WPPM Kuching 2011

 

On the 7th of May which was just yesterday, WPPM (Wedding and Portraits Photographers Malaysia) organized a 2-day workshop, for the very first time in Kuching, thanks to Alvin Leong and Patrick Low, two distinguished photographers renowned for their work in the field.

It was organized at the Islamic Information Center near Swinburne; an odd but nonetheless beautiful building that melds the designs and motifs of the various peoples of Malaysia. 1Malaysia? Quite possible.

Nice venue as you can see above. The above is a photo of the center’s activity halls, a modern rendition of the traditional Bidayuh ‘round house’. Very thoughtful of them.

It was an honour to have highly-distinguished photographer Jim Liaw of Jim Liaw Photography present to us his experiences in the field of wedding and portraiture photography. Learning from the pros was one thing, but it was certainly educational to hear them explain the dos and don’ts of the trade.

Launched in October 2010, WPPM’s mission is to educate and inspire photographers to move on to the next level. A mentorship program is high on the agenda and expected to begin shortly. Many thanks to Alvin Leong and Patrick Low for bringing WPPM to Kuching.

=== END ===

Dormancy for a Reason

Dear friends, you may have noticed that I had been away for quite a long time from my blog. I had a good reason too. Over the past couple of months, I had been trying to evade a stalker. Someone had been 'following' me around in cyberspace, and it wasn't a good thing. I have decided that, rather than shying away from cyberspace, I'll just lodge a report to Google the next time this happens again. Thanks for your kind understand. ;)

Triskaidekaphobia

"Today is Friday the 13th".

That's scary, because when someone mentions that, you sometimes have the feeling things will go wrong on this day.

I guess if you try to find the downside in everything, nature has a strange way of rewarding you for your efforts, and proving you right.

Today is Saturday the 14th, but I just felt somewhat tempted, to write about the vague recollection of emotional roller-coaster I went through yesterday. I think by now you would have realised that I do have a fear, though not chronic, of the number 13. They call this fear, or phobia, 'Triskaidekaphobia'.

Strange eh? Yup, I know, but I am definitely not alone.

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

As I am sitting in my chair and typing away furiously at my laptop, I am still reeling from the shocking news of a good friend’s passing. Nancy had led a good life, and she has touched the lives of many.

On the 16th of June this year, I posted my status on the Facebook wall as follows; “I need a mentor..”. Nancy was quick to come to my rescue, knowing full well I was feeling depressed and in need of direction. We do need a bit of cheering up once in a while, and there was Nancy when I needed her. She posted a video link that truly touched my heart.

 

I wish to thank her, for even in her passing, she has touched hearts, and will continue to do so. God must truly love her.

 

===END===

Direction and Destination, Conflicts

The events that unfolded during the night’s meeting came to pass quickly, albeit, not without some friction. In my years of mediating meetings and discussions, I seldom have had a group meeting that didn’t involve some form of conflict, but from the very beginning, it is imperative that this conflict is handled in as professionally as possible.

But I am digressing.

I apologize if I my explanation above is misleading to you. First and foremost, in every meeting, it is simply inevitable that conflicts, whether trivial or serious, are very likely to happen. If this is starting to make me sound like a conflict-monger, then the necessity to explain what a conflict is,  arises. A quick search on Google reveals the many meanings of the word ‘conflict’:

an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine; "police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"

opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; "he was immobilized by conflict and indecision"

battle: a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; "Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"

a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; "his conflict of interest made him ineligible for the post"; "a conflict of loyalties"

an incompatibility of dates or events; "he noticed a conflict in the dates of the two meetings"

be in conflict; "The two proposals conflict!"

opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot); "this form of conflict is essential to Mann's writing"

go against, as of rules and laws; "He ran afoul of the law"; "This behavior conflicts with our rules"

dispute: a disagreement or argument about something important; "he had a dispute with his wife"; "there were irreconcilable differences"; "the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats"

 

Without getting carried away, a conflict is what often results in the necessity of having a meeting or discussion, and is often a by-product of it as well. So we now have a catch-22 situation; a classic example of the chicken and the egg.

