seriously. it is. nothing’s ever good enough and there’s always something bigger, better, faster to fuel your gadget lust. as you may have read earlier, i picked up a Sigma 18-55mm f2.8 lens, which came highly recommended by the salesperson.
it was the same all around focal length that i wanted but with a super fast aperture. sounds good on paper and the price couldn’t be beat. well after two weeks with it i’ve exchanged it. my biggest gripe? it continually hunted for focus 1/3 of the time and spent another 1/3 of the time focusing just plain wrong. not exactly what i was hoping for that price. of course, the only other option with a similar spec was the canon 17-55mm f2.8 but at more than double the price. that’s what credit cards are for right?
well so far i like it. the AF motor is super fast and super quiet and seems to achieve focus much more easily than the Sigma. haven’t really had a chance to do much shooting with it yet but hopefully it works out. i already have an eye on what my next lens will be. except this time i think i’ll rent first. maybe a 400mm f2.8 to bring to the montreal grand prix?
Published on March 15, 2010 10:37 pm.
Filed under: gadgets, shopping
yes i really did build a custom wordpress install for my pupster. http://santoslhalper.com
i’m chalking it up to self-learning, after all i did learn how to use jquery and hack together a second Loop in wordpress. still some things i want to do though. version 2.0 coming shortly.
Published on March 8, 2010 11:02 pm.
Filed under: geek
gadget lust got the better of me again. i am now much lighter in the wallet thanks to a Canon T2i with a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens. still getting the hang of it and can’t figure out if the crappy focus is user error or faulty lens. probably user error but i better figure it out before the exchange period is up…
Published on March 5, 2010 9:57 pm.
Filed under: gadgets, shopping
I had such high hopes for Belgium. I guess I still did mostly enjoy myself but my girlfriend got pickpocketed in Brussels within 3 hours of arriving so that tends to make a bad first impression. The hotel sucked too which didn’t help. Oh and its the only city i’ve ever experienced a sheisty taxi driver. Most expensive mediocre breakfast I’ve ever had. And world’s most useless metro ticket machines. The main old square in Brussels is super rad, love the architecture but I don’t have much else positive to say about Brussels. Well OK two things. The store Stijl is amazing and we had breakfast in a little ma & pa deli/cafe with a friendly dog who liked to beg for table scraps from the customers.
Antwerp was funner. More to see/do. Our hotel was f’n amazing. If you get a chance go to m0851 guesthouse. delicious waffles from random street vendors. I didn’t get a chance to sample too many belgian brews but Stella’s here in Vancouver’s got me covered on that front. belgian fries aren’t as good as I remember. i guess i’m used to the thinner double fried stuff we get here now. and i love their sparkling water. can’t remember the brand but its soo fizzy pellegrino is flat by comparison. mmm… bubbles…
Published on February 24, 2010 3:48 pm.
Filed under: travel
well so much for german efficiency. the curse of our time spent in berlin was the breakdown of the u-bahn and s-bahn. not a day went by without us getting screwed on the rail system due to some sort of construction or other problem.
most likely it was the arctic weather, but berlin did not make a good impression. if it wasn’t for our friends showing us around i probably would have left after a day. however, with the local knowledge i did have a good time.
on the culinary front i had some great schnitzel from markthalle, discovered the highly addictive soda named bluna, developed a taste for kasespatzel and i’m still upset that i wasn’t allowed to try the half-meter bratwurst.
damn knut was sleeping when we went to the zoo but we got to see giraffes. i love giraffes. campbell, owner of darklands, and his lovely girlfriend estefania led an expedition to one of their haunts, the wonderfully enigmatic clarchens ballhaus for a chamber music recital. i also experienced THE nuttiest new year’s eve ever. let’s just leave it at russian dance party and enough fireworks to simulate the invasion of baghdad.
Published on February 23, 2010 9:40 pm.
Filed under: travel
heard rumblings about this mexican restaurant over the past year and had the opportunity to try it out the other day.
simple room on victoria st in the killarney area. relatively authentic mexican, no los margaritas abominations here.
tacos are $2 (.50 more for cheese). 2 small tortillas, meat, onions and cilantro. nice and simple. a variety of fillings are available:
* AL PASTOR: marinated pork loin, slow-roasted with spices, chiles and pineapple
* BISTECK: Chopped Steak
* LONGANIZA: cured pork ground sausage with chili and spices
* CARNE ENCHILADA: shredded pork loin bathed in a chile sauce
* CARNITAS: succulent pieces of slow roasted pulled pork and herbs
* POLLO: chicken poached with Mexican herbs & shredded
* BARBACOA DE BORREGO: slow-braised lamb loin in a secret house blend of chiles and spices
i was excited to try the lamb, not a standard filling but it was a bit of a letdown. a little tougher than i expected and not as seasoned as i would’ve liked. in general the meats were a lot less marinated/seasoned than i like. i’ll have to go with don guacamole for the win here.
i do like their salsa bar though. 10 different homemade varieties organized from mild to hot. all very tasty.
dona cata, 5076 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC
Published on February 19, 2010 11:33 pm.
Filed under: food
poor Kazu, such great style on snow, however its his off snow style that’s got him in trouble with his native japan. i don’t get it though. haven’t any of these people criticizing him at home walked through shinjuku station or harajuku even? sheesh.
cnn article
Published on February 18, 2010 9:08 pm.
Filed under: fashion, snow
wasn’t anywhere near a tv to catch the men’s halfpipe finals tonight. no biggie right? that’s what the internet is for. except ctv and nbc force you to install silverlight to watch video and bbc is region blocked. sorry but i’d rather keep my computer functional. i wonder how many computers got messed up because silverlight was the only way they could watch olympic video (not that flash video is any better for us poor mac users).
Published on February 17, 2010 11:26 pm.
Filed under: geek
got to spend almost a week in barca recently as part of our EU vacation. while i had a good time i’m not sure i would go back. we were staying in a great hotel right in the Born district so right in the thick of all the cool kids area but it just felt like there wasn’t much to do that we were into. don’t get me wrong, its got great architecture, great food, nice people, good weather, etc but it just wasn’t for me.
i loved the la boquiera market. reminds you of where meat comes from. an actual animal not a cello wrapped styrofoam tray. had some great meals with the highlight being Cuines Santa-Caterina where we had an all-time tuna tartare on a bed of guacamole (thanks to @grapesofkath for the recommendation). the ginormous Zara’s and H&M’s are a sight to behold. found a new lust object that i ended up not buying and can’t find anymore.
not much to write about really, so now its been there, done that. next stop, berlin. oh and the paella… such a let down.
Published on February 16, 2010 8:35 pm.
Filed under: travel
the more i read about Windows Phone 7 Series the more impressed i am. now to see if the reality lives up to the hype six months from now.
(ick, i feel kinda dirty praising a MS product)
Published on February 15, 2010 11:51 pm.
Filed under: gadgets, geek
