love bug

I'm watching the live telecast of the Australian Open. I feel something crawling near my arm. There on my yellow throw-rug is this little buggy. As much as I love watching tennis, it takes a step back as I reach for my camera and snap on a macro lens. Complete devotion to photography. TWHACK!! A forehand winner!

Okay folks, you've all had your Christmas holidays. It's my turn now. Off to Sydney to see my friend Cheng Han marry the man of her life. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Check-in is 4 A.M.

Poddy, Sally and Nathalie, get those lattes ready. I love holidays.

KLDP will resume full transmission on February 2. I'm so excited! SYDNEY!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

building blocks

The building is a low-cost housing apartment block. Sometimes we refer to them as pigeon-holes. Not that we're pompous middle-class. It's just the space, or lack of, in each. I posted a shot of one of these last year. That one has since been pulled down. The government is building new housing areas on the outskirts of the city. Most of the tenants in these will eventually have to move out.

Fireworks Sunday

Took this one on Friday night. Tried a different angle to see what would happen. To me it looks like a chrysanthemum in bloom. What does it look like to you?

Hope you're having a great Sunday.

cultured night

This is an angle of the Istana Budaya (National Theatre) roof. It was late at night and only one light was on. I had to sneak about as people aren't allowed on the premises once closed. I liked the light and quickly snapped the shot. Then I disappeared like a phantom in the night.

Tomorrow is Fireworks Sunday on KLDP.

KL Sentral 4

And the parting shot of this station. I'm glad you've enjoyed the 'journey' :)

I'm done with all my corporate commitments and started packing five minutes ago. It's my turn to go on holiday. 5 days more... Poddy, Sally, I'm coming!

KL Sentral 3

I saw this table of girls and went up and asked for a shot. The girl second from left said, "For you of course. I didn't know you took pictures too." I went 'Huh?' She went on to ask when my next play/movie/TV appearance was. "You recognize me? Wow!" I said. "Yah, we all do. You're Edwin, right?" and she giggled. I tell you, these girls really made my day. I thanked them, wished them a great day and walked away with a great big smile. My ego was happy too. Didn't buy any tickets from them though.

KL Sentral 2

Before any perfectionists make a comment about it, I'll explain why this shot isn't centered properly. I took the shot away from my face. I bent over, placed the camera on my foot for balance, felt the angle and pressed the button. I didn't fix it in post-production because I liked the slight off-centeredness. I'm also very happy to give HSBC some free advertising. Why? My company has been selected to be part of the HSBC In The Arts 2007 sponsorship program. One of the few companies that believe strongly in their Corporate Social responsibilities. Thank you.

Still in the station tomorrow. Come back to get your tickets.

KL Sentral 1

KL Sentral, the public transportation hub of the city. This is where you catch the monorail, LRT, KLIA Express and most trains that choo-choo chugga-chugga where you wish to go. Here's a shot of one of several waiting areas. Tomorrow, the main lobby area.

postscript: the water droplet pictures have been uploaded to my Flickr page for your viewing pleasure

do you know where you're going to?

It's Visit Malaysia Year and visitors are aplenty. And taxis are scarce. Public transportation is getting better but still has a way to go before it can be considered good. Back to the taxis. They fall into 2 camps, the ones that fleece you and the ones that have to live with the shame. A hotel concierge told me a story of a Taiwanese lady who was forced to pay a taxi RM400 for a 15 minute ride. Suffice it to say she was extremely distraught. Then there are the stories of Middle-Eastern visitors who haggle over the fare and try to get away with a near-free ride. Shocking. The honest taxi drivers can usually tell a story or two when you ask. When our foreign friends come to visit, we always tell them to insist on turning on the meter and being nice to the drivers. That way, the drivers have no excuse of cheating you for being a nasty passenger. I hate to see this happening. I live in a wonderful city and it's sad when visitors leave with a sour taste in their mouths.

big bang theory

Have you ever imagined what it looked like when the galaxy began? Could it have looked like this? Hmm...

I took this one 2 nights ago. Used a different lens and longer shutter speed. I think every Sunday on KLDP will be fireworks day from this one on. Why not eh? I should take full advantage of the nightly fireworks display. Oh, you can thank Ruth for coming up with this weekly idea. Now you get to see fireworks once a week wherever you are.

tilted head

Okay, I found this in my archive. Taken September '06, back in the days of clear blue skies and slightly fresher air. It completely slipped my mind until I saw The Bad Photographer's picture. I dug through thousands of shots. So, this is in homage to Pod, a photographer whose eye I admire (yes, yes, you're buying me a cuppa soon!)

Tomorrow is a big-bang shot. I'm sure you can guess what it'll be.

aqua stop

Whaddaya think? I'm really pleased with myself. Well actually I should give myself a hard kick in the behind. I was supposed to be writing a script for a corporate gig but decided to do a bit of home studio photography instead. I spent about an hour or so playing with backgrounds and flash positions and shutter speed and exposure and reflectors and... Took about a hundred pictures and ended up with 18 that I was extremely happy with. Water always photographs so beautifully.

Thanks for letting me post this as a KLDP shot. There will be a KL picture tomorrow, I promise. Another mini-series, I think. Let's see what happens today.

another tourist attraction

Here's something you'll see if you were at Tasik Titiwangsa. The blue-roofed building is Istana Budaya, considered the national theatre by many, a white elephant by everyone else. You can guess with side I'm on. From a distance you see the the most recognizable towers. What you can't see is the person who took this shot...me :)

I don't have a shot of KL for tomorrow. I do, however, have a shot of something I attempted yesterday. An experiment with water. Can I have your permission to post it as a KLDP picture?

little eyes

No, I haven't gone up in it yet so this shot will have to do for now. It's the last one in this mini-series. Myra is back and we're setting aside some time to go together.

