13. drenched in saturation

I boycott old town white coffee kopitiams

2010-06-01T12:54:00.007+08:00

and here's why.

what was meant to be a beautiful night for ts and i turned sour when we were told we were not welcomed in the non-smoking section of old town white coffee outlet in uoa building in bangsar. i have written to old town, throught their website 2 days (30 april) after the incident, siting the fact that i needed time to cool down to analyse the whole situation before i act. i mentally gave them a week to get back to me but after they failed to do so, i wrote in to hotline malay mail (7 may). i have yet to hear from either party. here's my hotline story.

I have written to Old Town White Coffee Kopitiam (OT) to lodge my complain. I wrote to them through their website (general inquiry form) 2 days after the unfortunate incident but till today have not received any feedback from their side. Below is what I've written to them.

"My husband and I were at the outlet in UOA Bangsar on Tuesday (28 April) at 10.39pm. We were told that the NON-SMOKING area is closed and that we can only sit in the SMOKING area. I spoke to the employee behind the cash register, K.S. Lim, and told him that I am pregnant and therefore didn't want to sit in the smoking area. He insisted that the NON-SMOKING section is CLOSED, because it was already time to clear out that area (they close at midnight). I asked him 'So, you are asking a pregnant woman to sit in the smoking section?' and with a smirk on his face, he nodded and said 'YES'. i told him that i will write to the management and he said go ahead and even flashed me his name tag. So, here I am writing to your company regarding this incident.

Are NON-SMOKERS not welcomed in Old Town Cafes?"

The business hours for that particular outlet of OT is till midnight. But they 'close' the non-smoking section at 10pm, unofficially, of course.

We are very dissatisfied with the quality of service of OT. The audacity of K.S. LIM to smirk at me because HE KNOWS I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE MATTER!! How are the people of Malaysia going to say "TAK NAK" to smoking if operators like such are still rampant? The govt. should really look into this. One minute you hear them campaigning against smoking, and one minute, just quiet. I really hope that consumers can be protected from the wrong-doings of such operators, instead of just telling us to 'not patronize that outlet anymore', which does not solve the problem.

what i wish is to spread the word that second-hand/passive smoke is equally, if not more, detrimental to ones health as lighting up is. i used to be a smoker and i would never wish upon anyone who wasn't a smoker to have to inhale my smoke. i hope that stricter laws can be enforced instead of just being the written word on some legislative parchment.

Agape love

2010-04-14T13:42:00.005+08:00

i can pretty much pinpoint the source of my incessant crying on my hormones. but that doesn't make it go away. as a result, my slanty chinese eyes are made more slanty to the point that if i laugh, everyone disappears. the reason behind all the waterworks is the overwhelming feeling i have missing my grandmother. as my pregnancy progresses, and ts' workload increases, we find it hard to make time to visit with her. it used to be every weekend, then twice a month and since i fell pregnant, once a month. i miss her tremendously it hurts. and seeing her so frail each time i visit doesn't help ease my mind. i miss her, and i worry about her. i somehow wish there was a way she could come live with us. but she loves her home.

i miss you, ma. i love you so much

should i laugh or should i go?

2010-04-02T10:53:00.004+08:00

what an arsehole. i don't normally discuss politics, especially not on this here blog. even more rarely do i name-call or curse at someone on my blog. but this guy, along with that racist ahmad should be put to sleep like the animals that they are. the arsehole speaking in this video really shames all malaysians.

p/s: i have no tolerance for anyone fleeing the country and then spewing nonsense about it like they really know what was going on. i feel that once a person renounces their country of origin, they also cease to have the right to comment about that country. which leads me to say this to the woman interviewed at the beginning of this video 'don't talk shit about malaysia like you have the right to, or the knowledge to, and please, whatever you do, don't come back here. you are no longer welcome in malaysia.

the miracle of technology

2010-03-22T11:37:00.008+08:00

today is the day we went for our first detailed scan. at first, i didn't recognise the little angle i saw in the monitor. i saw a tiny hand with even tinier fingers. all five on one perfect hand. and the hand was being sucked by a small mouth. i slowly made out a nose, and two spots where the eyes are. it felt surreal. i was actually looking into the face of my unborn child and there were no words to describe the feeling. it was like pouring a jug full of happiness down my throat and making it overflow. i felt a lump building up in my throat but since there were others present (mil and another relative on ts' side) i giggled instead. how is it possible that i've been so blessed to have fallen pregnant? i thank god everyday.

little endut at 21 weeks, lying comfortably in my womb.

i feel the earth move

2010-03-08T11:23:00.007+08:00

today, for the first time, ts felt the baby move in me. for this week, it's been like clockwork. every 6pm and 6am, lil endut will kick 5-7 times before she tires and goes back to resting. i'm so happy every time i feel her move. she's just too precious.

my bun is a grain of rice

2009-12-01T12:24:00.006+08:00

yesterday was a good day for me. besides my breasts being very tender and sore, i have no other discomforts. the same goes for today, although it's still early times to be sure. so far, so good, though.

the day before yesterday was the worst. i felt sick all day. my palate feels heavy with a coat of plasticky filament-like taste. hopefully that's the last of it for this whole pregnancy (if only *sigh*)

i've also been taking healthier foods, such as lots of fruits, greens, whole grains, and mostly home-cooked goodies. i reckon these foods somehow contribute to my overall well-being. 'duh', right? i know, but sometimes things are easier said than done. for instance, cooking takes at least an hour out of my day, from preparing to cooking to eating. well, maybe more than an hour. that is an hour plus i put aside from working. what that does to my work is prolong the hours i sit in front of my computer. so, it's not really that simple to have home-cooked meals every meal-time when you're working from home too. i hear my father's voice saying 'manage your time and you'll find that time is on your side'. ok, dad, thanks for that advice, but seriously, have you ever tried being a stay-at-home wife and work from home at the same time? oh, and i forgot to mention, my workload is rather heavy. we (our company) gets an enquiry for a website at least once every week. and most of them would end up hiring our services. so, on average, i'd have to finish up a whole site in a week. from initial planning, to the drawing board, to the actual design, and finally, execution. although i'm not alone, i still oversee most of the designing and framework. that really takes a lot of my time. and then there's always some adjustments or changes by the clients before the final delivery. some clients take as long as 3-4 months to finalise. so, yeah, i try my best to give my unborn child the best nutrients, as and when i'm able to.

i'm so in love. i have an appointment for a first scan in 2 days but i already know i love my baby so much. can't wait to see him/her. love you baby!

are you cross?

