Being Malaysian

Parking Woe

2008-02-18T14:39:00.004+08:00

Just after Chinese New Year holidays, the parking outside my office lot...

The whole stretch in the middle was blocked by cars. The cars on the proper parking lot had no way to come out already, including my car.

These guys, knowing parking was full, cannot even afford to pay RM2.00 to park on the opposite temple (not shown on photo).

Really Fart?

2008-02-04T16:02:00.000+08:00

At first glance, it does seem to sound like that.

Actually it is meant to be the spoken in Mandarin but when it is phonetically written into English, it becomes weird, really wierd.

Forgotten to mention that my buddy kiankheong helped me to snap the photo while I was driving.

I've been very naughty lately

2008-01-22T14:00:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, I've used my ~~Canon EOS...~~ cannon to bomb Sekinchan.

Not wanting to miss a chance, one of my friends, zybisko14 helped me to document this historic moment.

Actually three of us went there out of boredom, and we witnessed an uncle clearing the paddy field for yet another round of rice cultivation.

Floodgates have not been opened yet, and the field is as dry as a sahara.

Maybe I'll go there again when the rice crops are ready to be harvested.

It's Not Safe Anymore...

2008-01-18T13:13:00.000+08:00

Somemore, it was on a broad daylight...
SOMEMORE, it was parked in front of a mamak stall...
SOMEMORE, the front wheel have a U-lock in addition to the standard steering lock...

But the owner decided to chain the rear wheel instead.

And that will not prevent the bike to be lifted onto a truck either.

Pizza Hut Variety Box

2008-01-15T15:04:00.000+08:00

There's something for everyone. It has 2 pan pizzas, 2 wings, 4 breadstixs and criss cut fries.

Actually it only took two of us to finish it all.

Macro, macro and macro

2008-01-08T19:12:00.000+08:00

Lately I shoot more bugs than anything else.

Some photos of bugs from flickr (Click to view larger size)

Do Not Litter

2008-01-04T17:52:00.000+08:00

That is what the sign says:

But one thing is not right. That was an expensive litter.

How to shoot creatively

2007-12-28T13:24:00.000+08:00

Learn from the ~~grand master~~ sifu.

Taken in front of the Kelly's castle ruin.

Proton Jawa

2007-12-26T17:18:00.000+08:00

It is a 1.6 litre ~~ordinary looking Proton Waja~~ Brabus Jawa ~~from the land of Indonesia.~~

The owner must have had all the free time to pull out the "WAJA" emblem, split it into two, reverse the order and glue it back. Then he got himself an Indonesian car.

X'mas @ 1 Utama & The Curve

2007-12-20T21:39:00.001+08:00

Please click on the following photos for higher resolution

This year's decoration in 1 Utama is by far the best among the shopping malls around Klang Valley.

Featuring a huge toy and some small toy bands. On top of that, a real guard is present for us to snap photos as well.

There were some performances on and off throught the Christmas season too...

and a sneak preview of Fly(?) that will be performed at Genting this Christmas.

Meanwhile at The Curve nearby, there is an English house as the major attraction.

Good for some photos as well.

Until then, happy holidays !

Christmas Deco in Malls

2007-12-19T13:40:00.000+08:00

Still one more week before 25th of December and more and more shoppers were seen to bring along thier cameras to shoot at the decorations for rememberance.

Mid Valley Megamall is one of them.

This is only at day time on weekdays. It will be more packed towards the evening during weekends.

There will be shows and activities in conjunction with Christmas. Notice the centre stage?

Meanwhile on the adjoining side of Mid Valley is the newly completed The Gardens...

It is more plain and quiet.

Sushi King

2007-12-14T13:02:00.000+08:00

While waiting for our set meals to arrive, we had only an Ebi (cooked prawn) knowing well that the set meals will be very full in our stomach.

She ordered the Saba BBQ Set which consists of grilled mackerel as the main dish...

while I ordered the Fry Set which has some don't know what kind of fried stuffs...

...that came together with this wierd but good tasting vege salad.

Both sets came with a Chawanmushi (egg custard) among other things that came along with the sets.

