90 VS 50

我知道90跟50的差别是40。
我也知道人家能善用自己的资源，智慧，时间。
明天，国庆日了。
共勉之~
（小小声的喊一声：“默迪卡！”）

独享

是的，那天的烟花不在是为所有到场的人而放的。它是为某些特定的人而放的，它灿烂，它美丽，它绽放。不过我们看到的只是小小的火花，尽管如此我还是尽力的捕抓它能给我的，仅有的小花。原来烟花也能也能独享的。

青鸟

词曲：作词：王中言　作曲：伍思凯　编曲：Martin Tang 　

有一种爱情　叫做青鸟
在寒冷的季节里　也不停止飞翔
有一种爱情　叫做青鸟
在俗艳的红尘里　也不放弃等待

请你与我　一同寻找青鸟
哦　抛开伤痛回忆拥抱我　所有热情
请你与我　一同寻找青鸟
哦　用飞翔的羽翼带走你　全部恐惧

有一种一种温柔　叫做青鸟
在每个恋人心里　美丽地成长

伍思凯的老歌，有十多年了。专辑里头有好些歌曲，就是对这首印象深刻。印象中伍思凯那年还来到家乡的篮球总会举办了歌友会呢。那年好像刚好也是大马旅游年，为什么记得呢？因为我是穿着大马旅游年的T-恤去参加歌友会时被同学取笑在帮政府宣传呢。

又见新娘。

还记得有一次放了张新娘照，那张还是在陪朋友到圣陶沙游玩的时候遇到时偷拍的。再接下来的是朋友姐姐结婚时帮她拍的，不过没放在部落里头。

昨天朋友约了一班新朋友到摄影学会拍照，因为是付费的所以分担费用的做法就是“人多势众”，因为“人多势众”所以大家拍的时间也就相应的少了些。而且模特儿也只有一件婚纱，大家都尽量争取时间拍啊，拍的。

摄影是很孤独的一种活动，所以多认识些同好是好的。到了后阶段大家互相交流时才发现原来也有一，两个大马帮的，爽！（为何不能确定另外一个是不是大马帮的？因为有些人是很介意被人知道自己是大马人的。原因？我不想问。）

总之呢，就是越拍越觉得自己的技术还得多加改进。太多东西还得花些时间摸清楚才行呵~

P/s: 看了nini的部落才发现原来我的部落也一岁了呢。哈，爽！

建筑物

一直都有拍建筑物的习惯，虽然都没什么特色。不过还是觉得有一定的吸引力跟价值吧。星期六去了名叫大巴窑的地方拍了HDB Hub总部大楼。导师说这是小儿科的建筑物，比较具挑战性的是即将关闭的加冷户外体育馆，听说很难找到一个好的角度来拍。

拍摄建筑物还需要许多地理知识，天气，月份，季节，阳光等等。还得做地方位置研究，对于我这个路痴还真的是一个考验。另外脚力不好的话也不行，因为要知道一座建筑物的范围是很大的。要走很多的地方拍摄不同的角度。另外据说在这里其实法律规定是不能随意拍摄建筑大楼的。不过不是用在商业用途的话还是不要紧的吧。

Walkman随想

不知道为什么总是在听到谭咏麟的某些旧歌就会让我想起那架旧卡带式随身听。很小的侍候邻居拿了架很旧的卡带式随身听给我，她说反正没用了不过还是可以听电台广播的，当时当然是乐得不得了咯。欣然接受了，经过一番的拆装之后发现其实是里头的胶带断了所以卡带才不能操作的，虽然知道原因不过我不可能修好的；便送到附近专修家电的邻居家让他把随身听给修好。几块钱吧，不太记得了。

更有趣的是在我把随身听修好视如珍宝的用它开心听歌不久之后邻居有一天跑来告诉我其实她还想要那架随身听的。。。这个未免太扯了吧，当时她可是把它当垃圾般扔给我的咧~算了，老妈说。无奈还是把它“还”给了邻居。