2009-11-30T11:30:00.007+08:00

we're pregnant.

it was really hard for me to register the thought as i was clutching the positive-indicated home pregnancy testkit (hpt) in my hand, for fear of it not being true and at the same time overwhelmed by the feeling of euphoria. it was the most beautiful feeling and i wouldn't mind re-living that moment everyday.

it all started sometime early november, during the first weekend, when i felt a little sore in both breasts similar to those i experience prior to my period. this was followed by a few days of lower abdominal discomfort and subsequently, period cramp-like discomfort. all normal symptoms a week or so before my period. so, when the tenderness stayed on and the period did not come, even after 2 weeks, i started to panic, thinking all sorts of bad things, medically. to justify my fears, i would have to tell another story, one regarding my hormonal imbalance. hmm, i thought i was seeing the onset of early menopause. what a laugh right? but as the days grew into weeks, i started feeling, erm, different.

first, there is a really funny taste in my mouth, one that only goes away temporarily when i have food in my mouth, so long as i have food in my mouth, even if it was a gum drop. the funny taste can be described as sucking and/or licking on a piece of rusty metal. how would i know what that tastes like in the first place i hear you ask. well, i was a kid once upon a time too you know. *giggle*

then there is the slight cravings for certain foods. i have to say my cravings are really nothing compared to some horror stories i've heard, for example, one for uncooked rice. the constant hunger is another give-away. not having your tummy satiated asap leads to gag-reflex and subsequently vomiting. this, ladies and gents, is what they (the medical experts) refer to as morning sickness, and 'morning' is just a pretty, decorative word.

and only since last week, i've been really tired and exhausted. i sleep more than 9 hours a day, collectively.

not forgetting the emotional roller-coaster i've been on. i cry almost every morning but feel silly once it's all over. i cry because i fear i'll be a lousy mother, for fear that i won't be able to provide for my child, for fear of becoming old and ugly, not to mention fat and stumpy. i cry when i see a character in a movie cry, i cry when i feel nostalgic, and when i miss my grandmother. i cry to about almost anything.

so, i say to myself, if i'm not pregnant, i must be going crazy. sometimes, a woman just knows, and i knew. but to convince my sensible self, i took a hpt.

Earth hour

2009-03-19T18:29:00.004+08:00

anyone planning to do earth hour this 28th, please rethink if you're going to do something more harmful to the environment instead. crunchy chicken explains it better.

Candy cigarette

2009-03-18T13:54:00.004+08:00

sally mann is an american portrait photographer. i like what she does in her portraitures, especially the way her subjects interact with her.

Scanwich anyone?

2009-03-16T05:02:00.004+08:00

ooh this is just so brilliant. i've seen many scanned images but this one takes the cake. love the creator for soiling his scanner in the name of art. love it love it love it. certainly put a huge smile on my face.

inside

2009-02-13T19:08:00.000+08:00

this is so brilliant

One for the road

2008-12-13T19:42:00.003+08:00

write something, anything, as long as it's quick and without thinking. check out what others have written so far.

not just any camera

2008-11-29T02:04:00.006+08:00

i want a new camera. not just any camera but the canon 5d mark 2. how??? i have not even purchased most of the lens on my wish list and am now eyeing a new body. *sob* went window shopping (again), and saw that the price for the 10-20mm lens has not reduced any further. of course if i were to be totally honest to myself, the lens would be a much better purchase. i already have a bloody body. i need the lens more than i need a new (and extra) body. additionally, the 5d mark 2 would cost more than 2 10-20mm lenses. what do i do? in a perfect world (or my world), i can actually own the 10-20mm, plus the 5d mark 2, and then some.

Another friday

2008-11-21T10:38:00.003+08:00

it's friday again... well, doesn't really make a difference to me. i work all week long. but something to take my mind off things, and yours too hopefully... and what better way than a good laugh! be sure to read till the end, this guy is really something else.

Luxury of space

2008-11-09T06:18:00.003+08:00

in malaysia, we are lucky to have the likes of the petronas twin towers, the kl tower, our traditional kampung(village) houses, as well as many other architectural wonders. so, when i saw these, i thought everyone could enjoy them too. they're images from all over the world of unusual buildings. initially found it at this site on digg.

Cool crazy

2008-09-03T23:17:00.000+08:00

is this what heaven looks like?

Crazy cool

2008-09-02T23:03:00.001+08:00

omg!!!

Thursday blues

2008-07-24T16:22:00.001+08:00

i have almost lost all will to blog..... :(

The plane, the plane...

2008-07-05T03:32:00.003+08:00

i'm so excited about the olympics, which will be held in beijing, and more so in asia region. no more sleepless nights for me. no more resorting to watch repeats. ooh lala...

p/s: put aside political/religious views... let's just enjoy the games that was meant to bring nations together under one common goal. to hell with the rest. especially those that repeats the silly notion of 'it's god's will' in regards to the recent flood. shame on you and your kind. but being the warm and forgiving people that asians are, beijing still welcomes you!!!

Still talking about euro 2008 are we?

2008-06-26T17:01:00.010+08:00

while you're at it, check this post out... renowned photographer spencer tunick had his sights on euro 2008 and conquered it. what next? beijing 2008?

original emblem/logo/whatever-your-parents-taught-you-this-is.

this is what it'll eventually be if spencer had his way with beijing 2008,

with the wording for beijing 2008 littered with naked bodies

Still feverish

2008-06-26T16:56:00.003+08:00

still rooting for germany, yes i am...

destination vienna

I hate do not like crocs (hate is too big a word, even for me, believe it or not)

2008-06-20T02:34:00.006+08:00

cute kid but 'nuff said.

Theme it

2008-06-13T09:17:00.003+08:00

another idea for taking your photos is to make a theme for yourself. take for instance, colour. choose a colour like yellow and stick with it for that day. shoot everything you see that is dominated by the colour yellow. or try geometrical shapes. try also quantities i.e. everything that you see in threes or fives (something about odd numbers really makes for interesting photographing). or phone booths for some other ideas. you get the picture. send me your links. happy shooting.

When will it end

2008-06-12T12:15:00.001+08:00

another bus crash incident robbing another family of their loved one.

Left out the title initally

2008-06-10T09:15:00.002+08:00

a cool time-lapse video.

also, please check out the behind the scenes action.

i seem to be pretty occupied with time-lapse video these days... not deliberately obsessing but everywhere i turn, there it is.

Camera, camera, where for art thou

2008-06-08T09:11:00.002+08:00

really useful explanation on types of cameras, then and now. while you're there check out the other posts on the blog. brian auer is a fantastic photographer who shares loads of good tips on photography on his blog.

Time (lapse) and again

2008-06-06T09:06:00.002+08:00

a time-lapse photography video by canon usa. yummy!

Try it on for size

2008-06-04T12:08:00.003+08:00

three days eleven hours to go... i'll be away from blogging for a bit. Tschüs!!!

Daniella

2008-06-03T08:40:00.001+08:00

this site is pretty awesome. anyone dreaming of becoming a fashion photographer, this is your chance. first, you'll need to choose the shoot location and start shooting with your virtual camera (using your mouse). after that's all done, your photos will be processed (virtually of course), and you can choose which of the photos you'd like to download. below are some of the shots i downloaded. none of the images' been edited except resizing them for the blog.

