Eureka!

I have been having a seemingly unsolvable problem with my Samsung digital camcorder, which I had used to record clips of video during my recent Myanmar trip. It uses a mini DVD+RW disc, which is double sided.

Everytime you use a new disc, it is mandatory that you format it the way you want to record and subsequently view it. Likewise, once you’re done recording on that side of the disc, there is another process called ‘finalizing’, which essentially means putting a ‘full-stop’ to the end of the recording.

I used a total of 3 discs (or 6 sides) for my recordings in Myanmar, but I was not able to finalize all of it. ‘Disc Error’ was all that’s stated on the LCD screen. You see, without finalizing the discs, you will not be able to put the disc into a DVD Rom drive on the computer and view the clips, much less try and edit the videos by compiling selected clips.

I had to make my way down to the Samsung service centre, which is located in a faraway land called Jurong East. I had enthusiastically traveled there, only to be told by the Samsung technician that he has no idea how to fix this problem. That only further affirmed my resolution not to invest in Samsung products in the future.

Both days of last weekend was mainly spent at the oh-so-famous Sim Lim Square, a place where you’d find solutions to almost anything. They should adopt this tagline and give me some credits for it. =D

On Saturday, I naively purchased this ordinary cable which joins my camcorder’s AV/S port to the USB port of a computer. As I expected, it failed to work, simply because the cable does not support data transfer.

So I continued doing research on how I can fix this problem and then I came across a website saying that you could use a device called ‘TV Tuner Card’. What this does is that it can capture live television programmes and you can choose to record whichever segment you want to record. Hence, I took the trouble to go back to Sim Lim Square again on Sunday, thinking of buying it. But there was a more suitable product – ‘Video Capture Card’ - which I eventually purchased.

I was crossing my fingers when I made the payment, hoping that the hefty investment would be paid off. And boy it did! The software could actually capture whatever that appears on the camcorder’s LCD screen on the computer and you can record as you play it on the camcorder. Not only that, it comes with video editing software which I have yet to explore.

And there! A problem solved! A problem which even the technician and several camcorder dealers at Sim Lim Square had to scratch their heads about.

Three cheers for me!

pictures speak way more than thousand words.

Hey people! These are just some of the billions of photos taken on the recent visit to my birth country, the country where my deep heritage lies. Enjoy them!

Upon departure. 15 December 2007. That's my future bro-in-law on the far right.

One of my cousins, who was mainly the one who brought me all around.

A jeep! You can find it everywhere on their roads. This jeep is a self-assembled one by the way.

She used to take care of me when I was till Primary 2 or 3. It's thanks to her forcing me to eat carrots when I was young that I have perfect eyesight now. =D

He is my favourite Mamu or Uncle. He was very emotional when we met that very day, because it has been many years since he left Singapore for good.

This was taken at a place called Kandawgyi Flower Garden, at a town off Mandalay. Nice scenery huh. The greens, the flowers and the waters.
My father and his oh-so-frequent camera whoring. =D
A horse cart! Like some Hindi actor ah. Haha.
Almost the entire kids population within blood ties.
My favourite Mamu again.

By the way, when he left Singapore, I was only at a height of his shoulders.

Back to the ever-stressful, fast-paced Singapore.

31 December 2007.

The Escalator Comparison (and a little more)

When I was in Myanmar last December, one of my cousins brought me to a place called BAK Shopping Centre. Of course, don’t picture it to be anything like the malls in Singapore but ironically, it is one of the better ones I saw there. It was a modest and decent shopping centre, with only three floors and escalators linking each floor.

When I was there, the escalator to the second floor was not working, so I had to climb the steps up. That same evening, I returned to the same place, to buy some groceries and do some window shopping. At the feet of the same escalator, I was greeted by maintenance workers, four or five of them, sweating it out to get the escalator working again. Some of them were standing on the normal ground, shining light with their torches for their fellow workers who were about 1.5 metres underground, checking the internal system.

