TAMRON AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Dill VC

I recently just got a new lens. Actually after a looooonnnggg survey here and there. I wanted a longer telephoto lens and so have to surveying. At first, I was aiming for the Canon 18-200mm lens but it was a bit expensive, around RM2900. Then this new lens came in just at the right moment. The TAMRON 18-270mm and with a cheaper and more affordable price. Even then, it's still not cheap and I don't grow money on trees, so I continued surveying with my target set.

The first price I got was from a online shop and they quoted it for RM2590 and it's online. So I went lens hunting shop by shop and until last Saturday, David and I went to this place in Pertama complex and the salesperson, a super effective sales uncle in my opinion, gave me his best price of RM2250. Well, that's the story on how I got it then...

The new toy

The "tai phau"

The TAMRON 18-270mm is a really wide range telephoto lens. With wideangles at 18mm and zoom up to 270mm it gives me more convenience in a single lens. The picture quality is good too. Besides, this lens allow me to take 1:1 macro pictures and thus, it's perfect for an amateur like myself. Now, I can take the picture I've always wanted too... the moon...

With VC, a crucial technology for a telephoto lens

The only downside of this lens is that it's heavy (well, inevitable), the focus is slower than a Canon lens but for me it's still reasonable (maybe when I go into wildlife pictures I'll see the differences) and the focus is quite noisy.

But, now I can take this kinda pictures!!! Compare with the moon picture of the "Smiley in the sky" What a huge difference!!!

The Moon

Disease struck...

Another reason why working in the rural area in a tropical country is not much fun is that you are more exposed to diseases which are carried by insects. Regardless if it's those pesky mosquitoes or bed bugs or just anything that would most willingly sink they're teeth or whatever appendages they use into your body. You could try to get rid of them but well, it's the jungle, they grow faster than anything here.

Just this past Friday, I came down with the worst fever I've ever experienced. Start with chills and then followed by burning heat. When I went to the hospital on the Saturday, my temperature was 39.6 degrees Celsius. And this was after I taken 2 PCM. Still the doctors only did a blood test told me it was a viral fever and sent me home with more PCM. That night itself the fever was worse, so I paid another visit to the ER in the middle of the night. This time I was given an injection which miraculously cleared the fever. Whao, was I thankful. Even the next day was fever free. However, I had a sleepless night the whole night maybe due to the tea I drank in the evening. On Monday, I thought of going back to the hosp to extend my medical leave. During this time my condition turned bad yet again. Did another blood test and results came in my platelets were falling but still within range. So, I was asked to come back for another review on Wednesday. Monday night was another bad night, I had to wake and sponge myself the whole night. Only on Tuesday night did get some real sleep and the fever subsided. Came Wednesday morning, went back to the hosp and get my blood checked. Platelet levels already down to 117.

Now, I'm extremely exhausted, bored and my stomach is giving me problems. It's really one of the worst times I've ever been. Oh, and my mom's forcing me to drink juice from grounded papaya leaves *Eeeeuuuuuurrrrggggghhhhh* Disgusting!

K.L. view from the MRR2

Ever since I started working in KK Simpang Pelangai, I can't wait to come back every weekend and whenever I get the chance to. I use the MRR2 as it's the shortest possible way that leads to my home in P.J. Each time I pass this area near AMpang, I couldn't help notice the view of K.L. was spectacular there. Well, maybe I'm just too happy that I'm seeing the sign that I'm back in K.L. (now I understand why the twin tower and the K.L. tower is said to be a symbol to be proud of by every Malaysian. In my perspective, by every K.L.-ian or P.J.-ian cause it signifies that I'm finally home... ) Anyways, today, on my way back, I fine that the sunset was really beautiful as it hits the concrete jungle... So, I took out my camera and took a few shots... The shots were not taken properly because I was steering with my other hand. Besides, the road devider was really tall. Don't worry, I was in a jam when I took the pictures, so my car was moving extremely slowly. Otherwise, you think I'm daredevil enough to put other road users and myself in jepordy?

Scene blocked by railing on the divider...

Clearer view

Further down the road

Beautiful city view not for the divider

Sunset in the city...

Smiley in the sky

Taken with my EOS 450D, my new toy, is rare event. Two stars appearing above a crescent moon forming a smiley in the sky. On the night of the 1st of December, while I was making my dinner I got a call from my neighbour who went out attending to an on-call case. He asked me to come out and said that there's someone smiling above my roof. That kinda got me startled as I lived in the jungle and it's damn dark. Well, I went out to see what he was saying. After seeing what it was I ran in and took my camera to capture this and it took a few shots as my lens is only 18-55mm thus the insufficient zoom and I do not have a tripod. Anyhow, I didn't think much of this event until it came up on the news the next day saying it's a rare sighting. I guess it's a picture to remember then. : )

Another one rescued...