Broadband is ridiculously slow today. It's taken me an hour to post this. Wanted to write a bit more but I've got to jump in the shower and head out. Till tomorrow folks.

eyeing it closely

I said I'd post another one, here it is. An ant's eye view. What you see is the ticket booth and the wheel behind it. Fun, yeah? I'm waiting for my friend Myra to come back so both of us can ride it and take aerial pictures. The weather has been horrible lately. Not a clear sky in sight. Lovely shades of gray though. The City Hall Emergency Squad is on standby in case of freak floods.

Another one tomorrow. Till then. What's Up, Doc?

MY Eye

MY, country code for Malaysia and here is the path to it's all-seeing eye, Eye On Malaysia. I went there today really briefly before the rain came and an errand I had to run. Snapped away of course with my arsenal of lenses. This one taken with a wide-angle set at 11mm. I also 'touched' it up to make the gray clouds a little more dramatic as a backdrop for the Eye. Another shot tomorrow. I guess I'm doing a series again :)

come one, come all

My wish of another fireworks photo session came true (and so soon!) and will be for every night of this year. Today is the beginning of Visit Malaysia Year 2007. Guess where this shot was taken? The roof of my house just an hour ago, that's where!

Not far from where I live is Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, the park where there'll be open-air concerts and light shows every night till the end of the year. Also erected is the Eye On Malaysia, a giant ferris-wheel, like the London Eye. I tried going today but couldn't get anywhere near it. It's as if the entire population turned up for it. But don't fret my pets, I will be there soon enough with more pictures for you. So, no excuse not to consider Malaysia for this year's holiday plans. See you soon!

the eye

After yesterday's post, I found one hiding in one of the pots in my garden. Whaddaya think? Should I start a neighourhood porridge stand?

congee hop

Thank Kris for reminding me about this shot. Yes folks, frog porridge. Hop-hop, ribbit-ribbit. Sometimes the stereotype that us Asians eat everything is true (only sometimes ok?) I remember having fried frog-legs for a snack when I was a child. Since then, no. Just the thought of it gives me the heebie-jeebies. The only frog I want is the one that'll turn into a prince and that may never happen cos I won't be able to bring myself close enough to kiss it. So, no prince for me. No worries, I dissected one in school. Nothing to shout about really. Anyone ever had python soup? All I can say is eat it before it eats you.

What exotic things have you seen and dared to try?

big blow up

Anyone fancy a balloon of balloons? I was at a set-up of a launch and was completely mesmerized by these. I thought it was the one big balloon. I turned away for a minute and when I turned back around, there were little balloons inside the big one. For the next 10 minutes or so I watched. More and more little ones were blown inside. Finally, when I thought it'll all explode, they added confetti too. Fun! And filled with helium, they floated about like magical orbs. Like I said, mesmerized. It was a wonder how I continued with what I was actually doing.

gastronomie

I'm hungry. Always am. I love food. And I love these glazed BBQ chicken wings. You can get them at most stall food streets. This one is at Jalan Alor, just off the shopping district. Anyone who visits KL is usually, if not always, brought to this street to eat. Noodles, rice, dim sum, everything fried, steamed, grilled, boiled, double-boiled... It's all here. Oh, lunch has a completely different fare from the night choices. The stalls change when twilight comes. So, for street gastronomists, here's your near 24-hour food fix.

my big bang!

Finally, my own pictures of fireworks! After many months of looking at other people's shots in photography magazines, I risked climbing up an old rusty bedframe onto a cement slab roof, set up the tripod, counted down from 10, screamed out 'Happy New Year' to my friends, my finger snapping away and my eyes wide at the sky with my smile beaming.

It was the first time in years since I last saw fireworks. Every New Year's Eve, I worked. This eve I wanted to do my own thing. I'm a happy camper, I am.

Though mine aren't the best I've seen, it's the start of better shots to come. Can't wait till the next time there are fireworks. Till then, I'm 'showing off' this one.

New Beginnings: Happy New Year!

It's 2007! A new day, a new year. Lots to look forward to. And it's DP Theme Day and the theme is 'The Best Picture of 2006.' It was a tough decision. I asked friends to give me their favourites. I also had my own list of about 50+ pictures. This picture of my cousin Rena's wedding wasn't even in the running (originally posted June 25). However, as I was narrowing down my choices, I thought I'd look through the entire KLDP archive to see if I missed any. Then this smiled at me and immediately I knew this was the perfect shot to introduce the new year.

Rena and Hadi on their wedding day. A day of new beginnings. Cheesy and clichéd I know but I'm looking forward to 2007. It's going to be a busy year and it'll completely exhaust me but I'm hoping to end the year with a big cheesy smile on my face.

Here are the other DP cities and their choices of the best memories last year offered.
1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30 -31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41 -42 -43 -44 -45 -46 -47 -48 -49 -50 -51 -52

It's gonna be great. I can feel it in my aching bones. Let's have laughs and fun and a s**t-load of memories and stories to tell. There'll be some crying I'm sure but that's part of the process, innit? Take it away maestro! Selamat Tahun Baru!