Blaming others for your unhappiness?

 One of the common phenomena I noted during my visits to the subcontinent was everyone blaming everyone else. People often blame others for their unhappiness or the situations they are in. Little did they know what happiness is. What is happiness? Happiness is enjoying every moment irrespective of the situation you've been going through. Happiness is empirical should your happiness derive from another individual or something other than yourself. Happiness comes within you, not from the outside.

If you are unhappy or have a habit of blaming others, take a look at yourself in the mirror. Take a moment, and think about how have you organised yourself what have you achieved over the years. If the answer is nothing on your achievements, there's none to blame but yourself. You need to keep yourself well-disciplined and set your life in proper order, that is the first step you should take. Blaming others and going on blaming rhetoric would only magnify your own ignorance, stupidity and lack of application in life. The express train would not come to your doorstep bringing you happiness on a tray, that is something you need to work on. The correct course towards happiness is to throw away the junk you carry and engineer yourself with education, ethics, moral obligations, virtues and self-discipline. Happiness would eventually come to you when you practice these good habits. 

Android nonsense ie why you shouldn't by an Android mobile?

Let this be the continuation of my previous post on mobile phones. I have bad-mouthed the limitations in iPhones over the years and I would stand by my words until Apple tries to ramp up to speed where Android is. I didn't mean to sound like an oxymoron but I have to admit buying an Android mobile seems a huge mistake should you wish to intended hold on to the mobile for over two years. That is if you buy the mobile on the date of its release. 

Why? Where does the problem lie? Well, the problem with Android mobiles is their software update policy. None of the Android devices in the market as of this writing provide patch updates and security fixes beyond 24 months. On certain manufacturers offer security updates up to three years from the official release date. 

No matter how much you spend on an Android mobile, the manufacturer ceases its updates and security fixes approximately 24 to 36 months from the date of release; not from the time you own the device. 

Interestingly, Apple provides support for their mobile phones for up to seven years; offering major firmware updates and security fixes. 

The security fixes are essential, given the amount of valuable data hosted on my mobile. This might not be an issue if you're not using the mobile for anything other than communication. I need to make sure to block all the blocked numbers again and port all the important applications. It's not going to be fun. 

A few words on mobile a "porn"

Why are these new mobile phones so expensive? I can't justify spending $2000 on a mobile phone, not even $500, to be honest. I can book an air ticket to Europe for $2000. I need a simple phone to make and receive calls so does texts. Perhaps WhatsApp might be handy to contact those who aren't living in the list of countries to which Telstra offers free overseas calling. I don't need a phone with a better camera, I have a 42-megapixel camera with a bunch of Carl Zeiss lenses. I don't need much processing power nor ram since I own a few laptops. I might need to install a couple of apps that are needed to assist with my travelling habits. I don't need massive storage, I don't care where would be the fingerprint scanner located at. I don't need cordless charging. I need a simple mobile.

I can't put up with iPhones due to their limited functionalities but they seem to be the way considering their support lifecycle. The Android mobile vendors don't offer security updates and patches beyond two years from the official release date. This makes Android mobiles more vulnerable after 24 months since their release. The iPhones, however, receive updates and security fixes almost up to seven years from their release; making them attractive for blokes like me who'd be fine with limited functionalities but a longer support lifecycle. I'm inclined to buy an iPhone for the extended life support on their firmware alone. The alternative is to buy a cheap Android every two years to keep up with the updates and security fixes. Although I love Androids million times over the phones which have that fruit logo, I hate setting up my mobile on a regular basis. Why can't Android phone manufacturer can't make a phone with extended life support for five years at a minimum? 

The House

If I'm given one million dollars and asked me to build the house of my dreams, I would certainly be building a house that is filled with music, warmth, humane, equality, kindness compassion. A house whose doors are open to the poor, sick, old, broken and the abandoned.

