Hiro the Japanese Train
Went to check out Thomas & Friends: Thomas & the Runaway Kite at the Pearlridge theaters. This special only shows once on Saturdays at a few theaters around the island and is over at the end of January.
From the various mini episodes of this movie, I learned about Hiro who I think is supposed to be a Japanese train. Kinda iffy on that Japanese heritage since he has an accent that doesn’t sound Japanese. He doesn’t really look Asian either, but hey, we’re in a world of talking trains, right?
If you want Thomas to have multicultural useful friends, be sure to add Hiro to your Thomas train collection.
Spotted at the Movies: Farmers Insurance Hawaii
My string of encounters with Farmers Insurance Hawaii advertisements continues. This time it was at the movies before showtime.
This was at the Pearlridge theaters for a limited engagement of Thomas & Friends: Thomas & the Runaway Kite.
DSLR Camera Starter Kit
So I’m no photo pro, nor do I aim to be. I just take a bunch of pictures and wanted an upgrade to the point and shoot world. The digital SLR world is huge with so much to learn but yeah, I’m more the automatic-mode-picture-taking kind of guy. 😉
After doing some research, here are some items for a DSLR camera starter kit. Some factors for picking these items:
- Lower cost for entry level learning. Like I said, I don’t aspire to be a professional photographer, so I don’t want to spend the bucks.
- Amazon availability. These items are sold through Amazon which ships to Hawaii for free. I would have picked other products sold by third party vendors but the additional shipping was cost prohibitive.
A little more about this list:
- Canon EOS Rebel T1i
. Does HD video as well, but I wouldn’t get the camera just for the video. While good to have available, using the camera in video mode is clunky. But still a great camera to start with.
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
. Supposedly a 50mm lens is a must have and at $100, why not? There are more expensive, higher quality versions, but to begin with, I’m willing to spend $100 to learn.
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens
. What can I say, but I’m cheap. One of the cheaper telephoto lenses.
- Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash
. So needed when taking a bunch of pictures in low light. The built-in flash can’t keep up.
- Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter
. For the included 18-55mm T1i lens. Did I mention it’s cheap but will protect the lens from damage.
- Delkin eFilm Pro 8GB Secure Digital SD Class 6 Memory Card
. You need a high speed aka Class 6 memory card so your camera is ready for the next shot. You don’t want to see that BUSY message as your camera is saving images to the memory card.
- Lowepro Fastpack 250
. I’ve said enough here.
- Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set
. I picked up Volume 2 from Costco, and it’s great. Each page is one lesson in photography with topics explained in non-photography terms. This set has all three volumes.
With this gear, check out these simple, short, and extremely useful Canon tutorials. Most of these are 3 minutes long and explain topics in easy to understand ways. Here’s one on choosing lenses. Fantastic!
Spotted at UH: Farmers Insurance Hawaii
Spotted a Farmers Insurance Hawaii banner yet again. This time at the Stan Sheriff Center at UH’s oh-so-close loss to New Mexico State.
Apple and LaLa, What Could Be
Here’s a convincing article about what Apple could be announcing as part of their Special Event next week. How Apple uses its buyout of LaLa and its rumored plan to reshape the digital music ownership landscape sounds very Apple-esque.
Leave it to Steve Jobs to change the game.
Monthly Mancrushing RPattz
Can’t wait for Eclipse, the next Twilight installment coming in June 2010? Didn’t get enough of Robert Pattinson in his reduced role in New Moon. Lucky you, there’s a 2010 calendar dedicated to Mr. Pattinson! That’s sixteen months of mancrushing RPattz action.
Hey wait, sixteen months? But there’s only 13 pictures?
Unholy vampires, Batman! What marketing genius. Stick the last four months of 2009 on one calendar page to give sixteen months. Awesome trickery!
Too Much GaGa?
Can there be too much of Lady GaGa? Seemingly no matter what radio station I tune to, her catchy music is playing. Just Dance on 92.3, Poker Face on 93.1, Bad Romance on 93.9, Paparazzi on 102.7, LoveGame on 104.3, then mix it up and replay.
Then of course, there’s this poetic rendition of GaGa as done as only Christopher Walken can.
Even the almighty Oprah seems in awe of GaGa.
Blazin’ Steaks Is Ono!
While at the Pa`ina Ko`olau food court in Windward Mall, I tried out Blazin’ Steaks at the suggestion of @abaggy. A regular steak plate goes for $6 and is absolutely ono!
The plate comes with a healthy helping of salad and two scoops of rice. The steak is thinly cut but not tough or dried out. I think I found a new dining favorite at the mall that cares.
Oh, we also did our part to help out the economy. 🙂
Distinctive Cars of Hawaii
Spotted these distinctive cars over the past weekend. Good ole Wally Amos continues pushing his reading to kids program and donates his time to do just that. How do you know if the Chip & Cookie educator is in the area? You look for his can’t-miss ride of course.
After Herbie the Love Bug retired from movies and television, I didn’t know #53 transplanted to the islands.
Buy Mac Software and Donate to Haiti Relief
For today, January, 20, 2010 only, independent Mac software developers have joined together to offer their support for Haiti relief efforts. If you buy their software today, proceeds go to supporting Haiti.
Check out the great list of apps at IndieRelief and make a buy today!
Update: Hope you made your purchase to help support the relief effort in Haiti. This win-win promotion raised $143,000!











