Don C's burst (the holiest grail)

We don't call him Don C. for nothing... Don C; Don Corleone, right, of the Godfather fame he is modeled after. This guy's the man... Meet Michael Murphy, a vintage guitar enthusiast, dealer, and connesoir of everything fancy and fine in life. Take for example; vintage furnitures, mechanical watches, Leica & Zeiss cameras and optics (Yes!), sushi, curry, and what have you... vinyl records, etc. etc... Sounds like a perfect copy of me eh? Well, meet the guru himself... the man who mentored me the finer points of vintage guitars and amps, Eric Clapton, Michael Bloomfield, ZZ Top, Peter Green, Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix. Most of you who know me well know that I went to school in Mobile, AL in the 90s. As a freshie there, I bought everything new; being Malaysian mah... I remember vividly the first time I met Michael was in a music store owned by a close friend and Mike (as he is affectionally known) bought a vintage tube radio there. It blew my mind that someone actually appreciates all these gears when they are virtually neglected and treated as trash in Malaysia. The camaraderie clicked instantly and we were suddenly hanging out together, searching for gears, good food, and women scouting :-)
I think we traveled furthest to the west Arlington, Texas where we had a blast of a time in the guitar show, rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Gruhn (vintage guitar pioneer) and Seymour Duncan (pickup maker fame), and to the east, Jacksonville, Florida in search for good old vintage stuffs. Although I left the US in 1997, we still keep in touch till today via the internet... I'm glad for this friendship :-)
So, what have we here on the title? Um um um, my old friend here found the holy grail of all electric guitars in the time of man. It's the Gibson Les Paul Standard in sunburst finish, often called the 'burst' by collectors and lovers around... A 1960 model and looking finer than before...what a good time for a Christmas gift! I leave you to the photos to appreciate the beauty of this burst. Congratulations and my hats of to you Michael, if you're reading this :-)

A digital M dream come true: the Leica M8 digital camera...

Near Pudu Plaza

Sri Putramas II
Christy Sew Joey
Corey Boy
Jennie 'NCP' Sew

My Little Workstation

I got the Leica M8 today... Am very pleased with the results rendered indeed. It feels like my analog M6, but slightly chunkier. Inevitable Solms quality and feel. No filters on the CCD sensor yields so much of photo quality difference. Compared to the Canon 5D, the Leica's output gives nicer, more natural looking files, and crisper and sharper (very much so), vs. Canon's already superb EF 24-70/2.8 L USM lens. I was in the initial digital camera stage influenced by the megapixel race and the no nonsense philosophy of workhorse-like automation, but clearly, optical superiority and good lighting in the environment play a major role in the comparison. I find with the Leica M system one has to have a photo composition in mind before shooting, unlike automatic mode DSLRs with hefty zooms. They are great for everyday work and great reliability. Look at all the pros... But deep inside, there's always a Leica M in a photographer's heart. So, back to manual focus and no frills automation for at least a couple of years to come... Will post more proof photos soon.. Photos made with the M8 & 35/2.0 ASPH lens... Enjoy...