One of the cons of Raspberry Pi is that it comes without a built-in wifi card. If you do not have a wifi dongle that works with Raspberry Pi out of the box, what your are left with is to connect it through a ethernet cable (or compile yourself a driver for your non-compatible wifi dongle, as discussed here). However, for my case, my internet router is located far away from my Raspberry Pi. So the next best thing I can do is to hook it to a laptop using an ethernet cable, and use a shared internet connection.
$35 for a PC, that's Raspberry Pi. You can hook it to a monitor, speakers, USB peripherals as well as the Internet; there are pretty lots of ways you can use it for. I am using it for a menial task though - as a HTPC in my living room.
Raspberry Pi Model B
Raspberry Pi runs on Linux, which is a scary OS for the majority of computer users (including me) who are unfamiliar with it. For me, the biggest challenge was installing the driver for my USB wi-fi dongle, which is not supported by Raspbian out-of-the-box. It took me a weekend of googling and hours of trial and error to finally get it working. (There were numerous times when I almost threw the dongle out of the window because of frustration.) Therefore, I am writing this post for my future reference. Perhaps it might also benefit any other readers are having trouble setting up their wi-fi dongle.
21 December 2012, Friday
The day was 21-12-12, the day the world would end in major cataclysms - solar storms, magnetic pole reversal, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. To the horror of some friends and family members, we chose today to travel to Japan instead of sitting at home tuning in to this grand finale.
Thankfully, rather than losing radio contact and flying into an erupting Mt Fuji, we touched down at Kansai Airport at 8.35am as scheduled.
「外国人の皆様、日本へよこそ」("To our foreigner passengers, welcome to Japan," announced the cabin attendant.
Nearly 2 years after my return from Japan in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake on 12 March 2011, I was back in the Land of the Rising Sun. This time with a companion though - my girlfriend Zhi, whom I promised I would bring here one day and "show her around the place". But that's an understatement as we have both been anticipating this moment since we booked our flight with Air Asia during a promotion back in March. (Perhaps I should also mention that the experience with Air Asia is a terrible one.)
The wooden stairways from the rear lobby of the Penang supreme court leads to a space on the second floor which is dark if not for the light that streams down from the concavity in the ceiling above. It is a dome with peacock motif stained glass lined with copper carvings.
We'll come back to the stairs and the dome in a moment...
Dome with peacock motif stained glass, lined with copper carvingsThe Penang supreme court that stands on the plot of land in between Light Street and Farquhar Street was built by the British colonists in 1903. The architectural design was influenced by the works of Andrew Palladio, a 16th-century Venetian architect.
During the weekdays, the industrial zone in Bayan Lepas is as far as I would go. But last Saturday brought me further south, to a small village located on the south-east tip of Penang island - Permatang Damar Laut.
Sunset at Permatang Damar Laut
Besides the all too familiar stretch of beach in Batu Ferringhi on the northen part of the island, there are a few less known (albeit more easily accessible) beaches on the opposite end. From the south-east to the south-west, there's Batu Maung, Permatang Damar Laut, Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul. I knew I would have to stop by at these spots for some photo some day. Finally, I decided to start with the closest one, Permatang Damar Laut (or better known among the locals as simply "Permatang").
Picture this: Cows lazying on the field, mouths constantly moving as if they're chewing gum; plenty of goats grazing the grass, stopping only to give an occasional "meh"; roosters pecking the ground, some crowing at the wrong time of the day... That's Permatang Damar Laut, one of the few idyllic villages left in Penang.
It was Thaipusam, a Hindu festival celebrated on the day of the Pusam star in the month of Thai (between January and February). It commemorates the day Lord Muruga received a vel spear blessed by Mother Shakti. With it, Lord Muruga vanquished the demonic forces and liberated everyone.
Hooks pierced at the back of a devoteeIn South East Asia, the Penang Thaipusam is arguably of the grandest scale. 800,000 Hindu devotees from different parts of Malaysia make their pilgrimage to Penang on this day. Even non devotees - locals and foreigners alike - flock to the island to witness this religious festival. Guess what, there're also photographic tours hosted by professional photographers - accommodation, food, photography workshop and even a handphone with a local SIM card for use during the trip, all in one package!
While many people from afar take the trouble to come and experience this unique event, most locals take it for granted. We'd rather sleep in on this precious public holiday. When I was a small kid, my parents used to bring me to the Thaipusam but it has been a long while since I last went to one. So this year, I decided to brave the crowd and take some shots at the festival. It was also my first time photographing Thaipusam.