长大后也买过一架SONY随身听，不过寿命并不长，借给老哥的女友远渡重洋到了英国念书回来之后也不能用了（据她说其实带到那边跟本用不着，所以她没用过的，为什么会坏始终是个迷）。无奈我还有一些卡带是没有CD版的，激荡工作坊的专辑，另类音乐人的专辑，好些当时的本地创作（有人说别叫本地创作，我不记得对方建议怎么叫了)。 张映坤，叶有弟，张盛德，庄若等等以及那些曾经熟悉的名字。如今是真的身在异乡了，更让我想念当时那个单纯的年代。《用马来西亚的天气来说爱你》，《快乐圆舞曲》，《一天中的一生时光》，《另類抒情方式》庄若那令人听了觉得很搞笑的开场。如今这些专辑卡带都静静的躺在家里的抽屉了。每次回家总是太匆忙，无法把所有的歌曲从新听一遍，是遗憾。

如今ＭＰ３成了主流，什么时候ＣＤ也会被淘汰吧。陈阿升说过也许有一天歌手再也不出专辑了，你要听歌他就到你家唱给你听。盗版太猖獗了，他说。呵呵呵。。。

快乐的圆舞曲

来跳一首快乐的圆舞曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，
来唱一首快乐的幻想曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，

花正好，月正园，人迟疑，
不知道那一天会逝去，
黑的发，红的唇，情如丝，
不知道那一天会逝去，

来跳一首快乐的圆舞曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，
来唱一首快乐的幻想曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，

交给你请善待我的心，
不知道那一天我会逝去，
交付我我不会不珍惜，
不知道那一天会逝去。

啦…啦…啦… 啦…啦…啦…

空等待，无花时，空折枝，
不知道那一天会逝去，
不开心，不愿意，不迷痴，
不知道那一天会逝去，

来跳一首快乐的圆舞曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，
来唱一首快乐的幻想曲，
什么时候这一切都会过去，

等待你一辈子可允许，
想念我，抓紧我，可愿意，
我爱你，我爱你，我爱着你，
不管它什么都失去，
我爱你，我爱你，我爱着你，
不管它什么都失去。。。

精彩哟~

早上六点半起床，梳洗完毕后到巴刹买了油条，麻花回家冲了杯上次做Tiramisu剩下的最后一包咖啡。边吃边看电视节目。电视里看到主持人跟来宾谈着新国政府的65岁退休政策。美其名为活到老做到老，我觉得跟做到上神台没什么差别。也许有人会骂我没智慧，那是人口老化的关系，没办法的。好吧，就当我是傻蛋喜欢喃喃自语算了。

肯定不会塞车（某人今天应该还是一样塞车上班吧！），没有赶dateline，没有夜工（是的，农历七月最好别开工，不好的，不好的^_^），美丽的一天。

看了The Bourne Ultimatum，总算画上句号了。再精彩的电影总要有结局的。一个悲剧人物的故事，正如很多人所强调的，结果不重要过程才是精华所在。最后如何大概没有人想知道。电影院灯光一良大家都离场回家。

昨晚回到家看到前副首相安华来到了新国的大学演讲，大谈新马关系，又是政客论坛。从“我们都是一家人”到鸡奸案入狱，出狱。他的人生也算精彩吧。请各位给他来点鼓励的掌声吧。那前首相马哈迪呢？也不错，听说最近跟日本人合伙开面包店呢，怎么没找我合股啊？

番茄s与Roti Kocks

图片说明：六月那里偷来的。

网上读到一篇有趣故事，电邮s与番茄s。故事中大略是说有个穷途末路的人到微软应征一份办公室跑腿工作的人，反而被当时的主管讽刺“没有电邮的人等于不存在这世界的人”。在没办法的情况下被逼用身上仅有的钱买了番茄沿街兜售，至后来发展出自己的企业王国。记者问他的成功之道时他回答到：“因为我没有电邮。”那如果当时您有电邮的话您将会如何呢？那人回答道：“那我将只会是微软的办公室跑腿”。

