Kirthi Kayshen 1st birthday

The first shoot of 2010 goes to Kirthi Kayshen birthday party. Kirthi
is very active and doesn’t like camera. His parents have to attract
his attention while we get shutter and flash ready. It was rainy and
we missed the chance to have some nice outdoor shoot. I like the
birthday cake with many toys on top.

Good Bye 2009!

The last day of 2009, closure for a fantastic year. Written more than 70 blog posts and snap over 30,000 pictures! And there is still a lot more which has not been publish here because my busy schedule to catch up. Having a blog is fun and responsibility to contribute knowledge to world. I have used better tags to make my posts available in most search results. I feel really great when someone told me they had learned or know something by reading my blog. Thank you again!

2009 is a year of learning , a year with new ideas and opportunities. Photography has moved beyond the amateur boundary. I strive hard to work (or pretend to) as professional photographer. Study and compare the different between pro and amateur in every sense. Deliver my best effort for my client, regardless it is a low pay task or even free service. It is my commitment and passion in building my own style and brand. All these efforts are drive by very strong passion and I believe the big time will come someday. I just need to continue doing this.

My plan for year 2010 is to venture in digital photography editing, have more portraiture shoots and contribution to charity or society. A good photo editing skill is more than icing on cake and it could top up more commercial value for the pictures. Portraiture skill will be a tough test for me on directing model and conveying my ideas and thinking in photography. Me never forget to contribute back to society as free photography service. Same time I am thinking to streamline my blog and other social network to have better exposure and consistency. Do suggest what are the Do’s and Don’ts you wish to see from me. Wish you HAPPY GREAT NEW YEAR!

Recap of 2009

January – Attended Master Lin Sheng (Taiwan) portraiture photography. Same time A100 DSLR was repair for the shutter unit.Travel to Fraser Hill during Chinese New Year.

February – Attended Thaipussam celebrations at Batu Caves and also visit to KLCC Skybridge. These two places are famous but not many Malaysian willing to do it. Not to forget MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang.

March – Good trip to Yogyakarta and world heritage Borobudur and Prambanan. Hot air balloon up in Putrajaya sky!

April – My fisrt hiking trip in life – Mountain Rinjani, Lombok Bali. Since it is first, there is nothing to compare about but It is a good benchmark for future me. My backpack was bought from Hong Kong.

May– First chance to enter Sepang Circuit paddock during AFOS 2009. I was thrilled!

June – Getting better on track with SuperGT 2009 at Sepang. Remember visit to cat city, Kuching.

July –Month of somber. My bunny pet Lobeh left our family.

August – An events packed month – CIMB squash open, KLPF, Eason Chan’s concerts, MME 2009 and Independent day. Although no parade but I did a 52 Jalur Germilang series.

September – Visit one of the most beautiful destination in ASEAN – Hanoi and Halong Bay. Also fall in love with HDR and stitch panorama. Great Escapade! Oops.. upgraded to Sony A700 DSLR.

October – Unforgettable life time experience at MotoGP paddock as a photographer. Have a break at Bangkok and got know better about neighbor stories.

November – First time attending Anime Fest and it is AFA09 at Singapore.

December – Revisit Langkawi LIMA after 8 years. Still going to do it again cause not getting good jet picture

(This blog post got no picture, hehehe.. working on 2009 gallery..)

K-Kai Steamboat and Grill

K-Kai is really a unusual name for a restaurant. Although we passed by
this restaurant everyday, no one know that it’s a Steamboat/ BBQ/
Teppanyaki restaurant! I found out when browsing for a steamboat
restaurant in Ipoh and sighed loudly. I also met one of my
Singaporean/ Malaysian friend here, Si Poren while she is busy
scopping for icecreams in the dessert corner!

For RM 21.90 per person, we can eat-all-we can from the BBQ and
Teppanyaki grill corner, roasted duck and chicken booth, dimsum
steamers, porridge island, cooked food buffet corner, sushi platter,
steamboat lane, dessert place, icecream scooping icebox, fruit salad
fridge and free flows of drinks.

On each table, we are given 4 wooden pegs numbered with our table
number. Choose what meat you want from the raw meat freezer and put it
in a plate, clip on the peg. The grill cook will grill and call the
table’s number once it’s done. It’s one type of meat per plate,
meaning you can’t have pork, beef and fish on a same plate. I like it
when they do not have limit of the slices of meat you choose. I placed
a tiny slice of pork on a plate, they still grilled it nontheless.

