Gung Xi Fa Chai

Nikon D80 60mm f/2.8 Macro Nikkor

Double happiness to my Chinese friends out there. Gung Xi Fa Chai. Best regards and have a prosperous year ahead.

Regret

Nikon D80 70-300 Macro Sigma APO DG Macro

A friend parted since 1977 contacted my blog while I was away and I am so grateful for what he did by dropping a line in my comment box. Hope we'll meet again soon. This is what happened when we are so engaged with our life affair. Thank you Nazri - much appreciated!

Most of us hate regrets. There are times when our consciences are bothered because of too many reasons. For those reasons, we're having a hard time sleeping. We've let people down. We've let God down. We've gone out of my way to justify junk. Don't we just wish we lived our life as though we were grateful for what God has done to save us?

The tiny butterfly above was captured after my meeting as I was walking to my office. So small and most of us will let it pass unnoticed. Sometimes when we look hard enough, we would find what we are looking for and really wanting what we are getting.

On your wings of Love

Nikon D80 10-20 Sigma

What a beautiful day :-)

Lake Garden Taiping captured after breakfast during my recent work visit there. I like the tranquility of the lake with so many raintrees with beautiful canopies. A surprising clear blue sky for a place with the highest rain fall in Malaysia.

The sleeping butterfly

I have never seen butterfly sleep before although I have tracked a few homing for the night. I was walking around my garden with my camera one early weekend morning and stumbled upon this butterfly still sleeping. The dew was still thick as can be seen in this image. This butterfly is very small perched on the tiny weed with droplets of the morning dew still intact. Wonderful creation and thanks for viewing!

Newton's Third Law of Motion

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

People are as entitled to their opinions as we are. Allow them to express how they feel and let it be. Remember that it’s all relative and a matter of perspective. What we consider positive can be perceived by another as negative. When we react, it becomes me-versus-you, who is right? Some people may have a less than eloquent way of expressing themselves - it may even be offensive, but they are still entitled to do so. They have the right to express their own opinions and we have the right and will power to choose our responses. We can choose peace or we can choose conflict.

When we respond impulsively, it is a natural and honest response. However, is it the smart thing to do? What can be resolved by doing so? The answer: Nothing. It does however feed our ego’s need for conflict. Have we noticed that when we fight back, it feels really satisfying in our heads? But it doesn’t feel very good in our soul? Our stomach becomes tight, and we start having violent thoughts? When we do respond irrationally, it turns the conversation from a one-sided negative expression into a battle of two egos. It becomes an unnecessary and unproductive battle for Who is Right?

Nothing is really fair. I’ve found that once I allow negativity in one area of my life, it starts to subtly bleed into other areas as well. When we are in a negative state or holding a grudge against someone, we don’t feel very good. We carry that energy with us as we go about our day. When we don’t feel very good, we lose sight of clarity and may react unconsciously to matters in other areas of our lives, unnecessarily.

The truth is.......

Back in 1988, Elton John sang the words, "You can't argue with the image. The camera never lies." The camera still doesn't lie, but you can argue with what it says if the truth hurts. Here is a shot along my driveway with the sunrise hiding behind the tamarind tree. The bricks in the foreground has been piling there for a very long time waiting for the never arrived weekend project. Ouchhhh......

Like it or not, friends are going to hear the truth from us (?). Many know that the truth hurts, but living a life of lies is much worse. So while you're definitely kind and supportive, you don't pull any punches with your friends. Everyone should know where they stand with you and what you like and dislike about them. While some may be initially offended by your honesty, your friends have come to consider it as a virtue. We are living in the world of white lies and deceptive politeness and I guess somewhere along the line, you can be counted on for honesty and integrity.

Made it!

Sunset in Sungai Berembang, Perlis

Yesterday was my first day at work after a long Raya break. I made it through without much hassle although with some rejection from my system. It’s over now, the first day. I’m sure there were things that went great and things that did not go so great.

One of the not-so-great was some down time with one of the server at the office. Maybe technology has gotten a bit more complicated, which makes it more likely that you will need to call for help or search Google for the answer, but it’s certainly more stable in many areas. I hardly lost any files or system crashed in a long time. Most of my terminals are well protected and I am comfortable with what we are getting today. Small updates to most software happens almost weekly if not daily. New web applications come out every day. People browse the web on iPhones and iPods. Wifi is almost everywhere. I guess little things like that don't bother me so much now. It felt good to experience some new things and I'll try to use that as a positive mindset to move forward.

Tell me why I don't like Sunday!