我告诉表姐这故事让我想起了小学时在班上卖Roti Kock的趣事，不记得当时是几年级了。因为邻居在森林芭有间杂货点，所以总有许多批发商上门批发货物给他；当时大概觉得学校的食堂卖的食物没什么特色吧（其实当年的我是很少踏足食堂的，零用钱对我来说是很陌生的东西），于是就买了些Roti Kock到班上卖，结果还真的赚了一些小钱呢！不过那些零钱老妈好像还存着呢。

我在想如果当年继续卖Roti Kock的话，那我会如何呢？

注：Roti Kock是一种在面包上面涂上一层牛油后撒上一些白糖的烧烤式园形切片硬面包，是乡下的一种食品。

再注：听罢电邮s与番茄s表姐说既然这样我们就别卖汉堡包了，卖番茄吧。

鲁冰花

还记得那次看鲁冰花是念初中那年，五姨拿了免费戏票来一起去看的。虽然不谙华文不过五姨还因为动人的故事情节而感动得哭成泪人，时至今天我还记忆犹新。

那天在新加坡书展看到这本鲁冰花的小说。以前虽然喜欢这部电影，还买了LD呢！如今LD也几乎没落了。以前并没有注意到这本书。看到了当然就把它给买下来，还送了电影DVD呢。把电影重看一遍感动还是有的。这些年在社会上打滚更加了解电影里头所暗喻“现实社会”是怎么一回事。

不得不佩服吴念真，他把这本小说的故事改编的如此动人。虽然其中的情节跟小说里是不一样的。但在保留其中的精髓的当儿也加入了精彩的情节，比起某些小说/漫画改编的大制作电影来说真的是好太多了。

鲁冰花小说（纯属分享，建议购买原装小说。）

鲁冰花谢了，留下粒粒种籽，明年又会开出一片黄色花朵点缀人间；而在这一开一谢之间，使茶园得到肥分。然而，人世间的可贵的天才之花谢了，到底会留下一点什么呢？他迷惘了。。。

饼干双峰塔

高达452公尺的国油双峰塔是世界上最高的摩天楼。这座设计新颖的双峰塔是吉隆坡市的象征。不论你在吉隆坡的哪一个角落都可以看到这座十分现代化的建筑物。双峰塔内有国油交响乐礼堂(PetronasPhilharmonicHall)、马来西亚交响乐合唱团活动处(Malaysian PhilharmonicOrchestra)和国油演绎艺术集团(PetronasPerforming ArtsGroup)。而双峰塔的底层是吉隆坡城中城(KLCC）。

说到国油双峰塔，刚才看到国家地理频道里的其中的节目里竟然有个澳洲人在神不知鬼不觉的情况下在上面跳伞而不被发觉。还手持录像机配合下面的伙伴把整个过程拍下来，看来他已经悄悄的成了第一个在全世界最高的大楼之一跳伞的“冒险家”了。看来所谓的保安也是假的咯（？）还是双峰塔的安全网脆弱如图中的饼干？

饼干艾菲尔铁塔

艾菲尔铁塔矗立于巴黎市中心塞纳河右岸的战神广场上，它是为迎接在巴黎召开的世界博览会而于1889年建成的。它以铁塔的设计者、杰出的建筑工程师居斯塔夫·艾菲尔的名字命名。

浪漫之都的象征之一，许多人响往的旅行地点。中学时一位英文老师却不这么认为，据她说法国是个极肮脏的地方，至于她形容的肮脏是指滥交风气太盛了。我始终怀疑大概是她自己到那边时没被人看上要她与站一晚的关系吧。:P

已经第二次在巴黎以外的地方拍摄艾菲尔铁塔了，上一次是在柬埔寨暹粒旅行时在某家西餐厅外头见到的。那个就比较像样，还真的是铁制的呢。这一次在新加坡的碧山Junction 8商场见到她的身影呢。当然不列外的为她拍下照片留念咯。由无数饼干凑在一起堆叠而成的浪漫铁塔，我看不喜欢饼干的人一定会对她敬而远之的，因为真的太恐怖了，处处都是饼干饼干饼干。。。怕是下一次也会有人用面包造个浪漫铁塔。