Angle it, baby

2008-06-01T10:10:00.004+08:00

a lot of shots are shot at eye level and at a 90 degree angle to the subject's upright posture. these shots can be nice but sometimes lack the wow factor. with the built-in lcd on most digital cameras now, you can try taking photos from unusual angles cos you don't need to look in the view-finder. try shooting from below, or straight above your subject. shooting from above your subject works very well if there is a big group of people you'd like to include in your shots.

shot from a higher level
i could've included another 10 people in this shot

with my compact camera: a low angle shot
you can see the lights above as well as the table from this angle

another thing to try is to tilt the camera left or right to fit the subject in your frame. this can result in a very pleasing capture if you can get it right. and how do you get it right? take loads of images of course. the more you practice, the quicker you'll know which angle works. so the next time you need to shoot, you really only need to point and shoot (pun of the day).

with my compact camera: slant the camera for a different point of view (tee hee)

Tgif

2008-05-30T08:09:00.003+08:00

go ahead, have a laugh, it's friday for heaven's sake.

image from:the fail blog

in case the writing on the jpg image above is not legible (mom, you'll thank me), here's what it says:

'one of your coworkers is a thief and so completely lazy that they stole my sandwich. they stole a homemade sandwich. who steals food in the first place? and honestly, who steals a non-packages product? do you really want something someone else handled?

from now on, i suggest everyone sneezes on and profusely licks their food prior to bringing it to work.

i know i will.'

image from: icanhascheezburger

i like anything that pokes fun at bush, so here's one (or two) for the road....

p/s: images may be old from forgotten links and blogs, but sentiment remains the same. have a good weekend folks!!!

Chocolate gunpowder

2008-05-28T10:10:00.008+08:00

another example of using a reflector to redirect light on subject.

the settings again in a diagram. ok, the diagram is a hurried job on photoshop so, give me a break. over and out.

Scarlet letter

2008-05-26T09:35:00.003+08:00

for every image you buy from me, rm 0.01 will be donated to the charity of my choice. so what are you waiting for? my images only goes for rm 100.00 each. out of that, 1 sen will be donated to a charity of my choice... how cool is that?!

this is utter bs. why any party is allowed to chant that kind of 'sales pitch' is beyond me. there's 'play an online game and we'll feed the hungry', or a few years back i remember so clearly why i rejected the idea of ever purchasing an avon lipstick because 'for every lipstick you purchase, $1 will go to the breast cancer foundation' (a foundation owned by which company?!!!), and another from a fast food outlet a few years back, not wanting to miss out on the gold rush. bravo, how many people did you save today? please, if you are sincere in making a donation, do so without blackmailing. clearly that's what it really is. 'if you don't buy *insert product name* then we can't donate a minute part of the purchase price to *insert foundation/organisation name* in the fight against *insert anything you want at this point*'. all of you make me sick!

i donate to the foundation/charity/organisation without going through any middle man. no middle man fees, no cuts for the recipient.

Closer

2008-05-24T10:51:00.003+08:00

another example where a crop would help enhance the overall feel of the image. though i like the first image, i am much more fond of the second cropped one. there's a shroud of mystery to that image and makes it that much more interesting. the cropped image shows the pattern on the wall much more clearly too. beautiful details.

Vacation shots

2008-05-22T10:34:00.002+08:00

nex time you're planning a holiday, take a read on how to better take your vacation images here. and on the last point, i'd like to add that if you're unable to get a closer shot, do like i did - crop to get a better image.

Less is more... really

2008-05-19T18:20:00.008+08:00

i've uploaded an image to my wordpress and thought i'd talk a little about said image. i took the image when i was in wiesbaden, germany many months (october 2007) ago. my problem at that time was i only had my 50mm on my camera and as such was unable to get a neater crop of the scene. so, when i came back home and edited the image (as it's still raw), i noticed there was potential to that image. i cropped it pretty tightly. then just before loading the image to wordpress, i decided a much tighter crop would actually be better. and i was right!!! (hoorah). the final image draws attention to the fella sitting on the ground and that tells a story better than the first image.

left: image cropped about 30%
right: same cropped image cropped a further 20%

The curve

2008-05-17T10:49:00.002+08:00

please be sure to have one ringgit notes when parking at the curve. either that or leave your vehicle there for more than a day (24 hours).

Soldiers

2008-05-16T10:38:00.002+08:00

received this in the email earlier this week. i've seen other images of photographers with their choice of weapon, which were equally hilarious, just unable to find the link.

my definite favourite

but the caption on the last image 'he travels with a personal photographer' had me taking a second look. unfortunately, that's false, of course.

The wait is over

2008-05-15T11:11:00.004+08:00

after blogging for almost 4 years, the waiter from waiterrant has a book out laast month, rightly so too. all throughout his blogging years i've followed his progress and lamented in his sorrows, cheered in his joys, and i can't wait to get my hands on his book. he is by far the most articulate blogger i've encountered in the blogosphere. kudos to you, waiter!

Down with flickr video

2008-05-14T11:25:00.004+08:00

still not pleased with flickr for allowing video uploads. flickr, zooomr and pbase (there are many others) are for uploading still images to, and should remain for that purpose alone. if the users wanted to upload a video, that can always be arranged with the many video sites on the web like youtube, vimeo and videojug to name just a few. unlike the good people at zooomr, flickr must be run by idiots (the simplest explanation for such abomination). i shall encourage more friends and family to use zooomr, and whenever possible to help (donate and/or buy the pro account for only about usd20/year) in their quest to develop a better photo-sharing site.

disclaimer: i'm not doing a sales pitch for zooomr. erm. anyway, best part of zooomr is, even with the free account, there is no upload limit, bandwidth limit, download limit, file size limit, set limit, or number of photo limits. no l.i.m.i.t.

Ready made remedies

2008-05-13T12:35:00.001+08:00

If a person were to be a lousy liar, would he/she be a lousy photographer too? A post on photodoto a while back states that photographers are visual liars, and I am in total agreement with that orientation, so long as the photographers have nothing to do with journalistic photography, which requires telling the truth and nothing but. However, I have been told many times (and have since admitted my shortcomings) that I’m a lousy liar. i would not be able to tell a believable lie even if my life depended on it. and that also makes me a lousy haggler. So, would that automatically make me a lousy photographer?

Profitable photography business?

2008-05-12T12:37:00.002+08:00

before turning hobby or 'side income' into a full-time photography business, have a feasibility calculation done. i've done mine, and i'd have to make about $(in my case, RM)400.00 a day for 280 days a year to make it profitable. otherwise, i shouldn't give up my day job.

Book club

2008-05-10T12:59:00.010+08:00

i've not read as many books as i used to, what with the many blogs and podcasts that i subscribe to consuming a big chunk of my time. blogs ranging from politics (local of course, they're the best, full of drama and plot), to food, to photography and back again. podcasts are mainly photoshop, or lightroom, and anything else in the region of photo editing and manipulation. that being said, i, however, do not believe in too much editing to make the imaages scream 'doctored'. i need to edit mainly because the images i take are in raw format.

so, back to my favs so far this year, it's a tie among these three... but if i absolutely, really have to choose a favourite, i'd have to say it was the seven daughters of eve by bryan sykes. like the da vinci code, i like that this book speaks to me at a different level.