Choose the meat yourself, put in on a plate with peg

Someone please refill some prawns please

Grill chefs at work, Remember to listen for your table number, our
dish sat at the counter turning cold for sometime before one of the
chef says ‘ Table number 91. Please take your plate, our counter no
more space already’ LOL

The grilled meat are served with sauces, like tartar sauce for grilled
fish, brown sauce for beef and so forth on a scoop of mashed potatoes.

From top left: Steak with brown sauce, Black Peppered Lamb Chop, Fried
Fish fillets with Tartar sauce and Black Peppered Lamb Chop

Pork chop- tasted like grilled cardboard, they should soften the meat
with mallet before marinating

Minimalist pork chop

Steaks- thickly cut steaks, tasted yum!

Request to omit the filling mash potatoes

Fish- ask for grilled instead of deep fried, tasted yummier without
tartar sauce, personally I think they placed a tad too many sauce for
just three slices of fillets. We ate 7 slices of fish fillets. Yum!

Grilled Fish Fillets with Soy

Black Peppered Lamp Chop- Huge slice of tender lamb, choose lean cuts
if you don’t like fatty slice of lamb chop, choose wisely!

Prawn mushroom Alfredo spaghetti- Tasty for mom and sister but the
sauce is too thick, IMO. Five prawns!

So creamy

Teppanyaki chicken- Marinated chicken with sad looking thin
beansprouts. I thought Ipoh’s famous for it’s fat beansprouts!?

By the time we eat all these I got so full, no place for steamboats
but the tomyum soup has quite a spicy kick!

Roasted duck booth- cold cuts of roasted duck and chicken. Sis liked it.

Dimsum- plates of processed- looking steamed meat wrapped with green
wanton wrappers, not really appetising, skipped!

Porridge island- designed to make your tummy bloated so you eat less
seafood and steaks. Mom took a bowl.

Cooked food- honey chicken wings, curry chicken, braised pork, fried
noodle and rice turned cold by the time we reach there. Skipped!

Sushi platter- pathetic looking crabstick stuck on cucumber is not
sushi! Because we reach there at almost 9pm, maybe the California
rolls are all gone. Skipped!

Steamboat- Should provide more vege and fishballs choice. We were
given lettuces, chinese white cabbage and green mustard only. Crabs
are too tiny but the crabs and prawns are still fresh. Mom says the
seafood are too tiny. LOL

Choose from four soup base: Clear, Tom Yum, Herbal, Porridge

This is just the processed/ fishballs meat corner, I forgot to take
picture of the seafood and mollusks.. They have clams, lala, bamboo
clam, prawns, crabs, squids. No scallops or mussels.

Only three types of greenies…

Ice creams- My fave flavor, strawberry tasted too artifical, so I go
for the mint. They have corn, yam, chocolate vanilla, honeydew and an
unidentified orange tinted ones. Lines for icecreams can get long.

Desserts- Tong shui like casavva and bubur chacha and nyonya kueh and
dry butter cakes. I can bake better! I’m not hoping for creme brulee
or mini macaroons but at least some jello and decent sliced cakes.
Skipped!

Fruits and salad in a fridge- Pale watermelons, papaya and selections
of local fruit cuts for rojak. Skipped!!

Drinks- Assured with Nestle stickers, tasted like Nestle range but
suspiciously watered down and sugared up. Peach tea tasted like lemon.
I liked the sugared blackcurrant though My advice, do not do like
my sis, she drank three cups of sugared water and declared full after
a slice of steak.

Buffet lesson by Nickee

1. Do not go at 9pm, go earlier!
2. Like all buffet place, do not waste food or risk/ you deserve being
charged RM 10 per 100 grams.
3. Do not drink those sugary drink too soon.
4. Some wet tissue might be handy.

Address:

Lot 28856, Jalan Lahat, 30020 Ipoh

(Restaurant at the driving school place in Falim)

Xmas in Shopping Mall

This year many shopping malls has furnish beautiful winter decoration
in their concourse. It feel that economy down turn has gone and we
feel confidence to spend more, don’t we? Let’s check out major malls
located in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.

Feel free to comments if you know where these beautiful shots were taken! Merry Christmas!
(clue in tags)

Can you guess where these shots were taken?