(Sony A7RIII, Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2.0) 

A house that's away from human distractions, from the race the world is in. A house that's not surrounded by a wall and a gate but the trees, plants and grass; guarded by the birds and charmed by the man's best friends.

I saw this house on my way back from Bandarawela and soon caught my eye. I loved it, I spent some time looking at it, imagining what its interior would look like. Bare cement walls and a floor but full of laughter and happiness instead of all the luxuries complemented with the emptiness. Wouldn't it be a great blessing to live in a place like this?

Campfire Andromeda vs Atlas vs Vega

....continued from the previous post

I tested Andromeda, Atlas and Vega extensively. I loaded the ZX300 with a bunch of 24-bit FLAC files and a few high-resolution 'dsd' files for the ultimate demonstration.


Albums selected for the demonstration:
There's no leaving now - The Tallest Man on Earth
The earth is not a cold dead place - The Explosions in the Sky

Mazel un Brukhe - Mazel

Unstatic - Manu Katche
Mother focus - Focus

The first of a million kisses - Fairground Attraction

DSOM - Pink Floyd
Kiss each other clean - Iron and Wine
Aja - Steely Dan

Andromeda:
The bottom end is punchy and tight, not booming. The Andros is wide, the widest of the bunch I tested. They are bright but not too bright to the point of bleeding. The highs are very well balanced. The texture of the strings can be heard quite clearly, the mids are well pronounced. Not the typical V-shaped sound as that's pure clarity and details.

My ears are very sensitive to sibilance and not found any sibilance on any of the tracks I played. The Unstatic was PERFECT! Made for the Andros!

Enter Fairground Attraction's 'The first of a million kisses', played 'Comedy Waltz' and 'Moon on the rain'. Oh my! The soundstage opened up very nicely, the entire spectrum was nicely represented. It was colourful and sparkling. Brilliant! The width, depth the tonal accuracy and the texture simply blew me away. The isolation was exceptional, there were so much air and space.

Vega and Atlas
Both Vega and Atlas weren't wide as Andro. The Vega is ideal for the bass heads. The Atlas in the other hand is quite close to the Andro but not wide or balanced in compared to the Andros. The Andros is quite big in compared to the rest of the two, some might find it difficult to fit them. Many would disagree but I must say Vega was a bit boomy and didn't like the Atlas much.

In the end, I decided to put my money on the Andromeda. I would pick them any day of the week, hands down. Mission accomplished!

Note:
These IEMs are source sensitive. You need a good source for these IEMs to shine. Please do not purchase them to listen to music on your mobile phone be that crApple, be that Android or your laptop.

How about flying to Sydney to test a few IEMs?

It is time to upgrade my In-Ear Monitors (IEM) from the old Shure SE 425. To my surprise, none of the local stores stocks the models I wanted to try and purchase; ALO Audio's Campfire Atlas, Vega or Andromeda.

I rang a few stores in Sydney to be told they have demo units for a demonstration. What am I supposed to do? A return air ticket is very cheap on Qantas (~$250) but how about the time? The air ticket is cheap but the time to do the roundtrip is a huge dealbreaker.

In the end, I changed my mind.  Scheduled a weekend to fly to Sydney to test a few IEMs. However, ahead of that, I decided to post on a forum seeking opinion on models I was intended to purchase. Thankfully, a couple of blokes stepped in near my suburb, inviting me to demo the units they own. (Thank you, Craig and Rory)  Craig got two of them Rory has purchased a Campfire Atlas. After listening to them for some time, I decided to pick the Andromeda.

To be continued......

How on earth can I go out when it rains like this?

I love when it rains but not during the weekend. Not much one can do when it rains like cats and dogs. I'm glad I didn't go out during the hailstorm the last arvo. That being said, I wish for more rains in the coming months for the drought-stricken farmers in the central and north Queensland. 

Let's hope the weather would permit me to go out and enjoy my Loxias.  I didn't have a crack at the new A7RIII and the 50mm Loxia, let alone the Batis'. 

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