A slice of gold

2008-05-07T22:00:00.004+08:00

lighting is an essential part in any kinds of photography. and when directed correctly, can produce astonishing results. i may not own the most high-end of photographic and lighting equipments but i will not let that hinder my progress as well as my picture-taking abilities. as such, i use whatever materials i can get my hands on (what's better than things you already have).

for the images below, i only used a napkin from ikea, food from a nearby stall, and a car windscreen sun protector (very reflective). first, i placed the food next to an open doorway, for the natural light from the sun (image on the right). then, i placed the sun protector on the opposite side of the main source of light (sunlight) to reflect it. immediately, the image is transformed. no more harsh shadows and the yellow is more vibrant. as simple as that. try this when taking portraits too, especially to fill in those shadow areas under the nose and eyes. it's amazing.

the final image (left)

a closer look

sun protection screen previously owned by my ex-car

Java and all things heavenly

2008-05-05T14:59:00.006+08:00

starbucks medan, indonesia, serving the great java chip caramel frappuccino
(flavour not available in malaysia)

innsbruck, austria. my order of coffee came with a small glass of water,
a small canister of brown, unrefined sugar, and biscotti

cappuccino in ettlingen, germany

caramel frappuccino from starbucks the curve, malaysia

coffee, can't understand my obsession with it but can't go daily without a good cuppa.

Loos malaysia 7

2008-05-04T15:52:00.002+08:00

hilton pj, newly upgraded

To frame or not to frame, that is the question

2008-04-16T18:12:00.005+08:00

time-lapse photography is far from being a new method of photography. however, with newer and more sophisticated equipment, it has become easier to produce at a very much higher level of quality. the results are pretty amazing. that being said, it might take me a while to consider venturing into that realm as i lean towards the conventional ideology of photography. but who knows, one day, when time-lapse photography is no longer in fashion, don't be surprised to find me about with a smooth-panning tripod for just such an experiment.

p/s: it's quite a wait for the video, especially if you're streaming from any parts of asia (slow internet connection), so *tap* you've been warned.

Nikon D60 giveaway

2008-04-04T18:20:00.013+08:00

...not by me. but if you register at the digital photography school forum, and post in the forum, every post counts as an entry to this nikon d60 giveaway competition. the posts can be about anything to do with photography, even review of a camera you own. but no spamming. anyone found doing that will automatically be disqualified from the running. so, what are you waiting for? it's a very generous gesture by the wonderful people at dps.

Bus crash

2008-04-01T18:10:00.004+08:00

i don't know if it's too late to put up a link to an online petition against bus crashes in malaysia. this is a matter that is relatively close to my heart as my mother travels by long-haul bus every time she goes back to my hometown of melaka from singapore. i do not wish this upon anyone, especially my loved ones. there has been too many tragedies involving long-haul bus crashes in malaysia for it to be taken lightly. i've signed the petition, in hope of a glimpse of a better future for the public transportation services in malaysia. this is a national problem, let us all take part in eliminating it.

Digital darkroom

2008-03-31T03:08:00.006+08:00

adobe lightroom is another marvel brought to you by the geniuses at adobe. i must admit that without the help of reference materials, using this product may seem a rather daunting prospect. however, with the help of i-tunes (another marvel on its own right), i found more than enough tips to guide me utilise my already-installed adobe lightroom. and the results are nothing short of fantastic. when edited with lightroom, images become more vibrant and colours more vivid. i have control over the saturation of each colour, the level of digital noise, the contrast, the luminance of each colour et al. in all, i feel my images are given a breath of fresh air and a new lease on life (which is more than i can say for myself). i should probably lightroom myself, if such a thing were possible.

the images (below) on the left are developed with lightroom whilst the ones on the right are with digital photo professional (editing software that comes bulked with my canon camera).

here's one of the evening sky in munich, germany

here's one of the picturesque marketplace in marienplatz, munich germany

and here's one of the late afternoon structure in innsbruck, austria

my conclusion is simple. i'm definitely loving it, and looking forward to obtain the newest version (mine now is a very dated version 1.1)

Polis diraja malaysia

2008-03-29T03:43:00.003+08:00

this is hilarious and very...... befitting.

The emperor's new clothes

2008-03-19T01:04:00.007+08:00

it is a sad day when you cut ties with a friend, regardless of whether you grew apart or had a spat. for some people, it can even be dramatically life-changing. in the beginning, when i first realised that friendship is ephemeral, i was crushed. as a matter of fact, i have never fully recovered from the first blow. however, i've learnt to swallow the gall of reality, and in time, managed to let go of things that i cannot change, subsequently growing stronger as a person. now, my one and only true friend lies within me.

digress with me...

Swan song

2008-03-13T01:55:00.006+08:00

stumbled upon a little gem while surfing the net and thought it apt to put up on my blog. this seemingly small but valuable piece i dedicate to my loved one.

when you feel you're drained of will,
when the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit,
rest if you must, but don't you quit,
life is queer with its twists and turns,
as every one of us sometimes learns,
and many a failure turns about,
when he might have won had he stuck it out;
don't give up though the pace seems slow,
you may succeed with another blow,
success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems so far;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
it's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

p/s: would've loved to give credit where credit is due, however, i was not able to track the creator of the above.

Server down

2008-02-29T03:18:00.006+08:00

erm... what love?

15

2008-02-22T00:56:00.005+08:00

chap goh mei, to me only means no more gambling till next chinese new year.

The year that was

2008-01-01T14:49:00.004+08:00

...or at least the end of it.

christmas was celebrated in a very simple and cosy manner

dinner couldn't be more uncomplicated

new year's eve dinner is a must

fireworks to end the year and begin the next with a bang

Eleventh

2007-12-05T19:01:00.003+08:00

on our last usable day in germany, we went to cologne. i don't understand the attraction but i wouldn't have known that had i not gone. i reckon the only thing to explore there is the cathedral.

expensive 90-min train ride to cologne from wiesbaden

the intimidating entrance of hohe domkirche st. peter und maria

inside splendour

routine

over-order

love the sky

more shopping, and why not?

Tenth

2007-12-03T03:43:00.002+08:00

'beca' in frankfurt, germany

didn't have much time to explore the city but was happy to see schweppes ginger ale, which is quickly being replaced with f&n ginger ale in malaysia. i'll have schweppes over f&n anytime.

my love for ciabatta

Ninth

2007-12-03T01:06:00.002+08:00

frost

the roof over our heads

temperature (8 degrees celsius) was perfect for coffee outdoors

and cake, always a must

paint it yellow

...and i'm back in malaysia

Eighth

2007-11-29T15:33:00.003+08:00

left ettlingen and headed towards wiesbaden. it's a town famous for its spas, but we were only there for the food. o_O

the opulent exterior of a castle

which has been converted into an eatery

my order of the lake victoria perch

love how the cutleries reflect the ambient light

the colour here is really dull, unlike the original jpg
(blame it on blogger for screwing up most of my pix)

train station in wiesbaden

looks like a mini version of the train station in london

what else is there to do but eat after a long day out

Seventh

2007-11-29T01:54:00.002+08:00

ettlingen is a very dead place. and the town centre takes 10mins walk from end to end. there really is nothing to see or experience. so we resort to stuffing ourselves with food glorious food.

