Canon PowerShot SX120IS (Part 1)

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Philip

I’ve been a Canon user ever since I bought a Canon T50 SLR way back in 1984. My last Canon SLR was the EOS500N (still using 35mm film) bought almost 13 years ago and looking none the worse for wear and tear. Then I decided to be like everybody else and hitched a ride on the digital camera bandwagon. I bought a Kodak 2 megapixel camera and that turned out to be a bad mistake. Had nothing but trouble with it and even though they eventually replaced it for me, I had had enough.

My second digicam was the 3.2 megapixel Canon PowerShot A510, bought about 4 years ago. It has served me well, never breaking down even though it was subjected to some abuse. However, it was getting a little long in the tooth, and I felt that it was time for an upgrade. Compared to today’s new digicams, the A510’s 1.8” screen, 3.2 megapixel image sensor, and limited zoom range gave me enough reason to shop for a new camera.

I had originally planned on getting a Canon Digital Ixus (or Digital Elph as it’s called in the States) seeing that the Ixus range had received a lot of favorable reviews. However, as luck would have it, the Ixus 990IS that I was keen on was not in stock here and would have to be ordered. Then I read about Canon coming out with new models for September 2009. Among the new models was the PowerShot SX120IS. I was hooked on its specs and pictures from some photography websites and contacted the local Canon office here. Yes, they said that the SX120IS would be arriving in early September, so I just had to be patient and wait it out for a week or two. It would make a lovely birthday present for myself!

I got a call from the Canon store in early September informing me that the SX120IS had arrived—yay! I rushed to the store and there it was, this handsome hunk of a camera. Well see for yourself (photos from the dpreview website)

Well it’s not as alluring or sleek compared to any of the Ixus models, that’s for sure, but I don’t mind. You can have it in any color—as long as it’s black (I wish Canon would come out with a gold version, but I digress). The SX120IS is also a little heavier too, at 245g. It’s much bigger than my old A510 but I can still put it into my shirt pocket. I find the SX120IS easier to hold as I have large hands; the coarser finish also makes it easier to grip this camera without having it accidentally slip through your fingers. Here’s a view of the back.

The specs are equally impressive. Some highlights:

10 mega pixels
10x optical zoom 36(W) – 360(T) mm
DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor (Canon’s latest)
3” LCD monitor with 5 levels of brightness adjustment
A wide myriad of shooting modes including Program, Auto, Easy, Scene, Movie, and Manual
Continuous shooting of 1.3 shots per second
Records on SD and SDHC memory cards
Uses 2 AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable)

I will delve into my own personal review of the SX120IS in Part 2.

Summertime

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Philip

Summertime by George Gershwin

At the request of a close friend, I’ve recorded George Gershwin’s Summertime, arguably one of his most well-known songs. I’ve had guests requesting for this song quite a number of times too at the E & O Hotel. Somehow it fits in well with the ambience there. Enjoy!

P/S I share the same birth date with George (September 26) So there!

A wonderful weekend escapade

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Philip

September 26, 2009 saw me turning 49, and Mike (my boss) was so kind as to let me stay a night at the E & O—there is really no other hotel like this fine establishment. The moment you walk into the hotel and soak up the ambience, you know you’re in for a treat. Oh and before I forget, a big thank you to all of you who sent me birthday wishes via Twitter, Facebook, email, Windows Live Messenger, etc. It’s very much appreciated.

So it was that I checked myself in on Saturday afternoon, and was given Room 303. This is one of the deluxe sea view rooms. I have a wonderful view of the sea, sunrise and sunsets, and also the swimming pool.

Here’s the way to my room on the third floor (the present wing has only 3 floors, so the elevators are fast)

Room 303 was simply glorious. There was a living room with the usual amenities—TV, coffee and tea provided, a kettle, broadband access (but I don’t have a laptop yet, wah!), iron and ironing board, a personal safe, etc. Two very comfortable twin beds (see the following pictures) of course I only slept in one, lol. The bathroom was big, with a long bath, shower, and twin basins. All in all, very nice (now if only I had a laptop, wah!)

Of course I swam in the pool, which is great for laps because of its rectangular shape. I managed 24 laps on my birthday and 20 laps the next day; no mean feat, because it’s about 60 feet across. I then went to play the piano as usual on my birthday night, and everybody including the boss was wishing me happy birthday—it was absolutely wonderful. Someone even got me a Baileys, lol. I decided to return to my room during a break, and what do you know, these two butlers showed up at my door.

My two good friends, Loong (left) and Adam presented me with some lovely birthday cheesecake and belted out Happy Birthday to me (jeez, they sing very well). Not only that, they took pictures and presented me with a personal birthday card (I was absolutely flabbergasted)

I thanked both of these fine staff and put the cheesecake into the fridge as I already had my dinner earlier and was totally stuffed up. A nice fitting end to the evening!