Miss Bling Bling Malaysia 09

This was held in Mid Valley Exhibition Centre in conjunction with Buy
Malaysia Bling Bling Fair. Although the name ‘bling bling’ sounds
kinda new use in consumer fair, but its pageant contest successfully
draw more crowds. Hope it didn’t steal the spotlight. The Miss Bling
Bling contestants are very young age. The final will run on this
Sunday.

More Bling Bling girls

My best friend wedding

I met VJ in year 1994 in class 1 Budi, SMK Raja Muda Musa. He is quite
chubby that time. We had a wonderful secondary school time. We are in
same class, prefect, school magazine team, sports club, tuition
classes… Almost everything happen in school will involve us. VJ
always act as a leader in helping school to carry out our
contribution. Of course the success will be effort coming from team
members name Poobalan, Thanasekar, Suntheresan, Selvan and me. After
SPM we are together again in Form Six of SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz. We
done the same thing again just as previous five years. It is more than
friendship and like brotherhood.

VJ is a very funny and humor person. Although he like to joke around
but we always serious in business and have good understanding. He has
a dream to become a doctor but we need more luck to reach that level
in this country. However he is PHD in material chemical now. He has
gone the farthest in education than any in our batch. Best wishes to
his wedding with Ms Rinjani. Another touching moment is meeting
Thanasekar and Selvan which has lost contact for long time in the
ceremony. Welcome back pal!

I have blog about VJ’s engagament in September.

Click here for more photos

Langkawi LIMA 09

LIMA Exhibition (Langkawi International Maritim and Aerospace) is one
of the premier expo in this region. My last visit was on 2001 during
my university semester break. It is one of my ‘must go’ event,
especially for it air show and sea show. LIMA is host every bi-annual
and this is 10th edition in 2009.

Due to last minute booking, all hotels were full. Someone even told me
that during LIMA period most hotel and restaurant in Langkawi Island
will double their price. But I can’t wait for it another two years. I
decide to do a day trip. Sounds crazy when you only spend a short time
in such beautiful island.

The maritime expo is hosted at Porto Malai. The taxi fare is Rm22 from
airport. The Awana resort is very beautiful and sort like European
rest house. The KD Razak warship is park at the nearby jetty.
Malaysian submarine KD Abdul Rahman was on display too. Huge crowd is
queuing to visit KD Razak. As usual the queue line become blur and
crowd was lost control and pushing each other. I only stay a while on
board before decide to abort the visit since it is over crowded until
no room to walk. I saw our ex-PM Tun Mahathir too!

The maritime demonstration is good. The marine police run a live
demonstrate of hijacked boat rescue mission, just like in movie. There
are superfast and surround the target boat within 20 seconds and take
control of the situation. Bravo!

The airshow and aerospace expo is hosted at Mahsuri International
Exhibition Centre, just next to airport. It was cloudy and the
aircraft look too grayish in air. Some photographers setup step-up
ladder and shoot from the defensive gate outside runway. So they can
catch the take off and landing action up close. The indoor expo hall
is open for public on its last day and entrance fee is RM10. Most of
the exhibition booths were closed. Beside commercial transport vendor,
there are many weapons exhibitor too. Many aircraft and missile models
are on display.

I should plan a 4 days trip to catch more airshow actions. Let’s meet
again in 2011.

See More photos…

YSS Shock Absorber Review for Honda Wave 125

The Honda Wave 125 rear shock absorber always rated as soft by most of the user. Actually it is design for comfort but some how Malaysia road is so bumpy and result the absorber worn out quicker. I have seen most of the user has change to aftermarket absorber for better

performance. My absorber set was just passed 100,000km. I always have a pillion on board and recently I just feel like riding horse on a bumpy road. When exiting corner the bike will swing to the opposite direction. Due to safety reason it should be replace.

I did some online research and survey at spare parts shop. Most user recommend brand Gazi, Showa and YSS. The former two are not easily to find and many imitations in market. Other unnamed brand is range from RM70 to RM100. Some even come with gas canister which look kind high tech but the dealer told me it is more for cosmetic rather than performance. The best option left is YSS which has wide range of models and inexpensive. I google and found JuniorZ is carrying YSS dealership in Malaysia. I make a trip to his store at Batu Caves.

The YSS absorber is made in Thailand and exported to many countries include Japan, Europe, Australia and America. I believe it has OEM quality in this industry. The model for my bike has few colour variants; gold/black spring, gold/red spring, blue/white spring and full chrome. The gold and red spring suit my bike most.