Sixth

2007-11-28T18:12:00.002+08:00

ettlingen marketplace, even the pigeons are camera-shy

an old friend had us over for dinner

Fifth

2007-11-26T00:26:00.002+08:00

schloss neuschwanstein, castle of king ludwig a.k.a. the fairytale castle

on the road again

Fourth

2007-11-23T11:43:00.003+08:00

balcony

brekkie

view from balcony

our means of tranportation all tucked in

building with the golden roof (makes me feel like breaking into a james bond theme)

shopping again

more calories

fuel up after the fall

memento from germany

Third

2007-11-21T01:53:00.004+08:00

lost all 214 pics i took on zugspitze. it was a feeling of utter remorse and helplessness that can't be described with words. whatever the reasons, it was my own carelessness that led to the loss of precious captured memories.

getting the tix. bloody pricey at 47 euros per round trip! but bloody worth it

cable car going up

view from top
(disclaimer: all three images above are courtesy of my sis)

feeding time

goodbye, i'll be back

innsbruck, austria

seen one seen 'em all

see you tomorrow

Second

2007-11-21T01:44:00.002+08:00

sight-seeing starts

so much to see

'apotek' in indonesia too

marketplace

lovely sky

more sight-seeing

it's good to be alive

First

2007-11-19T12:23:00.003+08:00

leaving land

airborne

landing

airport

dinner

full

outdoors

Durian

2007-11-14T13:52:00.002+08:00

never will i fly qatar again. everything from the gound staff to the cabin crew to the whole flight experience, they all suck (spoken like a true adult). i've flown a number of different airlines and i have to say besides klm, qatar is hands down the worst. my flight was from kl to munich with 3 hours transit in doha. check-in time is 3 hours before departure. calling it absurd would be an understatement. few other unpleasant-ness.
1. the wait staff conviniently forgot to pass me my dinner. and after requesting from another crew, it took 30 mins for her to bring me my dinner at which time other passengers were already served their coffee.
2. during take-off, i was not allowed to leave my hand carry under the seat in front of me. instead i was asked to deposit it in the overhead compartment whilst the plane was taking off.
3. i asked for a glass of water. 5 times. and finally got it once.
4. rude to asians but very nice to the caucasian passengers. colonialism is so last millennia!
5. screwed up my sister's return ticket. she almost couldn't come home. go figure.
6. doha airport is really small, probably the size of terminal 3 subang airport.
7. they ran out of loo roll and toilet seat cover in-flight.
8. smiling of cabin crew is not encouraged. in fact, it's banned.

River god

2007-09-30T00:10:00.002+08:00

this is one of a few situations where white balance would not work to improve the image. the iamge is intended to showcase the ambiance and therefore it's crucial to retain the 'feel' of the moment when the image was captured.

with white balance adjusted

no adjustment

Loos malaysia 6

2007-09-23T23:02:00.003+08:00

mandarin oriental, kl

Twenty nine

2007-09-23T05:07:00.003+08:00

j.co is finally here. they opened for business on 20 september at the pavillion kl. (an outlet opened one month earlier somewhere in pj area). for those unfamiliar with j.co, they may seem like a copy cat of big apple. it's really the other way around. j.co has been in operation in indonesia for a long time, before big apple was born.

free doughnuts

Loos malaysia 5

2007-09-21T15:55:00.002+08:00

love the loo in one world hotel. one feature that stands out like a sore thumb is how spacious the cubicles are. an illegal immigrant family could live in there O_o

Imagination

2007-09-04T01:47:00.002+08:00

once you go raw you don't go back. that's something i read a while ago on the net. and i couldn't agree more. white balance. quite a wonder in photography.

what the camera sees and capture. even though the colours i saw must have been similar to the one captured with my camera, it wasn't what i registered in my mind.

what i 'saw' was an almost white table, much closer to the colours in the image above.

In focus

2007-07-25T06:12:00.002+08:00

ten reasons why i love my 50.

maybe i don't need ten reasons, or maybe i have more than ten reasons.

Ring leader

2007-07-24T10:53:00.002+08:00

tv: 1/30, aperture: f/1.6, iso: 200

portobello (or portabella) is simply a brown crimini mushroom in disguise. there are many ways to prepare portobello mushrooms, but i like them best as the feature. here i've made simple mushroom gravy to accompany some baked potatoes.

System status

2007-07-22T00:20:00.002+08:00

tv: 1/25, aperture: f/2.8, iso: 200

the best kind of food is one that you prepare with love. linguine aglio olio with oval cherry tomatoes. just the sound of it makes me salivate. this image was not taken at the correct exposure, though. the original is slightly over-exposed and fortunately for me, i take my images in raw format. this means i am able to tweak it whichever way i please. now, that is not to say i have free reign on how i take my images. if the image i took were too over-exposed, it might lose some detail along the way and that can't be rectified during post-processing. i should have either pushed the iso down to 100, or a much better way was to change the shutter speed to about 1/50.

this is an example of an image over-exposed. no matter what i did, in this case bumping up the saturation and contrast, as well as adjusting levels, areas that lack in details still remain so. therefore it's best to get the image right during shots.

Kit kat moment

2007-07-17T17:36:00.002+08:00

Dream in black and white

2007-07-12T20:40:00.003+08:00

i've been dabbling in converting my colour images to black and white (b&w). i've found this exercise to be most rewarding and have since taken it more seriously. hours spent searching through the internet to find the perfect solution, and i've discovered hundreds of tutorials on just this topic. amazing! after trying out a few (can't be trying out all the toots out there...that'll mean the end of my social life as i know it, or whatever that's left of it, with my camera being my main squeeze these days), i finally settled on one method in photoshop.

i start with a colour iamge, like the one above. it's already converted to jpg by the way. then, i change the image mode to lab mode. then i select the channel window and select on lightness. with lightness selected, the image appears desaturated. i select all by using the shortcut keys cmd+a (applies for mac) or for pc users, crtl+a. copy. now, i switch back to rgb mode. in the channels window, i select red, paste (shortcut keys cmd+v), then select green, paste again, and finally do the same with blue. with all these steps done, i select rgb and the b&w looks fantastic.

done! however, with certain images, tweaking needs to be done for contrast, levels, or curves et al. really depends on the artist.

same process.

from left to right: original colour image, lab and rgb mode, desaturated image.

the one click desaturation process of the image renders it dull, with a lot less contrast than lab/rgb mode process.

The golden compass

2007-07-09T03:01:00.000+08:00

Filters

2007-07-05T13:55:00.005+08:00

i've often read the wonders a filter can do to an image but never really understood the impact until i saw the difference in my images. i will not go into detail as there are many sites offering technical explanation on this. i have taken an oath to have my filter on my lens from here on and will also purchase one (be it a uv filter, nd filter et al) with every new lens i get in future.