This shot was taken on my way to work. The dew was still heavy on the ground and mist crawling at the bottom of the hill.

A long break during the Raya season making me rather unexcited about going to work. It's not about work that sucks but these sleep-ins are actually putting my body out of whack enough to change my Saturday night bedtime - Sunday is my first day at work. This is the main set-up for the coming Sunday blues. These days, we’re pushing ourselves a lot, particularly during the week and the weekend or a long break like we are having now is our only refuge. I might not be sleepy on Saturday night as I might during my first day at work. I guess, if you take a bight chunk of hire purchase of an expensive car, you'll have a lot to pay off later on. Enjoy the break while we can.

We forgive

‘Please forgive me for all my wrongdoings, intentionally or unintentionally. May you be well throughout the year’

Isn’t that the typical greetings and wishes we make for one another every single time this blessed month of Ramadan is ending and the glorious month of Syawal approaching?

So much so that I once wondered- when we seek for the forgiveness from others especially during Ramadan, do we really mean it from the bottom of our hearts or it is just cultural and a mere lip service?

In the Qur’an Allah has described the Believers as
“those who avoid major sins and acts of indecencies and when they are angry they forgive.”
(ash-Shura 42: 37)

Orthosiphon stamineus

I had one of this planted but died last year. My father in law made a few cuts from the shoot while it was alive and now he donated back three of these plants to me. This is the first bloom during this rainy season and the reason I wanted to keep having this in my garden is to attract butterflies. Many butterfly species are fond of Cat whiskers plant and one of them is the beautiful common albatross.

Orthosiphon stamineus (Malay: misai kucing) is a traditional herb that is widely grown in tropical areas. The two general species, Orthosiphon stamineus “purple" and Orthosiphon stamineus “white” are traditionally used to treat diabetes, kidney and urinary disorders, high blood pressure and bone or muscular pain. ~wikipedia

Oh, another thing! Have you ever noticed that when people say not to be "judgmental" they never say it after they are judged to be something good? This is because they don't care about being judged, they just care about being judged poorly.

Little things that make me happy!

My friend just returned this bike after I loaned it to him 10 years ago when her daughter's bike was stolen. It's a pretty cool one which I bought in 1990 for around RM800. I felt happy that I had it again, and excited to use it. The bike has served me well during this month of Ramadhan with the daily visit to Pasar Ramadhan and trips for tarawikh. Now I'm back looking for the original parts of this 1981 C70 GBO which I can see a few have been substituted. So excited, that I'll be getting delivery of another moped, 1980 C70Z tomorrow.

I have that a lot, little things that I buy - anything from books to fruits and juice - make me happy after I buy them. There is something exciting about the fact that I now possess whatever I buy, and get to use it as I please. I get really excited about little things like nail-clippers, cutters and tools in my workshop. Some said something sarcastic about me being satisfied with the 'little things in life'. Do such things also make you happy, or do you not really care about the little things that you buy - or gift from someone?

EDIT: A peek at my new toy.
Thanks for viewing!

Eve of Ramadan

Mother. This is the sky that I just captured during the eve of Ramadan. It is beautiful with fantastic cloud formation against the sunset sky. This is the first Ramadan without you and all the things I have always done with you in the eve of Ramadan are still very fresh in my memory. Does everyone take so long to get over losing their mother? Perhaps the question is does anyone ever get over losing their mother? How can I think of you less? When I see my hands and feet, they become your hands; the shape of my nails is an imprint of yours; the skin crinkles over my knuckles in the same pattern. How can I allow you to recede into the background when I see you daily in my reflection in the mirror? You are in me, I am part of you, even in your absence. And these daily reminders keep the hole of that absence close to the surface. I wish to be strong going through this belssful month and I am not thinking about the coming Raya (Eid Mubarak) just yet - at least for now.

Saddest day of my life

This is the hardest hub I have to write. August 16th 2008 was the saddest day of my life when my mother passed away at 3.00pm at the age of 70. I miss you mother....

Barodontalgia

Little that I knew what the cabin pressure at high altitude can do to human body until my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur. The worst tooth ache I have ever had was on that airplane. The pressure difference at the high altitude took its toll on me. My whole jaws and face, and ears were in severe pain. After some painkillers, the pain eased overnight and appeared again on the way back to Alor Star. I did a little research and found out that it is called barodontalgia.

Anyone with gas trapped in an infected tooth may experience barodontalgia, a toothache provoked by exposure to changing atmospheric pressure. Sudden, sharp tooth pain that occurred in response to a decrease in atmospheric pressure such as that experienced during flight at high altitudes.

