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Favs I

Life moves fast.

Next Wednesday (officially) marks the end of my two-year service in the Singapore Army (I ought to — and will — expound on this further in a future reflection). Officially because I have been on medical leave for the past two months following a government-sponsored nose job (a septo-rhinoplasty), to which I’m eternally grateful for my newly-functioning nostrils.

And the very next day, I’ll be flying to Taiwan — the beginning of a two month long trip. Thirty days bike-packing Taiwan (would’ve loved to stay longer, but I’m too lazy to apply for a visa), a week back in Singapore, then three and half weeks in Morocco (especially looking forward to this leg). Andddd a week after that, I’m headed to SF to work full-time on Horus with Allen and team. Maybe college, but who knows.

But what I meant to say (apologies for the long-windedness) is that I’m effectively uprooting myself from Singapore. Tossing the essentials into a 30L backpack for the trip, packing keepsakes and other sentimental sh*t into boxes for the storeroom, donating/dumping everything else. I started decluttering this very week as my two (space and privacy-deprived) younger siblings are vying to colonise my bedroom once I leave for Taiwan.

Here are some of the things that populate my physical space.

Tech

• M2 MacBook Pro 14’’. I picked up software development whilst using an Intel MacBook Air; this was a necessary upgrade.
• iPhone 12 Mini. A secondhand phone I hurriedly purchased after my iPhone 11 died last year. I adore its small form factor. I suppose it also discourages me from using it excessively.
• Kobo Libra 2. Physical page-turn buttons matter. Its form factor simply outclasses my old Kindle Paperwhite. I used to read a whole lotta non-fiction, now I just read programming/math textbooks (it’d be an insult classifying these as non-fiction too). I assume (and hope) reading them on an e-ink display is better for my eyes.
• Garmin Forerunner 265. I dread its interface. But coming from an Apple Watch, it lasting 10-14 days on a single charge was mind-blowing. And I’m using it for running anyways, not as a fashion statement.
• AirPods Pro (1st Gen). The only Apple device I’ve bundled AppleCare with. 30 USD for a new set (every year?) seems worth it to me 🤷.
• Bose QC 35ii. For all the times my AirPods mysteriously vanish. The parents also magically stop bothering me when I have them on. But it ain’t feasible to wear this out and about in Singapore, unless you’re ok with sweaty ear-pads (I’m not).
• Shozy Form 1.1. I serve on the band (dromz) at my church, and these were some (relatively budget) IEMs that have worked well. Barely use them (casually) though.
• Samsung T7 Shield (4 TB one, I think). Repository of film negative scans and travel vlogs (that will never see the light of day).
• LG Gram +View 16MQ70 Monitor. I rarely use an external display. I rarely even work from my desk. But when I do, this portable monitor fits the bill.
• Keychron K2. Noisy sh*t, kinda therapeutic.
• Magic Trackpad. Can’t live without it. Trackpad > mouse any day.

Photography

• Rollei 35RF. My second rangefinder, a small step I’m taking towards the Leica M6.
• A whole bunch of SLRs: Nikon EM, Canon A1, Contax RX. Love the antique look (and feel-in-hand? hand-feel?? form-factor???) but it’s way too bulky for travel.
• Ricoh GR IIIx. A very recent purchase, given the skyrocketing film prices. It’s amazing — I can’t recommend it enough. Genuinely pocketable and sharp all around. The film simulations won’t fool anyone but I do fancy certain colour profiles. If you’re considering, get the GR III instead — it’s cheaper, and its focal length probably suits you best (unless you primarily shoot portraits).
• Polaroid SX70. Sold this a few months ago as I couldn’t justify forking up 4 bucks/photo. Still, I’m grateful I got to try it out — shooting an instant camera from the 70s was a magical experience.
• I’ve tried most commercial film stocks. I’d love to shoot medium format Portra all day, but that would relegate me to the streets. I mostly shoot:
  • Colorplus 200
  • Gold 200
  • Fomapan 400
  • Ultramax 400
  • (and recently) bulk-rolled Kodak Vision 3 500T instead.

Vessels

• Nalgene 32oz Water Bottle. Sturdy, high quality sh*t.
• Peak Design’s 30L Travel Backpack and 3L Camera Sling. I’m a huge fan of Peak Design products. I used both bags for all my travels last year, and they were everything I was looking for. Weatherproofing I trust, protective padding for the cameras/laptop, stylish (in my opinion), and comfortable despite long, long commutes.
• Matador Freerain 22. A packable backpack I recently purchased for hikes/daytrips. Waterproof, with hardly any wrinkles when unpacked.
• I’m gonna count sneakers/footwear as vessels.
  • Birkenstock Arizonas. Delightfully comfortable.
  • Teva Hurricanes. Delightfully comfortable and water-safe. I’m a socks + sandals kinda guy.
  • Adizero Takumi Sen 8 / Asics Novablast 3. Tempo and easy runs respectively.
  • Salomon XA Pro 3D V9 Gore-tex. I’d been looking for something like this for a while — the single pair of shoes I would travel with. Perfect for hiking, overkill for aimless strolls around the city, and can be styled if need be (controversial, I know).
  • Jordan 1 Lows, Triple White. I prefer the look over AF1s.

This has devolved into a stocktake. My sincerest apologies. I swear they all mean something to me.