If during the meeting I have been branded as controlling and whatnot, I need to explain that ideas and opinions brought forth during a meeting are all meant to be challenged. And if my ideas are, in the opinion of those who attended the meeting just now, inappropriate, it is the prerogative of the members to voice out, by explaining why my ideas are less than acceptable, backed by the appropriate reasoning. If the reasoning is sound, then all is well and good. After all, it’s for the collective good of the group, nothing more. However, I don’t recall any reasoning other than that I was occupying too much ‘airtime’

My primary concern however, was not about ‘controlling’ or ‘monopolizing', but rather, it was about the direction of the meeting, and the lack of a proper agenda. It is not about any position of ‘prestige’, or the perks that follow. As I reiterate, it’s for the common good. And if I decide to get serious about it, I will get serious about it.

However, if the meeting was intended to be a casual meet up, then we must remember that we had a guest, Steven, who was, obviously, not quite comfortable with how to fit in as he was new, necessitating some control in the ‘traffic’. I hope I have made my point clear.

The bottom-line is this; conflicts invariably happen. It’s how we deal with them that makes the difference.

 

===END===

The Japanese are Funny

Strange no? Just have a look at the picture below, which I found from a good site, loaded to the brim with funny stuff. Kind of reminds me of Ultraman, haha. Have a good laugh :)

 

==END==

When the Lifeline is Broken

It never occurred to me, for even a moment, that I could ever be so addicted to the internet. True to the maxim that you only appreciate something once it is gone, that was exactly how I felt the moment Telekom pulled the plug on me; because I was upgrading to a faster speed, but one that required a change of billing name.

For one thing, Telekom is pretty efficient; but for odd and awkward reasons. Only an hour after the line-termination form was submitted, my umbilical cord was suddenly cut, and so was my connection with the rest of the world (and from my pals on Facebook, urrghhh).

Of Curses and Praises

What became 'fairly tolerable' for a few hours eventually turned into a 'nail-biting hysteria' after just 3 days of abstinence. So apparently the only solace I found was in the fact that I could still check up on my pals on Facebook Mobile, and so that was the only sliver of light left at the end of this musty tunnel.

Thankfully, thanks to a very efficient sub-contractor, the whole issue was resolved without much of a hiccup, save for the fact that Telekom's 'boleh' server was down the day before, thanks to the embodiment of the 'boleh' spirit that echoes throughout of Malaysia's largest telco. Malaysia indeed 'boleh'.

The day before, the contractor broke to me the possibility that the maximum possible speed that could be supported was 2Mbps. The fact that I subscribed to a 4Mbps package meant that there would be more delays to be expected, if this was indeed true. The nail-biting continued.

Thank goodness, it was a problem with one of the 'boleh' servers, and it was resolved the following morning. Speeds were great (in Malaysia, you just don't expect to much, do you?), and at 4Mbps, I suddenly became good pals with Youtube. I hope the speed stays that way, at least until I decide to upgrade in the future. Praise be to Telekom!

Google Yer Matties! Arrr...

Google is, without the faintest shadow of any doubt, the most amazing thing that has ever happened to the internet. Despite their prominence, Google is also a company that appreciates a little humor. Just visit Google's 'Language Tools' page and see for yourself. Just scroll to the bottom (get ready!) and take note of the following 'language' choices:

• Bork, bork, bork!
• Elmer Fudd
• Hacker
• Pirate

These are just four funny ones I stumbled into, can you find more?

Little Litterbugs

"Keep Malaysia Clean"
"Think before you throw"

There is a never-ending barrage of the above channeled to us through our government sponsored television adverts and campaign posters about 'keeping Malaysia spick and span', yet it seems that the efficacy of the abovementioned remains somewhat of a mixed bag.

What I find more disturbing is the sight of school-going children dumping their garbage around their school yard and around the bus-stops.

I sometimes wonder what they ever learn in school, or more mind-boggling, what kind of values their parents have been instilling in their kids.

Unfortunately, it's not just the little ones guilty of this, but even educated adults as well. I was once told of a lawyer who even declared that is his 'right to dump his rubbish wherever he pleases' as we pay taxes to have the council clean up our streets. I don't see this as doing justice to our road sweepers.

While Kuching can certainly claim the spot for being one of the cleanest cities in the country, this habit is becoming entrenched. All too often, I see drivers who wind down their car window and dump their rubbish onto the streets, with a carload of kids. So much for homegrown values.

Trip to Bako National Park

Having been jungle trekking in the past and scaling some of the not-so-tall hills and mountains of Sarawak, I had been thirsting for a similar adventure so I asked myself, “Why not go to Bako?”

 

We had been planning this trip for a long time, way too long, and before we knew it, all the hostels and lodging were all snapped up for the weekend, so we went for a day trip instead.

