Review: SJ4000 Action HD Camera

Let’s just accept the fact that we all know what it looks like and that it is not. If you still want to pretend you’re Tony Hawk on YouTube without burning a hole in your wallet, check out the review to see why this baby is the best deal.

Introduction

Action clips are all the rage now. Cause you know, Instagram’s video is making toilet selfies too mainstream. You have to show the world that you’re hip and sporty, recording yourself jumping off a yacht or waving hi to Nemo. But if you try that with your DSLR or phone, you’ll end up with more than an iBend.

That’s how action cameras came into the market. The ‘tough camera’ category has been on the rise for a few years, giving the capability to take underwater selfies so that you can ‘check in’ at the pool. It lasts a few drops but you’ll still think twice before bringing it skydiving. Action cameras are the cockroaches of cameras - built to survive just about anything.

Why this particular camera?

- Inside the box

When you unbox the small package, you’ll be overwhelmed with what you’ll find (much like your Asian boyfriend). It includes every attachment you can think of, so much till I don’t even know what to call them. And since it has the same dimensions as its more famous twin, their mounts are cross compatible, allowing greater possibilities.

- Features

It’s very much like a point and shoot camera - switch it on and toggle through video, camera, playback and settings mode with all the basic features. With just four buttons, operation is as idiot-proof as it gets (though idiots always prove me otherwise). Most importantly, there’s a LCD screen to QC your selfies! For the more savvy, here’s a roundup:

• Field of view: 170 degree wide-angle fisheye
• Display: 1.5” LCD
• Storage: Up to 64GB micro SD, no built-in memory
• Frame rate: 1080p at 60fps
• Image sensor: 12 megapixel CMOS
• Waterproof: Up to 30m (with waterproof casing)

Design

Unlike the ‘pro’ counterpart, you can match this with your outfit as it comes in an assortment of colours. It is small enough for single right hand operation, as most guys would be adept at. Keep in mind that it's the waterproof housing that gives it its durability, so always use protection before you play.

Performance and Test Run

- Off-road

You have to play real life Tetris to fit the right attachments together for your intended use. There’s helmet mounts, clip-on mounts, and handlebar mounts, depending on your sport du jour. Some of them require you to mount it without its protective cover, and we all know what playing without protection leads to.

- Underwater

There’s no configuration needed when using it in different terrain - just switch it on and shoot. Other than for the important task of taking underwater selfies, this ability is highly useful for water sportsmen to take never-seen-before footages of them in action for review.

Being tougher than the average tough cam, this baby goes 30m deep, so yes you can take that selfie with Nemo. Audio is still surprisingly good underwater; if for some reason you decide to scream in your diving mask. Just like your equipment, remember to take off protection and clean it before repeated use.

From the footages and snapshots, the camera is indeed HD quality. Sometimes you do get some blurriness, but that’s more due to dirt/condensation on the lens instead of the inferior image processor. Audio is impressive, even in its casing, so you can hear all those testosterone grunts in all its full stereo glory.

Verdict

By the time you read this, the camera will be available for less than SGD150, making it a steal compared to any branded action camera. The cross-compatible accessories allow flexibility for whatever crazy stunts you can imagine. Maybe you might want to wait for the upcoming built-in Wi-Fi model, though even at this configuration, you’d be hard pressed not to skip a night of clubbing for that awesome shot.


Writer: M. Farhan Rais (@iisgHAN)

Farhan believes that if your boyfriend doesn't do sports, then you have a girlfriend. When not kindling his affairs with the gym and his mountain bike, he can be found wearing little at the pool, beach or Singapore's scenic fake water bodies. A tech geek at heart, he is easily tamed by offerings of hipster gourmet coffee. 

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

By Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

The Kings of Ann Siang Hill

Landmarks: Asian Boys Volume 2
by Alfian Sa'at

Wee Kim - 53, a bathhouse customer
Alan - 20, a bathhouse customer

[The roof of a bathhouse. Evening. A young boy, Alan is sitting on a bench, smoking. An old man, Wee Kim sit next to him. Silence. Wee Kim takes a few glances at Alan. Silence.]

