1st time using DSLR

Went to the Lake Gardens in KL for a trial shoot (virgin trip for my camera). I guess it wasn't meant to be. First off, I forgot to charge my battery. Well, actually I thought it was fully charged but it wasn't. hehe.. And then, the day turned cloudy. Really not good as almost all the photos we took were either very dull or over exposed coz the sun came out with a vengence a couple hours into the trip. After that, it even started drizzling! Talk about bad luck on a beginner's photoshoot trip.

Some stuff I learnt from this trip:

1) taking photos using aperture priority is a definite no no when the sun is too glaringly bright (especially when you don't really know what you're doing...)

2) manual focus is good for macro shots, for really tiny teeny thingies like this bug, for kit lens at least (you get to make the most of the macro shot with MF compared to AF) - like the following was taken with MF

3) For not so tiny thingies, AF is good.

4) if only i had a macro lens.. (and if only the dragonfly would coorperate and face me instead of the lake).. see what i mean by bad luck??

5) Joie was absolutely right! hehe.. this is definitely different. I think I spent that 3 plus hours trying to take photos (the operative word here being "trying") but unfortunately most of them turned out disastrous.

6) and believe it or not, the following I found in the Herb Garden. And here I thought it was just a flower...

7) lastly, the power of editing.. from a totally overexposed washed out photo..

to... something totally un-washed-out-and-un-overexposed..
That's all folks! hehehe

busybodies..

I really don't get it! Why do people have to slow down and watch? If let's say it's a horrific accident, then maybe it's excusable somewhat. But they seem to have to slow down to a snail's pace over any perceived misfortune that happens on the road. Everyone of them deserves to be b*tch slapped!

In fact, just a few days ago, this cab driver in front of me was even worse. Not only did he slow down to a snail's pace, I actually watched his head turning almost all the way to the back just because there was this little boy standing next to a cop on the road! And that was it! Just standing there talking to the cop and a traffic jam was created! ~!@##$@%$#%

I mean, seriously people! Unless you want to stop and get out of your car to help, then just mind your own damn business and drive!

To all the keh-poh-chi's (i.e. busy-bodies) out there, it would very highly appreciated if you could show some consideration next time.

Things I discovered the morning of my bday

1. Decided to start of my birthday the healthy way so followed my mom’s neighbour to FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia). Now I finally know the location. Apparently it is THE place to exercise for a lot of people. In fact, there was a queue to enter the car park. At 8am in the morning!

2. Fresh air!
I’d forgotten how it taste like.. it taste like.. really fresh air! Hehehe.. ok ok.. I mean, it’s easy to forget especially for city folks like us who breathes polluted air everyday. And it was so cooling it was fantastic

3. My mom’s neighbour drives like a maniac.

In fact, she drives like a I-own-the-road-and-can-do-whatever-I-like kinda maniac. She drives her car like a boat. Yup, as in accelerate, break, accelerate, break, left, right, left, right.. just like riding a swell during a storm at sea I would imagine. Aaand.. she definitely should take lessons on how to use her indicator lights correctly. I mean, correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think one should leave the lights blinking forever before you change lanes (since I was following her car, I can still see the *blink blink blink* after I close my eyes) or only flick it on when one is halfway through changing lanes, right? Like when you’re already straddling the line… =.=’

4. I can climb a mountain.

Ok ok.. so it’s not exactly a mountain but it sure felt like one to me! My legs are still aching too.. after 2 days!

5. I looked like crap and smelled really not so great on my bday..

coz I ended up sweating like a pig with strands of wet hair hanging in my eyes. And there were so many cute looking guys there too! Especially those in tight Speedos cycling with buns of steel. Well, at least I had some eye candy :)

6. A bunch of aunties can walk and climb faster than me.

We’re talking about housewives who are at least 10 years older than me or more. And they actually did climb the “mountain” while I was just piddling around like 15 steps up photographing mushrooms…

7. I almost had a heart attack.

When I’m behind a camera I’m totally unaware of my surroundings. An uncle actually came right up to me behind my back and gave me a shock when he ask “so did you get what you want?” I never knew that mushrooms can be so dangerously absorbing...

..and I dunno what this is so I call it the mini-boobies.. <*grin>

8. Waterfalls, even small ones are like natural airconditioning.

Just make sure one chooses a spot high up if one wants to play in the water. Otherwise you might be washing your hands in water that someone up there's been washing their feet in..

9. I met a cutie pie. Check him out below…
Ok, it might not necessarily be a “him” but hey, it was my birthday so if I say it’s a him then I’m entitled to my opinion, right? After all, one is always right on one’s bday. :p

10. When one's been climbing "mountains" (yes, I'm still saying that it's a mountain, so bite me! :p ), one can eat 4 slices of pizza for lunch. Note to self, no more pizza after next session.

11. Climbing mountains are really conducive to sleeping.

I slept like a log that night. No dreams, no midnight pee-ing.. just sleeping like a baby.. it was the most restful sleep I had that week.

