My new digital camera - Nikon D40

First and foremost, I wish to declare that I am new to the world of DSLR, or digital single lens reflex.

My camera-mad friends have urged me incessantly to upgrade my rotten old Kodak DX7630 to an DSLR because the prices have become quite competitive. So by chance, I came across one recently that I thought would fit my budget.

That included sacrificing several days of lunches plus some proper dinners. So here I am with a Nikon D40 which I thought was pretty cool. For a DSLR camera, the D40 is one of the most basic but friends have attested to its reliability and efficiency as befitting the sterling reputation of Nikon.

I have taken a number of shots with my new camera and the results are impressive. Now, I have been bombarded by persuasions to acquire a 70-300 lens. The one which has been "thrown" at my face is the Sigma APO DG model.

It has been alleged that this lens is reported to be more superior than Nikon lens. Another reason to acquire this lens is the steep price for a similar VR Nikon lens in a similar category.

So there you go, one camera later and my wallet is beginning to get the shakes! But photography can be as addictive as golf. The good thing is I don't play golf, or rather I haven't yet been bitten by the golf bug.

Right now, somewhere tucked away in my home drawer are two compact cameras. One is the ancient Panasonic LC20 2-mega pixel and the other is the Kodak DX7630. I have had and is still having a great time with both compact cameras.

But as digital cameras go, their efficiency level drops with the passing of time, or when technology supersedes it after a brief six months. But then, some of the world's best pictures are taken with ordinary cameras, so I really have no excuse here.

Now that I am truly and thoroughly bitten by the shutter bug, I have to plead guilty to having lascivious thoughts of acquiring new accessories for my new D40. And D40 is not even anywhere near those other coveted digital DSLRs that the professional pixmen often lug around.

If you were me, what do you do? Well, I tend to follow my gut instincts but also keep a sharp eye on the thickness of my wallet. No point going around shooting pictures and wearing tattered clothes.

Wish me luck with my new camera. May I win a prize sometime in the near future.

Why you need to act now!

There's that much quoted line: Don't put off to tomorrow after you can do today. Let me rephrase that and say: "Don't put off what you can do NOW to the next hour!"

It's true. Have you ever wondered what you could have achieved if you have not hesitated a thousand times before? This applies to those good intentions that you secretly want to carry out but die a natural death because you pause and think about it for a couple of days.

By the time, you are ready and willing, the object of your desire or the subject of your intention has left the scene. Or, you yourself could be in a position where you no longer have the power to carry it out.

Now, isn't that a crying shame? The good deeds of tomorrow are acted upon NOW, not the next hour or the nex day.

Do it now. Don't hesitate. Just do it! Now, I am beginning to sound like a Nike ad. It may sound cornish to you but the long years I have spent gallivanting on earth have taught me one valuable lession - all good intentions remain just intentions if you merely dwell on them mentally.

The smallest good intention must be translated into action for it to achieve results. For example, if you plan to say something nice to your girlfriend, just say it the next time you meet her.

There's no such thing as timing. Just say it, for love's sake! If you want to buy your dad something that you know he loves. Don't hesitate till the fire in your belly dies out.

Just go out and buy it. The money in your wallet can be replaced. If something happens to your dad, I think you will be hard put to find a replacement.

If you think you stand a ghost of a chance of making a million dollar deal. Go ahead and try, you really have nothing to lose except the act of trying.

All attempts leads halfway to reality. Reality are dreams turned inside out. If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can create it, it will come true.

That's what life's all about. Making dreams come true - for yourself and for others.
Why wait till you have the money to do this, do that and then act upon all the good intentions.

Do the things you can do first. Forget the money, or the timing, or even the stars to come out. Life's for the moment. Every moment counts. Every kind word uttered is action done.

Every charity performed is grace delivered. Every act of good deed is twice blessed. It blesses the one who receives as well as the one who gives.

If you are not sure, just ask William Shakespeare.

The cinema is now a Marvel Universe

An office colleague sauntered up to me a couple of hours ago and said, "hey, they are making The God of Thunder". I replied: "You mean that Viking God in the comics?"

Yes, he responded. Then, there's The Watchmen. Apparently, it has been cooked and ready to be served, meaning the casting, budget and other million dollar details are in the pipeline.

So these two comic titles are being added on to the Hollywood conveyor belt. The last two or three years have seen an enormous output of comics type films. We had the Hulk, Daredevil, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Catwoman, X-Men and Elektra.

I have probably missed out on a few but who's counting? The big studio guys have suddenly realised that they have hit the motherlode as far as moviegoers' fascination is concerned.

