My new camera

Losing things feel sucky. It really feels bad to lose a prized possession, because we all develop attachments to things we like. In some ways, I hate myself for losing my Nikon D80. But in some other ways, I can’t help but to tell myself that it wasn’t my own fault.

Earlier this week, on Monday, I lost my beloved Nikon D80 camera. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but I lost it in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, while using the men’s room.

I hung it on the door (inside the cubicle, mind you), turned away from the door for around 30 seconds or so, no more than a minute, and it’s gone. The whole camera and its bag.

Well, I hope the new owner will rot in hell and see some spectacular calamity befall himself (or herself). No point here being nice or diplomatic and hide my true feelings.

The really sucky thing about losing a camera in a airport is that it casts a dark cloud over your entire trip, and since you have a flight to catch, there isn’t too much you can do. I’m sure the person (or persons) responsible for this have been doing this for a very long time, and I’m not the first, nor last person to have this fate befall me. That’s why I hope for some spectacular calamity to befall this person (or persons). That’s probably the only way to stop them from ever striking again.

Anyways, today, I reluctantly bought a new camera. A Nikon D90. I didn’t want to buy a D300s because I didn’t need all the extra features, and I also like the D90 because of its familiarity. In some ways, it’s like getting a straight replacement for my camera.

I hope it’ll be a long, loving relationship, and this time, despite my own reservations about the safety of KLIA, I’m determined to still bring it on trips. The bad guys shouldn’t scare me from traveling with my camera again – if that happens, they win big time. I’ll be more careful, and even in the privacy of my own toilet cubicle, it seems that a camera can never leave my reach !

Yatttaaaa !!!

I was scared stiff before I came. Excited, sure, but scared stiff as well about visiting Tokyo.

It's one of those places which had this gigantic reputation that just made everything else before it look miniscule.

I'm too lazy to blog about everything that happened today, but I'd just like to share with you a couple of Tokyo facts.

The first two facts, I'll let the pictures explain. Japan is a contrast of ultra modern, and tradition preserved.

Walking along the Meiji-jingu shrine, this couple became the center of all the tourists' frenzied camera clicking during their shinto wedding ceremony and photoshoot.

And barely 10 minutes away from the shrine, just by the Harajuku station, I found the infamous Harajuku cosplay crowd. I can't say I'm a fan, but I admire them for their courage - or foolishness - it's a matter of perspective. Again, the tourists just went crazy !

The next one is that expensive it need not be. I spent only around 5000 yen today - all inclusive except the hotel, which the company is footing, and the airport limousine bus, which is 3000 yen. 5000 yen included lunch, all the transportation and drinks all day long. It took me from Meguro to Harajuku, then to Shinjuku, Ueno, Asakusa, Tokyo, Ginza and back to Meguro. That's 5 more places than I thought I could reach with my budget ! 5000 yen is around RM150. It isn't all that bad. If you take away my higher end dinner, I just spent 2200 yen, around RM70 !

More to come later !

Just like that ...

Some poor gentlemen just collapsed and died outside Dunkin' Donuts here in PBD, opposite my office. Despite some foreigner's best effort to revive the person, and despite the ambulance coming quite quickly, the gentlemen is now laying dead on the pavement, waiting to be picked up by the police.

There's a sizeable crowd around the poor gentlemen, who is now covered with some newspaper, and cordoned off with a few traffic cones.

Condolences to his family.

Life is fragile like that ...

I'm renewing my vow to spend life with vigor and to enjoy all the things I want to do, love all the people who means a lot to me, and to never have to regret not doing anything because I didn't make the time to do it. Time to buy a flash for the camera and start chasing bugs, perhaps. Time to take my dad for a vacation too.

Sometimes, we need a bit of jolt to reiterate the messages that are all around us.