A collage of Zhi's portraits taken at a five foot wayJust a quickie on a collage I put together a few days ago. I like these photos because the arches in the background add an extra dimension to the shots. Found them while I was looking through my hard drive. They were taken during an earlier trip to Old Town, Ipoh where Zhi's grandma lives.
Pre-war buildings along the main road leading into Old TownDuring the boom of the tin mining industry at the beginning of the 19th century, areas along the riverbank of Sungai Kinta flourished. This town was known as Ipoh. In 1892, the Eastern part of the town was destroyed by a great fire. It was rebuilt and henceforth became known as New Town. Meanwhile, the area on the other side of the river was named Old Town.
It's the year 2012. The year the Mayan calendar ends. The year the world ends.
Doomsday prophecy aside, it's just another new year. Last I checked, there's this peculiar custom where people go about making new year resolutions, promising to become a better person this new year.
I will stop reliving in the past and start worrying about the future. I will delete my Facebook account and spend more time with real people. I will not pretend to call in sick to work. Not even once. Totally. Honestly...
However earnest you are (or try to be) when you make these resolutions, you're also aware that it's a matter of time before they're swept to the neglected corners of your mind. Then comes the next year, when you'll feel maybe a small pang of guilt that the previous year's resolutions didn't go according to plan and promise to hang onto them for real this year. Then the cycle continues.
It is also the time when party spirit runs high. Right now, there's a growing crowd at the party venue at Taipei 101, as the revellers count down the final hours of the year 2011. At the first struck of 12, fireworks lit the sky for the next 202 seconds. All this extravaganza showing on the TV in my hotel room at the relatively rural Miaoli County, while I'm lying in the bed half asleep, too exhausted for the flurry of live reports.
I'm not posting holiday photos. This is sunrise in Penang. If you've spent some time in Penang before, look closer and you'll probably recognize that tiny patch of black trees as the tiny island close to Penang bridge. And on the horizon is Butterworth on the mainland.
It was Deepavali, a public Holiday in Malaysia. But instead of spending the morning in the bed and compensate for the sleep debt accumulated over the working days, we ended up waking earlier than usual. The reason? Some silly promise I made to myself a few days back.
When the Chinese migrated to Malaysia (then Malaya) about 200 years ago, they formed closely-knit communities. Those who shared the same surname lived together and watched over each other. In the Hokkien community in early Penang, there were Five Big Clans, namely, Khoo, Cheah, Yeoh, Lim and Tan. These communities built their clanhouses and formed settlement around them.
It has been months since my last post. Ever since I started working more than two months ago, free time has become a luxury. On the weekdays, daytime and nighttime is but an alternate between work and sleep. Weekends meanwhile, are for slumbering and being unproductive, except for the very few occasions when I'd somehow force myself out for a photo session.
But what's a photo session without my beloved Zhi, who's also my faithful camera assistant (she carries the lenses for me) cum photo model? And so, poor Zhi was dragged along to the Youth Park, on a hot sunny day when stepping out of the house is hardly a welcoming idea for the sane mind.
Thankfully, our session was a fruitful one. We came back with a number of satisfying shots.
We've talked about this since half a year ago, long before I returned from Japan - a trip to Redang Island. But planning a trip is never easy, especially if you're travelling to an island that is not as accessible as your local shopping mall... First, you'll need to either take a plane or a bus to Kuala Terengganu. Then, hop on a taxi to get from the airport to the jetty, where you'll take a boat ride to finally reach the island. That's right, half a day and at least three modes of transportation to get to Redang Island!
After 5 years in Japan, I'm back to Malaysia. From now on, my photo album will feature photos from here, starting with Pulau Redang! Pulau Redang is an island off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea. ("Pulau" means "island" in Malay language.)
With no light pollution, the night sky was dotted with stars that you will never see in the cities. If you look closely enough, a couple of them was caught in this photo. Even with a 52-second shot, the stars were starting to trail off.
This rocky hill is located in the middle of the two beaches. It was lit by some light from a resort close by. The white "mist" in the foreground is the waves hitting the beach. And in the background, some distant light (perhaps from a lighthouse?) lent an eerie glow to the night sky.
I woke up this morning, wondering if yesterday was a dream. Just then, the building trembles as if to remind me it wasn't. Okay, point taken!
So there I was, pushing the trolley back to the lab after sending my stuff to the post office. As I walked into the university compound, staff were coming out of the administration building on my left. The terrified looks on their face showed that something was amiss. They turned back to look at the building they'd evacuated. Oh god, the building was swaying. So were the trees that lined the road. They seemed to be shaken by some invisible force.
