The Full Carl Sagan Series 1-9 HD

If you haven't heard of Carl Sagan then at least watch this series.  Please don't give excuses like "no time".  Just watch it like your latest soap opera drama or movie.  It's an eye-opener.  

Nespresso and mycoffeestar combo

 I like drinking espresso coffee but I just dislike the mess of making one.  A good press is also expensive and difficult to maintain if I don't drink enough.  I had thoughts of getting a single serve Nespresso capsule machine while in Singapore but as I am currently staying in a 山龟 (rural) area in Thailand, it will be difficult for me to get the capsules readily if I ran out.

Yes, there are online shipping options but because Thailand taxes heavily on import coffee, it's crazy to even think of getting them overseas and shipped into the country without being slapped by a heavy penalty.

Another thing that puts me off is the amount of waste it generates.  Yes they do recycle their capsules in Singapore but not here in Thailand.

Those reasons above put me off of getting a machine until I discovered this refillable capsule from mycoffeestar.  It's expensive but actually worth it in the long run.  I get to choose locally produced Thai coffee which are pretty good.  Especially those Arabica beans grown in the North.   It's less wasteful and not so much of a hassle then a real coffee press machine.  The small Nespresso machine does not leave a big footprint in my kitchen so it's a win win.

Making a cup with a refillable capsule is not that difficult.  The only attention you need to be specific is the grind size of your coffee and you're set to go.  Grind it fine but not too fine .  My experience is about similar grind size like drip coffee.

Of course, I still drink Nespresso capsules once in a blue moon or if I want a quick coffee fix or I want to splurge myself.  But for my current morning routine.  I can easily whipped up a double shot latte with this combo.  And speaking of double shot,  I bought one more set from coffeestar recently to make my double shots even easier.  :P    

I am still shooting.

My cameras are still with me and I still shoot but I am even more selective on the photos I wish to share on the Net.  Not so much of privacy concerns but one of the reason is because of the sheer volume of photos on the Net.  Selfies, groupies,  food photos and even my wife is starting to dump photos into her facebook account.  I know its a free space to share but can at least edit a bit anot?  I see people dump over 200 photos of their travel photos with tons that are just out of focus and underexposed.   I know it has been like that ever since facebook has an easier way to upload photos in batches but it's even more serious nowadays and I got a little bit fatigued in looking at a picture on my monitor.  Which leads to the 2nd reason why I stop posting to facebook
.

My bloody printer.  :P   Ever since I got myself a serious photo printer,  I printed most of my recent works on my Canon Pro 100 and they are just simply different .  A physical piece of paper with my picture on it is 100x better then the same picture viewed on a computer monitor.

Ask those who prints their photos seriously and they will give you the same conclusion.  If you really want to appreciate your own piece of work as a photographer then just print it out,  print it large (at least 8x10), print it with a proper printer or lab, and you will know and understand why a printed photo is so awesome. :)

My 3 month hiatus is over.

I have not disappeared or died in Thailand yet.  :P  I have not been writing anything because I just gave myself a self imposed 3 month hiatus from complaining and personal reason.   It's surprisingly not that tough as I have not been writing a lot ever since I quit my job.  There are tons of crazy things happened in both Singapore and Thailand during these 3 months that I wish I could write and blog them down for future reference but I was able to choose not to do it.

I even tried to impose myself to have limited access to facebook and twitter.  This  restricted access to the Net is not really working as I still frequent facebook on my phone to check on latest trends and news almost everyday while I waited at the school to pick up my kids.

So for the pass 3 months,  I  re-read some books, watched the latest Dr Who (which is pretty awesome), visited some tea and strawberry farms (see pic above),  became a coffee addict by getting a Nespresso machine and manual coffee grinder,  learnt to fly a small drone (Syma X5c), watched some old Chinese lectures on our ancient Chinese philosopher, self taught myself on rainbow loom charms, signed up with Ello and still waiting for their bloody reply and invite, and completed some home DIY projects.

I think I did more then the list but I guess you kinda guess I am enjoying myself over here in L.O.S.

Hiatus is over and I will try to write more but I guess nobody bothers to read blogs nowadays.  Tweets and Facebook status updates are more trendy.