On the way to work this morning, the escalator I normally take to get out of the Novena MRT underpass was not working. One had to climb up the flight of escalator steps, a task which would easily get on one’s nerves if he was pressing for time. But it didn’t matter to me.
After I knocked off just now, the same escalator that was out of order earlier has already started working again.

Nothing surprising, you might say. But it made me draw comparisons and project it on a larger scale.

This comparison of escalators that I’m trying to elucidate can be likened to the current state of both countries, one of which is my birthplace and where my roots are, and the other of which is where my future lies (insha-allah).

Something which I recently discovered, but has been a long standing fact, is that Myanmar is a country which has tremendous potential, in its people and its rich resources. Thirty years ago, it was on the right track to develop itself towards economic prosperity and better living standards. Thirty years on, while most countries have become developed, Myanmar is still struggling to keep up with the pace. It is obvious why this is so.

The case of Singapore is almost the exact opposite. Singapore has developed itself to be one of the leading nations in the world in many areas. What was a nation with lack of proper housing, of a good defence force and what-have-you is now enjoying a first-world status.

This disparity, as far as I see it, boils down to one single reason – the Governments. You need an effective, efficient and reliable Government to get things done well and fast, to get the escalator working again before you know it. If it is anything otherwise, you will have to make do with the ‘out-of-order escalator’ for sometime.

Anyway, I have been thinking of visiting Myanmar once again. The only reason that draws me back is my relatives. It is the 15th today, one exact month after I departed Singapore. On the hindsight of this past month alone, I have gone through a wide array of experiences, including meeting my relatives whom I’ve not seen for a long time, or whom I’ve not seen before at all, traveling 300 miles to the village where my father grew up and where we celebrated our Hari Raya Haji with the Korban (sacrifice) of a sheep right in front of my eyes, traveling to a town at an altitude of 1500m above sea level, attending the Friday prayers in the Burmese style, returning to Singapore in time to usher the New Year, and finally commencing this attachment to SPF, to date. It’s no wonder why this past month felt like eternity.

'for you a thousand times over!'

This current novel that I'm reading, Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner' is one that I have seen on the shelves of various bookstores on many occasions under the section of Bestsellers. I had expected this book to be highly sought after, that I could probably be in vain looking for it at the libraries. But I was wrong. Or maybe luck was with me that day. I found two of this book on the shelves at Tampines Library. Of course, both were not in the best kept conditions, but who cares, as long as it's readable.

I'm only a little more than halfway through the book, yet I'm so drawn to it. Before I go on with my own opinions about this book, have an idea of its story from the following synopsis (courtesy of www.khaledhosseini.com)

"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption."

It's more common to hear people say that certain movies touch them till they cry. Now, this book has, at more instances than one, almost made me tear. It is one book that I can relate to alot, primarily because of its Islamic relevance. I could very much feel the character, as if I were really him. The emotions he feels, the words he speak, and even the things that happen to him. Besides, it's amazing how the author wrote this story in a way where twists never seem to end. Very few books can indulge me so much in the plot that I lose count of the number of pages turned. Very few books immerse you in the story, yet at the same time raises your awareness of the very sad political plights in some countries in the yesteryears. Very few books appeal to me this much. Very few.

I give it two thumbs-up. Highly recommended.

what were you doing this time last year?

While everyone is contemplating what their 2008 resolutions should be, let's take a moment and look back at this time, exactly one year back. What were you doing? How has things changed? How has your environment changed? Most importantly, how have YOU changed?

Countdown to 2007 was unique to me. Few could say they share the same experience with me. I was at Clarke Quay, immersed in the atmosphere and hype of the countdown, not as a countdown-er but as a police officer patrolling to keep the crowd in order. When the crowd went '5..4..3..2..1!', I could feel the pinch hard, being deprived of the freedom to usher the year 2007. But I clearly understood the purpose of my presence there and took it in stride. Everything has changed to some extent in my life. And I'm sure in yours too. It's too long even to summarise them, so I will just keep it in me.

My resolution for 2008, in the words of Salman, is to be a better man. That sums up all. To be a better son, a better brother, a better friend, a better Muslim and to be a better everything.

What's yours? Share them! =)