I hate to be apart from you. Some nights, after putting down the phone, it's hard to fall asleep even though I've just talked to you. The deafening silence of the room reminds me how much I miss you. A girl who's willing to wait for his return - what else can a guy wish for? Remember the hesitance we had before we got together? How we worried if things would work out even though we're apart? I thought it would be irresponsible of me to keep you waiting. But at the same time, there is this selfish desire of wanting you for myself. That is why when you eventually promised to be with me, I fell in love with you even more.
The sound of the closing door reverberated through the room. Every thing was familiar but it now felt emptier than when I left a month ago. All by myself now, I no longer had to hold them back. The welled up tears broke loose.
I was missing her already. What's left with me now was the memories of the things we did together in the previous month. Those memories that I had diligently etched to my mind so that I could relive them at times like this. But instead of relieving me of my longingness for her, I grew even more dispirited. Despite the feelings that we had for each other, there was this psychological watershed we were not ready to cross. The fact that I was still going to be in Japan for the next few years shut the door on any prospects we could have.
Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship.
It has been almost a year since we last saw each other. A phone call every night, frequent exchange of short messages, and an occasional love letter - these are what have been keeping our love strong. Yet at the same time, they can never appease my yearning for her physical presence.
That's why they say long-distance relationships are never easy. But the irony is, if I hadn't left to study in Japan, we wouldn't have been together. I would have forever remained that awkward teenager whom she had once rejected during high school (18 was a dreadful age). It is these five years of life overseas that made me shed my former self. Appearance-wise, I'll never star in a J-drama, and my fashion sense is still no better than a garden slug's. But at least I can now cook, handle household chores and settle the bills by myself. I keep a couple of part-time jobs to fund my retirement savings. So I guess that makes up for my other shortcomings.
Our mutual friends think it's a surprise how we got together despite the distance. That's pretty understandable - we surprised ourselves too. Instead of attributing it to pure coincidence, I prefer to read it as nothing other than a sign of romantic destiny. But even if our destinies were woven by some higher power in the heavens (10,000m up there), I believe it still takes some form of initiative from both sides to ignite a relationship. For us, it was my asking her out, and her willingness to open herself to me.
Took this long exposure shot in Odaiba. In the background is Odaiba's famous landmark, Rainbow Bridge. The problem with landmarks is, they're always "shot" to death, by tourists. For travel snaps, it'd be fine but if you're looking for something of a different touch, sometimes you'll have to go the extra mile.
The spot where I took this photo was pitch dark. Even the rocks couldn't be seen. Luckily, I stopped by at the place hours earlier in the evening so I had a rough idea of how the composition of my photo should look like. And with the help of a tripod plus long exposure, voila!
I used to call it the day when the sun goes down. But it seems that night time has plenty to offer too! Even if it means you've to take the trouble to carry your tripod with you.
Kryptos
Five feet seven inches tall. A member of a carbon-based bipedal life form descended from an ape.
He believes the cosmos has grand plans for him but whatever his calling is, it has not yet been revealed to him. So in the meantime, he spends the day working as a software developer, and whatever free time that is left, reading books. He attempted reading the bible a couple of times but could not as much as finish the first chapter of Genesis. He will continue again, one day.
He loves his camera as much as he loves his books. He picked up photography when he was studying in Japan. But now that he has started working, he can no longer spend as much time for photography as he used to. He is making a small amount of side income from his hobby and hopes to spend more time shooting again.
The blogger is a busy man who tends to form opinions before getting his facts right.
He is also known to be too smart sometimes to understand what he says.
Therefore, he shall not be held responsible for any random opinions posted in this blog.
Should you be offended by his subjective and partial views, feel free to send him a death threat via email.
I'm not posting holiday photos. This is sunrise in Penang. If you've spent some time in Penang before, look closer and you'll probably recognize that tiny patch of black trees as the tiny island close to Penang bridge. And on the horizon is Butterworth on the mainland. 
It was Deepavali, a public Holiday in Malaysia. But instead of spending the morning in the bed and compensate for the sleep debt accumulated over the working days, we ended up waking earlier than usual. The reason? Some silly promise I made to myself a few days back.
When the Chinese migrated to Malaysia (then Malaya) about 200 years ago, they formed closely-knit communities. Those who shared the same surname lived together and watched over each other. In the Hokkien community in early Penang, there were Five Big Clans, namely, Khoo, Cheah, Yeoh, Lim and Tan. These communities built their clanhouses and formed settlement around them. 