For those who don’t know much about Bako National Park, the national park is the oldest in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak and is located some 29 to 30 kilometers from Kuching (see picture below), the capital of Sarawak. My pals gathered at my place on early Saturday morning at around 6.30am before meeting up at Thompson Corner for a hearty breakfast of kolo mee to keep our energy levels high for the trip ahead. I had been gaining some weight for some time (extra 15 kilos the last time I checked, may be higher now) so this is the perfect moment to get in shape.

Bako National Park is one of the nearest national parks to Kuching, and getting there by car or bus should be a no-brainer. The second phase of the journey however requires visitors to travel by boat.

It is possible to charter a motorboat at the national park terminal at Kampung Bako and it costs RM 47.00 per boat per way, for 5 persons.

The boat trip was quite scenic as we were greeted by views of the kampungs and fishing boats of the fishing village along the way for the first 5 minutes of the boat journey, followed by several stretches of mangrove swamps.

The boat trip was a lot shorter than I had initially thought. As we were nearing the park’s jetty, we spotted some of Bako’s top attractions; walls of sandstone and limestone, crafted by wind and water over thousands of years.

This is of course, not without getting a spectacular view of Mount Santubong, which is said to resemble the profile of Rajah Brooke lying down. The photo below was taken from Teluk Assam, near the jetty. Legend has it that there was once a princess named Santubong, who was cursed and turned into a mountain.

It is not difficult to get around the park as most areas are accessible via trails which are properly maintained. The elevated plank walk shown below allows visitors to have a good view of the mangrove swamps.

*To be continued in Part 2

After Four on One

Sorry, I couldn’t resist writing such an apparently misleading title, but I like how the numbers ‘four’ and ‘one’ come together.

The first day of the year had a rather unusual opening.

I woke up at 11.45pm, just in time for lunch.

It was also the day Leonard, my twin, was due to fly back to Penang after a week long holiday back here in Kuching. Was I sad that he had to leave so soon? Not at all, he’ll be back for Chinese New Year.

To kick off with the celebration, we had lunch at this new joint called ‘After Four’, a place known for its cozy atmosphere, good food (huge variety, they claim to have ‘more than a hundred’), free wireless internet, and of course, its distinctive orange-coloured theme, making After Four really stand out of the crowd.

Speaking about variety, you’ll be spoilt for choice the moment you flip through the menu. Unlike other food joints here in Kuching, which are either ‘too cheap or too expensive’, you’ll always get something here that is ‘just right’.

I had a bowl of Cantonese Noodles, which, for only RM 5.50, is indeed deserving of praise, due to it’s generous serving.

Cantonese Noodles

The picture above doesn’t do justice to the actual size of the bowl. Aaron, on the other hand, had the Cantonese Rice in Basket (shown below).

The Four ‘No’s

In church, we are often reminded of the Ten Commandments, but at After Four, you will see the ‘Four No’s’ prominently displayed on the outside. That comes as no surprise, as After Four has obviously set their sights on the Muslim market.

Huh? What’s this?

Haha, maybe they should have added a ‘No Cats and Dogs’ to their list of ‘no’s.

===END===

Welcoming the year of the Tiger

The time now is exactly 12:02 am, 1st January 2010. As I am sitting here writing this article, I am overwhelmed by the very thought that time has passed so quickly. Only less than five minutes ago, my computer’s clock read ‘11.57pm, 31st December 2009’. That was the last time I would ever see the ‘2009’ in the date column of the date-time display.

Last year was the most eventful year in my life, as it marked an important milestone in my life as I emerge from academia, and enter into the world as a working adult. 2009 was perhaps a year of many oddities; a year than began with a rough ride, from the moment I was ‘struggling’ with my thesis, till the joyful and unforgettable family moments during the Christmas season of 2009.

As I gaze with bleary eyes at my computer screen, working tirelessly to complete this brief article, amidst the thunderous claps of fireworks seen illuminating the sky, I am consumed by one stark reality; the year of the tiger has come. My year, so it spells a certain significance to a tiger like me, but not so much as an excuse to excel only once every twelve years!

The year of the tiger holds many mysteries, uncertainties and to those who are willing to work hard for a better future, the year does hold many promises. My resolutions, my life, my future. Perhaps, in another 12 years, when the next tiger comes by, I will have a word to say about the tiger of today.

 

===END===

Now Everyone Can Eat, and Ride?

“Now Everyone Can Fly!” (Yeehaa!)

