Walking with my Trip 35

Sometimes, we get caught up in what we are currently doing, the day-to-day stuff, the impending deadlines and the like - once in a while, it is good to take a step back and reflect upon the journey that brought us here. This is the season for walking down memory lanes – the new planting season is about to start in this part of the world that I live since I was born. Loaded my Trip35 with Superia 200 and another roll in my back pocket, I took a walk early with the sun barely reach the horizon. It was a beautiful feeling bringing back the old memory as I was walking and clicking away until the sun was up high and my sweat was dripping down my forehead.

High and dry

Canon Canonet QL17 G-III | Canon Lens 40mm 1.7 | Kodak Gold 100

Kedah, like much of the rest of the country, experiences a wet season and a dry season. While in theory it’s possible to visit at any time of the year, the period from January through April is the best time to explore Kedah - if you like the dry season. This image will give you some idea of the dryness around here as the green grass is now turning to gold.

This is my first post with Canon images. When my late father-in-law passed away, this Canon Canonet QL17 G-III was handed down to me after being stored away for more than 15 years. I had it cleaned and finally found myself 48mm UV-Haze filter for the job. This image came out from the first roll. I like this little RF and I think the lens is very sharp too.

I miss my mother

It’s amazing how you can incorporate small and even large experiences from real life into a frame. It helps to give the picture some realism. It has been more than a year that my mother passed away and many times when I was with her, she would just look at this view and narrate some stories about what went on in that field. We did not talk much but deep inside, I knew that no one walking on this earth love me more than she did. For me, it made me reevaluate what’s important in my life and to never miss the opportunity to tell someone that you love them or how much they mean to you.

With so much hostility that goes on around us, I needed her more than ever before – just to be around her – not to utter a single word – and yet she’ll understand what goes on in my head. Our mothers are so special to us and we do not like to miss a chance to let them know. I missed her even more as I was editing this picture to be posted on Flickr. Thank you mak for being with me for 48 years - and my eyes are already teary as I am completing this hub.

Olympus OM2n | Zuiko 50mm 1.4MC
Kodak Proimage 100
Negative scanned

Cat's eye view

Nikon D80/60mm 2.8

We need to be aware that there is a monster that prowls around our houses, waiting to rear its ugly head. This monster is hungry. What will you choose to feed it? Keep one thing in mind, the monster thrives on negative energy, and with each bit of positive energy that it consumes, it grows weaker.

We need to find ways to kill this monster or make it grows hungry. There is nothing to cheer about the PPSMI issues. We need to make students and parents work harder, teachers need to be more competent or at the end of the day, we will end up as losers. We ought to know that the monster is now as strong as ever, and starts picking off your family members. We need to master the art of misdirection. Maybe we should visualize in cat's eye view for a change.

Thanks Rabani

Getting older

Olympus OM-2sp | 50mm 1.8

Lately I have been thinking more and more about my dear mother. Is this because it was almoost a year since she left us.Or could it be because I am getting older myself and find that I am wondering what my mother was like before she was just "mother" in my mind?

Will tomorrow be another long day, the timing of things will be wrong, clicking when I should be snapping, moving when I am supposed to be daydreaming, forcing when I will be gliding, running when I should be walking, posting when I should be holding.

I smoothed my hand against the hot panel of the side car door on the way home, the static electricity always gave me a good shock. The children are spread around the country, doing things without me - without their father. They are older than they used to be. I slide off my flip-flops and push my foot hard on the gas pedal, feel the warm rubber. The sun is moving downward. The sky is clean and blue. The trees are many with beautiful soft Kedah green. The trees' heads bump against the sky. Sunlight moves over my arms and my face and my hand is burnt against the car door panel. I am going home to my wife and there is her face and her hands and her eyes and our history and our future.

Caffenol works

Nikon FE2 with expired Superia 200 - negative scanned
Developed with coffee, Vitamin C and washing soda

It came as no surprise but I was exited that the formula for the first roll of my Caffenol mixture works. Chemically speaking, the stuff used was : 25g instant coffee, 12,5g sodium carbonate (washing soda), 1,1g ascorbic acid (vitamin C) , 290ml water. Well, I tried another roll with Malaysian coffee and it did not work. Now, I need to hunt for the cheapest instant coffee around.

Caffenol - All I need is Vitamin C

Looks like I have everything covered toward my first step of developing film with coffee and vitamin C. The hardest stuff to find was the washing soda which I managed to get from a pharmacy in Kangar. A generous uncle provided me with his old daylight changing bag. Now, I'll have to go and get the Vitamin C powder and washing liquid. I am all exited and you should try too.

The ingenious idea was discovered HERE. Thanks to Zainurin for forwarding the address.
The beautiful photographs are in this FLICKR Pool.
The video on how to get it done can be seen down here.

Alfatihah

Sungai Palas Tea Plantation, Cameron Highlands

I was told that these tea plants would live to 100 years and that is a long time for such a small plant. For all of us, life is too short sometimes. I still remembered my first day at school more than forty years ago. The life in boarding schools that followed was full of experience that somehow molded to what I am today.

Yesterday, one of our friends passed away. I remembered he was telling me after his first battle with heart attack a few years back. He said, at that critical moment, all he could remember was his childhood and schooling days. The rest went black. I guess those were our happy times – carefree and without so much responsibilities.

A life you don’t live is still lost. We were all tied up with our daily chores and some of which did not really matter in the end. Will we remember these days when our turn come? Will we be able to claim back the happiness that we once had during our younger days?

To Allahyarham Abdul Malik Majid, may you be blessed with those who went ahead of you and those who will follow.

Amin

Bird of Paradise (Heliconia), Cameron Highlands

Daily life

Riding the storm in Pulau Dayang Bunting

I am writing this hub based on my own experiences and I’m sure some of you will agree with me. Just forget about the issues highlighted in the mass media and let’s just focus on courtesy with our daily life.

I’m just going to list down two incidences happened to my wife this week and of course there are many more. These two are still fresh in my memory.

The first one took place in Watson. While queuing at the cashier with a basket of little stuff, a lady clad in tudung with a couple of items simply cut off the queue and checked out her stuff. She was fully aware of what she was doing by the way she acted while she was at it.

The second incidence happened at a small mini-market in my kampong. My wife and my five year old son had a few stuff in the basket ready to check out while my always-so-active-son accidentally knocked on a guy clad in sleeveless top with tattoos all over the arm (I live in a large community of Thais as well as Malay and Chinese). The guy politely gave way to my wife for a quick check out and willingly waited behind the queue.

I’m not making any conclusion about these incidences and there were many more that I won’t list down in this hub. Thanks for dropping by and have a nice day.