM$ 145 at Bengaluru (Bangalore, India) ... yes! Its usually RM$ 170 - 220 at other outlets.

iPad Wi-fi 32Gb - The ultimate reader?

This is the iPad ... Finally got my fingers on one, uh ... for about 10 mins at KLIA!

The screen looks simply amazing, you just want to touch it! Because its an Apple, its also intuitive, which is no bad thing ...

ps - The proud owner of this iPad loves it, but I wonder how many Kindle (Amazon) and Nook (Barnes and Noble) users will switch? Another friend has the Sony PRS600SC Reader, and thinks its the best too!

Nice new restaurant! Lucky Jade - Bandar Botanic, Klang

I believe Lucky Jade in Bandar Botanic, not far from AEON-Jusco, had just opened its doors some months ago ... It serves some really good tai-chau food!

Black and pepper pork - Excellent! A lotta wok-hei!


Stir fried veges ... Fresh, full of flavour, and RM$8 only.


Tit-pan Tau Foo, mmmmmmmmh :-) The egg, the gravy, the smooth to-fu on a hot-plate. Hard to beat!


Y and me had 4 dishes between us, and the bill was a reasonable RM$48. Gooooood food!

ps - The aunty propietor is quite eccentric and funny, she would never let you over-order, and you had better finish all the food! Heh heh ...

Side by side - Panasonic Lumix LX3 and GF1

Side by side, two very popular cameras ... The Panasonic GF1 and the LX3. Key difference of course is that the GF1 allows interchangeable lenses, whilst the LX3 is an advanced (and compact!) point-and-shoot.


A closer look at the newly launched Micro-4/3rds format Panasonic Lumix GF1, with the very popular 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens.


When I looked up Google on the comparison for these 2 Panasonics, I found an interesting comment - I really don't think so, not with the great little 20mm lens at least. This is the combo to get anyway. The perfect street and candid camera at this point in time. The fast f/1.7 aperture of this lens combined with the high sensitivity of the camera means that you can take available light shots just as with a DSLR. The GF1/GH1 just like the Olympus EP1/EP2 or Leica X1 are a new breed. They offer nearly the same image quality as a DSLR in a compact format. The LX3 is certainly not in that league.

In the hands of the owner ;-)


ps - Radiantline covers all the key parameters compared -
Image sensor: LX3 (43 mm2) v GF1 wins by a mile (225 mm2)
Weight and size: LX3 wins but not by much ... 257g v 285g (GF1)
Acceptable image: ISO400 on the LX3, much better on the GF1 (ISO1600)
Lens: Leica 24-60mm f/2-2.8 on the LX3, and interchangeable on the GF1
Price: GF1 is nearly twice the price with a comparable lens

A little celebration at home - Home cooking!

Hmmm ... its time for a little celebration at home :-)

Pork


Chicken


Curry


Eggs

Greens

I love home ;-) Thanks, Aunty Y for the yummy food!

Part 2 - Double breakfast in Klang, Hakka Pai Kut

Only in Malaysia ... this is true Muhibbah ;-) or 1Malaysia ... A masjid opposite porky uber-eatery, Peng Heong Hakka Pai Kut or Pork Chops ;-)


After a short wait, my small portion of pork chop (or Pai kut) arrived. Tender, great flavour and lovely texture too. Perfect with the yummy chilli sauce!


The rice is sooooo good too ;-)

Ahh... perfect, washed down with some home-made Tau chui aka Soya bean. Yummy!

ps - A more detailed write-up can be found here.

Part 1 - Double breakfast in Klang, Chicken Rice!

This is our favourite chicken rice in Klang ;-)

Add: Jalan Gelugor / Jalan Meru, Klang city
Located: Oppsite Maybank and Chi Liung Plaza (Now, CIMB and LHDN)
Tel: Tan Kia Lok @ +6016 284 6962


The chicken is always and full of flavour...
The chilli is excellent...
The ginger sauce is so tasty...
The rice is perfectly cooked and so fragrant...
and I even love the soup served here. Perfection!


Know how much this cost? RM$4.50. Nuff said!

ps. You will find a more detailed write-up here!

Nikon lens - Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II

A dear friend recently purchased a new lens for her D40 ;-) She loves it!
AF-S NIKKOR 18-200mm 1:3.5-5.6G VRII ED .. What a mouth-full eh!


Kenrockwell.com compares the original VR I version against this latest VR II variant -
Either 18-200mm is a superb do-it-all lens for any DX Nikon, not FX
If you already have the original version (or find a deal on one), don't bother with this new II version. The only difference is the zoom lock. The zooming feels the same.
If you have problems with zooms creeping, go for the II version, if not, save your money and stick with a proven winner, the original 18-200mm VR. They are the same lens.