Delicious by ms read

2007-06-25T17:10:00.002+08:00

tv: 1/30, av: 1.4, iso: 200

delicious certainly lives up to its name. however, they have rather bad judgement when it comes to hiring a photographer. was at the one in one utama when a shooting was underway. even i could've done a better job. service from wait staff at delicious one utama was just so-so, and closes really early, with the smoking section closed at 9pm. they offer better service at bangsar village 2, though.

delicious, ground floor one utama, new wing, and ground floor, bangsar village 2.

Jonker street, malacca (melaka)

2007-06-25T05:23:00.003+08:00

tv: 1/200, av: 2.8, iso: 200.

tv: 1/30, av: 2.8, iso: 200

info melaka.

David lebovitz

2007-06-21T19:02:00.001+08:00

i've recently stumbled upon an interesting site on the web. its owner david lebovitz, a chef on a sojourn to france, writes candidly of his everyday encounters. there's also recipes and what nots, but in all i thoroughly enjoy his candour on life matters. one of which was the oprah and hermès incident in paris a while back. hilarious.

and here's another. what about durians travelling to france?

*updated june 22, 2007
i'd like to add another link and not wanting to create a new post for it. this issue has bugged me sometime ago. it happened in pizza uno. i asked the wait staff for some water and my request was declined. instead, i was told i had to purchase their stupid bottled water. the thing is, i already have my order of ice lemon tea and a cafe latte for after the meal. all i wanted was a glass of water in addition to what i already have. i find that very unreasonable and outwardly rude.

Lanscape

2007-06-21T16:41:00.001+08:00

sometimes it doesn't harm to peruse the basics. even as one progresses through the stages of being a photographer, be it as a hobby or for work, one has to revisit the past and take a refresher course, so to speak.

No photos, please

2007-06-21T02:57:00.001+08:00

this should be of interest to food bloggers. hope it doesn't come to this in malaysia, although i have heard of cases where the restaurant's wait staff would take the initiative to politely tell the patrons not to photograph the food they serve. one of these restaurants is soho in one utama. have not been there personally but have been told the restaurant doesn't appreciate photography in their premise. go figure! way i see it is free advertising. any publicity is good publicity. as long as the public are aware of your presence. advertising rules!

Bokeh

2007-06-20T03:19:00.003+08:00

the weather was perfect for starbucks caramel frappucino. i just love it when it rains. more so when it really pours, and not some sissy drops from the sky. headed down to starbucks in bukit bintang, in front of kl plaza. it was the only one i knew that operates till 1 in the morning, and 2 am on weekends. while stationary at a red light, i noticed something perculiar about the vehicle in front of ours. it's pretty obvious, actually, so it's hard not to notice. i've seen registration plates on cars from singapore and thailand. however, this one is very different in that it was in chinese characters and some part japanese. therefore i think this vehicle might be from japan. so, my other concern is, how in hell did a vehicle from japan end up on malaysian road?

but i digress.

the pictures above show entire frames that is out of focus. this is a very good example of what is refered to as bokeh. personally, i like images that are out of focus sometimes, for a change. also, i feel that nothing makes a good portrait like the characteristics of bokeh.

Phoenix chariot

2007-06-19T05:28:00.002+08:00

today marks the fifth day of the fifth moon in the lunar calendar, also famously known as the dragon boat festival. its history is said to have originated from as early as 277 b.c.

these days, we i celebrate by eating chung (pronunciation in cantonese) or zhongzi (in mandarin), for as long as i can get my hands on them. there are a variety of non-meat fillings such as red bean paste, mushroom et al, which is suitable for those who shy away from meat or are strict vegetarians.

Children

2007-06-18T01:02:00.004+08:00

before i forget, need to mention the lousy service i receive each time i visit paddington house of pancakes at the curve. regardless of the company i'm with, everyone agrees the service is worse than lousy. yet, time and again, i find myself craving the american snacks. once every 3 months, maybe. would definitely love to know if there is an outlet for my complains.

so much has happened past few weeks, and they all involve children. can't wait to be a mother. love, love, love kids.

two full moons, one of a baby boy and another for a baby girl. both utterly adorable.

met a very young pirate chef.

attended a 2-year-old's birthday.

and celebrated my sister's birthday. ok, she's not a baby by age, but she's always fancied herself as one.

Sire

2007-06-17T00:49:00.002+08:00

really wish by this time next year, i'll be able to celebrate my man as a father. for now, happy daddy day, dad!

Past memories 4 : The Contract

2007-06-15T20:08:00.002+08:00

what is the circle of life? i'm sure everyone has their own opinion on the matter. for me, it's what feels right at the moment. like when i was in college and started dating putra, my then-boyfriend. it was as natural as nature had intended. i just went with the flow, not thinking ahead of the consequences of my being with a muslim man. even though putra is different from a lot of muslims i've encountered, the fact remains that he is a muslim in a muslim country and nothing either of us did or plan to do can ever change that. these thoughts never crossed my mind back then. i remember telling my sister that i'm just dating the guy, and i'm still young, not thinking about marriage.

at first it was one month, then that led to two months, and before i realised what had happened, we've been going on for a year. and a quarter of that first year was spent apart. there's no denying that we went through a trying couple of years whilst he was studying abroad. there was the constant nagging voice in my head telling me not to trust him, that he's probably cheating on me and so on. and then, there's also the heart-ache from yearning to be near him, to share my joys, to pour out my sorrows, to have a shoulder to cry on and to have someone comfort me. back then, as a student, i didn't have the means to visit him every semester break, or on my every whim and fancy. likewise, he couldn't come home every break he had. so, we see each other probably twice a year or thrice if we're very lucky. for his three and a half years there, i've only visited twice, while he made it back home seven times, two of which his family doesn't know of. international calls were also of a luxury then, yet we managed a one-hour phone call 2-3 times in a week. maxis bill skyrocketed to an alarming 3000 ringgit in a matter of one week. he helped a lot with my phone bill payment by working part time over there. it must've been really tiring for him, as i can only imagine. he had 2 part time jobs, putting in 30-40 hours a week, and attended classes full time.

during the final year of his study, we fought a lot, more than we normally do. the quarrels were so dire, we were at the brink of calling it quits. it was at that point that i realised i couldn't function properly without his companionship, and at the same time, i was afraid of continuing where we left off before he went abroad. i didn't know how to handle such a meaningful relationship in the flesh. then there was the issue of his religion, which until recently has evaded my thoughts.

putra is very understanding, kind (i really mean it, he has a heart of gold), unpretentious, generous, intelligent, patient, selfless, persistent, hardworking, and above all extremely caring and affectionate. i'm not trying to market a product. just calling it as i see it. he motivates and encourages me no end, even when everyone else (parents inclusive) were very importunate to point out my past failure. it was putra as a package that sold me on the idea of embracing the inevitable - marriage. a marriage that would first and foremost warrant a change of religion.

it wasn't a bed of roses. but it was my bed, and i love it, every heartache, every tear, every laughter, every doubt, every moment. ten years on, we rejoice our wedding day.