The next day I had my morning call at 7:30 a.m. and not long after that, went down to the pool for my swim. It was early, there were no other guests, so I did 20 laps. That got me all hungry (as usual) so after a shower and making myself look decent I went to Sarkie’s Corner for the buffet breakfast at around 9:15 a.m. The spreads were amazing, so here are some pictures for posterity. Needless to say I was a real piggy…

After this huge breakfast, I just went back to my room and chilled, doing some reading, watching some cable TV, and taking some self-portraits (I brought my trusty tripod along). Here are some of them.

Pretty soon it came time to check out. Ah well, never mind, I’ll see this “grand old dame” again the next weekend, and the next… A big thank you to Mike and all the staff for making my stay an enjoyable and memorable one!

Spain

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Philip

Spain

I first heard this Chick Corea song while studying in Tucson. It has a fragment from Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez at the beginning, then moves on to a fast-paced samba rhythm. This song is probably Corea’s most well-known tune, and first appeared on his album Light as a Feather (1972)

Thanks to Crystal who suggested I let my fingers fly for another vid, and to Sue who suggested I focus the camera on my hands instead.

BBQ Bonanza

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Philip

I received an invitation to a barbecue recently, from Sue and Mrs. Pau (proud parents of the Piano Idol winners). It was held yesterday at the Pau’s residence, so I thumbed a lift from fellow teacher Ricky, with two bottles of red wine and my Canon in hand. We arrived at the venue, the weather was lovely, and oh my gosh, I’d never seen so much food in my life! These two wonderful ladies (pictured below) were certainly going to ensure that everyone was going to have a good time that evening.

And what about the food? How do I start…well we had pork ribs, chicken, Thai salads, Belacan Rice, Spaghetti, desserts, and not forgetting to mention the copious amounts of soft drinks, beer, and wine (thank you, Mr. Pau) I must have had at least three glasses of wine but I was stone-cold sober—and I wasn’t driving anyway, lol. The chicken was gone in a matter of minutes!

But the surprise of the evening were the cakes (courtesy of Ricky). Not one, but two—and they were delicious (from Ritz Pastry again) Word got round that my birthday was just around the corner so they “cornered” me and sang the birthday song for me at full force—it was fabulous! Thank you so much!

We didn’t disperse until after 11 pm or so, and Mr. and Mrs. Pau insisted that I take some leftover food home—spaghetti (thanks to the Kuans), pork ribs, some mangos and dessert. I didn’t wake up with a hangover today, but I sure had a good workout—morning walk and 30 laps in the pool. And then lunch consisting of spaghetti and pork ribs, what a life!

I am very touched by the gracious warmth and hospitality of the Pau family, Sue and her family, and Mr. and Mrs. Kuan. The whole residence looked like a mini Las Vegas, except that it was all laptops and gaming consoles all over the place, the kids were living it up after the school exams, and everyone was having a good time. The kindness that these people have shown me will remain in my memory for a long, long time.

More pictures and writeups from Sue (my friend and fellow blogger) at her blog here.

Dizzy Fingers

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Philip

I’m getting dizzy, LOL

Funny how things pan out. A close friend of mine wanted to see a video of my fingers flying across the keys, and that got me stumped regarding a song choice. I tried a few songs, but didn’t get good vibes about them. Then from out of nowhere, a light bulb flashed in my head. What about Dizzy Fingers? This novelty piano piece was written by Zez Confrey, an American composer. I changed the arrangement a bit, but stayed true to the original for most of it.

This was another of my late father’s favorite songs, and it wouldn’t take me long to dig out the score, go through a few practice runs, and then let her rip. Fortunately I managed to find the score without much difficulty, so spent the morning doing some practice, trial recordings, and then managed to nail it after gobbling some lunch (yes, food helps too) This video is dedicated to my father.

Hope you good folks will enjoy this one!

Second Sight: Epilogue

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Philip

This morning I went for my last appointment with my ophthalmologist, and had a shock when I found all the clinics in the hospital closed. Then I was informed that they had all moved to the new wing of the hospital—man, it’s much bigger than the old wing and navigating my way to it was like walking in a labyrinth. Anyway I managed to find the eye doc’s office, Room 527, got to make a note of that.

So he checked both my eyes, and was pleased that my left eye displayed no more redness, it was normal and that was when I asked him a bit softly when I could resume my swimming. He replied, “Immediately.” Woot!! Returning home, I quickly changed into my swimming trunks and then I was plunging into the water. And OMG, it was fantastic! I thought I’d be tired out after not swimming for three months, but I was surprised to find myself going on and on, with only short pauses. Before long I had clocked 30 laps, my usual amount before the cataract operations. I love it when my body releases endorphins into the system, LOL.

It is with great happiness that I’m closing my Second Sight posts with this final one. Wave

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Monthly Archives: September 2009

Canon PowerShot SX120IS (Part 1)

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Summertime

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A wonderful weekend escapade

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Spain

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BBQ Bonanza

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Dizzy Fingers

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Second Sight: Epilogue

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