Today, I got to know that Mark, who spent more than a year in a district Hosp. in Malacca, got transfered back to K.L. Congratulations!!! from the bottom of my heart! It seems one by one, my colleagues sent to other far away states are getting back to civilisation. Well, previously when I get to know anyone getting back, I'd be surprised and anxious to know if my application got through. I'd call Jen, to discuss and this would usually follow with a call to the people in charge for a status check. Up till now it's been disappointment. "Oh it's still being KIV'ed for review in the next meeting" "May I know when's the next meeting?" "Oh, that we do not know, the bosses will have the next meeting when they wanna have the next meeting" "Oh, Great thanks a lot for such a vast amount of useful info"

Ahh... well, that was then, after a few of such scenario, hmm... not so hopeful anymore... another got back? well great news for you! Think maybe I should call tomorrow to bug them a bit. Expected answer? "Sorry, it's still being KIV'ed" "Oh, places in K.L. and Selangor are already filled" "Call again soon"... Felt like calling a distant relative... heard them all... nothing else to say... Well, that's life in the service...

Oh somthing interesting happened... I got a Canon 450D!! rocks!!! for a while... now i need new lenses!!!!!

What do I do these days???

It's been more than a year since I was posted into the jungle, to be precise, as of today, it's been a year and 19 days... and yet, with no sign of a transfer, I'm still stuck here. Yes, I'm counting the days. It's what desperate people do. The same reason why prisoners carve lines on the wall noting the pass of each day.

Well, what do I actually do here then? Nothing much actually. Nothing much can be done here anyways, since I'm so far away from friends and family, oh and most importantly, so far from civilization... Of course I'm exaggerating, they have schools here, estates, some food stalls, and ermm... well nothing interesting. So this past year, what I do daily has become, what they call it?... a routine... Not that I don't have much work to do. The workload here is enough to keep me occupy... for the day of course. So daily, I'll usually work till 6.30pm or 7.00pm. That is usually, when I have to manage my stock and do ordering. Sometimes, I'll be lazy and come back right after work.

Reaching home, I'll relax with some old mangas or animes (yup I'm thus pathetic). Then around 7 to 7.30pm, I'll start cooking. I don't think I enjoy cooking here as much as I did before. The environment is one thing, then there is the fatigue from work, the lack of ingredients and lastly, in the end I'll be only cooking for one... no need to make a big deal out of it.

Dinner will usually be accompanied by movies or series that Jen, my dear, so kindly provide or from wherever I could scavenge from. Then, I'll follow on with either the movie, or mangas, or now that I have connection, slow as it may be, surf the net until 10pm when I go collect water for my shower. Sometime before that I will have the joy of talking to my dear and then more after my shower till I finally go to bed at 11.30pm. It's these conversations that makes me feel not so lonely during such isolation.

The next morning I wake at 6.54am, with the aid of my alarm and a morning call from Jen and well... what did I say about a routine... That's me sitting my ass and growing by the inch, sideways that is, daily. I'm not even motivated enough to exercise... Sigh... Only sometimes will I go do something else like washing my car or so which now seems to take more effort than before...

Damn... I seriously need help

PS. I too noticed that my blogs turn sour when I started working with the 'you know who'... Better not say it or they might lock me up without trial...

It's durian season!!

It's been so long since I last posted anything here. Well, it's same old over here. Working in Pahang is really not a bad thing. Pahang for one is a beautiful state with most of it's natural beauty un-defiled. But, well, that's also another part which scared the shit out of me. What do you expect from a kid born and bred in a concrete jungle? Most fellow pharmacists I find working in this state regardless of how secluded they are, they seem to be giving their best in improving the image of the profession. It may well be due to well, us having a good TPK and also... Pahang is really a big state and there are only very few of us. So we may see each other more often and feed on each others positive thoughts as motivation to strive on.

Anyhow, it's durian season now in Pelangai!! and well, I've been having some myself. All thanks to the very very friendly "ah soh" from Mancis. She has been taking very good care of me. *sometimes up to a point where it scares the shit out of me too....* *Ahem...* As I was saying, she did bring me quite a number of fruits from around here; papaya which she claimed someone gave her but she cannot finish, durian which she claimed fall off the trees in her rubber estate, mangoes which she got from "who knows where" *I forgot what she said...*; all which she forced into my hands when I politely decline. Well, I was glad though, I got to taste plenty of good stuff. It kind of relieve me from the stress I get working here.

Oh, since I mentioned about work... for people who I once heard saying, "K.K. has nothing much to do wan... you are pretty much the boss there and it's quite free...", you really have NOT worked in a K.K. before haven't you?!?

petty thoughts...

It seems like history's repeating itself... and for that, I'm afraid. But if things are to happen, then it shall for I have no energy left to stop it...