And because she can't finish some of the food, I had to transform my bottle-like stomach into barrel-like just to finish them.

Insect Expressions

2007-12-12T13:52:00.000+08:00

You know, insects do show some funny faces. I've waited long enough to witness their various expressions.
Here are some examples:

Kung-fu Ant
spotted at Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur.

(don't know what kind of) Angry Bug
spotted at Chin Swee Temple, Genting Highlands.

~~Blur Sotong~~ Confused Fly
spotted at one of the PLUS Highway Rest area.

The Catty Story

2007-12-11T12:48:00.000+08:00

Hi, I am Catty. I live in the backlane of a market.

Some say I look great in this position.

Or is this a better position?

Some like to smell my.... *ahem* ....~~ass~~ backside too.

Well, end of the day I am still Catty living in the backlane of a market.

Chicky Fiesta @ Lok Yuan Restaurant, Cheras

2007-12-10T13:29:00.000+08:00

Ok. Not fast food.

It is one of my favourite restaurant to have lunch, tea time, dinner, supper, lunner, dinper, or whatever you like to call it.

They have this very special deal 24/7, all day long, everyday... set meals which consists of the main dish of rice or noodle variety, a bowl of vegetables, soup and drink. On top of that, there is an option to mix two or more main dishes together for the same price.

Four items. RM5.90. Too good to be true eh?

When we were there the other day, don't know why we ordered lots of chickens.

Some of the dishes we had ordered the other day, Curry Chicken Rice...

Spicy "Kungpo" Chicken Rice (i think)...

and Wine Chicken Rice.

As mentioned, they came with vegetables (occasionally changed from time to time)...

soup (changed from time to time as well) and a few choices of drinks to choose from like nutmeg, black soya bean, tea and forgotten what else they have.

Because the chickens were the order of the day, we ordered a side dish, 4 pieces of Fried Chicken Wings at RM10.00

The restaurant is not that hard to find if you know how to go to Cheras Business Centre's only open field.

Creamy cakes

2007-12-08T00:59:00.000+08:00

Especially love the cream, don't know why also.

and my cholesterol level should be within safe region, I guess.

About Her...

2007-12-04T16:30:00.000+08:00

While waiting for a wedding dinner shoot last Sunday, I spent some time shooting these in the late afternoon...

Yes... she is my ~~laling~~ dear.

and Forever...

Ok-lah... not forgetting one of her sisters too...

So, after that I was busy preparing myself to attend a wedding dinner as the photographer.

Roti Kahwin

2007-11-30T15:19:00.000+08:00

It means Marriage Bread in Malay. It is so because the breads are spread with butter and kaya.

These were the three types of Roti Kahwin that I had in Kluang RailCoffee™ at Kluang, Johor; Roti Bun Bakar (Toasted Bun), Roti Gandum Bakar (Toasted Wholemeal Bread) and Roti Keping Bakar (Toasted Sliced Bread).

Ok. I admit that I can't really differentiate which bun is which. I only knew how to eat them.

Oh ya... I had a pack of Nasi Lemak as well because buns can't get me full.

My ride...

2007-11-28T11:55:00.000+08:00

It has many space-age, advanced technology built in such as...

It is 100% environmental friendly (no toxic combustion fumes whatsoever)
It is 100% pollution free (as above, good for planet earth and living beings alike)
It is 100% good for health (can exercise while riding, great for keeping fit)
It is almost service free (unlike other known modes of transport which have servicing intervals)
It is more mobile than any other known modes of transport (can reach far more places than any other rides)

Presenting my ride, a scooter....

Lunch at Blue Dragon

2007-11-26T13:14:00.000+08:00

It is located at Cheras Business Centre facing the MRR2 overhead bridge. As usual, my favourite dish, the spicy fried rice...

clear seafood tomyam soup...

and an additional tempura prawns as a side dish.

Yummy.

Empangan Batu, Ulu Yam

2007-11-23T12:24:00.000+08:00

It is a 15 minutes drive from Batu Caves, Gombak via the old trunk road to Genting. Once seen a place that look like some kind of water reservoir and a bit like a lake, there will be parking lots enticing anyone to stop over.

