I've been wondering for a while about this problem. I used to use Firefox as my full-time browser but ever since the upgrade to Firefox 3 I've noticed that many pages are loading ever so slowly. Excruciatingly slooooowww... Even IE8 loads them faster. Rightly or wrongly, this drove me to check out Google Chrome and it surprisingly loads them pages in no time at all! There's a lot to like with Google Chrome, but the one thing that is most obvious is how fast the browser itself loads. With the slew of updates and plugins that are becoming available it was an easy decision.

Then I started becoming really curious as I noticed that the slow loading time also affects this website. A few minutes of searching plus a second to disable the module in my blog later, I found the answer.

It's Google Adsense! Google Adsense caused my site (and others that have it on) to load very, very slowly especially on Firefox. WTH?

So yeah, no more Google Adsense on this site. Only Nuffnang Ads. But I still like Google Chrome though

Phew! What a relief...

I just upgraded this blog to b2evo 3.3.1, the latest version of the b2evolution weblog application. I was running v2.4.2 and have been ignoring the slew of upgrades available ever since. I was actually dreading the prospect of fixing stuff that might/can go wrong but man am I glad to be wrong. The upgrade was actually painless. Seriously easy.

It was as easy as uploading the new one to the server, unzip, copy the config file from the existing blog, copy a few other things (skin, plugin, media), and run the install/upgrade script and that's it! There were one or two styles that needed updating but heck, the whole thing took me no more than 15 minutes. Ok, plus a few more minutes deleting/tidying up old stuff after that and one or two things that needed updating. But nothing too tedious.

I'm a happy camper

I wonder how many photography lovers out there still use film SLRs. Or still own one for that matter. I fell in love with photography when I was a teenager in school, and started with a very good Nikon F-301 that belongs to my dad. I still have that camera with me, in full working condition except for one of the lenses i.e. a 135mm zoom that succumbed to the dreaded fungus. I started using that camera again last year but I can't help but think that it would be much better if I have something that I can use with my collection of Pentax lenses.

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This certainly brings back memories. Lots of fun memories. It was the mid-nineties when Weezer songs were blaring from my and my friends' cars and all of us 4, 5, even 6 six guys all screaming along to the songs. Girls, booze, and just general mischievousness all around...

And now the guys at Pterodactyl Squad have released a cover album of Weezer's biggest hits that was in their own words, "created using original videogame hardware running home-brew software, and vary radically in style, from minimal 'one man and his Game Boy' compositions to 8-bit inspired full band performances". Downloaded it this morning and I'm a very happy man.

Jamie. Just drop the J and it's close enough

In the Garage almost brought tears to my eyes...

I've got the Dungeon Master's Guide...
I've got a 12-sided die...
I've got Kitty Pryde...

And Buddy Holly! Imagine my surprise when I found the video on Windows 95 CD! Those were the days I tells you.

Oh, now I need to find and download the emulator for Raiden, my favorite arcade game of all time. I used to have it and lost the whole collection somehow. Hopefully it's still out there somewhere.

Following on my previous posting (Look Out Point), below is a panorama of Kuala Lumpur at night from a couple of sets I took during the outing.

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So I went to this place called Look Out Point (very original name that), located somewhere on the hillside along the Ulu Langat Road. The place consists of a few eating places (two restaurants and a cafe) next to each other. and a purpose-built, multi-level viewing platform. There have been many blog postings about this place, some say it's nice while others are not so favourable (usually on the food). Well, here's my unbiased opinion.

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Saw this pic on the web today and I just couldn't resist to re-post it here. My oh my... I feel sick in the gut just looking at them.

From top to bottom left to right:

• DA*200; DA*55; DA*300
• DA 12-24; DA 14; DA 17-70; DA*16-50; DA*50-135
• DA 18-55; DA 16-45; DA 55-300; DA 50-200; D-FA 50; D-FA 100

I've got three of these i.e. those with strike-through, and a smattering of other lenses. I long for the bolded one - DA* 55mm f1.4 and of course, a few others not in this pic.

LBA kills!!!

Photo credit to Paolo Flores - http://www.pbase.com/pablof