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During my holiday in Hong Kong, I dropped off a roll of film to be processed. Upon asking for the images to be printed out and mailed to Singapore, I was told that it would take up to two months, since the photos would be sent via post. I did not look for one-hour developing services in Hong Kong. After all, this roll of Kodak Portra 400 took me at least two months to finish, so what's the hurry? Besides, between work and weekend errands, the time to shoot is limited. Hence, I decided to finish the roll while I was overseas. I was mentally prepared to only receive the images in late April/early May. To my surprise, they arrived a month early. As I held the weighty brown envelope in my hands, I felt a stack of photos in the middle. (Image: Chase Yi, Unsplash) My pulse quickened. Part of me assumed that I had made a mistake loading the film and that nothing was captured because of it. Or that most of the photos were so blurry, overexposed or underexposed that very few pictures were printable. The thick stack said otherwise. I was excited, but also cautiously optimistic. Once the missus and I opened the envelope, we each took a small pile to look through. All the images were in focus, but many of them had underexposed areas. (Image: Ddddddarya, Unsplash) Lessons to remember As it turns out, my Pentax Spotmatic F gives better exposure when the needle of the light meter is past the halfway mark. If it's just in the centre, the image will be slightly underexposed. After reviewing the photos again, I reflected on what I could have done better. I should be stricter about the lighting conditions and not be afraid to use a slower shutter speed. Some backgrounds could be better, so I should watch my compositions more as well. Following this, I thought, "Damn, film is brutal, isn't it?" Well, poor technique will be magnified, that's for sure. I don't get to preview an image, delete it and try again. Pushing or pulling film has its limits as well, and I'm reliant on the shop to process not as I see fit, but as they see fit. (Image: Immo Wegmann, Unsplash) A smile began to spread across my face. I couldn't blame the film, the camera or my lens. It was all down to me. And that made me feel good. Before every frame, I would picture the composition and see where the light was falling. Then I'd adjust the aperture and shutter speed. In all that time, it never mattered what camera I had or what lens was on it. As for the film stock, that was decided 36 frames ago. It felt so liberating to only think about the picture I wanted. Film isn't brutal. It's not a sentient being that judges you. Film is impartial. It exists as a medium and its only job is to show you what you've accomplished and tell your story. It's not out to stroke your ego or shatter your pride. And for that reason, if I don't control myself, I'll be needing to purchase more photo albums in the future. So, for the next roll of film, I'll keep the negatives and settle for having the photos scanned and kept in Google Drive instead. – Jeremy (Main image: Chase Yi, Unsplash)

Cars are becoming more and more homogenised. No, I'm not saying that cars are becoming identical, but as more and more cars become electrified and more EVs come to market, they will tend to feel the same. You see, consumers want cars that are quiet, spacious and convenient, and manufacturers are giving us just that. Some of us (not everyone looks at the list of standard safety features, sadly) want safer cars, too, so carmakers are bundling in more safety and driver assistance functions. So, most modern cars today are easy to drive and have numerous amenities that cater to drivers and passengers. But if you love driving, you would have surely noticed that driving a modern car doesn't deliver the same engagement that driving say, an older manual car does. Congestion, the enemy Can you drive a manual sports car today? Yes, enthusiasts do. But not me, because it's not rewarding to drive a manual car when my daily commute to and from the office happens during peak hours. The mere thought of repeatedly shifting from first to second and second to first, with some second to third thrown in from time to time, twice a day, is abhorrent. It is a chore. One might ask, "Well, why not go for late-night drives then?" After 8-10 hours at work, which also involves a fair amount of driving (test cars), I need to rest. A fatigued driver is a dangerous one. The writer gearing up for his first ride on his first bike Swopping four wheels for two So, how can a keen driver still feel engaged? Interestingly, one alternative is to ride a motorcycle. If you've never ridden a motorcycle before, imagine this. In a car, with an automatic transmission, you can pretty much just look out for traffic and steer. Only your right foot needs to work, and you're insulated and physically protected. On a motorcycle, you'll need all your wits and your senses (including whatever sixth sense or premonitions you can muster) to keep yourself safe. Looking out for other traffic is just beginning, because you need to even predict 'car and driver language' based on how a vehicle is being driven. And we haven't even gotten to operating a bike with a manual gearbox. An ignition that needs an actual key, analogue gauges, and yes, a 10,000rpm redline For the uninitiated, the clutch is a lever on the left handlebar and the shifter is a peg below your left foot. The accelerator is on right handlebar, which you twist towards you to accelerate. In front of it is the lever for the front brake and below your foot is the pedal for the rear brake. Your entire body is involved in riding a bike, and this is especially true when going around corners. And if sightlines in a car are important, they are everything when it comes to riding - where you look is where the bike will go. On a bike, looking the wrong way could end with you becoming a part of the scenery or taking an unwanted dip in a longkang. That's more than enough to keep me alert. Risky, but that's life in general If you're a biker, you'd undoubtedly have heard all the questions about risk and danger, especially given how vulnerable one is on two wheels. Is driving safer? In a sense, yes. But how much safer, actually? To me, riding a motorcycle is as risky as riding my bicycle on the road. So is crossing the road. Even walking on the pavement is dangerous, especially if there are cyclists are intent on zipping by you. I could as easily trip while walking as I could bump my knee on a table leg (it just happened again today). If I were to analyse every action I intended to take and anticipate its danger potential, I'd literally be stuck at home, which by the way is where most accidents occur. If you think most cars are becoming staid and uninteresting, I recommend taking a bike lesson (or two). Even if you're a die-hard manual sports car enthusiast, you may end up finding the experience to be an eye-opening, and perhaps addictive one.

