Got myself a new scooter recently (well not really... is been more than 6 months if I'm not mistaken)... I've exchange the previous 'Oxelo Town 7 XL' to this futuristic looking 'Oxelo Town 7 EF'... I'm old skool therefore I'm not attracted by it's futuristic look and that's the reason why I didn't choose this model in the very first place... I much preferred the previous kick scooter which is more angular than curve... Anyway I got no choice but to change as the previous kick scooter is driving me crazy with all the creaking and squeaking!!! 

Very nice grip which is ergonomic and super fast quick release for raising or lowering the handlebar... This kick scooter has a very nice trick up it's sleeve... You can fold and unfold this kick scooter in a matter of seconds.. 1-2 seconds to be exact... That's really mind boggling if you ask me...The silver lever below the quick release is the one where you pull it to drop down the kick scooter... Once you pull the lever, the kick scooter will drop down automatically and you are ready to ride it...

Just step/kick on the grey plastic near the head tube and the whole kick scooter will swing up and lock to place automatically... Phenomenal!!! Thumbs up for the designer...

There are a few reasons as to why I choose this model... One of it is the size of the wheels... 200mm which is consider one of the biggest in the world of kick scooter... Bigger wheel will roll faster hence less effort and don't need constant kicking to keep it up to speed... 

Fast forward 6 months later...

I will start off with the build quality... Make no mistake that this is a beautifully made kick scooter... No creaking or squeaking from this model unlike the previous one that I owned... However not everything is top notch especially the wheels... The bearing doesn't spin as fast as the rating suggested... The bearing used are ABEC 5 which can be found on mid to higher end kick scooter... Comparing it to my 'Micro Speed +' scooter which is using the same ABEC 5 bearings, the one on the 'Micro' spins much faster and smoother... 

The compound of the PU wheels are much harder hence the hard and bumpy ride where you can really feel it... After prolong usage, your hand will feel numb from the constant bumping unless you ride on ultra smooth pavement... The benefit of fitting a harder PU wheels is the wheels will definitely last much longer comparing to softer one... But for me I will opt for the latter where I can ride longer without feeling tired as the softer wheels will soak up some bumps for you...

This is a large kick scooter so handling is definitely not as agile as smaller one do... But because of the size, the scooter is ultra stable and you won't feel the nervousness when turning the handlebar... So pros and cons here... If you are looking for an agile and portable kick scooter then you will need to look elsewhere... This is not the kick scooter for you...

I will recommend this scooter to those that want easy operation and recreational use only as like I said before, prolong usage will cause numbness to your hand... I really wish they use a softer compound for the PU wheels as the ride is really harsh...

Another thing to take note is the higher ride height due to the 200mm wheels... So naturally with a higher ride height, you will need to bend your knee more in order for your other leg to kick the pavement causing fatigue to the leg standing on the kick scooter... But there is a benefit to a higher ride height as you can take the scooter to rougher surfaces without scratching the body of the scooter... But I don't recommend off road as this kick scooter is not design for it... Hmm a real dilemma here as with a higher ride height you are able to take the kick scooter to rougher surfaces but the wheels are so hard that it cause the ride to be bumpy??? Lets just stick to the smooth pavement I said... 

This is my honest review for the 'Oxelo Town 7 EF'... A well designed kick scooter with good build quality... The only let down is the harsh ride causing unnecessary numbness and fatigue... You can purchase this kick scooter from Decathlon Malaysia at RM599...

Is the time of the year again where family and friends can gather around... Meeting in person instead of looking at pictures from 'Facebook' or 'Instagram'... Besides that the best part of 'CNY' is still the holiday where we can forget about work and relax and slow down our pace for a while...

Every year without fail we will have our reunion lunch on the eve of CNY... No exception for this year as well...

That's all for now... Just a short post on the first day of CNY... Hope you guys enjoy your holiday and 'Gong Xi Fatt Chai'!!!

I have nothing but praises for the 'Fujifilm X100' that I wrote about in my previous post... Sad to say that the camera is no longer in my possession... I've sold all my photography gear which includes my antique 'Sony A700' DSLR with the 'Sony 16-50 F2.8' and 'Sigma 50 F1.4' + a 'Sony F58' flash together with the 'Fujifilm X100'... All gone... Now what I'm left with is an empty dry box with nothing in it... Not forgetting a few camera bags lying around collecting dust...

The decision of selling off all my photography gear is not impulsive... After weeks of deep though, I came to a conclusion that less is actually more... Since I got my 'Fujifilm X100' camera, my 'Sony DSLR' had been collecting dust ever since... Not sure whether I'm getting old or just a change of taste, I now prefer a much smaller camera... Another possibility is because of my princesses... There are so many things that I need to take that my shoulder can no longer fit another camera bag...