It is not surprising to see people are having fun kayaking...

enjoying the view...

or enjoying the food...

and also, this is a spot for fishing too.

Dutch Hill

2007-11-20T14:30:00.000+08:00

Originally, the surrounding of the Dutch Hill or what we locals call it Bukit Belanda was a fort built by the second Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Ibrahim. Soon after the fort was defeated by Dutch troops in 1784, it was renamed as Utrecht Fort.

Walk up to the top of the hill is a garden, or is that a garden?

The view from the top is actually facing a hill where the Virgin’s Sacred Shrine is located.

Actually, both places are just one road apart in distance.

Virgin's Sacred Shrine

2007-11-19T13:47:00.000+08:00

Somewhere at Tanjung Keramat, Kuala Selangor, there is a shrine built to honour a girl.

It was said that an 18 years old girl called Siti Aishah was forced to marry someone she did not like and disappeared by the Selangor River. When her clothing was found on a tree in a cape, a shrine was built and venerated by the locals.

The place is now known as Makam Keramat Anak Dara or in English, The Virgin's Sacred Shine and as mentioned, this place is also a tourist attraction.

Hang on... tourist attraction? No doubt the cape is somewhat mystical but I find it devoid of tourists of any kind. The condition of the shrine, rusting boards and unkempt surroudings are deceivingly enough for anyone to assume it for yet another path that leads to an ordinary Malay kampung.

For Debby and I, this shrine is sort of an accidental discovery.

Hmmmmm.... maybe there are tourists anyway, the chickens.

Birthday kids

2007-11-13T16:15:00.000+08:00

Kids nowadays are so fortunate, even on birthdays...

See? Nice toys, nice clothes, big cake...

a CRAB Myvi

2007-11-09T19:44:00.000+08:00

When I was driving, I saw a CRAB. So my friend quickly grabbed another friend's camera and took these:

But when I googled for CRAB, it stands for "Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy"

Ok, it looks more like a Myvi than a buggy...

Little India, Klang

2007-11-06T13:45:00.000+08:00

Little India is a close knit community situated at Klang.

At a far corner just before entering Little India...

There was a stall which gave away free samples of slap-on henna arts

On the other side, my friend was seen busy capturing the portrait of a kid.

When Deepavali is drawing nearer, a stage has been prepped for this occasion.

Two more black and whites at Little India....
A henna artist...

and a candy floss kid

Lunch at a malay restaurant

2007-11-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

This is a malay restaurant at Pasir Penambang and it has lots of cats. One particular cat likes to play with my foot

And so, we have ordered Kailan Ikan Masin

Tom Yam Seafood

Ayam Goreng Kunyit

and Udang Petai

In all, it only cost us RM28 including a forgotten what drink and a watermelon juice

Feel like being a Malaysian?

2007-10-30T20:09:00.000+08:00

This is a post about being malaysian.

If you have noticed, the columns underneath the MRR2 flyover at Kepong have huge posters of our previous prime ministers right until the current one, our Pak Lah.

So how Malaysian are you?

Errmmm.... for me it is strange... I still feel like a Malaysian Chinese who has many Malaysian Chinese friends, Malaysian Malay friends, etc... not as a Malaysian who has many Malaysian friends

Birthday eve @ Windmill

2007-10-29T17:36:00.000+08:00

So I've celebrated at Windmill, Klang and among others, we had oysters...

and this...

and this...

...on a candlelight style dinner.

Ok, the other two dishes were actually Grilled Spring Chicken and Chicken Maryland... and we were happily drinking non-alcoholic juices too.

And then I looked at her and she looked at me.

End of field report.

Egg Tart

2007-10-25T01:01:00.000+08:00

~~It has been such a long time since the last egg tart that I have eaten. It was wonderful to have an egg tart again just now.~~
Egg tart. Long time no eat. I still like.

p/s: yes... i shoot that egg tart in my kitchen before i ate it :P

Photoshop's Before and After

2007-10-24T01:56:00.000+08:00

Not long ago, I'm too free to do nothing and got my itchy hands scratched with Photoshop

Altered mood and colour
Before

After

Altered mood, colour and the environment
Before

After

Lonely Seller

2007-10-23T14:39:00.000+08:00

I'm the lone seller on a deserted beach,
getting ready to become rich.
Every morning unlikely to miss,
setting up my stall at Pantai Remis.

