The BROTHERHOOD

This is the place I normally lepak whenever I'm in Ranau and it's called 'BROTHERHOOD'. Belongs to a close friend of mine, there is the place of meeting for most of us (close friends) whenever we have activities going on. Maybe it's just another cyber or games station for most of the kids there but for us the place holds some good and bad experiences in the past.

Special thing about this particular shop is that it's shared among friends with the other half of the shop lot (at the back) is a fish shop belongs to another friend who actually started the business there. It started as a design and printing shop under the name 'Evo Design'. Unfortunately, it didn't last long after some bad experience in 'friends' partnership and eventually it turned into a cyber cum games station as it is now. After all the experiences that I have personally gone through with the shop, I think the new name really suits the place and for what we all have in common as for whatever happened in the past, we all still gathered there. Even more meaningful, it's a tribute from someone to his younger brother who passed away in a car accident not so long ago. That's the brotherhood feeling that's in everyone of us- brothers and friends forever.

So if you are happened to be in Ranau, round-round la to this cyber station, it's a good place to hang out.

Sunset at Tanjung Aru Beach

These are my first few sunset shots taken with my DSLR camera at Tanjung Aru Beach during one fine evening. I like it so much that I used it as my computer's wallpaper now. I think i'll be going there more often now sambil-sambil enjoying the ABC or chicken wings at the nearby stalls. Sadap ba bos!!..

Nabalu Handicraft

Wooden Geckos

Wind Chimes

Nabalu Little Blue Stalls

Yesterday, I finally balik kampung to my hometown, Ranau after previously having to cancel my trip twice due to my work commitment here in KK. I was planning to go back on Friday night after work but changed my mind because of the heavy rain. So I made my journey back early in the morning while the rain was still drizzling out side. Along my journey, I stopped at Pekan Nabalu to take a break and just walked around the area for some fresh mountain air. Unless I need to go to the toilet or buy something to eat, I rarely stopped during my trip as I really hate to chase back all the cars I've left behind (especially if there are lorries along the way) but this time since I was not in a hurry, so I just take my sweet time and went up the viewing tower to check the views from above. The morning breeze really feels soothing and refreshing when you're up there actually. Since I brought my camera, so I took some pictures of the newly constructed blue colored stalls from the top of the viewing tower. Noticed it from afar so that's partly the reason why I stopped to check it out. There's a bigger structure being constructed in between the stalls actually and it looked something like a big market or maybe a big hall. Will take picture of it maybe on my next trip back home. What strucked me at that time is the construction of these new stalls and possible a new market place that would really means a lot to the people of Pekan Nabalu for them to sell their agriculture and handy craft products to earn their living. I remembered in the past, there were only a few stalls being constructed by the villagers themselves and seeing from the signage being posted on each of the new stalls, most likely this new project are being implemented by the local council to further develop the area into a tourist attraction. Good for the people of Pekan Nabalu.

The Viewing Tower with the big pineapple replica,
the village's main agriculture product, next to it.
(boleh gayat juga or naik ni tower)

The new stalls next to the shop lots area.
(masih kosong lagi, baru siap mangkali)

The new stalls and toilet next to the existing stalls.
(start operation oledi, next time mau rasmi juga tu tandas baru)

New Toy - Canon EOS 1000D

After my recent 'big' purchase, this post has been long overdue, so here goes,...

Being in a design profession, I think it's only obvious that one day I would eventually venture into this new 'serious' hobby- photography.Why I said 'serious' ? Because one have to make 'serious money commitment' to go far in this hobby (boleh bikin deposit beli kereta satu la or...:) ). So, after months of consideration (including window shopping balik2 depan kadai kamera..sampai itu tauke pun malas suda mau layan... :( ) and when coincidentally I got my big bonus earlier this year , I just go for it and bought my 1st DSLR camera ever ( I only have my cheap yet realiable sony dsc-s650 compact camera to carry around before... :( ) and it's the Canon EOS 1000D with the 18-55mm IS kit lense..Still considered cheap though in DSLR realm since it's an entry level DSLR camera but for amateur like me (budak baru belajar ba ni), I think should be sufficient enough for me. (for nowla...:))

Initially wanted to go for the Nikon D60, but finally I settled with Canon instead. Why? It's mainly because of lenses compatibility and range that Canon has over Nikon and maybe 'poisoned' by my Canon 400D friend also on that day...silaka & thank you to my friend Steve... :) . Do you know that entry level Nikon D series DSLR camera like D40, D40x up until DSLR 60 can only auto focus with AF-S and AF-I lenses? Whereas the previous and now obselete entry level Canon 400D (being replaced with 1000D already) and its bigger brother 450D can auto focus both with Canon EF (old) and EF-S (latest) lenses and its cheap EF 50mm/f 1.8 II prime lense that really got me there. I bought mine at a recommended shop in KK Plaza for around RM2k with some freebies- canon bag, LCD screen protector, tripod, 4G SD memory card, UV lense filter and 1 year free website registration from ximplify.com (Tried to get free umbrella also but no more stock... :( ). I'm not going into all the technical mambo jumbo about this camera here as you can find plenty of them at this all round review here. So fell free to check them out if you're interested in this camera as well.