First impression of YSS absorber is – HEAVY. It is about 4kg compare with my existing 3kg each. It doesn’t feel cheap quality and the soldering is very well and neat. The spring is very high quality too with hard plastic cover. The best thing of this absorber is adjustable for different weight load. It has 3 levels setup from 60-160kg, 160-220kg and 220kg up. But you need some force to adjust it since it is very tight. The absorber design is up-side-down type which gives your bike more racing look.

After mounted with YSS rear absorber immediate I feel my bike has gain weight. I need to adapt the new weight to put on double-stand. The bike acceleration is a little affected because of the weight but it is OK since my bike got good torque. The riding is smooth and comfort, even with pillion at back. I still maintain the 60-160kg setup since both person weight is in that range. When doing cornering alone, it is tight and hard. I can make a 80km/h curve confidently. Overall I am very satisfied with the ‘upgrade’ and it only cost me RM120.

Perodua Alza

Perodua Alza side view

Perodua Alza front view

Perodua Alza side view

Perodua Alza interior

Perodua Alza price list

Perodua Alza price list

Pass by a Perodua showroom ans saw a white MPV display outside. Then I found it is Perodua Alza, the latest MPV model for Malaysia. It’s look very sporty from front and rear, low seating. But the interior space room is not very spacious, especially the third row seat basically is only good for children seating.

The price is from RM53k+ (manual transmission) and RM58k+ (auto transmission).

Find out more details of Perodua Alza here. Now Malaysian has more MPV choices.

AFA 09 Singapore

This is the second edition of Anime Festival Asia in Singapore
(AFA09). The event started in 2008 and successfully creates a new
communication platform for anime industry in this region. It is an
exhibition of figurine, anime products and subculture that goes along
with. This year edition has added anime song concert perform by May’n,
Shoko Nakagawa, Ichirou Mizuki and Yoshiki Fukuyama.

AFA09 is my first visit to anime or figurine exhibition. IT is very
overwhelming and crowded. I took 30 minutes to queue for ticket. More
than 300 people are line up anytime to enter AFA09. I still see huge
crowd by the time I was leaving. The ticket is SGD15 for one day entry
and SGD25 for two days. Many fans dress in cosplay mode and enjoying
them self since morning. I saw the same cosplay gang in lobby from 2pm
till 7pm. It is kind of anime worship festival to me

More than 100 booths locate in exhibition hall. The biggest one would
be Ban Dai where many toys character products can be found here like
Tamagotchi, Ben10, Gundam, Mameshiba and so on. Japan blogger Danny
Choo booth run a Tokyo Figurine Show where many beautiful artworks are
being display. The Moe Moe Kyun Maid Café waitress is all in maid
dressing but no photography is allowed. They aren’t dressing sexy but
very cute as Japan manga character. The main attraction in this area
would be shopping and taking pictures with cosplay. There is also fans
art display area.

There were events running on main stage range from speech, fashion
show, cosplay competition, karaoke and concert. All are free entrance
but the concert has ticket seating. AFA09 visitor can still view it
from open area which is about 30m from the stage.

Overall the event is good and interesting especially it get full
support from Japan sponsor and artist. I think it needs a bigger hall
next year to accommodate more crowd and activity place.

Naruto cosplay. They have been there whole day and still energetic to post for camera.

This is scary and horror.

Your toy is your signature.

Crowded ticketing booth.

This one my favourite… because I already know this, the rest of the anime I am few light years behind.

kawaiiiiiiii

You cannot miss the vending machine!

Ban Dai user hands on corner.

This eneloop bateery tester will show you the battery charge. I want to buy it because of cute.

The Gundam win Regional Cosplay Championship. Many were shock!

This is real person and not doll.

Another cosplay group.

One more cosplay finalist.

See you next year if you want to compete in cosplay!

But the Gundam has difficulty walking down stair… Can it fly??

Danny Choo time! Storm Trooper dance!!

Danny Choo and Miracle Mirai (pronounce mi-ra-cel)

Danny Choo fans in Tokyo.

This is the biggest model in expo.

Take it!!

My childhood memory. Expensive hobby.

Kids corner.

Family time.

Kamen Rider and AFA showgirl.

Cool stuff. Making cartoon is interesting nowdays.

Danny Choo.

Beautiful Alodia.

Sorry, you can’t eat this.

Young fashion designer start from here.

See full gallery