So whats the journey that I talked about earlier??? Less is actually more... I learnt this when I started using the 'X100'... This small but awesome camera really got me thinking... Do I really need to lug a big DSLR around everytime I need to take pictures??? Sure the focus is much faster and the ergonomics is definitely better as well... With the DSLR, I have the habit of changing lenses and used the lens that is best suited for the situation... But I can't do that with the 'X100' as it came with a 23mm (35mm equivalent on a full frame) fix lens... Is just so much easier and it totally converted me to a prime lens shooter... Is something that I need to get used to initially but after a while I just forget about all the lens changing and just concentrate on the composition instead... Besides that, I believe shooting prime will definitely improve the overall photography skill as I'm force to think of getting the best out of the fixed lens... There are times that I wish I had a wider or zoom lens with me as I can't quite get what I wanted but that's the beauty of it... It force me to be more creative with my shots (or just totally forget about taking that shot which I had visualize in my head... lol)...

My current camera setup... still sticking to the one camera or one body and one lens setup... Till then as this will be my next blogpost...

Recently got myself a new scooter... This time round the scooter is not from 'Micro' as the price for a 'Micro' scooter is really exorbitant (but to be fair they are really well made)!!! So I did what I do best which is surfing the web and look for alternative...

Before this I have never heard of this brand 'Oxelo' and it seems like they made really nice scooter as well... You can get the scooter from 'Decathlon' and I believe 'Oxelo' is one of their own house brand for scooter... 

Anyway long story short, I went to 'Decathlon' and test out the scooter... I like this particular models that came with dual suspension and a huge 200mm wheels... My 'Micro Speed +' scooter only came with a 145mm wheels... Bigger wheels means faster and less effort to make it go faster... Besides that, the scooter also came with a hand operator brake much like those you find on a bicycle... Much easier braking compare to leg operated one for sure... The price for this 'Oxelo town 7 XL' scooter is actually cheaper than the 'Micro Speed +' and I'm thinking to myself... With 2 huge wheels and dual suspension this looks like an absolute bargain... So I happily bought it!!!

Looks pretty... I really like the way it looks... 

Front suspension... Frankly speaking I can't really feel the suspension when I tried it out... Not sure whether is this some kind of gimmick or marketing stunt... 

The rear suspension... Same like the front, I can't feel it... The ride is pretty harsh if you ask me... the 'Micro' definitely ride much quieter and smoother for sure... This is something that I did not expect to be honest... 

The hand operated brake which makes braking a bliss!!!

I had the scooter for around 2 weeks and I returned it back to 'Decathlon'... The one good thing about 'Decathlon' is their 90 days exchange or refund policy which makes buying things from them a really no-brainer!!! 

So why do I returned it when I love it so much... I can accept the flaw that the dual suspension have which is not soaking up any bumps and feels almost like riding rigid!!! The one thing that I cannot accept is the sound the scooter is making... A lot of creaking noise coming out from the joint... I tried tightening the quick release to the point that I believe I might break the whole thing and loosening it up to the point where the quick release is not clamping on it properly... I tried everything but to no avail... Reluctantly I took it back to them and wanted to ask for a refund and thinking of getting a 'Micro' just to be on the save side... Instead of getting a refund, I got myself another 'Oxelo' scooter and this is a story for another time... And before I end my blog post I really like to give 'Decathlon' a BIG thumbs up!!! Please go to 'Decathlon' retail outlets to experience it yourself... They have a lot of demo units around for consumers to try out before deciding whether to purchase or not... Currently they have 2 outlets, one in 'Sri Damansara' and another one is at 'USJ 1'... Mind you this is not a sponsored post... Just speaking from my own experience... 

I'm so in love with my new toy... Introducing the 'Fujifilm X100'... Got this little gem  almost a year now and I'm loving every moment spend with it... The performance of this little wonder is nothing short of extraordinary... In fact I stop using my 'DSLR' since I got the 'X100'... My old 'Sony A700' is being blown to pieces by it in every aspect... 

The 'IQ' of this thing is something you need to see in order to believe as this camera is so compact and you will never imagine the awesome picture that it produce... Simply amazing... Besides the incredible 'IQ', the retro design ticks all the right spot as I'm sucker for retro/retro looking things!!!

So anything bad about this camera??? Maybe is the fix lens if I really need to choose... But it is not something that really bothers me as I'm accustomed to fix lenses... Just sometimes I really wish I had a zoom lens with me... I'm really nit picking as I can't really find any fault with it... 

So what's next in my photography journey??? Selling off my trusty 'Sony A700' and aim for a 'Fujifilm X-Pro 2' with a 35mm or 56mm lens... Best if I can have both lenses :)... This will really be my dream camera line up... Till then...