Buying this camera has been one of my biggest investment (apart from my geek custom white Sxi Myvi), but unlike car which decays on you over time, you eventually improved your skills in photography (kalau rajin balajar la ni kan) and I'm looking forward into taking and producing great pictures with this camera. So, macamana,..tempted to buy one? Here's a few pointers from an amateur (if you don't mind) if you're thinking or planning to get one soon:

1. Budget - Set a budget for yourself on how much you are willing to spent and maybe a little bit of extra allowance for the critical decision. Unless you're sure of your choice then it's an easy decision but like me, I was torn between Nikon and Canon when I actually tested the two cameras. Biasakla sakai jugala once you try the real things all at once, unless you already familiar with the cameras (pinjam, try, cuba, test la ni dari kawan-kawan lain) then again it's a different situation. At most you would be tempted to buy one with a higher specs and this is where the extra allowance is handy. Then again, it's a matter between buying a slightly higher specs DSLR camera or put the extra money into your budget for better lenses. It's very confusing and tempting at the same time kan?... :). Luckily I've done my homework on all the available entry-level DSLR cameras that within my budget, so I've kinda know the pros and cons of these cameras. So, I made peace with myself with its available features (plus after asking my friends several times..hehehe) and then decided to go with Canon with the reassurance that I've stick to my initial budget and I can invest the extra money on better lenses.. (or perhaps buy a video camera?..mmm)

2. Brand - When buying things.. inda kirala apa-apa saja.. most people would looked into the brand 1st and Im also the same..because good or famous brand normally has the best quality and so on..but for some it's define your status la kenen... poor people can only afford buy cheap stuffs whereas rich people buy expensive stuffs only something like that la...I'm not into these kind of things though I wished I have all the money in the world to spent on all the best things out there...hahaha...and in photography no exception, that is brand dominance. That's why you have hardcore Canon and Nikon fans out there in a never-ending war over who's the best camera manufacturer in the world?.. Anyway, a wise advice I gathered from my own research is that it's always good to stick to the these two top leaders in the world of photography due to their vast experience and good track record in producing good cameras over the years. Depending on your needs and preference, buying into any of these two brands won't be a disappointment. I guess, I'm officially a canonian now...so any nikon user wanna argue?..joking only... :).

3. Features & Future Expansion - Choosing which DSLR camera to buy is like buying into a system. So make sure that whatever camera that you buy now has all the features that you want and most importantly would allow you to expand in the future. Expansion here would mean your choice of future additional lenses that you would eventually going to buy when the kit lense is no more able to fulfill your creative urges... :). Seriously, photography can become very addictive and actually I've recently bought two more lenses after I've bought my camera just 3 weeks ago. (will talk about it in my next post). This is equally important as it can saves you a lot of money in your future expansion plan. For a start I'm going with Canon, but if my budget permits or my passion rule over my judgement later on, I might switch to D80/D90 as people say Nikon camera/lense is sharper than Canon's...betul ka ni?.

I think that's it for this entry or else I may sounded like a pro pula banyak-banyak kasi tips sini...Till then chiaoo...

Sandakan Airport Feature Wall 2

The coloured glass panel

Seen here from outside (mmm..interesting roof construction also)

Aluminium louvres next to it

I flew to Sandakan again recently and this time I didn't forget to take more pictures of the feature glass wall (with my new canon eos1000D). Upon further inspection, the feature glass wall is actually consist of two layers of coloured glass panels, inside and outside with a gap in between. Interestingly, I noticed that inside the gap, a concrete wall is constructed at 30-60 degree angle to the outside glass panel. Maybe this is to avoid the sunlight from entering direct through the glass panel. The natural light being reflected inside, thus creating something like a 'warm' lighting effect seen from inside the airport.

Feature Wall # 1: Sandakan International Airport

View from the mezzanine floor

Close Up View

Took these pictures of the feature glass wall at Sandakan International Airport while I was on a project meeting there early this month. It reminds me of the stained glass pattern normally found in church buildings and with the lobby area being double volume, the feeling also more or else the same. Maybe because of tired, somehow I didn't check the wall in detail. I'll take more close up pictures and will post them here when I go there again soon.

Ceiling Design # 1 : Berjaya Times Square KL

Continuing on my post on my recent my trip to KL, I was 'jalan-jalan' at Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur at night with my brother and found these interesting ceiling designs :

OVAL ROUND

One of the most commonly found ceiling design that you can find around in any big complexes nowadays. Typical round cove lighting treatment on the columns top as well and it fits perfectly with the round shape columns. This one reminds me of the UFO space ship sometimes or simply a big glowing egg. Next to it is something like a 'steps' ceiling design.

STARS

Found this one while I was at the lobby area at lower ground floor level. It's located just above the ATM machines booth ( notice the maybank signage at the bottom there). Really liked this one due to its intricate layering and the lighting effects it created. Fantastic!!

STRIPES

I think I saw this one just near the place where I found the oval round ceiling. Would have been great if its lighting were working as well as the effects would have been interesting to see. As it is, it looked pale but I like its dynamic pattern.

In case you are wondering, all these ceiling are made using fibre plastered ceiling board. It's a flexible material, easy to cut and modify to any kind of shape or design that you want. Good reference.

Architectural Model #1 : Club House

Club House

Took this picture while I was on trip to Kuala Lumpur recently. We were visiting a newly launched residential project show office in Damansara Utama and while looking around, I snapped a picture of the club house model before I was stopped by one of the staff. Later my friend said normally picture snapping is not allowed in such places. Unfortunately so, as the residential house models were also very well made with interesting design features that's worth looking at for design reference in future project.