香蕉拿铁

七月一号的时候在吉隆坡跟老朋友见面，好久不见的朋友大家都没什么变化当然除了小芯在努力增肥之外大家都拼了命的在控制体重。

饭后在IKANO购物商场一带找了间Café聊天，点了杯蛮好喝的冰香蕉拿铁。淡淡的香蕉味配上咖啡上面加些cream真的是蛮不错的组合。

对于咖啡我一直都不会局限在特定的几种口味的。在这么竞争的市场，咖啡馆都会尽量创出不同的口味独特的咖啡来吸引顾客。可以的话都希望有些自己的特色的咖啡。所以生存在这个年代是幸福的。（当然是要口袋有里有钱为前提咯！）

WHY COMPLAINING WILL NOT HELP-- Pedro Meyer

在某个网站看到的文章，觉得很有意思所以把它给记下来了。感觉很像当年看Poor Dad，Rich Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki)那样，让人更积极的面对问题之外也提供了很好的一种分析问题的方法。


原文出处：http://www.zonezero.com/

I have heard time and time again, how the market for photo documentary work is shrinking and there is no work to be found, and the little there is pays very poorly.

The question to be asked is if this statement is true, and if so what can be done about it.

In general terms I think there is indeed a big change in the size and scope of the market for photographic work available to freelance photographers. Today there are numerous solutions for those in need of photography to illustrate whatever is needed, other than hiring photographers to do such jobs. With online stock photography being just one of the many options to those in need of photographs, to the fact that with digital cameras many people have taken to make their own pictures rather than hiring someone for that purpose. Check the following article on corbis images.

So let us agree on the fact that the market has changed enormously. I would ask further, why are so many photographers so surprised? Unless they have been living a cave over the past decade, they would have probably noticed how everybody else's job has also been radically transformed. Why would it be any different for photographers? Just ask any musician how their jobs have been in a process of total turmoil.

When I was a kid there was a man who operated the elevator in the building where my father had his office in downtown Mexico City, He would also repair watches as he brought people up and down all day long. He would sit on a little stool and have a nice tidy little desk beside him, which would hold all the parts of the watch he was repairing as well as his work tools. He had found a way to service the continuous flow of people in and out of his elevator, while also being able to concentrate on his watches. He was always looking up with one of those special eye pieces that work as an enlarging glass, in his right eye, and then looking back at the watch. I never ceased to be amazed at his ability to cope with two such different jobs.

As you can well imagine today that elevator is automatic and does not require someone sitting there all day long to operate it. The watches he used to repair have been replaced by cheap watches that are better replaced with new ones, rather than spending on a repair. I don't know what became of this man, but I do know that both jobs he had no longer exist.

So rather than feeling sorry for oneself, it is best to move on, and ask, now what? How will a photographer survive in todays world?

The answers of course depend on where one is living, but in general it is reasonable to imagine that the variables are not that huge.

The first basic question is, who actually needs your service? Stop thinking in terms of what you need, but rather in who you can provide a service to. If you can start making a list of who it is that might need the type of photography you like doing, then it is just a matter of finding who those potential clients are and start contacting them. Check the article on Times Magazine.

You then compete with other photographers on the basis of price, or on the basis of the uniqueness of your photography, or on both. But be prepared to consider that this is a process that is constantly in flux, in other words, you can't think anymore in terms of just sitting back to relax once you found the answers to your question. The market is changing all the time, and what might be a good solution today will no longer be so in a year or two.

I googled "photo agencies" and came up with over 19 million pages. That should tell you something about what is going on. The largest photo agencies are finding that they have a hard time competing against newer smaller agencies that charge a fraction of the price that the bigger agencies are charging, and this process will keep on changing as people figure out how to deliver a service for the best price possible while still making a profit. Something, which by the way, the larger agencies have not been having.