Wee Kim: What time did you reach here?
Alan: [Silent]
Wee Kim: [Smiles to himself. Looks at Alan] You...
Alan: What time did I reach here. did I come here alone, what time am I leaving, where do I live, how many rounds already...
Wee Kim: [Startled] Sorry?
Alan: Try something new.
Wee Kim: I...
Alan: Be direct. You want to have sex is it?
Wee Kim: Are you asking me?
Alan: I'm asking for you.
Wee Kim: But I wasn't going to ask that.
Alan: Then?
Wee Kim: I wanted to ask for the time.
Alan: That's nice. But I don't have a watch.
Wee Kim: Which is why I asked what time you reached here.
Alan: I don't know.
Wee Kim: So do you...
Alan: No.
Wee Kim: You don't know what I'm going to ask.
Alan: Whatever it is, the answer is no.
Wee Kim: OK.
Alan: So?
Wee Kim: So... what?
Alan: Aren't you going to leave me alone?
Wee Kim: If that;s what you want me to do.
Alan: OK.

[Wee Kim is about to leave. But he turns around an addresses Alan again.]

Wee Kim: Sorry.
Alan: [Irritated] Yah?
Wee Kim: I didn't get your name.
Alan: Why would you want to know my name?
Wee Kim: I'm Wee Kim. [He extends his hand to Alan]
Alan: Alvin. [He doesn't shake Wee Kim's hand]
Wee Kim: Real name?
Alan: No.

[An attracted Young Man enters the space. He starts to walk around the area, casting glances at both Wee Kim and Alan. Wee Kim smiles at him. Alan tries to look nonchalant. The Young Man leaves.]