Superheroes movies have struck a nerve and it leaves a lingering feel-good sensation that resonates with the tinseltown auditors and bankers. There's something to be said about comic books and mutants with superpowers.

There used to be a time when only children were fascinated with colour pages filled with out-of-this-world stories. Times have changed. These days everybody is involved. Who would have believed that in this day and age, movies about superheroes who have caught most of our fancy back three or four decades ago have all returned in the greatest CGI way.

After having said all that, I have to confess that I am a big time comic fan. I have not really left the world of Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Valiant and what-have-you. There are also so many independent comic publishers these days that I have lost count.

But honestly, comics are also no longer a dime a dozen. Those were the good old days. These days, quality comics can actually make a kid cry with grief. Publishers blame it all on price of paper, escalating costs of expensive ink and the astronomical amount of money, successful comic writers and artists are demanding.

So what else is new? But coming back to the cinema or theatre, depending on which part of the world, you are from a cinema and theatre simply means the same thing. It's where ordinary people pay a few bucks to venture into the delightful world of escapism.

It's a place where anyone and everyone can be a superheroes. There are no barriers or boundaries in the realm of comics and superheroes. That's what so wonderful about the whole thing.

I know one day, this runaway comics cinema train will derail but till then, I am having the ride of my life. It's really fun. This is one train, any commuter regardless of age, can buy a ticket and get on board.

You can be like children again. Nobody in the darkened cinema is going to take notice of you because all of them are into their own world of marvels. Isn't that wonderful?

Truly, imagination is so stupendously wonderful. See ya at the cinema!

Learn to be angry

Learn to be angry about injustice that is becoming increasingly common.

Learn to be angry over poverty because it is not in the nature of man to be poor.

Learn to be angry about the lack of love anywhere.

Learn to be angry because too many people are going to bed with emtpy stomachs.

Learn to be angry about corruption in the country.

Learn to be angry over irrational wars around the world.

Learn to be angry with yourself for not being enthusiastic over the most mundane matters.

Learn to be angry for not showing enough love for those you care for.

Learn to be angry that you sometimes lack the passion to better yourself in so many easy ways.

Learn to be angry for lacking the will power to exercise your own body, so that 30 years from now you do not have to fill your cupboard with medicines.

Learn to angry with yourself for not saying thank you to those who have helped you in the smallest way.

Learn to be angry for not saying prayers for others.

Learn to be angry over too much waste because as humans we really need very little to satisfy our basic needs.

Learn to be angry over your own shyness in not making the first move to make new friends.

Learn to be angry for being too lazy to learn new skills and new languages.

Learn to be angry for not showing interest in little children, for they are our second chances.

Learn to be angry for not being kind enough, gentle enough and compassionate enough.

Learn to be angry over senseless crimes in your neighbourhood.

Learn to be angry over eating too much when you know you are already full.

Learn to be angry for not learning enough from people who can teach you a lot.

Learn to be angry that you have not paid attention to the examples of great people who have gone before you.

Learn to be angry that you have but one chance in your life to do the greatest things in a thousand most memorable ways.

Learn to be angry that you have not heeded the inner voice that tells you everyday that you can be what you imagine if only you act upon it now.

Learn to be angry that you have not awakened from dreaming because that's the only way to make your own dreams come true.

Sometimes bad things do happen to good people

I was just thinking about this after watching scenes of the Minneapolis bridge collapse on CNN this morning. About 20 cars plunged into the Mississippi river when sections of the bridge gave way.

Those who were at the scene and were caught in it must have suffered tremendously - physically and mentally.

This brings to mind the question: why do such things happen to innocent people? I have asked this question almost every time I witness a tragedy whether it be a natural disaster or a human tragedy.

There are many things we don't understand in this life but sometimes when least expected, disaster strikes. Families are caught in the maelstrom and a string of lives are altered forever.

There's actually no body to blame for such situations. All I know is those who have been stuck in situations like that usually recover after a while. The pain lingers for those who are immediate family members of the victims but somehow life marches bravely on.

In a way, there are lessons in everything that has happened and will happen. How well will it all play out? That remains to be seen.

We all hope and pray that life will be kind to us but we are never sure. Not every road we travel on is paved with rose petals. Sometimes, there are potholes, rusty nails and unseen bumps.

But we do take all that in stride. How can we not? We never really expected them in the first place.

Let it be known that all things, good and bad, happen to all at one time or another. There's no exception. Of course, some are luckier than others but to each, the problem comes to fit his situation.

We all learn to cope and we all learn to extend a helping hand in process. This is life and that is heaven's way of showing us that on the road of pain and sorrow, there are always little pleasant surprises.

Life is not that cruel as it is sometimes conjured to be.