Complaining will not help in finding any solution to the changing market place. Searching for ways to offer a service, is what will be a much more promising route.
Let's look at some ideas:

A- Read all your local newspapers for interesting stories, or go out to local community centers, and hear what the locals have to say about their lives. Surely something will come up that will catch your attention. Be careful to choose ideas that are VISUAL, as you are going to produce a a photographic story. Try to imagine, as well, how the local can be of interest to the universal. In other words, doing a story that only touches upon the interests of the local people makes it less appealing on a world wide scale, and indeed we are in a world wide market place.

B- Add value to the images you are taking. For instance, in addition to the pictures you took, you could deliver a color selection that you can take to print. Place the images into a PDF presentation. In short, help the client make the best use of your images. You can even make printed books, to give to your clients. Increasingly wedding photographers are using such techniques, even going to the extent of making video presentations to go with the pictures, that will allow the newly wedded couple have a one stop shopping experience for all their visual needs.

C- Think of yourself in terms of a story teller, rather than simply a photographer. That will open up all sorts of creative ideas, consider who needs stories that have not been told before, or told as well. You now have all kinds of new delivery methods, which can go from an online over Internet presentation to CD ROM/DVD; PDF; formats. There are many more publications of every sort now, than at any time before.

D- If you were a very good printer in the lab, you might use the expert eye that you developed over the years, in order to solve new problems. Printing with a digital printer, still requires that expert eye trained to see what a good print looks like. Or you could scan images for a living, this is not such an easy job and is highly valued.

E- Add sound to your still images. That is another way of enhancing values and finding new clients. There are a number of web sites (New York Times, Washington Post) who have been publishing stories were use multimedia.

F- The sole market for educational and training programs is larger that it ever was in the past. Contribute more than just attempting to deliver the pictures, try to contribute ideas that are related to educational programs which might need video feeds or texts.

G- If you like food, then you have a world of ideas to explore just taking pictures of food preparation in places that are new, other than the traditional kitchen and well lit studio. These are fun stories, and offer an array of possibilities for documentary photographers.

H- I don't know why documentary photographers always have to think in terms of making pictures of the down trodden, the poor, or the exploited, in short, stories of injustice. I always find it very suspect when the photographer thinks that his or her ax to grind can only be by addressing histories that are hugely dramatic, such as wars, famine, drought, plague, invasion or destruction. What about the other side of life? I am thinking of the very wonderful story by Lauren Greenfield, Girl Culture Or her recent story she did on the super rich in China.

I- I don't think there is a woman, man or child, that has not gotten some sort of spam mail, offering penis enlargement products, or fake Rolex watches. Yet I have never seen anywhere a story related to all of these, so called "industries". I am sure there must be someplace in the world, a warehouse from which all this stuff gets sent out. I could also imagine, that someone must produce all these items, but where? how? who makes all these watches? in China? what do those factories look like? How many fake Rolex watches get made each hour? And all those women students who offer their bodies over the internet, in every variety of peep show possible, in order to supplement their income as "students". That is a culture unto itself, where are all those stories?

J- the excuse that there are no major magazines interested in publishing interesting stories is probably untrue. What I think has happened is that the major magazines are the ones that are in a process of publishing remission, but that does not mean that there aren't hundreds and hundreds of new publications, all over the world, which use a lot of photographic essays. Every time I travel by plane, I find the pocket in front of my seat, all sorts of publications, that use lots and lots of photography. Just go to a new stand, and count the number of magazines that you can find there.

K- If you look at what happened with commercial television, and apply the same sort of analysis to photography you will see what I mean. Sure, the large television networks have lost audience, but does that mean that people are watching less television? I don't think so. They are just watching it through different channels, such as cable for instance, or Youtube over the internet, or DVDs. Yes the markets have changed, but not so the consumption of video images and stories. Story telling is alive and well.