Wee Kim: How old are you?
Alan: Look, I'm old enough to be your son, OK?
Wee Kim: You mean I'm old enough to be your father.
Alan: I'm really not into dirty old man. Please.
Wee Kim: That's good.
Alan: I mean it.
Wee Kim: I'm an old man. Sure. I'm 52. But where did the dirty part come from?
Alan: The only reason the management lets people like you in is because you have to ay higher prices than all of us. You walk around, trying to grope the people in the dark rooms. You take up the space in the cubicles for sleeping because you can't get anyone, and please don't deny it beceause I can hear all the snoring.
Wee Kim: Actually, it's my first time here.
Alan: You should make it your last.
Wee Kim: I don't know. The people here have too much attitude.
Alan: Please. It's something else if you looked like that guy just now.
Wee Kim: You like him? He's your type?
Alan: Why would you care if he's my type?
Wee Kim: He is, right?
Alan: Look. I'm 20. By definition that's young. You were young too. And you had your time. Now it's my time.
Wee Kim: If I told you that the boy looked like me when I was young, would you believe me?
Alan: You're asking me to imagine.
Wee Kim: Yes.
Alan: I didn't pay 10 dollars to come here to imagine. If something is there, it's there. If it's not, it's not.
Wee Kim: I had my time.
Alan: Yes.
Wee Kim: But during my time we didn't have places like these.
Alan: And is that my fault?
Wee Kim: Why do you sound so angry?
Alan: Because you don't seem to get the idea. As long as you're hanging around, nobody's going to come up to me. You saw that guy just now. He walked around, then he left.
Wee Kim: So why don't you go after him?
Alan: I don't do the chasing here.
Wee Kim: Well, you should pretend to chase him. And if he responds, you can pretend nothing happened. And then you let him chase you.
Alan: I know what I'm doing.
Wee Kim: You've all lost the art of playing the game.
Alan: Who?
Wee Kim: Your generation.
Alan: I don't like games where people don't understand what a 'no' means.
Wee Kim: During my time, we knew how to flirt.
Alan: You said there weren't places like these.
Wee Kim: Of course there weren't. But we had Pebble Bar. Treetops. At hotels along Orchard Road. A lot of Ang Moh's. They'd give us money and presents. At that time if you were gay, you could either be those at kwa's on Bugis Street, or you could be one of those boys at Orchard Road, who were more Westernised, who could speak English. They called us the Orchard Road Queens.
Alan: But being gay doesn't mean you have to be a queen.
Wee Kim: At that time, how we know? We just did whatever was the attractive in the eyes of the Ang Moh's. Shaved our legs. We went tanning. They liked dark-skinned boys. You know how much some of us can earn in one month? $200. That was a lot of money.
Alan: So, what, you all started out like some kind of... male prostitutes?
Wee Kim: The money was just a bonus. But we enjoyed what we were doing. And then later, in the 80s, there was Hong Lim Park, Fort Road. But at that time I wasn't too active. I got married. Got one son. And then my wife died.
Alan: Go and write a book.
Wee Kim: At that time, 30 already, not married, you just invite people to gossip. So, what to do, my Mother chose the bride, I just followed. Last time not like now. Cannot argue with your parents. Last time we respected people older than us.
Alan: Just because you respect people doesn't mean you have to sleep with them!
Wee Kim: I never asked if I could sleep with you.
Alan: Then why did you come up to me for?
Wee Kim: I just wanted to talk.
Alan: But at the end of the day, you're just going to ask me to go into some cubicle with you, right? But let me tell you something. My generation has self-respect. We don't have to package ourselves for any Ang Moh's. You can flash $200 in front of my face right now and I still won't sleep with you.
Wee Kim: Why are you getting so angry?
Alan: This is a spa. Everyone is here for sex. Nobody comes here just for the chance to walk around in towels, because you can do that at home! Don't give me that bullshit about getting to know me better, asking me the time, because I've heard it all already.
Wee Kim: So you're saying I'm not allowed to come here to talk to people?
Alan: I'm really wasting my time with you.
Wee Kim: So you're here just to look for sex?
Alan: If you really want to hear it, yes. Like that guy over there who;s been staring at you for the last few minutes.
Wee Kim: [Looks at where Alan is looking] He's looking at you.
Alan: No. Please. He's your age. He's staring at you.
Wee Kim: No, really. See? He's trying to smile at you.
Alan: Oh my God. Thanks to you I've now become a magnet for uncles.
Wee Kim: He just wants to talk to you.
Alan: I think talking to one uncle in one night is enough for me.

[Alan stands up to leave. He adjusts his towel.]

Wee Kim: Don't you want anything more?
Alan: More than what?
Wee Kim: Than sex.
Alan: Like what?
Wee Kim: You tell me. It's 30 years since I had my first encounter with another man. This Ang Moh tourist. In a hotel. I felt something for him. I even felt like going back to where he lived, but I knew he wouldn't ask me. It seemed at that time that if you wanted to follow your heart, you had to follow it to some other country. So the only thing we could have that was closest to a relationship was sex. It doesn't take long. Just one night. Because the next day they'll be gone.

[The attractive Young Man appears again. This time, Alan moves away from Wee Kim and parks himself at another spot. The young man cruises Alan, and then walks towards Wee Kim. He smiles at Wee Kim, and then he gestures to Wee Kim to indicate that he will be waiting 'downstairs'. The Young Man leaves.]

Alan: I don't believe this.
Wee Kim: It's been 30 years. And what has changed? Now you have places like this. It's so much easier to meet people like yourself. You deserve better. You have every right to demand something more than a one-night-stand.
Alan: Can you please stop talking?
Wee Kim: You don't like to hear what I'm saying.
Alan: I don't like to listen to you, and I don't like to look at you. Don't you understand? 30 years. 30 years from now and I'll be just like you.
Wee Kim: And you're scared of that?
Alan: An old man in a sauna? What kind of fate is that? Where's the dignity? And I see myself like this one day, wrapped in a towel, my stomach sticking out, a bald patch on my head, wrinkles... and liver spots... looking at all the young ones, my hands crawling near to them, begging for a chance...
Wee Kim: It doesn't have to be that way. You could settle down with someone.
Alan: Sometimes when I look at old men like you walking around me, I tell myself I want to die before I'm 40.