our wedding was set december 15, 2006. a very good friend and my sister got together to organise what would be the best bridal shower i've attended thus far (it being my own does not impair my judgement). it was held at the spice garden bukit bintang, more or less a week prior to the wedding. seeing as i don't drink, or like clubbing, they (sis and friend) arranged for the shower to be filled with lots of good food as well as mind-teasing games. each person who attended the shower left with a bag of goodies. as it was to reflect the contents of my handbag, the bags each contained a mock credit card, lip balm, drops, hair accessories, miniature bottle perfume, smokes, and a lighter. i'm still puzzled by the addition of a mini can of deodorant. is that a hint? and what's with the mandarins?

part of the wedding invite

bijan restaurant

sommerset on lorong ceylon provided an excellent temporary dwelling for me. i took up a 2-bedroom apartment for 2 nights, on the 14th and 15th.

december 15
0530 - left somerset for concorde shah alam
0630 - make-up
0830 - nikah at the shah alam mosque
0930 - merenjis ceremony at the in-law's place in section 3, shah alam, for relatives from both sides of the family

1130 - brunch

1330 - back to somerset in kl
1430 - last minute prep for the dinner
1800 - make-up
2000 - bijan. walked in with daddy dearest
midnight - back to sommerset for a very much needed zzz's.

bijan proved to be a purveyor of excellent culinary experience. there was even a satay man, with a grill, churning out satays for the guests as appetisers before the official ceremony took place. once i arrived and and was seated at our table with putra, dinner was served. seafood soup was first, followed by chicken, beef, lamb, fish, some greens, and finally dessert. only complain from friends was the food served were in abundance. as was customary, we raised our glasses in a tribute to the day, and concluded that toast with the obligatory yum seng. in all, the combination of romantic cosy ambiance and tantalising flavours left everyone praising effusively. suffice it to say, the entire evening was anything but mundane.

top: day of nikah (solemnisation), middle: dinner at kelab shah alam, bottom: chinese tea ceremony

december 16 was a much more relaxing day. it was to be the second ceremonial dinner for our wedding and was held in kelab shah alam. the ceremony was in full (well, almost full) indonesian tradition as putra is malaysian-born indonesian (mbi).

after all that's said and done, i still have a long way to go to come full circle.

Kenny sia on blogskin sins

2007-06-11T04:24:00.001+08:00

it's funny how sometimes you stumble upon some other blog and find that most human just think alike. i hate blogs that forces their music down your throat and it's almost impossible to locate the off button. kenny sia feels the same. i like that i'm not the only one.

Morguefile

2007-05-31T17:47:00.001+08:00

before i got my slr (single lens reflex) camera, i knew that one day, i would own one. the only variables were brand, budget, aesthetics, and time. and so, from way back then, i have search the internet for information and lessons on photography the slr way.

one day, while browsing the internet (don't you just love the internet), i chanced upon a treasure. at first sight, this page looks rather nondescript. however, further perusing led to information after information that does not exist on other photography sites. the date of lessons may be from a while back but the information still applies. i have learned a lot from it and will still visit from time to time. it's really a beginner's dream come true.

Conquered

2007-05-31T02:45:00.003+08:00

i can finally say i've sampled food from all three kopitiam in damansara perdana (near where i live). score is:
k3k - nasi lemak (1), kaya butter toast (1),
goh hainan kopitiam - hainanese chicken chop (1),
my kopitiam - long's sarsi, made in malaysia (2), roti jala and curry (1),
it's still too soon to judge. will have to sample other items on their menus to tally the score for supremecy in kopitiam in damansara perdana. after that, maybe another area and after that still, probably klang valley. nothing is impossible.

Farewell

2007-05-28T21:17:00.003+08:00

ampang burger. my man and i have been patrons of this burger stall for a very long time. wouldn't go as far as to consider ourselves regulars of this joint (can i say that?), but we've put in our fair share, enough to fancy ourselves loyal customers.

the secret ingredient, butter. lots and lots of butter. heart attack on a grill. how are mere mortals to resist the temptation?

these images showcase my last adventure with ollie. it will be in abeyance to allow for darwin to shine. i've also grown accustomed to going everywhere darwin goes.

Anonymous

2007-05-25T03:41:00.005+08:00

melaka. place where i was born and bred. that is until i was sent away to college in sunway after spm. i miss melaka tremendously. in retrospect, it's mostly because my grandmother is staying there in the house i grew up in. she raised me since the day i was born. love her.

myopic. something i inherited from daddy dearest. however, contact lens is my choice of day wear.

shoes. love them, can't live without them. these are my sister's by the way. she lives in melaka with my grandmother. very lucky indeed.

gardening. the only hobby my grandmother indulges in these days. she's not as strong as she used to be. gardening is the only form of excercise that is not too taxing for her.

grandmother. here she is waiting for her ride, which is a school bus, to take her to evening congregation. while waiting, she finds the time to fold my sister's laundry.

score. these images are unrelated to my monthly melaka trip. these were taken in sunway pyramid, where i went to get an external hard drive. at 350 ringgit for an elegant housing and pvc leather case, and 120gb of space, it was a steal. we then had dinner at tony romas. what a disappointment. my ny strip was 53.90 ringgit but lacked any taste. just by adding another 10 ringgit or so, i could have had really delicious steak at the smokehouse opposite d'mayang condo in kuala lumpur.

p/s: icehockey pictures taken at iso 1600, f/1.4 and shutter speed of 1/1000. the high iso is a norm when shooting sports. this is due to the fact that i need to set shutter speed really fast (still not fast enough at 1/1000) for high action movement.

Fraser's hill

2007-05-23T05:45:00.005+08:00

the 2 images above are of the selangor dam. it really is a beautiful sight. took this picture on the way to fraser's hill. i didn't set my camera on the tripod seeing as the day is pretty bright, somewhat overcast due to the rain. left hand holding the umbrella handle to shelter darwin (canon) and i from the rain and the other holding him and snapping away. i coudn't get close enough for a better shot and i don't own a 200mm lens. these will have to do for now. both images with the same setting of 1/200 for shutter speed, at f5.6, with iso 200. i probably zoomed as much as my kit would permit (which wasn't much) and that was 55mm.

images from the restaurant was taken at shutter speed of 1/15, f4.0 and iso 400. but at shutter speed (tv) of 1/15 there's bound to be camera shake without the help of a tripod, unless of course one has the most steady hands in the world. nah, very unlikely. therefore, a tripod is an essential part of photography.

the outdoor images were taken with settings of tv 1/50, f4.0, and iso 400. it was rather cloudy by the time we finished our meal at the restaurant. plus, it was threatening to rain again.

this image was a tricky one to take. i didn't have a circular polariser at that time and the bus was reflecting a lot of light, while the surroundings were pretty gloomy. also, i made the sound decision of doctoring this image later with photoshop. i had to take it with a tv 1/30, f4.0 and iso 800! if there was any other way, i wish to learn it but at that moment, i had to go with those settings. outdoor, during the day, i would normally opt for a smaller iso with a max of 400.

last drink before we left fraser's hill (for good?). at this point (time 1830), the rain was starting to pour rather heavy. image setting at tv 1/40, f5.6 and iso 800. for this image, i can't go any faster than f5.6 as the focal length was maximum at 55mm. an hour later, when the rain has shied away, we made our way back to kl for dinner (or late dinner, ok, ok supper). arrived at kopitiam around 2300 hours.