How right they are. It used to cost so much more to fly around the country, and even more to fly out of Malaysia.

Then came Air Asia, and the rest became history.

The coming of Air Asia solved the problem of air-travel, which for many Malaysians like me, was rather expensive at times.

Then came another company, that for obvious reasons, gave me an impression that it wants to help prepare us Malaysians for some kind of impending famine or something.

With the wordings ‘Food Asia’ so prominently emblazoned on the red awnings shown above, it’s hard not to imagine that we might soon witness the rise of Malaysia’s (and the world’s?) first ‘low-cost’ food eatery, right? Hmmm, let’s find out…

A quick look at their website (www.FoodAsia.net, duh!) reveals an assortment of mouth-watering delights, from our local Sarawakian Apam Balik to the not-so-local Philippines Mee Hoon. I think they’re quite right about the pricing though; you can get just about any dish for RM 4.00 and below, and dessert for RM 3.00 or less. Finally, a place to get some decent food without burning a hole in your wallet. “Now Everyone Can Eat!”

And if that wasn’t enough, wait till you see this…

“Now Everyone Can Ride!”

===END===

Twas the Night before Christmas

It is a quiet night, tonight, on Christmas eve, that I have decided to write a little something on my blog. Tomorrow is Christmas day, the day I had long been looking forward to, with eagerness and joy, yet I am somewhat overwhelmed with a feeling that something  is not quite as it used to be. Maybe, just maybe, I’m getting a bit sentimental.

When I was a kid, some 15 years ago, Christmas was the happiest day of the year (besides Chinese New Year), and Santa Claus was real. As Christmas day got nearer, I was the one who usually dragged the Christmas tree out of the store room, and before you know it, a fully-decorated tree complete with those blinky lights would be standing tall and proud in that one corner of my living room.

As a kid, I didn’t really care that Christmas had always been about the celebration of Christ’s coming into this world, for at that time, all that mattered the most was who got the biggest, or most expensive present under the tree.

Today got me thinking, and thinking hard about the true meaning of Christmas.

Have the times changed.

Now much older and wiser, I have come to realize that Christmas day, as special as it is, is not about Christmas trees, Santa Claus and his merry elves, presents and all that we were led to believe in. Christmas is about renewal. The renewal of vows and promises, and commitments that we make to ourselves and to those whom we love and care for, for the betterment of the year to come.

As we embrace ourselves to meet the challenges of the year ahead, let us all, in the spirit of this joyous occasion, wish each other a blessed and merry Christmas.

 

===END===

Burning & Building Bridges

Recently, while checking for updates in Facebook, I came across an interesting posting by a good old friend of mine. It is as shown below:

______________________________________________________________________________________

In Pursuit of Happiness
Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 10:26pm

Don’t let someone become a priority in your life,
When you are just an option in their life …
Relationships work best when they are balanced.

Never explain yourself to anyone,
Because the person who likes you doesn’t need it,
And the person who dislikes you won’t believe it

When you keep saying you are busy, Then you are never free.
When you keep saying you have no time, Then you will never have time.
When you keep saying that you will do it tomorrow, Then tomorrow will never come.

When we wake up this morning, we have two simple choices.
Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.
Choice is yours…

We make them cry who care for us,
We cry for those who never care for us
And we care for those who will never cry for us

This is the truth of life, it’s strange but true
Once you realize this, it’s never too late to change
Don’t make promises when you are in joy

Don’t reply when you are sad
Don’t take decisions when you are angry
Think twice, Act wise

Time is like a river, You cannot touch the same water twice
Because the flow that has passed will never pass again
Enjoy every moment of life

______________________________________________________________________________________

The rules to a happy and fulfilling life are not difficult to understand, but obviously difficult to put into practice.

I personally find the first paragraph particularly interesting:

”Don’t let someone become a priority in your life,
When you are just an option in their life
Relationships work best when they are balanced.”

It is not uncommon to find that people whom you thought were friends choose to send you right down to their ‘priority stack’, for some ‘mysterious’ reasons.

I’ve had a classmate from my primary school who doesn’t write to me, and I only get a response from him (if any), after ‘building my half of the bridge’.

The irony of this matter is that while this is a simple rule to understand, very few people actually take it seriously. In other words, these apparently simple rules are often taken for granted.

Obviously, if they don’t take you seriously, or at least, they choose to have you ‘blacked-out’ of your life, who can blame them?

Be happy, just burn down the bridge.

