Speaking of Cameras

     In my previous post I had mentioned my camera acting up. There have been times that it refused to focus, and on my birthday it totally locked up while I was trying to take a picture of Jungwon. I finally got it to unfreeze, and tried to reset its power, but it wouldn't come on for five minutes. I concluded that it was time to look for a new camera.
     I had read about the Samsung L210, and decided to check it out. I looked, and searched, and today I found a store that had some in stock. The main eye catcher for me is the dual stabilization that the L210 boasts about. The other features are nice, but the stabilization really helps out with darker pictures. Of course, even in darker light, the newer technology makes the pictures come out better anyways.
     The only downside that I have found with this camera is price discrepancies. In the U.S. it is being retailed for two hundred dollars, which would be a rough two hundred thousand won. In Korea, Samsung's home, you can't find the L210, instead you come across the VLUU L210. What is the difference? About one hundred fifty extra won, the letters VLUU stamped on the front, and what I appears to be a coupon for ordering prints online.
     Not only was this the day that I found the camera, but this weekend the store was having a huge sale and I was able to get it for two hundred eighty thousand won. Coupled with the two percent cash receipt tax return I was able to make myself feel a little better about paying the extra.
     After giving it a full charge I decided to test drive it tonight by taking pictures of local graffiti. These pictures were taken at night, with just street lamps and head lights, no flash! Clearly a step about the old clonker Nikon.

Graffiti L210

Birthday Came and Went

     Well, my birthday came and went without a hitch. It was actually pretty relaxed. I ran a couple of errands and rested while Jungwon took a midterm, then she took me out to interesting restaurant/bar/gallery named N To.
     N To is nicely decorated, a little dark, and not very popular. The lack of popularity is partly because it is in the basement of the building that houses the more well known School Food Lounge. People were sitting on the sidewalks waiting to get a table at School Food Lounge. Including ourselves, there were only three tables taken at N To.
     We ordered a wonderful "Apple and Brie Cheese Salad", and carbonara pasta. The pasta was good, and the salad was excellent.
     The art displayed around the place was mediocre with a splash of "oh that's nice" here and there. However, the interior decor more than made up for the flatly painted rectangles. The lighting was pretty cool, and I really liked the tables.
     If someone ever suggests that you go to School Food Lounge, while you're waiting for a table I suggest popping over to N To instead.
     Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Jungwon that I think she'd want the world to see. She had been stressed because of the midterms and class projects for a few weeks, and just wasn't feeling photogenic, and I didn't have many chances to take pictures because my camera started to go crazy.

Wayne BDay 2008