[The attractive Young Man appears. He looks at Wee Kim.]

Wee Kim: Five minutes and I'll join you, OK?

[The Young Man leaves.]

Alan: How much did you pay him?
Wee Kim: I just paid for his entrance.
Alan: 10 dollars? He must be pretty desperate.
Wee Kim: I pay for a lot of other things too. His school fees, his clothes, his food.
Alan: You're lucky then. You have money to support a young boy. But what if I get old, and earn barely enough to support myself? How do I find a lover young enough to make me forget how old I've become?
Wee Kim: Oh, that boy isn't my lover.
Alan: He's not?
Wee Kim: My lover is actually the other guy who smiled at you. We've been together for about 20 years now. I met him a year after my wife passed away.
Alan: And the boy?
Wee Kim: I told you my wife gave birth to a boy. That's him. Me and my lover raised him together. He's our son. Of course we never expected him to turn out gay. But since he did, so be it.
Alan: Your son?
Wee Kim: His name's Edwin. We're pretty proud of him. He entered OCS just last month. It was his idea to come here actually. As a kind of family outing. He's never been to such a place before.
Alan: I don't believe this. A family outing.
Wee Kim: Edwin's a bit shy. So just now he asked me to come and talk to you. You see, while you're here looking for your one-night-stand, I was here looking for a son-in-law. But you're right. This isn't the best place to look for someone to settle down with.
Alan: So you were going to introduce me to your son?

[The attractive Young Man appears.]

Young Man: Pa. Uncle Heng has dressed up already. He's waiting downstairs. he wants to take us for supper.
Wee Kim: I'm coming.
Alan: Wait, wait. [Pause] Can I give you my number?
Wee Kim: What for?
Alan: I know I might look really desperate now, but I didn't know where you were coming from, and...
Wee Kim: It's all right.
Alan: I'd never met a gay family before.
Wee Kim: [Smiles] You have all the time in the world to make your own. You're still young. [Turns to leave] It's nice meeting you. [Pause] Alvin.

[Alan watches Wee Kim leave. Alan sighs. He lights up a cigarette.]

Review: New Balance Fresh Foam 980 Trail

Virgin experience writing a product review! Wrote half of it in deprivation during ICT, so the result is rather... amusing. Even if you don't care about the product, the review is still a worthwhile read. Check out the original article here: 

http://www.singasports.com/gear/review-new-balance-fresh-foam-980-trail

Its been a while since we last reviewed a running gear and so here we are pounding the trails just to get you in the know of NewBalance's latest trail running shoe - the FreshFoam 980 Trail (S$169)! But should you trade in your running shoes for one of these? Read more to find out.

Pounding the pavement sometimes leaves you with smoke in the face, given Singapore’s traffic. And going round the track or staying on the treadmill reminds me too much of my dead hamster (that poor soul). Or if you’re like me, bound to the water, I have little business being out of my element. Except to take $400 from the government for the yearly IPPT.

Okay, I lied. I hit the track every other night with tears streaming in my wake cause it helps keep the weight down. If any of these sounds familiar to you (if it is, I’m totally judging), then you probably need an exciting alternative to keep you on your feet.

Why this particular pair?

Introducing trail running - taking the age-old familiar sport off the road onto all new terrain. Trail running offers a more scenic alternative, allowing you to enjoy Singapore’s many parks and park connectors. The change in terrain would also mean that you would need shoes that are better suited for it.

This pair is designed exactly for that. Right out of the box, which looks like you excavated it out from MacRitchie, you’ll find an insert that offers some tips and suggestions on the trails to explore in Singapore.

Comfort and Fit

Putting it on, you can immediately tell why it falls under the ‘maximal’ category, contrasting from the ‘minimal’ a la Vibram FiveFingers. Other than the very visible sole, the Trail version packs more cushioning so inserting your foot into it feels snug and tight.

