I’m working shift at ASU KLIA so I get a lot of off days. I’ve been using that time to finish up errands that have been piling up. First off I had to go repair my car’s air conditioning as the weather is getting hotter and hotter.

Replaced a length of hose.

I ruptured a hose because I was revving too high with the air conditioner on. The compressor’s discharge pressure output was too high and although there is a cut-off at a certain point, the prolonged high pressures took a toll on the rubber hose. From now on I’m keeping below 4k RPM with the air conditioner on.

My current room layout.

I also took the time to clean up my room. Surprisingly, it took very little time to tidy everything up. About 2 hours at most. I’ll take you through a short tour of my room, starting clockwise from bottom. My bed with colorful bed sheets and matching pillow cover. I got this set and the pillow at a clearance sale and you wouldn’t believe the discounts they were giving (around 80% if I’m not mistaken).

Next you see a small table where I usually keep my camera equipment. I loaned out two of my lenses to a friend for a product shoot so the only two things you see there is the Nikon F65 and the Nikkor 28-80mm. Below the table is my magic box. It’s so called because I can find almost anything there. From resistors to LCD panels, vacuum valves to wireless mices. These boxes come out when I’m working on prototypes or building stuff. Above the table is a Thunder Tiger trainer airplane which I don’t fly anymore.

Beside the table is a black piece of cardboard for use as background for some shoots. Next to it is a guitar. I can play most of Taylor Swift’s songs. And next to it is another smaller table. Me and my brother Tzy Shih constructed this for the multitouch table but now I use it for my shoots. Most of my product shoots are done on this table because glass surface gives a nice reflection.

On the door I have a Parental Advisory poster given by Cindy and a kangaroo sign bought during my Melbourne trip. The door creaks so I need to oil it soon. Behind the door is a wastepaper bin. Next to it I have my laundry basket which is just beside my toilet door.

I have a cupboard to keep my clothes but I rarely use it. Instead I use it to store clothes that I don’t wear that often (think winter jackets). Above the cupboard I keep empty boxes of junk that I own. A small shelf beside it was bought because it was damn cheap and I keep my books and miscellaneous stuff there.

The 3rd and biggest table in the room is the most important table of all. Here is where I get most of my work done. You’re looking at one of the cleanest state this table has ever been in and usually it’s so messy that I have barely enough space to move my mouse. I find it easier to organize my thoughts when the place is messy. Go figure.

On the table I have my old laptop which has been with me for 4 years plus already. The battery has gone to cell heaven long ago, and I’m running it on AC power full time. I have a 2.1 speaker system with a subwoofer under the table. I also keep my wireless router, family (cats included) photos on the table. The swivel chair was given by Kin Chern when he moved away from KL. Rumor has it that it was stolen.

And that pretty much sums up my whole room. Trust me, you don’t want to see it when it’s messy. But I’ve heard, from a very reliable source, that a girl’s room is most interesting when it’s very messy.

Nikon D90 shot with a Nikon D90 with a Tamron SP 90mm AF f/2.8 Macro lens. Due to the thin depth of field at wide open, I couldn’t get the whole camera in focus.

I tried out Roger’s Tamron SP 90mm AF f/2.8 lens yesterday and I find the bokeh quite pleasing to the eye. But of course, nothing short of a full review is required to really show what this lens is capable of. Continue reading →

Humans are never satisfied. In my quest to build the brightest torch light possible, I’ve gone through two torch light designs, starting from the highly inefficient 130 lumens torch that uses the Luxeon K2 LED, to the 240 lumens torch that uses the SSC P4 LED. The biggest problem I’ve encountered so far with these torches is heat. Heat generated from the LED cannot be dissipated fast enough so the LED overheats and turns blue. This limits runtime and output power, making it not very practical for prolonged usage at high power.

So I figured that if I throw in a SSC P7 900 lumens LED into the old torch light, I probably will not be able to dissipate the heat generated by the LED. So instead of doing a DIY, I went and bought a ready made LED torch with a SSC P7 900 lumens LED.

The SSC P7 LED mounted on a copper base. The SSC P7 LED is actually 4 LEDs on a single package.

All aluminum casing. The heat from the LED is transferred into the casing and then dissipated to ambient.

The torch has an unusually large head but it feels just right in your hand. It has a lot of spill so it’s good if you want to light up large areas.

This torch uses a modified 18650 li-ion battery that can be charged through a port on the torch’s casing. This eliminates the need to take the battery out and charge it using a separate charger.

The reverse clicky switch lets you cycle through 3 modes: low, high, strobe. The button has been replaced with a glow-in-the-dark version so it’s easier to locate it in darkness.

The build quality of this torch is very good. No signs of machining defects. The parts also fit snugly together and it feels very solid. Performance is also great. I’ve not seen anything that bright yet. The throw is incredible. It lights up subjects over 100 meters away. The beam is also visible at night.

A tight beam and also plenty of spill from the torch. The pillar on the right is partially lighted up by it.

Overall I’m quite satisfied with it. This torch packs plenty of light in such a small package and is very easy to use and recharge. No maintenance is necessary until the battery dies. And it is weather sealed, with O-rings at all the joints. The only downside is that the body gets hot to the touch after running it for a while.

TrustFire SSC P7.

If you’re interested you can order yours from DealExtreme. Continue reading →