Taken from Yahoo News: 5 Reasons to Skip the Diamond Engagement Ring Wise Bread, On Wednesday 11 August 2010, 1:12 SGT You're ready. You have the entire scene planned out in your head, every detail plotted and mapped until it's perfect. At the climax of this mini-drama, he will bend on one knee and present to you a beautiful diamond ring -- or, if you're the one proposing, you will watch as her expression changes from surprise to utter delight when she sees the ring. And that's when you'll know: Yes, you're getting married. Or so the diamond industry would like you to believe. The sole purpose of this appealing fantasy is to drum up sales. Once you look past the mythos of the diamond engagement ring, you'll see that it's not much more than a shiny rock. Here are five good reasons to skip the diamond engagement ring. 1. It isn't an ancient tradition -- just marketing For all intents and purposes, "A Diamond is Forever" and the idea of a diamond engagement ring is Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" and Nike's "Just Do It." It is Gary Dahl's "Pet Rock." De Beers controlled supply by buying up and closing down any diamond mine discovered, and they controlled demand by making it sentimental. Although the campaign is less than 70 years old, it has made the diamond engagement ring the ultimate symbol of how much the relationship, the girl, and love itself is worth. 2. Diamonds are rare! Or not It's true, diamonds are abundant. For generations, De Beers had stockpiled most of the world's diamond supply and effectively monopolized the industry. Their dominance has weakened over the last decade, but De Beers and its competitors still control the supply of diamonds entering the market. While most gems are valued based on their rarity, diamonds are different. Their scarcity is artificial -- and so is their value. 3. Other options look just as impressive and cost much less Moissanite looks just like a diamond; the difference is undetectable with the naked eye. In fact, moissanite is actually more brilliant. If, for whatever reason, you're stuck on the diamond ring idea, synthetic or "cultured" diamonds are the real deal. They're made in a machine that replicates the environmental forces that make diamonds. They're real diamonds, only with less flaws. A synthetic 2-carat pink diamond costs just a few thousand dollars, and a 1-carat moissanite ring is under $1000. 4. You can invest in something more meaningful/useful/fun than a piece of jewelry Many women simply enjoy having a beautiful collection -- and that's fine (if you can afford it). For most people, though, a diamond engagement ring is fun to show off for about 30 seconds. But it's special, right? Because it marks your engagement and symbolizes your love? Remember, that's De Beers's marketing campaign talking. Three-plus months' salary would be better spent on furnishing your home, an amazing trip, or your future kids' college funds! 5. It's hard to get around the ethical issues surrounding the diamond industry Terrorist groups use conflict/blood diamonds to finance their activities. Rebel groups use them to fuel conflict and civil wars. In these conflict zones, children are being used as soldiers. The Kimberley Process is an agreement that was established to prevent conflict diamonds from getting into the market, but the self-policing system is far from perfect. One way to fool the Kimberley Process is to smuggle and mix conflict diamonds with legally traded ones before being certified -- and you, the buyer, would be none the wiser. Regards,

Do anyone here bought diamond from pawnshop? I tot of buying the diamond from a pawnshop and remove the ring, and redo a new ring for my wife-to-be engagement ring I personally find diamond useless so don't wanna spend so much on it. Help me and tell me your thoughts. TQ!

Would you buy an engagement ring from a pawn shop? (and would you tell you fiancee?) Please explain / justify your answer. Just asking out of curiosity. If the ring is in a pawnshop then it is one of four situations a) Divorce (eww - how much bad luck is that for you?) b) Theft (hmm - you might have to give it back) c) Death - (You wanna wear a dead persons ring?) d) Bad luck / bankruptcy etc etc (that can't bring you flowers and sunshine for your own marriage right?) On the plus side - you might get a great ring at a great price

Hi ppl Time has come for me to tie a knot but i am a idiot when come to diamonds .. . My girl has set me on a Tiffany engagement ring How much would .4 carat from Tiffany cost me? my budget is about 6 k Do I need to make a appointment to see it? payment can done by installment plan or not? Married brothers...please advice or share experience