Yellow

2007-05-22T18:37:00.002+08:00

there was a time when i thought i'd be missing out on a lot if i miss the chance to visit fraser's hill. that time is no more. it was an impromptu trip, originally meant for cameron highlands. at first, i was excited by the idea of cameron highlands, seeing as i've never been there either. that was until i saw the road map of peninsula malaysia. i had no idea cameron highlands is that far away from the klang valley. this prompted a remark from my man that i would definitely fail at geography. lucky me, geography was not a compulsory for spm. i remember being ecstatic when i first learned of this but the knowledge that history would take its place managed to immediately, if not sooner, burst my bubble. i hated history back in high school, which was not too long ago. i'm still young (at heart).

but i digress.

would not dream of travelling on an empty stomach. my man wanted dim sum. nikko hotel or mandarin oriental? nikko's dim sum are still my favourite but mandarin's are less pricy. once in mandarin, we realised all too quickly that their chinese restaurant would only open its doors to customers at noon. and time then was 1115 in the a.m. fret not. my man assured me. so, what do we do to kill time? my man (yea, my man!) decided we should have a drink at the lounge. to my surprise, the lounge was already bustling with activity, most of which came from the hotel guests. aren't they early risers? me, if on holiday, i'd rather have some time when i can sleep in. i'm on holiday for crying out loud. ok back to reality. we had our drinks, talked a little. in retrospect, anyone who knew us, and read this would probably know i was pulling a fast one. my man and i don't just talk a little, we have a full-on forum on anything and everything, everytime we start talking. and before long, it was already half past 12. settled the bill, raced back upstairs to the first floor where the restaurant is located. straight after, we left for fraser's hill. it was a long, arduous and rather exhausting drive. the road uphill was narrow and steep. fortunately we made it there and back in one piece (duh!).

having a drink at the lounge, which by the way also serves really good duck with bagel in the evenings. we had two portions in one sitting when we were there previously. this image's grainy level is way high, which resulted from me setting the iso at 1600, the maximum on my camera.

this sign almost made me pee in my pants. it's bloody hilarious. urut ubah saiz in english literally means, massage to modify size. according to my man, it's for those less endowed in the southern region of the body. and the masseuse (can i call it that seeing as the word masseuse is meant for a female) is always a male. if the recipient of such a service is gay then he would be the happiest gay in town that day. however, if he is straight, man that is just plain wrong.

3 hours later. fraser's hill. weather conditions didn't permit for lots of photo-taking. i probably got around 30 pics. under normal circumstances, like say when we were in pd, i had about 200 shots in an hour or so. regardless, i will still upload some fraser's hill shots in the next post. quality may be questionable.

is it any wonder where we would be having coffee when in kl? i never had a doubt we'd be heere again. at the same table, no less. the pic above of my kaya butter thick toast.

totally unrelated except it's another shade of yellow. Had this at home. bought from k3k kopitiam.

Pythagorean triangle

2007-05-19T14:58:00.003+08:00

camera lenses are to me what vogue magazine is to carrie bradshaw in sex & the city. ok, that's overplaying it a tad too dramatic. that being said, i am now a proud owner of one canon 50mm f1/4 usm. the first time i laid eyes on him, i knew he was the one. i took him. we wondered around town in search of pleasure but failed to discover any. maybe i didn't try hard enough. maybe there wasn't any to be found. or maybe the husband and i were famished and needed to fuel our bodies. this led us to madam kwan in bangsar. (blogging about food again?) i reckon madam kwan needs no introduction, and it may even seem cliche to some for a mention of this establishment. oh my, how i love their sweet and sour prawns, and kangkong belacan. no one really goes to madam kwan for their "excellence" in service but one cannot deny the food there stimulates the tastebuds. patience is not one of my virtue, and with that, out comes the camera with the spanking brand new lens to capture some memories.

Blue

2007-05-10T03:41:00.004+08:00

the hubby and i took another trip to port dickson (pd) this weekend. this time we managed an earlier visit. but first, we had to fill our bellies. in the area very close to where we live, there are 3 kopitiam. however, i've only patroned 2 of them and have found that k3k kopitiam reigns supreme. nasi lemak, curry laksa and toast are their accomplishment. i like how they cook up their curry laksa to taste somewhat similar to nyonya laksa. i should know, i was raised a nyonya. the only thing they omitted from the curry laksa is the daun kesom, which is actually the ingredient that will make or break the whole dish. but, it's still not too bad. also, i've not been able to come across another outlet serving this kind of curry laksa. and the toast. oh what a toast! the authentic kopitiam toasts are toast which are sliced in the middle and filled with kaya and butter and then assembled once again. this will then either be served as is or sandwiched again with kaya and butter to another identical toast. how rich! this is authentic kopitiam toast. k3k kopitiam opened last year at the place in damansara perdana. well done!

the curry laksa. i need at least 2 lime for my bowl. and i love the wooden chopsticks. yum.

the first thing i saw when we arrived at the beach. how typical. after buying some cans of soft drinks, i set up my tripod and waited. and waited. and waited. then, then sun was slowly turning a nice warm glow. perfect! time for the camera to work.

finally, after all that hard work, it's chow time. we went somewhere close called ulek mayang. the face that greeted us was a sourpuss. we're too hungry to care. then, ordering was also a nightmare. i mean, come on, it's our first time and we asked a few questions about the fish and other dishes and what we got was hostile to say the least. it's probably a few questions too many for 'her liking'. do i hear 'customer service'? finally, she pointed to where all the fishes are and gestured for us to go have a look ourselves. no words. amazing. then 20 minutes after placing our order, the drinks arrived, by which time i was so parched i could lick my own sweat. but i didn't. :) another 10 minutes passed, then our kangkong belacan arrived, together with 2 plates of white rice. then, the siakap arrived and finally the pari. verdict: service was lousy. fish was not fresh, albeit being next to the sea, cooking was half-hearted, and lacked in taste. worst part was, there wre cats everywhere, running around and making me feel uneasy. i was not the only one though as there were others there who didn't appreciate the cats sneaking up on them. definitely first and last.

Oldtown

2007-05-07T06:02:00.002+08:00

another oldtown white coffee visit. our third for this week. we must really like this place. or we've run out of places to go and/or not bothered to figure out another place to go. didn't bring along my canon (actually he has a name but that's for another post). ollie (yeah, that's the name of my olympus) is always in my carry-on bag, so got these pictures taken. table 13, the hubby's lucky number. we sat at the same table for all 3 visits.

oldtown coffee lava. one scoop of vanilla ice cream in the cup, then top that with hot coffee, which is very close in taste and consistency to espresso, then another scoop of vanilla ice cream, this one topped with coffee powder. simply delicious. and very sinful.