As I am writing this blog, after a double dose of painkillers, the pain is less intense now but I still need to see the dentist tomorrow, I hope!

Gently does it!

Kids do imitate their parents in many ways. You can watch the Nature versus Nurture debate in the movie Trading Places with Eddy Murphy as the main actor. Nature says that humans get their personalities from heredity and the gene pool, while Nurture says that humans get their personalities from environmental factors and how one is raised by humans. This is the most basic explanation of these theories, which is the main point here. I believe that people become who they are out of a mixture of the two, but there are circumstances that make me think one may have more impact than the other. My six year-old daughter will freak out at anything that crawl or with legs and wings… hmmm, just like the mother. Upon seeing the courage of her younger brother in many incidences, she let this butterfly perched on her finger – with a lot of hesitation.

Riding off into the sunrise

With the implementation of the new price for gas in Malaysia last week - the government raised petrol prices by 41 percent to 2.70 MYR a liter and diesel 63 percent to 2.58 MYR as part of a package of reforms. It came to no surprise that Malaysian are turning to an already popular two-wheelers' moped as their mode of transportation. Most of these bikes are powered by 70cc to 150cc engines which are useful in coping with the raising price of fuel. This is a common sight on my daily trip to work with a rider and a pillion rider in one of the moped heading for work early in the morning. At the same time, Malaysian bikers will receive 150MYR annually in cash subsidy on petrol and 625 MYR cash subsidy to owners of cars with a capacity below 2000cc.

Misty morning

I like breathing fresh morning air. The first thing I’ll do once outside the house is to sip the freshness of the daybreak. It has been deliciously misty of late. The mountain wraps herself and all who cling to her sides in this dreamy fog. In the early morning rush to run my daily errant, I seldom forget to grab my camera, just in case. The just in case today being the misty landscape. I like the foreground weed. They glow amidst the frosty grass and sheets of mist shone by the morning burst of ray.

Spring break

No spring here but it’s spring break. You know what that means, right? That means I have approximately one week to do everything I need to do that I couldn’t do otherwise while at work, which isn’t saying much because the things I’m referring to are work-related. Thus far, my spring break has been quite unproductive and I am already toward the end of the week. The only significant work that I did was mowing half of my lawn before the light faded yesterday's evening. I still don't feel good. Apparently, this is the 4th day since I had the wasp attack on Monday and have been unproductive since then. I am debating if I am going to do anything or not today. It doesn't seem like I would feel any better in the morning anyway. So what Am I waiting for? But oh well, I keep saying, I'll just make it up next week and hopefully I feel all better soon.

Utopia

In the midst of rice crisis and fuel price hike, I took this picture of my village with the inclusion of the wooden house. There is vast rice field in the foreground with the brown harvested corn close to the house. The compound is surrounded by swaying coconut trees and the rubber plantation making up the horizon on the left frame. I like the sky and puffy white cloud too. Looking at the picture again, I was wondering if this is utopia, where people are self sufficient, with plenty of oxygen and ozone for everyone. I would like to share words by Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi: The world is enough for our needs, but is not enough for our greed.

Monsoon and Mood

It has been raining all week around here and I can here the thunder and rainfall outside my room as I am typing this. The picture was shot yesterday while I was riding my two-wheeler around the village. The cloud formation might give some idea about the whether and the mood camouflaged underneath it. A few demeaning creeps can overwhelm the warm feelings generated by hordes of civilized people. The abuse spewed out by just one jerk was ruining the experience for me today. The guy who threw a bagful of trash into the river this morning as I was driving out to work just kept bugging me. Treating people right means conveying respect, warmth and kindness to them -- and assuming the best about their intentions. But the game changes when people demonstrate that they are unmitigated jerks. I wonder when will be the time when everyone takes responsibility for pressing the "delete button" to expel assholes from the system.

Break

It has been raining all week and the blue sky is a definite no with our conversation. Today, a deserved shot break of blue sky lasted for about two hours. I took this image on my way to my mother’s house to help her for weekend weeding this morning. The bridge is the same one I was using to and from school during my primary schooling. The red roof between the swaying palms is the house where I was born. I like the view today with the newly planted rice spreads over the green field for another busy season.

Losing touch!