12. Discovered that the word stamina no longer exist in my dictionary..

coz I was completely pooped out after my morning of exertion and then 4 slices of pizza for lunch it was pathetic..

13. I'm definitely going back there again.. :)

funny travel stories..

It's now almost 3 1/2 years since I first started travelling for business. Everythings changed gradually. As time passes, places varied, people changed, feelings changed and everything slowly becomes a routine. When I first started, every trip was filled with excitement and each trip felt very much like an adventure. But now, sad to say, every time I pack my bag and leave for the airport, it just feels the same. We get in a cab, drive to the airport, board the plane, land in a new/repeat continent, drive to a hotel, work, drive back to the airport, and fly back home.

The saddest thing is that I was just glancing through my travel photos and my old blog (when I used to blog about each trip) and it hit me that I've forgotten a very important thing.. and that's the laughter on each trip. No doubt each time I 'fly', it's exhausting but we always manage to make happy/funny memories. So I've decided to note them down here so that I won't forget again..

1) The first time I decided to try a traditional Thai massage with a female colleague and became a human pretzel. The only difference is the cracks that you hear everytime we're 'bent' into a new position. One position is still crystal clear in my mind - both of us suspended spread-eagle in mid air resting on the knee of the masseuse in the back of our waist and staring at each other while the blood rushes to our heads.. not a very relaxing position, I tell you..

2) On the flight back to M'sia from Dalian.. when Tai fell asleep with his head on Faris's shoulder and ended up flooding his shirt with saliva... :p

3) On another overnight flight back to M'sia where Rosie woke up in the middle of the night without her glasses on and decided to be a good samaritan. She was sitting in the aisle seat and just happened to glance down and saw a white blob on the floor below her armrest. She thought she must have accidentally dropped something and decided to pick up the trash but when she grabbed the blob and lifted it, it turn out to be the foot of the guy sitting behind her. He was wearing white socks..

4) The first time we travelled with Max to Mumbai and he got tipsy during the cocktail reception. As the reception ended early, the whole team (about 6 of us I think) decided to play some Uno in Max's room (since his was the biggest). When we got there, his roommate opened the door and Max was in bed under the comforter. The first thing he told us was "I'm not wearing any underwear!!" - while giggling..

5) The last time we were in Bangkok, us girls decided to go for foot massage at night and PC and I were ready first so we decided to play a prank on our colleagues. We knocked on their room door and PC said,"Sawaade ka" and I followed by "Loom service" in a very 'hiao' way (quite loudly I might add and in a Thai accent). Apparently it worked because some guy in the next room opened his door! PC ran away lickety split and I was acting like I was just passing by with my mobile phone in hand sms-ing.... I guess he really must have been waiting for some special 'service'..

6) The 1st time we were in Dubai we went to the middle of the desert for a Gala Dinner and had to sit on carpets on the floor with very low tables.. (kinda like japanese style but in the Arabian Nights). Faris and Lina were sitting at an angle at the table with their knees touching. Suddenly, Faris jerked his hand below the table. Later we found out that Lina's legs were going numb so she wanted to massage them. Unfortunately, she massaged the wrong leg and Faris thought that it was a snake so he grabbed it and found that he was holding Lina's hand...

7) Again after a Gala Dinner in Namibia, we (Rosie and me), accidentally ended up at the pool area at the wrong time. We thought that we took the last bus (which we usually do as organisers) and forgot that this time we actually took the first bus instead. So we were planning to just relax around the pool and enjoy the stars and each other's company while everyone goes to bed. Just as we were getting comfortable on the poolside loungers, the 2nd bus pulled up and people started walking pass us. So we ended up flirting for a few hours with 2 mat sallehs who stopped and sat down with us. Then everyone decided to walk back together and we said goodbye. It was only after we got back to our room that I discovered that my hair was like a bird's nest. Yup, I had pinned up half of it but because I've been resting my head against the lounger and moving around, some of the pins came out so my hair was half falling down. Just imagine some crazy woman on the streets but dressed better. That would be moi..

8) The last time we were in Dubai, we had to take a 1 hour bus ride to a posh restaurant in the middle of the desert - again for Gala Dinner. After the function, we were all pooped out. Unfortunately, we couldn't get seats together on the bus and only managed to grab the last 3 seats on the bus next to guys (all foreigners). I was lucky because I was sitting next to a customer that I know quite well so when he saw that I was yawning non-stop, he told me to take a nap and he'll wake me up when we get to the hotel. Lina doesn't remember when she fell asleep and how long she was asleep but she woke up with her forehead resting on the upper arm/elbow of the guy next to her. (The guy was sitting with his arm straight holding on the the top of the seats in front of them). When she woke up, the guy offered her his shoulder to rest on if she still feels like sleeping :) Such a gentleman.. I bet his arm must have been numb but he still supported her head the entire time she was napping. As for PC, she fell asleep in the middle of 2 guys (she was sitting in the last row) who were bickering with each other. When she woke up, they told her that she was sleeping with her mouth opened. We had a good laugh when we got back to our hotel rooms.. in fact, I laughed so hard when Lina told me that I ended up on the floor..