 

===END===

Sawing your way to fame

Joshua Bell plays the violin.

So does Itzhak Perlman.

Both men are world-class musicians, with world-class reputations. Joining this list is Takako Nishizaki of Japan. I just love the way she plays The Butterfly Lovers.

These musicians are known the world over for their amazing virtuosity, as the violin is not an easy instrument to play, let alone master.

Just two days ago, I was convinced that you can make good music out of just about anything. Be amazed. Be enlightened. See the video below!

Now imagine getting that thing on the plane. Sheesh….

===END===

Airbus at Kuching Waterfront

What??!!

Sorry for the unusual title, but I had to grab your attention. I was taking a walk along the waterfront with my uncle just yesterday, taking photos, when I noticed something rather unusual.

 

 

There’s just something about the name that I don’t get.

Is it a bus? Check.

Made by Airbus. Definitely a no no.

Nothing like the real thing:

I wonder why the bus company decided to put an ‘Air’ there. Should call it ‘Road’ Bus la…

===END===

Invasion of the ‘Happy Thing’…

The ‘thing’, or better known as, the ‘happy thing’, has,  over the recent years,  successfully covered just about every facet of our digital lives. It knows no boundaries. It is merciless in it’s choice of propagation. It infects the living host, and floods the individual with emotions that subdue the consciousness of the host,  and consequently encourages it’s spread. This ‘happy thing’ is notorious to the point of invading into every text space known to mankind, every email, every word processor document, even spreadsheets, and well, just about anything attached to a keyboard.

This ‘thing’, while seen as nothing but a pest to some, is seen by many (myself included), as the ultimate expression of sincerity, friendship, passion, and even love. The ‘happy thing’, as implied by the word ‘happy’, is supposed to convey joy, and of course, ‘happiness’ (duh).

The ‘happy thing’ is pictured below.

 

…

…

…

…

…

…

 

Cute and dangerous… :-)   (don’t you see why now?)  :-D

 

Yes, you have got that right. The ‘happy  thing’ is really just a smiley face. Oh wait! I don’t just mean a smiley face, but it’s the smiley face. Read on to find out why.

 

Variations and Themes of the ‘thing’

Yes, the unassuming smiley comes in many forms and shapes. Commonly ‘written’ as a:

 

:)

 

Mr. Smiley was eventually changed to look more ‘complete’, with a ‘nose’:

 

:-)

 

The ‘very happy thing’:

 

:-D

 

The big-‘eyed’, happy ‘thing’:

 

=D

 

The ‘winky thing':

 

;)

or…

;-)

or…

;-D

 

Uses of the ‘happy thing’…

In spite of it’s cute look, the smiley is tremendously useful when used correctly, but like all good thing, abuse can happen. Below are some of its uses in Live Messenger.

 

‘Good’ Uses:

1. To convey excitement:

2. To convey agreement:

 

‘Bad’ Uses:

1.  To convey ‘bad intentions’:

 

2  To convey sarcasm:

 

See? The ‘thing’ does afford us the power to choose between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

With great power, comes great responsibility, so use the ‘happy thing’ wisely!  :)

 

===END===

‘Define: Google’

It’s hard to believe that it just happened. In fact, it’s so hard to believe, that only after years of ‘Googling’, I had just ‘discovered’ one of Google’s most powerful search operators: ‘define:’.

Go ahead and try it! It works like a charm… =)

Now, I am not writing this article to tell you what late bloomer I am. It’s just that instead of scouring the web, conducting dictionary searches and performing cross-searching across multiple sites, I found that a way to get the ‘best of both worlds’, was to simply use the search operator ‘define:’. In short, Google gets to do the dirty work (nearly all of it), with sleeves rolled up.

The result can be seen below.

Too good to be true right? It’s no wonder Google has such immense sticking power.

Let’s just try another keyword to define….

 

Heck, no harm trying anyway…

And what do I get?

Hmm…sad, obviously nothing to shout about, except that my name being popular among the folks in Britain at one time.

 

And another…

  
Hmm..nothing very interesting, looks like Google hasn’t exactly moved with the times…

So we need to be a little more specific with Mr. G (Google!)…

Ahhh…that’s better. Have fun defining!    

 

☺☺END ☺☺

Prosperity with Google

You cannot possibly get any luckier than you’d normally do when using Google Indonesia. Just switch the language to Indonesian and this is what you’ll see.

Get what I mean? Lol!

===END===