I am sure that you can contribute any number of even better ideas to this roster of possibilities, the whole point is to bring out the notion that we have a lot more to gain, by thinking constructively rather than complaining. And just as in any other endeavor at this time, we as photographers have to also find ways to adjust our work to the prevailing change of winds. Remember, "it is not the gale but the set of the sails".

Pedro Meyer Coyoacan,
Mexico July, 2007

AF 28mm F/2.8D

打从卖掉50mm f1.8的定焦镜之后就一直想找个替代它位置的镜头，原厂情意结加上有些好镜不容易找所以迟迟没有任何行动（找到也买不起:P）。那天在网上看到有人拍卖28mm f2.8便马上伸出触角。对方出价基本上是很便宜的了，不过由于写着他是在三年前跟网上的卖家买二手的所以我便出了个超低价，PM了给他。（PM：Private Message）

相隔了大概快一个星期吧，对方一直都没回音。心想这个价他大概不会卖吧，我只是碰碰运气而已。上个星期五的下午却收到对方的PM说如果愿意出价$180镜头就是我的了，可是我实在没打算花更多的钱在这颗镜头上面，于是便在原本的出价加多$10再告诉他我只能出到$160。因为并不急着要买纯粹是想试试这类镜头而已。

对方当然不会那么随便就答应囖，结果他说会再看看周末有没有人会比我出更高价，若没有的话就把那颗镜头转让给我。谁知他竟然把我的出价列在网上看看还有谁会出比我高价，殊不知其实问题出在他的标题是三年前的二手镜，买了的话就是第三手了。网上甚至有人出价$200去投标一颗比这还旧的版本同样焦段的镜头只因为卖家没列出年份。

等着等着星期一早上对方来PM说没有人符合他的要求或比我的出价更高了，打算跟我交易。

对于一颗三年的旧镜头我也不敢对她期望太高，心想大概外表应该也不会太美了吧。在跟对方交涉的当儿查了对方的资料才知道是个法国佬。（呵呵呵。。。表姐说浪漫可是他是男的啦~）而最后更发现其实他住的地方很靠近我家，约了时间便去找他。

当他取出28mm f2.8时我有点傻眼的不敢相信，因为照顾得真的太好了。如果不说还真不相信是三年多的镜头。当下二话不说（说？说太多也没用，法国佬的英文充满了法国味，四句听懂两句，所以还是少说为妙。）把镜头拿来试，镜头内没发霉，光圈环操作正常，觉得ok便付了钱给法国佬。

其实严格来讲我算是第一次买二手镜头，只懂些基本的条件。至于如何测试一颗镜头的好坏实在懂得不多。这次的交易的确是属于幸运的。外面卖一颗要价$375的镜头我竟然只花了$160便买到，结果法国佬嘴里一直在念“you made a good business!”好吧，好吧，法国佬。那我就谢谢你囖！呵呵呵~

P/S: 虽然28mm f2.8的光圈不能跟50mm f1.8的比较，不过喜欢她够广角。50mm对我来说还是“窄”了点。

5400

看到温柔的ni今天写到有人竟然把深田恭子四个大字贴在车后玻璃。其实在新加坡也有很多这类型的人。甚至真的找了辆接近AE86的车来效仿文头字D里的藤原豆腐店的豆腐车。（车也是黑跟白的哦。）

也想过把白色的苹果贴在我的银色小鸽子身上，无奈真的太不塔吊了。所以放弃了。至于温柔的ni我倒有个建议给你，就在车后玻璃贴上5400吧。好不好，好不好嘛？肯定错不了。

挪威的森林

再次重读村上春树的挪威的森林，这次是修订本。包装是根据日本的红绿封面。再次的重回到那片草原，那口井，那个逝去的七十年代。渡边，Kizuki，直子，绿。我没有活在七十年代，但我是七字辈的，而披头四的音乐也同样感动着我。F.费兹杰罗的大亨小传尚未拜读，它还在书橱里。