These are the memories that still bring a smile to my face..

That's all I can remember at the moment.. will continue when I recall more :D

11 things to keep in mind..

...when going on a photography practise outing with friends:

1) start off bright and early... but remember to on your mobile phone so that your friends can reach you to get directions to your house

2) choose a good place.. preferably with no admission fee.. like the putrajaya botanical garden..

3) if carpooling, ensure that your friends either like to sing or doesn't mind the noise polution in the car...

4) go with friends who are fun and doesn't mind posing for silly photos

... and doing silly things that may cause them some discomfort..

5) it's best to go with people who shares your interest in photography.. especially when they have a better camera.. :P

6) of course, you can't go without friends who're willing to model for you..

.. especially when they're so sweet..

7) bring some props if possible...

... and make sure you use it..

8) try to go with friends who're patient.. who doesn't mind waiting for the slowpoke who usually lags behind taking photos...

9) make sure you capture the name of at least 1 place to prove that you've been there..

10) pray that it doesn't rain until you're ready to leave..

11) should always end your photography session with a scrumptious meal at an out-of-the-way place.. remember you should get lost first, so that when you do get to your destination, the food will taste extra yummy..
Or.. you can scrap the above and just remember this... the most important thing of all is just enjoy the company of your friends and Have a Blast! :)

Dream Interpertation

I just found this interesting website (interesting to me) called Dream Moods. Apparently, it's quite popular as the webite is quite developed with forums and write-ins from the public contributing their thoughts/believes on dream interpretation.

This whole thing was brought about by this bizarre dream that I had last night. I just got curious and decided to google it. For some reason, I dreamt that my nose was so blocked up with unwanted substances (pi sai) like a clogged drain that I couldn't breath. Yes, I have no idea what brought that about because my nostrils were actually quite clean when I woke up because I checked.. :P

So back to dream interpretation, on the website it was even suggested that we should try to control the actions of our dream self in the dream to find out the answer. I honestly wonder if that's even possible? Sounds a bit like a movie to me.. but interesting indeed if it can be done.

I personally think that some of the explanations are pure common sense while others are pretty out there and smacks of superstition. There's even a dream dictionary! I haven't really checked that out yet but hey, if you have time on your hands and a curious mind about your dreams, maybe you'd like to drop by and have a look :)

http://dreammoods.com/

Oh, and I still don't know what my dream means..

Manila again..

Came back from Manila almost a month ago. Just goes to show my laziness in updating my blog.

Actually nothing much to say about it but compared to my last visit there in 2007, more shopping malls are springing up and needless to say, girls will be girls.. what can we do, right? Of course we had to go shopping.. a bit.. :) Unfortunately, my shopping trip was interrupted by my boss (as usual) so it was not a completely successful shopping trip for me. Since it was such a rush, there was no chance to take photos..

The only photo op I had was in the hotel itself during our waiting session.. that is, waiting for everyone to venture out on our lunch/shopping trip. So we decided to take some pics at the pool area.

I almost went into the water getting this shot..

People were staring at me like I've lost my marbles because I was just wandering around the pool area aiming my camera at everything..

But the Gala Dinner entertainment was without a doubt an eye opener. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much.. but the group they hired had the most fantastic voices. Apparently, they compete internationally. And now I'm even in love with The Philippines's national anthem! At least, their version of it. In fact, most of us forgot to eat, we were just staring at the stage with starry eyes the entire time... hehe..

Check out the professionalism.. to be almost undressed on stage... hehehe.. either that or he just doesn't like clothes..

The pink thingie in the photo below is a public male toilet.. and that black spot sticking out of the top.. is a guy occupying it at the time.. in a toilet without a door.. believe it or not..

Reminds me of Ghana, where people team around cars on the streets selling everything imaginable..

This guy looks really unhappy that I sneaked a photo of him.. thank god I was in a car.. oh yeah.. this is actually on Valentine's Day! Imagine that, we spent it first in a car, and then on a plane..

I guess this is universal... but their cabs look more comfy then ours.. after all, they use Vios and Altis..

Oh yeah, I forgot to mentioned being in a long queue at the airport as well... (how we spent our Vday)...

As usual, when the gang is bored, we revert to being kids.. in public..

well.. what can I say.. my colleagues, they are... (hehehe)

and then there are the 'normal' moments..

since they're now adults again... decided to explore elsewhere.. and realised I haven't really seen these for quite some time..

Then, of all luck, the plane we were on were one of those older versions of airbus and had no personal tv screens.. so sneaked another few shots out the window of the skies between Manila and Kuala Lumpur..

And that was my Valentine's Day..