Feel and Touch

The ‘Fresh Foam’ midsole aims at providing superior comfort. Just take a step, and you’ll feel that bounce. Oh the bounce! Brings to mind some lewd images. What this wonderful bounce gives you is a soft and supple (oh the puns) feel regardless of the terrain, making the transition between road and trail feel seamless.

Design

Typically full cushioned shoes appear big (that’s what she said) due to the bottom support. The shoe has abundant sexy curves - convex hexagon at the heel with a concave mid foot, which helps maintain the bouncy cushioned movement. All that is packed in a surprisingly small package (that’s not what she said) with loud, luminous colours that will match your Illumi Run outfit perfectly.

Performance and Test Run

The recent opening of Jurong Eco Park was a perfect opportunity to test out the shoes. Straight out the door, I can feel the added support, which is important for people like me with leg injuries. To test it's capabilities off road, I took it to some lesser-known dirt tracks that fellow infantrymen would be familiar with.

At first I was a bit apprehensive about the traction, but the ridged studded bottom fared rather well on wet grass and mud. Splashing into puddles is also fine, as the upper meshing drains fairly quickly. All that padding does mean that it isn't as airy as those ultra light shoes, so it gets a little stuffy beyond mid-distance. Marching back, I wish these came in combat versions as standard SAF issue.

Verdict

Living in an iconic garden city, it would be a waste not to explore the greenery that's behind every corner. There's no better way to do that than with FreshFoam 980 Trail that's the right tool for the job. If you're looking for subtle, maybe the colours are a bit loud. Though it's a good safety feature as you explore the dark trails at night. Unless you're... Never mind.

Available at all New Balance Concept Stores and selected authorized retailers.


Writer: M. Farhan Rais (@iisgHAN)

Farhan believes that if your boyfriend doesn't do sports, then you have a girlfriend. When not kindling his affairs with the gym and his mountain bike, he can be found wearing little at the pool, beach or Singapore's scenic fake water bodies. A tech geek at heart, he is easily tamed by offerings of hipster gourmet coffee.

Table for One

Not letting the lack of a date ruin Valentine's day, I shamelessly made a reservation for one at a Japanese restaurant that I've been wanting to check out. I was prepared to be consigned to some dark corner but surprisingly the kind waitress assigned a whole table for four all to myself. Perhaps with all the couple reservations, the larger tables were left empty for once.

This isn't a food blog, so I'm not reviewing the place, but suffice to say that the assortment from the a la carte buffet kept me beaming. So there I was, sitting happily with plates of sashimi, waiting to be blasted by the amorous vibes in the air and peek at some under table action. But it never came.

Instead as I looked around, the couples were seemingly underwhelming. They appeared more interested in the menu and tapping away on their smartphones. They can't all be those socially awkward couples who text each other on dates. It's one thing to be using your phone among your friends, but to do that in a one on one setting is just putting 'uninterested' in neon.

The real happy people were the families. Maybe mummy and daddy wanted to reminisce their dating days and pretended that the kids were really annoying cupids. And the odd tables for one, of which I wasn't the only one. We gave each other the polite nod, but none approach each other cause we were all giving the 'I'm here to enjoy my quiet dinner, don't make it awkward' look.

That got me thinking if it's necessary to have a significant other to be happy. It clearly wasn't working for the case study I observed. Then what really is the point of a relationship.

I can say that I had a lovely Valentine's day - spent at one of my favourite places, working and doing the things I love, eating my favourite foods, and texting to friends I care about to catch up (probably triggered by my interesting Instagram post). It even ended with a nice dessert (that's a story for another day, and kind of goes against my point of solo pleasure, pun intended).

So to all couples out there, I hope you find happiness with your better half. Else I'm not sure what's the point. And to my future significant other, I hope you are just as happy as I am. Cause I'm not sacrificing mine for yours, and if we were to be together we better bring something more to the table.

Happy Valentine's day!