Old Street Coffee

2007-10-22T14:35:00.000+08:00

Many of us are probably familiar with the cafe name of Old Town White Coffee, but Old Street Coffee? While Old Town has established since 1958, Old Street is two years older at 1956. The former is very popular though.

So what is this Old Street all about?

Left: Old Street Coffee building, Right: Their speciality, the 3G Coffee

Located at Tanjung Karang, Kuala Selangor, even the design of the building is so similar to Old Town. While the popular Old Town serves white coffee, Old Street offers "3G Coffee". Half-expect the price to be exorbitant like Old Town but turned out to be quite cheap.

Then, the waiter came to take order:

[snip...]
Waiter: Our speciality is the '3G' Coffee.
Me: Got 'GPRS' Coffee, ah?
Waiter: *speechless*
[snip...]

Actually according to the waiter, '3G' means three 'gold' ingredient that makes three layers of colour in the coffee. RM1.30, taste like a normal coffee.

Next came our food...

The nasi lemak with rendang chicken, RM4.50...

...and the rendang chicken rice, also at RM4.50

End of the day, we had too many rendang chickens.

Chinese Opera: A dying art

2007-10-19T13:13:00.000+08:00

With so many modern entertainments to choose from, traditional performances like chinese opera is a dying art form. Nowadays, the only chance to watch them live is when there are god related festivals such as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.

Recently, Hong San Si temple at Telok Pulai, Klang held a chinese opera in conjunction with the Nine Emperor Gods festival.

The backstage where the performers would soon don thier make-ups and customes.

The make-ups in progress...

One of the instrumentalist synchronising with the play on stage.

What it will look like from the audiences' perspective.

Question: Will I watch a chinese opera?
Answer: I don't understand a thing on what they speak or act. So, it is a no unless I am granted permission to shoot the backstage again, then I will be happily documenting the process for another time.

From prepaid to postpaid

2007-10-18T13:54:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time, I started off by using TimeCel's Yo! prepaid because I was too poor to afford the better ones like Digi Prepaid.

After a while, I realised how lousy was that Yo! that always gave me a full-signal indicator but can't really call out. Then, it was time for me to change to Maxis' Hotlink. Suddenly, TimeCel had been acquired by Maxis. What the.... (If I knew it, I would have hold on to that Yo! for a while)

Recently I found myself in constant ~~conversation over the phone~~ porridging. Even with activ5, the 15sen per minute calls end up seeing me forking over RM100 per month worth of reloads.

So I've decided to upgrade from Hotlink prepaid to Maxis' Family Plus Plan postpaid. Finally, I can talk to my love one without worrying on the spent credits.

Sounds good? It is good for me.

p/s: The baby is just a model and not my son

When TRAP is a good thing

2007-10-17T13:09:00.000+08:00

The government guys must have been loving us so much that they have built a TRAP for all of us to enjoy. There is another trap in the form of RM8.00 entrance fee per adult to get us into the TRAP. In other words, no pay... no trap... no fun...

It is a public recreational hot springs park or in Malay, Taman Rekreasi Air Panas situated at Sg. Klah, Sungkai, Perak.

The day we went there, it was so jam packed. Oh well...

Clockwise from top-left: (1)TRAP signboard/Hot Springs Pool, (2)Mountain Springs Pool, (3)Egg Boiling Area, (4)A wasp at work

Feeling nothing else to do at Mountain Springs, I've ~~secretly~~ snapped some kids playing on the pool.

There are other attractions like the Therapy Park, Family Spa, ~~toilets~~ and a Boardwalk wooden bridge along the hot springs. In the middle of Boardwalk, there is a hut called Natural Sauna where the springs below is as hot as 100 degree celcius.

Finally my ever willing model at Natural Sauna.

I'm BACK !!

2007-10-15T23:37:00.000+08:00

Hi guys, I'm back into the blogging world, again

The template is in its bare minimum now (such as the links are not up yet) and the first real posting will ~~see the light~~ appear within days to come.