Yesterday was another lay off day. I like not being there, but I don't like not being paid. Yesterday, I heard something outside the door, and it triggered a dream recollection. I half woke from the dream, and i was very afraid. I dreamt that a tall, terribly unhappy man came through the door. There was no clear reason for me to be afraid of this unhappy man. I just was. Can't exactly get a grip on the cause of why I feel that way. Similar to the unpleasant dream I suppose. Nothing in particular, and everything in general. Physically and mentally fragile, but, for now anyway, I'm holding it together.

Interaction

The environment is a concept of wholeness (nature), with non-living and living components interdependent among themselves. It is aptly defined as ‘the sum total of all conditions and influences that affect the development and life of organisms’. This comprehensive definition stresses totality, and every living organism from the lowest to the highest, including human being, has it own environment. The word nature also conveys the idea that it does not belong to anyone but everyone belongs to it, like a family does not belong to anyone but everyone belongs to the family. Like in a family, in the environment also interactions between its different constituents are expected, and these interactions sometimes might lead to hazardous situations. Interaction is leading to the faster deterioration of the environment.

Regards.

Nikon Langkawi Photohunt 2008

I was checked in to Frangipani Resort and Spa on the 28th of March 2008 for the event and this is the beach of Pantai Tengah where the hotel is located. The program started immediately after the registration in the first day. We were allowed to turn in by midnight and the next day was awakened by the wake up call at 6am. The photohunt was flagged of after breakfast and lasted until 8pm for many team. A very exhaustive but productive day for everyone participating in the event. We were checked out by noon 30th and I reached home by 5pm. Very sleepy and a very good night...... zzzzzz

Scenic Ride

Taking a scenic drive through "The Kedah Plain" is time honored tradition. It goes all the way back to when the first car cruised through. Older generation used to tell me how they would just find an open field, pull over, and have a picnic. "This land is your land, this land is my land...". These days, there are still plenty of great spots to check out and enjoy and put down a nice picnic if you so choose. Nearly everyone gets an itch to drive "up the line", out into the mountains, or through the vastness of the paddy field, you can find them here right outside our doorstep.

Storm

The rain was torrential yesterday evening. The wind was strong too with thunder and lightning completing the drama. The indication is very clear that the dry spell is over and the rain brought back life to flora and fauna around my vicinity.

This flame of the forest was captured this morning with droplets from yesterday's rain still visible in the image. The Flame of the Forest is a medium sized tree, growing from 20 to 4O feet high, and the trunk is usually crooked and twisted with irregular branches and rough, grey bark. It is seen in all its ugliness in December and January when most of the leaves fall: but from January to March it truly becomes a tree of flame, a riot of orange and vermilion flowers covering the entire crown. These flowers, which are scentless, are massed along the ends of the stalks—dark velvety green like the cup-shaped calices—and the brilliance of the stiff, bright flowers is shown off to perfection by this deep, contrasting color.

Have a nice day!

Election 2008

I am glad that the General Election is over. Glad that all the posters and banners are slowly going down and thus eliminating the eyesores that I have to tolerate for the past two weeks. I am wondering how much longer we Malaysians have to stuck ourselves with this third world mentality even though much progress we have achieved in many ways. I am wondering too, how much does this poster wars actually influenced the voters in deciding who to vote or who not to vote. I began seeing something positive though - more placards have been used this year displaying the candidates' faces. Not only they pose less eyesores, they are also less hazardous to traffic and easily removed after the election.

The power of rain.

The dry season have left this lily in my garden lifeless until the rain starts to fall again in March. The flower came out straight from the ground and the first bloom was spotted and what a beautiful day too. I have captured this under saturated blue sky with sheep-like clouds. A perfect day to be out and a perfect day to cast our vote. Happy voting to all Malaysian!

Busy Month

February have been a busy month for me. So many things needed to be done and now the month is almost over. I was counting on the photo a week project to keep me engaged on this blog! But life gets busy, busy thinking about all the stuff one must do to work, think, play and live out the things that are important to me like family and keeping the finances in order. The month ended with mixed feelings of achievements and some frustrating moments, as always.

Passion

This picture was taken close to the Kuala Perlis jetty going to Langkawi or Thailand.

This is actually the tip of the river estuary with the visible distant islands are actually our neighboring country, Thailand. The location of this shot is in a small town of Kuala Perlis.

Seeing these kids cycling happily around me and politely greeting me armed with camera makes me thinking - the fun everyone had with bicycles. Where have the pleasure of riding these machines disappeared once we get the hand on motorized vehicles. It is ashamed that the love for riding this simple machine (almost zero maintenance) have been lost for some adults in a world where constant grumbles about high price of car's maintenance and fuel price is an everyday topic of discussion.